Combat ship progression

Hooter

Hooter
Been out in the black for the past few weeks. Now feeling the need to get back home and get my guns out again.

I've been using a Vulture for combat which I love but fancy trying something else. Ive got around 200mil in the bank so should be enough for most out there.

Any suggestions and opinions or is it a clear cut FAS?

Quite fancy a look at the FDL though...

Hmmm
 

Chris Simon

Chris Simon
FAS is very similar to Vulture in her fighting style. FdL is completely different. You won't know until you try. If you don't have the Fed ranks, yet, try FdL. She's an exeptional ship, but closer to Viper/Courier style of jousting combat. But if you enjoy more agile ships that change direction easily and are generally easier to keep on target, like Eagle and Vulture, go for the FAS.
 

Lobey

Lobey
All comes down to personal taste - but the FAS is a joy to fly and indeed very similar to the Vulture - FDL for me anyway is probably the most unpleasant in the game.
 

Cmdr Tel

Cmdr Tel
Could get a FDS, FAS and a FGS for that. They share most of the same internals so some savings there on cost and engineering. Then you have a great ship for a variety of combat situations and styles.
 

UnhappyDev

UnhappyDev
FAS is a hull tank, FDL is a shield tank.

Shield is king in ED due to the misery and debuffs that can be heaped on an exposed hull (seeker missiles, corrosive etc). Also shield strengths are way over the top in ED. So FDL is probably the best choice and the meta.

However. FAS is a great combat ship and still very viable in PVP and PVE if you know what you are doing. You can fit a 5C bi-weave and learn to fight with a weak buffer shield, a fun challenge in its own right.
 
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Bryan K

Bryan K
I vote FdL. It looks and flies beautifully and deals an epic amount of damage. Plus, shields for days. It’s what I moved to after my Vulture.

I tried the FAS, and still keep one in mothballs, but hull-tanking really only makes sense against Thargoids. In a HazRES, not so much.
 

Chris Simon

Chris Simon
Bryan K said:
I vote FdL. It looks and flies beautifully and deals an epic amount of damage. Plus, shields for days. It’s what I moved to after my Vulture.

I tried the FAS, and still keep one in mothballs, but hull-tanking really only makes sense against Thargoids. In a HazRES, not so much.
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I would vote FdL as well, personally, but as OP is coming from the Vulture, I'm a little worried that they will hate it. :D
 

Hooter

Hooter
Got back a little while ago and bought a FDL.

Absolutely keeping the Vulture!! It's a quick, tough and packs a punch. Put a lot of engineering into it too.

Wanted something different to combat in so went for the FDL over the FAS as some say it flies similar to the Vulture.

Corvette!? Yeah one day but need to mix it up a bit before I get to that.
 

Stealthie

Stealthie
Chris Simon said:
FAS is very similar to Vulture in her fighting style. FdL is completely different.
Click to expand...

Was going to say exactly the same thing but I wasn't sure if it was just a personal thing.

It's difficult to criticise the FdL, given that it's the PvP weapon of choice, but it always feels like a "sniper ship" rather than a proper "gunship" to me.

I really enjoy doing "pirate lord" missions in my FdL but if I just want to go and ruin everybody's day in a RES I'd go for an FAS instead.... or my Corvette if I wanted to watch netflix at the same time.
 

V.Shepard

V
The thing to remember is that the Vulture is a dogfighter, the FAS is a bruiser, and the FDL is an interceptor or space superiority fighter. An FAS has enough staying power that you can outlast most any fight gone bad. If you're coming from a Vulture, it's a definite step up. If you're coming from an FDL, then you're going to miss being able to control engagements with your speed, and you'll definitely miss that C4 hard point. You also need to work your pips and throttle in an FDL much, much more than with the FAS.

For comparison:
My FDL: https://goo.gl/6G4SJo
My FAS: https://goo.gl/FsDvg4

The FDL is far better in a HAZRES, but if a CZ turned sour on me, I know I could slug my way through to a low wake - and then to a high wake if I misjudged it. Also, you can't discount the value of being able to ram willynilly. I far, far prefer my FDL, but the FAS makes a nice change of pace.
 

Crystles

Crystles
The combat ship progression is essentially Vulture -> Fer de Lance. Theres nothing in between worth considering unless you just want a change of pace. Every other ship has major downsides (that imho shouldnt exist on most) that make them no better than equivalent to the vulture, right up to the FDL which is essentially a super vulture.


EDIT: Never tried the FAS personally, so keep that in mind... But it requires navy rank, so unless your willing to dump your time into getting that or already have done so, it's not even on my list of considerations as far as normal progression goes. Looking at one in Coriolis.io it seems to be made of glass though, even with 3x 0a Shield Boosters, with out any of the maneuverability, requires rank, and costing 4x as much.... In exchange for easier fitting, a smidge of forward speed, and a pair of mediums. Not really worth considering IMHO, being that the FDL is tougher, faster, hits harder, and is more agile.
 
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Ruffeo42

R
Imperial Cutter if you have the rank. I really enjoy flying the Keelback with a fighter. It will require a bit of engineering to get it up to a truly fun stage. It also helps if you fly in a wing with supporting vessels. FDL is on my list as a next ship to add to the growing stockpile.
 

HAMMERSHNOZ

H
I've got the Vulcher and it's great! But a properly loaded Python is very NICE! indeed. I'm going after the Federal Assault ship next cuz it has a fighter bay.
 
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