Assassination mission..

[tetra]

Ok so I'm trying to get through the Fed ranks, slowly but surely, gained a couple so far then decide to take another assassination mission from the board. Suggested rank "harmless" ok...I'm fine, have done a good 10 so far and no major problems, targets have ranged from useless to a fun challenge. Target to assassinate is Brendan, fly out to the system, find him in super cruise, novice python...this shouldn't be too horrendous, so I interdict him. Get ready to set up on my first pass to kill him, suddenly his two wingmen drop in, two expert vultures...absolutely decimate me while I try to play loop the loop with Brendan, chaffing and dodging constantly, finally decide this isn't worth the 2.5 million credits its going to cost me replacing my own python...try to escape but it's all too late for me. Respawn and decide to have another go, maybe I could have done better, try to maybe give him a good pummeling before his wingmen can get to me. Find him again, same story, the two expert vultures drop in within 5 seconds and just pick me to pieces while I try to duke it out with Brendan, can't do much as my python loops like a beached whale.

Any tips at all? I kind of feel like if I'm taking a low level assassination mission at cadet rank that suggests "harmless" combat rating is sufficient that maybe I shouldn't be getting absolutey shredded like this. Don't get me wrong, very much appreciate the new AI are as ruthless as they are, but scaling seems kind of off compared to combat ranking required and also mission level for cadet rank.

 

[Lemonhoko]

Ok so I'm trying to get through the Fed ranks, slowly but surely, gained a couple so far then decide to take another assassination mission from the board. Suggested rank "harmless" ok...I'm fine, have done a good 10 so far and no major problems, targets have ranged from useless to a fun challenge. Target to assassinate is Brendan, fly out to the system, find him in super cruise, novice python...this shouldn't be too horrendous, so I interdict him. Get ready to set up on my first pass to kill him, suddenly his two wingmen drop in, two expert vultures...absolutely decimate me while I try to play loop the loop with Brendan, chaffing and dodging constantly, finally decide this isn't worth the 2.5 million credits its going to cost me replacing my own python...try to escape but it's all too late for me. Respawn and decide to have another go, maybe I could have done better, try to maybe give him a good pummeling before his wingmen can get to me. Find him again, same story, the two expert vultures drop in within 5 seconds and just pick me to pieces while I try to duke it out with Brendan, can't do much as my python loops like a beached whale.

Any tips at all? I kind of feel like if I'm taking a low level assassination mission at cadet rank that suggests "harmless" combat rating is sufficient that maybe I shouldn't be getting absolutey shredded like this. Don't get me wrong, very much appreciate the new AI are as ruthless as they are, but scaling seems kind of off compared to combat ranking required and also mission level for cadet rank.

I had the same thing happen to me in my vulture.
After I limped back to the station the first time with a cracked windshield and 10% health, I dropped some modules and made room for some extra shield cells..I now had 2 modules of them onboard...just had to deal with power management during battle and switch them out when they are empty.
I stayed long enough to kill the boss python and limped back to the station in better shape than the first fight.....I didnt even bother with his wingmen...thats how I did it solo anyways.....good luck cmdr!

 

[tetra]

Thanks Lemonhoko, will give that a try, guess my current loadout isn't really as suitable as it should be for this kind of work

 

[DrakeAurum]

You could try working on the Vultures first, NPC ones aren't too terribly tough generally.

 

[Lemonhoko]

You could try working on the Vultures first, NPC ones aren't too terribly tough generally.

That was my first tactic...I found the vultures were working as meat/metal shields for the python...as I was pounding the vultures...the heavier python would throttle me hard with his guns.
He was a bigger threat offensively than the vultures in my opinion...but who knows..perhaps its a viable tactic for some?

 

[SlickReed]

I've had this problem as well in my Vulture. Seems over kill for such a small payout when you can lose your ship. On top of the difficulty the targets are clean pilots, so you get a over 5k bounty for the task in a region of space you probably operate.

 

[Araviel]

they are much easier to complete if you are in a fast ship that can kite and separate the escorts.

 

[tetra]

I've had this problem as well in my Vulture. Seems over kill for such a small payout when you can lose your ship. On top of the difficulty the targets are clean pilots, so you get a over 5k bounty for the task in a region of space you probably operate.

Yeah, sadly with the new bounty mechanic I am slowly but surely clocking up large sums in all sorts of systems trying to get these rank missions done Is getting to the stage where I need to constantly keep checking my bounty's to make sure I don't pick up missions in those systems after an assassination, or at least remember not to try dock in them lol.

 

[SlickReed]

they are much easier to complete if you are in a fast ship that can kite and separate the escorts.

I have tried this as well, the Vultures are expert or elite from what ive seen and they are fast, you end up kitting the Vultures with the Python trailing.

 

[Araviel]

I have tried this as well, the Vultures are expert or elite from what ive seen and they are fast, you end up kitting the Vultures with the Python trailing.

i have been using my imperial currier for this, feel its quite the perfect mission runner that can handle all kinds of missions.
and in the assassination missions once i have kited away the escorts out of fire range of the mission target i use the superior maneuverability of the currier and start doing FA-off boosted circles around the escorts and pick them apart (4 pips to engines at all time)
and so far the only kind of escorts i have seen has been eagles, adders, cobras and vultures, and the currier can handle them all.
the vultures in particular have a hard time getting their guns into bearing, as i think they always use fixed guns.

 

[Bertrand Du Guesclin]

The same happened to me. Imagine how happy I was in my A grade Diamondback Scout, when the 2 Vultures arrived. Extatic is a good description. Fortunately I was in a fast ship, and ran the hell away.

I'm not risking my ship for 150k, nooooo sir, I'll take some of that negative reputation instead.

 

[Yomamas Fett]

I had this scenario as well, but compete python was clean and I was wanted in the system, so it started with the expert vulture wing and was joined by 3 then 6 system ships, eagles mostly i think.

I killed the Python but lost shields (1st time against npcs since my asp days) but hijumped before they could cripple me.

After I changed my loadout as the python dodged most of my twin c3 PA bolts like he was an eagle, so I'm now back to running 2c3 cannon 1 c3 beam and 2c2 beams so I can carry more scbs and have dropped down to 1 booster with 2 chaff....so I'm ready for this scenario should it happen again.

 

[SlickReed]

i have been using my imperial currier for this, feel its quite the perfect mission runner that can handle all kinds of missions.
and in the assassination missions once i have kited away the escorts out of fire range of the mission target i use the superior maneuverability of the currier and start doing FA-off boosted circles around the escorts and pick them apart (4 pips to engines at all time)
and so far the only kind of escorts i have seen has been eagles, adders, cobras and vultures, and the currier can handle them all.
the vultures in particular have a hard time getting their guns into bearing, as i think they always use fixed guns.

The escorts are easy to pick off one by one once you kitted them, but all that work and ammo for 150k that can easily be made at a RES of CZ in 10 mins is my point.

- - - Updated - - -

The same happened to me. Imagine how happy I was in my A grade Diamondback Scout, when the 2 Vultures arrived. Extatic is a good description. Fortunately I was in a fast ship, and ran the hell away.

I'm not risking my ship for 150k, nooooo sir, I'll take some of that negative reputation instead.

Exactly my point.

 

[Navynuke99]

I had a similar mission setup earlier- Python who had to die, escorted by two Vultures. However, I stupidly left the dock without an interdictor, which I didn't even think about being a problem. Followed him til he dropped out of SC, followed his wake trail to the closest USS that spawned dropped back to realspace myself, and he was there without his wing support. Possible workaround?

 

[Comrade Napoleon]

Great is it not
The targets can actuallly pose a danger now !! Thats cool because they absolutely could not before ! I think it is cool...
An outcome is not given anymore, it is Elite : Dangerous you know.
This is the best part of 1.3, imo

Cheers Cmdr's

 

[Cmdr Harold Sackoski]

Sometimes, but not always, in these situations I have had better luck by Interdicting one of the Vultures first. If you've got enough firepower, you can usually kill that vulture before the target and the other vulture arrive. You're still gonna want some SCBs though.

 

[Dbrn47]

I've found that they aren't worth doing now unless you are in a Vulture or above. You need the killing power of those Large Hardpoints since they are now flying with escorts and the AI has been beefed up. A Vulture can kill the target before you take too much damage. Anything below is a long kiting session that may or may not work out in your favor. Great for challenging game play, but otherwise not worth it in my opinion. I've found that bounty hunting or merc missions are right up the courier and diamondbacks alley. You may be able to figure out an optimal dps build somehow with the smaller ships and hope your defenses keep you up, but it's trial and error depending on how you fly. Takes a lot of time either way, time you could be spending making credits or earning merits.

Don't take this as a bad thing either. They should be this difficult, or even harder.