🗺️ 2021 Elite Dangerous Exploration Money Making Guide for New Players - The Road to Riches

In this video I show you this 2021 Elite Dangerous money making guide for new players. This is how I do the road to riches in 2021 Elite Dangerous making money from exploration. It's a great way for new players to make money in 2021 Elite Dangerous. It's also a great way for you to instantly gain friendly or ally status with station while doing engineering in Elite Dangerous. All those stations want that juicy road to riches exploration data!
The Road to Riches tool!
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edtools.cc
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[@mishterpreshident]

How to use the Planetary Discovery and FSS scanners: - Planetary Discovery: This is the one the tut says to buy for the Hauler in loadout. It's only good for close-in (near orbital) scans. To use it, you fly around the planet and pepper it with probes until you get 100% surface scan. This method makes more cheddar$$$ than scanning with the FSS, but takes WAY more time because you have to fly to each target to get full probe coverage. It's an enjoyable process though, and the practice of using slow FrameShift while scanning helped me realize I could do more things at the same time, and while in motion. - FSS: The Full Spectrum Scanner is what you see him using in most of the tut, and it took me a bit to figure out. **It's already on your ship** but the key might need setup. As of May 2021, it is the last menu item in the Options / Controls / Mode-Swiches menu. It's (`) by default, I set it to Y+LftTrg on my xbox1 controller. Like the Planetary Discovery Scanner, you have to be in Frame Shift mode (stopped or moving slowly) to use it, and I believe u need to "honk" the system first. Figuring out how to activate it in the first place was the toughest part, after that it took another 15 minutes to figure out how to manipulate the scanner itself. It's not immediately intuitive. Once you figure it out, you can remotely scan and discover all the bodies in the sector by learning which frequency spectrums represent which types of bodies. p.s. Been following this tut for 2 days now. Made $2M doing the combat missions and so far have made another $4.5M doing exploration of the first 10 systems noted in the "Road to Riches" route.

[@alfiecohen]

Appreciate this tip, I also didn't know how to use the FSS until you said.

[@skittz2663]

THANK YOUUU

[@kennys9644]

\@@snowdoll3778 Send a pulse out with your discovery scanner. Put it in a fire group. Apparently the initial "honk" is like getting a basic layout. I'm new too.

[@ossiedunstan4419]

Fuck didn`t realise xbox was on this as well.

[@henteye46]

thank you

[@joeschmalhofer6109]

I snagged Elite Exploration in a non-engineered Hauler in my first 3 weeks of playing the game using Road To Riches. I FSS'd every system I visited, I DSS'd only the Road to Riches planets/moons that were within 5,000 light seconds of the arrival star, and I also traveled by economy mode from the 1st system to the 2nd to the 3rd etc so I FSS'd all the systems along the way. I played about 3-5 hours a week. Once I got Elite Exploration, I visited Jameson Memorial, sold the Hauler, bought an Asp Exp and started working on my Fed/Empire ranks AND unlocking all 25 engineers. 7 months later I had unlocked all 25 engineers (including the 4 out at Colonia), bought a Cutter (for mining space bucks), bought a Corvette (for blowing up NPC pirates) as well as 12 other ships. 12 months after I started playing I had 16 ships, all but 2 fully engineered, was Elite Trading and Deadly Combat rank, was King in Empire and Admiral in Federation, and I was floating above the DSSA Fleet Carrier at Beagle Point. Only thing left for me to do in game is buy a Fleet Carrier once I have enough Space Bucks to buy it AND pay for 10 years of maintenance. Then I discovered INARA and EDSM and all the badges and ranks they had.........

[@rob060]

Just assuming new players know how to scan planets like this... lol

[@AdeebHamad]

Exactly!! Been on this game a week I have no idea what I'm doing with the scans. This is my third video looking for help and I'm still lost

[@bryanholland6987]

@@AdeebHamad I've been playing this game for years and I never knew about this.

[@ryuk5673]

@@bryanholland6987 it came out during the beyond update. there are instructions in game on how to use it that people probably miss.

[@christophergerard8718]

That's why it's always a good idea for any game, as tedious as it is sometimes, to regularly read any patch/update notes when an update is released. You never know what you might be missing out on.

[@kingjosh4724]

Took me an hour of research to figure it out

[@tardwrangler]

The way you talk changed so much from 2019

[@liquidpaper1349]

This is how I made the money for my Python, and then you can make money doing anything - I did Robigo passenger missions.

[@Caligulove]

Yo dude when you make a guide for new players, you need to explain terms. It was fine for me when I watched your NMS content because I had already played it a lot and it's much simpler, but I feel like I need a guide for your guides, sometimes.

[@itsnay7382]

your all missing the point these videos are built in a system this is like the 3rd or 4th video in that playlist watch from the first video then the 2nd and so on and it will make a whole lot more sense

[@Caligulove]

@@itsnay7382 That's precisely what I did. I meant saying things like "FSS", which I had to go back and look up what that means. It was just an honest criticism about throwing in jargon like that in a guide meant for new players, without at least throwing up a text box or something outlining what the FSS is. That's just one example. Unless Hawke's intention is to have us pause the video, open a new tab, and find an explanation for what he has glossed over. If that's the case, carry on.

[@dustinthewind3925]

@@Caligulove I wish people doing ED tutorials did that. Having a reference, even in a small box in a corner showing what all the acronyms stand for would save a lot of time and hair pulling... That and so many people talk a thousand mph and it's hard to keep up.

[@ZlatkoLon]

yea I need a guide for a guide, not for beginners

[@itsnay7382]

@@ZlatkoLon wow are people actually say here asking the guy to make a box of what everything needs? Stfu man the guys goes out of his way by a million miles and yall conplaining that he said gas and you don’t know what it means well fun fact fss is fss get used to it

[@mr.puffin7232]

Thanks for the tutorial I thought at first discovering and mapping planets would be boring but its actually pretty fun

[@vanillarpgsoundtracks]

This took me a few hours to get my head wrapped around... testing it out and all. Then I flew to a station and saw I had over $1mil in spacebucks available - I just need to travel 20ly away from where I scanned. I'm stoked to start grinding this.

[@CapFlipGaming]

Literally the perfect video explaining everything! For example, I always have been doing the discovery scan via the FSS right when I arrive. Good to know that works fine and is a good method!

[@Bender24k]

Good one thanks! I enjoyed the Road to Riches, very immersive.

[@HCGonzalezJr87]

Nice trick with the camera mode, I'm definitely giving this a try for my next double musgravite run.

[@HawkesGaming]

A way for young Commanders to make space cheddar, or used as a tool when you need friendly or ally status with certain stations for engineering.

[@robrfoster]

thanks for the video but as a new player 99% of this was gibberish. guess I should watch some more intro videos lol

[@belliqueu5843]

@@robrfoster Also a new player, and feeling the exact same way. Except I've watched several other videos by Hawkes and others, and most of this still doesn't make sense. The hauler build in this video is also different from the hauler loadout recommended in Hawkes's OTHER video that tells you to come back to THIS video for a better explanation, which really doesn't help. At this point I'm incredibly lost and intimidated by all this, and will probably just fly around in solo mode until I figure out what's going on by myself.

[@robrfoster]

@@belliqueu5843 I was lucky and one of my friends ended up explaining most of the game to me. If I had to do learn it on my own I would have given up haha

[@bird.9346]

@@belliqueu5843 He's not good at explaining at how to actually PLAY the game. I would highly recommend finding a discord server (like the new pilots initiative) one.

[@specrtre]

Its not to bad just earn money in high res zone in the other video, buy hauler and build like this one. Make sure to have a fuel scoop to survive. Use galaxy map direct mode is fastest for me then sit back read the site he gives you careful google the abbreviations. Im very new my self he goes over it fast but not to bad to grasp after a few hrs of gameplay.

[@GetsuBoy92]

Love your guides man! Easy and to the point 👌

[@jordan9632]

Thanks! This was my next plan to get some "space cheddar".

[@Krosis_]

Always nice to see another video from you :D

[@nickkuiper32]

Great! Thanks a lot m8. Gonna start after my work until dawn.🙏

[@dboisrulesite19]

Did like 6 systems and got around 2.5 mill. Thanks for telling us about this tool it works great

[@andrewbutler9028]

shortest, most informative, and most helpful vid I've seen yet on exploring for ca$h, thx

[@travislevitt7191]

Got it forgot part of the equation😂 great videos by the way man you kill it!

[@DerekJoProductions]

Thanks for the guide! Was insightful. Music in the background?

[@wdsyalyn]

Bless you, fellow explorer.

[@arturius9715]

Ive been playing this game for years and didnt know I could target a planet with dss like that 🤣....i just go into dss and find everything

[@krauss025]

Hawkes gaming: boy, your wish is granted! Thank you!

[@Duke_Kenric]

great video bro

[@skyxonxfire]

I just scanned 10 planets and got over 5 million credits. Thanks for sharing.

[@circuitguy9750]

FYI - you can de-throttle at stars by hitting your zero throttle button while traveling between systems. No computer needed.

[@jasonkarsten7372]

Dude your guides are great but missing some stuff... I can not for the life of me figure out how to get into FSS mode or manage to scan more then 20% of a planet with these probe things.... little more detail would be awesome.

[@JacquesArnold]

Some planets are worth full scanning the surface, water words and earth likes are worth over a million. If they're terraformable you get even more, other terraformable's and ammonia worlds give 500,000 credits. Also it would be worth mentioning the further you are from the planet you scanned the more money you get.

[@odysseyisland2235]

One thing I love about hawks's guides is that he is one of the few people I've seen who doesn't assume the viewer knows what he's talking about. For example I watched one guide about exploration and the first thing the person said was to use the roads to riches tool without explaining what the tool is and how to use it. Hawkes Gaming, you're doing gods work my friend.

[@flow5tate346]

What are the baseline values for discovering earth-like worlds, high metal content worlds, etc? And how much bonus does the DSS scan gives you?

[@blooeagle5118]

Bro, I just bought the Imperial Courier and started doing this, tons of cash. I been using my type 9 for cargo shipping and it's just too much. I can make tons of cash with this method 😎😎

[@MrThianselmo]

I totally love your channel. It helped me a LOT. I got some months without playing ED. I got some milions the Glorious Python and some money thank to your ultimate guide to money for benginners. Now I would like to ask. Is that possible to do a video with recommendations of the best ways to earn money after this game rebalancing. IDK if painite and LTD mining is the best effort to earn money. I am going back to the game and I am a little lost. THANK YOU! Cheers from Brazil

[@Bradrackas]

After my first stint out into the black just recently, the 3rd Party Tool ED Scout is also an amazing resource for explorers if you want to focus the DSS only on the valuable planetary bodies.

[@lazaglider]

Agreed, I’d recommend it to anyone who does exploration. That said, and perhaps it is only me, but I do find it to be a bit flakey at times. Sometimes it just stops syncing with the game, others it will refuse to update to an adjusted route. But most of the time, very good indeed.

[@Bradrackas]

@@lazaglider I think is says in the notes that it’s only as reliable as the people that use it. So it doesn’t have all data on which systems are discovered/ mapped and which aren’t.

[@lazaglider]

@@Bradrackas Yeah that tallies with my experiences. I travelled back to the bubble recently and the last 100 or so jumps did confuse it as to what was discovered or not. But if you’re out in the middle of nowhere where nothing is discovered, it is a very tool to pick up all the valuable high metal contents which would otherwise be missed.

[@evenios2831]

soo tip is dont even mess with detailed surfaces.... sounds good a big time saver too!

[@utfytfyftf]

hey Hawkes! I'm really really struggling with mining in general. Can u make a video on an updated version?

[@gwfranklin1]

Check reddit elite dangerous mining for the updates.

[@m982excalibur5]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmKZpYaXm9yaptk

[@christopherjohnston6343]

Out of curiosity- why bother A rating power plant and distributer in an exploration vessel? The Hauler is so light that this sort of stuff adds weight and reduces jump range. Also A rated is still expensive this early in the game

[@TURBO-ym1yp]

I used to make more mining. Thanks for balancing balance.

[@ForkOperator]

Well well well, if it isn't our lord and savior Hawkes Gaming. Time to make cash faster than I get killed by Elite level assassination missions.

[@UnbornFamas]

Amazing just assume the player starting out will have grade A upgrades available to them from the start 👍 😀

[@synystergaming4694]

Epic. o7 Thanks CMDR.

[@jlaffradi1]

Right now being less than a week in I’m just copying everything you do lol. Once I have a good hang on things I’ll branch out and do my own thing but now I need some sweet sweet chedda!

[@mudder5]

this is a great guide. i got ganked on the way to sell, but great all the same.

[@richvandervecken3954]

Playing Eve Online for 14 years taught me to never play another online game in anything but solo mode. To many Sadist's in the world that get pleasure out of causing other people pain! The only time I play in multiplayer or "Open" mode is when I need to interact with another player online.

[@toornery]

its looking like they are shooting for mining to be like 100 mill an hour Robigo passenger missions is still around 100 mill would ya think mapping systems would get a buff if they are really wanting all the methods to be even

[@ShadowIsatis]

Question for Hawkes Gaming: Currently my system is set for only scoop-able stars. Should I reset everything before I start the road to riches or I can still leave the filter as is?

[@Pienimusta]

Is the earlier mining guide still valid to some point?

[@UnbornFamas]

Has the Discovery Scanner changed in 2022 since this video was made? Im unable to zoom in on planets however; I can still do a scan from a distance not sure how this works any help would be appreciated and thank you for you efforts in making this guide for new players.

[@simon-ricardokuhn1713]

I remember doing this alot since I got my hands on this game with my Adder. This was my go to way to get the sweet credits! Also the Hauler is the cutest sounding ship in my opinion. lol

[@giantdutchviking]

Where do I sell the data for the best buck? You sold at Jamison but you need a permit for that. I know you have to 20Ly away from the scanned system but does it matter at what system/station I sell my data?

[@lightwoven5326]

Another way is to multi crew, bugged as hell but sit on someone doing a community goal with the 10x increased bounties for much spicy cheddar...

[@ringofart]

Just comeback to elite I forgot all about doing this I've been busy trading and mining but I will be changing tactics and having a go at this

[@webtranspro]

Damn, you are good! How much time must I write that? Questions: 1- Scanning Planet-Rings with FSS is not possible, right? 2- Finding Alien or Objects with FSS is also not possible, right? 3- FEATURES in FSS: What does that mean?

[@webtranspro]

@Jason Ransom Thx for your time and answer :)

[@XTheManWithoutNameX]

Right now there are loads of new players trying to get rich with painite, so there's nowhere to sell. When they eventually get tired of the grind and stop playing, it's gonna be lucrative again.

[@kirkhammett007]

Hey Hawk! Do I have to separately search for all the A rated etc ship parts and go buy them in the corresponding planets or is there a simpler way?

[@richvandervecken3954]

The space station "Jameson Memorial" in the system "Shinrarta Dezhra" has all ships and all modules. You have to unlock the system by attaining Elite status in any one catagory first to unlock the system.

[@ColtenHood]

Also, use spansh and explore in WINGS!

[@noone9316]

Thank you space zoomer

[@ekul8766]

I don't have to guardian fsd booster You'd have to get a type-9 with a sufficient cargo rack to unlock it with a tech broker

[@mworthen77]

If you can't use the 3h guardian frame shift drive booster yet what should you get?

[@Slipgatex]

Did you ever say why you went to Jameson Memorial?

[@theaveragejoe6753]

Im competing with my friend on who makes more credits he is far ahead because he can play more hours I hope this thing works

[@epaul88]

It does, I did 11 systems earlier today and banked 11 million credits

[@theshuttel]

I earned 20mil with combat and want to start exploration but with ASP Exploler. Can you make suggestions for that?

[@2kewl4uu]

How did you scan from so far away? I have the DSS but I don’t know how to zoom in like yours

[@ianh3385]

That's fss Dss is detailed scan (requires up close but more money) Fss is spectrum scan (can be done from any distance but less money)

[@georgprime4665]

I have no idea how to read that chart and Google isn't helping....I kinda understand if it's just a number but what about BC2.... It's so frustrating. Took me forever to realize how to use the FFS because you glossed over it I was thinking you were just using a scanner you set up in your fire group.

[@ThatStoneHead]

thank man i made 17 million in one hour !

[@arturius9715]

How are you shooting probes into that planet from being so far away?

[@remdr231]

Hey man the main problem I have with this is that the first like 8 systems I visited were already fully explored by somebody else, I dont knwo if I just wasnt looking for long enough but it seems from your video you get them quite often is there any method to try and mainly get purley unexplored systems?

[@tacticalluke8782]

You still get the money if they have been already scanned by other commanders.

[@remdr231]

@@tacticalluke8782 Do you just scan them the same way as you would if they werent discovered because I went to a couple of already explored plantes and I didnt get any of the vouchers to turn in at the cartographers, dont know if im doing something wrong

[@SandboxJ]

How do you get the curser dot?

[@themainman2827]

1) Buy a Type 6. Do cargo missions and trading. 2) Buy a Type 7. Do cargo missions and trading. 3) Buy a Type 9. Do cargo missions and trading. 4) Upgrade the Type-9 to the max cargo capacity and the best jump distance possible. Keep doing cargo missions and trading. 5) ??? 6) Profit. But only in Solo play. In Open you will be robbed and killed a lot.

[@QueenTeal]

@2:20 you make mention to note if there are any FEATURES. What do you do if you do find any Features/are there specific Features to look for?

[@platiuscyndar9017]

If it doesn't say none, wait until it's done scanning for features. Increases the payout, nothing more to it afaik

[@24nero24]

what do the abbreviationson the 3rd party tool mean. i get ELW(earth like world) but what are TWW and HMC and ELW

[@HawkesGaming]

TWW = Tarraformable water world. HMC = High metal content world.

[@BleedingEdgeJY]

I did one system and scanned everything close up (8 Planets) and made 8 million.... No offline tool. Just filter for agriculture on the system map and go to those systems and hit everything up. One system the same pay... not even close to the same amount of fuel. If you wanted to do it in a crap box no jump range ship.

[@andycocking10]

That's an insane jump range! What does one do when they are nowhere near obtaining Guardian tech?

[@coolkavish]

If you are planning to explore, the booster is among the first things you should be aiming to have... I mean, 10 Ly additional range is definitely worth it. Check out ‘Down to earth Astronomy’, the guy has an awesome guide to obtain it quickly

[@Genericusername1004]

Glorious

[@realityfirst5585]

not sure how he is launching probes from so far because I am unable to... I need to be under 1 mil km So I figured out that I need to push the apostrophe key to open the FSS while in SC.

[@travislevitt7191]

Buttons for fss ps4?

[@deheinrich4785]

now a video on how to make space cheddar as a not so new player xD mining is dead, robigo is meh

[@-ZeroRed-]

I second this!

[@hmuphilly9129]

Dude I just want to find a general guide of when should you do this and that why is everything just making money. how about a guide of when you should leave the starter systems...?

[@fernand.g]

How do you do this if the systems that you go to show "Unexplored" for every planet? There's no way to identify the planets outlined in the roads to riches tool.

[@bayusatria1018]

How do i get the money? I dont get it. Is there still anything left to do to get the money? Ive scanned multiple planets etc and dont see any money

[@zimmerman1031]

I'm going down this route, but I'm wondering, am I supposed to wait till the end of the trip to sell all the exploration data at once, or do I stop along the way to sell the data? Also can this data be sold more than once, or is it a one time thing, regardless of allegiance and all that?

[@jamesrogers8501]

its seems to be a one time thing. ive been playing for about 30 hours and I just finished an 8 hour trip in my lil sidewinder. halfway across the bubble, automatically discovering system data as I go, and selling it when i stopped to refuel. only thing is you cant sell it at a station less than 20 LY from where you gathered it.

[@zimmerman1031]

@@jamesrogers8501 The fuel scoop is the best thing ever. No more stops at stations to refuel. Never used it before starting my journey, but damn is it an awesome tool. Just the concept of circling around a star, scooping up excess hydrogen to refuel your tanks, and then just continuing on your way is something to be experienced.

[@jamesrogers8501]

@@zimmerman1031 I just bought a new ship when I got to Diaguandri. Put a fuel scoop on it and can't wait to try It out. I didn't know what I was missing in my sidewinder but I guess I wanted to save cash.

[@whyisthesheep4390]

How do i get the detailed surface scanner

[@TheRedAngel928]

How do you copy and paste an elite dangerous from the PC to the game if you can help thank you

[@SpaceGuy836]

Happy 1st December everyone!

[@yourweirduncle]

Does the detailed surface scanner come with the ship?! He makes it seem like it’s default already there

[@cohenworrior898]

No it's not, you have to buy it.

[@formidine0724]

lol my route is taking me down into the depths of.... whatever is downwards and im like 300ly down its gonna take me to long to get to sol again

[@zeazevedo]

New players should know that, if you map a planet, specially the earth like ones, the payment is a lot better... but I mean, A LOT ! By the way, map a planet = detailed surface scanning.

[@redronapt8741]

how do you get our current location?

[@mad69201]

Can anyone answer this question do you make more money if you discover all the planets in a system instead of just the ones the site tell you to scan?

[@JamarHarden723]

Thank you. o7 CMDR

[@ledgeri]

Other than the 20-25ly distance does it matter where we sell, are there systems what pay more bonus for some reason?

[@figjam9530]

yes but it's not worth the effort you have to put in to get it. if you are pledged to Li Yong-Rui and have a level 5 rating you get 200% on your exploration data if sold in his controlled systems. BUT getting a level 5 rating is damn near impossible and your rating must be maintained from month to month or you lose it. even ultra dedicated powerplayers don't maintain level 5.

[@ledgeri]

@@figjam9530 THX!

[@gregpruitt1647]

Might have been a good idea to do a video on what all this shit is with the scanner???

[@TripLives]

Is there a way to check to see how much your discovery data has tallied up to while out flying...or do you have to go to a station to see?

[@ResistOhmm2022]

sadly gotta go to a station

[@brianhodge5493]

Is this still accurate I keep having to shoot probes at planets instead of sitting still like you do, takes forever to go to planet the probe it and then go to the next planet, plus I run out of probes way to fast

[@Warlearder]

the surface scanner isnt the same as the full spectrum system scanner, default keybind is '

[@AlexanderWolle]

Even though I got a Clipper Recently. Is it too late to run the road to riches? I'm thinking of running something like that in my DBX :)

[@kapjoteh]

It’s fun just scan everything get a dss

[@AlexanderWolle]

Awesome, thanks.

[@tsenshun]

If you want to use in-game tools to make money with exploration, try visiting only high population systems. Those billions of people are living on Earth-like and terraformed worlds, and the galaxy map lets you filter for population size. You can make millions doing detailed surface scans and never have to tab out of game. Spreadsheet to Riches will be faster but... muh immersion. Good no BS video for R2R though.

[@robertpetrie43]

I click on a planet on the road to riches page but I can't paste it into the galaxy map ,what am I missing .

[@schettnetx7109]

Am I doing something wrong? I scanned like 20 planets with the website you listed and roughly got 1 Million credits out of it. Do I have to sell these at a special place or am I just too dumb to do it??

[@thomasrodriguez3107]

I think they nerfed it It might be better to scout somes of them to 100% if not to far

[@storasdiedas1]

I followed your tutorial from 2019 but if I just DS and FSS the planets I got very little money, why?

[@miso-ge1gz]

i made it right before they killed the painite i am so happy. I have a carrier and extra 3 bilion

[@koma3333333k]

Nice XD

[@redspiritxd]

I don't get it I d scan and go into my dss and I don't know how to switch over it just stays there and there's nothing that switches it