I plan on doing some pirating against players and NPCs as well as NPC PvE for credits. When comparing the 2 ships, which would you recommend for someone plans to go the pirate route for run? I currently own an ASP for rare trading as well as an A-rated Cobra. Any advice would be welcome.
Ships Imperial Clipper or FAS?
- Thread starter torothin69
- Start date
I'm a little biased because I own a Clipper and like it very much - I also haven't flown the FAS yet. However, the Clipper can be in a viable combat build and still have good cargo space, and on top of that you're faster than anyone but boosting cobras - everyone else won't be able to outrun you. The FAS may be viable for piracy too - I haven't really checked - but imo you can't go too wrong with the Clipper for this purpose.
I'd have to suggest the clipper for few reasons other than flexibility. As a pirate, the clipper will probably serve you better - you don't need the hard points the FAS offers. Just a pair of large beams and a pair of medium seekers will get the job done.
for multipurpose you clearly want a clipper, huge cargo and 440 boost speed, if you ever want to flee you just have to boost 2 times, everything else in the ship is good.
for fighting the F.A.S is a wonder, i call it the "Vulture's big brother" you can imagine how well it performs, the rest is alright it has a few multipurpose capabilities but not as much as a clipper.
both can be great for pirating but if you ever find yourself in front of a good CMDR you will have more chances to win inside the F.A.S but more chances to flee in the Clipper.
for fighting the F.A.S is a wonder, i call it the "Vulture's big brother" you can imagine how well it performs, the rest is alright it has a few multipurpose capabilities but not as much as a clipper.
both can be great for pirating but if you ever find yourself in front of a good CMDR you will have more chances to win inside the F.A.S but more chances to flee in the Clipper.
I don't mean to go the fun sponge here but I think that maybe FAS is a bit overpowered and I might be wrong here (I hope I am) but I can see a severe nerf coming its way.
But I might be talking a load of old b**ls.
But I might be talking a load of old b**ls.
the FAS have one of the worst shield of ED, that's why it's not OP
This. The Clipper's versatility is quite handy, and is great at making credits in all kinds of ways, but you'll be running against a solid CMDR. If you plan on backing up your threats, the FAS is a better choice. Honestly, both have their merits.
They're very different ships, despite similar hardpoints.
The FAS is an amazing combat ship - it feels like a big Vulture. Despite it having low shields that's rarely a problem in PvE as its armour is amazing. It's a ramming machine - it weighs more than an Anaconda and will come off better ramming one, and small ships just spin off into oblivion without leaving a scratch. It has enough space and power to stack SCB for PvP.
The Clipper has more shields, but its survivability is actually lower. The hardpoint placement means you can't really use fixed (while the FAS can stack rails and plasmas and hit will all of them).
In a fight between the two I'd pick the FAS every time.
However the Clipper is much more versatile. It can be a much better trader, a better miner, and so on. It's too wide to dock at outposts and docking at regular stations is harder, and those really ruin its versatility for me. It does look amazing though, while the FAS looks like a fish had sex with an iron brick.
The FAS is an amazing combat ship - it feels like a big Vulture. Despite it having low shields that's rarely a problem in PvE as its armour is amazing. It's a ramming machine - it weighs more than an Anaconda and will come off better ramming one, and small ships just spin off into oblivion without leaving a scratch. It has enough space and power to stack SCB for PvP.
The Clipper has more shields, but its survivability is actually lower. The hardpoint placement means you can't really use fixed (while the FAS can stack rails and plasmas and hit will all of them).
In a fight between the two I'd pick the FAS every time.
However the Clipper is much more versatile. It can be a much better trader, a better miner, and so on. It's too wide to dock at outposts and docking at regular stations is harder, and those really ruin its versatility for me. It does look amazing though, while the FAS looks like a fish had sex with an iron brick.
Fair one, yes its shields are terrible.
I wrote almost the exact same comments. Own both ships, Clipper used to be my goto PvE fighter. Now the FAS is. The reasons for this are that the FAS is harder to hit than the Clipper and the hardpoint mounts are easier to use without a lock. The Clipper might turn vertically faster but, in all of axis and in FA off situations, the FAS is more maneuverable. Clipper is a bit faster with A-class thrusters so better to flee as people have said. It's also big so difficult to mass lock. But, it's also big, so can't land at outposts (if that matters to you). I've even done some smuggling in the FAS but it does suffer less jump range than the Clipper as well.
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Yup
One addition though - the FAS weighs 480t, the Clipper 400t. This means that the FAS is harder to mass lock.
This surprising weight on the FAS is why it's so good at ramming too.
Heavier than a 'Conda. Ill try and post a Youtube feed of the FAS just ramming stuff and not even using its weapons that much. Its a frikking beast of a ship.
https://youtu.be/jktLkMV-yMA
https://youtu.be/jktLkMV-yMA
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I love the clipper and it excels at smuggling. I don't think I've been scanned once flying through the slot but those shields are make of tissue paper.. For the average NPC no worries at all, but against a wing she won't fair quite so well. I think i'll try it again once I get the A7 prismatics on it. Until then, the Python wins as best all rounder.
They appear to have nerfed it a bit since then - when I first bought it I could ram anything and not just win, but smash them. Typically I'd be unscathed and whatever I hit would be dead. It's still good, but ramming Anaconda and Clippers hurts a lot more now (still hurts them more than me) and ramming small ships is less likely to single-hit kill them (an Eagle used to be a one ram kill, now that will wipe their shields and 20-60% of their hull).