What ships can defeat what?

So I have a few issues with a Fer-de- that likes to keep popping up. Can a DB Explorer beat it? For now I havn't had much luck and we're nearly at 5-0 if I remember... =/

Any underdogs that can work these ships to their limits?
 
You have a very low chance of beating a fdl with a dbx. The fdl is just better at everything in combat but the dbx can jump. ...really far. If you can't win make a max range jump the fdl simply cannot follow you.
If you can learn thare is 1 way to beat a fdl but it's very hard to get right.(Its much easier in the dbs) you can always resort to Stealth combat .
 
This game is about 2 things

defense and offense. There is nothing an FDL cant do that a DBS can because of it. there is no roles or bonuses, just pure 500meter dogfighting and the FDL is better.
 
So I have a few issues with a Fer-de- that likes to keep popping up. Can a DB Explorer beat it? For now I havn't had much luck and we're nearly at 5-0 if I remember... =/

Any underdogs that can work these ships to their limits?

Wrong question.
In martial arts, there's a saying: "It's not the art, it's the artist."
In ED, it's more like "It's not the ship, it's the pilot."
 
If you're facing a CMDR in an FDL, a DBE or Viper class ship is going to be a challenge. It's simply a matter of smaller guns, less armor/shields.

There is a point in Elite where the pilot is indeed important, but so is the ship you're flying.

I fly an FAS; a CMDR (with a decent combat rank) in a Fer de Lance does indeed make me take a deep breath before engaging. But something like a DB or Viper - I don't think twice. You might escape, but that's the only way you'll get out alive.
 
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Unfortunately, you are seriously outclassed for combat against a Fer-De-Lance. It is one of the very best "Fighter" type ships in the game, while a DBE is not even a fighter to begin with. As far as ships which aren't dedicated combat ships go, the DBE is pretty decent at combat, although it isn't the easiest to get the best out of, but it simply isn't a match for an FDL.

Strictly speaking, any ship can beat any other ship, with a sufficient gap in pilot skill, but in reality, beating an FDL requires decent skill and a proper combat ship. At the very minimum, I would say you need a DBS (probably stealthed with lots of HRP's), and that is only if you are very good. A vulture can be a decent match for the FDL, but with the recent buffs to the FDL, probably still needs you to be the better pilot by a noticable margin. I'm not sure about things like Python, FAS, Clipper etc as I haven't flown any of them, but I would think they should all be viable options, and obviously something like a fed Corvette would do the trick.

I would say an FDL is probably good enough to give any ship a run for it's money though, so at the end of the day it will come down to your skill as a pilot.
 
You'll probably have a better chance of beating an FDL with an Imp Courier than a DBX.

At least Imp Courier has the advantage of massive shields, small size, speed and agility.
 
You'll probably have a better chance of beating an FDL with an Imp Courier than a DBX.

At least Imp Courier has the advantage of massive shields, small size, speed and agility.

The speed advantage is really only a factor if you're running; otherwise, it's not much of an advantage. (I wish this weren't the case).
 
So I have a few issues with a Fer-de- that likes to keep popping up. Can a DB Explorer beat it? For now I havn't had much luck and we're nearly at 5-0 if I remember... =/

Any underdogs that can work these ships to their limits?

In PvP that depends. Problem is that you either love or hate the FDL. So most FDL pilots are more or less good at it because it's not very forgiving. And if you can't fly it you get frustrated rather quickly. So if he can fly it then no. Not really. The FDL outmaneuvers, outruns and outguns the DBX.

If you can fly your DBX and it's sometimes a close call try 1L and 2M PA. If the shields are down he's a goner with 2 or 3 hits providing all 3 hit and he not tanked up. And the FDL is a pretty big ship. Not that hard to hit. And with 90 shots each you shouldn't run out of ammo either. It's not a good general setup for a DBX. But sometimes you have to compromise to make up for a 5:0.
 
The speed advantage is really only a factor if you're running; otherwise, it's not much of an advantage. (I wish this weren't the case).
Speed is always good against bigger stronger ships, as it can cancel the flying backwards to negate your maneuverability tactic, or at least make it less effective/harder to do correctly. Other than that though, you're right, it doesn't make that much difference.
If you can fly your DBX and it's sometimes a close call try 1L and 2M PA. If the shields are down he's a goner with 2 or 3 hits providing all 3 hit and he not tanked up. And the FDL is a pretty big ship. Not that hard to hit. And with 90 shots each you shouldn't run out of ammo either. It's not a good general setup for a DBX. But sometimes you have to compromise to make up for a 5:0.

Dual medium rail/imperial hammer and a large cannon or triple rail can be effective as well, easier to hit with than PA's, although ammo is more of an issue.
 
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In PvP that depends. Problem is that you either love or hate the FDL. So most FDL pilots are more or less good at it because it's not very forgiving. And if you can't fly it you get frustrated rather quickly. So if he can fly it then no. Not really. The FDL outmaneuvers, outruns and outguns the DBX.

If you can fly your DBX and it's sometimes a close call try 1L and 2M PA. If the shields are down he's a goner with 2 or 3 hits providing all 3 hit and he not tanked up. And the FDL is a pretty big ship. Not that hard to hit. And with 90 shots each you shouldn't run out of ammo either. It's not a good general setup for a DBX. But sometimes you have to compromise to make up for a 5:0.

The DBX does not have a PD capable of supporting such a build. You'll be out of energy after the first shot. Meanwhile if the FDL has a C4 PA not only can he utilize it and fire his other guns but that one weapon does more damage than a volley from all three of your guns. The FDL may be somewhat larger than the DBX but it is a hell of a lot more agile and you may find that you're taking far more hits than you are dishing out.

Even if you and your opponent just floated in front of each other shooting the FDL will win. If the FDL pilot gave you the alpha for free he'd win. The DBX is a total lemon of a ship and should be replaced with something better asap.
 
I am a decent fdl pilot (not perfect. ..I have had my loses) but in the right hands with lots of practice it can be unstoppable. I also fly a cold combat dbs that I use only for PvP I have won 9 out of 10 engagements (1 tie) including killing a fdl a clipper and a python. Small ships can kill big ships if you have practice. But the dbx. ...how do I put this.....the diamondback explorer sucks in combat. Its too slow can't pitch to save it's life the shields are weak. Its just a bad ship for offensive combat but if your goal is to hide and survive you have a chance. The diamondbacks run incredibly cold either pop heat sinks like a mad man while charging your fsd or go into silent running pop a heat sink and run.
 
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