My BIG 4 Review

Greetings Commanders,

Here is my noob review of the Big 4:

Anaconda: What can I say that has not been said already many, many times before. This is THE go to vessel when it comes to "Jack of all trades, Master of none". She can haul, fight and explore. The other ships in this lineup can each excel at one thing over the others, but none can do everything with grace and agility like the beloved Anaconda. 10 out of 10 by simple virtue of versatility.

Cutter: When it comes to hauling, she is peerless both in design and capability. No other vessel can match her shield strength or speed so even though she may not be as capable a fighter as the others here, she can easily outlast them and look good doing it. The main drawback of this ship is the inertial drift. Seriously, no other vessel in the game handles quite like the Cutter, it takes some getting used to especially when coming in to dock.

Corvette: Take an Anaconda and tease it to the point where its foaming mad and you have the Corvette. Though not as jump capable as any of the others on the list here, she can get around after some engineering. I managed 22LY jump range after Felicity massaged her FSD. When it comes to combat, she has no equal and I have never been interdicted by another player whilst piloting a Corvette, I cannot say the same when piloting my Cutter. That alone should give you an idea of how well respected she is in combat.

Type-10 Defender: Take the Cutter, teach her to dance and you have the Defender. She is a capable hauler, though not as much as the Cutter, she is a decent jumper though not as leggy as the Anaconda. With 9 hardpoints at her disposal she can also dish it out as much as she can take it, and with her inert design, she can take it quite like no other. Her Achilles heel will be the distributor, though if you engineer it for Recharge Enhanced, you will hardly notice especially if you mount an all Multicannon setup.

In short here is how i rate them:

#1 : Federal Corvette, WHEN engineered she is the best all arounder for walking softly and carrying a BIG STICK. You an easily carry over 100 Tons of cargo, 64 Passenger cabins, SRV & Fighter Bay, Fuel Scoop, Shields, every scanner imaginable and poses a serious threat to anyone thinking of interdicting you.

#2 : Anaconda, THE go to vessel of the Big 4 as it does not require a rank. She is the best jumper and without question the best general purpose ship in the game.

#3 : Type 10 Defender, when you need a serious tank that can dish it out while carrying a decent amount AND has a +25LY jump capability look no further. Furthermore what is not to love when you are in a ship that CANNOT be mass locked by anything other than a planetary body or station? You can choose to fight or , the choice is yours.

#4 : Imperial Cutter, sadly I wanted to give the Cutter the #2 spot, but it simply was not possible when it handles so badly even with engineered thrusters. BUT if you want a ship that haul the most with the 2nd best jump range, this is for you. She can fight yes, but her strength lies in being able to CONTROL the fight with distance, you cannot go toe-to-toe with smaller ships as you simply do not have the ability to maneuvre as well as they do.

Well Commanders, this has been my review of the Big 4 after having A-Rated and owned (and still do), flying them all on a regular basis. Take this review with a grain of salt as of course ship reviews are all subjective and we each are individuals as far as what we are are willing to put up with both in ship design, availability of internal slots and play style.
 
Good take on the biggest ships, you may have forgotten to mention the type-10 doesn't need a rank either and is a good transition ship and step from medium to the big 3. The cutter is also the best rammer of the four with the combination of its best shield factor, 2nd best hull factor and best boost speed. Yes, the cutter has that somewhat annoying inertial drift, though supposedly players who are also fans of FSX and pmdg boeing heavy planes (http://www.pmdg.com/pages/product/FSX/744QOTSII.html) may not mind the drift similar to the pmdg 747/737 planes and heavy jetliners in general. (although the T10 sounds more like a multiengine heavy than the cutter now).
 
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I completely disagree with your last sentence about the Cutter. Its speed means it can go toe to toe with smaller ships in PvP. I use my Cutter for PvP and 2 fixed rails are perfect for taking out FDL's, Clippers, and FAS' even if they are silent with TLB.

It takes a lot of practice, but my time on target with FAOFF is excellent in the Cutter, far more than the Corvette. My Problem with the Corvette is its low top speed means basically any PvPer will control the flow of combat against you.

But we may just be doing different things in game. I would never think to have a cargo rack, passenger cabin, and SRV in my Corvette as there is no room for that in combat.

At the end of the day, it is finding the ship YOU love. All of us here will probably rate the big 4 in different orders and that is a good thing imo.
 
Yeah, when the cutter went to beta and people started crying that you can't fight smaller ships, I posted a video of the Cutter v 7 small ships (distress call) the ship has no issues engaging smaller ships. Was using gimballed, no turrets.

Out of the big ships I find the cutter the easiest for engaging smaller ships, its speed helps dictate the battle, that's not to say it's difficult with the other heavies.
 
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Yeah, when the cutter went to beta and people started crying that you can't fight smaller ships, I posted a video of the Cutter v 7 small ships (distress call) the ship has no issues engaging smaller ships. Was using gimballed, no turrets.

Out of the big ships I find the cutter the easiest for engaging smaller ships, its speed helps dictate the battle, that's not to say it's difficult with the other heavies.

I have to agree. I love the Cutter. Turetted top and plasmas on the belly, plus a fighter with decent pilot and Cutter is able to sweep floor with any NPC is a few seconds.
 
Anaconda: Meh... Sometimes it's fun to deploy the 'Conda when I want to take a fighter for a spin.
Cutter: Meh... It's a Clipper that ate way too much cake.
Corvette: Meh...
Type-10: Meh... Warcow got a couple of extra engines.

Medium ships will always be my schtick.
 
What about mining? They all have advantages on paper, but there are real world issues such as the condas long nose being nearly as long as mining laser range, and I can't be to test them all

If you want to pull up and strip mine an entire system, the Cutter is the one and only choice.
 
I agree with your points, though I do have a soft spot for the Anaconda - I just keep finding reasons to pilot that ship again - so I think it'd be my No. 1 ahead of the Corvette.

Regarding the Cutter - I think it was a "better" ship when I first got it. I D-Rated it, bar the FSD and mildly Engineered it as a decent long-range hauler for a CG. I later A-Rated it and Engineered it some more, but it was far less satisfying. I will doubtless pop the Cutter back to D-Rated (I kept the bits!) for a future community Goal, or perhaps some vanilla-style trading or even mining.

Scoob.
 
Nice review... but I have a noob question... Aren't there 5 Big Ships in this galaxy ? What about the Beluga ? :D

Never flew the Corvette as I don't have the rank, but I flew on the other 4 more or less time, and I was surprised by the Beluga : an excellent passenger ship and really enjoyable explorer ship.
 
The same reason we don't count the Beluga is the same reason we don't count the T-10.

Its not completely fit for a top-tier ship.


Seriously, the odds of a T-10 being honestly compared to any of the big-3 in PvP is laughable.
 
The same reason we don't count the Beluga is the same reason we don't count the T-10.

Its not completely fit for a top-tier ship.


Seriously, the odds of a T-10 being honestly compared to any of the big-3 in PvP is laughable.

So a definition of the Big 3 would be "large and PvP capable" ? (no irony, this is a genuine question...)
 
If you want to pull up and strip mine an entire system, the Cutter is the one and only choice.
On paper, I agree. However, the prospect of maneuvering around for an hour or so on those fartmachines it calls thrusters fills me with dread. As does the condas nose meaning I have to kiss the roid before the mediums are in range.
I was wondering if actual experience would indicate that even with a little less cargo, the Vette might be the real King, or even with a couple of less limpets, the T10 be a surprise outsider.

Dont know if this comparison will work
https://eddp.co/u/Mh9RtC4c
 
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So a definition of the Big 3 would be "large and PvP capable" ? (no irony, this is a genuine question...)
No.

The Big 3 is the top tier ship currently - the "Big 3" options that surpass all other sips.
The classification came about after the release of the Federal Corvette, distinguishing the Indi, Imp and Fed options for the top tier ships.


The qualification in my mind is the best a ship can be, able to do a variety of jobs but being (hopefully) the best at its specific field(s) of operation. And Big.
I suppose we shoudl have a Med 3, or a Small 3... but I don't think anyone really broke those down.


Anaconda is the multirole jack of all the trades, master of none. Sort of. It does Exploration exceptionally well, and is well-rounded with focused hardpoints for combat, decent jump ranges and cargo.

Corvette owns combat for most, best brawler deign and satisfying workings. Can multirole into trade reasonably well.

Cutter is the best trader you will ever find, a good fighter but is more defensive on shields and speed than being that focused offensively.


Comparing that, what does the T-10 offer?
Its multirole is meh, only offering decent cargo if your shieldless, otherwise its no better than a T-9. It can mine? So can everything.
Its jump ranges fits kind of meh on the scope of things, so it can't compete that well on the exploration route.
Combat? Horrible hardpoint placements, weak shields and it is by far still more sluggish than the Big 3. Then there is the Power Distributor, limiting options heavily.

The T-10 fails to excel at any particular field. Its lacking in every category and for good cause - its cheaper than the other 3.
Its the cost-effective poor-man's crutch before the Big-3, and its not that great at it outside having a decent Jump range laiden.
But for what? Just because it can get there, doesn't mean it can do its job well.

So to me, it can't fit. Its not good enough.
 
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I classify the T10 as a top tier ship. Its armor makes it incredibly difficult to destroy its FSD/PP before the CMDR wakes out. I actually got to wing up with a T10 PvPer and he surprised me at how well he took on a silent Clipper and a shield tank FDL. Did he decisively win? No, but he did force a solid stalemate before him and the enemy left for repairs.

With 8C Bi-Weave with 6.5+ MJ/s regen, ~5000-6000 hull points, a C7 Fighter Bay, and pretty awesome hardpoints, I find the T10 very capable, but it isn't the ship for me.

But I see the Conda and T10 as Engineering progression ship to the Corvette and Cutter. Both share a lot of modules with eachother which means engineering a Conda means you already have an engineered Corvette. Very similar with the T10 and Cutter.

If I was a new player with a bunch of credits, I would buy a Conda and then a T10, engineer them, and then swap the modules to the Corvette/Cutter once available.

I will always choose the Corvette over the Conda and the Cutter over the T10 no matter the role except for exploring (Conda is OP).
 

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I'd also agree that the T10 lacks too much in order to create a "Big 4".

With its limited agility, hardpoint placement and the severely ill-designed C6 Power Distributor all combined, it dropped into a niche role.
Its very poor Planetary Handling qualities even at mild g loads I don't currently count, since there's no Planetary Conflict Zones or common Battle there yet in these locations.

But as a large niche Ship below the Big 3, it does okay. Just like a Cobra Mk. IV eventually found its niche roles.
 
Good and honest description of the Corvette's Combat prowess and why I consider it the best combat ship in the game by a long mile. :)

I also somewhat agree with your take on the Cutter. I have never used mine for mining though. The Corvette actually handles that task so well, I have never felt the need to try another ship in my fleet for that role.

I personally feel that the Cutter SUCKS as a combat ship. The glacial handling speeds are god awful for any kind of strategic engagements, and its weapons load out leaves a lot to be desired as well. Not to mention being ridiculously expensive to A rate.

As a 750t Hauler Queen she excels beyond any other ship, and that is why I keep mine around. But it is hardly worth the price of admission if you are not already a billionaire.
 
Cutter is the best at combat if you know how to fly it.

Nah.

The Corvette kicks its butt into next Tuesday, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to make that happen. Any decent pilot can run rings around a Cutter regardless of who is flying it.

The ship is so pathetically SLOW at maneuvering it is a sitting duck for faster ships, and an easy kill for any capable Corvette pilot. I've lost count at how many I have taken down since it was first released.

I own one, but I use it for a high capacity hauler. That is really the only role it truly excels at above any other ship currently in the game.
 
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