Combat is too tough?

Ningauble

N
Trying to make some money, hunting pirates, I'm currently driving a Viper MK IV but even the 60.000 credit range pirates are hard to kill.

I use gimballed lasers.

2F Burst laser,
1G Burst laser
1G Multi cannon
And seeker missiles.

I know they are pretty light punch, and I recently bought the multi cannon to try, but I don't want to come back to buy ammo so the logical way to go is lasers but Vipers can't install better than 1's?

Can anyone suggest a good loadout for Viper MK IV?
 

cmdrrdmc

C
With engineering, NPCs got buffed so they would pose more of a challenge for engineered players. But that made combat much more difficult for un-engineered ships. Your viper has two medium slots (2), and two small slots (2). You can fit 2 lasers, but only in the medium slots. Lasers/multi-cannons is the classic combo for beginner combat. Lasers for shield, multi-cannons for hull. Try to save your multi-cannons for when the shield goes down so the ammo last longer.
 

60mm

60mm
Stick to RES/Nav Beacons in Systems with Security until you get comfy with combat. You can ride the coattails of Security for Credits while learning to Maneuver and develop some Situational Awareness. Start practicing using your Vertical/Lateral Thrusters to stay on Target.

I would recommend going 2 C1 Lasers and 2 C2 Multi-Cannons to start. Look into Armor Hardness for Ships and Penetration, but LTDR smaller Kinetic weapons do increasingly less damage to Larger/Tougher Ships. Lasers are not subject to this, so it is usually better to use Larger Hardpoints for Kinetics. I would cram the most powerful Lasers your Power Distributor can handle.

Missiles are not ideal for PVE due to the ammo.


cmdrrdmc said:
You can fit 2 lasers, but only in the medium slots.
Click to expand...

No idea where you got that, but not true in the slightest
 
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Straker

Straker
While not directly answering your question, as your're in a smaller ship, make sure (if you haven't already) to tag along with the local security force in Lo-Res and Hi-Res sites as they'll help you out. When you get to the point that you get annoyed that they keep taking your kills then you know it's probably time to more to the Haz-Res sites.

Enjoy the tough combat - when a lot of people get a larger ship and get stuck in it they think the game's over.
 

cmdrrdmc

C
60mm said:
No idea where you got that, but not true in the slightest
Click to expand...

I didn't phrase that very well. OP said the Viper can only fit size 1 lasers. I'm saying it CAN fit size 2 lasers, but size 2 lasers have to go in a medium slot.
 
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CMDR Big Mike

CMDR Big Mike
Ningauble said:
Trying to make some money, hunting pirates, I'm currently driving a Viper MK IV but even the 60.000 credit range pirates are hard to kill.

I use gimballed lasers.

2F Burst laser,
1G Burst laser
1G Multi cannon
And seeker missiles.

I know they are pretty light punch, and I recently bought the multi cannon to try, but I don't want to come back to buy ammo so the logical way to go is lasers but Vipers can't install better than 1's?

Can anyone suggest a good loadout for Viper MK IV?
Click to expand...

So a few things here. It is generally advisable to balance load-outs with thermal/kinetic damage. With 4 hardpoints, I would do 2/2. Kinetic weapons suffer a size penalty as well (a small multi does less damage to a large ship then a medium does). It then becomes advisable to consider putting lasers in the small hardpoints and multis in the medium.

Lasers go on one trigger and multis go on another, that way you can use lasers to bring down shields, then use the multis to bring down the hull.

Going back to reload sucks but you can synthesize ammo if you have the mats. Also getting kills then reloading is more fun then never reloading but getting no kills.

Thats my general advice, let me know if you try it and if it works
 

60mm

60mm
cmdrrdmc said:
I didn't phrase that very well. OP said the Viper can only fit size 1 lasers. I'm saying it CAN fit size 2 lasers, but size 2 lasers have to go in a medium slot.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing OP is at a Stations with no C2 Lasers.

OP, few Stations carry all options. You can use eddb.io or edsm.net to search for stations carrying what you are looking for. Ships can carry any Module/Weapon as long as they have a sufficiently sized Module Slot/Hardpoint to carry it. You can also put Smaller size Modules/Weapons into larger Module Slots/Hardpoints, which can be handy for many builds.
 

Ningauble

N
First, thank you all for the replies and suggestions.

Currently I'm in Farseer's own system, Deciat, in Garay Station which is high tech but obviously not very well stocked.

I'll definitely try these solutions out and let you guys know.

First thing to do; go to another station, buy bigger guns, get rid of seekers and grab another multi, put lasers in small slots and multis in the med slots.

Cheers.
 

60mm

60mm
In case ya didn't know;

  • Vertical Thrust Up increases Pitch Down rate
  • Vertical Thrust Down increases Pitch Up rate
  • 50% Speed is Best for Maneuverability
 
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CMDR Karrde Sun

CMDR Karrde Sun
The standard answers for the new ai work:

- npc rank matters now. Master and below are what the old game felt like.
- You have to engineer to improve the experience sadly (or just stick to low ai)
- security helps but it’s a bit overkill, often you don’t get much more than a shot to tag it (it’s not very fun, but safe)
- big ships with decent bounties only spawn where there is no security for res
- improve your throttle flight techniques.
 

Ningauble

N
So it's better to hit the road with my engineered DBX and chart the space until I make big bucks, since there seems to be no other way to earn big and fast.

And then either beef up my Viper and save money for a Python.

Which kinda seems like what everybody is doing.
 

cmdrrdmc

C
Bounty hunting is not one of the better ways to make credits in the game. If money is your goal, yes you are better off doing other things. If you want to be competitive at combat though, practice + unlocking those engineers is what you need.
 
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CMDR Karrde Sun

CMDR Karrde Sun
Ningauble said:
So it's better to hit the road with my engineered DBX and chart the space until I make big bucks, since there seems to be no other way to earn big and fast.

And then either beef up my Viper and save money for a Python.

Which kinda seems like what everybody is doing.
Click to expand...

Really? Take a type7 to Robigo. Most certain way to do it for a fresh account... it’s aimless rng otherwise.

I wouldn’t try new world exploring if you’re there for just the credits certain way to quit the game.
 
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xondk

X
Ningauble said:
Trying to make some money, hunting pirates, I'm currently driving a Viper MK IV but even the 60.000 credit range pirates are hard to kill.

I use gimballed lasers.

2F Burst laser,
1G Burst laser
1G Multi cannon
And seeker missiles.

I know they are pretty light punch, and I recently bought the multi cannon to try, but I don't want to come back to buy ammo so the logical way to go is lasers but Vipers can't install better than 1's?

Can anyone suggest a good loadout for Viper MK IV?
Click to expand...

There is a learning curve when it comes to combat in Elite dangerous, you'll get it with time, so keep at it, learn what works for you, what setup is best for you.
 

Lobey

Lobey
Learn when to fight and when and how to run - there isn't an NPC in the game (Thargoids) included that can't be ran away from.
That's not meant to be "get gud" as much as be "canny" - choose your fights.
 
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