Ships what next for me.....confused

Hi,
I've been following this thread with interest. (Lean to Love the FDL). Rather than hijack it, I'm after some advice.

Where I am now
I've a nicely engineered Vulture which I enjoy flying in PvE High Res, but it's a bit one dimensional but I do enjoy flying it a lot.
I struggle in combat zones, probably from being used to face tanking in High Res, being too aggressive and not hanging tight with the green guys.
I also have a Python for mining and general non-specific stuff, like at the moment I'm using it in High Res to kill stuff and collect mats for engineering.
I'm 68% through deadly but most of this is from before engineering was introduced.
I'm happy to mine or trade but its only a means to end to end to support combat.
Returned at the start of lockdown and engineered my Vulture (and the internals on my Python)
I've been grinding mats recently with the idea of building a well engineered FDL.
I don't tend to FA off, but I'm aware that its probably the next step in getting good.

Where I want to go.
Combat is my main interest so I'm looking for my next combat challenge and to get my butt out of solo.
I though an FDL was my next step, I'm nearly ready to spend all my mats but reading around I'm not sure it is going to suit me, I'm looking for something nimble like the Vulture but has a bit more variety in game play. It seems OP in High Res and I can handle elite non-wing assassinations but anything harder tips the balance quickly in the other direction.
Reading around I get the impression handling wise the FDL is more like a Python?
I'm happy to grind rank if I need a different ship, I'm currently Master / Lieutenant.
In theory I'd like to fight Xenos but I don't think I have the time (4-5 hrs a week) to get that good.

So where do I go, I'm loathe to engineer the hell out of ship I won't ultimately enjoy.
(Oh and thanks for reading this far....)
 
There really is nothing nimble like the Vulture, that's its usp. Maybe try the Krait? It's not as nimble, but can perma boost, has more guns, can carry an Slf, and if you don't like it, you can use engineered parts in another ship. Actually, you can use all your Python modules to test a Krait if you have those engineered.

PS how are you still in solo @ 68% through deadly?
 
As the OP of the FDL thread I feel for you. I love the Vulture too and it is great for certain things. Happy with it in HazRes, but it is not good for CZ’s. You need to kill ships quickly in CZ’s and the Vuture doesn’t have enough firepower for that. You need something with more guns. If you want an agile ship your choices are limited. Either the FDL or one of the Alliance ships such as the Chieftain or Challenger. There are other agile ships like the FAS or Clipper, but they lack a bit in firepower. There are lots of ships with the firepower like the FGS, Mamba and the big 3, but not agile. Also ships with decent firepower and moderate agility like the Krait and Python. What is right for you? Maybe try out one of the Alliance ships. I am going to try one out next.
As for the FDL and the Python the handling is not the same. I have an engineered Python and it isn’t as agile as my FDL. My Python is an armed trader. I will take on the odd pirate that tries to interdict me, but I won’t take it into a CZ!
 
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I've been following this thread with interest. (Lean to Love the FDL). Rather than hijack it, I'm after some advice.

Damn... thank you for posting this. I just looked at that thread and it describes me exactly. I absolutely ADORE my Vulture (except for the fact the cockpit scale is stupidly large and MultiCrew on a Vulture is idiotic).

I've bought the FDL twice. Both times, I sold it - once because the cockpit placement is too distracting. The second time was because of my Vulture. My understanding, though, is it's the best Anti-Thargoid ship and the best PvP ship - both when flying FA off.

I'll end up buying it again and engineering it for AX ops, probably. @F4fred - I'll end up reading your thread in its entirety. Hopefully, there's some help there.
 
The closest "upgrade" to a Vulture in terms of flying style is the FAS, but it's a hull tank so you have to build your ship carefully.

The FDL doesn't fly anything like the python. The python is just slow and basically doesn't turn without 4 pips in ENG. The FDL has some of the best lateral thrusters in the game so it will turn but it has a tendency to be drifty so to get the best out of it you have to FAOFF at least some of the time.
 
Hi,
I've been following this thread with interest. (Lean to Love the FDL). Rather than hijack it, I'm after some advice.

Where I am now
I've a nicely engineered Vulture which I enjoy flying in PvE High Res, but it's a bit one dimensional but I do enjoy flying it a lot.
I struggle in combat zones, probably from being used to face tanking in High Res, being too aggressive and not hanging tight with the green guys.
I also have a Python for mining and general non-specific stuff, like at the moment I'm using it in High Res to kill stuff and collect mats for engineering.
I'm 68% through deadly but most of this is from before engineering was introduced.
I'm happy to mine or trade but its only a means to end to end to support combat.
Returned at the start of lockdown and engineered my Vulture (and the internals on my Python)
I've been grinding mats recently with the idea of building a well engineered FDL.
I don't tend to FA off, but I'm aware that its probably the next step in getting good.

Where I want to go.
Combat is my main interest so I'm looking for my next combat challenge and to get my butt out of solo.
I though an FDL was my next step, I'm nearly ready to spend all my mats but reading around I'm not sure it is going to suit me, I'm looking for something nimble like the Vulture but has a bit more variety in game play. It seems OP in High Res and I can handle elite non-wing assassinations but anything harder tips the balance quickly in the other direction.
Reading around I get the impression handling wise the FDL is more like a Python?
I'm happy to grind rank if I need a different ship, I'm currently Master / Lieutenant.
In theory I'd like to fight Xenos but I don't think I have the time (4-5 hrs a week) to get that good.

So where do I go, I'm loathe to engineer the hell out of ship I won't ultimately enjoy.
(Oh and thanks for reading this far....)
Honestly, I would HIGHLY suggest a Chieftain and then move to a FDL once you get the hang of FA off. Chieftains are monsters in CZs as well.
 
The closest "upgrade" to a Vulture in terms of flying style is the FAS, but it's a hull tank so you have to build your ship carefully.

The FDL doesn't fly anything like the python. The python is just slow and basically doesn't turn without 4 pips in ENG. The FDL has some of the best lateral thrusters in the game so it will turn but it has a tendency to be drifty so to get the best out of it you have to FAOFF at least some of the time.
The Chieftain is much closer to a Vulture but the FAS is a great choice as well
 
If your end goal is to fly in something like PvP League Tournaments, your end goal will have to involve flying a FDL really well. FDLs are unparalleled. But they take a lot of practice for the average person. I am pretty comfortable with fixed weapons and FA off, but the tournaments happen in dense rings which makes flying at top speeds not unlike Russian Roulette. But for me, that's the joy. And I am still learning to fly the FDL. The skill cap is seemingly infinite.

With that in mind, Ganksalot's suggestion of the Chieftain is excellent because it's much less drifty. In lieu of soloing CZs, which is easy once you master evasion, I would suggest you add a fixed weapon to your loadout and continue in resource sites. Hitting npc vipers and eagles with plasmas or rails is not easy and will teach you more about flying. Mix 1 fixed with the rest gimballed, e.g. huge PA, 4 OC gimballed MCs on a FDL so that the ships still die quickly, but you can focus mostly on the PA reticle; it's also less frustrating.
 
Damn... thank you for posting this. I just looked at that thread and it describes me exactly. I absolutely ADORE my Vulture (except for the fact the cockpit scale is stupidly large and MultiCrew on a Vulture is idiotic).

I've bought the FDL twice. Both times, I sold it - once because the cockpit placement is too distracting. The second time was because of my Vulture. My understanding, though, is it's the best Anti-Thargoid ship and the best PvP ship - both when flying FA off.

I'll end up buying it again and engineering it for AX ops, probably. @F4fred - I'll end up reading your thread in its entirety. Hopefully, there's some help there.
I am not sure the FDL is the best AX ship. I haven’t done any AX, but the Krait Mk2 and the Alliance ships seem quite popular or one of the bigger ships. I would be interested to see an AX FDL build.
 
FDL, Chieftain, and FAS all drift about the same don't they?

FAS has the most vulture-like handling, albeit with more momentum.

I actually find the vulture doesn't take that much longer to kill things (much less face tanking), and any time I experiment with the mediums I always end up back in it. I'd use a medium for a wing assassination mission in solo though.
 
So where do I go, I'm loathe to engineer the hell out of ship I won't ultimately enjoy.

you can test fly the thing without engineering, or better, engineer drives and distro only (that's the heart and soul of any combat ship).

so don't worry too much and just test. if you don't like it you'll get almost all of your money back, and the modules can be useful for other ships. you might find the love of your galactic life, though. give it a chance.

this is very subjective and personal. for me fun is inversely proportional to ship size, and the fdl is quite a sweet spot.
 
FDL, Chieftain, and FAS all drift about the same don't they?

FAS has the most vulture-like handling, albeit with more momentum.

I actually find the vulture doesn't take that much longer to kill things (much less face tanking), and any time I experiment with the mediums I always end up back in it. I'd use a medium for a wing assassination mission in solo though.
No the Chieftain has the least amount of drift of the 3, followed by the FDL then the FAS. The Chieftain is much closer to Vulture than any other ship due to its vert/lat thrusters and crazy yaw. The FAS has terrible verts and lats and although it has good yaw, it's pitch is it's strongest point.
 
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you can test fly the thing without engineering, or better, engineer drives and distro only (that's the heart and soul of any combat ship).

so don't worry too much and just test. if you don't like it you'll get almost all of your money back, and the modules can be useful for other ships. you might find the love of your galactic life, though. give it a chance.

this is very subjective and personal. for me fun is inversely proportional to ship size, and the fdl is quite a sweet spot.
To add to this, the Chieftain and FAS use the same 6A thrusters, 6A powerplant and 6A distributor and the FDL uses the same thrusters as your Vulture so you can engineer those parts and if you don't like the ship just pull those parts off and put em on the next ship you wanna try
 
you can test fly the thing without engineering, or better, engineer drives and distro only (that's the heart and soul of any combat ship).

so don't worry too much and just test. if you don't like it you'll get almost all of your money back, and the modules can be useful for other ships. you might find the love of your galactic life, though. give it a chance.

this is very subjective and personal. for me fun is inversely proportional to ship size, and the fdl is quite a sweet spot.


Good point, it's only when you get to the hardpoints that you might potentially make something that you can't reuse on another ship. (Would be nice if there was a some kind of test drive facility for engineered ships though, that way you can make a judgement about the reward for the grind. I feel like I'm hoping that the grind is worth the return which makes the grind more grindy...anyway I digress...)

Thanks for all your comments, I think I'm going to go Chieftain, now to find a build! This page seems to have some good references.

Tks for all the advice.
 
How are those two related? I mean I was in solo at 100% through combat Elite (still am, now several years later, come to think of it.)

In the context of the OP, or did you bother to read it? It specifically states combat as their main interest and the goal of getting out of solo.
 
Here is my build (or very close to it).

Note that it's under engineered in the sense that it is limited to 4/5 of the early engineers being required only.
From reading around the builds I think the only area of choice is the weapons.
Note that this is not my original build, but taken from
EDTutorials by Exigeous
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvKgaDJtFD8


This should tell you everything you need to know.
I was little dubious about going laser only but it works fine.
No worries about the hijack, I'm about done.
 
Just wanted to comment on the solo / open thing.
I'm just hitting 50, have gamed most of my life but really come from a generation where Multi-player and PvP is not my natural goto. That said I have had some great interactions in Open and in other Multi-player environments and fully intend to get back into open.
I'm pretty time limited and the more I'm involved with with real people on line, the more I'm going to feel like I need to get online to meet obligations. I really dislike it when I feel like I need/have to play rather than want to play.
In ED specifically I really really hate dying, which is odd as it is part and parcel of the whole online experience. In ED it seems particularly gut-wrenching. Perhaps because in combat at least it can the end of quite an extended heart pumping piece of action.
I'm not a big fan of people in general! ;)
Anyway, thanks for the tips commanders!
 
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