As many in the community are tooling up their Mandalay for more than just exploration.
Here is an amusing ship build for the community to critic.
Here is an amusing ship build for the community to critic.
There’s massive potential to hull tank with all of the class 1-3 optional slots. Anything but lightweight hull isn’t even needed for 2500MJ+ worth of hull.
Cold and nimble is a good place to be for combat.
s.orbis.zone
Cold and nimble is a good place to be for combat.
Coriolis EDCD Edition
A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous
s.orbis.zone
I'm building up one for piracy... very interesting ship, indeed 
There aren’t any centerline weapons, but you can converge the top medium and small hardpoints together fairly easily if you don’t mind an asymmetrical loadout. A PA plus a penetrator dumbfire works great like that.
I would go Reactive Armour combined with heavy duty deep plating on your HRPs, with a class 1 being a thermal res one. Also tweaked your shields to give a more all round build.
What I changed...
Reactive Armour
HRP engineering
MRPs
Shield engineering
Shield booster engineering
Sensor engineering
s.orbis.zone
Not touched your weapons as there are so many combinations here.
Builds are a personal choice to a certain extent, it's not that yours is bad/wrong, it's just that I would tackle it differently. I love reactive armour with a class 1 thermal res HRP.
What I changed...
Reactive Armour
HRP engineering
MRPs
Shield engineering
Shield booster engineering
Sensor engineering
Coriolis EDCD Edition
A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous
s.orbis.zone
Not touched your weapons as there are so many combinations here.
Builds are a personal choice to a certain extent, it's not that yours is bad/wrong, it's just that I would tackle it differently. I love reactive armour with a class 1 thermal res HRP.
I like your Shields suggestions.I would go Reactive Armour combined with heavy duty deep plating on your HRPs, with a class 1 being a thermal res one. Also tweaked your shields to give a more all round build.
What I changed...
Reactive Armour
HRP engineering
MRPs
Shield engineering
Shield booster engineering
Sensor engineering
Coriolis EDCD Edition
A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous
Not touched your weapons as there are so many combinations here.
Builds are a personal choice to a certain extent, it's not that yours is bad/wrong, it's just that I would tackle it differently. I love reactive armour with a class 1 thermal res HRP.
I went with Mirror and the HR blueprint choices because I tend to see more plasma equipped ships. Although it's an absolute damage weapon e.g. granted 66% but the 33% remainder is thermal and that is where I'm trying to reduce the severity of the hit when the shield drops. IF my math is right, IF there, then I would reduce damage caused by plasma by 26-27%. At least, that was my rationale behind the choice. You're armor and HR choices are solid too.
I have an Alliance Crusader hull tank that can be reduced to 18% remaining hull integrity and all the internals are above 90% healthy with that setup, and no malfunctions due to damage on my weapons: it's been proven in combat and in duels. I was out piloting this ship helping another new player who just joined Elite Dangerous earn some credits earlier tonight.
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After many flight tests. This is the final version of the Mandalay armed. I have piloted this build, and I can safely say the resistances on the shields and hull are not accurately reflected on the ship builder to the Live server. Their better. Hull resistances are in the 50-58% percentile ranges and the shields are not accurate either except in raw MJ.
That being said, I can say this ship build can take some hits, and the Concordance Sequence experimental effect is a fantastic addition in Wings. Since the lower size 2s hardpoints have a "big box" interfering with convergences on any target that's too close e.g. 500-750m or less, the 2s Burst Laser turrets add to the versatility (Focused) on keeping damage on target while maneuvering. Focus does not add additional power to increase the weapon and drop off ranges, so it's a decent budget "Long Range," however the increased penetration does compliment the Mult cannons when the target's shields are down to swiftly chew up their hull integrity and continue to do so while out of the frontal firing arc.
I kept the 4e cargo and 3B collector limpets (light weight) to gather materials while BH or tracking down High Encoded Signals. Otherwise, they can be Module reinforcements which will protect your internals pretty darn good: further extending the survival and durability of the ship despite its original short comings built into the ship's design to handle combat. Or temporarily slot an SRV and DSS since a more dedicated ship for those functions works better.
Edited: Here is a sample video using the Mandalay in combat with this ship build.
Source: https://youtu.be/emdjut6ibKM
That being said, I can say this ship build can take some hits, and the Concordance Sequence experimental effect is a fantastic addition in Wings. Since the lower size 2s hardpoints have a "big box" interfering with convergences on any target that's too close e.g. 500-750m or less, the 2s Burst Laser turrets add to the versatility (Focused) on keeping damage on target while maneuvering. Focus does not add additional power to increase the weapon and drop off ranges, so it's a decent budget "Long Range," however the increased penetration does compliment the Mult cannons when the target's shields are down to swiftly chew up their hull integrity and continue to do so while out of the frontal firing arc.
I kept the 4e cargo and 3B collector limpets (light weight) to gather materials while BH or tracking down High Encoded Signals. Otherwise, they can be Module reinforcements which will protect your internals pretty darn good: further extending the survival and durability of the ship despite its original short comings built into the ship's design to handle combat. Or temporarily slot an SRV and DSS since a more dedicated ship for those functions works better.
Edited: Here is a sample video using the Mandalay in combat with this ship build.
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How goes your build? I just bought one todayI'm building up one for piracy... very interesting ship, indeed
I am satisfied with the Mandalay combat build. I switched using two medium Cannons (LR, Dispersion) which has a more upfront HDPS hit power. The dispersion on both is because of the hardpoint positions and top split angles when the target moves to one side: its rare but it happens. This allows you to focus down on the target while reaping the benefits of "chaff launcher" while jousting against the target. Plus, leaning heavy into thermal e.g. 2x smalls and 2x medium, helps you drop shields. Since the Mandalay has a natural speed and nimbleness, you will often find yourself throttling down for tighter turning. You can out boost many ships for boosted orbiting against your target that holds them in your FA while their trying to pull you into theirs.
Plasma is 60% absolute-20% thermal-20% kinetic
Unless they changed it recently.
Rail guns are 66% thermal and 33% kinetic
Rails would be the biggest threat to your build as you don't have enough module reinforcement after your biweaves drop. This is assuming PVP of course because literally anything will work for PVE.
I got pirated by one yesterday in my Cutter. Cost me 50 tons of Bauxite but the Mandalay that CMDR flew was a flechette/missile build and I wasn't quite sure if I am good enough again to not lose the Cutter + load, so I rather complied, and I have a soft spot for pirates anywayI'm building up one for piracy... very interesting ship, indeed
.And lo and behold, I have a new friend in my friendlist and some nice conversation. Was a bit awkward to ask the pirate if I should abandon or jettison though. I'm a bit rusty
Another Cutter selfdestructed in that system to the same pirate just in spite to not lose cargo. Only gankers in open, no emergent content at all, I swear I digress though, haven't seen the Mandy as combat ship, I will retire my Exploration Phantom for it. It will make a nice hull tank, although not as good as the Fedbricks in raw hull,
faster and better jumprange though. Nice ship.