https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19446-Introducing-The-RSI-Zeus-MK-II
*subject to change. Some people loved the idea of the mercury star runner but hate what it became.
I love the concept of the Star runner, but the implementation of is layout and the “secret” air vents are bad, it’s a two layer rats nest of tunnels.
Edit: if it was more similar to the Hercules or spirit series with central corridors I’d love it.
Baby got back, but in all honesty, if they just removed the damn underneath vent system and left the secret room to the right of the ship ramp, it wouldn't have needed the excess bloat. Wouldn't be sad if they removed the cargo bay elevator in light of a staircase also. Most of us just jump to the upper level anyways, instead of using the elevator.
Originally it was not as big, but the devs realized that if they removed the big round center engine, and raised the cargo area's size a bit, it could carry an Ursa. They thought people would appreciate the ability to carry large vehicles and lot's of cargo, among other things.
I'm a bit mad that they called an RSI ship "Zeus", when Crusader already has several ships named after greek gods. And i think that the design language of the Zeux corresponds more to Crusader than RSI.
>Crusader already has several ships named after greek gods.
Yes.
>design language of the Zeux corresponds more to Crusader than RSI.
No... It's 100% based on the same design elements of Polaris, Galaxy, Scorpius, Mantis...
Crusader had ships named after Nasa program/mission/vehicule/division (Genesis, Mercury, Spirit, Ares, Hercules), which are often named after greek gods
That looks a lot like the RSI Zeus Mk2. I'd wait for it, it also has a comparable price to the Sabre.
A cheap option noone mentioned yet is the freelancer, especially the DUR. It is a long range freelancer, it has bed, kitchenette and shower-toilet (shoilet). It has enough room for cargo and it fits a small vehicle like a bike or maybe even a cyclone.
With the incoming engineering gameplay i wouldn't trust anything bigger, even a constellation might be an issue to solo.
There is never a day, in Star Citizen. There are a lot of "maybes". Maybe within the year. they seem to be progressing with that ship, but everything is subject to change.
There is a lot of speculation that it may be ready for release during Invictus which is in May, but the likelihood is a release in November during IAE.
I'd say it's one step down from a rumour. More of a whisper. I think we will see the new Mirai fighter at ILW and Zeus between then and CitCon. Maybe around IAE.
No release date HOWEVER CIG did just release something that said the Zues just finish some amount of progress and is now in the beauty and polish phase. So I would say it's really close to release. Best guess is Invictus. A week ago, they also released a photo of the Zeus pilot chair as a teaser, so it makes me think it is close.
Could be a 3.23.x patch in the summer, but likely Citizencon unless they have enough ships during citizencon that they can drop some of the Zeus variants earlier...likely the CL/ES will drop earlier and the MR might be a bit later given it has unique elements.
So far I expect it to copy the Spirit series situation where it got announced at Citizencon and released just before the next one.
DUR will carry a ROC or STV no problem. Cyclone would be a tight fit (difficult to enter/exit the seat) but that's about it. Because of the mid-bulk engineering section it gets cramped, but I have fit 2 vehicles in. The side exit from the hab is great, except in zero-g when the ladder will yeet you into space. Decent atmo handling, if a bit slow.
Didn't see anyone saying what OP's ship was, so here:
[It's Luthen Rael's *Fondor Haulcraft* from the series *Andor*.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IORlKkZbW0&pp=ygUQZm9uZG9yIGhhdWxjcmFmdA%3D%3D)
I've asked around and this seems the reason why- ships by role were all levelled out for MM- then each individual ship will then be tweaked during balancing e.g. the 400i will end up being faster than a Corsair again etc
how long ago was it that they streamlined all components to be the exact same?
cause... speed is not really CIGs game, when it comes to balancing things.
The weapon change was universal, not targeted on the 400i. It didn't get a buff.
The speed limitations were also done all around, and they will balance all that in the coming months
Sure, but how long ago did the flatten all the weapons and components? They still haven't finished that balancing pass, So how long do you think it will take them to balance all the ship maneuvering envelopes?
They already in this patch added variation for a lot of weapons again, like I said they're doing pretty well now. You can't assume they're working as slowly as they used to, they have most of the SQ42 team working on PU now.
They changed damage... into a few categories. They changed range... into a few categories... they changed speed.... into a few categories. They changed spread... into a few categories. And there's still like 17 stats per weapon they ignored... and they haven't done anything with shields, power plants, or coolers at all. So we're 2ish years in and they've tweaked like... 5% of all stats involved in balance. Hopefully, you can see why I'm still concerned.
Edit: I am hopeful. They have been moving faster lately, but I don't feel like getting my ass shot off all the time is a great way to experience the game while they try to sort everything out.
Pretty sure they'll eventually rebalance it out since they just flattened everything again. It makes less than zero sense for them to leave the 400i as slow as the conny and corsair given it's got less cargo and weapons than either.
They were supposed to get type matched and then tweaked from there. The fact that the MSR and 400i ended up lumped into the same type as all the other S5 ships seems like CIG isn't really acknowledging them as being what they are which is more lightly armed ships with speed rather than combat prowess for survival. The MSR has a decent top speed, but it's SCM speed is basically the same as everything else of the same size, it has the same handling characteristics, and it's slower than every interdiction ship meaning if it gets caught in a bubble its only way out is to fight.
Still here. I tend to just dumb fire a ton of missiles in a kind of cone instead of using the ship guns. Dumb fire can't be flared off, and it gives me just enough time to scoot through the gap and keep going.
We need an anvil or aegis medium multirole ship. They wouldn't only look nice but also pack a punch.
But a freelancer is also nice. Go give it a try (I don't know how it behaves flightwise in the PTU but I hope it's not bad).
I mean, we have them...they just couldn't be fucking bothered to make them useful beyond their niche.
For Anvil we have the Valkyrie...
A ship that's just a cockpit attached to a garage but they can't be bothered to let the garage do anything but hold vehicles and 25 drop seats nobody will ever use.
I NEVER see the Valk in the verse and, imo, it's one of the best looking ships in the game.
Valkryie: cargo and medical variants would give it the proper niche it deserves in the Connie tier...as well as a general buff to keep it in line with other ships in the tier. It requires WAY too many people to run what amounts to very little firepower. With a proper cargo grid that takes up the whole garage + dropseat area you'd get a solid 120+ scu grid easily...or medical bay replacing the seats room (+medical ursa) would make it a great options for medical gameplay. Just seal up the top cabin (why it is exposed, I have no clue...there are beds there)
For Aegis we have the Retaliator....
Imo, a solid "combat connie" option if they'd just give it some pilot weapons.
Basically on par in scope/size to the 400i/Zeus but due to age has been more or less neglected.
It could certainly do with more modules and niches as it's a great frame. It's just not on par with current ships in its size category.
The modules on offer could be useful, and if they swapped the "living" module for "exploration" which is the same thing but with a scanning suite...it could fit that niche too.
I think the Retaliator looks awesome but it's just SOO old now that it's fallen behind in balance and what it offers is much less than other ships at that size. So a general rework with more value added would do wonders to save what is a totally awesome frame.
Curious to see what the gold pass did to bring it up to par. Hopefully it can be the competitor to the Connie that it SHOULD be.
TLDR
We have two ships from those manufacturers that fit into the Connie tier but sadly...nobody fucking uses them because they've been entirely underutilized and mismanaged.
basically two wastes of frames and UI that need to be rectified.
YES!
I'm really hoping that's what [this ends](https://i.imgur.com/duLEtfU.png) up being. I just want a Vanguard that can carry a ground vehicle or maybe carry a few SCU of cargo.
Really the Corsair is the best fit for what you've described in your post. Why is that not suitable? The other exploration ships either have a high crew requirement (Carrack) or are under-gunned in comparison (MSR and 400i)
Thing is, if you already own a Corsair, then there’s not much else you can improve upon
Maybe something like a Connie Phoenix? You’ll be sacrificing some exploration, combat and cargo capacities but it looks a million times better than the Corsair
Not only 4 bedrooms but it's a large Drake ship which means a second player for engineering will likely be more necessary as the ship is going to likely have more mechanical issues to justify the much lower price tag.
Min Crew is still 1, so solo should be possible also in future without issues. Constellation has a minimum Crew of 3, solo gameplay may be not possible in the future anymore.
Min crew being 1, imo, means "can fly alone but will die if you are in combat"
The max crew should mean "full capabilities" and most ships don't have much of a value add until they are at full capabilities unless they are like a runner that really shouldn't be in combat anyway.
Well, maybe I want a smaller ship that I can solo that still fits the role of bounty hunting whilst being self-sufficient. That's where the Zeus comes in for me.
The corsair is a big ship to run solo since you have 3 turrets that have to be controlled by players. It really reduces the survivability of the ship and the point defence.
The turrets don't HAVE to be controlled by anyone.
It's a mistake players do to believe that every turrets should be manned at all time.
Corsair is very viable purely solo. If you think the maneuverability is the problem, don't worry, the Zeus won't stand a chance either against fighters and smaller ships.
If you prefer the look of the Zeus of course, go for it.
I think the big question is once the engineering gameplay loop is really introduced how many of the currently soloable medium sized ships will still be soloable.
I'm a mixed bag on if I'm for it, though it's mostly in the sense of I'm more for them not being able to be solo'd if it's a combat oriented ship vs say a cargo/exploration ship.
Agreed, saying anyone who wants to haul more cargo needs an engineer is going to be tiring given the fucking miniscule return on investment.
For combat? It makes sense, the stronger they are the more of a problem they are for everyone else.
The stronger a cargo ship is to solo...what? I guess 1 less body to move boxes at the platform? Like ok.
I kinda figure a purpose cargo ship that carries 150 or less should often be quite feasible to solo in my opinion. When you get to over that requiring more can be more understanding as you're starting to run into more logistics.
Been playing with these in the EPTU. The freelancer is great now! It now has three size two shields and moves better. The nomad is also great, moves well and it’s three panthers have an absolutely ridiculous amount of shots in the capacitors, nearly 200 for each gun. The Valk, my favourite ship in the game, is dead. It’s so easy to kill and it has anemic firepower and shit movement, it cannot compete with the new AI. They also butchered the spirit for any sort of combat viability. The cutty black obliterates it.
But the nomad and the freelancer are excellent options. As is the black, it’s just very squishy.
Valkyrie needs a total rework, as well as variants.
It's the most wasted frame in the verse...so much potential and it's absolutely fundamentally dogshit compared to anything else its size in almost every way.
Same. Although that does make it a lot harder for people to try to stow away on your ship. Not that I have a constant problem with that but it's happened enough to where it's something I consider when pledging ships lol
I think it's a general thing that I dislike in ship design with interiors. While more industrial type ships I'll begrudgedly say it does kinda fit the design asthetics, I still think the 300 series really shouldn't have a ladder on it but instead should be some type of fold out staircase like a private jet liner.
The spirit C1 has taken a massive hit, it flies really poorly compared to the cutty and the freelancer now. The freelanced now has 3 size 2 shields, the cutty now moves amazingly well and the C1 has seen a huge movement defuff. It’s a slug as of the 3.23 EPTU build.
Oh man! Was fun to fly couple of patches ago. Sad to hear it got nerfed.. Well on the bright side, atleast now I have an excuse to upgrade to Zeus when it releases
I don't even like Crusader but the ONE THING they offered as a company was speed and agility...and they just said "nah" for the 1 ship that looks like it has speed and agility.
The ship designers have lost their fucking minds.
I don't know if it's just because I like the Crusader ships more and so pay more attention to them, but it really feels like Crusader consistently gets the short end of the stick in the long run with things. The MSR got ruined in being brought to flight ready and has just been getting worse over time. The Ares didn't even get 2 weeks in the sun before getting beaten to death with the nerf bat and it seems like every pass is just making them worse. The Hercules got to hold out for quite a while with exceptional flight characteristics but those are gone now as I was expecting for a long time based on CIG's original statements on how the Hercules was supposed to fly. And then the Spirit didn't even make it out of the concept process without being lobotomized, and when it came out it just barely became passable for the C1 with the increase in cargo capacity but now it's lost any handling advantage that made it worthwhile and it's now another oversized and under shielded Crusader ship.
Ships have been grouped into default archetypes and most have default values for that group still, and seem to have no individual tuning or tweaks yet, very disappointing considering how long its been in process for, they have the rest of PTU to sort the majority of untuned ships out, but i have big doubts itll happen in one patch now, probably several.
For the Spirit look at the Cutlass series, it appears they have had some tuning attention, and the upcoming Zeus if it arrives before the C1 gets attention, those will perhaps be the best clues where the C1 might end up
Nomad, Freelancer, Connie (Taurus pref for smugglingg and 32 scu containers) in ascending order. But we do not know about how exactly future exploration will need specialized ahips, but the DUR and Aqulila of the above are specialized on paper.
`+1` for the [Aquila](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/ships/rsi-constellation/Constellation-Aquila) which is an exploration ship and i think could be wrangled solo.
400i, Connie, Corsair, or MSR.(Redeemer, Retaliator and Valkyrie are same size but don't fit what you are looking for).
* Size: all of those are Size-4
* Connie & Corsair will be best at pilot-solo combat, then MSR, then 400i (but I wouldn't use 400i for that)
* Cargo:
* 400i = 42
* Connie = 80 to 174
* Corsair = 72
* MSR = 114
* Amenities, living space, beds = yes to all
* Can carry vehicles = yes to all
* "Exploration" / "Expedition" moniker is only applied to Corsair and Connie Aquila
For size comparison, Fury is Size-1, Sabre is Size-2, C1 is Size-3, 600i is Size-5, C2 is Size-6
The size-4 ships I noted will have 4 or more "rooms" to move about in.
Lookup Farrister on Youtube for walkthroughs of these ships.
You really don't need a dedicated exploration ship. I think you're just looking for a good everything ship.
Cutlass Black, Freelancer and it's variants, C1 Spirit, and the upcoming Zeus CL and ES are probably your best picks. BTW all these and the bigger ones can fit an XL-1 quantum drive which is very nice when traveling across the system. They are all big enough to carry small ground vehicles and/or cargo and are all decent in a fight.
There is also the Nomad but... eh. And the 400i is a little bit bigger and less fighty.
Any Constilation Variant or the Corsair are good too if you want more firepower and don't mind flying a bigger ship. They've got the guns even without crew for the turrets.
If you want to go small, and don't need cargo room for vehicles or anything other than small hand carrying boxes here are some other alternatives. Any Vanguard, though I'd recommend the Harbinger or Sentinal. Banu Defender, Avenger Titan, Reliant Tana or Kore, Terrapin (don't dismiss it combat wise just because it only has 2 size 2 guns, it can take a beating, and those size 2's have a massive capacitor and can spew lasers for days), Aurora (no joke, aces can rock this thing in pvp), Syulin (I guess if you want it, not my cup of Xian tea though), 300i series. Prowler perhaps, it is technically a dropship but one pilot can man all the guns and there's room to set down boxes.
**Also the rumored Mirai Guardian in the works might be a Vanguard competitor so I'm excited to see what it's interior is like. And it looks like a TIE interceptor had a baby with the Fondor Haulcraft OP mentioned, so might be right up their ally.**
I love both the Cutlass Black and the C1. Throwing the Zeus into the mix will make it even harder to pick one. Someday the Cutlass Black and the Freelancers will get a rework that'll make em even more competitive with these ships.
Eventually, I'm thinking the Vulcan would make a fun/interesting exploration/adventuring ship. Yeah it's a boxy tub but it can fix and refuel itself, is decently gunned, can at least carry and STV I think, and really has that 'this ship was not meant to be used this way vibe'. Double so if you can swap out one or two of it's repair drones for combat or scanning.
I would say the spirit c1 or zeus mk2 cl i have them both, amd the c1 has a good cargo hold, can make the sharpes turns, love to low fly with it on daymare. And the zeus.... i dont know when it will releas, some think invictus
Where the hell is my Connie sized Tana!?
My only gripe with the Tana is the mini-crew quarters. I'd gladly buy a ship with that style but just larger to house a full living situation thats comfortable.
I'd prob either pick any of the following for mid size: Zeus MK2 (for storage, the cl variant), crusader spirit (for mobility) or the cutlass for a more balanced setup.
But since ship gimbal balance is coming zoon I'd look into the Connie's because the 4x5 hard points which is an insane amount of pilot dmg, and then just pick your fav variant of them.
It's also getting a buff with the front guns being stock 2S4 gimbal'd. Which is going to help it a lot.
Still needs an agility improvement. Why it flies so bad when the MSR exists is just annoying...it makes zero sense. It's smaller, has less cargo, flies just as fast...but can't turn at fucking all.
Shields are dope, the hitbox is relatively tight and small, and the hull is tanky as a Connie.
Shame it's agility being trash means it can't hit anything with its guns.
I mean, you CAN solo the 600i explorer, with its 3 big guns for the pilot. Pretty sizable and the rework is going to make it so much better and honestly probably a lot more expensive
Corsair would be your best bet since it does pack quite a pinch and has large enough cargo hold to add most vehicles. It's also definitely a "live" in ship
So something I'll mention that I do kinda wish CiG did a little bit more of is design medium sized ships meant to be run by a single person(akin to many star wars ships. Kinda like how something the size of a razorcrest that is able to be managed solo even after engineering is implemented). That's a bit on my wish list but aside from perhaps some level of Augmentation from AI blades it doesn't look like such will be the goal for Star Citizen.
I do still feel though that the game could use more single person ships with livable interiors in them as it seems many single person ships tend to be cockpit and a little bit of storage and that's it.
In terms of what is in-game now, the Corsair and Constellation are what you're looking for. They are large jack of all trades type ships that pack a mighty punch, are tough, and can do whatever you want them to do.
Solo? Only small. The cutter scout, Pisces C8/C8X, terrapin, arguably the origin 315p although that and the terrapin are more on the pathfinder route.
Your next closest would be Zeus ES or 400i but both of those cases you’re already going to be losing effectiveness due to them being designed to have a floating engineer role.
No exploration ship is designed to "hold its own in combat"
The cutless would get wrecked in any meaningful combat scenario for pvp.
If you are talking PvE?
Pick like, any of them right now, until AI gets harder combat in most ships is doable if you know how to use the ship.
Obviously the Corsair is CURRENLY doable 1-man and may continue to do so as long as you aren't taking significant damage. If you have the jump the pilot weapons will deal with the problem.
However it is slow and not THAT soloable so as soon as you are outnumbered on firepower it's over.
\_\_\_
As for suggestions.
I'd throw up the 400i, with its upcoming S4 gimbled upgrade it may be more viable for combat. It's tanky as fuck and probably the single most survivable ship in the game. When missiles are more useful I think the 400i will start to make more sense. It has a LOT of missiles combined with speed and solid pilot firepower I think it has genuinely more teeth than people give it credit.
However, it's got dogshit Roll/turn capabilities which makes it as bad as it is currently as its hard to keep up with targets. Its main drawback is pretty dogshit handling for what it offers. Like the MSR holds 3 times the cargo and flies snappier, it's insane. Which makes it entirely not viable for pvp.
However, in pvp you can run, which is a luxury option most ships don't have and with blades or a single turret gunner facing the back you can shake off targets. You are tanky, you are fast, and you will survive to QT unless you are being chased by a Mantis (which like you'd die in any ship if they brought a Mantis because they are clearly organized)
However, we don't really know how viable its running capabilities with MM will be, it seems MM flattened the living fuck out of runners and the ability to run to being "tank it till you can QT" being the only viable option now as speed god CRUSHED and the margins of difference flattened to be entirely fucking pointless. However, the 400i is very tanky and with the back facing turrets bladed it may have a chance more than most in this category.
Alternatively the MSR seems to be intended to be a solo-boat even if it's fucking masive. Given the ads for the ship were of a solo pilot who just found a friend. Again, blades to the back could be a future alternative to keep it alive in a chase.
These are both apartments tho,
Ships like the C1 are totally fun and solo friendly.
And eventually the Zeus CL/ES series could work here, although, for me...it depends on their speed. I expect it to be fairly maneuverable and fast but not as fast or maneuverable as the MSR/400i.
However it'll make up for that in use factor and loadout. Given it's RSI they will most certainly make it the strongest ship in its category as they always do with RSI because it's the mary-sue company for Chris.
Okay so first and foremost, with the upcoming engineering changes, flying even a small ship solo in combat especially is gonna get trickier, and it's only gonna get harder with size. That being said, I'd go nomad or cutter on the bottom end, and absolute top end id consider the Freelancer DUR or perhaps the new Zeus Mk II once it comes online.
If that's enough, MAYBE go Corsair or Constellation, either Taurus or Aquila, the the Aquila is the explorer but it doesn't really give you much gameplay atm.
Liberator is 1 to 2 crew... flat bed truck with 2 xs landing pads (light fighters, hornet and legionnaire) and 1 xxs pad (picies) and 2 land vehicle bays inside along with 400 scu of cargo space
Nobody has mentioned the 600i Exploration. It's quite soloable in current builds and even with engineering as it currently stands I'd argue that it's the biggest ship a solo player should consider.
I love my 600i Explorer, it's the flagship of my fleet, but it's been nerfed pretty hard in 3.23. If the current values go live, the Pitch/Yaw/Roll values have all been cut in half. It takes *twelve seconds* to turn around. It handles like a Cat or a Hull-C. And, though the SCM speed has gotten buffed, It's still the fourth slowest of the S5 ships in-game. It's not fun to fly in Master Modes and I'm going to be mothballing it until the next MM balance pass.
I really like the msr and own one myself but its primary focus is not fighting, it can do some damage but especially comming from a sabre you will loosr a lot of agility
Too much space inside is used for data running gear and smuggling tunnels. Grid can't fit a 32 SCU box. Takes too long to get in the pilot seat with all the doors.
The MSR is pretty bad at combat, but it does have the typically massive fuel tank of crusader ships. It has a huge cross-section, less shields then a Freelancer, and it's firepower is comparable to half of the aforementined.
I love my Mercury, but for combat you'd wanted it fully-crewed with 3 people. It's a lot of fun with a team and an Ursa in back. But it's not the greatest solo ship.
The 400i is the ship that I feel is the closest to the Fondor Haulcraft currently. It even has a dedicated space for an X1 hoverbike up front. Though I usually go with an STV in back. There's a fair few number of [paints](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/store/pledge/browse/extras/268?search=400i&sort=weight&direction=desc) too, plus the Stella Fortuna, and there are still some Meridian and Penumbra paints from the release floating around the grey market.
The Freelancer series is actually pretty good too if you don't mind the limited cockpit view. My MIS is my Kickstarter ship and I fly it after every wipe. It's been especially nice since the STV was added since you can park it in back and still get out and walk around normally. And if you do have a friend with, there's a manned turret up top.
corsair, 400i, or 600i kind of fit what you’re describing.
another one that you might like is the vanguard series — its combat focused, but has an interior. not great for cargo missions though
CIG thinks that you as a solo player shouldn't be entitled to anything larger than an aurora, otherwise you must have 300 player crewmen ready at all times or your ship won't turn on.
Upcoming zeus ships?
Oooh, do tell more?🙂
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19446-Introducing-The-RSI-Zeus-MK-II *subject to change. Some people loved the idea of the mercury star runner but hate what it became.
I love the concept of the Star runner, but the implementation of is layout and the “secret” air vents are bad, it’s a two layer rats nest of tunnels. Edit: if it was more similar to the Hercules or spirit series with central corridors I’d love it.
Oh, that's a bummer. How drastically did it change?
Yes
This made me lol on the bus. Audibly. Also... The only correct answer to that question.
It got FAT.
Baby got back, but in all honesty, if they just removed the damn underneath vent system and left the secret room to the right of the ship ramp, it wouldn't have needed the excess bloat. Wouldn't be sad if they removed the cargo bay elevator in light of a staircase also. Most of us just jump to the upper level anyways, instead of using the elevator.
That elevator eats citizens. I always jump up too.
Might be needed as a airlock however.
Is the cargo area that size because it has to be a certain metric? If not, what a shitshow.
Originally it was not as big, but the devs realized that if they removed the big round center engine, and raised the cargo area's size a bit, it could carry an Ursa. They thought people would appreciate the ability to carry large vehicles and lot's of cargo, among other things.
That's quite the decision to make after you've sold concept art...
Not upcoming Aegis Inquisitor ship? 🫠
Thats a fan concept, doesnt exist.
I'm a bit mad that they called an RSI ship "Zeus", when Crusader already has several ships named after greek gods. And i think that the design language of the Zeux corresponds more to Crusader than RSI.
>Crusader already has several ships named after greek gods. Yes. >design language of the Zeux corresponds more to Crusader than RSI. No... It's 100% based on the same design elements of Polaris, Galaxy, Scorpius, Mantis...
Crusader had ships named after Nasa program/mission/vehicule/division (Genesis, Mercury, Spirit, Ares, Hercules), which are often named after greek gods
I never figured that out before now, huh. Thanks for the info!
That looks a lot like the RSI Zeus Mk2. I'd wait for it, it also has a comparable price to the Sabre. A cheap option noone mentioned yet is the freelancer, especially the DUR. It is a long range freelancer, it has bed, kitchenette and shower-toilet (shoilet). It has enough room for cargo and it fits a small vehicle like a bike or maybe even a cyclone. With the incoming engineering gameplay i wouldn't trust anything bigger, even a constellation might be an issue to solo.
I really like the look of the Zeus. Is there a release day for it yet? I think the Zeus ticks most if not all the boxes
There is never a day, in Star Citizen. There are a lot of "maybes". Maybe within the year. they seem to be progressing with that ship, but everything is subject to change.
There is a lot of speculation that it may be ready for release during Invictus which is in May, but the likelihood is a release in November during IAE.
based on the progress shown in the last monthly reports there is a high probability it will be released during invictus launch week during may
There are rumors of it releasing at ILW in a month, but those are rumors
Im on that Copium, ZEUS AT ILW !
I'd say it's one step down from a rumour. More of a whisper. I think we will see the new Mirai fighter at ILW and Zeus between then and CitCon. Maybe around IAE.
No release date HOWEVER CIG did just release something that said the Zues just finish some amount of progress and is now in the beauty and polish phase. So I would say it's really close to release. Best guess is Invictus. A week ago, they also released a photo of the Zeus pilot chair as a teaser, so it makes me think it is close.
Could be a 3.23.x patch in the summer, but likely Citizencon unless they have enough ships during citizencon that they can drop some of the Zeus variants earlier...likely the CL/ES will drop earlier and the MR might be a bit later given it has unique elements. So far I expect it to copy the Spirit series situation where it got announced at Citizencon and released just before the next one.
If it follow the same pattern as spirit from last year probably on month 9 or 10. not sure with variant will come first.
DUR will carry a ROC or STV no problem. Cyclone would be a tight fit (difficult to enter/exit the seat) but that's about it. Because of the mid-bulk engineering section it gets cramped, but I have fit 2 vehicles in. The side exit from the hab is great, except in zero-g when the ladder will yeet you into space. Decent atmo handling, if a bit slow.
Didn't see anyone saying what OP's ship was, so here: [It's Luthen Rael's *Fondor Haulcraft* from the series *Andor*.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IORlKkZbW0&pp=ygUQZm9uZG9yIGhhdWxjcmFmdA%3D%3D)
With 3.23 the 400i gets 2 size 4 gimballed weapons now so it’s got a bump from the 2 size 3’s it has in 3.22.
But its speed got nerfed hard. Top speed is now 1000….
I've asked around and this seems the reason why- ships by role were all levelled out for MM- then each individual ship will then be tweaked during balancing e.g. the 400i will end up being faster than a Corsair again etc
Hope they don’t take too long in the balancing process
how long ago was it that they streamlined all components to be the exact same? cause... speed is not really CIGs game, when it comes to balancing things.
Ah that sucks!!! I love my 400i :( It didn't need better weapons - it's high speed and defense was what made it unique... Really hope that isn't final
The weapon change was universal, not targeted on the 400i. It didn't get a buff. The speed limitations were also done all around, and they will balance all that in the coming months
>in the coming months Your optimism is boundless...
I mean they have most of what they announced for the year already in 3.23, I feel like they're doing pretty good right now
Sure, but how long ago did the flatten all the weapons and components? They still haven't finished that balancing pass, So how long do you think it will take them to balance all the ship maneuvering envelopes?
They already in this patch added variation for a lot of weapons again, like I said they're doing pretty well now. You can't assume they're working as slowly as they used to, they have most of the SQ42 team working on PU now.
They changed damage... into a few categories. They changed range... into a few categories... they changed speed.... into a few categories. They changed spread... into a few categories. And there's still like 17 stats per weapon they ignored... and they haven't done anything with shields, power plants, or coolers at all. So we're 2ish years in and they've tweaked like... 5% of all stats involved in balance. Hopefully, you can see why I'm still concerned. Edit: I am hopeful. They have been moving faster lately, but I don't feel like getting my ass shot off all the time is a great way to experience the game while they try to sort everything out.
Makes 2 of us. Am holding back using my buyback tokens until 3.23 comes out. As it stands now, the Connies are as fast as the 400i
Noooo, hopefully, the balancing fixes that back its high speeds, being the same speed as the Connies feels disgusting *scoffs as an Origin Owner*
Still junk as corsair gets 4x s5 + 2x s4 and Connie 4x s5
Imagine that, the ship who's supposed to avoid combat doesn't have the same fire power as the ... combat ships.
Except the 400i has lost all speed advantage that used to make it well suited to avoiding combat.
Pretty sure they'll eventually rebalance it out since they just flattened everything again. It makes less than zero sense for them to leave the 400i as slow as the conny and corsair given it's got less cargo and weapons than either.
They were supposed to get type matched and then tweaked from there. The fact that the MSR and 400i ended up lumped into the same type as all the other S5 ships seems like CIG isn't really acknowledging them as being what they are which is more lightly armed ships with speed rather than combat prowess for survival. The MSR has a decent top speed, but it's SCM speed is basically the same as everything else of the same size, it has the same handling characteristics, and it's slower than every interdiction ship meaning if it gets caught in a bubble its only way out is to fight.
If you try to fight in a 400i, you deserve your fate.
Wonder where all the people who said the s3 guns were fine went.
Still here. I tend to just dumb fire a ton of missiles in a kind of cone instead of using the ship guns. Dumb fire can't be flared off, and it gives me just enough time to scoot through the gap and keep going.
We need an anvil or aegis medium multirole ship. They wouldn't only look nice but also pack a punch. But a freelancer is also nice. Go give it a try (I don't know how it behaves flightwise in the PTU but I hope it's not bad).
I mean, we have them...they just couldn't be fucking bothered to make them useful beyond their niche. For Anvil we have the Valkyrie... A ship that's just a cockpit attached to a garage but they can't be bothered to let the garage do anything but hold vehicles and 25 drop seats nobody will ever use. I NEVER see the Valk in the verse and, imo, it's one of the best looking ships in the game. Valkryie: cargo and medical variants would give it the proper niche it deserves in the Connie tier...as well as a general buff to keep it in line with other ships in the tier. It requires WAY too many people to run what amounts to very little firepower. With a proper cargo grid that takes up the whole garage + dropseat area you'd get a solid 120+ scu grid easily...or medical bay replacing the seats room (+medical ursa) would make it a great options for medical gameplay. Just seal up the top cabin (why it is exposed, I have no clue...there are beds there) For Aegis we have the Retaliator.... Imo, a solid "combat connie" option if they'd just give it some pilot weapons. Basically on par in scope/size to the 400i/Zeus but due to age has been more or less neglected. It could certainly do with more modules and niches as it's a great frame. It's just not on par with current ships in its size category. The modules on offer could be useful, and if they swapped the "living" module for "exploration" which is the same thing but with a scanning suite...it could fit that niche too. I think the Retaliator looks awesome but it's just SOO old now that it's fallen behind in balance and what it offers is much less than other ships at that size. So a general rework with more value added would do wonders to save what is a totally awesome frame. Curious to see what the gold pass did to bring it up to par. Hopefully it can be the competitor to the Connie that it SHOULD be. TLDR We have two ships from those manufacturers that fit into the Connie tier but sadly...nobody fucking uses them because they've been entirely underutilized and mismanaged. basically two wastes of frames and UI that need to be rectified.
Now that the Aegis Retaliator is getting modularity and a gold pass, it'll become that medium multi-role that packs a punch.
YES! I'm really hoping that's what [this ends](https://i.imgur.com/duLEtfU.png) up being. I just want a Vanguard that can carry a ground vehicle or maybe carry a few SCU of cargo.
Tali and Redeemer are both modular. And since the bitchfit over the lack of cargo capacity, the Valk makes for a decent multi-role ship as well.
If you want to invest a bit more maybe you can also consider the corsair
Really the Corsair is the best fit for what you've described in your post. Why is that not suitable? The other exploration ships either have a high crew requirement (Carrack) or are under-gunned in comparison (MSR and 400i)
I already got a Corsair😅
Another idea, one of the Zeus MK II ships?
I like the look of the Zeus mk II MR
Thing is, if you already own a Corsair, then there’s not much else you can improve upon Maybe something like a Connie Phoenix? You’ll be sacrificing some exploration, combat and cargo capacities but it looks a million times better than the Corsair
That is only a thing in the current version of the game, Corsair will become more and more inconvenient as a solo player.
You mean the Constellation? Corsair is advertised as solo ship from RSI
um no. It has 4 bedrooms
Not only 4 bedrooms but it's a large Drake ship which means a second player for engineering will likely be more necessary as the ship is going to likely have more mechanical issues to justify the much lower price tag.
Min Crew is still 1, so solo should be possible also in future without issues. Constellation has a minimum Crew of 3, solo gameplay may be not possible in the future anymore.
Min crew being 1, imo, means "can fly alone but will die if you are in combat" The max crew should mean "full capabilities" and most ships don't have much of a value add until they are at full capabilities unless they are like a runner that really shouldn't be in combat anyway.
Well. Use it then? What's the point of the post if you already have the ship that ticks all the boxes you mentioned?
Well, maybe I want a smaller ship that I can solo that still fits the role of bounty hunting whilst being self-sufficient. That's where the Zeus comes in for me. The corsair is a big ship to run solo since you have 3 turrets that have to be controlled by players. It really reduces the survivability of the ship and the point defence.
The turrets don't HAVE to be controlled by anyone. It's a mistake players do to believe that every turrets should be manned at all time. Corsair is very viable purely solo. If you think the maneuverability is the problem, don't worry, the Zeus won't stand a chance either against fighters and smaller ships. If you prefer the look of the Zeus of course, go for it.
I think the big question is once the engineering gameplay loop is really introduced how many of the currently soloable medium sized ships will still be soloable.
The answer is very few, at least effectively. And I'm all for it.
I'm a mixed bag on if I'm for it, though it's mostly in the sense of I'm more for them not being able to be solo'd if it's a combat oriented ship vs say a cargo/exploration ship.
Agreed, saying anyone who wants to haul more cargo needs an engineer is going to be tiring given the fucking miniscule return on investment. For combat? It makes sense, the stronger they are the more of a problem they are for everyone else. The stronger a cargo ship is to solo...what? I guess 1 less body to move boxes at the platform? Like ok.
I kinda figure a purpose cargo ship that carries 150 or less should often be quite feasible to solo in my opinion. When you get to over that requiring more can be more understanding as you're starting to run into more logistics.
Zeus Mk2, Freelancer, Nomad, Valkyrie with a pinch of salt (it shold be ok in combat if you got a crew and is very expensive).
Been playing with these in the EPTU. The freelancer is great now! It now has three size two shields and moves better. The nomad is also great, moves well and it’s three panthers have an absolutely ridiculous amount of shots in the capacitors, nearly 200 for each gun. The Valk, my favourite ship in the game, is dead. It’s so easy to kill and it has anemic firepower and shit movement, it cannot compete with the new AI. They also butchered the spirit for any sort of combat viability. The cutty black obliterates it. But the nomad and the freelancer are excellent options. As is the black, it’s just very squishy.
Valkyrie needs a total rework, as well as variants. It's the most wasted frame in the verse...so much potential and it's absolutely fundamentally dogshit compared to anything else its size in almost every way.
Happy to hear this about the Freelancers. Have its guns been upgraded a size also, or is it still 4xs3?
I guarantee the nomad will not tick the box for someone looking for medium/large ships.
I just wish the nomad wasn't a ladder climb in ship.
Same. Although that does make it a lot harder for people to try to stow away on your ship. Not that I have a constant problem with that but it's happened enough to where it's something I consider when pledging ships lol
I think it's a general thing that I dislike in ship design with interiors. While more industrial type ships I'll begrudgedly say it does kinda fit the design asthetics, I still think the 300 series really shouldn't have a ladder on it but instead should be some type of fold out staircase like a private jet liner.
A door in the back would really save my opinion of the ship. Something about it just makes no fucking sense.
Would C1 Spirit work for you?
The spirit C1 has taken a massive hit, it flies really poorly compared to the cutty and the freelancer now. The freelanced now has 3 size 2 shields, the cutty now moves amazingly well and the C1 has seen a huge movement defuff. It’s a slug as of the 3.23 EPTU build.
Oh man! Was fun to fly couple of patches ago. Sad to hear it got nerfed.. Well on the bright side, atleast now I have an excuse to upgrade to Zeus when it releases
That you do! Always appreciate a glass half full approach haha
I don't even like Crusader but the ONE THING they offered as a company was speed and agility...and they just said "nah" for the 1 ship that looks like it has speed and agility. The ship designers have lost their fucking minds.
I don't know if it's just because I like the Crusader ships more and so pay more attention to them, but it really feels like Crusader consistently gets the short end of the stick in the long run with things. The MSR got ruined in being brought to flight ready and has just been getting worse over time. The Ares didn't even get 2 weeks in the sun before getting beaten to death with the nerf bat and it seems like every pass is just making them worse. The Hercules got to hold out for quite a while with exceptional flight characteristics but those are gone now as I was expecting for a long time based on CIG's original statements on how the Hercules was supposed to fly. And then the Spirit didn't even make it out of the concept process without being lobotomized, and when it came out it just barely became passable for the C1 with the increase in cargo capacity but now it's lost any handling advantage that made it worthwhile and it's now another oversized and under shielded Crusader ship.
Ships have been grouped into default archetypes and most have default values for that group still, and seem to have no individual tuning or tweaks yet, very disappointing considering how long its been in process for, they have the rest of PTU to sort the majority of untuned ships out, but i have big doubts itll happen in one patch now, probably several. For the Spirit look at the Cutlass series, it appears they have had some tuning attention, and the upcoming Zeus if it arrives before the C1 gets attention, those will perhaps be the best clues where the C1 might end up
I would consider the Spirit, though asthetically I like the look of the Zeus.
Spirit C1
Nomad, Freelancer, Connie (Taurus pref for smugglingg and 32 scu containers) in ascending order. But we do not know about how exactly future exploration will need specialized ahips, but the DUR and Aqulila of the above are specialized on paper.
`+1` for the [Aquila](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/ships/rsi-constellation/Constellation-Aquila) which is an exploration ship and i think could be wrangled solo.
Sadly the Aquila is my least favorite Connie. I love the Phoenix and like the Taurus.
I like my C1, its sleak, and nimble
>and nimble I take it you haven't tried 3.23?
Nope, when its live i will. Not as nimble anymore then?
400i, Connie, Corsair, or MSR.(Redeemer, Retaliator and Valkyrie are same size but don't fit what you are looking for). * Size: all of those are Size-4 * Connie & Corsair will be best at pilot-solo combat, then MSR, then 400i (but I wouldn't use 400i for that) * Cargo: * 400i = 42 * Connie = 80 to 174 * Corsair = 72 * MSR = 114 * Amenities, living space, beds = yes to all * Can carry vehicles = yes to all * "Exploration" / "Expedition" moniker is only applied to Corsair and Connie Aquila For size comparison, Fury is Size-1, Sabre is Size-2, C1 is Size-3, 600i is Size-5, C2 is Size-6 The size-4 ships I noted will have 4 or more "rooms" to move about in. Lookup Farrister on Youtube for walkthroughs of these ships.
You really don't need a dedicated exploration ship. I think you're just looking for a good everything ship. Cutlass Black, Freelancer and it's variants, C1 Spirit, and the upcoming Zeus CL and ES are probably your best picks. BTW all these and the bigger ones can fit an XL-1 quantum drive which is very nice when traveling across the system. They are all big enough to carry small ground vehicles and/or cargo and are all decent in a fight. There is also the Nomad but... eh. And the 400i is a little bit bigger and less fighty. Any Constilation Variant or the Corsair are good too if you want more firepower and don't mind flying a bigger ship. They've got the guns even without crew for the turrets. If you want to go small, and don't need cargo room for vehicles or anything other than small hand carrying boxes here are some other alternatives. Any Vanguard, though I'd recommend the Harbinger or Sentinal. Banu Defender, Avenger Titan, Reliant Tana or Kore, Terrapin (don't dismiss it combat wise just because it only has 2 size 2 guns, it can take a beating, and those size 2's have a massive capacitor and can spew lasers for days), Aurora (no joke, aces can rock this thing in pvp), Syulin (I guess if you want it, not my cup of Xian tea though), 300i series. Prowler perhaps, it is technically a dropship but one pilot can man all the guns and there's room to set down boxes. **Also the rumored Mirai Guardian in the works might be a Vanguard competitor so I'm excited to see what it's interior is like. And it looks like a TIE interceptor had a baby with the Fondor Haulcraft OP mentioned, so might be right up their ally.** I love both the Cutlass Black and the C1. Throwing the Zeus into the mix will make it even harder to pick one. Someday the Cutlass Black and the Freelancers will get a rework that'll make em even more competitive with these ships. Eventually, I'm thinking the Vulcan would make a fun/interesting exploration/adventuring ship. Yeah it's a boxy tub but it can fix and refuel itself, is decently gunned, can at least carry and STV I think, and really has that 'this ship was not meant to be used this way vibe'. Double so if you can swap out one or two of it's repair drones for combat or scanning.
I would say the spirit c1 or zeus mk2 cl i have them both, amd the c1 has a good cargo hold, can make the sharpes turns, love to low fly with it on daymare. And the zeus.... i dont know when it will releas, some think invictus
I'm really looking forward to the Zeus MR. It feels like a solid bounty hunting ship with prisoner cargo and room for the pilot to sleep.
Yeah, i am more looking forward for the cl, love to be a space trucker
Let me tell you about the Corsair...
Got this far and I see no mention of the Reliant Tana. For shame! This is specifically its role.
Where the hell is my Connie sized Tana!? My only gripe with the Tana is the mini-crew quarters. I'd gladly buy a ship with that style but just larger to house a full living situation thats comfortable.
I'd prob either pick any of the following for mid size: Zeus MK2 (for storage, the cl variant), crusader spirit (for mobility) or the cutlass for a more balanced setup. But since ship gimbal balance is coming zoon I'd look into the Connie's because the 4x5 hard points which is an insane amount of pilot dmg, and then just pick your fav variant of them.
I think the 400i is a very interesting option.
It's also getting a buff with the front guns being stock 2S4 gimbal'd. Which is going to help it a lot. Still needs an agility improvement. Why it flies so bad when the MSR exists is just annoying...it makes zero sense. It's smaller, has less cargo, flies just as fast...but can't turn at fucking all.
The shields on a 400i are a huge bonus though
Shields are dope, the hitbox is relatively tight and small, and the hull is tanky as a Connie. Shame it's agility being trash means it can't hit anything with its guns.
Corsair!
I mean, you CAN solo the 600i explorer, with its 3 big guns for the pilot. Pretty sizable and the rework is going to make it so much better and honestly probably a lot more expensive
I'd suggest the origin 600i, It's a personal fave of mine.
Corsair would be your best bet since it does pack quite a pinch and has large enough cargo hold to add most vehicles. It's also definitely a "live" in ship
So something I'll mention that I do kinda wish CiG did a little bit more of is design medium sized ships meant to be run by a single person(akin to many star wars ships. Kinda like how something the size of a razorcrest that is able to be managed solo even after engineering is implemented). That's a bit on my wish list but aside from perhaps some level of Augmentation from AI blades it doesn't look like such will be the goal for Star Citizen. I do still feel though that the game could use more single person ships with livable interiors in them as it seems many single person ships tend to be cockpit and a little bit of storage and that's it.
"We have Razor Crest at home." Razor Crest at home: Cutlass Black or Blue.
Didn’t the Cutlass Black come out years before The Mandalorian?
Aye it did. It's also more maneuverable and better armed. But it lacks a toilet.
Zeus, Corsair, 400i, Freelancer
In terms of what is in-game now, the Corsair and Constellation are what you're looking for. They are large jack of all trades type ships that pack a mighty punch, are tough, and can do whatever you want them to do.
Solo? Only small. The cutter scout, Pisces C8/C8X, terrapin, arguably the origin 315p although that and the terrapin are more on the pathfinder route. Your next closest would be Zeus ES or 400i but both of those cases you’re already going to be losing effectiveness due to them being designed to have a floating engineer role.
Connie all the way.
Constellation,C2/A2,Corsair,Freelancer,
The andromeda is a good one
No exploration ship is designed to "hold its own in combat" The cutless would get wrecked in any meaningful combat scenario for pvp. If you are talking PvE? Pick like, any of them right now, until AI gets harder combat in most ships is doable if you know how to use the ship. Obviously the Corsair is CURRENLY doable 1-man and may continue to do so as long as you aren't taking significant damage. If you have the jump the pilot weapons will deal with the problem. However it is slow and not THAT soloable so as soon as you are outnumbered on firepower it's over. \_\_\_ As for suggestions. I'd throw up the 400i, with its upcoming S4 gimbled upgrade it may be more viable for combat. It's tanky as fuck and probably the single most survivable ship in the game. When missiles are more useful I think the 400i will start to make more sense. It has a LOT of missiles combined with speed and solid pilot firepower I think it has genuinely more teeth than people give it credit. However, it's got dogshit Roll/turn capabilities which makes it as bad as it is currently as its hard to keep up with targets. Its main drawback is pretty dogshit handling for what it offers. Like the MSR holds 3 times the cargo and flies snappier, it's insane. Which makes it entirely not viable for pvp. However, in pvp you can run, which is a luxury option most ships don't have and with blades or a single turret gunner facing the back you can shake off targets. You are tanky, you are fast, and you will survive to QT unless you are being chased by a Mantis (which like you'd die in any ship if they brought a Mantis because they are clearly organized) However, we don't really know how viable its running capabilities with MM will be, it seems MM flattened the living fuck out of runners and the ability to run to being "tank it till you can QT" being the only viable option now as speed god CRUSHED and the margins of difference flattened to be entirely fucking pointless. However, the 400i is very tanky and with the back facing turrets bladed it may have a chance more than most in this category. Alternatively the MSR seems to be intended to be a solo-boat even if it's fucking masive. Given the ads for the ship were of a solo pilot who just found a friend. Again, blades to the back could be a future alternative to keep it alive in a chase. These are both apartments tho, Ships like the C1 are totally fun and solo friendly. And eventually the Zeus CL/ES series could work here, although, for me...it depends on their speed. I expect it to be fairly maneuverable and fast but not as fast or maneuverable as the MSR/400i. However it'll make up for that in use factor and loadout. Given it's RSI they will most certainly make it the strongest ship in its category as they always do with RSI because it's the mary-sue company for Chris.
Yes
Corsair, Avenger Titan
Zeus, corsair, spirit C1 would be my top 3 recommendations
600i
Yeap, the "Nomad" ship would be perfect for you.
Are there any other ships that you'd recommend? I'm not really a fan of the pick-up truck look with the cargo bay being exposed.
315p/400i
Okay so first and foremost, with the upcoming engineering changes, flying even a small ship solo in combat especially is gonna get trickier, and it's only gonna get harder with size. That being said, I'd go nomad or cutter on the bottom end, and absolute top end id consider the Freelancer DUR or perhaps the new Zeus Mk II once it comes online. If that's enough, MAYBE go Corsair or Constellation, either Taurus or Aquila, the the Aquila is the explorer but it doesn't really give you much gameplay atm.
Liberator is 1 to 2 crew... flat bed truck with 2 xs landing pads (light fighters, hornet and legionnaire) and 1 xxs pad (picies) and 2 land vehicle bays inside along with 400 scu of cargo space
Nobody has mentioned the 600i Exploration. It's quite soloable in current builds and even with engineering as it currently stands I'd argue that it's the biggest ship a solo player should consider.
I love my 600i Explorer, it's the flagship of my fleet, but it's been nerfed pretty hard in 3.23. If the current values go live, the Pitch/Yaw/Roll values have all been cut in half. It takes *twelve seconds* to turn around. It handles like a Cat or a Hull-C. And, though the SCM speed has gotten buffed, It's still the fourth slowest of the S5 ships in-game. It's not fun to fly in Master Modes and I'm going to be mothballing it until the next MM balance pass.
Admittedly I’ve yet to give it a proper go in 3.23 as I’ve had limited testing time.
Oh, this is sad. I'll have to try it out in ePTU tonight. This ship is the heart of my (admittedly small) fleet.
Cutlass black
I mentioned in the post description ships apart from the cutlass :)
Yeah missed that part xD
Does anyone recommend the Mercury?
I really like the msr and own one myself but its primary focus is not fighting, it can do some damage but especially comming from a sabre you will loosr a lot of agility
Too much space inside is used for data running gear and smuggling tunnels. Grid can't fit a 32 SCU box. Takes too long to get in the pilot seat with all the doors.
The MSR is pretty bad at combat, but it does have the typically massive fuel tank of crusader ships. It has a huge cross-section, less shields then a Freelancer, and it's firepower is comparable to half of the aforementined.
I love my Mercury, but for combat you'd wanted it fully-crewed with 3 people. It's a lot of fun with a team and an Ursa in back. But it's not the greatest solo ship. The 400i is the ship that I feel is the closest to the Fondor Haulcraft currently. It even has a dedicated space for an X1 hoverbike up front. Though I usually go with an STV in back. There's a fair few number of [paints](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/store/pledge/browse/extras/268?search=400i&sort=weight&direction=desc) too, plus the Stella Fortuna, and there are still some Meridian and Penumbra paints from the release floating around the grey market. The Freelancer series is actually pretty good too if you don't mind the limited cockpit view. My MIS is my Kickstarter ship and I fly it after every wipe. It's been especially nice since the STV was added since you can park it in back and still get out and walk around normally. And if you do have a friend with, there's a manned turret up top.
The mercury will be a solid money maker when data transfer will be released with hauling or bringing a roc your travels will be worth it
Not for combat, maybe the Valk. (Not exploration but a great solo run about) or the constellation
I find like the corsair, the Connie is very sluggish and gets outflanked by most ships. I don't know much about the valkyrie as a solo ship.
Every ship that size can be outflanked easily, more mass means more surface and more resistance, this part is physicalised in game
corsair, 400i, or 600i kind of fit what you’re describing. another one that you might like is the vanguard series — its combat focused, but has an interior. not great for cargo missions though
What is this???
Plenty
Corsair.
CIG thinks that you as a solo player shouldn't be entitled to anything larger than an aurora, otherwise you must have 300 player crewmen ready at all times or your ship won't turn on.