What was your Sag A* strategy?

[DarkMellie]

Hiya, after playing Elite from back in 2014 my two dream goals have been to own an Anaconda and to visit Sag A*. Thanks to the reworked income after 3.0, I finally had enough money to complete the first goal, and now I'm getting myself ready for that delicious Sag A* achievement on Xbox.

I'm flying my AspEx… I was tempted to go a jumpaconda but the turn speed does my head in and with so many jumps there's far too much risk of landing in plasma. I'm currently working on grade 4 (I think) of my FSD range with Felicity Farseer and just need to find some chemical processors and manganese and I should be able to max it out (currently getting 40LY but could wring out a bit more with a few module changes). When testing plotting last night, I was able to plot out 251 jumps which included jet boosts... and that looked like a third of the total distance so at the moment it looks to be 750 or so to Sag A* and then the same number back.

So I have a couple of questions for people who have completed the trip or are currently planning for it.

1. is it worth maxing out G5 FSD or is 40LY enough? Asking as the difference between a jet and non-het plot was 250 versus 286... not a huge amount when extrapolated tbh.
2. how much time did you allot to the jumping? My very rough calculations would have it as two weeks or more flying 4 hours every weeknight. Is that laughably wrong? How did you handle the time?
3. what kind of system would make you want to stop and use FSS? I get a LOT of disconnections when using FSS of late so I'm loathe to do it but damn it's such a fun mini-game and I like the extra credits it provides. I'm right in thinking it's; honk/scan/surface scan ammonium/water/high-metal?
4. exactly where do I see my unique discoveries? Surely from a trip to the centre I should have oodles of them when I get back.
5. What's it like for 2 people? My mate and I keep different hours but he's very very keen (rather dubiously bought the game on my insistence recently and then next thing you know he's telling me how much he loves his Type 9!), but it feels like exploration is kinda pointless in a small group (or is more time-consuming with trying to stay together).
6. Once I reach Sag A* is it worth continuing on to Beagle Point? Keen for new adventures but am worried it will be so much effort that I won't bother to fly back to the bubble to enjoy the rest of the content.

I'd welcome any other tips, suggestions or encouragements!

 

[CMDR Cknarf]

My strategy?

Don’t die

I set off for Sag A in a 32ly Type 6 transporter.

I was only a couple months into the game back then— I believe Horizons launched while I was on my way out there.

I had the biggest fuel scoop I could fit, and a couple heat sink launchers. That was about it. No AFMU.

40ly is plenty for either trip, honestly. Definitely equip the biggest scoop you can, and bring an AFMU— those are extra valuable these days, since neutron boosting damages your FSD.

If you plan on landing on planets, BRING SHIELDS. A little bit of hull reinforcement isn’t a bad idea, either.

Those weren’t a concern of mine, cause we couldn’t land on planets back then.

 

[Shinji Ikari]

Hiya, after playing Elite from back in 2014 my two dream goals have been to own an Anaconda and to visit Sag A*. Thanks to the reworked income after 3.0, I finally had enough money to complete the first goal, and now I'm getting myself ready for that delicious Sag A* achievement on Xbox.

I'm flying my AspEx… I was tempted to go a jumpaconda but the turn speed does my head in and with so many jumps there's far too much risk of landing in plasma. I'm currently working on grade 4 (I think) of my FSD range with Felicity Farseer and just need to find some chemical processors and manganese and I should be able to max it out (currently getting 40LY but could wring out a bit more with a few module changes). When testing plotting last night, I was able to plot out 251 jumps which included jet boosts... and that looked like a third of the total distance so at the moment it looks to be 750 or so to Sag A* and then the same number back.

So I have a couple of questions for people who have completed the trip or are currently planning for it.

1. is it worth maxing out G5 FSD or is 40LY enough? Asking as the difference between a jet and non-het plot was 250 versus 286... not a huge amount when extrapolated tbh.
2. how much time did you allot to the jumping? My very rough calculations would have it as two weeks or more flying 4 hours every weeknight. Is that laughably wrong? How did you handle the time?
3. what kind of system would make you want to stop and use FSS? I get a LOT of disconnections when using FSS of late so I'm loathe to do it but damn it's such a fun mini-game and I like the extra credits it provides. I'm right in thinking it's; honk/scan/surface scan ammonium/water/high-metal?
4. exactly where do I see my unique discoveries? Surely from a trip to the centre I should have oodles of them when I get back.
5. What's it like for 2 people? My mate and I keep different hours but he's very very keen (rather dubiously bought the game on my insistence recently and then next thing you know he's telling me how much he loves his Type 9!), but it feels like exploration is kinda pointless in a small group (or is more time-consuming with trying to stay together).
6. Once I reach Sag A* is it worth continuing on to Beagle Point? Keen for new adventures but am worried it will be so much effort that I won't bother to fly back to the bubble to enjoy the rest of the content.

I'd welcome any other tips, suggestions or encouragements!

1. Having more jump range is never a disadvantage though 40 Ly will get you almost anywhere.
2. That will depend on how much you divert and how long you stay in each system, with 40 Ly you'll do about 625 jumps provided you don't use neutron stars*. Assuming 1 min per system, that's 10 and a half hours.
3. I can't help you with that, I used to glance at the system map to decide though that's no longer possible.
4. I don't believe you can see in detail all of your discoveries, in PC you can use a third party app to extract the log files and examine them.
5. Maybe setting up basecamps in nice places can allow for meetings without slowing too much (that's how it's done in expeditions with multiple commanders), EDSM can give you plenty of places to visit.
6. I also went there, with 40 Ly you can go even further though I don't think you can go all the way to Semotus Beacon. I believe it's nice to go to the other side of the galaxy, just be sure to have a route with interesting places to visit, in my case I'd try and hunt for as many O-type stars as I could.

*Do not fly straight from the bubble to Sag A if you want to use them.

 

[DarkMellie]

Very helpful response, cheers!

 

[Maymo]

I did the journey in a 45ly Dolphin shortly after it was released. Time feels like it stands still out in the black, and there were moments when I felt I wasn’t getting anywhere...

The lesson I took home with me is that every LY of jump range you can add to your ship counts. I totally recommend bringing your ship up to top spec with 5A FSD: G5 Increased Range/Mass Manager and a Class 5 Guardian FSD booster.

The time you spend finishing off your FSD is going to be nothing compared to the time you spend out there. The guardian FSD booster will probably be two hours of work if you follow a good guide, but it’s an item that will help your CMDRs entire career so it’s time well spent.

Here’s a quick build. This will jump 64ly and I’ve deliberately built it using only the engineering that Felicity Farseer provides.

Jumpy Asp

There’s still room to add a repair limpet controller if you think you’ll be needing hull repairs.

If you’re going to be neutron boosting then you may want to practice it somewhere safe first, you don’t want to be practicing 10,000ly into your journey.

Avoid high gravity planets in your Asp. It’s a heavy/drifty rig and gravity is really not its friend no matter how you build it. Be careful around planets.

Most of your questions have been answered, a quick note on question 3 though. F, K and G type stars tend to be the most profitable systems as they can support life. You can filter for these in the galaxy map to add profit to your journey.

Props to you for heading out exploring with the FSS. I tried it recently but it quickly wore me down and I had to turn back before it was too late.

O7

 

[dreampage]

Hiya, after playing Elite from back in 2014 my two dream goals have been to own an Anaconda and to visit Sag A*. Thanks to the reworked income after 3.0, I finally had enough money to complete the first goal, and now I'm getting myself ready for that delicious Sag A* achievement on Xbox.

I'm flying my AspEx… I was tempted to go a jumpaconda but the turn speed does my head in and with so many jumps there's far too much risk of landing in plasma. I'm currently working on grade 4 (I think) of my FSD range with Felicity Farseer and just need to find some chemical processors and manganese and I should be able to max it out (currently getting 40LY but could wring out a bit more with a few module changes). When testing plotting last night, I was able to plot out 251 jumps which included jet boosts... and that looked like a third of the total distance so at the moment it looks to be 750 or so to Sag A* and then the same number back.

So I have a couple of questions for people who have completed the trip or are currently planning for it.

1. is it worth maxing out G5 FSD or is 40LY enough? Asking as the difference between a jet and non-het plot was 250 versus 286... not a huge amount when extrapolated tbh.
2. how much time did you allot to the jumping? My very rough calculations would have it as two weeks or more flying 4 hours every weeknight. Is that laughably wrong? How did you handle the time?
3. what kind of system would make you want to stop and use FSS? I get a LOT of disconnections when using FSS of late so I'm loathe to do it but damn it's such a fun mini-game and I like the extra credits it provides. I'm right in thinking it's; honk/scan/surface scan ammonium/water/high-metal?
4. exactly where do I see my unique discoveries? Surely from a trip to the centre I should have oodles of them when I get back.
5. What's it like for 2 people? My mate and I keep different hours but he's very very keen (rather dubiously bought the game on my insistence recently and then next thing you know he's telling me how much he loves his Type 9!), but it feels like exploration is kinda pointless in a small group (or is more time-consuming with trying to stay together).
6. Once I reach Sag A* is it worth continuing on to Beagle Point? Keen for new adventures but am worried it will be so much effort that I won't bother to fly back to the bubble to enjoy the rest of the content.

I'd welcome any other tips, suggestions or encouragements!

1. 40 Ly is enough to reach Sag A* but I recommend going for as high a jump range as possible so you can do the trip in fewer jumps. The further you go the bigger difference it makes. A G5 FSD is a "must" in my exploration ships (+ Mass Manager experimental effect) and also a Guardian FSD Booster if you have it unlocked. (If not, don't bother, it takes a lot of grinding.)

2. I always count 1 minute / jump. They are usually less than that but it's a safe calculation, including some fuel scooping etc. Sag A* is around 25,000 Ly from the bubble. You can approximately calculate how many jumps the trip takes and it's that many minutes. It doesn't take "weeks" at all. If you really play 4 hours a day then you'll be there in a mere few days, no more. But space madness can hit you quite hard, so don't push it if you don't feel like it. Take your time.

3. I usually stop and scan systems with a main sequence star (OBAFGKM, but especially GKM) and fewer than 15 bodies. The reason for this is I don't like to waste too much time scanning a lot of planets/moons, most of which are probably gas giants and rocky/icy bodies without much value. My experience is that G, K, and M stars have the most chance to have valuable planets (high metal content, water, ammonia or earth-like worlds) and if they have only 8-15 planets around them, chances are some of those could be unique. In such systems I at least take a quick look at the FSS to determine whether there is something interesting or not. Yes, I may skip some valuable planets this way but on longer trips you have to balance between time and speed.

4. Unfortunately there is no way to look at your first discoveries. Unless you bookmark every system on the galaxy map (don't do that) or make notes yourself. There is no record of this in-game.

5. Being in a wing may make the journey more interesting but since every ship has different jump range the only way to "stay together" is to arrange waypoint to meet at, and wait for each other there. It's a bit cumbersome but if you're good friends it might be worth it.

6. When you reach Sag A* you'll feel whether you want to push on or not. If this is your first time chances are it will be enough for you. Don't forget that you also have to come back home, which is the same distance! Also, if you pass Sag A* there will be no more stations at the other side of the galaxy at all. It's much lonelier, and thus more dangerous because you literally leave every port behind. There is a new space station near Sag A* now called Explorer's Anchorage, but after that there's only space. So first I suggest you go just to Sag A* then upon arrival dock at the station and think about how you feel about going farther. To be honest, when I first went to Beagle Point, I was genuinely afraid of losing motivation to come back. It was such a daunting distance. So always think about the return trip, too.

Safe travels! o7

 

[Fray]

Hiya, after playing Elite from back in 2014 my two dream goals have been to own an Anaconda and to visit Sag A*.

After 'get into Sol', my other personal goal from the start was to visit A* in the best/priciest ship my character can fly, that being a Corvette. I acquired it a couple of weeks or so ago (been playing since just before Horizons, so clearly I've not rushed), and have been recently pushing rusted, poisoned daggers into my eyes, aka sourcing mats for Engineering, this past week (in a newly bought and Engineered Phantom, which is an awesome ship).

So our goals and timelines are weirdly similar, though I've had an Anaconda for a while, but will never take it out of the bubble (too fond of other ships for long range travel/deep space exploration).

You've had thorough replies already, but I may as well give my angle, given we're ostensibly preparing for the same thing.

1. is it worth maxing out G5 FSD or is 40LY enough? Asking as the difference between a jet and non-het plot was 250 versus 286... not a huge amount when extrapolated tbh.

Any and all ships can make A*, so it's just a matter of preference. There's a balance between traveling fast, and exploring. You'll make a reasonable amount of creds either way, but the longer your jump range the less systems you scan, ergo the less workload you'll be paid for. Plus; more jumps = greater chance of finding more valuable systems or bodies.

40Ly is more than enough (I've headed out in a mining exploration T9... that was to a specific system, though, just for the hell of it - to mine a ringed planet - orbiting another ringed world - that was within the fuel range of the parent A type star). But G5 FSD's are always handy (especially if your Anaconda one day wants to morph into a combat vessel), so there's no reason to stop at G4. I ran out of G5 materials for that upgrade (hence my hunter-gathering sessions in a Phantom), and the Corvette needs every single edge it can take.

Guardian FSD boosters are a godsend, btw, but a decent G5'd Anaconda won't need 'em. I try to fit them on every ship I can, so I'd probably just shove one on regardless.

2. how much time did you allot to the jumping? My very rough calculations would have it as two weeks or more flying 4 hours every weeknight. Is that laughably wrong? How did you handle the time?

Depends how fast you want to go. With a good scoop, a good jump range, and a monotonous focus on jumping instead of exploring, you could get to the core in a handful of nights. I plan on taking my time, so I'll be gone weeks, or maybe months if I decide to try to make Beagle Point in a Corvette (I'd have to do the math, first... chances are I want to save that milestone for a proper exploration vessel).

If you've not done major trips before, then get an archive of your favourite podcasts ready, and prepare to shotgun them for a week or two/three/four/five. ; -) Or set up another screen for YT, or whatever else takes your fancy. I did a recent trip that I started late last year, and whilst I took a couple of months break for other games (Witcher 3 and AC:Odyssey. oh, and SOMA), I started to get a little crazy/impatient about 23K into the trip (towards the core, then to Colonia, to get surface mapping tags on lots of ELW's/water worlds/etc I'd discovered months or years ago). The last leg to Colonia was pretty speedy.

Some players start to go a little nuts when they leave the bubble. Other players have a far greater affection for exploration, and/or threshold for repetitive tasks. If A*'s your first major trip, then that'll likely help you discover exactly where you fit on that scale.

3. what kind of system would make you want to stop and use FSS? I get a LOT of disconnections when using FSS of late so I'm loathe to do it but damn it's such a fun mini-game and I like the extra credits it provides. I'm right in thinking it's; honk/scan/surface scan ammonium/water/high-metal?

Eventually you won't find the FSS fun. Eventually you'll probably be praying to RNGesus to not give you any interesting bodies to scan... Seeing water worlds and a scattering of key terrestrial worlds will likely have you groaning instead of celebrating.

Ammonias, waters, ELW's - those are the obvious ones, sure. Anything that can be terraformed is good. But it's all down to mood. Sometimes you'll enjoy cleaning out entire - large - systems, maybe even landing on some worlds to see the sights. Other times you might only stop for ELW's. With particularly interesting or rewarding systems I might try to get my name on both the discovery and surface mapping. Moons are easy, but ringed giants can be a bit of a pain, especially if you want to get the efficiency bonus. Those things can be major time sinks, and it all adds up on a long trip.

5. What's it like for 2 people? My mate and I keep different hours but he's very very keen (rather dubiously bought the game on my insistence recently and then next thing you know he's telling me how much he loves his Type 9!), but it feels like exploration is kinda pointless in a small group (or is more time-consuming with trying to stay together).

Never crewed up for exploration. But multi-crew's a bit of a non-entity in general, so it wholly depends on your preferences. He doesn't need to come along, anyway, so you can try it out. Take an SLF and SRV's to make the most of it.

6. Once I reach Sag A* is it worth continuing on to Beagle Point? Keen for new adventures but am worried it will be so much effort that I won't bother to fly back to the bubble to enjoy the rest of the content.

If you start praying for no ELW's before you reach A*, that should tell you all you need to know. ; -)

Have you visited Colonia yet? If not, you could maybe save Beagle Point for that trip. Get to Colonia, hand in your data (or at an outpost along the way), mess around in that frontier bubble for a while, then push on to Beagle. Not that there aren't plenty of systems to nab in the galaxy, but the Colonia to Beagle route will be less common than A* to Beagle.

Of course if you really want to stay away from home for an epic journey, then you could move on to Beagle after A*, then head to Colonia, and then eventually head back to the Sol bubble.

Exploration's still my favourite role/activity in the game, as I believe it's the ultimate raison d'etre of the whole game. Why else model an entire galaxy, if it's not intended for people to roam far and wide? FDev have neglected Elite's core USP - something no other game can match - for years, frankly, which has always rather baffled me. The latest updates re exploration mechanics are a major step in the right direction, but it's still quite threadbare.

Despite that, I still love it, simply because it's unlike anything else found in any other game (or medium). I think people who take to exploration, and who can tolerate weeks or months out in the black/bright black, tend to often be those who have an interest in astronomy/cosmology. There's a sense of awe inspiring wish fulfillment and curiosity about it - to find mystery, threat, and beauty in what many other players would just see as endless, repetitive game assets flying by their cockpits.

Compared to, quite literally, gaming the system apropos the latest goldrush, exploration doesn't really pay out well. But a reasonable trip with a hefty amount of scanning will still pay for a top of the range ship plus full outfitting (unless it's a hardcore combat build. I made about 550million on my last trip, and I think that alone paid for the exploration Corvette I'll be taking to A*). However, the real reward is just how unique an experience it is, and what weird, freakish, and/or beautiful systems you'll discover along the way.

 

[Marco Santos]

My tactic was go!

I went there in an anaconda, and wasnt setup for max range, so i did took a while but i set out to go there and take my time doing it, mapping anything interesting along the way and i did, the return trip took me threw Colonia, and there i switched to the Krait Phantom cause by this time i couldnt see the Anaconda in front of me anymore, all the bad aspects about it came to light.

Now...
If i can give u a piece of advice regarding the trip, based on my experience so far, is...

1st off, dont go until u have your ASPX setup to the max.

That being said, engenieer the FSD to grade 5 and add mass manager, get the guardian FSD booster, go A-rated on the Thrusters, Distributor, FSD, Fuel scoop, use D-rated on all others if possible, dont go without the basics, shield, srv, amfu, repair limpet, discovery scanner, heat sinks.

Dont be in a hurry to get there, but dont deviate too much either, the journey is long already going straight to it, let alone if u had more to the route, u can plot so u pass threw the various stations along the way to Colonia, that will help you out, since u can make repairs, refuel, rest, sell the data collected, once there...

Once there, be mindfull that the hard part isnt getting there, is RETURNING!!!
(going u have a goal, an objective, so you are focused on that, even doe its tiresome, on the way back, u have no goal, only thing that will be running threw your mind is the number of jumps u still need to do to get to the bubble... So be aware of that!)

U can set a goal on the return trip for yourself to help cope with this.

Good luck out there and have fun!

 

[Ethaidan]

If you're on console, BP is nothing to be afraid of. Sort of. I started DW2 to be part of the mining CGs, visit SagA, then return to the bubble. The journey to SagA was enjoyable enough to keep going to BP, now I'm 12kly galactic east(?) somewhere in the Solitude Void perhaps, hull degrading, sanity wavering... but consoles allow you to quickly knock up a new account, and with the knowledge from a first account, progress is easy. Now it's a tough decision every time I log on... keep going into the black, or chance Open in my sad little noob bucket in the bubble.

 

[LetItBleed1980]

With the exception of a quick trip to the Pleiades in a DBX my trip to Sag A* was really my first trip out of the bubble, I wasn't a very experienced explorer obviously nor had I even owned the game 6 months yet. I just pulled the trigger on it one day and did it in an un-engineered Asp X. I think it was un-engineered, at best I might have done 1 upgrade and I think it had a 32ly jump range. It also required some power management I actually almost lost my ship because I forgot to turn some things off before powering up the planetary hangar, getting out and dismissing the ship. When I recalled it I guess it was coming in without thrusters because it just dropped out of the sky like a rock, I jumped up and turned off my XBOX just after my ship was going airborne again after it bounced off the ground and lost its shields. I ended up just sacrificing my SRV (I had 2) and returning to my ship that way. I also almost got myself killed trying to do some fancy low flying in chase camera mode on the surface of a cool looking planet I discovered. Aside from those moments the trip was pretty peaceful.

All in all I it took me about 6 weeks, playing when I could around my work schedule. My first leg was from Sol to Eagle's Landing in the Eagle Nebula. The stretch in-between was where I discovered my first planets so I wanted to get into a station as soon as possible. The next leg took me from there to Colonia, it's a little out of the way but I thought it was worth visiting while I was out that way and a good way to break up the monotony of the journey. I liked it out there so much (and being back in civilization) that I ended up staying a four day weekend out there, temporarily outfitting my ship to do some work for the local powers. In fact I wanted to come back and make it my base of operations after visiting Sag A* until I saw the ship transfer fees. So it was on from there to Sag A* and from there I just did a straight line back to the bubble.

It was a little monotonous at times, I would often just jump/honk/scoop system after system without even taking a look around (we didn't have FSS then) and would sometimes watch Netflix on my computer while just half paying attention to the jumps I was making and make about 50 jumps while watching a couple episodes of The Twilight Zone. I still discovered quite a few planets including an Earthlike on the return trip.

I plan on going back within the next week or so, check out the new station and see some of the things I missed on my first trip that direction. But now that same Asp X is engineered and I have an Anaconda I've been thinking of trying out in exploration as I see so many others doing but I don't find them nearly as enjoyable to fly as the Asp X.

 

[CROWCANTFLY]

You sound like you're set up just fine to make the journey. My only suggestion would be to come to Colonia first and then venture to the core from there. That way you can puddle jump on your way there, using the colonial Highway. That way if you die 15000 light-years from the core you won't have to start off back in it.

 

[LetItBleed1980]

You sound like you're set up just fine to make the journey. My only suggestion would be to come to Colonia first and then venture to the core from there. That way you can puddle jump on your way there, using the colonial Highway. That way if you die 15000 light-years from the core you won't have to start off back in it.

It's also nice to see a little civilization from time to time. I really enjoyed Colonia and recommend swinging by as well. It's a little bit of a detour but worth it. It's a miniature bubble but with breathtaking scenery. If it didn't cost hundreds of millions of credits to transfer ships there I'd have made my base there. I've heard people say that FDev has tried multiple times to encourage people to relocate to Colonia, they could start by not charging hundreds of millions of credits in transfer fees.

By the way Crow, love the name/avatar. I'm a huge MST3K/Rifftrax fan and I'm actually watching the Rifftrax for Star Trek V right now.

 

[Sweaty Clam]

Follow the DW2 route to Sag A for some fantastic sights on-route and it also gives you shorter goals, however it is not the fastest route there. 40 Ly will do, when I first went to Sag A I only had a 32 Ly Asp. You can get an extra 10 Ly if you unlock the guardian booster and will make the trip marginally shorter. All depends if you want to explore or just race towards Sag A. Don't forget an AFMU though, they're weightless so won't affect your jump range.

 

[Zieman]

My Sagittarius A* strategy was to not bother until I was going nearby anyway.

 

[colprice2002]

Hi,
First time I reached Sag A was in an AspX - well before engineered modules or FSD Boosters. You don't need a massive jump range, but if you're trying to bypass the boring bits, then the longer the better!

I consider the essential equipment to be:-
As Large a fuel scoop as possible (to refuel in 1 pass - this tends to rule out the DBX as it can only fit a smallish scoop)
Heat sinks - take 1 and make sure you have enough materials to synthesise more!
Hull repair controller (possibly AMFU) - make sure they are disabled to reduce power use. Afain, take materials to make limpets
Cargo space (min 4 tonnes - otherwise you can't make the limpets)
Shields
SRV

 

[Lieutenant Dan]

My Sag A* trip featured a trip to Colonia first, and then I either went up or down then straight to Sag A* from there.

The trip was made in my Asp X and was relatively incident-free, though always prepare for the worst on such a lengthy trip!

Like colprice, I always take the biggest A or B fuel scoop I can fit (a 7B is a lot cheaper than a 7A, with minimal difference), 1 heat sink (and mats for refills)...reason you might need this is messing up and coming too close to a star. Once your FSD winds down, make an escape jump from the star, pop a heat sink around 80% heat and off you go.

Also shields for 'landing protection' on high G planets, or canyon running if you fancy that. I equip D-rated shields due to lighter weight and they do well enough.

Take an SRV bay (one that holds two SRV's is better in case the worst happens to your SRV) for planetside exploration and material gathering.

AFMU- at least one, and preferably two (so one can repair the other AFMU and vice-versa). Happily I've only used this a few times in all of my exploring...but you sure want it along in case you need it for repairing damaged modules. Don't leave home without one!

Cargo bay and repair limpet controller-good to have in a 'kitchen-sink' exploration build for hull repair. Chance of need for this is even lower than AFMU, but if you've got the slots....I have this arrangement on my explora-conda (have never needed it though).

Another tip is I like to use ONLY A-rated power units for the extra durability, as they can't be repaired by the AFMU and have to last the whole trip. Probably overkill, but I always engineer them with Armoured as well to grade 3 or 4. I'll sacrifice a LY off my range for this level of protection. A rated power unit and A rated FSD, everything else is D-rated.

If I'm taking a large ship I'll usually have the slot space for a docking computer, because the last thing I need is a 'station incident' when I get back from weeks out exploring lol.

Enjoy the journey!

 

[Sweaty Clam]

Lieutenant Dan, I went with the opposite strategy, D - rated lightweight modules for max jump range. Fuel scoop (weightless) and FSD where A - rated. My Asp couldn't even boost. I've done similar with my Phantom, but have retained the boost. Shielded power plant is probably worth a shot though, as it can't be repaired.

 

[Lieutenant Dan]

Yeah I had edited my post....A rated Power and FSD, D rated everything else to save weight.