Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn
EDFM // Engineering / Engineers
An independent starting Engineer based at Trophy Camp in Wolf 397, providing Grade 5 Multi-Cannon and Rail Gun engineering.
Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn is a ship Engineer based at Trophy Camp in the Wolf 397 system. He is one of the independent starting Engineers: no referral from another Engineer is required before a Commander can meet and unlock him.[1]
Tod specialises in projectile weapons. He provides Grade 5 Multi-Cannon and Grade 5 Rail Gun Engineering, along with Fragment Cannon Engineering through Grade 3 and Cannon Engineering through Grade 2.[1][2]
Field note
Tod is a starting Engineer. No prerequisite Engineer needs to be unlocked before him. His bounty-hunting requirement is what determines when he becomes available to meet.
Location
- System: Wolf 397
- Facility: Trophy Camp
- Body: Trus Madi
- Engineer type: Ship Engineer
- Referral required: No
- System permit required: No
Trophy Camp is a surface Engineer base on Trus Madi in Wolf 397.[3]
How to Discover Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn
Tod McQuinn's whereabouts are common knowledge. He does not require a referral from another Engineer.[1]
This makes him one of the independent entry points into the ship Engineering network.
How to Receive an Invitation
Earn more than 15 bounty vouchers.[1]
Bounty vouchers are earned by destroying ships carrying valid bounties, such as NPC ships marked Wanted after they have been scanned.
Because the current requirement is stated as more than 15, earning at least 16 bounty vouchers avoids stopping at the threshold.
Important
The meeting requirement concerns the number of bounty vouchers earned, not their total credit value. A small number of high-value bounties does not replace the required number of qualifying bounty vouchers.
See Bounty Vouchers for how bounty vouchers are earned, stored, and redeemed.
Tip
You can work on the meeting and unlock requirements together. Continue bounty hunting after meeting Tod's voucher-count requirement until you are holding at least 100,000 CR worth of bounty vouchers for the final unlock.
How to Unlock Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn
Unlock requirements summary:
- Earn more than 15 bounty vouchers.
- Provide Tod with 100,000 CR worth of bounty vouchers through the Engineer unlock interface.
Important
Do not redeem the bounty vouchers needed for Tod's final unlock at another station first. The required value must still be available for the Engineer hand-in at Trophy Camp.
Tip
You do not need an advanced combat ship to unlock Tod. A lower-intensity Resource Extraction Site or Navigation Beacon can provide suitable Wanted targets while allowing local security forces to assist.
For the complete step-by-step process, see Unlocking Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn.
Increasing Engineer Reputation
Reputation with Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn can be increased by:
- crafting Engineering modifications at Trophy Camp; or
- handing in Alliance bounty vouchers at Trophy Camp.[1]
Higher Engineer reputation gives access to the higher grades Tod supports for each blueprint.
Reaching Grade 3 access and progressing at least one-third of the way toward Grade 4 also allows Tod to provide referrals to Selene Jean and Petra Olmanova.[2]
See Engineer Reputation for how ship Engineer reputation, grade access, blueprint progression, referrals, and alternative reputation methods work.
Tip
If you intend to raise Tod's reputation through bounty hunting as well as Engineering, Alliance bounty vouchers can be handed in at Trophy Camp after he has been unlocked.
Engineer Unlock Chain
Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn is one of the independent starting points in the ship Engineer network.
After reaching Grade 3 access and progressing at least one-third of the way toward Grade 4, Tod can provide referrals to:[2]
- Selene Jean
- Petra Olmanova — Colonia
Selene Jean subsequently leads to Bill Turner and Didi Vatermann.
The branch is therefore:
Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn ├── Selene Jean │ ├── Bill Turner │ └── Didi Vatermann └── Petra Olmanova [Colonia]
Current Engineer data independently lists Selene Jean and Petra Olmanova as being discovered through Tod McQuinn.[4][5]
Field note
A referral from Tod does not automatically unlock the referred Engineer. Selene Jean and Petra Olmanova each have additional meeting and unlock requirements of their own.
See Engineer Unlock Guide for the complete referral network.
Available Engineering
Tod's current Engineering coverage is shown below. The listed grade is the highest grade he can apply to that module.[1]
| Module | Available blueprints | Maximum grade |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Cannon |
|
Grade 5 |
| Rail Gun |
|
Grade 5 |
| Fragment Cannon |
|
Grade 3 |
| Cannon |
|
Grade 2 |
Tod's maximum-grade specialties are therefore Multi-Cannons and Rail Guns. His Fragment Cannon and Cannon Engineering are useful earlier in progression but stop below Grade 5.
Operations-era Engineering
Three current weapon blueprints available through Tod were introduced with the Operations-era Engineering additions.[6]
These blueprints are available only in Live and are not part of Legacy Engineering.
Rapid Phase Multi-Cannon
Rapid Phase significantly changes Multi-Cannon firing behaviour by increasing ammunition capacity, magazine capacity, rate of fire, and the number of projectiles fired while reducing effective range and increasing jitter.[7]
Tod can apply Rapid Phase through Grade 5.
Important
Enduring Feedback Rail Gun
Enduring Feedback increases Rail Gun mass and power draw and reduces damage in exchange for improvements to heat generation, range, ammunition capacity, and firing cycle. The blueprint also incorporates a Feedback Cascade effect.[8]
Tod can apply Enduring Feedback through Grade 5.
Important
Double Screaming Fragment Cannon
Double Screaming increases Fragment Cannon ammunition capacity, magazine size, burst size, and reload performance, with tradeoffs including reduced range and increased mass and power draw.[9]
Tod can apply Double Screaming through Grade 3.
Important
Commanders seeking Grade 4 or Grade 5 Double Screaming Engineering need Zacariah Nemo or Marsha Hicks.[9]
Experimental Effects
Experimental Effects are separate from the main Engineering blueprint. A compatible weapon can normally have one Experimental Effect in addition to its blueprint modification.
Tod can apply Experimental Effects to all four weapon types he engineers.
Multi-Cannon
Available Multi-Cannon Experimental Effects include:[10]
- Auto Loader
- Corrosive Shell
- Double Braced
- Emissive Munitions
- Flow Control
- Incendiary Rounds
- Multi-servos
- Oversized
- Smart Rounds
- Stripped Down
- Thermal Shock
Rail Gun
Available Rail Gun Experimental Effects include:[11]
- Double Braced
- Feedback Cascade
- Flow Control
- Multi-servos
- Oversized
- Plasma Slug
- Stripped Down
- Super Penetrator
Fragment Cannon
Available Fragment Cannon Experimental Effects include:[12]
- Corrosive Shell
- Dazzle Shell
- Double Braced
- Drag Munitions
- Flow Control
- Incendiary Rounds
- Multi-servos
- Oversized
- Screening Shell
- Stripped Down
Cannon
Available Cannon Experimental Effects include:[13]
- Auto Loader
- Dispersal Field
- Double Braced
- Flow Control
- Force Shell
- High Yield Shell
- Multi-servos
- Oversized
- Smart Rounds
- Stripped Down
- Thermal Cascade
See Experimental Effects for the effects, tradeoffs, and material costs of each option.
Field note
Experimental Effects cannot be applied through ordinary Remote Engineering. A weapon must be taken to an Engineer who works on that weapon type to have an Experimental Effect applied.
Recommended Engineering
Tod's most broadly useful capability is his Grade 5 Multi-Cannon Engineering.
Multi-Cannons
Tip
Common general-purpose choice: Overcharged
Overcharged Multi-Cannon is a strong general-purpose option when the goal is increasing direct weapon damage.
At Grade 5, Overcharged substantially increases damage while increasing distributor draw and thermal load and reducing magazine capacity.[10]
The appropriate Experimental Effect depends on the weapon's role and the rest of the hardpoint loadout.
Common Multi-Cannon Experimental Effects serve different purposes:
- Auto Loader allows the weapon to reload while firing.
- Corrosive Shell applies a hull-debilitating effect to the target but reduces ammunition capacity.
- Incendiary Rounds converts a substantial portion of the weapon's damage to thermal damage.
- Emissive Munitions increases the target's signature.
- Oversized provides a small additional damage increase at the cost of greater power draw.[10]
There is no requirement to use the same Experimental Effect on every Multi-Cannon.
Rail Guns
Tod also provides all conventional Rail Gun blueprints through Grade 5.
Long Range is useful when maintaining damage effectiveness at distance is important, while Lightweight can reduce the considerable mass of Rail Guns on mass-sensitive builds.
Rail Guns also have specialised Experimental Effects such as:
- Feedback Cascade, used to interfere with Shield Cell Bank operation;
- Super Penetrator, which can damage modules along the projectile's path; and
- Plasma Slug, which draws ammunition from the ship's fuel supply.[11]
These effects serve specialised combat roles rather than being universally interchangeable.
Blueprint Pinning
After earning sufficient reputation with Tod, one of his blueprints can be pinned for use through Remote Engineering.
Tip
EDFM recommendation: Overcharged Multi-Cannon is a strong general-purpose blueprint to consider pinning at Tod.
Tod provides Overcharged Multi-Cannon Engineering through Grade 5, and the blueprint is useful across a wide range of kinetic and mixed-weapon combat builds.
If Overcharged Multi-Cannon is already pinned through another Grade 5 Engineer, a frequently used Rail Gun blueprint may be a better use of Tod's pin.
Blueprint pinning should reflect the weapons and builds you actually use; there is no requirement to use the suggested pin.
Important
A pinned blueprint does not allow you to apply Experimental Effects remotely. Weapon Experimental Effects still require visiting an appropriate Engineer workshop.
What Tod Cannot Fully Engineer
Tod provides maximum-grade Engineering for Multi-Cannons and Rail Guns, but his Cannon and Fragment Cannon Engineering stops at lower grades.
His maximum grades are:
- Multi-Cannon: Grade 5
- Rail Gun: Grade 5
- Fragment Cannon: Grade 3
- Cannon: Grade 2[1]
For higher-grade alternatives:
- Zacariah Nemo provides Grade 5 Fragment Cannon Engineering.
- Marsha Hicks provides Grade 5 Fragment Cannon Engineering in Colonia.
- The Sarge provides Grade 5 Cannon Engineering.
- Marsha Hicks also provides Grade 5 Cannon Engineering in Colonia.[14]
Marsha Hicks also provides Grade 5 Multi-Cannon Engineering, while Etienne Dorn provides Grade 5 Rail Gun Engineering in Colonia.
Tod remains one of the most accessible maximum-grade weapon Engineers because he requires no Engineer referral and provides Grade 5 access to both Multi-Cannons and Rail Guns.
What Next?
Progressing Tod's reputation opens two additional Engineer paths.
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn — Engineer, Inara.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Engineer Highlight, New Pilots Initiative.
- ↑ Trophy Camp — Station, Inara.
- ↑ Selene Jean — Engineer, Inara.
- ↑ Petra Olmanova — Engineer, Inara.
- ↑ Elite Dangerous: Operations — Update Notes, Frontier Developments.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Multi-Cannon — Rapid Phase, Inara.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Rail Gun — Enduring Feedback, Inara.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Fragment Cannon — Double Screaming, Inara.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Multi-Cannon — Overcharged, Inara.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Rail Gun — Long Range, Inara.
- ↑ Fragment Cannon — Efficient, Inara.
- ↑ Cannon — Efficient, Inara.
- ↑ Engineers, Inara.