Newcomer / Intro Couriering and Transporting .. Glorified Bus/Truck Driver

Pa-Kur

P
I am new and have been using the Sidewinder couriering and currently at 7 Mil Credits. I am looking to upgrading my ship, but like the title states all I care to do is Couriering and Transporting. Should I keep couriering in the Sidewinder till I bank more or bight the bullet and purchase a new ship?

While I am here, is there any advantage to joining a group/squadron?

Thanks
Pa-Kur
 

Para Handy

Para Handy
Pa-Kur said:
I am new and have been using the Sidewinder couriering and currently at 7 Mil Credits. I am looking to upgrading my ship, but like the title states all I care to do is Couriering and Transporting. Should I keep couriering in the Sidewinder till I bank more or bight the bullet and purchase a new ship?

While I am here, is there any advantage to joining a group/squadron?
Click to expand...

I used to do clear saves every time I got destroyed and I never skipped the Hauler after the Sidewinder. It has good jump distance and enough capacity to do more hauling and some courier stuff - you can even fit passenger cabins and make a good income to take you to that fully-fledged Cobra MkIII that is the bees-knees of the small pad ships. In fact the Hauler can be used as an explorer to run round the Road-to-Riches money-tree if building a good starting pot is what you desire. Just don't try to fight in one. ;)

The group or squadron thing all depends on your preference, if you want to play with friends then a squadron is a good way to find some, alternatively you might just want to be the lone pilot out there in the black. There is a sub-forum on here for groups etc and the INARA website is a good way to find one that suits the cut of your jib.

Good luck
 

d8veh

d8veh
A T6 is the next logical ship, then a Python, then an Anaconda. A T6 doesn't cost much and it can carry 100T. You can make a lot of money (about 60 mil/hr) with a T6 doing Robigo passenger missions. Everything is explained in detail in this vid from 29:00 and the next two in the series - a complete walkthrough:. You can ignore the first half of the first vid:
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdX-dZR3-aY

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvZXn6DLsww&t=15s

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8m6BU6zlHw&t=1132s
 

HRDiagram

HRDiagram
Like others have mentioned, the T6 is a solid option.
I would not disregard a Dolphin, alternatively. It's got slightly less cargo capacity than a T6, but it's a small ship (T6 is medium), and it's an absolute pleasure to fly.
It's also very cold and with the right modules can charge the FSD while sitting next to a star without overheating.

And, as a bus, it fits the role, if you want to carry passengers
 

aRJay

aRJay
I missed the T6 when I started as I was interested in more shooty ships but it gets lots of recommendations, the Dolphin is a great ship for those activities fast and great jump range a drawback is like its bigger sister ships there is an annoying reflection in the cockpit that makes scooping cargo more awkward than it should be.
 

Mersozz

Mersozz
Pa-Kur said:
I am new and have been using the Sidewinder couriering and currently at 7 Mil Credits. I am looking to upgrading my ship, but like the title states all I care to do is Couriering and Transporting. Should I keep couriering in the Sidewinder till I bank more or bight the bullet and purchase a new ship?

While I am here, is there any advantage to joining a group/squadron?

Thanks
Pa-Kur
Click to expand...
Different folks will give you different advice regarding their favorite beginner ships. I've been playing a while, but I still come back to my Diamondback Scout ("DBS") because it is so fun to fly. It's also one of the cheaper ships in the game. It does not have much cargo space, but it's a great courier runner, and excels with stuff like data hacks, salvage missions, etc.

Many people love the Cobra, and if you are interested in an inexpensive ship that can do many things well, it's a great early choice.

Regarding groups, and squadrons.... it depends alot on what you are looking to do. As with ships, there are many different squadrons out there. Most of them are very welcoming to new players. I happen to belong to one, and I can tell you we are recruiting, and very laid back. Even if you don't wind up joining a squadron, most of them are still cool with you asking questions or hanging out. My squadron forum page is here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/wraith-shipping.565204/.
 
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d8veh

d8veh
Mersozz said:
Different folks will give you different advice regarding their favorite beginner ships. I've been playing a while, but I still come back to my Diamondback Scout ("DBS") because it is so fun to fly. It's also one of the cheaper ships in the game. It does not have much cargo space, but it's a great courier runner, and excels with stuff like data hacks, salvage missions, etc.

Many people love the Cobra, and if you are interested in an inexpensive ship that can do many things well, it's a great early choice.

Regarding groups, and squadrons.... it depends alot on what you are looking to do. As with ships, there are many different squadrons out there. Most of them are very welcoming to new players. I happen to belong to one, and I can tell you we are recruiting, and very laid back. Even if you don't wind up joining a squadron, most of them are still cool with you asking questions or hanging out. My squadron forum page is here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/wraith-shipping.565204/.
Click to expand...
While you mention it, I would choose the DBS as the best first combat ship if you can't afford a Vulture. It's a lot better than the Viper and the Cobra for combat. It's basic stats - shields, speed, hull, weapons - are similar, but it has a massive advantage over those two, which is that all the weapons are on the front and will always fire simultaneously, while as both the Viper and Cobra are flat with two weapons on the top and two on the bottom. If the enemy is above you or below you, only two of the weapons will fire, which substantially reduces your fire-power.

People play the game how they like. Some like to spend a long time making little progress, while others want to get their Corvette/Cutter as soon as possible. These small ships generally put you in the former group. If you want to be in the latter group, you should see them as stepping stones to the next ship up.

General advice: Never buy a ship unless you have the money to fully optimise it for the task in hand. Always think about speed. Speed gets you to safety from interdictions and away from enemies. You need 350m/s boost to more or less guarantee to escape after getting interdicted. Always plan for the worst. As an example, I've watched haulers/miners work their way up to a T9. They never got interdicted in their hauler, T6 or T7. The first trip in their not properly prepared T9 with over 700T of valuable cargo full of confidence and only thinking of the massive profit they're going to make, they get pulled out and are a sitting duck. With a speed of 140m/s and virtually no boost because they couldn't afford an A-rated charge enhanced PD, all they can do is sit and watch while they lose everything.
 
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Northpin

Northpin
Pa-Kur said:
I am new and have been using the Sidewinder couriering and currently at 7 Mil Credits. I am looking to upgrading my ship, but like the title states all I care to do is Couriering and Transporting. Should I keep couriering in the Sidewinder till I bank more or bight the bullet and purchase a new ship?

While I am here, is there any advantage to joining a group/squadron?

Thanks
Pa-Kur
Click to expand...

My ship progression was: Sidewinder, Cobra Mk3, Asp Explorer, Krait Mk2, Python, Imperial Cutter
For my first alt account: Sidewinder, Adder, Type-6, Asp Explorer, Krait Mk2, Python, Anaconda / Type-9

Ideally you should not buy a new ship unless you have 3-4 times more credits than the ship initial costs (you'll want to upgrade some of the internals and still have enough cash to resume trading and have some for an eventual rebuy)
 

Cohen the Worrior

Cohen the Worrior
You probably upgraded the Sidey?
The Hauler will take all your upgraded modules and jumps further. It's a great starter explorer.
If you want to go into exploring, do the road to riches towards Maya and buy a meta alloy there.

If you want to continue running errants, get an Eagle. It has a great cockpit and a great view from it.
 
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Badmiker

Badmiker
I feel your affection for the Sidey!
Figuring out what ship you want next is one of the best things out there and your first ship after a Sidey is a big moment.

They are all different; beyond the basic stats of jump range, cargo capacity etc, there's how they feel to fly, what it's like sitting in the cockpit, how you feel when you look back at them sitting on the landing pad.

The DBS/DBX is a great ship, but the interior is like sitting in an old tractor cab.
The ASP also looks great and has one of the best canopy views in the game, but it's an ugly ship and sounds like farting in a drainpipe
Everyone should own a Cobra at some point, full stop. Doesnt fly particularly well though.
The Vulture is a razor sharp handling ship, but has terrible cargo capacity. Chieftain/Challenger are similar

Cobra would be a great next step for you, or save up for a Krait (Mk2 is more versatile but Phantom is lighter, faster and sounds awesome)
 

Cohen the Worrior

Cohen the Worrior
Badmiker said:
I feel your affection for the Sidey!
Figuring out what ship you want next is one of the best things out there and your first ship after a Sidey is a big moment.

They are all different; beyond the basic stats of jump range, cargo capacity etc, there's how they feel to fly, what it's like sitting in the cockpit, how you feel when you look back at them sitting on the landing pad.

The DBS/DBX is a great ship, but the interior is like sitting in an old tractor cab.
The ASP also looks great and has one of the best canopy views in the game, but it's an ugly ship and sounds like farting in a drainpipe
Everyone should own a Cobra at some point, full stop. Doesn't fly particularly well though.
The Vulture is a razor sharp handling ship, but has terrible cargo capacity. Chieftain/Challenger are similar

Cobra would be a great next step for you, or save up for a Krait (Mk2 is more versatile but Phantom is lighter, faster and sounds awesome)
Click to expand...
You summed that up quite nicely.
Dolphin it is then if you prefer elegance. Type-6 if you're the industrial type.
 

d8veh

d8veh
Badmiker said:
I feel your affection for the Sidey!
Figuring out what ship you want next is one of the best things out there and your first ship after a Sidey is a big moment.

They are all different; beyond the basic stats of jump range, cargo capacity etc, there's how they feel to fly, what it's like sitting in the cockpit, how you feel when you look back at them sitting on the landing pad.

The DBS/DBX is a great ship, but the interior is like sitting in an old tractor cab.
The ASP also looks great and has one of the best canopy views in the game, but it's an ugly ship and sounds like farting in a drainpipe
Everyone should own a Cobra at some point, full stop. Doesnt fly particularly well though.
The Vulture is a razor sharp handling ship, but has terrible cargo capacity. Chieftain/Challenger are similar

Cobra would be a great next step for you, or save up for a Krait (Mk2 is more versatile but Phantom is lighter, faster and sounds awesome)
Click to expand...
The Cobra mk3 was a very good ship up to around 2015 when ships were difficult to afford and multi-role ships were viable. Many people have fond memories of it. Today, there is very little to recommend it. Ships are cheap when a beginner can be earning 200 mil per hour within a few hours of starting. Whatever you can do in a Cobra, there are other ships that can do it better. As I said earlier, some people like to make slow progress. For them, a Cobra is a brilliant ship, but a Sidewinder or Hauler would be even better depending how slow they want.
 
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d8veh

d8veh
Northpin said:
Au contraire.
Is still a very fast ship (600+ speed) with superb supercruise maneuverability while still having a decent jump range (45+ ly)

Makes for a perfect material gatherer
Click to expand...
You're no convincing me. So, the Cobra has very little to recommend it except that it's good at collecting materials, but who does that when you get the materials for nothing when you do missions, mining and killing enemies? Speed and manoevrability are always useful, but only if you have some purpose for it. What would be that purpose for a Cobra? Maybe a griefing ship, where you interdict the bad guys and run away, though a Sidewinder would always be better for that.
 

sinisalo

sinisalo
I like the Cobra too, and I'd recommend it for the courier part of the plan. But it won't be as good for the transport part.

For me the T-6 makes a lot of sense. Affordable, pretty fast and two class 5 optionals to stuff butts in seats.

I'm a big Saud Kruger fan, and the Dolphin is a great ship, but the T-6 edges it for me if bulk transport is part of the intended role. Then again, there are other considerations too. Like if you want to run criminals, the Dolphin makes a great smuggler. I think both of these ships could get the job done with no regret.

To chime in on the other question, if you were to stick with courier missions only, then the 'Winder will do nicely. But since the OP added transport to the criteria, the Sidewinder is out. Gotta go bigger.
 
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Mersozz

Mersozz
d8veh said:
While you mention it, I would choose the DBS as the best first combat ship if you can't afford a Vulture. It's a lot better than the Viper and the Cobra for combat. It's basic stats - shields, speed, hull, weapons - are similar, but it has a massive advantage over those two, which is that all the weapons are on the front and will always fire simultaneously, while as both the Viper and Cobra are flat with two weapons on the top and two on the bottom. If the enemy is above you or below you, only two of the weapons will fire, which substantially reduces your fire-power.

People play the game how they like. Some like to spend a long time making little progress, while others want to get their Corvette/Cutter as soon as possible. These small ships generally put you in the former group. If you want to be in the latter group, you should see them as stepping stones to the next ship up.

General advice: Never buy a ship unless you have the money to fully optimise it for the task in hand. Always think about speed. Speed gets you to safety from interdictions and away from enemies. You need 350m/s boost to more or less guarantee to escape after getting interdicted. Always plan for the worst. As an example, I've watched haulers/miners work their way up to a T9. They never got interdicted in their hauler, T6 or T7. The first trip in their not properly prepared T9 with over 700T of valuable cargo full of confidence and only thinking of the massive profit they're going to make, they get pulled out and are a sitting duck. With a speed of 140m/s and virtually no boost because they couldn't afford an A-rated charge enhanced PD, all they can do is sit and watch while they lose everything.
Click to expand...
Agree 100%. DBS is a great small dog fighter. I usually mix in direct fire weapons (rails, enforcer cannons) with gimballed (efficient pulse) to maintain near constant fire on my target.
 
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