Horizons a couple of questions if some kind soul could help me please. :-)

[Max Qarnac]

1. All i want to do right now is buy a corvette or cutter, i cannot because i dont have the required rank. Is there any way of making rank progress that does not involve doing missons? I dont care if it pays or even costs credits. If there is, is it more or less efficient than doing missions?

2. If i take my fragile type-9 out to do a 500t trade run with 7million in cargo, will i loose it all because of the new NPC behavior?

3. Are ANY of the new ground based missions currently reliably completable? (i think its sad that i have to ask this)

4. Is it worth playing 64-bit elite and not horizons in order to get a better mission choice due to the elimination of ground missions or will the list simply be missing the horizons missions without adding in replacements?

Thanks in advance.

Regards
Max

 

[deathcoy]

1. I've been using missions to rank up. Can't see any other efficient alternative.

2. The NPC AI has been improved AND their loadouts are much better. They are smarter, tougher, more resilient and have crazy tenacity(same NPC chased and interdict me through multiple systems). I suggest you at least equip shields to increase survivability if you havent done so unless your Trade Route is relatively safe and less prone to interdiction. I had come close to death numerous time in the last few days. Even a puny Adder or Cobra managed to bring down my shielded Trade Python to 30-40% hull with their Railguns. Another time i got interdicted by a Python, instant death. Its Plasma Accelerator coupled with mass lock is madness. AI with geared ships are deadly.

3. I'm wondering the same, i ahvent done planetside stuff yet, too busy trading >.>

4. No difference here as far as i can see. From what i notice while stacking missions, Elite or Horizons have the same amount of space missions.

 

[GrimThara]

1. - There is currently no other way to progress in naval rank than to do missions.

2. - Down to a lot of variables, it isn't an instant death trap but as the guy before me said it'll be a lot harder. Either be very careful and pack a shield for some more safety or just use a different ship. Or wing up with a friend.

3. - Some of them definitely work, I've done courier missions and data delivery missions. I've heard a lot of them are broken or buggy but then I've also seen some people say they've managed to do them. Take your chances I guess?

4. - Can't answer.

 

[Roybe]

Doing trade runs will actually increase your rank. IF you add some missions on top, you will be golden.

Check around, there are some instructions around here on how to utilize some systems and pay Charity missions to gain your rank...this is expensive but doable.

 

[Globusdiablo]

...
2. If i take my fragile type-9 out to do a 500t trade run with 7million in cargo, will i loose it all because of the new NPC behavior?...

Well as long as you don't tell me you're flying shieldless... (some actually do this and complain about getting shot).

NPCs are indeed much better now, so it's possible, if you know how to run.

• submit to the interdiction, lowering your cooldown time
• all pips to engines, rest to sys
• boost, boost, boost (provided you have decent heat management/parts), and jump the hell out of there (to a new system if they are persistent)

Flying a T9, you probably know all this though.

Fly safe

 

[Drelthar]

You can just do "stuff" of any kind, in federal owned stations/systems, and gain the ability to run the ranking mission.

You don't need to do loads of missions, to get the rank up mission, but you DO have to do the rank up mission to increase your rank.

So, technically, you only need to do as many missions, as there are ranks.