By Winter Ihernglass - November 2024
These builds are focused on being a good explorer, not a one-jump wonder. They have good jump range, and have the tools necessary for exploring, and do not make unnecessary sacrifices for a tiny amount of additional jump range. They also try to be safe against unexpected encounters with the ground, while not being safe for returning in Open play.
Ship | Cost (MCr) | Jump (Ly) | Notes |
5 | 33 | Baby’s first explorer | |
21 | 48 | Slow fuel scoop | |
62 | 45 | Great cockpit | |
63 | 52 | ARX only for now | |
108 | 43 | More optional internal space | |
122 | 38 | Fighter hangar | |
366 | 43 | Room for everything |
FSD Note: SCO drives, when engineered, jump noticeably farther than regular engineered drives. The range difference with the V1 double-engineered FSD is insignificant.
DSS Note: Use the pre-engineered V1 DSS for an even easier time mapping bodies.
Power Priorities Note: Modules may be turned off and power priorities set in the builds below, to make sure your ship doesn’t completely shut down when repairing your FSD.
Ship | Cost (MCr) | Jump (Ly) | Notes |
25 | 58 | Quite cold | |
21 | 71 | Slow fuel scoop | |
62 | 66 | Great cockpit | |
62 | 79 | ARX only for now | |
108 | 65 | More optional internal space | |
123 | 57 | Fighter bay | |
366 | 67 | Room for everything |
In May 2024 the supercruise overcharge FSDs were released. These drives jump a few Ly farther than normal and have the overcharge function that lets you significantly speed up supercruise travel. This is great for getting out of gravity wells quickly, and for lowering supercruise travel time.
The downsides are that overcharging eats a significant amount of fuel and heats you up a lot, which, if you are not careful, can lead to taking hull damage or running out of fuel and getting stranded. They also use more fuel per jump, increasing scoop time if you fill up at every star, and are only very slightly better than the V1 FSDs, except for size 6 where SCO is slightly worse.
I recommend them in general, and especially if you will be doing long supercruise trips, as long as you are careful. I don’t recommend them for dedicated travel-only (neutron highway) ships - for those, use V1 instead.
These include:
These do NOT include:
More than one isn’t necessary unless you are traveling VERY long distances with neutrons and without stopping:
That said, it’s fine to bring more than one (turn them off when not in use).
See above for DSSA carriers; and a careful explorer won’t take hull damage (check the gravity before every time you land!). It also takes two slots (controller and cargo bay) and making limpets uses engineering materials; but feel free to add them if you want.
Feel free to fill them with more AFMUs, or with a repair limpet controller and a cargo rack (see above), or with Guardian Shield Reinforcement Packages. Filling up the slots is useful for when you take heat damage, but it’s also more expensive, and why are you taking so much heat damage? If you add to the builds, watch your power and upsize the power plant if you need more (keep the plant A-rated).
The one you like flying the most. Exploring isn’t just about jump range, it’s about smelling the roses and enjoying yourself. Any ship can be an explorer, but the tables above include the most common choices. As long as you have a minimum range above about 30 Ly, then you can go almost anywhere in the galaxy. Low jump ranges will present problems with arm crossings and the edges of the galaxy (like Ishum's Reach).
But arguably, it’s the Mandalay. It has very good thermals, great jump range, great maneuverability, good internal space, and its SCO drive stability is very, very convenient.