I did some research and it said just shoot some rocks in an SRV on a planet to get it. Well that's what I've done except shooting rocks does nothing. They don't explode or crack open or anything. How do I get Nickel, please? Also, I find myself stuck in the turret of my SRV. I'm playing on the PC, could somebody tell me how I get back to the SRV cockpit, please?
Obtaining Nickel
- Thread starter Commander Jericho
- Start date
Shoot rocks that show as targets.... Not just any old rock scatter 
Drive a bit further, and learn how the srv wave scanner works
Drive a bit further, and learn how the srv wave scanner works
Also, make sure it's a planet that actually has nickel
eddb.io
Bodies - Search & Find - EDDB
Bodies in Elite: Dangerous - search, filter, find and sort systems ... and find the materials you need!
eddb.io
Also, make sure it's a planet that actually has nickel
Bodies - Search & Find - EDDB
Bodies in Elite: Dangerous - search, filter, find and sort systems ... and find the materials you need!
I'd love to if I could drive back to my ship! I'm still stuck in the turret lol
Give your key bindings a quick check, that should tell you.
If you are stuck then I think that exiting and re-entering the game will probably do it as well.
Easiest way to get g1 and g2 raw materials that isn't a material trader is using a Sidewinder with a mining or beam laser. You go to a planet with geological activity and the materials you want, then drop down to the surface at active areas and look for the crystals at vents. Shoot them with the laser until they pop off, then collect the material directly with the cargo scoop.
Could somebody explain to me what might have happened here, please? I was in my SRV, went AFK to make dinner. By the time I'd eaten and cleaned up I'm now back in my ship and my SRV is missing. I have no idea why or what happened.
You probably ran out of fuel.
Spend an evening filling up on g4 at the Crystal Shard sites and trade for the rest. You are now topped off on raw mats for months
I know it gets ragged on for the grind, but oddly I LOVE the shard sites. The jumping out there, not so much, but the actual farming, slowly driving around the alien landscape, the atmospheric music... I dunno, its oddly calming to me.
"Some" research. Nickel is reasonably common but shooting random rocks just does not cut it. Use https://eddb.io/body to find nearby planets with a high percentage of the ore you want to collect. As noted you need to learn how to use the SRV Wave Scanner to find the rocks that release collectible materials when targeted and blown up using the SRV's repeaters. Once the carbonaceous chondrite, mesosiderite, outcrop or metallic meteorite has been blown into little chunks, deploy the SRV Cargo Scoop, target a chunk of material on the ground and run over it to collect it. In low gravity a falling chunk landing on/near the front of the SRV will usually collect it. Keep targeting different chunks on the ground and running over them (with the cargo scoop deployed) until they are all collected and then move on. Collect every material. It will all be needed and if the SRV picked it up, at some point you will need it.
Check your key/button bindings in the game control bindings, there is a SRV turret toggle , don't remember what the default is because I use a HOTAS and Voice Attack.
Last edited:
Rocks that you can farm show up as white blips on your radar when you are close (something like 1-200m). These you can shoot for materials.
Random rocks do nothing as you have discovered.
Once you see the difference like this, you can learn the scanner as people have said, and can drive for miles shooting the blip rocks for stuff.
As for getting back to your ship after going afk, don't do it is the best advice. When your srv runs out of fuel, it blows up and you are back in the ship. This happens, but you can synthesize more fuel using other materials that drop from shooting the right rocks.
Like all of the game, it is practice and experience, and you'll pick it up with practice. Good luck bud.
Random rocks do nothing as you have discovered.
Once you see the difference like this, you can learn the scanner as people have said, and can drive for miles shooting the blip rocks for stuff.
As for getting back to your ship after going afk, don't do it is the best advice. When your srv runs out of fuel, it blows up and you are back in the ship. This happens, but you can synthesize more fuel using other materials that drop from shooting the right rocks.
Like all of the game, it is practice and experience, and you'll pick it up with practice. Good luck bud.
I have bound my turret to joystick 7, a single press will enter the turret, another will exit, you will find this control in the SRV controls section somewhere. To get into the turret you must have pressed that key, just find out which one it is and press it again!
How can you not notice the scanner? It bbeps and chirps and shows lines and patterns when it musicates. How can you not figure out to eventually follow these signals and end up with a blip on the radar? How can you not investigate the blip and eventually shoot the rock it indicates. There isnt really much to do else in the SRV than observing siignals and resolving zhem.
I usually load up while I'm out at pretty much any geological site. Grab the Piceous Cobbles and you'll be full of your grade 1s in no time.
Isn't Nickel found on High Metal Content Worlds or similar?
Getting used to the Material Scanner is strange so I looked up YT videos about it, maybe that will help OP. I also know that materials show up on your radar as white dots when you're close, I think 100m.
* I'd like to mention that I feel it's wierd to have to target materials when scooping in the SRV. Wouldn't it make sense to blow up rock, the pieces go flying, you drop the scoop and drive over the pieces? No targeting necessary.
Getting used to the Material Scanner is strange so I looked up YT videos about it, maybe that will help OP. I also know that materials show up on your radar as white dots when you're close, I think 100m.
* I'd like to mention that I feel it's wierd to have to target materials when scooping in the SRV. Wouldn't it make sense to blow up rock, the pieces go flying, you drop the scoop and drive over the pieces? No targeting necessary.