Welcome, Commanders! The Elite Dangerous HUD (Heads-Up Display) can be overwhelming at first glance — a cluster of lights, icons, percentages, and bars stretching across your cockpit. But once you understand the layout, this HUD becomes your best co-pilot, keeping you informed, protected, and in control. This beginner’s guide covers everything on screen: from combat indicators and navigational tools to power distribution and advanced interface panels. Let’s break it all down.

---

Main Cockpit View — What’s on Your Main Screen

At the center is your viewport — the space outside your cockpit. Though ship cockpits vary in layout, your HUD elements remain consistent across all vessels.

Weapon Status (Top Left)

When hardpoints are deployed, a list of your active weapons and utility modules appears here. Some exploration modules (like Discovery Scanners) require Analysis Mode, which can be toggled in key bindings.

Scanner/Radar (Center Bottom)

This is your primary sensor display:

• Triangles: Ships with hardpoints deployed
• Squares: Ships with hardpoints retracted
• Solid shapes: NPCs
• Hollow shapes: Players
• Color Indicators:
  • Green: Friendly
  • Orange: Neutral
  • Red: Hostile
  • Blue: Wingmates
  • Grey: Collectible items

A line from the center tells you whether the contact is above (up line) or below (down line) your position.

Throttle and Speed (Right of Scanner)

• Vertical bar: Your current throttle
• Blue bar: Maneuverability zone — best throttle for turning efficiency and supercruise braking

Heat Level (Left of Scanner)

• Reaching 100% heat starts module damage — be mindful when boosting, charging FSD, or firing energy weapons

Compass (Left of Heat Bar)

• Solid dot: Target is in front of you
• Hollow dot: Target is behind you
• Automatically tracks landing pads inside stations too

Target Hologram (Top Center)

• Shows your current target: ship, planet, station, etc.
• Blue rings = Shields
• Bar below = Hull integrity (%)
• For ships: Also shows name, faction, bounty/wanted status

Ship Status (Right of Scanner)

• Hologram of your ship
• Blue rings = Shields
• Bar below = Hull

Power Distributor (Lower Right)

Distribute your ship’s energy across:

• SYS (Systems) – Shields and defenses
• ENG (Engines) – Speed and boost
• WEP (Weapons) – Weapons and cooldown

You have 6 “pips” to allocate. Default is 2 per system. Use directional keys (usually WASD or arrow keys) to assign more to each.

Fuel Gauge (Bottom Right)

• Small bar: Running fuel (supercruise & local travel)
• Large bar: Main tank (used for hyperspace jumps)
• X.X/h: Fuel consumption per hour

Tip: Running out of running fuel taps into the main tank automatically.

Heat Signature and Indicators (Above Fuel)

• Wavy line: Heat signature (how easily detected you are)
• Mass Lock Indicator: Can’t jump near planets/stations
• Landing Gear & Cargo Scoop: Status lights (blue = active)

---

Interface Panels: Deeper Ship Controls

Left Panel — Navigation & Combat Targeting

1. Navigation Tab

• Lists local celestial bodies, stations, POIs, and jump routes
• Filters let you show/hide certain types (asteroid clusters, fleet carriers)
• Highlights mission locations

2. Transactions Tab

• Active missions
• Bounties to claim
• Fines against you

3. Contacts Tab

• All ships, stations, and objects nearby
• Scan targets for details

4. Subtargeting Tab

• Once a ship is scanned:
  • View internal modules
  • Target specific components (e.g. Power Plant)
  • Use manifest scanner (if installed) to check cargo

---

Right Panel — Ship and Commander Info

1. Home Tab

• Displays your Commander name
• Shows rank in Combat, Trade, Exploration, CQC
• Balance, rebuy cost, and Notoriety level
• Access:
  • Holo-Me for character appearance
  • Training missions
  • Codex, Pilot Handbook, Galnet News
  • Engineers, Galactic Powers, and Squadrons

2. Modules Tab

• List of all modules with:
  • Type
  • Power usage
  • Health status
  • Power priority for overload situations

Example: Set less important modules to priority 3 so they shut down first.

3. Fire Groups Tab

• Assign fire buttons (primary/secondary) to weapons, scanners, limpets
• Create multiple fire group setups

4. Ship Tab

• Ship functions: Lights, Silent Running, Self-Destruct
• Turret behavior settings
• Reboot/Repair for emergency module restoration
• Flight assistance settings:
  • Auto-dock / Supercruise assist
  • Flight Assist toggle (many pilots use ‘hold’ mode)
  • Rotational Correction (for station rotation)

5. Inventory Tab

• Cargo Hold and filter options
• Refinery (if installed)
• Materials: Engineering parts (don’t take cargo space)
• Data: Engineering scan data
• Synthesis:
  • Ammo refills
  • SRV repair, life support
• Cabins: Passenger modules if installed

6. Status Tab

• Faction status and system state
• Superpower reputation (Empire, Federation)
• Rank progression
• Session log
• Finance tab: Balance and rebuy cost
• Permits tab: Systems requiring access permits

7. Playlist Tab

• Queue Galnet News and Codex entries for in-game voice narration

---

Top Interface: Comms and Social Tabs

Top Left: Communications Panel

• Local, Wing, and Player chat
• Inbox for mission messages
• Social options and CQC matchmaking

Top Right: Info Panel

• Displays alerts, target changes, jump progress, etc.

---

Additional: SRV & Fighters Panel

If you have an SRV (Surface Recon Vehicle) or fighter bay:

• Access deployment via the Fighter/SRV panel
• SRV deployment only available when landed

---

Final Thoughts

The HUD in Elite Dangerous might seem like a wall of data at first, but over time, it becomes second nature. Every bar, icon, and hologram plays a vital role in your survival and success.

This guide should help you get familiar and fluent in reading and responding to the HUD in every situation — whether you’re mining, fighting, exploring, or trading.

If there’s a specific element you’d like covered more deeply (like subtargeting, module loadouts, or FSD route planning), leave a request and I’ll help out.

Until next time, fly safe — and keep that Friendship Drive charging!