An Elite Dangerous Beginner's and Buyer's Guide
By John Paul Wilson (jpaulwilson1982)
Version 2.0 (Current)
4/4/2015
Version 1.0 (Old)
19/1/2015
This document may be updated in the future.
Welcome to the Elite Universe, commander!
Since so many of the same questions are asked on the forums repeatedly, I
decided to make this brief FAQ to give straight forward answers to some of the
most typical questions and concerns. The first part, titled For Those About to
Buy! is intended for people who are thinking about getting Elite Dangerous, but
are unsure if it’s one of the rare “good” space games. The second part titled
For Those About to Play! is intended for those who have bought the game and
want to know how things work; the second section is also about answering
questions that many new gamers might not know to ask, but will eventually.
Overall, this guide is here for anyone to read, new or vetted. Now, on with the
show…
If you’re a space game freak like me, then I imagine that you've been searching
everywhere for that “perfect” space game. Well, I hate to break it to you, but
from my experiences I can tell you that the “perfect” space game does not
exist. That’s not to say that good space games do not exist; some of my
personal favorites include Starflight on the Sega Genesis, Star Control 2 (aka
Ur-Quan Masters) on the PC, and the Evochron series on PC (the latest being
Evochron Mercenary). No space game has ever perfectly satisfied my desires for
that “ideal” game in my mind. Keep that in mind as you consider whether or not
Elite Dangerous is for you.
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO BUY!
Before you decide to buy Elite Dangerous, or if you have bought it and are new,
ask yourself these questions before you commit any time to Elite Dangerous:
1. Do you want a space game that does not thrust you into action constantly,
battle after battle, where you must explore a little to find the action? Where
you choose when to fight and when not to?
2. Do you want a game that is extremely challenging (perhaps more so than any
space game you’ve played)?
3. Do you want to play a game where your illegal or hostile actions have as
much consequence in the game universe as in real life?
4. Do you have a lot of patience?
5. Are you okay with a game that does not have a story-mode campaign?
If you answered, “No,” to any or all of those questions, then this space game
may not be exactly what you’re wanting. The reason I asked those questions
wasn’t to scare you away, but to help you realize what kind of game Elite
Dangerous is. However, if you said, “Yes,” to all those questions, or are
willing to compromise on some of those questions you said, “No,” to, then
you’re in for a ride!
Now, assuming you’re new (which this guide will be assuming from here on), then
you probably want some straight-up information without having to scour the
Internet and Frontier Developments Forums. I always encourage people to
research games before they buy them. I also encourage everyone who is very
curious about this game to search the Frontier Developments Forums. There are a
few folks in the community who are extremely adversarial, but I also encourage
you to be the bigger person when posting in the forums by not acknowledging
such people. I’m not saying you can’t express your opinions, just be
professional if you feel it necessary to offer a counter-argument to an issue.
For the most part, though, the Frontier community is helpful, polite, and the
forum moderators take their jobs seriously, which is to make everyone feel
comfortable enough to express their honest opinions and ask questions in an
environment that is conducive to intelligent discussion and useful feedback.
As a word of warning: The description in the previous paragraph does not apply
to the Dangerous Discussion section in the Frontier Developments Forum. It's
where most folks go on the forums, so extreme fans and disappointed players are
frequent. If you got a think skin, you'll be fine.
At this point you may be thinking, “Whoa, there! This sounds like some pretty
serious stuff.” Well, on one hand, it’s a game. If you just want to play Elite
as a lone wolf, never communicating anything on the forums, then that is
definitely an option. On the other hand, if you want to be part of a growing
community that makes your experience in the game more immersive, then yeah, it
is serious. Don’t be scared, though! We want the community to grow, for the
game to be successful, and for the game itself to be as fun as it can be. We
welcome new folks to the Elite universe, and we’re always willing to help in
any way we can; which is why I’m writing this guide.
Anyways, enough of the community stuff. You want to know what the Elite
experience will be like, and if you really want to sink time and money into
this experience. Let’s get some basic, vital information out of the way.
- What kind of controls are available? Mouse & keyboard? HOTAS style joysticks
(aka flight joysticks)? My PC game controller? My Xbox 360 controller? Oculus?
The answer to all those questions is, “Yes!” Most space games I’ve played only
support keyboard & mouse, and many support HOTAS style joysticks. Often,
though, I found that most space games don’t work appropriately with dual analog
style controllers; the left joystick would work, but never the right one. I
imagine this is likely due to space games being developed for the single HOTAS
style flight sticks. Have no fear with Elite! You can even use an Xbox 360
controller, and you can map everything to your own personal preferences. A word
of warning; I have not been able to adjust sensitivity on my 360 controller for
this game. Is it such an issue that makes the game unplayable? No. But, you may
have to stick with weapons that track targets (gimbaled guns) rather than
weapons that are fixed and require dead-center aiming.
- Is there an offline mode?
No. There is a Solo mode where you can fly around the galaxy without ever
having to deal with actual players. You still have to maintain an internet
connection, however. The in-game economy (prices for commodities like metals,
foods, and even people) is effected by everyone playing, no matter the mode
they select. Also, there is a Group mode which is like Solo, but you will be
able to play with your friends. Open mode is where you’ll encounter other
players from across the planet.
- Okay, so there is a multiplayer mode, right?
Yes. Recently (4/4/2015) a feature called Wings was added in order to improve
the multiplayer experience. People on your friends list and in your Wing (a
party of up to 4 players) will appear in the galactic map so you always know
where they're at when they're online. Players in your Wing will show on your
HUD, and there's always a way to get to your wing mates, even if they're
interdicted successfully and pulled into combat.
- That’s cool. Do I have to pay a subscription fee, like in Eve Online or World
of Warcraft?
Nope! But, you will have to buy expansions when they become available.
- Alright… so what’s planned for those expansions?
Currently, Frontier is planning on adding planetary landings, where you’ll be
able to mine the planet’s resources. Also, they plan on giving players the
ability to walk around their ship and hunt on alien worlds for sport. Keep in
mind that these expansions may take a while to finish, maybe even a year or
more. And don’t forget they will not be free expansions, since there are no
subscription fees to play online.
- That sounds awesome! But, what can I do now!?
Explore any of the Milky Way’s 400 billion stars, many of which have planets
and moons. And, yes, I said 400 billion stars. Plus, you can do the other
typical space game stuff like trading goods for profits, bounty hunting,
pirating, mining, smuggling, and fighting battles in conflict zones. You can
also work toward building a reputation with one or more of three galactic
empires (Federation, Alliance, Imperial).
- What kind of perspectives does the game allow?
At this point (4/4/2015) the game has First Person Perspective (seeing through
the eyes of your character/commander) and an External Camera, so you can see
your ship from outside the cockpit and take flawless screen shots and videos of
the beautiful Elite Universe. Also keep in mind that the External Camera, while
activated, disables your ability to pilot the ship until you return to First
Person Perspective.
For Beginners: The External Debug Camera has to be bound to a key or button in
your options menu, under controls. From then on, you'll be able to enable the
External Camera with the press of a button of your choice.
- What is the flying and fighting like in Elite?
That’s a great question to ask, since most space games are different in that
aspect. The flying is handled in two ways; Flight Assist Mode On and Flight
Assist Off. With Flight Assist Off, you are subject to Newtonian Physics; this
is to say that if you boost in a certain direction then you continue to travel
in that direction even with engines off. Remember, an object that is in motion
will tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest will tend to stay at rest. If
you ever played Evochron Mercenary, then you know what I mean. Or, if you even
played Air Hockey, think of your ship as the puck, sliding nearly frictionless
on the table until something slows it down or stops it.
But, with Flight Assist Mode On, the game plays more like a typical space game
that focuses squarely on combat. If you ever played Darkstar One, Project
Sylpheed, or just about any jet-fighter game like the Ace Combat series, then
you basically got the idea. Frontier Developments wanted the combat to maintain
the dogfight combat style of previous games in the series.
- But, how do the ships handle exactly? How do they feel?
As someone who has always loved playing jet-fighter games, I can tell you from
experience that every game like that felt different, handled different; you
always have to get used to the controls. That being said, each ship in the game
handles differently, depending on its size and design. The smaller ships are
more like combat fighters, and have better handling than the larger ships used
for battling or transporting. Those larger ships, though sluggish, are more
heavily armed and armored. So, it comes down to personal preference, and the
ships accommodate that wide variety of preferences. As space games go, Elite
Dangerous’ ships handle well if you know how to fly them, and depending on your
ship’s size.
- Fair enough. What about ship variety? How many are available currently?
To answer the question directly, there are around twenty (20) by my count.
Several more are planned to be released later in updates. It’s not the widest
variety of ships I’ve ever seen in a space game, but not too bad.
- How is the space travel done?
There are three ways to get around the galaxy with all ships. First, you have
Normal Space, which is more for battles than actual travel. If normal travel
was the only means to get around, then no one would get anywhere. Second is
SuperCruise, or SC for short. SC is how you travel within any given system to
explore planet to planet. In this mode you travel at faster-than-light speeds.
Third is Jumping, where you can travel from system to system in about fifteen
seconds or so. Different ships can jump different distances, that also depends
on that ship’s warp drive, or Frame Shift Drive as it’s called in game. Small
ships can do 7-10 light years, and heavier ships can jump around 30 light
years, more or less. Either way will get you to many of your destinations. But
if you’re trying to explore further out along the edge of the galaxy where
stars are further apart, then you need a ship that can make that distance.
Also keep in mind that ships use fuel. Supercruise uses fuel, and jumps use
even more fuel. More details will be available later in this guide. Don’t be
scared, though! Space stations aren’t the only way to get fuel…
- Will I be able to own more than one ship at a time?
Yes. When you buy a new ship, you have the options to sell your current ship to
knock down the price of the new ship you’re buying, or you can store your
current ship and hop right into your new ship.
- Can I name my ship the USS Whatever?
Currently, ships cannot be named. I know, it’s a pity. But, I’ve had mostly
positive experiences with Frontier Developments and they seem to listen to
their fans. I can imagine that at some point you will be able to name ships.
For now, unfortunately, it’s not an option.
- Can I at least pimp my ride?
Yes. Each ship has a number of modules where you can equip shields, life
support, cargo holds, and more. The bigger the ship, the more modules it will
have available (or, that’s the basic idea). Same is true for weapon modules
(aka hardpoints). Paint jobs are also available for ships, but have to be
bought in the Frontier Developments online store. They are expensive but in
some instances they are worth it. For instance, a player can buy flag paintjobs
for the Viper. On my Viper is painted the flag of my home nation, the USA. And
it was worth the $5. Sadly, not all paintjobs are available for all ships. For
example, I can put the American Flag paintjob on my Viper, but not on my Cobra
or Sidewinder. Disappointing, I know, but remember what I said at the
beginning? Elite Dangerous is not the “perfect” space game, but what is?
- Alright, what about stations? What’s it like to dock at them?
Remember when I asked if you like a game with a challenge? Well, this applies
to docking. Don’t be scared, though! It’s not too difficult to learn, and you
actually get pretty good at it after a while. If you really want to avoid
docking, a docking computer is available for your ship. Just remember that a
docking computer will take up module space, which might be better used for
shields or a discovery scanner for exploration.
But the docking isn’t bad. You hail the station, ask permission to land, they
give you the go, you approach the station, enter the station’s entrance/exit
carefully, find your landing pad, and land. Don’t forget to deploy your landing
gear!
- What about exploration? How is that done?
Fairly simple, honestly. When you lock on to a star as a destination, it tells
you before you jump there if the system has been explored. When you jump, lock
onto the star and remain facing it. You must be facing an unexplored object in
order to scan it. It’ll take a few seconds, but when done, it’ll be logged in
your ship’s computer. After you scan the star (or as you are scanning the
star), you can use something called a Discovery Scanner. It only takes a few
seconds to activate, and will tell you if there are any objects in the system.
If there are, you lock onto the object, approach it, and your ship will scan it
automatically once it is within range. Different objects have different values.
A planet with life will be worth more than a planet that’s frozen and covered
in ice. Black holes hold a high value as well. Just be careful! If you die
before returning to a station, you can no longer sell that data. This is
another challenging aspect of the game, especially if you’ve spent a long time
exploring without selling the data at a base. You don’t get paid much (when
compared to other professions), but at least it pays. Also, as you become more
experienced in exploration, you can decide whether an unexplored object is
worth the time to scan it. Time is money, people!
- What about a campaign story-mode?
Currently, there’s no campaign, at least in the traditional sense. Yes, there
are missions. Yes, there is a story to whole Elite Universe. And, yes, some
missions will be affected by the actions of you and other players. Sadly, there
is no story telling in the game. When at a station, you can read news headlines
to see where a war may be taking place, or what events are unfolding. But,
there’s no cut scenes, no voice acting, and none of the non-playable characters
(or NPCs) will tell you anything about the Elite Universe’s history. I know,
disappointing. On the up side, Frontier is planning on having missions that’ll
have something to do with the Elite Universe’s story. I’m not sure what the
details are exactly, how exactly this will be done. If it is your belief that a
game must have a storyline or campaign, then Elite Dangerous may not be for you
(yet). Typically, with most games and especially space games, I prefer a plot
and in-game storytelling. But I’ve enjoyed Elite Dangerous so much that I’ve
overlooked this typical necessity. If you can stand a game without storytelling
if the game is good enough, then Elite Dangerous may be for you.
Personal Perspective: I’m holding out hope on this particular issue. Elite is
amazing without storytelling. I can only imagine how much more amazing it would
be with storytelling. Some people believe that a game with no in-game story
telling forces you to use your own imagination to create a story for yourself.
I disagree with this assertion, and if you ever played Starflight on Sega
Genesis, or Star Control 2, then you might know what I mean when I say in-game
story telling can add a lot to the immersion in that particular universe. In
the early 1990s, when I was a kid playing Starflight on my Sega, the story just
sucked me into that universe. My imagination ran wild as the game’s various
alien species told me their own version of the history of that universe. You
didn’t get it all at once, though. You had to explore, encounter their ships,
build a dialogue with them by asking questions, answering questions, and even
your disposition (polite, hostile, obsequious, etc.) affected how the aliens
would deal with you. With all of that happening, I felt so much a part of that
universe, with my own ship, a handpicked crew, a name for my ship, landing on
planets, upgrading systems on my ship, and so on.
Anyways, this is likely the point where you decide whether or not this game is
worth the time and effort. Personally, I love a good story, and I really
thought Elite might get stale pretty quick without one. The game was so
excellently executed, though, that I overlooked this personal preference.
However, there are a few folks who felt the lack of a story mode or campaign
really killed this game for them.
- Alright, so what are the system requirements? How well will this “amazing”
game run on my computer?
To quote from this webpage
https://www.elitedangerous.com/about/playyourway
MINIMUM RECOMMENDED HARDWARE SPECIFICATION:
Direct X 11
Quad Core CPU ( 4 x 2Ghz is a reasonable minimum)
4 GB System RAM (more is always better)
DX 10 hardware GPU with 1GB video ram
Nvidia GTX 260
ATI 4870HD
Internet connection
SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS:
Windows 7.x
Windows 8.x
My system exceeds the minimum requirements, but I still have to dumb down the
graphics settings to medium. Even on the lowest settings, though, it’s still a
beautiful game. Also, a Mac version of Elite Dangerous will become available in
the coming months.
- So, should I buy it?
As always, research and decide for yourself if any game is worth its price.
Speaking for myself, I paid $50 for the pre-order and it’s been worth every
penny. Currently (4/4/2015) the game sells for $60. Still worth it if (like me)
you’ve been wandering the fowl dumping grounds known as the space-sim genre.
There are lots of lemons out there, believe me. Elite Dangerous, though, is
certainly a gem (in my own opinion!!!).
Ultimately, it is up to you, and you can never be 100% sure if a game is right
for you until you actually play it. Something else to keep in mind is the
Youtube videos about Elite. Many of them showcase the combat, but remember that
Elite isn’t just one battle after the next. You have to become familiar with
Elite’s version of the Milky Way Galaxy and keep tabs on GalNet (the news) to
see where battles are taking place or may take place soon.
--------------------------------------------------------------
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO PLAY!
Okay, so you bought the game and are new. What in the heck to do? Well, I know
how you feel, especially when you open that galaxy map for the first time and
realize that there are truly 400 billion stars out there to visit. Even just
the part of the galaxy inhabited by humans is very large. It’s also a
dangerous, unforgiving universe out there. Don’t be scared, though! I’m here to
provide some life-saving tips. The Frontier Developments forum and instruction
manual to the game also can come in helpful with a wealth of information. We’re
all here for you, commander. We want you to have fun.
Whether you’re a bounty hunter, smugglers, honest trader, pirate, fighter
pilot, explorer, miner, or whatever, these are a few things you need to know:
- Death and Respawning
As far as death itself goes, not too bad. If you die, you have the opportunity
to rebuy your ship at a portion of the ship’s total cost with in-game
insurance. Everyone has insurance, and you only need it to rebuy your destroyed
ship (the only exception is the ship you start with, the Sidewinder; it’s free
to replace). Insurance will also pay for all the exact modules and hardpoints
you had installed on your destroyed ship (if you choose to do so; not replacing
modules should lower the ship’s rebuy cost). Keep in mind that you must have
the money to pay, or you will go into debt by having to borrow credits from the
insurance company. There’s a limit to how far you can go in debt, so try very
hard to stay alive and always run if you can’t win the battle. It’s not a
tactic many of us like to use, but at times it’s simply necessary to survive.
- Crime and Punishment and Reputation
Now, here’s a couple of the hardest things for an inexperienced commander to do
in Elite Dangerous; don’t get in trouble with the law and don’t ruin your
reputation!
o First, understand how the factions and jurisdiction works in Elite Dangerous!
For example, if you murder someone in an Anarchy system, and go to a Federation
system, the Federation won’t hold it against you. If you murder someone in a
Federation system, then they do hold it against you. So, basically, the faction
system works like this: There are three major Galactic Nations; The Federation,
Empire, and Alliance. In your galactic map, you can set the map to show you
which systems are controlled by which Galactic Nation. Each Nation differs in
what cargo is banned; like the Federation considers slaves as illegal cargo,
whereas the Empire allows slavery. So be careful what you do and where you do
it! Finally, there are factions, which operate somewhat similarly as states in
a nation. For instance, if you go to a Federation system, there will be one
faction in control of that system, whose authority vessels patrol that system
and enforce the Federation’s laws. This faction has jurisdiction over most of
the system (meaning, stations controlled by that faction and all areas that are
not owned by other factions). Within such systems, there are other factions,
and some may own a space station or may not. But those “lesser” factions have
jurisdiction over any stations they control, but nothing more. Think of it like
the United States of America; the US has a federal, centralized government, and
that government considers all states as its jurisdiction. Within each state,
there is also a system of government (which may not function exactly like the
federal government). So, both the federal US government and the individual
states have jurisdiction in those states. For instance, New York is under that
state government’s jurisdiction, but the US government also has jurisdiction
within that state. However, New York police do not attempt to enforce its laws
in other states, like Georgia. If you understand that concept, then you
basically understand how jurisdictions work between Galactic Nations and
controlling factions. Note that not every “lesser” faction in a system will
fall under Federation jurisdiction. For instance, if you go to Sol, the
Federation’s controlling faction will not be the only one present. Other
factions will exist, some loyal to the Federation and some not. If a station is
controlled by a lesser faction not aligned with the Federation, then the
Federation has no jurisdiction in and immediately around that station. Once you
leave from the vicinity of that station, you have re-entered Federation
territory and jurisdiction.
o Be careful which factions you serve, and what Galactic Nations they serve.
This is one of the most common aspects of the game that most folks have trouble
understanding. Again, think of factions and nations like the US government and
its states. If you accept a contract from a Federation faction to kill a member
of another Federation faction then you can lose reputation with the Federation.
Likewise, if Georgia and Tennessee started fighting a civil war, and you start
supplying Georgians with weapons and assassinating Tennessee politicians and
leaders, then the US government will consider you a criminal. Tennessee will
consider you a criminal. Georgians may love you for your efforts, but no one
else will. That same concept applies to factions and nations in the game. When
you accept a contract, especially if it’s something illegal or harmful, make
sure that both factions are not aligned with the same Galactic Nation (using
the galactic map). This will damage your reputation immensely. So, be careful!
o For lesser infractions, such as docking with a station without asking
permission or possessing stolen/illegal cargo, you will most likely get a
simple fine.
You have only so much time to pay your fines before they can become a bounty on
your head. You got a good bit of time, though. Just remember that getting fines
and bounties on your head also decreases your reputation with factions in whose
territory you committed your crime(s). If you commit a crime in Federation
space, then your Federation reputation will suffer. The same relationship
exists with the factions in the game.
o Cargo you find floating in space will most likely be counted as stolen.
It’s not all stolen, but so much of it is stolen that I would suggest you
always consider such cargo as stolen at first. In fact, a good, generally safe
way to make some quick credits is to only pick up the abandoned, “stolen” cargo
in systems that either have no government (labeled as Anarchy) or in systems
where laws are pretty lax. Then, only sell that cargo at an Anarchy system, or
in systems where laws are lenient on your new cargo. You can smuggle cargo into
stations aligned with the Federation, Empire, or Alliance, but there are a
couple of ways to sneak the illegal cargo in; 1) toggle your “silent running
mode” to avoid being scanned, but you’ll likely have to turn silent running
mode off one or two times as you fly to the station in order not to overheat
your ship; also remember not to land on a landing pad with Silent Mode On, as
your ship will continue to heat up and after a certain point, that heat will
destroy your ship; 2) Using your heatsink to hide your ship’s heat signature to
sneak in, in combination with disabling some of your systems so your ship
remains cold and off of system authority scanners.
o If you are tempted to smuggle (or do anything illegal) just remember that
reputation is easier to destroy than it is to build it up.
Think of reputation in the real world; you can you donate to charities, help
people in need, treat everyone with kindness and sincerity, but if you got
caught trying to smuggle cocaine into the community, all that philanthropy and
other good deeds would be essentially forgotten. You would forever be known as
a dirty smuggler. So, for example, if you really want to build Federation
reputation, then consider smuggling to one of the Alliance or Imperial
stations. It’s risky business, but can yield a tidy profit. Just be careful!!!!
o Mistakes will not be taken into consideration.
If you are a bounty hunter trying to claim that sweet bounty, and a couple of
system authority ships show up to help, do not screw up and shoot them! You
will get a bounty on your head and those authorities will start attacking you,
too. Be careful!
o Don’t screw up when docking!
The station staff will announce on station loudspeakers that loitering will not
be tolerated. If you hang out at an entrance/exit for too long, the station
will attack you and most likely destroy you. If you hover over the wrong
landing pad for too long, the station will attack you. If you fire your weapons
in a station’s No Fire Zone, the station will attack you. If you shoot the
station for any reason, the station will attack you. If you fart while docking,
the station will attack you. Just kidding on that last part. But all the rest,
take seriously!
o Murder is taken seriously. If the ship you are attacking is not wanted for
crimes in that system, then those authorities will be out to kill you.
Make sure your target is wanted in that system. The only places where crimes
are not registered are in anarchy systems, where anything and everything goes!
o The way to remove a fine or bounty that has been placed on you is to return
to the appropriate system where the crime was committed, dock at a station, and
pay your fines/bounties off.
Some folks in the Elite community think that being able to pay off fines and
bounties like this is far too easy. I kind of lean in that direction, but it’s
not anything that bothers me, really… probably because I feel the game is
already very difficult as it is.
Recently (4/4/2015) Frontier began talking with fans in the forums about this
topic. The proposal by Frontier is for there to be a cooldown time for
bounties. In other words, even if you die, a bounty cannot be paid off until a
certain amount of time has passed, like 24 or 48 hours. This has not been
implemented yet, but may soon in Update 1.3.
o Overall, keep in mind that Elite Dangerous takes reputation and crime almost
as seriously as real life!!!
I cannot stress this enough. Many players who are new to the Elite universe do
not realize this, since most games are not so strict. In the Fable series, for
instance, the game does keep up with your good deeds and bad deeds, and your
character’s good or evil alignment keeps track of those actions. But, if you’re
100% good in Fable, you can actually get away with some murder and philandering
and still be as holy as an archangel. In Elite, though, you can be allied with
a Nation one second, and the next you could be considered unfriendly for one
negative deed or mistake. Don’t be scared, though! With a bit of experience and
a lot of careful decision making, you can avoid many of the most punishing
mistakes.
- You may have to start over a couple of times.
I certainly had to, as I did not immediately know or realize many of the things
that have been explained in this guide. So, in your first run-through of the
game, don’t sweat the mistakes so much and take the time to see what happens
when you do certain things. Once you have a firm grasp on the basics, then you
can have a serious go at the game.
o If you do have to restart and you own the Mercenary Edition that had an Eagle
spacecraft as a free preorder bonus, you can start over without losing the free
Eagle.
Note, though, that your free Eagle will not have any new modules or weapons you
gave it in your prior play-through. The same applies for your Sidewinder.
Now that we’ve discussed laws, reputation, and factions, we can move on to
other issues.
- You can only have one character save at a time!
Yep, just one at a time. As stated previously, you can wipe your game and start
anew if needed. I haven’t seen anything about adding more save slots for other
characters from Frontier Developments.
- Ranking up in the Imperial or Federation navies can be done by doing missions
provided directly by those Nations.
How can you tell if it’s an actual Fed or Imperial mission? Well, missions
normally provide the name of the faction issuing the missions right under the
name of the missions in station Bulletin Boards. For navy missions, the issuing
Nation’s name will appear in place of the faction names. Also, reputation
likely has influence over when navy missions become available.
- Some systems cannot be visited without a system permit.
Some systems, such as Sol and Sirius, require permits in order to be visited.
You obtain those permits by doing missions for the controlling Galactic Nation.
So, to get to Sol, you have to increase your rank and reputation with the
Federation. Once the Federation is satisfied with your rank and rep, you will
be able to select the system permits they offer in the station Bulletin Boards.
- You can serve more than one Galactic nation.
You can advance rank and reputation with both the Federation and Empire. With
the Alliance, you can only build rep at the moment and not rank. This could
potentially change in the future (though I’ve seen no word on it from Frontier
Developments yet).
- Conflict zones are only available in systems that are in a state of civil war.
- To see if a system is in a state of war, check the system’s info and where it
says “State” in the System Map.
If it says Civil War next to State, then conflict zones should be there.
- Use caution and think carefully before entering a combat zone.
There are two types of conflict zones within any given system that is in a
state of war; 1) low intensity conflict zones, where the number of combatants
on each side are roughly equal; 2) high intensity conflict zones, where both
sides are not equal. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the enemy in a high
intensity conflict zone if the side you choose to fight for is losing the
conflict. Choose wisely.
- Choose your faction upon entering a conflict zone.
Before you even begin shooting, choose a faction as soon as you enter a
conflict zone. It’ll be the interface to your right in the cockpit, under the
last tab. “Faction” should be the first option available there.
- If you enter a conflict zone and can only choose one side, then you have
encountered a bug.
This doesn’t happen to everyone, but it did happen to me. Do not participate in
such conflict zones. Restart and try entering it again, and if it persists,
fill out a ticket at the Elite Dangerous support page. Be patient as Frontier
is not a large company like Bungie and Maxis. Their support staff stays busy.
- Since you are just starting out, be careful which missions you accept.
I encourage new folks to wisely choose missions. Don’t choose missions that’ll
wreck you reputation with the Nation(s) and faction(s) you intend to serve
loyally, and don’t choose missions to assassinate a target for 100,000 or more
credits; I know all that cash is tempting, but remember you will most likely be
fighting an Anaconda, which is basically what you might consider a destroyer or
battleship. It is not impossible to defeat an Anaconda with a smaller ship, but
it can be very difficult and you can die from one or two shots in a ship
without upgrades and shields. Also, do your absolute best not to fail missions.
Each failed mission will lower your rep with the faction and nation that issued
the mission.
- If you want to explore, but sure to have a fuel scoop!
Remember at the beginning of this document when I said, “Stations are not the
only ways to get fuel”? Well, that’s where the fuel scoop comes in. It allows
you to scoop fuel from certain types of stars. If you intend to venture far
outside of sphere of human influence, a long way away from any station, then
you must have a fuel scoop.
- If you want to explore and make money, heres how:
You start with a basic discovery scanner, which you can use to find unexplored
objects within 500 light seconds (or 500ls) from your position. You can upgrade
to the Intermediate Discovery Scanner which can find unexplored objects 1000ls
away, and you can upgrade to the Advanced Discovery Scanner, which will show
all unexplored objects in a system. They require tons of cash, so save up! You
can also find planets and others suns within a system by traveling at
faster-than-light speeds and looking for stars that move faster than the other
stars further off in the distance. Not the most efficient way to find stars,
but it’ll have to do until you get 1.5 million credits for the best discovery
scanner.
Finally, there is something called a Surface Scanner. This piece of equipment
will require a module separate from the discovery scanner. The Surface Scanner
allows you collect more detailed information on stars, planets and moons,
increasing the value of your astronomical data. It’s about 250,000 credits, but
pays off quickly.
This Is How We Do It: An Elite Dangerous Exploration Video Guide (by me)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npi1Rdw34co
- Be choosey when exploring (eventually).
You don’t have to scan everything you find, unless you want to. Mostly, steer
clear from asteroids fields as they are worth absolutely nothing… essentially,
a waste of time (again, unless you just want to for the sake of being
thorough). Try to focus on Earth-like worlds, water worlds, gas giants, black
holes, stars, and metallic planets. Dead planets of ice and rock net you little
cash (BUT they still are worth a little).
- Don’t die while bounty hunting.
Remember, this game punishes you for dying. If you collect some bounties, and
get killed before you return to a station to turn in your bounty vouchers, then
you lose those vouchers, thus make no money.
- And you really don’t want to die while trading commodities.
It’s not my favorite thing to do in space games, but in Elite most people find
it necessary to build rep and make lots of credits. Just be very careful about
carrying highly expensive cargo. For instance, if you find a good trade route
for gold, and load up on 300,000 credits worth of gold, then die, then you lose
that cargo and therefore the investment. It’s a good way to go broke fast if
you’re not careful.
- Beware of kamikaze NPCs
At the moment (4/4/2015) it’s no longer common for a ship controlled by the
game (NPC) to fly into you. Still, be very mindful of ships that seem to fly
too close or right at you. Most of the time, you can avoid such potentially
devastating collisions… most of the time. I strongly advise you to equip a
Shield Generator in your ship. Shields don’t guarantee a collision won’t kill
you, but they do help in preventing most fatal collisions.
- Oh, and equip point defense ASAP!
In my experiences, the Point Defense weapons is a life saver. Since equipping
Point Defense, I haven’t had a single missile successfully hit me. So far, it’s
had a 100% accuracy rate for me. I don’t think it is supposed to be 100%
accurate, but in my case has been.
Okay, I think this is good for the time being. I know I didn’t answer every
question a new Elite commander might ask, but I think I got many of the most
important issues covered. If you have any questions or comments that you feel
need to be addressed here, whether concerning this guide itself or other
questions about Elite, feel free to post under this topic. Of course, I and the
Elite Dangerous community welcome you to post any questions or comments in the
appropriate message boards. Don’t be scared! I mean, sure, not everyone at the
Elite forums is nice and helpful, but most of us are (or at least we try to
be). Never let anyone make you feel like less of a person for expressing your
opinions or for asking questions. You don’t have to apologize to anyone for
this simple act, nor should you feel compelled to do so (that is, unless you
explicitly behave rude and unprofessionally, and do something against the
forum’s rules). Frontier Developments opened a forum for Elite Dangerous so
that its customers can provide them with feedback, which is essential for any
game of this magnitude. They want to hear your opinions, ideas, questions,
comments, and concerns. If they didn’t, the forum would not exist.
Also, I realize that there are tons of other guides, FAQs, and forum topics
available to help new folks and vets alike. This guide is simply my own way of
trying to explain things in this game. And, searching the forum, while helpful,
can be overwhelming, especially when a topic is posted about several times.
Many of those posts may have many of the same answers for the same questions,
but may not answer a specific question or concern you have. I’ve been searching
the forums several times a week ever since I got Elite Dangerous, and I will
likely continue to do so for a while longer.
Again, feel free to post here for anything covered by this guide, and for
things you think should be covered by a newbie guide. And if you have anything
to say about the guide itself, I’m open to any and all criticism and
suggestions.
Have fun exploring the Milky Way Galaxy, commander! I hope to see you somewhere
out there…
