Best exocraft: Roamer vs Minotaur??

[󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡Atlas]

Thanks in Advance!

The story line seems to funnel you into the MInotaur as the best extra vehicle. Ive mostly been using my Roamer as an extra storage--sometimes to save time going less than 1000 U distance. Should i focus on building one of them up for future exploration and other tasks?

Thanks All!

[ImHelping]

As a guy returning to the game since launch, I learned yesterday the answer is...

"What the ♥♥♥♥, they can scan for specific BUILDINGS!? But DIFFERENT ones depending on if it is the minotaur or a ground vehicle!?." which I had to learn online, as installing all the scan upgrades ASAP on my roamer had the X menu to scan for buildings option still not doing anything.

Which left me wondering "Why did I install those upgrades if they don't do anything?" So of course they started working after I googled it days later.

Roamer and other ground stuff (I have not gotten the sub yet) can scan for drop pods and abandoned buildings.

Minotaur can't scan for those, but is allowed to scan for distress signals (Also it is the one allowed to use terrain beam).

So yeah, you want both. Not because one is better than the other, but because each is arbitrarily banned from doing a job both should be capable of.

Build the exocraft summoning station because that can fit in your pocket and summon any exocraft you have created. (via X menu. it lacks a control panel like other exo stations, and seems to act like "Build this to allow X menu summon to work" ).

There is a freighter upgrade that allows this without the station, but needs your freighter to be in the system (i think?). Mine came with one, but I don't know if that is default. And a catch 22 is having nothing unlocked for your freighter until you grind to unlock stuff for it (Unlocks ship warp drives before base trade stations. Unlocks freighter trade station before freighter warp drives...) making it a pain to shuffle around. So I have been bringing the summoning station around anyways.

Which the minotaur scanning for wrecks can help with. Unless god hates you. One crashed freighter with multiple upgrade parts of multiple kinds can turn into the next five with no upgrades.

[Prescient Stones]

Originally posted by ImHelping:

As a guy returning to the game since launch, I learned yesterday the answer is...

..snip...
Which the minotaur scanning for wrecks can help with. Unless god hates you. One crashed freighter with multiple upgrade parts of multiple kinds can turn into the next five with no upgrades.

I approve this entire message.

Will add that back in the day before HG made the Mech , Mech w/AI I would use Roamer for finding Alien Structures just to get to the Portal and vanish..

With the advent of the AI Mech I explore the planet I'm on more and more and more.

The AI Mech:

[*}One Shield for all hazards.

[*}Can interact with all flora you would need with the Gauntlet / Gloves.

[*}Can interact with Sac Venom and Storm Crystals, Melts Floating Crystal and Curious Deposits faster with it's laser upgrades.

[*}Can move underwater and be your go to and stay by your side when delving the deep and can't find a oxygen plant.

[*}Can Boost plenty well without my mod ahem.. with all the Engine upgrades you get from the space station.

[*}Can be upgraded to AI Mech with a few Anomaly upgrade for scant nanites. (relatively) before doing the trace of metal quest line.

[*}Will defend you in AI mode if hostile animals want to taste you.

[*}Will take on Monstrosities if you choose to go to abandoned building to harvest larval cores: To sale, for cooking or for processing into more nanites.

He can't help me with Steam formatting..

[Dirak2012]

The fact that you can use the Minotaur as a companions instead of a vehicule makes it a lot more useful. You can also pickup thing like storm crystals from inside.

[Jaggid Edje]

Just to expand on what @ImHelping mentioned, this is the specifics on what each exocraft can scan for:

Minotaur:

• Resource Depot
  
• Distress Signals
  
• Planetary Outposts
  
• Secure Facilities

Nautilon:

• Crashed Ships
  
• Crashed Freighters
  
• Sunken Buildings
  
• Submerged Ruins

All Other Exocraft:

• Trade Outpost
  
• Resource Depot
  
• Abandoned Buildings (with Radar Amplifier)
  
• Drop Pods (with Radar Amplifier)
  
• Ruins (with Radar Power Resonator )
  
• Alien Structures/monoliths (with Radar Power Resonator)

[taniwhat]

And even then "It depends". The wheeled exo's with speed upgrades are great on anything like flat terrain but some worlds are so mountainous it's Minotaur or walk.

[Xerxes86]

Originally posted by pwalt:

And even then "It depends". The wheeled exo's with speed upgrades are great on anything like flat terrain but some worlds are so mountainous it's Minotaur or walk.

My experience with exocraft the best thing you can do with it is run it into the water if it's close, and leave it there. It's just one of the many useless item NMS has.

[ImHelping]

Originally posted by pwalt:

And even then "It depends". The wheeled exo's with speed upgrades are great on anything like flat terrain but some worlds are so mountainous it's Minotaur or walk.

I think I am starting to hate canyon worlds. Though my RNG based edge case luck is always horrifying in any game. soooo many "smeared in a 300 high by 10 wide wafer thin crust" deposits on 90 degree cliffs you are not allowed to dig into the side of. to say nothing of hotspots halfway up such things. They would be so scenic and appealing if not for the videogame moon logic making actually working with them a pain.

[BlackWater]

I like the car, with the drift suspension on its loads of fun.

[llanita]

For me the nomad. Over land and sea and great radar too

[Lfod]

I'm not really worried that much about the min/max thing in NMS because it's not that hardcore of a game. I would just say have fun and roll around with the stuff you think looks the coolest or just use all the tools at your disposal.

[ImHelping]

Originally posted by Lfod:

I'm not really worried that much about the min/max thing in NMS because it's not that hardcore of a game. I would just say have fun and roll around with the stuff you think looks the coolest or just use all the tools at your disposal.

If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is people who tell you "Gosh, don't min/max! Everything is great!" are hoping you pick the worst option, even in the most casual of games.

Even ignoring the prior discussion about how that mindset can lock you out of content QoL like mutually exclusive scan options. Some things are just a pain with all the upgrades in the world compared to the rest with just the basics installed. Unless you will literally die without being contrarian on the internet.

Colossus, how can something so huge be such a huge letdown to actually USE-*face clips inside of the suspension system while exiting again* "...Well, at least it is so huge nothing can happen to it-" *small prey animal headbutts the wheels so hard colossus bounces like it is made of styrafoam*

I tried giving it a go again out of spite. But well... You know how on volcano worlds it likes to spawn fire patches where you parked, as a joke? Somehow it was hiding the fire with the colossus, leaving me wondering why my meter was dropping like a rock until I got in and drove off.

[Johnny in the Clouds]

Originally posted by pwalt:

And even then "It depends". The wheeled exo's with speed upgrades are great on anything like flat terrain but some worlds are so mountainous it's Minotaur or walk.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1617026240
Roamer is great fun. Upgrade the 200% forward grip. Minotaur is fun too offering protection but it can not be 'driven' easily. If the terrain is mountainous and full of flora the bike upgrades weaves in and out of obstacles. The nomad great for water as well as land.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2516925257
For really tough terrain the metal companions or rodent type small pets are fast and not affected by obstacles. You can also use the analysis visor while riding companions in 1st person which you can not do inside an exocraft. They can be great for finishing a hotspot search.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2924408938
The nautilon is essential for finding those great underwater beasts.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2629902069
The colossus is super fun too in all sorts of terrain. Especially Zero G and the roamer. You too can be the hero in your very own 'Armageddon' film. Upgrade them all and overload the slots for super power.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2578581402
If you have a cave base park your exocars above and all of them give you easily accessible storage to transfer back and forth while inside the base. : D
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2615077156
Note* When upgrading the tech check the stats are not conflicting. The drfit and slide and grip add or subtract their performances so load out the exocar to their tasks.

[󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡Atlas]

Originally posted by Galactic Starman:

Originally posted by pwalt:

And even then "It depends". The wheeled exo's with speed upgrades are great on anything like flat terrain but some worlds are so mountainous it's Minotaur or walk.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1617026240
Roamer is great fun. Upgrade the 200% forward grip. Minotaur is fun too offering protection but it can not be 'driven' easily. If the terrain is mountainous and full of flora the bike upgrades weaves in and out of obstacles. The nomad great for water as well as land.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2516925257
For really tough terrain the metal companions or rodent type small pets are fast and not affected by obstacles. You can also use the analysis visor while riding companions in 1st person which you can not do inside an exocraft. They can be great for finishing a hotspot search.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2924408938
The nautilon is essential for finding those great underwater beasts.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2629902069
The colossus is super fun too in all sorts of terrain. Especially Zero G and the roamer. You too can be the hero in your very own 'Armageddon' film. Upgrade them all and overload the slots for super power.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2578581402
If you have a cave base park your exocars above and all of them give you easily accessible storage to transfer back and forth while inside the base. : D
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2615077156
Note* When upgrading the tech check the stats are not conflicting. The drfit and slide and grip add or subtract their performances so load out the exocar to their tasks.

awesome post, thanks. i got to a point where im not really using any of them now because im just not running around on planets outside of some very specific mission

[knighttemplar1960]

It also depends on what you want to use an exocraft for. If you are needing to cross water then the nomad. If you want speed then the answer is none. You can cover more territory faster with "S" movement modules in your exosuit leapfrogging with your starship.