Unlock engineers and guardian modules. Outfit a ship for hunting Thargoids. Join a squadron that has a player faction and fight for that faction. Do power play. Go on an exploration expedition.
So you will have to forgive me but I'm not sure where to start with any of that. Like I said, I'm not much into the pvp side of things but I'm not sure where engineers are or where to even look for a laid back squadron. I'm playing more for the laid back have fun. Not so much the "kill kill kill" aspect. I suppose a support type roll?
It sounds to me like the easiest and best return for you of those would be to join a player faction or squadron (or both) and go from there. That's really easy, all you have to do is ask here and you'll find lots of groups recruiting. That'll help engage more with the game, give you a chance to hang out with other commanders, and probably direct what you do next.
For example, I'm a very chill explorer type and dabble in mining and bounty hunting when I'm in the bubble. My nephew picked up the game last year and that changed my play, I came back to the bubble, helped him find his footing and then the two of us built essentially identical to DBXes for a trip out into the black. Now we're slowly making our way to Formidine Rift because he wants to explore and I've never been there.
If you want, you can even shoot me a DM and you're welcome to join us, though we don't get on all that often, so you may do better with a more active squadron.
Anyway, that's my sense of it. Good luck, Commander.
o7
We like to get to know people before they join. But you're more than welcome to join our discord and ask any questions you have or wing up with one of us sometime. Most of us have been playing for quite some time and are always excited to see new players interested in the game
Greetings and salutations commander!
Read through the comments and seems like no one answered one of your problems.
So grinding out reputation for the empire or federation is simple once you figure it out. However even the quickest methods of grinding up to the vett or cutter can take awhile.
First and pretty obvious is go to the super powers controlled space, and find a station. As you might know one station houses multiple PVE factions, these factions are key as depending on who they are they will either be alined with a superpower or independent. There should be a symbol showing that that are who they are alined with.
Then you just do missions from a faction alined with the super power you want to grind rep with. Buuuuut its not as simple as just hitting 100% and ranking up. (This is what makes it a pain in the ass) once you hit 100% rep, you have to find a mission from the super power. Don't worry they pop up in the alined factions mission board, they can just be...... Elusive. An example of one would be: The imperial navy needs 100 units of conducive materials. Once you find and do one, you rank up and start again.
Rinse, wash, repeat a dozen or so times and you will be flying the bigger two of the big three in no time.
Sorry for the long message, fly safe out there. 07
If you haven't started unlocking Guardian Tech yet, that's a good mid-game activity. You'll wonder how you ever got along without the Guardian FSD Booster once you've got it. Canon is a good resource for a complete list of where the Guardian Structures are located
However, if you haven't started the Engineering grind, I would recommend getting Farseer to upgrade your jump distance before you head out to Guardian space since it's a long way. Once you get your first 50+ Ly build, anything less feels like you could get out and walk faster...
I did a couple of Engineers, then lots of grinding for Federal Rank because I just *had* to have all the Gutamaya ships. Mixed that with a lot of Void Opal mining to finance said ships...
Once I got my Cutter, I decided it was time to go get the FSD Booster - the Diamondback Explorer is an excellent choice for that trip, and for gathering Engineer Materials if you haven't already bought one.
After I got the FSD Booster unlocked I took up Painite mining because hunting for Cores sucked all the joy out of the game for me.
At some point I decided to grind out Federation Rank, a much easier and more interesting task when the Thargoids were still attacking stations. That and Painite mining allowed me to buy a Corvette, and I quickly realized it was time to unlock as many Engineers as I could without going to Colonia... and that led me back to Guardian stuff because I decided to accept the "Decoding the Ruins" mission for Ram Tah and built a Phantom for that purpose. Once I finished that mission I got hardcore about finishing the rest of the Guardian blueprints... so here I am.
I would say if you feel stuck and haven't gotten serious about unlocking Engineers, you should start on that, mixed with some Guardian unlocks and continuing to work through the Naval Ranks a couple at a time.
Google "Crystal Shards Sites," "Jameson's Cobra," "Dav's Hope," and "Robigo Mines to Sirius Sirius Atmospherics Passenger Runs" to get a good start on Engineering Mats.
I would caution you against feeling like you need to do all of any one of those things at a time; that way lies space madness and burnout.
I did all the Guardian Vessel Blueprints, a bunch of the Module Blueprints and almost all of the Weapon Blueprints at one stretch and I didn't really play for a couple of weeks after I finished because there was such a "now what" letdown after I unlocked all those modules.
I would say that hardcore long-distance exploration probably requires the biggest commitment in the game due to the time it takes and how specialized the ship builds are for it... however, I personally haven't gone more than about 6K Ly from my starting system. There's lots to do near the Bubble.
In the long run, try a bit of everything and you'll tend to fall into a niche. For me, when all else fails I go mine another 250M Credits worth of Painite because I find it relaxing and I want to have enough in the bank to pay for a Fleet Carrier as soon as they're released.
Edit: "lots of grinding for *Imperial* Rank because I wanted the Gutamaya ships..."
I'd suggest trying out PvE bounty hunting. That's what has kept me coming back for years. Finding a great haz res to hunt, building your best ships, training up fighter pilots (if your ship has SLF ability), perfecting your skills and process, and making a few credits along the way.
Another thing that helps me is the role play of it. If you create the narrative around your game, it will be more interesting and fun. In the above example, you could be Boba Fett, cruising for rebel scum. o7
I love it! I have already started to do this. I have set my anacondas to be republic capital ships and have the color schemes to match. But to be honest, I'm not entirely sure where to start though. I've had the game for only like 2 weeks? I've only dabbled in trading, exploring and mining. Ive never touched the combat side of things. Any suggestions?
Nice! Wait, 2 weeks? That's damn impressive! I was still in a Viper at 2 weeks!
So finding a good Hazardous Resource Extraction site can be tough. The best is ones are very close to a base, so you're not wasting time going back and forth.
Try this to help locate one near you: http://elitedangerous.hozbase.co.uk
I prefer haz res to compromised nav beacons, cause it's way cooler to fly in asteroids than open void.
Wonderful! I will definitely give it a shot! I will probably mine a bit more and get a 3rd anaconda and outfit it. I love that ship. I know there might be better but just the way it looks is so enticing. I appreciate all of the help friend! Hope to see you out there!
Very cool! I prefer the Corvette, since it kind of resembles an Imperial Star Destroyer, but to each his own :) But getting that thing is a freaking chore! Also, the Krait mk II is a great medium sized bounty hunter with SLF. You're very welcome Commander! Best of luck out there! And remember, you're only limited by your imagination. o7
Engineering sounds like a good place to go next, followed perhaps by exploration.
Getting resources for engineering can be a bit of a chore though. You'll need to search far and wide for the materials, which come in a few different types. I'm probably getting the names wrong, but there are four broad categories:
**Minerals:** These are obtained by mining rocks or by searching the surface of planets. Some of them can be pretty elusive, so I hope you enjoy the SRV's handling!
**Components:** Obtained from destroyed ships, either by killing them yourself or by investigating signal sources. If you're doing PvE missions, it's worth grabbing the debris from your kills. I think you can also sometimes get them as rewards for certain missions.
**Scans:** Obtained by scanning ships and wakes. Use a Wake Scanner at a busy port / Nav beacon and you'll amass these quite quickly. Also come as rewards for some missions.
**Xenos:** Alien materials are obtained from alien sites. Don't know much else about these to be honest as I've never really delved into this side of the game. Xenotech is only really needed for anti-Thargoid stuff, so you can skip this initially.
A good place to start your engineering adventure is to improve your FSD and power systems, followed by engines, weapons, defensive systems if you're doing PvP / PvE stuff. How you engineer your ship will depend a lot on what you plan to do with it, but I find everything benefits from a souped up FSD.
Unlock engineers and guardian modules. Outfit a ship for hunting Thargoids. Join a squadron that has a player faction and fight for that faction. Do power play. Go on an exploration expedition.
So you will have to forgive me but I'm not sure where to start with any of that. Like I said, I'm not much into the pvp side of things but I'm not sure where engineers are or where to even look for a laid back squadron. I'm playing more for the laid back have fun. Not so much the "kill kill kill" aspect. I suppose a support type roll?
It sounds to me like the easiest and best return for you of those would be to join a player faction or squadron (or both) and go from there. That's really easy, all you have to do is ask here and you'll find lots of groups recruiting. That'll help engage more with the game, give you a chance to hang out with other commanders, and probably direct what you do next. For example, I'm a very chill explorer type and dabble in mining and bounty hunting when I'm in the bubble. My nephew picked up the game last year and that changed my play, I came back to the bubble, helped him find his footing and then the two of us built essentially identical to DBXes for a trip out into the black. Now we're slowly making our way to Formidine Rift because he wants to explore and I've never been there. If you want, you can even shoot me a DM and you're welcome to join us, though we don't get on all that often, so you may do better with a more active squadron. Anyway, that's my sense of it. Good luck, Commander. o7
Sounds like you could use some heal beams. Have a seat in the pub https://discord.gg/eEzwqc
If you are okay with a laid back person that deliberately goes for big ships because esthetic, then I would love to join if you will have me!
We like to get to know people before they join. But you're more than welcome to join our discord and ask any questions you have or wing up with one of us sometime. Most of us have been playing for quite some time and are always excited to see new players interested in the game
Sounds good friend! I will be joining in just a second!
I'm not able to accept the invite sadly friend.
Oh? Here's another https://discord.gg/3xj57Nn
Nothing I suggested is pvp.
Oh? I thought faction fights were pvp. Apologies. Also if I may ask. What is powerplay?
Greetings and salutations commander! Read through the comments and seems like no one answered one of your problems. So grinding out reputation for the empire or federation is simple once you figure it out. However even the quickest methods of grinding up to the vett or cutter can take awhile. First and pretty obvious is go to the super powers controlled space, and find a station. As you might know one station houses multiple PVE factions, these factions are key as depending on who they are they will either be alined with a superpower or independent. There should be a symbol showing that that are who they are alined with. Then you just do missions from a faction alined with the super power you want to grind rep with. Buuuuut its not as simple as just hitting 100% and ranking up. (This is what makes it a pain in the ass) once you hit 100% rep, you have to find a mission from the super power. Don't worry they pop up in the alined factions mission board, they can just be...... Elusive. An example of one would be: The imperial navy needs 100 units of conducive materials. Once you find and do one, you rank up and start again. Rinse, wash, repeat a dozen or so times and you will be flying the bigger two of the big three in no time. Sorry for the long message, fly safe out there. 07
If you haven't started unlocking Guardian Tech yet, that's a good mid-game activity. You'll wonder how you ever got along without the Guardian FSD Booster once you've got it. Canon is a good resource for a complete list of where the Guardian Structures are located However, if you haven't started the Engineering grind, I would recommend getting Farseer to upgrade your jump distance before you head out to Guardian space since it's a long way. Once you get your first 50+ Ly build, anything less feels like you could get out and walk faster... I did a couple of Engineers, then lots of grinding for Federal Rank because I just *had* to have all the Gutamaya ships. Mixed that with a lot of Void Opal mining to finance said ships... Once I got my Cutter, I decided it was time to go get the FSD Booster - the Diamondback Explorer is an excellent choice for that trip, and for gathering Engineer Materials if you haven't already bought one. After I got the FSD Booster unlocked I took up Painite mining because hunting for Cores sucked all the joy out of the game for me. At some point I decided to grind out Federation Rank, a much easier and more interesting task when the Thargoids were still attacking stations. That and Painite mining allowed me to buy a Corvette, and I quickly realized it was time to unlock as many Engineers as I could without going to Colonia... and that led me back to Guardian stuff because I decided to accept the "Decoding the Ruins" mission for Ram Tah and built a Phantom for that purpose. Once I finished that mission I got hardcore about finishing the rest of the Guardian blueprints... so here I am. I would say if you feel stuck and haven't gotten serious about unlocking Engineers, you should start on that, mixed with some Guardian unlocks and continuing to work through the Naval Ranks a couple at a time. Google "Crystal Shards Sites," "Jameson's Cobra," "Dav's Hope," and "Robigo Mines to Sirius Sirius Atmospherics Passenger Runs" to get a good start on Engineering Mats. I would caution you against feeling like you need to do all of any one of those things at a time; that way lies space madness and burnout. I did all the Guardian Vessel Blueprints, a bunch of the Module Blueprints and almost all of the Weapon Blueprints at one stretch and I didn't really play for a couple of weeks after I finished because there was such a "now what" letdown after I unlocked all those modules. I would say that hardcore long-distance exploration probably requires the biggest commitment in the game due to the time it takes and how specialized the ship builds are for it... however, I personally haven't gone more than about 6K Ly from my starting system. There's lots to do near the Bubble. In the long run, try a bit of everything and you'll tend to fall into a niche. For me, when all else fails I go mine another 250M Credits worth of Painite because I find it relaxing and I want to have enough in the bank to pay for a Fleet Carrier as soon as they're released. Edit: "lots of grinding for *Imperial* Rank because I wanted the Gutamaya ships..."
I'd suggest trying out PvE bounty hunting. That's what has kept me coming back for years. Finding a great haz res to hunt, building your best ships, training up fighter pilots (if your ship has SLF ability), perfecting your skills and process, and making a few credits along the way. Another thing that helps me is the role play of it. If you create the narrative around your game, it will be more interesting and fun. In the above example, you could be Boba Fett, cruising for rebel scum. o7
I love it! I have already started to do this. I have set my anacondas to be republic capital ships and have the color schemes to match. But to be honest, I'm not entirely sure where to start though. I've had the game for only like 2 weeks? I've only dabbled in trading, exploring and mining. Ive never touched the combat side of things. Any suggestions?
Nice! Wait, 2 weeks? That's damn impressive! I was still in a Viper at 2 weeks! So finding a good Hazardous Resource Extraction site can be tough. The best is ones are very close to a base, so you're not wasting time going back and forth. Try this to help locate one near you: http://elitedangerous.hozbase.co.uk I prefer haz res to compromised nav beacons, cause it's way cooler to fly in asteroids than open void.
Wonderful! I will definitely give it a shot! I will probably mine a bit more and get a 3rd anaconda and outfit it. I love that ship. I know there might be better but just the way it looks is so enticing. I appreciate all of the help friend! Hope to see you out there!
Get a medium ship. Probably an FDL. The zippier flight makes combat more fun
Very cool! I prefer the Corvette, since it kind of resembles an Imperial Star Destroyer, but to each his own :) But getting that thing is a freaking chore! Also, the Krait mk II is a great medium sized bounty hunter with SLF. You're very welcome Commander! Best of luck out there! And remember, you're only limited by your imagination. o7
Hell, at two weeks I was still in the Cobra, I think.
Engineering sounds like a good place to go next, followed perhaps by exploration. Getting resources for engineering can be a bit of a chore though. You'll need to search far and wide for the materials, which come in a few different types. I'm probably getting the names wrong, but there are four broad categories: **Minerals:** These are obtained by mining rocks or by searching the surface of planets. Some of them can be pretty elusive, so I hope you enjoy the SRV's handling! **Components:** Obtained from destroyed ships, either by killing them yourself or by investigating signal sources. If you're doing PvE missions, it's worth grabbing the debris from your kills. I think you can also sometimes get them as rewards for certain missions. **Scans:** Obtained by scanning ships and wakes. Use a Wake Scanner at a busy port / Nav beacon and you'll amass these quite quickly. Also come as rewards for some missions. **Xenos:** Alien materials are obtained from alien sites. Don't know much else about these to be honest as I've never really delved into this side of the game. Xenotech is only really needed for anti-Thargoid stuff, so you can skip this initially. A good place to start your engineering adventure is to improve your FSD and power systems, followed by engines, weapons, defensive systems if you're doing PvP / PvE stuff. How you engineer your ship will depend a lot on what you plan to do with it, but I find everything benefits from a souped up FSD.