Getting Started in Elite Dangerous: The 2026 Commander's Guide

Elite Dangerous doesn't hold your hand: its learning curve is famously steep, but that's also what makes every bit of progress rewarding. Here's the essential knowledge to launch your commander career in 2026.

The first hours: mastering flight

Start with the flight tutorials: take-off, supercruise, docking. Manual docking scares every beginner, then becomes second nature. Golden rule #1: always keep enough credits for your rebuy (your ship's insurance excess) — never fly without being able to afford your own destruction. Rule #2: stay in the starter zone while you learn, and mind the stars when jumping (fuel scooping happens at the edge, not on contact).

Your first credits

Delivery and courier missions from station mission boards are the ideal start: low risk, and they teach you navigation. Then move to bounty hunting in Resource Extraction Sites (RES), letting the police do the heavy lifting. Community tools like Inara will quickly become your best allies for finding stations, outfitting and trade routes.

Your first ship upgrade

The starting Sidewinder will lead you to the essential Cobra Mk III, the game's iconic multi-role. See our guide on which ship to buy in Elite Dangerous for the rest of the journey.

The commander's gear

Elite Dangerous is literally transformed by a HOTAS: the game was designed for it. Check our comparison of the best HOTAS for Elite. And if you go for an X55/X56, our custom plates with Elite Dangerous markings display the game's controls right on your hardware — no more cheat sheets. Add backlighting for night sessions. Fly safe, commander o7