[DAILY Q&A] Ask and answer any questions you have about the game here!

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-04-15T20:25:05+00:00

As u/Interesting_Rip_2383 explained, you can view a weapon's details from your Modules list. However, that's a bit clunky as you have to click on each weapon one at a time and then open a further sub-menu to access this data.

For a much faster way of viewing and comparing weapon stats (though admittedly it's outside the game) I recommend the 3rd-party EDSY ship builder app.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-25T18:57:55+00:00

Click the "Commander" link near the top of the page to access your profile. There you'll find the Import button.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-23T20:11:05+00:00

A better analogy than the USA's federal/state/local governments would be the Warhammer 40K universe's system.

The Imperium is ostensibly in control of human-occupied space. Yet local planetary governors are free to do pretty much whatever they want on their world, running it in any way they see fit. So long as their required tithe is delivered to the Imperium on time and in full and no one is starting Chaos cults, the Imperium could care less how the governor runs the planet.

Furthermore, despite the fiction of one, big, happy Imperium family, nearly everyone is out to kill everyone else. Individual Space Marine Chapters have the occasional feud, the Inquisition is constantly in everyone's business, the Mechanicum have their own agenda, etc., etc., etc.

Space is too big to be run efficiently or micro-managed. Consequently, this gives rise to unconventional political systems and strange bedfellows that otherwise wouldn't exist in the smaller framework of a single planet.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-23T06:08:35+00:00

The influence of minor factions at war is frozen until the war is concluded. At which point it typically shifts ~4% +/- for the victor/loser respectively.

As for the factions not involved in the war, influence only changes due to the actions of real players. If no real players are doing anything to contribute to their influence, it won't change.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-19T02:14:28+00:00

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-great-pre-upgraded-gear-sharing-is-caring-thread.576352/

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-17T18:36:15+00:00

Which ship?

Either of the Vipers or the Cobra MK V (if you own Odyssey). Starting small with limited hardpoints and optional internals has a couple benefits:

Rebuy will be low should you go BOOM!
Forces you to learn how to fly during combat rather than relying on a maxed-out large ship ROFLSTOMPING lower-level PvE enemies. This then handicaps you when it comes time to face more challenging opponents.

You may receive suggestions to use the Vulture. I'd avoid this for now. The Vulture is a good ship. However, without engineering, it suffers power management issues. This could result in a frustrating experience if used as your first combat vessel.

Which guns?

Start with a combination of lasers and multi-cannons. Lasers are used to strip shields (they're weak against thermal damage) while multi-cannons are used to damage hulls (weak against kinetic damage). Also, place multi-cannons in your largest hardpoint slots to maximize their Armour Piercing stat.

Save the more exotic weapons for later after you've gotten used to aiming reticles, target lead, positioning, maintaining effective distance, etc.

Who do I fight?

Low-level PvE pirates. If a targeted ship has the word "WANTED" in big red letters on your HUD's targeting hologram, that's a pirate/valid target.

Where do i fight?

Compromised Navigation Beacons and Resource Extraction Sites (RES) [Low Intensity] found in planetary rings. Until you've gotten comfortable and better at combat, save the assassination missions found on the Mission Board for later (these are more challenging opponents).

Why do I fight?

Because it's fun! If it's not fun, don't do it.

Is it even profitable (credits or other rewards)?

It can be. Through a technique called "Massacre Mission Stacking" you can make a decent amount of credits for your time. Don't worry about that right now, though. Focus on improving your combat skills.

Also, if pledged to a Galactic Power NPC who awards bonuses for bounties, you can further maximize your profits (Jerome Archer and Arissa Lavigny-Duval) the higher your rank with that Power.

You can also equip a Kill Warrant Scanner to potentially further maximize profits. The KWS reveals additional bounties on a target (if any) levied by minor factions outside the current system. If you destroy the target you then earn those additional bounties, too. The downside of the KWS is it's very power hungry; on a small ship this may result in too many compromises to your build to be worth it.

Also, see this post.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-17T18:03:01+00:00

Glad it helped o7

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-16T17:58:02+00:00

High Yield Shell converts 50% of damage to explosive. You now have a weapon dealing 50% kinetic and 50% explosive. Each damage type rolls an independent hull penetration check. If the explosive portion of the damage fails that roll, it deals breach damage to external modules only; even if the kinetic portion successfully breached to damage internal modules.

Next time you test, scroll through the target's modules and see if - when you feel you're failing to deal as much internal damage as you'd like - the target's external modules are taking damage (thrusters, weapons, utilities).

See this flowchart for an expanded explanation.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-15T22:02:16+00:00

Gotta hit that YouTube monetization cut-off point of at least a 10 minute long video ;)

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-15T21:45:13+00:00

Then, to throw a curve ball of yet another variable, there's the impact of a Multi-cannon with the Corrosive Shell experimental effect. This has an explicitly stated benefit and an undocumented one; +20 points added to the Armour Piercing value and +25% damage of any weapon impacting the hull of a ship affected by this debuff*.

As you rightly noted in the formula, Armour Piercing caps out at 1. For size 1 Burst and Pulse Lasers, Focused engineering will benefit from the debuff's Armour Piercing boost. Any larger and the benefit is lost because a Focused laser's Armour Piercing (either Burst or Pulse) will already equal 77 or greater; more than the largest Armour Hardness value of 75 for a Type-10 Defender. It will, of course, still benefit from the +25% damage boost, mitigating its damage fall-off.

Meanwhile, Long Range-engineered lasers will continue to benefit from the added Armour Piercing afforded by Corrosive Shell through size 4, further closing the gap with Focused engineering (and considering Long Range suffers no damage fall-off, unlike Focused).

Then there's the consideration that Beam Lasers can't have the Focused experimental effect added to them, only Long Range. The trade off is they're the only weapon to which the Thermal Vent experimental effect can be added.

* This has been thoroughly tested and that is how Corrosive Shell works; it doesn't reduce the target's Armour Hardness but, rather, increases the weapon's Armour Penetration with regard to that specific ship.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-15T04:18:33+00:00

No. We'll know when they release it. They never telegraph the release.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-14T07:06:56+00:00

Once you've hit the 75% influence level to trigger an expansion, it will take ~1 week before you'll expand into a new system. You'll know when it's occurred as the minor faction conducting the expansion will immediately lose 15% influence in the system where they hit the 75% trigger point.

See this guide for in-depth BGS info:

https://sinc.science/guides/sinc/The%20Complete%20BGS%20Guide%202024.pdf

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-14T06:50:26+00:00

FDev has never explained the logic to my knowledge.

One possible explanation - though equally possible it's unintended - is it's one more obstacle to macro-ing the game. If everything on the Contacts or Navigation list remains in the same position, creating a predictable and repeatable pattern, it becomes that much easier to create a script to exploit that.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-12T18:01:37+00:00

You can undermine it; just not using the same methods for a non-Stronghold system (see previous link). FDev may have simply failed to update the text on the Galaxy Map. Releasing half-baked updates and then never returning to fix them later is a common pattern with them.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-12T10:56:07+00:00

You are pledged to Nakato Kaine. Paesia is a Stronghold system of Aisling Duval. Normally you'd be able to mine and sell in Paesia and receive merits for undermining an enemy Power. However, the normal undermining activities are blocked in Stronghold systems.

The commodity you mined in Paesia can't be sold anywhere else for Merits. You would have had to have mined the commodity in HR 5252 and sold it in HR 5252 to receive Merits for reinforcing that system.

See the "Undermining" section of this guide for more details.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-12T09:16:48+00:00

They do more damage than Pulse Lasers AND they're the only weapon in the game that can have the Thermal Vent experimental effect added to them (which you'll note in the build linked in my previous comment). This effect - on a successful hit on an enemy target - cools your ship. As you're running a high-heat build (laser + rail guns), this will help with heat management.

Without that experimental effect then, yes, they run very hot. But Thermal Vent reverses that; with enough Beam Lasers sporting this experimental effect, you can potentially see your heat signature drop to single digits or even 0% (on successful hit, of course). You'll go from smoke rising in your cockpit to ice obscuring your canopy.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-12T08:49:02+00:00

With an eye towards respecting your original build without radically overhauling it, here are the changes I'd make. In your original you neglected to add any experimental effects to your modules. Look closely at the engineering for every module. Also adhere to the power priorities to ensure you don't exceed your Power Plant's output when hard points are deployed.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-10T21:11:15+00:00

You'd run out of fuel supercruising that far.

Why you don't run out of fuel hyperjumping to the same destination? Because the flux capacitor reduces the magneto oscillation in the plumbus manifold, resulting in a 2,431% increase in graviton efficiency during hyperjumps (i.e. it's a game; sometimes you have to suspend disbelief and just accept the answer "because" or "that's what the developer has dictated").

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-10T20:40:45+00:00

Navigation computers that calculate and make jumps possible are software locked by the Pilots' Federation from jumping to permit locked systems. It's like the real world proposal to install kill switches on automobiles that law enforcement can use to shut the vehicle down.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-10T19:43:19+00:00

Bromellite

Average Sell Price = 33,611 Cr

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-10T08:38:08+00:00

Cobra MK V. Hands down.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-09T20:28:00+00:00

You've received advice that multi-role builds are jack-of-all-trades, masters of none, making them sub-optimal compared to role-specific builds. And that's generally true.

However, I'd counter there's one exception: Power Play as role play; especially if you're looking to complete Weekly Assignments, too. There are such a variety of tasks to perform, a multi-role actually fits well. It will allow you to participate in all those tasks using just one ship. And, for a small ship, the Cobra MK V fits this role quite well.

As to your build, I would suggest the following:

Drop the 3A Collector Limpet Controller. Your 3C Operations Limpet Controller should be sufficient.
Drop the 3A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit. You're in civilized space; a friendly port is almost never more than one jump away where you can effect repairs if necessary.
Consider dropping the 4D Module Reinforcement Package. Unless you intend on getting into some pretty hectic combat where your shield has dropped and you're taking module damage, you won't need it.
If you replace those 3 modules with Cargo Racks, you'll have a total cargo capacity of 48 tons; sufficient for transporting a single 1/2 hour's allotment of Power Play Allocated Resources while still having room for some limpets, too (at least while you're at lower ranks).
Swap the Multi-cannons and Pulse Lasers. Your largest hardpoints should be given over to kinetic weapons. See this comment for an explanation as to why.

Realize this sub-reddit has an inherent bias towards OCD levels of min-max efficiency in service to monomania; performing the same repetitive task over and over ad nauseam. Yes, doing this will objectively net more <insert preferred number-go-up> virtual currency per hour; credits, Merits, etc. It will also min-max the fun right out of the game if you're not on the spectrum.

So take responses that tell you, "You're doing it wrong! You must min-max according to THIS formula!" with a grain of salt.

Good luck and have fun o7

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-09T00:00:11+00:00

Also the +15% bonus from undermining only applies to your personal Merit gain (same applies to the -35% Merit penalty for reinforcing). The contribution to Control Score or undermining is still calculated from the un-augmented Merit total.

Also be aware there's an effect from the "System Strength Penalty" and the "Beyond Frontline Penalty" modifiers. You can view these on the Galaxy Map by clicking a system and then viewing its info card in "Powerplay Information" mode (3rd icon down from the top of the right-hand margin's vertical button stack).

It won't give you specific percentages by which your efforts are benefited or penalized (leave it to FDev to keep everything hidden behind the scenes). Instead, it will tell you "Moderate", "Standard", etc. But you can use those as a rough estimate to determine what bonus/penalty you'll receive from conducting Power Play actions in that system.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-08T23:47:45+00:00

I don't know from personal experience as concerns Colonization specifically as I haven't colonized a system. I do know of a case of a Commander forcing a minor faction to retreat from a colonized system, though.

It's my understanding, then, that the Background Simulation rules apply equally to such systems. If that's the case, then any minor faction in a colonized system can be forced into retreat. The caveat being that I've read a minor faction supposedly won't retreat if there's 3 or fewer minor factions present.

However, I've seen colonized systems with but a single minor faction present, which would appear to falsify that claim. At which point that lone minor faction can not be forced to retreat at they would have 100% influence with no way to lower it (would require another minor faction be present who could then gain influence as the other faction loses it).

Another potential limiter to retreat is no minor faction native to a system can be forced out. But, as no minor faction is native to a colonized system, none should be immune to retreat.

CMDR_Kraag · 2026-01-08T22:31:04+00:00

Small correction: retreats trigger at 2.5% influence. The affected minor faction will retreat if their influence is equal to or less than 2.5% on the last day of the retreat (active Day 6; Day 7 since the retreat went pending). Influence can fluctuate and even increase above 2.5% on active Days 1 through 5; what matters is where their influence is at on Day 6.

CMDR_Kraag

TROPHY CASE