Best ship for fighting

Gobin Splat

Gobin Splat
I currently have a cobra mark 3 but I don't carry cargo or passengers I tend to do the mission loans that don't need cargo and get involved in a lot of dog fights with pirates so I'm looking for something faster at the expense of the cargo bay what ship should I get that speedy can still Carrie decent sized weapons
PS if I trade up do I get credit for all the weapons I've already paid for or should I sell them first
 

Stealthie

Stealthie
Gobin Splat said:
PS if I trade up do I get credit for all the weapons I've already paid for or should I sell them first
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When you sell a ship - all in one go - you lose 10% of it's value.

When you sell individual modules, you get the original buying-price for them.

Your first choice should be to remove any useful/engineered modules and store them for future use.
Your second choice should be to remove every possible module and sell it before selling your ship.
Your third, and worst, choice would be to sell the ship and modules all together.

Of course, it might be worth saying that if you're in need of the credits gained from selling some modules to bankroll a new ship, you probably can't afford to be flying the new ship anyway.

Go mining, then buy a Krait Mk2.
It's like a grown-up Cobra.
 

Dillon Fallon

Dillon Fallon
As a starter combat ship the Viper mk3 is a good way to go. It's never a bad idea starting with a low rebuy ship.

Thing is, combat ships can be a matter of taste. Do you like the idea of a big heavy hitting hull tank? A nimble shield tank? There's a few ways you can go. Me, I stick overcharged frags on everything for that lovely up close, personal and hull shredding vibe. Everyone is different.

There's a few basic combat guides around. I can't remember them off hand but at least one will appear on here soon.

Oh, and this:
Attack Chimp said:
Always keep your ships. Never sell.
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Xani D

X
My advice would be, dont sell the Cobra Mk3, its the ship that will give you at an early stage of the game, the best all round ship, to do everything.

Keep doing what your doing, and save up the funds to get a Viper Mk3, kitted out ideally to maximum, and go hunting. Some modules (although I admit not many just sensors and power dist unless youve downsized) and your guns can be transfered back and forth between the two ships freely, as required.

Alternatively, go with the Viper Mk4, most of your Cobra Mk3 modules will just transfer over to it, its a popular little ship for combat, but costs a little bit more, at around 300k. But as you can probably use all the modules off the Cobra (And just transfer them back and forth), it maybe the cheaper route. Its a little bit "heavier" to fly than the Viper Mk3, but has scope for being way more tanky, and can be engineered to be pretty lethal. It wont be as fast as the Cobra Mk3 though but see my PS below.

PS : You say faster..... the cobra Mk3 is one of the fastest ships in the game.... so "faster" may not be achievable. But the Cobra Mk3 has some pretty wacky hardpoint placement (in my opinion), so it can make for a poor choice in dog fights. A Viper (Either) will have better placed, otherwise identical hardpoints, 2 small, 2 medium.

PPS : Dont know if you have engineer access, but all the ships in the game will benefit from engineered equipment, and any ship can be made, faster, with Dirty Drives, but thats another post reply altogether.
 
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CoyoteXStarrk

CoyoteXStarrk
Use your cobra to go void opal mining. Use the money to buy and outfit a FDL or Mamba.


Use your new ship to make money bounty hunting. Then buy an Anaconda and become a world breaker.
 

sandkid

S
The Best Fighter Ship is by far the Eagle because reasons.

You can't kill what you can't hit!

(Problem is, it goes both ways in an Eagle for most commanders...they can't hit you, but you can't hit them!)
 

DeletedUser191218

D
Xani D said:
My advice would be, dont sell the Cobra Mk3, its the ship that will give you at an early stage of the game, the best all round ship, to do everything.

Keep doing what your doing, and save up the funds to get a Viper Mk3, kitted out ideally to maximum, and go hunting. Some modules (although I admit not many just sensors and power dist unless youve downsized) and your guns can be transfered back and forth between the two ships freely, as required.

Alternatively, go with the Viper Mk4, most of your Cobra Mk3 modules will just transfer over to it, its a popular little ship for combat, but costs a little bit more, at around 300k. But as you can probably use all the modules off the Cobra (And just transfer them back and forth), it maybe the cheaper route. Its a little bit "heavier" to fly than the Viper Mk3, but has scope for being way more tanky, and can be engineered to be pretty lethal. It wont be as fast as the Cobra Mk3 though but see my PS below.

PS : You say faster..... the cobra Mk3 is one of the fastest ships in the game.... so "faster" may not be achievable. But the Cobra Mk3 has some pretty wacky hardpoint placement (in my opinion), so it can make for a poor choice in dog fights. A Viper (Either) will have better placed, otherwise identical hardpoints, 2 small, 2 medium.

PPS : Dont know if you have engineer access, but all the ships in the game will benefit from engineered equipment, and any ship can be made, faster, with Dirty Drives, but thats another post reply altogether.
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Please....do not get a viper mk4. Biggest mistake i made in this game is buying one. Mk3 until you can get an a-graded FDL. Then stop ;)
 

S~P

S
The alliance fighters are pretty good or you could go FDL or Mamba. The Vulture has problems with an under powered PP which means engineering, same goes with the Viper MK3.
 

sandkid

S
In all seriousness, I'd recommend the following progression. It's by no mean the 'community standard', just my personal opinion:

Viper Mk. 3
Diamondback Scout
Vulture
Alliance Challenger
Fer-De-Lance
Whatever Big Ship You Like (Corvette for me, personally)

Since you seem fairly new (forgive me if you're not), some additional advice:
  • Most folks say don't sell your ship, I sold all of mine. Most of the time it worked out fine...there's a few I regretted, like the time I gave up my Federal Assault Ship for a Federal Gunship. I love the FGS...but I was not ready for such a big swing in how they fly.
  • The Alliance Challenger is a fabulous all-rounder for combat and combat oriented missions. If you decide to play around in Thargoid combat, it's a solid ship for that work, too and very easy to learn and outfit.
  • The FDL is one of the 'kings' of combat, but it takes skill to really master it - and lots of credits. Other medium ships are easier to outfit and learn, but the FDL is truly a masterpiece once you get comfortable with it. I'd hold off on getting one until you're absolutely certain you want to invest the time, credits, and engineering into it.
  • Similar to the prior point on FDL, large ships are great fun but typically require a healthy dose of skill and know-how to fly. That they're expensive to fit properly and engineer right belies the fact they are even more expensive because of how easy they can be to lose.
Combat Advice
  • Pick Fights! WITH EVERYONE! Really, get into PvP and conflict zones and USSs and Thargoids and what have you. Part of the fun of combat is finding what tickles your fancy. I like to haunt conflict zones most because they can go from very smooth one-on-ones to absolute-chaos-every-box-is-flashy-red-ahhhh. That's me, though - do you, and you find the 'do you' factor by trying it all.
  • Try all the weapons at least a few times, preferably in a ship you don't mind losing a few times. Some of my best deaths (hilarious and exilirating) have come from goofy-ass fits or just using weapons I didn't really know how to use (mines).
  • Early on, you just want to focus on 'time on target' - learning to steer your ship such that you can consistently apply damage. The kicker here isn't that you need an agile ship (like the eagle I mentioned earlier in this thread), just an agile enough ship. That's why folks recommend against the Viper Mk. 4 - it's not very agile. It's a great combat ship in the right hands, but its slow maneuverability makes it difficult and frustrating for most new commanders. On the other extreme, the Eagle and ships like it are too jumpy and are really challenging to keep on target.
  • Combat is just like racing: the level of agility you can handle now will rise over time and practice. I couldn't pilot an eagle to save my soul my first few weeks in Elite - now it's a cinch, because I spend a lot of time in a very agile medium ship. That said - the more time you spend within a certain speed range, the more uncomfortable shifting out of it can be. If you spend a lot of time with fast and agile ships, like the Vulture or FDL, slower but equally capable ships like Imperial Cutter or Federal Gunship will feel like molasses, and you'll suffer for it.
  • The moral of the above point is simple: don't write-off a ship until you've spent at least a week or more with it. I hated my FGS when I traded up to it...but I couldn't afford to switch back without some capital loss (hence why most recommend don't sell your ships). But I ended up falling in love with a slower handling. Today, my Federal Corvette isn't as agile as it can be - instead its built to suit my preferred speed, with emphasis on other areas. Find a ship you like, learn it, then worry about customizing it. You'll save yourself a lot of time if you'll just do a bit of personal discovery first.
 

sandkid

S
Oh, and don't bother with high-end engineering until you find your favorite ship. The grind can be soul-sucking, but more importantly, engineering is really for the ship(s) you want to perfect - and those are the ships you actually fly, not just have sitting in the hangar for grins. I engineer almost all of my FSDs for sake of transportation, but only four ships in my fleet are actually 'engineered' to (my definition of) perfection:

My Diamondback Explorer, which I use as Taxi, Explorer, and Non-Combat Mission Runner
My Alliance Challenger, which I primarily use for Thargoid Hunting and occasional PvP for grins
My Beluga Liner, my favorite, which I use for trade, passengers, exploring in style, and ruining bad pirate's days
My Federal Corvette, which I use for PvE combat and stoking my ego because I've always wanted a Star Destroyer from Star Wars

Hail the Empire
 

sandkid

S
DDastardly00 said:
Python.

Can't believe no one said it yet.
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Dammit dude, the goal isn't to actually name the best ship in the game. Way to go and ruin this guy's experience. Now he'll fly the Python, realize it can do literally everything great in the game and never try anything else. Sheesh. Next you'll tell him void opals are the best way to earn credits.
 

Mohrgan

Mohrgan
I have enjoyed using a series of nimble combat ships along the way. C MkIII > Vulture > FAS > aChief. I still own them, and would still recommend any of them, while currently relying on the aChief. I have not liked the Vipers, FdL, or especially the Python.
 

GunnerBill

GunnerBill
S~P said:
The alliance fighters are pretty good or you could go FDL or Mamba. The Vulture has problems with an under powered PP which means engineering, same goes with the Viper MK3.
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I think it's all relative. If the OP is taking on his next ship after a Cobra MKIII then I don't think PP is going to be an issue for a while. Then engineering the PP to the mid grades is not onerous. OP may already be well versed with engineering and find this easy.

As mentioned I like the Vulture because you can take it on and have great fun with it as a base model using B & D rated modules but the ship can grow with you to become a finely honed tool. I used mine as a front line ship all the way 'til I made Dangerous rank and despite reaching Elite and gaining many more kills beyond that I still fly the Vulture and find it a real blast.
 

DDastardly00

D
sandkid said:
Dammit dude, the goal isn't to actually name the best ship in the game. Way to go and ruin this guy's experience. Now he'll fly the Python, realize it can do literally everything great in the game and never try anything else. Sheesh. Next you'll tell him void opals are the best way to earn credits.
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I know right, I've literally used the Python for everything other than exploration and it just excels at everything you do with it. The only ship (in my mind anyway) that challenges the Python for the 'best overall ship in the game' category is the Krait Mk II. Still not sure which is better, I own both so I don't have to choose.
 
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