Elite: Dangerous PvE - Mobius

Somewhat inspired by the Vulture thread, thank you Uvelius, and having recently picked up a few new wingmen I though it may be a good idea to cover the basics when it comes to combat ships and when to upgrade.

This is not a minmaxing thread where we try to get the best out of a sidey. No, this is a simple discussion covering when ships peak in the range of their value. I am going to need help to cover all the ship up to the vulture and I will be updating the post with the loadouts and names of other commanders. I will start us off but if you feel i have made any mistakes let me know.

Notes: Combat does not necessarily mean a RES hunting ship and as such the first three ships are without a kill warrant scanner. This is because the KWS is expensive in the beginning with a basic C scanner costing 120k the cost of a well equipped Eagle.
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Sidewinder by StaticRadion

Base value: 0 (Starting ship)
Max value: 150-170k
Reasoning: You grow out of the Sidey as a combat ship very quickly with an Eagle being a very attractive, better equipped, option starting at ~45k. The thing to remember is that a base model Eagle is arguably not as good as a slightly upgraded Sidewinder. Take your time in a sidewinder to learn the game, how and when to use chaff or shield cells, and your limitations.
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Eagle by StaticRadion

Base value: 140-160k
Max value: 540-600k
Reasoning: A dream of a little combat ship that is still flown by some Anaconda owners for giggles the Eagle will put a smile on your face. The shields will be firmer, lasers will fire longer and the ship will turn tighter than the Sidey. The only real downside to the Eagle is that the Adder is very close in price range and has some substantial upgrades including an additional utility mount, more room for shield cells, a medium weapons slot, more armor, and nearly the same feel in combat.
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Adder by StaticRadion

Base value: 560k
Max value: ?
Reasoning: This Is the first good multi-role ship you will own that excels at combat and allows you to branch away from it if you so desire. It is also special in that I recommend not selling your Adder immediately. I would say that the best practice would be to keep your Adder till you decide if the Viper or Cobra is best for you. The Adder is a nice trade or explorer ship that is good to keep in your pocket as a backup.
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Viper by ?

Base value: ?
Max value: ?
Reasoning:
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Cobra by ?

Base value: ?
Max value: ?
Reasoning:
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Diamondback Scout by UnmarkedBoxcar

Base value: 3 million
Max value: 7.5 million
Reasoning: The Scout flies beautifully. It is quick, agile, and surprisingly sturdy for its size. The size and number of internal compartments are a step up from the Viper, but inferior to the Cobra Mk. III. And, perhaps the selling point of this ship, is its superb range for a combat oriented craft. Even if a commander outfits this ship entirely for combat, without much thought to the weight of their components, it is still very likely to have a jump range of 22+ ly.
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Imperial Courier by Casey Casem

Base value: 4.5 mill
Max value: 9 million
Reasoning:I favor the Imperial Courier as the best bounty hunter for its value. It has amazing shield strength and maneuverability. Kitted with a two shield boosters, chaff, a kill warrant scanner, a shield cell bank and A rated components it nets around 7 million. Jump range is mediocre at 13 Ly, but most combat optimized ships suffer from this problem.
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This is where we will probably end the thread because there is plenty of information available on the vulture in Uvelius thread. That and at this point most CMDRs have a good idea of what to expect of the game and how they like to outfit their ships.

I favor the Imperial Courier as the best bounty hunter for its value. It has amazing shield strength and maneuverability. Kitted with SB, chaff, kws, SCB and A rated components it nets around 7M. Jump range is mediocre at 13 Ly.

@Casey Casem If you could would be so kind could you make a suitable Imperial courier in ED shipyard and post the link. I will edit my post to include your information. It should be the "basic" Courier that someone moving from a Cobra or DB Scout would be able to afford.

http://www.edshipyard.com/

http://edshipyard.com/#/L=707,5Rr5Rr7OX ... w03w03w2Uc

At an even 7M you get a deadly bounty hunter with shields rivaling a clipper. It's priced just low enough for commanders moving out of a fully kitted cobra. It has only enough cargo space for small hauls or PP deliveries

Casey Casem wrote:http://edshipyard.com/#/L=707,5Rr5Rr7OX3we01Q0_g0_g,2-6Q4s4s2C4s3I5A,7Pc7fE03w03w03w2Uc

At an even 7M you get a deadly bounty hunter with shields rivaling a clipper. It's priced just low enough for commanders moving out of a fully kitted cobra. It has only enough cargo space for small hauls or PP deliveries

I edited your ship just a smidgen so I could show a low and higher end Courier because while an A spec Cobra is 7 mill a mix A-C build that is enjoyable to fly is about 4.5 mill, but a similar prices Courier will smash it. If you think I did something wrong or put words in your mouth let me know and I will change it immediately. Thanks for the input I don't really have much experience with the new combat ships.

The amended information is both satisfactory and accurate. I've little experience with low end setups since I ensure I've enough credits to kit out the ship before purchase.

The low end courier can work since speed/maneuverability are already good and power management isn't so bad with only 3 hardpoints

Gonna go adder from my eagle, once res done tonight. Need to finally put some time in now newborn is settling a bit. Finally found a decent system in pranav space too so I can now get to work. Anyone else there feel free to drop by

Here are two variants of the Diamondback Scout, which is currently my favorite small fighter.

3 mil credit variant -- 150k Insurance Buyback


7.5 mil credit variant -- 370k insurance buyback.


Both variants make very effective long range fighters. It is, of course, possible to remove some hull reinforcement or shield cells in favor of a very limited cargo capacity, but the emphasis would definitely be on the phrase "limited," as the scout was not designed to be much of anything other than a fighter. The maneuverability and speed of this ship feel very much like a blend between the Viper and Eagle, and it is a very satisfying ship to fly. The Scout, however, does have more versatility in it's internal compartments than the Viper (which is perhaps the most similar ship in size and design purpose) being fitted with 3, 3, 3, 2 internals as opposed to the Viper's 3, 3, 2, 1. Stock shields and armor are also slightly better on the Scout.

Hardpoint size and placement on either ship is phenomenal (convergence usually is on smaller ships) And having two small and two medium hardpoints makes for a lot of versatility for commanders that like to fiddle with ship outfitting.

Synopsis: The Scout flies beautifully. It is quick, agile, and surprisingly sturdy for its size. The size and number of internal compartments are a step up from the Viper, but inferior to the Cobra Mk. III. And, perhaps the selling point of this ship, is its superb range for a combat oriented craft. Even if a commander outfits this ship entirely for combat, without much thought to the weight of their components, it is still very likely to have a jump range of 22+ ly.

UnmarkedBoxcar wrote:Synopsis: The Scout flies beautifully. It is quick, agile, and surprisingly sturdy for its size. The size and number of internal compartments are a step up from the Viper, but inferior to the Cobra Mk. III. And, perhaps the selling point of this ship, is its superb range for a combat oriented craft. Even if a commander outfits this ship entirely for combat, without much thought to the weight of their components, it is still very likely to have a jump range of 22+ ly.

GOing to update the post with this ASAP. This is great stuff and i appreciate the help.

@UnmarkedBoxcar Double check and make sure I got the gist of it right. I left the synopsis as the reasoning and figure that your comment still being on the first page they can find the additional info there. Let me know if you think anything needs to be changed.