Elite Dangerous - Exploration Guide - Part One (The Basics)

Elite Dangerous exploration can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Join me for a basic overview of getting started as a deep space explorer in the greatest space simulator ever made!
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[@highlightning6693]

Your videos are still helping people a year later, Cmdr. Decided to bite the bullet and do that 5K LY trek for Prof. Palin, converted my Anaconda into an exploration ship, and headed out. I ended up having a complete blast discovering new systems. My very first undiscovered system contained a water world and that hooked me. Appreciate the effort you put into these!

[@beowulfschmidt6031]

I wouldn't call myself a "veteran" explorer, but I've done a fair bit, and I absolutely 100% concur with your Asp Explorer recommendation as a starter ship. It is fantastic in that role. I came back to the bubble to do some different stuff for a while, and will probably get an Anaconda for my next trip, but that Explorer was perfect for a first run. And I do the same thing you do with regard to "destination", pick a system at the limit of the router and just go there and see what's along the way. Side trips are fun too. 🤣🤣 I'm here to see what's changed since I was out there, about three years ago, so even your "basics" is a nice refresher. Thanks for doing these.

[@CMDRExorcist]

A LOT has changed. Sure, the planets aren't as exaggerated with features, but they're much more realistic than before.

[@beowulfschmidt6031]

@@CMDRExorcist , but your general advice is still good. The details of what features might be out there will be different, but there will still be patterns such as the ones you pointed out, if not the same ones, so keeping an eye out for those kinds of things will pay off in the long run.

[@kitfo18]

If you are looking to start exploring the best bang for the buck is a Diamondback Explorer. It is the cheapest explorer and it is a small landing pad so much easier to land on planets. ASP explorer is a great ship but I would call it a second or upgraded ship to the DBX. Great video overall and yes the ship choice is a big point of content in Elite Dangerous lol. Fuel Scoop is a much have no exception, period.

[@xmustelidaexgaming5210]

I'm only 20 hrs in my first play of the game and getting ready to leave the district and you have sold me on my new profession! I cannot wait to see some new places 😁

[@CMDRExorcist]

That's so cool to hear! Welcome to the galaxy, CMDR! o7!

[@CMDREagle131]

Man, I have so many fond memories of taking the Colonia highway route. Some of my favorite views of the black are there a few thousand light-years south east from Colonia. Many great memories of flying east from Colonia through Odin's Hold too. Awesome work Exorcist! Sort of makes me want to come out of Explorer retirement.

[@tiberiusdave252]

Brilliant introduction. Looking forward to part 2.

[@tuinhoofd1923]

Unfortunately I don't have access to a better laptop or PC so I'm still playing horizons on console, hope to be able to play odyssey one day but for now I'm enjoying exploring the console version, the emptiness actually did help bring back some of that feeling of a bigger universe, a nice slowly dwindling playground to explore

[@SirKerrAvon]

Fantastic stuff CMDR and thanks so much for putting this out. o7!

[@agravar]

Superb video. Looking forward to watching the other videos in this series.

[@davidarnold5480]

Thanks for the great video, I look forward to part two, and I have just subscribed not to miss any future videos...….wait, I think I can feel something stirring within me

[@StephenDart]

I like your approach. Purist of the pure. Exploring for the thrill of something new and beautiful; unseen by others. I tend to pace myself. Did the Colonia Bridge by skipping two, going to every third. Drifting wide in between. It is important to not be in a hurry, but secure your progress weekly.

[@taragoudie5989]

that was something i learned quick. i would set a route make 2 jump and detour hard. lol love never gets old.

[@boomshanka4667]

Nice vids, Thanks for all the information

[@metalliguitare_4143]

Thanks a lot for your cool guide. On my side I decided to blow on my dusty X56 Rhino and decided to play the game again after 2 years. I let my ASP explorer in the garage and built a brand new shiny exploration Krait Phantom from scratch. I totally in line with the "journey, not destination" philosophy. I even asked my children which way to go : - my 3 year old daughter spun a botlle on the floor to decide the heading - my 10 year old son to pick a number -1000 and +1000 to decide the altitude from galactic plane. Here i am, 1500Ly from the bubble, into the westerm side of the Outer Orion Spur (literally "in the backyard"). I chose the "Cartographer" approach rather than "full" exploration. I use EDDiscovery with the full EDSM database loaded and i jump to any system that is not listed in the tool (which takes me seconds to find, really). 80% of the time, the system is also not discovered in-game. Win-win for everybody. I get more credits with first discovery bonuses and EDSM get new info. i intend to complete my codex of the region like this for a first real goal before trying a more bolder exploration journey. o7

[@loaaarrr]

Thanks for the great video. I'm going for exploration in ED more than anything else. I dunno if you planned on discussing it in future videos but mentioning the Deep Space Support Array would be helpful to new explorers. As well as third party tools to keep track of your route. Fly safe CMDR

[@gizmo104drives7]

Some fantastic shots you have in this video.. really looking forward to getting my conda engineered so i can get out and find some of these locations...

[@jordanglass5996]

Ive always loved a dolphin personally. Took me to Sagittarius A* on my Xbox save and Ill alway love it for how amazing of a ship it is, especially for newer players

[@Chuttanooga]

You're right, It's everyones' taste which ship to fly with for exploration. I flew with an anaconda to the center of our galaxy. The trip was beautiful but one fact gave me the feeling, this ship is too big for landing in some cases. In multiple times I tried to land in an specific area, but couldn't get down due to unsuitable surfaces. My first and long ago exploration I did with the Diamond Back. Here I never had problems to land on any moon or planet. Yes I know, it's a little issue beside all the fantastic sightseeings. But such things will come to mind, when you on your way into the eternity. Stay save, Cmdr Exorcist.

[@paulreckner723]

Totally agree with the core philosophy: Every new system has a chance (however slim) of being spectacular. The explo bug is like a gambling addiction; every jump is a spin of the wheel, and maybe this time you'll hit the jackpot. Or the next jump, or maybe the next jump, or maybe...and you're hooked. And while sometimes the spectacular pokes you in the eye as soon as you jump into the system (Collection of Wonders, Sag A*, etc.), other times it takes a little nosing around within a system to find the spectacular (an overlook above a massive canyon, or a tenuous atmosphere with an unusual color, a dense cluster of exobio species). Guessing you'll be getting into techniques for spotting those hidden treasures later on in the series. I feel like I'm still learning new tricks for finding these spots, so looking forward to the next installments. Cheers!

[@welshgamer1864]

Perfect video, I've personally done some 420Kly+ in my Conda, I'm now out there in a Cobra, I've done 59Klys so far and it's a great. I got involved with an expedition, completed it, but stayed out at the destination. I'm heading to SAG A*, I've been out 7 months, doing economical routing , My current destination is 368 jumps away and I'm not even half way. I can't plot an economical route as it's too many jumps, I don't care. It's all about the trip and what you find. Average jump distance is around 3lys at a time, and every system is first discovery, can't get any better than that. o7

[@PyraPanda]

Dbx is one of my favourite ships I’ve had one for a few years tho I keep finding contradictory builds and end up getting confused

[@Marleyjr00X]

I'm a few days out on my first real exploration trip. Been a little outside the bubble before but nothing like this. I'm advancing up the Orion Arm till it meets with the other one, then going east to Colonia, then Sag A. Then I'll decide what to do next. Been pretty fun so far.

[@Flyingtiger1726]

Been playing for 7 years. I agree with your ship selections but don't forget the Phantom 😀

[@nopizzanoglory]

Great video. I've recently returned to Elite after being away for a long time. Tried a lot of the new on-foot stuff first, but now I think it's time to leave the bubble again. Currently prepping my Cutter to be my next exploration ship. I can only see so much of my Anaconda, Corvette and smaller ships; this time I leave in style! 😂 4 SRV's (2 of each), AFMU (might add a 2nd smaller one), loads of heat sinks and enough materials to synthesize stuff when needed. And obviously the correct suit to scan some plants and what not out there. Considering adding the fighter bay too since there is still space left. First did some crash testing by boosting into the ground. That left me with 72% hull. Engineered the shields and might add a few shield boosters to see if I can get it to the point the shields take (most of) the impact damage. Only when I'm completely satisfied I will plot a course into the void. No rush to get somewhere where there is nobody waiting for me.

[@nopizzanoglory]

Update: Just jumped out of the bubble for a "luxury space expedition" in my newly fitted exploration Cutter. Not your average exploration ship, but it has everything I could wish for; 6 fighters, 4 SRVs (2 of each type), plenty of shields (crash tested boosting from 7.5 km altitude straight down reaching a speed of over 510 and the shields held with about half of them left on impact), large AFMU, 2 heat sink units, 6A fuel scoop, super cruise assist, advanced docking computer (might need that when I get back 😂 ) and of course the exploration suit to take samples of biological stuff. And it still has over 40 ly jump range. Quite impressive imho.

[@madddog6790]

Great vid! I hope you have plenty of seating capacity on that ship; I'm sure Tuomas, Emppu, Jukka, Kai, Troy and Floor would like a ride in that puppy at some point :) \m/

[@marsluco1917]

Thanks for the video, I may dust off my Phantom again and head out there. I've been to Beagle Point with Distant Worlds 2 but haven't really been back out since.

[@ceres_o7]

Just a heads up that the Discovery Scanner is not a module anymore, it and the FSS are built into every ship by default. Only the DSS is a module now. Before FSS was introduced, there were three discovery scanner modules (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced) but none of them exist anymore.

[@CMDRExorcist]

Thanks for the heads up. It's been so long since I purchased one that I assumed it was still a separate module. :)

[@j.d.4697]

As a Star Citizen player I am trying to get the SC experience but with exploration, something we sadly don't have much of yet. I know we only have 1 star system, but if you do the math even that has enough room to hide PoI in than all of humanity could possibly discover, so I have come to the realization the real conundrum with exploration is not the space, the distances (I have played EVE too), but rather what the devs fill that space with. So I am worried I will be wasting lots of time and money on exploring places that feel dead for discoveries that feel shallow and meaningless, because... ...there is hand-crafted content that can be unique, but eats up so much time and still has no guarantee for being interesting at all, there is procedurally generated content that could potentially fill billions of places, but usually feels shallow and random at best, and there's anything in between. I think for truly engrossing exploration gameplay, someone needs to come up with new tech that can create truly unique, deep, interesting and undiscovered content. 😐

[@Randaddy25]

I'm currently doing exploration in an ASP Explorer. Saving up for the big boy ships lol. I saw Odyssey got bad reviews. I really don't know why. I'm an avid gamer for decades now, and I enjoy this game very much.

[@CMDRExorcist]

Do exobiology! It'll make you a fortune!

[@Randaddy25]

@@CMDRExorcist I'm actually going around and finding planets with biological signals and going down to do those. Is that what you're referring to? I did a few of those when I first started, turned them in and realized I got 9.4 million credits lol. Now I'm hooked lol

[@CMDRExorcist]

Yep. There's a boost during the Thargoid War where you get 4x the payout on biologic scans right now, and an additional 1x payout if you are the first to discover/scan that biologic on that planet.

[@Randaddy25]

@@CMDRExorcist Sounds very promising! Thank you for your insight and video!

[@FlexDRG]

Thanks. But how does one target a system that hasn't been discovered inorder to jump to it? Even inside the bubble I see lines coming of systems (in the galaxy map) that end in nothing and I can't select those end points. I would think those lines lead to systems. But what would I know... I'm a noob.

[@hedcase]

Thanks for the video. I decided to blow off the dust of my copy after I bought a Tobii (boy that's a game changer!). I previously did the usual trading and VIP transport (was never really in to combat, mainly because I'm cr4p at it lol). So I bought myself an Anaconda, kitted it out well, and I'm off to the far horizon. Now a question: Can you fly a fighter around a planet? I know the main ship will be unmanned but in deep space there's less likely to be an AI trying to shoot it (I play solo game). Just curious.

[@CMDRExorcist]

You can't fly a fighter more than 30km away from the main ship or it will self-destruct, unfortunately. We've asked Frontier throughout the years for the ability to land and/or fly fighters independent of that tether, but it's probably never going to happen, unfortunately.

[@hedcase]

Oh well, it was just a thought 😊

[@urbanscopez5582]

I took a type 9 to Colonia

[@MotoNationUSA]

I am out in the black scanning planets that have never been discovered and then mapping some of the interesting ones. If I land on one of these planets does the generation system have a chance of placing alien artifacts or guardian ruins or anything of a constructed nature?

[@CMDRExorcist]

There's a small chance of finding Thargoid probes at random locations, but we haven't figured out what or why they appear in the middle of nowhere yet. Otherwise, the stellar forge doesn't generate alien ruins, bases, or other non-human locations.

[@MotoNationUSA]

Thx@@CMDRExorcist

[@thedstroyer462]

4000 years to explore everything? Boy the perfectionists run is going to be interesting....

[@GaLzZy.]

Sup man ! I started exploring today using external tools to know where to scan, scanned a couple system but didn't get any credits... DO i have to go somewhere to receive the money ? Thanks ::)

[@CMDRExorcist]

Yep. You have to sell your exploration data at Universal Cartographics location at least 20 light years away from the system you scanned. Some fleet carriers have them, but almost all stations have UC where you can sell data.

[@GaLzZy.]

@@CMDRExorcist Ok cool and should i be able to see my data somewhere in my ship interface cause everything is empty for me

[@CMDRExorcist]

Nope. Nowhere to view the data until you visit a Universal Cartographics on a station or fleet carrier.

[@felcas]

Great video, but I was expecting something more like what I can do with an Adder, because I am reeeeaally new and I don't have the money for those ships you sugested

[@Polestar207]

Get a hauler then and do road to riches then get anaconda

[@joeschmalhofer6109]

Exploring in an 100% unengineered Gunship would be painful... possible, but painful. :)

[@OldManPaxusYT]

Great video! Just a suggestion, the next time you do something like this: Show what you're describing! (E.g. When you described the void, you could have shown it on the map - no idea why you just kept going back to the graphic of the _"Best Places To Start"_ ) ← Comment for algorithm + 👍 'd #OldManPaxus Rating: ☆☆☆ ½

[@jason-qc5lr]

so you need to be somewhere that hasnt been charted yet to get credits from exploring right?

[@CMDRExorcist]

No, you still get a credit payout for scanning locations that are already discovered, but you get a huge bonus for being first to discover it.

[@jason-qc5lr]

@@CMDRExorcist how big is the difference?

[@CMDRExorcist]

It varies based on what type of planet it is (e.g. Earthlike, water world, rocky, etc.).

[@jason-qc5lr]

@@CMDRExorcist i see

[@metalliguitare_4143]

@@jason-qc5lr For example, an aleady scanned discovered water world will get you a couple thousand credits. But if you are the first to detailed scan it, it can net you over 4 million credits. I got 11.5 millions yesterday just by first scanning two terraformable water worlds that were gravitates around each other (4.5million each) + 1 High metal content terraformable just nearby.

[@LennynSquiggy912]

Why am I only getting a 6 second advertisement and nothing else?🤣 *Edit* I had to reload the page, wierdness....

[@ratstar4102]

They should put some exploration mechanic in game

[@mookithehamster5639]

Discovery scanner, dss, fss and xeno biology isn't enough? Would be cool with some aggressive flora and fauna though.

[@pickle93]

​@@mookithehamster5639 atmosphere landings

[@fcf8269]

Interesting guide, but I disagree with the "journey" part. Many people go to explore not just to see a vista or a strange place... Unless you got anything better to do during the day or night, most people like to have an objective, which is usually getting mats, discovery data or find something that has value in game. Sure, getting a great view and take a screenshot is awesome, but that is not why many people play games, as to do that you don't need a game but can do it easily with something like space engine. The fun is in using the game tools to discover things you can either take with you and collect, or document and make credits out of it, so you want to have a plan about what are you going to do when you go out there. Sadly ED does not have a concept of meeting new life forms, so the best you get is DNA samples of plants here and there; but at least it is better than nothing. Finding a class M planet and do a full scan is probably the closest you can get to exploring like you were in Star Trek or similar... Again not much but this is what we deal with in this game in the end

[@JohnSmith-zc5ox]

I bet you're fun at those PowerPoint presentations at corporate. /s