Increasing combat rank, solo.

Chaining medium or high intensity CZs with a Corvette can be one good way (it is how I covered most of Deadly to Elite on my main account), albeit boring at some point due to the way it is relatively trivial if not focused by all four of a spec ops wing.

Some swear by compromised navigation beacons, but I’ve not spent time at one to know how many higher ranked opponents spawn.

Thargoids… well, not a particular option at the moment. Otherwise taking part in the station conflict zones and targeting Scouts in relatively large numbers can also get you decent progress.
 
Anyone suggest away to increase combat rank, solo.

Been deadly for ages.

Trade Elite V.

BB
Don't use an SLF pilot, they will take half you combat points.
Prioritise Deadly & Elite ranked opponents as the others below you only provide a fraction of a point per kill.
Don't think about the credits paid it is only about the number and ranks of the ships killed.
Do shoot lots and lots of ships.

Don't forget that the number of points to reach Deadly from Harmless is the same as the number of points between Deadly and Elite. (and there were more rank above ours bonus points available at the start.
 
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Chaining medium or high intensity CZs with a Corvette can be one good way (it is how I covered most of Deadly to Elite on my main account), albeit boring at some point due to the way it is relatively trivial if not focused by all four of a spec ops wing.

Some swear by compromised navigation beacons, but I’ve not spent time at one to know how many higher ranked opponents spawn.

Thargoids… well, not a particular option at the moment. Otherwise taking part in the station conflict zones and targeting Scouts in relatively large numbers can also get you decent progress.
It's ridiculous IMO how much faster scouts level combat than NPCs, when TTK for scouts is so much lower. I am only dangerous, and still wouldn't be if it hadn't been for the incursion of Cocijo into Sol. It kind of made me feel like I cheated my way here.
 
On-foot with two rocket launchers, lots of redbull and a ammo crate in sight
On-foot combat certainly used to provide rank in both the mercenary rank (expected) and ship combat rank (very much unexpected).
Did that not get "fixed"* though? (I feel like I cheated my way to deadly because of it, a couple of years ago.)

(* assuming that it wasn't ever confirmed as a bizarre but intended game behaviour)
 
It's ridiculous IMO how much faster scouts level combat than NPCs, when TTK for scouts is so much lower. I am only dangerous, and still wouldn't be if it hadn't been for the incursion of Cocijo into Sol. It kind of made me feel like I cheated my way here.
As I remember although Scouts still count as Elite ranked their effect on ranking was reduced a few years ago, they are still good but no longer the fast track they used to be.
 
As I remember although Scouts still count as Elite ranked their effect on ranking was reduced a few years ago, they are still good but no longer the fast track they used to be.
I remember the same; they were nerfed, but still level much faster than NPC kills.
 
As I remember although Scouts still count as Elite ranked their effect on ranking was reduced a few years ago, they are still good but no longer the fast track they used to be.
Scouts were nerfed twice, there is a very detailed writeup on using scouts to rank up in the link below but the key point is that the scouts are now worth somewhere between a dangerous and deadly pilot, so three scouts equate to two elite ships.

"Basically as Deadly rank, you get 1.25 progression points for killing an Elite ship, 1.00 for killing a Deadly ship, 0.75 for Dangerous, 0.50 for Master, and 0.25 for Expert."
"When you’re at Deadly rank they [Thargoid scouts] appear to have a multiplier of 0.833333, which is above a Dangerous kill, but below a Deadly kill."

 
Is there any actual benefit in advancing rank to Elite in Combat specifically? If you take shortcuts or otherwise cheese your way to higher Combat rank, isn't that just making things harder for yourself since NPC spawns are going to be tougher?
 
Stacking Wing Assassination Missions (FDL Vulture Wings) and high value transport missions/fly around with some tons of gold to attract spawning Elite FDL/Conda/T-10s.

- Good system for that is the Galaxy‘s Carrier‘s Filling Station Shapsugabus. It has 4 Starports very close together


  • Get allied with all factions
  • Best ship is a Corvette with 2 huge Beams to deal with the FDL/Vultures, grab a 3500 MJ Bi-Weave with good thermal resistances, and HRPs because of the phasing-attacks
  • Visit all stations in Shapsugabus and stack all those missions. Sometimes you get 15 of those missions at once!
  • Fly, fight and have fun!
 
Is there any actual benefit in advancing rank to Elite in Combat specifically? If you take shortcuts or otherwise cheese your way to higher Combat rank, isn't that just making things harder for yourself since NPC spawns are going to be tougher?
I would have said that there weren’t any shortcuts that didn’t involve you doing combat, unfortunately there is the silliness of on foot combat counting towards it as well as its own rank structure.
So no downside if you get your rank using your ship, big downside if you chase the rank using on foot as as you say the random NPCs you meet will be higher ranked.
 
Scouts were nerfed twice, there is a very detailed writeup on using scouts to rank up in the link below but the key point is that the scouts are now worth somewhere between a dangerous and deadly pilot, so three scouts equate to two elite ships.

"Basically as Deadly rank, you get 1.25 progression points for killing an Elite ship, 1.00 for killing a Deadly ship, 0.75 for Dangerous, 0.50 for Master, and 0.25 for Expert."
"When you’re at Deadly rank they [Thargoid scouts] appear to have a multiplier of 0.833333, which is above a Dangerous kill, but below a Deadly kill."

Which is still fast levelling, given that you can kill several scouts in the time it takes to take down one deadly anaconda.
 
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