Question From a New Player About Exploring

Of course it is possible,just you can't go in the Galaxy fringes where star density is low and you require a better jump range,and it will take lotsa more jumps and time,up to you.
 
Is it possible to explore without any engineering or guardian upgrades?
Yes.

Personally, I'd ditch the cargo rack and mining laser and save the combined 10T. If you're going strictly exploring there's really no need to haul cargo around. All the rocks and data you collect doesn't require cargo space. Whatever the canisters or escape pods you might find are worth peanuts. And most likely just end up attracting NPC pirates once you get back to civilization. Would be a shame to lose millions worth of exploration data to a canister of gold.
 
Of course it is possible,just you can't go in the Galaxy fringes where star density is low and you require a better jump range,and it will take lotsa more jumps and time,up to you.
The OP build should be enough to get Beagle Point with nothing more than Basic FSD Boosters. Yes, there are places on the edge of the galaxy this won't get to, but the posted build will get to most of the galaxy.
 
The OP build should be enough to get Beagle Point with nothing more than Basic FSD Boosters. Yes, there are places on the edge of the galaxy this won't get to, but the posted build will get to most of the galaxy.
I did not even look at the build honestly,I just answered to main OP question,Beagle is a special case since there's a narrow path to get there and something more than 30 ly jump is enough since ages (go search for the first CMDRs that went there and you'll see what i mean).If he has not Engineering i doubt he has access to the Guardian FSD booster,now I just watched is build while I was writing this answer and noted he does not look like he knows what he's doing very clearly. ;)
 
Yes.

Personally, I'd ditch the cargo rack and mining laser and save the combined 10T.

He'd save 2T by ditching the mining laser and the cargo racks, as cargo racks don't have mass as long as they are empty.

Anyway, I went to SagA* in a 33-34 LY AspE - this was before engineering. Incidentally, the engineer update was released when I was on my way back to the bubble, so I got to rank 5 with Felicity right away.
 
I guess what I’m getting at is it possible to use this to explore, and hopefully/safely find unexplored systems? I’m not planning on trying to find the end of the Galaxy. Just get outside the bubble a little bit, go in one direction for 2,200ly+ and hopefully find some new systems/planets once I’m out there. I completely understand that it’s not the smart move to go without upgrades (trust me I rarely make those anyways so it’s not new) and I know it’s going to take me a gazillion jumps, but can I use this build to explore?

Absolutely you can! My first exploration run for serious cash was done in a stripped down Viper Mk 4 with only like 19LY jump range, and it made me over 150m credits. Was total noob, no clue what I was doing. So you'll be just super in that ship imo.

Now about your build, and this is just me, but do you really need THAT much shields just for exploring? The A rated modules are really heavy, lowering your jump range. You'll want some shields in case you come in too hot on a landing or something, but for just exploring I think using a Class 5 slot for an A-rated shield seems like overkill. It's not like anyone will be shooting at you out in the black. You are dedicating 23.5 tons to your shields, and chances are they will NEVER take damage ever while exploring. Just food for thought.

You could go with a 3D shield or something and fit a bigger cargo rack. Or a two SRV vehicle hanger etc etc. Lose the booster and get another heatsink or something.

But these are just random thoughts. Fly what works for you, and let us know how your travels went CMDR :)
 
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A rated shields arent needed. Liw shielding is acceptable for bumpy landings and sudden lapses around bulky objects. Can also go without but cruising with shields is just more relaxing.
I recommend low weight solutions.
 
I have only owned ED for 5 months or so. The only long trip I have taken is to unlock one/two of the engineers, which requires a 5000ly trip. So the posters above suggesting 5k, that is the reason why, and I agree.

I did not need an AFMU, I took two as well. I didn't take a mining laser or cargo racks and never needed them. I was FSD lvl3 engineered and that is it, no experimental either. I also had D rated everything (power plant, shields, sensors, life support, etc) except the FSD and the Fuel Scoop. Best jump range is the lowest weight for your ship that you can get away with. I did bring an SRV hangar with an SRV and it was a nice break, the two times I decided to land and drive like a maniac in the SRV.

As far as first discovery, definitely do not stay on the galactic plane at 0, either go 1000ly up or 1000ly down if you want to find an empty system. I did 1k down (z axis) in my chosen direction, and after about 2k-3k away from the bubble, and 1k down from the bubble galactic plane I started finding totally undiscovered systems! Don't forget to bookmark them if you ever want to find them again to see your name on the star and planets. Good Luck and Have fun!
 
I just spent 10 months in the black in a Cobra with just over 20 LY range, as long as you are careful you can go most places. The big problem is the short range means more jumps and there are going to be places you cannot reach.
 
I've taken a couple of Corvettes to Colonia and back, both with around 31Ly Jump range (heavily engineered, granted, and heavy) without any problems, in fact - because of the 'low' jump range - arrived at my destination in each direction with far more firsts (and exploration credits) than going out in my 68Ly jump DBX.

Have a ball on your exploration trip, I'll second the suggestion of going over 5,000 LY out, just as it will unlock an important engineer as well as more chance of 'first' discoveries along the way!
 
tl;dr do a practise round first. Better to find out things when relative close by than finding those out with 20k LY away from "civilasation"
What I can add is advice you to take a 'practise round' of 2000kish LY first. I did that too and am glad I had. That way I found out things I hadn't thought of before. Like: I don't need a fully engeneered armor which only wieghs me down, nor that I need to be armed to the teeth for Thargoids (more weight). Also it's a good idea to bring 2 AFMS units. It can't repair itself. But they can repair each other. Exploration is an "atticion war." You'll make small mistakes like wandering into an exlusion zone by accident or get overheated. Those cause very little damage but those little damages stack up. And there is no station closeby where you can fix that with one click of a button. Also you can't field repair your reactor (beyond my why that is but that's another discussion). Carriers are scattered around the galaxy but you never know if they're still there when you arrive nor if you have landing clearance. Why the ability for "friends/ wings only is also beyond me but also another debate. So you can't fully rely on carriers.
 
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