It helps to have a ship that not only hauls cargo but hauls a**.
All my ships have A/5 shields and DD's plus heavy armament. NPC's aren't an issue and most CMDR's I run into mind their own business as I do mine.
It takes time to get to that nice spot but it's worth it.
To evade, submit, boost like mad and not in a straight line, hi wake. It helps to have fast charge distributors. And two jumps as suggested muddies the pursuit.
All my ships have A/5 shields and DD's plus heavy armament. NPC's aren't an issue and most CMDR's I run into mind their own business as I do mine.
It takes time to get to that nice spot but it's worth it.
To evade, submit, boost like mad and not in a straight line, hi wake. It helps to have fast charge distributors. And two jumps as suggested muddies the pursuit.
His YT videos are fantastic. One of the reasons I say these player groups that get so much flak here often produce a ton more content than all the whining carebears combined, and I am sort of a carebare myself.
Deleted member 110222
D
That's bloody fantastic. I'll remember this.
Deleted member 38366
D
My advice (as abbreviated/short and concise as possible) :
Preparation
a) know where you are going (random System vs. temporary hotspot like a CG location vs. permanent hotspot like Farseer/Dweller/SOL/Founders World)
The busier the System, the higher your chances to see some form of Trouble.
If you only need to visit a busy System once (i.e. for Engineering purposes), take your time to refit the Ship for the Task. A Trade Ship filled with an SCB, HRPs and MRPs can take quite a beating vs. its normal Trade configuration.
If you plan to make multiple trips into hotspots, forfeiting some Cargo space to harden up the Ship somewhat is a worthy consideration.
Scanner Setup : make sure your Scanner is set to an appropriate zoom level as desired.
Pips Setup : 4/2/0 is a fully defensive setup boosting your Shield Strength to the optimum possible
CTRL + B : press to enable Network bandwidth display.
If you're alone, it'll read low double-digit numbers. Whenever you're instanced, it'll skyrocket to 4 or 5-digit numbers immediately. Immediately tells you that you're not alone, very useful to build quick Situational Awareness.
Engineering! Won't go in detail (that'd be an own Chapter per Ship type), but obviously you'll want your Trade Ship's defensive capabilities at absolute maximum possible.
On Shields, remember that damage like Ramming or Plasma Accelerators does absolute Damage and ignore Shield Resistances. If feasible, you'll want a combination of high Resistances and high Shield hitpoints, combined with a strong hull armour.
b) know your Ship and its limitations (how well can it evade an Interdiction? It is better to submit to anyone or only certain Ship types?)
i.e. a Type-9 is quite likely to be an auto-submit candidate due to its extremely limited SC agility. A Type-7 fares far better and a Type-6 for example is an extremely capable Interdiction evader.
While some attackers are excellent Interdictors, others are far less capable due to their own limited SC agility. So have a plan in mind for most common Combat Ships. Good yaw rates in SC btw. is extremely helpful to make evasion easier.
Personal Evasion skills and solid Abort Criteria (stick to them!) will make the final decision though.
c) Egress Plan
If the route plotter permits it, have a Route plotted to another System which' Route takes you through your Destination. Galaxy Map Filters are extremely helpful to limit the Systems and assist such a plot.
The Cargo Slider in the Galaxy Map can be used to artificially shorten otherwise longer Jumpranges, this increases your chance of the Route Plotter actually giving you a Route that routes you through your actual Destination.
With a Hotkey assigned for "Target next System enroute", this saves alot of time you'd otherwise have to spend (under fire) to manually scroll & select a jump destination for a HighWake. Precious seconds that mean alot. Use that advantage.
Should a Route Plot with the 1-key Egress System fail to work, manually scroll the NAV Panel somewhere down to a point where you know when entering the NAV Panel again it'll sit on a suitable Jump Destination already.
Alternatively, use the Navigation Panel Filters to filter out everything but Stations etc. and Systems. This will guarantee a 100% decluttered NAV Panel for very rapid Egress System selection. You won't need anything else for Trading or Jumping.
d) learn how Frameshift Drive Interdictors work, their capabilities and limitations
Sounds funny, but one of the easiest ways is to purchase one yourself and then Interdict various Wanted NPCs. Get a feeling for them and see how their dynamic Range (depends on Ship Speed) affects Interdiction and the need to get them into the needed Aspect Angle in order to establish Tether.
Especially for Engineered FSDIs, check INARA for their extended capabilities so you know what they can do worst-case.
Expanded Capture Arc : https://inara.cz/galaxy-blueprint/15/
LongRange : https://inara.cz/galaxy-blueprint/16/
System entry
a) Situational Awareness
- check Scanner image immediately (hollow Triangles are likely bad news - although any Ship with a Discovery Scanner in the active Firing Group will typically show up as a Triangle as well upon System entry)
- check Network bandwidth immediately
- if no Hollow Contact is displayed but the bandwidth is high, take a moment to see "Recent Contacts"; it'll immediately show who you're instanced with and sometimes "funny" looking Holo-Mes give bad guys away right there
b) Movement
- unless absolutely required, do NOT plan on Fuel Scooping, since this drastically increases your VUL time (Time of Vulnerability)
- max. Throttle (Ship type/Sun Position permitting) to get away from the very near Gravity Well ASAP
- any other Ship that's "parking" near the Sun is very likely to be either a bad guy checking for suitable Targets or (if you're lucky) a good guy guarding the System; you can't find out though until it's too late, so anyone there is potentially hostile
-> if it's only one or several in the same cardinal sector around you, ensure your Ship does not present it its rear hemisphere (that fulfills a key requirement for Interdictors to establish Tether and Interdict)
-> as soon as "Tattletailing" is observed by ANY other Ship (follows or maneuvers to get into your 6), consider this Ship Hostile
--> if this occurs near the Sun, escape by denying the Interdictor the 6 won't work for long since you're unable to go anywhere; consider dropping down (manual Disengage) and begin Egress from System immediately
(following Ships will have to approach to 1Mm to Disengage into your Low Wake, buying you the time needed to Hyperjump out without much trouble)
Depending on the sighted Traffic in SuperCruise and proximity, while accelerating toggle through all nearby Hollow Contacts at a distance.
Behavior of these Ships will very often give away their intentions. Other Traders will head towards the same Station as you, while "free floaters" in SuperCruise will extremely likely be looking for Combat.
Should a Ship follow late (i.e. was parked by the Sun, then accelerates to follow), do NOT go for a 6-7sec ETA.
Instead, plan for an aggressive Overshoot and yank the Ship to attain 90deg Pitch or more (100deg is max. facing limit of Engineered FSDI) to deny the following Bogey your six. Should the Bogey continue to maneuver into an offensive Position, it's guaranteed to be a Bandit (Hostile).
Many Criminals will try once or twice to maneuver to establish Tether but eventually give up and rather search for more juicy Targets in a busy System; additionally their maneuvering telegraphs their intentions to any potential Bounty Hunters, making themselves a potential Interdiction Target.
Exception to that rule is likely to occur when you fly a Ship well-known to have poor SuperCruise agility, like a Type-9. In that case, I'd recommend to manually disengage and perform the Egress right there - since the T9 isn't agile enough to deny its 6 to a persistent attacker for very long.
c) stopping the Movement
Use Gravity Braking to minimize VUL time in SuperCruise.
Works outstanding with Gas Giants but also still works to a lesser extent with Planets. A nice, good Gas Giant permits overshooting as far as 25-40Ls out and you still might stay within approx. 1 Ls of your Station with the help of Gravity Braking.
For Planets, the max. distance to start the Overshoot is far smaller, it'll be a few Ls at best but still useful.
d) Disengaging to the Station
Don't wait for i.e. 1Mm while approaching with a 6 sec ETA.
Inside as far as approx. 25Mm, a mild overshoot can be initiated (4-5 sec ETA) and still be within valid disengage Parameters (= Speed) at the Disengage Point.
You submitted to an Interdictor
See Post #9 in this Thread that has the Video made by Rinzlero7o7o7.
It nicely shows you all the basics how to properly maneuver the Ship and act directly after an Interdiction.
Remember to have a key "Target highest Threat" or "Target next Hostile" assigned. After Interdiction is starting, immediately press the hotkey to find out what Ship type is interdicting you.
That's the Ship you'll meet if it wins or you submit. But it could also be a Ship type you might want to give a workout and plan on Evading instead.
Approaching the Station to dock
a) NFZ Size matters
Keep NFZ (= Speeding) ranges for Station types in mind.
Very Large Station = ~9.5-10km
Standard Stations = ~5.5km
Outposts = ~3.5km
Again, check Scanner image and Network bandwidth for Presence of other Players.
Also, take the moment to check "Recent Contacts" again, as this displays everyone in your Instance even if beyond Scanner range. This helps build Situational Awareness and maybe you already see a name you remembered.
The biggest Threats during approach to a Station are :
- suicide Ships that'll try to ram-suicide while hoping you are speeding (= Murder on your Side and makes the Station go aggro on you; plus you'll be Wanted with Notoriety; the game of the offender is a mere cheap Sidey or Eagle)
- Station Rammers will attempt to ram your Ship, which will only incur them Fines, while you eventually face Ship loss; be prepared for ram-attacks even inside the Station!
It's a guts call and mostly depends on vicinity of other Ships whether to approach the Station >100m/sec or remain <100m/sec.
No traffic is visible nearby is no guarantee (Silent Running attackers) that there's noone already aiming for your Ship. Visual lookout is the best defense to spot an ramming attack early.
Note that some attacks are combined; i.e. someone will ram you (hoping you panic and accelerate), then a 2nd Ship suicide-rams you to get what they want.
While an active Docking Computer won't incur any Fines when rammed by another Ship, a suicide-rammer is very likely to once open Fire on you, knowing this will automatically cut-out the Docking Computer - the suicide-ram then can succeed >100m/sec.
b) "Silent Approach"
Note that Ships continually Thrustering with FA ON will leave the known smoke trail, visually giving away the approach from far away.
Instead, set desired speed, go FA OFF and let the Ship drift. This will remove the Smoke Trail for anyone visually looking for a new Target.
Although they'll leave white contacts, popping a Heatsink during approach is not a bad idea. This covers a Phase of the approach from a distance and another white Contact amongst many Low/High Wakes likely won't give you away on the Scanner.
This makes it far more difficult for anyone camping the Station perimeter to single you out as a "fresh meat" Target. Almost as good as Silent Running but keeps the Shields up.
c) Docking
Worst-case, Players can attempt to block the own Ship or continue Ramming Attacks. If the own Shields were already brought down by ramming outside the Station, you can consider yourself a prime Target.
The only defense you have is to dock as quickly as possible, while remaining within speed limits.
Note that although somewhat detrimental to JumpRange, LongRange-Engineered Sensors go a long way to improve Situational Awareness anytime around a busy Station due to their improved coverage.
(both in max. detection Range but to a limited extent also help displaying colder running contacts you'd otherwise not see or only get as a flickering unresolved; doesn't do magic i.e. against Silent Running though)
Undocking / Departure
Unlike the Docking, your presence at the Station is now well-known to anyone operating there. Keep that in mind!
Before clicking the Launch button, take a Minute to build maximum possible Situational Awareness.
- are people in chat discussing attacks around the Station?
- do you see Ships moving suspiciously inside or near the Station?
- do you see or hear Combat or Attacks in/near the Station?
- if in doubt, remember you have a potent Debug Camera which you can use even to leave the Station and look around. Use it!
Departure follows similar pattern as the Approach, although the big difference remains : any bad guys around will now know you're here. Your Ship and its Equipment will have been scanned.
Should a ramming attack begin on your way out, the distance to the Station and the end of the Mass Lock will define your Options.
- still very close and deep inside the NFZ, boosting might trigger a suicide-rammer while you're still well inside Weapons Range of that Station
- half-way, you might get suicide-rammed but be outside of lethal Weapons Range of the Station
- close to breaking Mass-Lock, you're unlikely to still get killed by the Station after a suicide-ram. It's far more likely that the Attacker deploys hardpoints to try to finish you off at that point.
-> these things will be "reasonably" easy with a standard ~5km NFZ, with a 10km NFZ things can get very interesting.
-> if you detect or recognize a coordinated Rammer Wing, all bets are off... In case you detected them during approach already, departure is best delayed until you're sure they're busy with something else
(a slow and generally poorly shielded Ship like a T9 is far more likely to get singled out by Rammers than i.e. a Cutter or Conda which is known to tank far more Collision Damage)
Should your Departure Jump (Hyperjump) be blocked by a nearby Object (Planet/Gas Giant), rather Hyperjump to another unblocked System and then proceed with your planned Route.
Avoid entering SuperCruise for such navigational purposes at all cost, since attackers very frequently camp the SuperCruise instance nearby the Station - you'd make an easy Target for no need.
Note on Cosmetics :
Normally they don't affect Gameplay - but approaching or departing the Station with i.e. a Green Engine Trail and in a Yellow or Orange Paintjob Ship is not what you'll want to do.
Contingency Plans / nice to know
Many Trade Ships tend to overheat when simultaneously charging FSD and Afterburning repeatedly.
Remember the Ship's Modules won't start taking any damage until 100% is reached and exceeded.
Thruster or FSD failure due to heat won't occur quickly when the modules were at 100% Integrity, so don't refrain from Boosting or even cancel a jump just because of the Smoke, sparks and Audio Warnings. It'll still work.
If when Interdicted and during the Evasion your Ship slams into a Planet or any other Object, it'll break the Interdiction tether. Means : you'll face 40sec of FSD cooldown and only mild Hull/Module Damage. But you're alone.
Still, an attacker might attempt to follow you into that Low Wake.
Thus, after dropping into Normal Space, pick a suitable Vector (HighWake), Afterburn 2x towards it FA OFF at 4 Pips ENG (assures maximum possible speed is maintained) and then let the Ship drift into the direction in idle while waiting for the FSD cooldown to complete. Any following Attacker won't have the Smoke Trail of your Ship to easily spot.
Intentionally slamming into a Gas Giant, Asteroid Ring, Planet or even a Sun is ugly - but doesn't do much damage.
So when faced with one or more Interdictors chasing you at a Range that you realize won't allow to pitch up >90deg in time, choosing the "surprise splash" at max. speed is actually a perfectly valid tactic.
At the common Ranges and your extremely close proximity (*lol* you just kissed its Exclusion zone after all xD) to the Gravity Well, it'll be near-impossible for any Interdictor to reach and disengage into your Low Wake anytime soon.
The Unsafe Disengage
Although somewhat risky, double-tapping your FSD key while being well beyond Safe Disengage speeds instantly drops you into normal space - at the price of the 40sec FSD cooldown and the known mild Hull/Module Damage.
If the Interdictors chasing you were still at considerable Range, they should have a hard time reaching your Low Wake somewhere in Deep Space quickly enough.
Be aware though, that experienced Interdictors will unlock the Low Wake and manually approach it until close Range. This affords a much faster approach to it and potentially permits Low Wake entry inside those 40 seconds.
Make sure you're pointed at your Jump Destination (HighWake) FA OFF at max. speed when that happens, just waiting for your FSD Cooldown.
Interdicted while charging for HyperJump
Remember you will escape the Interdiction, break the Tether and Jump when you manage to align the Escape Vector with your Jump Destination.
The "Wildcard" Option
Sitting in idle (30km/sec) or at very low speed in SC with an Interdictor that won't leave you alone while you're stuck doing the "I won't give you my 6" Game? See a USS spawning in front of you?
Target it if feasible and see if it's a "Convoy Detected - Threat 4". Very high chance these are System Defense Force Ships, usually alot of them.
Unless you're in Anarchy space, enter the USS if you're sure you can reach it.
Any attacker engaging you here will instantly draw the wrath of every single System Defense Force NPC.
Although more of a fun Option for wealthy Traders (you're seriously risking a Ship loss
), you can try a 6 v 1 upto 9 v 1 then, deploy hardpoints and either defend or (if Attacker already Wanted) Engage yourself
Jump/HyperJump mechanics vs. incoming Damage
As soon as the Countdown for any jump begins in your HUD, your Ship becomes absolutely invincible to any Weapon or Collision Damage.
So don't hesitate to boost even straight into an attacker to trigger the jump (needs minimum speed and alignment) if you have a minimum Range for the Ship to accelerate and trigger the jump sequence.
It'll still jump even if the Countdown Phase brings you back i.e. into the Mass Lock of a Station. It won't stop the jump and doesn't matter.
Note that only heat continues to affect the Ship during the next 5 seconds, so any severe overheating will continue to deal damage. But since the Ship is already jumping, consider this irrelevant. You already made it.
=============================================
Yep, that's the short version, hope I didn't forget too much (probably made a ton of typos as well)
Preparation
a) know where you are going (random System vs. temporary hotspot like a CG location vs. permanent hotspot like Farseer/Dweller/SOL/Founders World)
The busier the System, the higher your chances to see some form of Trouble.
If you only need to visit a busy System once (i.e. for Engineering purposes), take your time to refit the Ship for the Task. A Trade Ship filled with an SCB, HRPs and MRPs can take quite a beating vs. its normal Trade configuration.
If you plan to make multiple trips into hotspots, forfeiting some Cargo space to harden up the Ship somewhat is a worthy consideration.
Scanner Setup : make sure your Scanner is set to an appropriate zoom level as desired.
Pips Setup : 4/2/0 is a fully defensive setup boosting your Shield Strength to the optimum possible
CTRL + B : press to enable Network bandwidth display.
If you're alone, it'll read low double-digit numbers. Whenever you're instanced, it'll skyrocket to 4 or 5-digit numbers immediately. Immediately tells you that you're not alone, very useful to build quick Situational Awareness.
Engineering! Won't go in detail (that'd be an own Chapter per Ship type), but obviously you'll want your Trade Ship's defensive capabilities at absolute maximum possible.
On Shields, remember that damage like Ramming or Plasma Accelerators does absolute Damage and ignore Shield Resistances. If feasible, you'll want a combination of high Resistances and high Shield hitpoints, combined with a strong hull armour.
b) know your Ship and its limitations (how well can it evade an Interdiction? It is better to submit to anyone or only certain Ship types?)
i.e. a Type-9 is quite likely to be an auto-submit candidate due to its extremely limited SC agility. A Type-7 fares far better and a Type-6 for example is an extremely capable Interdiction evader.
While some attackers are excellent Interdictors, others are far less capable due to their own limited SC agility. So have a plan in mind for most common Combat Ships. Good yaw rates in SC btw. is extremely helpful to make evasion easier.
Personal Evasion skills and solid Abort Criteria (stick to them!) will make the final decision though.
c) Egress Plan
If the route plotter permits it, have a Route plotted to another System which' Route takes you through your Destination. Galaxy Map Filters are extremely helpful to limit the Systems and assist such a plot.
The Cargo Slider in the Galaxy Map can be used to artificially shorten otherwise longer Jumpranges, this increases your chance of the Route Plotter actually giving you a Route that routes you through your actual Destination.
With a Hotkey assigned for "Target next System enroute", this saves alot of time you'd otherwise have to spend (under fire) to manually scroll & select a jump destination for a HighWake. Precious seconds that mean alot. Use that advantage.
Should a Route Plot with the 1-key Egress System fail to work, manually scroll the NAV Panel somewhere down to a point where you know when entering the NAV Panel again it'll sit on a suitable Jump Destination already.
Alternatively, use the Navigation Panel Filters to filter out everything but Stations etc. and Systems. This will guarantee a 100% decluttered NAV Panel for very rapid Egress System selection. You won't need anything else for Trading or Jumping.
d) learn how Frameshift Drive Interdictors work, their capabilities and limitations
Sounds funny, but one of the easiest ways is to purchase one yourself and then Interdict various Wanted NPCs. Get a feeling for them and see how their dynamic Range (depends on Ship Speed) affects Interdiction and the need to get them into the needed Aspect Angle in order to establish Tether.
Especially for Engineered FSDIs, check INARA for their extended capabilities so you know what they can do worst-case.
Expanded Capture Arc : https://inara.cz/galaxy-blueprint/15/
LongRange : https://inara.cz/galaxy-blueprint/16/
System entry
a) Situational Awareness
- check Scanner image immediately (hollow Triangles are likely bad news - although any Ship with a Discovery Scanner in the active Firing Group will typically show up as a Triangle as well upon System entry)
- check Network bandwidth immediately
- if no Hollow Contact is displayed but the bandwidth is high, take a moment to see "Recent Contacts"; it'll immediately show who you're instanced with and sometimes "funny" looking Holo-Mes give bad guys away right there
b) Movement
- unless absolutely required, do NOT plan on Fuel Scooping, since this drastically increases your VUL time (Time of Vulnerability)
- max. Throttle (Ship type/Sun Position permitting) to get away from the very near Gravity Well ASAP
- any other Ship that's "parking" near the Sun is very likely to be either a bad guy checking for suitable Targets or (if you're lucky) a good guy guarding the System; you can't find out though until it's too late, so anyone there is potentially hostile
-> if it's only one or several in the same cardinal sector around you, ensure your Ship does not present it its rear hemisphere (that fulfills a key requirement for Interdictors to establish Tether and Interdict)
-> as soon as "Tattletailing" is observed by ANY other Ship (follows or maneuvers to get into your 6), consider this Ship Hostile
--> if this occurs near the Sun, escape by denying the Interdictor the 6 won't work for long since you're unable to go anywhere; consider dropping down (manual Disengage) and begin Egress from System immediately
(following Ships will have to approach to 1Mm to Disengage into your Low Wake, buying you the time needed to Hyperjump out without much trouble)
Depending on the sighted Traffic in SuperCruise and proximity, while accelerating toggle through all nearby Hollow Contacts at a distance.
Behavior of these Ships will very often give away their intentions. Other Traders will head towards the same Station as you, while "free floaters" in SuperCruise will extremely likely be looking for Combat.
Should a Ship follow late (i.e. was parked by the Sun, then accelerates to follow), do NOT go for a 6-7sec ETA.
Instead, plan for an aggressive Overshoot and yank the Ship to attain 90deg Pitch or more (100deg is max. facing limit of Engineered FSDI) to deny the following Bogey your six. Should the Bogey continue to maneuver into an offensive Position, it's guaranteed to be a Bandit (Hostile).
Many Criminals will try once or twice to maneuver to establish Tether but eventually give up and rather search for more juicy Targets in a busy System; additionally their maneuvering telegraphs their intentions to any potential Bounty Hunters, making themselves a potential Interdiction Target.
Exception to that rule is likely to occur when you fly a Ship well-known to have poor SuperCruise agility, like a Type-9. In that case, I'd recommend to manually disengage and perform the Egress right there - since the T9 isn't agile enough to deny its 6 to a persistent attacker for very long.
c) stopping the Movement
Use Gravity Braking to minimize VUL time in SuperCruise.
Works outstanding with Gas Giants but also still works to a lesser extent with Planets. A nice, good Gas Giant permits overshooting as far as 25-40Ls out and you still might stay within approx. 1 Ls of your Station with the help of Gravity Braking.
For Planets, the max. distance to start the Overshoot is far smaller, it'll be a few Ls at best but still useful.
d) Disengaging to the Station
Don't wait for i.e. 1Mm while approaching with a 6 sec ETA.
Inside as far as approx. 25Mm, a mild overshoot can be initiated (4-5 sec ETA) and still be within valid disengage Parameters (= Speed) at the Disengage Point.
You submitted to an Interdictor
See Post #9 in this Thread that has the Video made by Rinzlero7o7o7.
It nicely shows you all the basics how to properly maneuver the Ship and act directly after an Interdiction.
Remember to have a key "Target highest Threat" or "Target next Hostile" assigned. After Interdiction is starting, immediately press the hotkey to find out what Ship type is interdicting you.
That's the Ship you'll meet if it wins or you submit. But it could also be a Ship type you might want to give a workout and plan on Evading instead.
Approaching the Station to dock
a) NFZ Size matters
Keep NFZ (= Speeding) ranges for Station types in mind.
Very Large Station = ~9.5-10km
Standard Stations = ~5.5km
Outposts = ~3.5km
Again, check Scanner image and Network bandwidth for Presence of other Players.
Also, take the moment to check "Recent Contacts" again, as this displays everyone in your Instance even if beyond Scanner range. This helps build Situational Awareness and maybe you already see a name you remembered.
The biggest Threats during approach to a Station are :
- suicide Ships that'll try to ram-suicide while hoping you are speeding (= Murder on your Side and makes the Station go aggro on you; plus you'll be Wanted with Notoriety; the game of the offender is a mere cheap Sidey or Eagle)
- Station Rammers will attempt to ram your Ship, which will only incur them Fines, while you eventually face Ship loss; be prepared for ram-attacks even inside the Station!
It's a guts call and mostly depends on vicinity of other Ships whether to approach the Station >100m/sec or remain <100m/sec.
No traffic is visible nearby is no guarantee (Silent Running attackers) that there's noone already aiming for your Ship. Visual lookout is the best defense to spot an ramming attack early.
Note that some attacks are combined; i.e. someone will ram you (hoping you panic and accelerate), then a 2nd Ship suicide-rams you to get what they want.
While an active Docking Computer won't incur any Fines when rammed by another Ship, a suicide-rammer is very likely to once open Fire on you, knowing this will automatically cut-out the Docking Computer - the suicide-ram then can succeed >100m/sec.
b) "Silent Approach"
Note that Ships continually Thrustering with FA ON will leave the known smoke trail, visually giving away the approach from far away.
Instead, set desired speed, go FA OFF and let the Ship drift. This will remove the Smoke Trail for anyone visually looking for a new Target.
Although they'll leave white contacts, popping a Heatsink during approach is not a bad idea. This covers a Phase of the approach from a distance and another white Contact amongst many Low/High Wakes likely won't give you away on the Scanner.
This makes it far more difficult for anyone camping the Station perimeter to single you out as a "fresh meat" Target. Almost as good as Silent Running but keeps the Shields up.
c) Docking
Worst-case, Players can attempt to block the own Ship or continue Ramming Attacks. If the own Shields were already brought down by ramming outside the Station, you can consider yourself a prime Target.
The only defense you have is to dock as quickly as possible, while remaining within speed limits.
Note that although somewhat detrimental to JumpRange, LongRange-Engineered Sensors go a long way to improve Situational Awareness anytime around a busy Station due to their improved coverage.
(both in max. detection Range but to a limited extent also help displaying colder running contacts you'd otherwise not see or only get as a flickering unresolved; doesn't do magic i.e. against Silent Running though)
Undocking / Departure
Unlike the Docking, your presence at the Station is now well-known to anyone operating there. Keep that in mind!
Before clicking the Launch button, take a Minute to build maximum possible Situational Awareness.
- are people in chat discussing attacks around the Station?
- do you see Ships moving suspiciously inside or near the Station?
- do you see or hear Combat or Attacks in/near the Station?
- if in doubt, remember you have a potent Debug Camera which you can use even to leave the Station and look around. Use it!
Departure follows similar pattern as the Approach, although the big difference remains : any bad guys around will now know you're here. Your Ship and its Equipment will have been scanned.
Should a ramming attack begin on your way out, the distance to the Station and the end of the Mass Lock will define your Options.
- still very close and deep inside the NFZ, boosting might trigger a suicide-rammer while you're still well inside Weapons Range of that Station
- half-way, you might get suicide-rammed but be outside of lethal Weapons Range of the Station
- close to breaking Mass-Lock, you're unlikely to still get killed by the Station after a suicide-ram. It's far more likely that the Attacker deploys hardpoints to try to finish you off at that point.
-> these things will be "reasonably" easy with a standard ~5km NFZ, with a 10km NFZ things can get very interesting.
-> if you detect or recognize a coordinated Rammer Wing, all bets are off... In case you detected them during approach already, departure is best delayed until you're sure they're busy with something else
(a slow and generally poorly shielded Ship like a T9 is far more likely to get singled out by Rammers than i.e. a Cutter or Conda which is known to tank far more Collision Damage)
Should your Departure Jump (Hyperjump) be blocked by a nearby Object (Planet/Gas Giant), rather Hyperjump to another unblocked System and then proceed with your planned Route.
Avoid entering SuperCruise for such navigational purposes at all cost, since attackers very frequently camp the SuperCruise instance nearby the Station - you'd make an easy Target for no need.
Note on Cosmetics :
Normally they don't affect Gameplay - but approaching or departing the Station with i.e. a Green Engine Trail and in a Yellow or Orange Paintjob Ship is not what you'll want to do.
Contingency Plans / nice to know
Many Trade Ships tend to overheat when simultaneously charging FSD and Afterburning repeatedly.
Remember the Ship's Modules won't start taking any damage until 100% is reached and exceeded.
Thruster or FSD failure due to heat won't occur quickly when the modules were at 100% Integrity, so don't refrain from Boosting or even cancel a jump just because of the Smoke, sparks and Audio Warnings. It'll still work.
If when Interdicted and during the Evasion your Ship slams into a Planet or any other Object, it'll break the Interdiction tether. Means : you'll face 40sec of FSD cooldown and only mild Hull/Module Damage. But you're alone.
Still, an attacker might attempt to follow you into that Low Wake.
Thus, after dropping into Normal Space, pick a suitable Vector (HighWake), Afterburn 2x towards it FA OFF at 4 Pips ENG (assures maximum possible speed is maintained) and then let the Ship drift into the direction in idle while waiting for the FSD cooldown to complete. Any following Attacker won't have the Smoke Trail of your Ship to easily spot.
Intentionally slamming into a Gas Giant, Asteroid Ring, Planet or even a Sun is ugly - but doesn't do much damage.
So when faced with one or more Interdictors chasing you at a Range that you realize won't allow to pitch up >90deg in time, choosing the "surprise splash" at max. speed is actually a perfectly valid tactic.
At the common Ranges and your extremely close proximity (*lol* you just kissed its Exclusion zone after all xD) to the Gravity Well, it'll be near-impossible for any Interdictor to reach and disengage into your Low Wake anytime soon.
The Unsafe Disengage
Although somewhat risky, double-tapping your FSD key while being well beyond Safe Disengage speeds instantly drops you into normal space - at the price of the 40sec FSD cooldown and the known mild Hull/Module Damage.
If the Interdictors chasing you were still at considerable Range, they should have a hard time reaching your Low Wake somewhere in Deep Space quickly enough.
Be aware though, that experienced Interdictors will unlock the Low Wake and manually approach it until close Range. This affords a much faster approach to it and potentially permits Low Wake entry inside those 40 seconds.
Make sure you're pointed at your Jump Destination (HighWake) FA OFF at max. speed when that happens, just waiting for your FSD Cooldown.
Interdicted while charging for HyperJump
Remember you will escape the Interdiction, break the Tether and Jump when you manage to align the Escape Vector with your Jump Destination.
The "Wildcard" Option
Sitting in idle (30km/sec) or at very low speed in SC with an Interdictor that won't leave you alone while you're stuck doing the "I won't give you my 6" Game? See a USS spawning in front of you?
Target it if feasible and see if it's a "Convoy Detected - Threat 4". Very high chance these are System Defense Force Ships, usually alot of them.
Unless you're in Anarchy space, enter the USS if you're sure you can reach it.
Any attacker engaging you here will instantly draw the wrath of every single System Defense Force NPC.
Although more of a fun Option for wealthy Traders (you're seriously risking a Ship loss
), you can try a 6 v 1 upto 9 v 1 then, deploy hardpoints and either defend or (if Attacker already Wanted) Engage yourself Jump/HyperJump mechanics vs. incoming Damage
As soon as the Countdown for any jump begins in your HUD, your Ship becomes absolutely invincible to any Weapon or Collision Damage.
So don't hesitate to boost even straight into an attacker to trigger the jump (needs minimum speed and alignment) if you have a minimum Range for the Ship to accelerate and trigger the jump sequence.
It'll still jump even if the Countdown Phase brings you back i.e. into the Mass Lock of a Station. It won't stop the jump and doesn't matter.
Note that only heat continues to affect the Ship during the next 5 seconds, so any severe overheating will continue to deal damage. But since the Ship is already jumping, consider this irrelevant. You already made it.
=============================================
Yep, that's the short version, hope I didn't forget too much (probably made a ton of typos as well)
Last edited by a moderator:
My advice (as abbreviated/short and concise as possible) :
Preparation
a) know where you are going (random System vs. temporary hotspot like a CG location vs. permanent hotspot like Farseer/Dweller/SOL/Founders World)
The busier the System, the higher your chances to see some form of Trouble.
If you only need to visit a busy System once (i.e. for Engineering purposes), take your time to refit the Ship for the Task. A Trade Ship filled with an SCB, HRPs and MRPs can take quite a beating vs. its normal Trade configuration.
If you plan to make multiple trips into hotspots, forfeiting some Cargo space to harden up the Ship somewhat is a worthy consideration.
Scanner Setup : make sure your Scanner is set to an appropriate zoom level as desired.
Pips Setup : 4/2/0 is a fully defensive setup boosting your Shield Strength to the optimum possible
CTRL + B : press to enable Network bandwidth display.
If you're alone, it'll read low double-digit numbers. Whenever you're instanced, it'll skyrocked to 4 or 5-digit numbers immediately. Immediately tells you that you're not alone, very useful to build quick Situational Awareness.
Engineering! Won't go in detail (that'd be an own Chapter per Ship type), but obviously you'll want your Trade Ship's defensive capabilities at absolute maximum possible.
On Shields, remember that damage like Ramming or Plasma Accelerators does absolute Damage and ignore Shield Resistances. If feasible, you'll want a combination of high Resistances and high Shield hitpoints, combined with a strong hull armour.
b) know your Ship and its limitations (how well can it evade an Interdiction? It is better to submit to anyone or only certain Ship types?)
i.e. a Type-9 is quite likely to be an auto-submit candidate due to its extremely limited SC agility. A Type-7 fares far better and a Type-6 for example is an extremely capable Interdiction evader.
While some attackers are excellent Interdictors, others are far less capable due to their own limited SC agility. So have a plan in mind for most common Combat Ships. Good yaw rates in SC btw. is extremely helpful to make evasion easier.
Personal Evasion skills and solid Abort Criteria (stick to them!) will make the final decision though.
c) Egress Plan
If the route plotter permits it, have a Route plotted to another System which' Route takes you through your Destination. Galaxy Map Filters are extremely helpful to limit the Systems and assist such a plot.
The Cargo Slider in the Galaxy Map can be used to artificially shorten otherwise longer Jumpranges, this increases you chance of the Route Plotter actually giving you a Route that routes you through your actual Destination.
With a Hotkey assigned for "Target next System enroute", this saves alot of time you'd otherwise have to spend (under fire) to manually scroll & select a jump destination for a HighWake. Precious seconds that mean alot. Use that advantage.
Should a Route Plot with the 1-key Egress System fail to work, manually scroll the NAV Panel somewhere down to a point where you know when entering the NAV Panel again it'll sit on a suitable Jump Destination already.
Alternatively, use the Navigation Panel Filters to filter out everything but Stations etc. and Systems. This will guarantee a 100% decluttered NAV Panel for very rapid Egress System selection. You won't need anything else for Trading or Jumping.
System entry
a) Situational Awareness
- check Scanner image immediately (hollow Triangles are likely bad news - although any Ship with a Discovery Scanner in the active Firing Group will typically show up as a Triangle as well upon System entry)
- check Network bandwidth immediately
- if no Hollow Contact is displayed but the bandwidth is high, take a moment to see "Recent Contacts"; it'll immediately show who you're instanced with and sometimes "funny" looking Holo-Mes give bad guys away right there
b) Movement
- unless absolutely required, do NOT plan on Fuel Scooping, since this drastically increases your VUL time (Time of Vulnerability)
- max. Throttle (Ship type/Sun Position permitting) to get away from the very near Gravity Well ASAP
- any other Ship that's "parking" near the Sun is very likely to be either a bad guy checking for suitable Targets or (if you're lucky) a good guy guarding the System; you can't find out though until it's too late, so anyone there is potentially hostile
-> if it's only one or several in the same cardinal sector around you, ensure your Ship does not present it its rear hemisphere (that fulfills a key requirement for Interdictors to establish Teather and Interdict)
-> as soon as "Tattletailing" is observed by ANY other Ship (follows or maneuvers to get into your 6), consider this Ship Hostile
--> if this occurs near the Sun, escape by denying the Interdictor the 6 won't work for long since you're unable to go anywhere; consider dropping down (manual Disengage) and begin Egress from System immediately
(following Ships will have to approach to 1Mm to Disengage into your Low Wake, buying you the time needed to Hyperjump out without much trouble)
Depending on the sighted Traffic in SuperCruise and proximity, while accelerating toggle through all nearby Hollow Contacts at a distance.
Behavior of these Ships will very often give away their intentions. Other Traders will head towards the same Station as you, while "free floaters" in SuperCruise will extremely likely be looking for Combat.
Should a Ship follow late (i.e. was parked by the Sun, then accelerates to follow), do NOT go for a 6-7sec ETA.
Instead, plan for an aggressive Overshoot and yank the Ship to attain 90deg Pitch or more to deny the following Bogey your six. Should the Bogey continue to maneuver into an offensive Position, it's guaranteed to be a Bandit (Hostile).
Many Criminals will try once or twice to maneuver to establish Teather but eventually give up and rather search for more juicy Targets in a busy System; additionally their maneuvering telegraphs their intentions to any potential Bounty Hunters, making themselves a potential Interdiction Target.
Exception to that rule is likely to occur when you fly a Ship well-known to have poor SuperCruise agility, like a Type-9. In that case, I'd recommend to manually disengage and perform the Egress right there - since the T9 isn't agile enough to deny its 6 to a persistent attacker for very long.
c) stopping the Movement
Use Gravity Braking to minimize VUL time in SuperCruise.
Works outstanding with Gas Giants but also still works to a lesser extent with Planets. A nice, good Gas Giant permits overshooting as far as 25-40Ls out and you still might stay within approx. 1 Ls of your Station with the help of Gravity Braking.
For Planets, the max. distance to start the Overshoot is far smaller, it'll be a few Ls at best but still useful.
d) Disengaging to the Station
Don't wait for i.e. 1Mm while approaching with a 6 sec ETA.
Inside as far as approx. 25Mm, a mild overshoot can be initiated (4-5 sec ETA) and still be within valid disengage Parameters (= Speed) at the Disengage Point.
Approaching the Station to dock
a) NFZ Size matters
Keep NFZ (= Speeding) ranges for Station types in mind.
Very Large Station = ~9.5-10km
Standard Stations = ~5.5km
Outposts = ~3.5km
Again, check Scanner image and Network bandwith for Presence of other Players.
Also, take the moment to check "Recent Contacts" again, as this displays everyone in your Instance even if beyond Scanner range. This helps build Situational Awareness and maybe you already see a name you remembered.
The biggest Threats during approach to a Station are :
- suicide Ships that'll try to ram-suicide while hoping you are speeding (= Murder on your Side and makes the Station go aggro on you; plus you'll be Wanted with Notoriety; the game of the offender is a mere cheap Sidey or Eagle)
- Station Rammers will attempt to ram your Ship, which will only incur them Fines, while you eventually face Ship loss; be prepared for ram-attacks even inside the Station!
It's a guts call and mostly depends on vicinity of other Ships whether to approach the Station >100m/sec or remain <100m/sec.
No traffic is visible nearby is no guarantee (Silent Running attackers) that there's noone already aiming for your Ship. Visual lookout is the best defense to spot an ramming attack early.
Note that some attacks are combined; i.e. someone will ram you (hoping you panic and accelerate), then a 2nd Ship suicide-rams you to get what they want.
While an active Docking Computer won't incur any Fines when rammed by another Ship, a suicide-rammer is very likely to once open Fire on you, knowing this will automatically cut-out the Docking Computer - the suicide-ram then can succeed >100m/sec.
b) "Silent Approach"
Note that Ships continually Thrustering with FA ON will leave the known smoke trail, visually giving away the approach from far away.
Instead, set desired speed, go FA OFF and let the Ship drift. This will remove the Smoke Trail for anyone visually looking for a new Target.
Although they'll leave white contacts, popping a Heatsink during approach is not a bad idea. This covers a Phase of the approach from a distance and another white Contact amongst many Low/High Wakes likely won't give you away on the Scanner.
This makes it far more difficult for anyone camping the Station perimeter to single you out as a "fresh meat" Target. Almost as good as Silent Running but keeps the Shields up.
c) Docking
Worst-case, Players can attempt to block the own Ship or continue Ramming Attacks. If the own Shields were already brought down by ramming outside the Station, you can consider yourself a prime Target.
The only defense you have is to dock as quickly as possible, while remaining within speed limits.
Undocking / Departure
Unlike the Docking, your presence at the Station is now well-known to anyone operating there. Keep that in mind!
Before clicking the Launch button, take a Minute to build maximum possible Situational Awareness.
- are people in chat discussing attacks around the Station?
- do you see Ships moving suspiciously inside or near the Station?
- do you see or hear Combat or Attacks in/near the Station?
- if in doubt, remember you have a potent Debug Camera which you can use even to leave the Station and look around. Use it!
Departure follows similar pattern as the Approach, although the big difference remains : any bad guys around will now know you're here. Your Ship and it's Equipment will have been scanned.
Should a ramming attack begin on your way out, the distance to the Station and the end of the Mass Lock will define your Options.
- still very close and deep inside the NFZ, boosting might trigger a suicide-rammer while you're still well inside Weapons Range of that Station
- half-way, you might get suicide-rammed but be outside of lethal Weapons Range of the Station
- close to breaking Mass-Lock, you're unlikely to still get killed by the Station after a suicide-ram. It's far more likely that the Attacker deploys hardpoints to try to finish you off at that point.
-> these things will be "reasonably" easy with a standard ~5km NFZ, with a 10km NFZ things can get very interesting.
-> if you detect or recognize a coordinated Rammer Wing, all bets are off... In case you detected them during approach already, departure is best delayed until you're sure they're busy with something else
(a slow and generally poorly shielded Ship like a T9 is far more likely to get singled out by Rammers than i.e. a Cutter or Conda which is known to tank far more Collision Damage)
Should your Departure Jump (Hyperjump) be blocked by a nearby Object (Planet/Gas Giant), rather Hyperjump to another unblocked System and then proceed with your planned Route.
Avoid entering SuperCruise for such navigational purposes at all cost, since attackers very frequently camp the SuperCruise instance nearby the Station - you'd make an easy Target for no need.
Contingency Plans / nice to know
Many Trade Ships tend to overheat when simultaneously charging FSD and Afterburning repeatedly.
Remember the Ship's Modules won't start taking any damage until 100% is reached and exceeded.
Thruster or FSD failure due to heat won't occur quickly when the modules were at 100% Integrity, so don't refrain from Boosting or even cancel a jump just because of the Smoke, sparks and Audio Warnings. It'll still work.
If when Interdicted and during the Evasion your Ship slams into a Planet or any other Object, it'll break the Interdiction teather. Means : you'll face 40sec of FSD cooldown and only mild Hull/Module Damage.
Still, an attacker might attempt to follow you into that Low Wake.
Thus, after dropping into Normal Space, pick a suitable Vector (HighWake), Afterburn 2x towards it FA OFF at 4 Pips ENG (assures maximum possible speed is maintained) and then let the Ship drift into the direction in idle while waiting for the FSD cooldown to complete. Any following Attacker won't have the Smoke Trail of your Ship to easily spot.
Intentionally slamming into a Gas Giant, Asteroid Ring, Planet or even a Sun is ugly - but doesn't do much damage.
So when faced with one or more Interdictors chasing you at a Range that you realize won't allow to pitch up 90deg in time, choosing the "surprise splash" at max. speed is actually a perfectly valid tactic.
At the common Ranges and your extremely close proximity (*lol* you just kissed its Exclusion zone after all xD) to the Gravity Well, it'll be near-impossible for any Interdictor to reach and disengage into your Low Wake anytime soon.
The Unsafe Disengage
Although somewhat risky, double-tapping your FSD key while being well beyond Safe Disengage speeds instantly drops you into normal space - at the price of the 40sec FSD cooldown and the known mild Hull/Module Damage.
If the Interdictors chasing you were still at considerable Range, they should have a hard time reaching your Low Wake somewhere in Deep Space quickly enough.
Be aware though, that experienced Interdictors will unlock the Low Wake and manually approach it until close Range. This affords a much faster approach to it and potentially permits Low Wake entry inside those 40 seconds.
Make sure you're pointed at your Jump Destination (HighWake) FA OFF at max. speed when that happens, just waiting for your FSD Cooldown.
Interdicted while charging for HyperJump
Remember you will escape the Interdiction, break the Teather and Jump when you manage to align the Escape Vector with your Jump Destination.
=============================================
Yep, that's the short version, hope I didn't forget too much (probably made a ton of typos as well)
This is why I keep coming to the forums.[yesnod]
:O
You just won the thread.
Shields, shield boosters and point defenses on the back of your ship. If you ship allows it, use a SLF. It can make the life of the interdictor harder while you escape.
One thing many people don't know is that stock lightweight armor can be engineered to the gills with zero impact on the mass, since it's a multiplier off the base mass, and the base mass of zero means it remains zero no matter what you multiply by.
Some good advice on here, but I don't think I've seen anybody mention a word about resistances, so here are some of the things I've learned that might be useful for Green Horns.
1. Submit to the interdiction, don't try to fight it. Then high wake the hell out.
2. Shield is essential, yes, but pay attention to your resistances (you can do this through engineering): kinetic/explosive/thermal. You see this in the statistics section on the right panel. At the very least you want to try to get your shield and armour resistances for all three to be over 40%. That's at the very least. If you go nuts on engineering, you can push this up even higher with engineered hull reinforcement modules (but then you lose valuable cargo space).
3. Point defence is a nice idea, but if utility slots are tight, go for shield boosters each time: At least one reinforced (maximum 3), one thermal, and the rest as Heavy Duty (all grade 5 engineered if you can afford the materials and time). Also, the experimental effects are worth paying attention to, as they can help iron out resistances or help with power management/integrity.
4. There are some people who have good results with mines. I've not. If you're in a situation where mines are needed, you're already in deep sh*t.
5. Flight Assist is your friend. If you're charging your FSD, it doesn't matter what direction you are facing. When it's ready, FA-Off to face the target, then hit boost repeatedly till the FSD countdown starts. Once that starts, the other ship can't hurt you.
6. Don't panic. Sometimes the person interdicting you is a worse pilot than you are.
7. Fly in a wing if you can. If you have a fighter module, release the fighter and start the FSD charge. You'll lose the fighter, but at least you and your ship will make it out alive.
8. Ctrl-B is like a PvP sonar. When you jump into a system, pay attention to the stats. If they jump high, then there are other players already there. Be prepared.
9. If you see other ships in the system, watch out for any that are angling to line up behind you. If they are, hit emergency exit for supercruise. It's a fast, crude method to avoid being interdicted, and by the time they line up and drop into your instance, your FSD would have cooled down enough for you to jump back out. Keep doing that as many times as needed to "leapfrog" to the station in Supercruise, and deliver your cargo.
10. Don't panic. Be cool.
Fly safe, Commanders
o7
1. Submit to the interdiction, don't try to fight it. Then high wake the hell out.
2. Shield is essential, yes, but pay attention to your resistances (you can do this through engineering): kinetic/explosive/thermal. You see this in the statistics section on the right panel. At the very least you want to try to get your shield and armour resistances for all three to be over 40%. That's at the very least. If you go nuts on engineering, you can push this up even higher with engineered hull reinforcement modules (but then you lose valuable cargo space).
3. Point defence is a nice idea, but if utility slots are tight, go for shield boosters each time: At least one reinforced (maximum 3), one thermal, and the rest as Heavy Duty (all grade 5 engineered if you can afford the materials and time). Also, the experimental effects are worth paying attention to, as they can help iron out resistances or help with power management/integrity.
4. There are some people who have good results with mines. I've not. If you're in a situation where mines are needed, you're already in deep sh*t.
5. Flight Assist is your friend. If you're charging your FSD, it doesn't matter what direction you are facing. When it's ready, FA-Off to face the target, then hit boost repeatedly till the FSD countdown starts. Once that starts, the other ship can't hurt you.
6. Don't panic. Sometimes the person interdicting you is a worse pilot than you are.
7. Fly in a wing if you can. If you have a fighter module, release the fighter and start the FSD charge. You'll lose the fighter, but at least you and your ship will make it out alive.
8. Ctrl-B is like a PvP sonar. When you jump into a system, pay attention to the stats. If they jump high, then there are other players already there. Be prepared.
9. If you see other ships in the system, watch out for any that are angling to line up behind you. If they are, hit emergency exit for supercruise. It's a fast, crude method to avoid being interdicted, and by the time they line up and drop into your instance, your FSD would have cooled down enough for you to jump back out. Keep doing that as many times as needed to "leapfrog" to the station in Supercruise, and deliver your cargo.
10. Don't panic. Be cool.
Fly safe, Commanders
o7
Outdated. Try again with "how to survive OP-ship flight of gank squad".
#1: Grind materials
#2: Click xthousand times buttons
#3: repeat this for another module
#4: unlock the other engineer
#5: repeat 1-3
#6 start playing the game after a month or so of repetitive bullcrap just to catch up to the power creep
#1: Grind materials
#2: Click xthousand times buttons
#3: repeat this for another module
#4: unlock the other engineer
#5: repeat 1-3
#6 start playing the game after a month or so of repetitive bullcrap just to catch up to the power creep
I don't think ctrl-B still works.
Thanks for this on engineering. That's a part I'd been missing.
Deleted member 110222
D
Yes, you're right!
I just engineered my LWA because of this. Great news for my brig when blockade running.
Any greenhorns reading this. I highly recommend honing your skills in a Cobra Mk III. It's a highly dependable vessel, and very cheap to replace.
This is why every CMDR should fly a Cobra at some point in their career.
Deleted member 110222
D
Martuuk, Farseer, Ryder and The Dweller are all you need to make a survivable Cobra for Open. Everything else is a bonus that doesn't need to be rushed to.
Weapon engineering does nothing to improve survivability for the purely defensive flyer.
Good point. I'll cut that time in half. Still wouldn't do it, but maybe some other player isn't as appalled as me.
Deleted member 110222
D
Mate it will take a weekend, tops. You don't even need to bother with the FSD. You're going to Martuuk/Farseer for the shields/thrusters.