Careers

There are a number of distinct roles that players can take on. Roles do not require prior experience or skills to take part in - by obtaining the necessary equipment anyone can perform any role. Trading, smuggling, exploring, mining, bounty hunting, and pirating are the six main roles currently in Beta 3. Frontier Developments have stated that they want all roles to be equally profitable.

Courier

Main article: Courier

Starport bulletin boards will often offer missions that require little or no cargo space and can be an easy (albeit low) source of income. Missions that require no cargo space will be marked with two horizontal arrows pointing left and right whereas courier missions that require some cargo space are marked with a cargo container and an arrow pointing to the right. Accepted missions can be turned in (completed) by traveling to the mission's destination and using the starport bulletin board there.

Trader

Main article: Trader

Trading is the act of buying commodities at a low price and selling them for a higher price. In Elite: Dangerous the Galaxy Map can help traders determine profitable trade routes by providing purchasable market data as well as displaying NPC trade routes and economy types. As profitable as it can be to haul cargo around the galaxy, pirates abound and, depending on the system, can be a major hazard for traders who are not prepared.

Explorer

Main article: Explorer

Exploring is a (mostly) lonely and time consuming job. The profitability depends on how much undiscovered data the player has to sell and, when the system is all but unknown, the profit can be quite substantial. Starting from game's version 1.1, it will display tag with commander's name alongside astronomical object to indicate which person first discovered and sold this exploration data to authorities.

Miner

Main article: Miner

Mining in Elite Dangerous is very manual as the player must use a mining laser to chip off pieces of an asteroid to then scoop up to be refined onboard. As time consuming as it can be, a miner with the right technique can make just as much money as they would in other professions. For newer players mining can be a good way to learn ship control, operation of the cargo scoop, and how to interact with the control panel in flight.

Smuggler

Main article: Smuggler

Smugglers are similar to traders except that they sell goods where it is illegal, on the black market. Smugglers have to use stealth, cunning and special equipment to outwit the Police and sometimes military authorities, especially around stations, to sell their goods at a profit while escaping fines and a criminal record. Smugglers can also be a special case of couriers, where the player is asked to transport forbidden items.

Pirate

Main article: Pirate

Pirates naturally earn combat ranking by attacking and destroying other ships. The primary motivation for pirates is the previous cargo carried by their prey. Pirates use powerful weaponry and their fearsome reputations to encourage traders to hand over their goods.

Mercenary

Main article: Mercenary

Mercenary work is found at starport bulletin boards which send the player to fight at conflict zones and warzones. In zones with active fighting a mercenary can find near constant work.

Assassin

Main article: Assassin

An assassin requires flight experience and solid equipment as their targets are highly dangerous. The payout for taking down targets can be extremely rewarding, but make sure to never underestimate the enemy - their bounty is large for a reason.

Bounty Hunter

Main article: Bounty Hunter

Space is a rough place and there are plenty of pirates in the anarchy systems who need to be retired. The bounty hunter takes advantage of the in-game bounty system, earning credits and combat rank for destroying wanted ships. Bounty hunters specialize in lethal, offensively-focused ships which are capable of reliably destroying their prey.