Combat ships - When you should upgrade

[BrocMcGregor]

If you would like I have a few different Cobra builds I've worked on. UnmarkedBoxcar actually is witness (he was in my wing but different location) when I was interdicted by a "dangerous" Vulture last night and decided to fight it. I wasn't in the mood but at the same time, I couldn't really afford to lose that cobra. I only had about 100k above insurance and normally trade rares with it.

Honestly for combat for me the Cobra can easily be an "end gamer." She has all the requirements I look for. So yes my kit is biased but I've flown Diamond backs on done. All of them in RES and USS and NAVbeacons... along with a little test I put them through.

[UnmarkedBoxcar]

@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.

I never responded to this, but it looks great

[FANTA5M1C]

Well, here's my 2 bits on the viper since that's a blank. I make no claims that this is the bestest setup ever, but they are decent outfits that give an idea of what it can run.

Starter kit for 543k

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[Viper]
M: 2F/G Multi-cannon
M: 2F/G Multi-cannon
S: 1G/G Burst Laser
S: 1G/G Burst Laser
U: 0I Chaff Launcher
U: 0D Shield Booster

BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 3C Power Plant
TM: 3C Thrusters
FH: 3C Frame Shift Drive
EC: 2D Life Support
PC: 3C Power Distributor
SS: 3D Sensors
FS: 2C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 4)

3: 3E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)
3: 3C Shield Generator
2: 2C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 4)
1: 1D Shield Cell Bank

My personal A-rated viper at 2.97m

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[Viper]
M: 2F/G Multi-cannon
M: 2D/G Cannon
S: 1G/G Burst Laser
S: 1G/G Pulse Laser
U: 0I Chaff Launcher
U: 0I Point Defence

BH: 1I Military Grade Composite
RB: 3A Power Plant
TM: 3A Thrusters
FH: 3B Frame Shift Drive
EC: 2D Life Support
PC: 3A Power Distributor
SS: 3D Sensors
FS: 2C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 4)

3: 3A Shield Cell Bank
3: 3A Shield Generator
2: 2A Fuel Scoop
1: 1E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 2)

A zippy ship with powerful thrusters and a best-in-class shield, the viper is capable of running circles around most large ships while being forgiving of a surprising amount of abuse when someone gets you in their sights. The 4 hardpoints pack quite a punch, however due to the location of the medium hardpoints under the wings, gimbals will fail to track above the horizontal plane. It's best to keep your nose a little high if you choose to use gimbals and group fixed weapons together on either the left or right of the ship as the vertical hardpoint spacing is much, much closer than the horizontal. Like many fighters, the viper suffers from severe power limitations and learning power management will be key to getting the most out of it.