Next combat ship after Cobra III?

[lreese]

-After- Cobra Mk III????

I... what? I don't understand what you mean.

Indeed. Stick with Cobra MkIII! Elite is Cobra. Engineer the crap out of it instead.

 

[SciTrekker]

Wow, so many awesome replies! This is why I love the ED community. As far as I can tell from the comments, the two most popular choices are the iCourier and the Vulture, so I´ll probably grind some rank this week and go for the iCourier in the spirit of trying something new. I think that some of the hardpoints I have stored away/mounted on my Cobra would do one hell of a job mounted on one of those.

It also seems the best choice given my goal to own a Cutter someday, so I´m happy with that! Although it sounds like I´ll have to give the FAS/FGS a look someday too. But for now, I´m headed out in the Python to grind some rank/credits with passenger missions!

o7o7o7, thanks for the amazing response!

Absolutely, without question or hesitation, you'll want to try the Fed medium-sized ships. I say the sooner the better, but I didn't want to recommend them due to their Fed military rank hurdle. The Empire military rank hurdle is a bit smaller for the iCourier and as some have mentioned, can be used for activities other than combat once you get a FAS/FGS - or the Fer de Lance. The FGS also can fit a SLF.

 

[Squid Gumbo]

I'll have to say, I sat in a Viper IV for a while, but lemme tell ya *signals for you to come closer* *whispers* about the Vulture.

This ship is amazing. Lateral controls on point, versatility, decent shielding, and those two hardpoints can really pack a punch. While my mainstay these days is an FAS (strongly recommend), I used a Vulture for quite a while.

 

[Craith]

I'd suggest an Eagle MK II, but that won't beat your Cobra on shields, armor or firepower (but leaves it in the dust in hitbox-size, speed and especially maneuverability - nothing can outturn it).

If the Eagle does not meet your fancy, the Vulture, Courier and Diamondback Scout are all three good ships in their own way, just different tastes, so try them out. Vulture is still quite maneuverable, its two big weapons hurt a lot and it can take a beating, but it is quite slow. The Courier has great shields, but paperhull and is sensible to weight - just A-grading everything is not necessarily the best approach. The Diamondback scout is a nice in between, that runs surprisingly cold, is hard to see on sensors and can be a worthwile silentrunning ship.

In the end it will be your personal preferences, so just to make it ease, take the Eagle