Ships Ready To Engineer PvE Challenger - Help Finalize Loadout

[Christian-A-Hill]

If you boost a lot in the Challenger, especially against the AI, you're gonna end up in a situation where you just keep jousting. You can win that through attrition, but it's better to keep your boosts for clearing the enemy's gunsights or catching back up to enemies that have extended away from you. Unlike the Krait, the Challenger does not have half-cost boosts and an over-spec distributor to keep boosting perpetually while having pips to spare for weapons and/or shields.

You are very much correct. Out of Krait habit I did keep boosting in Challenger. Last night I had another test run with Challenger. I dropped one of the C2 Beam and replaced it with an Overcharged C2 MC. I was able to take down hull faster for obvious reason and still did good enough damage to shield with 1 C3 and 1 C2 Efficient+Thermal Vent Beams.

The maneuver I practiced with this test run was, when NPC was heading towards me for jousting, within ~800m I pitched up with down thruster to already positioning myself to turn. So by the time NPC went pass me I was already behind him. Seems to have given me more ToT while taking in much lower damage and my canopy remained fully intact.

I was little hesitant to drop one of the Beam but I could still destroy almost all small ships with mostly beam with just a touch of MC. Huge savings on MC ammo.

 

[GeoJase]

My 2 cents..

Bung on a small cargo rack and collectors for some material gathering. You have more than enough hull reinforcement to last in any RES.

Upgrade those thrusters to G5 and you'll feel the difference immediately.

I tend to reduce weight for increased maneuverability where possible. Just by changing your Reactive/Heavy/Layered to Reactive/Lightweight/Deep will only cost you 200 in absolute armour, but give you 6m/s extra boost speed and slightly better agility. These effects will amplify when you upgrade thrusters to G5.

 

[Christian-A-Hill]

Bung on a small cargo rack and collectors for some material gathering. You have more than enough hull reinforcement to last in any RES.

Upgrade those thrusters to G5 and you'll feel the difference immediately.

I tend to reduce weight for increased maneuverability where possible. Just by changing your Reactive/Heavy/Layered to Reactive/Lightweight/Deep will only cost you 200 in absolute armour, but give you 6m/s extra boost speed and slightly better agility. These effects will amplify when you upgrade thrusters to G5.

I used to bring collectors and cargo rack to pick up everything till I found out about farming G5 mats from Fed, Imperial systems and Robigo passenger runs. I just downgrade the high end mats to low end. Was able to engineer both Krait and Challenger that way.

I believe you are right about G5 thrusters. Palin and Chloe are the only 2 important Engineers I havent unlocked yet simply because the distance I need to travel. So.... now that I have a doable build for Krait, Challenger and have been busy with engineering and build testing for last several weeks, I decided to go on that 5k LY journey to get the G5 thruster engineers unlocked. I am enroute to Crystal Shard sites right now to load up on Raw mats and get the 5K journey out of the way.
Really looking forward to G5 thruster as on paper the numbers looks impressive even for my krait.

After I get back I am going to see some ways for weight reduction and reengineer few mods.

 

[Ceekay]

Just to clarify it's 5ky out and 5ky back home (max distance from start), you should be able to check in the Codex RH panel first tab here's mine, got out to 5000+ and turned around again!

If you don't mind losing the exploration data (takes you to level 3 with Palin) you could self destruct once you exceed the required distance.

 

[Christian-A-Hill]

Just to clarify it's 5ky out and 5ky back home (max distance from start), you should be able to check in the Codex RH panel first tab here's mine, got out to 5000+ and turned around again!

If you don't mind losing the exploration data (takes you to level 3 with Palin) you could self destruct once you exceed the required distance.

I figured that was the case. Thanks for the Codex stats tips, I didnt know about this!! Love stats

Few of the tutorial videos I have watched on long distance mat gathering also suggested to commit suicide to cut travel time in half. Although it saves tremendous amount of time real world time, to me it is a huge 'Immersion Breaker' since it does not replicate 'a real world scenario'. Not that we are all flying around in space for real right now.

On any extended travel time I try to tie multiple tasks. After my ships are all engineered and had enough with tinkering, testing build and NPC killing, i want to go on a long voyage in the black to see the unknown. So I am taking a mini voyage on this 5k+ journey to:
1. Gather mats from Crystal Shard sites.
2. Unlock Paulin.
3. Test Exploration Build and learn to use exploration modules(stay intact as much as possible).
4. Practice High G landing if i come across one.
5. Learn Neutron Boosting.
6. Make money with Exploration Data.
7. Tag my name to few bodies.
8. Observe how easily I get bored with long exploration.
9. Test if I like the Krait Phantom.
10. Make return journey after hitting 350,000,0000 Cr mark and 6k LY.

Woah that is a longer list than i thought. This is taking us little off course from the Challenger topic, but after I return my first task is to G5 the Challenger completely top to bottom. I think I will open a new thread to discuss #9 and share my experience of the Phantom.

 

[Ceekay]

1. Convert all your G4 raw into Selenium as that's the only one I couldn't find out there, make sure you fit a detailed surface scanner so you can find the surface bio/geo sites.
2. I assume you've unlocked Marco Quent already?
3. Here's an exploration build for the Phantom https://s.orbis.zone/65td, it's a really nice explorer great view, big scoop plenty of internals, I've taken a Mk 2 out to Colonia on my alt account (pre Phantom release)
4. Recently landed on a 9G planet with a Phantom, you need to break out of glide early (20+ km altitude) and keep the decent angle under 15 degrees (no down thrusting!), taking off I had to boost to get the ship moving.
5. Never tried that perhaps on your way back?
6. Earth likes, Water worlds, gas giants with life and metallic/metal rich bodies are all worth DSS here's a link to payouts https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/exploration-value-formulae.232000/
7. You need to off the beaten track for first discoveries try offsetting your route up/down/left/right of the direct path by several hundred LY
8.Easily in my case hence the second account, still haven't reached discovery Elite after six years! go driving the SRV on a regular basis kinda like a road trip
9. See 3
10. Got 140 mil for the Colonia trip (20000 LY) but that was pre exploration changes so probably more like 200 mil currently