Recently back to the game after awhile, been doing trade / passenger runs. Looking to up explorer rank ... was thinking of using a Krait. No engineers avail, starting with Felicity thus the need for exploration rank. Links to any un-engineered krait builds or other suggestions would be appreciated [alien]
Honestly? A Dolphin is a great choice for exploring, especially starting out.
It's very easy to get between 45-60 lightyears with one (You can hit 60 with a Guardian FSD); they run cool, can land anywhere, and have just enough space to carry most of what you'd need. They're inexpensive to kit out, and have a fantastic cockpit with completely unobstructed views.
I've got my Krait fitted out for bubble work, but if I go exploring, it's always in my Dolphin; that thing's just great.
Biggest A-rated FSD.
Smallest A-rated powerplant you can get away with.
Biggest fuel scoop you can afford to fit.
D-rate everything else.
No weapons.
Unless you're playing in open, then you need shields and boost capacity, along with chaff/ecm/point defense.
EDIT: advanced discovery scanner and detailed surface scanner are of course assumed mandatory.
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Biggest A-rated FSD.
Smallest A-rated powerplant you can get away with.
Biggest fuel scoop you can afford to fit.
D-rate everything else.
No weapons.
Unless you're playing in open, then you need shields and boost capacity, along with chaff/ecm/point defense.
EDIT: advanced discovery scanner and detailed surface scanner are of course assumed mandatory.
You also really should opt for shields if you intend to land on planets. It's extremely difficult to not take hull damage when landing without them.
Best basic general purpose exploration ship in the game is likely the Cobra Mk III, in my opinion. This may change when they add in probes or whatever. Decent fuel scooping potential and supercruise maneuverability (not so much for yaw though) means more efficient exploration per time.
Jump range over say 35 LYs or so is really only important for racing places or trying to reach the thin bits on the fringes of the galaxy compared to where other Commanders go. It doesn't really affect basic exploration efficiency very much.
I have a jump range optimized DbE that stays in the hanger, a Dolphin, and a few others. I actually prefer exploring in my combat loaded Vulture, but for basic general purpose exploration, the Cobra is hard to beat.
You can of course load up whatever you like with added redundancies, but in my experience, they aren't needed. I've never even needed an AFMU. Lowest I ever got a ship down to exploring was like 93% back in 3301 on my trip to Sgr A, and that's mostly because I kept running into black holes, not knowing to throttle down before jumps back then. I sometimes bring an AFMU along anyway though if I have the room; might as well.
Jump range over say 35 LYs or so is really only important for racing places or trying to reach the thin bits on the fringes of the galaxy compared to where other Commanders go. It doesn't really affect basic exploration efficiency very much.
I have a jump range optimized DbE that stays in the hanger, a Dolphin, and a few others. I actually prefer exploring in my combat loaded Vulture, but for basic general purpose exploration, the Cobra is hard to beat.
You can of course load up whatever you like with added redundancies, but in my experience, they aren't needed. I've never even needed an AFMU. Lowest I ever got a ship down to exploring was like 93% back in 3301 on my trip to Sgr A, and that's mostly because I kept running into black holes, not knowing to throttle down before jumps back then. I sometimes bring an AFMU along anyway though if I have the room; might as well.
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hey
thi is my conda
https://s.orbis.zone/q1-SmgFJ
is mainly made for thermal resistans, but it has a nice jump and self-repair kit, my opinion is good for new explorators. for advanced I recommend slimmed down versions but less resistant than this
in optional iternal 5 slot you insert Guardian FSD Booster which gives + 10.5LY, so the total jump of condy ok 70LY is decent
if someone has other proposals I would like to see, everyone has a different taste: P
thi is my conda
https://s.orbis.zone/q1-SmgFJ
is mainly made for thermal resistans, but it has a nice jump and self-repair kit, my opinion is good for new explorators. for advanced I recommend slimmed down versions but less resistant than this
in optional iternal 5 slot you insert Guardian FSD Booster which gives + 10.5LY, so the total jump of condy ok 70LY is decent
if someone has other proposals I would like to see, everyone has a different taste: P
It obviously depends on your budget, and tastes.
In the 'small to medium' category, popular choices are...
DBX: cool as ice, no need for heat sinks, small and easy to land, 2nd greatest jump range. Pretty good cockpit, a bit slow scooper.
AspX: 3rd greatest jump range, great canopy, great agility in supercruise, solid number of internals, drifts a lot in normal flight.
Dolphin: Agile and fun in normal space, good canopy and agility in supercruise. A no-brainer to drag a rich explorer to a corner of the galaxy.
Type-6: Less obvious (slightly worse jump range than the others) but very cheap to outfit compared to the others, great cockpit, internals outdo an Aspx, very small footprint to land, easy to fly in normal space.
In the 'heavier' category, ships able to carry more internals. I would list...
The Orca: Slightly better jump range than the Dolphin if done right, and more internals (pricier, obviously) crazy fast in normal space.
Type-7: Lesser used as the jump range is slightly lower, but astounding number of internals for its price.
Anaconda: Pricy, but valued for having the best jump range of any ship if setup right. The agility in supercruise is abysmal, and the cockpit doesn't have a grand view however.
The Krait is gaining in popularity - lots of internals, jump range competitive with a Dolphin/Orca, and the ability to carry a SLF. Also it has a remarkably clear cockpit, and an espresso machine.
Exploration being quite casual, one can go out there in -any- ship really. (I have a friend with a 40+ light year clipper, thanks to guardian boosters) But for maximum comfort, plan for a SRV bay, both scanners, an AFMU, a solid fuel scoop. A small shield OR a combo of a small repair limpet and cargo bay. That means 6 internal slots.
Oh, if you want to nab stuff from the guardian ruins, I recommend the smaller-footprint ships. Dolphin, Type-6 or DBX.
In the 'small to medium' category, popular choices are...
DBX: cool as ice, no need for heat sinks, small and easy to land, 2nd greatest jump range. Pretty good cockpit, a bit slow scooper.
AspX: 3rd greatest jump range, great canopy, great agility in supercruise, solid number of internals, drifts a lot in normal flight.
Dolphin: Agile and fun in normal space, good canopy and agility in supercruise. A no-brainer to drag a rich explorer to a corner of the galaxy.
Type-6: Less obvious (slightly worse jump range than the others) but very cheap to outfit compared to the others, great cockpit, internals outdo an Aspx, very small footprint to land, easy to fly in normal space.
In the 'heavier' category, ships able to carry more internals. I would list...
The Orca: Slightly better jump range than the Dolphin if done right, and more internals (pricier, obviously) crazy fast in normal space.
Type-7: Lesser used as the jump range is slightly lower, but astounding number of internals for its price.
Anaconda: Pricy, but valued for having the best jump range of any ship if setup right. The agility in supercruise is abysmal, and the cockpit doesn't have a grand view however.
The Krait is gaining in popularity - lots of internals, jump range competitive with a Dolphin/Orca, and the ability to carry a SLF. Also it has a remarkably clear cockpit, and an espresso machine.
Exploration being quite casual, one can go out there in -any- ship really. (I have a friend with a 40+ light year clipper, thanks to guardian boosters) But for maximum comfort, plan for a SRV bay, both scanners, an AFMU, a solid fuel scoop. A small shield OR a combo of a small repair limpet and cargo bay. That means 6 internal slots.
Oh, if you want to nab stuff from the guardian ruins, I recommend the smaller-footprint ships. Dolphin, Type-6 or DBX.
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Have tried Anaconda, AspX and DBX to SAG A and Colonia, all un-engineered using stock-builds.
Anaconda: great in normal flight but really sucks in supercruise. the few times I encountered someone else I didn't have to run.
AspX: really good in normal flight, submit then boost*3 to evade all interdictions. scoops fast with large 5B fuel scoop. No weps gives best jump range.
DBX: fun in normal flight, submit and boost away or silent running works. scoops slower than AspX because of internals size difference.
Would always recommend an AspX as the view from the cockpit is the best for all those sites in the galaxy that you encounter. Responsive in Supercruise, scoops fast and has enough internals for AFMUs, etc.
Kept the AspX for exploration and sold the Annie to get a trading Cutter. DBX is stripped-out and used as a taxi between homes in the bubble.
Anaconda: great in normal flight but really sucks in supercruise. the few times I encountered someone else I didn't have to run.
AspX: really good in normal flight, submit then boost*3 to evade all interdictions. scoops fast with large 5B fuel scoop. No weps gives best jump range.
DBX: fun in normal flight, submit and boost away or silent running works. scoops slower than AspX because of internals size difference.
Would always recommend an AspX as the view from the cockpit is the best for all those sites in the galaxy that you encounter. Responsive in Supercruise, scoops fast and has enough internals for AFMUs, etc.
Kept the AspX for exploration and sold the Annie to get a trading Cutter. DBX is stripped-out and used as a taxi between homes in the bubble.
I'm in a Krait that ''only" has a 38 lyr jump distance, but that is good enough for exploring. Unless you want to get somewhere special very fast, you won't be needing more than that and can easily get away with a lot less.
The problem is engineering, you either grind to boost the 5A FSD jump range with engineers, or you do it through the Guardians. Either way, you have your work cut out, but it pays dividends for your longer term enjoyment of the game.
The real issue is the psychological one of getting out of the Bubble into areas where nobody else has been, but after about 1500 lyrs, you realize it is no issue at all.
The problem is engineering, you either grind to boost the 5A FSD jump range with engineers, or you do it through the Guardians. Either way, you have your work cut out, but it pays dividends for your longer term enjoyment of the game.
The real issue is the psychological one of getting out of the Bubble into areas where nobody else has been, but after about 1500 lyrs, you realize it is no issue at all.
New to exploration but not new to the game? Explore in what you like to fly.
Don't take guns (maybe a mining laser for materials), remember an ADS, DSS and fuel scoop. SRV is recommended but not compulsory, strip weight for jump range within reason, shields are useful - but not necessary for the careful - if you're planning on landing. AFMU is only essential if you're going to use NS boosts.
If you want to get somewhere specific there may be a jump range requirement, or longer jumps might just get you there quicker but if you're just going to wander about then high jump range is not essential.
Most important though - you're going to be sat in the same ship, just flying around for many consecutive game sessions. So go in a ship you like to fly.
I second marx on the Clipper though.
Don't take guns (maybe a mining laser for materials), remember an ADS, DSS and fuel scoop. SRV is recommended but not compulsory, strip weight for jump range within reason, shields are useful - but not necessary for the careful - if you're planning on landing. AFMU is only essential if you're going to use NS boosts.
If you want to get somewhere specific there may be a jump range requirement, or longer jumps might just get you there quicker but if you're just going to wander about then high jump range is not essential.
Most important though - you're going to be sat in the same ship, just flying around for many consecutive game sessions. So go in a ship you like to fly.
I second marx on the Clipper though.
I'd second that.
I took mine all the way to Ishum's Reach/Semotus Beacon and back (Beagle Point +++) with no problems.
https://s.orbis.zone/yvXNZywb
Right now if I was going out again I'd be using my DBX.
Edit: srry op i know you said unengineered but.. you might aswell just do the grind.