PvP Cheap Effective PvP build

[Garbarrage]

Ok, so I've been away for a while, but after a couple of years of threatening to do it, I've finally bought a rig that can do this game justice. Previously, I avoided Open for many reasons, but I'm pretty sure my machine would have badly affected anyone in the same instance as me. I was interdicted by CMDRs a few times and dropped into empty instances and such. I'd bet that was fairly annoying.

So, I have little to no PvP experience, and am looking for a build to learn in. Something that stands a chance, but won't savage my bank balance with rebuys. Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[Dad Rock]

It's not much to look at, but a tanked up, engineered Sidewinder with Enforcer cannons can do some pretty amazing stuff. Will take some time to engineer the bits and get the Power Play weapon from Pranav Antal, but it's good fun and with Enhanced Grade 5 DD thrusters, nobody can catch you...

 

[Ziljan]

Enforcer cannon Sidewinder can defeat other small ships with relatively small shields. And it's very fun to fly! However it is also very low ammo, so you'll need a LOT of reloads to take on anything bigger than a Vulture.

I'm not sure what you consider cheap, but a hull tanking Vulture with a god-rolled dirty drive and APAs is quite nasty to deal with. I've had several bigger ships flee from mine.

 

[Garbarrage]

I currently have a bunch of engineered ships. A pretty decent PvE FDL, An explora/trade Conda, a couple of Asps, An assortment of smaller ships including a Courier, and a bare-bones trade Cutter. Additionally, I have about 130 million cr.

I'm thinking a budget of around 20-50 million and I won't be sweating the rebuys too much. I'm expecting to die a lot.

Plasma Vulture sorta fits the bill. Good call.

Just have to (grrrr)Engineer one....

Do PAs cook a Vulture? I had one when I started playing and seem to recall it being a bit toasty. I'd imagine DDs mixed with PAs could make it a bit hot.?

Also, I'm a big fan of the Courier. Is it any good for PvP?

I remember there used to be a group that would meet up in small ships and have at it. Are they still around?

 

[ForeverN00b]

I currently have a bunch of engineered ships. A pretty decent PvE FDL, An explora/trade Conda, a couple of Asps, An assortment of smaller ships including a Courier, and a bare-bones trade Cutter. Additionally, I have about 130 million cr.

I'm thinking a budget of around 20-50 million and I won't be sweating the rebuys too much. I'm expecting to die a lot.

Plasma Vulture sorta fits the bill. Good call.

Just have to (grrrr)Engineer one....

Do PAs cook a Vulture? I had one when I started playing and seem to recall it being a bit toasty. I'd imagine DDs mixed with PAs could make it a bit hot.?

Also, I'm a big fan of the Courier. Is it any good for PvP?

I remember there used to be a group that would meet up in small ships and have at it. Are they still around?

The Vulture is a good small ship for pvp, mine has 1 pacifier cannon and 1 APA. You should be able to run 2 PAs or 2 APAs without cooking yourself, although the only PA mod I've used is efficient.

The courier is a blast for pvp, however it is difficult to squeeze a considerable amount of firepower out of it. On mine I'm constantly balancing between speed and firepower, whether to use lightweight weapons or more powerful (and heavier) weapons. Having a combat ship that can cruise faster than a FDL can boost is something else though.

Edit: I think for what you want, a vulture would be a good place to start. Make sure to have materials for a few overcharged powerplant rolls, as 5-10 rolls can yield a good heat efficiency as well as good power output. If you don't have access to PP weapons, dual PAs would be a good setup for a vulture IMO. You should be able to make one for 20-30M creds depending on which hull plating you choose.

 

[Herbrand]

For low-rebuy PvP, try a Courier; it requires more dodging/pip-dancing skills than your average cookie-cutter FdL, but you'll improve your piloting skills quick enough.

The downside is that if you decide to switch to something bigger, you will not be able to carry with you many modules.

 

[StiTch]

PvP viability is not paid for in credits: it is paid for in time you have to spend engineering.

If credits are, too, a serious concern, and you have some flight skills, I second Herbrand's suggestion of an iCourier. Little intense but very, very capable and is fast enough you can easily pick what you engage.Think Viper but even smaller/lighter, some nice hardpoints, double the utility slots and double the shields. I used to use one extensively in PvP.

The vulture can also be effective, and if you want something capable of actually taking a few hits to the hull without disintegrating, the FDS is ED's official budget hull-troll. Modules are expensive but the base unit is just 13 mill or so undiscounted, can fit moar hull reinforcements in than you can shake a stick at, is excellent FA Off training and many modules are transferable to the FGS later.

If you can decide on a ship, more than happy to help with loadout.

 

[Ziljan]

The Courier is fast but the C2 armor penetration, the too-wide convergence and, and limited distributor hold it back. You can mount Rails/PAs to pump up the burst DPS. However, you'll only be able to hit medium and smaller targets with 1-2 hardpoints at a time.

 

[Elpapo]

Ok, so I've been away for a while, but after a couple of years of threatening to do it, I've finally bought a rig that can do this game justice. Previously, I avoided Open for many reasons, but I'm pretty sure my machine would have badly affected anyone in the same instance as me. I was interdicted by CMDRs a few times and dropped into empty instances and such. I'd bet that was fairly annoying.

So, I have little to no PvP experience, and am looking for a build to learn in. Something that stands a chance, but won't savage my bank balance with rebuys. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Send me PM with how much u can afford into PVP. I tell u all u ever need to know.

 

[CMDR Cknarf]

Buy an eagle, fight your friends.

Take it to a CG and look for trouble.

Practice staying alive for as long as you can.