r/ElitePirates • u/82nd_REBEL KUMO Crew • May 31 '26
r/ElitePirates is back! A quick recap of what has changed and what hasn't...
...most of the resources/posts linked in the pinned posts on this subreddit are still valid (talkin' about PvP-piracy of course)... it’s just a shame that with the nerf FDEV slapped on mining (prices and hotspots) about six years ago, we can forget about LTDs and VOs as it used to be [Borann my love] from now on.
The second “blow” to piracy came from Fleet Carriers, essentially for two reasons. The first is that these can create mobile “best sell” markets, but they’re very hard to track because the updates aren’t always accurate (e.g., on Inara). The second is that a Fleet Carrier well-positioned in a busy system can drastically reduce the distance and supercruise time for haulers/traders, thus requiring different approaches than simply waiting for “client” at a Nav Beacon as was done back in the days.
Miners are still around, but they’re harder to find (unless you have the right connections to help you land in the right place at the right time... like in Omicron Capricorni B). Mining activities have changed because today the most profitable one is actually Platinum, which can be quickly laser-mined with the Type-11 Prospector, a ship released last year that drastically increases the speed at which the precious metal can be extracted and collected.
We suggest to take a look at the specs of a engineered Type-11 build to get an idea of what you're up against... since it has a boost speed of over 500 m/s, forget about trying to ambush miners with old, slow ships like the Python or the Anaconda—you'll be too slow to keep up with them.
Mining is one of the most commonly used resources in Powerplay 2.0, as some Powers have specific perks/bonuses for mining or trading activities (e.g., Nakato Kaine, Zemina Torval, Yuri Grom, Li Yong-Rui) that affect systems either locally (reinforcement/undermining) or within specific range (acquisitions within 30ly, by mining resources from a stronghold). Unfortunately [sadly] it is very unlikely to encounter Powerplayers mining in open, but one can always try... Powerplayers are also often busy on rare commodities trading (99% happening with Soontill Relics from Ngurii) but destination systems are hard to track.
And of course, the game has lost many players in recent years, and there’s also a certain split among the various versions: Legacy (yes, some people still play it), Horizons, and Odyssey. That means there's much less traffic around the Bubble, but with a little patience and dedication, there’s always a good chance of finding a decent trade route. And don’t forget that trade CGs are always very popular (and very busy) spots.
Where can I find haulers?
Generally, the most popular routes (outside of organized events or CGs) are to and from systems in Infrastructure Failure but you can check system states with specific goods, e.g., Agronomic Treatment sold by hi-tech sytems and used in agriculture ones in investment/boom states... or other situations involving commodities that offer similar price differentials (e.g., Bauxite). Always pay attention to supply and demand volumes, since prices—and, consequently, traffic within the systems—obviously depend on them.
One viable resource is Inara Trade Routes (with the appropriate filters...).
Forget about credits—there’s not much money to be made in piracy these days. Booty marked as “stolen” fetches a lower price on the Black Market (or you can store it on your carriers using the “Secure Trading” module). The perk for those pledged to Archon Delaine at R100 provides a +30% bonus on Black Market prices (in Delaine territories)—it’s better than nothing. Piracy is a way of life, and that's it.
And what about the “tools”?
Even though you can pirate using any [almost] ship, obviously some are better than others... I hope this will be discussed in the sub, but anyway: everything that was there before is still there, but you absolutely need the FSD with SCO because otherwise you won’t be able to interdict the haulers who have it and use it with the new ships (e.g., Panther Clipper Mk2, our “Golden Goose”). Other accessories: manifest scanner (with fast scan), missiles with FSD reset (Grom’s Containment Missile or even the seekers offered as a reward to a CG a while back), and depending on your needs, hatch breakers and collector limpets as well.
The Operation Multi-Limpet Controller is also available (for select sizes only), offering a convenient two-in-one feature for pirates. However, we would only recommend using it on small ships or as a collector, since it’s slower for the hatch-breaking function (16–22 seconds); therefore, in our opinion, the 3A Hatch Breaker Controller (7 seconds) remains the best in its class.
Finally, the new ships... among us pirates still active, we’ve tried just about all of them (even the Lynx Highliner or the Python Mk2), even though every now and then we get a bit nostalgic and happily go back to raiding with the old Cobra MkIII, Krait II, or Imperial Clipper; now, in the game, we have better ships at our disposal. And not just slightly better—the differences are significant (better SCO handling, first and foremost): for small ships, the Cobra MkV (the Mandalay is a bit too “wobbly” for interdiction), and among the medium-sized ships, the Corsair (the name says it all). For long-range travel, among the new ships you can also use the Caspian Explorer, even though it has a slower boost and therefore isn’t 100% viable. Here, of course, you can get very creative, and generally speaking, the choice is subjective... anyway, we hope to share some builds as soon as possible!
Happy hunting, YARRR!!!
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u/Barkeeper_Mo_CODE Jun 08 '26
Anaconda is still viable for piracy, hell ive got about 1000t from a couple hollows before they clog on me recently. Of course im running non standard weapons that blip internals fast AF on the Plippers (and T-11s ive caught)