Any suggestions for further progression?

[Ceekay]

Uhh... ok... that's a Problem... I dont want to be limited to stations... I don't know if the smuggling missions check the pad size of the destination.

Has anyone done smuggling with higher ship classes? The missions I saw, where max around 200.000 credits worth and never exceeded 16 tons of cargo. (My Cobra has 32tons)
Aaaaand sometimes I am coming in a bit hot with more than 300m/s and not a perfect angle to avoid the scans. With larger ships, there would be much less room for maneuvers in the station entrance.
Will the payouts scale a bit later with higher missions?

Here's some screen-grabs for smuggling missions, I've about 30 cargo spaces free in my Asp at this point so I could have taken both but they're blocked by other factors, add another big mission like those and you'd be close to a mil!

TBH I'd suggest you try the Diamondback scout for missions like these as it runs so cool (around 22% or less with lower rated equipment), it's possible to fly out of the station and well clear on silent running with any heat-sinks although it'd only carry 20 T

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[lemny]

Thanks Ceekay, i think an Asp could be a nice goal. When i have around 20 M at the side, i give it a try.

I learned that the trade rank rises with smuggling... I am Merchant at the moment and get around 200k max for smuggling. But these higher Missions all still fit in the Cobra. But maybe the larger cargo hold of the Asp give room to trade and increase the rank faster than just smuggling.

 

[stridecolossus]

I am taking the money from the scans in all the new Systems I visit the first time... but maybe you are right... since most time i am in already known systems, an interdictor could be a nice addon. Is class 2 enough to pull all relevant targets out of FSD?

Any class is good enough AFAIK but presumably better modules make it faster or longer range (not sure tbh and at work so can't check).

Interdicting is quite fun now as assassination and mission targets are now to be found in supercruise, you also get an indication in the target panel whether they are a mission target.

 

[Elgered]

I went from Cobra to Asp (still have it and use it). Rares-trading and smuggling paid my clipper, which I used to get the money for the Python. Once sitting in the Python (which is a long way to go without "boring trades") you'll have your Cobra only for sentimental reasons.