I really enjoy doing the Community Goals in Elite Dangerous, they take you to new systems and places and you can earn a decent amount of credits in the process. unfortunately last weeks Trade Community Goal did not go too well for me.
I had done some of the combat goal and netted myself enough Bounty Vouchers to earn at least 500,000 credits, which is nice and I did actually enjoy the combat side of the game and it helped me unlock Todd ‘The Blaster’ McQuinn.
But I really want to be an explorer and trader in Elite Dangerous so after doing the minimum in the combat goal I decided I have a bash at the Alliance Research Initiative – Trade goal, which required me to find and return some unknown materials and data which are related to the Thargoids.
Being a huge sci-fi fan, the idea of an alien race in human space excites me so I really, really wanted to go travelling and exploring and find some of these Thargoid sites for myself.
Not having a clue where to begin, I took to the Elite Dangerous Forums and found a thread with a fellow commander letting everyone know that there was systems about 235ly away from the community goal system of Kaushpoos that had active Thargoid sites.
The system I decided to go to was HIP 18909 and I had to locate planet A4 E Am which had the active Thargoid site. With excitement in my heart I set off on the long journey from Kaushpoos to HIP 18909.
When I finally arrived in HIP 18909 the excitement was growing, I was going to see one of these Thargoid bases with my own eyes. I was thinking to myself, am I going to see the aliens? will I perhaps encounter a Thargoid ship I will have to do battle with? It was intense.
I eagerly scanned the system using my discovery scanner, I discovered a couple of planets and some asteroid belts but no matter where I travelled in the system I could not locate planet A4 E, it seemed as if this planet simply did not exist, what was going on I thought? Did this fellow commander just give out bullshit information?
So, back to the Elite Dangerous Forums I went, to see if I could find an answer. My heart dropped and the excitement faded when I read some updated information in the thread, it turns out you actually need to have an Advanced Discovery Scanner to locate the planet, I only had an Intermediate Discovery Scanner. Bollocks!
All was not lost however, using this handy website I found that there where other active Thargoid sites not a million miles away, well, they actually where more than a million miles away but not too far.
I attempted to plot a route to one system that had an active site but route plotting failed, my ship didn’t have a big enough jump range to get to the actual system the site was in, I could get close mind you but the final leg to the active system was impossible.
I travelled as close as I possible could anyway, not sure why, maybe I was hoping I could get to the system somehow but it was not to be.
I was not giving up though, using the https://map.canonn.technology/us/ site I located another active site somewhere in the Aries Dark Region. So I set off again and after god knows how many jumps I arrived at the system.
Unfortunately it seems I was foiled again by having an inadequate Discovery Scanner, it was just not my day.
I pretty much gave up after that, I think I jumped to another system nearby just for the hell of it and I am now sitting on some planet, just waiting.
I did get two engineers unlocked attempting last weeks Community Goals, so not a complete waste of time.
This weeks Community Goals seem like they will be a bit better, the trade goal is in the Secoya system which is light years away from my current position, I am still parked on planet 1A in Aries Dark Region OY-R B4-2.
There is also a combat goal which I think I will sign up for also to test out my new combat skills I gained from last weeks community goal.
Well, I better get a move on and head over to Secoya, hopefully I can get there before the Community Goal is completed.
Update: Turns out last weeks attempt at the trade Community Goal turned out rather well, as I had a ton of Cartographic Data I could sell.
