Elite Dangerous

I began playing the game Elite: Dangerous I think in late June 2015. The game certainly doesn't hold your hand in any way, and although the game manual provides an overview of the main aspects of the game, it doesn't really answer a gazillion of detail questions that pop up shortly after you begin playing.

This and other pages on this wiki attempt to organize the questions I had and their answers (as far as I have found such), together with other knowledge that I gathered about the Elite: Dangerous universe.

Wiki pages

• Game controls (mouse/keyboard, joystick)
• General information (e.g. about flight)
• Exploration
• Trading
• Mining
• Combat
• Engineering
• Power Play
• Bugs and missing features
• Configuration

Glossary and abbreviations

AFMU 

Auto Field-Maintenance Unit

Analysis mode

One of two modes that the HUD can be in when you are flying your ship or driving your SRV. The other mode is Combat mode. Most non-combat modules and functions require Analysis mode to be active in order to use them. Examples: Discovery scanning, using the FSS or DSS.

Arg of periapsis 

Abbreviation in the Elite Dangerous system map for Argument of periapsis.

Argument of periapsis 

One of the six Keplerian elements that describe an orbit . The argument of periapsis is the angle between a) the direction of the ascending node within the orbital plane and b) the direction of the periapsis, also within the reference plane. The angle is measured in the orbiting body's direction of motion. The argument of periapsis defines the orientation of the ellipse formed by the orbital path within the orbital plane. See Wikipedia for more details.

Ascending node 

See Orbital node.

Axial tilt 

The axial tilt, also known as obliquity, is the angle between the body's own rotational axis and its orbital axis. See Wikipedia for details.

AU 

Astronomical Unit. Approximately 500 ls.

AW 

Ammonia world.

Barycenter 

The common center of mass that two (or more) astronomical bodies are orbiting around. In a very simple case with two bodies of identical mass, the bodies might follow the same orbital path. However, the typical case is that each body of the system follows its own orbital path. This is especially true if the bodies widely differ in mass. For instance, a planet that is seen as orbiting a star, the barycenter of the planet/star system is actually inside the star's body, creating the impression that the star is at the center of the planet's orbit. See Wikipedia for more details. In Elite Dangerous, if there are planets orbiting more than one star, there's an "X" in the system map that marks the barycentre that the planets are orbiting.

Beyond 

The third season of expansions of Elite: Dangerous.

BGS 

Background Simulation. A part of the game that simulates the political and economical changes that take place in inhabited systems in the bubble. See the EDGeneral wiki page for a bit of additional detail.

BH 

Black Hole.

CC 

Command Capital, a unit used in Power Play.

CFT 

 ? (something related to exploration).

CG 

Community Goal. A "Community Goal Guide" has been published in this forum thread. Discussion about current and past community goals can be found in this sub-forum.

CQC 

Close Quarter Combat.

Clean 

A ship's status. Also see Lawless and Wanted. If a ship shows up as clean anywhere in your HUD, this means two things: 1) You don't know about any bounties issued against the ship's commander; and 2) You are in a lawful vicinity where you will incur a bounty if you shoot at the other ship. The latter distinguishes the "clean" status from the "lawless" status.

Close binaries 

Two stars that are orbiting each other (binaries) and in addition are located very close to each other.

CMDR 

Commander.

Combat bond voucher 

See Conflict zone. Combat bound vouchers are not bounty vouchers.

Combat mode

One of two modes that the HUD can be in when you are flying your ship or driving your SRV. The other mode is Analysis mode. Weapons can only be used in combat mode.

Conflict zone 

A zone where two opposing factions wage war against each other. Initially when you drop into a conflict zone you are neutral to both sides, but can then decide to side with one of the factions in the "Functions" tab of the systems panel. Once you have sided with a faction you cannot switch to the other faction unless you leave and re-enter the conflict zone. When you choose a faction to side with, the other faction's ship will become hostile to you. When you destroy hostile ships you earn combat bond vouchers that you can later redeem in the "Contacts" section of the local station's services menu. The larger the ship you destroy, the more valuable the combat bond voucher that you receive. TODO: Do you lose combat bond vouchers if you are destroyed? TODO: What is the effect of shooting at ships in a conflict zone? TODO: What is the effect of redeeming combat bond vouchers?

COVAS 

Cockpit Voice-Activated System. The default voice is called "Verity", but there are other voices available for free and for purchase. The COVAS to be used can be selected in the Outfitting screen in the "Livery" section.

CS 

Carbon star.

CZ 

Conflict Zone.

DB 

David Braben.

DBE 

Diamondback Explorer.

DBS 

Diamondback Scout.

DBX 

Diamondback Explorer.

DDA 

Design Discussion Archives.

Decal 

A piece of ship cosmetics that is added on top of a ship's paintjob. Common decals are those that show which rank a CMDR has achieved in one of the thre Pilots Federation ranks (combat, trade, exploration).

Descending node 

See Orbital node.

DLS 

Data Link Scanner. Integrated module to interact with a large variety of targets, notably data points to download information or hack into a system.

Discovery Scanner 

Integrated module used to perform an initial basic scan of a star system. The process is known as "honking" because of the deep resonant sound that is emitted when the scan completes.

DSS 

Detailed Surface Scanner.

ED 

Elite: Dangerous. The annoying ":" is sometimes also left out, i.e. "Elite Dangerous".

ELP 

Earth-like planet.

ELW 

Earth-like world.

FA 

Flight Assist.

Faction 

There are 3 major factions, sometimes also called superpowers: The Federation, the Empire and the Alliance. There are also countless minor factions. Minor factions can be affiliated with a major faction. The player has a reputation within every faction, both major and minor. The highest reputation is "Allied". Reputation attained with minor factions is permanent, while reputation attained with major factions decays if you do nothing to keep it up. The decay will stop when you are back to friendly. See the edwiki:Factions page on the ED wiki for more details.

FD 

Frontier Development, the manufacturer of the game. Quite often referred to under the short name "Frontier".

FDL 

Fer-de-lance.

FSD 

Frameshift Drive.

FSS scanner 

Full Spectrum System scanner. Integrated module used to scan a system's signals after a discovery scan has been performed. The FSS does not appear in the module list, so it could also be argued that it is not an integrated module but a built-in ship function.

HMCP 

High metal content planet.

HMCW 

High metal content world.

Honking, the honk 

Refers to the deep, powerful, resonant sound that the discovery scanner makes when you scan a star system. Honking therefore means "performing a discovery scan".

Horizons 

The second season of expansions of Elite: Dangerous.

HOTAS 

Hands on throttle and stick. A designation for a certain type of joysticks that is designed for flight simulation games.

Hot Jupiter 

A gas giant in a very close orbit (less than 75 ls or 0.15 AU according to Wikipedia) around its primary star.

HUD 

Head-up Display. Sometimes also Heads-up Display.

Integrated module 

An integrated modules is a module that does not take up a module slot and therefore cannot be managed in the Outfitting screen. An integrated module usually does not consume any noticeable power, but it is still likely to be listed in the systems panel on the "Modules" tab. Examples: Data Link scanner, Short Range Composition scanner, Cargo hatch

KWS 

Kill Warrant Scanner.

Lawless 

A ship's status. Also see Clean and Wanted. If a ship shows up as lawless anywhere in your HUD, this means two things: 1) You don't know about any bounties issued against the ship's commander; and 2) You are in a vicinity where no laws exist, such as in an Anarchy system or in a warzone, and where you will not incur a bounty if you shoot at the other ship. The latter distinguishes the "lawless" status from the "clean" status.

LHS 3447 

My starting system.

Longitude of the ascending node 

One of the six Keplerian elements that describe an orbit . The longitude of the ascending node is the angle between a) a reference direction - called the "origin of latitude" - within the reference plane and b) the direction of the ascending node, also within the reference plane. The longitude of the ascending node is one of the pieces of information that is needed to "anchor" the orbital plane in 3-dimensional space. Without this longitude, with only the orbital inclination, the orbital plane could be rotated around the vertical axis perpendicular to the reference plane. See Wikipedia for more details, especially a diagram that may be more comprehensible than the words written here ☺.

Mm 

Mega metres, i.e. 1 million metres.

LS 

Light second.

LSS 

Life Support System. An essential module of every ship.

LY 

Light year.

NS 

Neutron Star

Obliquity 

See Axial tilt.

OC 

Orbital Cruise. A ship shifts from Super Cruise to Orbital Cruise flight mode when it drops below a certain altitude above a planet. The "Verity" COVAS calls this "Orbital Flight".

Orbit 

To quote directly from Wikipedia: "In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet about a star or a natural satellite around a planet. Normally, orbit refers to a regularly repeating path around a body, although it may occasionally be used for a non recurring trajectory or a path around a point in space. To a close approximation, planets and satellites follow elliptical orbits, with the central mass being orbited at a focal point of the ellipse, as described by Kepler's laws of planetary motion."

Orbital axis 

The axis around which an astronomical body rotates on its orbital path. The astronomical body's axial tilt is measured against this.

Orbital eccentricity 

One of the six Keplerian elements that describe an orbit . The orbital eccentricity,or simply eccentricity, describes how much the ellipse formed by an orbital path is elongated compared to a circle. A value of 0 is a circular orbit, values between 0 and 1 form an elliptical orbit, 1 is a parabolic escape orbit, and greater than 1 is a hyperbola. See Wikipedia for more details.

Orbital Flight 

Alternative name for Orbital Cruise, used by the "Verity" COVAS.

Orbital inclination 

One of the six Keplerian elements that describe an orbit . The orbital inclination, or simply inclination, describes how much the orbital plane is tilted in relation to a reference plane. The inclination is an angle measured at the ascending node. See Wikipedia for more details.

Orbital node, ascending / descending node 

An orbit lies within an orbital plane. The orbital plane is frequently viewed in relation to a reference plane. An astronomical body following its orbit will cross through the reference plane at two points that are collectively called "orbital nodes". Individually, the points are called the "ascending node" and the "descending node", in reference to the direction in which the orbit passes through the reference plane. Ascending = the orbit passes through the reference plane in upward direction. Descending node = ditto, but downward direction. If the orbital plane and the reference plane are identical, then the orbit has no nodes. See Wikipedia for more details.

Orbital period 

The time it takes for an astronomical body to travel along its orbital path, starting from any point of origin, until it reaches again that point of origin.

Orbital plane 

To quote directly from Wikipedia: "The orbital plane of an object orbiting another is the geometrical plane in which the orbit lies."

PD 

Power Distributor.

Periapsis 

The closest point on an orbital path to the center of orbit. If the orbit is circular then there is no periapsis because all points on the orbital path are equidistant. If the orbital path forms an ellipse, then the periapsis is at that "end" of the ellipse which is closer to the ellipse's focal point that marks the center of orbit.

PG 

Procedural Generation.

POI 

Point of interest. This is a general name for locations on the surface of a planet where something interesting can be found. Settlements or surface ports are not POIs, though.

PP 

Power Play. Sometimes also written as a single word "Powerplay".

Primary star 

In Elite Dangerous, the primary stars of a star system are those stars that are displayed in a vertical column on the left-hand side of the system map. The primary stars are the stars with the most mass in a system. All the other stars in a star system are the secondary stars.

RES 

Resource Extraction Site.

Rotational axis 

The axis around which an astronomical body rotates. The axial tilt of the rotational axis is measured against the orbital axis.

Rotational period 

The time it takes for an astronomical body to rotate once around its rotational axis.

SC 

Super Cruise.

Scenario 

A scenario is an event that can occur when you investigate a USS, enter a conflict zone, approach a megaship, etc.. It might involve a mission or set up a goal for you if you accept to play along. A scenario essentially provides more guidance from the game and requires less "in-the-mind-only" roleplay on the player's behalf to play through an event. Scenarios were added in 3.3.

Semi-major axis 

One of the six Keplerian elements that describe an orbit . Usually the orbital path of an astronomical body forms an ellipse. The major axis of that ellipse is its longest diameter. The semi-major axis is one half of the major axis. See Wikipedia for more details.

Ship integrity 

A property of every ship, measured in percent. You can see the current ship integrity value only when you are docked at a station and have called up the repair facility. Ship integrity starts at 100% when you buy a new ship, then slowly decays when you fly long stretches in supercruise. When ship integrity reaches 0% nothing happens. Ship integrity is used whenever the ship takes damage. A high integrity value will protect the ship better from the damage, while a low integrity value causes more damage to get through to hull, canopy and other modules. Ship integrity can be repaired only at a station's repair facility (i.e. not by an AFMU). See this forum post for slightly more information.

Solar mass 

A unit commonly used in Elite Dangerous to measure the mass of stars.

Solar radius 

A unit commonly used in Elite Dangerous to measure the size of stars. 1 solar radius = 2.23 light-seconds. I calculated this from values provided by Wikipedia: The Sun's equatorial radius is 695'700 km (see Sun). One light-second is 299'792'458 metres (see Light-second). 1 solar radius expressed in light seconds therefore is 695700 / 299792.458 = 2.320605410293543808897287202602.

SRC scanner 

Short Range Composition scanner. Integrated module used for interacting with organic or geological features in space or on planetary surfaces.

SRV 

Surface Reconnaissance Vehicle. Used for driving around on planetary surfaces.

SSS 

Strong Signal Source.

Tidally locked 

An astronomical body is said to be tidally locked if during the orbit around its parent body the same hemisphere constantly faces the parent body. For this to occur the orbiting body's orbital period and rotational period must be in synchronization. Wikipedia has all the physics details how this synchronization can happen. In Elite Dangerous you can see whether an astronomical body is tidally locked in the system map: The value shown under "Rotational period" is annotated with "tidally locked" if tidal locking is in effect.

True anomaly 

One of the six Keplerian elements that describe an orbit . The true anomaly is the angle between a) the direction of periapsis in the orbital plane, and b) the direction from the orbital focus point to the orbiting body's current position along the orbital path. The true anomaly defines the position of the orbiting body at a specific time. See Wikipedia for more details.

USS 

Unidentified Signal Source.

Wanted 

A ship's status. Also see Clean and Lawless. If a ship shows up as wanted anywhere in your HUD, this means two things: 1) The ship's commander has at least one bounty on his head; and 2) You know about those bounties. If a ship's commander has a bounty issued by the jurisdiction that you are currently in, the ship's status will automatically show up as "wanted", presumably because the local authorities have notified everyone in the vicinity of all bounties that they issued. If a ship's commander has a bounty issued by another than the local jurisdiction, the ship's status will show up as "clean" because you were not automatically informed about the bounty, presumably because the local authorities do not know or care about bounties issued by another jurisdiction. When you scan a ship with a Kill Warrant Scanner you will find out about any bounties that were issued by another than the local jurisdiction. If there are indeed any such bounties, the ship's status will change from "clean" to "wanted" after the scan. When you kill a wanted commander, all bounties issued against him and that you know about will be awarded to you. Also, the local jurisdiction (if there is any) will not issue a bounty against you when you kill a wanted commander (as opposed to when you kill a clean commander).

WD 

White Dwarf.

WRS 

Wolf-Rayet star.

WSS 

Weak Signal Source.

WW 

Water world.

WZ 

War zone.

Game development

The information in this section is largely coming from

Releases of Elite Dangerous are grouped into "seasons". Each season consists of several "expansions" or versions.

• Game launch
• Season 1
• Season 2: Horizons
• Season 3: Beyond

Version   Release date        Name                 Features
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.0       16 December 2014    Game launch
Season 1
1.1       ?                   -                    Community Goals
1.2       ?                   -                    Wings
1.3       ?                   -                    Powerplay
1.4       ?                   -                    CQC
1.5       ?                   -                    New ships
1.6       ?                   -                    New mission types, Module storage, Beautiful station interiors, New navigation filters, Ship transfer.
Season 2: Horizons
2.0       15 December 2015    Planetary landings   Planetary landings on four types of planets without an atmosphere: Rocky, metal, ice and rocky/metal.
                                                   Driving around the planet surface with an SRV and discovering constructed, as well as natural, points of interest.
                                                   Collecting materials and synthesizing consumables from those materials.
2.1       26 May 2016         The Engineers        Engineering. Mission system overhaul (factions are now represented by NPCs).
2.2       25 October 2016     The Guardians        New ships (Beluga Liner, Taipan Fighter), Passenger missions (with cabin modules), Tourist beacons, Ship-launched fighters (fighter bay modules, NPC crew members)
                                                   New alien artifacts and ruins on certain worlds. Fungal life forms on certain worlds. Five additional engineers. Ship modules can be stored and transferred.
                                                   New geological formations (fumaroles, geysers). Neutron Stars and White Dwarves can be used to supercharge the FSD, greatly increasing jump ranges.
2.3       11 April 2017       The Commanders       Multi-crew. Holo-Me (commander customization). Completely revamped camera suite. Ship naming and ship IDs. New ship (Dolphin). Asteroid bases. Dockable megaships.
                                                   TRAPPIST-1 is added to the game. First hints at Thargoids (Unknown ship encounters, Thargoid surface sites).
2.4       26 September 2017   The Return           Thargoids. New limpet types (Repair, Research, and Decontamination). New Synthesis recipes (Limpets, Heat Sinks, Chaff, Life Support oxygen). Increased punishment for murder crime.
                                                   New Galaxy map route plotter (routes up to 20k ly, including Neutron Star boosts). Search and rescue contact at stations. New ship (Type-10 Defender). Chained missions.
                                                   New megaships (some of which can move to different systems each week).
Season 3: Beyond
3.0       27 February 2018    Chapter One          New ship (Alliance Chieftain). Wing Missions. Mission Depot menu (view mission progress, buy commodities). Revised trade data system (access trade data from systems previously visited).
                                                   Planetary visual improvements. Crime & Punishment changes (crimes are attached to ships instead of CMDRs, bounties no longer go dormant, notoriety associated with CMDR)
                                                   Engineering changes (modification grades per module, experimental effects can be purchased with Materials separately from modification rolls, remote Engineering workshops.)
                                                   Material Trader. Technology Broker. Additional interactions with Megaships. GalNet Audio. Spoken callsigns. Increased material storage. Increased module storage.
                                                   Keelback is now multi-crew capable. Respawn at nearest station instead of at station last docked. COVAS.
3.1       28 June 2018        Chapter Two          New ships (Alliance Challenger, Krait MkII). Wing Mining Missions. Additional interactions with Installations. Additional interactions with Megaships. New Technology Broker modules.
                                                   New Thargoid content. New Installations and Megaships. Notoriety improvements (decay while docked, CMDRs can turn themselves in).
3.2       18 August 2018      Chapter Three        New ships (Alliance Crusader, hybrid ship-launched fighters). Planetary Wing Missions. 4 new Engineers in the Colonia region. New Guardian content. New settlements.
                                                   New weapons and Technology Broker modules. Mission Depot is now available for solo missions. Thargoid commodities can be sold legally and no longer cause damage to stations.
3.3       11 December 2018    Chapter Four         New ships (Krait Phantom, Mamba). Squadrons. Mining gameplay improvements. Exploration gameplay improvements (codex, new stellar phenomena, discovery and surface scanner changes).
                                                   Night Vision. New module Short Range Composition Scanner. Mission system now has dedicated server. New mission type (Scenario Missions).
                                                   Large number of new Installations and Megaships (megaships move, installations can be assigned to a faction). New Incursion state for systems under attack by Thargoids.
                                                   New type of conflict zone (AX conflict zone). Improved Lighting Model. Triple Elite ship decal. Orrery option in system map. Five new COVAS voices. Increased ship storage.
?         ?                   April Update         New beginning players' zone. New modules (Advanced Docking Computer, Supercruise assist) + additional ship module slot. Nav panel improvements. Pilot's Handbook.
                                                   New panels "Buy" and "Sell" in Commodities Market screen. Interstellar initiatives.