Here is the general advice I give to new pilots in my neck of the woods. I hope this may be of help to you.
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Elite has significant time, credit, and reputation gating. This is partly because it is a virtual world meant to be played indefinitely. It was also the fault of poor design in game mechanics and related balance problems. Recent updates to exploration have helped to some degree with the credit gating.
If you are hardcore, you could get through the gating with grind. If you are new you are hopelessly behind others without grind. And if you are a casual player, you have little hope catching up.
So please consider the following points of advice.
Resources
Coriolis (ship outfitter), https://coriolis.io/
ED Codex, http://edcodex.info/
Elite Dangerous Database (essential tool), https://eddb.io/
ED Tools (for pristine mining, rare commodity trading, etc.), http://edtools.ddns.net/res.php
ED Market Connector (careful not to enable location logging), http://edcodex.info/?m=tools&entry=150
ED Wiki, http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous_Wiki
INARA (news and data aggregator), https://inara.cz/intro/
MadProphet’s Guide to Core Mining, https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteMiners/comments/a6ls9t Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteMiners/comments/a6ls9t/cmdr_madprophets_guide_to_core_mining/
.
Main Frontier forum, https://forums.frontier.co.uk/forumdisplay.php/30-Dangerous-Discussion
Main Elite Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/?ref=search_subreddits
Road to Riches, https://www.alpha-orbital.com/pathfinder
Down to Earth Astronomy, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3QI9rHzPgvR7KTKSCtPHg
Obsidian Ant, https://www.youtube.com/user/ObsidianAnt
The Yamiks, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo6p2NdDfoUvH2Iw3O3ipPg
~~
Elite has significant time, credit, and reputation gating. This is partly because it is a virtual world meant to be played indefinitely. It was also the fault of poor design in game mechanics and related balance problems. Recent updates to exploration have helped to some degree with the credit gating.
If you are hardcore, you could get through the gating with grind. If you are new you are hopelessly behind others without grind. And if you are a casual player, you have little hope catching up.
So please consider the following points of advice.
- The learning curve is steep. Be patient with yourself. And (re)do all your training missions!
- Frontier has finally established a relatively protected zone for new pilots to start in Elite Dangerous. This was necessary to address the griefing a.k.a. “seal clubbing” of new players. This was not legitimate pvp, but exploitation by the morally immature and sociopaths. If you are coming back to the game and are outside the bubble then you can’t get back in. If you are in that bubble you’ll be able to leave but not return. When you do leave never log into the Open server until you are well outside the starter bubble. A few jumps away the density of griefers will decline.
- If you want to play alone, stay in the Solo server. If you want to pvp with others, log into the Open server. If you want to pve with others join the private server Mobius, the largest private group in Elite.
- Establish a single base of operations located near necessary resources and stations. Big population systems are obvious choices (e.g., Earth). Use third party tools to identify others.
- Rank up with all the factions you can in system, and in other systems that trade with your system. As you rank up with those factions, your reputation improves. As that improves, you get better missions. With better missions you get more credits, reputation, and loot!
- Start mining as soon as you can. Recently nerfed, it still provides a solid credit making opportunity. Significantly, mining can be done in small and medium ships, and quickly allows you to upgrade your vessel. Seek out a Cobra, then AspX, then Python or Krait for maximum efficiency and payout.
- Use the Road to Riches for exploration. This is a route of hundreds of high-value systems to scan that will quickly earn you reputation and credits.
- Focus on working up to the best second tier ships you can. These do virtually everything that the third tier ships do. For example, focus on working up to an AspX (for exploration), a Krait Phantom (for smuggling), a Python or Krait (for medium trading and mining), a T-9 (for large trading), and an FDL or Mamba (for combat). This does not mean you’ll never get a third tier ship (i.e., Anaconda, Cutter, or Corvette), but unless you focus on credits from the get-go, it will take a very long time.
- Engineer your ships and modules. Engineering in Elite is a form of crafting that allows you to make vast improvements in ship functionality.
- Avoid Open pvp in the early game. Combat is an expensive time and credit sink even for the hard-core. If you do pvp as a casual player, be prepared to see your credit reserves dwindle rapidly. If you do want to pvp most of your time, choose your ships wisely (e.g., FDL, Mamba). You may also want to avoid Open during Community Goal events. These are magnets for griefers.
- Join a squadron or create one with friends. There is strength and wisdom in numbers, and they will help you thrive. A few of the better organizations I’m familiar with include:
* Mobius, a player group of the self-same private server, located in the Azrael system.
* AEDC is found in Wolf 406.
* UAF is located in Konduwa.
* Independent Defense Agency is located in Varam.
- Strike while the iron is hot and grab credit and reputation making opportunities whenever they arise. Frontier has a bad habit of instituting credit making ‘metas’ then nerfing them into the ground. In the past examples include rare-trading, smuggling, long-distance transport, skimmer missions, combat zones, passenger missions, and core mining.
- Do not grind until your eyes bleed, but do look for ways to be efficient with your time. For instance, choose multiple missions from different factions to the same system, ferry the most rewarding passengers, or trade the highest profit goods. Use third party tools to identify these opportunities. Note that if you accept multiple missions, multiple npc enemies may be sent against you leading to chain interdictions and the like. In this case switch from a trade to combat ship, dispose of the assassins sent to kill you, and loot their wrecks for engineering materials.
- Frontier left out the informational and social tools needed in Elite. So third parties developed a wealth of tools you cannot do without. Visit Elite Dangerous Codex for a comprehensive list of all the amazing tools out there. Of special note is Elite Dangerous Database, Elite Trade Net, ED Tools, ED MarketConnector, INARA, Coriolis, EDBearing, and WaveScanner. So too search for tutorials on the web and youtube, and for informational discussions on the official forums and reddit.
- Finally, there is no endgame to win and no single storyline to follow. Elite is a virtual world in space (a cosmos) that fuses gaming with simulation. You won't find tight narrative mission arcs guiding you to a conclusion, even though there are ongoing missions and environments that line up with Elite’s original lore. Elite is meant to be lived. So take your time and enjoy elite as a virtual home.
Resources
Coriolis (ship outfitter), https://coriolis.io/
ED Codex, http://edcodex.info/
Elite Dangerous Database (essential tool), https://eddb.io/
ED Tools (for pristine mining, rare commodity trading, etc.), http://edtools.ddns.net/res.php
ED Market Connector (careful not to enable location logging), http://edcodex.info/?m=tools&entry=150
ED Wiki, http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous_Wiki
INARA (news and data aggregator), https://inara.cz/intro/
MadProphet’s Guide to Core Mining, https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteMiners/comments/a6ls9t Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteMiners/comments/a6ls9t/cmdr_madprophets_guide_to_core_mining/
.
Main Frontier forum, https://forums.frontier.co.uk/forumdisplay.php/30-Dangerous-Discussion
Main Elite Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/?ref=search_subreddits
Road to Riches, https://www.alpha-orbital.com/pathfinder
Down to Earth Astronomy, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3QI9rHzPgvR7KTKSCtPHg
Obsidian Ant, https://www.youtube.com/user/ObsidianAnt
The Yamiks, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo6p2NdDfoUvH2Iw3O3ipPg