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Horizons DLC Engineers (ships)
With 2.1 update were added into game so called "Engineers", which are human (very likely) entities which can upgrade your ship equipment for a price. Price consist not only from needed input-components, but there is also mix of positive and negative changes to the properties of the upgraded equipment. Therefore is good to slow down, and thought twice or three times what upgrade type is the best for chosen component and a ship role, and whether is really needed the highest upgrade. Sometimes is for example much better take only upgrade lvl3, which have sufficiently high positive values and smaller negative, as go for upgrade lvl5 where you will have no use for so high positive value, but negatives will be higher for you all the time. I must say, that I like these new engineers bases, they have different/special atmosphere and look great ... exactly like it should be. Before I will continue, I want also note that all these places are "places of public interest" and therefore coming there in "Open" brings risk and possible encounters with unfriendly commander(s) ... but you can also find there friendly/lone souls and use those unexpected encounters for friendly chat and sometimes it can lead to future benefits/cooperation.
On the start you can get invitation from basic line of engineers (by public knowledge) if you have fulfilled basic "meeting" requirements (i.e. you have passed some minimal distance from start, have visited few times black marker and so on). When you have been invited, you can dock at the engineer base and start process of getting engineer "unlocked". To getting access into engineer workshop, and start with upgrading, is needed first fulfill engineer's "unlock" requirements, which can can be commodities delivery, acquiring certain amount of bounties etc. After will be engineer unlocked you will have access to lvl1 upgrades. For access to higher lvls (5lvl is max) you will need improve your reputation with the given engineer, and this can be done with using his services (by doing upgrades, but without applying them) or in some cases exists also other ways (drop exploration data, trade to the engineer base, hand bounty vounchers). Now I will try explain how upgrading process works in general:
- For upgrading equipment you need given input-components, which are micro-materials, data and special commodities. First two not need cargo space and are linked with commander (i.e. they are available for you all the time no matter what ship you are using), third needs cargo space and can be lost with ship destruction.
- Micro-materials (76 different ones) can be obtained using different ways like combat, mining, surface searching, USS wrecks checking, doing missions etc. (except missions you will get 3! samples from each find micro-material or data described below) and you can have up to 1000 samples in inventory. Is good to say here that atm players found and is known how to get (or where) practically every micro-material. If you get some practice in this, you will learn that it is in reality much easier and need only small amount of time how it is and looks on start when you have no idea how all this works. Starting now with engineers is MUCH easier as it was in time when were they introduced. Yes, you may need (and it will make engineering much easier) use 3rd party sites (tools), but this is by design. Myself I do not have issues with this, imo it opens doors for creating gaming communities and things can be done different way and please therefore more ppl, some can see this as poor (very) game design and can have own well substantiated reasons ...
- Data (30) can be obtained mostly by scanning things and it include ship wakes scanning, ships scanning, doing "raids" on surface installations data terminals, do missions etc.
- Special commodities (26) can be mostly purchased (limited selling places) and/or acquired via missions (from bulletin boards). You can get those also from other players (opposite to previous two which cannot be shared between commanders).
- Inara is one of external sites which have all important details you may need. Below is image with tree of all "Horizons" Engineers
- Is good to know, that ship Engineers in Colonia region do have an access requirement based on some of Bubble Engineers, see tree below. Is quite bad to travel 22k ly only to learn that you do not have access to engineer there because you did not all necessary unlocks in the Bubble!
- Imo the most recommended start is opening access to Felicity Farseer, see Karina's journal referencing in RP style about some of upgrades which this particular engineer offer. At this moment I want to add small warning that in system of this engineer is a very good chance to meet hostile player. Next I suggest to fully explore how Felicity can improve your ship(s) gear and with this experience you will be enough informed how engineering of ships equipment works.
Last bit of info is just a small advice: take time, do not rush and make from engineering occassional but repeating activity. Doing so it the best way how to avoid burnout and have much longer enjoyement from playing ED.
Odyssey DLC Engineers (on-foot)
Introduced to the game with Odyssey DLC. They can improve personal spacesuits and hand weapons for commanders. List of all Odyssey Enginerrs and offered upgrades is avilable here (Inara), below you can see access tree for them. Is also good to know that there is one very important difference between Horizons and Odyssey engineering which is, that Odyssey engineering cannot be changed or reversed. Once you have installed any mod on you spacesuit or hand-weapon, it will remain on it permanently!
Recommended mods for spacesuits
Artemis Suit | Maverick Suit | Dominator Suit | |
---|---|---|---|
Type | exploration (special_scanner for flora) | mercenary (special tools for missions) | combat (2large/1small weapons) |
Lvl 2 | Increased Sprint Duration* | Increased Sprint Duration* | Improved Battery Capacity* |
Lvl 3 | Improved Jump Assist* | Reduced Tool Battery Consumption* | Combat Movement Speed |
Lvl 4 | Night Vision* | Night Vision | Faster Shield Regen |
Lvl 5 | Improved Battery Capacity | Quieter Footsteps | Damage Resistance |
*top upgrades for given Suit
Recommended mods for chosen hand weapons
TK Aphelion | M. Intimidator | M. Executioner | Karma AR-50 | Karma L-6 | M. Tormentor | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Large laser | Large shotgun | Large plasma | Large particle | Large launcher | Small plasma |
Lvl 2 | Greater Range | Magazine Size | Audio Masking | Greater Range | Magazine Size | Faster Handling |
Lvl 3 | Scope | Noise Suppressor | Magazine Size | Stowed reloading | Faster Handling | Noise Suppressor |
Lvl 4 | Faster Handling | Faster Handling | Faster Handling | Scope | Stowed reloading | Stability |
Lvl 5 | Stowed reloading | Greater Range | Stability | Stability | Audio Masking |
Engineering alternatives
In game also exist alternatives to "doing" engineering like is special equipment (better as basic unmodded but cannot be further upgraded) purchaseable from Technology brokers (Human or Guardian tech) in Stations/Ports (Horizons stuff) or preupgraded spacesuits (up to lvl3) and hand-weapons (up to lvl3) (Odyssey stuff) in a Pioneer store at Station's concourse.
Notes, older info, lost knowledge
[Archive] Changes to engineering in Elite Dangerous - Season 3