What are things a new player should know?
I just recently got elite and I’ve had a ton of fun with it. I have gotten confused at times, what are some basic things I should know?
Posted Jan 2, 2020, 4:46 AM UTC
421
There are a few different types of scanners that scan different things, this one took me a while to figure out when I was new.
There's a basic sensor/scanner that scans unexplored planets, nav beacons, and ships just by looking at them. You'll see a sort of loading icon on the bottom left while it scans.
Advanced Discovery Scanner. Can be used in Supercruise, and will do a scan of the solar system you are in. It will "spot" any stars and tell you how many planets and moons are in the system, but only "explores" the stars.
Data Link Scanner. You'll have to assign this to a fire-group and use it to analyze some objective items on missions.
Detailed Surface Scanner. Has to be purchased. You have to be in supercruise and close to a planet/moon. It will map the planet or find mining hotspots in a planetary ring.
Wake Scanner. Has to be purchased, but can be used to scan the leftover "wake" left behind when a ship uses its Frame Shift Drive to supercruise or jump to another system. This can be used to collect scan data for engineers or pursue fleeing ships that jump to another system.
Kill Warrant Scanner. Must be purchased. Scan a ship and see if it's crewed by a bad guy. Get money for shooting down bad guys.
Manifest Scanner. Must be Purchased. Scan the cargo of a ship. Good for piracy, maybe other stuff. Never spared a slot for it so if you equip one you will know more than I do about it.
6
Thank you this was really helpful! :)
2
just as a bit of extra on the kill warrant scanner. It's not required to scan a ship and find out if it's crewed by bad guys. Your regular scanner will do that already. What makes it useful is that it will tell you all the bounties that the bad guy has on him, and make killing him more profitable. Something to keep in mind if you're in a ship that has a limited amount of power or utility slots.
2
Use the tools that are available to you. So let's say you're stuck on a mission to source an item and you need to know where to get it. eddb.io is you're best friend along with https://inara.cz/. Those sites can be used for so much more, but that's a lot to explain and you would be better for it by giving them a look over. For mining, http://edtools.ddns.net/miner can be a real help. Even this amount of info can seem overwhelming. The main thing is to have fun and don't fly without a re-buy. You need to make sure you have enough funds to cover the current cost of your ship in the unfortunate event that a pirate takes a fancy in your behind, and all that junk you've got stored in your trunk. Also, you can sort systems in the galaxy map by star type to make it easier to find scoopable stars. The first 7 star types of the list are all stars that can refuel your vessel should you be using a fuel scoop, which is also highly advised. Run out of fuel, that pirate catches up and starts playing with you like a cat gone fiend trying to get at the nip. Also, one last thing. Don't ever be afraid to venture beyond the bubble. I know at first 200 - 300 ly seems like a long distance, but in the vastness of the galaxy, it's a small amount, and you can experience things you might not otherwise get to if staying within the safe confines of the powerplay bubble.
5
Dying is normal, just have a rebuy spare and don't panic.
3
Step 1...how to take off. Step 2...how to land Step 3 ?? Step 4....profit
3
The codex has some excellent audio entries regarding the game’s lore you can add to your ship’s playlist. Makes for good learning material while hopping around.
2
inara and eddb are your friends, use them a lot
2
Before going to a station or planet, check how far away it is from the main star.
2
If you want to go exploring have something to listen to or watch on a second monitor.
1
If You fly to Hutton do not fly with one mission only!
1
The free Anaconda is totally worth it though ;)
1
Why is that a thing?
1
It was to troll new players. It’s been circulating around for years now.
2
I guess I was a bit too new for this game to pick up on that and too old to fall for that. I wish I was around for that. Would love to see the salt flow from all that trolling.
1
oh, and check out the tips section
1
Never fly without the having enough credits in your wallet to cover the 10% deductible on your ship insurance. If you blow up you have to pay 10% of your ships value to get a new carbon copy of it.
Cant cover the bill? Do not pass go, go directly back to sidewinder.
Try not to walk that road, yeah?
1
Define your fire groups.
1
I am new too. But I just had a huge realization today, flying gets so much easier if you do things "upside down". You're not in a car or a plane, and you have glass above you and shit in your way below you. So if you are trying to see where you are going it needs to be above you not below. I'm just starting to train away all my instincts and reflexes on this.
tl:dr The enemy's gate is down.
I was flying on the side so I could see both above and below me
Lol that depends entirely on what ship you're in bois. Some ships have suprisingly different cockpit designs. In my anaconda i'll fly rotated 90-degrees if i want to eye something... or just use the external camera drones!