A few days ago I bought a Krait Phantom, with the idea of outfitting it to be a fast express and armed merchant cruiser, to replace the venerable Python I had just sold. To run VIP and bulk transport missions and boom time deliveries. High speed, good jump, nice view. I bought and built it but it soon became apparent the optional slot arrangement is less than ideal. Bigger is better as it puts more butts in seats or carries more cargo. My ships need to have good shields, high speed and jump. The Phantom is perfect in those respects, but the optional slots don't allow a good cabin arrangement, while still having good shields. In the Phantom, you either need to go class 3 shields, which are too weak in my view, or class 5, which eats one of the valuable cabin/cargo slots.
So I bought a third Krait II. There are a lot of great ships in Elite, but for me the Krait II is the best of the bunch. It is just such a perfect blend of interior space, speed, agility, visibility, shields and firepower. It uses the same core slots as the Phantom, so I could have swapped them and sold the Phantom, but I'm going to hold on to it for a while and maybe turn it in to an explorer. I still want to get first-discovery on the rarest star types, and am motivated to head back out there. I could just use the DBX again, but it might be fun to build a more scientific exploration vessel and that's what I have in mind now for the Phantom, taking advantage of it's good jump and generous optional slots.
The Krait II is much better suited to the fast express role because of two tiny optional slot differences. The Krait II replaces one of the Phantom's class 5 slots with class 6. And one class 3 slot with class 4. Such a small difference, but the effect on the suitability for these roles is huge. I can now use class 4 shields, which gives me proper shields, which in turn frees one class 5 slot for the role, and another is raised from 5 to 6. In this trim, it carries 192t of cargo, putting it in the Python's class. The Python can carry more, but boom time deliveries are never 200t+ so this build can run the best ones. I can then swap all racks for business class cabins and it seats 52 passengers. There are a lot of transport missions requiring 45 business class seats, and these pay well. So in the end I think it is ideally suited for the intended roles.
It's a little slower than the Phantom, but with Dirty Drags it's still really fast. I named the new ship Parabellum and armed it. My plan is to submit and engage any interdictors, and she has my standard efficient beams and overcharged MCs, with auto-loader on the mediums and corrosive on the large. I would usually go thermal vent on the beams, but here the only combat this ship will see is one v one really, so thermal vent isn't really needed. I'll kick around which experimental to apply to the beams.
It's just the sort of Python replacement I needed. A ship like a Python, but faster, with better jump and visibility. It can still do all of the missions I used the Python for, but for pure bulk hauling it would come short. But that's something I don't do so it won't be missed and I feel like I improved everything I didn't like about that ship. So I have three Krait IIs now, one a dedicated miner, one a combat sweeper and HGE-Hunter, and one an armed merchant cruiser and rumble bus.
Here is the new Krait in rumble bus trim (55 Business Class seats). This ship is fast, with good jump and 900 mj and integrity along with reasonable shield resistances. Fully loaded with cargo or passenger cabins drops the performance, but it's still way better than the Python was. No scoop, but the missions the ship will run are usually one hop anyway.
Parabellum
Poison Whiskey, which I call a combat sweeper and HGE-Hunter. It's role is mat gathering, prowling CNBs and RES, and investigating HGEs to limpet the goods. This is the ship I fly most often. Build shown here is latest, having switched the scoop to 6A, added GSR and switched to bi-weaves
Poison Whiskey
The final Krait, Twin Reverb, is a dedicated core miner, though I have used it a few times for strip mining. Core mining's what I enjoy though. Just 128t of cargo, which is plenty for me, and as with all of my ships I prioritized speed and jump to make flying to far-flung sell stations less painful plus a class 5 scoop and armed it to turn tables on interdictors. Point defense to ward off hatchbreakers. I have two minimum requirements for a ship to be part of my fleet. One, it must jump at least 30 light years, and two, it must boost at least 500 m/s. The FDL and Vulture just edge the jump requirements, and the DBX just edges the speed.
Twin Reverb
The Kraits though easily meet all requirements. One of my PG mates has four Krait IIs and I used to needle him about it, but the man is a visionary. I have three now and won't rule out another. For me, it's Elite's best ship.
So I bought a third Krait II. There are a lot of great ships in Elite, but for me the Krait II is the best of the bunch. It is just such a perfect blend of interior space, speed, agility, visibility, shields and firepower. It uses the same core slots as the Phantom, so I could have swapped them and sold the Phantom, but I'm going to hold on to it for a while and maybe turn it in to an explorer. I still want to get first-discovery on the rarest star types, and am motivated to head back out there. I could just use the DBX again, but it might be fun to build a more scientific exploration vessel and that's what I have in mind now for the Phantom, taking advantage of it's good jump and generous optional slots.
The Krait II is much better suited to the fast express role because of two tiny optional slot differences. The Krait II replaces one of the Phantom's class 5 slots with class 6. And one class 3 slot with class 4. Such a small difference, but the effect on the suitability for these roles is huge. I can now use class 4 shields, which gives me proper shields, which in turn frees one class 5 slot for the role, and another is raised from 5 to 6. In this trim, it carries 192t of cargo, putting it in the Python's class. The Python can carry more, but boom time deliveries are never 200t+ so this build can run the best ones. I can then swap all racks for business class cabins and it seats 52 passengers. There are a lot of transport missions requiring 45 business class seats, and these pay well. So in the end I think it is ideally suited for the intended roles.
It's a little slower than the Phantom, but with Dirty Drags it's still really fast. I named the new ship Parabellum and armed it. My plan is to submit and engage any interdictors, and she has my standard efficient beams and overcharged MCs, with auto-loader on the mediums and corrosive on the large. I would usually go thermal vent on the beams, but here the only combat this ship will see is one v one really, so thermal vent isn't really needed. I'll kick around which experimental to apply to the beams.
It's just the sort of Python replacement I needed. A ship like a Python, but faster, with better jump and visibility. It can still do all of the missions I used the Python for, but for pure bulk hauling it would come short. But that's something I don't do so it won't be missed and I feel like I improved everything I didn't like about that ship. So I have three Krait IIs now, one a dedicated miner, one a combat sweeper and HGE-Hunter, and one an armed merchant cruiser and rumble bus.
Here is the new Krait in rumble bus trim (55 Business Class seats). This ship is fast, with good jump and 900 mj and integrity along with reasonable shield resistances. Fully loaded with cargo or passenger cabins drops the performance, but it's still way better than the Python was. No scoop, but the missions the ship will run are usually one hop anyway.
Parabellum
Poison Whiskey, which I call a combat sweeper and HGE-Hunter. It's role is mat gathering, prowling CNBs and RES, and investigating HGEs to limpet the goods. This is the ship I fly most often. Build shown here is latest, having switched the scoop to 6A, added GSR and switched to bi-weaves
Poison Whiskey
The final Krait, Twin Reverb, is a dedicated core miner, though I have used it a few times for strip mining. Core mining's what I enjoy though. Just 128t of cargo, which is plenty for me, and as with all of my ships I prioritized speed and jump to make flying to far-flung sell stations less painful plus a class 5 scoop and armed it to turn tables on interdictors. Point defense to ward off hatchbreakers. I have two minimum requirements for a ship to be part of my fleet. One, it must jump at least 30 light years, and two, it must boost at least 500 m/s. The FDL and Vulture just edge the jump requirements, and the DBX just edges the speed.
Twin Reverb
The Kraits though easily meet all requirements. One of my PG mates has four Krait IIs and I used to needle him about it, but the man is a visionary. I have three now and won't rule out another. For me, it's Elite's best ship.
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