"This... is more than a ship, more than a machine and more than the sum of its parts. It's not just a cockpit with engines. It's a symbol. The gold standard for the spirit of exploration." - The Pilot describing the Diamond Back Explorer
I had been using the Mandalay since it came out, Parking my Anaconda, and the new Pre-Engineered SCO FSD got me almost 90LY average jump range in the new ship. But, since the end of the threat in Sol, I got myself an FC and jumped back out to the boonies, and I am using my DBX for my exploration in the short jumps all around my carrier. I put a Pre-Engineered SCO FSD in it, and I am getting 80LY jump range, and it has the best footprint for doing exobioloty, far better than the Mandalay with some of the rough terrain that is hard to land in, or my old exploration build Anaconda.
You can "juice" the Mandy at nearly 98 yl jumping range... That, and the fact is a cold ship ( jump while fueling with no problems) and the much better maneuverability, the SCO, the internals, all these are far better than the rusty DB...
I'm sticking with my DBX for exploration. It may not get to the near 100ly range of the Mandalay, but it gets enough at around 88 I believe with the pre-engineered SCO drive. Which is still plenty. Its all about the ease of use for me. I love the heat efficiency, with an engineereed low emissions power plan I can literally park the thing at max fuel scoop range and go and have a sandwich, knowing I will never overheat. Then jump straight to the next system. And planetary landing is never an issue with the small footprint. It just makes for the easiest no-fuss exploration, and that's key for me. Its still one of the coolest looking ships too. The Mandy is very cool looking in its own right, but given the choice between the two I still prefer the DBX a bit more.
the fuel scoop is a deal breaker for me. Maybe the slow 'yaw' too. Exobio gameplay easier with good manoeuvrability. Do have a lot of affection for the dbx tho
@@thelionsam The fuel scoop definitely seems to be a lot of peoples' problem with the ship, but for me, I can honestly say it does not bother me in the slightest. It'd be one thing if the ship needing to scoop fuel for a couple more seconds caused potential overheat problems, but with the amazing heat management of the DBX that's never an issue. You don't really even need to top off to 100% every single jump unless you're in particularly sparse fuel star territory. Eventually I'm gonna want to get up and take a BR break, grab a snack, get some water, something, and I can just park myself inside the star and top off completely then. Even if I'm in a super rush to get somewhere, I feel like the fact that you can start spooling your FSD from within scoop range and not overheat (so long as you get out halfway through and don't just sit there for the full spool duration) cuts off some of the extra time spent scooping. That's just me though. The smaller scoop is definitely something a lot of people hate.
@@ElecManEXE appreciate the full answer! The 'rhythm' when trying to cover distance is set at a faster cadence now... as you say its down to what the individual is used to 🙂 Love DBX looks, cockpit and the spirit of the ship very much though 👍
I moved on from my trusty DBX, after exploring over 6000 systems in it, according to the recent birthday progress email from FDev using it to explore in my over 3000 hours of gameplay. Still, now I use the Mandalay as my go-to explorer of the black ship, which does help to reach those planets that are 10s if not 100s of 1000s distances away into the system within seconds at the press of a button.
You forgot the Dolphin. Great heat management and jump range. Downside is the you have to be a bit picky on your internal build. Good for short to medium range exploring. A solid choice for exploring in the small ship class.
If you go the Mandalay route you have to understand that "Fungoida Setisis" is an exobiology sample you should just pass on. The reason for this is the Mandalay usually cannot land anywhere near where it spawns in the mountains. As it is only worth 1.67 million credits it probably isn't worth the hour to three it will take for you to find and get all 3 samples and then return back to where the Mandalay can land. This sort of exploration would go way faster if you could scout out the area while flying and place way points that would show up on your HUD, but as it is you have to find the samples one at a time and carefully pick a direction and landmarks in order to find them again after you get into your SRV for the trip back to the sample location.
You actually can, there's tools that allow you to enter coordinates on a planet for guided back tracking. Something that I feel should've been added to the game long time ago.
I used to just write down the coordinates that are displayed on screen while flying over, park on a peak or nearby valley and run to it. Now, I tend to skip low value, time wasting bio. Nowadays, I mostly just employ my stratum method and make the most of my time.
I have 2 DBXs - one for distance and system exploration and one for planet landings and exobiology work. I do also have an ASP X and a Krait Phantom, but they tend to gather dust since the DBX is so much easier to manage.
As a newcomer to elite dangerous who is interested in exploration, the DBX is amazing. I did some exploring in a strip down cobra MkIII inside the bubble (still got 2 first discoveries XD) and then got a dbx was going to get some meta metals but have been nebula hopping for two days. Not really going to stop. Just about 40LY range is such a good little ship... I will try to get engineering and stuff when back. Not sure when that will happen.
I love my DBX, we have been together for so long, but now that I've tasted the Mandalay every time I'm inside the DBX I'm going to be thinking about being inside the Mandalay.
I took my DBX out to Colonia and have spent the past week or so out there with some buddies, we all took DBX explorers and love the tin can. I do however love the look of the mandalay and will likely be paying credits to swap over when its available in game.
Great video Ricardo! While I still bust her out of Carrier mothballs for jaunts into the black, I love my DBX for trips like Guardian site visits and such - lands nearly anywhere, great utility placement for anti-Sentinel point defence, excellent visibility, nice and cool with a heatsink as backup in case of ganker detection, and of course it sounds fantastic. I was always much more of a DBX In Front Of Something than an Asp, although I do love my Asp X too (spent most entire runs of Frontier: Elite II in Asps, very dear to my heart!) The DBX is just special.
I had a DBX way back in the day when I was starting off. It was a cute little ship, but I replaced it quickly. I finally got around to unlocking Professor Palin and needed to do the 5k LY journey. So I bought a new DBX, outfitted it with an engineered SCO FSD and tossed in some basic necessities, and off I went. I’m in love with the little thing and I don’t know if I’ll ever get rid of it again lol
Being on console and hence being utterly abandoned by Frontier as a community, we don't have the Mandalay so I can't comment on that. But I've always said that if you want to travel across the galaxy, take an Asp. If you want to make it home again afterwards, take a DBX.
The Dolphin is a wonderful explorer. Has good jump range A rated with FSD booster(approx59ly). Can fit a 6a fuel scoop and is very hard to get hot. The best feature of a Dolphin is its ability to land nearly anywhere when Bio searching. It also handles nice at planet surfaces/atmospheres. I haven't yet taken my Mandalay out in the black to fully compare. It does run a close second for landing ability though. ie, mountains and crevasses
i just retired my dbx for my new cobra mk5 but my lil bug will always have a place in my heart and I am gonna take her out on xmas to deliver presents erry year.
My 2nd account is for exploration & exobiology. Did just enough engineering for G5 FSD & headed out in a DBX. Haven't been back yet to upgrade to an SCO drive, which I will do someday. As for trading up to the Mandalay, I like the utilitarian look of the Lakon ships, and my DBX has everything I need. I think I'll keep her.
I love the Mandalay for Powerplay - gathering black boxes and escape pods, light combat, cargo running, etc. I still prefer the DBX for exploration, just waiting for a CG to retro-fit all the old ships with 'SCO Stabilisers' or similar.
Loved my explo DBX (hell I had a second that got me into AX combat on my alts account). Used the AspX for a couple of years before jumping to the DBX and spent 3 years out in the black with it. Finally came back to bubble to buy the Mandalay when it released and engineer it. DBX is parked for now
@RicardosGaming I got phantom up to 93 ly as the current jump range, so It's actually slightly faster then the Mandalay, and way faster then DBX. The Mandalay with the most optimum exploration build possible, I got to 87 current(barely under 88 actually, and 95 max jump range on the dot. Note: That's with a 4G SRV bay at that, and shields(be it 3D, but still). Considering how great the SCO drive is on the Mandalay, and the fact it can land places even a sidewinder probally cant, It's well worth the slightly lower jump range.
Travelled to the second bubble and Sagittarius A in my DBX. Got back to the main bubble with enough credits to buy anything I wanted. But was really annoyed that nothing else sounded like the DBX. After a year in the DBX everything else just sounded wrong.
This is my go to ship for Exobiology. Can land almost anywhere and even with an SRV stored inside I’m still getting 52LY jump range. Mine is green and looks like a grasshopper. 😂
I’m out in mine now. Maybe I’ll prefer the Mandalay when I get one but she and I have been all over the galaxy together and I think I’d still take her out now and then. I’d miss her.
Mate, you forgot to mention the Mandy multirole ability, shadowing DBX by a huge margin. And just talk a bit about the hard points on Mandy - armed with 4 Concord Cannons, Mandy is a best in combat.
On the related topic of The Mandalay, I was hoping it would be the sweet spot go to explorer for me, and in most ways it is. However being a VR player, I just find its cockpit too “oddly proportioned and am curious if any other VR players feel the same. The forward display is oddly far away, the side displays close and too low and the forward horizontal canopy support always on the periphery of my view. I think despite all of Mandalay’s many improvements, I will stick with my Phantom for its cockpit views and close 2nd/3rd stats to the Mandalay and DBX. I know it’s just a personal preference.
Both the DBX and the ASPX are unequivocally my favorite ships. For straight exploring, and travel theDBX is it. For everything else, I liked the ASPX in my early gameplay.
My DBX build with the double engineered FSD from a community goal a while back can get 74ly unladen. If i didnt have that though id definitely get a Mandalay, but as i do its a lot of mat grinding for a marginal increase. Mats i might need for the upcoming colonization expansion
That's an impressive range you've got with your DBX build! The engineering really makes a difference. Good luck with the mat grinding for the colonization expansion!
Just got my first 65 mill on an aborted journey to Colonia and that Krait Mark 2 is looking pretty good for me but oooohhhhh its hard to choose...mmmmmmmmmm
I still recommend the Diamondback Explorer as a first exploration ship, especially for exobiology. It has great jump range and that speeds up travel time over long distances to get to knew areas to explore. After they have done enough exploration that they are getting impatient with the DBX and it's rather slow top speed, I suggest they get a Cobra MK3 if only to compare it so they know what they like. I personally didn't start using the Cobra MK3 until I bought a carrier so it's less than ideal jump range was not an issue for me. However I loved the speed and agility of the Cobra MK3. I will soon take my Cobra MK5 out on exobiology collection jobs soon and see how I like it for the task.
I already hated using the DBX for long range exploration so it lost the contest before it began. The small fuel scoop and inefficient way you have to bring 2 srv's kills it for long range journeys for me...relegating the DBX to a bubble bus/resource gatherer.
One of my dislikes with the Conda vs DBX and much more, vs Mandy, is the sluggish flight model on hyperspace... Hell, both Mandy and DBX can turn 10x than the Conda, reason why, on Colonia trips, you get there a lot faster using small/medium ships just because you do not lose so much time turning the big whale Conda... Mandy model flight is a delight, a joy...
I'd say the Cobra Mk V is a great ship for exploration too. It feels like a medium ship with a ton of module slots while fitting on a small pad. It also has great downward visibility for exobiology. For me, it boils down to the DBX or the Cobra Mk V in the small category. I prefer both of the small ships over the medium Mandalay.
Loved my DBX but I must say the new Cobra mk5 has now replaced it. No it doesn’t jump as far but I’m REALLY enjoying its very small footprint and maneuverability. Yes my Mandy can jump 90 ly, but I’m not enamored with its visibility, nor its stork like landing gear. But I’m now exploring with my carrier in tow, so this time out is very different from the last time. Just glad we’ve been given so many choices.
I used the DBX to get the money for the Phantom and never looked back. I can understand why people like the DBX, but for me Phantom is so much better. Yes, I have the Mandalay and it is great indeed, but I still prefer the Phantom.
I love my Orca for exploring. Nice jumprange, lands almost anywhere and using somethimes its nose as front landing gear (front landing gear on air) xD And good amount useful and less usefull stuff with me. I still use my DBX for many stuff. Mostly in bubble missions! o7
That fuel scoop tho. Even halving the fuel tank, still not a good combo. DBX is the sort of ship that creates Stockholm Syndrome because eventually it's the only option (other than getting rid of it). :) Mandy can land in almost as many places as DBX, SCO is incredibly useful for far flung planets (it also has exceptional range and flies really nice). So is my explorer of choice.
The only thing the DBX "needs" to have changed is the removal of the current 4GFSDB and replace it with a 5GFSDB. Other than that, it is nearly perfect. IMNSHO.
Please answer me somebody I got the elite dangerous but I don't want to take the time to download it if it's not like what I think it is you can now walk outside your ship someone please tell me yes or no
On the related topic of The Mandalay, I was hoping it would be the sweet spot go to explorer for me, and in most ways it is. However being a VR player, I just find its cockpit too “oddly proportioned and am curious if any other VR players feel the same. The forward display is oddly far away, the side displays close and too low and the forward horizontal canopy support always on the periphery of my view. I think despite all of Mandalay’s many improvements, I will stick with my Phantom for its cockpit views and close 2nd/3rd stats to the Mandalay and DBX. I know it’s just a personal preference.
The DBX Explorer - do you still use it for Exploration .... or have you moved on?
It’s still my goto for deep arm exploration.
The Asp Explorer just has terrible reverse thrusters
Well im a new player so i don't know how to choose but for beginner maybe dbx ots cheapes ship exploration for first journey
I've often said that the DBX is a class 5 FSD with a cockpit bolted on.
and I agree
"This... is more than a ship, more than a machine and more than the sum of its parts. It's not just a cockpit with engines. It's a symbol. The gold standard for the spirit of exploration." - The Pilot describing the Diamond Back Explorer
@@aitoluxd it’s an fsd with a cockpit
I had been using the Mandalay since it came out, Parking my Anaconda, and the new Pre-Engineered SCO FSD got me almost 90LY average jump range in the new ship. But, since the end of the threat in Sol, I got myself an FC and jumped back out to the boonies, and I am using my DBX for my exploration in the short jumps all around my carrier. I put a Pre-Engineered SCO FSD in it, and I am getting 80LY jump range, and it has the best footprint for doing exobioloty, far better than the Mandalay with some of the rough terrain that is hard to land in, or my old exploration build Anaconda.
it is a great little ship and with an admirable Jump range
You can "juice" the Mandy at nearly 98 yl jumping range... That, and the fact is a cold ship ( jump while fueling with no problems) and the much better maneuverability, the SCO, the internals, all these are far better than the rusty DB...
I'm sticking with my DBX for exploration. It may not get to the near 100ly range of the Mandalay, but it gets enough at around 88 I believe with the pre-engineered SCO drive. Which is still plenty.
Its all about the ease of use for me. I love the heat efficiency, with an engineereed low emissions power plan I can literally park the thing at max fuel scoop range and go and have a sandwich, knowing I will never overheat. Then jump straight to the next system. And planetary landing is never an issue with the small footprint. It just makes for the easiest no-fuss exploration, and that's key for me.
Its still one of the coolest looking ships too. The Mandy is very cool looking in its own right, but given the choice between the two I still prefer the DBX a bit more.
this is why I stil have one - I just prefere it
the fuel scoop is a deal breaker for me. Maybe the slow 'yaw' too. Exobio gameplay easier with good manoeuvrability.
Do have a lot of affection for the dbx tho
@@thelionsam The fuel scoop definitely seems to be a lot of peoples' problem with the ship, but for me, I can honestly say it does not bother me in the slightest. It'd be one thing if the ship needing to scoop fuel for a couple more seconds caused potential overheat problems, but with the amazing heat management of the DBX that's never an issue.
You don't really even need to top off to 100% every single jump unless you're in particularly sparse fuel star territory. Eventually I'm gonna want to get up and take a BR break, grab a snack, get some water, something, and I can just park myself inside the star and top off completely then.
Even if I'm in a super rush to get somewhere, I feel like the fact that you can start spooling your FSD from within scoop range and not overheat (so long as you get out halfway through and don't just sit there for the full spool duration) cuts off some of the extra time spent scooping.
That's just me though. The smaller scoop is definitely something a lot of people hate.
@@ElecManEXE appreciate the full answer! The 'rhythm' when trying to cover distance is set at a faster cadence now... as you say its down to what the individual is used to 🙂
Love DBX looks, cockpit and the spirit of the ship very much though 👍
I moved on from my trusty DBX, after exploring over 6000 systems in it, according to the recent birthday progress email from FDev using it to explore in my over 3000 hours of gameplay. Still, now I use the Mandalay as my go-to explorer of the black ship, which does help to reach those planets that are 10s if not 100s of 1000s distances away into the system within seconds at the press of a button.
You forgot the Dolphin. Great heat management and jump range. Downside is the you have to be a bit picky on your internal build. Good for short to medium range exploring. A solid choice for exploring in the small ship class.
I prefer the Dolphin for small explorer as well.
I also have an orca and Beluga kitted for exploring. There's something so ostentatious about taking the fat whale
Something about 128T of fuel..
If you go the Mandalay route you have to understand that "Fungoida Setisis" is an exobiology sample you should just pass on. The reason for this is the Mandalay usually cannot land anywhere near where it spawns in the mountains. As it is only worth 1.67 million credits it probably isn't worth the hour to three it will take for you to find and get all 3 samples and then return back to where the Mandalay can land. This sort of exploration would go way faster if you could scout out the area while flying and place way points that would show up on your HUD, but as it is you have to find the samples one at a time and carefully pick a direction and landmarks in order to find them again after you get into your SRV for the trip back to the sample location.
good tip
You actually can, there's tools that allow you to enter coordinates on a planet for guided back tracking.
Something that I feel should've been added to the game long time ago.
I used to just write down the coordinates that are displayed on screen while flying over, park on a peak or nearby valley and run to it. Now, I tend to skip low value, time wasting bio. Nowadays, I mostly just employ my stratum method and make the most of my time.
The only time I need to use my Anaconda for exploration is when my wife wants to tag along, that woman packs the whole damn house.
my first combat/exúlorer ?? DBX off course and yes on combat he still fight like men :D
I have 2 DBXs - one for distance and system exploration and one for planet landings and exobiology work. I do also have an ASP X and a Krait Phantom, but they tend to gather dust since the DBX is so much easier to manage.
As a newcomer to elite dangerous who is interested in exploration, the DBX is amazing. I did some exploring in a strip down cobra MkIII inside the bubble (still got 2 first discoveries XD) and then got a dbx was going to get some meta metals but have been nebula hopping for two days. Not really going to stop. Just about 40LY range is such a good little ship... I will try to get engineering and stuff when back. Not sure when that will happen.
engineer the DXB up and it is a great little jumper - still
@RicardosGaming any engineers located on the other side of the California Nebula?
My helicopter looking ass exobio ship, MY GOAT ❤ (only thing that kinda makes me sad is the fuel scoop tho)
I love my DBX, we have been together for so long, but now that I've tasted the Mandalay every time I'm inside the DBX I'm going to be thinking about being inside the Mandalay.
I've been using it as a bubble taxi/ ground attack because the thing looks like a hind helicopter. So I use it as one.
LOL - I thought the BSG Raptor
It will always be my favorite ship.
it is a damn good Jumper!
I took my DBX out to Colonia and have spent the past week or so out there with some buddies, we all took DBX explorers and love the tin can.
I do however love the look of the mandalay and will likely be paying credits to swap over when its available in game.
Great video Ricardo! While I still bust her out of Carrier mothballs for jaunts into the black, I love my DBX for trips like Guardian site visits and such - lands nearly anywhere, great utility placement for anti-Sentinel point defence, excellent visibility, nice and cool with a heatsink as backup in case of ganker detection, and of course it sounds fantastic. I was always much more of a DBX In Front Of Something than an Asp, although I do love my Asp X too (spent most entire runs of Frontier: Elite II in Asps, very dear to my heart!) The DBX is just special.
6:11 what is that ship kit on the ASP? I might need one of those! (I have one similar for the DBX, maybe it's the ASP version?)
I had a DBX way back in the day when I was starting off. It was a cute little ship, but I replaced it quickly.
I finally got around to unlocking Professor Palin and needed to do the 5k LY journey. So I bought a new DBX, outfitted it with an engineered SCO FSD and tossed in some basic necessities, and off I went.
I’m in love with the little thing and I don’t know if I’ll ever get rid of it again lol
Flew off into the sunset along with the T7
sounds romantic....
Being on console and hence being utterly abandoned by Frontier as a community, we don't have the Mandalay so I can't comment on that. But I've always said that if you want to travel across the galaxy, take an Asp. If you want to make it home again afterwards, take a DBX.
The Dolphin is a wonderful explorer. Has good jump range A rated with FSD booster(approx59ly). Can fit a 6a fuel scoop and is very hard to get hot. The best feature of a Dolphin is its ability to land nearly anywhere when Bio searching. It also handles nice at planet surfaces/atmospheres. I haven't yet taken my Mandalay out in the black to fully compare. It does run a close second for landing ability though. ie, mountains and crevasses
i just retired my dbx for my new cobra mk5 but my lil bug will always have a place in my heart and I am gonna take her out on xmas to deliver presents erry year.
My 2nd account is for exploration & exobiology. Did just enough engineering for G5 FSD & headed out in a DBX. Haven't been back yet to upgrade to an SCO drive, which I will do someday. As for trading up to the Mandalay, I like the utilitarian look of the Lakon ships, and my DBX has everything I need. I think I'll keep her.
I love the Mandalay for Powerplay - gathering black boxes and escape pods, light combat, cargo running, etc.
I still prefer the DBX for exploration, just waiting for a CG to retro-fit all the old ships with 'SCO Stabilisers' or similar.
Loved my explo DBX (hell I had a second that got me into AX combat on my alts account). Used the AspX for a couple of years before jumping to the DBX and spent 3 years out in the black with it. Finally came back to bubble to buy the Mandalay when it released and engineer it. DBX is parked for now
The size 4 scoop, and slow yaw are deal breakers for me... everything else 👌
@RicardosGaming I got phantom up to 93 ly as the current jump range, so It's actually slightly faster then the Mandalay, and way faster then DBX. The Mandalay with the most optimum exploration build possible, I got to 87 current(barely under 88 actually, and 95 max jump range on the dot. Note: That's with a 4G SRV bay at that, and shields(be it 3D, but still). Considering how great the SCO drive is on the Mandalay, and the fact it can land places even a sidewinder probally cant, It's well worth the slightly lower jump range.
Travelled to the second bubble and Sagittarius A in my DBX. Got back to the main bubble with enough credits to buy anything I wanted.
But was really annoyed that nothing else sounded like the DBX. After a year in the DBX everything else just sounded wrong.
I love my DBX. Haven't tried the Mandalay yet...
This is my go to ship for Exobiology. Can land almost anywhere and even with an SRV stored inside I’m still getting 52LY jump range. Mine is green and looks like a grasshopper. 😂
get a new FSD on it and it will go further
I don’t think I’ve used my DBX for exploration since I got my AspX. Now, I’ve put my exploration on hold until I can get a Mandalay for credits.
surprising that - the DBX is by far a better jumper than the Aspx
I’m out in mine now. Maybe I’ll prefer the Mandalay when I get one but she and I have been all over the galaxy together and I think I’d still take her out now and then. I’d miss her.
absolutely worth it. if you go for exobiology exploration, you can land pretty everywhere. Not the same for Mandalay
@@lello3080 agreed
Mate, you forgot to mention the Mandy multirole ability, shadowing DBX by a huge margin. And just talk a bit about the hard points on Mandy - armed with 4 Concord Cannons, Mandy is a best in combat.
Love doing exo in my dolphin, 55 jump range,can’t overheat the thing and it will land anywhere
On the related topic of The Mandalay, I was hoping it would be the sweet spot go to explorer for me, and in most ways it is. However being a VR player, I just find its cockpit too “oddly proportioned and am curious if any other VR players feel the same. The forward display is oddly far away, the side displays close and too low and the forward horizontal canopy support always on the periphery of my view. I think despite all of Mandalay’s many improvements, I will stick with my Phantom for its cockpit views and close 2nd/3rd stats to the Mandalay and DBX. I know it’s just a personal preference.
Both the DBX and the ASPX are unequivocally my favorite ships. For straight exploring, and travel theDBX is it. For everything else, I liked the ASPX in my early gameplay.
@@hisgreasiness Thankyou for your generosity
I guess I'm going to have to run my DBX again, I remember it running a bit hot on jumps. I am spoiled by my Dolphin explorers insane heat mitigation.
Great for getting around the bubble. I use other ships for exploring.
it has been a good daily driver for ages
Have had the Aspx and Dbx..... for me Dbx always came a close second.
Until I got the Mandalay..... my new ship of choice for exploration
Still got my DBX gathering dust and aspx
My DBX build with the double engineered FSD from a community goal a while back can get 74ly unladen. If i didnt have that though id definitely get a Mandalay, but as i do its a lot of mat grinding for a marginal increase. Mats i might need for the upcoming colonization expansion
That's an impressive range you've got with your DBX build! The engineering really makes a difference. Good luck with the mat grinding for the colonization expansion!
Just got my first 65 mill on an aborted journey to Colonia and that Krait Mark 2 is looking pretty good for me but oooohhhhh its hard to choose...mmmmmmmmmm
I still recommend the Diamondback Explorer as a first exploration ship, especially for exobiology. It has great jump range and that speeds up travel time over long distances to get to knew areas to explore. After they have done enough exploration that they are getting impatient with the DBX and it's rather slow top speed, I suggest they get a Cobra MK3 if only to compare it so they know what they like. I personally didn't start using the Cobra MK3 until I bought a carrier so it's less than ideal jump range was not an issue for me. However I loved the speed and agility of the Cobra MK3. I will soon take my Cobra MK5 out on exobiology collection jobs soon and see how I like it for the task.
totally agreed!
I already hated using the DBX for long range exploration so it lost the contest before it began. The small fuel scoop and inefficient way you have to bring 2 srv's kills it for long range journeys for me...relegating the DBX to a bubble bus/resource gatherer.
Only thing with my DBX small fuel scoop takes ages to fill up other then that good jump range 76 ly with guardian FSC booster
One of my dislikes with the Conda vs DBX and much more, vs Mandy, is the sluggish flight model on hyperspace... Hell, both Mandy and DBX can turn 10x than the Conda, reason why, on Colonia trips, you get there a lot faster using small/medium ships just because you do not lose so much time turning the big whale Conda... Mandy model flight is a delight, a joy...
Krait Phantom for my exploration, and I can use it for Odyssey missions, etc. My "all rounder".
a good choice
I'd say the Cobra Mk V is a great ship for exploration too. It feels like a medium ship with a ton of module slots while fitting on a small pad. It also has great downward visibility for exobiology. For me, it boils down to the DBX or the Cobra Mk V in the small category. I prefer both of the small ships over the medium Mandalay.
Loved my DBX but I must say the new Cobra mk5 has now replaced it. No it doesn’t jump as far but I’m REALLY enjoying its very small footprint and maneuverability. Yes my Mandy can jump 90 ly, but I’m not enamored with its visibility, nor its stork like landing gear. But I’m now exploring with my carrier in tow, so this time out is very different from the last time. Just glad we’ve been given so many choices.
I am in that Cobra Mk5 al the time now
I used the DBX to get the money for the Phantom and never looked back.
I can understand why people like the DBX, but for me Phantom is so much better.
Yes, I have the Mandalay and it is great indeed, but I still prefer the Phantom.
Conda still beating the mandalay, 95 LY range versus 93LY for the mandy, but mandy is much easier to handle and land
Looks like my Type 8 will be getting around 45ish ly of range. Armored, with loads of optional internals - I'll take the hit on the range.
What would you say is the best way to earn credits at the moment?
The Mandalay looks amazing and is a lot of fun but it's a shame they steamrolled all over the nuanced interplay between the main explorer ships.
I love my Orca for exploring. Nice jumprange, lands almost anywhere and using somethimes its nose as front landing gear (front landing gear on air) xD And good amount useful and less usefull stuff with me. I still use my DBX for many stuff. Mostly in bubble missions! o7
not thought of that to be honest
I sold my dbx and phantom to Jawas mandalay does it all now
That fuel scoop tho. Even halving the fuel tank, still not a good combo. DBX is the sort of ship that creates Stockholm Syndrome because eventually it's the only option (other than getting rid of it). :)
Mandy can land in almost as many places as DBX, SCO is incredibly useful for far flung planets (it also has exceptional range and flies really nice). So is my explorer of choice.
i dont neeeed anything more than the diamond back X, its good at what i need it to do and self sufficient =P
Love my DBX.
I always preferred the asp but the Mandalay is now boss imho
I still fly now and then but Mandalay is better in every way imho.
The only thing the DBX "needs" to have changed is the removal of the current 4GFSDB and replace it with a 5GFSDB. Other than that, it is nearly perfect. IMNSHO.
@@Phalanx443 we may get a mk2
@@RicardosGaming I would LOVE to see that!
My krait phantom jumped 74 ly. My dbx 80 ly. My anaconda does 92ly and my mandalay does 90. But mandalay for sure upgrade over dbx.
Please answer me somebody I got the elite dangerous but I don't want to take the time to download it if it's not like what I think it is you can now walk outside your ship someone please tell me yes or no
@@CJN1979 you will need the odyssey dlc to have the walking gameplay
Dbx is still best in my option
The Krait Phantom is actually 10t lighter than the ASP Explorer and outjumps it when using undersized internals.
On the related topic of The Mandalay, I was hoping it would be the sweet spot go to explorer for me, and in most ways it is. However being a VR player, I just find its cockpit too “oddly proportioned and am curious if any other VR players feel the same. The forward display is oddly far away, the side displays close and too low and the forward horizontal canopy support always on the periphery of my view. I think despite all of Mandalay’s many improvements, I will stick with my Phantom for its cockpit views and close 2nd/3rd stats to the Mandalay and DBX. I know it’s just a personal preference.
I found the Mandy cockpit nicely realised myself - not notice the problems you mentioned - then I am seldom in VR