Newcomer / Intro Why would I buy a wake scanner?

CMDR Impaleddearan · Oct 27, 2017

I understand what this does. The question I have is why would I ever want one? I can't think of a reason why I would ever need to see where someone is going and follow them. Do you get money for doing this or something?

Even in terms of bounty hunting.... If the "bounty" jumps away from you, wouldn't it just be easier to wait for the next one than it would be to chase the original into a new system and find them at the end of the jump?

c3shooter · Oct 28, 2017

CMDR Impaleddearan said:
I understand what this does. The question I have is why would I ever want one? I can't think of a reason why I would ever need to see where someone is going and follow them. Do you get money for doing this or something?

Even in terms of bounty hunting.... If the "bounty" jumps away from you, wouldn't it just be easier to wait for the next one than it would be to chase the original into a new system and find them at the end of the jump?

You could use it to acquire data needed for engineering.
If you are a pirate and someone jumps away, you can use it to follow them.
If you are into harassing noobs, you can use it to follow them.
If you are trying to following Special Ops mercenaries at certain area's (like INRA bases) you can use it to follow them.

Oh, and about the bounty hunting, yeah, I would just wait, but maybe you have some strange hard on to kill 'em. Maybe the way he talked about your "juicy cargo" got you going....

Iskariot · Oct 28, 2017

CMDR Impaleddearan said:
I understand what this does. The question I have is why would I ever want one? I can't think of a reason why I would ever need to see where someone is going and follow them. Do you get money for doing this or something?

Even in terms of bounty hunting.... If the "bounty" jumps away from you, wouldn't it just be easier to wait for the next one than it would be to chase the original into a new system and find them at the end of the jump?

You are right... currently there is very little gameplay that makes the use of the wake scanner necessary.
I only use the device if I have to collect data for the engineers. I never need the thing for what it was originally designed for.
That is a pity really. FDev needs to address this, because this is something that could add diversity and depth to certain missions.

Para Handy · Oct 28, 2017

The first time I used one of these (a long time ago) I thought I was being really smart, following a "kill pirate lord" target when they high-waked out and then killing them when I caught up. Of course I then found they had re-spawned in the target system, my mission had not completed and I had to persevere and destroy them in the target system. Never used one for following ever since.

Nowadays you need one to get the wake data to engineer your FSD jumps - oh yeah, get the A rated one, that 4km range makes all the difference.

EvE4evah · Oct 29, 2017

FrameShift Wake Scanner is needed for those juicy G5 Long Range FSD rolls. It's used in Famine systems at Distribution Centres to farm Datamined Wake Exceptions.

Limoncello Lizard · Oct 29, 2017

I used one during a trade CG. Rather than figure out where the good systems were for buying stuff for the CG, I followed other CMDRs.

Marra Morgan · Oct 29, 2017

Wake Scanners are often a necessary component of the diamond heist.

Can also be used in conjunction with the Manifest Scanner to check the cargos of ships leaving port and following any of high value to somewhere quieter and less secure...

aRJay · Oct 29, 2017

Limoncello Lizard said:
I used one during a trade CG. Rather than figure out where the good systems were for buying stuff for the CG, I followed other CMDRs.

Very cunning.

Dommarraa · Oct 29, 2017

My science vessel has one. So far it has led to lots of clever but futile game play.
One day it will be useful.

ArchEmperor · Oct 29, 2017

There are things in the black beyond our wildest imagination.

To find these things, we need to be able to make an ultra deep wake scanning of phenomena that we encounter in the far deep corners of our galaxy.

Rumors has it that the universe is less empty than we are coached to believe...... and now I started it all..... your minds was not set on finding these 'things' before. But now I enabled you all. And believe me: They are out there!

And with a little luck, these things will be in the game Elite Dangerous as well in the near future.

darthjazzhands · Oct 29, 2017

Engineering. Plain and simple.

The higher grade blueprints require data found only by the wake scanner.

bladebss · Oct 30, 2017

Well in pvp if some one who needs to die for whaterver reason high wakes to escape.. you can follow then and carry on the attack.. mega shielded ships often take a long time to kill and will try to high wake when the shilds are broken or braking.. this helps to stop all that effort going to waste.

Some times in piracy it helps to let them highwake out of the system in the hopes they go somewhere with less security.

In the old elite games it was usefull for assassination as you would often wait out side a station for the target but engaging the target out side a station was suicide so you followed the wake and jumped them on the other side... sadly those days are gone.

WordSmith · Oct 30, 2017

aRJay said:
Very cunning.

Made me smile too.

Fyrd Judge · Oct 30, 2017

Used for lvl 5 FSD upgrades, such as increasing jump ranges for all ships. Most likely the most used blueprint in E.D

Moadeeb · Oct 30, 2017

CMDR Impaleddearan said:
I understand what this does. The question I have is why would I ever want one? I can't think of a reason why I would ever need to see where someone is going and follow them. Do you get money for doing this or something?

Even in terms of bounty hunting.... If the "bounty" jumps away from you, wouldn't it just be easier to wait for the next one than it would be to chase the original into a new system and find them at the end of the jump?

I am spending a bunch of time right now wake scanning for a certain wake data. Each of these I use with Falicity Farseer to make a level 5 upgrade on my 6A FSD. I am collecting enough to do 30 rolls on the FSD upgrade. This could increase my FSD range significantly. It is a very valuable thing to do. I am parked in front of a City (Kwekwaki System) and scanning away.

EDIT: Post #5 has the name of the data I am looking for. (Data Mined Wake Exceptions). There are three ingredients for the Level 5 upgrade. Arsenic (I have 30 from planet surfaces) the wake data and chemical manipulators. I have about a dozen of those so after wake scanning off to Dav's hope again.

Gunnet · Oct 30, 2017

Limoncello Lizard said:
I used one during a trade CG. Rather than figure out where the good systems were for buying stuff for the CG, I followed other CMDRs.

That's pretty good. Gathering trade intel would never have occurred to me as a use for it.

Para Handy · Oct 30, 2017

Moadeeb said:
......... I am parked in front of a City (Kwekwaki System) and scanning away.

..............

For future reference you might want to instead find a system in state "famine", go there and look for a place called "Distribution Centre", drop in there and you find a row of T9's within a lane of nav beacons. Ships drop in to the instance, "fill up the T9s" and then jump out - they all leave high-wake sigs and you can scan away filling up with all sorts of wake data. It is an awful lot quicker than sitting outside a station.

Moadeeb · Oct 31, 2017

Para Handy said:
For future reference you might want to instead find a system in state "famine", go there and look for a place called "Distribution Centre", drop in there and you find a row of T9's within a lane of nav beacons. Ships drop in to the instance, "fill up the T9s" and then jump out - they all leave high-wake sigs and you can scan away filling up with all sorts of wake data. It is an awful lot quicker than sitting outside a station.

This was spectacular advice. Famine system is very close to Dav's hope system (next destination)