What would be good exploration ship to buy and how much would it cost?

Currently right now i am doing rare trading but i really want to go out and explore the galaxy and i was curios how much would it cost to get a good exploration ship and which hull do i need?
 
You could get started for as little as 2-3 mil in a Sidewinder like this.
http://coriolis.io/outfit/sidewinde...u2f2i.AwRj4tRI.MwBhCYykEYZYkg==?bn=Sidewinder
But it won't have a great jump range or an SRV for landings.
You'll also need refuel after nearly every jump or two so it would be easy to run out of gas if you're not careful.

A Cobra like this will cost about 7-8 mil.
http://coriolis.io/outfit/cobra_mk_...Rj4jVEg===.CwBhEYy6IZhUIg==?bn=Cobra Explorer

Or a Diamondback like this one for ~11-12 mil.
http://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondba...i2f.Iw1-kA==.MwBhCYy63YEYxA==?bn=DBE Explorer

An Asp Explorer outfitted for Exploration like this will cost ~21-22 mil.
http://coriolis.io/outfit/asp/02A4D...4jTVmo==.MwBhEYy6fYCYAsixA===?bn=ASP Explorer

I started off exploring in a Diamondback. Not fully kitted out and only for a few short trips.
Then I traded it in on an Asp Explorer and outfitted that for cargo while I ran trade routes until I had enough to fully kit it for exploration.

Every ship has pros and cons. There's a lot that's up to you depending on your style of play.

Jump range is a significant factor to consider. The best ships for jump range, in order, are the Anaconda, the Asp Explorer and the Diamondback Explorer

Then you have to consider how many internal compartments the ship has. How many components do you you need or want to have?
The only thing you absolutely can't go without is a fuel scoop. Everything else is optional.
An advanced discovery scanner and a detailed surface scanner are highly recommended since having them will net you more money for your data when you return.
I like to have room for an SRV hangar and shields too. Some decide they can do without those.
An AFMU can come in handy also to repair incidental damage during the trip.

Then there's the max size of the fuel scoop the ship can fit. A bigger fuel scoop means spending less time scooping and can make travel much faster.
You'll spend a lot more time scooping in a smaller ship and thus you won't be able to travel quite as fast.
That said, some have crossed the galaxy in a Sidewinder, just for the challenge of it.
 
Last edited:
Here's a very cheap, long-range build if you're keen simply to get out and visit places.
Hapless Hauler

To turn it into a fully fledged Hauler you'd need to fit a discoball *ahem* Discovery Scanner and Advanced discoball *ahem* Discovery Scanner, but they cost more than the ship itself...
 
Honestly, you can't really do exploration with just 500k as one of the most important modules, an Advanced Discovery Scanner, costs 1.3 million just by itself. Basic and Intermediate Discovery Scanners can only spot a limited number of stellar bodies in a system you come across, I think up to around 500 or 1000 light seconds (not sure ... been a while since i've used them), whereas an Advanced Discovery Scanner can spot *everything*, even millions of light seconds away.

This is not to say you can't travel far for the sake of doing so. A Hauler can actually be specced to have jump ranges up to around 30 LY. But without that Advanced Discovery Scanner, you'll be missing out on A LOT.
 
Currently right now i am doing rare trading but i really want to go out and explore the galaxy and i was curios how much would it cost to get a good exploration ship and which hull do i need?

Just pick a ship you like the look of inside and out because your going to spend alot of time in it, jump range and everything else comes second

You can go in a sidewinder if you want
 
Yes, you can save a lot by scaling back on rating of the fuel scoop and AFMU.
Just get the best one you can afford since it can save you a lot of time.
Yes, I figured that was what was adding to the price. As you say best you can afford, but I doubt anyone would need more than a class c afmu (what are you doing if you do :p) and the C is a perfect balance of not overly expensive but still enough performance (in my humble opinion of course :))
 
"Cheap" explorers will be the Hauler and the Adder both fully kitted out are about 3million credits.

Adder

Hauler

Hauler has better range but fewer internals. Adder's range could be improved by removing SRV hanger. Note that most of the cost is in the FSD and Fuel scoop. You can downgrade the Fuel Scoop, say to a 3d , and it saves about a 900k on the build but it would increase your refuel time and generate more heat. You can leave out the shields as well but I wouldn't.
 
Last edited:
I'll throw my hat in the ring for a few cheap builds - a Hauler and an Adder.

I tried to keep the Hauler as close to 500K as possible - it gives up the Advanced Discovery Scanner (and has a Basic Scanner instead) but does have a Detailed Surface Scanner, so you can tag planets! The jump range is good, considering, and it still has shields which is nice if you decide to land on planets.

Hauler

The Adder doesn't have an Advanced Discovery Scanner either, but does have a Detailed Surface Scanner and a SRV hanger if you decide to take a spin around a planet. This one is just over 1 million credits - at which point you start to wonder if you should go whole hog and get an Advanced Discovery Scanner.

Adder

Honestly you can go exploring in anything; there are ships that make more sense than others, such as an Asp over a Sidewinder, but as someone else mentioned, folks have used Sidewinders to go 65,000 light years away from Sol. The difference is that you can't have as much cool stuff in your ship and it'll take you longer to get where you're going. Whatever you choose, you'll just want to D rate most of the modules - with the following exception - A rate the biggest FSD and A rate the smallest Power Plant you can get away with. Get a fuel scoop, a detailed surface scanner, an advanced discovery scanner, and then the rest is optional.
 
I recently returned in my Asp from DWE, knowing that the credits sold from the Exploration data would buy & kit out an Anaconda.

The Asp is a great Exploration ship - Im not one that's too interested in all the Coriolis loadout stuff - I put what modules I want in my ship regardless of efficiency & cost.
I did tweak the Asp for the DWE trip to up the jump range to 29.2LYs, because of the long jumps & need for jumponium on the journey.
The cost of my Asp is around the 30mil mark.

You get yourself this amount of credits & you can't go wrong.

Iv just bought & kitted out a new Anaconda, in total around the 280mil mark. This got me a 33.1LY jump range ship- I know others can get better range for less money, but this time I actually studied other players loadouts before deciding what modules to put in my Annie.

First impression is - it's big & turn's like an oil tanker - but I'm taking it out on the CNE trip in a couple of weeks. I may get to like it, I may not, time will tell.


The main issue here is you can go out & explore in any ship with any set up. The choice is yours - the only limiting factor is how many credits you have to spend (& dont forget insurance).
 
Back
Top Bottom