- Two or three Apogees and Ventures
- A couple Falcons, Furies, Gryphons, or similarly mobile and punch-y cruisers
- A couple Hammerheads or Sunders or Mules
- A few Omens, Tempests, and Afflictors
- Standard mix of support ships: Shepherds, Phaetons, Buffalo, Colossi, Salvage Rigs, etc.
I like durable, supply efficient, mobile platforms for exploration. Capitals and carriers stay at home for exploration as they tend to be a drag on these doctrines. I usually start with just one or two ships from each of these categories and scale it up as I get more creds and skills.
Apogees and Ventures are both great. A gryphon with a Missile Mastery officer can saturate point defenses nicely. Falcons and Furies spread the engagement out in your favor with their mobility. Hammerheads and Sunders punch above their weight, and Mules don't do much but soak up damage and pester enemy fleets with their toughness and maneuvering. Omens are just fantastic combat support and point defense ships. Tempests punch waaay above their weight and with Heavy Blasters and an Energy Specialization officer just brutalize most of what you encounter exploring. A single Afflictor with Anti-Matter Blasters and a Phase Mastery officer for the +100% speed tears through retreating ships. Support ships... Whatever works. You need more? Add more.
Just my preferences that I've settled on when out deep in the Persean exploring and scavenging. Can take most things you encounter without being a real resource hog. If you encounter something you can't deal with? Just come back with your favorite OP capital or whatever.