Newcomer / Intro Buy an Adder or upgrade the Sidewinder?

Malloryn · Jan 17, 2015

I've been playing ED for about a week for just an hour or two in the evenings. I've almost saved up enough to buy an Adder, but now I'm wondering if I should spend the credits to trick out my Sidewinder some and spend some time dog fighting? I've been interdicted a couple of times, one which resulted in the death of the other guy and the other times I've escaped. In some respects, I guess what I'm really asking is if the Adder will be able to survive a dog fight (with my limited skills) or should I practice up more before I get a new ship? So far I've just run courier missions or traded to make cash.

Appreciate your thoughts and advice...

Thanks,
CMDR Malloryn
ED Newb

Rhaedas · Jan 17, 2015

Either one really. As long as you've got your insurance for either ship covered for the inevitable loss. The Adder is quite nimble, I think it's comparable to the Sidewinder numbers wise, especially if you upgrade a few things, plus it can haul more. But you can max out a Sidewinder and have a nice ship as well.

Just be sure if you buy the Adder that you have extra funds left. You best bet overall is wait until you can buy the Adder and also keep your upgraded Sidewinder as a backup.

Fen Harel · Jan 17, 2015

I upgrade to an Adder as soon as I could. The view is not as good, but there are more options. I have mine set for exploration, but it works well in other roles too. Like with any ship, the base cost is small compared to the number of credits needed to getting it all specced out.

RobWolves · Jan 17, 2015

I've got a Sidewinder and kitted out Eagle, so I'm planning on getting an Adder with larger cargo and some exploration and mining stuff so I try my hand at some things other than simple trading and bounty hunting. I think it's a good ship for the price and often gets overlooked.

Iskariot · Jan 17, 2015

Personally I chose to upgrade the Sidewinder to the max and I did bounty hunting in it for a long while.
It is a cheap learning vehicle and as I discovered a very capable fighter when upgraded.
I took on as many combat missions as I could to improve my stats and also went to extraction sites to hunt for pirates.
I also did some smuggling when the opportunity arose. The Sidey is fast and nimble and can slip past the authorities with great ease.
It is not a good trader vehicle of course, but I decided to postpone trading until I felt completely comfortable with the game's mechanics, and my new HOTAS.
After the Sidey I bought a Viper and only when I became very proficient at combat I decided to do some trading in a T-6. I never tried the Hauler or the Adder at all.

Gully Foyle · Jan 17, 2015

Howdy CMDR!

Upgrading the Sidewinder is awesome for fighting but it is limited in cargo space for my liking.
Have a look at the Viper if you'd like to do well at bounty-hunting and combat. It has adequate space for cargo as well.
If you like trading and mining I recommend the Adder.

Good Hunting!

Perseus · Jan 17, 2015

I'd recommend the Adder unless you've still got the hots for the 'Sidey. You'll miss the 'Sideys canopy and sound but you'll gain more capacity. Or, you could keep both for now. Use the Adder for trading and the 'Sidey for BHing.
I still have my Adder; it's a mining vessel which I use at potentially hostile extraction sites.

Himmel Tropf · Jan 17, 2015

I've not progressed past the sidewinder yet, but have killed plenty of NPC adders... i'm hanging out for a viper or better, personally, but from my <1week experience i'm more than happy with the sidewinder.
there are many like it, but this one is mine.

DB Cooper · Jan 17, 2015

It depends what your main focus is ----if you like bounty hunting then an eagle is a cheap upgrade from the sidey. If you are more focused on trading then the adder is great, more cargo space and 3 hard points to protect yourself if needed. Also, Rember that initial cost of the ship pales in comparison to a fully upgraded ship ----always save enough working Capitol to pay the insurance re buy cost X2 you never know what will happen. I once had my ship destroyed twice because of incorrect key bindings trying to launch ---cost me 60K credits before I had it sorted out

Rhaedas · Jan 17, 2015

I use my upgraded Adder for bounty hunting. An Eagle is fast and quick turning, but any of the other ships can take more abuse.

purf · Jan 17, 2015

^ this. Trading, mining, exploration? Strange, I must be flying a different Adder...

Way tougher than an Eagle, reasonably nimble, has 3 hardpoints, 1 of them medium. Two utility mounts for both finding your target and pursuing it
and enough internal slots to be able to not only produce loot but also to scavenge it. There's even enough space for, uh, a little helper in terms of loot-production

The only 1½ problems the Adder has is the rather restricted view and the situations in which someone (you or your target) decides to leg it.

the100thmonkey · Jan 17, 2015

The Adder has a good pitch rate and rolls really quickly, which means that you can evade fire easily if you know how to be unpredictable.

I've been using the Adder as a light trader in order to get the credits together to finish upgrading my Viper. It really comes in to its own when you find a set of systems with complementary economies that are also secure enough to swap the shield generator for cargo racks. I currently run 2x8, 2x4 and 1x2 cargo racks, which gives me 26 tons of haulage. That moment when you realise that you can make a cr500/t profit with an in-system trip of under two minutes is awesome.

No, I'm not going to tell you where I'm trading. I play open and I don't want to advertise my vulnerability.

If you can find an agricultural system close to an extraction system with industrial and high tech systems close by, you're golden. Outside of trading rare goods, those are the best congregations of systems. Eravate is actually pretty good for this, but I think the sheer numbers of players in that system and its immediate environs means the economy tends to flatten the margins.

*EDIT*

Buy an Adder - you won't make anywhere near enough credits/hour in a Sidewinder to progress.

Rhaedas · Jan 17, 2015

the100thmonkey said:
The Adder has a good pitch rate and rolls really quickly, which means that you can evade fire easily if you know how to be unpredictable.

Yep. Granted it was a NPC, but had one Eagle last night who was quite a fight, loaded with missiles. Didn't hit me once, I didn't stay still for him to aim well.

Sadly I couldn't stop him from jumping when I almost had him down, but it was a fun fight. The sound of those rockets whooshing by, wheee...

Cryptonomica · Jan 17, 2015

My 2Cr - buy the Adder, but make sure you have enough credits to cover the insurance first

CMD Leigh Fury · Jan 17, 2015

I have been playing for a few weeks now. Here's what I did, I'm no expert, and your mileage may vary.

I spent the first few weeks doing missions, nav points, and random USSs and used the CR to trick out my Sidewinder. Doing things nice and slow, learning how the game works as I go.

Yesterday, I decided I've had my fun in the Sidewinder (for now). I also decided to leave Fed space and head for the nearest Alliance planet.

I had enough CR to make the next step: Hauler or Adder, because I wanted to try out more missions and trading, and wanted the cargo space. I chose the Adder based simply on the stats on the purchase screen.

Spent a lot of time scouting the local systems from my new Alliance home, including doing my own spreadsheet of the local commodities list on one station in each system.

I've stripped my Adder and have 26T of cargo space and 12.8ly laden jumps. This means, of course, that I have no shields and only two small hardpoints.

My first run in that version of the ship was with 112k CR of Berrylum It was stressful knowing I had no shields, but so far everything is going fine. I'm sure there will come a time when I run into trouble, but I'm fine with taking that chance.

I've got a decent income now (for a newbie in an Adder), I currently can get 58k CR by going back and forth between two stops, a bit more if I go 3-4 stops round-trip. I've jumped from a brand new Adder and around 40k CR yesterday to 500k CR today with a decent Adder.

I kept my Sidewinder; I like the Adder.

CMD Leigh Fury · Jan 17, 2015

Dork

Well, since I can't even register with a correct forum name, take anything I type with a grain of salt.

Malloryn · Jan 17, 2015

Thanks!

Thanks for all the advice. I went ahead and upgraded to an Adder, but will use the extra cargo space to grow my credits and then go back and trick out the Sidewinder for some combat missions.

Thanks again!
CMDR Malloryn
ED Newb (still)

Runnybabbit · Jan 17, 2015

Malloryn said:
Thanks for all the advice. I went ahead and upgraded to an Adder, but will use the extra cargo space to grow my credits and then go back and trick out the Sidewinder for some combat missions.

Thanks again!
CMDR Malloryn
ED Newb (still)

I got my Adder, kept the hardpoints loaded, removed internals to make 10 cargo spaces (you can do more, but I liked the compromise), & proceeded to upgrade the ship (start with reactor, power distributor, shield generator, etc). Nice railgun in the top hardpoint & upgraded the pulse lasers to burst lasers gimballed, not often needed, as I prefer to evade when interdicted, but comforting if needed.. Definitely a good ship to boost credits with trading and missions.

Firebeard · Jan 17, 2015

I love the adder a really nice versatile little boat. I sold mine to deck out a viper (which worked) but have stepped back into the multirole boat in the cobra.

(Boy is stuff expensive!)

Adder gives 3 guns nice cargo capacity and good agility.