Orca or Beluga
- Thread starter Kizbot
- Start date
The Beluga can carry more passengers and more stuff, like SLF for instance, but it runs hot and a little slow.
The Orca is smaller, has fewer internals but it's tough and (very) fast.
They both look and handle great.
If you want to smuggle illicit passengers or just transport a few at a time get an Orca. If you want to haul large numbers around the bubble use a Beluga.
If you want to take those high paying explorers out into the black ... use an Asp.
The Orca is smaller, has fewer internals but it's tough and (very) fast.
They both look and handle great.
If you want to smuggle illicit passengers or just transport a few at a time get an Orca. If you want to haul large numbers around the bubble use a Beluga.
If you want to take those high paying explorers out into the black ... use an Asp.
The Beluga has slightly better jump ranges. But if you plan on stacking passenger missions, don't plan on taking a fighter hanger. With the module restrictions, it's tough enough to juggle a decent shield generator and fuel scoop.
After trying the beluga for some weeks, I swapped to the orca as I only go for the short range passenger missions. The orca has a much faster boost in case of interdiction. Also it doesn't overheat like the beluga plus you can fit shield boosters.
I keep some spare cabins in store so I can swap around to pick up the most lucrative missions.
Flimley
I keep some spare cabins in store so I can swap around to pick up the most lucrative missions.
Flimley
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I have three ships that I use for passenger missions and none of them are passenger ships.
Asp for longish range, high paying single trips that require landing somewhere or not being scanned, Anaconda for any other long range missions and a python for local hops. I want to need a Beluga but I just can´t find a reason to.
Asp for longish range, high paying single trips that require landing somewhere or not being scanned, Anaconda for any other long range missions and a python for local hops. I want to need a Beluga but I just can´t find a reason to.
I personally tried the Orca first, and while it is a nice ship and fast and all... I ultimately sold it and bought the Beluga. I realised what I wanted was the feeling of being in a totally OTT luxury vessel. I wanted the challenge of fitting it through the mail slot. I wanted to do things with the most ludicrous and lavish and ridiculous ship in the game, that actually looks super nice - and that is the Beluga.
Heat and speed can be worked around. Clever flying is a good work around for the poor outfitting options - I saw that as a challenge in itself to be met and conquered. The challenge of using tactics and smart outfitting to escape and avoid interdictions and attacks, instead of simply tanking.
The Beluga is my big, beautiful beast and is really quite fun to fly.
Heat and speed can be worked around. Clever flying is a good work around for the poor outfitting options - I saw that as a challenge in itself to be met and conquered. The challenge of using tactics and smart outfitting to escape and avoid interdictions and attacks, instead of simply tanking.
The Beluga is my big, beautiful beast and is really quite fun to fly.
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Are you doing the Sag A* passenger trips with it?
Nah, bubble passenger missions (and I've done some bounty hunting in it) - all kinds. I use my Asp for the really long range stuff.
I may love the Beluga, but my Asp just has longer range.
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To be fair there simply aren't enough luxury missions to really make it worthwhile. I fly it because
A) I hate the Anaconda (actually I dislike all ships where the cockpit isn't at the front)
B) It's the biggest ship in the game so I get to scoff when I'm told to make way for larger vessels.
C) It's a thing of beauty
D) SLF
E) Decent fuel tank - 200+ ly before I have to top off the tank without flying an economic route
Tried both - and the answer for OP is neither.
Not for the base reasons stated. If you just want to enjoy different ships,,then of course get one or both, perfectly valid and good reason to mix up the gameplay.
But at the moment, neither passenger ships perform their role better than non-passenger ships. VIP missions are not buffed enough nor frequent enough to warrant either orca or beluga over a good multi purpose ship (this can change of course but at the moment that's the reality).
Super long range jump ability Asp is great and all you need for tourist missions, and Python would be better than orca/beluga for non-vip passenger delivery / bulk missions if you can't afford an anaconda yet - which would be far superior. My .02 cents.
*key call out here is not saying they are bad ships, simply they are not superior passenger ships despite that being their role.
Not for the base reasons stated. If you just want to enjoy different ships,,then of course get one or both, perfectly valid and good reason to mix up the gameplay.
But at the moment, neither passenger ships perform their role better than non-passenger ships. VIP missions are not buffed enough nor frequent enough to warrant either orca or beluga over a good multi purpose ship (this can change of course but at the moment that's the reality).
Super long range jump ability Asp is great and all you need for tourist missions, and Python would be better than orca/beluga for non-vip passenger delivery / bulk missions if you can't afford an anaconda yet - which would be far superior. My .02 cents.
*key call out here is not saying they are bad ships, simply they are not superior passenger ships despite that being their role.
I've used both ships, currently taking a beluga to colonia.
My orca experience was pre engineers btw.
The beluga is far more suited to longer distance passenger missions, slf are useless for carting passengers.
That 6A fuel scoop however does wonders for filling that 128t fuel tank in the beluga. If I remember correctly the jump range on the orca is terrible.
But the orca is very fast in normal space, so a bit easier to outrun hostiles in the bubble.
Really depends on your usage.
And both have a nice open cockpit view iirc.
My orca experience was pre engineers btw.
The beluga is far more suited to longer distance passenger missions, slf are useless for carting passengers.
That 6A fuel scoop however does wonders for filling that 128t fuel tank in the beluga. If I remember correctly the jump range on the orca is terrible.
But the orca is very fast in normal space, so a bit easier to outrun hostiles in the bubble.
Really depends on your usage.
And both have a nice open cockpit view iirc.
Both cockpits are nicely done.
G5 FSD gives you over 21 LY on the Orca with weapons and nicely outfitted without cutting corners.
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