Engineers Some tips about the Engineers

[Axt0n]

Hello Commanders,

I'm planning to start the long and tedious process to unlock all the Engineers out there, but like all the other noobish CMDRs I don't have any idea on where I should start.
Let's say that I have already unlocked 4 basic Engineers (Liz Ryder is still unlocked) but I dunno which path should I follow first.

I'm still little bit confused about the Engineers, I mean this is a kind of "End Game" and also I can assume that all the improvements they can give you are commonly defined, into the video-game terminology, perks. Which means that you can purchase with simple credits all the best hardware available in-game, but without Engineering them you can't have the most powerful hardware of the game.

So at this point which Engi do I need to follow first? Do you have some tips before to start this process?

Cheers

 

[Ethaidan]

Not enough information. Engineers are needed or wanted differently by different cmdrs. Are you primarily a trader, hauler, explorer, miner, pirate, smuggler... bit of everything... do you engage in any combat... do you want to... PvE or PvP... do you play solo, group, open... What exactly do you want from engineers?

 

[m0rl0ck]

I would go for shield generator and FSD first.
Jump range and enough defensive capability to last are the two top priorities imo.

 

[Krash]

Felicity/deciat is a good engineer to start with. After that work on shields then thrusters.

 

[ExoForce]

Somewhere on this forum, CMDR Limoncello Lizard posted a table with distances to engineers. Plan Your trips in advance and You will save tremendous amount of time.

FSD first.

 

[Philip Coutts]

Depending on your ship I would work on your frameshift drive range first. Everything gets easier with a larger jump range.

 

[Axt0n]

Not enough information. Engineers are needed or wanted differently by different cmdrs. Are you primarily a trader, hauler, explorer, miner, pirate, smuggler... bit of everything... do you engage in any combat... do you want to... PvE or PvP... do you play solo, group, open... What exactly do you want from engineers?

Well that's the point, because I want to do a little bit of everything. Let's say primary I like exploration and bounty hunting / kill Thargoids. so I will stay focused on PvE for the majority of the time.
What I want from Engineers? Better hardware for my ship I'd say

In terms of ship I'm still not sure on what I want to use next. ATM I'm using the Diamondback Exp and I also have the Vulture. I don't have any big ship but I want to buy one of them later.
So basically you guys are telling me that the road to Engi depends also on which ship I have?

 

[schmicknick]

There are going to be several engineers that will require being allied with some factions.
I can think of 3, right off. So you might choose to accumulate exploration data as you go and use that to get allied with those factions at stations that they control. Even before you need access to those systems/factions, etc. The high value scan list in the bubble maybe helpful here.

Making a list/scanning the requirements for ea. engineer down the line will be useful with regard to efficiency.
I enjoyed the process of unlocking, but I mostly did that as I went along.

Some of them may require a development of some play styles you haven't explored.
Generally, I think you might find Cmdrs. who will help on misc. things as you go along.

Cheers.. And all the best on your flights!
YT~M o7

 

[ExoForce]

Install ADS on DBX and scan every system You pass.

After FSD, do Palin requirements. You do not need him as high on priority list but:

Learn what KGB FOAM means. When doing 5.100 ly (yes, more than 5.000 just in case, e.g. Thor's Eye) for Palin (and 5.000 ly back), You will have a lot of data to sell (read reputation and cash). You will sell those data to gain rep with engineers and factions to unlock others.

After unlocking all those who You want, You will want Sirius permit. There You will find 80% of the stuff for upgrades, but take You time first.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/388069-My-Unlocking-of-Palin-Adventure

 

[Ethaidan]

Well that's the point, because I want to do a little bit of everything. Let's say primary I like exploration and bounty hunting / kill Thargoids. so I will stay focused on PvE for the majority of the time.
What I want from Engineers? Better hardware for my ship I'd say

In terms of ship I'm still not sure on what I want to use next. ATM I'm using the Diamondback Exp and I also have the Vulture. I don't have any big ship but I want to buy one of them later.
So basically you guys are telling me that the road to Engi depends also on which ship I have?

Not really, more your playstyle, focus, longterm plans, etc. If you have any.

I agree, FSD is a good start, regardless of any plan/focus. It will make getting to and unlocking engineers easy. After that it really does depend on what you are doing and how... re combat... shield builds? Hull tanks? Fast and light? And sometimes, which ship - to really get the most from your Vulture you will need Hera to upgrade the PP, Chung and Didi, for shields (if you use them), Selene for hull... then need to consider your weapon preference(s) beam lasers (Broo), PAs (Bill), Frags (Zach)...

I wish I could better tailor some advice, but anything other than a detailed quick guide to grinding them all in quickest succession (which I certainly didn't do) would be very anecdotally specific. It took me many months and I only focused on specific engineers when I felt they had something specific to offer that would give me the most gains at the time - I did Chung and Selene quickly to allow me to beef up armoured traders, eventually added Palin when I really wanted to move up to G5 Dirty Drives, and did weapon focused engineers while building up small fleet of combat ships.

 

[TheMegaTurnip]

FSD first, Then defences, Then weapons, Then countermeasures

 

[Ian Doncaster]

So basically you guys are telling me that the road to Engi depends also on which ship I have?

The basic five engineers provide a pretty good selection of modules to start with. Having got those, I would then prioritise of the level 2 engineers:
- Lei Cheung (easy to unlock, good shields)
- Selene Jean (the only decent armour engineer, for now)
- Ram Tah (some useful miscellaneous blueprints)
At that point you should have enough unlocks to get at least G3 on most modules with relatively little effort.

Of the remaining bubble engineers:
- whichever one has G5 on your favourite weapons
- Qwent then Palin for G5 engines (and G4 power plants from Qwent along the way)
- Vatermann if you want better shield boosters

You may also find it useful to unlock engineers who don't provide anything you don't already have so that you can have an extra pinned blueprint for remote engineering - this significantly speeds up the process of engineering a new ship.

As you like exploration, there are also four engineers out in Colonia. They don't currently provide anything above G1, but if you're ever out this way, they're really easy to unlock so you may as well do it while you're here. Except in extremely specific cases, it's not worth coming out here just to unlock them.

 

[Slange Lands]

You may also wish to consider getting the Guardian FSD booster.

Be sure to save exploration data, combat and bounty hunting monies to turn in at the specific engineers who accept or require them for rank or invitation.

Remember it's always about having as much fun as possible.

o7

 

[WhoCares]

I made me this overview for the engineers, to help me prioritize unlocks, and plan where to pin which blueprints (red numbers).
Your preferences may vary, but it should give you a nice overview to start with.

There are also secondary considerations, that might help ease the grind for some. E.g. doing some of the rare deliveries early (tea for Broo Tarquin, cigars for Hera Tani), by also trading on your intermediate hops, adding to the required number of 50 trade markets for Lei Chung. Or earning combat bonds/bounties while at the same time gaining rank for the minor and/or major factions required for system and/or engineer unlocks.

P.S. There were no engineers in Colonia at the time I created that list...

 

[Mugur]

Check inara.cz... They have a comprehensive list of all engineers, blueprints, etc.

I would start with Felicity Farseer and use what she got (FSD grade 5, Dirty Drive grade 3, Power Plant grade 1, etc.).

 

[Greybeard_LXI]

Well that's the point, because I want to do a little bit of everything. Let's say primary I like exploration and bounty hunting / kill Thargoids. so I will stay focused on PvE for the majority of the time.
What I want from Engineers? Better hardware for my ship I'd say

In terms of ship I'm still not sure on what I want to use next. ATM I'm using the Diamondback Exp and I also have the Vulture. I don't have any big ship but I want to buy one of them later.
So basically you guys are telling me that the road to Engi depends also on which ship I have?

It does not depend on which ship you have. It depends on what you want to do with it.

If you are bounty hunting you want more from your power plant, distributor and thrusters; weight and heat is not really an issue. For long range exploration or passenger missions you want less heat (for scooping) and less weight (for longer jumps).

There is an exception to the above. Some ships are perceived to have a weakness that can be helped with engineering. For example, the Vulture is considered to have a weak power plant so engineering that for more power is a priority.