Where to go for easy combat with crappy NPC's?

[CmdrDaymian]

Hey all, I've been playing for a few days now and exclusively exploring, making my way toward the center or the galaxy (I didn't get far towards it lol, maybe only 25 systems at most, I'm slow) and now I've stopped because I figure it'll get tougher in properly deep space. Or maybe not but I suck at this game so I want to go to a "starter" area, where the NPC ships suck and I can practice against them until I'm confident enough to fight in proper battles. I don't care if bounties are low or even non-existent, just as long as they're the easiest NPC's in the game and a safe-ish system.

You know like one of the starter regions in EVE Online? Something like that. I'm playing solo btw.

 

[zuadao]

try nav beacons. not as many confusion as RES

 

[uncle bulgaria]

Yep nav beacons are the place to go. Don't carry any cargo and the pirates there will ignore you after they scan you so you can just focus on the smaller ships and take the ones with bounties. Don't forget a KWS.

Don't touch anything without a bounty and don't hit anything clean thereby picking up a bounty yourself. If you're clean the NPC bounty hunters won't touch you either.

 

[Roybe]

Unfortunately, this game is not an MMO. There are no 'starter areas', per se. here's what you have to do, to do what you want. Go to a ringed planet and find 'Resource Extraction Site'. You will drop in, like going to a station. When you are in there you will find ships being attacked by system authority. Scan the ship (happens when you target them) and if they come up wanted, open fire.

Now, the spawn of these sites on entry can be 'good' (high end ships are common) or 'bad' (few high end ships). You want a 'bad' spawn. Lots of low end ships. Good luck! (btw there are other mechanics that can increase your income such as using a kill warrant scanner). Good luck and have fun!

 

[uncle bulgaria]

Unfortunately, this game is not an MMO. There are no 'starter areas', per se. here's what you have to do, to do what you want. Go to a ringed planet and find 'Resource Extraction Site'. You will drop in, like going to a station. When you are in there you will find ships being attacked by system authority. Scan the ship (happens when you target them) and if they come up wanted, open fire.

Now, the spawn of these sites on entry can be 'good' (high end ships are common) or 'bad' (few high end ships). You want a 'bad' spawn. Lots of low end ships. Good luck! (btw there are other mechanics that can increase your income such as using a kill warrant scanner). Good luck and have fun!

For a noob wanting combat practice I'd still go for a nav beacon as you're more likely to be 1v1 with the NPC, RES are actually quite easy if there's a significant system authority presence plus you run the risk of an FF incident with them and getting killed.

Edit: OP if you tell me where you are I may be able help you out as I should be online later this afternoon for an hour 2. It'll depend on which system you're in, I'm not far from Lave at the moment, I forget the system that I'm actually docked in (I'm in work right now but it's a ghost town so I'm leaving early )

 

[CmdrDaymian]

It's sidewinders I'm looking for mostly. I absolutely suck at combat in this game. I get interdicted from time to time in my exploration adventures (I only escape interdiction 20% of the time because I suck at that too) and it's usually Eagles or Vipers that interdict me and I can't even come close to beating them. I can barely even get them in my sights, they stay behind me most of the time. I need to get used to disabling flight assist to turn my ship around and playing with the sys/eng/wep pips. I need to be able to do this in relative safety or I'll run out of money quick.

 

[Barton Smith]

It's sidewinders I'm looking for mostly. I absolutely suck at combat in this game. I get interdicted from time to time in my exploration adventures (I only escape interdiction 20% of the time because I suck at that too) and it's usually Eagles or Vipers that interdict me and I can't even come close to beating them. I can barely even get them in my sights, they stay behind me most of the time. I need to get used to disabling flight assist to turn my ship around and playing with the sys/eng/wep pips. I need to be able to do this in relative safety or I'll run out of money quick.

If your main aim is to practice combat in a sidewinder, you might be better off in the training scenarios.

 

[bamber]

if you have a KWS (even a cheap one) go to the Nav beacons in anarchies - you cant get fined for hitting clean ships as everything is clean - this means they dont have bounties ......SO.........use your KWS to scan and then collect their bounties from other jurisdictions.
.
Also while you do scan note the NPC ability a sidewinder will obviously be much easier than a Asp ....NOT
.
An Elite sidewinder with shields can be a reall tough cookie, a mostly harmless asp with no shields is an easy target so pick your fights and the best place is an anarchy
.
Oh IMPORTANT - watch out for wings in nav beacons you dont want to take on a mostly harmless unshielded eagle that is 2/3 and find his mates in 1/3 and 3/3 are sitting in Elite Asps!

 

[CmdrDaymian]

If your main aim is to practice combat in a sidewinder, you might be better off in the training scenarios.

Not gonna work for me - the training missions don't give you tracking weapons, only fixed. I'm using a joystick and I absolutely need gimballed/tracking weapons or I simply never hit the enemy, not even when they're flying in a straight line.

 

[Arksun]

Not gonna work for me - the training missions don't give you tracking weapons, only fixed. I'm using a joystick and I absolutely need gimballed/tracking weapons or I simply never hit the enemy, not even when they're flying in a straight line.

Don't give up, you'll get better, or work in trade or exploring first to build up credits and get a much better equipped ship first and you'll enjoy combat a lot more.

I really thought I sucked badly at combat as well, went into exploring heavily (and love it) but after that exploration community goal ended I decided to try combat again for a bit. But this time I had enough credits for a fully A-class Viper with 3xgimballed pulse + gimballed multicannon. That's a great ship for us poor combat players (or players with poor internet connections). Picking off Eagles is quite easy now. I even managed to do that mission where you have to assassinate a general in a heavily armoured Federal Dropship. It took a few runs, building my shield back up but I beat him in my Viper.

Bear in mind I don't even have a joystick,I've been playing with keyboard and mouse the whole time...

If I can do it ANYONE can do it

 

[CmdrDaymian]

Don't give up, you'll get better, or work in trade or exploring first to build up credits and get a much better equipped ship first and you'll enjoy combat a lot more.

I really thought I sucked badly at combat as well, went into exploring heavily (and love it) but after that exploration community goal ended I decided to try combat again for a bit. But this time I had enough credits for a fully A-class Viper with 3xgimballed pulse + gimballed multicannon. That's a great ship for us poor combat players (or players with poor internet connections). Picking off Eagles is quite easy now. I even managed to do that mission where you have to assassinate a general in a heavily armoured Federal Dropship. It took a few runs, building my shield back up but I beat him in my Viper.

Bear in mind I don't even have a joystick,I've been playing with keyboard and mouse the whole time...

If I can do it ANYONE can do it

I really need to have a look at this trading everybody keeps talking about. I love exploring but it takes too long without the 1.5m credit D-scanner and doesn't make enough money without the detailed surface scanner (neither of which I can even close to afford lol.

 

[Arksun]

I really need to have a look at this trading everybody keeps talking about. I love exploring but it takes too long without the 1.5m credit D-scanner and doesn't make enough money without the detailed surface scanner (neither of which I can even close to afford lol.

Yeah man, try a bit of rare goods trading, that should build up a fair amount of credits for an explorer kitted out Adder in not too much time. The Adder is where I made my 30 odd million in exploring so far. Have an Asp now but haven't taken it out for exploring just yet.

 

[Xaraman]

I think it is important to restate to you to be very careful in combat if you are not in an anarchy system.

In any system other than Anarchy, if the NPC is not "Wanted" and even if you use a KWS on it, if you attack and kill it you will get a bounty and wanted status in that system too! Only attack targets that have the "Wanted" flag on them. If you get a wanted flag, every system patrol vessel in that instance will turn on you and attack you! In anarchy systems, there are no system patrol vessels and report of crimes.

To make sure you're in an anarchy system, check the system map to confirm that the ruling faction is an anarchy faction. I've noticed on the galaxy map that some systems are shown as anarchy, but when you look at the system map, the controlling faction is lawful.

I would recommend doing some hunting at the Nav beacon in an anarchy system to practise, as there is less to think about when it comes to criminal activity. Just go to the nav beacon and KWS every NPC there. If they have a bounty (check through the contacts tab), go after them. If the anarchy system has a RES, even better.

 

[Monk]

Check the security level of the system on the System Map. You will want HIGH security systems. In a high security system, you are very unlikely to see tougher NPCs at Nav Beacons or RES. Also, if you get in a hairy situation, security vessels will always be nearby and you can run towards them for help.

 

[Garagiste]

I also recommend persevering with the training missions. I avoided combat entirely in the main game until I'd beaten the Sidewinder face off. Yes, it's dammed hard with fixed weapons, but once you can do it, you'll be better with tracking ones than you would be otherwise. Do some trading and hop back to the training every so often until you whip that suckers Botty!