the best ship for exploration is the one you like the most. the best fun ive had on a voyage was getting to hip 36601 (crystal shards) in an eagle. in second place would be going from orion nebula through col70 and barnards loop to the last thargoid-guardian battle site (Wregoe BU-Y b2-0) in a corvette.
Your preferred ("best") ship for exploration/exobiology?
- Thread starter GetUP
- Start date
Viper MkIV all day and night.
Painfully overlooked by most Commanders, but decent visibility, excellent manoeuvrability and bounces reasonably well when you overcook surface approaches.
Convenient front entry and lands on a sixpence for tracking those inconvenient bios.
All that said, not yet checked out the Cobra MkV.
Painfully overlooked by most Commanders, but decent visibility, excellent manoeuvrability and bounces reasonably well when you overcook surface approaches.
Convenient front entry and lands on a sixpence for tracking those inconvenient bios.
All that said, not yet checked out the Cobra MkV.
Totally...its not about jump range. Unless your in a rush. It's about 2 things.
Comfort and facility.
Also are you out in the black alone with no carrier support. ?
Having a jumpaconda or a 97ly mandy is all well but lacks strength & facility. One minor bump and it could end in tears.
A sturdy 50+ly ship with all the bells & whistles in it plus a nice canopy will be far better.
For exobiology small is king. Landing on some of the mountainous regions can be a royal pain.
Must have is an srv.
An artemis suit G5 with extra battery, air, jump, and night vision.
All these things make life out there easier.
Being without a carrier means your banking all your data. So ultra care is needed.
Especially if it's your 1st trip out there. I guarantee you something will go wrong. Out of fuel, repairs essential, fsd damaged. Etc.
Being prepared is way more important than range.
Course once your competent, then range does very much come into it.
As mentioned SCO plays a huge part as well.
I'd recommend a well built mandalay with good shields and plenty of facility on it.
Being alone out there can really, and I mean really, bite you in the proverbials.
Be prepared!
Comfort and facility.
Also are you out in the black alone with no carrier support. ?
Having a jumpaconda or a 97ly mandy is all well but lacks strength & facility. One minor bump and it could end in tears.
A sturdy 50+ly ship with all the bells & whistles in it plus a nice canopy will be far better.
For exobiology small is king. Landing on some of the mountainous regions can be a royal pain.
Must have is an srv.
An artemis suit G5 with extra battery, air, jump, and night vision.
All these things make life out there easier.
Being without a carrier means your banking all your data. So ultra care is needed.
Especially if it's your 1st trip out there. I guarantee you something will go wrong. Out of fuel, repairs essential, fsd damaged. Etc.
Being prepared is way more important than range.
Course once your competent, then range does very much come into it.
As mentioned SCO plays a huge part as well.
I'd recommend a well built mandalay with good shields and plenty of facility on it.
Being alone out there can really, and I mean really, bite you in the proverbials.
Be prepared!
For exploration its always been the Asp X, but recently got the Mandalay and i suspect it will become my go to for exploration.
However, exobiology is a different kettle of fish, and a small ship is ideal. The sidewinder is great if you have a fleet carrier to travel on. If not, then any small ship with a good jump range is fine.
However, exobiology is a different kettle of fish, and a small ship is ideal. The sidewinder is great if you have a fleet carrier to travel on. If not, then any small ship with a good jump range is fine.
ya it may take a day to find a parking space with an annie
The other super thing about the Viper IV is that its landing gear is so close packed that it can land in crevices and gaps between boulders that very few other ships can get into.
I've just been doing some exploration in my Mandy and its now my go to ship over my all my other explorer builds: Asp Exp / DBX / Clipper / Conda / Viper IV / Cobra IV. The only exception being that I still use the Viper IV for surface mining to land in annoying nooks and crannies on volcanic worlds. I've not compromised the build, I have shields and I still get ~74LY. Also, it's cool enough that I can start the next jump in a sequence as soon as my FSD cool down has completed. No danger of cooking. I even had some spare slots that I put cargo racks in and then never used.
I bought a ship kit for my DBX so been using that for a long time. I did use a Krait Mk II but the ship is too big for exobiology. My first explorer was a Python. I set out to Colonia just after it was founded. Was still living in that ship years later wandering in the black. Would deffo have needed a good clean after it landed back in the world.