I have decided to create this guide to hopefully assist anyone looking to get into the fulfilling and profitable career of being a pirate in Elite Dangerous as well as giving seasoned pirates a place to give out their own tips and tricks. As information on this career is sparse, misunderstood, and all round not really well defined, I hope that I can also bring some light to peoples questions and concerns. This guide also may contain views and opinions that are not necessary the views and opinions of my readers, and that is fine. Feel free to discuss any of you own opinions below.
Take note that this guide is intended for PVE piracy and not necessarily for PVP. While much of the information here could certainly be used for PVP it is certainly not its main focus. Also I will be covering the pure basics as well as advanced tactics that I have learned throughout my adventures.
What is piracy?
Piracy is simply an act of robbery between two vessels. The goal is to forcibly relieve the victim of cargo so that the pirate can profit off of it. The means to do this can vary from pirate to pirate, situation to situation, but the end goal is always the same. The aim for every pirate should be to maximize profit and minimize risk/collateral damage.
What should I look for in a ship?
A good question, and the answer can vary from person to person. My personal experience is to find a ship with a decent cargo hold without sacrificing much in the way of firepower and maneuverability. What you need is a general purpose ship that is neither a pure combat ship, nor a trading vessel.
The progression that I would recommend at a pirate would be...
1) Sidewinder: Starting vessel and easy/cheap to kit out as a pirate ship, but when properly fitted I only had a 4 ton cargo hold. I do view this ship is better suited then the eagle due to it having 2 utility slots compared to the eagles 1.
2) Adder: The adder is a great ship for low level pirating as it boasts very good maneuverability, decent firepower, and impressive cargo hold capabilities.
3) Cobra: The meat and the potatoes of a mid-level pirate. This beauty is a very welcome upgrade to the adder. Larger cargo hold capabilities, more firepower, faster, and just generally a tougher ship. This is a ship praised by every profession, and piracy is no different.
4) Asp: This ship comes at a hefty price tag, but if/when you can afford it then it is worth the investment. Even more firepower then the cobra, larger cargo capabilities, and tougher shields/hull. You can comfortably pirate large class ships in this baby and there really is no reason not to. There is a sacrifice of speed and maneuverability with this upgrade, but its toughness more than makes up for it.
5) Python: While I have not made enough yet to afford this beast, I see no reason why this ship would not be the pinnacle of a pirating career. Their maneuverability is unmatched in the large vessel classes, and their firepower is impressive. I tend to fear going against a Python far more than an Anaconda as its combat effectiveness generally far exceeds it.
Why didn't you mention eagle or viper?
The eagle and viper I view as more combat focused ships and generally better at bounty hunting then piracy. While you can very much pirate in an eagle or viper, as I have done it, their limits on cargo hold space tends to be quite the burden when compared to the adder or cobra and results in cutting into the profit margin as you will be required to RTB more often.
What modules do you recommend?
The modules I recommend may be different to other pirates, and you must pick and choose which ones fit your play style and which ones you can effectively fit on your ship while maintaining cargo space.
1) Hatch Breaker Limpet Controller: What I consider an essential tool of the pirate, and never leave home without it. They have gotten far more reliable since they were first introduced and I use it on every adventure I go on. Price does matter with these, as I have found that cheap controllers tend to cause the target to expel less cargo then the more expensive models. You will have to manually buy Limpets in the munitions tab at a space station for every excursion and they do take up cargo space, but are cheap at about 100 credit per. I usually fill up on these as the cost makes them more of a throw away item.
2) Cargo Scanner: Also an essential tool of the pirate. This allows you to see the contents of your victim before you go thru the lengths of pirating it. I would also deem this module as essential as no one really likes wasting time pirating a vessel full of bio-waste.
3) Kill Warrant Scanner: While this is the main tool for a bounty hunter and not absolutely necessary for a pirate, it serves a pirate well to have one of these on their ships. You are going to pick up bounty claims as a combat vessel, it is almost unavoidable, and the KWS will help increase this profit margin by a ton. Also great if you pirate in an anarchy system. If you are scanning your targets with a cargo scanner then you might as well scan them with this at the same time and get the full amount for the target as well as working out whether killing them is profitable or not. If not then it is wasted profit potential.
4) Frame Shift Drive Interdictor: A very useful tool for a pirate but not entirely necessary. It depends on where and how you intend to pirate as well as available slots on your ship. If you intend to pirate at Nav Beacons or Resource Extraction Sites then there really is no use to fit one of these on your ship. Also if you are pirating in a sidewinder or eagle then I would suggest not using these as those ships lack of available slots means having to give up the Hatch Breaker Limpet Controller. For these low level ships I would recommend pirating in Nav Beacons until you get a ship that can fit both modules comfortably.
5) Heat sink launcher: Many claim this module is essential, but I am not entirely convinced. I deem this module as more situational. If you are going to be entering stations under a wanted status then by all means use it, but if you are sticking to outposts or docking at stations in neutral star systems then its use is very minimal.
6) Shield Cell: This beast of a module is great for any combat ship as it is basically pressing the "I Win" button, and can be a great tool for a pirate. It is by no means essential and you can effectively pirate without one. It does tend to have more use at Nav Beacons and Resource Extraction Site as you have less control over the situations there then during an Interdiction. If you do pirate in a larger ship such as a Cobra or Asp, and you can fit one of these on the smaller module slots without cutting into your cargo capacity much then I do highly recommend them.
7) Chaff Launcher: A helpful module in certain situations but not necessary. I do use one of these on my asp as I believe it helps with turrets on larger vessels, but really didn't need them before that.
What weapons do you recommend?
Again weapons selection has much to do with play style and skill of the pilot, as well as the ship doing the pirating, but there are some guidelines I tend to follow. If possible I tend to gravitate to using a mix of energy and ballistic weapons. I also prefer gimbaled over fixed as I find targeting specific subsystems to be a whole lot easier with them. My goal as a pirate is to not kill a target unless profitable to do so (they have a bounty on their head), and disabling their ship by shooting out their drives makes the process of pirating easier for me. I have effectively used pulse, burst, and beam lasers as well as gimbaled cannons and multicannons. My ballistic weapons also tend to take up the biggest slots while my lasers take up the smaller, but that is more personal preference.
Where should I pirate?
Selection of a star system to pirate is more important than a lot of people realize. There are several factors and things I look for in a star system to judge whether it is suitable or not. I also tend to pirate with a Frame Shift Drive Interdictor so my recommendations are based on that.
1) Import/Export: What a system Imports and Exports has a great effect on profitability of pirating and is usually the top thing I look for. This essentially impacts what your victims are going to be hauling thru the system and means the difference between pirating fish or pirating gold. I have found systems that I can pirate effectively that have filled my cargo hold full of gold and palladium, and while the black market buys at a lower price, I have been able to turn quite the profit.
2) Few stations/planets and close proximity to star: This has to be the next most important thing I look for. If stations are far away from the star then I will not bother with pirating there. The reason for this is that ships in supercruse generally spawn at stars and stations. The less stations there are then the less spread out the spawns will be and if they are close to the star then the less time it take to get in position to interdict them.
3) Easy access to a "useful" outpost: What do I mean by "Useful" outpost? Well outposts do not have the security of stations so there is no worry of being scanned with illegal cargo or wanted status. It also requires a black market to sell your goods, have the ability to repair your ship, and being able to rearm your weapons and limpets. It is also quite useful, although not absolutely necessary, for it to be under the jurisdiction of those your are pirating so you can turn in all those bounties. It is also covenant to have it in the same system you are pirating to cut down travel times, but it is acceptable if it is just a couple jumps away.
What Tactics do you use while pirating?
There are several things I do to make pirating that much easier on myself.
1) Combat Scooping: This is a tactic that I use quite often and I view it as my most important. While not necessarily a pirating skill it helps streamline the process of picking up cargo, and therefore increasing your profit per hour. In order to perform what I call combat scooping there are some things you need to know about your ship.
Basically what you need to know is how far it will travel when at full speed (no boost) and engines are suddenly cut. To figure this out, target a station and with the cargo scoop retracted and full pips to engines approach it at full speed. When you reach 5km from the station you then zero out your throttle and deploy your cargo scoop. When you come to a full stop take note and the distance traveled. You then do this at full speed with the cargo scoop deployed. These two measurements will give you an idea of how far away a canister of cargo should be before you fly at it at full speed, and also when to cut engines so you don't stop too short or overshoot it.
2) Deploy limpets when close to and beneath a ship: After you take down the shields of your victim, you should aim to be close to them as limpets have slow travel times. I tend to usually shoot for 400 meters or less. Also try to do so while below the belly of their ship. Enemy point defenses pretty much are mounted on the top of a ship, so when deploying a limpet from below them you can usually avoid the limpet from being shot down. Also when deploying limpets avoid turning downward as then come out of the bottom of your ship and will likely be destroyed when they hit your hull.
3) Increasing Limpet Hack Speed: The time it takes a limpet to work is based off of the hull strength of the vessel being attacked. The further you can get this down before deploying the limpet the better. A ship with 100% hull can take what seems like 60 seconds or so, while 1% hull takes about 1 second. My tactic after taking down their shields is to launch a limpet, and while it is working then further take down their hull. After the limpet does its thing then I launch another before they jump/I kill them to get a quick second helping of cargo.
4) Limpets are cheap: You should really be stocking up on these little guys. No need to get frugal with these. Each one costs about 100 credits, and you should be replacing their space with cargo that is at least worth 10 times that much, if not much more. If there is cargo floating out there that you want but don't have the cargo space due to limpets then jettison the little buggers and forget about them. No need to hang on to them.
5) When to bail: If the law shows up to spoil your party, then it is really time to devise an escape plan. There may be expensive cargo floating around, but it is always better to survive another day then die being greedy. When you get more experienced at pirating and you can do it quicker then it becomes less an issue, but it will still happen. Also make sure the "notify crimes against me" in the right panel is turned off, and if you are pirating a wanted ship they will not show up at all. If you are is a tough enough ship to take on the law, it is still advised that you refrain from doing so. It just means a bigger price on you head.
6) Aim to keep the bounty on your head low: Some people may disagree with me here as they might believe that having the large bounty is a thing to be proud of as a pirate. I see a large bounty on a pirate as someone with lack of skill in the trade. If a target is clean you should avoid killing them unless absolutely positively necessary. When you accrue a large price on your head and your ship is destroyed, then that is money out of your pocket as you have to pay it off. That cuts into profit margins and completely works against the point of making money. I have many times pirated a npc and I could not disable their ship or they would not jump away. Does not mean I killed them. Too many times to count I have scooped cargo while under fire from an angry trader (hint to why I call it Combat Scooping).
What is your view of piracy in PVP?
I figured I would answer this question as it is sure to come up in one way or another. It is a touchy subject with many points of view, many of which are valid even if I don't agree with all of them. So many people view PVP piracy with different definitions and opinions. I have performed very little piracy on other players as it really is not profitable for me. Anything I say here is my own view on it and is open for discussion however I would much like to avoid being flamed for it.
First thing is that player killing is not piracy. I really dislike when someone is attacked without any reason other than to be destroyed and they refer it to being "pirated". I think the term itself is too widely thrown around to describe any pvp that happens against traders. I also think that the person doing the killing has no right to call themselves a "pirate" as that alone misrepresents us real pirates in this game and gives us an even worse rep then we deserve.
Second I believe that communication between the victim and the pirate is essential. A message typed up in supercruse and sent right before an interdiction can help this quite a lot. When dropping out of supercruse it can become hectic and the time to properly pirate someone is severely limited, especially if they submitted and intend to run, then writing something up is not really practical for the pirate.
If a message was sent and the target still refuses to comply after dropping out of supercruse, such as hitting boost and taking evasive actions, then I believe the pirate has the right to perform a "mugging". Basically they have the right to disable the traders shields and stick a limpet to their ship. I do not believe this gives the pirate the right to extensively damage or destroy the vessel, and that defeats the purpose of the whole piracy in the first place. Also performing a cargo scan while this is happening is also advised so the pirate can see if the target is really worth it or not.
I also believe that limpets should always be used against other players. The reason for this when trying to blow open a cargo hatch the trader cannot really tell if that is what you are doing or if you are trying to kill them. Taking down shields, attaching a limpet, and holding fire while staying close is a clearer sign of the pirates intensions.
Lastly I believe that if a trader should die during an attempted piracy, then fault does not lie with the trader no matter what actions they took, but with the pirate and the pirate alone. I know there are many will may disagree with me here, but a dead trader is a clear sign that a pirate really does not know what he is doing or why he is doing it.
"But he tried to run!" There are tools to deal with that. "He turned to fight me!" There are ways of dealing with that as well. Killing a trader for trying to run puts the image in my mind of a kid who didn't get his way so now he is going to stop his feet and give you angry face. Of course many of them are not going to listen to you, and you can't really expect them too. If you do then you are nothing more than a fool. Likewise, a trader who turns to fight what should be a superior combat craft, should be disabled rather than destroyed, or damaged to the point of fleeing. At any time a clean trader dies to a "pirate" it is a display of a pure lack of skill.
I don't agree with what you said here:
Well go ahead and post your tips, comments, and questions below and we will discuss them. This guide is not meant to written in stone and will probably come under revision as the game changes, new tips from other pirates are introduced, etc.
Take note that this guide is intended for PVE piracy and not necessarily for PVP. While much of the information here could certainly be used for PVP it is certainly not its main focus. Also I will be covering the pure basics as well as advanced tactics that I have learned throughout my adventures.
What is piracy?
Piracy is simply an act of robbery between two vessels. The goal is to forcibly relieve the victim of cargo so that the pirate can profit off of it. The means to do this can vary from pirate to pirate, situation to situation, but the end goal is always the same. The aim for every pirate should be to maximize profit and minimize risk/collateral damage.
What should I look for in a ship?
A good question, and the answer can vary from person to person. My personal experience is to find a ship with a decent cargo hold without sacrificing much in the way of firepower and maneuverability. What you need is a general purpose ship that is neither a pure combat ship, nor a trading vessel.
The progression that I would recommend at a pirate would be...
1) Sidewinder: Starting vessel and easy/cheap to kit out as a pirate ship, but when properly fitted I only had a 4 ton cargo hold. I do view this ship is better suited then the eagle due to it having 2 utility slots compared to the eagles 1.
2) Adder: The adder is a great ship for low level pirating as it boasts very good maneuverability, decent firepower, and impressive cargo hold capabilities.
3) Cobra: The meat and the potatoes of a mid-level pirate. This beauty is a very welcome upgrade to the adder. Larger cargo hold capabilities, more firepower, faster, and just generally a tougher ship. This is a ship praised by every profession, and piracy is no different.
4) Asp: This ship comes at a hefty price tag, but if/when you can afford it then it is worth the investment. Even more firepower then the cobra, larger cargo capabilities, and tougher shields/hull. You can comfortably pirate large class ships in this baby and there really is no reason not to. There is a sacrifice of speed and maneuverability with this upgrade, but its toughness more than makes up for it.
5) Python: While I have not made enough yet to afford this beast, I see no reason why this ship would not be the pinnacle of a pirating career. Their maneuverability is unmatched in the large vessel classes, and their firepower is impressive. I tend to fear going against a Python far more than an Anaconda as its combat effectiveness generally far exceeds it.
Why didn't you mention eagle or viper?
The eagle and viper I view as more combat focused ships and generally better at bounty hunting then piracy. While you can very much pirate in an eagle or viper, as I have done it, their limits on cargo hold space tends to be quite the burden when compared to the adder or cobra and results in cutting into the profit margin as you will be required to RTB more often.
What modules do you recommend?
The modules I recommend may be different to other pirates, and you must pick and choose which ones fit your play style and which ones you can effectively fit on your ship while maintaining cargo space.
1) Hatch Breaker Limpet Controller: What I consider an essential tool of the pirate, and never leave home without it. They have gotten far more reliable since they were first introduced and I use it on every adventure I go on. Price does matter with these, as I have found that cheap controllers tend to cause the target to expel less cargo then the more expensive models. You will have to manually buy Limpets in the munitions tab at a space station for every excursion and they do take up cargo space, but are cheap at about 100 credit per. I usually fill up on these as the cost makes them more of a throw away item.
2) Cargo Scanner: Also an essential tool of the pirate. This allows you to see the contents of your victim before you go thru the lengths of pirating it. I would also deem this module as essential as no one really likes wasting time pirating a vessel full of bio-waste.
3) Kill Warrant Scanner: While this is the main tool for a bounty hunter and not absolutely necessary for a pirate, it serves a pirate well to have one of these on their ships. You are going to pick up bounty claims as a combat vessel, it is almost unavoidable, and the KWS will help increase this profit margin by a ton. Also great if you pirate in an anarchy system. If you are scanning your targets with a cargo scanner then you might as well scan them with this at the same time and get the full amount for the target as well as working out whether killing them is profitable or not. If not then it is wasted profit potential.
4) Frame Shift Drive Interdictor: A very useful tool for a pirate but not entirely necessary. It depends on where and how you intend to pirate as well as available slots on your ship. If you intend to pirate at Nav Beacons or Resource Extraction Sites then there really is no use to fit one of these on your ship. Also if you are pirating in a sidewinder or eagle then I would suggest not using these as those ships lack of available slots means having to give up the Hatch Breaker Limpet Controller. For these low level ships I would recommend pirating in Nav Beacons until you get a ship that can fit both modules comfortably.
5) Heat sink launcher: Many claim this module is essential, but I am not entirely convinced. I deem this module as more situational. If you are going to be entering stations under a wanted status then by all means use it, but if you are sticking to outposts or docking at stations in neutral star systems then its use is very minimal.
6) Shield Cell: This beast of a module is great for any combat ship as it is basically pressing the "I Win" button, and can be a great tool for a pirate. It is by no means essential and you can effectively pirate without one. It does tend to have more use at Nav Beacons and Resource Extraction Site as you have less control over the situations there then during an Interdiction. If you do pirate in a larger ship such as a Cobra or Asp, and you can fit one of these on the smaller module slots without cutting into your cargo capacity much then I do highly recommend them.
7) Chaff Launcher: A helpful module in certain situations but not necessary. I do use one of these on my asp as I believe it helps with turrets on larger vessels, but really didn't need them before that.
What weapons do you recommend?
Again weapons selection has much to do with play style and skill of the pilot, as well as the ship doing the pirating, but there are some guidelines I tend to follow. If possible I tend to gravitate to using a mix of energy and ballistic weapons. I also prefer gimbaled over fixed as I find targeting specific subsystems to be a whole lot easier with them. My goal as a pirate is to not kill a target unless profitable to do so (they have a bounty on their head), and disabling their ship by shooting out their drives makes the process of pirating easier for me. I have effectively used pulse, burst, and beam lasers as well as gimbaled cannons and multicannons. My ballistic weapons also tend to take up the biggest slots while my lasers take up the smaller, but that is more personal preference.
Where should I pirate?
Selection of a star system to pirate is more important than a lot of people realize. There are several factors and things I look for in a star system to judge whether it is suitable or not. I also tend to pirate with a Frame Shift Drive Interdictor so my recommendations are based on that.
1) Import/Export: What a system Imports and Exports has a great effect on profitability of pirating and is usually the top thing I look for. This essentially impacts what your victims are going to be hauling thru the system and means the difference between pirating fish or pirating gold. I have found systems that I can pirate effectively that have filled my cargo hold full of gold and palladium, and while the black market buys at a lower price, I have been able to turn quite the profit.
2) Few stations/planets and close proximity to star: This has to be the next most important thing I look for. If stations are far away from the star then I will not bother with pirating there. The reason for this is that ships in supercruse generally spawn at stars and stations. The less stations there are then the less spread out the spawns will be and if they are close to the star then the less time it take to get in position to interdict them.
3) Easy access to a "useful" outpost: What do I mean by "Useful" outpost? Well outposts do not have the security of stations so there is no worry of being scanned with illegal cargo or wanted status. It also requires a black market to sell your goods, have the ability to repair your ship, and being able to rearm your weapons and limpets. It is also quite useful, although not absolutely necessary, for it to be under the jurisdiction of those your are pirating so you can turn in all those bounties. It is also covenant to have it in the same system you are pirating to cut down travel times, but it is acceptable if it is just a couple jumps away.
What Tactics do you use while pirating?
There are several things I do to make pirating that much easier on myself.
1) Combat Scooping: This is a tactic that I use quite often and I view it as my most important. While not necessarily a pirating skill it helps streamline the process of picking up cargo, and therefore increasing your profit per hour. In order to perform what I call combat scooping there are some things you need to know about your ship.
Basically what you need to know is how far it will travel when at full speed (no boost) and engines are suddenly cut. To figure this out, target a station and with the cargo scoop retracted and full pips to engines approach it at full speed. When you reach 5km from the station you then zero out your throttle and deploy your cargo scoop. When you come to a full stop take note and the distance traveled. You then do this at full speed with the cargo scoop deployed. These two measurements will give you an idea of how far away a canister of cargo should be before you fly at it at full speed, and also when to cut engines so you don't stop too short or overshoot it.
2) Deploy limpets when close to and beneath a ship: After you take down the shields of your victim, you should aim to be close to them as limpets have slow travel times. I tend to usually shoot for 400 meters or less. Also try to do so while below the belly of their ship. Enemy point defenses pretty much are mounted on the top of a ship, so when deploying a limpet from below them you can usually avoid the limpet from being shot down. Also when deploying limpets avoid turning downward as then come out of the bottom of your ship and will likely be destroyed when they hit your hull.
3) Increasing Limpet Hack Speed: The time it takes a limpet to work is based off of the hull strength of the vessel being attacked. The further you can get this down before deploying the limpet the better. A ship with 100% hull can take what seems like 60 seconds or so, while 1% hull takes about 1 second. My tactic after taking down their shields is to launch a limpet, and while it is working then further take down their hull. After the limpet does its thing then I launch another before they jump/I kill them to get a quick second helping of cargo.
4) Limpets are cheap: You should really be stocking up on these little guys. No need to get frugal with these. Each one costs about 100 credits, and you should be replacing their space with cargo that is at least worth 10 times that much, if not much more. If there is cargo floating out there that you want but don't have the cargo space due to limpets then jettison the little buggers and forget about them. No need to hang on to them.
5) When to bail: If the law shows up to spoil your party, then it is really time to devise an escape plan. There may be expensive cargo floating around, but it is always better to survive another day then die being greedy. When you get more experienced at pirating and you can do it quicker then it becomes less an issue, but it will still happen. Also make sure the "notify crimes against me" in the right panel is turned off, and if you are pirating a wanted ship they will not show up at all. If you are is a tough enough ship to take on the law, it is still advised that you refrain from doing so. It just means a bigger price on you head.
6) Aim to keep the bounty on your head low: Some people may disagree with me here as they might believe that having the large bounty is a thing to be proud of as a pirate. I see a large bounty on a pirate as someone with lack of skill in the trade. If a target is clean you should avoid killing them unless absolutely positively necessary. When you accrue a large price on your head and your ship is destroyed, then that is money out of your pocket as you have to pay it off. That cuts into profit margins and completely works against the point of making money. I have many times pirated a npc and I could not disable their ship or they would not jump away. Does not mean I killed them. Too many times to count I have scooped cargo while under fire from an angry trader (hint to why I call it Combat Scooping).
What is your view of piracy in PVP?
I figured I would answer this question as it is sure to come up in one way or another. It is a touchy subject with many points of view, many of which are valid even if I don't agree with all of them. So many people view PVP piracy with different definitions and opinions. I have performed very little piracy on other players as it really is not profitable for me. Anything I say here is my own view on it and is open for discussion however I would much like to avoid being flamed for it.
First thing is that player killing is not piracy. I really dislike when someone is attacked without any reason other than to be destroyed and they refer it to being "pirated". I think the term itself is too widely thrown around to describe any pvp that happens against traders. I also think that the person doing the killing has no right to call themselves a "pirate" as that alone misrepresents us real pirates in this game and gives us an even worse rep then we deserve.
Second I believe that communication between the victim and the pirate is essential. A message typed up in supercruse and sent right before an interdiction can help this quite a lot. When dropping out of supercruse it can become hectic and the time to properly pirate someone is severely limited, especially if they submitted and intend to run, then writing something up is not really practical for the pirate.
If a message was sent and the target still refuses to comply after dropping out of supercruse, such as hitting boost and taking evasive actions, then I believe the pirate has the right to perform a "mugging". Basically they have the right to disable the traders shields and stick a limpet to their ship. I do not believe this gives the pirate the right to extensively damage or destroy the vessel, and that defeats the purpose of the whole piracy in the first place. Also performing a cargo scan while this is happening is also advised so the pirate can see if the target is really worth it or not.
I also believe that limpets should always be used against other players. The reason for this when trying to blow open a cargo hatch the trader cannot really tell if that is what you are doing or if you are trying to kill them. Taking down shields, attaching a limpet, and holding fire while staying close is a clearer sign of the pirates intensions.
Lastly I believe that if a trader should die during an attempted piracy, then fault does not lie with the trader no matter what actions they took, but with the pirate and the pirate alone. I know there are many will may disagree with me here, but a dead trader is a clear sign that a pirate really does not know what he is doing or why he is doing it.
"But he tried to run!" There are tools to deal with that. "He turned to fight me!" There are ways of dealing with that as well. Killing a trader for trying to run puts the image in my mind of a kid who didn't get his way so now he is going to stop his feet and give you angry face. Of course many of them are not going to listen to you, and you can't really expect them too. If you do then you are nothing more than a fool. Likewise, a trader who turns to fight what should be a superior combat craft, should be disabled rather than destroyed, or damaged to the point of fleeing. At any time a clean trader dies to a "pirate" it is a display of a pure lack of skill.
I don't agree with what you said here:
Well go ahead and post your tips, comments, and questions below and we will discuss them. This guide is not meant to written in stone and will probably come under revision as the game changes, new tips from other pirates are introduced, etc.
Last edited:
