Horizons Beluga worth it?

[Anton_]

So, is a Beluga Liner actually worth it?


Buying and kitting a Beluga is around 170MCr (your mileage may vary). It seems that it's going to take a lot of hours before it's paid for itself and then caught up with what my Python would have earned me in that time, if I had just gone on using the Python (in a parallel universe).


Assuming (a) a Beluga is 33% more profitable than the Python (in my inept hands), and (b) no ships destroyed, my figgerin says it will take me ±170 hours of Beluga playing, or ±28 six-hour playing days - say, 6-7 weeks, maybe more - for Beluga[SUB]tot[/SUB] to break even with Python[SUB]tot[/SUB].

How rapidly profitable have Beluga owners found it to be in practice?

 

[John Hand]

Eh I toyed with one, just cuz.

It seems that the Luxury Cabins are expensive, but also pay more for a mission (lux based passengers). It is the only ship, besides the orca, that is able to fit such cabins.

Combat wise......just no, the thing is a paper towel once shields drop, just best to evade/run from anything trying to get you. Putting turrets all over helps for the cases when you can't run/get away, and the fighter too. Alternatively you could put a pair of gimballed guns on the bottom of the ship (none of the hard points are good for fixed), where it has 3 hard points out of the 5 total (2 top 3 bot). Then you could "help" fight back, but again, its not a combat ship, so only "fight" if you cannot get away.

I also works fairly well as a cargo ship, a very blingy cargo ship, but a cargo ship none the less.

 

[GJ51]

No.

You're better off with Orca or Anaconda or Cutter.

I haven't seen enough Luxury required missions to compensate for Beluga's downsides in range and speed. The other 3 can all be better depending on the type of mission you take.

 

[thirstyfish]

I probably won't ever bother with the beluga, because of its shortcomings in a lot of key areas. I also won't touch passenger missions for a while because of all the kinks that still need worked out.

 

[Bartizan]

At this very moment...no. Will it be again when the reward system scramble settles the way it "should"...maybe. Annie or Cutter is better. Again, if they fix the rewards.

Now, if I could make her into a viable explore vessel or cargo ship, i'd dust her off. =)

 

[Niamhy]

i saw a passenger mission earlier, 46 million to take someone to Jaques. add all the exploration data and you'd be minting it in lol. What is the max jump range anyone has got on the Bel?

 

[Captain Willard]

I have around 275 mil in my beluga, made that back in no time. Just took 2 mish to Jacques for 135 mil plus the exp data. It is a great ship if you know how to play it. Upon my return I'd read the payouts were nerfed. No they were not. Upon my return to the bubble there were 2 50 mil mish for Jacques or the center and 1 for 105 mil to red and black? I chose a 11 mil payout to take sightseers to 3 places. My Beluga jumps 30ly with 2 lux class 6 pods. Was a 46% roll, I intend to try for better.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Got a Beluga, didn't think i'd like it so much, but actually quite enjoying flying it and doing passenger missions in it. Kind of using it as a hybrid passenger mission/exploration ship. Got a 30LY range on it. Weaponless, but plenty of defenses. For combat exploration i've got an Asp nicely kitted and engineered up if necessary.

As for time to recover the cost... might be a while. I've probably earned about 70 million in passenger missions so far, and the ship and outfitting i think cost at least twice that.

 

[Kyokushin]

So, is a Beluga Liner actually worth it?

Only if you want use luxury cabin.
You can boost speed to around 400 and range to around 30 ly.

If you do not want luxury cabins, do not bother of Orca or Beluga at all.

 

[fitzsteve]

I didn't have much time to test out my Beluga yet but I stripped out my FDL to afford it, have it spec'd out quite nicely. It's similar to fly as the Anaconda but I have one major issue, I keep getting it stuck on landing pads and in letter boxes! I've never had this issue with any other ship and I've flown everything up to Cutter.

I don't think it offers much over the Conda, except Luxury cabin. I strip it and buy an Orca for my luxury runs, not fully decided yet as I have my Conda kitted out for trading again. Need some more time in the Beluga really to make a full decision. Without mods the jump range is about 20ly so not that great if you'll do long range passenger missions. Sadly I don't have the game time to get my ships modded much (level 1 or 2 with basic materials only)

 

[goemon]

If you do not want luxury cabins, do not bother of ... Beluga at all.

i'm not so sure about that. the beluga has the highest number of internals, together with a conda.
passenger cabins only come in size 6.
both have 3 class 6 slots, if you deduct the 1 class 6 you need on a beluga for shields.
e.g. from the potential numbers of missions you can fit on a beluga, there is only the conda beating it (because it has another nice class 7 slot), while the beluga needs no scoop necessarily - now you only have to find a system which genenerates passenger missions to outlast your belugas capacity.

 

[punkerich]

Well, sad to see that it's always the 'most efficiency' debate...

I made her my main ship. Because.
Is she the best at anything? No.
But i love her nonetheless. Why?

My personal reasons:

- love the look and feel
- can stop on a dime, almost no drifting
- high yaw rates, perfect even for salvaging planetside
- no scoop needed inside the bubble. 300ly on one tank.

heavily engineered, of course.
got some 28ly range, ~750mj shields + resistances, ~1200 Armour, 2 fighters.
3x gb pulse, rapid fire lvl5, 2x seeker missiles (will be swapped for pack hounds later).

Fighting a deadly gunship & his minion was one of the most tense experiences i had in this game.
While i could've killed that dude in about a few secs in my annie or corvette, i loved that fight.
You really have a hard time fighting the big ships, but it feels just so damn good.
With PP OC L3 she gets pretty hot jumping, you really have to be careful what you do.

I'm restricting myself to this ship, just because i like it.
But that's me, i always favoured kinda extravagant ships, like the gunship, keelback...

So, my advise would be: just try it. Like with every ship, it's not for everyone.
But it's fun. And hey, that's what it's all about, no?
[heart]

 

[Anton_]

... the beluga has the highest number of internals, together with a conda.
passenger cabins only come in size 6.
both have 3 class 6 slots, if you deduct the 1 class 6 you need on a beluga for shields...

It seems that you also need another of the class 6 for the fighters - that's if you want to carry two of them - reducing your class 6 slots to two on a Beluga?

- - - Updated - - -

What is the max jump range anyone has got on the Bel?

This is the basic Beluga as per Coriolis EDCD Edition: https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/beluga

 

[goemon]

It seems that you also need another of the class 6 for the fighters - that's if you want to carry two of them - reducing your class 6 slots to two on a Beluga?

- - - Updated - - -

This is the basic Beluga as per Coriolis EDCD Edition: https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/beluga

you asked for "worth it" in terms of CR. in that terms fitting fighters makes no sense.

but if you want a spin in a highres, have your fighter bay transferred, hire crew and go bountyhunting in style.

 

[Anton_]

you asked for "worth it" in terms of CR. in that terms fitting fighters makes no sense.

Apologies if my meaning was unclear. Assessing "worth it" has to include the likelihood of losing the ship to an attacker, and I'm regularly interdicted by large Elite Imperials in my Python - an undefended Beluga wouldn't last a minute, so I would have thought a fighter bay would be essential.

...but if you want a spin in a highres, have your fighter bay transferred, hire crew and go bountyhunting in style.

A spin in a highres with a Beluga? Surely you jest!

 

[GG7]

No.

Crap jump range = useless for its intended purpose in the game.

 

[CMDR-AD]

I will buy a Beluga. Last night I nearly did click BUY, sat looking at it in the Shipyard, considering my outfitting.

But I am waiting to let the missions situation settle down. After they do, I'll learn the ropes in my Orca, and then follow up with the Beluga.

 

[BlindGunn]

I bought 1 a week ago. Should have waited until I had a more credits, so I haven't optimize it yet the way I wanted. Only class D Engines, etc. I was working my way up to a Cutter, but got impatient doing the Imperial Rank Grand and realized I had enough for the Beluga.

My present configuration is about 1/2 cargo (~124 Tons), 1/2 passengers as I work my way up to upgrading it. No Luxury cabins, mostly business class and the Size 5 bays are 1st Class. I can quickly make 2-5 million credits an hour doing shuttle runs / trading in ~ a 75 Light year range around home in this configuration. Sometimes cargo makes more money than passengers, but if I stick near to my "home" port where most my rep is "Allied", it's usually the other way around. I did upgrade sensors and Advance Scanners to max: it already paid for itself scanning new systems and claiming the explorer rewards.

For a while, there was a local system that was in "famine" and I converted the Beluga to all cargo and did multiple food runs until the food values dropped to normal. Thankfully we can "store" modules now!

Once I upgrade the engines 1 more level, I'll look at the luxury cabins. Maybe I'll buy a cabin first and try it out to see if it's worthwhile first, now that we can store the modules.

Anyone else still using the Beluga?