Need exploration advice

sinkarma · Apr 22, 2020

So I am going to the heart nebula then afterwards into the Formidine Rift for some exploration.

BUT

I want to know is 50ly jump range sufficient to survive in most of the rift without resorting to a lot of neutrons or manufactured boosts?
The build I am thinking of taking is currently sitting at 53ly with a fighter bay and 2 SRVs and fsd booster. I also have a chaff launcher. Don't know why but I have chaff.
its got everything. Beluga with a lotta stuff!

As to why I wanna go there is to see that ghost ship I heard about in there. Maybe even make a video log as I go?

marx · Apr 22, 2020

If by the Formidine Rift you mean the galactic region, then sure. If you head from the Heart and Soul nebulae directly towards the Zurara, you'll run into a patch near the region border where the stars thin out and you might encounter some minor difficulty, but elsewhere, you should be good to go.

As for build advice, if you bring everything, then make sure you have a heat sink launcher! They can come in quite handy in a variety of situations.

Rick6549 · Apr 22, 2020

Good ship choice. The beluga is the best.

Fish172 · Apr 22, 2020

I never had issues with a 37ly Asp..you will have no such issues..just make sure you fuel scoop is the biggest you can fit. I always find if your scoop is big enough to allow you to drop into a system and be refuelled before looping the star it goes very smoothly indeed. This also means you will always have a mostly full tank for those times when you really need it.

Anticon · Apr 23, 2020

I've just been through the Formidine Rift in a 54-Ly Phantom, easy navigation, but of course EVENTUALLY you run out of jumps if you go far enough out. I'm carrying 2 PDS, also don't know why... must do somnething about that. Have a great trip!

sinkarma · Apr 23, 2020

Thanks for people's replies
Yes I do have a heatsink launcher on my beluga. two in fact

Dr. Nagi · Apr 23, 2020

I dislike the Beluga for exploring, for the same reason I don't like the DBX: Slow fuel scoop.

Jackie Silver · Apr 24, 2020

Chaff is good for providing fireworks at exploration meetups.

Sunyavadin · Apr 24, 2020

My fuel scoop is generally half my insurance rebuy.

Orvidius · Apr 24, 2020

The Beluga's slow scooping is on par with the DBX, definitely. But it has one advantage over the DBX. The huge fuel tank lets you go for a long time without scooping to full; just grab what you can quickly grab, and go. Since it can carry 10 jumps of fuel, you can go upward of about 20 partial-scoops. As long as you rig it to run cool enough to loiter in the scooping zone, you can scoop while FSS-scanning occasionally and get back to full.

But yeah, with a 50-ish jump range, the Formadine Rift region will be a breeze, except for that one gap before the Zurara. You'll probably want to just go around it, but you can jumponium-boost across it too.