Ships Unimpressed with the Cobra, but people seem to love it. Do I need to get a clue?

[Serapo]

So I have not been playing for very long and my ship progression is very humble. But when I got my first Cobra I thought, ok, now I am really ready for this game. But turns out no so much. I thought maybe if I finally can fit it out with top modules then yes, but still kind of underwhelmed. For these reasons:

- In combat it makes me miss my A-class Viper. Viper seems much more agile and carries the same punch and seems to hold energy juice for longer during prolonged firing mode. Ergo, I can farm bounties much faster. And the Viper is much cheaper to properly fit out and costs much less insurance when it goes "boom" (yes, I tend to go boom on occasion). In the Viper I also could not find a way to fit a SCB so am forced to go more man-mode and higher risk.

- In trading the lowly Type 6 carries more cargo and has better jump range. And fitting the autopilot without making me feel like I am wasting a module slot for something cooler allows me to hear "The Blue Danube" while hands free docking and having a sip of my beer/drink while allowing to scratch my family jewels from time to time without fear of messing something up. AND... it is much cheaper to outfit than the A-spec Cobra.

- For mining any small ship is a pain I suppose and none of my ships have so far made me go, wow, mining is something I have to do from time to time

- Exploration I have not tried it seriously yet, but I suppose the Cobra does not excel there either.

- I have the feeling that the Cobra acceleration computer tends to overshoot much harder/easier than other ships and the long SC travels are not so crisp. For some strange reason longer SC trips seem to go much faster in the Type 6 cargo boat than on the combat ships. I could be wrong here, but it is a feeling I have gotten. Or maybe I just get distracted because I am checking transactions, weapons systems and pips, etc. much more frequently on the Cobra than on the hauler.

Looking forward to get an Asp next.
So why do people love the Cobra so much? Nostalgia? Or am I doing it wrong?

Well TLR, I seem to have more fun in other cheaper ships than in the Cobra, for less money.

 

[Darrett]

I agree. I used one for a while for piracy because it seemed a reasonable choice, but found it lackluster. It's also one of the ships I always have the easiest time destroying because of that nice flat surface and slow pitch rate in turning battles so you can line up railguns easily.

 

[serolrom]

I've had a Cobra, Viper and Type 6. Not much, I know, but enough for me to try and answer:
While the alternatives you said might be good, the Cobra is almost capable of doing all of them, and I would say it can do all if that at once. It's a multi-purpose.
That said, I wasn't much impressed either... maybe the expectation was too high for me.

 

[Brujah]

So I have not been playing for very long and my ship progression is very humble. But when I got my first Cobra I thought, ok, now I am really ready for this game. But turns out no so much. I thought maybe if I finally can fit it out with top modules then yes, but still kind of underwhelmed. For these reasons:

- In combat it makes me miss my A-class Viper. Viper seems much more agile and carries the same punch and seems to hold energy juice for longer during prolonged firing mode. Ergo, I can farm bounties much faster. And the Viper is much cheaper to properly fit out and costs much less insurance when it goes "boom" (yes, I tend to go boom on occasion). In the Viper I also could not find a way to fit a SCB so am forced to go more man-mode and higher risk.

- In trading the lowly Type 6 carries more cargo and has better jump range. And fitting the autopilot without making me feel like I am wasting a module slot for something cooler allows me to hear "The Blue Danube" while hands free docking and having a sip of my beer/drink while allowing to scratch my family jewels from time to time without fear of messing something up. AND... it is much cheaper to outfit than the A-spec Cobra.

- For mining any small ship is a pain I suppose and none of my ships have so far made me go, wow, mining is something I have to do from time to time

- Exploration I have not tried it seriously yet, but I suppose the Cobra does not excel there either.

- I have the feeling that the Cobra acceleration computer tends to overshoot much harder/easier than other ships and the long SC travels are not so crisp. For some strange reason longer SC trips seem to go much faster in the Type 6 cargo boat than on the combat ships. I could be wrong here, but it is a feeling I have gotten. Or maybe I just get distracted because I am checking transactions, weapons systems and pips, etc. much more frequently on the Cobra than on the hauler.

Looking forward to get an Asp next.
So why do people love the Cobra so much? Nostalgia? Or am I doing it wrong?

Well TLR, I seem to have more fun in other cheaper ships than in the Cobra, for less money.

The Cobra is an all-rounder, so you've pretty much summed up its purpose. Of course it won't be as good in combat as a dedicated fighter (Viper) or trading as a dedicated hauler (Type-6), however it can fight better than a Type-6 and haul better than a Viper. That's its role.

If that doesn't work for you, I strongly suggest you also give the Asp a miss, as that's the same idea.

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

The Cobra is mediocre at everything it does and doesn't have any significant weaknesses other than the huge broadside already mentioned. Some people like that, I personally find it boring.

 

[adoredtv]

Still the fastest ship in the game and it's got good manoeuvrability with A-spec thrusters. To be frank its only real weakness is awful shields, which is to be fair quite a bad weakness.

 

[Arthur Dent81]

It reminds me how much I loved to play Elite in 1984.

It is like driving your first car again

 

[Bortas]

- In combat it makes me miss my A-class Viper. Viper seems much more agile and carries the same punch and seems to hold energy juice for longer during prolonged firing mode. Ergo, I can farm bounties much faster. And the Viper is much cheaper to properly fit out and costs much less insurance when it goes "boom" (yes, I tend to go boom on occasion). In the Viper I also could not find a way to fit a SCB so am forced to go more man-mode and higher risk.

The Cobra has a bigger PP, a bigger Power Distributor and can fit way more SCBs, as you already noticed. This means, although its initial shield strength is lower it can maintain its shields considerably longer in combat, if you manage to fire the SCs in time.

Apart from that it is a good multi purpose ship for its price, it's biggest advantage is probably being virtually immune to attack, because it can outrun any other ship. Even the Clipper, which can be hard to outrun even in a Cobra is no threat for an experienced Cobra pilot, as it can be evaded by boosting past it and neglecting its firepower by deploying chaff.

 

[PsychoFish]

An A-Cobra can go bounty hunting, do missions, go exploring decently and travel around with ONE fitting. Yeah, the Viper maybe better suited for combat, but if you wanna fly it to the next CG you will cry in anger, because it's jump range is mediocre. You can't go exploring withour buying another ship (Hauler/Adder) and are limited to combat missions.

Full trading is always something for the trade ships and you want to specialise, bit the Cobra can easily do everything else without the need to switch the ship or the layout.

And it's one of the nicest looking ships and has the nostalgia feel to it.

 

[Darrett]

To be fair, it's probably the best designed of the multi role ships. It has reasonable strengths and weaknesses, and doesn't overshadow the dedicated role options in its price range.

Once you get up to the higher end, multi role ships become far too powerful because of ample power and SCB stacking, in addition to the sheer number of hard point options they get.

 

[Huita]

It's iconic and cheap, so pretty much all players pass through that. Also, it's the first ship with really nice cockpit. Also, it's cheap - what makes you think A-specced cobra costs a lot? And the good thing - you won't even need to A-spec it because it's not really good in combat, so why bother? It's just a nice iconic ship most people spent quite a time in.

Did i mention that it's cheap?

What really bugs me is an Asp. Why people love it - i have no idea. It has boring cockpit without anything in it, worse at hauling than t6 if we compare the price and doesn't work too well in combat. I personally just passed it.

 

[Marra Morgan]

Cobra has one distinct advantage over everything else: speed.

I can waylay anything weaker and run from anything stronger.
With it being a brilliant smuggler too, it's my perfect ship for playing in Open!

EDIT: And if it gets blown up, I can afford 200 more of them

 

[Leviathan]

The Cobra is the first real multipurpose ship

In that regard your comparisson is flawed

Yes the viper is better for combat because it is a combat ship - you could not go mining or trading in it but you can in a cobra

Yes the T-6 is a far better trader because it is a trading ship - you could not use it for combat but you can use your cobra

What I am getting at is: If you want to do a bit of everything a cobra is awesome - if you want to specialize do not use a multipurpose ship

 

[Cliffson]

Why do i like the cobra, in no particular order:

1 nostalgia

2 it's fast, properly kitted out you can outrun anything you can't out fight.

3 it's flexible, if i want to trade i use my conda. Res i take a viper, but if i just want to mooch about around the bubble, do some missions, smuggle, run rares, find trade roues etc i take a cobra.

4 it's cheap.

I don't fly it all the time but when i do i have a blast.

 

[DaMorgs]

Cobra has one distinct advantage over everything else: speed.

I can waylay anything weaker and run from anything stronger.
With it being a brilliant smuggler too, it's my perfect ship for playing in Open!

EDIT: And if it gets blown up, I can afford 200 more of them

This.

I use mine for smuggling because of the speed alone. I've been chased by FdLs, Clippers and whatever else they try. None have got me. I don't even have weapons fitted. Four pips to engines and BOOOOOST!!!

 

[Commander Starcloak]

As a cargo-hauler, the Cobra is a step up if you've only ever been in a Sidewinder or Eagle before, and if you can't afford a Type 6.

As an explorer, the Cobra is very decent actually. When properly outfitted for exploration, it makes just over 25Ly in range.

As a combat vessel, it's true it feels more sluggish than the Eagle or Viper, but trust me, wait till you get in the Clipper, Python, an Anaconda - Cobra feels nimble in comparison - and it can take more hits, more punishment, than the Eagle and Viper can. All round slightly less agile, but still decent, and beefier in taking the hits and dealing them out. A really solid combat vessel, I would say. I used it for bounty hunting for a very long time.

That's its appeal.

 

[Pendra]

The Cobra can haul 60 tons of cargo at 443 m/s speed. Enough to outrun everything except another speed Cobra. A fast attack Cobra can fly over 450.
A scout Cobra can go over 460.

If you want a ship that can survive anything by running away from any situation the Cobra is you ship.

 

[Insomnia]

My first sship I ever bought was the Hauler. I used it to achieve my first goal: to buy the Cobra. Boy was I unimpressed. I absolutely hated it! Crashed it. The only time I ever crashed. Never flown one again. Never will either. Bought myself a T6 instead to run a few rare trade rruns.Evwn though the T6 "flies like a pig" like someone stated it's much better than the lousy Cobra.

But it's the first multi purpose ship in the shipyard. So that is something we have to understand. I just bought the Diamondback Scout and damn that's a fine boat.

 

[Cmdr Esteban]

I too have a slow cash/ship progression rate, but I've been playing since Premium Beta (I don't care to grind - relaxed and enjoyable is my playstyle).

I'm pretty much a one-ship man and for me the Cobra is that one ship. I had two, but sold my old seldom-used Sidewinder the other day (with a tear in my eye), because I found myself in the Cobra all the time.

I don't really care for the other smaller ships and although I have enough cash for a decent Asp (tried it a while back), that ship doesn't do it for me. I liked flying the Lakon Type 6 (great retro thrusters!) but it can't fight. And then the big expensive monster ships with their ponderous turn rates and turret weapons would be completely out of the question.

TL;DR - In the Cobra I feel like Tom Paris in the Delta Flyer just tooling around behind Janeway's back, and that's just the way I like to play Elite.

 

[Stressfest]

To truly appreciate the Cobra you first need to take it to RES or CZ and actually learn to fly properly. You don't learn a thing in these over powered cash cow machines.. point shoot, one sweep and the threat has gone. Leave your gimbaled weapons at the port, load up some pulses and a few multicannons and get to work. That'll make a man of ya... or woman
In it's price point, it's a great multi role ship.. a great choice.