Newcomer / Intro Question about SSS

[Stahll Amatin]

So we've all been to a few I'm sure (Strong Signal Source), But recently have wandered into a few consisting entirely of wanted NPCs (Including a T-9 with a nice fat bounty). obviously these are wings of 4+ guys mostly expert/master. nearly got wrecked attempting one of these by myself and aggro-ing everyone. (gotta love the speed of a pimped-out dogfighting viper, i was able to burst away and get into SC)

so 2 questions;

1. as a bounty hunter, Are they worth going after? seem a lot of big fish in one place would make a nice paycheck if you can pull it off.
2. If so; how to go about it? Bigger badder ship? team up with other players? both?

 

[xondk]

So we've all been to a few I'm sure (Strong Signal Source), But recently have wandered into a few consisting entirely of wanted NPCs (Including a T-9 with a nice fat bounty). obviously these are wings of 4+ guys mostly expert/master. nearly got wrecked attempting one of these by myself and aggro-ing everyone. (gotta love the speed of a pimped-out dogfighting viper, i was able to burst away and get into SC)

so 2 questions;

1. as a bounty hunter, Are they worth going after? seem a lot of big fish in one place would make a nice paycheck if you can pull it off.
2. If so; how to go about it? Bigger badder ship? team up with other players? both?

What weapons are you using? in general you'd need the heavier weapons which on a viper can be a bit of a trick to balance power wise, my viper has pulse/cannon setup currently, still getting used to it, but boy cannon's absolutely destroy hull and subsystems on anything, but you definitely need to control your trigger finger so you don't empty your ammo.

 

[Stahll Amatin]

What weapons are you using? in general you'd need the heavier weapons which on a viper can be a bit of a trick to balance power wise, my viper has pulse/cannon setup currently, still getting used to it, but boy cannon's absolutely destroy hull and subsystems on anything, but you definitely need to control your trigger finger so you don't empty your ammo.

2 Beams in the small hards (sheild killers) and 2x Class 2 gimbaled multicannons in the med. power hards

 

[Dommarraa]

So we've all been to a few I'm sure (Strong Signal Source),

I can assure you that we have not all been to ANY SSS. They were designed for Wings to have a challenge, and without a Wing of at least semi-competent ships I wouldn't go near one.

 

[Stahll Amatin]

I can assure you that we have not all been to ANY SSS. They were designed for Wings to have a challenge, and without a Wing of at least semi-competent ships I wouldn't go near one.

not even wondering in once to see what they were the first time you noticed one? maybe not tried to take it on, but i would think most would have dropped in at least once to see what was there good to know they are intended for groups to tackle tho.

 

[Vladimar Rubicon]

I checked one out in my Asp to see what it was and was immediately attacked by an Anaconda and Python. I was able to jump out right away though, and lived. I might try again in a Python since I know what they are now, and it's just NPCs.

 

[Lupin]

Strong Signal Source are fun if you want a challenge. One was a funeral party 5 ships escorting a T-9.

Often they have the honey trap i.e. gold cargo bait with normally 4 ships waiting in ambush.
Last I time I sprung this trap with Vulture was 2 Anaconda, 1 Cobra and 1 Eagle. But have had 3 Elite Anaconda.

 

[Stahll Amatin]

Strong Signal Source are fun if you want a challenge. One was a funeral party 5 ships escorting a T-9.

Often they have the honey trap i.e. gold cargo bait with normally 4 ships waiting in ambush.
Last I time I sprung this trap with Vulture was 2 Anaconda, 1 Cobra and 1 Eagle. But have had 3 Elite Anaconda.

glad i wasn't just full derp! looks like these could be a nice challenge to team with a few friends and go hunting after so much bounty hunting in my A-speccd viper at RES going for a jackpot score with a few mates could spice things up a bit.

several folks vultures maybe viable?

 

[CMDR MrChips]

Most strong signal sources are doable by a wing of 2-3 well equipped vipers/cobras. When I was in my viper running with a single wingman in a cobra we were able to do roughly 75% of the ones we found.

Some of them are surprisingly easy and can be done solo in a vulture, although you might get a little singed if the game rolls one of the really hard encounters.

Since FD broke assassination missions (by reintroducing a bug that was fixed previously for "hunt pirate" missions, learn to regression test guys) strong signal sources are the best and most challenging PvE content in the game right now, and are definitely worth getting some friends together to seek them out.

 

[jmp470]

I've been doing SSS solo in my clipper. I've taken down the 4 Conda's, but have not seen the 7 vulture one yet. I will start doing them again after I accomplished my trading runs goal.

Im looking forward to 7 vultures, that should be a challenge!

 

[Ben Ryder]

What weapons are you using? in general you'd need the heavier weapons which on a viper can be a bit of a trick to balance power wise, my viper has pulse/cannon setup currently, still getting used to it, but boy cannon's absolutely destroy hull and subsystems on anything, but you definitely need to control your trigger finger so you don't empty your ammo.

Question for the open poster.
What system was the t9 with a bounty in?
We it carrying cargo?

Thanks.

 

[Stahll Amatin]

Question for the open poster.
What system was the t9 with a bounty in?
We it carrying cargo?

Thanks.

it was in the LHS 3447 system, local system 'cartel' faction. the T-9 had a 150K bounty on it. sadly i had a warrant scanner not a cargo one as a B.H. and have no clue if it contained valuables or black market items. it was escorted by an eagle, viper, 2 cobras and a conda (all master or expert, and all wanted. IIRC the smallest bounty was ~75k) upon engaging several more hostiles showed up and i was forced to bounce after taking heavy damage.

 

[Universal Evil]

I've taken down 3 'conda in one SSS once and several ones with 4 voltures and a python and two FDL and a single one with 5 or 6 T9's all of them by my self in a volture and they pay nice bounties imo...
but not all SSS has them wanted ships I allso encounted a small fleet from the federation Naval a couple of times... most the time though I find 1 'conda with 4-5 sidey's setting up a trap, so if you don't fly near the cargo cannisters you wont see them as the are hiding in silent mode when you jump into the SSS....

I wouldn't recomment doing SSS until you are faily compentent in dogfighting since all the ships wont like you.. the only ones who didn't open fire on me was when I met the Naval fleet all the other will soon be on you tale and in a volture your best defence is not running(has pure boosting/speed) but stay and fight...

To op I would say entering SSS in a wing of 2+ would make it much easier in vipers and not much of a challange in voltures but it's stille good money though...

 

[who?]

I've found SSSs are lots of fun (sssssomething right about finding lotssss of Asssspsss, Vipersss, and Anadondassss in an SSS)

Managed to scoop up an AI Relic before 2 Anacondas jumped me. Even with my Vulture I wouldn't take on two at once, I ran like I just stole something. I have stumbled into some great battles too, where traders were being attacked by other NPC Vultures. I normally never see Vultures in RES, so it's fun fighting them, and I collected a nice (and very quick!) bounty from them.

 

[Ben Ryder]

it was in the LHS 3447 system, local system 'cartel' faction. the T-9 had a 150K bounty on it. sadly i had a warrant scanner not a cargo one as a B.H. and have no clue if it contained valuables or black market items. it was escorted by an eagle, viper, 2 cobras and a conda (all master or expert, and all wanted. IIRC the smallest bounty was ~75k) upon engaging several more hostiles showed up and i was forced to bounce after taking heavy damage.

Thanks. I'm on the lookout for A and alien technology

- - - Updated - - -

I've found SSSs are lots of fun (sssssomething right about finding lotssss of Asssspsss, Vipersss, and Anadondassss in an SSS)

Managed to scoop up an AI Relic before 2 Anacondas jumped me. Even with my Vulture I wouldn't take on two at once, I ran like I just stole something. I have stumbled into some great battles too, where traders were being attacked by other NPC Vultures. I normally never see Vultures in RES, so it's fun fighting them, and I collected a nice (and very quick!) bounty from them.

Any chance you can recall where the As artefacts were?

 

[Stahll Amatin]

I've taken down 3 'conda in one SSS once and several ones with 4 voltures and a python and two FDL and a single one with 5 or 6 T9's all of them by my self in a volture and they pay nice bounties imo...
but not all SSS has them wanted ships I allso encounted a small fleet from the federation Naval a couple of times... most the time though I find 1 'conda with 4-5 sidey's setting up a trap, so if you don't fly near the cargo cannisters you wont see them as the are hiding in silent mode when you jump into the SSS....

I wouldn't recomment doing SSS until you are faily compentent in dogfighting since all the ships wont like you.. the only ones who didn't open fire on me was when I met the Naval fleet all the other will soon be on you tale and in a volture your best defence is not running(has pure boosting/speed) but stay and fight...

To op I would say entering SSS in a wing of 2+ would make it much easier in vipers and not much of a challange in voltures but it's stille good money though...

Aye single AI condas aren't much of a problem for me. ive gotten quite proficient at 'kiting' them and avoiding most of its turrets by staying behind ans slightly above. The main Issue i had trying to solo in an SSS was betting stuck in a situation where theres 2 or more 'heavy hitters' and picking on one leaves the other to get a shot on me.. and a master/expert conda/python will nuke my viper in nothing flat if i give them a clear shot.

One strategy we've use in RES when dealing with wings of more then 3 was to have who ever is being 'primaried' pull range and try to kite allowing the other to get easy shots and swap roles as the NPCs change targets. may give that a go this weekend if i can find another one. so many hours at the local RES it would be nice to spice things up and at this point with over 8 mil CR in the bank, a viper loss wouldn't be the end of the world

TYs for all the info guys

 

[Cmdr Basskicker]

Dropped into a SSS last night with a wing of 8 Vultures protecting some AI relic. I can handle most of the 2 conda ones myself but jeez those NPC Vultures were brutal. Jumped out as soon as I realized how screwed I was(which was very quickly realized), and even then I barely made it with my shields intact on my Vulture with 3 A rated shield boosters on a 5B shield gen.

It was crazy. I am looking forward to getting a wing together and trying to find another SSS like that.

 

[jmp470]

Dropped into a SSS last night with a wing of 8 Vultures protecting some AI relic. I can handle most of the 2 conda ones myself but jeez those NPC Vultures were brutal. Jumped out as soon as I realized how screwed I was(which was very quickly realized), and even then I barely made it with my shields intact on my Vulture with 3 A rated shield boosters on a 5B shield gen.

It was crazy. I am looking forward to getting a wing together and trying to find another SSS like that.

That sounds awesome! I have not found a SSS like that YET, but I'm looking for one

1 thing I have not done yet, but will start doing, is pick up the cargo dropped by all the ships. Even in a RES they drop a ton of stuff, even slaves, which are 15K per ton.

 

[YerMUM]

I bumped into 3 funeral parties in succession over the weekend. Seemed like someone was trying to tell me something..