Newcomer / Intro Cobra vs Python help...

[Razortail]

Hi guys,

So I've got myself a Cobra MkIII and after doing a bit of rare item trading I've managed to outfit it with all C, B or A rated parts (minus the Life Support and weapons, but I'll get onto those). So I took some assassination missions with large rewards and they all seem to by Pythons. Not a problem in itself but here are a few issues I'm having...

Firstly, I can't seem to do enough damage. No matter how hard I try, I can't break through the Python's shields. I've got twin Class 1 gimballed Beam Lasers of the best rating I can find and they do almost nothing. I've read somewhere else that the rating of weapons is not the wuality of the weapon but how effective they are compared to other weapons or something, but that makes no sense. I think I have E-rated Lasers, does that mean I'll never find C or above gimballed Beam Lasers? Same goes for my Class 2 gimballed Multicannons, although they seem to do pretty well against most hulls.

Secondly, I can't take enough damage. Within seconds by shields are gone, another 5 seconds I'm at 40% hull. I have no time to move, reposition or even turn around most of the time. I've got an A-rated Class 3 Shield Generator, a Shield Booster in one of my utility slots (can't remember what rating), a hull reinforcement and I think the second to most expensive hull upgrade. In my mind, my Cobra is almost as tanked as it can get. Do I seriously need all A-grade stuff to have any chance against even an NPC Python?

I initially assumed it was because I'm not an expert pilot yet and I'm still using a 360 controller until my first joystick turns up from Amazon. But I can out-maneuver Eagles with ease most of the time and only other Cobras feel like an equal match.

The Python's I'm fighting seem to be faster, stronger and more powerful overall than my Cobra, which seems a bit OP. My power distribution ends up in shreds as well. If I don't pump it all into Systems, my sheilds are basically wortheless. If I don;t pump it all into Engines the Python out-turns me every time with ease. And if I neglect Weapons, I can only fire my beams for about 3 seconds, not that they have much effect anyway. This is with an A-rated power generator AND power distributor.

Oh and to top it off, these missions say I need to be Mostly Harmless to do them, and I'm Novice. So they're apparently below my combat rating?!

I suppose what I'm saying is, the difference in difficulty between fighting an ASP or tanked-up Cobra and fighting a Python is massive and doesn't feel very well balanced. I'm basically stuck hunting random pirates and bounties, hoping there are no Pythons among them, netting tiny paychecks and ferrying illegal cargo around to make money. Where the hell am I going wrong?!

TL;DR - I'm getting pancaked by NPC Pythons in my decked-out Cobra and have no idea how to close the gap. Help!

 

[Neokortex]

You try to race a F1 car with your bike???

 

[Arry]

I run my Cobra with full beams, D2 gimbals and turrets in the small slots. The turrets, cause you to need a heat sink. Don't mash the trigger, when using the mids.

Pythons? First thing, what ranks? That is your biggest question, drop the mission if too high. I have taken Pythons in my Cobra, but I would rather not, unless a lower rank. They have different fits, so these is no one method. However, right behind, is always good, where, depends on the fit. Pythons run at around 150Ms, so the Cobra can dance at that speed. Chaff is always good. Dance around the beams and other stuff, you can see coming. Don't try and joust and if you are going to run, which most times you will have to, to recharge shields etc, get the pips to systems and engine fast, bob and weave and circle at 5 to 6 km; then try to come in from behind. Oh little advantage, Higher security system, security will turn up and if you are lucky, help out.

I am running my i-pod now, yesterday, I got kill the pirate lord mission. Earlier, I had taken out 2 separate novice Anacondas; one with security help; anyway, the Pirate lord, found him in a USS, Competent in another Anaconda, along side his Deadly wing man; in another Anaconda. It took me about 10 to 15 seconds to think about getting away from there; about the same time, my shields, went down to one ring.

I dropped the mission.

 

[Iskariot]

Pythons can be very tough, and perhaps you shouldn't even try confronting them in a Cobra, especially when they use turrets..
Personally I always felt it was considerably easier to take down Pythons and Anacondas in a Viper.

But... that was several updates ago. It might have become more difficult now.

 

[Arry]

Pythons can be very tough, and perhaps you shouldn't even try confronting them in a Cobra, especially when they use turrets..
Personally I always felt it was considerably easier to take down Pythons and Anacondas in a Viper.

But... that was several updates ago. It might have become more difficult now.

I see the Viper as a throw away ship; which gives me the mind set to take it to the wire. Same hard points, so same killing power and I think, if you don't care if you lose the ship, you can take the opponents hull down a lot more.

 

[Dommarraa]

You heard correctly. The rating of weapons is irrelevant. If it is the right class, and the right targeting type, its the right weapon. There are no variants

I fly a Python, and facing a wing with a Python in it is far more dangerous than a wing with a Conda in it. You need to stay behind it, and/or duck and dive until the police turn up to assist. Alternatively you could avoid Assassination missions till you have a proper combat ship like a Vulture. If you had any idea what the target would be, you might be able to choose suitable missions, but you cant really.

 

[znôrt]

I've managed to outfit it with all C, B or A rated parts (minus the Life Support and weapons, but I'll get onto those). So I took some assassination missions with large rewards and they all seem to by Pythons. Not a problem in itself but here are a few issues I'm having...

if you are going for big prey you might want to fit out your cobra for combat: A poweplant, distributor and thrusters, no question. shield could be A or D, sensors and life support best D. avoid C and B modules altogether (except B shield cell banks maybe). with these you get the maximum juice and maneuverability for your ship. you'll gonna need it.

Firstly, I can't seem to do enough damage. ...twin Class 1 gimballed Beam Lasers ... Class 2 gimballed Multicannons

that's how far as it gets in a cobra in terms of hardpoints. remember you can use the multicannons on shields too. try cannons. try using class 2 termal. but the thing is you're in a tiny ship vs a brute, it will take time and patience.

Secondly, I can't take enough damage.

of course you can't. you should avoid being hit, you should always be in his blind spots. identifying them is top priority.

your shield and cells are enough to survive occasional mistakes where you do get hit, but they cannot resist sustained fire from a python, you must immediately evade and recover, or get away. use chaff. pip management, boost, faoff and lateral thrusters combined help a lot.

it's hard, but it's doable. good luck!

 

[Faded Glory]

OP, with regards to giving damage, smaller weapons are much less effective against larger ships in the first place, so trying to take on a Python with class 1 lasers is already a huge disadvantage. You may have better luck if you go with class 2 pulse lasers in the medium hard points (beams will deplete your capacitor too quickly).

With regards taking damage, the Cobra, even with A rated shields is pretty vulnerable, with a 4A shield generator giving only about 120 MJ of shield strength compared to for example a Vulture, where shields can get up over 400 MJ in strength (higher numbers are better). So if you are getting hit by weapons from a Python, some of which could be pretty powerful, you won't last long. Shield cell banks may help giving you a bit of staying power.

Essentially, when you see the large ships such as Pythons, Anacondas and possibly even Clippers, you should firstly look at their ranking, and unless they are Novice or below, strongly consider whether you are in the right ship for the job.

 

[goemon]

1. you said having a class 3 shield. get a class 4A

2. the cobra is weak on shields. play to it's strength. do not put a shieldbooster. use chaff. doublechaff against pythons turretts.

3. get at least one shieldbank. cobras shields can't take more than energy from a 2A shieldbank. top up as soon as you are down to one ring

4. don't use medium beams on a cobra. the distributor is to weak. also, beam lasers are best at close range, but with your small fast ship you don't want to come too close to the slow python. use 1 medium pulse, one multicannon. and yes, turrets on the small hardpoints (i go with one cannon, one burst, two pulses work well)

5. to get this into perspective:

a) the thrusters of my python do cost more than my fully a class cobra. no joke. the python is a different class of ship, not OP. simply 20 times the prize of a cobra.

b) i killed a python or two in my cobra today. but i had to leave two in my trading clipper yesterday. you can't win every fight in e:d.

 

[Rhaedas]

I took out a Python today as well with my Cobra, but it was a rough fight, and he was certainly a low rank with the simpler of weapons. Keys to win in my case, didn't go head to head, but kept orbiting, boosting out when it got hot. Targeted the PP first thing. Used all four of my shield cell bank charges in the battle, made sure to not let them drop. Most importantly, I was ready to ditch the fight if it ever stopped being in my advantage.

 

[vindicator jones]

Assassination missions are very random with their difficulty. Even in my FDL some missions are bloody hard, whilst some others are incredibly easy.

One of the worst ones I have ever been in was an elite python and 2 elite vultures. Holy guacamole, It was like I was shooting at the deathstar.. Hardest NPC's I have ever come up against, and I have been an elite bounty hunter for 3 months now.

I really think some assassination missions you need to do in a wing.

 

[The Tick]

To OP: you nearly got a bounty hunting course with all the advice in this thread.

Interested in some more? If doing the more difficult assassination missions:
- Use an agile ship. IMHO the Cobra is a tad too slow when maneuvering, rather use a Viper or a DBS. Also, the Viper has better shields, and a smaller profile, so you get hit less often with turrets
- Learn to stay behind the big targets, in their blind spot. Learn to use the vertical and side thrusters. Never go head to head, or you're dead.
- Only shoot at below 1 km. 0.5 km is even better. Your hit rate increases. And you don't want to miss a single shot. And when so close, you even hit a chaffing target.
- When under fire, put 3-4 pips to shields. Shields will last much longer.
- Only go with Top A level thrusters and power distributor. You need every inch of maneuverability and power source. Only the Vulture allows for C Thrusters, if low weight. Use coriolis.io to plan your loadout. You overall weight should be as close to half of 'Optimal Mass' spec for your thruster as possible.
- Always double chaff in a power starved loadout. Much better than Shield Boosters. Basically, rather avoid being hit at all than soaking up all the damage
- Weapons loadout:
-- in the smaller slots, use gimballed pulse lasers . Why? i. best damage to power usage efficiency - and you need to be efficient when trying to take down the big ones, ii. when shooting shields, smaller weapons don't suffer from the size penalty iii. gimballed, because you can keep on firing even when maneuvering. If your target is chaffing, unlock the target san use as fixes.
-- in the large slots, use kinetic weapons (MCs). So when the shields are down, you only need to leave 2 pips to weapons while keeping on firing indefinitely. So you can move more to Eng (or Sys, when under fire)

In PvE, I barely need SCBs. Only if I want to keep on fighting in a RES, rather than wait for the shields to recharge. But if you don't use Shield Boosters, also the recharging is faster ...

This should greatly increase your chances. And if you are just unlucky during a fight: all pips to eng, and flee!

Enjoy, CMDR! And fly dangerously - it's fun!

 

[NE1]

Hi guys,

So I've got myself a Cobra MkIII and after doing a bit of rare item trading I've managed to outfit it with all C, B or A rated parts (minus the Life Support and weapons, but I'll get onto those). So I took some assassination missions with large rewards and they all seem to by Pythons. Not a problem in itself but here are a few issues I'm having...

Firstly, I can't seem to do enough damage. No matter how hard I try, I can't break through the Python's shields. I've got twin Class 1 gimballed Beam Lasers of the best rating I can find and they do almost nothing. I've read somewhere else that the rating of weapons is not the wuality of the weapon but how effective they are compared to other weapons or something, but that makes no sense. I think I have E-rated Lasers, does that mean I'll never find C or above gimballed Beam Lasers? Same goes for my Class 2 gimballed Multicannons, although they seem to do pretty well against most hulls.

Secondly, I can't take enough damage. Within seconds by shields are gone, another 5 seconds I'm at 40% hull. I have no time to move, reposition or even turn around most of the time. I've got an A-rated Class 3 Shield Generator, a Shield Booster in one of my utility slots (can't remember what rating), a hull reinforcement and I think the second to most expensive hull upgrade. In my mind, my Cobra is almost as tanked as it can get. Do I seriously need all A-grade stuff to have any chance against even an NPC Python?

I initially assumed it was because I'm not an expert pilot yet and I'm still using a 360 controller until my first joystick turns up from Amazon. But I can out-maneuver Eagles with ease most of the time and only other Cobras feel like an equal match.

The Python's I'm fighting seem to be faster, stronger and more powerful overall than my Cobra, which seems a bit OP. My power distribution ends up in shreds as well. If I don't pump it all into Systems, my sheilds are basically wortheless. If I don;t pump it all into Engines the Python out-turns me every time with ease. And if I neglect Weapons, I can only fire my beams for about 3 seconds, not that they have much effect anyway. This is with an A-rated power generator AND power distributor.

Oh and to top it off, these missions say I need to be Mostly Harmless to do them, and I'm Novice. So they're apparently below my combat rating?!

I suppose what I'm saying is, the difference in difficulty between fighting an ASP or tanked-up Cobra and fighting a Python is massive and doesn't feel very well balanced. I'm basically stuck hunting random pirates and bounties, hoping there are no Pythons among them, netting tiny paychecks and ferrying illegal cargo around to make money. Where the hell am I going wrong?!

TL;DR - I'm getting pancaked by NPC Pythons in my decked-out Cobra and have no idea how to close the gap. Help!

Try this loadout 14Mil Combat Cobra I dont have any issues with overheating and the E2 Turreted beams can stay on target firing pretty much 100% set Turret targeting to "Target only"
put all weapons on firegroup 1 and only hold fire down to release multi-cannons.

 

[Razortail]

Thank you so much everyone. I'll post a longer response to all your advice when I get home later. Just wanted to say, what a friendly helpful community. It's refreshing!

 

[Sire]

TL;DR - I'm getting pancaked by NPC Pythons in my decked-out Cobra and have no idea how to close the gap. Help!

The fact that american indians were exterminated because tried to defend themselves with bows and arrows against guns and rifles does tell you nothing?

 

[who?]

I think there are now several ships around the same combat ability - the Cobra, Viper and Scout; and taken down a Python or Anaconda target is always going to be tough. I generally went with two gimballed Pulses and two gimballed Multi-cannons. Take down the shields with the Pulses and if/when their shields go down open up with everything. Target the powerplant.

If you have SCBs (Shield Cell Banks, let you restore or partially restore damaged shields), use them. Remember that big crafts' shields recharge a lot slower than small crafts', so if both your shields go down, run out of weapons range, wait for your shields to go back up, and then when you attack again their shields will still be down.

When you can afford a Vulture, things get a lot easier.

- - - Updated - - -

The fact that american indians were exterminated because tried to defend themselves with bows and arrows against guns and rifles does tell you nothing?

That America's liberal gun laws have been an issue for some time now?

(Not trying to open a political debate, just trying to be funny...)

 

[xondk]

You might want to look into getting a viper for combat, it is significantly better then the cobra for that, think of the cobra as ultimately a smuggler ship and fairly agile, but it doesn't take many hits to hurt it. I would recommend using cobra for mostly trading and such, and a bit of mission running, but up against big ships, I can sharply recommend a viper, it can take quite a bit of a beating for its size, and I took down python's in mine fairly easily, the cobra is a great ship, but as you fight bigger and bigger ships, generally you will need bigger and bigger ships to fight them, working towards a vulture to replace the viper is also a great thing, vulture is a brutal and relatively cheap combat ship.

 

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Before a Vulture consider an Imperial Courier, much cheaper but with similar shields and low cost. Class 3 power distributer is its weakness but I find it an effective toy in CZs so should handle assassination missions.