Question regarding ship building and game mechanics

[Ashnak]

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

coriolis.io

So this is going to be the python I build. What engineering should I get, and what's my priority list

I don't like the Python - but that's less due to the technical qualitites and more due to the horrible cockpit view, I prefer the Krait Mk.II. This is (one incarnation of) my general mission runner. Up for any kind of mission that requires less than 64 tons of cargo, and eager to encounter any missin related baddies (or others): Ballroom Blitz. In this case, there's no cargo space but the fuel scoop (which I don't use for in-bubble traffic) - switch it for the cargo rack.

Engineering: Felicity is a good first stop (just be careful if you visit her base in Open). She'll get you the FSD and gets you started on the thrusters. With the FSD, you can then work towards the Prof for the grade 5 thrusters. My next step after that is usually shields, to get the power consumption down (in most cases, I go for low power bi-weaves - I also have a bounty hunting loadout for BB with bi-weaves, but I usually prefer to use my Mamba for that). Power distributor to match the weapons and boost requirements. Selene is good for mechanics - bulkheads and reinforcements. Weapons engineering, depending on your tastes (the Pacifiers you can see on BB are powerplay weapons - essentially OP'ed frags. Check the DPS . Downside is that they breathe ammo and you need to get really close and personal).

 

[CaptainPugwash]

So people have been asking for my build, so here it is. I don't have much experience in ship building beyond mining and hauling. My ship has these goals and priorities, at least at the time of when I first got the ship. My end goal is to take what I learn from my type 9 and apply it to a cutter. These are my goals:

Get a cutter
Do this by running missions
Missions I'm comfterble with
Transport (deliver or retrieve comodities)
Salvage missions

Be able to survive if I do need to fight
I have practicly no combat experience, any help is apreciated

Also grind missions for engineering materials

Be able to astroid mine for engineering materials

Yes, trying for an all round ship is hard, I'm very forgetful and will leave modules behind that I need

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

coriolis.io

Coriolis seems to be missing an optional slot, I have an advanced planetary approach suite in it

Money is an issue right now, but I am willing to grind to get it so I cam build a ship that will get me a cutter, and I want to use what 8 learn with the type 9 to build that cutter

So as others have said, the Python is the best mission runner ship, BUT who am I to tell you not to use one of my favorite ships in the game

The main problem with the T9 is that it's crap at interdictions and it takes a while to win them, however in most cases the enemy ship will have a lower Mass Lock Factor (see the MLF column on the main page of coriolis) and you will be able to 'low wake' away i.e. jump back into super cruise before they can get your shields down. It's actually quicker that way than fighting the interdiction. However they will try again, so it's still better to win the interdiction if possible, but it's important to check what ship is interdicting you and if its MLF is less than the T9, submit as soon as you start to lose it.
If you lose an interdiction against a ship with a MLF that is at least equal to the T9's then you will have to high wake ASAP (select a star system from the list on the NAV panel) as you can't be mass locked if you high wake. Then jump back and try again.

Regarding the build, it could be very useful to get the shield engineered to grade 3 if possible, so maybe take time out for that: a few tweaks could be as follows:

• get the shields engineered and use the 'reinforced' blueprint to G3 if possible, that way you could fit a 7A shield which costs a lot less and still have more shields than before as long as you add two more shield boosters (one thermal resist and the other resist augmented). Ditch the heat sink, you need shields.
• change the power plant to armored G1 or low emissions, that ship runs too hot for OC
• I would use 6A thrusters, as the ship is slow anyway, but keep the 7A if you like as it is already somewhat engineered
• if you use 7A engineered shields you can then fit a size 8 cargo rack
• fit at least one Hull Reinforcement, more if possible
• ditch the weapons, no point on a T9

The above is more suited to trade then mission running of course, but I'll leave that to you.
Good luck with that T9 cmdr!

(P.S. I know the tactics part sounds complicated but it doesn't take too long to learn)

Updated build: https://s.orbis.zone/njph

 

[Northpin]

So I have two questions when it comes to high grade emitions. Do they consistently show up? And how consistently do they have high grade raw minerals?

Yes, but they depend on system states. Eg boom, war, outbreak and other states all give HGE-s containing certain materials; some materials are found in high population systems in a state of "none" etc.

Raw materials, never. HGE-s have manufactured materials.

I asked about the raw material showing up because the post I was responding to was in response to my mining, and it sounded like they were talking about getting raw materials


But if high grade emisons are good for manufactured stuff, I'll have to keep that in mind

Yea, Sorry - my bad - you were talking about Raws and i started rambling about Manufactured.

For Raws - i would recommend you to plan and execute a trip to Crystalline Shards farms - you will fill up all your G4 raws bar one (but there are locations for Selenium too) - then you can trade down as you need.

Check this link for location / coordinates, but bear in mind it's a trip of about 1600 LY - however it's absolutely worth it - with the ship below it will be about a 35 minutes trip to the first target (HIP 36601) plus another 15 minutes in system travel. Add to this about 30 minutes to fill up each bin (up to 150 - if you only see that you're topping up at 100 value relog to get the full 150 sized bin - it's an old bug that may or may not have been fixed in the mean time.).
So about 2-3 hours to fill up 4 bins, then another 400 ly travel to fill the other 2 bins, while Selenium will be in a different location.

To get there it's advisable to build a ship with more than 38-39 LY jump range.
For example this DBX that has only a G3 Increased range FSD, will cost you only 10 millions credits and it will jump 49 ly and it has 2x Srv and 2x PDT, and you can also use it when/if you decide to unlock the guardian fsd booster and maybe other guardian stuff
Sure, for that build you can also buy the Tech Broker (human) 5A FSDv1 - assuming you already farmed the required materials

Edit: that DBX build is also useful for exobio, in-bubble taxi or whatever - and if you unlock the guardian FSD booster you can get even bigger jump ranges

 

[Jmanis]

The problem there is I need a fleet carrier, which I want to use the cutter to get the credits for

Out of interest, why do you need an FC?

Like, what effect are you hoping to get that, by not having one, you couldn't otherwise get?

Just that given you've got into a pickle with ship fits being new and all, there's a good chance you could have over-or-under-estimated what it can do and how rolling with them works.

 

[SteveWW57]

Out of interest, why do you need an FC?

Like, what effect are you hoping to get that, by not having one, you couldn't otherwise get?

Just that given you've got into a pickle with ship fits being new and all, there's a good chance you could have over-or-under-estimated what it can do and how rolling with them works.

Obtaining a carrier is a long term goal. Having one gives many benefits, but it is probably best that a new CMDR works through the medium ships etc gradually accruing the credits and doing many varied activities.

Steve

 

[Felix DiCestria]

So I'm thinking about the general goals I want to accomplish with the python I'm getting. Goal one is to run missions to get the cutter. With that said, do I put any weapons on it? Or just stay passive?

Guess I could convert the type 9 to a dedicated miner ship, and gather exploration data as I go to sell what I mine up for some extra credits

My long range goal is to get a cutter, and I want to use that ship for malstrum stuff

This is my main's Python, obviously there's a lot of engineering etc. that went into it so my alts have simplified versions but mission running does involve combat and even just random trading will tend to attract NPC pirates. Usually these aren't particularly tough and can be dispatched for a few extra credits and is a lot more engaging than having to run from every Harmless Hauler with a pea shooter. (if you were going to do that you may as well fly a T6)

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

I don't mean to sound rude, but thinking about grinding for a carrier with 14 million in cash, a more or less useless T-9 and a cutter you don't yet own - and be reminded again that of the"just" three ranks to go, the last one is souls crushing - sounds a little bit delusional.

A carrier is first and foremost a financial liability - you're not done with the 5 BCr to buy it. You need another billion or two to outfit, and at least 10 MCr per week to run it (typically more like 20 to 30). Currently, you don't have your rebuy. The general rule is: If you have to worry if you can afford a carrier, you cannot affort it.

You're on a sure fire way to ruin the game for you. You don't need to "skip" to a cutter and a carrier to "unlock" the game. The journey and progression is the core of the game; if you try to skip that, you will find there is very little left to achieve.

My advice is to slow down.

 

[Kayvan]

Yeah. I got my FC about 10 months ago, and basically only as mobile base for the thargoid war. Before that, I had to find a suitable station near the invasion system I wanted to fight in, jump there with a bubble taxi, have my AX ship ferried over and wait until it arrives. The ferry often cost 3-400k credits and took 30-40 minutes. Then one time I made 2 mistakes in a row and first ferried the wrong ship, then realized I was in the wrong system, so my entire session was wasted. It was exactly that moment that I decided to rent a fleet carrier.

I've used it in a trade CG only once and there it made me some 2B, which would not have been possible if I had shipped every load the old fashioned way.

Most of the time it's just quality of life and strategic mobility. Definitely not a necessity.

 

[aRJay]

What's the easiest way to do exo biology, it's looks really tedious

Pick a ship where you like the view from the cockpit, it should have a good range and be medium or small. Equip it with a DSS and a Fuel Scoop. If it is a medium ship fit an SRV bay preferably one that takes two vehicles.

There are two approaches one is you land the ship then drive round in the SRV to locate the Bios then get out to sample them, the other is you use a small ship and fly over the planet to find the Bios land by them and get out of the ship to get the samples.

What you should do is head out of the bubble in a direction that isn’t part of the route to anywhere, that way you get to undiscovered systems earlier.
If the system is discovered FSS it anyway earlier travellers didn’t always find all the planets, head to any promising planets with bio signals and DSS it, if it is unmapped you should be fine if mapped consider going down anyway to check if you can get First Footfall, if you do then any bio you find will earn a first discovery bonus that will pay you an additional 4 times the value of the bio. That bonus is why a road to riches approach to exobiology is pointless.

Bios range in base value from 1,000,000 to 19,000,000+ and you get paid for the same type and variety of bio from each planet in the system.

 

[Jmanis]

... but it is probably best that a new CMDR works through the medium ships etc gradually accruing the credits and doing many varied activities.

A carrier is first and foremost a financial liability - you're not done with the 5 BCr to buy it.
...
You're on a sure fire way to ruin the game for you. You don't need to "skip" to a cutter and a carrier to "unlock" the game. The journey and progression is the core of the game; if you try to skip that, you will find there is very little left to achieve.

My advice is to slow down.

Most of the time it's just quality of life and strategic mobility. Definitely not a necessity.

These are the crux of my question of "why"?

There's plenty of long term goals to be had without an FC, and while I'd love to debate how overpriced they are for the, imo, minimal returns they provide, that's not the point, though my reflections are relevant.

Having played the game for years now, I've never wanted nor needed an FC to do, well, anything, that i couldn't achieve with just a ship just as easily. I can agree on some strategic utility, though it depends on the activity, and i think any thoughts on it as a money spinner suffer when considering opportunity cost.... though there's very much debate to be had there.

And that's kinda why I was asking. The utility and operation of an FC is not simple by any measure... so it's unusual to me for a newish player who (no offence intended, since these were stated) is struggling with a T9 fit and doesn't necessarily get the difference between trade missions and bulk trade, could have determined they need an FC.

That's a warning sign that maybe the expectations of an FC (the "need") don't match what they can actually do, which might be worth discussing. That's pretty important to understand before embarking on a goal like that to avoid, as Helmut put, a surefire way to ruin the game for yourself.

 

[Felix DiCestria]

Indee

These are the crux of my question of "why"?

There's plenty of long term goals to be had without an FC, and while I'd love to debate how overpriced they are for the, imo, minimal returns they provide, that's not the point, though my reflections are relevant.

Having played the game for years now, I've never wanted nor needed an FC to do, well, anything, that i couldn't achieve with just a ship just as easily. I can agree on some strategic utility, though it depends on the activity, and i think any thoughts on it as a money spinner suffer when considering opportunity cost.... though there's very much debate to be had there.

And that's kinda why I was asking. The utility and operation of an FC is not simple by any measure... so it's unusual to me for a newish player who (no offence intended, since these were stated) is struggling with a T9 fit and doesn't necessarily get the difference between trade missions and bulk trade, could have determined they need an FC.

That's a warning sign that maybe the expectations of an FC (the "need") don't match what they can actually do, which might be worth discussing. That's pretty important to understand before embarking on a goal like that to avoid, as Helmut put, a surefire way to ruin the game for yourself.

Indeed all the ships, suits and guns are merely tools to access the content. Not really the content itself.
For myself I have carriers because I'm not tied to a particular location and shifting the fleet between stations isn't practical every time I move to a different area, and not possible at all when I'm out in the Black.
It's definitely about what you do with the kit that determines its value to you.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

I am guessing this is a kind of mixture of peer pressure and... let me call it "asset envy" - Everyone's got cutters and carriers, so I need them too, because obviously they must be crucial to playing the game. What's overlooked it that those people who own cutters, corvettes, carriers and whatnot have accumulated their stuff over the course of a lot of hours. And not "a lot of hours" in the sense of a typical modern single player game (100 hours to be generous), but hundreds to thousands of hours.

All those grind guides and "skip to endgame assets" tutorials that are still out there on the interwebs all fail to mention that this is a long term career game, and there is no raid boss you need to collect the best gear for to beat them as fast as possible.

But I can see it's hard to take it slow when a lot of players around one are swimming in credits and assets. Peer pressure is a female dog.

 

[husky of snow]

Out of interest, why do you need an FC?

Like, what effect are you hoping to get that, by not having one, you couldn't otherwise get?

Just that given you've got into a pickle with ship fits being new and all, there's a good chance you could have over-or-under-estimated what it can do and how rolling with them works.

I said need because they were talking about making money using a fleet carrier

 

[husky of snow]

I don't mean to sound rude, but thinking about grinding for a carrier with 14 million in cash, a more or less useless T-9 and a cutter you don't yet own - and be reminded again that of the"just" three ranks to go, the last one is souls crushing - sounds a little bit delusional.

A carrier is first and foremost a financial liability - you're not done with the 5 BCr to buy it. You need another billion or two to outfit, and at least 10 MCr per week to run it (typically more like 20 to 30). Currently, you don't have your rebuy. The general rule is: If you have to worry if you can afford a carrier, you cannot affort it.

You're on a sure fire way to ruin the game for you. You don't need to "skip" to a cutter and a carrier to "unlock" the game. The journey and progression is the core of the game; if you try to skip that, you will find there is very little left to achieve.

My advice is to slow down.

Part of the fun for me is the grind. I actually enjoy working towards something. And I am learning along the way. I did handicap myself starting as a hauler, and I tunel visioned on that. I now have a python that I am working on, as suggested by the people here. It's a night and day difference on how the python feels since I'm used to the type 9. Once I get my feet under me, I'll need to give combat a try. Fleet carrier and cutter, and by extension malstrums, are just my super long term goals, something to work today and use what I learned along the way.

 

[Ashnak]

I said need because they were talking about making money using a fleet carrier

Ah... but once you have a carrier (and the running expenses covered), what are you going to do with that money? You can only own one carrier per CMDR - and the Galaxy is littered with decomissioning carriers.
Money in ED isn't what it used to be - the real "currency" (as in hard to get and easy to spend) are engineering materials. Which you can neither buy nor sell.

 

[husky of snow]

Yeah. I got my FC about 10 months ago, and basically only as mobile base for the thargoid war. Before that, I had to find a suitable station near the invasion system I wanted to fight in, jump there with a bubble taxi, have my AX ship ferried over and wait until it arrives. The ferry often cost 3-400k credits and took 30-40 minutes. Then one time I made 2 mistakes in a row and first ferried the wrong ship, then realized I was in the wrong system, so my entire session was wasted. It was exactly that moment that I decided to rent a fleet carrier.

I've used it in a trade CG only once and there it made me some 2B, which would not have been possible if I had shipped every load the old fashioned way.

Most of the time it's just quality of life and strategic mobility. Definitely not a necessity.

That is one of my ideas for using a carrier. I do want to interact with malastrums, I just don't have the skills and knowledge yet

 

[Ashnak]

It's a night and day difference on how the python feels since I'm used to the type 9.

Now get a really agile ship. An engineered Imperial Courier isn't bad - but things start really to heat up when the fans of the (imperial) Eagle encounter the proponents of the Viper Mk. III. Any of these (and also an engineered Sidewinder) can run rings around a Python.

 

[husky of snow]

Pick a ship where you like the view from the cockpit, it should have a good range and be medium or small. Equip it with a DSS and a Fuel Scoop. If it is a medium ship fit an SRV bay preferably one that takes two vehicles.

There are two approaches one is you land the ship then drive round in the SRV to locate the Bios then get out to sample them, the other is you use a small ship and fly over the planet to find the Bios land by them and get out of the ship to get the samples.

What you should do is head out of the bubble in a direction that isn’t part of the route to anywhere, that way you get to undiscovered systems earlier.
If the system is discovered FSS it anyway earlier travellers didn’t always find all the planets, head to any promising planets with bio signals and DSS it, if it is unmapped you should be fine if mapped consider going down anyway to check if you can get First Footfall, if you do then any bio you find will earn a first discovery bonus that will pay you an additional 4 times the value of the bio. That bonus is why a road to riches approach to exobiology is pointless.

Bios range in base value from 1,000,000 to 19,000,000+ and you get paid for the same type and variety of bio from each planet in the system.

Why should I have two srv?

 

[husky of snow]

These are the crux of my question of "why"?

There's plenty of long term goals to be had without an FC, and while I'd love to debate how overpriced they are for the, imo, minimal returns they provide, that's not the point, though my reflections are relevant.

Having played the game for years now, I've never wanted nor needed an FC to do, well, anything, that i couldn't achieve with just a ship just as easily. I can agree on some strategic utility, though it depends on the activity, and i think any thoughts on it as a money spinner suffer when considering opportunity cost.... though there's very much debate to be had there.

And that's kinda why I was asking. The utility and operation of an FC is not simple by any measure... so it's unusual to me for a newish player who (no offence intended, since these were stated) is struggling with a T9 fit and doesn't necessarily get the difference between trade missions and bulk trade, could have determined they need an FC.

That's a warning sign that maybe the expectations of an FC (the "need") don't match what they can actually do, which might be worth discussing. That's pretty important to understand before embarking on a goal like that to avoid, as Helmut put, a surefire way to ruin the game for yourself.

I used the word need in my response because I was responding to someone who explained how they used a carrier to make money. In order to use a carrier to make money, you need to get a carrier first. I didn't say I need a carrier period, I said I need a carrier to make money that way

 

[Ashnak]

Why should I have two srv?

In case you manage to destroy one of them. Can happen (for example) if you get stuck in a crevice, underestimate the jump from a nice mountain or attempt geyser boosting on a really low grav planet.
Some people also forget to collect the mats for refuelling the SRV and then run out of SRV fuel several thousand ly from civilization...