Best Ways To Make Money In Elite Dangerous

Key Takeaways

• Study aliens for profit with Exobiology, hunt creatures, and scan plants for credits.
• Farm Thargoid Spire Sites for quick cash, earn up to 500M credits in an hour.
• Join Pilots Trade Network, stack missions for high credits in groups, and earn up to 4B.

Elite Dangerous has an incredible amount of content available and a huge selection of ships, weapons, and modules to choose from. Of course, those familiar with the game will know that ships quickly get very expensive, with the most expensive ships reaching the hundreds of millions in credits just to purchase, and potentially over a billion to properly outfit.

The good news is that Elite Dangerous offers a wide selection of unique gameplay loops to choose from, most of which are great ways to earn the credits needed to purchase whatever a player might need. Though much of the content might seem out of reach to players just starting out, getting started and building a fortune isn’t actually as hard as it seems, and there are many activities to suit a variety of playstyles.

Updated October 9, 2024 by Rhenn Taguiam: With Elite Dangerous remaining a rather engaging exploration title in 2024, fans of sci-fi and space travel stories can finally live their dreams of checking out the galaxy as the commanders of their own ships.

As Update 18.09 improves SRVs, planetary landing checks, and VR implementations, fans and newcomers to Elite Dangerous hoping to make a quick dime to enjoy the game’s costlier endgame elements should consider more efficient and consistent ways of earning cash. Some of these methods include exploring alien life, farming Spire sites, making fan-favorite resource runs, and touring hotspots as per a popular community-run trading network.

1 Exobiology

Study Aliens For Profit

As the Odyssey DLC gives Elite Dangerous players the opportunity to study alien lifeforms, the game practically transforms into full-blown Star Trek. However, one surprising detail about Exobiology is how gathering Genetic Samples from Biological Lifeforms can be a gateway to a lot of Credits. Having a medium-sized ship with an FSD and Fuel Scoop, an Artemis Suit, a Planetary Vehicle Hangar, and a Detailed Surface Scanner should be enough to get players started in hunting for creatures to scan.

As soon as players locate planets with Biological Signatures, they should use their DSS to generate a heat map of the flora they find. The lighter the blue, the more flora is located in the area. Full scans take three scans to finish, so players should finish this before moving on to other plants. It’s ideal to finish full-scanning all flora before submitting the scans for profit. Safety is paramount, as dying will retain the records and mapping but lose all opportunities to earn Credits and Rank from the session.

2 Spire Site Farming

Make A Quick Buck Eliminate Thargoid Spire Sites

While fighting aliens like the Thargoids can indeed earn players a lot of Credits, eliminating their sources in the form of Thargoid Spire Sites can give players more than what they’ve anticipated. Just an hour’s worth of Spire Site Farming can net players as high as 400 to 500M Credits, especially if they’re properly kitted with a coordinated crew. Players may also try to find like-minded teammates from communities such as the Anti-Xeno Initiative, which has a community dedicated specifically to fighting Thargoids.

A player’s ideal build for Spire Site Farming depends on a lot of factors, but mainly if they’re fighting with a smaller or larger crew. Inexperienced Commanders can use a Krait Mk2 with human weaponry, while more coordinated teams usually run with Anacondas with Guardian tech. Upon arriving in the location, players should take out the Thargoid Banshees first before attacking the Orthruses, the latter of which is the main target of Spire Site Farming. Although they don’t have weapons, their formidable defenses mean players have to strategically wait for their shields to go down while avoiding its shutdown field, anti-guardian field, and attack reinforcements that they call to their aid.

3 Robigo Runs

Fast-Paced Passenger Missions With Totally Not Illegal Passengers

Players who love to explore but have no idea where to go might as well make money with Passenger Missions, with Robigo Runs being the cream of the crop because of their “totally not illegal” nature. As the name implies, Robigo Runs involves taking passengers from stations in Robigo to a tourist beacon in Sothis around 60LY away (each ~450LY from Sol). Given the scattered nature of these stations, Robigo Runs are perfectly stackable, allowing players to earn as much as 90M Credits in an hour on successful runs.

There’s a catch, though – players have to carry illegal passengers (criminals, etc.). And getting scanned with criminals on board can spell not only a mission failure but total annihilation of the player’s ship. This is where the challenge comes in – the best way to complete Robigo Runs would be using a Python equipped to make the Robigo-Sothis trip in two runs, with as much space for passengers and not much of anything else. Such a setup should allow players to finish their runs as soon as possible, but this also leaves them defenseless in combat. The trick here is speed – when players manage to scan the beacon, they should return to Robigo Mines, refuel, get paid, and don’t get scanned.

4 Pilots Trade Network

Earn With Like-Minded Individuals

Unlike other methods that focus on making money, joining the Pilots Trade Network has less to do with directly earning Credits and more with establishing reliable sources of income. The Pilots Trade Network is an example of an in-game community in Elite Dangerous, where players can team up and do various missions to maximize earning Credits due to each others’ presence. Should players invest their time in getting to know the ups and downs of PTN, they should have high enough rep across the other factions to take in high-earning missions and hopefully have enough Credits to customize their ships for various missions.

With a fully-kitted crew, players may even be able to stack missions that can earn them at least 50M up to 4B Credits each – although this should take extensive time, research, and builds to pull off consistently. Even from a beginner’s perspective, just joining PTN and engaging in casual play should have players passively earn more Credits than their usual playthroughs as the teams they’ll be playing with likely have access to more higher-payout missions.

5 Exploration

Visit Planets To Scan Them For Money

One of the most impressive aspects of Elite Dangerous is the amount of space available to players. The game replicates the entirety of the Milky Way galaxy, allowing players to explore over 400 billion potential systems. Exploring the galaxy is a good way to make money for beginners, as it is a simple and low-risk activity. Explorers will need to outfit their ships with a fuel scoop and Detailed Surface Scanners (DSS), which can be used to scan planets up close for an extra cash reward.

Ships will automatically do a basic scan of any system they enter, but to maximize money players should make sure to also use the Full Spectrum Scanner to obtain detailed information, before scanning the planets with the DSS. Planets to look out for are earth-like worlds and water worlds, which can net over 3 million credits each if fully scanned. Players should make their way outside the Bubble so that they can scan systems that haven’t yet been visited by other players, which nets a hefty credit bonus.

6 Ground Combat

Engage In Conflict To Make Money Off Engagements

With the Odyssey DLC introducing atmospheric planets and allowing players to walk around on planets and stations, ground combat is now an option for making money. This is best done by locating systems in a state of war, and then using Frontline Solutions at a station to be transported to a ground conflict zone.

Keep in mind that ground combat can be risky and that players will likely need G3 gear to do well in high-intensity conflict zones. With the right gear and some practice, ground combat could net players a decent haul of somewhere around 20-30 million credits an hour.

7 Anti-Xeno Combat

A Great Source Of Income For Skilled Players

Players may also want to participate in anti-xeno combat, fighting against Thargoids, an alien race that humanity is in a war against in Elite Dangerous. Thargoid hunting can be extremely challenging, so it’s best to have at least some combat experience before getting started in this area. The best thargoid hunters can make up to 100 million credits an hour, though this takes a great deal of skill and practice to achieve. For those new to anti-xeno combat, it’s best to start small. Fighting Thargoid Scouts is easy enough, and from there players should work their way up to fighting Interceptors.

Interceptors are harder and require specific builds to effectively counter. Ships like the Chieftain or Krait Mk.II are good options. Make sure to have at least some engineering on modules, a good amount of hull and module reinforcement packages, and an Auto Field-Maintenance Unit. There are multiple weapons to choose from, but the best is probably the Guardian gauss cannon and remote flak launcher. It’ll take some practice and probably some rebuys to get the hang of it, but Thargoid hunting is a well-paying and thoroughly enjoyable activity for those who can master it.

8 Mining

Get Ore To Sell Through Laser Mining

Mining is one of the more lucrative sources of income, and with the right ship and setup players could earn well over 100 million credits an hour. There are two main types of mining, core and laser. Laser mining is the easiest and most profitable, but core mining is more engaging and may be preferable for some. The best ships for mining are the Python or Type-9, though for beginners something like the Cobra Mk.III is a good choice.

Laser mining ships need a refinery, prospect and collector limpet controllers to gather the ore, surface scanners, and a decent amount of cargo racks. Core mining ships are slightly more involved and will require abrasion blasters, seismic charger launchers, and pulse wave scanners. To laser mine, find asteroid rings with overlapping hotspots, use prospector limpets to find the right asteroid, and simply fire the lasers to start extracting ore. Core mining is more advanced and requires the use of explosives, so new players may want to avoid this until they have more experience.

9 Bounty Hunting And Massacre Missions

Hunt Targets For Money

Bounty hunting is one of the riskier options for a player, but it’s also one of the most engaging and enjoyable. PvE bounty hunting isn’t too difficult against lower-level targets even for new players, and is a decent early source of income. The best weapons for PvE are typically multi-cannons and pulse lasers, though there are many viable options.

It’s also important to engineer ships properly, engineered thrusters will improve maneuverability greatly, and engineered weapons are much more powerful. With a good ship loadout bounty hunting and massacre missions will earn a player over 100 million credits an hour. Massacre missions are even more lucrative when done in a wing of 4 players, as the reward is much higher, and it is possible to earn hundreds of millions of credits an hour with a wing of 4 experienced players.

10 Trade Routes

Travel Across Routes To Generate Reliable Income

Trading is one of the easier ways to make money and is a reliable source of income. The best way to do this is to look for trade routes rather than taking trade missions. This can be done in-game with trade data, but it’s easier and more profitable to use tools like EDDB or Inara to find trade routes.

In a Type 7 (around 18 million credits to buy) players can easily find a trade route worth 20 million credits an hour. From there, it’s simply a matter of upgrading to larger trade ships and making even more money. Trading is a great option for those who want a relatively relaxed playstyle, while still making a decent amount of profit. The only possible concern is the occasional pirate attack, but these aren’t too hard to escape from.

11 Booze Cruise

Take Advantage Of Wine Price Hikes

The ‘Booze Cruise’ refers to a unique player-organized event that is extremely lucrative. This event occurs about once a month when the system Rackham’s Peak enters a public holiday state and the price of wine skyrockets. To take advantage of this, there is a monthly trip where fleet carriers are loaded up with wine and taken to Rackham’s Peak to be sold there. The profit potential is massive, and many players earn billions of credits in just a couple of days.

The catch is that Rackham’s Peak is extremely far away (over 5000 lightyears from Sol), and can only be reached with a fleet carrier. This means that those who want to participate must hitch a ride on a carrier. The good news is that many players offer up their carriers for this service, and it is easy to find one by getting in touch with the Pilots Trade Network, the player group that helps organize the event.

12 Passenger Missions

Carry Passengers To Various Locations For Profit

Passenger missions are somewhat similar to trading, but arguably even easier and more profitable. This involves accepting passenger missions at stations and taking them to certain destinations, which requires players to have passenger cabins equipped.

The best ship for this is the Python, ideally with a jump range of over 30 lightyears to make the trip as short as possible. Once players have built up their reputation at the station they can earn around 100-120 million credits per hour. Passenger missions are reliable, easy, and very profitable. This is a great option for players looking for a more relaxed activity, though some may find it too monotonous.