Pilots Trade Network Elite: Dangerous
Odyssey Beginners guide
Welcome to odyssey!
While this will not be a comprehensive guide of all things Odyssey, it will endeavor to get you on your feet, both figuratively and literally.
Table Of Contents
1. The Basics
2. Important Keybinds
3. The Three Suits
4. Weaponry
5. Consumables
6. Missions
7. Beware!
8. Fleet Carriers
9. On and Up
The Basics
So you’ve purchased Odyssey
Congratulations! You now have the ability to download it via the launcher. If you use minED, you may need to temporarily disable it so you can access the default launcher. From here, every time you launch the game, you have a choice: You can launch either Odyssey or Horizons. The finer details on Odyssey vs. Horizons will be covered later, for now you can simply stick to Odyssey and be fine.
Step 0: The In-Game Tutorial
When launching Odyssey for the first time, it will automatically place you in a tutorial instance, but leave your Live CMDR untouched. The tutorials in Elite Dangerous are notorious for not being the greatest at really teaching the important mechanics, but it’s still useful for familiarizing yourself with the basics of on-foot gameplay. Don’t be afraid to run through the tutorial more than once, if you feel like you didn’t understand everything the first time through. It is recommended you complete the tutorial before you continue reading.
Disembarking
While docked at a station, fleet carrier, megaship, surface port, or settlement, you will now see a new button in the list of available options underneath Station Services and (Auto) Launch: Disembark. Selecting this will cause you to get up and leave your ship, allowing you to walk around. Freedom at last! Well, almost. When docked at a station, surface port, or megaship, you’ll need to head to the elevator first before you can access…
The Station Concourse
The station concourse serves as the on-foot equivalent to “Station Services” for ships. There are multiple kiosks available each with a specific purpose.
Pioneer Supplies
- The on-foot equipment shop. More on this subject later.Vista Genomics
- This kiosk is for exobiology the way Universal Cartographics is for exploration data.Concourse Bar
- The bartender is your frenemy, being the place to trade and sell Odyssey-specific materials.Apex Interstellar Transport
- A taxi service that will fly you to a station or settlement of your choosing.Frontline Solutions
- A taxi service that specifically takes you to Ground Conflict Zones within your current system.Inter Astra
- A storefront for accessing the station shipyard services. (If present.)
And lastly, the station terminals.
Spread out around the concourse are several terminals with the station’s name printed on the screen. Interacting with one of these will open a variant of the ship-based “Station Services” menu, from which you can hand in bounties, adjust your loadout, and take missions.
Important keybinds
While the In-Game Tutorial mentions a few keybinds, there are some that are left out that really shouldn’t be. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does cover the missing essentials.
Use Medkit
Default (6), instantly uses a medkit without needing to open the item wheel.
Use Energy Cell
Default (7), instantly uses an energy cell without needing to open the item wheel.
Clear Authority Level
Default (-), instantly deletes your cloned security profile without needing to open the item wheel. It is important to note that cloning an NPC’s security profile is illegal, and so is having one. Guards will detect it in a scan, so if you aren’t in a position where you can simply kill the guard, being able to delete your highly illegal profile quickly is important.
Open Insight Hub
Default (Q, held). The Insight Hub is where you can access a variety of menus available on your ship while on-foot, including (but not limited to) carrier management, the galaxy & system maps, transactions, comms, and your backpack. This hub is also where you can summon an Apex Shuttle when not at a station concourse.
Open Emote Wheel
Default (B, held), operates similar to the item wheel, but with emote options instead of consumables. Pressing the key instead of holding while cause you to simply point, an action that is important if using the “Odyssey Materials Helper” third-party tool. (Recommended)
Holster Weapon
Default (U), puts your current weapon or tool away. It is highly recommended you rebind this to (X) for quicker access.
The three suits
In Horizons, you are offered a selection of ships to fly, each with strengths and weaknesses. In Odyssey, you are offered a selection of three suits, each with stats and a unique trait tailored to a specific section of on-foot gameplay. Unlike Horizons, however, it is strongly recommended to have at least one of each suit.
The “Artemis” Suit
The suit for all things exobiology! It’s also mandatory, as its unique trait is it comes equipped with the Genetic Sampler, and as such is the only way to interact with exobiology. For more information, head over to 🧬exobiology-discussion and check out the pins there.
The “Dominator” Suit
The combat-focused suit. This one has the best combat-related stats, but the smallest backpack. Its unique trait is the ability to carry an additional weapon in your loadout. Highly recommended for Ground Conflict Zones and purely-combat missions.
The “Maverick” Suit
The bread and butter of general on-foot gameplay and the engineering grind! Featuring the largest backpack for your looting needs, and for its unique trait, it comes equipped with the Arc Cutter, allowing you to cut through certain locks and panels. This is the suit of choice for activities that take you to an Odyssey Settlement or surface Point of Interest.
The Secret Fourth Suit
When editing your loadout, you may notice a fourth suit available to you: The “Flight Suit”. This is essentially the ‘default’ suit. It has generally terrible stats, no unique trait, cannot carry a primary weapon (secondaries only), and worst of all, cannot be upgraded. Suffice to say, this suit can be ignored.
Where to Find
Grade 1 versions of each suit can be purchased from any Pioneer Supplies kiosk. Occasionally, it is possible to find ‘pre-upgraded’ versions for sale, but these will always be limited supply items. Once any CMDR purchases them, they’re gone for everyone else.
Weaponry
Like any Space Cowboy, you’re going to need a gun. Probably more than one. On-foot weapons can be categorized in two ways: By damage type, and by archetype.
For our purposes, damage comes in four types:
Kinetic
The classic bullet. Like their shipboard counterparts, kinetic weapons have (high) projectile velocity, are strong against health, and weak against shields. Kinetic weapons are manufactured exclusively by Kinematic Armaments, and all have ‘Karma’ at the start of their name.
Thermal
Laser beams! The thematic opposite of Kinetic: Hitscan, weak against health, strong against shields. Thermal weapons are manufactured exclusively by Takada, and all have ‘TK’ at the start of their name.
Plasma
While these projectiles look and travel like their shipboard cousin (the Plasma Accelerator), they have a major distinction: On-foot plasma damage acts as a “balanced” damage type, neither weak nor strong, for both shields and health. Plasma weapons are manufactured exclusively by Manticore, and all have ‘Manticore’ at the start of their name.
Explosive
Explosive ranges from neutral to resisted for health damage, but it’s not clear how explosive damage fares against shields. Due to Odyssey’s rather poor popularity and a lack of real interest in many of its mechanics, there is cripplingly little documentation on this subject. That being said, sources of explosive damage generally do enough that attempting to tank the damage is ill advised.
Weapons can be organized into 4 archetypes, as well
Assault Rifles
Automatic rifles that favor damage and effective range over fire rate and magazine size. These include the Karma AR-50 and TK Aphelion, and are Primary weapons.
Carbines/SMGs
The counterpart of Assault Rifles, trading damage and effective range for better fire rate and magazine size. These include the Karma C‑44 and TK Eclipse, and are Primary weapons.
Pistols
The classic single-fire sidearm, and the only Secondary weapons available. These include the Karma P‑15, TK Zenith, and Manticore Tormentor.
Uniques
There are a few weapons that are one-of-a-kind in their mechanics, and get placed in the “unique” archetype for simpler categorization:
Manticore Intimidator
- Plasma Shotgun, very high damage, for very low range and magazine size.Manticore Executioner
- Plasma Sniper, very high damage, but with plasma’s low projectile velocity.Karma L‑6
- Rocket Launcher, and the only weapon to deal explosive damage.
The One to Avoid
Last and unfortunately least, there is the Manticore Oppressor. Ostensibly an Assault Rifle, but more accurately described as a Paintball Marker in space. This weapon has a cripplingly low damage output, and is the Ugly Duckling of the Manticore family as a result. This weapon is best avoided.
Where to Find
Like suits, Grade 1 weapons can be purchased from any Pioneer Supplies kiosk. Like suits, sometimes limited supply, ‘pre-upgraded’ options are available. Unlike suits, not all weapons are available at every station. Some travel may be required.
consumables
Like any other shooter, there are a selection of ‘consumable’ items you can carry with you, that must be replenished either by looting or by purchasing.
Energy Cell
Your suit battery is only barely touched upon in the tutorial, but think of it as the on-foot equivalent to your ship’s fuel. A single energy cell will refill your battery to full, so use them wisely. If you aren’t under pressure, it’s better to look for a recharge port.
Medkit
A near universal staple of shooters, the medkit refills your health to full. You carry very few of these at a time, so use them wisely.
E‑Breach
Now you, too can be Hackerman. This consumable is used on computer systems, interactive panels, and authorization scanners to grant you access. Caution: This consumable is illegal, and can be detected by a guard’s scan. As a result, it’s not placed in your backpack by default, and must be manually transferred after disembarking via the “Manage Inventory” screen, which is accessed by interacting with your ship.
Frag Grenade
Simple explosive happy fun ball. Mind the throwing arc in low gravity environments.
Shield Disruptor
Essentially an ‘EMP Grenade’, targets caught in the blast radius will take a huge hit to their shields, usually taking them out entirely. Does no health damage. Again, mind the throwing arc in low gravity environments.
Shield Projector
A defensive “grenade”, this one generates a small dome around itself for you to stand in. Incoming fire is blocked, while outgoing fire passes through. The dome disappears after a short amount of time. The throwing arc is less of an issue with this one, as it’s sticky and you’ll want to throw it at the ground in front of you.
(Re)stocking
Your ship can carry a supply of 100 of each consumable. When disembarking, a few of each type are placed into your backpack, according to your suit’s carrying capacity. Whether stocking up for the first time, or restocking after using a large quantity, you can find all consumables except for E‑Breach at any Pioneer Supplies kiosk. E‑Breach can also be found there, but only when the station has an Anarchy or Communism controlling faction.
missions
Missions are a cornerstone of Odyssey’s content, and a major source of its engineering materials. Missions that are centered around on-foot gameplay are acquired one of two ways:
Station Concourse / Settlement Terminals
As briefly mentioned earlier, a mission board that contains exclusively on-foot missions can be found at any of the terminals dotted around station concourses. Similar terminals can also be found at settlements, which offer missions exclusively for the controlling faction.
NPCs
Standing around station concourses, and sometimes settlements, are NPCs with mission icons over their heads. These NPCs can be interacted with, and will offer a single mission. Unlike the mission board, it is possible to negotiate with NPCs over the offered pay. Caution is advised, however, since this has a chance to not only fail, but cause the NPC to revoke the mission offer entirely.
beware!
Much like Horizons, Odyssey is notorious for it lack of hand-holding and letting you very easily bite off more than you can chew. For instance, missions tagged as “nonviolent” can be extremely difficult, even for an experienced CMDR. This is due to “nonviolent” translating to “you are not allowed to harm anyone, and if you do, mission fail.” It is therefore highly recommended that you start small, such as simple delivery missions, until you have more than just the basic flight suit and pistol.
Coming Prepared
Some missions will have the Maverick suit or E‑Breaches as hard requirements for completing them, due to locked containers, doors, or panels. Be sure to have both of these available to you before embarking on anything beyond simple delivery missions.
Crime and Anarchy
A surprising amount of activities in Odyssey involve committing crimes, frequently of a violent nature. It is therefore highly recommended to limit illegal activities to places under the control of an Anarchy faction. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as finding an Anarchy system, as settlements inherit the properties of their controlling faction, rather than the system. This means any settlement you want to do crime in must be controlled by an Anarchy Faction. There are a few popular places to find so called ‘Anarchy Settlements’, including:
Usdia
Eurybia
Iah Bulu
More systems can be found via Inara. It is recommended to have a list of systems that you can rely on, as one can sometimes become unavailable due to system states (such as Civil War).
MIND YOUR SHIP
On-foot vs. ship balance is… questionable, to put it politely. On-foot weapons do a surprising amount of damage to ships and SRVs alike, and if you aren’t paying attention, hostile NPCs can and will destroy your ship on you, leaving you in a precarious situation, and certain death if, for whatever reason, you’re unable to book an Apex shuttle.
Best Practices
- If you are at a Point of Interest that has or is expecting company, park a short distance away and approach in an SRV.
- If the settlement alarms go off, dismiss your ship immediately. When you’re ready to leave, relog first to reset the instance, allowing you to safely summon your ship without the settlement turrets & skimmers melting it.
- If you MUST have access to your ship after the alarms have been set off, make sure no hostile NPCs remain, disable the settlement’s anti-ship turrets (there’s a console for this somewhere within the settlement) and destroy any skimmers first.
fleet carriers
Fleet Carriers have their own interiors that you can walk around in, much like stations. It is noticeably smaller, and some sections may be closed off depending on what services the carrier owner has installed.
The Room with a View
If you are a carrier owner, or are hitching a ride on one that is about to jump, congratulations! You can experience what is regarded by some, as the best reason to own Odyssey at all: You can now look out the front window during a carrier jump. To do this, you must be on-foot in the carrier’s concourse, and then simply take a seat in the “command deck” area.
Services
On-foot services aboard fleet carriers, if installed can include:
Vista Genomics
- for your exobiology needs when out in the black.Pioneer Supplies
‑which will stock all suits, weapons, and consumables, but can never have ‘pre-upgraded’ gear. E‑Breaches can be purchased if the carrier owner allows it in their carrier’s settings.Concourse Bar
– where Odyssey-specific materials can be bought and sold (by the carrier owner) to/from other players.Inter Astra
- allowing on-foot access to a carrier’s shipyard service. (Installed/uninstalled alongside the shipyard service automatically.)
Escape Pods
Available in all fleet carriers, escape pods will teleport your CMDR to the last station you docked at, while leaving your ship behind on the carrier. While this has some other (niche) uses that are beyond the scope of this guide, the primary purpose of escape pods is allow you to escape a carrier that has “kidnapped” you and taken you far from where you were, such as outside The Bubble.
on and up
As you get used to on-foot content, you can start to think about engineering and taking on higher risk missions. You may also benefit from external tools and discord-based resources here in PTN.
Engineering
Like ships, on-foot equipment can be engineered, but it takes a different form. All suits and weapons have a ‘Grade’, ranging from 1 (worst) to 5 (best). The ‘pre-upgraded’ gear found at some Pioneer Supplies kiosks will never spawn above Grade 3. Improving this grade is an important and necessary step if you want the best gear, but many players opt to stick to whatever Grade 3 ‘pre-upgraded’ gear they find and not take it further. For a more in-depth look at Odyssey engineering, check out our Odyssey Engineering guide on our discord!
Discord
There are a few channels on our discord that will help you on your… odyssey.
👩🚀odyssey-general – As the name implies, this is the general chat for Odyssey-specific activity.
- 👔suits-and-guns
- A place where players can share any ‘pre-upgraded’ gear they’ve found but don’t need. Be sure to read the pins for more info.
🧰material-trade – ACOs and CCOs may post offers for Odyssey materials here. Again, be sure to read the pins for more info.
- 🧬exobiology-discussion – For all things Exobiology.
Third-Party Tools
Much like the rest of the game, third-party tools can prove invaluable to your Odyssey experience.
EDOMH – Elite Dangerous Odyssey Materials Helper, a vital tool for the material grind.
EDMC – Elite Dangerous Market Connector, while this doesn’t normally give any tangible benefit to you, settlements have markets and system states of their own. Updating these on sites like Inara can be helpful for other players. This tool will handle all of that in the background.
OMG – Odyssey Map Guide, provides a bird’s eye view of every known settlement layout, complete with door, terminal, and alarm panel locations. Useful for settlement raiding.
- For Exobio-specific tools, refer to the exobiology channel listed above.
Odyssey vs. Horizons (4.0)
Both versions of the game share a single ‘galaxy’. They use the same CMDR, and the same Background Simulation (BGS). Anything you do in one will be reflected in the other. They are, for all intents and purposes, the same game. You can login to either version interchangeably, with the caveat that Odyssey-specific content requires running Odyssey, and logging into Horizons while in an Odyssey-only area will kick you out of that area. (And if you’re on-foot, you’ll be returned to your ship.)
Players can only wing up if they are running the same version. Not everyone has Odyssey, so sometimes joining up with another player will mean you will have to switch to Horizons. PTN community events are run in Horizons when possible because of this.
In Closing…
There is still much about Odyssey that hasn’t been covered here, this guide being meant to get you started. If, after reading everything, you still have questions: Please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask! o7, CMDR!