Overview
This guide will teach you the funnest and most dangerous way possible to travel the galaxy in Elite Dangerous!
SETTING UP TO GO PLACES
To start off lets quickly prepare for the journey to wherever your going. If you already know how to set up for long range travel you can skip this part.
Open the galaxy map and navigate to the second tab from the right and select star class from the little drop menu. Next uncheck everything below M-type star, leaving ‘apply filter to route’ at the bottom selected. This is to safe guard against a string of no fuel stars marooning you.
Then go to 2nd tab from left and select ‘fastest routes’, also check the box for ‘use jet-cone boost’.
Next you should go to outfitting and put the largest available fuel scoop onto your ship, even if it means downgrading your shields. Fill your utility slots with heatsinks except for as necessary(wake scanners, etc), you may need them if you emergency drop. Its best to assign a dedicated key to heatsinks in Options>Keybindings.
You are now ready to go places!
FUEL SCOOPING
Your all lined up to jump and your FSD is kicking you off into the black, your watching the nice space clouds go by and then plop. There you are barrelling at this ball of sunshine and its time to kick the throttle to full, pull up that nose and point it close to the edge of the glow!
As you approach the glow you should see the fuel scoop bar come up. Depending on the star you might be at the edge of the scoop zone. You might be in the mid range of the scoop zone. You will get a feel for it as you go and probably dip in much deeper than the edge at times.
When you see the numbers rolling down rather than up you have cleared the hump and are leaving the star. To get closer to the star(putting the hump in front of you again) rotate the star to 8 O’clock(your left) and turn(yaw) left into the star, while simultaneously pitching the nose down. Once you are deep into the scoop zone rotate right while pulling up at same time so that your belly is level to the star.
Your belly is now level with the star, you can begin to turn(yaw) and rotate in the same direction to control your orbit, you may want to compliment your path with small pitch adjustments from moment to moment. Your call. As you complete 180degree rotations(floor/ceiling being closest to sun) turn the opposite direction.
If you see the numbers cap out on the fuel scoop bar, emergency drop is imminent. Exit the star.
Rotating the sun to 8 O’clock(your left) then pulling up, rotating right and turning right simultaneously can assist in a swift exit.
Never reduce the throttle, not even to text.
SUPERCHARGING YOUR FRAME SHIFT DRIVE
I wish I did this more often! This is fairly straight forward. You have plopped out of your hyper jump and slammed shut the throttle to 0. Now you look at the awesome glory of the supercharging star before you! Isnt it just fantastic?
On to business then. Follow the beam with your eye and identify the 75% mark. Now confidently(the star knows if your scared) take a path overhead of the star and its beams so that you would be in one lane of a road and the beams are a transport truck in oncoming lane. Careful to not get to too close until the right moment. You dont have to be careful really though you have heatsinks, right? Yu will either use those to jump back to cruise or be destroyed if you emergency drop.
OK! Staying in your lane travel out along the path of the Spacebeam. Passing.. not coming up on.. PASSING that 75% marker you noted earlier it is time to change lanes. This can be tricky because if you go to deep into the beam too early you are not gonna like it. Take a sharp angle down to close the distance, but as you close the distance your angle of attack needs to align with the beam in the closing moments so that you almost land on the glowy edge of the beam.
This is the part where it becomes rough. You will be carried off by beam and it can be disconcerting. Dont leave the throttle up this isnt that kindve flight. You will want to roll and pitch and turn(yaw) until your nose is facing slightly up but in the same direction as being carried activate the throttle full. When you start facing the wrong way again close it until you line back up. When you clear 95% of the beam I dont think it matters how far into the glow you go, you can let it toss you clear.
SIDE NOTES AND SAFE ALTERNATIVES
Wait for the fuel scoop to disengage so you know your clear of the over heat zone.
Use a heat sink when emergency dropped to close to a star and jumping back to supercruise or new system. They are cheap to buy and complex to manufacture in your right panel.
To make heatsinks select your heatsinks in your modules tab, then make some. Note the bonuses on the primo ones. Let me know if they were worth it I could never afford them.
For fuel scooping descend onto the glow and park it about 80% max scooping rate. Then make for an escape trajectory and fly away when full.
For supercharging you can just park your ship at the very end of the Spacebeam and let it frost you like a donut. Then make for an escape trajectory when supercharged.
You might find that when complimented with vertical/side thrusters and properly applied boosting(full engines piped) these scooping skills directly translate into evasive manoeuvring/combat skills with flight assist on.
The more you scoop you will quickly pick up that this was a very loose guide designed to be used by a new pilot on day 1. Consequently you will reverse and intermingle the tips and find your own brand new manoeuvrings. All of which will help you to snake your way along and around many stars. Many of them you will exit lined up for the next jump with your FSD cooled down and ready to go.
As you fly and make your way along in the Galaxy you should at least pop off the most basic discovery scanner. You can set it to a fire group and pop it off in discovery mode. Without any zooming or tuning. These really add up. Tens of millions after a while.
Fly safe and have fun!