Ships Critique my Vulture?

[MathomHouser]

I'm a new poster to this forum, bear with me!

I've been playing since the PS4 launch, maybe 2hrs per day. Mainly bounty hunting in a Sidewinder, Eagle, then A-rated Viper. Now up to rank 3 in combat, trade and exploration. So I celebrated by buying a Vulture!

I've been playing around with Coriolis and Inara, and have come up with a wishlist loadout. I'm actually almost there in-game, but have yet to leave the station!

This is only for bounty hunting, especially in Community Goals, mainly Solo or in Mobius PVE. I'll buy an Asp or something for trading and exploring, down the line.

Comments and criticism please? Is this thing going to spontaneously combust as soon as I deploy hardpoints?

https://inara.cz/cmdr-fleet/76651/247821/

 

[5miley]

I would swap the shield out for a biweave shield ..... a little weaker but has faster regen.
Just remember to run away if you drop down to 1 ring
That will give you additional power to play around with
Add Module reinforcement
Add Chaff
Add Point defense
Add 1 shield booster

Why do you need a discovery scanner ?
Do you really need a fuel scoop ? I just transport my combat ships around

Any spare slots, fill with HRPs and MRPs

 

[Ceekay]

You don't get much additional performance out of 5A thrusters over 5C (5A - 244/394, 5C - 229/371 and 4% better pitch rate with 5A)for the additional power drain, I find when engineered 5A thrusters make the Vulture a bit too agile so I use engineered 5Cs.

I agree with using bi-weaves better regen and less power drain (power plant output is the Vultures main weakness), I wouldn't bother with the SCB as 28 MJ added to a 400 + MJ shield will make little difference you'd be better using the time to disengage, if the Vulture is your main/only ship then a fuel scoop makes sense.

Edited build

https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/vul...hAOEoUwIYHMA28QgIwV0A=&bn=LOU Mostly Gravitas

Here's my heavily engineered Vulture

https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/vul...OISWIdQhkAuY/2U+mgcwBAAA=&bn=Vulture F (EDMC)

 

[Ashnak]

Slightly different here - I like projectile weapons, an currently am using 2 Cannon (G2 short range) on my Vulture.
Also G3 DD 5A Thrusters. With this setup, I can run 4/1/1 pips with only minimal impact to speed/agility and none to weapons. Only thing that suffers is the boost rate. Shields are engineered for low power (roll until you get some with added resistance), and I switch around modules depending on the task at hand.

Still had to turn tail yesterday when the fuzz decided to play elsewhere after I attacked that Clipper/Vulture wing . Just takes too long to take down an SCB Clipper when you have a Vulture on your other end.

 

[Hooplah]

The Vulture flies fast and is very maneuverable. It is a dedicated combat ship and nothing more. If a player learned the combat piloting skills starting out then moving up to a Viper and finally the Vulture is the best in the class. Personally I go with serious beams but know how to use them and avoid hits with bigger ships. It can easily take out the small fry. One can make a lot of credits with this ship in a HazRez zone with some hits on the big ship before it expires getting the bounty credit. But it is not a cargo ship or anything else. Here is my 'Vindicator'. But another player jokingly replied it looked like a 'Space Lobster'. I love this thus renamed the ship! For me ED is so much passion versus just playing a game with lots of friends worldwide. Enjoy the moment.

 

[MathomHouser]

This is good stuff space chums, I like it. Thanks for your thoughts.

Swapped in a bi-weave shield and it's a world of difference: seems to be almost as tough, but recharges faster, and uses a lot less power.

Agree that since this is my only ship, I need a fuel scoop. Any suggestions on size?

Here's my updated dream build:

https://eddp.co/u/HnHTxnm8

 

[Ashnak]

Git better

Seriously - the gimballed lasers may help your time-on-target, but they don't deliver much of a punch and suck a lot of power, which then you won't have for the shields (or the thrusters). With the Vulture, go fixed, especially with hitscan weapons.
With fixed weapons, you can go down to D-rated sensors, since you won't need to keep your weapons tracking.
The two size 1 optional slots are only good for the discovery and surface scanners. While you're hunting in-system, put some module reinforcements there.
Use the size four slot to switch between modules:
- Fuel Scoop for travelling
- FSD Interdictor for hunting
- Module Reinforcement for RES combat
The size two slot can hold a cargo bay or a SRV module for travelling, otherwise again some Module Reinforcements

So you can (need to, actually) switch out the modules in the slots, and then transfer the hunting/combat modules (via module transfer) to your new hunting grounds.

Utility Slots: one of everything?
Chaff is only useful against some of the NPCs, as it'll only throw off tracking weapons at a sufficient range.
PD is actually quite good against missiles.
The KWS - a mixed blessing. Yes, it will tell you about bounties from other domains. But it also takes some time to scan the targets (ok, you can already shoot them while it works), and you'll have to collect those bounties at some time and may not die in the meantime.
The Frame Shift Wake scanner - the only use I have found so far is to collect specific wake scans for Engineers. And that works best with any cheap ship, sitting in a distribution center in a famine system. No use on a combat ship, unless you have a grudge against a CMDR and want to hunt them across several systems.

What I put in these slots as default are two PDs in the two front mounts (in a Vulture, missiles always come from the front, or you're doing something wrong ) and two A-rated (or as good as your power plant lets you) shield boosters in the back.
For Engineering, I'd start with the FSD and the Thrusters - Felicity is easily accessible and can do both. That may require, though, to also unlock Elvira to get the low power shields or alternatively try to get a decent power plant upgrade from either of them.

---

Module reinforcements: the Vulture has a pretty good hull, but some of the modules are quite exposed. So, by all means, put a hull reinforcement into the military slot (and engineer the heck out of it), but use the remaining slots for module reinforcements. Otherwise, you may find yourself some day at 90% hull, floating dead in the water because someone (player or NPC) has shot out your thrusters.

 

[MathomHouser]

Git better

Hey Ashnak, why don't YOU git good... at not HURTING MY FEELINGS?

Thanks for taking the time to give me such an in-depth and relevant response.

I have just docked and will implement your suggestions fullwise.

Re: module reinforcements... do you reckon these are necessary against npcs? Can they target modules, or are you just thinking lucky hits?

 

[Ashnak]

I think they can target modules. At least, I have experienced them occasionally shooting my drives out, and at least one of them had been targeting my guns today.

If your feelings are truly hurt, meet me in game, and we can resolve this in a duel (or go and loose a war, or something) . I'm currently hanging out in Slink's Eye for the Prison Brake race, but will try to make it to Leesti on Wednesday(s) for the Fighter Club, under the name of CMDR Azzie Elbub.

As for gimbals vs. fixed: I use gimbals myself, on my Keelback (if I don't strip her down for the race), but the only way to learn to use those fixed guns is to actually use them.

 

[Dirtbird]

Best thing I ever did with my Vulture was to unlock Felicity Farseer and get a grade 1 overcharged power plant. 18.6 MJ available, enough power to run two A rated shield boosters and two beam lasers, plus 5A thrusters and anything else important you want A rated if you wish. However if you want those beam lasers to fire for more than five seconds at a time, you'll need to get to The Dweller to get Efficient mods for the lasers.

I only went with beam lasers because I hate pulse lasers.

 

[MathomHouser]

I've had an invitation from Felicity. Might rent a long-haul Hauler and drive out there. Although I haven't hit the power ceiling yet: still saving for some of the A-rated modules.

 

[StiTch]

I think they can target modules. At least, I have experienced them occasionally shooting my drives out, and at least one of them had been targeting my guns today.

Heads up: NPCs cannot target subsystems, and any module malfunctions will be a result of coincidental damage to them. Remember your ship has quite a few modules, and you'd be asking quite a lot for all projectiles to miss each one of them even at random.

I've only ever had thrusters damaged by NPCs firing a missile from behind me in my hybrid builds against a wing.

 

[MathomHouser]

So hull doesn't protect modules?

I'm sure this is answered elsewhere, I'm just feeling lazy.

 

[StiTch]

So hull doesn't protect modules?

I'm sure this is answered elsewhere, I'm just feeling lazy.

Yes/no.

If a shot lands where one of your modules are, it has a chance to penetrate the hull and damage the module instead of the hull.

The chance of it penetrating is based partially on defender's hull hardness rating, partially on the attacker's weapon's penetration value, and additionally increases as the defending ship's hull health decreases.

There's an additional check whereby the weapon has to penetrate far enough into the ship to hit the module but that seldom needs active thinking about.