Greetings!
These months I have been in both the galactic ceiling and cellar. Exploring this area presents unique challenges.
Based on my experience, I can divide the galactic center region (by this I mean the area within the radius of roughly 5000 LY from Sagittarius A and comprising the Galactic Center, Empyrean Straits, Odin's Hold and Ryker's Hope regions) into five vertical zones: Safe Zone, Danger Zone, Death Zone, Hadal Zone, and Empyrean. These names of the vertical zones are not official ED ones, are not found in any of the official ED maps, and are not part of the ED lore. I came up with these names based on a number of factors which are explained below in detail.
1. Safe Zone (0 to + or - 2899 LY from the galactic plane).
In this area, you can safely navigate without worrying about being stranded provided you have sufficient jump range (about 50 LY is sufficient). Scoopable stars are easy to access and, if you are within +/- 1000 LY, the stars are so plentiful that you can explore safely in any ship in ED. Beginning in the +-2800 LY area, stars density is still relatively high but it stars to decline a bit.
2. Danger Zone (+-2900 to +-2999 LY from the galactic plane).
Here, star density abruptly stars to decline to the point that you will start needing to use jumponium or neutron star boosts to reach systems. The route planner begins to be hit or miss. It will frequently start to fail plotting routes-even if your jump range is well within the distances between systems) and manual plotting is a must. Distances of over 100 LY between systems are not uncommon and therefore, a ship with a base jump range in the 60s LY will be extremely useful to make navigation easier. The danger comes when you don't have mats for PREMIUM jumponium. There are systems that have required jumps of over 140 LY to reach and jumpoium was the only way to advance since there were no neutron stars to assist. So, systems start to become much more remote than those in the safe zone, but still approachable with caution, neutron jumps, or jumponium.
3. Death Zone (+- 3000 LY)
In this zone, star systems are so remote that specialized builds or a fleet carrier are needed to reach them, if at all possible. This area is loaded with sirens-stars that look tempting to go to because they are in, say, the 3100s or 3200s LY or above/below...but don't have a neutron star you can use to return to your starting point. If you jump into these systems and they are beyond what you can jump with premium jumpoinium, and there is no neutron star, you have only 2 options: self destruct or ask for a fleet carrier to rescue you. There are plenty of systems that can still be visited without the aid of a fleet carrier and still live to tell the tale, but you will need extreme caution, a specialized build, and patience. Every single move into and within area must be carefully planned. Focusing is paramount-if you get careless you can end up going to a system in which there is no return. The space from the cockpit looks just as if you were in, say, Oevasy SG-Y d0-devoid of stars. Being familiar with the 3D distance formula is extremely helpful as it will save you unnecessary trips or even a rebuy (after having to self-destruct due to being stuck in a no-return system). Two systems in the galactic map can look very close to each other and you might be tempted to go, but by using the 3D formula you can see if the trip is possible. In the map, you can figure out the XYZ coordinates for each of the systems you want to visit since the map does show these.
This area is also one of contradictions. For example, I have gone to Slauloae BA-A G5, which is 3,116 LY above the plane (reachable by neutron boost and able to return from because it also has a neutron), but some of the lower 3000s in this sector are one way death traps-you can reach them via neutron but you won't get out unless a carrier rescues you. So, the lower system is not necessarily the easiest system to reach (or escape from).
In this area, I have used an Anaconda that has a minimum rage of 78.5 LY and a max of 81.94. With the completed Colonia CG, I got the enhancer 6A FSD and now my minimum is 86.1 and max is 89.6. Even with this build, plotting routes along this area is very difficult and the route planner almost always fails even when the destination stars are clearly within range of my Conda. This is pretty much the range you will need to attempt to visit many of these systems in the death zone. I have done neutron jumps of as much as 340 LY to reach some of the more remote systems. So, you will pretty much need an Anaconda with the range I stated to navigate this. And even then there is:
4. Empyrean (anything 3400 LY above the plane) and
5. The Hadal Zone (anything 3400 LY below the plane)
I call both of these Billionaires' Zone as well
These two areas, which are in the highest and lowest reaches of the Death Zone, are places that are reachable only with a fleet carrier. These are stars that can be usually identified with the AA-A H(0-5) after the sector name. Some of these AA-A Hs are still reachable by conventional means because they are in the upper or lower 3000s and some are even in the Danger Zone, but many of them are above and below 3400 LY from the plane so a fleet carrier is the only way to visit them and return alive. The highest one that has an outpost is not in the galactic center but is over 5000 LY above the plane: Rackham's Peak (of course, accessible only with a fleet carrier). It's not an AA-H, but a HIP one.
There are some systems in the upper 3300s that can be still reached via conventional means but will really test the limits of your ship in terms of fuel management. These are not yet in the Empyrean or Hadal Zone.
Why do I call the Empyrean and Hadal Zone Billionaires' Zone? A fleet carrier costs 5 billion credits, and then there is the cost for its upkeep.
Here is one story about one of my travels in the Death Zone, in the galactic cellar:
Oe of the things to watch out in the Death Zone is the presence of 3000ers that are T Tauri stars. I have had first discoveries in many of these, but to get to them I had to equip the Conda with 64 tons of fuel and have a range of about 80 LY max and 75 laden. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to do the route below to reach Oofaisp ZE-A G5, a T Tauri star located 3189 LY below the plane:
Oofaisp YJ-Z E6 (-2900 LY)
129 LY jump w/ premium jumponium to:
Oofaisp ZE-A G12 (-2988 LY)
107 LY jump w/ standard jumponium to:
Oofaisp ZE-A g13 (-3025 LY)
112 LY jump w/ standard jumponium to:
Oofaisp ZE-A G9 (-3131 LY)
Regular unaided jump of 61 LY to:
Oofaisp ZE-A G5 (-3189 LY).
Repeat the route backwards to return to starting point. You still have to use jumponium to perform one more jump to reach a system that has a scoopable star to fill your tank. You will arrive to that system with almost no fuel-in a ship that has been modified to have a total range of 624 LY with full tanks. A reminder: T Tauris are not scoopable. So, as much as I would like to take an AspX or an Orca or a Cobra or Krait Phanthom, they won't be able to reach some of these places at all. A DBX, fully engineered and equipped with both the Guardian FSD booster and the enhanced 5A FSD, plus the bare minimun equipment, could reach these places given its rather big total range and its jump range that compares to that of an Anaconda.
In contrast, some of the -3200 systems I have tagged have been easier to reach since both the starting system and the target one have neutron stars-but please realize that the distances between systems in this zone are vast and there are no other ways to reach the following other than the routes I list here:
Synauliae IC-U E3-3
Synauliae ZE-A G5 (-3011 LY, 177 LY Neutron jump)
Synauliae DL-Y G2 (-3216 LY, 265 LY Neutron jump)
Schi Pri YE-A G8 (-2963 LY)
SChi Pri CL-Y G10 (-3207 LY, 321.5 LY Neutron jump)
Potheau GC-U E3-3 (-2900 LY)
Potheau CL-Y G0 (-3209 LY, 315 LY Neutron Jump)
Sluemaei DL-Y G4 (-2916 LY)
Sluemaei DL-Y G3 (-3146 LY, 285 LY Neutron jump)
Thee Blou ZE-A G12 (-3205 LY, 221 LY Neutron jump)
One of the big pluses about traveling within the upper/lower safe zone of the galactic ceiling/cellar is the abundant presence of neutron stars, which drastically reduces the number of jumps needed to perform. You can easily travel 1000 LY in about 5 jumps in the Anaconda I have. Explorer's Anchorage is about 30 jumps from the Slauloae sector.
So, exploring this region is quite a challenge, but very interesting to do, in my opinion.
I am still bagging first discoveries in the galactic ceiling and are reaching systems that were previously unreachable before the 6A enhanced FSD.
CMDR Janet
These months I have been in both the galactic ceiling and cellar. Exploring this area presents unique challenges.
Based on my experience, I can divide the galactic center region (by this I mean the area within the radius of roughly 5000 LY from Sagittarius A and comprising the Galactic Center, Empyrean Straits, Odin's Hold and Ryker's Hope regions) into five vertical zones: Safe Zone, Danger Zone, Death Zone, Hadal Zone, and Empyrean. These names of the vertical zones are not official ED ones, are not found in any of the official ED maps, and are not part of the ED lore. I came up with these names based on a number of factors which are explained below in detail.
1. Safe Zone (0 to + or - 2899 LY from the galactic plane).
In this area, you can safely navigate without worrying about being stranded provided you have sufficient jump range (about 50 LY is sufficient). Scoopable stars are easy to access and, if you are within +/- 1000 LY, the stars are so plentiful that you can explore safely in any ship in ED. Beginning in the +-2800 LY area, stars density is still relatively high but it stars to decline a bit.
2. Danger Zone (+-2900 to +-2999 LY from the galactic plane).
Here, star density abruptly stars to decline to the point that you will start needing to use jumponium or neutron star boosts to reach systems. The route planner begins to be hit or miss. It will frequently start to fail plotting routes-even if your jump range is well within the distances between systems) and manual plotting is a must. Distances of over 100 LY between systems are not uncommon and therefore, a ship with a base jump range in the 60s LY will be extremely useful to make navigation easier. The danger comes when you don't have mats for PREMIUM jumponium. There are systems that have required jumps of over 140 LY to reach and jumpoium was the only way to advance since there were no neutron stars to assist. So, systems start to become much more remote than those in the safe zone, but still approachable with caution, neutron jumps, or jumponium.
3. Death Zone (+- 3000 LY)
In this zone, star systems are so remote that specialized builds or a fleet carrier are needed to reach them, if at all possible. This area is loaded with sirens-stars that look tempting to go to because they are in, say, the 3100s or 3200s LY or above/below...but don't have a neutron star you can use to return to your starting point. If you jump into these systems and they are beyond what you can jump with premium jumpoinium, and there is no neutron star, you have only 2 options: self destruct or ask for a fleet carrier to rescue you. There are plenty of systems that can still be visited without the aid of a fleet carrier and still live to tell the tale, but you will need extreme caution, a specialized build, and patience. Every single move into and within area must be carefully planned. Focusing is paramount-if you get careless you can end up going to a system in which there is no return. The space from the cockpit looks just as if you were in, say, Oevasy SG-Y d0-devoid of stars. Being familiar with the 3D distance formula is extremely helpful as it will save you unnecessary trips or even a rebuy (after having to self-destruct due to being stuck in a no-return system). Two systems in the galactic map can look very close to each other and you might be tempted to go, but by using the 3D formula you can see if the trip is possible. In the map, you can figure out the XYZ coordinates for each of the systems you want to visit since the map does show these.
This area is also one of contradictions. For example, I have gone to Slauloae BA-A G5, which is 3,116 LY above the plane (reachable by neutron boost and able to return from because it also has a neutron), but some of the lower 3000s in this sector are one way death traps-you can reach them via neutron but you won't get out unless a carrier rescues you. So, the lower system is not necessarily the easiest system to reach (or escape from).
In this area, I have used an Anaconda that has a minimum rage of 78.5 LY and a max of 81.94. With the completed Colonia CG, I got the enhancer 6A FSD and now my minimum is 86.1 and max is 89.6. Even with this build, plotting routes along this area is very difficult and the route planner almost always fails even when the destination stars are clearly within range of my Conda. This is pretty much the range you will need to attempt to visit many of these systems in the death zone. I have done neutron jumps of as much as 340 LY to reach some of the more remote systems. So, you will pretty much need an Anaconda with the range I stated to navigate this. And even then there is:
4. Empyrean (anything 3400 LY above the plane) and
5. The Hadal Zone (anything 3400 LY below the plane)
I call both of these Billionaires' Zone as well
These two areas, which are in the highest and lowest reaches of the Death Zone, are places that are reachable only with a fleet carrier. These are stars that can be usually identified with the AA-A H(0-5) after the sector name. Some of these AA-A Hs are still reachable by conventional means because they are in the upper or lower 3000s and some are even in the Danger Zone, but many of them are above and below 3400 LY from the plane so a fleet carrier is the only way to visit them and return alive. The highest one that has an outpost is not in the galactic center but is over 5000 LY above the plane: Rackham's Peak (of course, accessible only with a fleet carrier). It's not an AA-H, but a HIP one.
There are some systems in the upper 3300s that can be still reached via conventional means but will really test the limits of your ship in terms of fuel management. These are not yet in the Empyrean or Hadal Zone.
Why do I call the Empyrean and Hadal Zone Billionaires' Zone? A fleet carrier costs 5 billion credits, and then there is the cost for its upkeep.
Here is one story about one of my travels in the Death Zone, in the galactic cellar:
Oe of the things to watch out in the Death Zone is the presence of 3000ers that are T Tauri stars. I have had first discoveries in many of these, but to get to them I had to equip the Conda with 64 tons of fuel and have a range of about 80 LY max and 75 laden. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to do the route below to reach Oofaisp ZE-A G5, a T Tauri star located 3189 LY below the plane:
Oofaisp YJ-Z E6 (-2900 LY)
129 LY jump w/ premium jumponium to:
Oofaisp ZE-A G12 (-2988 LY)
107 LY jump w/ standard jumponium to:
Oofaisp ZE-A g13 (-3025 LY)
112 LY jump w/ standard jumponium to:
Oofaisp ZE-A G9 (-3131 LY)
Regular unaided jump of 61 LY to:
Oofaisp ZE-A G5 (-3189 LY).
Repeat the route backwards to return to starting point. You still have to use jumponium to perform one more jump to reach a system that has a scoopable star to fill your tank. You will arrive to that system with almost no fuel-in a ship that has been modified to have a total range of 624 LY with full tanks. A reminder: T Tauris are not scoopable. So, as much as I would like to take an AspX or an Orca or a Cobra or Krait Phanthom, they won't be able to reach some of these places at all. A DBX, fully engineered and equipped with both the Guardian FSD booster and the enhanced 5A FSD, plus the bare minimun equipment, could reach these places given its rather big total range and its jump range that compares to that of an Anaconda.
In contrast, some of the -3200 systems I have tagged have been easier to reach since both the starting system and the target one have neutron stars-but please realize that the distances between systems in this zone are vast and there are no other ways to reach the following other than the routes I list here:
Synauliae IC-U E3-3
Synauliae ZE-A G5 (-3011 LY, 177 LY Neutron jump)
Synauliae DL-Y G2 (-3216 LY, 265 LY Neutron jump)
Schi Pri YE-A G8 (-2963 LY)
SChi Pri CL-Y G10 (-3207 LY, 321.5 LY Neutron jump)
Potheau GC-U E3-3 (-2900 LY)
Potheau CL-Y G0 (-3209 LY, 315 LY Neutron Jump)
Sluemaei DL-Y G4 (-2916 LY)
Sluemaei DL-Y G3 (-3146 LY, 285 LY Neutron jump)
Thee Blou ZE-A G12 (-3205 LY, 221 LY Neutron jump)
One of the big pluses about traveling within the upper/lower safe zone of the galactic ceiling/cellar is the abundant presence of neutron stars, which drastically reduces the number of jumps needed to perform. You can easily travel 1000 LY in about 5 jumps in the Anaconda I have. Explorer's Anchorage is about 30 jumps from the Slauloae sector.
So, exploring this region is quite a challenge, but very interesting to do, in my opinion.
I am still bagging first discoveries in the galactic ceiling and are reaching systems that were previously unreachable before the 6A enhanced FSD.
CMDR Janet
