Useful information and Reference
11 Apr 2021TSurfer451
New CMDR Resources - Getting Started, Learning to explore & Making CreditsI learned a lot of this from my squadron, The New Pilots Initiative. They are a great bunch of folks who are welcoming and helpful.
Before I jump right into the reference information, a brand new CMDR asked me for tips on Reddit. I was feeling particularly philosophical, so I wrote this:
Don't allow the grind to interfere with having fun.
Save up 3x to 4x the purchase cost of a ship so you can properly outfit it.
Never fly without a rebuy. A rebuy is enough money to pay the 5% deductible of your ship insurance required to get your ship back if it is destroyed.
Remember that PvP combat is way more challenging than PvE combat. But PvE combat is still fun.
Use reference information like I collect in my logbook to help you out but resist allowing it to lead you down the Grind Path.
Never forget to ask for help.
The Fuel Rats are compassionate, helpful and real.
Watch the ship reviews by The Pilot (a retired YouTuber). They are excellent...and beautiful to behold.
White Dwarf stars are the flashy, psychopathic siblings of Neutron stars.
Elite Dangerous Official Manual - direct link to PDF
An in-depth beginner's guide to Elite: Dangerous - Very thorough guide in Wordpress plus downloadable PDF; last revised on 2021-01-01 (last checked on 2021-05-17)
New Commander's Pack - IMGUR
New CMDR Videos by CMDR Exigeous
Related web site by the same commander - https://www.edtutorials.com/
Mining Notice
As of 2020-12-19, the value of Painite has dropped significantly and Platinum appears to be the preferable laser mining mineral due to more consistent pricing and higher mining yields.
General Progression Plan
Credit goes to Commie_Vladimir
Getting Started - Reddit post
Includes introductory exploration and laser mining
PLEASE NOTE - The Asp Explorer build mentioned in the Progression Plan above is missing a refinery. I suggest you swap out the 3E Cargo Rack with a 3A or 3C Refinery based on your budget.
While doing this, you'll make credits, learn how to fly your ship better, learn how to explore, learn how to mine and probably figure out what you want to do next.
From Adder to Pytbon via Trade - Reddit post
Good explanation of ship progression
Reddit post
Choosing The Best Home Station to Store Your Ships and Modules in Elite Dangerous (Tutorial) - video by CMDR Exigeous
Combat - PvE
This is a tool that you can use to find ideal systems for stacking pirate massacre missions.
https://edtools.cc/pve - Reddit post explaining how to use it
Reddit post explaining how Wing Missions work.
Elite Dangerous PvE Combat Wiki - very good site
How to build a Combat PvE ship - Google Doc
Engineers
There are over 25 engineers. This can seem daunting. Fortunately, there are 7 engineers that provide really good basic ship effectiveness, including for the combat role.
Here they are, along with a recommended blueprint pin.
| Felicity Farseer | Frame Shift Drive - Increased Range |
| Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn | Multi-Cannon - Overcharged |
| The Dweller | Power Distributor - Charge Enhanced |
| Liz Ryder | Seeker Missiles - High Capacity (or personal choice) |
| Lei Cheung | Shield Generator - Reinforced |
| Hera Tani | Power Plant - Overcharged or Armored (both are useful) |
| Selene Jean | Hull Reinforcements - Heavy Duty |
Hawkes Gaming - YouTube video
Fox's Guide to Unlocking Engineers (Reddit post) (updated 2021-03)
Fox's Guide to Unlocking Engineers (Original) - Website page
NOTE
that some material gathering techniques in this guide maybe a bit dated.
Unlock All Four Colonia Engineers (Brandon, Hicks, Olmanova, Dorn) (website & video)
How do I sell Exploration data to Farseer or Martuk?
You need to fulfill the initial access contract (see access). After delivering your goods, you need to log out and back in, to get Universal Cartographics in the contact menu at their base. Sell exploration data in the usual way. Be aware, that reputation sync can take some time - recheck by logging in/out, whether you already have sold enough. You’ll need 4-7M in exploration data for level 3/ 4 Access, and 8-11M for L5 access.
Source - How to Use Exploration Data for Engineers - A Guide for the Returning Explorer - Elite Dangerous forum post
Exploration
Getting Started Exploring Plan
Credit to u/AutoCommentator, with minor adjustments by u/Balerathon
What to do with Cobra MK3 - Reddit post
Deep Space Network
Traveling with neutron stars and white dwarfs
Will you take the Canonn challenge?
Top 10 sights...CMDR Exigeous
Colonia
Reddit post containing some sights near Colonia
Trading
Masark's Guide to Trade - Sidewinder to Type-9 Heavy - Third Edition
Mining
READ FIRST
The State of Mining - Reddit post - February, 2021
ED Mining - website - (discovered date - 2021-04-30 - still reviewing)
Updated Lasing and Core Mining Guide - Reddit post - leads to Google doc
Laser Equipping Guide - Reddit post
PSA: What mining ship should I buy? - Good mining progression plan - Reddit post
Mineral / Ring Locations
Here is a list of ring types relative the metals/minerals:
Laser Mining
| Osmium | Metallic Ring, Metallic Rich Ring |
| Painite | Metallic Ring |
| Platinum | Metallic Ring |
| LTD | Icy |
Core Mining
| Void Opals | Icy |
| Alexandrite | Icy, Rocky, Metal Rich |
| LTD | Icy |
| Benitoite | Rocky |
| Monazite | Metallic, Metal Rich, Rocky |
| Grandiderite | Icy |
| Musgravite | Rocky |
| Rhodplumsite | Metallic, Metal Rich |
| Serendibite | Metallic, Metal Rich |
Smoke's Guide to Core Mining - 2020
Core Mining techniques & Locations
Guide with visual asteroid shapes - Website
Motherlode asteroid shapes are different
Reddit Post
The following notes are ones that I picked up from Reddit and from my squadron. I don't recall the sources, else I would credit them here.
********************************************* BEGIN NOTES ********************************************************************************
That is the error usually, you don't want to go for every asteroid that glows. Once you get the hang of it you quickly now which one of those is a good candidate and which ones are not.
Usually they have
- a very distinct glow to them (a darkish yellow to orange that goes into a deep greenish-black once you get closer, with a specific outline of the fissures)
- a set form for every type of ring you are in. In icy rings they look like popcorn for example, metallic is tear-drop like
Just to give you an idea see (here) (the first on top left is the popcorn shape I was talking about for icy motherlodes) and this is the tear-drop shape in metallic rings.
Once you get used to it most rocks you hit will be cores.
Another comment on asteroid shapes
Use miners tool to check sell locations, prices and the demand for each type of mineral, voids aren't paying that well at the moment. Turn night vision on use pwa and look for a green or red patch on the roid, and then its just the same old bright yellow as you get closer and the black cross section. For Musgravite or looking for a potato shape and it normally rotating, Benitoite is very similar just a it more rounded, Serendibite is in between the two. The system I use hip 50070 plant 6 it has Benitoite and Musgravite, have fun cmdr 07
Core mining techniques - Reddit post
********************************************* END NOTES ********************************************************************************
Mining Locations
GCRV 375 2 - Musgravite - Double hotspot plus others
Platinum mining maps - crowdsourced - Reddit post
Col 285 Sector KM-V d2-106 by supertoyz is my favorite XBox map
Platinum Hotspots
Reddit post on ring quality research - has a sample list of platinum rings that were used in the research. I found Planet 6, Ring A in the system HR 7297 to be good.
Platinum hotspots, Google doc long list
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17Q25HQmzyi_u_G4jj-CsZQhAr4oZB1IZt5kMHV_pYJk/edit?usp=drivesdk
Tritium Hotspot
Carcosa CD2 icy ring as having a very generous Tritium hotspot
Other Resources
Here is a good, beginner's guide, like an online encyclopedia.
Getting Started in Elite Dangerous A Guide
And a beginner exploration YouTube video
And an intro to a beginner guide video series - YouTube video
Planetary Base Landing tutorial (ChaosWulff) (my favorite) - https://youtu.be/KYw8kJnm_u4
Planetary Landing Guide (GalacticBacon) - https://youtu.be/McV0Zx3NOj0