Guide / Tutorial TUTORIAL: How to Find Exquisite Focus Crystals

MassiveD · Oct 13, 2016

Hi everyone, thank you all for your continued support!

This is my second video in my Elite Dangerous Tutorial series, and will be covering the interesting mechanics of acquiring Exquisite Focus Crystals.

This video will have a tiny change in tone, but I hope it is still easy to watch and follow, however please be aware that the topic of Exquisite Focus Crystals is quite surreal, and not very straight forward.

[video=youtube;UzSgGEsIIjQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzSgGEsIIjQ&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Please leave constructive feedback as I will value every single opinion and try to make my videos better over time, so thank you in advance!

MassiveD · Oct 14, 2016

Eh I need to stop uploading videos exlusively at midnight

DarthRavadge · Oct 14, 2016

Good video

Personally I have never had an issue with exsquisite focus crystals. I am sitting on 42 of them all earned from missions and I have never used a single one. My combat ships use weapon enhanced distributors.

Neebz1 · Oct 14, 2016

Awesome! thank you. Looking forward to more of your videos.
Subscribed

Arguendo · Oct 14, 2016

MassiveD said:
Eh I need to stop uploading videos exlusively at midnight

Not to worry, some are still awake

Nice video.
It's strange though, because the solution seems to be the Realtor Mantra, "Location, Location, Location." It does not seem to be affected by Faction Reputation, as you are Neutral or Cordial with the ones there as far as I can see. And it can't be Economy type, because they are found in other economies at about the same rate (re. Truesilver's comment in the other thread).
There really doesn't seem to be any common denominator for where to find them, but they still seem to have a higher spawn rate in some places than others. A hint from FDev on this would be appreciated, because this is causing people to lose their hair, if not minds.

Thanks for the location tip! I am working the one in Sol and will check what the progress is there. If it's a bust I'll head on out into the Boonies

MassiveD · Oct 14, 2016

DarthRavadge said:
Good video

Personally I have never had an issue with exsquisite focus crystals. I am sitting on 42 of them all earned from missions and I have never used a single one. My combat ships use weapon enhanced distributors.

Thank you!

Yes, weapon enhanced distributors are also good, but they are generaly better in PVE and if you use alot of laser weaponry, if you PVP and use multicanon and rocket builts, charge enhanced are better since you can push your ship to the limit using good PIP management, and charge enhanced distributors allow bars to recharge in split seconds on some pvp builds.

To be honest I haven;t been aware of EFC crisis before I this week when I had crowds of people tell me that they cant find them or even never seen them

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CMDR Arguendo said:
Not to worry, some are still awake

Nice video.
It's strange though, because the solution seems to be the Realtor Mantra, "Location, Location, Location." It does not seem to be affected by Faction Reputation, as you are Neutral or Cordial with the ones there as far as I can see. And it can't be Economy type, because they are found in other economies at about the same rate (re. Truesilver's comment in the other thread).
There really doesn't seem to be any common denominator for where to find them, but they still seem to have a higher spawn rate in some places than others. A hint from FDev on this would be appreciated, because this is causing people to lose their hair, if not minds.

Thanks for the location tip! I am working the one in Sol and will check what the progress is there. If it's a bust I'll head on out into the Boonies

Well the official descriptions from decompiled data and inara state that EFC's should mainly be found in Boom state systems, right?

However I can confirm that it doesnt matter which state Shu Babasi is in, it's always 1 per hour on avarage, so apparently the state doesn't matter, or at least it doesnt matter in this location, which yet again makes no sense.

Shu Babasi reminds me of the bumblebee, based on laws of physics, it shouldn't be able to fly, yet it does, because nobody told it that it couldn't!

MassiveD · Oct 14, 2016

Time for me to hit the sack, good night everyone

let me know how you guys get on with this method of farming EFC's, and what are your thoughts of it.

I'm very interesting to see people's opinions if they agree or disagree with that such thing exists at all.

WillFrog · Oct 14, 2016

I saw an Exquisite Focus Crystal yesterday in Lugh, but it was from a minor faction and I didn't have the rep to get the mission. AFAICT this google doc seems to be accurate. Factions in a boom state in independent, extraction or industrial systems will eventually offer them as mission rewards; but you need to be allied with the faction to get the mission.

Whether there is some hidden background condition that makes them more common in some places than others? Who the hell knows?

MassiveD · Oct 14, 2016

WillFrog said:
I saw an Exquisite Focus Crystal yesterday in Lugh, but it was from a minor faction and I didn't have the rep to get the mission. AFAICT this google doc seems to be accurate. Factions in a boom state in independent, extraction or industrial systems will eventually offer them as mission rewards; but you need to be allied with the faction to get the mission.

Whether there is some hidden background condition that makes them more common in some places than others? Who the hell knows?

I can confirm that Shu Babasi is an Extraction system, however it doesn't matter if it's in boom or not, it still gives EFC's in a very regular pattern.

And I am not allied with any of the factions there, mostly neutral / cordial, yet I get EFC's there right as clockwork.

I am aware of "official" statements in the form of google docs and Inara, however as you've seen in this video, and if you watched my previous video on MEF's, there are very specific, seemingly unexplainable methods of obtaining both these rare materials way more efficiently, that are replicable every time.

Why? As you said, who the hell knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

X-Terminator · Oct 14, 2016

Generally I end up selling these on the open market so I avoid Elite NPC Pirate Conda Interdictions to allow me to survive their OTT engineer MODs. Sometimes I even just dump them into Space!

MassiveD · Oct 14, 2016

X-Terminator said:
Generally I end up selling these on the open market so I avoid Elite NPC Pirate Conda Interdictions to allow me to survive their OTT engineer MODs. Sometimes I even just dump them into Space!

O_O

but ... but... these are materials, they are not considered cargo, nor can they be sold, what are you saying

AutoMechancal · Oct 14, 2016

X-Terminator said:
Generally I end up selling these on the open market so I avoid Elite NPC Pirate Conda Interdictions to allow me to survive their OTT engineer MODs. Sometimes I even just dump them into Space!

Firstly it's a material not a commodity their for can neither be sold or stolen, secondly NPCs don't have mods since they broke the game on 2.1 launch and where removed from the game.

Kzak · Oct 14, 2016

X-Terminator said:
Generally I end up selling these on the open market so I avoid Elite NPC Pirate Conda Interdictions to allow me to survive their OTT engineer MODs. Sometimes I even just dump them into Space!

Do you, by chance, have a screenshot of you selling an Exquisite Focus Crystal on the open market?

diddycarter · Oct 14, 2016

so i just went to the system and found one after 10 mins of refresh and the bets part? it is a boom data delivery mission

ForeverN00b · Oct 14, 2016

OP, how about a tutorial on pharmaceutical isolators and imperial shielding?

racer1 · Oct 14, 2016

Pharmaceutical isolators are easy

Just jump round outbreak systems, they occur more often on the fringe of the bubble. If you don't have any in 10 minutes hit the next system. I found 20 odd in short order doing that.

Imperial shielding seems random spawn from high grade emissions. I've had about 30 in total from randomly encountered USS.

Truesilver · Oct 14, 2016

Another much-needed and supremely helpful thread, well done MassiveD.

Mike V. Bering · Oct 14, 2016

That's awsome !!!
Thank you for the video

MassiveD · Oct 14, 2016

Thanks guys, I'm happy this helped you!

I'm already planning the next video, I'm debating between imp.shielding / core dynamic composites, chemical manipulators, unknown artefacts

Siranui · Oct 14, 2016

MassiveD said:
To be honest I haven;t been aware of EFC crisis before I this week when I had crowds of people tell me that they cant find them or even never seen them

They are certainly something which I seldom have more than one or two of, and which tends to get used quickly, but I think it depends on what mission types one enjoys.

I barely ever step into an SRV, which has caused a relative shortfall.