We have all heard the legends. Millions of years ago, a race known only as the Guardians inhabited the galaxy. They built bases and floating beacons, and crafted constructs called Sentinels to defend them. Though they are all long gone, their technology and structures remain, and can be useful even today in combat against the Thargoids.

Now, you might be asking, how can I get some of this so-called "useful tech"? Well you're in luck, because I made a huge guide on it.

Just a word of caution, this isn't something you'll be able to get done in an hour or two. No, this may take days, so make sure to be prepared for anything.

If you already have some tech or are just looking at what you'll need to craft your gear, skip down to the "Complete list of Guardian Tech" section, and that has a database of all the modules/weapons/fighters as well as what you need to unlock them.

So, you may be asking, what is it that I need to pack? I can tell you from experience that it's not fun to get 600ly from the bubble only to realize you forgot your Cargo Racks! Let's get right into it.

You will want a decent, though not necessarily huge, jump range, as most of the structures are a little way from the bubble. Almost any ship will suffice, although if it's a mamba or federal gunship or something you may have some trouble fitting anything in. My ExploraClipper works around 28ly, and that's without the Frame Shift Drive booster.



Essential to any relic-hunters is the Surface Recon Vehicle, or SRV. Used for activating beacons, scanning relics, and pretty much everything else, these are indispensable. it's your first time operating one at a guardian ruin, I would pack 4, as they can be wrecked pretty easily, and that way there is far less stress if you do manage to lose one.



When a Guardian Sentinel (more on those later) engages you, it will sometimes fire missiles that ark into the air above the old walls and obelisks, and right down onto your SRV. Unless, you think ahead, of course! A simple, reliable, Point Defense Turret mounted to a utility slot on the top of your ship can make quick work of these, assuming you parked within a kilometre of of the city. Certainly a useful asset. Bring some.



If you are planning on actually activating a Guardian Beacon, you must bring some kind of energy weapon, like a laser. A Gimballed Beam Laser works for most, and it should work for you too. There's no need to bring a massive one, or lots of them, but feel free if you want to I guess.



Finally, as I mentioned at the start of the section, if you want to bring anything back with you, Cargo Racks will do the trick. You can sell your spare Artifacts, Tablets, Caskets, or whatever else you manage to scrape out of the ruin. I recommend at least 16t of spare room.



To sum it up, you want

• A nice, chunky jump range
  
  
• At least 2 SRVs (although I usually bring 4)
  
  
• Point Defense Turrets on top of your ship
  
  
• Lasers
  
  
• About 16t of Cargo Racks

I have put together a few builds that do the job well, depending on your price point and play style.


1 Asp Explorer

Great for beginners, with a relatively small price point of 13 million dollars. Also is a master at parking in tight spaces.

33ly jump range, 16t of cargo space, 4 SRVs, 2 Point Defense Turrets, small Gimballed Beam Laser
+ small fuel scoop and Auto Field Mantinence Unit (AFMU), for those tricky situations

https://coriolis.io/outfit/asp?code=A0pbtiFflidisnf5--0p---0303--v24d02020l2o-2i.Iw18eQ%3D%3D.Aw18eQ%3D%3D..EweloBhBmUDYQFMCGBzANokICMF8hRFA&bn=Guardian%20AspX


2 Python

The Python does a lot of things and does them well. The major downside of this craft is the smaller jump range, although still perfectly suitable for most Guardian sites that aren't too far from the bubble.

23ly jump range, 16t of cargo space, 4 SRVs, 1 Point Defence Turret, medium Gimballed Beam Laser
+ Nice big Fuel Scoop and AFMU, and some module and hull reinforcement, and an SCA to boot.

https://coriolis.io/outfit/python?code=A0pitiFflidsssf5---0s-0300--v23f4i2d0v03m5-3w2i.Iw18RQ%3D%3D.Aw18RQ%3D%3D..EweloBhBmUEYBsICmBDA5gG2SEcIEhTFA%3D%3D%3D&bn=Guardian%20Python


3 Beluga Liner

This ship is designed to be able to carry everything you would need on your voyage. Recommend to use this if you plan to do your runs with multiple people, so that the fighter can take down the Sentinels and the SRV pilot is free to scan/active any of the data points.

27ly jump range, 32t of cargo space, 4 SRVs, 2 Point Defence Turrets, medium Gimballed Beam Laser
+ 2 SLFs, a HUGE fuel scoop, and lots of hull and module reinforcement.

https://coriolis.io/outfit/beluga?code=A0phtnFplCdnsnf7-0s---0303----fmv23f2d044d0q---m52i.Iw18ZpA%3D.Aw18ZpA%3D..EweloBhBGYA4RQKYEMDmAbJIYT4giIA%3D&bn=Guardian%20Beluga%20Liner

If you are worried about meeting other players on your journey, specifically Gankers, then I would run most or all of it in solo mode. Makes life easier, and decreases the risk. Unless, of course, you like to live it on the edge, in which case go for it.


Keep an eye out for player-owned Fleet Carriers. I found quite a few along the way, and for the most part they are a great place to stop for a refuel. Be careful though, as this is where players can congregate, including the not-so-friendly ones. Also make sure BEFORE you try and dock that you are actually allowed to. A few FCs have restricted landing pads, only reserved for their squadron. You can check this by a quick glance at your contacts panel.


When approaching a planet, you should get in the habit of mapping it with your Detailed Surface Scanner (DSS). This way, you can see all the interesting places, along with Biological or Geological signals. And as a bonus, the data will be worth a decent amount more when you get back to a starport.


I have heard reports of issues when running the planetary sites in Odyssey. I don't know whether or not these have been patched, but just be be sure I would run them in Horizons.

All right, now that you have your ship kitted out and ready to go, we can begin the voyage. Depending on where you are heading, you can do these steps in a different order that I have them listed, or you may skip some if you are only wishing to collect 1 or 2 Guardian ship pieces.

The first stop on our journey is to collect a blueprint for a Guardian Module. This can be used for any internal ship component, such as the FSD booster or Shield Booster.


Guardian FSD booster

Set a course for Synuefe PX-J c25-8, it's about 600ly from the bubble and a great spot for your first raid. Look for the 1st moon of the 7th planet in the system, when you get within a few hundred ly you'll see a POI on you Naviagion panel, called Guardian Site.

Glide down to the ruin, and find a landing spot. Make sure to stay in the 1km range so your Point Defense Turrets can assist you in taking down Sentinels.

Now, before you go charging through the site in your SRV, take a look at this map, so you know the layout.


Guardian site map

The blue circles indicate the Material-filled pillars. Drive up near one and shoot the glowing parts to knock out a material. You will need these later.

By now, you will probably have alerted the Guardian Sentinels to your presence. They may look scary, but they shouldn't be a problem unless you let them gang up on you.


Guardian Sentinel

Upon seeing you they will fire twin bursts of plasma at you. Don't worry, the SRV's shields can easily soak the plasma up. After a minute or two, they will then fire blue missiles that arc high overhead and come smashing down on top of your SRV. That is, if they can get past your Point Defense Turrets mounted on your mothership. They often don't.


Missiles that Sentinels shoot

In order to kill them, just put fill pips to Weapons and let loose. Sentinels don't stand a chance against you. The will drop a few different materials, some of which you will be needing. Take the time to scoop them up, if you like. No rush yet.

After you have taken care of the ancient defenders, drive over to the pylons marked in green. Now, these are actually usually in the ground, so drive around the area until you hear it being raised up. On the top of these is a shiny blue commodity called an Ancient Relic.


Ancient Relic on it's pillar

Knock it out of the top with your plasma repeaters, and then scoop it up. You'll need it later.


Relic slowly falling to the ground

You can repeat this process, but with another pillar on the opposite side of the ruin, but only one is needed. Make sure you have the Relic in your cargo hold, as this is needed for the next step.

Okay, now for the fun part. The red circles on the map are Energy Pylons. You need to charge each of them individually, before the timer runs out. There are six, be sure you have charged each one. Charging the pylons is easy; just unload your plasma repeater into the blue orb in the center. Remember to keep shooting until a massive beacon comes out the top and you get a message saying ENERGY PYLON CHARGED.


Energy Pylon Charging

I recommend to start at the two that are really close to each other, and work in a circle. When the first shot connects with the pylon the timer starts at 5 minutes, and each time a pylon is fully charged it adds 2 minutes. This should be more than enough time to find and charge them all, but if you are unsure then do a lap around before they activate to know exactly where they are.


Two Energy Pylons, one is fully charged and the other halfway

When all the Pylons are charged, make your way to the alter thing (where the two really close Pylons are). You know they have all been charged when the timer stops and the beacons stay lit. Now, on the ground on front of the altar there is a glowing blue triangle surrounded by inscribed runes. Drive the SRV right over top of the triangle, and jettison the Ancient Relic (that you got earlier). If you did it correctly a big blue ball will rise up from the altar.

How to position the SRV


Now, just chuck out the Relic and watch the show

Once the massive orb has risen, whip out your data link scanner and scan it. Once you have collected the scan data, the orb will recede back into the altar and the pylons will switch off. Well done, you now have a Guardian Module Blueprint!

Now, before you leave, drive around the site and find some of the Ancient Obelisks. Some of them will be glowing blue when you get right up next to them, these are the ones that you can scan.


Active Ancient Obelisk

When you scan them, you will get a random form of Pattern _ Obelisk Data. The underscore means that what goes there can vary. You might get Alpha, Beta, Epsilon, or Gamma data. If you are after the SLFs you want a lot of Epsilon data, however there is no constant way to get a specific data type, you just have to drive around and scan them all.


The type of data is displayed in your information panel

If you wish, you can park right next to one of the Active Obelisks and scan it, log out to the main menu, log back in, and repeat. Relogging, as it is called, resets the Obelisks each time for a fresh scan. However, this also resets the entire site, including the Sentinels, Pylons, and Relics. Be sure you aren't right next to a Sentinel spawn or in the middle of charging the pylons!

Alright, now you have your Module Blueprint, we can start going after the SLFs. Pack up your gear and chart your map to Synuefe IL-N c23-15. It's only about 80ly away, so it shouldn't take much time to get there. We are looking for planet 2 A, the Beacon is in orbit around it.

After you drop out of supercruse, a massive, black and blue structure will be floating in the area. When you approach it, part of the outside will fold out and expose three blue orbs. These are a bit hidden in the structure, so fly around until your beam laser is pointed right at them.

Deploy hardpoints and fire your laser until you get a message in the info box that the first energy pylon is charged.

Repeat with the other two, and watch the light show. This is one of my favorite experiences in the entire game, and it's totally worth your attention. At the (bottom? top?) of the structure, the Ancient Key will emerge. This is the tricky part, it took me a few tries the first time. You need to scoop it up in your cargo bay (be careful not to collide with the beacon).

Once it's safe in your cargo bay, secure your hardpoints and scoop and set a course for Synuefe IL-N c23-19, it's only 15ly away.

Now that we have our Ancient Key, we can go to another Guardian site to get the blueprint. On planet B 2 there will be a POI for the site. Fly down to it, and park your ship. Now, we just have to do the same thing as last time. The layout will be different though, so be prepared.

The only major difference from Fighter sites is that instead of depositing the Ancient Relic into the slot, you drop in the Ancient Key. So when you deploy your SRV, remember to exchange the cargo to your SRV from your ship.

After you run the site and have the blueprint (and killed the sentinels) you should be good to go. On the final site!

By now I'm sure you know what to do. Jump to Synuefe GV-T b50-4, it's about 80ly away. We are looking for planet B 1.

Run the site, get the blueprint. You will need to use the Relics, just like the Module sites.

A word of warning however, Weapon sites spawn an absolute ton of Sentinels, so be ready for a hefty battle. I saved this one for last to make sure you had some practice fighting them off.

Before you leave the site, make sure you have all the data and materials you need. You can check it with my list if you scroll down a bit. If you are after an FSD booster for example, you will need: 1 Guardian Module Blueprint Fragment, 21 Guardian Power Cells, 21 Guardian Technology Components, 24 Focus Crystals, and 8 HN Shock Mounts. The second to last are human-made materials, and the last are commodities. As for the SLFs, you are going to need a LOT of Pattern Epsilon Data. I would recommend relogging.

All right, you now have all the Guardian-type materials and data for your sweet, sweet new gear. Remember, if you want more than one module/weapon/SLF, you need to relog and rerun the site.

Each Blueprint Fragment will unlock ONE type of equipment.

If you are in a small or medium ship, you can go to Synuefe EN-H d11-96, at Indigo Dock.

If you fly a large ship, you need to make the trek back to the bubble, to Soukup City in Latuba.

So, may be asking yourself, what is this Guardian Technology? Is it really all that great? What is it used for? Well, do I have an answer for you, buddy. There is a variety of useful applications this gear can be used for, and an awful lot of people (including me) consider it to be well worth the trip. As for what new modules and tech you can get from it, here's a list.



Guass Cannon

Arguably the single best weapon for dealing with Thargoids. Works a lot like a super-powerful Railgun, with insane armor piercing and crazy amounts of heat. Does about equal damage to human and Thargoid vessels, however it can find itself outclassed by a engineered Railgun.

Unlocking:

Fixed, Class 1
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
12 Guardian Power Conduit
12 Guardian Sentinel Wreckage Components
15 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts

Fixed, Class 2
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
18 Guardian Power Cell
20 Guardian Technology Component
15 Manganese
6 Magnetic Emitter Coil

Plasma Charger


The Guardian counterpart of a Plasma accelerator, this experimental weapon has the bonus of reduced heat, more ammo, and higher projectile speed. Oh, and it kills Thargoids too.

Unlocking

Fixed, Class 1
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
12 Guardian Power Cell
12 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts
15 Guardian Technology Component

Fixed, Class 2
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
19 Guardian Power Conduit
16 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts
14 Chromium
8 Micro-Weave Cooling Hoses

Fixed, Class 3
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
28 Guardian Power Conduit
20 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts
28 Chromium
10 Micro-Weave Cooling Hoses

Turreted, Class 1
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
12 Guardian Power Cell
12 Guardian Technology Component
15 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts

Turreted, Class 2
2 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
21 Guardian Power Conduit
20 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts
16 Chromium
8 Articulation Motors

Turreted, Class 3
2 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
26 Guardian Power Conduit
24 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts
26 Chromium
10 Articulation Motors

Shard Cannon


Although it has a short range, do not underestimate the punch this frag gun packs. Similar to a Fragment Cannon, but with more firepower and a big amount of damage to Thargoids.

Unlocking

Fixed, Class 1
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
12 Guardian Power Conduit
12 Guardian Technology Component
15 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts

Fixed, Class 2
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
20 Guardian Sentinel Wreckage Components
18 Guardian Technology Component
14 Carbon
12 Power Transfer Bus

Fixed, Class 3
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
20 Guardian Sentinel Wreckage Components
28 Guardian Technology Component
20 Carbon
18 Micro Controllers

Turreted, Class 1
1 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
12 Guardian Power Conduit
15 Guardian Technology Component
12 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts

Turreted, Class 2
2 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
16 Guardian Sentinel Wreckage Components
20 Guardian Technology Component
15 Carbon
12 Micro Controllers

Turreted, Class 3
2 Guardian Weapon Blueprint Fragment
20 Guardian Sentinel Wreckage Components
28 Guardian Technology Component
28 Carbon
12 Micro Controllers




Hybrid Power Plant



A beefy alternative to the usual power plant, this hybrid model produces 32% more power, generates 25% more heat, and has 17% more mass.

Unlocking

1 Guardian Module Blueprint Fragment
18 Guardian Power Conduit
21 Pattern Epsilon Obelisk Data
15 Heat Resistant Ceramics
10 Energy Grid Assembly

Hybrid Power Distributor



While it does generate a bit more heat, this power distributor has faster capacitor recharge rates, along with boosting the power plant's overall energy amount by 4%.

Unlocking

1 Guardian Module Blueprint Fragment
20 Pattern Alpha Obelisk Data
24 Guardian Power Cell
18 Phase Alloys
6 Heatsink Interlink

Frame Shift Drive Booster



Simply but very effectively, it adds a straight-up increase to your jump range, by up to 10ly. Extremely useful.

Unlocking

1 Guardian Module Blueprint Fragment
21 Guardian Power Cell
21 Guardian Technology Component
24 Focus Crystals
8 HN Shock Mount

Hull Reinforcement Package



Does what it says on the tin, with the bonus of resistance to Thermal and Caustic damage.

Unlocking

1 Guardian Module Blueprint Fragment
21 Guardian Sentinel Wreckage Components
16 Pattern Beta Obelisk Data
16 Pattern Gamma Obelisk Data
12 Reinforced Mounting Plate

Module Reinforcement Package



Again, does what is says in the ad, with the bonus of defense against HUD-scrambling by Thargoids and forced module reboots.

Unlocking

1 Guardian Module Blueprint Fragment
18 Guardian Sentinel Wreckage Components
15 Pattern Epsilon Obelisk Data
20 Guardian Power Conduit
9 Reinforced Mounting Plate

Shield Reinforcement Package



Adds a flat rate of shield power in mega-joules. Feel free to stack 'em, if you want overpowed shields.

Unlocking

1 Guardian Module Blueprint Fragment
17 Guardian Power Cell
20 Guardian Technology Component
24 Pattern Delta Obelisk Data
8 Hardware Diagnostic Sensor




XG7 Trident



The most effective against human-built ships as well as Thargoids, this fighter has a dangerous Plasma Autocannon. Yes, it's as cool as it sounds.

Unlocking

1 Guardian Vessel Blueprint Fragment
25 Guardian Power Cell
26 Pattern Epsilon Obelisk Data
18 Pattern Beta Obelisk Data
25 Guardian Technology Component

XG8 Javelin



In my opinion, the Javelin is the least-useful of the three, however if skillfully used, its Shard Cannon can easily tear apart Thargoid craft.

Unlocking

1 Guardian Vessel Blueprint Fragment
25 Guardian Power Cell
26 Pattern Epsilon Obelisk Data
18 Guardian Sentinel Wreckage Components
25 Guardian Technology Component

XG9 Lance



The Lance is the best suited for Thargoid combat of the three, boasting the Xeno-killing Gauss Cannon, however you have to watch the heat in this one.

Unlocking

1 Guardian Vessel Blueprint Fragment
25 Guardian Power Cell
26 Pattern Epsilon Obelisk Data
18 Guardian Sentinel Weapon Parts
25 Guardian Technology Component

Mega thanks to these two reddit posts, they helped me with the correct info.
https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/lmf9hw/a_guide_to_unlocking_the_guardian_fsd_booster/
https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/r4xxr1/a_guide_to_unlocking_the_guardian_ship_launched/

The map for the Module Surface Site belongs to u/cold-n-sour.
https://www.reddit.com/user/cold-n-sour/

Thanks to the Elite Dangerous Wiki for the stats on Guardian tech.
https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Elite_Dangerous_Wiki