Next Ship?

[goemon]

there is no upgrade to the cobra mkIII, only sidegrades.

that said - i really recommend getting more than one ship for those roles. exploration and combat are pretty much the opposite in terms of outfitting and in many cases even on shiptypes.

get an AspE and a vulture ... or a DBE and a viper mkIII ... or a DBE and a DBS ... or refit your cobra for exploration and purchase a courier for combat.

you can make an AspE work in combat, but for what you throw on it on a-class modules, bulkheads etc. (and which will reduce its exploration capabilities to some extend) would finance a fully a grade vulture .... or five viper mkIIIs, which will all outperform it.

you can outfit a vulture for exploration (it is a fun ship for it), but an Adder would perform better and costs you 25% of it...

 

[JetsonRING]

So, I just got my first wealth with completing the current community goals. I got appr. 22mln an have 5mln credits in my bank.
I still fly the Cobra mk3 and would like to upgrade. I am thinking about getting a Vulture and a Asp Explorer, as I would like to bounty hunt and explore. Or would you recommend getting one bigger ship (some imperial/federal ones)? To have one ship that can do both would be a good as well...
Any tips welcome

Constantly "upgrading" by buying new ships is a huge credit-sink for newer players. The Cobra III is a fine, flexible, powerful ship that can do about everything in the game, on a small scale. Consider A-rating the modules on that ship instead of buying a new ship and then have the Engineers modify your Cobra III until it is a beast you will never want to part with. My own A-rated, engineer-modified Cobra III jumps over 27 LY and boosts well over 550 m/sec. I have all the "Big 3" ships and spend most of my time flying my Cobra III. o7

 

[wrmiller]

I'm currently out exploring my my Asp E, and will have about 40-45k Ly under my belt by the time I get back. Not too shabby for my first long venture outside the bubble.

I have mixed feelings about the Asp. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful explorer ship. I jump approx. 45-46Ly per jump, and have a great view of the stars.

But...it's like driving around in my Mom's station wagon. Very efficient and capable, but it has no character (IMO) and is but-ugly. But, it sure is good at what it does, so I shut up and enjoy the view.

If you are going to bounty hunt in it, may I suggest you visit a few high-res sites as you learn your new ship's strong and weak points? It never hurts to have friends around if you get yourself in trouble. Just a suggestion.

 

[Dibiase]

Asp explorer is so fun with all multi-cannon.

For a while I had my ASP X fully A rated with 2 pulse lasers and 4 engineered multi-cannons. It was a pretty fun ship to fly. Never did any real combat zones with it but did a bit of RES farming and it was always fun to blow up the NPC pirates after they interdicted me while I was hauling cargo. I also loved the view from the ASP. It's been reconfigured as a long range exploration ship now as I use my Python for my general purpose ship.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

My first ship-love was actually the Viper IV. I wasn't doing a whole lot with it, but at least I could blow up more NPC's then they could me.
I'd tried other ships as well - the Cobra III, the Asp S, the Asp X, the DBS the DBX.. the Cobra always felt like something that should be thrown and caught by an Australian Shepard. The Asps sound like they've got terrible flatulence, and the DB's look, feel and sound like large bugs.

It wasn't until I'd got my hands on a Python that I really felt that Ship Love again.

Until I climbed into an Orca - then everything changed.

I still find myself back in a Python when things just have to get done.
I still fart my way across the galaxy in an Asp when I really need to get somewhere, or buzz myself somewhere fast in a DBX.

But I do my exploration in a Dolphin - it's cheap, it's gorgeous, and it carries everything an explorer might need - and has a great jump range.
I do most of my general running around and missioning in an Orca.
And when things really need done, I break out a Beluga.

When I'm feeling lazy and want to kill things, I have Big Ships - an Anaconda, a Cutter and a Corvette for that, and they do it spectacularly.

But at the end of the day, I find myself planted back in a Saud Kruger masterpiece once more.

 

[Pyrobee]

Currently got the DBX and Asp X and loving them, but that Python keeps calling me [smile]

You are going to be highly dissapointed, a python needs alot of engineering to be considered anything other than a trade ship for outposts. Yes it has alot of harpoints but turns like a brick and a semi competent pilot can just keep that big cheese wedge target in sight and open up, don't even bother fitting chaff, no point gimballed weapons will still hit. Python is a barn waiting to be shot atm, only thing I use it for these days is target practice

 

[grytpype-thynne]

Yup the stock Python, the other half has warned me about it. He's A rated his and he's like a kid at Christmas, and seeing that stupid happy grin on his face is tempting me to give it a whirl.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

You are going to be highly dissapointed, a python needs alot of engineering to be considered anything other than a trade ship for outposts. Yes it has alot of harpoints but turns like a brick and a semi competent pilot can just keep that big cheese wedge target in sight and open up, don't even bother fitting chaff, no point gimballed weapons will still hit. Python is a barn waiting to be shot at.

Thing about barns is, sure, they're big, but they're also built to last. At least when they're built by nice Amish folks at the Lakon Shipyards.

I've made several hundred million credits with my pythons - trading, mining and in combat. I use my combat python like a battle axe, gladly ramming larger ships free of their shields, and then peeling them like onions.
Even my pure trade python, with nothing more than 5 multicannons has proven to be too much for ships as large as anacondas to stand up to for long.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Thing about barns is, sure, they're big, but they're also built to last. At least when they're built by nice Amish folks at the Lakon Shipyards.

Or even deLacy

 

[IndigoWyrd]

Or even deLacy

deLacy doesn't build barns. They do build a silo though. A missile silo.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

deLacy doesn't build barns. They do build a silo though. A missile silo.

Great. Now I want to buy a second Python and try an all-missile loadout on it.

 

[Gully Foyle]

How about fighting with the Asp? Probably it's better than the Cobra, but far less capable compared to the Vulture?

Just thinking that with buying two ships at the same time I would have to face the tough decision which to equip and fly first

I personally think that the Cobra three is a much better fighter than the aspx however the aspx is great for running rares and trading and a better multi-purpose ship

 

[EUS]

You can afford one.
Both are great ships, but the answer lies in how you want to generate credits.
If it's combat, the Vulture will earn you tons quickly.
If it's hauling, exploring, rares, then go for the Asp.

 

[GunnerBill]

Vulture for fighting and Dolphin for exploring.

They also share power, thrusters and FSD.

 

[Pyrobee]

Thing about barns is, sure, they're big, but they're also built to last. At least when they're built by nice Amish folks at the Lakon Shipyards.

I've made several hundred million credits with my pythons - trading, mining and in combat. I use my combat python like a battle axe, gladly ramming larger ships free of their shields, and then peeling them like onions.
Even my pure trade python, with nothing more than 5 multicannons has proven to be too much for ships as large as anacondas to stand up to for long.

An Armish barn stays up because the weather in Pennsyvania isn't as extreme as other parts of the US, try the same design in Kansas and see how long it lasts.

You can make alright money in them but they are a terrible ship to fly in populated areas of open even when engineered because in most stats they start off with is so poor an engineered piracy clipper is easily capable of runnig circles around and engineered pyton and tearing it to shreds if they won't drop ant loot. Yeah they are alright as a res farmer combat wise but a liability in a CZ.
As for mining cutter,conda or vette just outclass it by the amount of limpets you can fire off in one go. Only thing it is any good is trading to outposts, but if you have any of the big 3 what's the point? They generate far more credits/hr.

 

[Winterwalker]

Slightly different tack but bounty hunting in an Eagle is a complete laugh (iEagle even better) and just grabbed a Dolphin for myself, to try out. Executive cabs (as well as discovery and detail surface scanner) on mine but there's space for SRV instead. Though engineered top speed is classified (but fast) have a nice 30Ly jump range and mid range fuel scoop that I could up with different priorities. No offensive hardpoint weps fited at all (chaff/point defense and low emission evasion tactics, can outrun anything scary) I really like, good fun, a definite keeper. Could explore in.

The Corporate Flyer ...

Spoiler

The Theme Tune ...

Spoiler

[video=youtube;wgIrpPXmGV8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgIrpPXmGV8[/video]

 

[Stealthie]

If you spend the money on a Vulture you'll need another ship to earn the credits you'll be spending on Vulture upgrades.

My rules for ship buying:-
Never part-ex a ship you're happy with to buy a ship which is an unknown quantity.
Always have at least one ship that can earn you a (relatively) safe living.

That being the case, I'd suggest you part-ex the Cobra to buy an AspX and upgrade it so it's reliable.
Once you've got that, start earning the Cr20m or so you'll need to put a combat-worthy Vulture in the air.

Just to put things in perspective, my Vulture has cost me around Cr29m to build and my AspX has cost me around Cr40m.

You can build a useful AspX for much less but you need to be careful.
I recall I started building my AspX on a shoestring and it was terrifying because I knew that it wasn't tough enough to survive a fight and I was relying on it to make money by completing missions successfully.

 

[NW3]

OP, I own 3 ships. The Asp Explorer is my favorite ship, especially after some serious Engineering. Its max range is now 56 ly, when stripped for exploration and 35 to 42+ in the bubble. I can easily afford an Anaconda, but still prefer the Asp, in large part because of the "fishbowl" canopy, the ship's greater agility, and the fact that it only needs a medium landing pad. In the last year, I've flown my Asp about 80% of the time.

Spoiler

The Vulture is a fine fighting ship and is certainly worth consideration, if combat is something you wish to pursue, but the Asp is a better general-purpose ship.

My favorite large ship is the Type-9 (with its Lakon canopy), which I mostly use for trading at Community Goals. My third ship is a Python (which I haven't actually flown this year).

All my ships have been Engineered for a longer jump range, which is something you should consider doing at some point.

 

[PiLhEaD]

Get, and A-rate, a Type-6.

Excepting combat, it's better than most ships up until the Python.

 

[Spacecat]

How about fighting with the Asp? Probably it's better than the Cobra, but far less capable compared to the Vulture?

Just thinking that with buying two ships at the same time I would have to face the tough decision which to equip and fly first

The Asp is good at everything. The Vulture is pretty much good for combat and nothing else. You can do combat in an Asp, it's not ideal, but if you can handle combat in a Cobra, you can probably handle combat in an Asp fine.