Engineers for dummies

[StarQuake]

I've been playing the game for just over a month and haven't really scratched the surface of any of it - I've not been exploring, I've only just bought a Viper to try bounty hunting two days ago, I've not tried mining, and I've got Horizons but not tried any surface missions. What I would like to do is boost my Python's feeble jump range (I think it's about 16lys). And I understand that is going to require an engineer. But that's pretty much all I undertand.


With the bonus weekend coming up, now would be a good time to do the engineering quests, but I'm not sure just how much grind they entail.


What will it take to get my Python's jumprange engineered?

Am I going to need to travel hundreds of light years?

Should I buy myself a ship with a big jump range like an Asp or Anaconda, or will I need to take my Python to far off places to get the drive fixed?


Can I get the materials I need as rewards from missions, or are there specific things I will have to go hunting for?


Can anyone give me an idea about how much work I'm going to have to put in to get a better FSD?

[ReeNoiP]

You are going to be traveling hundreds of lightyears to unlock the engineers. Felicity Farseer requires meta alloys, which are usually obtained from Pleiades, while Elvira Martuk requires soontil relics, which are more than 100 ly away from her base.

Once you have one unlocked, you can pin the long range FSD blueprint so you don't have to bring your Python to them to upgrade it. Just use remote engineering. You can pin one blueprint per engineer and you can change the pinned blueprited any time by revisiting the engineer.

So if you have the money, it might be worthwile to get an Asp or DBX to fly around and get the stuff you need.

It wont take long to complete these quests if you have something with a 30ish ly jump range. It's also very convenient in general to have something that can cross the bubble in a few jumps.

[StarQuake]

Thank you.

So I don't need to take my Python all over, I can buy an Asp and pick up stuff in that? At what point will I need to take my Python to Felicity Farseer (if at all)? At the start, when I bring her meta alloys? Or at the end. And will the things I collect (meta alloys and others) transfer with me if I switch ships?

[ReeNoiP]

Originally posted by StarQuake:

Thank you.

So I don't need to take my Python all over, I can buy an Asp and pick up stuff in that? At what point will I need to take my Python to Felicity Farseer (if at all)? At the start, when I bring her meta alloys? Or at the end. And will the things I collect (meta alloys and others) transfer with me if I switch ships?

You never have to bring the Python to her unless you want an experimental effect. Just drop off the meta alloys in whatever ship you like and pin the blueprint. You only need to do it once to unlock her.

Then you need materials to do the upgrades (meta alloys are cargo). Materials follow you, not your ship, and don't take up cargo space. So you can gather materials in your Asp and switch to the Python and upgrade your FSD through remote engineering no problem.

You can see what materials you already have in the right side menu. You are probably missing some, so look into material traders to quickly get what you need.

[StarQuake]

Cool. Much appreciated.

[Team Triss]

Originally posted by ReeNoiP:

You never have to bring the Python to her unless you want an experimental effect. .

I don't know that this is entirely true. As I understand it, if you use the Remote Workshops, you don't gain reputation with the engineer, so you'd never be able to unlock anything above Grade 1. You need to take at least your first ship there, and as you engineer stuff you will earn rep and unlock higher engineering grades.

Once you've unlocked G5, then yeah, if you don't want an Experimental Effect you can remotely engineer the pinned blueprint to your heart's content.

As to the grind, I don't find it terribly grindy, but it helps to know where to find certain things (the engineer gives a pretty good lead on where to find stuff) and you can gather a lot just by making simple changes to how you fly. I made it a habit long before I ever tried engineering to just toggle between targets while flying and scan anyone/everyone as I go along just for kicks, but then I found when I went to engineer that I had tons and tons of data mats for engineering.

[StarQuake]

Okay, now I'm confused. I'm just about to buy an Asp X to fly to Maia to buy some meta alloys as I understand I need them in order to meet with Felicity Farseer. Do I have to take my Python to Maia to collect the meta alloys and then to FF? Can I make the trip to Maia in the Asp, pick up the meta alloys, then switch to my Python, then go see FF?

I've never tried switching ships with cargo on board, does it transfer over or is it impossible to switch ships while you have cargo?

Sorry to be so clueless about this stuff.

[Team Triss]

Originally posted by StarQuake:

Sorry to be so clueless about this stuff.

Don't be, we all start somewhere, and to be fair a lot more could be explained in game, as opposed to relying on out-of-game resources.

Once you bring Felicity her Meta Alloys, she's unlocked for good and you can bring any ship (or remotely work any ship with the pinned blueprint); it doesn't matter what you bring her the Alloy in. You can transfer cargo as long as the ship you're switching to has enough space to store the cargo you currently have; you can't store cargo in stations. So as long as you have 1 ton of space in your Python, you can take your Asp to get the Alloy, then meet up with your Python and switch to it, taking the Alloy with you to Felicity.

Once you unlock Felicity, she'll let you engineer any module she supports engineering for (FSDs mainly, but will lightly engineer thrusters too and some other things), but only Grade 1 (out of 5). Each Grade has higher downsides, but also higher upsides. You have to build enough rep with an engineer to unlock higher grades; the easiest way to do it is through engineering modules. Maxing out a G1 something should bring her to at least G2, maxing out a G2 should take you to G3, and so on.

Once you've maxed your rep and gotten G5, the only reason you'd need to go back was to use or pin a different blueprint (you can pin 1 per engineer) or get an Experimental Effect.

[ReeNoiP]

You don't have to use your python to deliver the meta alloys. You do that once in any ship you want and never worry about giving her meta alloys again.

What Team Triss is talking about is grades and reputation with the engineer. Grades are different tiers of upgrades and go from grade 1 to grade 5 (G1 to G5). You start at the lowest tier (G1) and unlock higher tiers by raising you reputation with the engineer.

In Felicity Farseers case you raise your rep by upgrading modules (this way works for all engineers) or selling exploration data at her base. If you use an advanced discovery scanner and maybe surface scan a few planets on your trip to pick up the meta alloys, you should have enough exploration data to go to around G3. Remember to also bring a fuel scoop.

If you have the materials you can upgrade your Asps FSD and maybe some other modules to get to G5 in no time.

*Ninjaed again :/

[semidomestic]

You don't have to be invited before you can unlock the engineers? Did something change? I think for Farseer you had to be mostly aimless before she sent an invite.

[Team Triss]

Originally posted by semidomestic:

You don't have to be invited before you can unlock the engineers? Did something change? I think for Farseer you had to be mostly aimless before she sent an invite.

Interwebs says Scout or higher. Good point, we told TC to go to Felicity but don't know if bringing the Meta Alloys will do anything because he's not supposed to be there yet.

[semidomestic]

https://roguey.co.uk/elite-dangerous/engineers/browse/

a list of the engineers, requirements and blueprints. this will give you an idea of what materials you need for the unlock and upgrades.
It is Scout for Felicity.

[Cerealkiller1]

I suggest you go ahead and buy the ASPx, it is a great ship and you can keep it for future exploration builds. Use the ASPx to unlock Felicity and go to her and upgrade your FSD as you like. The other poster mentioned you have to gain reputation with her to unlock the higher tiers, I think that this is correct.

Also, someone correct me if i am wrong, but the Python and ASPx both use a Size 5 FSD. You can upgrade the FSD in your ASPx and swap it into the Python later.

[semidomestic]

Also, someone correct me if i am wrong, but the Python and ASPx both use a Size 5 FSD. You can upgrade the FSD in your ASPx and swap it into the Python later. [/quote]

If he pins the blueprint he can do any FSD remotely. Sell exploration data to her to gain reputation.

[StarQuake]

Sounds good. I'm at Scout rank so I don't have to worry about that part, I just need to bring her the meta alloys.

[Judz]

You can always strip down your ship and drop lower spec lightweight (D class) modules in there place, remembering to store the modules you remove. This will be usefull when you need Meta Alloys