The Diamondback Explorer - The Best Small Explorer? [Elite Dangerous Ship Review]
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- The Diamondback Explorer (also known as the DBX) in Elite Dangerous is Lakon's premier small exploration vessel, which started life as an improved version of the Diamondback Scout.
It's often a ship that never gets replaced by Commanders, once they take it out into the black for the first time - because if does the job so well. But is it the best? Is it overrated? Let's look...
All content taken from Elite Dangerous: Odyssey.
#elitedangerous #elitedangerousodyssey #diamondbackexplorer #lakon #exploration
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This past Dec. I took my trusty AspX out to the Formidine Rift to visit the Zurara, and when I came back I built and engineered a DBX to see what all the hype was about. I then took that DBX on a trip through Hawking's Gap to the abandoned settlements with the same name, then down through Outer Orion into the Eta Carina Nebula & back to the bubble... I didn't know what I was missing.
The DBX is so nimble, I love how it handles compared to the AspX and especially Anaconda. It's such a joy to fly. To be fair, I built mine with an emphasis on the engines and powerplant, so it sacrifices a little jump range for zippiness. This thing would be perfect if they designed it with a size 5 or even 6 optional rather than capping it with the size 4.
The DBX is my current exploration ship. I used to prefer the Phantom ( it has a lot going for it ) but found it almost impossible to land in rocky or mountainous terrain. Exobiology is my favourite aspect of the game and I struggled to collect Fungoida and Frutexa. The DBX is much easier to land but a little more challenging because of the limited optional internals. Good video.
I couldn't move from DBX to Krait Phantom even after I could have bought all the ships there are. It brought me to Colonia and Sag A and it's just ... home. Never understood talks about fuel scoop. As explorer I would park it into corona of the stars and start FSS, by the time I was finished my heat would be at 60% and my tank full for next jump. Plus, landing it for exobiology is a breeze. Find new land in a boat instead of a cruse ship makes the romance of it much greater.
For any newbies watching. Never sell the DBX when you inevitably cave and upgrade to a Phantom. The DBX is all about off-meta endgame builds. Ice-cold missile/torpedo boat bubble bus ftw!
Got any other builds?
Update I cooked my own. Pacifiers frags, three mod plas chargers- this thing can hold a lot of things it has no business doing so
I never tried it myself but there was a cold/silent running build with long range rail guns that was making the rounds a few years ago. Basically an invisible sniper lol.
@@prisonerofthehighway1059 once you fire at someone now it resolves you on their scanner, which means this build don’t work anymore.
@@thomasquwack9503 ah ok. Coming back after a few years off. Interested to see the new metas that happened in my absence. O7
The DBX took me on my first exploration trip, gave me the experience of heading far off with the thrill that goes with the isolation in a small ship. I eventually moved onto other exploration ships but the DBX was the first that took me out the bubble and brought me home a little worse for wear with great memories
You're final words really ring true for me. My DBX is my only exploration build, and I want for nothing. It has amazing jump range, ridiculously good heat dissipation, scoops fuel quickly (at least compared with the rest of my fleet), and can land on a postage stamp. It also has everything it needs exploring Guardian and old Thargoid sites: an SRV bay, corrosion resistant cargo rack, and dorsal mounted point defense batteries. The only thing it's lacking is the speed to outrun Thargoid Interceptors, but I have severalother ships specialized for dealing with hot AX zones.
When I first bought Strider, it's beetle-like appearance seemed odd to me, and I sometimes called it "little bug". (What? You don't talk to your ships?) But it really grew on me, and now I find it a welcoming sight after a long surface trek way out in the black.
DBX is my go to for guardian farming. Being able to land inside the site and letting the PDS take care of the sentinel attackers is awesome.
Haven’t kept up with pvp lately but there was a cold running, railgun sniper ambush build that was starting to make the rounds when I left Elite.
PDS attacks the guardian sentinels and not their missiles only?
@@KuroJOZY no, it will only shoot down the missiles but their guns don't do any damage. The missiles can actually damage your ship.
My DBX is my favorite ship. I've tried exploring in an anaconda, it can jump, but it's just so big. I've got a dozen ships that i play with, but my DBX is my primary.
Every now and then, i fix guns to it, but they never get deployed, so I've given up the "combat explorer" dream that i had for it. I don't think I'll ever replace my DBX.
For me I used a single Large Dumbfire Missile rack and then engineered the missile capacity.
It takes a bit off the jump range but it has a reliable and high DPS for when you catch a bounty lacking at the nav beacons or if you need to blow something up on a planet.
@ion_force I'm almost never in space that even has nav beacons anymore. The last time I saw another ship, other than my friend who is exploring with me, was several months ago.
With the arrival of exobiology... I just cant bring myself to use the larger exploration ships anymore. The lack of internals compared to my krait is depressing but the maddening sensation of having to park 15 minutes away from that -last- plant scan....😂
henstly this is my First ship what i buy in game When i start Playing this Awesome game So many Years a Go :D
Undoubtedly my favourite ship in the game. Probably my favourite ship of all time.
I love it so much that I actually 3d printed a miniature version of it and kept it in my pocket for more than a year.
I just returned from a quick 10000 Ly round trip with it and my only gripe is with myself - I thought I had an Artemis suit so I would get to scan all these never before landed on planets...I didn't. The smaller fuel scoop is only mildly inconvenient. I still managed roughly 50-55sec per jump time in my 85 jump return journey.
I did move onto the Krait Phantom eventually like you did. But they are very, very different ships. The DBX is my dedicated explorer and its looks and size make it feel like that first decent car you got and travelled and really learnt to drive (maybe even race) in. The Phantom on the other hand has it all - looks, performance, internal components - all the bells and whistles. It's become my "Search and Rescue" ship - engineered guns, components, an almost full array of limpets and an AFMU.
This is my explorer ship. I love it and I have used it to go further out into space then any other ship I have. Yeah newer player but I love this ship! As for mining I always see ships like this as a go out and find stuff. Then mark it and bring back the big ships to do the specific jobs you are looking for. This is a explorer and it's job is to explore. Not mine, fight or anything else. It explores and then the other know exactly where to go to fight mine or cargo haul or maybe it's just me that see's it that way.
I think I'm a bit of a weirdo. Aesthetically, I like both of the Diamondbacks better than any other ship. Practically, yes the DBS & DBX have drawbacks & compromises, but I just really like the way they look. There's something no-nonsense about them that appeals to me.
They're right up there with the Chieftain line for looks IMO - distinctive and interesting to look at. Maybe not traditionally pretty (think Courier / Clipper for an example), but something with actual substance to their appearance. o7
Yeah they are really nice looking. I still regret that I skipped the DBX for the AspX when I started exploring.
I picked up a DBX for my 2nd account, engineered the FSD & DSS, & took off into the black. Someday I might come back & turn in my data. Someday.
But the Dolphin goes 'SQUEEEEE!
Use mine as bubble bus and material gatherer at signal sources. It's got wake scanner as well to keep thos data mined wake exceptions topped up.
Credits being easy now, I would delay gratification. Keep the DBX for a bubble bus. Landing on planets with an SRV. Secure the Pre Engineered FSD with Mass Manager for it. Then upgrade to a Phantom and head to the Guardian Sites to unlock the FSD Booster. Perhaps even Power Plant, Distributer and Shield Reinforcement.
8 months old but, the DBX is an extremely good candidate for guardian unlocks. the utility slots are placed in very ideal locations, and the small size allows you to park in ideal locations.
came back to the game recently after a 4y break. With billions of credits and dozens of ships, I decided to make my first trip out to colonia and beyond. Did I hop into my 75 ly exploraconda? No, I engineered my old DBX and we headed out. Great ship.
The AspX may have more range, but I prefer the DBX for longer trips. It scoops better and can keep going without refueling at a station. Also, can land anywhere.
What a nice video👍
I use a krait phantom for exploration now but i cant bring myself to sell my DBX lovingly named "Starbug". First ship the took me to sag A and colonia.
I took a DBX out to Sagittarius A and back twice before i realised you could boost off neutron stars😁😁
Really wish they'd find a way to let us slot a size 5 fuel scoop on this thing without giving us full access to a size 5 slot. I understand they really don't want to give this ship a size 5 guardian booster, but all I want is a better fuel scoop.
How's the pre-built affect your review?
Honestly, I don't know - I generally get a lot of enjoyment out of outfitting and tweaking a ship for myself, so even with the newer ships (Python MK2, Type 8, Mandalay), I go for the basic frame and outfit where appropriate.
That being said, if people want me to pick up a pre-built and put it through it's paces, I'm not against the idea.
I don't realy like the design, but at exploring the DBX makes a good job for me and it's the ship I have explored most time in at the moment. I think at my next trip I'll try the Mandalay
i used a dbx to visit sag a and colonia its now used as a shuttle for my fleet carrier i fly it more than my vette cobda or cutter
o7 thank you. Dbx is amazing but yea our Phantom is just perfect. Dbx has comprimises.
Phantom for me is perfection (or as close to it as we can get for exploration) - enough space for all the toys, decent range and doesn't handle like a beached whale in supercruise like the Anaconda. o7
For me Phantom lacks such a cockpit as in dbx or especially in asp. I very often turn my head to the sides during a flight to look everything around me, space, planets, the surface. Phantom’s cockpit is sometimes little upsetting. :)
@leemills6825 I'll probably never buy it - I just don't need it :)
love this so why the krait phantom has seen the most places???
I want my DBX in my Anaconda's fighter bay bcz why not