Elite: Dangerous Quick and Dirty
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Updates
*1March- Added Background Info section, which includes Alliance info. Added new links to the Commodity Trading Section.
*11Feb- Added FAQ answer as to where to find the config file.
*2Feb- Introduced equipment and ship buying location information from threads found online. Ship buying locations in Ship Section. Equipment Info in the Where To Buy Ship Equipment section. Both of these sources are unverified. Combined Outfitting/Repair section with Sidewinder Upgraded Section.
*1Feb- Added Ship, Outfitting and Repair Sections, Sidewinder /Ship Upgrade Section, Buying/Managing Multiple Ship section, Death Penalty and Insurance Section.Tweaked Bounty Hunting section.
*21Jan2015- Guide Established.
Introduction- A work in progress. Adding info as I figure it out. This will be rough at times, but later massaged. I could quit the game any day!
If there are any glaring errors, typos, or suggestions, please give a shout.Elite: Dangerous- Is It For You?
ED is a new sandbox space simulator designed to compete with Eve Online, but it’s focus is smaller ships and included dogfighting. As I’ve never played Eve beyond a trial period, I can’t offer a comparison between the two games, other than this has dogfighting and Eve currently (Jan2015) does not. This ED Wiki Roles Link references 9 activities players can engage in.
I’ve tried both Missions and Trading Commodities and for a new player, they suck for profits, but worse than that, they are boring as hell. Missions hardly exist (found at the Stations Bulletin Board) are limited for what a new player can do, and pay a paltry amount. Commodity Trading for which there is no guide currently in game (Jan 2015), is a long, slow grind to profits. I’ll be adding info to the Commodity Trading section in the future.
My salvation for the time being is bounty hunting, where riches are to be had in short order, that is if you can fly decently. Besides that dog fighting is fun! See the Bounty Hunting Section and Combat sections!
Table of Contents
*Links
*Making Money
*Missions
*Commodity Trading
*Bounty Hunting
*Repair and Outfitting
*Death Penalty and Insurance
*Ship Info
*Sidewinder/Ship Upgrades
*Where To Buy Ship Equipment
*Buying/Managing Multiple Ships
*Combat
*How To Fight AI Targets
*FAQ
*Interface & Command List (Partial)
Links
*A Beginner’s Guide
*Discussion About Effective Dog Fighting Strategies- @ Reddit.com.
*ED Quick Start Guide
*Elite Trading Tool Site
*Pilot’s Guide
*Insurance Costs
*Elite Dangerous Insurance.
*Death Penalty Rules
*Bounty Hunting Location and Primer
*Extraction Sites
*Black Market
Making Money
Missions- Located on the Stations’s Bulletin Board. Take something, bring something, kill someone, do something illegal, and we may only pay you peanuts.
Actually it has been reported that once established in the game, a fortune can be made hauling rare items. However some intermediate, higher level missions can have large payoffs. But as a Newb, when you see a mission with a reward of $145000 credit, for perspective keep in mind that that amount can be earned by a novice in a Sidewinder while bounty hunting in about an hour if they are decent pilots.
This applies for commodities too- keep in mind that the hauling capacity of the starter ship, the Sidewinder is 4 tons (4 slots). Everything in this game seems to be sold by the ton.
For missions I have seen that if a required amount of something is say “4”, you can’t bring back 2 and hand those over and then get the other 2 to complete the mission. All 4 must be handed in at once. This bit me once when I did not have enough money to buy 4 of something, so I bought 2, sold them, then had enough money to buy 4 items. These I could turn in to complete the mission. Fortunately I had lots of time (6 hrs) to complete and did not nearly need close to that to make the LY jump 4 times (2 round trips).
Commodity Trading
*Elite Trading Tool Site
*Commodities Market
*ED Route Planner
*Trade Route Calculator
*CMDR.Club- ED Route planner
For ED Trading:
*Trade Helper@ Roguey.co.uk.
*Trade Helper Mk3@Roguey.co.uk.
*Third Party Tools @wiki.
*Figure Out Trading- There is no guidance in game. You just have to figure it out. Basically buy low and sell high. You’ll find different categories of stations, Extraction, High Tech, and Agriculture. Each type of station produces something that the other stations don’t have and want. Trade circuits can be set up so that the player makes a circle with each stop, selling something, and then buying something for the next station. Regarding prices another factor will be if the amount of something a station has, is a result of it being created at the station or has been imported from another station. The best trades for a new player are those with short travel distances, say making a circuit within one system. Hence and ideal trading system includes all types of stations. If your starter system is the LHS3447 System (New in game I was placed at Trevithick Dock) as I recall, that system includes 3 types of stations.
*Commodites First Step- First step is to get familiar with the Commodities your current station has. This is found in the Station Guide under “Commodities”. When you click on an item, this listing will tell you what kind of stations usually demands this item.
*Commodites Second Step- The Second step is to get familiar with your neighborhood, your current system and neighboring systems. Do this with the In-game Galaxy Map which also offers trade info. It will show which way trade for different commodities are flowing, but it will not show in -system trading, just what commodity is flowing from one system to another. With a System selected, pull up the System map to verify what kind of stations reside in the current system. Actually using the Galaxy Map, you can pull up any System and it’s System Map. You don’t need to be there to do this.
*Commodities Third Step- In combination with this info, your primary resource will be the Elite Trading Tool Site which tracks recent prices of commodities. Go to the “Lists” tab, type in your current system, select a commodity, select “I want to buy” or “I want to sell” and it will generate a list of places and their distances from you, that will buy or sell a commodity and it’s recent price. If the distance is LS (light seconds) away, then the location is in-system. If LY (light years) then it’s another system. Break out the Galaxy Map and figure out where it is.
Bounty Hunting
Bounty Hunting Links
*Bounty Hunting Location and Primer
*Bounty Hunter @Elite-Dangerous Wiki.
*Resource Extraction Sites
*How to Succeed at Bounty Hunting and Make Massive Cash
Novice Free Lance Bounty Hunting Guide
If I was going to give this game a grade for missions and trading for a new player, I'd give it an F. As I said paltry missions and mediocre payouts for commodity trading, at least in a Sidewinder that only hauls 4 tons(4 slots).
The answer is free lance Bounty Hunting. This is not the same as bounty hunting off the mission board. As a new player, in the last 2 sessions flying the default Sidewinder starter ship, the light bulb has illuminated, at least for early play, the huge payoffs are in free lance bounty hunting at Resource Extraction Sites. How huge? Last night 45 min reaped $135000 credits, a second trip to the extraction zone netted $95000, but I got killed and lost my vouchers. A third trip earned $105000. So right now I've got about $270k.
This is a complete turn around from when I was struggling with missions and trading which beside low profits is boring as hell. Also the advantage of BH is that you are not investing in goods which are lost when you are blowed up. However, be advised that bounties in the field can vary up or down as the game alters the playing field. As I said a beginner fighting in a Sidewinder can see bounties from $5-25K however, you can be faced with day(s) where the bounties come in at $2-4k. (posted Jan 2015)
In addition, as you progress in the game, with larger ships, it’s been reported that trading can produce larger larger payoffs in a shorter period of time, than free lance bounty hunting.
How Does Free Lance Bounty Hunting work?
Take your stock Sidewinder to a Resource Extraction Site (RES, see link). These sites are located in asteroid belts and ringed planets, in the rings where mining of asteroids is conducted. If you have practiced all of the combat tutorials and fly decently, it’s the easiest way to start out. One of the relatively close Systems to the starter zone (LHS 3447- at least that is where I started), is LTT 18486 which has 3 RESs near Boswell Platform a Federal Station. Look at the Galaxy Map (m) to find it, one jump about 7LY from LHS 3447.
If you prefer to explore, locate asteroid belts by opening the galaxy map, pick a system, select System View. If that system includes an asteroid belt like the starter system does, that could be a candidate for a RES. However if you pull up the navigation screen (default: Left Shift (hold)/A) and select the Navigation tab, the list will include all of the System nav points, which may or may not include RESs. Now here is the thing, a System can include RESs but they won’t show up in the Galaxy/System Maps. You may have to actually go to a System and check it out. And in the case of LTT 18486, even after you have been there, and know they are there, the RES’s only show up as navigation points in close vicinity to Boswell!
As an ideal situation, the RES is 10LS away or less from the nearest repair station from which you will operate out of, but when you first arrive in a System (at the sun via a hyperjump), they could be 100,000LS (light seconds) which you can travel too in under 10 min with Super Cruise. An important point, you have to get bounty vouchers back to the station, with your ship in one piece to get paid. If the ship is destroyed, your vouchers will be lost, hence a nearby station where bounties can be redeemed is important for quick turnarounds.
Before heading to a RES, it is an excellent idea to dock at the Station you’ll be operating out of, for two reasons, to restock consumables, gas up and to establish a close by restore point if your ship is destroyed while hunting. When you ship is destroyed, you will return to the last location you docked at. This could be very inconvenient if the last place you docked was a hperjump away.
Once at the Station, if you are still fumbling around trying to navigate the UI Panels, use (default: Left Shift (hold)/A) to select the Left UI Panel. Use Q/E to navigate the top level tabs. When Navigation is selected, hit D to shift to the Nav sub-column, then S/W to go up and down the list. Once you are on a RES, hit the Space Bar to select and open it. Choices will be Lock the Destination or Lock and Charge Super Cruise. Obviously if you are in the Station, charging the Super Cruise will not work, however you can lock the destination. To get out of that UI Panel, tap Left Shift again.
When ready to go, on the Station Menu, S/W to move up and down. If you are in the hanger, select “Return to Surface” or “Launch”. Note if you select “Launch”, you return to the pad and immediately launch. If using a joystick/throttle, make sure your throttle is in the neutral postion or your ship will immediately take off, where at some stations, if not ready for it, you could crash into part of the station!
Heading out to the extraction area it may appear that you are traveling to the boondocks with nothing around. However the game looks out for you and upon arrival, miners will spawn, and more importantly pirates, and hopefully Federal or System Authority ships will spawn. On your radar, traffic will build as the game generates activity based on your presence, at least that is my impression of what is happening. Fly towards activity. Select any ship you see, it will be scanned, and hopefully it will include a "wanted" designator. That is your payday. It will also include skill level from novice to master. I'll leave it up to you to decide how tough a target you want to tackle, however, keep track of the system authority guys. They will be out there attacking pirates. If you are in their vicinity there is a high likely hood they will jump in and help you. Or if you see them attacking a pirate, jump in and help them! That pirate most likely is going to be so busy, you will not be his primary focus.
Once you've designated the target (default T key), it will get yellow brackets, but when you shoot and hit it, those brackets turn red. After you have damaged it, when it explodes, a bounty message will appear on the top right of your screen. It could be as small as $2000c or the largest I've seen is $26k. The scan does not tell you how much the pirate is worth. If there is any equivalence to payoff, a Cobra will pay a higher bounty than a Sidewinder. You can see your accrued bounties by looking at the Left UI Panel, Transactions.
At the extraction point, pirates spawn fast enough that in my brief experience, you only fly around a couple of minutes before locating another wanted individual. Whatever your limit is (mine is $100k), it's time to head home and collect, unless you don't mind losing it. I had that much once, and out of no where a pirate appeared to engage and kill me in short order, but that has not been the norm. See How to Fight AI Targets in the Combat Section.
Be very careful and don't accidentally shoot an Authority ship! This is easier to happen when you have gimbaled guns or independent turrets. In such a case the authorities will no longer be your friend and will attempt to kill your ship, plus you'll have a bounty on you head. As soon as you get a bounty warning (on you), the far bottom right of your ship’s display will show a red “wanted” label. Immediately break off fighting and run for it! If lucky the Authority guys will be busy prosecuting the pirate they were fighting before they come after you. Without bothering to set a destination, put away your guns and engage Super Cruise to anywhere immediately! If you are operating in a planet’s rings, point yourself perpendicular to the asteroid ring and away from the planet to avoid “mass lock” warnings which prevent Super Cruise. After Super Cruise engages, thank your luck stars and head back to the station by plugging in it’s nav point. If they are chasing you in an asteroid belt, keep hitting “boost”, use the asteroids as cover and if you can gain some distance, engage super cruise.
Once docked, pay off you bounty at the station using the Station Services/Transactions menu or was it “Contacts”? I’ve seen no case with a bounty on my head, where a Station will shoots at me, while trying to dock.
Turning in Bounty Vouchers
After you have earned your personal limit of bounty vouchers, they must be turned in and your ship must not be destroyed prior to arriving at a station that can redeem them.
If you have collected Federal Bounties (in an area controlled by Federal forces), you may not be able to turn them in at an outpost or vice a versa. After docked, on the Station Page, select “Contacts” and scroll through the categories.
Navigation and Long Distance Travel
Planning a Route Using the Galaxy Map
*Pull Up the [/b]The Galaxy Map (M)[/b].
*Select Navigation Tab.
*Notice the name of your current location.
*Under Search, type in the name of the System you want to travel to and the arrow next to the box. If the Map recognizes it, it will zoom to the location.
*Click on the target system on the map to create an orange cone above it.
*Hold the cursor over the target system and a box appears with the distance although I’m not sure if this is the plotted distance or the straight line distance.
*Click on the center box labeled “Plot Course”. An amber line should appear between the target system and your current location.
Death Penalty and Insurance Management
*Insurance Costs, insurance is 5%, maximum loan available is $200k.
The best way to manage the ED Death Penalty is not to die! (nyuk, nyuk).
However, depending on your gaming background, you may regard the Death Penalty in ED as significant, maybe excessive. To coin it properly, the ship replacement penalty is steep, without proper fund management you could end up broke, and you might end up uninstalling the game, but until you do, you’ll always survive. The following description is using the assumption you will be using bounty hunting throughout the game as your primary source of income. Be advised that initially Free Lance Bounty Hunting is the fastest money maker, but later in the game, although you may find it brain numbing boredom, it has been reported that Commodity Trading can snare larger payoffs in a shorter period of time.
Although the starter ship (Sidewinder) is free to replace, the optional upgrades could be worth $400k. This means that replacement value would be $20k (5%) to restore your Sidewinder with upgrades. As of Jan 2015, my Sidewinder with upgrades costs $8000 to replace.
For the Cobra which sells for $375k and with equipment could top out at a million. That would be $50k to cover insurance.
To continue the example, the Asp sells for $6.7M. I’ve not looked into upgrade equipment for it, but let’s say it’s upgraded to $9M. That would be $450k for insurance. The Cadillac would be the Anaconda which is priced at $147M before upgrades! Rounded up to $150M, that would be $7.5M as in $7,500,000 for insurance. Honestly I wonder if I’d ever want to own an Anaconda...
Worse Case Scenario
Forget the Anaconda. Worst Case is you lose your Asp without adequate funds to replace it and either end up flying a Sidewinder or quit the game in disgust.
Managing Insurance and your bank account
For insurance management, let’s stick with my example of owning the Asp, Cobra and Sidewinder. To fly the Asp you really want to have $520k ($450k + $50K + $20K) in the bank. This represents the replacement cost for each ship. But you could get by with $500k if you don’t mind having to break out the Sidewinder for multiple losses. Keep reading.
Let’s say you have $500k and your Asp goes poof. $450k replaces the Asp, leaving $50k in the bank. Do you keep flying the Asp? Only if you like living dangerously. Insurance won’t cover it. So instead you break out the Cobra with the intent of building funds back up to $500k, but let’s imagine that the bad luck continues and the Cobra goes poof. Fortunately $50k covers the Cobra, but now your bank account is zero. What now? If you continue to fly the Cobra you are in a precarious situation, but not as precarious if you were still flying the Asp. With the second loss of the Cobra, you could up take out a loan ($50k, max limit $200k) to replace the ship and it’s upgrades, but now the bank owns you.
With zero in my account, I would not be flying the Cobra at all. Instead, I’d revel in the nostalgia of flying my upgraded Sidewinder until I had restored it’s $8k replacement value. In this way if a loan is to be taken, it will only be for $8K, not $50k. And I’d continue flying the Sidewinder until I had restored my account back to$58K, enough to replace both the Cobra and the Sidewinder. At this point it would be safe to break out the Cobra to restore $500K to my account. If you are decent at dogfighting, you can make this back, free lance bounty hunting in about 2-4 evenings of good hunting.
Ship Info
*Bark and Byte Elite Dangerous Ship Comparison
*Elite Dangerous Ships
*Elite Dangerous Wiki Ships
Where to buy ships
DISCLAMER: INFORMATION IS UNVERIFIED. If you discover this info is inaccurate, please advise me. - Huntn. Reproduced the info from the linked thread at Frontier Forums, but last significant update to that database was 2014. List is not all inclusive.
*Sidewinder (cargo capacity = 4; Insurance cost = 1.600,0Cr): Acihaut, Bolg, H Draconis, LHS 2884, LHS 3262, LHS 3447,Nang Ti-Khian, Orbis, Ovid, Rakapila, Tilian, Wyrd
*Eagle (cargo capacity = 4; Insurance cost = 2.240,0Cr): Acihaut, , Asellus Primus, Aulin , Eranin, LHS 2884, LHS3262, Nang Ti-Khian, Orbis, Ovid, Tilian
*Hauler (cargo capacity = 16; Insurance cost = 3.400,0Cr): Asellus Primus, , Aulin, Bolg, LHS3262, Nang Ti-Khian, Orbis, Ovid, Tilian, Wyrd
*Viper (cargo capacity = 8; Insurance cost = 6.146Cr): Acihaut, , Asellus Primus, Aulin, H Draconis, I Bootis , LHS3262, Nang Ti-Khian , Orbis, Ovid, Rakapila
*Cobra MK III (cargo capacity = 36; Insurance cost = 8.640,0): Aulin, , I Bootis , H Draconis, LHS 3447 , Rakapila
*Type 6 Transporter (cargo capacity = 100; Insurance cost = 12.000,0Cr): Aulin, , H Draconis, I Bootis, Rakapila, Tilian
*Lakon Type 9 Heavy (cargo capacity = 440; Insurance cost = 127.000Cr):
- Bolg, I Bootis
*Anaconda (cargo capacity = 228; Insurance cost = 348.472,0Cr): LHS 3262
Sidewinder/Ship Upgrades
Equipment Upgrade Links[-/b]
*edshipyard.com- Ship upgrade options.
*Upgrading Your Sidewinder- link)
*Beginner Upgrades to Sidewinder
*Best Cobra Loadout Thread @EDPVE.com. - Sept 2014.
Sidewinder Upgrades- Assuming that LHS 3447 is your starting system, both Worldlidge Terminal and Fairbairn Station have a good variety of upgrades. What should you consider upgrading? Note that the upgrades listed below apply to all ships, not just the Sidewinder. If you start in this area, visit the Outfitting departments and make notes of equipment prices. Unfortunately I have not listed pricing below (it’s too much work).
*Outfitting: Equipment Upgrades are found in the Outfitting section of the Starport Services Page. Not all stations contain the same outfitting equipment to improve your ship. Some stations don’t have outfitting at all. High tech Stations are a good place to locate more stuff for your ship.
*Buy Back Equipment/Loaned Equpment: Stations will buy ships back at 90% and equipment upgrades at 100% of it’s new value.
*Loaned Equipment: As a starter ship, all of it’s default equipment is listed as “loaned”. Once a loaned item has been upgraded (you bought it), you can’t restore the loaned equipment. However if you buy a 144,000 credit power plant and decide that is overkill, you can sell it to recoup your money in the process of purchasing a lesser power plant. Note: power plants don’t make your ship go faster, but as items are added, power requirements go up, where the power plant may have to be upgraded.
*Rearming: refers to ammo.
*Shipyards: Stations with shipyards sell ships, but not all stations sell all ships.
*Shield bank: Extra shields in emergencies.
*Interdictor: catch those really juicy bounties
*Kill Warrant Scanner: Helps identify felons from other places that appear in your vicinity.
*Flameshift Drive (FSD): Upgrades adds weight, usually tonnage, that may cause ship to exceed the ideal weight based on your Frameshift Drive rating. Excess weight reduces performance of your ship including jump range, but can be countered by upgrading the FSD or reducing weight onboard via upgrades. Many upgrades include increase power requirements. On the Outfitting Page of a Station, you can see the stats for your ship including power available versus used. This info will determine what upgrades are appropriate versus overkill. Visit EDShipyard.com to see possible loadouts for all ships. Unfortunately this site does not include location info.
*Bulkheads- Protect the ship when shields go down while being shot. Military Grade is the best all around protection (4 tons) although there are versions specifically designed for laser or projectile. This shortens jump distance. Can be countered by upgrading Frameshift Drive and possibly thrusters, but I’ve not verified the thrusters.
*Chaff- Utility mount. Counteract homing missles and confuses gimbaled weapons and turrets.
*Fuel Scoop- Scoop Fuel from a Sun and save money. Lower grade scoops are inexpensive 300 Cr and are fitted to an internal slot.
*Life Support- When your forward canopy blows out, the default O2 remaining is 5 min. This is enough to virtually go no where. Definitely not enough to traverse 9 light seconds back to a station. Upgrade to A1 offers 25 minutes of O2. (Purchase at Fairbairn Station, LHS 3447).
*Multi-Cannon- Fixed or gimbaled, tear up target when shields go down. I’m currently using a fixed model. Did not see gimbaled at Worldlidge. Requires ammo reload that is not excessively expensive. Holds 2100 rounds.
*Point Defense- Utility Mount. Automated gatling gun that shoots at inbound missiles.
*Burst Laser
*Pulse Laser- The fixed offered at Worldlidge have a higher rating, but with a gimbaled model you’ll be applying more DPS (damage per second because unlike fixed, your nose can be offset and you’ll still be shooting the target.
*Thrusters- Reportedly improve turning performance, maintain performance with weight increase.
*Power plants- To handle power requirement increases that come with upgrades. Look at the ship screen to see what your current and max power load is. Note any tonnage increase which appears as “1.3T”. (Purchase at Fairbairn Station, LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal only has the top model.)
*Power Distribution- Upgrades increase rate at which lasers and shields regenerate.
*Shield Generators- Improved Shield Generators are always good, but you won’t find upgrades for them at Worldlidge Terminal. There is a report that they can be found at the Jenner Hub in Zaragras System, 25 LY away.
*Torpedo
Where To Buy Ship Equipment
DISCLAMER: INFORMATION IS UNVERIFIED. If you discover this info is inaccurate, please advise me. - Huntn.
Reproduced the info from the linked thread at Frontier Forums, but last significant update to that database was Oct2014. List is not all inclusive, and I added info regarding where it can be found in the LHS 3447 System. Also pricing in some cases is not accurate for the Sidewinder. For example Military Grade Bulkheads for the Sidewinder is approx $73k Cr, but it’s listed as $2M below.
FIXED WEAPONS
Fixed Beam Laser-Class 2 - 11.100Cr, Acihaut, Aulin, Bolg, H Draconis, I Bootis, Nang Ta-khian, Rakapila.
*Class 4 - 44.400Cr, Bolg-, , I Bootis, LHS 417, Naraka, Rakapila, Surya, Wyrd
*Class 6 - 177.600Cr, , Asellus Primus, I Bootis, Magec, Nang Ta-khian, Tilian.
Fixed Burst Laser - Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station.
*Class 2 - 5.800Cr, , Asellus Primus, Aulin, Bolg, Eranin, H Draconis, I Bootis, LFT 880, LP 98-132, Morgor, Nang Ta-khian, Ross 1051, Tilian, Wyrd
*Class 6 - 92.800Cr, , Asellus Primus, Bolg, LFT 880, LHS 2884
Fixed Cannon
*Class 2 - 9.100Cr, , Asellus Primus, Acihaut, Aulin, BD+47 2112, Bolg, Chi Herculis, Dahan, H Draconis, I Bootis, Ithaca, LFT 880, LHS 2884, LHS 417, LP 98-132, Morgor, Nang Ta-khian, Naraka, Surya, Tilian, Wyrd.
*Class 4 - 30.000Cr, , Acihaut, Aulin, Bolg, H Draconis, I Bootis, Nang Ta-khian, Rakapila, Tilian, Wyrd.
*Class 6 - 218.400Cr, , Asellus Primus, I Bootis, LHS 2884, Surya.
Fixed Multi-Cannon- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station.
*Class 2 - 9.500Cr, , Acihaut, Asellus Primus, Bolg, H Draconis, Naraka, Rakapila, Tilian, Wyrd
*Class 4 - 38.000Cr, Aulin.
Fixed Plasma Acelerator
*Class 8 - 793.600Cr, Aulin
Fixed Pulse Laser- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station.
*Class 2 - 2.200Cr, , Asellus Primus, Bolg, Eranin, H Draconis, LFT 880, Morgor, Nang Ta-khian, Rakapila, Wyrd
*Class 4 - 17.600Cr, Aulin, Bolg, H Draconis, LFT 880, LHS 2884, Nang Ta-khian, Tilian
*Class 6 - 70.400Cr, Aulis, BD+47 2112, Bolg, Dahan, H Draconis, Nang Ta-khian
Fixed Rail Gun
*Class 2 - 11.600Cr, Acihaut, Asellus Primus, Aulin, Bolg, Dahan, H Draconis, I Bootis, LHS 2887, LHS 417, Nang Ta-khian, Tilian, Wyrd
*Class 4 - 46.400Cr, H Draconis
GIMBALLED WEAPONS[/U
Gimballed Beam Laser
*Class 1 - 16.650Cr, Asellus Primus, BD+47 2112, H Draconis, Nang Ta-khian, Naraka, LHS 417, Rakapila, Surya
*Class 3 - 66.600Cr, Acihaut, Asellus Primus, Magec, Ross 1051, Tilian
Gimballed Burst Laser
*Class 1 - 8.700Cr, Asellus Primus, Aulin, BD+47 2112, Bolg, H Draconis, I Bootis, Rakapila, Ross 1051, Tilian
Gimballed Multi-Cannon
*Class 1 -14.250Cr, Aulin, I Bootis
*Class 3 - 57.000Cr, Aulin, Asellus Primus, Nang Ta-khian
Gimballed Pulse Laser- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station.
*Class 1 - 6.600Cr, , Asellus Primus, Aulin, BD+47 2112, H Draconis, I Bootis, LFT 880, LHS 2884, LHS 417, Nang Ta-khian, Rakapila, Tilian, Wyrd
*Class 3 - 26.400Cr, Acihaut, Asellus Primus, Aulis, BD+47 2112, Dahan, H Draconis, I Bootis, LHS 2884, LHS 417, Rakapila, Ross 1051, Tilian
*Class 5 - 105.600Cr, Acihaut, Asellus Primus, I Bootis
TURRETS
Beam laser turret
*Class 1 - 20.000Cr, I Bootis, Nang Ta-khian
*Class 2 - 99.900Cr, I Bootis
*Class 4 - 399.600Cr, Acihaut, I Bootis
Burst laser turret
*Class 4 - 208.800Cr, I Bootis
Multi-Cannon turret
*Class 2 - 85.500Cr, Asellus Primus
Point Defence Turret- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station.
*Point Defence Turret - 8.546Cr, Asellus Primus, Aulin, I Bootis, LHS 2884, Nang Ta-khian
Pulse Laser Turret
*Class 1 - 10.000Cr, Asellus Primus, LHS 2887
*Class 4 - 158.400Cr, Asellus Primus, Nang Ta-khian, Rakapila, Tilian
MISSILES
Missile Rack- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station.
*Class 2 - 9.600Cr, Acihaut, Asellus Primus, Bolg, Chi Herculis, H Draconis, I Bootis, Nang Ta-khian, Rakapila, Tilian, Wyrd
*Class 4 - 38.400Cr, Acihaut, Aulin, Asellus Primus, H Draconis, I Bootis, Nang Ta-khian, Rakapila, Tilian
OTHER EQUIPMENT
Cargo Scanner - 13.410Cr, Asellus Primus, Aulin, I Bootis
Chaff Launcher- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station.
*8.500Cr, Asellus Primus, Aulin, BD+47 2112, Bolg, Dahan, Eranin, Ithaca, LFT 880, LHS 2884, LHS 2887, LHS 3447, -LP 98-132, Nang Ta-khian, Ross 1051, Surya
Docking Computer - 4.500Cr, Acihaut, Asellus Primus, Aulin, Aulis, H Draconis, Magec, Nang Ta-khian
Heat Sink Launcher - 3.500Cr, Acihaut, Aulin, BD+47 2112, Bolg, Chi Herculis, Dahan, H Draconis, I Bootis, Ithaca, LHS 417, Morgor, Nang Ta-khian, Naraka, Rakapila, Ross 1051, Surya, Tilian, Wyrd
Kill Warrant Scanner- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station, 18.040Cr, Acihaut, Nang Ta-khian, Rakapila
Lightweight Alloy- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station; Aulin, Bolg, I Bootis , Tilian, Wyrd
Military Grade Composite- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station for Sidewinder: $72.2k; Other ships: 2.067.895Cr, Aulin, Bolg, I Bootis, Tilian, Wyrd
Mirrored Surface Composite- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station, Sidewinder: 119kCr; other ships: 2.481.474Cr, Aulin, I Bootis
Reactive Surface Composite- Starter Locals: LHS 3447, Worldlidge Terminal, Fairbairn Station, Sidewinder: 126k Cr; Other ships: 2.481.474Cr, Aulin, I Bootis
Reinforced Alloy - 1.043.095Cr, Aulin, Bolg, I Bootis, Tilian, Wyrd
Visited Systems (by author of linked thread):, Asellus Primus, Acihaut, Aulin, Aulis, BD+47 2112, Bolg, Chi Herculis, CM Draco, Dahan, DP Draconis, Eranin, H Draconis, I Bootis, Ithaca, Keries, LFT 880, LHS 2819, LHS 2884, LHS 2887, LHS 417, LP 98-132, LP 271-25, Magec, Morgor, Nang Ta-khian, Naraka, Rakapila, Ross 1051, Styx, Surya, Tilian, Wyrd
Buying/Managing Multiple Ships
.New Section... I just bought a Cobra (Feb 2015). The option is to sell the Sidewinder or keep and store it.
As of Feb 2015, there is no space taxi or hauling service, which is supposed to arrive in a future game update. So when viewing the vast distances involved, this could be become a pain if you want to move 2 ships to a location far away. Some players have reported that they buy a [Hauler to drive back and retrieve the other ship. Of if there is one location they like for Bounty Hunting and a different location for Commodity Trading, they use the Hauler to drive back and forth, but it still requires a round trip.
When it comes time to buy a new ship, should you sell the Sidewinder or keep it? I’ll leave that up to you. In the case of the Sidewinder, you got it for free. If you sell it, you will recoup 100% of your upgrade investments in it. A reason you might want to keep it would be to retain it as a backup ship, you don’t want to have to spend the time refitting a new ship, because not all upgrades will be located at one station. I just purchased a Cobra and for now will keep the Sidewinder.
Combat
*Disclaimer: I’ve flown many combat flight sims, but I’m a novice at ED!
A different ball game than aircraft flying, although there are some similarities as far as maintaining positional advantage. Use of Flight Assist off can help turn quicker, and Thrusters using both Up and Down thrust, will assist in depending on the situation, helping to move the nose up to the target (up thrust) or trying to swing outside the target’s path (down thrust), Engine Boost for bursts of speed, and finally Power Distribution. Watch the Combat Video links below. Use the game’s Combat Tutorials to work on skills.
*Joystick or Mouse?
I’ve played many flight sims with a joystick. I tried mouse and keyboard, actually a Razer Nostromo game pad and mouse with ED, which is doable, but a joystick with a dedicated throttle (separate throttle) is superior to mouse/keyboard especially for roll input and throttle input while dogfighting.
*Mouse/Keyboard Setup- I’d recommend using A/D for roll, and W/S for Nose Up/Down or better yet, Thrust Up/Down, while using Mouse for Pitch and Yaw. Another option would be using a game controller like the Razer Nostromo which besides being a mini keyboard includes a 4 way switch which can be used to accell and decell while leaving room for 2 preset speeds. If not using a Nostromo, but have a gaming mouse, find some convenient buttons for acceleration/deceleration, plus preset speeds which may be the optimal way to control speed without a throttle. Just be advised that a dedicated throttle will run circles around button pushing for speed control.
*Managing Combat Parameters
There are several instrument and visual indicators that must be tracked. If you have a joystick/throttle this can all be programmed into the hardware. If using keyboard/mouse or gamepad, its harder to manage .
-Scanner Used to track a targets relative height above and below you. Used to reacquire the target when it flys behind you.
-Target Display Left of Scanner, shows the targets attitude in relationship to yours.
-Throttles Your speed. There is a blue strip on the left side of the throttle quadrant which displays when the trottles are set for best turning performance, while noting sometimes you need speed, not turning performance.
-Thrust Boost Used to give a temporary speed boost. Handy to close the distance if target has extended from an ideal range.
-Up and Down Thrust Up thrust an be used to increase the rate of turn, pulling the nose to the target, while inside of the target’s turning radius and in danger of overshooting, down thrust can be used to help push your aircraft’s flight path outward to match the targets flight path and prevent an overshoot.
-Target Triangles and Distance Display Looking out your window, the HUD (Heads Up Display) will show 3 triangles on the corner of the target making it easier to discern the targets attitude. A distance display indicates distance to the target. When on the tail of the target ideal distance appears to be 500-700 meters. Always monitor closure by means of the distance display. A target may try to force you to overshoot by going to idle.
-Routing Power Depending on the circumstance from a balanced state, ship’s power be be routed to favor a particular system: "SYS", "ENG" and "WEP". For example if shields are recharging and you are being shot, you could opt to route more power to “Sys”. Buttons can be assigned to each system and one to restore power to a balanced state.
-Flight Assist Off Can be used to increase maneuvering performance of your ship. See the Flight Assist Off Guide Video in the combat section.
*What is Flight Assist (FA)?
Flight Assist is an automated function that makes the space ship more stable. It is not like flying an airplane in an atmosphere with gravity. In space, there is no air which control surfaces use to maneuver and there is no friction. The ship is moved by thrusters that are pointed in all axis, Forward, Reverse, Left, Right, and Up, Down. To manually fly a ship, forward thrust would have to be applied and then to stop, reverse thrust would have to be applied and removed when the ship has stopped. The same for flight in any direction. FA handles the stopping part for you. Some players swear that mastering Flight Assist Off flying is superior. I imagine it might be for fighting other players, but for A.I. opponents, using “Thrust Up” and “Thrust Down” in combination with brief periods of turning Flight Assist off to increase pitch/turn rates has proven to been adequate. See the Flight Assist Off Guide Video in the Combat Video Section.
*How do I read the Scanner/Radar, especially during combat?
The scanner is a depiction of other objects/ships around you. The scanner is a circle depicted on a horizontal plane. Other ships look like triangles and depending on their distance above or below you show a tail extending from them. That tail extends down to the horizontal plane. If the triangle points up, it’s above you. If the triangle points down, it’s below you. Where the tail hits the horizontal plane indicates if it is in front, behind, or beside you.
*How do I reacquire a target after it flies behind me?
Basically, using the scanner, turn towards the target until the tail centers up on the scanner display, level your wings, while pulling up (your current orientation of what up is
) towards the target. The tail will will shorten and if it works out well, the target will slide into view from the top of your forward view screen. In addition there is a projection of the target to the left of the scanner which shows its attitude in relationship to your own. This offers valuable info. If you are looking at the rear of the target, that means you are in an adventitious position.How To Fight AI Targets
This is hard to describe in such a way for a novice, anyone who has not flown a flight sim to absorb. Successful dog fighting consists of maintaining positional advantage on the target while bringing targets to bear. Anyone who has flown a combat flight sim has an advantage, although this is in space, the same principles tend to apply. However instead of gravity and air based flight controls, all changes in direction in space combat are based on thrusters pushing the ship in different directions. Energy management is not as big an issue as with traditional flight sims. And then there is also Flight Assist off (See the Flight Assist section above), but I have not tried to master FA yet, although I do use it briefly when maneuvering.
*Read the Scanner-. See the Scanner description above.
*Bounty Hunting- If you intend to bounty hunt, see the Bounting Hunting section above.
*Fly Fast- As a rule fly into an area in the blue range of the throttle up to maximum throttle, for a Sidewinder about 200 meters/sec (491 mph). Of note, boost temporarily propels the Sidewinder to 320 m/s (714 mph), but in the vastness of space these speeds don’t seem like much.
*Locate Traffic- Use the Scanner to locate traffic, turn towards the traffic until it is aligned on the nose. Maneuver to the traffic’s plane by pulling up or push down to make the tail grow smaller. Once the tail disappears you will be on the same plane as the traffic. Remember this is space, there is no up or down other than in relationship to yourself.
*Visually Acquire Targets- Look outside to visually acquire targets. When in range they will have diamond shape designators around them.
*Designate Target- Press the T button (default) to designate the target and scan it. An yellow targeting bracket (three triangles, 2 hollow, 1 solid) will appear around the target. The solid triangle indicates the nose of the target and helps you determine what position the target is in from a distance.
*Evaluate the Target- On the left side of your screen will be info about the target, ship type, skill level (harmless, novice, adept, skilled, expert, master- things like that) and most importantly designator of “clean”, “wanted”, or “unknown”.
*Bad Guy Priorities- As a rule if you are in an extraction (mining) zone, you are not first priority on the pirate’s list. Most likely he/she/it is stalking miners. Usually you have an opportunity to maneuver towards an advantageous position without them turning on you. Disclaimer: this is what I have experienced in the early stages of the game. (Jan 2015)
*Ideal Range- As a goal, you want to maintain a position in the range of 400-900 meters behind the target.
*Close and Fire- Upon hitting the target, the targeting bracket will turn red designating it as hostile. It is going to start maneuvering.
*Roll and Pull- It’s always easier and better to roll and pull up, not use yaw for turning. So when “turning” is referenced, in reality it is pulling back on the stick. Yaw is very effective for fine tuning pipper (targeting designator) position , when behind the target peppering it fire.
*Negative Gs?- Although you may observe targets applying what appears to be huge amount of negative Gs, (pushing the nose forward), IMO this is not what you want to do. If the target is in front of you and seems to make a negative G maneuver, roll 180° and pull.
*Target Flies Below the Nose While Turning- When you lose sight of the target because he flies below you, revert to the Scanner, roll to place the target’s tail on your nose and pull back to the target. Unlike an Earth bound flight sim, there is no worry about bleeding energy and slowing, but don’t go crazy with full stick deflection.
*Ideal Turning Speed is located on the blue zone displayed to the left of the throttle. When you start maneuvering, if the throttle is pegged (ideally not), pull the throttle back into the blue range. You’ll immediately notice an increase in the rate of turn (Nose positional change) in regards to the target.
In addition it seems like use of “Up Thrust” will increase your turn rate and even clicking off Flight Assist will also help.
*Flight Assist Note- If you are not used to it, FA can make you become unstable and out of control. I suggest setting it up in “control settings” so that it must be held to stay engaged, and then practice using it in the combat tutorials. While maneuvering, pulling to the target, try both “Up Thrust” and brief periods of “FA off” and see what you think.
*Always keep an eye on Range- 400 to 900 meters is ideal.
*Overshooting- Be aware that if you are angularly displaced from the target and continue to lead it, while closing to less than 400 meters, you might be in danger of overshooting, which is usually not a good thing. The way to correct this is to reduce thrust to stop closing or to let the nose fall behind slightly behind the target, which will serve to allow your flight path to widen and align you with the target’s turning path, achieving a position more directly behind the target.
*Target (you are fighting) Boosts Engine- If you hear the target’s engine rev up, most likely they have boosted. If you don’t respond with your own boost, they will extend away from you. This may give them time to reverse and come back shooting at you for a head on pass. The other circumstance for using Boost is when you want to close to start a fight or range is increasing during the fith. My best judgement so far is that 1500 meters or greater is an appropriate distance to use boost. Boost makes it harder to turn so, practice with it in the combat tutorials.
Guns/Lasers Overheat?- Maintain positional advantage while verbally urging your ship to “COME ON”!
Power Distribution Upgrades will speed up recharging.*Scissors- Targets can perform rapid course reversals, called scissors. My experience is that it’s not that hard to keep up with them. The danger is overshooting. Better to have less power than too much, reverse with them, possibly momentarily going to idle, while keeping an eye on range. Unfortunatley when they are out of sight, you lose your range cues.
Conclusion- The target goes KA-BOOM. Visually indicators before hand is when the target loses maneuvering effectiveness and sparks start shooting out of it.
Disengagement Techniques- Info to be added. So far my disengagement technique has resulted in my death, waiting to long with too much damage. When I try to but out using Super Cruise, my ship just sighs at me.
Combat Videos
FAQ
*My request for docking was denied, why? Be sure you are at 7.5km or closer or it will be denied. The other condition can be that if playing in “open”, all the pads are full or permission has been granted to all the pads. This can happen more often at smaller outpost stations. Unfortunately, ED does not give an explanation for when permission is denied.
*My View Screen is blasted out. 5 minutes of O2 is not enough to get anywhere. What is the solution? Upgrade your Life Support System to achieve up to 20 min of emergency oxygen.
*Resale Value- How much is my stuff worth?- In ED you can sell equipment including ships and get full 100% value back on them. Quite a deal!
*Can You Handle the Death Penalty?- See the Death Penalty Section.
*Solo or Open Play?- Getting established, getting used to how becoming a functional participant of ED, it is recommended the game be played in solo or private party. In those modes you’ll either be by yourself or the only real people you’ll see are your friends. This avoids being griefed by some *******. Eventually you might want to make the change to Open Play.
*Coop?- As of Jan 2015, not too much. You can join with your friends in essence a private server or you can play solo. There is currently no way to party up and it is consequently hard to keep track of each other. If you try to Bounty Hunt together, first you have to find each other, then keep track of each other. Rumor has it that coop features are scheduled to be updated in the near future.
*Where is the Elite Dangerous Config file located if I want to back it up?-
Note, the Config file keep track of how you have customized your control. Look to:
C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous\Options\.
Specifically, the keybindings are in C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous\Options\Bindings\Custom.binds.
Background Info
Factions
-Factions.
-Federation.
Authoritarian- The Federation is highly dependent on technology and is home to many huge and wealthy corporations. In the period of rebuilding after the end of World War 3 on Earth (circa 2044-2055AD) it was the corporations who became powerful and dominant. In modern times it is the corporations who are the life-blood and backbone of the Federation. It is rumoured that these corporations have such influence and power that they can even direct the Federal government. Perhaps even to the point deciding who to elect as President!
Corruption and bribery are rife in the Federation and law enforcement has been known to turn a blind eye if the price is right.
-Empire.
Totalitarian- The Empire is less technologically dependent than the Federation, choosing to keep and employ slaves for the work which machines would usually perform in other parts of the universe. The Empire is also a proponent of human cloning, a topic which the other factions find abhorrent and have officially banned within their own jurisdictions.
Law is seen and enforced by Senators who themselves are above the law. They can order executions, and can even kill people themselves, though sometimes (rarely) they may be held to account for their actions by the Emperor. In the Empire very little is illegal, but many things are frowned upon, like excessive use of narcotics.
-Alliance.
Militaristic, Democracy?- The Alliance was formed circa 3230 AD in Alioth, and portrays itself as a beacon of human rights and democracy in an increasingly autocratic universe.
The Alliance was formed from a number of independent systems with the goal of gaining strength in numbers and defending, where necessary, against the other major powers.
Militarily, the cooperation is successful. Each member system contributes a portion of its navy to the Alliance Defense Force. The Council of Admirals is unified and has powers to act swiftly without government approval. Vessels of the Alliance generally bear the decals of their own navy, but display an additional Alliance Defense Force decal while operating with the unified naval force.
*Alliance Rank- Gained by taking missions from associated factions, grants special privileges such as special missions, access to systems and ships. Such missions may have name such as “naval progression” or “naval progression” assigned to them.
Interface & Command List (partial)
*ED Commands Google Doc.
Default partial list, can be programmed to any joystick key.
Engines
J- Super Cruise
Misc
End- Jettison Cargo
L- Landing Gear
Tab- Engine Boost
U- Extend Hard Points
V- Deploy Heat Sink
Y- Cycle Sub System
Navigation
Page Up- Inc Sensor Range
Page Down- Dec Sensor Range
Targeting
T- Target
G- Next Ship
H- Highest Threat
Weapons
C- Chaff (CT F)
LMB- Primary Fire
RMB- Secondary Fire
N- Next Fire Group
Station Pages- When docked at a Station.
*Explore these panels to see what’s on them! What is confusing is that some pages like the Station Starter Page Options (Starpoint Services, Return to Surface, Launch) are navigated by using W/S to move up and down and “Space” to select, but once a page is opened, a cursor appears and items can be selected with your mouse. Those pages have an “exit” button on them.
*Starpoint Services-Left Side of Page
-Munitions
-Repairs
-Bulletin Board (missions)
-Contacts- Pilot Federation Pay Bounties levied against you, Local Security Office- Pay Fines levied against you, Redeem Bounties you have collected for killing wanted felons.
Commodities
Universal Cartographics
*Starpoint Services-Middle of Page
-Ship Analysis- Ship Type, Hull Condtion, Fuel Tank Level, Reservoir Level.
-Refuel Option
-Repair Option- To insure Ship Integrity is repaired, you must select Repair on the left side of the Starpoint Services Page. On the right side of the page a detailed list of items that need repair. At the top will be options to Repair All, and although it does not say Repair, Ship Integrity is listed. If the ship has sustained damage, clicking on Ship Integrity will repair the ship’s integrity like a cracked forward screen. Oddly enough, when items are completely repaired they appear in the color red as in, there is no more that can be done. Some stations do not have facilities to repair your ship. If they can’t, the Repair Option on the left side of the Starpoint Services page will not be available.
-Reload Option
*Starpoint Services-Right of Page- News.
UI Panels- are located on your ship and are accessed by Holding Left Shift while pressing A, S, W or D. Colums are selected left or right by using Q/E. Once on a page, use W/S to navigate up and down. Use Space to make a selection.
To deselect a UI Page, tap Left Shift a second time to return to a normal frontal view. These pages will be selected in flight.
LShift- Focus (Hold)- Use this while pressing W,A, or D to move the view to different panels. However once in panel, A/D/W/S are used by themselves to navigate within the panel.
W- Panel Up
A- Left Panel- Navigation, Transactions, Communications (with Stations, like docking permission), Galaxy and System Maps. However “M” pulls up the Galaxy Map.
D- Right Panel- Status, Modules, Fire Groups, Cargo, Functions.
E- Next Column
Q- Previous Column
Space- Select
THE END FOR NOW
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