Moving on up through the fighter ships, where do I go now?

Ldb477

L
I've been mostly bounty hunting since Gamma and I've been able to smoothly make my way through the fighter class ships, starting with the Eagle -> Viper -> Cobra. Now that my Cobra is kitted out and I've spent some time hunting with it, I've noticed that my next fighter ship is not within reasonable reach. Right now I could afford a type-6, but I'm not so sure I want to just become a trader just to afford a better ship. Up from there is the ASP, which I've been hearing actually has good qualities as a fighter, but 6M is very far away from me. Next up from there is the type-7 which my cobra can eat for breakfast, so it doesn't seem desirable to ever own. Followed by the Imperial Clipper, which is a whopping 22M credits, and I imagine requires a suitable Imperial rank in order to purchase.

It would be nice to have a 1M "type-6" range style fighter to fill this gap. Any one else facing this dilemma? Anyone have any advice for me to make my way up the ships?
 

Neilos

Neilos
I'm not entirely sure I see the point of the Asp as a fighter. It's big and easy to hit with no better weapons than a Cobra/Viper and a ton more insurance cost. It could make a good pirating ship if u target cargo bay and scoop up all the lovely stuffs.

I have a 2mil Cr Viper and a 2mil Cr type-6. I think I'll go straight from that to a Python or if the Fer de Lance comes out and has nice stats I might get that.

There is a distinct lack of ships in ED but that's ok there is good variety in what we have but don't forget that you are asking for more ships and that is exactly what FD are in the process of doing. What they will be like/cost... who knows?
 

Ldb477

L
Flying Penguin said:
Isn't a kitted out Cobra worth about 5-7m? That's Asp purchase money right there....
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I was just under 2M last time I checked. I'm probably using the term wrong, but I basically just meant not stock at all. Mostly everything's been upgraded, just not maxed out.
 

RedWizzard

RedWizzard
If it were me I'd just suck it up and do some trading in a Type 6. It doesn't take long to get to the Asp. A fully kitted out Asp is 20m+ so once you get one you're going to spend quite a bit of time getting it up to spec. That could either be fun incremental advancement or frustrating grind depending on how you look at it. If you're really not keen on trading then I'd say the Asp is biggest ship it's worth aiming for.

The Type 7 is purely a trader. It's slow, cumbersome, and only has 4 small hardpoints. You'll probably need it if you want to go much beyond the Asp though as it's a reasonable upgrade on the Asp for trading.

The Clipper does require an Imperial rank but it's currently pretty easy to get that rank. It has it's large hardpoints out on those "wings" so it may or may not suit your style. I'd guess you need to put at least 40m into one of these.

I haven't flown the Dropship so I can't comment on that.

The Orca is currently useless as it's designed for passenger transport which we can't do. It has no benefits over the Clipper.

The Python is great heavy fighter and a good trader (great capacity but bad range). But it's 60m just to get into, 80m to be effective, and well over 100m to even approach "fully" upgraded (the 7A powerplant is 50m alone though you don't need it).
 

Flying Penguin

Flying Penguin
Ldb477 said:
I was just under 2M last time I checked. I'm probably using the term wrong, but I basically just meant not stock at all. Mostly everything's been upgraded, just not maxed out.
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Well then you have room to grow :) The Cobra is an epic ship maxed out, the last "do anything" ship before an effectively upgraded ASP (at ~40m including decent upgrades)
 

Ouiche

O
Ldb477 said:
I've been mostly bounty hunting since Gamma and I've been able to smoothly make my way through the fighter class ships, starting with the Eagle -> Viper -> Cobra. Now that my Cobra is kitted out and I've spent some time hunting with it, I've noticed that my next fighter ship is not within reasonable reach. Right now I could afford a type-6, but I'm not so sure I want to just become a trader just to afford a better ship. Up from there is the ASP, which I've been hearing actually has good qualities as a fighter, but 6M is very far away from me. Next up from there is the type-7 which my cobra can eat for breakfast, so it doesn't seem desirable to ever own. Followed by the Imperial Clipper, which is a whopping 22M credits, and I imagine requires a suitable Imperial rank in order to purchase.

It would be nice to have a 1M "type-6" range style fighter to fill this gap. Any one else facing this dilemma? Anyone have any advice for me to make my way up the ships?
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I too hit a wall at the cobra. I did a ton of bounty hunting, some exploration but that was not enough. I had to get a Type-6 and farm for 2 days in order to get an asp.

Also, the asp is very expensive to upgrade / run, it's a bad idea to get an asp with only 6-7m credits. With weapons and a few basic upgrades you can add at least ~4 mils on top of that (and way more to be really confortable)

Damage from an interdiction usually cost me 20k on a ~15mil asp, hull at ~40% is 150k to repair, refuel 2/3 of the reservoir around 10k (you need a good fuel scoop) and assurance at 600k currently... you have to see the asp like one of thoses second hand Mercedes AMG. You can get one for the price of a good family saloon but if you have to do anything on the car it's going to cost you an arm and a leg.


Flying Penguin said:
Isn't a kitted out Cobra worth about 5-7m? That's Asp purchase money right there....
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A 7m asp is worst than a fully upgraded cobra imo. It's usually a bad idea to trade a well equipped ship for a bigger but nearly stock one. Class A eagle vs nearly stock viper or cobra for bounty hunting, "A" cobra vs nearly stock asp...
 
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Icarus1

Icarus1
Zvanya said:
Stick with the cobra and keep improving it. Don't be in a big hurry to move to bigger more expensive ship.
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Yep. Don't forget that an ASP maintenance and insurance is many times of the Cobra, plus even if you can just barely afford one by trading in your Cobra, you are still stuck with a stock ship with a low jump range and generic weapons. You are going to be required to start doing some crazy trading in order to have some extra money, which you won't make by bounty hunting.
 

Riepah

Riepah
Once you made your decision between the Viper and the Cobra, you're more or less done, if bounty hunting is your thing. Upgrading beyond that means a tremendous increase in repair/rebuy costs and a decrease in maneuverability, while it doesn't really allow you to earn bounties any faster. In my case, I fly a Viper, and short of combat zones, which I haven't seen yet, there's not really anything floating around in space that I can't kill. Having 2 more small hardpoints from an Asp would increase my killspeed a bit, but the real problem, for me at least, is *finding* my prey rather than obliterating it.
 

Seren77

Seren77
I'm almost in the same position as the OP, my cobras worth around 2 million, any money thrown at isnt going to fix it's awkward hard points or limited cargo space. It's fine for rare runs but if you really want to work towards getting some of the higher end ships it's time to move on. That means buying type 6 and finding a good quick trade run and saving for that ASP. I kept my cobra but i'll trade it and the type 6 on the Asp today or tomorrow.
 

19th hole

1
Ouiche said:
I too hit a wall at the cobra. I did a ton of bounty hunting, some exploration but that was not enough. I had to get a Type-6 and farm for 2 days in order to get an asp.

Also, the asp is very expensive to upgrade / run, it's a bad idea to get an asp with only 6-7m credits. With weapons and a few basic upgrades you can add at least ~4 mils on top of that (and way more to be really confortable)

Damage from an interdiction usually cost me 20k on a ~15mil asp, hull at ~40% is 150k to repair, refuel 2/3 of the reservoir around 10k (you need a good fuel scoop) and assurance at 600k currently... you have to see the asp like one of thoses second hand Mercedes amg AMG. You can get one for the price of a good family saloon but if you have to do anything on the car it's going to cost you an arm and a leg.
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mercs?! Wish you didn't bring up this comparison, but it's your opinion, but oooh so cliche. Makes me tick sideways... I eat amgs for breakfeast on the autobahn, nothing special about those overpriced sidewinders with a sticker.

oh, btw, i agree with the costs part of the ASP, experienced it first hand lately, now stocking on cr to get it kitted out fully. Indeed, only then it is worth the purchase. Curious what the insurance will be once everything is on it...
 
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Unpleasant

U
My fully kitted ASP kills cobras in 5 or 6 seconds. It has 96 cargo space. 2 medium weapon slots and 4 small weapon slots, 4 utility slots and 7 internal compartments.

But... I also keep some fully kitted vipers near conflict zones and use a stripped down hauler to commute.
 

Ouiche

O
Riepah said:
Having 2 more small hardpoints from an Asp would increase my killspeed a bit, but the real problem, for me at least, is *finding* my prey rather than obliterating it.
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The real upgrade is in class 5 power plant and class 4 power distributor when it come to firepower. The 2 small hardpoints are a bonus but the increased power make a real difference when you can stay on target long enough.
 

Zaust

Z
Sorry but my viper is worth 4m and if you want to just hunt it'll do you sound - elite anacondas? no prob.

My issue with fighter progression is the ships get easier. A gunboat with a buttload of turrents needs far less skill than a maxed viper or eagle.
 

Unpleasant

U
This is how I see the ships.

Cobra = small multipurpose ship, ASP = medium multipurpose ship.
Viper = small fighter, Python = Medium fighter.

ASP is medium version of a cobra.
 

carlisle

C
I like how Elite is designed to allow you to pick a ship and once you can afford the one you want to end with, settle on it, cherish it and upgrade it. It's not just a race to the Anaconda... or an equipment grind with infinitely increasing stats on 'high level' weapons.

I'm in an Adder.
 

RedWizzard

RedWizzard
Unpleasant said:
This is how I see the ships.

Cobra = small multipurpose ship, ASP = medium multipurpose ship.
Viper = small fighter, Python = Medium fighter.

ASP is medium version of a cobra.
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Python is a multipurpose ship, the only thing it lacks is range. But it has more cargo space than a Type 7.
 

Zvanya

Z
carlisle said:
I like how Elite is designed to allow you to pick a ship and once you can afford the one you want to end with, settle on it, cherish it and upgrade it. It's not just a race to the Anaconda... or an equipment grind with infinitely increasing stats on 'high level' weapons.

I'm in an Adder.
Click to expand...

Well said. Have rep. So many guys seem to act as if they simply must continually "progress" to ever larger more powerful ships.
 
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