An image of a ship using Quantum Travel to go to the Pyro system.
Quantum Travel or QT is the method by which players of Star Citizen navigate the vast distances between planetary bodies in the 'verse, whether you are traveling to an Outpost on the surface of Yela to pick up questionable materials or meeting a friend at the M&V bar in Lorville, your ship's Quantum Drive will help you travel around the 'verse.
There are three steps to perform a Quantum Travel - Setting your destination, preparing your Quantum Drive (known as calibrating), and finally, setting off!
Set your destination
To travel to a distant location, you should first set the destination using your mobiGlas: your wrist-worn personal device. This device provides a vast amount of information and functionality, and specifically for this guide, it provides access to the various maps. This map shows locations in your current area to explore.
Map Controls
- F2 | View the Map
- Mouse Scroll | Zoom in & out
- Left Mouse | Rotate view
- Right Mouse | Drag view
To access the map open the mobiGlas (F1 by default) and select the MAPS option from the list of icons at the bottom or simply press F2 to go directly to the map application. This will present you with a view of your current location. If you are in flight away from a planet this will show the star map and various points of interest. Selecting a point of interest will zoom into that location and present you with a more detailed overview, including landing zones such as Cities and Outposts. It is also possible to select mission targets as well as any friends or party members.
In addition, there is a search box that allows for finding a specific location with the name instead of hunting through all the available points of interest on the star map should there be a lot of them.
Select your required destination, then select the option to Route to this Location at the bottom of the target window on the left, as indicated in the above screenshot. On the right of the screen, you will see further details regarding your route, such as how much Quantum Fuel is required and how many jumps will be made en route.
Quantum Travel
Now it is time to get ready for a QT! First thing that will need to be completed is to set your ship's Master Mode to Navigation or NAV mode. This can be done by pressing the B key on the keyboard.
To check which mode your ship is in, look for either SCM or NAV on your Heads-Up-Display (HUD) and/or your Multi-Function Displays (MFDs). SCM stands for Space Combat Maneuvering mode which is useful for when you are not traveling, however we ARE traveling so we need to switch to NAV mode.
Once NAV mode has been set, use the Middle-Mouse Button (pressing/clicking the mouse wheel instead of scrolling) to cycle through the available Operating Modes to find and set Quantum mode, which is indicated by QT as noted in the above screenshot.
After the correct flight mode is set and a route has been selected, maneuver your ship to point towards your destination and then your ship will begin calibrating the engines for the route.
After calibration is complete, click the Left-Mouse Button to begin the QT!
Traveling Planetside
Although you can manually fly down to any location on a planetary body, the quickest method is to Quantum Travel.
The process is much the same as noted above, except the points of interest on the planet will show up on the area map when your ship is close to or in the atmosphere of the planet. Be mindful of the markers as the solid ones indicate marks on your side of the planet and the dashed markers are on the other side. You do not want to accidentally do a QT through the planet!
Upon successful completion of your QT, you should arrive around 30km from your destination on the surface, perfect for you to fly down and land at your chosen location.
Traveling to a friend
Instead of selecting a physical destination when on the map, you will see your fellow citizen appear at their current location. Select them in the star map, then hit Route to this Location and the mobiGlas will automatically configure the route for you. All you need to do is engage!