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Elite Dangerous > Guides > Cyberes's Guides
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How to Make Money Exploring
By Cyberes
You can make 30 mil every few hours if you do it right
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Created by
Cyberes
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Category: Walkthroughs
Languages: English
Posted
Updated
30 Jun, 2020 @ 2:06pm
21 Jul, 2020 @ 3:42pm
5,725 Unique Visitors
148 Current Favorites
Guide Index
Overview
Planning a Route 
Scanning Systems 
Tips and Tricks 
Comments
Planning a Route
There are two ways to go exploring:
1. You can do it manually:
2. You can use Road 2 Riches[www.spansh.co.uk] to generate a route.

Helper programs:
  • You'll want the thrid-party plugin EDDiscovery[github.com]. It's super helpful.
  • Go to the tab "Estimated Values" and there you can see the potential value of each body in the system.
  • If there is a little blue icon in the "Already Discovered" tab, that means that the body was already discovered. You can still scan and map it to get paid for the discovery.
  • If there is "EDSM" in the "EDSM" column that means that the body was uploaded to EDSM. If you never see this click the yellow EDSM button just above the table.
  • If the table is empty, it means that this system hasn't been explored yet. You're the first!
Scanning Systems
1. Jump to star
2. Honk discovery scanner
3. Open FSS, and scan:
  • High metal content
  • Metal rich
  • Earth-like
  • Ammonia
  • Water worlds
4. Review system map for terraformables; hover over metal content/metal bodies to see if they can be terraformed.
  • If you are using EDDiscovery, skip this step because it will automatically calculate the estimated price.
  • To find these, once you're done scanning the system with the FSS, open your system map. On the second tab (the one with all the info for each body) it will tell you if "this body is a candidate for terraforming".
5. Prioritise mapping all terraformables, earth-like, ammonia, water worlds. If you're using EDDiscovery, just map bodies with a high value regardless of type.

Scanning Tips:
  • Don't scan icy or rocky bodies, they aren't worth much. If a system has only these types, move on to the next one. You can tell if there's only icy bodies by looking at the spectrum layout on the bottom of the FSS interface.
  • Always scan all high metal content bodies. They can be candidates for terraforming and mapping them can be worth over a million credits per body.
  • See this dude's guide on using the FSS: https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2009331585
Tips and Tricks
  • You can travel down the Colonia Connection Highway[www.edsm.net] for some quick and easy cash. You don't have to go all the way. Go about 1,000 ly off the main route to the first outpost, Hillary Depot in Blu Thua AI-A c14-10, then plot a route to Hillary Depot and scan systems on your way. Do the same thing on your way back. You'll find a lot of unexplored and undiscovered systems this way, all you need is a fuel scoop and some patience.
  • Managing your fuel is important. If you're running low on fuel and you don't have any fuel stars on your route:
    - Open the galaxy map
    - Filter only O, B, A, F, G, K, M type stars
    - Go to one within one jump away
    - Fill up your fuel tanks
    - Continue on your route
  • Make sure you filter your route (click the "Apply Filter to Route" button in the galaxy map) to O, B, A, F, G, K, M type stars.
  • If your ship is destroyed, you will lose your exploration data.
  • If a system has a lot of bodies (>35), scan them all regardless of type.
6 Comments
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Mr.Sineus 7 Feb, 2021 @ 11:11pm 
I made 1 billion a week from a Chinese in Sirius. I fly to Sirius and achieve the highest rank from him, then I fly to investigate using the "EDPathFinder" program - I am looking for water planets and planets like Earth. Six days I fly scanning, on the seventh I fly to Sirius I sell information -1 billion in my pocket. Для русских видео https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHFRsW_HhkY&t=189s&ab_channel=HarrisonSould
elitedangerousaeg1 17 Dec, 2020 @ 7:32am 
When you can make 150 Million per hour in mining and 120 Million with passengers..... Then Exploration makes only sense until you have the rank of Elite. Exploring the 'Galaxy' is not really about making money but, to see all the stuff that is out there. :steamhappy:
2020HeinSite 22 Nov, 2020 @ 5:40am 
I love to use the FSS and DSS tools. And since I'm in no hurry to get everything done I actually scan *everything* in a system, including the asteroid belt and all the signal sources. The signal sources are useful in gathering materials that will be needed in engineering. And quite often rare salvage items can be found there too. I do the salvage stuff first because it's on a timer. Then I'll surface scan high value targets before leaving. It's more time, but I'm there anyway, and it's extra stuff.
Ged 22 Aug, 2020 @ 12:45am 
@Korgi yes, but that takes significantly more time, even though the time spent is less intense and more relaxing. I do like just flying around discovering new systems because it feels like exploration. Road to riches is basically flying around systems people have already been to and "confirming" their data, not exploring new things.
Korgi 21 Aug, 2020 @ 8:11pm 
Literally just flying around is a great way too get money. If you are really patient and go on a loop of the milky way you can net several billion in credits just sightseeing.
Ged 18 Aug, 2020 @ 3:11am 
lol why are there no comments