Unusual or Combat Exploration ships

I know I'm not the only one, I've seen you all post before, so consider this a dedicated thread to show off your unusual exploration ships, especially combat ready ones! I'll start you off:
https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/vip...eloBhBGA2EoFMCGBzANokMK6A=&bn=Dancing Daggers
Dancing Daggers, my Viper MKIV combat explorer. Sure, it won't hold up to a PC piloted A rated Conda, but it does just fine PVE in even high intensity conflict zones. Honestly? I like flying it more than my Asp.
 
If you're not trying to race off somewhere nor reach the furthest possible systems in the black just to say you did, there's no reason to not have a combat capable loadout.

Thanks for the thread. CMDR WR3ND and The Ronin signing in. o7

Vulture exploration ship loadout. → https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/vul...AA=.EweloBhAOEoUwIYHMA28QgIwV0A=&bn=The Ronin

Ship registration, write-up, and noteworthy accomplishments. → https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...Ships!/page3?p=2828837&viewfull=1#post2828837

16K glory shot of The Ronin out toward the rim when I was on my way to the Skull and Crossbones Nebula, featuring the Milky Way galaxy as backdrop. ↓

Vlkk1kA.jpg

And of course, the Skull and Crossbones Nebula inline with Sol and the vertical axis perpendicular to the galactic plane, but only in 8K. ↓

taJEwvZ.jpg
 
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Good idea this thread. I am admittedly a purist when it comes to the subject of exploration ships but it will be interesting to see what combinations Cmdr s come up with here.
 
I switch ships around alot depending on what my goal/target is for the current trip. I recently went back and switched ship since I wanted some high-G shields to be able to faceplant into the ground a bit more, and some other vehicles for having some fun. Sure, the weapons will probably not be useful ever, but since I dont care about jumprange for this trip, it felt like to much work to store them :)

 
Most of my exploration ships are combat ready in the sense that I can run away increase distance swiftly. That would also help with planetary exploration, if I actually did it.

To be fair though, with engineers even combat builds can have enough jump range so that if you aren't impatient with travel, you can explore the vast majority of the galaxy. Not the most sparse regions like the rim or inter-arm voids.
Also, this might just be my opinion, but I don't like going far above 40 ly in jump range, because that makes navigating the sparse areas too easy, and I like a bit of challenge there. I'm not saying that true explorers don't do superhigh jump ranges (I don't want to drink!), I'm just saying that personally, I don't like that for exploration. For travel if I'm in a hurry, sure.
Now, if you don't want to increase your jump range that high, you have a lot more options in outfitting your ships.
 

Running is a good option. If given the opportunity, destroying those that would try and destroy you without just cause is a better one, or a at least it's a little more satisfying. :)
 
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I'm taking my Orca on the Cirumnav exped post 2.4. She's got quite long legs for a passenger ship (50ly). Not a traditional exploration ship and it would be awesome to get her round the rim. Would be just too easy to take my DBE.
 
in the category "unusual" i might put my cobra mkiv, which i also tested during the silly ships expedition, and really liked it as a shortrange explorer with very good landing capabilities.

i revived it last week, as i could fit 3 corrosive resistance cargo racks in it, pluss dss, plus 2 srv hangar, plus fuelscoop, plus shield, plus discovery scanner ....
 
in the category "unusual" i might put my cobra mkiv, which i also tested during the silly ships expedition, and really liked it as a shortrange explorer with very good landing capabilities.

i revived it last week, as i could fit 3 corrosive resistance cargo racks in it, pluss dss, plus 2 srv hangar, plus fuelscoop, plus shield, plus discovery scanner ....

Mostly I'm just glad that it isn't an "OP" ship in the game. Admittedly, I do somewhat take issue with its exclusivity, so it naturally isn't a ship I feel compelled to use myself, even though I have access to it.

Anyway, yes, I can see how it could make for a fairly unusual but capable exploration ship.
 
Back during the Christmas Carriers Convoy, I had a heavily engineered Vulture that was good for about 25.5LY with a pair of Burst Lasers. Kept the components but got rid of the ship when I was consolidating resources for something or other.
 
Well, I dont mind having a small jumprange at all and so I got two.

I ran a fully multipurpose fit combat capable Anaconda for a while. 200t ish cargo space, 2 SLF bays, 2 SRVs, mega shields, all armed, A fitting and so on. I guess thats not really that rare though. It had like 25ly range.
I was grinding materials for engineers and doing some Res site combat, jumping from system to system looking at the USSs and next thing I know, I am 4k ly outside the bubble.

But I think a real rare sight indeed is what I intend to do. At least for a little campaign, after being satisfied with the engineering work I am working on it is, well, Ill be taking my fully equipped Corvette out with its 17-18lyish range. SRVs, SLFs, cargo capacity, SCBs reinforce packs, 6k mj ish shields, all that dakka dakka potential etc etc outside.

Yep. Try messing with the poor and undergeared explorer now [big grin]
 
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