Can I fight off NPC wings?

[jasons]

In Solo mode, often when I investigate strong signal sources, it leads to an attack by a wing of 5 NPC's at least. It happens often so I wonder if the answer is to abandon hope and avoid them. This is in Solo mode.

Has anyone found a way to take on several NPC pirates and beat them. ED has now moved away from the attacking you one at a time to all at once

 

[Loetmichel]

Strong signal sources indicate a lot of tonnage inside it. Either a load of ships or some big ones.
So be prepared for a pounding when you go in there. Or simply avoid the strong ones if you are alone and in a weak ship.

 

[abumonkey]

I think strong signal sources are aimed at wings, i.e. player wings. You can try them if you're pretty elite and fully geared up but be warned they'll be tough. If alone stick non-strong ones!

 

[Hexcaliber]

Strong signal sources are designed for wings of players, while not impossible, unless you are accomplished and flying in something substantial you should avoid them if you are solo.

 

[DrakeAurum]

Strong Signal Sources are specifically designed to offer a challenge to groups of players in wings, though individual players in very high-end ships may also fare well there. The solution to them as a Solo player is, quite simply, not to enter them.

 

[Renegade Roach]

Depends very much what ship you are piloting and what the npcs are in. It's possible to tank some of the spawns in bigger ships, or do strafing runs to take them out one at a time then get out of range to recover if speed is your advantage. If it's 8 Vultures, or 3 or 4 high ranking Anacondas then discretion might be the better part of valour

Either way it's fun to have a pop at them, so don't give up. Just be realistic about your ship and piloting skills, and remember to bug out if it goes pear shaped rather than exploding everywhere.

 

[(-o-)]

In Solo mode, often when I investigate strong signal sources, it leads to an attack by a wing of 5 NPC's at least. It happens often so I wonder if the answer is to abandon hope and avoid them. This is in Solo mode.

Has anyone found a way to take on several NPC pirates and beat them. ED has now moved away from the attacking you one at a time to all at once

i have seen in strong signals several times there are 2 factions of npc attacking each other... so i wait for my turn to pick them off one by one.. if they go for me i rather run

 

[kingchub]

I hunt these solo in my vulture. Sometimes I have to run but sometimes I can handle it

 

[Renegade Roach]

The makeup of the spawn can help as well. You can try to pull smaller, faster ships away from their slower but harder hitting wingmates so you can pick them off without having to evade fire from all of them at once.

 

[Jackie Silver]

I make a lot of money by deliberately taking on Strong Signal Sources. The smallest ship I'd recommend trying with is a Vulture.

 

[DoppelShifter]

I make a lot of money by deliberately taking on Strong Signal Sources. The smallest ship I'd recommend trying with is a Vulture.

I second that.

The only time when I entered a Strong Signal source and DIDN'T bail out like a recently kicked puppy was when I was in a wing with some friends (4 total ships). While our Cobra was holding okay, the unequipped Eagle and the Sidewinder were getting smeared across time and space. And my mildly-equipped Vulture was holding just fine, so a fully equipped one would do wonders.

...Do mind that we got lucky and got inside a Strong Signal which was actually a faction skirmish, so managing the heat is a lot easier. When I went solo inside a one-sided pirate trap in another strong signal, though, I had to take the puppy-bail-out maneuver again. When you don't have anything to manage enemy fire and your shields can't soak the damage, tackling Strong Signals is hard at best.

 

[Jackie Silver]

I ran into one just now and thought I'd record it to post here - however, it was an unusual encounter with a fairly random collection of ships fighting each other - I had three Cobras on me at once but that's not particularly scary for a tooled up Ferdy so not very instructive. Next time I get one of the Anaconda ambushes I'll record it.

(Also there was the embarassing moment where I forgot which of my fingers was which and was manically firing into space thinking I was KWSing the target.)

 

[Morbad]

I find the 6-8 Vulture wings prohibitively difficult/time consuming to handle alone in most ships, but I usually stick around to destroy the Ananconda + fighter wingmen, or the triple Anaconda wings if I am in my Clipper, FDL, or Vulture.

If it's two separate groups fighting each other, rather than all against me from the get go, I stick around to take out any wanted ships, as a defeat in detail is a fairly simple feat to arrange if most of them are preoccupied with other foes.

 

[Vyvian]

Strong Signal sources have become my primary income. Large bounties and some good salvage at times as well. I wouldn't enter one solo though unless in Vulture or FDL (I'm sure Pythons and Condas can handle them as well.)

Probably still more money in RES hunting but I find little challenge there. Left SSSs with less than 50% hull a number of times.

I'm hoping we see more varied challenges of this calibre in the future.

 

[babelfisch]

If you have a fast ship and they outnumber you try to run away until the cops arrive.

 

[Jackie Silver]

I find the 6-8 Vulture wings prohibitively difficult/time consuming to handle alone in most ships, but I usually stick around to destroy the Ananconda + fighter wingmen, or the triple Anaconda wings if I am in my Clipper, FDL, or Vulture.

Exactly this; I can deal with the 'Conda groups more or less (though I often leave after destroying only one or two ships) but I usually scarper if faced with a wing of angry Vultures.