New to Elite

ladymacvg

L
I just got this game thanks to the steam summer sale. Right now I've really been interested in smuggling and trading for the most part. I've made about 750k by just doing this. My question is how long should I remain in the starter Sidewinder. I bought the best power plant I could for it but that is all the upgrades I have done so far. I've been trying to avoid combat simply because I feel that it being a starter ship I'll probably get owned. I want to stick with smuggling because I really enjoy the stealth of it. I want to make sure the ship I upgrade to is the best for that. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
Last edited:

Guidebot

Guidebot
Amazed you kept it to 750k!

Get a Cobra, it's amazing for smuggling and decent for trading. Good in a fight and fastest ship in the game too.
 

Steve50

Steve50
Answer: as long as you want, if you want to play the next 6 months or 2 years in a sidewinders, that's cool. You're not forced to changed ship, sure there might be a ship that's better suited to your chosen profession but that's up to you. Some people have been playing over a year and never wanted to get a bigger ship than a Cobra MkIII.

Welcome btw
 

Marra Morgan

Marra Morgan
Yep, the Cobra is a fine smuggling ship, but after buying one and giving it a few upgrades, you won't have much of your 750k left.
Which is a dicey sitaution to be in - one botched job and a fine will leave you bankrupt!

Have a look at the Adder; very affordable, respectable cargo space for smuggling contracts or your own runs and small enough to keep out of the interest of security patrols.
 

Ozmodion

Ozmodion
NO don't get a cobra, stay in the sidey and keep going then when you have the money buy the anaconda, youg going to end up there anyway so jump straight to it.

mind you it will take a little bit of time, but whats the rush.
 

CMDRCB

Banned
C
The sooner you can get into a cobra, the better. They can trade, smuggle, fight, and they are FASST!! so if you want to run from a psycho killer, you shoudn't have any problems.
 

Marak

Marak
If you're enjoying smuggling in the sidewinder I'd stick with it for a bit - It's the best ship for smuggling small quantities, as it gets scanned less (there's millions of 'em and security don't bother them much).
I'd upgrade the frame shift drive to give you more range, and maybe better thrusters so you can turn on a dime, useful if you do need to run from the law.

When you feel you want to upgrade. the Cobra is a fantastic all rounder - fairly good in all roles. The good thing about sticking with a ship for a while is you can earn credits and upgrade your next ship quicker.

I only change ships if I get a bit bored with doing the same thing for too long - I want to enjoy this game for years - I don't want an anaconda until I'm ready :D
 

andyraptor

A
It's a biggy... but .... if you get the chance or so feel inclined to read through the past patch notes... you will find that the heat signatures of each ship were adjusted and the Sidey is actually one of the stealthiest ships in the game

I'm not a regular smuggler so I can't spot a upgrade ship for you... sorry :(
 

chesdj

C
Guidebot said:
Amazed you kept it to 750k!

Get a Cobra, it's amazing for smuggling and decent for trading. Good in a fight and fastest ship in the game too.
Click to expand...

I kept my trusty Sidey until about 2 million Cash after upgrading it so i could afford the Cobra i wanted and have a comfortable buffer. (Ins. trade etc.)

She's still parked up in Lave with my other ships :)
 
Last edited:

ladymacvg

L
You guys are awesome! Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I didn't even think to upgrade the thrusters and the FSD. May put some upgrades in and then consider upgrading to a new ship. I'll admit I am kinda attach to her now. She's been good to me. Another quick question. When should I consider allying with a faction. I'm confused about what that does for you as a player. Are there perks to it? Thanks again :)
 

Vincent Starson

V
Have fun, play in open, watch your six, and enjoy the ride!

Major factions are Empire, Alliance, and Federation. They give repair discounts, green scanner icons, sharing ship info so you don't have to scan them, and friendly greeting messages at all stations aligned to them.
Minor factions are the names of the companies on the stations, their influence on a system is on your right under reputation.

If you are talking about PowerPlay factions, I'd wait until you're more comfortable with the game. They each have their own bonuses applied to the systems they control/exploit (stars in their bubble of influence) You can use this to your advantage to get discounts on ships, trade for a little extra, and earn 20% extra bounties even without pledging. It's mainly a time and money sink for "older" players but you can still be rewarded by paying attention to where you're at.

Fly safe! ;)
 

medwyn

M
Right on, commander!
If you haven't sold your Sidey yet, please stop for a moment and think about keeping it. You could be the first(?) one to make triple-elite ranking in a Sidey all along and that will be a blast to jump from the Sidey right to the Anaconda when you celebrate that :)
(Actually you gave me an idea: I'll try this with resetting my save if you don't!)
 

Marak

Marak
ladymacvg said:
You guys are awesome! Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I didn't even think to upgrade the thrusters and the FSD. May put some upgrades in and then consider upgrading to a new ship. I'll admit I am kinda attach to her now. She's been good to me. Another quick question. When should I consider allying with a faction. I'm confused about what that does for you as a player. Are there perks to it? Thanks again :)
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about Factions & Powerplay right now... It's a bit complicated and if you're enjoying the game as is keep doing what you enjoy.

I've been in since alpha, and I'm ignoring PP 'cos I still love pootling around as a lone pilot. I'll look at it if I ever get bored (don't see that happening anytime soon :D ).
 

ste

S
ladymacvg said:
You guys are awesome! Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I didn't even think to upgrade the thrusters and the FSD. May put some upgrades in and then consider upgrading to a new ship. I'll admit I am kinda attach to her now. She's been good to me. Another quick question. When should I consider allying with a faction. I'm confused about what that does for you as a player. Are there perks to it? Thanks again :)
Click to expand...

Perks?, doesnt really seem to be any yet. Unless you like more enemies. But when you do pick the one with blue hair.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom