Last revised: 8 April 2020. Welcome to my in-depth beginner’s guide to Frontier Development’s space simulation Elite: Dangerous.

A PDF version of this beginner’s guide is now available for download! Many thanks to CMDR Aurelius Borealis for creating, maintaining, and hosting this PDF version.

Beginner’s guide contents:

1. Introduction

Let’s be honest, Elite: Dangerous (ED) doesn’t exactly go out of its way to explain things to players (though it is now starting to get much better in this respect!). As such, it can be quite daunting to the newcomer, particularly those unfamiliar with the previous Elite games or space sims in general. I personally find it very rewarding to figure out game mechanics for myself through a process of discovery and experimentation, but others may find this a bit frustrating!

In light of this, I created this beginner’s guide back in January 2015 and have continued working on it since. The guide is aimed at Commanders just starting out in Elite: Dangerous as well as those looking for a relatively simple resource for the game’s core mechanics. It’s broken down into sections that you can jump to using the contents list above.

Over the past five years, the game has grown and evolved, and so has this guide. Whenever possible, I will continue to update the guide to reflect changes to the game and to improve the usefulness of the information.

It’s worth noting that because game’s UI has been tweaked and added to over the past few years some older screenshots in the guide may differ slightly from the current UI.

I hope this beginner’s guide is useful and I’m happy to answer any questions posted in the comments. Also please feel free to inform me of any errors, glaring omissions, out-of-date info, broken links, or typos (an belief mee this thint if ridddled mith typos).

However, if you don’t like Elite: Dangerous or have issues with Frontier Developments, I totally respect that, but the comments section of this guide is not a place to vent your feelings.

Fly safe Commanders o7

2. Useful resources to get you started

Before getting started on your imaginary space career, it’s worth checking out some of the in-game and external resources for Elite: Dangerous. External resources come in both official and community (unofficial) flavours.

In-game resources

It didn’t always, but Elite: Dangerous now contains several in-game resources aimed at newer players.

Fledgeling Commanders must first undergo a Pilot’s Assessment in order to get their Pilot’s Federation licence prior to starting the game. Essentially, this is just an interactive tutorial that gently introduces players to the basic concepts and controls of flight, combat, and space travel.

Additional tutorials in the form of training simulations, challenge scenarios, and online videos are also available from the Training section of the main game menu. These tutorials can also be safely accessed at any time while playing the game, from the home tab of the right-hand panel (systems) of your ship’s cockpit.

Lastly, the Codex, which is also accessible from the home tab of the right-hand cockpit panel, contains the:

Knowledge Base , which outlines key aspects of Elite: Dangerous lore, including information and history about the main factions

, which outlines key aspects of Elite: Dangerous lore, including information and history about the main factions Pilot’s Handbook, which explains the basics of some of the game’s main activities and professions, such as mining, exploration, trading, and bounty hunting

External resources

If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out the Elite: Dangerous community page, where you will find a series of tutorial videos, patch notes, and some general information on different aspects of the game.

There’s also a comprehensive old-school game manual in PDF format that does a decent job of covering controls, HUD, flight, travel, combat, and basic game mechanics/concepts. However, this manual hasn’t been updated since 2017, so some aspects of the UI and gameplay have now changed.

You can also access many of these official resources from the top right of the game launcher.

Two other excellent resources are the Elite Dangerous Wiki and ED Tutorials. Both are community-made resources for learning more about specific aspects of Elite: Dangerous. In particular, ED Tutorials has a large number of detailed, well-written and easy-to-follow tutorials covering “all styles of play from exploration and mining to Thargoids and PvP combat”.

It’s also worth signing up to the official forums as you will find a wealth of information and advice there, plus it’s the best place to keep yourself informed about any changes or additions to the game. Members are generally quite helpful if you have any questions, but always remember to do a search first before posting a query.

Alternatively, there’s also the officially-endorsed Elite: Dangerous subreddit.

Also, there are two excellent sites for experimenting with ship loadouts: EDSY and Coriolis. Both can be used to save loadouts as well as share them with friends.

Other useful external resources:

3. Choosing a game mode

Currently, there are four main game modes, all of which are online. Every single person plays within the same persistent universe. There is no fully offline mode nor are there any plans to implement one. You can switch between these game modes at any time:

Open Play — this “instances” you with up to 32 other players who happen to be present within the same star system; other nearby players (i.e. Commanders) will be listed in your comms panel and appear on your scanner as hollow markers. Private Group — only instances you with members of a private group (invitation only). Solo — effectively a single player mode. You will never be instanced with other players, but you do share the same universe and, therefore, background simulation as every other Elite: Dangerous player. It’s worth noting that this mode requires significantly less internet bandwidth than the other two. Arena — a PvP only mode (previously branded CQC Championship) that is entirely independent of the main game, i.e. separate to the above three game modes.

4. Starter’s zone (Pilots’ Federation District)

After completing the Pilot’s Assessment tutorial, brand new players are now given the choice to either begin the game in the Dromi system or one of the standard starting locations.

Dromi is part of the Pilot’s Federation District, which is a cluster of 10 systems near Sol that are restricted to new Commander characters who have yet to gain their first Combat, Trade, or Exploration rank. It is impossible for more-experienced Commander characters to enter these systems.

The starter’s zone systems are marked on the galaxy map and in the navigation panel by a Pilot’s Federation icon and include Azoth, Dromi, Lia Fail, Matet, Orna, Otegine, Sharur, Tarnkappe, Tyet, and Wolfsegen.

Essentially, the starter’s zone provides a safe haven for new players while they find their (space) feet. Starports in these systems offer simpler missions and more basic outfitting options that are geared towards newcomers flying Sidewinders.

Once a player gains their first Pilot’s Federation rank, they will be offered an optional graduation mission. Completing this mission will take them out of the district and they will not be able to re-enter (unless they clear their save data and start afresh).

The Pilot’s Federation District or “starter’s zone” is made up of 10 systems that are restricted to new players who have yet to gain a either Combat, Trade, or Exploration rank. Click image for larger version.

5. Controls and general flight

Flight can be tricky at first, particularly if you have little experience of flight/space sims, but practice makes perfect. Before you do anything, it’s important to choose and configure a controller set-up that’s right for you.

The best place to experiment without risk is within the in-game tutorials that can be found in the Training menu. Here, you can learn how to dock, travel, and dogfight. There are also tutorials related to mining, SRV driving, and ship-launched fighters, while advanced combat scenarios can be found under Challenge Scenarios.

You can also access some training videos from here, but these will open in your default web browser.

The Training menu contains interactive tutorials that teach you how to dock and the basics of space travel, combat, driving on planets, and mining. There are also a variety of combat scenarios for you to learn how to dogfight. The training videos will launch in your web browser. Click image for larger version.

Personally, I prefer to play the game on keyboard and mouse (kb/m) but you might want to consider using an Xbox controller or similar, or investing in a HOTAS (Hands On Throttle-And-Stick) joystick – these start at around £50–£60 (e.g. the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X), but the better ones can set you back up to £300–400, which is a pretty serious investment.

For those trying out kb/m, I’d definitely recommend setting:

pitch/yaw to mouse

roll to A and D

I’d also advise trying:

both relative mouse control on and off (I prefer relative on these days),

playing about with mouse sensitivity/deadzone

binding spacebar to pitch up — a neat trick I learnt from flying jets in the Battlefield games

You’ll definitely want to configure key bindings to your own taste and as a guide, I’ve listed my own below (any controls not stated are set to default):

Click here to reveal key binds Mouse controls: mouse x-axis yaw mouse y-axis pitch relative mouse x-axis & y-axis on Flight rotation: roll left A roll right D pitch up space Flight thrust: thrust left Q thrust right E thrust up W thrust down S thrust forward mouse 4 thrust backward mouse 5 Flight throttle: increase throttle + mouse wheel decrease throttle – mouse wheel throttle increments 10% set speed to 0% 1 set speed to 25% 2 set speed to 50% 3 set speed to 75% 4 set speed to 100% 5 Flight miscellaneous: disable flight assist z engine boost tab toggle frame shift drive J supercruise – toggle orbit lines O Targeting: select target ahead T cycle next target G cycle previous ship F select highest threat H cycle next hostile ship ] cycle previous hostile ship [ select wingman 1 F1 select wingman 2 F2 select wingman 3 F3 select wingman’s target F4 wingman nav-lock F5 cycle next subsystem Y cycle previous subsystem U target next system in route P Weapons: primary fire mouse 1 secondary fire mouse 2 cycle next fire group N deploy hardpoints backspace firing deploys hardpoints off Cooling: silent running delete (toggle) deploy heat sink V Miscellaneous: ship lights L cargo scoop home jettison all cargo *not set!* landing gear insert use shield cell / use chaff launcher C charge ECM X night vision num – Mode switches: target panel 7 comms panel 6 quick comms enter role panel 8 internal panel 9 open galaxy map M open system map K headlook mouse 3 open discovery num * switch cockpit mode F12 enter FSS mode num enter

Note that my full spectrum system (FSS) scanner key binds are listed in section 21.9 Exploration and fuel scooping. My SRV key binds are listed in section 23.2. SRV basics

Don’t forget to back up the file containing your control settings! For the standard 64-bit Windows version, this can be found at:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous\Options\Bindings

Or try typing the following into the explorer address bar:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous\Options\Bindings.

I have no idea where this config file is stored on the Mac, PS4, or Xbox One versions!

Whether you use kb/m or a dedicated controller, I’d also recommend checking out Voice Attack, a neat app that allows you to bind keys to voice commands. It works surprisingly well and there’s a 21-day free trial available — it only costs $10 USD anyway. Plus it’s great if you’ve always fancied yourself as a bit of a Jean-Luc Picard. You can better train it to your voice using the Speech Recognition software in the Windows Control Panel.

6. Normal flight fundamentals

Normal flight is the low-velocity flight mode (sub-light speed) you enter when you drop out of supercruise (jump to Supercruise, interdiction and low and high waking section). It is used for docking and landing on planets (Horizons expansion only), dogfighting, mining, and exploring points of interest, such as signal sources, navigation beacons, and asteroid fields. Basically, all the fun stuff.

Right, I’ll try to explain this as best as I am able!

Your ship has forward (main), reverse, lateral, and vertical thrusters; as well as thrusters for rotating the ship in three dimensions. These thrusters work in pairs to counter each other so, relative to your current orientation, you can accelerate forwards or backwards, left or right, up or down.

Thrusters work in pairs to accelerate or decelerate your ship relative to its current orientation. Click image for larger version.

For gameplay reasons, each direction has a maximum speed that can be reached (in m/s). This limit is determined by the ship you’re flying, your total mass, the rating of your thrusters, and the number of pips you assign to the engines capacitor (jump to Combat, weapon and distributor fundamentals section).

The sweet-spot for manoeuvrability is 50% throttle, which is the blue section on your speed indicator. Overall manoeuvrability is increased by putting more pips into engines.

Yaw, which is turning the ship around its vertical axis (i.e. turning the nose left and right), has been deliberately limited in Elite: Dangerous. As such, yaw only allows for minor adjustments so you will need to get used to using roll and pitch for turning — think WWII fighter planes or the X-wings/tie fighters from Star Wars.

Rotation. Your ship uses smaller thruster pairs to rotate around three different axes, allowing you to pitch, roll, and yaw. Apologies for my crap Photoshop annotations! Click image for larger version.

Boosting applies a very large amount of forward thrust in a very short space of time to quickly and temporarily accelerate your ship well beyond your normal maximum speed. Boosting drains the engines capacitor and generates a considerable amount of heat, reducing its spamability (jump to Combat, weapon and distributor fundamentals section).

With flight assist (FA) on (default), the computer will maintain a constant forward or reverse velocity (as set by you) and will automatically counter any lateral or vertical acceleration that you apply. So if you apply throttle to the right thrusters, you will start heading left. But as soon as you release the throttle, the computer will apply an equal amount of thrust in the opposite direction to restore a purely forward or reverse velocity.

In a similar manner, the computer will stabilise the pitch, yaw and roll of the ship. This means that the ship’s velocity and orientation will always be one and the same, i.e. the ship is moving towards wherever you point the nose (or at least will always try to!).

With flight assist (FA) off, the computer will not counter your movements. So if you apply thrust to the right, you will keep heading left until you apply an equal of thrust to the left. If you roll the ship, you will keep rolling in that direction until you counter the movement.

As such, it is much trickier and more laborious to control your ship with FA off. However, this means that the ship’s orientation can be different from its current velocity. Your current velocity is indicated by the direction and speed of the “space dust”.

FA off can be quite useful during a dogfight, allowing you to travel in one direction and shoot in another. It also potentially allows for quicker turning and a few fancy manoeuvres, which I won’t go into here. To learn more, check out Look Inverted’s Flight Assist On & Off video tutorials.

7. Docking

Docking is something you will need to become proficient at as you’ll be doing it constantly. Plus, being able to enter a starport at speed is crucial to avoiding scans for criminal status and illegal cargo.

Facilities you can dock at include:

starports (most common)

orbital outposts

some megaships and space installations

planetary ports (Horizons only)

Before you can land, you need to get within 7.5km of the facility and then request docking permission via the contacts tab of the targets panel. Trying to dock without permission will earn you a fine and eventually obliteration (the space traffic control guys don’t mess around!).

When permission is granted, you’ll be designated a specific landing pad, the location of which will be indicated by the nav compass on your dashboard. If permission is denied, you may have to wait patiently until a free pad becomes available.

How you proceed after gaining docking permission depends on the type of facility:

1. Starports: These come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the principal for docking is always the same. The entrance, or “mail slot”, will usually be facing towards the planetary body the station is orbiting. When flying through the mail slot, you’ll need to match its rotation — especially in larger ships. Go through the green side of the slot to avoid oncoming traffic.

Once inside, your ship will automatically correct its orientation to match the rotation of the station. For extra fun, rotational correction can be turned off through the ship tab of the systems panel (you can also bind a key for this). And for those looking for a challenge, try combining this with FA off!

2. Orbital outposts and megaships: These are small orbital platforms where you land on an exterior pad. They do not rotate. As such, they are generally easier and quicker to dock at. However, they often have fewer facilities available than at starports (check the system map for details).

3. Planetary ports: Only players with the Horizons expansion can land on planets. Docking at planetary ports is covered in the Planetary flight and landing section.

Regardless of where you’re docking, always watch for oncoming traffic (check your scanner!) and don’t block the mail slot or loiter over other pads. Otherwise, you may land a fine or worse — stations resort to quite drastic measures when dealing with “blockages”!

When over a landing pad, your scanner will change to display a schematic of your ship relative to the pad. You need to line up the centre of your ship with the centre of the pad and then touch down. Your ship also needs to be facing forwards on your scanner — you can’t land if you’re facing the wrong way!

Remember to lower your landing gear first. Doing so also reduces your max speed and prevents you from accidentally boosting.

Some general docking tips:

lateral and vertical thrusters are your friends; use forward and reverse thrusters for minor adjustments

it’s generally not a good idea to boost inside the starport or when going through the slot

if you’re worried about collisions stick 4 pips to systems (i.e shields) and 2 pips to engines (you don’t need power to weapons when not fighting)

crashing into another ship while “speeding” (>100m/s) can land you a fine or even a murder bounty if you manage to destroy them; so it’s generally a good idea to avoid unnecessary speeding

Docking. Avoid costly collisions! Watch for traffic coming in and out of starports and resist the urge to boost through the mail slot. Click image for larger version.

7.1 Docking computers

To make landing easier, there are two types of docking computer available to purchase from the outfitters (under flight assist modules):

standard docking computer: assists with landing

assists with landing advanced docking computer: assists with both landing and launching

Both of these computers fully automate the landing process and kick in as soon as docking permission is granted and throttle is set to zero. They work for all types of facility. As an added bonus, you also get to listen to Strauss’ Blue Danube for a bit of classic Elite nostalgia.

The advanced docking computer will also automate taking off and leaving the facility.

You can disable autodocking and autolaunching at any time through the flight assistance subsection of the ship tab in the systems panel.

Docking computer options. You can disable the autodock and autolaunch functions from the ship tab. Click image for larger version.

Both types of docking computer take up a class 1 internal slot, so you’ll need to decide whether it’s worth installing one. Besides, once you’ve got the hang of the flight controls, docking really is not that difficult. Manual docking is often much faster and can be essential if you need to avoid those pesky authority scans.

That said, flying larger, less agile ships through the mail slot can sometimes be a pain, so docking computers definitely have their uses. At the end of the day, installing one is a matter of personal preference (I don’t bother with them myself).

8. Supercruise, interdiction, and low and high waking

Supercruise is the mechanism for travelling within star systems — distances to starports and points of interest (POIs) can be enormous. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just peanuts to space.

Trust me, you’ll be spending a lot of time in supercruise. Essentially, it’s a faster-than-light mode and works in similar a vein to normal flight with FA on, but with no reverse, lateral or vertical movement possible. Careful control of acceleration and deceleration (the computer assists you in both) is required in order not to overshoot your destination.

The trick to supercruise is following the infamous “6-second rule”:

lock onto your destination and set throttle to 100%

when you are 6-seconds away (or just before) drop the throttle to 75%

simples 🙂

This way you will never overshoot. When both lines are in the blue zones of the alignment scales in the target panel, the “Safe Disengage” message will appear above your scanner and pressing the supercruise key drops you at your destination.

Alternatively, you can install the supercuise assist module (see 8.1 below), which partially automates travelling to a location in supercruise.

The 6-second rule. As long as you set the throttle to 75% before or just on being 6 seconds from your destination you won’t overshoot. Especially important for asteroid rings! Click image for larger version.

Possible destinations are listed in the navigation tab of the systems panel and can be filtered by type. The icons to the left of the destination give an indication of possible activities that you can engage in there. Clicking on a specific location will bring up more details.

Further information about planetary bodies, starports and the system, in general, can be viewed in the system map, which can be accessed via the navigation tab or through the galaxy map. I strongly recommend setting up a hotkey for quick access to the system map.

Points of interest (POIs) such as navigation beacons, tourist beacons, installations, megaships, and resource extractions sites are permanent. Other POIs such as conflicts zones, military checkpoints, distribution centres, etc are dependent on the political and economic situation of the system, which will change over time.

A set of unidentified signal sources (USSs) will also spawn randomly whenever you enter a system (jump to Unidentified Signal Sources (USSs) section).

Transitioning to supercuise is known as low waking, because you leave a low energy wake behind. These wakes can be targeted and travelled to, allowing you to follow other ships in and out of supercruise.

General supercruise tips:

even with 0% throttle, you will still be travelling at 30km/s

to safely disengage from supercruise you need to be travelling less than 1000km/s

if travelling over 1000km/s, you can perform an emergency stop at any time by double pressing the supercruise key, but this will cause minor damage to your ship and its modules

keep your distance from stars and planetary bodies, etc, as these will slow you down (bloody gravity!) and if you get too close your ship will automatically perform an emergency stop

orbital lines can be turned off in the ship tab of the system panel (you can also bind a key for this)

obscured destinations will appear as grey hashed circle in your HUD

the frame shift drive (FSD) is responsible for both supercruise and hyperspace jumps; however, you can bind separate keys for both

if you’re a real glutton for punishment, why not take a trip out to Hutton Orbital in Alpha Centauri; don’t forget to buy a souvenir mug when you land 😉

8.1. Supercruise assist

The supercruise assist module semiautomates flying to a location while in supercruise.

To use supercuise assist:

click on a destination from the navigation tab to bring up more info about the location

click on the supercruise assist icon (second from left at the bottom)

align your ship with the target destination

The module will then take over flying the ship and will automatically drop you out of supercruise when you reach the destination. You can deactivate supercruise assist at any time by heading back to the destination’s info screen in the navigation tab.

If you prefer, you can also set supercruise assist to manual throttle in the ship tab of the right-hand panel.

Supercruise assist. To activate, click on the desired destination in the navigation and then on the supercruise assist icon at the bottom (second left). You can also deactivate it from the same place. Click image for larger version.

For surface locations, supercruise assist will only take you as far the planet’s orbit. You’ll need to take the ship down to the surface yourself (jump to planetary flight and landing section).

A useful feature of the supercruise assist module is the hyperspace dethrottle function. This automatically sets your throttle to 0% when you exit hyperspace and prevents you from getting too close to the star.

However, like the docking computer, the supercruise assist module takes up a class 1 internal slot. It’s generally also quicker to use the 6-second rule for getting about in supercruise.

8.2. Interdiction and low and high waking

Interdiction allows pilots to force other ships out of supercruise and into normal flight. It requires a special module, which is installed in an optional internal slot. This module needs to be assigned to a fire group and is activated using the relevant fire button, but first, you must get close enough to your target and approach from behind.

This triggers a mini-game where the aggressor has to remain on the tail of the target ship for success; the victim can evade interdiction by remaining aligned with the escape vector. Be warned, pulling a clean ship out of supercruise will land you a 400cr fine (jump to Crime and punishment section).

A successful interdiction results in both ships taking damage and spinning out of control as they enter normal flight. The aggressor will also take damage and drop out of supercruise if they lose the battle, whereas a successful evader will carry on in supercruise unharmed. As a safer alternative to interdiction, you can follow ships in and out of supercruise by targeting and travelling to the low energy wakes they leave behind.

When being interdicted, you can “submit” at any time by setting the throttle to 0%. This way you receive no damage, have full control of your ship when you drop out, and the FSD cooldown timer will be much reduced. More importantly, it leaves you in a much better position for both fighting and fleeing.

When fleeing from a larger ship in normal flight, it is always much quicker and safer to jump to a new system. This is known as high waking. Larger ships will mass lock your ship when you attempt to transition to supercruise (low waking), significantly increasing the time it takes for your FSD to charge. You never get massed locked when high waking.

Interdiction is a way to pull ships out of supercruise and requires a special module. The aggressor has to remain on the tail of the target ship for success, whereas the target can evade interdiction by remaining aligned with the escape vector. It’s a battle of the blue and red power bars (here I’m successfully escaping interdiction, yay!d). Click image for larger version.

9. Hyperspace, FSD supercharging, and the galaxy map

Hyperspace is the mechanism for jumping from one system to another. It is also known as high waking, because you leave a high energy wake behind after jumping.

The distance you can jump is dependent on the type of ship and its total mass, frame shift drive (FSD) class/rating, and available fuel. You can significantly increase jump range by:

upgrading or engineering your FSD

installing a Guardian FSD booster (only available from Technology Brokers)

installing lighter modules

carrying less fuel

emptying your cargo hold

Journeys are planned through the galaxy map, but you can also select nearby systems quickly via the bottom of the navigation tab. The galaxy map allows you to plot multi-jump routes of up to 20,000LY. Remember to select between economical and fastest route computation via the route tab. It’s far more fuel efficient to perform multiple short jumps than a single long-distance jump, but doing so will dramatically increase journey time.

When plotting a route: a solid line indicates you have enough fuel to make the jump, whereas a dashed line means you have insufficient fuel (see screenshot below). If you have a fuel scoop, the plotted route will also indicate the last scoopable star.

Galaxy map. The brown line shows a multi-jump route that I’ve plotted on the galaxy map. I have enough fuel to complete the solid part of the route line but will need to acquire more fuel for the dashed section. You can choose between fastest or economical routes – it’s more fuel efficient to perform multiple short-distance hyperspace jumps than a single long-distance jump. Click image for larger version.

The galaxy map also features:

a search function

the ability to display trade routes (jump to trading section)

the ability to filter systems by things like allegiance, economy, government, state, security, station services, trade data availability, and star class; these filters can be applied to the route plotter in real time.

You will also be informed of a system’s security, economic state and star class on your HUD just prior to jumping. And don’t forget to bookmark your favourite systems!

It is important to properly plan your journeys, especially if you have a small fuel tank. For long trips, you may want to consider installing a fuel scoop (jump to exploration section).

Oh, and don’t try to supercruise from one system to another; it’s not actually possible and you will run out of gas trying.

If you do ever run out of fuel and get stranded, don’t hesitate to contact the Fuel Rats. These selfless heroes will dispatch a ship to refuel you and get you back on your way.

General hyperspace tips:

it’s worth setting a hotkey for quick access to the galaxy map (M is a great choice!!!);

jumps can be cancelled, up until the drive finishes charging, by pressing the relevant key a second time

an FSD cooldown timer will appear underneath the fuel indicator after jumping

your ship will heat up while the FSD is charging so you may need to allow your ship to cool between successive jumps or move away from that giant ball of fire you’re orbiting (jump to Combat and weapon fundamentals section)

you don’t get mass locked by other ships when hyperspace jumping ( high waking ), but you do when transitioning to supercruise ( low waking ); therefore if being chased by a hostile, it is usually quicker/safer to jump to a new system than enter supercruise

), but you do when transitioning to supercruise ( ); therefore if being chased by a hostile, it is usually quicker/safer to jump to a new system than enter supercruise with a wake shift scanner , you can analyse high energy wakes to follow pilots through hyperspace

, you can analyse high energy wakes to follow pilots through hyperspace if you have a binding for 0% throttle, pressing this key while going through the hyperspace animation will stop you accelerating into the star when you finally exit the jump; alternatively, the supercruise assist module does this for you automatically if you have hyperspace dethrottle set to on.

9.1. Supercharging your FSD

If you’re feeling brave, you can attempt to “supercharge” your FSD at white dwarfs and neutron stars, a process that can potentially triple the range of your next jump. Be warned, it’s risky and it will cause minor damage to your FSD. If it goes wrong you could also seriously damage or destroy your ship. You also need an active fuel scoop.

To begin the process, simply head into one of the polar jets while in supercruise. You’ll be warned that your FSD is operating beyond safety limits and your ship will become difficult to control. It takes a little while, but you’ll be notified when the supercharge is complete. Leave the polar jet and then check the galaxy map to see what the range of your next jump will be.

The trick is to fly slowly and remain as far from the star as possible. If you drop out of supercruise, your ship will start spinning out of control, heating up and taking damage. Without a stack of heat sinks, you’ll be lucky to survive. White dwarfs seem to provide around a 50% boost and neutron stars around 300%.

You can also boost a single jump by up to 100%, if you have the right materials, using the FSD injection recipe in the synthesis menu (Horizons only; jump to Synthesis and materials section). However, the supercharging and FSD injection processes cannot be combined, that would just be silly!

FSD supercharging 1. Behold the destructive beauty of the white dwarf! To supercharge you need to head into one of those wavy polar jet thingys, but make sure you keep your distance from the star. Click image for larger version.

FSD supercharging 2. Once you’re inside the jet, you’ll receive this warning and the supercharging process will begin automatically (assuming you have an active fuel scoop). You’ll also get buffeted around a lot.

FSD supercharging 3. You receive this message when the process is complete. Time to get out of there, ASAP!

FSD supercharging 4. If you get too close to the star, you will drop out of supercruise and start taking serious damage as well as heating up. Don’t worry, thanks to a stack of heat sinks, I managed to survive!

10. Ships, modules, and power management

New ships are purchased from shipyards and new modules via the outfitting menu. Note that these facilities are not always present at smaller outposts (check the system map for details) and that the availability of ships and modules varies considerably from system to system. Generally, high populations systems with a high-tech economy are your best bet. However, Sola Prospect in the Brestla system and the Jameson Memorial in the Shinrarta Dezhra system (permit required) always stock all ships and modules. Convenient!

When buying a new ship or module, you will be given the choice to either store or part exchange the old one (jump to Ship transfer and module storage section). You can experiment with different ships and module loadouts using the online tools at EDSY and Coriolis.

Before buying and outfitting a new ship, it’s important to think what do you actually want to do with it. Some ships are dedicated fighters (Eagle, Viper, Vulture, etc), others dedicated haulers (e.g. Hauler, Type-6, Keelback). Some are better suited for exploration (e.g. Diamondback and Asp Explorers, Krait Phantom), some perform well as multi-role ships (e.g. Adder, Cobra, Imperial Courier, Python). Multi-role ships are well suited to things like mining, pirating, and taking on a variety of missions, or just generally being a jack of all trades.

From the outfitting menu, ship modules are broken down into several main categories:

hardpoints — weapon systems

— weapon systems utility mounts — scanners, countermeasures, shield boosters

— scanners, countermeasures, shield boosters core internal — essential components such as thrusters, power plant, FSD, bulkheads, etc

— essential components such as thrusters, power plant, FSD, bulkheads, etc military compartments — a subset of core internal and only available in some ships; these provide additional slots specifically for hull and module reinforcement packages and shield cell banks

— a subset of core internal and only available in some ships; these provide additional slots specifically for hull and module reinforcement packages and shield cell banks optional internal — this is where the majority of modules are installed, such as shields, cargo racks, fuel scoops, limpet controllers, passenger cabins, etc, etc

— this is where the majority of modules are installed, such as shields, cargo racks, fuel scoops, limpet controllers, passenger cabins, etc, etc livery — cosmetic and naming features (i.e. skins, decals, nameplates and bobbleheads) for your ships and auxiliary vehicles; these are pruchased using ARX (jump to ARX and the in-game store section), a virtual currency that can be bought in bundles from the Elite: Dangerous store.

Modules and module slots come in different sizes, with class 1 being the smallest (and lightest) and class 8 the largest (and heaviest). Larger slots are compatible with smaller modules. In general, modules are also rated A to E, with A being the best and most expensive and E being the cheapest and least effective. And, within a specific class, B-rated modules are always the heaviest and D-rated the lightest; A, C and E will all have the same mass and integrity.

Note that this rating system does not apply to all module types. For instance, all cargo racks are E rated and hardpoints are rated according to size and targeting system (jump to Combat and weapon fundamentals section).

10.1. Module power management

Each ship has a total power capacity based on the output of its power plant, and bigger and better modules need more juice. If this capacity is exceeded then modules will be turned off automatically according to the priority set (1-5) in the modules tab of the system panel (see screenshot below). Modules assigned a lower priority (higher number), will be switched off first. You can also choose to manually deactivate modules not currently in use. Don’t forget to turn them back on when needed and remember that most modules have a bootup time.

As weapons and scanners only require power when deployed, it is possible to exceed the total capacity of your power plant (within reason) with careful management and planning. For instance, modules such as the FSD, interdictor, fuel scoop, cargo hatch, etc, are not used during combat, so by assigning them a low priority, they will be automatically disabled when you deploy hardpoints, freeing up the power needed for your weapon systems.

Module power management. Weapons and scanners only use power when deployed. By disabling modules unused during combat you are able to exceed your total power capacity. This will be managed automatically by the ship’s computer if you assign modules a power priority in the system panel — higher numbers (i.e. lower priority) will be switched off first. Here my cargo hatch, FSD, interdictor, and fuel scoop have been shut off while my hardpoints are deployed. Click image for larger version.

11. Combat vs. Analysis Mode

As of Beyond 3.3, there are two main HUD modes: Combat Mode and Analysis Mode. To switch between these two modes, you need to bind a key for “Switch HUD mode” under the “Mode Switches” section of the control options.

The main differences between these two modes is in which equipment you can use:

Combat Mode (central HUD = orange) is the default mode. Weapons and combat-related scanners, such as the kill warrant scanner, can only be used when in this mode.

(central HUD = orange) is the default mode. Weapons and combat-related scanners, such as the kill warrant scanner, can only be used when in this mode. Analysis Mode (central HUD = blue). Mining equipment and exploration scanners, such as the FSS and DSS, can only be used in this mode.

However, most other modules can be used in both modes. The HUD will tell you to switch modes if you try to use something that doesn’t work in your current mode. Depending on the context, Analysis Mode may also display different information and overlays on the screen, such as planetary grids.

12. Combat, weapon and distributor fundamentals, and repairing damage

You will generally want to avoid combat until you can afford some more effective weapons/modules or a better ship. You certainly won’t want to take on anything bigger than a Cobra in your Sidewinder, or ships working together in a wing.

That said solitary NPC ships are generally not very challenging and you’re not really losing anything if your free Sidewinder gets wrecked (jump to Death and insurance section).

Be aware that the skill of NPC pilots and the strength of their loadout correlates directly with their combat rank (see ED Wiki for a list of pilot federation ranks). However, low ranking Commanders are less likely to encounter high-ranking NPCs.

Generally, to destroy another ship, you need to knock out its shield and reduce the hull integrity to 0%. Ideally, you want to be on your opponents tail as much as possible; throttle control is very important, once you get on a target’s tail you need to closely match their velocity in order to stay there. Obviously, this is easier to do in a more agile ship.

12.1. Fire groups

To use weapons and scanners, they must first be assigned to a fire group via the systems panel. However, some countermeasures can also be given a hotkey and therefore don’t actually need to be assigned to any fire group to be used. For each fire group, you can set individual weapons or utilities to either primary fire, secondary fire, or none. Multiple groups can be created and these are cycled through sequentially when you press the fire group key. Current weapon groupings are displayed on your HUD if your hardpoints are deployed.

Fire groups. Here I’ve set up two fire groups. In the first group, my turreted pulse lasers and canons are set to primary fire and my gimballed multi-cannons to secondary. In the second group, my collector limpet controller has been set to primary fire. Conveniently, switching between these allows me to disable my turrets. Click image for larger version.

12.2. Combat loadouts

Weapons are installed at hardpoints and are rated by size/class:

small = class 1

medium = class 2

large = class 3

huge = class 4

Generally, larger weapons do greater damage and penetration, but cost more, require extra power, generate additional heat, and put a bigger drain on your distributor. Utility mounts are used for installing scanners, countermeasures, shield boosters, and heat sinks. For further details about weapon and utility types, classes and ratings see the weapon guides on the Elite: Dangerous Wiki.

In terms of weaponry, lasers are best for taking down shields but overheat more quickly than kinetic weapons. Burst and beam lasers have a higher DPS (damage per second) than pulse lasers, but require more power and cooling, and will heat up your ship more quickly.

Projectile/kinetic-based weapons (e.g. multicannons, canons, fragment cannons) will wreak havoc on an unshielded hull, but require ammo. Projectiles also have a travel time, so you need to lead targets — the HUD will show you where to aim.

Railguns and plasma accelerators are more specialist weapons, effective for both shields and hull, but are generally expensive; they have limited ammo, longish reload times, high power consumption, produce a lot of heat, and require practice for effective use. Missiles are good for targeting subsystems but are expensive, limited by small ammo capacities, and can be thwarted by countermeasure (see below). Mines are more of a defensive option and useful for hindering pursuers.

AX class weapons are intended for fighting the thargoid aliens.

For flexibility, it’s often best to have a combination of different weapon types. However, this is not as essential as it used to be thanks to the ability to engineer modules.

12.3. Fixed, gimballed, or turreted?

Many weapon types also come in fixed, gimballed, and turreted flavours. This affects how they are aimed and used.

Fixed weapon variants must be aimed manually, essentially by pointing the nose of your ship at the target — or slightly leading them if using kinetic weapons. Note that, depending on the hardpoint placement on your ship, your weapons may not all converge to a single point.

Gimballed weapon variants are semi-automated and auto track targets within a limited radius, meaning all you have to do is get the target in front of you and press fire. These are very useful on less nimble ships or those with less effective hardpoint placement or convergence. However, they do reduced damage per hit compared to their fixed counterparts and some gimballed variants have increased distributor draw or reduced clip sizes and/or increased reload times. They’re also less reliable at range and their ability to target accurately can be temporarily disrupted by chaff.

Turreted weapons are fully automated and have a wide targeting arc, allowing them to also engage enemies that are not directly in front of you. But, they have the least damage and accuracy of the three flavours and are also affected by chaff. They are more of a defensive solution and better suited to large ships with numerous hardpoints.

Turrets must be assigned to a fire group and are activated by pressing fire once. If you switch to a fire group in which the turrets are not present, they will stop firing. They can be configured via the ship tab of the systems panel to:

target only = engage your current target only

= engage your current target only fire at will = engage any hostile target within range

= engage any hostile target within range forward fire = work like fixed, manually-fired weapons

12.4. Utilities and countermeasures

These modules are installed in a utility mount slot. Scanners must be assigned to a fire group and are fired like weapons. Countermeasures can be assigned to a fire group or activated by a hotkey.

Available utilities and countermeasures include:

kill warrant scanner — scans target for bounties linked to the current jurisdiction’s superpower allegiance

— scans target for bounties linked to the current jurisdiction’s superpower allegiance manifest scanner — scans target for cargo

— scans target for cargo wake scanner — scans high wakes to determine jump destination

— scans high wakes to determine jump destination pulse wave scanner — scanning highlights high-value asteroids

— scanning highlights high-value asteroids chaff — temporarily disrupts targeting of gimbals and turrets and possibly missiles, requires ammo

— temporarily disrupts targeting of gimbals and turrets and possibly missiles, requires ammo ECM — breaks missile locks and counters limpets; 10-second cooldown

— breaks missile locks and counters limpets; 10-second cooldown heat sink — temporarily dissipates all heat from the ship; requires ammo

— temporarily dissipates all heat from the ship; requires ammo shield booster (passive) — strengthens shield by a set percentage and stacks additively; fill unused slots with the highest rated you are capable of powering and can afford

(passive) — strengthens shield by a set percentage and stacks additively; fill unused slots with the highest rated you are capable of powering and can afford point defence turrets (passive) — attempts to shoot down incoming missiles and hatch breakers; requires ammo; these do not need to be deployed or assigned to a fire group

12.5. Distributor management

The secret to dogfighting is good power distribution management. Firing your guns drains the weapons capacitor, replenishing your shield drains the systems capacitor, and boosting drains the engines capacitor. There is a total of 6 pips to be allocated between the three capacitors; a max of 4 pips can be placed in any one.

Allocating more pips increases the recharge rate of that capacitor:

for sustained firing, put more pips into weapons

if you’re under fire, putting more pips into systems will significantly strengthen your shields; however, this has no effect on replenish or reactivation rates (unless the capacitor empties).

if you’re in pursuit or trying to make a hasty retreat, you will need to put more pips into engines – this increases your max speed, manoeuvrability and boost recharge rate

Power distribution. When in combat always keep an eye on the power distributor (lower right). There is a total of 6 pips to be allocated between systems, engines, and weapons; a max of 4 pips can be placed in any category. Here I have 3 in systems, 1.5 in engines and 1.5 in weapons. I have no power left for my weapons, so I need to put more pips into that capacitor to increase the recharge rate. Click image for larger version.

12.6. Shields and SCBs

Shields slowly replenish when not being hit. Once the shields are down, they will take a while to reboot and come back online; the bigger the shields, the longer this will take. Shields reactivate and replenish twice as fast when in supercruise, and even quicker when docked.

Knocked out shields can be “bump-started” by running the reboot/repair sequence in the ship tab, significantly reducing downtime. However, this is of no use during combat scenarios as you need to be travelling <50m/s and must avoid being hit for it to work. Shields will also protect you from collisions.

Shield cell banks (SCBs), installed in an optional internal slot, can partially or fully restore active shields in a short space of time. But, they also generate significant heat when triggered (that can damage your modules) so you may need to also simultaneously deploy a heat sink. You can install multiple SCBs — keep one powered-up in the modules tab and switch between them as they run out of “ammo”.

12.7. Module damage, targeting subsystems and heat

Once a ship’s shields are down, modules will start taking damage if directly hit. In fact, specifically targeting subsystems can be a very effective tactic. You can lock onto subsystems of a targeted ship either via the “sub-targets” tab of the targets panel or by cycling through them using a hotkey.

Damaged modules have a chance of malfunctioning and if completely destroyed will cease to function altogether. For instance, disabling drives can leave a ship stranded; whereas taking out the powerplant halves their power output, which can potentially leave them stranded and/or defenceless. Knocking out the powerplant also has a small chance of instantly destroying the ship.

However, this applies to your own ship as well, which is why it’s very risky to continue fighting after your shields go down. Always know when it’s time to do a brave Sir Robin!.

Also, if your canopy is shot out, you’ll switch to emergency life support and lose some HUD functionality. With only an E-rated life support module, that gives you just 5 minutes to get to a starport. Note that if you have Horizons, with the required materials, you can actually synthesise oxygen to top up your life support (jump to Synthesis and materials).

Modules also take damage from excessive heat. This can be from getting too close to a star, being attacked by certain engineer-modified weapons, boosting too much, and the heat generated from firing your own guns. You will receive a warning when close to the temperature damage threshold; beyond this, internal modules will start taking damage, increasing the chance of malfunction. One way to counter this is by popping a heat sink.

12.8. Repairing your ship in space

Your ship and its modules can take a lot of damage and still be fully functional. Generally, though, you will still want to head to the nearest starport and get it fixed pronto. However, ship modules can also be repaired in space using an auto field-maintenance unit (AFMU).

The AFMU is a module itself and takes up an internal slot. It consumes “ammo”, takes time to do its job, and temporarily disables the target module. The AFMU is activated in the module power management tab and is fairly straight forward to use. It cannot repair the power plant, nor can it repair the hull or canopy. However, if you have two AFMUs, they can be used to repair each other. AFMUs are not so useful for combat-orientated ships but they can come in handy for long exploration expeditions.

To repair the hull/canopy you need repair limpets. These work in much the same way as collection and fuel limpets (jump to mining and collection drones). They require a repair limpet controller (internal slot), a supply of programmable limpets (which take up cargo space), and must be assigned to a fire group. When launched, they will slowly repair the target vessel. If no target is selected, they will fix your own ship. Once again, these are of little use during combat and generally more suited to intrepid explorers.

If your thrusters or FSD get destroyed and you don’t have an AFMU, then you’re pretty much up shit creek without a paddle. However, as a last desperate measure, you can run the emergency repair sequence (“reboot/repair” in the functions tab), which will cannibalise non-essential modules in order to fix your drives. This will take a little time and you will be entirely at the mercy of any hostiles. Failing that, you can always self-destruct 🙂

13. Ship transfer and module storage

13.1. Ship transfers

It is possible (and fun) to own multiple ships — up to 30 per station I believe. These can be stored, free of charge, at any starport or planetary port with a shipyard. For a fee, it is possible to request the transfer of a remote ship to the port you’re currently docked at.

The cost and duration (in real time, bot game time) of this procedure is dependent on ship type and distance and can get quite expensive and lengthy. Generally, it will be quicker to fly it yourself. If money is an issue and you want all your ships in one place, then you can always purchase a cheap ship as a taxi and sell it when you switch to the stored ship. It is also possible to sell stored ships remotely.

Ship transfer. Stored ships can be reviewed from any shipyard. Requesting a transfer to the current station costs time and money, which are dependent on ship type and distance. You can also sell ships remotely. Click image for larger version.

13.2. Module storage and transfers

In a similar manner, it also possible to store up to 120 modules. This is particularly useful for changing or trying out new loadouts, especially if your modules have been modified by an engineer (Horizons expansion only, jump to Engineers section).

When purchasing a new module you will be given the choice to either store or part exchange the old one (if present). When you select an installed module in the outfitting menu, the “Transfer Options” drop-down allows you to store it or you can swap it with either another installed module (“Swap”) or one presently stored at that station (“Transfer”).

Storing modules 1. When selecting an installed module in the outfitting menu, click on “Transfer Options” to expand it and see the module storage and exchange options. Click image for larger version.

All your stored modules can be reviewed via the outfitting menu, where it is also possible to select and store multiple non-essential modules from your current ship — essential modules include things like cargo racks that are in use, your power plant, and thrusters.

Storing modules 2. Stored modules can be reviewed, switched and transferred via the outfitting menu. In the left panel, you can see I’m currently storing a cargo rack (exciting stuff!). “Store Multiple” allows you to store any non-essential module from your current ship. Click image for larger version.

Remotely stored modules can also be transferred to your current station. Like ship transfers, this takes time and money, dependent on type and distance.

Module transfer. You can request transfer of remotely stored modules via the outfitting menu. This takes time and costs money, dependent on module type and distance. Click image for larger version.

14. Death and insurance

Good news: there’s life after death — brace yourself: it’s just a game, you’re not actually Jesus. Following ship destruction, you’ll magically respawn at either a nearby starport or the last one you docked on.

You’ll also be presented with the “rebuy screen”, where you’ll be given the option to buy back your old ship plus upgrades for a fraction of the total cost (around 5%). If you can’t afford this or choose not to pay this, then it’s back to the free Sidewinder. The bad news is you lose all cargo, exploration data, bounty claims and combat bonds. Materials and any stored ships or modules will be safe.

Your current rebuy cost is displayed in the home tab of the systems panel. I can’t stress this enough: ALWAYS make sure you keep at least this amount in reserve. Ideally, two or three times this in case you have a run of bad luck. You’ll also still need to be in a position to purchase cargo, fuel, and munitions following respawn.

However, if you can’t afford the insurance fee, the game does offer a loan of up to 600,000cr (more if you increase any of your Pilot’s Federation ranks) to enable you to buy back your old ship. If you do take this option, 10% will be deducted from all credits you make until the loan is paid back.

Rebuy cost. Here, you can see that if I die, it will cost 2.9 million credits to buy back my exploration-equipped Krait Phantom. This is the absolute minimum amount of credits I should keep in reserve when flying this ship. Click image for larger version.

15. Crime, punishment, and system security

It’s not very difficult to get on the wrong side of the law in Elite: Dangerous. You can receive a fine for simply loitering inside a starport, flying recklessly, or accidentally discharging your weapons within a no-fire zone. More serious crimes, such as assaulting or murdering clean ships, will result in a bounty being issued and you will become wanted.

You can also receive a “reckless weapons discharge” fine for friendly fire during dogfights, i.e. accidentally hitting a clean ship that’s not your current target. Repeated offences against the same target will result in you being given an assault bounty. This is something to be aware of when bounty hunting in busy locations.

15.1. Criminal status

Criminal status is subject to the jurisdiction, so you’ll only ever be wanted whenever you travel through space controlled by a faction that has issued a bounty against you — the word “wanted” will appear above your fuel gauge in the bottom right corner of your screen. There can be multiple jurisdictions in any one system. A wanted status is a green light for anyone to legally attack you including NPC bounty hunters, authority ships, and other players. However, you cannot be lawfully attacked for simply have a fine.

Current bounties and fines can be reviewed under the transactions tab, whereas those relevant to the current system will be displayed under “reputation” in the status tab. Be aware that random scans are performed on ships entering and leaving starports, so if you are caught with a criminal status you’ll be vaporised before you can say “bollocks” (jump to Pirating, smuggling, and silent running section).

Wanted status. If you’re flying a hot ship that’s wanted in the jurisdiction you’re flying through then a red “wanted” sign will appear just above the fuel gauge. Your criminal status is also displayed under reputation in the status tab of the systems panel. Click image for larger version.

All fines and bounties are attached to the ship you committed the offence in — the ship and all its modules become “hot” (“It weren’t me officer, it was the ship that done it! I’m telling ya, that thing is evil, pure evil!”). By switching to another ship, you leave behind all fines and bounties associated with it until you swap back again.

If your ship accrues five or more bounties issued by factions affiliated with the same superpower, a superpower bounty will be issued. This means that your ship will be hot in all systems aligned to that superpower. Also:

hot modules can be stored, but cannot be transferred to a clean ship

stored hot modules can be cleaned for a fee at any port

hot ships can still be transferred, but at a greater cost and not to anywhere it would be wanted

hot ships and modules can be sold at a greatly reduced value (25% of the normal sell value)

unpaid fines never turn into bounties

fines and bounties never expire

Hot modules are indicated by a red justice symbol. They can still be stored, but cannot be transferred to a clean ship. Stored hot modules can be cleaned in any port for a fee. Click image for larger version.

15.2. Notoriety

As well a bounty, players also receive a notoriety rating for killing other ships. This is a value between 0 and 10 that increases by 1 with each new murder, but decreases by 1 for every two hours of goody-two-shoes behaviour (active gameplay not real time). Notoriety is linked to the player and not the ship.

The higher your notoriety, the higher the value of the bounty on you will be — this is based on a fraction of your ship’s rebuy cost. It becomes more complicated if you kill another Commander (as opposed to an NPC). For each notoriety point, your bounty will increase by 10% of the difference of your respective rebuy costs. If the victim’s rebuy cost is lower than yours, then the increase will be zero.

Apparently, this convoluted system is to discourage Commanders with large ships attacking those with smaller ones. Not that it really acts as much of deterrent to dedicated player killers!

You can see your current notoriety under the statistics section of the status tab. Notoriety is linked to the player and not the ship. Here you can see my notoriety is 10. Looks like I’ve been a little naughty… Click image for larger version.

15.3. Power bounties

The bounty system is different for crimes perpetrated in a Powerplay context (jump to PowerPlay section). Murder or assault committed between Commanders pledged to separate powers will result in power bounties instead of normal ones. These can only be detected and claimed by Commanders pledged to the issuing power.

Authority ships will ignore power bounties. Power bounties do not affect your docking privileges. Power bounties are cleared when you get fragged by someone from an opposing power. They are also cleared when you leave or defect from a power.

15.4. Docking with a hot ship and paying off fines and bounties

When flying in a hot ship, you’ll have reduced privileges when docking at a port in a jurisdiction in which you’ve unpaid fines and bounties. You will still have access to security contacts, refuelling, the black market and active missions, but all other services will be unavailable, including repairs. If you only have fines, these can be paid off at the security contact to immediately restore full access.

However, bounties must be paid off at an Interstellar Factors Contact. This can only be done so if your notoriety is zero and in a jurisdiction where your ship is not wanted. Clearing all associated bounties removes the hot status from your current ship and all its fitted modules.

Bounties can only be cleared at an Interstellar Factors Contact when your notoriety has decreased to zero and in a jurisdiction where your ship is not wanted. The IF can be found in low-security and anarchy systems (use the galaxy map filter to locate). Click image for larger version.

The Interstellar Factor Contact can only be found in low-security and anarchy systems (use the filter on the galaxy map to find). They can also be used to pay off fines and collect bounty claims or combat bonds that relate to any system or jurisdiction, for a 25% commission, of course.

15.5. Crime and death

If you’re flying a hot ship through a jurisdiction where you are wanted and get destroyed by someone (NPC or human) who has detected your criminal status, you will respawn at the issuing faction’s nearest Detention Centre. You will then need to pay off any bounties or fines relevant to that jurisdiction on top of your rebuy cost. If you have outstanding fines and bounties in other jurisdictions, these will remain active and your ship and modules will still be hot.

Criminal rebuy screen. If you’re killed in a jurisdiction where you’re wanted, you’ll respawn at the nearest detention centre owned by the faction that issued the bounty. On top of your rebuy cost, you’ll be forced to pay off all fines and bounties relevant to that jurisdiction. Click image for larger version.

15.6. System security and the ATR

There are four levels of system security: high, medium, low, and lawless/anarchy. This relates to the amount of time it takes for the authorities to respond to a crime. So, if you get attacked in a high-security system, the cavalry will appear on the scene fairly quickly (10 seconds) but will take ages to show up in a low-security system (4 minutes). There is no rule of law in anarchy systems and therefore no police response at all.

As such, some systems are far safer to travel through than others, while those wanting to indulge their violent misanthropic fantasies will fare better in low-security and anarchy systems. By disabling “report crimes against me” (in the ship tab), the cops will not show up at all if you get attacked, which can be useful if you’re wanted or carrying illegal goods. However, they’ll still turn up if you start wasting clean ships. There’s also no police response at hazardous resource extraction sites or compromised navigation beacons, though any crimes you commit will still be recorded.

Commanders on a murder spree may find themselves having to deal with Advanced Tactical Response (ATR) ships. Like some kind of intergalactic SWAT team, these are bad-ass authority ships packing some serious firepower. These guys will show up if you commit enough crimes in a single jurisdiction; the trigger threshold is related to the system security level. They will continue to respond to any crimes you commit until you leave the system.

16. PvP, PvE, and being interdicted/attacked by other players

The Elite galaxy is a very big place and not everyone plays in Open, so outside of popular destinations and concentrated pockets of inhabited space, encounters with other Commanders tend to be relatively infrequent.

Other players will show up on your scanner as a hollow cube or triangle. If you do see someone, don’t panic — most will totally ignore you and leave you to go about your business in peace. Others may greet you or even initiate a little friendly chit-chat. However, you may occasionally encounter players who will attempt to interdict and/or attack you.

PvP (player vs. player) is a legitimate and fun part of the game, and there are several reasons why another Commander might wish to engage you, such as:

You have an active bounty

Your PowerPlay allegiance

Piracy

Various roleplaying reasons

You’re fighting on the opposite side in a conflict zone

They’re looking for a dogfight

As with all online games, they’re some players who are just out for cheap lolz and will specifically target new players and other vulnerable prey for easy kills. Unfortunately, the current crime and punishment implementation lacks teeth and provides little deterrent for wannabe murderers.

If you do get interdicted or attacked, you have three main options: fight back, comply with any demands they make, or leg it.

16.1. Fighting back

PvP combat is a whole different ball game to fighting NPCs. PvPers tend to fly around in dedicated combat-ships fitted for the sole purpose of fighting other Commanders. With the right weapons and Engineer modifications, they can potentially disable or destroy even the biggest and most heavily-shield ships very quickly. Succeeding at PvP not only requires the right ship and loadout, but also knowledge of more advanced flight manoeuvres, tactics, and whatever the current metagame is.

As a beginner, fighting back is probably best well avoided until you have more experience and knowledge of the game, especially if you don’t have a lot of cash to spare or the time to sink into Engineer modifications.

16.2. Complying with their demands (if any)

Sometimes players will make demands of you. Bounty hunters and pirates will typically order you to cut your engines and stow your weapons while they scan you for active bounties or tasty cargo. The latter may then demand some or all of what you’re carrying. Generally, if you’re a good boy or gal, they’ll let you leave in one piece. If you’re in a slow and cumbersome ship or they’re in a wing, this is probably going to be your best hope of not seeing the rebuy screen.

16.3. Running

Some players will frag you no matter what, and if you’re outnumbered or not properly equipped for a fight, then your only choice is to skedaddle promptly (i.e. flee)!

If you’re feeling confident, you could try to win the interdiction battle (jump to Supercruise, interdiction, and low and high waking). Alternatively, you can submit to the interdiction attempt, then keep boosting until you can high wake out of there. Don’t make it easy for them by flying in a straight line — keep changing direction and try to be unpredictable in your movements.

You can improve your survival chances by using chaff to break gimbal locks and heat sinks and ECM to break missile locks. Point Defence Turrets (PDTs), which don’t need to be deployed and automatically engage enemy missiles and limpets, can also buy you precious seconds. And don’t forget to put all your power distributor pips into your thrusters and shields.

In general, if you’re worried about being attacked, then make sure you have a high-wake destination pre-selected. If you do this through the Galaxy Map and use the “plot route” option (as opposed to merely selecting a system), you can switch back to targeting your high-wake destination at any time using the “target next system in route” key (you need to bind a key for this first in the control options!).

Of course, having a fast ship also helps! See Coriolis EDCD for a table of ship stats. If you have Horzions, then dirty drive tuning can make a huge difference to your maximum speed and boost capability.

16.4. Station rammers

Another thing to be aware of is station ramming. This is a lame player-killing tactic that abuses station collision rules. Its perpetrators fly disposable, unshielded ships (e.g. Sidewinders) that they have deliberately damaged in order to get the hull down to just a few percent. They hang around popular stations and will attempt to kamikaze into Commanders travelling above the speed limit (over 100m/s), resulting in the victim receiving a murder bounty and being instantly obliterated by the station’s defences.

Rammers may also use silent running to avoid appearing on your scanner. Fortunately, evading the trap is simple: always make sure you are travelling at less than 100m/s when in and around stations (i.e. within the no-fire zone). The HUD will warn you if you’re speeding.

16.5. Don’t be put off!

If you do get attacked/destroyed by another Commander for what seems like “no reason”, don’t immediately be put off from playing in Open. I play almost exclusively in Open and my experience of interacting with other players has largely been positive. That said, there are certain regions of space where you should definitely be more on guard, including:

starting system regions (i.e. around LHS 3447 and Asellus Prime)

active Community Goal systems

recent or current story event locations, e.g. crash sites, alien discoveries, generation ships, etc

systems being focussed on by PowerPlay campaigns

popular destinations such as Engineer bases, the Sol System, Shinrarta Dezhra, etc.

These are the busiest player locations in the game and tend to be magnets for Commanders seeking out cheap kills, with Community Goals probably being the worst for this. You should be even more wary of travelling through these systems if you have an active bounty or are allied to a hostile PowerPlay faction. Also, trade ships are likely to attract more attention as they’re sought after by pirates and make easy prey for player killers. Oh, and don’t be fooled by a system being labelled as “high security”, this offers little protection from dedicated player killers.

If you’re genuinely worried about travelling through these systems, but still want to play in Open, then you might want to consider forming a wing (I still need to add a section on Wings to this guide!) — safety in numbers and all that. You can hook up with potential wing mates in-game by joining a Squadron. Outside of the game, you can find friends through the:

Also, check out The Git Guide to Trading in Open. This video tutorial has some great tips for surviving in Open that is of use to all playstyles, not just trading. It’s pretty funny too.

Alternatively, you could always head out to one of these locations in a cheaper or more expendable ship such as Sidewinder. Lastly, and this goes for playing in Solo as well, never, ever fly around in a ship you cannot afford to lose — always have enough money to cover your rebuy!!!

16.6. PvE-only groups

If a particular incident has put you off playing in Open or you just don’t fancy it, but you still yearn for a bit of human contact, then you might want to consider joining a PvE-only private group. These groups act as a halfway house between Open and Solo – you still have the possibility of encountering other Commanders, but PvP is strictly forbidden and players caught breaking the rules will be expelled. The largest and most famous of these is Mobius.

17. Squadrons

Squadrons, introduced in the Beyond 3.3 update, is an in-game system for communicating and coordinating with a group of like-minded players. It’s basically similar to the clan or guild systems that you find in many other online multiplayer games.

You can only be in one Squadron at a time. So, if you want to join a new Squadron, you’ll have to leave your current one. A Squadron can accommodate up to 500 members.

17.1. Finding a Squadron

To join a group, access the Squadron UI through the home tab in the systems panel, then click on “Browse Squadrons”. Then you can either manually browse through the newest Squadrons, use a keyword search, or set filters based on specific tags.

Squadron tags are numerous and varied and include:

activities

availability

attitude

time zone

play style

language

game mode

Powerplay allegiance

When you click on a Squadron, you’ll be presented with a “public statement” and a bunch of info, such as their tags, affiliations, number of members, and whether they are currently accepting applications. You can fill out a “request letter” before sending a join request, but this is optional. You’ll be notified by the comms panel if and when your request is approved. Ohhhhhh, the anticipation…

Browsing Squadrons. A random Squadron that I have no intention of joining! Click image for larger version.

17.2. Creating a Squadron

If you’re the leader type or simply hate being bossed around by other people, then why not create your own Squadron? Note that you can only create a Squadron if you’re not currently a member of one. You also need to pay a 10m credits set-up fee (don’t ask me why!).

To create a Squadron, access the Squadron UI through the home tab in the systems panel, then start filling out the form in the left-hand panel.

Some notes about Squadron creation:

you cannot change the Squadron name or four-letter ID after submitting the form (so watch out for typos!)

you have to choose a superpower affiliation and this cannot be changed later

powerplay (power) and faction affiliations are optional but cannot be changed once set; however, you can leave them blank and set at a later date

if you wish to be allied to a specific faction, you need to be in a system where the faction is present when you create your Squadron; otherwise, you won’t be able to select them

Creating a Squadron. Some of the details cannot be edited after submission, so best make sure you’re happy with your choices! Click image for larger version.

Once you’ve created a Squadron, you’ll be presented with a new UI for managing that Squadron (accessed from the home panel). Under the “Squadron Management” tab, you can:

view and manage members

view details the power and/or faction your Squadron is allied to

review applications

set admin rights for individual members (manage ranks tab)

set whether you’re accepting new members (settings tab)

update your tags (settings tab)

disband the Squadron (settings tab)

set power and faction affiliations if you don’t have any yet (settings tab)

You can also view leaderboards for your own members as well as for competing against other Squadrons.

Squadron hub. Once you’ve created a Squadron, you can management it through the hub UI. I just can’t keep up with all the applications!!! Click image for larger version.

Bizarrely, if you want to create a Public Statement for your Squadron (and why wouldn’t you?), you have to do this through the comms panel. This is basically your Squadron’s mission statement and recruitment post.

To create a Public Statement :

Head to the Squadrons tab of the comms panel. Select “New Post”. Set the category to “Public Statement”. Start typing your blurb, but keep it to a max of 300 characters (rather restrictive, don’t you think?). Submit.

Creating a Public Statement. Bizarrely, you do this through the standard comms panel. Click image for larger version.

This statement will then appear on your Squadron entry for other players to see when they’re looking for a group to join, so make it snappy! Also, Frontier are planning to eventually host info pages for all the Squadrons on the Elite: Dangerous Community Page.

Public-facing Squadron page. After you’re all set up, you should be able to browse the newest Squadrons and find your own entry. Here’s my effort! Click image for larger version.

17.3. Squadron communication

Whether you’re the leader or just a member, you can access info on your Squadron through the home tab of the system panel. If you’ve been given admin rights, you should also be able to exercise those through the Squadron interface.

However, all communication is done through the comms panel in your cockpit. From here you can view (and filter) the Squadron feed. You can also send messages to other members. Depending on your rank (admin level), you will have access to different channels. Exciting stuff.

18. Reputation, rank, factions, and civil wars

This is a little complicated, so I’ve tried to keep it simple (A Guide to Minor Factions and the Background Sim on the official forums goes into far more detail).

The are three major factions (superpowers) in Elite:

the Federation

the Empire (all hail the Empress!)

the Alliance

You hold a rank and a reputation with both the Federation and Empire, though currently just a reputation with the Alliance. You can view your present standing with these superpowers under the status tab in the systems panel.

By increasing your reputation and rank with the Federation and Empire you will be rewarded with permits to restricted systems (e.g. Sol or Achenar) and allowed to purchase faction-specific ships such as the Imperial Clipper or Federal Drop Ship. You gain rank by taking on naval ascension opportunities that appear on mission boards.

There are also hundreds of minor factions, up to five in any one system. Many of these are aligned with one of the three superpowers, while others are independent. Whichever faction owns the largest starport is deemed the controlling faction for the system and their political leaning determines the government type. In some instances, this will be an anarchy government and the system will be lawless. Be aware that smaller starports may be owned by rival factions.

Information about the system’s factions and control of starports can be found in the system map, as well as in the system factions section of the status tab in the system panel. The target information panel of your HUD (bottom left) also displays info about the controlling faction and government type.

Factions and influence. The system map displays information about the controlling faction and government type, as well as of the rival factions and their current standing (influence). Selecting a station will tell you which faction owns it. Click image for larger version

Your reputation with a faction is affected by all your interactions with them, such as by:

selling exploration data and trading at their starports

bringing pilots wanted by those factions to justice

criminal behaviour in their jurisdictions

failing or completing missions

As your reputation increases with a faction they will offer you more lucrative missions. By working for one faction it is possible to negatively affect your reputation with another, so it’s important to select missions carefully; if you develop too negative a reputation with a faction, they will become hostile towards you and their NPCs may attack on sight.

It’s worth noting that reputation with the superpowers decays over time and as a consequence with all aligned minor factions. This works in both directions, so hostile superpowers and minor factions will slowly forgive you. Also, reputation increases faster when working for minors factions aligned to superpowers with which you have a good standing.

By working for factions you help to increase their influence, which can, in turn, affect the economic/political state of the system.

There is a wide range of states that a system can be in, such as boom, bust, famine, outbreak, unrest, etc. Different states have different consequences for the system and can affect commodities markets, available missions, and security. They can also cause specific POIs to spawn.

If non-controlling factions become too influential, this may spark a war for control of a starport and potentially the entire system. These wars are determined at conflict zones that pop up around the system.

System faction standings. In the status tab, you can view current standings of local factions and your reputation with them. Click on any faction for further details. Click image for larger version.

Superpower relations. In the status tab, you can also view your rank and reputation with the three superpowers. Click image for larger version.

18.1. Pilot’s Federation

As a member of the Pilot’s Federation, you hold separate ranks with them for combat, trade, and explorer, which are independent of any faction. The Elite: Dangerous Wiki has a more detailed guide on Pilot Federation ranks.

The game uses these ranks as a guide for mission difficulty. Taking on a mission above your current rank can be risky but lucrative (you will be warned of this in the mission briefing). Improving any of these ranks also increases the maximum loan available to you upon ship destruction.

The CQC rank is solely from playing the CGC Championship game mode and has no bearing on the main game.

Pilot’s Federation ranks. You can view your combat, trade, and exploration ranks from the home tab of the systems panel. Click image for larger version.

19. The Codex

The Codex, introduced in the Beyond 3.3 update, is an in-game repository of information. You can access it through the home tab of the systems panel.

The Codex is divided into three main sections:

Commander . Includes a session log, detailed player statistics, and an archive of visited tourist beacons and collected narratives from the game’s stories.

. Includes a session log, detailed player statistics, and an archive of visited tourist beacons and collected narratives from the game’s stories. Discoveries. A record of all your exploration discoveries, broken down by galactic region and type. Reported = discovered by another Commander; confirmed = discovered by you. You can click on each discovery type for further info. This section also lists rumours of possible discoveries for each region.

A record of all your exploration discoveries, broken down by galactic region and type. Reported = discovered by another Commander; confirmed = discovered by you. You can click on each discovery type for further info. This section also lists rumours of possible discoveries for each region. Knowledge Base. Outlines key aspects of Elite: Dangerous lore, including information and history about the main factions.

Outlines key aspects of Elite: Dangerous lore, including information and history about the main factions. Pilot’s Handbook. Explains the basics of some of the game’s main activities, such as mining, exploration, trading, and bounty hunting.

20. Unidentified Signal Sources (USSs)

Whenever you first enter a system, a set of USSs will spawn in supercruise. At these, you’ll encounter everything from shipwrecks and pirate ambushes to wedding parties and trade convoys. USSs are a good source of manufactured materials, but you will often also find abandoned and sometimes valuable commodities just floating around in the void. These can all be salvaged by using your cargo scoop to hoover them up or deploying cargo limpets to collect them (jump to mining section).

Cargo found at wreck sites is generally considered legal salvage and can be sold to the Search and Rescue Agent starport contact. Other items may be considered as “stolen” or illegal and will need to be sold on the black market (jump to Pirating, smuggling, and silent running section).

Your ship will automatically detect any nearby USSs (within a 1000Ls or so). To detect more distant signal sources, you need to either discover them using the FSS (jump to exploration and fuel scooping section) or by scanning the current system’s nav beacon. USSs are semi-permanent, lasting for up to 40 minutes. If you leave the system and return within the stated time frame, the same USS should still be there.

USSs come in multiple flavours and are automatically scanned when facing them with your ship. This will reveal both their identity and a threat level (0-5). Zero is usually safe, but watch out for the occasional pirate ambush.

Encoded/Degraded Emissions are shipwrecks where you are likely to find cargo canisters and things like occupied escape pods, black boxes, data caches, etc, which can be sold to Search and Rescue contacts or on the black market; sometimes you will have to contend with rescue ships who may become hostile if you attempt to plunder the wreckage; if you have the Horizons expansion, you may also find materials and data beacons at these

are shipwrecks where you are likely to find cargo canisters and things like occupied escape pods, black boxes, data caches, etc, which can be sold to Search and Rescue contacts or on the black market; sometimes you will have to contend with rescue ships who may become hostile if you attempt to plunder the wreckage; if you have the Horizons expansion, you may also find materials and data beacons at these Weapons Fire Detected will usually contain pirates, bounty hunters and system authority ships battling it out; these are good for bounty hunting

will usually contain pirates, bounty hunters and system authority ships battling it out; these are good for bounty hunting Combat aftermath sometimes spawn a scenario/mission or contain rarer manufactured materials



sometimes spawn a scenario/mission or contain rarer manufactured materials High-grade emissions (Horizons expansion only) contain rarer manufactured materials

(Horizons expansion only) contain rarer manufactured materials Convoy Dispersal Patterns will contain a convoy of ships (obviously) and these can sometimes be hostile or wanted; these have the potential for bounty hunting but are probably best avoided early on; sometimes also trigger scenarios

will contain a convoy of ships (obviously) and these can sometimes be hostile or wanted; these have the potential for bounty hunting but are probably best avoided early on; sometimes also trigger scenarios Ceremonial Comms will contain a convoy of a wedding, funeral, party ships; not much use really

will contain a convoy of a wedding, funeral, party ships; not much use really Trading Beacons will contain a trade ship; if you have want they want, it will be automatically transferred to their ship and you will be compensated with credits (usually well above the galactic average)

will contain a trade ship; if you have want they want, it will be automatically transferred to their ship and you will be compensated with credits (usually well above the galactic average) Distress Calls usually trigger a scenario in which NPCs are in need of fuel/repairs or are under attack by pirates. For the former, you will require fuel or repair limpets. For the latter, you will potentially face a large number of well-armed pirates, which can be fun but challenging

usually trigger a scenario in which NPCs are in need of fuel/repairs or are under attack by pirates. For the former, you will require fuel or repair limpets. For the latter, you will potentially face a large number of well-armed pirates, which can be fun but challenging Non-human Signal Source are thargoid-related encounters typically found in and around the Pleiades Nebula (near Merope and Maia) or other systems that the thargoids have penetrated. Be warned, the thargoid ships may look pretty but they’re also very dangerous!

Unidentified Signal Sources (USSs). This high grade emissions USS will expire in just under 19 minutes. Click image for larger version.

21. The endgame, career paths, and ways to make money

Let’s get down to brass tacks: there is no real endgame in Elite: Dangerous other than that you set for yourself. There is no central narrative, story missions are few and far between, and there are no long-term objectives set by the game. You are not some chiselled-jaw action hero on a quest to save humanity. In fact, in the grand scheme of the Elite universe, you’re pretty damn insignificant. Get over it.

Elite: Dangerous is all about creating your own journey and setting your own goals. Do you want to be a trader, bounty hunter, smuggler, psychopath, a professional assassin, courier, mercenary, miner, pirate, explorer or jack of all trades? It’s completely up to you — the Milky Way is your rather large oyster. The game is also steeped in lore and has a long and rich history, for those willing to go look for it.

21.1. A note on missions and scenarios

Missions come in a variety of forms and feed into all career paths. They’re also the best way to make money in the game early on — trading and combat are not so easy in a tiny, fragile Sidewinder.

Missions are primarily obtained from missions boards at starports. The type of missions available at a particular station will generally reflect the local economy, system state, and the political leaning of the issuing faction.

You can choose the reward you receive for missions you get from starport bulletin boards. Possible rewards include additional credits, materials (Horizons only), commodities, or a greater reputation increase. You will be shown the possible mission rewards before committing to the mission and get to choose your preferred payment upon completion (up to three options). You can also filter missions by reward options.

Mission rewards. Missions taken on from starports now come with up to three reward options, to be chosen from on completion. Here I’m opting for the cracked industrial firmware – an excellent decision I might add! Click image for larger version.

Occasionally, upon completing a mission you will receive an offer of a related job from the same faction on the mission board. These are known as chained missions and are marked by a chain-link icon.

All missions timers are in real time so never take on what you can’t complete (extensions are occasionally granted) and some carry a fine for completion failure. Also, note that any undelivered cargo will become classed as stolen upon mission failure and, therefore, can only be sold on the black market.

Read mission briefings very carefully. Some will require you to break the law (killing, piracy, illegal salvage, trespass) or may result in hostile ships being sent after you. Others may require you to meet a contact in space at a specified time to receive your instructions. Also, take note of the stated mission rank as this an indication of the relative difficulty. Taking on a mission above your current rank can be lucrative but also risky, i.e. you may be attacked/interdicted by very strong ships.

Mission objectives can change after accepting them, these are known as wrinkles. You may be given a new deadline, destination or bonus objective, or told to meet a contact for further details. You will be informed of these changes via the comms panel. Most are optional.

Mission targets can be found either by using a discovery scanner/FSS (jump to Exploration section) or by dropping out of supercruise at a nav beacon and targeting it for a passive scan. You will be informed of the details via your comms and transactions panels. This usually involves travelling to a named planetary body and waiting for a mission-related signal source to appear (see screenshot below). This can sometimes take a little while.

Also, note that mission-related signal sources will keep respawning until you complete your objective. For surface missions (Horizons expansion only), a search zone will appear on the planet once you get close enough (jump to Surface missions section).

Mission-related signal source. The general location of a mission target can be determined by either using a discovery scanner/FSS or by dropping out of supercruise and scanning a nav beacon. You then need to travel to the specified planetary body and wait (or slowly fly around it). Eventually, a mission-related signal source will appear. Note that these do respawn if you don’t complete your objective first time around. Click image for larger version.

21.1.1. Scenarios

Missions can also be given to you in space by NPCs, sometimes as an alternative proposal to an active mission. These proposals can be accepted or rejected through your comms panel.

A variation on this is the so-called “scenarios”, which may be offered to you at locations such as megaships, installations, settlements, distress calls, combat aftermaths, etc. These often revolve around attacking or defending a nearby objective, such as space installation, but others involve joining in with a salvage operation or playing the good Samaritan to help out a random dude with repairs or refuelling.

However, the financial rewards for scenarios are usually quite poor and taking them on is more about supporting a specific faction.

Scenarios are special types of mission that occur randomly at certain locations. Your comms panel will inform you when a scenario is available. Click image for larger version.

21.2. Trading

Trading can be very profitable if you can find some good routes, but it usually requires a little research — imperial slaves and precious metals are a good place to start once you have the necessary capital. Basically, you want to buy commodities in medium to high supply and transport them to where they are in demand, or low supply.

21.2.1. Using the galactic average

When viewing the commodities market at a port, the galactic average provides a rough guide to the type of return you can expect for a particular commodity. The galactic average is the average price of a commodity across all markets in the galaxy (the clue is in the name!).

On the buy screen, the last column displays the profit (or loss) you would make per tonne if you bought the commodity at the current port and then sold it at the galactic average price.

On the sell screen, the last column displays the profit (or loss) you would make per tonne if you bought the commodity at the galactic average and sold it at the current port.

21.2.2. Researching trade runs

You permanently acquire access to trade data from each system where you’ve docked at a port or scanned the nav beacon. This trade data can be used to help research profitable trade routes.

When you highlight or click on a specific commodity, it provides import and export prices from nearby systems for which you hold trade data.

To enter the galaxy map trade data overlay, either:

select a specific item in the commodity market and then click “view commodity in galaxy map” or one of the listed systems

click on the “compare” icon in the commodity market, then “search market” followed by “select on galaxy map”.

go to the galaxy map and switch to the commodity filter

From here you can select a specific commodity from the left-hand panel, then view which systems are importing (blue diamonds) and exporting it (green triangles) within 40ly of your current location. A white diamond indicates that you have trade data for the system, but the selected commodity is not being traded.

Moving the cursor over a visited system will generate a pop-up that reveals prices and additional options. For example, you can filter trade data by landing pad size, planetary markets, and market range, which is the distance of ports from the main star.

Selecting a system and then clicking on the “compare in commodities market” icon will make its import and export prices available on the commodities market screen. When back on the commodities market screen, click on compare icon to switch between stations in the comparison system.

You can also view current trading trends for systems you have visited in the last 24 hours. This information can also be bought for nearby systems through the galaxy map for 100cr a pop, but only while docked. Trading trends can be filtered to only show data based on other Commanders (i.e. players).

See the screenshots below for a very simple example of how to research a trade run using coffee as an example.

With the trade data overlay enabled on the galaxy map, you can view which systems are importing (blue diamonds) and exporting (green triangles) a specified commodity. However, this only works for systems you’ve visited in the past. Here, I’m looking at coffee (mmmm… coffee!). Moving the cursor over a system will reveal prices and additional options. The Leberecht Tempel Gateway in the Cordenet system is currently buying coffee for 1990 credits per tonne. Click image for larger version.

Trading coffee 1. Using the galaxy map you can also see trending trade routes for any commodity (select from the filters tab) for systems you’ve visited in the last 24 hours. This data can also be bought for 100cr a pop. You can view multiple commodities simultaneously, but I’m only looking at coffee here (green lines). Click image for larger version.

Trading coffee 2. The Finlay-Freundlich Hub starport in the Kikua system is a wealthy, large population agriculture economy. It mainly produces foodstuffs, which are exported to all other economy types. Coffee (highlighted) is in high supply and can be bought for 1048cr per tonne, which is 457cr below the galactic average. The panel on the right lists import and export prices for nearby systems. The last column of the table has been set to show the export profit if sold at the Leberecht Tempel Gateway in the Cordenet system. For coffee, I would make 940cr per tonnes. Click image for larger version.

The trick to trading is learning the import