Newcomer / Intro How do you avoid NPC pirates as a trader?

[H3lios]

First and for most, I want to be clear that this is not a complaint thread, I'm not asking for NPC pirates to be nerfed in solo mode. Rather I'm wondering how you avoid them. Here's what I did and I'd like to know what I could have done better. I'm in a Type 6 with a fairly standard setup including an A rank Shield. As I jump into the target system, I immediately get one of those generic tells from an NPC letting me know he's about to attack. Before I'm able to try and evade he interdicts me. I decided to submit since I'm no good at fighting them and I want my FSD back up asap. I drop out and put max power in sys with the remaining power in engines and make a run for it. He starts attacking and I hit my FSD which is slow to charge because he's there. The thing is, it took so long to charge that he managed to get my shields down and destroy my ship just before the charge was complete.

Now I know I did something wrong here, the question is what? Do I need a better FSD? (I was using a class C) should I have put more power in my engines? Is there a better way to evade? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[CYB34]

He starts attacking and I hit my FSD which is slow to charge because he's there. .

Never FSD to Supercruise.
Right after you submit to the interdiction and drop out of SC, select any system from the list as fast as you can and jump.
While the FSD charges, make sure you have 4 SYS, 2 ENG and Chaff on cooldown.

 

[H3lios]

Never FSD to Supercruise.
Right after you submit to the interdiction and drop out of SC, select any system from the list as fast as you can and jump.
While the FSD charges, make sure you have 4 SYS, 2 ENG and Chaff on cooldown.

Thanks for the tip, Ill remember that next time. In this instance, however, I never got to Supercruise, he burned my shield and killed me just before. I don't remember what ship he was in, ether a cobra or a viper.

 

[Para Handy]

...

... it took so long to charge that he managed to get my shields down and destroy my ship just before the charge was complete.

If you are Mass-Locked by the interdicting pirate (computer tells you so when you try to low-wake) then use the hyperjump method to jump to an adjacent system as CYB34 mentions. Mass-lock only affects the low-wake jump into supercruise, not the high-wake hyperjump.

A cobra has the same mass-lock factor as a type 6 but the viper has a lower factor. I don't know if same mass-lock factor should have affected you but a viper certainly would not have.

 

[happyfunball]

Also, did you hit boost a couple of times to put some extra distance between the two of you? That may buy you some precious seconds for your FSD.

If I'm interdicted by an NPC while trading, I will supercruise if I'm a short distance away from the station and I think I can make it before he gets me again. Otherwise, yeah, just to a nearby system. And as a general strategy, I try not to trade with a station that's more than 1000Ls from the system entry point, unless it is a really really well paying delivery or smuggling mission. That way I'm not in space all that long and I can just sprint for the station.

 

[H3lios]

If you are Mass-Locked by the interdicting pirate (computer tells you so when you try to low-wake) then use the hyperjump method to jump to an adjacent system as CYB34 mentions. Mass-lock only affects the low-wake jump into supercruise, not the high-wake hyperjump.

A cobra has the same mass-lock factor as a type 6 but the viper has a lower factor. I don't know if same mass-lock factor should have affected you but a viper certainly would not have.

It must have been a cobra then, I didn't know that hyperjumping wasn't effected by mass lock though. Just to be clear, are you referring to the system message where it says "FSD delayed by a factor of XX" or when the little box that says mass locked is checked? Because if its the box, I've always gotten an error when trying to jump with it checked.

 

[Para Handy]

u... are you referring to the system message where it says "FSD delayed by a factor of XX"

Yes that is correct - note that it only says that once - even if you try to go to supercruise (low-wake) again, if still in the same mass locked / inhibited state you will get no message just the charge will be reallllllllyyyy ssllloooowwwwww.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

IMHO doing the Interdiction evasions is critical training to survive.

Since V1.4.01, the Evasions became more realistic after being near-impossible in V1.4.
Still difficult to master - but especially in a Type-6 very doable (lateral maneuverability helps alot during the evasion, so will good Thrusters which affect SuperCruise maneuverability as well).

The experience will come in handy no later than dealing with a PvP Interdiction - which is a whole more difficult against experienced Players.
Also, at some point you will be interdicted by a Wing with Mass-locking Ships. No later than this moment, winning an evasion will be highly preferrable to being mass-locked until upto 4.5km Range. Then, High-Waking (Hyperjumping) will often be the only reasonable alternative unless in a fast Ship.

 

[killakanz]

Pretty much as everyone else says. If you get interdicted, put max power to engines and any left in sys, leaving weapons off. Boost as much as you can to get out of their weapons range and keep going, you can still boost while FSD is charging.

 

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Something I have tried, but not in a T6. If you are trying to run then you present a great target for an attacker and will take sustained fire. If the attacked is faster than you (a cobra most certainly is) then you won't get away so you will die pretty rapidly. What you can do is to try to stick to the attacker's tail, much as you would when dog fighting. That way you take less fire and if you chaff when you do take fire then you can survive a remarkably long time while waiting for the super cruise to charge.

How effective this is will depend on your relative manoeuvrability and your skill as a pilot.

 

[H3lios]

Thanks for all the tips, at the moment I've switched back to a fully armed Cobra III with 45 cargo so I can just kill the sob who interdicted me, but next time I get pulled out I'll try these suggestions. Rep for everyone

 

[Pazmino]

If you want to outrun or outmaneuver the interdictor, put 4 pips to ENG, 2 to SYS and boost, boost, boost. Chaff helps, if shields are down, hit silent running. I had heat sinks around with T6. Good luck CMDR