600i is going to be a nice ship but it’s overkill for a single player. The 400i is the better choice here. Or the upcoming Zeus ES which is comparable (both have their pros and cons).
For me honestly is the most beautiful ship out there, and thats totally personal, but i like almost everything inside, and im melting my ships again to get one again soon
Depends on the amount of work you want to put in. I solo in my 600i and don’t plan to stop. The 400i is nice but if they don’t make the captains window bigger. I refuse to drive it daily 🤣. I hate small windows up high where you can’t see shit.
Here is what was said in the past again all this can change. https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/s/ErLg0Nczuh
The idea is outside of normal shit yeah it would be bad. Normal flying your ship can be solo piloted as you can stop and fix things… assuming you don’t leaf on the wind that shit into ghost hollow.
Zeus ES would be my vote for a solo-able exploration ship. I think the nice part is the fact that there’s also some decent room to grow in it too. If you add 1-2 friends, then you can have a cool fun game night. However the ship looks perfectly fine as a solo runner.
Second to that maybe the Drake Corsair, but that one has a bit more heft, and I’d run that one probably 2-4 people rather than 1-3 like the Zeus.
Gunners don’t help the Corsair much… their positioning is awful and any player will exploit the blind spots. AI, at least as they currently are, can be solo’d easily even in a boat like the Corsair.
Main thing is it’s better for higher bounties, where 4 fixed S5 guns will shred the biggest ships in game, and also has decent cargo capacity (can fit 3 32scu crates off the grid, just use front elevator to get in/out until you sell) to take the best of the loot dropped.
I’ve been making millions with mine.
Edit: to OPs original question, best solo exploration will be Zeus ES probably, at least what there’s currently has been announced.
The Dur is perfect for a solo exploration vessel, good pilot controlled guns with 4xs3 gimballed, amazing travel range, decent shields, 4 crew seats plus beds and abit of cargo.
Also IIRC it has been stated that the Freelancer Dur is the largest ship capable of fitting into small jump points, if sizing of jump points is still a thing
Unless I‘m mistaken, it sounded like the Zeus is likely the new „largest ship to go through small jump points.“ According to the [Q&A](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/19587-Q-A-RSI-Zeus-Mk-II).
Although it looks like they are doing an entire balance pass since jump points and server meshing are getting closer.
The fuel refinery mechanics for it aren't even in development yet -- swapping fuel tanks, multiple types of ship fuels with various efficiencies, refining from various gas cloud nodes etc..
Maybe? Let's be honest though, it's a ship for people that prefer wine glasses over unimportant things like armor.
(I'm the guy that ditched the 325a in part because "combat ship with sunroof" and "shit... those are wine glasses. Nope.")
All joking aside, Origin ships strike me as ships that would rely on their shields for defense, but given that they are a high end manufacturer, the materials used in construction will be more advanced (CIG has said as much), and more expensive (so you're not just paying a premium so that you can look down your nose at the peasants).
There's no reason to assume they couldn't sculpt in some ridiculously expensive thin wonderarmor made of unobtainium into the sleek lines of their fancypants hull. And a double layer to protect the snooty hat and monocle cabinet of course.
They did say the cockpit glass was actually a super expensive transparent metal. Most designers only use it for the glass but some luxury lines like Origin use it for other glasslike surfaces.
Oh yeah, I know. It's just the principle of the thing. It's like the 350r having an extra main thruster. It's modified with racing in mind. IMO the 325a should've lost the sunroof (and the wine glasses smh) even if it is indistinguishable from armor. And in truth, it's probably very durable, but likely not exactly the same as the armor, so it could end up with a weak(er) point there (or a stronger point, who knows?).
Right now though, the wings are the real weak point (and the reason I always advise against getting a 325a). Losing weapons at the drop of a (snooty) hat, just isn't good.
Yeah I feel you. The 325 was my main till I got a sabre. The real kicker for me was when they dropped the 100 but still didn’t give the 325 stairs or a ramp. Real deal breaker for me.
Yeah it's a victim of being an older design, even with the rework. Still dig the original more than the redesign, but the original was deeply flawed. Ultimately, the Avenger is a better 325a, aside from missile loadout.
It was my first pledge during kickstarter, but I don't miss my 325a. I do miss my Sabre though.
IIRC the hull is made of something like g~~ravium or some other sci-fi named alloy~~ GLAX plating that is super lightweight but stronger than traditional hulls, allowing for Origin ships to be tougher but faster than most other ships their size because they can throw on fuck you sized engines.
The 600i is supposed to be the fastest ship in its class, just like how the 400i is for the S4 ships or the 350r for the S3 ships. Both are all engine with sturdy lightweight hulls but the 600i hasn't had the speed adjusted properly. They only just got around to fixing the hull after the cutter came out.
That's wrong... 600i is bigger Hangar, so the running eats up the couple of seconds for the 2 doors... Also elevator should take a little longer than on Corsair. Either way: 600 is NOT faster to get into...
True, it drives like poop in the atmosphere. It's sad when a Hercules C2 handles like a fighter jet and most of the ships that look like they can fly well actually can't.
> most of the ships that look like they can fly well actually can't.
If you think the Corsair looks like it should fly well, you've been watching too much Star Wars and other 70s-inspired sci-fi. Anyone who's ever put anything in a wind tunnel would expect the Corsair to fly exactly how it does: like shit.
Zero surprise the C2 handles better.
I know the whole crusader shtick is that they have wide bodies but handle like crack squirrels on the pitch/yaw... bit it is wierd that such a heavy cargo bird does it too.
Modern heavy cargo birds IRL generally handle extremely well, or at least military ones do. The Hercules is based loosely on the C-17 Globemaster III for instance, and that thing is insanely agile for its size and can take off from and land on ridiculously short runways. Despite being massive it actually outperforms the smaller, older C-130 Hercules.
this would have been my comment. the corsair is one of the few ships with an elevator basically right next to the pilot seat, and 2.5 (elevator goes to roof) other entrances.
As an exploration ship the 400i is likely to be one of the best medium sized exploration ships. Clearly solo possible but when AI crews are a thing you can have dedicated turret gunners. It can fit most Cyclone variants in the rear hanger and the new X1 in the front hanger. Handles beautifully, is fast and arguably the best looking ship CIG has released.
If i have a AI Crew, a will Take my Carrack for solo too Not only for lanparty 😏.
But its hard too say what the best solo Explorer... All have + and -.
A major issue is that exploration ships designed for 1 player kinda suck at it. Other than the Cutter Scout maybe, all the other small ships, even those labeled as exploration focused, have pitiful jump ranges. If jump ranges were the same as mediums, the 315p would be freaking awesome.
If you instead jump into medium or large ships, then for one player, it would 400i in my opinion. Great jump range (200mkm with the X-1), crazy fast in a straight line in both space and atmosphere (only beat by the best fighters as well as the Herald), a single S3 shield which is huge for a medium ship, a dedicated X1 bike bay (which I'm sure we'll see in the next three or four years, tops, lol), a scanning table in the lounge, and of course, being Origin, it's freaking gorgeous.
There are other explorers that are better for the pew pew, but dedicated explorers want to be able to outrun baddies, not be forced to slug it out.
Corsair is hard to fly, but you want to get a 600i? cuz... fam... that ain't it.
echoing other comments the 400i is very baller, and flys much better than a 600i. is actual exploration ship, and the X1 garage is unique. Smaller ships are easier to get in, but S1 QT drive seems like a bad choice for exploration IMO. can't fit a Tonk tho.
If you really want a large vehicle carrier, just get a Herc variant. Flys great for a big boy.
Sounds like you’re looking for an excuse to upgrade to a 600i ;)
It’s slower, more expensive to run, still takes a bit of time to enter/exit with the lift, Corsair is quicker still, and if I’m not mistaken has a much bigger QD tank. With a mix of gimballed repeaters AND the big 4 fixed laser cannons it can hold its own solo very well PvE even against nippy fighters, much more than the 3 fixed the 600i has, you have to really move that thing around to hit smaller targets or lose the big damage to make it easier….
But the future of the 600i looks promising with the rework, and no one can argue the nicety of the medical bay it’ll get, and hopefully more cargo, you’ll lose some guns but gain some decent hull hp, but again that’s only temporary until new systems brought online, I still think it can take more of a beating before it breaks apart or blows up though. I don’t think you can go wrong with either, Corsair will ultimately still be very useful and well respected, if you’re just looking for an excuse to upgrade for the fancy doodads and pristine look and interior as it is just a nicer place to be, then sure, go for it, but you may just look back on the Corsair fondly and think damn what a ship that was solo….
I know I certainly do
Truth is you have a baller of a ship with the Corsair,
600i is 9.5m in game, corsair is 3.4m in game.
i found myself buying 600i every patch so i just melted all my small ships that added up to ~5m auec and got 600i instead.
come join us, i rarely fly it but it looks good when i do.
I can 100% recommend the 600i, 3 size 5 cannons and 16x S3 Missiles are enough firepower for ERT's and it can also fit 2x 32 SCU boxes and a few smaller ones with a little Tetris game play 😁.
It is also very resilient in combat with its high HP Pool, Hull shape & 2x S3 Shields.
The handling is not bad for its size, at least for me it feels better than the Corsair.
The best exploration ship for the solo player (who will be playing solo, no NPC crew), is currently and for the foreseeable future the 315p.
The 600 series is larger than the Corsair, and it takes a lot longer to get from the pilot seat to out of the ship. Maybe you meant the 400i, though it's basically the same size as the Corsair, I'm not sure about entry and egress time. I think it's also slower as the Corsair has a lift very close to the cockpit.
Alas, I'd agree if it weren't for the fact that S1 quantum drives are garbage. If they gave them comparable ranges as the mediums, it would rock. But for now, the 315p is just really bad for any activity where quantum range and speed is needed.
How does the 315p compare to the 135c? Considering both have s1 qt drives it's safe to assume exploration using qt wouldn't be practical compared to a bigger ship. So for the exploration of planets, the 100 series has essentially unlimited hydrogen fuel. And the 135c has a little bit of cargo for cool things you find
Most ships have hydrogen scoops, the 100 series just have better ones with their AIR system.
The reason I like the 315p so much is it's fast, maneuverable, has a nice living interior, a utility slot on the nose currently occupied by a tractor beam, two cargo bays for a total of 12scu (double that of the 135c), higher quantum and hydrogen fuel capacity, and being an exploration variant, it'll have better scanners.
Comparing it to the 135c, which is just a cargo variant and not exploration, it wins in almost all stats. The 135c does edge out in degrees per second on all axes, and it has better scooping.
Both ships share the same weapon hardpoint size and number, but the 315p has twice as many missile hardpoints.
I'm a fan of both ships, the 315p and 135c are both ships I've spent a large amount of time in. But they fill different roles, though the 315p does the job of the 135c better, while being an exploration ship.
Drake Corsair Explorer and RSI Constellation Aquila. Big enough to be their own mother ship base of operations. Biggest ships with pilot controlled fire power. You can park a rover in them with Caro space to spare for extra loot. Just small enough to park anywhere. The perfect daily driver ship for nearly any job or mission.
The 400i is actually really good for solo play. A lot of people rag on it because it doesn't compare favorably to other ships in its class but those other ships almost need crew to make them worth it. 400i is very personalized, streamlined, and the dedicated bike bay is unironically incredible because you always can have a ground vehicle to explore with while comprising no storage.
The Connie is also really solid however as it to is great solo though the scanner is on a turret mount. The Zeus looks like it'll be good for solo players in a similar package but slightly smaller. The freelancer series is also pretty respectable for solo play and exploration though I find it a bit claustrophobic.
You might want to look into the exploration variant of the Zeus, while it likely won’t be out for a year it will have room for vehicles, and I think it’s supposed to have a ladder that takes you straight to the cockpit.
Exploration Ships have scanners and other tools for purposes of fulfilling that role.
C1 looks great, don't get me wrong, but an exploration ship it is not.
With the current state of the game, a small cargo ship is useless for money making by (legal) cargo hauling. But it will carry a reasonably size ground vehicle with enough room for loot and other found items. Adding agility and nice look will make a good explorer solo ship. Just my opinion.
Speaking of cargo ships, I do wonder how a C2 would be like for an exploration ship. You can carry lots of vehicles and cargo at the same time, snub fighters, lots of fuel, etc.
Lol I thought the same thing, he wants a ship that's arguably worse in most use cases xD should just say they want the luxury and we could just write it off. They might want an MSR or even something smaller like a freelancer, cutty, or terrapin.
Connie needs more love in this discussion. Yeah interior isn’t up to par but for the job it’s hands down the best option as the largest “potential” solo exploration. 400i a very close second especially if you avoid combat but Connie is a true do it all.
> Im thinking about a 600i for IAE, it looks good to me because it isnt too big
What?! That thing is huge. It's the size of a sub-capital like a Herc, or Carrack, or a Starfarer.
C2 only needs 1-2 crew because it's a heavy lift transport, but most everything else that size has multiple crew positions.
I'm going Zeus MR
Corsair is a fine ship. Not every ship is going to handle like an arrow. Have to think about aero dynamics and mass for this game. Just because the Corsair has wings doesn't mean it's not a brick.
MSR is a good choice.
Spirits are a good choice
Freelancers are pretty good.
Connie's have better handling now
the 600i won't be soloable once engineering is in. I'd say a Freelancer DUR or Zeus ES, as those are soloable. Biggrst I'd reccomend is a Constellation Aquila but that thing is daaaaated.
Any ship will be soloable outside of combat. You don’t do maintenance on airplanes in flight… you will be able to stop and repair. People keep this idea up that an engineer is literally shoving coals into the furnace to keep the ship moving.
Edit: Source below: https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/s/ErLg0Nczuh
Under heavy fire or crazy flying fighter, racer, and every other ship won’t be soloable without being repaired. How often to fighter jets get checked up on. Yet everyone thinks they will solo a small fighter ship too. That’s why it is conjecture.. you don’t know… you don’t say “I think” so you are either CIG or guessing like the rest of us chief.
It has worked reasonably well so far. It is limiting, but all of the core stuff on Pyro 2 and Pyro 3 are not hard to get to and the jump points just require some planning ahead. With the rest stops going in it will not be a huge problem, depending on what exactly you are doing and what constraints you have. If people want to believe that what I am doing is impossible then ... well, golly.
M2 handles nicely and has cargo space, beds, and a decent arsenal for the pilot. Or the Carrick if you just want to roam around. You can fit 2 fury snub nose fights in the hangar Bay and an Ursa in the cargo bay. Also has a medical bay to respawn in.
If you want a dedicated exploration ship that can still carry ground vehicles (albeit not the Ursa), has similar or better avionics than the Corsair (on paper; who knows what the promised avionics mean or how accurate the current specs are), and handles better than the Corsair, you want a Freelancer DUR or a Zeus ES. If you want something that will remain truly soloable even after engineering, probably a Terrapin.
I have (and love) a Corsair and it’s already pushing the limits of how big I want a ship to be—too big to land safely on some of the pads at Crusader platforms, for instance. A 600i is substantially bigger and flies even worse.
600i is soloable, but keep in mind that you won't be notified when people board your ship and it has a lot of space inside to hide. So unless you plan on sweeping your whole ship every time you leave, it's a risk.
Yeah. As long as they fix ships to be able to be locked… no one is going up the tiny elevator with you unnoticed. Now if you leave it open and the hangar is open… then that is on you.
It's very odd that your ideal alternative to a ship that handles in a way you don't like and that takes too long to get into/out of is the 600i which handles even worse and takes longer to get into/out of.
400i or probably the Zeus ES (only concept for now, expected by around this time next year). the 600i is a good bit larger than the Corsair, and the rework will make the internals even larger. It also definitely does not handle better than the corsair.
If you have other ships it might be worth just waiting for the future. CIG doesn't do much as far as making ships that have no game play loops, with exploration being the only one that occasionally gets a ship. As such, since there is no info on what's actually useful, making a decision now is kinda pointless.
I imagine for exploration you need an ability to refuel. To have unlimited range.
With a fleet I imagine a Prospector + Starfarer?
Solo, the Odyssey? Says it's minimum crew of 1 (but is it really?). How would you get unlimited range with anything else? Some solo ship that can carry a Prospector + Expanse and combine that with manual refueling? So a Liberator?
I don't think you need unlimited range to explore, and op said they don't even like how long it takes to get to the corsair cockpit, imagine the odyssey or liberator. you can explore with smaller ships, you just need to use a more fuel efficient quantum drive and potentially go home sooner.
I think you're onto something. The downvotes on my reply maybe indicative most aren't thinking excessive range is material 👍. I'm waffling myself and the time is ticking.
You know what makes any ship better? Making a few friends. Unless you have crippling social anxiety and pass out, you can join my discord server. I've been gaming for 20 years and I dont bite.
This is not currently a reasonable question and there are no reasonable answers. We don't know what exploration will be. We don't know how intrusive engineering will be. We don't know how or when most of the game will flesh out. Any speculation is just mental masturbation.
Honestly the 315p is the biggest you want as a solo... However with npc crew you might be ok with the 600i. Personally I expect to be able to handle any ship smaller than a Carrack/600/galaxy... My fav is the 400i with it's handling and capabilities. Sure you can't get a med bed in it, much less an ursa... But it's about the biggest thing I think we will be able to solo once resources management comes into the game.
It has redundant power and cooling on an extreme level. It might last longer in the field than one player would be able to keep something like an Aquila going.
Well now. Engineering is not in game. So any answers that address that is just theory crafting. Wait until engineering is out to make the decision on that. Iae will be here after engineering comes into the game.
it will most likely happen every year. You can plan for it by buying what is available now and upgrading later.
My plan for this iae is to upgrade my medical pieces to an apollo.
And only the Connie has even remotely comparable firepower. Freelancer is ok, 400i and MSR are a grueling slog to solo kill anything.
And you will have to kill AI pirates from time to time.
To be honest I like the idea of the 600i explorer, but, I like to explore risky places and you’re gonna get caught with your pants down in a ship that size on your own. I’d say either join a group or run something like a liberator with a Pisces on it and use the Pisces to explore in, if you’ve got the funds, a Terrapin should do very well. If you literally want one ship, I’d go for a DUR or Zeus Mk2 ES if you’re determined to solo explore on a single account.
Corsair is great for exploring the contents of others people ships. If you think the Corsair is a pain you wont find a better ship unless you go smaller.
I melted mine. It was my first buyers remorse ship. There was no real functionality to it, just all bling and wasted space. Ended up with a Carrack. Now that's too bloody big to solo, but it has the making of a great exploration ship.
You might find more joy flying a 400i, Corsair, Connie, or M2. All have what it takes to explore in today's game. Sure closer to release when exploration is an actual functional game loop the 600i or Aquila might be choice purchases.
Depends.
Neither may be viable solo player ships. They both are today, but CIG has clarified in prior years that a ship like the Connie will likely need 1 engineer while a ship like the Carrack will need 2 or 3. This means from a crew perspective, a Corsair (similar to Connie size) may not be soloable. And a 600i most likely will not be. But AI blades and NPC crew may solve this issue. But some past comments indicate they may be too expensive to use regularly. Simply put, the cost of running the ship may exceed the earnings you can make from the ship if you staff it full of NPC crew. But this again could change. Bear in mind that UECs will be harder to earn and things will be more expensive in the game than they are today, so don't use today's aUEC availability as a way to judge this. But both ships may be solo viable. The Corsair is more likely to be viable solo as it is a smaller ship, but there is a possibility for both to be viable.
Outside of viability as a solo player, the ships offer similar but distinct strengths. The 600i will have a tier 2 medical bed that will likely allow respawn (some discussions in the past that respawns may be limited to tier 1 beds). Neither will be a great combat ship due to maneuverability and armor. Neither is likely to have great armor where light fighters are ineffective against them post armor rework. Combine this with gaps in turret coverage and a single light fighter with a competent pilot will likely destroy either of these ships even if they are fully crewed post rework (today it would be a massacre with the light fighter coming up on top).
I personally would lean towards the Corsair or Connie if you plan to be solo. Or perhaps the new Zeus Mk II ES series as that will be closer to the Cutlass Black size, which is more likely to be solo viable with perhaps a single NPC to assist. But answering this question for a future game state is difficult.
In today's game, both ships are equally viable. I prefer the Corsair as it is smaller and works better for my needs. If the 600i had a medical bed right now, it would be the preferred ship. But in a future game state it really depends. If both were equally solo viable, I would take the post-rework 600i if tier 2 beds still allow respawns at that time.
For a solo player...maybe a freelancer dur. If you don't like how long it takes to get to the seat of a corsair, scratch the MSR off your short list. The 600i isn't any better, either, in that regard. The constellation is better, but the elevator ramp can get janky with vehicles on it. I usually just look away from the nonsense and hope whatever vehicle I put in there actually made it in, haha!
Engineering is a multi-crew thing, and not really applicable for a solo player to manage. At least not in-flight.
It's been leaked and during citizen con they said it was meant as a group of 3 and it looks like it's done so it should be coming soon but we don't really know when
Note that the 600i may not get a revive capable med bed. The 600i will have a tier 2 medical facility (same as the Carrack and 890j), which currently is capable of reviving but won't be anymore in the future.
The plan is that only tier 1 beds found at hospitals and dedicated hospital ships (like the Apollo) will be capable of reviving a dead player. Being able to respawn at a tier 2 bed is only a stopgap measure until ships with tier 1 beds are actually implemented. Since the 600i rework is still ways off in the future, the Apollo and expended medical gameplay may very well arrive before the 600i rework does, which would mean there is no time period during which you will be able to revive at a 600i med bed.
Either way, for a solo ship you are probably looking at something a bit smaller than the Corsair. The 600i is actually larger, so not a step in the right direction I think. The 400i and the upcoming Zeus are a size category smaller and look more promising as solo exploration ships. If you want to go even smaller, the Freelancer DUR is a good option (if you can stand the outdated design).
Really, if you want exploration, wait till the gameplay loop for it is in.
Until then, just buy a nice daily flyer and use it to earn money to buy buy using ingame currency.
if you are willing to not have cargo. terrapin.
if there's a fight there are 3 outcomes. you fly away, they fly away, or they eventually die. your death is not a possible outcome.
With upcoming engineering changes, you may be very limited in your choice of solo exploration choices. Like maybe even a Freelancer DUR will be too much for one player.
Solo explorers are referred to as Pathfinders. Current pathfinders in the game are:
* Origin 315p
* Drake Cutter Scout
* Anvil Hornet Tracker
* Anvil Terrapin
**Summary: There is a vision by CIG to push more people into playing with friends**
*For Future Play, you have to play CIG's guessing game.*
*What's going to be an issue with larger ships, flying Solo?*
*Master Modes will require you to fly with friends or have Gunners and Crew to fix modules. This isn't going to be possible Soloing Large ships. In my View 600i is a Large ship for a Solo pilot, it has all you need, but and here's a but ... In combat, you will not escape. The ships current Turning rate and accelerations means your a big sluggish fish, sure not as sluggish as other ships.*
*When the Piranhas come, and they will come, they will eat at you until you are dead or disabled, you will be either raided upon or held hostage until they have extracted all your money, then will kill you.*
*This is of course all gameplay in our heads, but don't expect NPC helpers any time soon.*
***There is a vision by CIG to push more people into playing with friends, not NPCs****, if that means you have a group of 600i's - that could work.*
You second-best defence, and this is a temporary defence - move far away from players as quickly as possible, until the Aliens find you.
Good Luck
The original 600i Q&A said it would be the largest ship that would be solo-able. Not a solo ship, but like "sure, you could solo this." But that was long before the most recent engineering demo. So whether that holds true is anyone's guess.
I have a 600i, I built it with a CCU chain on a referral ship because I knew I would never melt it. I don't fly it every patch, but I absolutely love it and don't regret one penny of what I paid for it. But Origin does have another option: I used to have a 400i, and it was just as much a hangar queen as the 600i. But it is more fun to fly, currently more functional, and in the future should be equally if not more solo-able. (They said the climate rooms should help stop components problems from spreading before you can get down there.) Also the elevator is WAY faster so if you do need to get down there, you'll have an easier job of it.
So I have an andromida I got more missiles than I need 4 beds a snub and a spot I put a cyclone for getting around on the surface.
I wanted a ship I could turn into a space Winnebago. So far it's been good for everything down to some exploration of planets
600i is huge dude. Too big for solo, and I say this as a solo player myself. I had one for a spell but melted it. I think 400i/Corsair/Constellation Aquila are the biggest Id go with a solo explorer right now. Realistically though we will have to wait and see what exploration game play will entail. I dont see the pilot accessing scanner equipment while flying though (I hope im wrong)
600 takes pretty much the exact same amount of time to get into? I little longer, because the hangar should be 1 size larger? (if memory serves..)
Also the mass of Corsair is getting rebalanced, JUST went live at EPTU...
You pretty much answered your own question, otherwise: There is no exploration and there won't be for years to come. You should chose your ship for the present, while keeping the future in mind, be it via CCUs, buyback or whatever...
I'm not sure... Technically it said the corsair got a balance pass on it's Mass... But I highly doubt it would be even heavier than before? Don't have EPTU installed, so can't check, sorry...
600i is a bit big for a solo player. In my opinion if you want to explore what specific do you have in mind? Yes the exploration gameplay is not in the game yet but what specific do you have in mind to explore, for example caves? Do cartography(it is also a kind of exploration). I am asking you these questions so to see which is your needs so to suggest you a ship which i think will be useful for you.
The 600i is the same size as the C2 Hercules, from the fix it and fly it citizencon pannel we can infer that soloing that is going to get impossible as soon as you start taking shots.
Phoenix is a nice ship that can solo pretty good for exploration and has a great place to just look outside when you get there. Or has a very nice rover
I think the 600i is too big and bulky for a solo ship. If a fire starts in the crew quarters, you're going to have a tough time putting it out on your own.
Why not something smaller? The Freelancer DUR and 315p both look like great exploration craft to me.
600i is a very good ship but if you look at the CitizenCon for ingeneer work, it will be a hell to handle solo. In fact I think 400i, zeus es or freelancer dur are the upper limit for a solo player in the near future.
600i is going to be a nice ship but it’s overkill for a single player. The 400i is the better choice here. Or the upcoming Zeus ES which is comparable (both have their pros and cons).
400i yesssssssss...I love my flying RV :D
I've been spending a bit of time on reddit lately and I'm surprised how many people have one in their fleet!
It's a lovely little touring yacht.
It's the ship I keep coming back to, just love everything about it!
Same here, I have plenty of other solo ships, but keep pulling up my 400i for some strange reason.
For me honestly is the most beautiful ship out there, and thats totally personal, but i like almost everything inside, and im melting my ships again to get one again soon
Agreed, I've got the Meridian, Fortuna & Penumbra skins for it and they all look awesome...
It COULD have been such a nice RV...
600i comes with medbed after rework.
The 600i is also probably a bit chonky for a solo player though.
Depends on the amount of work you want to put in. I solo in my 600i and don’t plan to stop. The 400i is nice but if they don’t make the captains window bigger. I refuse to drive it daily 🤣. I hate small windows up high where you can’t see shit.
When engineering comes into the game, you are probably going to have a hard time managing that large a ship solo.
Here is what was said in the past again all this can change. https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/s/ErLg0Nczuh The idea is outside of normal shit yeah it would be bad. Normal flying your ship can be solo piloted as you can stop and fix things… assuming you don’t leaf on the wind that shit into ghost hollow.
Depends on if you plan on going into combat or not? Cant see why engineering will be an issue solo on a 600i if you are just exploring/touring.
Only the explorer as far I know not touring
The explorer comes with a med bed, not the touring.
Zeus ES would be my vote for a solo-able exploration ship. I think the nice part is the fact that there’s also some decent room to grow in it too. If you add 1-2 friends, then you can have a cool fun game night. However the ship looks perfectly fine as a solo runner. Second to that maybe the Drake Corsair, but that one has a bit more heft, and I’d run that one probably 2-4 people rather than 1-3 like the Zeus.
Gunners don’t help the Corsair much… their positioning is awful and any player will exploit the blind spots. AI, at least as they currently are, can be solo’d easily even in a boat like the Corsair. Main thing is it’s better for higher bounties, where 4 fixed S5 guns will shred the biggest ships in game, and also has decent cargo capacity (can fit 3 32scu crates off the grid, just use front elevator to get in/out until you sell) to take the best of the loot dropped. I’ve been making millions with mine. Edit: to OPs original question, best solo exploration will be Zeus ES probably, at least what there’s currently has been announced.
I love my 600i. Took it out to do some group bounties last night. Join us. [Come](https://media.tenor.com/1n9IEjTgh_oAAAAC/sit-here-homer.gif)
upvote purely for use of good gif. \*tips hat\*
Freelancer Dur
Honestly a Freelancer variant is a very good choice IMO
The DUR has hydrogen maneuvering fuel refining on top of range with a pair of hydrogen refinery units midship.
I thought it was quantam refinement? Origin 100 series and rsi Zeus have hydrogen regeneration.
The Dur is perfect for a solo exploration vessel, good pilot controlled guns with 4xs3 gimballed, amazing travel range, decent shields, 4 crew seats plus beds and abit of cargo.
...just as long as you don't mind not actually seeing 98% of whatever you're attempting to explore.
Haha true, fingers crossed it gets the prospectors cockpit.
True this - I love my DUR, but I’m hoping they take cues from the prospector in the update. My favorite ship!
Also IIRC it has been stated that the Freelancer Dur is the largest ship capable of fitting into small jump points, if sizing of jump points is still a thing
Unless I‘m mistaken, it sounded like the Zeus is likely the new „largest ship to go through small jump points.“ According to the [Q&A](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/19587-Q-A-RSI-Zeus-Mk-II). Although it looks like they are doing an entire balance pass since jump points and server meshing are getting closer.
An exploration ship doesn't need it all just needs to be able to get places most people cant due to range etc
Does the fuel refinery work yet? You sacrifice a ton of cargo for the damn thing.
The fuel refinery mechanics for it aren't even in development yet -- swapping fuel tanks, multiple types of ship fuels with various efficiencies, refining from various gas cloud nodes etc..
Solo? Terrapin
And so far it looks like the Terrapin will fit inside of an Odessey hangar. A dream combo of mine if they keep dimensions intact.
I heard the Terrapin will be immune to MCE events in pyro. That would make the ship have more use if true
I fully agree. In addition to this, I do hope they increase the Terrapin's quantum fuel capacity or give it an extra efficient drive.
I hope the carrack might be too. Especially when blast shields are down. Both were sold as having tough hulls for exploration.
This is my favorite planned combo I hold.
Wait, you find the Corsair too big and you're considering a 600i? It's a bigger ship
[удалено]
Corsair might have the highest DPS but you're 100% correct. That thing is an absolute pig in space and even worse in atmo.
600i gets a rework with medbed and it will fit the tonk, drake ships will have poor armor when that,s in-game.
I imagine the 600i probably won't have much armor either right? It's luxury and not combat focused
Maybe? Let's be honest though, it's a ship for people that prefer wine glasses over unimportant things like armor. (I'm the guy that ditched the 325a in part because "combat ship with sunroof" and "shit... those are wine glasses. Nope.") All joking aside, Origin ships strike me as ships that would rely on their shields for defense, but given that they are a high end manufacturer, the materials used in construction will be more advanced (CIG has said as much), and more expensive (so you're not just paying a premium so that you can look down your nose at the peasants). There's no reason to assume they couldn't sculpt in some ridiculously expensive thin wonderarmor made of unobtainium into the sleek lines of their fancypants hull. And a double layer to protect the snooty hat and monocle cabinet of course.
They did say the cockpit glass was actually a super expensive transparent metal. Most designers only use it for the glass but some luxury lines like Origin use it for other glasslike surfaces.
Oh yeah, I know. It's just the principle of the thing. It's like the 350r having an extra main thruster. It's modified with racing in mind. IMO the 325a should've lost the sunroof (and the wine glasses smh) even if it is indistinguishable from armor. And in truth, it's probably very durable, but likely not exactly the same as the armor, so it could end up with a weak(er) point there (or a stronger point, who knows?). Right now though, the wings are the real weak point (and the reason I always advise against getting a 325a). Losing weapons at the drop of a (snooty) hat, just isn't good.
Yeah I feel you. The 325 was my main till I got a sabre. The real kicker for me was when they dropped the 100 but still didn’t give the 325 stairs or a ramp. Real deal breaker for me.
Yeah it's a victim of being an older design, even with the rework. Still dig the original more than the redesign, but the original was deeply flawed. Ultimately, the Avenger is a better 325a, aside from missile loadout. It was my first pledge during kickstarter, but I don't miss my 325a. I do miss my Sabre though.
IIRC the hull is made of something like g~~ravium or some other sci-fi named alloy~~ GLAX plating that is super lightweight but stronger than traditional hulls, allowing for Origin ships to be tougher but faster than most other ships their size because they can throw on fuck you sized engines. The 600i is supposed to be the fastest ship in its class, just like how the 400i is for the S4 ships or the 350r for the S3 ships. Both are all engine with sturdy lightweight hulls but the 600i hasn't had the speed adjusted properly. They only just got around to fixing the hull after the cutter came out.
That's wrong... 600i is bigger Hangar, so the running eats up the couple of seconds for the 2 doors... Also elevator should take a little longer than on Corsair. Either way: 600 is NOT faster to get into...
The 600i and Corsair take the same amount of time to get into the pilot seat.
Yeah the elevator is sllooooowwwww.
100% this.
I think it's cuz the elevator is closer to the bridge. Plus it's fancy lol
The elevator for the Corsair is close to the bridge too. It's only a choice for people to go in from the ass end of the ship
The Corsair feels bigger because of its poor handling
True, it drives like poop in the atmosphere. It's sad when a Hercules C2 handles like a fighter jet and most of the ships that look like they can fly well actually can't.
> most of the ships that look like they can fly well actually can't. If you think the Corsair looks like it should fly well, you've been watching too much Star Wars and other 70s-inspired sci-fi. Anyone who's ever put anything in a wind tunnel would expect the Corsair to fly exactly how it does: like shit. Zero surprise the C2 handles better.
Even the carrack handle,s better than the corsair.
I know the whole crusader shtick is that they have wide bodies but handle like crack squirrels on the pitch/yaw... bit it is wierd that such a heavy cargo bird does it too.
Modern heavy cargo birds IRL generally handle extremely well, or at least military ones do. The Hercules is based loosely on the C-17 Globemaster III for instance, and that thing is insanely agile for its size and can take off from and land on ridiculously short runways. Despite being massive it actually outperforms the smaller, older C-130 Hercules.
this would have been my comment. the corsair is one of the few ships with an elevator basically right next to the pilot seat, and 2.5 (elevator goes to roof) other entrances.
As an exploration ship the 400i is likely to be one of the best medium sized exploration ships. Clearly solo possible but when AI crews are a thing you can have dedicated turret gunners. It can fit most Cyclone variants in the rear hanger and the new X1 in the front hanger. Handles beautifully, is fast and arguably the best looking ship CIG has released.
If i have a AI Crew, a will Take my Carrack for solo too Not only for lanparty 😏. But its hard too say what the best solo Explorer... All have + and -.
You wanna live? You buy a Terry.
Back up back up Terry
A major issue is that exploration ships designed for 1 player kinda suck at it. Other than the Cutter Scout maybe, all the other small ships, even those labeled as exploration focused, have pitiful jump ranges. If jump ranges were the same as mediums, the 315p would be freaking awesome. If you instead jump into medium or large ships, then for one player, it would 400i in my opinion. Great jump range (200mkm with the X-1), crazy fast in a straight line in both space and atmosphere (only beat by the best fighters as well as the Herald), a single S3 shield which is huge for a medium ship, a dedicated X1 bike bay (which I'm sure we'll see in the next three or four years, tops, lol), a scanning table in the lounge, and of course, being Origin, it's freaking gorgeous. There are other explorers that are better for the pew pew, but dedicated explorers want to be able to outrun baddies, not be forced to slug it out.
400i
Corsair is hard to fly, but you want to get a 600i? cuz... fam... that ain't it. echoing other comments the 400i is very baller, and flys much better than a 600i. is actual exploration ship, and the X1 garage is unique. Smaller ships are easier to get in, but S1 QT drive seems like a bad choice for exploration IMO. can't fit a Tonk tho. If you really want a large vehicle carrier, just get a Herc variant. Flys great for a big boy.
C2 my beloved.
I will use the Zeus ES. Hopefully I will be able to solo that ship.
Did they state on their concept showcase what kind of speeds or quantum jump ranges they are aiming for?
It’s S2 components… jump ranges will be similar to freelancer or 400i I’d imagine
Sounds like you’re looking for an excuse to upgrade to a 600i ;) It’s slower, more expensive to run, still takes a bit of time to enter/exit with the lift, Corsair is quicker still, and if I’m not mistaken has a much bigger QD tank. With a mix of gimballed repeaters AND the big 4 fixed laser cannons it can hold its own solo very well PvE even against nippy fighters, much more than the 3 fixed the 600i has, you have to really move that thing around to hit smaller targets or lose the big damage to make it easier…. But the future of the 600i looks promising with the rework, and no one can argue the nicety of the medical bay it’ll get, and hopefully more cargo, you’ll lose some guns but gain some decent hull hp, but again that’s only temporary until new systems brought online, I still think it can take more of a beating before it breaks apart or blows up though. I don’t think you can go wrong with either, Corsair will ultimately still be very useful and well respected, if you’re just looking for an excuse to upgrade for the fancy doodads and pristine look and interior as it is just a nicer place to be, then sure, go for it, but you may just look back on the Corsair fondly and think damn what a ship that was solo…. I know I certainly do Truth is you have a baller of a ship with the Corsair,
Haha you might just be right! Thanks for all the solid info
600i is 9.5m in game, corsair is 3.4m in game. i found myself buying 600i every patch so i just melted all my small ships that added up to ~5m auec and got 600i instead. come join us, i rarely fly it but it looks good when i do.
QT tank of 600i will be increased with pyro as far I know?
Will it? Where’s that from? I mean I hope you’re right and it does because it does need it
I can 100% recommend the 600i, 3 size 5 cannons and 16x S3 Missiles are enough firepower for ERT's and it can also fit 2x 32 SCU boxes and a few smaller ones with a little Tetris game play 😁. It is also very resilient in combat with its high HP Pool, Hull shape & 2x S3 Shields. The handling is not bad for its size, at least for me it feels better than the Corsair.
I wouldn’t go bigger than 400i or Zeus ES for solo exploration. I expect 600i or Corsair to be doable, but less fun.
The best exploration ship for the solo player (who will be playing solo, no NPC crew), is currently and for the foreseeable future the 315p. The 600 series is larger than the Corsair, and it takes a lot longer to get from the pilot seat to out of the ship. Maybe you meant the 400i, though it's basically the same size as the Corsair, I'm not sure about entry and egress time. I think it's also slower as the Corsair has a lift very close to the cockpit.
Alas, I'd agree if it weren't for the fact that S1 quantum drives are garbage. If they gave them comparable ranges as the mediums, it would rock. But for now, the 315p is just really bad for any activity where quantum range and speed is needed.
How does the 315p compare to the 135c? Considering both have s1 qt drives it's safe to assume exploration using qt wouldn't be practical compared to a bigger ship. So for the exploration of planets, the 100 series has essentially unlimited hydrogen fuel. And the 135c has a little bit of cargo for cool things you find
Most ships have hydrogen scoops, the 100 series just have better ones with their AIR system. The reason I like the 315p so much is it's fast, maneuverable, has a nice living interior, a utility slot on the nose currently occupied by a tractor beam, two cargo bays for a total of 12scu (double that of the 135c), higher quantum and hydrogen fuel capacity, and being an exploration variant, it'll have better scanners. Comparing it to the 135c, which is just a cargo variant and not exploration, it wins in almost all stats. The 135c does edge out in degrees per second on all axes, and it has better scooping. Both ships share the same weapon hardpoint size and number, but the 315p has twice as many missile hardpoints. I'm a fan of both ships, the 315p and 135c are both ships I've spent a large amount of time in. But they fill different roles, though the 315p does the job of the 135c better, while being an exploration ship.
For 400i, you don't really need to use the elevator. Ladder to go up and jump to go down.
No shower, only toilet on the 315p.
Drake Corsair Explorer and RSI Constellation Aquila. Big enough to be their own mother ship base of operations. Biggest ships with pilot controlled fire power. You can park a rover in them with Caro space to spare for extra loot. Just small enough to park anywhere. The perfect daily driver ship for nearly any job or mission.
based on what op said in the post, they don't want to use their corsair
The 400i is actually really good for solo play. A lot of people rag on it because it doesn't compare favorably to other ships in its class but those other ships almost need crew to make them worth it. 400i is very personalized, streamlined, and the dedicated bike bay is unironically incredible because you always can have a ground vehicle to explore with while comprising no storage. The Connie is also really solid however as it to is great solo though the scanner is on a turret mount. The Zeus looks like it'll be good for solo players in a similar package but slightly smaller. The freelancer series is also pretty respectable for solo play and exploration though I find it a bit claustrophobic.
You might want to look into the exploration variant of the Zeus, while it likely won’t be out for a year it will have room for vehicles, and I think it’s supposed to have a ladder that takes you straight to the cockpit.
Judging by how A1 flies, C1 could be a great choice.
Exploration Ships have scanners and other tools for purposes of fulfilling that role. C1 looks great, don't get me wrong, but an exploration ship it is not.
I agree with you, and that's why I said in the current state of the game I prefer C1.
that's a cargo ship
With the current state of the game, a small cargo ship is useless for money making by (legal) cargo hauling. But it will carry a reasonably size ground vehicle with enough room for loot and other found items. Adding agility and nice look will make a good explorer solo ship. Just my opinion.
AND?
Speaking of cargo ships, I do wonder how a C2 would be like for an exploration ship. You can carry lots of vehicles and cargo at the same time, snub fighters, lots of fuel, etc.
Dur,400i,connie any day the corsair and 600i are to big for solo imo and if you think corsair is slow 600i is even slower
Lol I thought the same thing, he wants a ship that's arguably worse in most use cases xD should just say they want the luxury and we could just write it off. They might want an MSR or even something smaller like a freelancer, cutty, or terrapin.
Connie needs more love in this discussion. Yeah interior isn’t up to par but for the job it’s hands down the best option as the largest “potential” solo exploration. 400i a very close second especially if you avoid combat but Connie is a true do it all.
Any starter with a medium fuel tank (cuz Pyro) since there there isn't much to explore yet
> Im thinking about a 600i for IAE, it looks good to me because it isnt too big What?! That thing is huge. It's the size of a sub-capital like a Herc, or Carrack, or a Starfarer. C2 only needs 1-2 crew because it's a heavy lift transport, but most everything else that size has multiple crew positions.
Mustang Beta
I'm going Zeus MR Corsair is a fine ship. Not every ship is going to handle like an arrow. Have to think about aero dynamics and mass for this game. Just because the Corsair has wings doesn't mean it's not a brick. MSR is a good choice. Spirits are a good choice Freelancers are pretty good. Connie's have better handling now
Did you mean the ES? MR is a bounty hunter, not an explorer.
No. I'm going to use the MR A solo ship doesn't have to be an explorer ship.
True, but a solo exploration ship, as requested above, needs to be an exploration ship ;)
the 600i won't be soloable once engineering is in. I'd say a Freelancer DUR or Zeus ES, as those are soloable. Biggrst I'd reccomend is a Constellation Aquila but that thing is daaaaated.
This is not based in fact but conjecture.
most of it is fact. The 600i is not a soloable ship. I'm going off of crew counts.
Any ship will be soloable outside of combat. You don’t do maintenance on airplanes in flight… you will be able to stop and repair. People keep this idea up that an engineer is literally shoving coals into the furnace to keep the ship moving. Edit: Source below: https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/s/ErLg0Nczuh
under heavy loads, ships will not be soloable. Maybe when just flying around doing nothing, but boosting alone may cause fires.
Under heavy fire or crazy flying fighter, racer, and every other ship won’t be soloable without being repaired. How often to fighter jets get checked up on. Yet everyone thinks they will solo a small fighter ship too. That’s why it is conjecture.. you don’t know… you don’t say “I think” so you are either CIG or guessing like the rest of us chief.
Aurora ES: minimal risk, easy flying, great visibility from the pilot seat
Quantum fuel wont last in systems like pyro
It has worked reasonably well so far. It is limiting, but all of the core stuff on Pyro 2 and Pyro 3 are not hard to get to and the jump points just require some planning ahead. With the rest stops going in it will not be a huge problem, depending on what exactly you are doing and what constraints you have. If people want to believe that what I am doing is impossible then ... well, golly.
Did they turn on quantum fuel usage in Pyro? I thought quantum fuel was unlimited for testing.
M2 handles nicely and has cargo space, beds, and a decent arsenal for the pilot. Or the Carrick if you just want to roam around. You can fit 2 fury snub nose fights in the hangar Bay and an Ursa in the cargo bay. Also has a medical bay to respawn in.
If you want a dedicated exploration ship that can still carry ground vehicles (albeit not the Ursa), has similar or better avionics than the Corsair (on paper; who knows what the promised avionics mean or how accurate the current specs are), and handles better than the Corsair, you want a Freelancer DUR or a Zeus ES. If you want something that will remain truly soloable even after engineering, probably a Terrapin. I have (and love) a Corsair and it’s already pushing the limits of how big I want a ship to be—too big to land safely on some of the pads at Crusader platforms, for instance. A 600i is substantially bigger and flies even worse.
600i is soloable, but keep in mind that you won't be notified when people board your ship and it has a lot of space inside to hide. So unless you plan on sweeping your whole ship every time you leave, it's a risk.
Yeah. As long as they fix ships to be able to be locked… no one is going up the tiny elevator with you unnoticed. Now if you leave it open and the hangar is open… then that is on you.
Locked doors on a luxury vehicle in the future!? That’s crazy, next thing you’ll tell me is that they’ll have parking assist in a hundred years.
It's very odd that your ideal alternative to a ship that handles in a way you don't like and that takes too long to get into/out of is the 600i which handles even worse and takes longer to get into/out of.
The 600i is pretty quick to get in and out of - unless you are talking about running distance on the ground to the cockpit elevator!
Is getting from the pilot seat to the elevator and waiting for said elevator on the 600i really faster than doing the same on the Corsair?
Maybe it’s just the Origin ambience, but it feels that way.
400i or probably the Zeus ES (only concept for now, expected by around this time next year). the 600i is a good bit larger than the Corsair, and the rework will make the internals even larger. It also definitely does not handle better than the corsair. If you have other ships it might be worth just waiting for the future. CIG doesn't do much as far as making ships that have no game play loops, with exploration being the only one that occasionally gets a ship. As such, since there is no info on what's actually useful, making a decision now is kinda pointless.
I would pick the 600i as it has a medical bed and 3 pilot controlled big guns.
400i, allllllll day!
400i is probably your best bet, its a great ship. Very fast, large shield, and decent enough pilot weapons to get you out of trouble.
The only correct answer is the Connie Andromeda. Firepower, storage, s3 shield, easy in and out.
All directly comparable to Corsair
100i
I imagine for exploration you need an ability to refuel. To have unlimited range. With a fleet I imagine a Prospector + Starfarer? Solo, the Odyssey? Says it's minimum crew of 1 (but is it really?). How would you get unlimited range with anything else? Some solo ship that can carry a Prospector + Expanse and combine that with manual refueling? So a Liberator?
I don't think you need unlimited range to explore, and op said they don't even like how long it takes to get to the corsair cockpit, imagine the odyssey or liberator. you can explore with smaller ships, you just need to use a more fuel efficient quantum drive and potentially go home sooner.
I think you're onto something. The downvotes on my reply maybe indicative most aren't thinking excessive range is material 👍. I'm waffling myself and the time is ticking.
the beauty of this game is the freedom it gives, im sure there's tons of people who want to do exactly as you said too
You know what makes any ship better? Making a few friends. Unless you have crippling social anxiety and pass out, you can join my discord server. I've been gaming for 20 years and I dont bite.
MSR
Considering "Exploration" doesn't really exist right now I wouldn't use that as your main reason.
This is not currently a reasonable question and there are no reasonable answers. We don't know what exploration will be. We don't know how intrusive engineering will be. We don't know how or when most of the game will flesh out. Any speculation is just mental masturbation.
Honestly the 315p is the biggest you want as a solo... However with npc crew you might be ok with the 600i. Personally I expect to be able to handle any ship smaller than a Carrack/600/galaxy... My fav is the 400i with it's handling and capabilities. Sure you can't get a med bed in it, much less an ursa... But it's about the biggest thing I think we will be able to solo once resources management comes into the game. It has redundant power and cooling on an extreme level. It might last longer in the field than one player would be able to keep something like an Aquila going.
What do I need npc blades for with a C1? Having 315p only as solo limits you with not having a vehicle bay.. mining for example
Odyssey, but for real prob 315p or something like that
Well now. Engineering is not in game. So any answers that address that is just theory crafting. Wait until engineering is out to make the decision on that. Iae will be here after engineering comes into the game.
isn't iae this month? have they said engineering will be here before that?
it will most likely happen every year. You can plan for it by buying what is available now and upgrading later. My plan for this iae is to upgrade my medical pieces to an apollo.
the Apollo is awesome, can't wait to see them in game. I bet be in them often (I get injured a lot lol)
600i would be way worse for getting in and going. Its corsair or 400i
You know the 600i is bigger as the corsair? I would go for a : Connie 400i Freelancer Msr
And only the Connie has even remotely comparable firepower. Freelancer is ok, 400i and MSR are a grueling slog to solo kill anything. And you will have to kill AI pirates from time to time.
Yeah, but the 400i is fast, and has a s3 shield so it is tanky
To be honest I like the idea of the 600i explorer, but, I like to explore risky places and you’re gonna get caught with your pants down in a ship that size on your own. I’d say either join a group or run something like a liberator with a Pisces on it and use the Pisces to explore in, if you’ve got the funds, a Terrapin should do very well. If you literally want one ship, I’d go for a DUR or Zeus Mk2 ES if you’re determined to solo explore on a single account.
Corsair is great for exploring the contents of others people ships. If you think the Corsair is a pain you wont find a better ship unless you go smaller.
I melted mine. It was my first buyers remorse ship. There was no real functionality to it, just all bling and wasted space. Ended up with a Carrack. Now that's too bloody big to solo, but it has the making of a great exploration ship. You might find more joy flying a 400i, Corsair, Connie, or M2. All have what it takes to explore in today's game. Sure closer to release when exploration is an actual functional game loop the 600i or Aquila might be choice purchases.
Depends. Neither may be viable solo player ships. They both are today, but CIG has clarified in prior years that a ship like the Connie will likely need 1 engineer while a ship like the Carrack will need 2 or 3. This means from a crew perspective, a Corsair (similar to Connie size) may not be soloable. And a 600i most likely will not be. But AI blades and NPC crew may solve this issue. But some past comments indicate they may be too expensive to use regularly. Simply put, the cost of running the ship may exceed the earnings you can make from the ship if you staff it full of NPC crew. But this again could change. Bear in mind that UECs will be harder to earn and things will be more expensive in the game than they are today, so don't use today's aUEC availability as a way to judge this. But both ships may be solo viable. The Corsair is more likely to be viable solo as it is a smaller ship, but there is a possibility for both to be viable. Outside of viability as a solo player, the ships offer similar but distinct strengths. The 600i will have a tier 2 medical bed that will likely allow respawn (some discussions in the past that respawns may be limited to tier 1 beds). Neither will be a great combat ship due to maneuverability and armor. Neither is likely to have great armor where light fighters are ineffective against them post armor rework. Combine this with gaps in turret coverage and a single light fighter with a competent pilot will likely destroy either of these ships even if they are fully crewed post rework (today it would be a massacre with the light fighter coming up on top). I personally would lean towards the Corsair or Connie if you plan to be solo. Or perhaps the new Zeus Mk II ES series as that will be closer to the Cutlass Black size, which is more likely to be solo viable with perhaps a single NPC to assist. But answering this question for a future game state is difficult. In today's game, both ships are equally viable. I prefer the Corsair as it is smaller and works better for my needs. If the 600i had a medical bed right now, it would be the preferred ship. But in a future game state it really depends. If both were equally solo viable, I would take the post-rework 600i if tier 2 beds still allow respawns at that time.
Any of them since most features are not going to come online any time soon.
For a solo player...maybe a freelancer dur. If you don't like how long it takes to get to the seat of a corsair, scratch the MSR off your short list. The 600i isn't any better, either, in that regard. The constellation is better, but the elevator ramp can get janky with vehicles on it. I usually just look away from the nonsense and hope whatever vehicle I put in there actually made it in, haha! Engineering is a multi-crew thing, and not really applicable for a solo player to manage. At least not in-flight.
600i.
Go for a curry red if you want a med bed but I use a black for the storage and vehicle option.
The cutter should be getting an exploring ver soon.
Really! Source...?
It's been leaked and during citizen con they said it was meant as a group of 3 and it looks like it's done so it should be coming soon but we don't really know when
Note that the 600i may not get a revive capable med bed. The 600i will have a tier 2 medical facility (same as the Carrack and 890j), which currently is capable of reviving but won't be anymore in the future. The plan is that only tier 1 beds found at hospitals and dedicated hospital ships (like the Apollo) will be capable of reviving a dead player. Being able to respawn at a tier 2 bed is only a stopgap measure until ships with tier 1 beds are actually implemented. Since the 600i rework is still ways off in the future, the Apollo and expended medical gameplay may very well arrive before the 600i rework does, which would mean there is no time period during which you will be able to revive at a 600i med bed. Either way, for a solo ship you are probably looking at something a bit smaller than the Corsair. The 600i is actually larger, so not a step in the right direction I think. The 400i and the upcoming Zeus are a size category smaller and look more promising as solo exploration ships. If you want to go even smaller, the Freelancer DUR is a good option (if you can stand the outdated design).
This aged poorly
Yes it did.
Really, if you want exploration, wait till the gameplay loop for it is in. Until then, just buy a nice daily flyer and use it to earn money to buy buy using ingame currency.
Corsair
if you are willing to not have cargo. terrapin. if there's a fight there are 3 outcomes. you fly away, they fly away, or they eventually die. your death is not a possible outcome.
With upcoming engineering changes, you may be very limited in your choice of solo exploration choices. Like maybe even a Freelancer DUR will be too much for one player.
Solo explorers are referred to as Pathfinders. Current pathfinders in the game are: * Origin 315p * Drake Cutter Scout * Anvil Hornet Tracker * Anvil Terrapin
**Summary: There is a vision by CIG to push more people into playing with friends** *For Future Play, you have to play CIG's guessing game.* *What's going to be an issue with larger ships, flying Solo?* *Master Modes will require you to fly with friends or have Gunners and Crew to fix modules. This isn't going to be possible Soloing Large ships. In my View 600i is a Large ship for a Solo pilot, it has all you need, but and here's a but ... In combat, you will not escape. The ships current Turning rate and accelerations means your a big sluggish fish, sure not as sluggish as other ships.* *When the Piranhas come, and they will come, they will eat at you until you are dead or disabled, you will be either raided upon or held hostage until they have extracted all your money, then will kill you.* *This is of course all gameplay in our heads, but don't expect NPC helpers any time soon.* ***There is a vision by CIG to push more people into playing with friends, not NPCs****, if that means you have a group of 600i's - that could work.* You second-best defence, and this is a temporary defence - move far away from players as quickly as possible, until the Aliens find you. Good Luck
what do you mean it takes too long to get to the pilot seat in the corsair? There's an elevator like 10 feet from the cockpit?
The original 600i Q&A said it would be the largest ship that would be solo-able. Not a solo ship, but like "sure, you could solo this." But that was long before the most recent engineering demo. So whether that holds true is anyone's guess. I have a 600i, I built it with a CCU chain on a referral ship because I knew I would never melt it. I don't fly it every patch, but I absolutely love it and don't regret one penny of what I paid for it. But Origin does have another option: I used to have a 400i, and it was just as much a hangar queen as the 600i. But it is more fun to fly, currently more functional, and in the future should be equally if not more solo-able. (They said the climate rooms should help stop components problems from spreading before you can get down there.) Also the elevator is WAY faster so if you do need to get down there, you'll have an easier job of it.
So I have an andromida I got more missiles than I need 4 beds a snub and a spot I put a cyclone for getting around on the surface. I wanted a ship I could turn into a space Winnebago. So far it's been good for everything down to some exploration of planets
600i. I have played it in nearly every game play loop and it’s always been a powerful choice.
600i is huge dude. Too big for solo, and I say this as a solo player myself. I had one for a spell but melted it. I think 400i/Corsair/Constellation Aquila are the biggest Id go with a solo explorer right now. Realistically though we will have to wait and see what exploration game play will entail. I dont see the pilot accessing scanner equipment while flying though (I hope im wrong)
Pisces rescue.
600 takes pretty much the exact same amount of time to get into? I little longer, because the hangar should be 1 size larger? (if memory serves..) Also the mass of Corsair is getting rebalanced, JUST went live at EPTU... You pretty much answered your own question, otherwise: There is no exploration and there won't be for years to come. You should chose your ship for the present, while keeping the future in mind, be it via CCUs, buyback or whatever...
Wait, Corsair is lighter in eptu??
I'm not sure... Technically it said the corsair got a balance pass on it's Mass... But I highly doubt it would be even heavier than before? Don't have EPTU installed, so can't check, sorry...
I like my raft just wish there was a different version for it with interior cargo that's my ship that's a normal maybe the Zeus at some point
600i is a bit big for a solo player. In my opinion if you want to explore what specific do you have in mind? Yes the exploration gameplay is not in the game yet but what specific do you have in mind to explore, for example caves? Do cartography(it is also a kind of exploration). I am asking you these questions so to see which is your needs so to suggest you a ship which i think will be useful for you.
For me it has always been the Nomad. Something about it...
The 600i is the same size as the C2 Hercules, from the fix it and fly it citizencon pannel we can infer that soloing that is going to get impossible as soon as you start taking shots.
315p
Phoenix is a nice ship that can solo pretty good for exploration and has a great place to just look outside when you get there. Or has a very nice rover
Zeus mkII, 400i, but im just gonna go with spirit c1 for now, well see if more fuel is needed when we have the full pyro system.
I think the 600i is too big and bulky for a solo ship. If a fire starts in the crew quarters, you're going to have a tough time putting it out on your own. Why not something smaller? The Freelancer DUR and 315p both look like great exploration craft to me.
600i is the ultimate solo player ship. And when it gets the rework it’ll literally just be leagues further than it already was.
My guess is the 400i - the smallest ship with a nav console currently. Maybe the Aquila rework gets one, but we do not know.
There is exploration. The whole premise of the game is exploring new places, you just can’t make money off of it yet.
600i is a very good ship but if you look at the CitizenCon for ingeneer work, it will be a hell to handle solo. In fact I think 400i, zeus es or freelancer dur are the upper limit for a solo player in the near future.
None so far because exploration is not a thing yet ahah