Non-Engineered Builds - Exploration, Mining, Fighting

[TodaKuroitora]

Ok, so I understand that Engineering and Guardian based/influenced builds are part of the game. But why is it SO hard to find combinations with decent jump ranges, weapons, mining, and repair/limpet loadouts which are NOT engineered or guardian influenced? Some of us either do not want or, for some reason, cannot get engineering or guardian stuff done. Some of us just don't have the available time to devote to those grinds or the energy or focus. Why should we have less fun and less opportunity for experiencing the game as fully as others? So, I am asking that we get a thread going which discusses non-engineered builds and combinations which allow for folks who don't engineer/guardian chase to have builds which allow for deep exploration, fighting, mining, etc especially for things like Distant Worlds 2 and other major exploration efforts (ok, that's my game focus).

Keep it stock but make it rock!

Can folks post some? Can you explain what your build does for you? Why does using module X over module Y help? What do the numbers mean? Simple things that all of us noobs (I consider a noob to be less than 500 real time in game hours).

Discord is helpful but only if you know people. Problem is that you can post a question and, a few hours later, both the question and the responses become lost in a roving growing wall O' text.

Thanks!
Cmdr TodaKuroiTora
Hunter, Clan IFB

 

[Rooster Podunk]

A very tall order, Toda

Every piece of equipment, and every setting of your Pips, effect everything in your ship (or near enough). I would suggest using Coriolis, bring up different stock ships, and playing with different modules and settings while paying attention to the tooltips available over the statistics.
https://beta.coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/krait_mkii That will start you with a Krait but just nav to the upper left to pick the stock ship of your choice.

Also make use of the Engineers section of the forums. Lots of good folks and info there.

 

[TodaKuroitora]

Cool, thanks. I really want to get a series of build discussions going for folks who arent engineered or guardian’d up. Its frustrating to try n build something to enjoy if you don’t groove, or have the time to groove, on those grinds.

 

[Lightspeed]

You say you don't have time to engineer your ship, but you've already discovered (from the other thread here about Krait builds) that by not engineering, you don't get as much enjoyment from the game.

At the very minimum, you should work to engineer your Frame Shift Drive to the utmost to achieve maximum jump range. I'd say (as you are now finding) you cannot afford not to do that.

 

[marx]

Designing an exploration build is mostly the same with or without engineering. The choices you might have to make are pretty much the same. Outside of weapons and their experimental effects, all that engineering does is give you more of one set of stats and less of another. Without engineering, your exploration build will be pretty much the same, the numbers will just be less.

I wouldn't mind discussing builds, but there are plenty of excellent guides and discussions already out there. You can just ignore any parts about engineering, and you'll still be good to go.

 

[TheLastHomicide]

Does anyone have a good Keelback mining build they can share? Trying to get back into it since the new update for the overhaul on the profession.

Thanks always,
Cmdr TheLastHomicide
PS4, Nu Tauri Pioneers

 

[Orvidius]

It's also worth noting that it doesn't take long at all, to at least unlock Felicity Farseer. Her jump range modification is really all you need. Everything beyond that is just fine-tuning. Even if you only mod your FSD to grade 3 or 4, it's still a very useful bonus, and it doesn't take long to get small number of wake-scans needed for that. You can even sell her some exploration data to rank her up quickly, and make the materials cost for those lower ranks as low as they can be. That is, just scan a few wakes, as opposed to spending an hour or more doing scans.

And like marx said, the module selection is still very much the same with or without the engineering.

 

[Satsuma]

I'd also like to point out that it's really easy to see people tossing around numbers from heavily engineered ships and think "Oh, God, if I don't make at least 50 ly, I might as well stay home".

That's not true at all. Here is a fairly standard Horizons Asp Explorer with no engineering. It's got a buggy, two AFMU's (so they can repair one another), full sized thrusters, good recharge, and boost. It's using B-rated AFMUs and a 6B fuel scoop because they're cheaper, but you can A rate them if you'd prefer. In order to get the small power plant on it, you have to play power management tricks - run with the hangar and AFMUs depowered, depowering other things to bring them online. This is pretty much the sort of thing we were all flying before Engineering.

It also gets 33.72 ly on a full tank. That's enough to reach Beagle Point and (with a couple of jumponium boosts) the Treehouse. It's about what Kat had on her Asp when she circumnavigated the galaxy. It's far more than Zulu Romeo had on his Cobra when he was the first person to reach Sagittarius A*. Sure, there will be a small percentage of stars you can't reach, but most of the galaxy will be in your range.

I'll point out, too, that if you explore at least partially for the money you make in scan data: you get paid by the system - by the jump, not by the light year. It doesn't matter if you travel 50 ly in a jump or 20. You still get paid by the system.

 

[TodaKuroitora]

Great conversation, yall! I just learned alot from it. Thanks! It’s kinda like that... if i have less than X ly jump, i might as well not go. That limits game options something fierce. It’s also hard to find a travelling buddy unless engineered. So, i’d like to discuss n present builds that can do 35 ly or better playing with stock options. Like many of us in the 80’s did with our muscle cars n cb’s. Keep it stock but make it rock!

 

[m0rl0ck]

iirc the dbx gets over 40 ly stock if you watch your module weight. Maybe not.
This build does 37 though. https://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondb...==.Aw18UA==..EweloBhBmUEZQFMCGBzANokI4TyKQoA=
And i would keep the shield boosters, you never know what you might run into

This one includes a planetary vehicle hangar, but its all stock. https://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondb...==.Aw18UA==..EweloBhBmUEZQFMCGBzANokI4TyKQoA=
Does 38, thats about as good as i think you will get non engineered, idk if id go out in it.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

Why should we have less fun and less opportunity for experiencing the game as fully as others?

Guy's sitting on the shore, hasn't had a bath in over a week, hasn't had a job in over a year, and looks out at me, on a 43 foot yacht, sipping champagne, a couple young women dancing in swimsuits on the deck above, while someone else peddles a water bike around my yacht and asks: "Why does this guy get to have all the fun?"

The answer: Because 'this guy' worked himself onto Death's Door for years, scrimped, saved, slaved and sacrificed, missing out on decades of "fun", partying with friends, hanging out, doing nothing, getting wasted, so he could have such things.

The harder you work, the harder you can play.

That said though, I get where you're coming from - it does take some effort and some doing things you might not WANT to do to unlock Engineers, gather materials and blueprints, and all that, to have access to all the coolest gadgets. I get it. So yeah, I will have to say Coriolis.io is going to be your best friend here.

General rules:

1. Unless it's Vital, it's D-Grade.
2. Your FSD has to be A-Grade.
3. Undersized Modules have less mass
4. One AFMU is all you need. They work just as well at 1% as 100%. Reboot can restore a "dead" AFMU from 0% to 1%.
5. Take care of your Power Plant. It can only be repaired at a station, outpost or planetary installation.

https://coriolis.io/outfit/dolphin?...kA.Aw1/kA==..EweloBhBGA2EoFMCGBzANokMK4fiIA==

That'll give ya 30-33 light years per jump, an extremely easy and fun to fly ship, all the tools you really need to explore, a bit of protection if you botch a landing, a little buggy to roam around in if you find somewhere really neat to look at (or need synthesis materials), and an amazing view.

 

[TodaKuroitora]

iirc the dbx gets over 40 ly stock if you watch your module weight. Maybe not.
This build does 37 though. https://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondb...==.Aw18UA==..EweloBhBmUEZQFMCGBzANokI4TyKQoA=
And i would keep the shield boosters, you never know what you might run into

This one includes a planetary vehicle hangar, but its all stock. https://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondb...==.Aw18UA==..EweloBhBmUEZQFMCGBzANokI4TyKQoA=
Does 38, thats about as good as i think you will get non engineered, idk if id go out in it.

Very, very nice! Thanks for taking time to do that.

 

[TodaKuroitora]

The point I’m aiming for is how to enjoy what the game offers for those with limited time due to life circumstances. Kids, jobs, education, health... its nothing to do with hard work. Many with yachts, etc were BORN into that money. Very few do it in their lifetime of rags to riches stories. Rags to middle class(ish), ok. Total wealth n leisure? Pipe dream. Family n work come first, gaming is when it can be fit into the schedule. For these folks, i want a way for them to do DW2 n the other fun things the game offers. Thanks for the module comments. That helps alot.

 

[TodaKuroitora]

I’ll ask my go to guy tomorrow.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

The point I’m aiming for is how to enjoy what the game offers for those with limited time due to life circumstances. Kids, jobs, education, health... its nothing to do with hard work. Many with yachts, etc were BORN into that money. Very few do it in their lifetime of rags to riches stories. Rags to middle class(ish), ok. Total wealth n leisure? Pipe dream. Family n work come first, gaming is when it can be fit into the schedule. For these folks, i want a way for them to do DW2 n the other fun things the game offers. Thanks for the module comments. That helps alot.

Trust me, I get it. Time is a commodity no amount of money can buy. We all get 24 hours in each day, and each of us have different demands on them. I can't say how much time per day the DW2 folk are putting in, it's not the sort of thing I get into, but.. using sources like coriolis.io and just plain knowing a few simple things will certainly benefit your situation. Sure, it means investing a little bit of time into figuring out what you need - what type of ship, what sort of operating range, what other sorts of things you have to have and what you can get by without.

As for "the other fun things the game offers", that's a broad, subjective blanket term. Personally I found tracking down and unlocking the Engineers to be a lot of fun. But that's me. Your experiences will differ. So offering up some indication of what these "other fun things" are to you will also help.

 

[Greyza Badger]

I've just arrived back in Colonia in my unegineered AspX.
Cashed in 550mil in exploration data, got my Elite Exploration ranking (yay me), ànd am now docked with little idea of what to do or where to go next.
I feel uncomfortable in occupied space and the pull of heading back in to the black is strong, but I can't help feeling I should be doing something with my ship. The thing is, I'm happy with the 32ly jump range. The only justification I can see for extending this is if I want to put distance between me and 'civilisation'.
Engineering has always been something that happened to others and I don't want to have to go back to that cesspool we call the bubble in order to grind out something I really am not bothered about, just for the sake of it.
Maybe an unegineered Krait Phantom exploration build would see me right,? Something with similar range to my AspX. Because I like safety nets, I would need shields, AFMU, SRV, heat sinks and maybe repair limpets. Never had limpets so don't know if they are viable. What say you all?

 

[Bob Lighthouse]

The point I’m aiming for is how to enjoy what the game offers for those with limited time due to life circumstances. Kids, jobs, education, health... its nothing to do with hard work. Many with yachts, etc were BORN into that money. Very few do it in their lifetime of rags to riches stories. Rags to middle class(ish), ok. Total wealth n leisure? Pipe dream. Family n work come first, gaming is when it can be fit into the schedule. For these folks, i want a way for them to do DW2 n the other fun things the game offers. Thanks for the module comments. That helps alot.

"Diminishing returns".

The time you "save" by not engineering is eaten up quickly by short jump range, for most activities.

Engineering IS part of the game.
Unless you're pretty focused, each jump is about a minute you'll never get back.

Food for thought...

 

[Greyza Badger]

Am I anywhere close with this?
Krait Phantom
First time I've considered a new ship in ages so I'm pretty much guessing.

 

[Lightspeed]

The alternative to engineering your FSD is to take part in the Guardian mini-game that allows you to purchase a Guardian FSD Booster. That will provide you with up to a 10 ly boost to any ship, including any ship you purchase in the future.

It can be undertaken part time, but you will also have to obtain appropriate materials, so it might take some time. But it is still playing the game without any engineering.

Also, the Guardian module 'game' is ideal to play with a friend (if you have one in the game) because you can help each other through the process at the Guardian ruins.

 

[Matt Kowalsky]

Hey,

I'm in exactly the same situation and frame of mind! (although I only made 300M and not quite reached Elite.)
I left the bubble just before Horizon and/or Engineers/SRVs came out only just docked back at Jaques.

Like you, I thought I'd get a Phantom and outfit it as an Explo/Miner (with an SRV this time) to try some of the "new" stuff.
Or maybe an Orca and start a Passenger Touring business.
I noticed that there are some Engineers in Colonia but don't know if they're worth a visit or not.

Why do you bother with HRP in your build?