So for the longest time I've always wanted to get into flight sims and space sims (one of my favorite games is No Man's Sky and to me that feels like an easier version of Elite Dangerous) but I never could afford a decent pc/laptop to do it, let alone any HOTAS system or that, but now that I have a decent laptop, I'm slowly working towards getting a HOTAS system and planning on trying out Elite Dangerous!
Only problem is… I'm in way over my head here, I have no idea what a good beginner system to get, do I get a throttle and stick, with rudders, just a stick duo with rudders, etc., there's so many options and it's very easy to waste money on this.
My other problem is that I hear elite dangerous is very hard to get into, with the complicated and complex systems of flight, combat and other things, as well as it taking a while to even learn the basics! It's all very overwhelming and intimidating, I fear it may chase me away, even though I' so fascinated by it.
So what I come to you guys today with is, just a bit of advice, what system to get that's greater for an extreme beginner like me and what do I need to consider before getting Elite Dangerous? It's a lot of money where I come from and I don't want to waste that much on a game I might not enjoy.
EDIT: Thank you for the helpful comments so far and I think I will initially try with mouse and keyboard, but I'm planning to give MSFS a try, warthunder, DCS and other flight sims a try since I've always been interested in them, that's why I'm asking for HOTAS recommendations
