Update: this reward has now closed and its best submissions, all from expert players with hands-on experience, used to create curated content: Elite Dangerous exploration guide!
Calling all Elite Dangerous explorers! Welcome to the fourth bounty in our 'how to get into' series. For these bounties, we want you to share tips and advice explaining how to get started and progress through Elite's various official and unofficial careers. Having covered mining, salvage, and bounty hunting, we're moving onto Elite's flavour of the month (thanks, Mandalay!): exploration.
So share your best guidance for new-to-intermediate Elite Dangerous players who want to make exploration their career of choice.
Here are three things we're not looking for:
Advanced and complex exploration tips - We're open to intermediate tips here, but we intend to turn your advice into a beginner-friendly guide. Later, we'll run separate expert advice bounties for each of Elite's career paths.
Exploration ship builds and outfits - We're open to exploration ship and module recommendations and build tips, but we'll also run a separate exploration outfitting bounty.
Exobiology advice - We'll run a separate bounty for this too, so please save your exobiology advice for that one.
There's no minimum or maximum word count for this bounty, but we expect at least a few sentences. If you enter with video, be sure to first connect your account (see below).
This reward closed to entries at 1:09pm on October 18, 2024 but you can still reply, react, and join the conversation below! If you’d like to enter other rewards which are still open, click here.
First, we need to understand that exploring in Elite Dangerous is a fantastic experience that goes far beyond traveling far and wide. The experience of discovery is truly rewarding. So we need to be excited and motivated to explore strange and unique places.
Know how to choose the right ship, considering that a ship with good jumping ability is very important. One that I really like and recommend would be the Diamondback Explorer, which is very efficient over long distances, as well as being affordable!
And once you've chosen your ship, you need to equip it! Items such as the Frame Shift Drive (FSD) will be of great help in increasing the range of the jump... as well as the Fuel Scoop since nobody wants to run out of fuel!!! Scanners are also very important for optimizing gains.
Always build your ship with lightness in mind! Think about it, the heavier it is, the less efficient it is.
Now, to explore... a bit more of the same. Jump to a new system and use the scanners to analyze the area, look for “treasures” and remember to refuel at the stars wherever possible.
And please, SURVIVE! haha. To do this, be a patient explorer, check your data and always check your fuel! Have a good trip guys!
I'm going to give some advice specifically for those with free time and an adventurous heart... Have a good amount of money, a good fuel scoop and a fair jump distance? Then just go for it. You will make mistakes. You will lose a brutal amount of data and you will waste shocking amounts of time BUT if you are prepared to accept these results as challenges, rather than frustrations, and you will take the time to learn how to prevent the negative outcomes from happening on your next run, nothing teaches as well as failure. May be an odd take but I want to learn about the game the same way im learning about the galaxy. Boldly, and with the potential for letal errors.
I believe that exploration is the path that those with a free spirit should pursue, lots of exploration, different landscapes and immersive activities with unexplored systems, ancient relics and the search for the unknown haha! Let's get to the important points:
Choosing your ship: I believe it doesn't deviate too much from ASP Explorer, you find a very interesting balance in cost and jump capacity, allowing you to travel a good distance even at the start. After exploring for a while, I'd go for the Krait Phantom, which gives you a greater choice of equipment. From the moment you select your ship, understand that the ideal thing to do is to reduce the ship's mass as much as possible, reducing unnecessary weapons and armor, which brings us to the next topic.
Choosing modules: I believe there's no getting away from D-class modules, since they don't impact on your jump range, opt for a light shield and smaller thrusters. Remember, you want to EXPLORE, not BATTLE.
Equipment needed: I believe there's no getting away from the standards:
Class A Frame Shift Drive (FSD): Will allow you greater jumping range, this is definitely the most important module
Fuel Scoop: Do you go on a trip in your car without knowing how much gas you have left? Then haha, this is a great investment, there are no mistakes
Now that you've got your ship ready, organize your trip: Exploration isn't just about driving around without any idea, establish a route and realize that it's about experiencing the journey and not the arrival. You need to understand what KGB FOAM is, this acronym indicates the types of star that can help you refuel. Now that you know you won't be going out at random, look to the community as a base for your explorations, remember that our community never leaves others without help!
Into Exploration In Elite Dangerous (new-to-intermediate players ) :
If you are a person that likes to discover the beautiful corners of Elite Dangerous then Exploration is the path you should take . looking into the endless horizons of alien planets is the real sense of freedom you are searching for so prepare yourself and follow this guide that will put you in the path to become a : Legendary Explorer of the Milky way Galaxy
Preparing Your ship :
The First Principal before buying a ship for Exploration is Jump Range stat is everything and for that you need to chose carefully , we advise you to buy the ASP Explorer for Now , it's cheap and efficient and can take you any where , but for the future other ships may release and take the place of this legendary ship ( Mandalay! ) . Now that you are in your new ship , you are asking is there modules that I should install , well let me tell you : "You must !" . See this bad boy of a ship can go even further then the default modules and can go more then 65 light year jump easy with some engineering but surly you are knew so we will keep it simple and cheap . First know that the mass of the ship is the major factor of the ship's Jump range , and for that we gonna mostly put some small and cheap modules to lose wait and go even further into the horizon. Your guns … forget they exist mate , remember Jump Range is every thing . Your Armor … Strip it to the bones . Your shield …. who needs a big shield put a small one. Your thruster … same. Most of the core and optional modules will be chosen following the Principal : Range > Power
here are some screen shoots as an example :
Second , You probably don't want to be stranded 50 000 Light for any human , so the only exception here is you gonna buy the most powerful fuel scoop that you can and put it in the class 6 of the ASP Explorer , trust me this thing will save you life out there more then a life support !
And Now you are ready and nothing will stop you , remember every now and then upgrade your modules not by replacing but through engineering as you learn more and more ,
Exploration is relatively easy to get into, it can be as simple as just using your built in discovery scanner as you enter a new system, and turning that data in as you do other activities in the bubble. However, in my opinion, the best way to get into exploration is to just pick a direction out of the bubble and go exploring, it's surprising how easy it is to find new things just 1,500 LY out of the bubble.
The best ships to start out in are the Diamondback Explorer, Dolphin, ASP Explorer and Krait Phantom depending on your budget.
Fit the ship with an A rated SCO FSD drive, an A rated power plant, and D rate the rest of your core internals. Equip the largest size fuel scoop you can fit (remember KGB FOAM for scoopable stars), a detailed surface scanner, and the smallest D rated shield your ship will allow (you'll want to land on planets, it'll save you from crashing).
The exploration loop is as follows, jump to a new system, use your discovery scanner to get a basic lay of the system, then switch to your Full Spectrum System (FSS) Scanner to figure out what exact bodies are in the system. Once you do that then you can decide if there is anything you want to visit and get a detailed surface scan of. Generally you'll want to scan terraformable worlds, water worlds, amonia worlds, and always earth like worlds.
Lastly, I find the best way to enjoy exploration is to look for strange outliers, really small moons, rings that are over 1 ly in radius, really close orbits, etc. But ultimately you have to find your own motivations to explore.
The basic exploration I understand should be taken as follows:
- Choose an exploration ship to your liking, an ASP Explorer is a superb ship for this purpose in the early stages, as it is affordable in price and its initial approach invites you to fulfill this role.
- Equip it with a good Fuel Scoop to be able to travel long distances in the black, a Detailed Surface Scanner which, together with the Full Spectrum System Scanner, will allow you to map the systems and bodies that you are going to visit, a Heat Sink Launcher to be able to have help in moments of temperature rush at the time of making the scoop, and an Shield Generator and an Auto Field-Maintenance Unit to make sure that you will always have your ship ready.
- Set up a Vehicle Bay and take a SRV with you to enjoy the surface of the planets you visit.
- In case you want to do Exobiology, remember to have an Artemis Suit as it is the only one equipped with the Genetic Sampler tool needed to collect the specimens.
For beginners and newcomers to the game, my advice is to enjoy, above the search for obtaining credits, which I believe will always come with the daily gameplay, so I recommend making short jumps, and enjoy each of the systems that are visited, because almost all of them will have some surprise in store for you.
Simply use these mechanics:
- Mark a random route on the galaxy map with whatever jumping ability you have available. But a short route, at first you don't need to go far away from the bubble, or spend months in the black.
- In each jump you make, do the Honk, and scan in detail the entire system from the position close to the initial star, and visit the bodies that most interest you.
- Visit and scan in detail the bodies that catch your attention, enjoy their planetary surface with the SRV and on foot.
- Take the opportunity to scan the earth type planets, because having fun and seeing beautiful things is not incompatible with returning to the bubble with a good amount of credits.
- Enjoy every corner of every system. It may seem that all the icy planets, or all the rocky ones, are the same, but each one keeps its own secret, be sure of that.
Once you have had your first experiences in a totally free exploration, with no fixed objectives and no pressure, you can prepare a more specialized ship, set a specific objective, and go out exploring for as long as you see fit.
Pick a ship with enormous jump range. If you're starting out I'd suggest going with the ASP Explorer (my favourite explorer ship) as it's not too expensive but still has a good range. You want to make it as light as possible but with a big FSD that can go a long way. If you have the time engineering one I'd suggest doing that.
Outfit a big fuel scoop so you don't waste time scooping.
Include at least 1 auto field maintenance unit and make sure it's filled up before you go. If you're going to be using Neutron star jumps then your FSD is going to slowly reduce in health, good idea to repair it before it gets below 80%.
Bring some heat sinks. It's super easy to get distracted and fly into a star. To get out you'll need to use a heat sink so your ship doesn't burn up.
Learn about how to use the FSS, an essential tool for exploration.
Outfit a Detailed Surface Scanner and learn how to map planets and which pay the good $, assuming you're wanting to earn something while exploring.
If you have Odyssey, grab an Artemis suit as it will let you scan plants.
Outfit an SRV. Handy for exploring the surface of planets.
If you've been playing a bit longer and have a fleet carrier:
Bring your fleet carrier with you exploring. I bring my fleet carrier with me exploring and it's fantastic. I can dock when I want, submit my findings, repair my ship, replenish my stock. Very handy if I accidentally destroy my SRV. The fleet carrier can be bit of a pain as it can only jump 500ly at a time but I still prefer having it with me with all the benefits. It also means I can switch ships at any time and do other activities, like mining if I want.
Exploration can be split into two groups: Fast system scanning and detailed surface scanning.
Fast system scanning is a cheap and easy way to get into exploration. After dropping into a system, you "honk" (meaning you use the discovery scanner to uncover all planets, stars, and moons in the system), then you jump into the next system. This is a fast process than can be done during fuel scooping and thus should be standard practice for any endeavouring explorer even during routine trips. No matter where you are going, the time it takes to pass the star and line up with your next jump is best utilised by honking and scooping. Just be sure not to get too close to the star you're scooping from!
Detailed surface scanning begins the same as fast system scanning: You honk the system. You then start up your FSS, or full spectrum scanner, to see the emission spectra of all bodies in the system. Beware that different types of bodies will have emissions in different parts of the spectrum and pay differently! A seasoned explorer will quickly see if any high-value targets are in the area, such as water worlds or earth-like planets. If you find a planet that is worth a closer look, target it and scan it using the FSS. Then fly towards it. This extra flying takes up a considerable amount of time, so it's not recommended as standard practice during routine trips. On dedicated exploration missions, a good target is well worth the detour though! Once you arrive at your target, fire up your DSS, or detailed surface scanner, and send probes at your target until 90% of the surface has been mapped. Congratulations, you have now mapped a planet! This will pay out much better than a simple discovery honk, but the added fly time results in about equal pay per hour. It does come with the nice bonus of putting your name on that planet forever, at least if you're the first commander to discover it.
As with all things space, the members of the pilots federation have put together great tools to ease the entry into exploration. If this is not about the thrill of discovery for you, but rather a job to pay the bills, then the road to riches may be your first target! It is a highly profitable chain of systems with high-paying planets scattered about. It is also fairly close to the bubble. This may be a good start for the beginner explorer to earn their first few exploration ranks, make enough credits for all the gear they will need out in the black on their next mission, and get the hang of the gear they already have. Once you have completed this, you'll be ready to explore Sagittarius A* in no time!
Just remember to land, deploy your SRV, and take in the view every now and then. The universe is a truly spectacular place when viewed up close. Good travels and happy hunting commander! Welcome to the explorers guild!
Exploration in elite is beautifully simple, you can technically do it in any ship, although there a few (Krait Phantom, DBX, ect) that are generally better.
You will need three things:
A decent jump range. 30+ LY will suffice
A Detailed surface scanner (optional internal)
A fuel scoop. You NEED a fuel scoop
When you first jump into a system, D-Scanner it to search for planets. Then enter the FSS to establish what type they are, and if they are worth detailed scanning.
Earth-like worlds, Ammonia worlds & water worlds will always be worth detailed scanning. Tools like ED Observatory can help with categorising any others.
Once you're done, head back to a station and sell your data at "Universal Cartographics". Bonus money for first discovery! Good luck CMDR o7
First, you need money to buy and equip your ship and increase your jump distance with the hyperdrive. I recommend taking on small missions until you can dive deeper into a career you enjoy more. There are many tutorials that can help you with this.
After you gather some money and have a ship with at least a 30 light-year maximum jump range and a fuel scoop, you will have certainly become familiar with some exploration mechanics in Elite Dangerous.
Important tips include always scanning the systems you pass through with the D-Scanner (the game teaches you this), even if they are just on the way, selling your data as soon as possible since it can be lost in case of a ship explosion, and checking for stars where you can collect fuel to avoid accidents (star classes O, B, A, F, G, K, and M).
The next step is to scan planetary bodies with drones, which are indicated after using the D-Scanner and can yield much more money. Over time, you will get used to this.
You can also explore many of these planets when they are landable, which can lead to fun adventures and even some money from data or materials found.
From this point, you are basically ready to explore the entire Milky Way. Try to find binary or tertiary systems, visit nebulas, and who knows, maybe even the farthest reaches of the universe.
The game registers your name when you discover stars and planets that no one has ever visited before, as well as when you explore them more deeply. The first time is always memorable. The next ones are addictive.
Exploration is the biggest thing the game has going for it. A 1:1 scale galaxy with 400 billion systems is estimated to have only about 0.0003% of the galaxy explored.
Now I'll mention some tips that may help:
Choose the right ship: I recommend ships like the Diamondback Explorer or the Asp Explorer.
In particular I found the ASP Explorer much more useful because of the size of the fuel collector that can be put on it, which is up to size 6. This allows you to collect fuel from stars faster. My ASP Explorer is a mess from the amount of jumps I made exploring hehe..
Map high value planets like water worlds, land worlds, terraforming candidates, and ammonia planets. This will help you get credits so you can finance exploration.
If you want to make long jumps, neutron stars are your best ally.
Exploration is one of the easiest activities to get into.
Make sure your ship is equipped with a Fuel Scoop and a Detailed Surface Scanner. This is all you actually need for your first trip. Optionally, you can add a shield and an SRV to allow you to drive around on planet surfaces.
If you plan to do exobiology while out exploring, don't forget to pick up an Artemis suit.
You don't need to engineer your ship at all - but it can be extremely helpful to at least engineer your Frame Shift Drive for Increased Jump Range. If you plan on landing on planets, I'd also strongly suggest engineering your shields; most explorers who die do so from bad landings.
It can be hard to find a reason to explore, at least at first. It can definitely be helpful to set an objective so I'd recommend looking at the Galactic Exploration Catalog which is a collection of fantastic things around the galaxy that are worth visiting. There are many even in the Inner Orion Spur, so you don't have to go too far to find something. When you've plotted your route, remember to also use the DSS to map any Earth-like worlds, water worlds, ammonia worlds and terraformable planets you come across on the way. These are the bread-and-butter for explorers and will help you increase your exploration rank quickly.
Lastly, don't forget the single most important thing: Take Pictures! (and better, share them).
Elite:Dangerous' complete galaxy model give us 400,000,000,000 stars to go and look at, so there's plenty for everyone.
When you visit a star system and scan it with your system scanner your ship will save the summary data of that system and you can then sell that data at a starport to a company called "Universal Cartographics" or UniCarti for short. A delightful perk is that if you are the first person to sell that data then UniCarti will put your name on that system's information page forever more as the First Discoverer for all the world to see. You can also map the bodies in the system and claim the "First Mapped By" moniker. Finally there's a "First Footfall" label but this doesn't require UniCarti involvement, just land and set foot on the surface.
I can hear you now, "let me go get my name in lights!". Well hold on there partner, not so fast. E:D has been around for over eight years, so a lot of the nearby systems have been discovered and labelled. If you want that lovely warm feeling of being a first discoverer, strap up your boots because the chances are you'll need to get at least 1,000 light years away from Sol to start seeing uncharted systems regularly. These days 1kly isn't so much of a trial but be prepared to go further if needs be. You should also consider getting off the galactic plane i.e. move up or down on the galaxy map by at least 200 light years. Things thin out, but so do the number of commanders.
Once you've filled your boots with exploration data and the space madness is starting to creep in, head home. BUT....be careful. If your ship for whatever reason is destroyed you will LOSE the exploration data with no recovery possible (remind me...what's the game called?). Tread carefully on the way to sell your data, play in Solo mode to avoid human pirates, and land cautiously. In extreme cases call the "Hull Seals" if you're dangerously low on Hull percentage.
On your way take screenshots of your interesting systems, or make notes. I use a spreadsheet with several tabs, but I'm probably not normal. However having the data to look back in can be very rewarding in time to come, I wish I had done so with my very early discoveries.
Above all else, have fun. Take the time to investigate that weird blobby planet, or those crazy rings. Look up the legend of Raxxla and investigate any eighth moons you see.
Lastly, post your photos. Put them on your favourite social media outlet of choice (Just About included!) - the community feedback is one of the most satisfying parts of the experience so don't miss out.
I'm glad you decided to become an explorer in this dangerous universe. Even in the 34th century, there are still numerous unknown territories left for us to explore in the galaxy.
Compared to combat or trading, exploration seems much safer, as the star sectors outside the bubble are almost entirely No Man's Zones. This means you face fewer threats from hostile players or NPCs, but instead, you encounter dangers directly from the unforgiving universe.
So here's my first advice: Stay Safe, Fly Cautiously!
Normally, flying in space is not that dangerous. Even if you accidentally drop into the gravity well of a star, your ship won't sustain too much damage. However, there are still some dangerous space objects to watch out for.
Neutron Stars/White Dwarfs: These are the remnants of dead stars. They appear as small white spheres with plasma beams shooting out from their poles. You can use these plasma beams to supercharge your Frame Shift Drive, but if you accidentally drop out of supercruise inside the plasma beams, there's almost no escape. Your ship systems will fail shortly, and escaping the plasma beams becomes nearly impossible.
So, if you decide to get an FSD boost from these objects, fly your ship towards the tails of the plasma beams rather than directly into the core. This will reduce the chance of an accidental drop.
High-Gravity Planets: It's always exciting to land on planets, but some can be extremely dangerous due to high gravity.
When you finish the glide phase and approach the surface of a high-gravity planet, you might find that even though you're trying your best to reduce speed, the ship still seems to be diving towards the ground at high speed. This is because the force generated by your bottom thrusters is too weak to counter the gravity. In this situation, you need to point your ship's main thrusters at the ground and boost to reduce the sink rate. The main thrusters generate much more force than the maneuvering thrusters. Additionally, don't deploy your landing gear too early, as doing so will reduce the output power of your thrusters.
Close-Range Multiple Stars: Sometimes, you'll encounter binary, triple, or even more stars close together, like this:
The view is spectacular, but sometimes you'll drop out of a hyper jump right between two stars. The heat from both stars is extreme and can overheat your ship in seconds. If you find yourself between two stars, leave this "hot zone" immediately and use heat sinks if necessary.
As I mentioned earlier, most star sectors outside the bubble are No Man's Zones, meaning the only things you'll encounter during your trip are lonely stars and cold planets. It's easy to feel lonely and bored. So my second piece of advice is: Explore step by step; don't set too big of a goal at first.
For example, if you're new to exploration, start by visiting points of interest within or not too far from the bubble, rather than flying straight to Beagle Point. Otherwise, the long, boring journey might make you go AFK very quickly.
Since we're going for some tips of how to get into exploring, not how to do it or how to be efficient with it (though knowing how and knowing how to do it efficiently is my motto most of the time), I assume we're talking more about preparing yourself for it, both technically and mentally. We will start with a couple of things.
Why exploring?
It's a space game
Well, since we're playing a space game, and Elite Dangerous is a huge game, there are always space (no pun intended) to roam free out there and explore. We have been here for 10 years, and if I recall correctly, only 5% of the whole discoverable systems are already discovered. Same applied to bodies, and biology signals.
You got a bit tired of seeing npcs
If you find yourself getting a bit bored of daily commodities trading, shooting pirates, or mining, and you want to spend a couple of nights, or weeks, flying out there in the dark, find yourself a new undiscovered system.
You want to discover new systems and get your name on them
I find it quite satisfying when I turn in my cartographics data and this shows up on the system that I flew by:
Credits and getting higher explorer's rank
Self-explanatory, the real money comes from exo scan anyway, but turning in cartographic data gives you explorer's rank.
Exo scanning, which is very lucrative, but we'll talk about that later
Remember, if you die, or if someone turns in the data of the same systems that you found before you, even if they scanned it after you, you won't be the first one to discover it
You want to take some cool screenies
Salutation from a very p(r)isstine reserved planet
Don't think about where you have to get to in the shortest time
Exploring is not about space racing, take your time, full spectrum scan if you find a system that is not discovered. Map (surface scan) the water world or earth-like or outdoor worlds anytime you find one and if they are not too far from where you are, they give a lot of credits. Anything above 8,000 Ls is pretty far for me in case you don't have an SCO FSD module equipped.
Most of the time cmdrs think about how to get to place A in X amount of time and Y amount of jumps. Well, I do min maxing my jump range, but if you're planning to explore, don't think about speedrunning it, 2 hours of straight jumping and fuel scooping is the fastest way to burn you out of it.
Take your time, enjoy the ride.
What do you need to start
A ship that you enjoy flying on her, you enjoy sitting in the cockpit, you like the view, or you just love your ship. Cannot spend hours of exploring on a ship that you don't enjoy.
Decent jump range: You can always go exploring on a combat ship, but having a ship suited for jumping and exploring is great. Jump range can get about 80ish ly on an Anaconda, or 70 and above on the best explorers like the Diamond Back Explorer, Asp Explorer or Krait Phatom. But if you are planning on going on about 4000 ly or below to any direction out side of the bubble, I'd say 50ish ly is already good enough.
Better jump range can be acquired by having a grade A SCO FSD module, having the other modules at class D. Engineering your modules (inscrease jump range option, for exp effect, deep charge for size 4 modules and below, mass manager for size 5 to above) boosts a ton of light years. We will get to that in the future for an advanced guide on ship outfitting for exploring.
Fuel Scoop: fit the biggest one you can on your optional module slot. Save some credits for it, grade A gets the fastest scoop time. Cannot go far without fuel. You'll need it to boost your jump range every time you're in a neutron star system anyway.
Detailed Surface Scanner: you'll need it if you feeling like landing for exo scanning, or just scan some good bodies for extra credits, or just for the sake of being the first one to map them.
SRV: not needed but can be handy if you're landing. Take the type G hangar, they use more power but lighter than the type H. Don't forget to go to the SRV tab to buy the SRV after getting the hangar. If you are somehow in a system that you don't have enough fuel or jump range to get out of it, there's a chance you can land and get the materials from the bodies to inject your FSD for a boost, and you need an SRV for that. That's why, try to bring an SRV, it could come in handy.
Auto field mantanance unit (AFMs): fit the biggest one you can after the fuel scoop, boosting your fsd from a neutron or dwarf star takes 1% from your FSD's integrity, and it starts to malfunction at about 80%, you can keep them off during supercruise if your power plant cannot handle it, then when you need to repair the modules, go to normal space, boot it on and repair your fsd.
Heat sink, sometimes a red dwarf or a white dwarf can pull you out of supercruise, and by booting back into supercruise you'll boil your ship a bit, so a heatsink or two can be very handy.
Neutron star = yes
A neutron star gives you 300% boost to your jump range
Be careful with white dwarves
A white dwarf star, gives you 1.5 boost to your jump range
I do boost with the white dwarves as well if I have a decent jump range, but that's up to you, it's easier to be caught in the exclusion zone while you're scooping the cone, and if that happens, that's the end of your journey, they'll save you one jump only anyway, so approach with caution. Pay attention to that orbit line when you're getting close! Just dip on the very tail of its tail.
Last but not least, a good music playlist
Most of the time when I go on exploring, mining or trading, I tend to turn off the ingame music put on some music, at about medium volume so it feels like I'm actually playing it in my ship.
Some of the music I've been playing while exploring:
Choose a cool place to visit if you don't know where to go
I know I mentioned earlier above about not to set a specific goal, but still, know where you're going to could help a bit, at least that's how it works for me :)
The POIs visitor list can be a cool option. For beginners, you can take a trip to the guardian site, bring an SRV, then you can get some mats and blueprint to get your FSD booster as well when you're back in the bubble. A size 5 FSD booster gives you 10ly boost, which is almost a good option for a traveller, and sometimes even a miner or trading ship.
I believe that's all of it to get into this activity. There will be more advanced guides about outfitting, ship buildings and exo scanning :) good luck out there and Fly Dangerously o7
Realistically, the only way you can get into exploration is having the curiosity and the drive to explore the unknown. For me it was to get my name on a couple of stars, then it turned into how far can i go, then it was i want to see what that nebula looks like, now its the sole fact that im enjoying it rather than truck around at the moment. it takes some time.
You need to build up some credits to have for cushion, in case you happen to bounce on a moon, and set up your ship for exploration. I suggest going to LYR space and using the extra 12% off on modules within his stations to outfit your ship. NEVER forget your fuel scoop and an srv. I would also suggest buying voice attack for those that want to automate your ship functions and feel like HAL is your AI.
Now if you really want to make a nice profit from exploration which also goes hand in hand with exobiology, after becoming rank 5 with LYR, you get and extra 200% pay increase from LYR when selling your cartographic data to him.
O7 to all you new CMDRs, hope to see your name on a sun someday!
Alright so you want to get into exploration huh? Before I'll start, it's very important to mention that you should avoid flying through the Thargoid invaded regions:
Exploration ships aren't capable of surviving encounter with a hostile Thargoid ship so avoid these regions while flying out of the human systems (The Bubble).
So with this little warning behind us, let's talk about the must-have equipment (I know this isn't about ship outfitting, but every explorer should have those on his/her ship, it's a key thing for every exploration ship).
Fuel Scoop - save the best Optional Internal slot for that. With better fuel scoop you will gain fuel much faster. Aim for the highest Scoop Rate as you can get:
Detailed Surface Scanner (DSS) - To scan a planet and know what goods it has (geological sites with raw resources, and exobiology plants), you need a proper scanner. When you effectively scan a planet using that, you will gain more credits for discovering it. DSS, just like fuel scoop, also counts as Optional Internal, but unlike fuel scoop, you want to put it in the lowest possible slot because it has only 1 grade, the 1I, which fits for the Class 1 slot or higher. So there is no reason to waste better slots for that.
And the rest is basically up to you. If you want to just wonder around the Bubble or fly through the systems without going too far away, you don't need any specified ship, only presented equipment. It's also important to upgrade you Frame Shift Drive (FSD) to the best Grade A version, because it has the highest jump range.
But if you want to reach further regions, beyond the Bubble or even Inner Orion Spur, you will need a better ship. From the small ones, very good is Diamondback Explorer (DBX). What could fit better than a ship with "Explorer" in its name? Of course other small ships will fit too, but DBX is one of the better options for the beginners.
After you come back from the deep space, you can sell your data to the nearest Universal Cartographics, which can be located below the contacts when docked at a station. Selling data will increase your Explorer rank.
But, if because of an accident, you have used all your fuel, and even switching route to the ecological one won't help you reach the nearest scoopable star (one of those: O, B, A, F, G, K, M), from which ones your Fuel Scoop can gather fuel and you don't want to loose your data, you can call the Fuel Rats:
Fuel Rats is a group of players that for free will help you in case of lack of fuel. You need to click "Get Fuel" button and the rest is explained on their site.
And with that stuff, you are ready for your first exploration. Good luck Commander!
The exploration in Elite Dangerous is almost limitless but whether you want to travel 400 light-years or 4,000 there are certain preparations you should make before you even think about undocking or planning your route.
1: Have a goal
Before you go anywhere, have a think about what it is you want to achieve with your trip. Do you want to travel to a certain nebula to go sightseeing? Maybe you just want to collect data? Or maybe you want to find new artifacts, anomalies. Whatever it is, no matter how small. Have a goal, then you can fit your shop accordingly before you reach your destination. Because you don't want to get all the way there and realize you forgot your srv or scanners.
2: Fuel scoop, fuel scoop, fuel scoop
Never, EVER leave the station on any exploration trip without the best fuel scoop your ship can fit, the better the fuel scoop the faster you can refill.
3: KGB FOAM
Don't trust the automatic routes, it's quite likely it could take you along a route where you can't find a star you can refuel at. You can refuel at any K, G, B, F, O A or M class stars, basically any that aren't dwarfs or neutron's. You can filter for these in the galaxy map, so make sure to check along your route to make sure you have enough of these dotted along your route.
4: Neutron stars are your friend
Whilst they can be terrifying to encounter the first time, you can actually use these to your advantage by flying into the cone on a gentle slope for a big boost to your FSD. This can take some practice and could damage your systems, so practice on neutron stars in and around the bubble first.
Also if you're traveling further a field, I recommend looking into the neutron highway.
5: Don't knock the ASP
You might scoff at the ASP Explorer because it's what many recommend to new explorers but there's a reason. It's a great all-round ship with space for your SRV and engineered can have a very respectable jump range. Plus it's also pretty cheap, comparatively speaking.
6: Heatsinks will save you
Sooner or later, you're going to fly straight into a large star and everything is going to be screaming at you with sparks flying everywhere and smoke filling your cabin. Having Heatsinks can give you that valuable buffer you need to escape the gravity of that star that catches you off guard.
Remember 2 main things - A good Fuel Scoop and KGB FOAM
Those things are the main things for you to remember or have in your ship. A fuel scoop is extremely necessary for you to run outside the bubble or Colonia because there isn't any station for you to refuel. And the KGB FOAM is an anagram for the star classes that you can scoop and refuel your ship, the star classes are the O, B, A, F, G, K and M. After a jump get close to a star in a safe distant and wait your tank get full, and some ships can refuel just passing by the star.
After you have those basics to not get killed in your travel you will need to have a nice FSD and a ship that can have a nice jump range, my recommendations are Cobra MK III, Diamondback Explorer, ASP Explorer, Krait Phantom and of course the mighty Anaconda. And after get you ship you must have a good scanner to scan and catalogue the stars of a system and I highly recommend you have a good surface scanner as well. It will help you to earn more rewards since planets scanned in surface give you a way more rewards that just scan it with the discovery scanner.
Keep in mind that a repair limpets controllers and AFMU (Auto Field-Maintenance Unit) are important for distant travels. And a SRV is a good call to explore the surface and get materials to refuel the AFMU and build limpets.
With all that ready, lets go to the steps to do the exploration:
Plan your route or enter an expedition, you can find a lot in the EDSM, just see in this link
Start jumping through the systems and remember every time to honk (use the discovery scan associate to a fire key to make basics scan)
If you find a interesting system to you open your Full Spectrum System Scanner (FSS) and scan the planets.
If you find a good planet (Ammonia, Water, Earth-Like or Metal-Rich) it is worth to make a Surface Scan but you can scan any planet you like (it will be very useful for exobiology exploration).
Go to the planet and open you surface scan and starting to shoot you probes, remember that you have a bonus if you use the minimum of probes possible , with time will get the practice to do that easily.
Repeat it though all your expedition, personal or public.
After finishing you expedition go back to any station in Colonia, Bubble or even in Explorer's Anchorage in the galaxy center. And then sell your cartographic data. (you be extremely rich now and with a high exploration Rank, I got my Elite rank just doing the Distant Words 2 expedition)
As extra tips I recommend you the site already mentioned the EDSM and the third party tool ED-Discovery, it will help you to explore the system and plan your expeditions! And don't forget, the main reward for the explorers isn't the tons of credits, but are the wonders that you find in the unknown space!
Take a lot of screenshots of your discovery, register where those discovery are, and share with the community. We love to see other players doing great discoveries!
Update: this reward has now closed and its best submissions, all from expert players with hands-on experience, used to create curated content: Elite Dangerous exploration!
