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{{Article header|eyebrow=EDFM // Engineer|deck=Thruster specialist based in the Arque system, reached after Marco Qwent.}}
{{Article header|deck=A Grade 5 Thruster specialist based in Arque, reached through Marco Qwent after travelling at least 5,000 light-years from your career start location.
{{Article status|status=Needs review|mode=Both|version=Live and Legacy, as currently documented by community sources; no specific patch number independently confirmed|reviewed=2026-08-07|reviewer=Desk research from community sources, not yet confirmed by direct in-game testing — see Sources|source_quality=Location and specialty cross-referenced against Inara's Engineers listing; prerequisite/discovery/invitation/unlock detail drawn primarily from a single community unlock-chain guide — see Sources|uncertainty=Maximum engineering grade and full blueprint names were not found in the sources checked.}}
}}


{{Infobox
{{Engineer infobox}}
|name = Professor Palin
 
|image = Professorpalin.png
'''Professor Ishmael Palin''' is a ship Engineer based at '''Abel Laboratory''' in the [[Arque]] system. He is reached through [[Marco Qwent]] and is best known for providing '''Grade 5 Thruster Engineering'''. He also provides Frame Shift Drive Engineering through Grade 3.<ref name="inara-palin">[https://inara.cz/elite/engineer/3/ Professor Palin — Engineer], Inara.</ref><ref name="newp-engineers">[https://newp.io/engrhighlight Engineer Highlight], New Pilots Initiative.</ref>
|label1 = Engineer type |row1 = Ship (core internal)
 
|label2 = System |row2 = Arque
Palin is one of the primary Engineers for commanders seeking maximum-grade Thruster modifications, including Grade 5 Clean, Dirty, and Reinforced drives.<ref name="inara-palin" />
|label3 = Facility |row3 = Abel Laboratory
|label4 = Specialties |row4 = Thrusters
|label5 = Prerequisite Engineer |row5 = [[Marco Qwent]]
|label6 = Discovery requirement |row6 = Referral from Marco Qwent
|label7 = Invitation requirement |row7 = Travel 5,000 Ly from your starting location before the referral triggers
|label8 = Unlock requirement |row8 = Deliver 25 units of Sensor Fragments
}}


Professor Palin specialises in thrusters modifications. They're reached through [[Marco Qwent]].<ref name="inara-list" />
{{Field note|Unlocking [[Marco Qwent]] is only the beginning of Palin's access requirements. You must also progress far enough with Marco, travel at least 5,000 light-years from your career start location, and provide 25 Sensor Fragments before Palin's workshop becomes available.}}


== Location ==
== Location ==
* '''System:''' Arque
* '''Facility:''' Abel Laboratory


== How to Discover This Engineer ==
* '''System:''' [[Arque]]
Referral from Marco Qwent.<ref name="wanderer-chain">[https://wanderer-toolbox.com/guides/engineering-unlock/ Engineering Unlock Guide], Wanderer's Toolbox, accessed 2026-08-07.</ref><ref name="inara-list">[https://inara.cz/elite/engineers/ Engineers], Inara, accessed 2026-08-07.</ref>
* '''Facility:''' [[Abel Laboratory]]
* '''Engineer type:''' Ship Engineer
* '''Referral required:''' [[Marco Qwent]]
* '''System permit required:''' No
 
== How to Discover Professor Palin ==
 
Professor Palin is discovered through [[Marco Qwent]].
 
Reach '''Grade 3 access and progress at least one-third of the way toward Grade 4''' with Marco to receive the referral to Palin.<ref name="newp-engineers" />
 
{{Field note|Receiving Marco's referral makes Palin known to you. The separate 5,000-light-year meeting requirement must also be satisfied before Palin can be unlocked.}}


== How to Receive an Invitation ==
== How to Receive an Invitation ==
Travel 5,000 Ly from your starting location before the referral triggers.<ref name="wanderer-chain" />


== How to Unlock This Engineer ==
Reach a '''maximum distance of at least 5,000 light-years from your career start location'''.<ref name="inara-palin" />
# Have [[Marco Qwent]] unlocked and build reputation with them to trigger the referral.
 
# Meet the invitation requirement: travel 5,000 Ly from your starting location before the referral triggers.
This is a distance-from-start requirement, not a cumulative travel requirement. Flying a total of 5,000 Ly through many shorter trips does not satisfy it unless your recorded maximum distance from your career start location reaches at least 5,000 Ly.
# Travel to Abel Laboratory in Arque.
 
# Deliver **25 units of Sensor Fragments** — the same requirement reported for [[Chloe Sedesi]].
=== Checking your distance from your starting location ===
# Confirm access at the Engineer's terminal.
 
You can check your progress directly in-game:
 
# Open the '''right-hand cockpit panel'''.
# Select '''Codex'''.
# Open the '''Commander''' section.
# Select '''Stats'''.
# Open the '''Exploration''' statistics.
# Find '''Max Distance From Start'''.<ref name="frontier-palin-distance">[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/professor-palin-cant-find-distance-traveled.543935/ Professor Palin — Can't Find Distance Traveled], Frontier Forums.</ref>
 
The value shown under '''Max Distance From Start''' is the relevant statistic for this requirement. Do not confuse it with statistics showing your total hyperspace distance travelled.<ref name="frontier-palin-distance" />
 
{{Important|You need the Max Distance From Start value to reach at least 5,000 Ly. You do not need to travel 5,000 Ly outward and then another 5,000 Ly back before the requirement counts. Once your maximum-distance statistic has reached 5,000 Ly, the distance requirement has been satisfied.}}
 
You only need to reach the required distance; you do not need to remain there after the condition has been recorded.
 
{{Tip|A trip made specifically for Palin can also generate substantial exploration data. Once Palin is unlocked, exploration data can be sold at Abel Laboratory to help increase your [[Engineer Reputation|reputation with him]].}}
 
== How to Unlock Professor Palin ==
 
Unlock requirements summary:
* Reach '''Grade 3 access and at least one-third progress toward Grade 4''' with [[Marco Qwent]].
* Reach a maximum distance of at least '''5,000 Ly from your career start location'''.
* Obtain '''25 [[Sensor Fragments]]'''.
* Provide the 25 Sensor Fragments to Professor Palin.
{{Important|'''Sensor Fragments are Manufactured Engineering materials.''' They are not commodities and do not occupy normal cargo space.}}
{{Field note|[[Chloe Sedesi]] has the same 25-Sensor-Fragment unlock requirement. If you intend to unlock both Engineers, plan your collection accordingly.}}
 
For the complete step-by-step process, see [[Unlocking Professor Palin]].
 
== Increasing Engineer Reputation ==
 
Reputation with Professor Palin can be increased by:
 
* crafting Engineering modifications at Abel Laboratory; or
* selling exploration data at Abel Laboratory.<ref name="inara-palin" />
 
Higher Engineer reputation gives access to the higher grades Palin supports for each blueprint.
 
See [[Engineer Reputation]] for how ship Engineer reputation, grade access, blueprint progression, referrals, and alternative reputation methods work.
 
{{Tip|If your 5,000-light-year journey generated exploration data, consider saving some of it until after Palin is unlocked. Selling it at Abel Laboratory can help raise your Engineer reputation without relying entirely on repeated Engineering rolls.}}


== Engineer Unlock Chain ==
== Engineer Unlock Chain ==
{{Unlock chain|Marco Qwent|Professor Palin}}


Professor Palin is reached through [[Marco Qwent]]. No further Engineer has been confirmed as reachable specifically through Professor Palin in the sources checked this pass.<ref name="wanderer-chain" />
Professor Palin belongs to the [[Elvira Martuuk]] branch of the ship Engineer network.
 
The route to Palin is:
 
<pre>
Elvira Martuuk
└── Marco Qwent
    └── Professor Palin
</pre>
 
[[Marco Qwent]] can also refer Commanders to [[Chloe Sedesi]] and [[Lori Jameson]]:
 
<pre>
Elvira Martuuk
└── Marco Qwent
    ├── Chloe Sedesi
    ├── Lori Jameson
    └── Professor Palin
</pre>
 
Professor Palin does '''not''' currently lead to another Engineer in the ship Engineer referral network.<ref name="inara-engineers">[https://inara.cz/elite/engineers/ Engineers], Inara.</ref>
 
{{Field note|[[Chloe Sedesi]] is not unlocked through Professor Palin. Both Palin and Chloe are separate referrals from [[Marco Qwent]], and both have their own unlock requirements.}}
 
See [[Engineer Unlock Guide]] for the complete referral network.


== Available Engineering ==
== Available Engineering ==
Professor Palin's Engineering coverage is shown below. The listed grade is the highest grade he can apply to that module.<ref name="inara-palin" />
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Module !! Notes !! Maximum grade
! Module
! Available blueprints
! Maximum grade
|-
|-
| Thrusters || Speed and other variants || To be confirmed
| [[Thrusters]]
|
* Clean
* Dirty
* Reinforced
| '''Grade 5'''
|-
| [[Frame Shift Drive]]
|
* Faster Boot Sequence
* Increased Range
* Shielded
| '''Grade 3'''
|}
|}
Full blueprint names and maximum grades were not confirmed to the same depth as the core chain pages for this pass — see [[Elite Dangerous Field Manual:Engineering Architecture]] for the site's policy on not inventing unconfirmed specifics.<ref name="wanderer-chain" />
 
Palin's primary specialty is therefore Thrusters. His Frame Shift Drive capability is useful for lower-grade work and Experimental Effects, but commanders seeking Grade 5 FSD Engineering will need another Engineer.


== Experimental Effects ==
== Experimental Effects ==
To be added — not confirmed in the sources checked for this pass.


== Increasing Engineer Reputation ==
Experimental Effects are separate from the main Engineering blueprint. A compatible module can normally have one Experimental Effect in addition to its blueprint modification.
Reputation increases through crafting modifications at their workshop, in line with the general mechanic covered on the main [[Engineering]] page.
 
Professor Palin can apply Experimental Effects to both Thrusters and Frame Shift Drives.
 
=== Thrusters ===
 
Available Thruster Experimental Effects include:<ref name="inara-thrusters">[https://inara.cz/elite/blueprint/4/ Thrusters — Dirty], Inara.</ref>
 
* [[Double Braced]]
* [[Drag Drives]]
* [[Drive Distributors]]
* [[Stripped Down]]
* [[Thermal Spread]]
 
=== Frame Shift Drive ===
 
Available Frame Shift Drive Experimental Effects include:<ref name="inara-fsd">[https://inara.cz/elite/blueprint/2/ Frame Shift Drive — Increased Range], Inara.</ref>
 
* [[Deep Charge]]
* [[Double Braced]]
* [[Mass Manager]]
* [[Stripped Down]]
* [[Thermal Spread]]
 
See [[Experimental Effects]] for the effects, tradeoffs, and material costs of each option.
 
{{Field note|Experimental Effects cannot be applied through ordinary [[Remote Engineering]]. The module must be taken to an Engineer who works on that module.}}
 
== Recommended Engineering ==
 
Professor Palin's most important capability is his '''Grade 5 Thruster Engineering'''.
 
{{Tip|'''Common general-purpose choice: Dirty + Drag Drives'''
 
For many ships, [[Dirty Thrusters|Dirty]] Thruster Engineering combined with the [[Drag Drives]] Experimental Effect is a strong general-purpose choice when maximum speed, boost speed, and manoeuvrability are the priority.
 
This is a recommendation rather than a universal rule. Clean, Reinforced, or a different Experimental Effect may be more appropriate for specialised builds.}}
 
Dirty Engineering increases Thruster performance at the cost of higher power draw, greater thermal load, and reduced integrity. The exact tradeoff becomes more pronounced at higher grades.<ref name="inara-thrusters" />
 
{{Field note|[[Drive Distributors]] and [[Drag Drives]] affect Thruster performance differently. Do not assume Drag Drives is automatically optimal for every ship and Thruster configuration; specialised builds should be compared using the actual ship mass and module characteristics.}}


== Blueprint Pinning ==
== Blueprint Pinning ==
'''Fact:''' Professor Palin's confirmed specialties are Thrusters, per [[#Available Engineering|Available Engineering]] above.


'''EDFM recommendation:''' Not yet made. A pinning recommendation needs the maximum-grade and full blueprint data above filled in first — see [[Elite Dangerous Field Manual:Engineering Architecture]] for why EDFM treats pinning guidance as editorial judgement, not a database fact.
After earning sufficient reputation with Professor Palin, one of his blueprints can be '''pinned''' for use through [[Remote Engineering]].


== Related Engineers ==
{{Tip|'''EDFM recommendation:''' [[Dirty Thrusters]] is a strong default blueprint to pin at Professor Palin.
{{Related articles|label=Related Engineers|[[Marco Qwent]]}}


== Related Guides ==
Palin provides Dirty Engineering through Grade 5, and it is widely useful across combat and general-purpose ship builds. New Pilots Initiative's current suggested pinning plan likewise assigns '''Dirty Drive''' to Professor Palin.<ref name="newp-engineering">[https://newp.io/engineeringguide Engineering Guide], New Pilots Initiative.</ref>
{{Related articles|[[Engineering]] [[Engineer Unlock Guide]]}}
 
If you also unlock [[Chloe Sedesi]], she can be used to pin another Grade 5 Thruster blueprint, such as Clean.}}
 
{{Important|A pinned blueprint does '''not''' allow you to apply Experimental Effects remotely. Experimental Effects still require visiting an appropriate Engineer workshop.}}
 
== What Palin Cannot Fully Engineer ==
 
Professor Palin provides maximum-grade Engineering for Thrusters, but his Frame Shift Drive Engineering stops at Grade 3.
 
His maximum grades are:
 
* '''Thrusters:''' Grade 5
* '''Frame Shift Drive:''' Grade 3<ref name="inara-palin" />
 
For higher-grade Frame Shift Drive Engineering:
 
* [[Felicity Farseer]] provides '''Grade 5''' FSD Engineering.
* [[Elvira Martuuk]] provides '''Grade 5''' FSD Engineering.
* [[Mel Brandon]] provides '''Grade 5''' FSD Engineering in Colonia.<ref name="inara-engineers" />
 
Other Engineers who provide Grade 5 Thruster Engineering include:
 
* [[Chloe Sedesi]]; and
* [[Mel Brandon]].<ref name="inara-engineers" />
 
Palin therefore remains one of the primary Bubble Engineers for maximum-grade Thruster work, but he is not a maximum-grade FSD Engineer.
 
== What Next? ==
 
Professor Palin is the end of his referral branch and does not currently introduce another Engineer.
 
After unlocking him, your next Engineering target depends on which modules you still need to improve.
 
{{What next|title=Continue Engineering|
* '''Alternative Grade 5 Thrusters:''' [[Chloe Sedesi]]
* '''Grade 5 FSD Engineering:''' [[Felicity Farseer]] or [[Elvira Martuuk]]
* '''Scanners and exploration systems:''' [[Lori Jameson]]
* '''Grade 5 Power Plant:''' [[Hera Tani]]
* '''Grade 5 Power Distributor:''' [[The Dweller]]
* '''Previous Engineer:''' [[Marco Qwent]]
* '''See the whole network:''' [[Engineer Unlock Guide]]
* '''Learn about Engineer reputation:''' [[Engineer Reputation]]
* '''Learn the system:''' [[Engineering]]
}}


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
<references />
<references />


Latest revision as of 21:23, 24 August 2026

EDFM // Engineering / Engineers

A Grade 5 Thruster specialist based in Arque, reached through Marco Qwent after travelling at least 5,000 light-years from your career start location.

Professor Palin
ENGINEER
Engineer type
Ship Engineer
System
Arque
Facility
Abel Laboratory
Specialties
Thrusters, Frame Shift Drive
Maximum grade
Grade 5
ACCESS
Prerequisite
Marco Qwent — Grade 3 access plus at least one-third progress toward Grade 4
Discovery
Referral from Marco Qwent
Invitation
Reach a maximum distance of at least 5,000 Ly from your career start location
Unlock
Provide 25 Sensor Fragments

Professor Ishmael Palin is a ship Engineer based at Abel Laboratory in the Arque system. He is reached through Marco Qwent and is best known for providing Grade 5 Thruster Engineering. He also provides Frame Shift Drive Engineering through Grade 3.[1][2]

Palin is one of the primary Engineers for commanders seeking maximum-grade Thruster modifications, including Grade 5 Clean, Dirty, and Reinforced drives.[1]

Field note

Unlocking Marco Qwent is only the beginning of Palin's access requirements. You must also progress far enough with Marco, travel at least 5,000 light-years from your career start location, and provide 25 Sensor Fragments before Palin's workshop becomes available.

Location

How to Discover Professor Palin

Professor Palin is discovered through Marco Qwent.

Reach Grade 3 access and progress at least one-third of the way toward Grade 4 with Marco to receive the referral to Palin.[2]

Field note

Receiving Marco's referral makes Palin known to you. The separate 5,000-light-year meeting requirement must also be satisfied before Palin can be unlocked.

How to Receive an Invitation

Reach a maximum distance of at least 5,000 light-years from your career start location.[1]

This is a distance-from-start requirement, not a cumulative travel requirement. Flying a total of 5,000 Ly through many shorter trips does not satisfy it unless your recorded maximum distance from your career start location reaches at least 5,000 Ly.

Checking your distance from your starting location

You can check your progress directly in-game:

  1. Open the right-hand cockpit panel.
  2. Select Codex.
  3. Open the Commander section.
  4. Select Stats.
  5. Open the Exploration statistics.
  6. Find Max Distance From Start.[3]

The value shown under Max Distance From Start is the relevant statistic for this requirement. Do not confuse it with statistics showing your total hyperspace distance travelled.[3]

Important

You need the Max Distance From Start value to reach at least 5,000 Ly. You do not need to travel 5,000 Ly outward and then another 5,000 Ly back before the requirement counts. Once your maximum-distance statistic has reached 5,000 Ly, the distance requirement has been satisfied.

You only need to reach the required distance; you do not need to remain there after the condition has been recorded.

Tip

A trip made specifically for Palin can also generate substantial exploration data. Once Palin is unlocked, exploration data can be sold at Abel Laboratory to help increase your reputation with him.

How to Unlock Professor Palin

Unlock requirements summary:

  • Reach Grade 3 access and at least one-third progress toward Grade 4 with Marco Qwent.
  • Reach a maximum distance of at least 5,000 Ly from your career start location.
  • Obtain 25 Sensor Fragments.
  • Provide the 25 Sensor Fragments to Professor Palin.

Important

Sensor Fragments are Manufactured Engineering materials. They are not commodities and do not occupy normal cargo space.

Field note

Chloe Sedesi has the same 25-Sensor-Fragment unlock requirement. If you intend to unlock both Engineers, plan your collection accordingly.

For the complete step-by-step process, see Unlocking Professor Palin.

Increasing Engineer Reputation

Reputation with Professor Palin can be increased by:

  • crafting Engineering modifications at Abel Laboratory; or
  • selling exploration data at Abel Laboratory.[1]

Higher Engineer reputation gives access to the higher grades Palin supports for each blueprint.

See Engineer Reputation for how ship Engineer reputation, grade access, blueprint progression, referrals, and alternative reputation methods work.

Tip

If your 5,000-light-year journey generated exploration data, consider saving some of it until after Palin is unlocked. Selling it at Abel Laboratory can help raise your Engineer reputation without relying entirely on repeated Engineering rolls.

Engineer Unlock Chain

Professor Palin belongs to the Elvira Martuuk branch of the ship Engineer network.

The route to Palin is: 

Elvira Martuuk
└── Marco Qwent
    └── Professor Palin

Marco Qwent can also refer Commanders to Chloe Sedesi and Lori Jameson: 

Elvira Martuuk
└── Marco Qwent
    ├── Chloe Sedesi
    ├── Lori Jameson
    └── Professor Palin

Professor Palin does not currently lead to another Engineer in the ship Engineer referral network.[4]

Field note

Chloe Sedesi is not unlocked through Professor Palin. Both Palin and Chloe are separate referrals from Marco Qwent, and both have their own unlock requirements.

See Engineer Unlock Guide for the complete referral network.

Available Engineering

Professor Palin's Engineering coverage is shown below. The listed grade is the highest grade he can apply to that module.[1]

Module Available blueprints Maximum grade
Thrusters
  • Clean
  • Dirty
  • Reinforced
 Grade 5
Frame Shift Drive
  • Faster Boot Sequence
  • Increased Range
  • Shielded
 Grade 3

Palin's primary specialty is therefore Thrusters. His Frame Shift Drive capability is useful for lower-grade work and Experimental Effects, but commanders seeking Grade 5 FSD Engineering will need another Engineer.

Experimental Effects

Experimental Effects are separate from the main Engineering blueprint. A compatible module can normally have one Experimental Effect in addition to its blueprint modification.

Professor Palin can apply Experimental Effects to both Thrusters and Frame Shift Drives.

Thrusters

Available Thruster Experimental Effects include:[5]

Frame Shift Drive

Available Frame Shift Drive Experimental Effects include:[6]

See Experimental Effects for the effects, tradeoffs, and material costs of each option.

Field note

Experimental Effects cannot be applied through ordinary Remote Engineering. The module must be taken to an Engineer who works on that module.

Professor Palin's most important capability is his Grade 5 Thruster Engineering.

Tip

Common general-purpose choice: Dirty + Drag Drives

For many ships, Dirty Thruster Engineering combined with the Drag Drives Experimental Effect is a strong general-purpose choice when maximum speed, boost speed, and manoeuvrability are the priority.

This is a recommendation rather than a universal rule. Clean, Reinforced, or a different Experimental Effect may be more appropriate for specialised builds.

Dirty Engineering increases Thruster performance at the cost of higher power draw, greater thermal load, and reduced integrity. The exact tradeoff becomes more pronounced at higher grades.[5]

Field note

Drive Distributors and Drag Drives affect Thruster performance differently. Do not assume Drag Drives is automatically optimal for every ship and Thruster configuration; specialised builds should be compared using the actual ship mass and module characteristics.

Blueprint Pinning

After earning sufficient reputation with Professor Palin, one of his blueprints can be pinned for use through Remote Engineering.

Tip

EDFM recommendation: Dirty Thrusters is a strong default blueprint to pin at Professor Palin.

Palin provides Dirty Engineering through Grade 5, and it is widely useful across combat and general-purpose ship builds. New Pilots Initiative's current suggested pinning plan likewise assigns Dirty Drive to Professor Palin.[7]

If you also unlock Chloe Sedesi, she can be used to pin another Grade 5 Thruster blueprint, such as Clean.

Important

A pinned blueprint does not allow you to apply Experimental Effects remotely. Experimental Effects still require visiting an appropriate Engineer workshop.

What Palin Cannot Fully Engineer

Professor Palin provides maximum-grade Engineering for Thrusters, but his Frame Shift Drive Engineering stops at Grade 3.

His maximum grades are:

  • Thrusters: Grade 5
  • Frame Shift Drive: Grade 3[1]

For higher-grade Frame Shift Drive Engineering:

Other Engineers who provide Grade 5 Thruster Engineering include:

Palin therefore remains one of the primary Bubble Engineers for maximum-grade Thruster work, but he is not a maximum-grade FSD Engineer.

What Next?

Professor Palin is the end of his referral branch and does not currently introduce another Engineer.

After unlocking him, your next Engineering target depends on which modules you still need to improve.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Professor Palin — Engineer, Inara.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Engineer Highlight, New Pilots Initiative.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Professor Palin — Can't Find Distance Traveled, Frontier Forums.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Engineers, Inara.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Thrusters — Dirty, Inara.
  6. ↑ Frame Shift Drive — Increased Range, Inara.
  7. ↑ Engineering Guide, New Pilots Initiative.
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