🌌 Guide to Engineering 🚀

Step 1: Felicity Farseer

Location: Farseer Inc. Deciat - Time: Short - Best Module: Frame Shift Drive - Permit: None

• Scout Rank: Requires 270,000 CR Profits from Exploration.
• Donation: 1 Meta Alloy.

With a Universal Discovery Scanner and at least 1 Cargo Rack, jump down to Maia and honk every system you jump through. In Maia, you can buy 1 Meta Alloy at Darnielle's Progress for 113,355 Cr. If you don’t want to spend the money, you can mine Meta Alloys in the Merope system at Merope 2 A, but you will need a Detailed Surface Scanner and SRV to find and acquire them.

Once you have the Meta Alloy, go to Eurybia, and turn in your Universal Cartographic data to the Eurybia Blue Mafia. This should give you the appropriate funds to reach Scout, while also helping you with Liz Ryder down the road.

Proceed to Deciat, and donate your Meta Alloy to Felicity Farseer at Farseer Inc. Craft mods with Farseer until you receive information on Juri Ishmaak, then head to the Ngurii system.

Note: It is recommended that you improve your Frame Shift Drive with the Long-Range mod as far as possible. This will make the entire guide considerably easier.

Step 2: Elvira Martuuk

Location: Long Sight Base. Khun - Time: Shortest - Best Module: Frame Shift Drive - Permit: None

• Travel: 300ly from your starting system This is already done :).
• Donation: 3 Soontill Relics.

Now that you are in Ngurii, go to Cheranovsky City. There, you can buy 3 Soontill Relics for 19,885 Cr per ton (you will need the cargo space). Travel to Long Sight Base in the Khun system, donate the Soontill Relics, and upgrade your modules until you receive information on Zacariah Nemo and Marco Qwent.

Step 3: Marco Qwent

Location: Qwent Research Base. Sirius - Time: Long - Best Module: Powerplant (Grade 4) - Permit: Yes

• Aquire Permit: Invitation from Sirius Corporation.
• Donation: 25 Modular Terminals.

Grab your best exploration ship, and plan a route 5,000 LY away from your starting system. At the very least, honk every system, but some scans with a Detailed Surface Scanner will also help down the line. Once you are at the end of your route, select your starting system to ensure it is more than 5,000 LY away, then head to the Procyon system. Turn in your data at a station owned by Sirius Corporation until you are invited to the Sirius system and acquire the Sirius permit, then go to 78 Ursae Majoris and turn in the remaining data to a station owned by the Alioth Independents. From here, fit at least 30T of Cargo Capacity, buy a cheap commodity, and take a Data Delivery mission, preferably with Modular Terminals as a reward, but it’s not necessary.

Once you land at the end of the Data Delivery mission, sell the commodity and buy a new one. Take a new Data Delivery mission for Modular Terminals (or not), rinse, and repeat, until you have 25 Modular Terminals. This will help you down the road with Lei Cheung, as well as unlocking Qwent.

Go back to Sirius with your Modular Terminals, complete a mission to unlock Marco Qwent (provided at any station in Sirius — may require board flipping), donate your Modular Terminals to Marco Qwent, and rank him up until you receive information on Professor Palin and Lori Jameson.

Step 4: Professor Palin

Location: Abel Laboratory. Arque - Time: Short - Best Module: Thrusters - Permit: None

• Travel: 5000ly from your starting system This is already done :).
• Donation: 25 Sensor Fragments Previously known as Unknown Fragments.

Head back down to the Pleiades Sector with an SRV on hand, and go to the system HIP 17403. At HIP 17403, land at planet HIP 17403 A 4 A at the coordinates -34.98, -141.30. There will be a crashed Thargoid ship with Unknown Artefacts and Sensor Fragments scattered about. Pick up 7 Sensor Fragment drops (they count as materials, so they don’t require any cargo capacity). Hop to Arque and turn in your Sensor Fragments — and you've ended the Elvira Martuuk line!

Step 5: The Dweller

Location: Black Hide. Wyrd - Time: Moderate - Best Module: Frame Power Distributor - Permit: None

• Sell to: 5 Black Markets.
• Donation: 500,000 CR.

Head on back from Arque and land somewhere outside of Li Yong-Rui Space. Buy a cheap commodity (for Lei Cheung, again), then take a Cargo Delivery mission with 5 cargo, minimum. Immediately abandon the mission, then search for 5 nearby Black Markets. At each Black Market, sell one stolen commodity, sell your non-stolen commodity, buy a new cheap commodity, then head to the next Black Market until you've sold to all 5. Sell the remaining cargo to the last Black Market, then head to the Wyrd System. Land at Black Hide, donate 500,000 Cr to The Dweller, and rank him up until you get information on Lei Cheung.

Step 6: Lei Cheung

Location: Trader's Rest. Laksak - Time: Long - Best Module: Shield Generators - Permit: None

• Trade: Trade Commodities in over 50 markets.
• Donation: 200 tons of Gold.

You should be well on your way to having traded at 50 markets by now, if you've been buying and selling commodities as you go. Finish up your trading at various stations around the Laksak system, then land at a station in the Laksak system. From there, buy as much gold as you can fit (all stations in Laksak sell Gold, with Pinto City and Hedin Hub being the least expensive), and donate it to Lei Cheung at Trader's Rest. Rinse and repeat until you have donated 200 Tons, then rank Lei Cheung up until you get the invite from Ram Tah.

Step 7: Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn

Location: Trophy Camp. Wolf 397 - Time: Short - Best Module: Multi-Cannons, Rail Guns - Permit: None

• Bounty Vouchers: Earn more than 15.
• Donation: 100,000CR worth of Bounty Vouchers.

This one's pretty straightforward. Kill some wanted NPCs at the Nav Beacon in Wolf 397 until you have 100,000 Cr worth, then turn them in to Trophy Camp. Rank up Tod McQuinn until you get information on Selene Jean.

Step 8: Selene Jean

Location: Prospector's Rest. Kuk - Time: Longest - Best Module: Armour, Hullplating Packages - Permit: None

• Mining: Mine and Refine at least 500 tons of ore.
• Donation: 10 tons of Painite.

This one's a doozy. Go back to 78 Ursae Majoris, and get allied with the Alioth Independents, and friendly with the Alliance as a whole. From there, grab your best trading ship, outfit it for mining, then find a pristine metallic ring. Mine there until you've acquired 10 Painite, then move to a pristine icy ring, and mine out the rest of the 500 tons while saving all of the Bromellite possible. Do not leave until you have 50 Tons of Bromellite and 10 Tons of Painite!

Go to Kuk, donate your Painite, and rank up Selene Jean until you get information on Didi Vatermann and Bill Turner.

Step 9: Bill Turner

Location: Turner Metallics Inc. Alioth - Time: Shortest - Best Module: Plasma Accelerators, Sensors - Permit: None

• Reputation: Gain Friendly Status with the Alliance to get a permit to access Alioth.
• Donation: 50 Tons of Bromellite.

Take your 50 Tons of Bromellite to Bill Turner in the Alioth System. That's it. You already did all of the work during Steps 3 and 8.

Step 10: Didi Vatermann

Location: Vatermann LLC. Leesti - Time: Moderate - Best Module: Shield Boosters - Permit: None

• Trade: Have a trade rank of Merchant or higher.
• Donation: 50 Units of Lavian Brandy.

Due to your conquest of the galaxy's markets for Lei Cheung, you should be relatively close to having the Merchant rank already. If not, run a few cargo missions until you get there, then head to the Lave system.

Once in Lave, go to Lave Station and buy the max capacity of 12 Tons (10,365 Cr each). Take them to Vatermann LLC, donate them, then head back and do it again until you've donated 50 units. You have now completed the Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn line!

Step 11: Liz Ryder

Location: Demolition Unlimited. Eurybia - Time: Moderate - Best Module: Missile Racks, Torpedo Pylons - Permit: None

• Reputation: Gain Cordial or Friendly Status with Eurybia Blue Mafia.
• Donation: 200 Units of Land Mines.

You should already be friendly with the Eurybia Blue Mafia from way back in Step One, so all you really need to do is source 200 Tons of Landmines to donate at Demolition Unlimited. Rank Liz Ryder up to grade 3-4, and you should get an invite from Hera Tani.

Step 12: Hera Tani

Location: The Jet's Hole. Kuwemaki - Time: Moderate - Best Module: Power Plants, Detailed Surface Scanners - Permit: None

• Reputation: Gain Cordial or Friendly Status with Eurybia Blue Mafia.
• Donation: 200 Units of Land Mines.

Find a nice Empire system with a station near its star, and grind out a few missions until you get an Imperial Rank Up mission. Complete that mission, head to Kamitra, buy the maximum 14 Tons of Kamitra Cigars (6218 Cr Each), donate them to Hera Tani in The Jet's Hole in the Kuwemaki system, then do it again and again until you've donated all 50 Tons. Rank her up until you receive information on Broo Tarquin and Tiana Fortune.

Step 13: Juri Ishmaak

Location: Pater's Memorial. Giryak - Time: Moderate - Best Module: Mine Launchers, Detailed Surface Scanners, and Sensors - Permit: None

• Combat Bonds: Earn more than 50.
• Donation: 100,000 - 1,000,000 Cr worth of Combat Bonds.

Juri's pretty straightforward. Find a system in a War or Civil War state on the Galaxy Map, go to a Conflict Zone, and side with a faction in the Functions tab in your System Panel. Fight with them until you've destroyed 50 enemy ships (you may need several trips to and from a station), then save up 1,000,000 Cr worth of bonds. Head to the Giryak system and turn in the bonds to unlock Juri Ishmaak. Rank him up until you get the invite from The Sarge and Colonel Bris Dekker.

Step 14: Broo Tarquin

Location: Broo's Legacy. Muang - Time: Short - Best Module: Beam, Burst, and Pulse Lasers - Permit: None

• Combat Rank: Competent or higher.
• Donation: 50 Units of Fujin Tea.

Dealing with Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn and Juri Ishmaak should have you at Competent or close to it. Finish out your rank at a Resource Extraction Site or Conflict Zone, then head to Futen Spaceport in the Fujin system. Fujin Tea is sold only 5 Tons at a time at 397 Cr/Ton, so make repeated trips to Broo Tarquin at Broo's Legacy in the Muang System until all 50 Tons are delivered.

That's the end of the guide. Other engineers are listed below with their requirements and why they were omitted from this step-by-step guide.

Zacariah Nemo

Location: Nemo Cyber Party Base - Best Module: Fragment Cannons - Permit: None

• Invitation: Gain invitation from the Party of Yoru.
• Donation: 25 units of Xihe Companions.

Nemo doesn't provide any meaningful grind that can be used to further your progress with engineers, nor does he engineer a critical module.

Lori Jameson

Location: Jameson Base. Shinrarta Dezhra - Best Module: Fuel Scoops, AFMUs, Life Support, Shield Cell Banks, Refineries, and all Utility Scanners - Permit: Elite Required

• Combat Rank: Dangerous or higher.
• Donation: 25 units of Kongga Ale.

Lori Jameson is stationed in Shinrarta Dezhra, which means you must have at least one Elite ranking to access her.

Ram Tah

Location: Phoenix Base. Meene - Best Module: Limpet Controllers, Heat Sinks, Point Defense, ECMs, and Chaff Launchers - Permit: None

• Exploration Rank: Surveyor or higher.
• Donation: 50 units of Classified Scan Databanks.

See Zacariah Nemo for general info; he doesn’t lead to any further engineer progression.

Tiana Fortune

Location: Fortune's Loss. Achenar - Best Module: Utility Scanners, Interdictors, Limpet Controllers, and Sensors - Permit: Achenar Permit

• Reputation: Become friendly with the Empire.
• Donation: 50 units of Decoded Emission Data.

See Zacariah Nemo for general info; she doesn’t provide progression to other engineers.

Colonel Bris Dekker

Location: Dekker's Yard - Best Module: FSD Interdictors (Grade 4)- Permit: Sol Permit

• Reputation: Become friendly with the Federation.
• Donation: 1,000,000 - 10,000,000 Cr in Federal Combat Bonds.

She doesn't lead to any other engineers, nor does she provide a service that other engineers can't do better.

The Sarge

Location: The Beach. Beta-3 Tucani - Best Module: Cannons - Permit: None

• Federal Navy Rank: Midshipman or higher.
• Donation: 50 Aberrant Shield Pattern Analysis units.

The Sarge doesn’t lead to any further engineer progression.