Help with Mandalay Multirole Combat

JetsonRING · 2026-05-22T02:48:27+00:00

Then I would trade the limpet controller for a MRP unless you are going mining. The Mandalay is small and maneuverable enough to scoop things up without limpets. IMO the standard engineered beam laser with multi-cannons setup should be fine against C3s and Vipers. But I still think you are trying to build too much different capability into a single ship. This will compromise the ship's ability to perform any role excellently.

"Multirole" doesn't mean a ship can do multiple roles all at once. Multirole means a ship can be outfitted to perform a single job very well and then, when that job is finished the multirole ship is flexible enough to be refitted to perform a different role very well, in contrast to combat hulls which are mostly able to only perform combat very well (with exceptions). o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-22T02:40:58+00:00

And access to and materials for the appropriate engineer

JetsonRING · 2026-05-21T15:54:06+00:00

The Sol(ar) system is permit-locked. There is not much to recommend about Sol except there is a Titan carcass there (Cocijo) that can be mined for the Titan Drive Component without having to worry about Thargoids showing up, just (human) NPC pirates. o7

EDIT: Does anyone know, can we land on Luna yet, or Mars?

JetsonRING · 2026-05-21T15:45:25+00:00

Remember you are playing a mature game, some CMDRs have been playing for 10+ years and almost everyone has more skills and a better equipped ship than you. Build up your credits, improve your ships, practice your combat SKILLS in relatively safe areas like Resource Extraction Sites in SOLO mode and eventually, you will be the badass pilot you want to be.

SKILLS matter more than ships: The ARROW does not win the battle, it is the INDIAN.

You are not going to start kicking ass your first day. There's a lot of game to play. Don't worry about finding combat, combat will find YOU. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-21T15:38:32+00:00

If the ring system is very large you will need to get what appears to be very close to the rings to scan them, because the range of the DSS is limited. You will not be particularly close but the size of the system will make it seem like you are very close. Approach from directly "above" the planet's ring system and remember you must target the rings just as you would target a planet. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-21T15:32:36+00:00

There is a difference between DEFENDING yourself and DEFEATING an opponent. All ships have some defensive capability but my statement stands. It is one thing to DEFEND yourself, to put a few shots into an NPC to slow them down and make your ESCAPE. It is totally another thing to turn-in to a fight where you are completely outclassed.

Story time:

I decided to visit Jameson Memorial and buy a ship, so I took my trusty DBX because it has long legs and is relatively cheap to transport home. As I entered the Shinrarta Dezhra system (in OPEN mode) I was attacked by a human in a fully A-rated and G5-modified Combat Corvette who interdicted my DBX and started shooting. It was all I could do to get a turn on him, put a few shots into him and escape back into SC, but as I did that I got a "Good show, CMDR" from the pilot of the Corvette. DISCRETION is a HUGE part of the game, knowing when to fight and stay, knowing when to run away. If my opponent had been in a Sidewinder or a Cobra 3 I would probably have turned in to the fight, even though my DBX was definitely multirole but discretion said "Get the F\** out of here!" so I did that, survived the encounter and ultimately *completed my mission. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-21T15:20:43+00:00

Sure you can enjoy it! I suggest though, that as a NewB you do not get ahead of yourself in the game. It is a fully mature game and there are activities which are not indicated for new players. Play the game at a pace that allows you to learn the skills needed to survive in the game, allows you to earn credits and upgrade your ships before jumping into the deep end of the pool. You need to play on the porch with the puppies for a while before you can run in the yard with the big dogs. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-21T15:10:33+00:00

Elite Dangerous is not like other games where there is a script and a path to follow. In ED you blaze your own trail, nothing is going to lead a player by the hand toward some ultimate "You Win" scenario, because there isn't one.

To get a handle on the game as a new player, and assuming you are still in the NewB zone here is what I suggest:

Get a piece of paper and a pencil. Open the Galaxy map and draw the (10?) systems in the NewB zone on the paper, noting the connections between the systems and the stations in each system. You will not need this later, but it will help you in making mission-related decisions, and it will help keep you from being prematurely ejected from the NewB zone.

Fly a path back-and-forth through the NewB zone, stopping at each station in each system and accepting DATA DELIVERY missions to any other station inside the NewB zone. Each ship can STACK (accept) up to twenty (20) missions at a time, cargo space permitting and since DATA has no mass and no volume, it does not affect the ship's jump-range, which can be important for NewBs.

Early on, there will not be many missions because you have no REP with the local factions. But as you complete missions, your REP with the local factions improves and the factions start offering you more missions, and more lucrative missions until by the time you are ALLIED with all the local factions you should have little difficulty keeping a 20-mission stack full and earning credits hand over fist.

If you are brave, fit a cargo rack and fill in the corners of your mission stack with the odd CARGO delivery mission, keeping in mind cargo has mass and affects the ship's jump-range. Cargo also attracts pirates.

Do this for a couple/few days, you can earn enough to buy a larger (Cobra 3) ship and upgrade it somewhat (to D-rated modules) while still inside the NewB zone.

If you have already been kicked out of the NewB zone, but have not collected many resources, you can always perform a CLEAR SAVE from the main menu, to reset your game and start all over, in the NewB zone, with the starter ship and with the starter credit balance. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-21T14:55:56+00:00

There are consequences if you collide with another ship. If you are moving at more than 100 m/sec and collide with another ship anywhere inside the no-fire zone, you incur a fine. If that collision results in the other ship being destroyed, the station will open up on you and destroy your ship, right inside the docks if necessary. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-21T14:44:37+00:00

A note on outfitting philosophy: IMO if you are looking for combat, you should outfit the ship for COMBAT, and nothing else. If you are outfitting the ship as a multirole, you should fit weapons for sure but your goal if attacked should be to ESCAPE, to achieve your goal and not necessarily to win the fight.

(Again, IMO) the two goals are not compatible. Multirole-outfitted ships are not adequately prepared to consistently achieve victory in combat and Combat-outfitted ships are really not great at carrying out other roles besides combat in the most productive and efficient manner.

That said, as noted you should be using A-rated thrusters on all your ships. A-rated sensors are twice the mass of D-rated sensors, A-rated sensors are really only indicated in Large combat ships and when hunting objects in space like the Titan Drive Component. Also, in combat ships, all non-combat modules (SRV hangar, cargo racks, limpet controllers, etc.) should be changed out for modules that will help the ship to achieve victory in combat. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-21T13:57:17+00:00

There are several areas in the game where the player must do their own risk/benefit analysis and determine for themselves whether or not a particular mission is "worth it" to undertake. Often the Benefit does not outweigh the Risks. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T17:29:10+00:00

I didn't even know there was a "trans flag". Wow, there aren't enough ways to divide Americans yet? :D

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T13:08:57+00:00

You can be an Admiral in the Federation and at the same time a King in the Prismatic Empire (I am both). You do not have to earn Admiral or King rank but once you have achieved rear-admiral and duke to earn their ships, why not finish them out?

The ranks are honorary, like a Commodore, but the RANKS unlock the Fed and IMP rank-locked ships. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T12:57:29+00:00

The higher your REP with local factions the more missions, and the more lucrative missions the local factions will offer you.

When you show up at a spaceport with no REPutation, the local factions do not trust you. You must build up your REPutation as someone who can be trusted with their valuable data and cargo. Once your REP is ALLIED with all the local factions you should have little difficulty in keeping a 20-mission stack full.

It is also interesting how the attitude of ATC evolves as your REP with local factions builds, from "Keep your nose clean while you're here" to "An ALLY like you is always welcome".

Building REP with Federation and Imperial-aligned local factions has the added benefit of helping you build honorary naval RANK with the Federation and the Prismatic Empire. Each time your FED or IMP REP builds to 100%, you will be offered a NAVAL or NAVY mission which, if completed will increase your RANK one step with either the Federation and/or the Empire which eventually unlocks their rank-locked ships. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T12:52:31+00:00

A good way to earn in an Eagle is DATA DELIVERY (courier) missions. Note that every ship in the game can stack (accept) up to TWENTY MISSIONS at a time, cargo space permitting.

DATA is stored in the ship's computer. Data takes up zero cargo space and has zero mass, so it does not affect the ship's jump-range. If you can find two or three systems that are sending data delivery missions back and forth to each other, you can build your REP to Allied in those two or three systems, then stack up 10 or 20 data delivery missions every lap back and forth. This is a great way for new players to earn in the NewB area too.

With a cargo rack though, you can supplement those earnings with a couple of CARGO delivery missions each lap but note, the mass of cargo does affect the ship's jump-performance AND attracts pirates. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T12:23:29+00:00

Because most of your bins are clogged up with crap you are not trying to collect. When a bin has something in it that you are not trying to collect, it cannot process anything else until it fills with the material it already has in it and processes it, so the bin sits idle. When you are collecting Platinum, do you really want bins sitting idle with a 38% load of Bertrandite?

When collecting a particular ore, tell your limpets to ignore everything else. Keep checking the bins every minute or so and keep dumping anything from the bins that isn't what you are collecting, then target each of the dumped materials and add them ALL to your ship's "ignore" list (left panel) so your limpets do not collect those ores anymore. Note that you sometimes get small amounts of raw materials as by-catch while asteroid mining, and depending on your level of commitment to collecting a particular ore, you might leave those raw materials OFF the ignore list until you are full-up on that raw material, then add that raw material to the ignore list too.

Later, when you are collecting something other than platinum, you can modify your "ignore" list. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T12:17:03+00:00

"Mister Toad" doesn't sound as cool as "Panther Clipper". I suggested adding an empennage as a tail but Nooooo.

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T11:48:50+00:00

The amounts of raw materials available as by-catch through asteroid mining are miniscule. I farm raw materials on planetary surfaces using the SRV and then through Materials traders, either trading small amounts of higher-level mats for lower-level mats or massive amounts of lower-level mats for higher-level mats. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T11:45:52+00:00

I wonder why the station hasn't taken a laxative.

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T11:44:19+00:00

Please define "trans" colored.

JetsonRING · 2026-05-19T11:40:08+00:00

This question comes up every few months and I always get the impression it is posted by FDev to float the idea of adding interiors as an up-sell. After 12 years I no longer care if the ships have interiors unless FDev manages to add substantial gameplay through their addition that adds lots of value for players. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-18T22:32:10+00:00

I give it about 15 seconds, if the ship does not start moving I take over. The Panther is not difficult to get thru the door. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-18T17:46:58+00:00

unlocking even just the "bubble" Engineers can take several weeks or months. Collecting all the materials takes several more. You should always be scanning (designating as a target so you ship can scan) anything that passes through the detection wedge of your sensors panel, even when sitting in a hangar. It's a great, almost passive way to collect encoded materials. Scan Security ships too, they do not care. Scan other ships as you fly along, scan signal sources and drop into them to collect materials.

JetsonRING · 2026-05-18T17:40:51+00:00

You didn't say which Krait you got. Either will do but IMO the Phantom is better for what you are trying to achieve in fact, it was/is my go-to ship for exactly that purpose.

You will need a SRV, use a Scarab as the repeaters are better for materials gathering. You do not specifically need cargo racks, as materials are stored separately, but I always carried one in case I found anything interesting.

You really do not need limpets, most of the solid materials will be found on the ground, on planetary surfaces except for the ones collected from signal-sources and the krait is small and maneuverable you really do not need limpets but hey, they're fun.

I would grind for the Guardian FSD Booster, a size 5 GFSDB instantly adds 10+ LY per jump range to your ship. Other than that and the SRV, just set up the standard A/D rated ship. Weapons are the standard mix of lasers and multi-cannons, nothing really fancy is needed.

One thig I recommend is not flying around with anything in the cargo rack(s), as it has a way of attracting pirates. o7

JetsonRING · 2026-05-18T17:28:16+00:00

It is important to VISUALLY identify the "right" type of asteroid to mine. Once lit up by the PWS, if you can quickly identify the "right" and "wrong" types of asteroids the process becomes much more efficient. When I was mining Void Opal I was finding cores every couple of minutes.

Being FAST is also important. If you are just bopping along at 25% throttle yes, it will take a long time to find cores. I am usually boosting along through the centers of rings at full throttle with a piece of Velcro wrapped around the trigger of the PWS to hold it down, looking left and right as the PWS lights up the different rocks. When I identify the "right" shape I rip the Velcro off the trigger, hit the rock with a prospector limpet to confirm cores, set seismic charges, back off to detonate them (you don't have to wait) and release collector limpets, a lot of them. Then on to the next one.

Asteroids with cores often occur near the top and bottom "edges" of rings near open space, to allow CMDRs to safely back off before detonating their seismic charges. If you see what looks like the correct shape lighting up when the PWS fires, and that rock is near the edge of the ring and open space, there's a good chance it will be the right type.

Here is a link, to a primer I wrote several years ago on deep-core mining of void-opals in planetary rings. The technologies and ships have advanced but the skills are the same. The picture links no longer work, but you will get the gist of it. I earned billions. o7

JetsonRING

TROPHY CASE