Tough Decision

[Zomb Lee]

Ok, so I've searched and found several topics on this same thing, but I still can't really decide based on what I've read, so apologies in advance for the redundantness of this topic. Basically I'm fed up of the Sidewinder and I'd like to be able to move on to a new, more powerful ship. I can currently just afford the Eagle...but from what I read the thing is super fragile, and the stats show that it's hull is currently even weaker than my Sidewinder! I've upgraded the armor on my current SW and have some better shields (still only D class) and some gimballed weaponry, but nothing fancy. As it stands, I still have lots of trouble fighting real players. I usually just get vaporized before I even know what's up...more a tribute to my abysmal piloting skills rather than the ship.


But is the Eagle really worth it over the Sidey? I know the Eagle has 1 more weapon hardpoint than the Sidewinder, and of course, it can mount better weapons and internals, but is the increase in turning really worth the trade-off in hitpoints? Especially because it seems like I'm more of the sort who isn't skilled enough in PVP and will have to tank damage as best as possible until I can improve (IF I can improve, that is) As I bounty hunt and actively search for high-value NPCs and Players, this is really a problem...I know...

Anyways, I guess my question to those more experienced in the game is this: Which is best? Should I just continue to improve my Sidewinder as much as possible, going for class A's and the like or would I be better off buying an Eagle and transferring in some of my upgrades from my SW?

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[EUBanana]

I used the Sidey a bit and then switched to an Eagle, I didn't find the Eagle particularly fragile compared to the Sidey. I had shields on it mind. I did notice the same issue you had in the stats.

The three guns mean its got 150% of the firepower and that really is noticeable, more noticeable than a tiny drop in hit points (and an increase in shields). Plus, it can haul a bit more cargo. It's definitely an upgrade, but a modest one as its still a 'fighter'.

.. The Cobra feels SO tough compared to the Sidey/Eagle.

But then. I mostly trade on this game - its a space trading game after all, right? and the Eagle was closer to a space truck than a Sidey, ie more cargo. Then a few slave runs later to my own surprise I suddenly had enough for a Cobra so I skipped the intermediates.

 

[Axelmathew]

Personally i would progress to eagle as it is very agile ship and if i remember right it has better shields than sidey.
Also as it is very agile, it is also very responsive to thrusters. It is the ship that thought me all kinds of combat maneuvers.
The third hardpoint makes destroying an enemyship much faster, as you can fit, for an example 2 lasers and a cannon for destroying the hull.

So eagle is my definite pick.

 

[HardstyleFlavor]

I personally didn't upgrade the Sidewinder much past an aftermarket FSD. I just saved up for a Hauler, kitted it for maximum trading and then used that to save up for a Cobra.

Also, since I pre-ordered the game I got the Eagle for free and flew it around for a while. It was a pretty maneuverable ship and was decent at dog-fighting NPCs (I only play in Solo, don't have the interwebz for full-online play) but in the end I just sold it so I could upgrade my Cobra's weapon loadout.

 

[Zomb Lee]

I used the Sidey a bit and then switched to an Eagle, I didn't find the Eagle particularly fragile compared to the Sidey. I had shields on it mind. I did notice the same issue you had in the stats.

The three guns mean its got 150% of the firepower and that really is noticeable, more noticeable than a tiny drop in hit points (and an increase in shields). Plus, it can haul a bit more cargo. It's definitely an upgrade, but a modest one as its still a 'fighter'.

.. The Cobra feels SO tough compared to the Sidey/Eagle.

But then. I mostly trade on this game - its a space trading game after all, right? and the Eagle was closer to a space truck than a Sidey, ie more cargo. Then a few slave runs later to my own surprise I suddenly had enough for a Cobra so I skipped the intermediates.

I sold out my cargo hold on my Sidewinder to make room for...umm...well people will definitely hate me for sure based on some other topics I read...but...shield cells... >.>

Plus, after spending a lot of time in Euro Truck Simulator 2 I have no urge to space truck, so cargo space is not on my list and I'd likely sell the cargo bay for other internals like Interdiction which I also have on my Sidey...lol.

Personally i would progress to eagle as it is very agile ship and if i remember right it has better shields than sidey.
Also as it is very agile, it is also very responsive to thrusters. It is the ship that thought me all kinds of combat maneuvers.
The third hardpoint makes destroying an enemyship much faster, as you can fit, for an example 2 lasers and a cannon for destroying the hull.

So eagle is my definite pick.

Alright, I may give this a go then. I'm nervous to buy it as well because I have enough, but I'm not sure what the insurance premiums will be and if I can cover them directly after purchase. I'm not 100% sure, as it's hard to say. I've heard the Viper is the best for bounty hunting, so I'm also tempted to try to save my creds for one of those, but as I strictly bounty hunt, it gets a bit difficult to see a profit, especially in a weak Sidewinder.

 

[Kramster]

The Eagle is the better ship and it is a lot of fun.
It can carry as much cargo as the sidey
It has an extra weapons hardpoint
It is much faster than the sidey
It turning speed is great, far more agile than the viper in the turn
It is cheap to maintain
With lightweight modules and an A grade FSD you can get 20+ LY jumps out of it
.
The downside is you have to upgrade it some first, out of the box it has power issues if you add the third weapon.
I usually replace the power plant for a D grade one and then set system priorities to manage power usage.
.
My favourite ship by far
.
EDIT: it is small and not so well protected as bigger ships but keep a fight turning, avoid jousting or letting your opponent getting distance on you, and you will not get hit as often which balances it out

 

[Zenicetus]

The Eagle isn't that fragile. When people say that, they're usually comparing it to higher-tier ships. It has great maneuverability, and one of the best canopy views in the game for dogfighting. It's a great skill-builder for combat as a step up from the Sidewinder, if combat is the main thing you're interested in.

 

[Zomb Lee]

The Eagle is the better ship and it is a lot of fun.
It can carry as much cargo as the sidey
It has an extra weapons hardpoint
Is much faster than the sidey
It turning speed is great, far more agile than the viper in the turn
It is cheap to maintain
With lightweight modules and an A grade FSD you can get 20+ LY jumps out of it
.
The downside is you have to upgrade it some first, out of the box it has power issues if you add the third weapon.
I usually replace the power plant a D graded one and then set system priorities to manage power usage.

Well that's good news. I have mostly D grade systems on my Sidewinder as it is now including powerplant and distributor, and I'm told you can transfer equipment by selling it off your old ship, switching to the new ship, and rebuying the equipment. Leastways I hope I can do that since, I cant afford to buy back what I estimate is nearly 80K worth of stuff I've added into my Sidewinder.

The Eagle isn't that fragile. When people say that, they're usually comparing it to higher-tier ships. It has great maneuverability, and one of the best canopy views in the game for dogfighting. It's a great skill-builder for combat as a step up from the Sidewinder, if combat is the main thing you're interested in.

Sounds like I will definitely want to give it a go then. Thank you for this insight!

 

[Zenicetus]

The downside is you have to upgrade it some first, out of the box it has power issues if you add the third weapon.
I usually replace the power plant a D graded one and then set system priorities to manage power usage.

Right, before doing anything else, upgrade the power plant, even if it means you have to do some trade runs to afford it. And learn how to use power settings to down-rate systems that don't need power in combat, so you can use all three hardpoints without getting into trouble.

 

[adoredtv]

I would definitely try out the Eagle. I love it, finding it hard to give it up tbh.

 

[Cmdr_Arri]

I'm doing just fine in my Eagle. You should always upgrade your power distributor before weapons or anything else. With my "B" power distributor, I can literally boost almost non-stop to get away from missiles and baddies until my FSD charges up.

I've added a third gimballed weapon, fuel scoop, upgraded sensors, upgraded power distributor and power plant, and just recently added the military-grade hull (or whatever it's called). I can definitely use better weapons, but my Eagle can handle it's own, and can get away when needed.

 

[talharbash]

811165

For what it's worth, I went straight to Viper. I got about 250k grinding bounties at RES sites.

Viper is the heavier of the two small fighters and has just as much maneauverability. I highly recommend upgrading both power plant and capacitor on the new ships, either way.

 

[TomT]

You could get a hauler and use it to upgrade to an Adder which in turn will get you to a cobra fairly quickly.

 

[Zenicetus]

You could get a hauler and use it to upgrade to an Adder which in turn will get you to a cobra fairly quickly.

That's the fast and pure income route to a Cobra. Doing it in an Eagle will take longer, but you'll learn more about combat skills to use in that Cobra.

 

[Morbad]

Adder probably fights better than the Eagle in a lot of circumstances, ironically enough.

 

[Zenicetus]

Adder probably fights better than the Eagle in a lot of circumstances, ironically enough.

True, but it has the worst canopy view in the game if you use TrackIr in the chase. With the Adder, you'll have eyes glued to the scanner for situational awareness, because you're viewing the outside world through a narrow slit. It works. But for me, isn't as much fun.

As an occasional combat ship with a lot of other benefits before you get to a Cobra, it's great. If you want to fight your way to a Cobra with bounty hunting, maybe not so much.

 

[adoredtv]

Bounty hunting in an Eagle is extremely easy tbh. The big 150K+ Anacondas are just hard enough to not be a viable farming choice but most stuff around the 40K bounty range is meat.