First upgrades for the Viper?

Hello pilots, I have held off on purchasing a Viper for a few days since I was advised that I should have at least 500k CR before ditching my Eagle. Now that I had purchased the ship and still have 400k leftover, I'm thinking about the potential upgrades for Viper. Obviously I have limited funds, as I have only been playing for 5 days. Given my tight budget, I am wondering what my priority for upgrades should be. I have just a few questions for you guys:

1. Obviously I'm using the Viper for combat, and I know its main advantage is speed. Does that mean I should swap out the standard modules for D class to reduce weight to maximize the ship's acceleration?

2. I have read the common loadouts are 2x Pulse Laser + 2X Multi-Cannon, 4X Cannon or 4X Multi-Cannon? In your experience which weapon combos are more effective? Also, should I go for gimbal or fixed?

3. As far as missile countermeasures go, is ECM or point defence turret more effective?

Thank you for your answers, and Merry Christmas to all of you.
 
1. Viper is pretty manouverable even with alot of mass in it so i wouldnt worry too much about weight.

2. I use 2 Fixed beams + 2 gimbal multi-cannons

3. I use point defense because im lazy. But in all honesty 95% of missiles miss you anyway for some reason, should probably get chaff instead. PD makes a cool pew pew sound though when it shoots missiles which i think is nice.

In terms of upgrades, in this order: Shield cell bank, Power distributor, shield generator, (insert reactor as needed)
 
Last edited:

darkcyd

Banned
1. Viper is pretty manouverable even with alot of mass in it so i wouldnt worry too much about weight.

2. I use 2 Fixed beams + 2 gimbal multi-cannons

3. I use point defense because im lazy. But in all honesty 95% of missiles miss you anyway for some reason, should probably get chaff instead. PD makes a cool pew pew sound though when it shoots missiles which i think is nice.

In terms of upgrades, in this order: Shield cell bank, Power distributor, shield generator, (insert reactor as needed)

This guy has it down pretty well. The only thing I would add is whether to make your mediums or small weapons lasers/multi's.

For smaller targets, you'll find medium beams alone good enough to fry them and you can save your ammo.

Larger targets(asp and bigger) you will really be wishing you had medium multi's to chew through that hull faster.

My suggestion when you start since you probably want to be picky about your targets, is go with the big beams first and don't fight anything bigger than an asp.

As you upgrade it to B's and A's, you can flip those and start messing with dropships and the occasional big snake.
 
This guy has it down pretty well. The only thing I would add is whether to make your mediums or small weapons lasers/multi's.

For smaller targets, you'll find medium beams alone good enough to fry them and you can save your ammo.

Larger targets(asp and bigger) you will really be wishing you had medium multi's to chew through that hull faster.

My suggestion when you start since you probably want to be picky about your targets, is go with the big beams first and don't fight anything bigger than an asp.

As you upgrade it to B's and A's, you can flip those and start messing with dropships and the occasional big snake.

Yes this. Power distributor is a good early one to upgrade if you have to prioritise. You get good bang for your buck with C class modules. MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR INSURANCE :)
 
I always go for power distributor first, as it helps recharge weapons for fighting, engines for running (or just boosting quicker into stations), shields for strength - the only upgrade that will make a difference no matter what you are doing or what situation you find yourself in.
 
Hello pilots, I have held off on purchasing a Viper for a few days since I was advised that I should have at least 500k CR before ditching my Eagle. Now that I had purchased the ship and still have 400k leftover, I'm thinking about the potential upgrades for Viper. Obviously I have limited funds, as I have only been playing for 5 days. Given my tight budget, I am wondering what my priority for upgrades should be. I have just a few questions for you guys:

1. Obviously I'm using the Viper for combat, and I know its main advantage is speed. Does that mean I should swap out the standard modules for D class to reduce weight to maximize the ship's acceleration?

2. I have read the common loadouts are 2x Pulse Laser + 2X Multi-Cannon, 4X Cannon or 4X Multi-Cannon? In your experience which weapon combos are more effective? Also, should I go for gimbal or fixed?

3. As far as missile countermeasures go, is ECM or point defence turret more effective?

Thank you for your answers, and Merry Christmas to all of you.

Mass is the Vipers enemy. Don't listen to anyone saying otherwise.

The absolute first thing you should do is get all D equipment. You will replace some / all with A eventually depending on your play style, but D on everything is a great place to start.

I'd avoid B equipment on a viper at all costs. It has a greater mass.

The power distributor is a great item to upgrade to A3 first, and its fairly cheap 150000 cr if I remember correctly.

The jump range is horrible, with a 3D fsd drive, if you are in systems that are close together keeping the 3D is a good idea, but you probably want to move around, so a 3C is good until you can afford the 500000 cr for a 3A. Best to skip the 3B because of its weight, but if you really need the range and dont have the money for a 3A, the 3B is what you will need to go for.
 
I've got my Viper decked out with all the trimmings. Might as well go all out and grab everything that you can get within your price range. Don't forget about the necessities, FSD, shield and power plants.

OH! And lets not forget the paint jobs! Two of my favorites!

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And

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Glorious! :D
 
the best upgrade for a Viper is a Cobra, fact. equal strong for fight, best for the rest (especially Jump range)

first things you should always buy in the order: Power core, FSD, Thrusters, Engine, then the rest
 
the best upgrade for a Viper is a Cobra, fact. equal strong for fight, best for the rest (especially Jump range)

first things you should always buy in the order: Power core, FSD, Thrusters, Engine, then the rest

Viper is faster than a cobra, it also has better weapon convergence.
 
Upgrade your shields first then power distribution then get some shield cells. Survivability is really important and most ships will struggle to get through your shields with these upgrades and you wont have to worry about hull damage. I also have point defence. This will make it easier to get close to the big ships to get the bigger bounties.
 
I'd say fuel scoops are pretty much essential if you want to make more than 3 or 4 jumps in a row without the risk of being stranded and unable to buy fuel.
 
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