The Cobra is the Ultimate ship in this game

[Marcns007]

I have just changed my Asp for a Clipper as I didn't like the Asp, it should come with a target on it (possible future paint job?) as it is so easy to hit.

Also have a Vulture which is sub zero cool. A type 6 somewhere for illegal stuff and some long range Sidewinders as shuttles to get to the ships.

I still have my Cobra for rares runs now that the Asp has gone. A maxed Cobra is a nice ship to have, best value for money ship in the game.

 

[CMDR Hagglebeard]

The speed also makes the Cobra the best pirate ship in the game. I've heard of Cobras hitting 462 m/s, which is perfect for escaping even other Cobras. It's really silly, Vipers should be able to hit 420 m/s easily, if not 440, and back in beta it could hit 500 m/s. Need that back.

 

[puca]

The speed also makes the Cobra the best pirate ship in the game.

Lol, no.

 

[WO-One]

Oh dear, another re-balance the game to suit me thread!

 

[NeilUK02]

The OP was criticised for comparing the Cobra to a Viper because the Viper is cheaper but then people compare it ships which cost millions, Cobra 379,000CR a Python 56m Cr! For sheer value for money you can't beat a Cobra it really can do everything if kitted out. I got rich in one , by trading, OK had to risk taking the shields away to get to the max cargo space of 52 but I got there. You can evade most if not all interdictions and even if you don't you can get away if , like me, you had no shields. Yet you can then change it to be a valid explorer and more than hold it's own in combat. If judging it against other ships then you have to take the whole picture and cost is a major factor as well as it's versatility

 

[Midnight_Sun323]

As someone already stated, it's a very well rounded beginner ship. It's THE ship for newbies, but you'll eventually earn your way into a better one. Get a python/FDL/anaconda and come play with the big boys.

 

[Scal]

The Cobra is a wonderful ship, this is true. However the OP is seriously under-estimating the importance of profile, hardpoint placement and thruster control that place the Viper in a far superior position in combat. Where the cobra is a fast and beautiful thing, she also presents a big flat target with hardpoints that should have been reversed. The viper is a killing machine, plain and simple - and it even costs less money.

I love my Cobra, I keep her shiny, polished and well maintained in the hangar or occasionally take her out for a Sunday drive. But it is the viper that I will bring to war, bought especially for each encounter and sold again once she is bloodied.

 

[Rashhaverak]

Again, victory is not measured in KILL KILL KILL it is measured in survival.

This statement is false. When I was sitting in a RES site and someone came along in a FDL and shot me down to 15%, the fact that I got away before he blew me up is not victory. He might not have achieved his objective to destroy me, but neither did I achieve mine, to farm a RES site in the name of the Emperor.

The basis of your argument appears to be that the cobra is the best ship in the game because it can outrun anything that it can't kill. While I grant you that is a possibility, it is also a possibility for many other ships as well, including the viper. such a basis is hardly sufficient grounds to call the cobra the best ship in the game, and even less grounds to call for it to be nerfed.

The cobra is a great ship, there is no doubt about that. It's also nearly three times the cost of a viper. I suppose someone might claim that the cobra and the viper are in the same tier, but only in the respect that they are both ships that cost less than seven figures to initially purchase. Of course, an A-rated combat cobra can top 13 million... not really in the same category as the A-rated combat viper, which tops at about 5.5 million.

Of course, based on the OP's definition, he will be victorious in this debate by ignoring his opponents rational and leaving the room while clinging stubbornly to his own flawed reasoning.

 

[Jackie Silver]

The basis of your argument appears to be that the cobra is the best ship in the game because it can outrun anything that it can't kill. While I grant you that is a possibility, it is also a possibility for many other ships as well, including the viper.

You're right but only when considering single ship engagements. A Viper may* be able to outfight a Cobra in a dogfight, but it can't outfight two or more Cobras, whereas a Cobra can always outrun any number of chasing Vipers. The same holds true for other ships to some degree; anyway, the point is that the ability to run is much more important to survival than the ability to fight when you're dealing with Wings, which it's a good bet that you will be if you're facing pirate CMDRs.

*May. Good Viper vs good Cobra is mostly pilot skill these days IMO.

 

[flAzer]

Thanks all for this very wonderful thread - I sincerely mean that.
(I haven't been around as long as many of you so this thread, although rehashing 'old news' for you, is 'new news' to me.)

It makes me rethink my strategies per my next ship purchase.

I'm running a nicely furnished Viper, and also have an Adder in storage (also nicely outfitted).
I was thinking about keeping the Viper and upgrading the Adder - but now I'm not so sure.

Getting past all the rhetoric I hope, it does look like upgrading my Viper to a Cobra opens up a few more doors. I'm somewhat disappointed the Cobra and Viper have the same hardpoints, but then again, with a bigger Power Plant, I can load better weapons since as it's been pointed out, managing power can be an issue in a Viper when you've invested so much in it.

Please don't misunderstand me here. My Viper has been a blast to run, and although it would be nice to have more power, kind folk here have made working within the Viper's capacity a very easy thing. Like setting my FDS and Fuel Scoop to lowest priority so that they turn off when hardpoints are deployed, certainly a common place idea for you vets but also certainly somewhat challenging to noobs like me without your guidance! I digress.

I take it since both the Viper and Cobra have the same Shielding, it comes down to the Cobra's mass that makes it weaker? Then again with more module space, seems I can run two shield banks rather than the one I'm 'limited' to right now in my Viper (limited I say loosely since I know with different outfitting, I might be able to run two comfortably), especially with the bigger Power Plant, yes?

So I am thinking now to trade on both vessels for a Cobra, as the next logical step, initially fitted for combat, perhaps later fitted for hauling as the need arises.

I'm certainly NOT taking a position here with respect to the Viper/Cobra debate. Frankly I don't see the value in said debate since to me, the comparison is Apples to Oranges, and although I prefer Oranges (I hate Apples passionately!), each have their place I guess.

Finally and again per the debate, I hope when I have bunches of experience here, I can recommend to someone junior to myself, upgrading from one ship to another as a way of opening doors to a richer experience. Anyway, I think I can muster about 9 mil in credits, selling both ships and I think that should provide me a rather nice Cobra - yeah?

 

[ciger]

The vulture doesn't come even close to the Viper in terms of speed. The firepower of the wrong as well, the 2 med hardpoints and the better distributor provides a massive bonus compared to the vulture. Agility, yeah, like eagle. Shields like python, yes.
So the vulture loses out on firepower and speed while have good agility and shields. Pros and cons.

Cobra, not many cons I see. Anyway, I will just jump on the Cobra bandwagon then and annoy the big ships to hell. Play the game how it is meant to be played or die in a hail of Clipper fire.

you are one funny man

 

[kingchub]

python hands down

 

[Beardless]

The Cobra is a wonderful ship, this is true. However the OP is seriously under-estimating the importance of profile, hardpoint placement and thruster control that place the Viper in a far superior position in combat. Where the cobra is a fast and beautiful thing, she also presents a big flat target with hardpoints that should have been reversed. The viper is a killing machine, plain and simple - and it even costs less money.

I love my Cobra, I keep her shiny, polished and well maintained in the hangar or occasionally take her out for a Sunday drive. But it is the viper that I will bring to war, bought especially for each encounter and sold again once she is bloodied.

That big flat target you are talking about is darn near impossible to hit when facing you and poses a much smaller target than a viper, it also has less heat signature than a viper meaning you cannot target untill you get close. the viper although nimble can be targeted further away and hit easier with fixed weps than a cobra IMO.