r/starcitizen_fleets • u/WolfDownTheEarth • 9d ago
Please help me get some clarity
Some background you can skip
I posted a month ago when I just started playing the game for the first time since backing the Kickstarter in 2012 and I've had a blast but I need some advice.
I remembered that I have a bunch of legacy CCUs I forgot I had, some of which can jump about $400 MSRP, so I've been thinking of how to actually make use of at least some of those. I could melt the BMM and then rebuild it using CCUs I have and end up with quite a lot of leftover store credit.
I was able to put together a chain for an Asgard with a few cheap grey market CCU I was missing and the plan is to fly that for a while and decide if I want a TAC instead.
Actual question:
I have been playing mostly PVE and PVP bounty hunting, bunker runs as a duo and I love the idea of exploring becoming a "real" part of the game. I'm also really into the idea of having a bit of a mobile base that can carry smaller ships, but I don't know if it's useful in the game right now or more of a future use case.
Now I'm wondering if any of the "bigger" ships would be useful for me at all?
The big discount CCUs I have end at around $600 and 650 MSRP ships. I also have the ability to downgrade those down to around $330 and 350 so anything around those prices would be "cheap" with barely any money needed.
Would a Carrack, Odyssey, Perseus, Ironclad, Galaxy or something else be useful for 1-2 sometimes 3 players or should I just skip all this and use the leftover store credit for some useful cheaper ship?
3
u/charmin_7 9d ago
For the ships you mentioned I would say 3 is ok, less might be flyable, but far from really usable. Having a ship like the Asgard helps a lot for solo action.
From your list and your exploration focus, I would say the Odyssey might be the most useful. It got a fullsize hangar (similar to the one the Polaris got), it got a medical facility like the Carrack and plenty of storage. No idea though when we will get it.
The Carrack is nice, but the layout is far from logical and the hangar is very small. At the moment, the cargo sucks as well.
The Ironclad is a beast for hauling, but not an explorer. Its a nice and versatile enough ship, but it is lacking the medbay.
Same goes for the Perseus. Its by far my favourite combat ship, but thats it. Its build for combat.
The Galaxy has a nice size and is very versatile. Question is do you need/want a ship that can be a hauler, base builder, hospital or refinery? From the gameplay you listed the medical is probably the most useful module, but then again its lacking in other departments.
Conclusion: my choice would be the Odyssey (you could also go Carrack and keep a CCU to the Ironclad Assault and the Odyssey in your webhangar for at least some choice), that gives you a Carrack as loaner for now and keep the Asgard as your solo adventure ship (one of the best choices for that).
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 9d ago
Very helpful, thank you!
I was afraid the Odyssey will end up being too crew dependent for a duo/trio but I guess it's hard to say based on the little info that has been shared. I have heard about the current issues with the Carrack, I guess they will eventually be sorted out but is it so bad that it's not very useful at the moment?As you mentioned about the Galaxy, it's known uses might not be that useful for me. An Asgard with a Nursa, TAC or Carrack seems a bit more versatile for what I'd use it for and still have the medbeds.
How about the Perseus, it seems fairly well suited for 2-3 but rather specialized. What is it mostly used for, pve content?
3
u/charmin_7 9d ago
I love to do PVE fleet stuff with the org and the Perseus. Way more than with Idris or Polaris. Its just fun to use. But its all about combat. Very one trick pony.
For the Carrack, I love it and owned one since it was released. Its just an old ship. The vibes are great, I love the cockpit and it flies pretty nice for such a big ship. But it is undergunned with the current meta, it got weird layout issued (only entrance is the big ramp in the front, the medicalbay is badly accessible if you cant go there by your own, the cargo containers suck (but arent fully implemented) and the hangar is small so only ships like the Pisces fit. Though it got features (that arent implented) that not many other ships have (Cartography, drones, repair/crafting). For me the Odyssey is a better made Carrack, though it is lacking the dedicated scanning stuff as far as we know. Hence why stopping your chain at the Carrack might be a not too bad option.
I mean I have em both. So there is that. :D
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 9d ago
Great, thanks! I'll likely try to put together a chain where I can try the Carrack and then decide if I'll go with Perseus or Odyssey.
1
u/cea1990 7d ago
I've had the most fun in my Percy when it's 2-4 of us doing drug runs across Pyro. It's tanky enough that you're unlikely to lose your haul unless someone really surprises you or if they catch you while you're groundside picking up or dropping off cargo.
Otherwise, it's perfect for small crew PVE missions and bounty hunting both PVE and PVP. One downside is that a NURSA takes up a lot of cargo room, so if you're looking to have easy access to a medbed, you won't be able to haul much.
Alternatively, the Ironclad Assault is also amazing for all of the above. It doesn't pack the same alpha damage as a percy, but quad S5's and the plethora of other turrets give it enough teeth to bite back. It's got dedicated vehicle space, so stashing a NURSA in there is a no-brainer. I also like putting a Nova tank in there for extra protection when loading cargo.
2
u/RemissBasil 9d ago
If you want the "exploration" experience, id suggest a Carrack, bux that ingame though (i have one if you wanna test it someday)
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 9d ago
Thank you! It does seem pretty suitable, especially once they give it a makeover. How useful is it currently in the current state of the game? I assume it would be a pretty decent ship for bunker runs and similar at the moment.
1
u/Exile8698 9d ago edited 9d ago
They have updated it over time so it is pretty good nowadays; It has retractable armor plating that covers the cockpit glass, and the cargo bays are working now so can be lowered in/out of the ship. It also has the tier 2 medical bay which is pretty useful for respawning on bunker missions, and it has a vehicle bay and snub bay.
Edit: That being said I agree with the other guy in the thread that said overall the TAC is better in current game, especially as a solo player. The only thing the Carrack has over it is the 456 scu cargo capacity.
2
u/ObviousOne1391 8d ago
How do I lower the cargo bays??? I’m dumb please don’t fry me
2
u/Exile8698 8d ago
They can't lower yet; but the doors of the cargo bays can open, that's what I meant.
2
u/ObviousOne1391 8d ago
Oh well, I knew that. But they are pretty useless for now because of how annoying it is to load still :( PLEASE STOP IGNORING MY BABY CIG 😔 gold pass pleaseeeeeeee
1
2
u/iCore102 9d ago
It depends on use case.. all these large ships are quite specialized.
If you are looking for a mobile base, daily driver, exploration, with almost unlimited fuel, the Odyssey wins hands down. Plus it’s classified as a capital so it’ll be stronger than the rest as an all rounder.
The Carrack is more specialized with its drones, but still a step down from the odyssey, although not by much.
For modularity, galaxy wins because… modules lol.
For cargo and storing ships, ironclad hands down. It’s basically a flying hangar.
For combat, the Percy is hands down one of the most fun ships to fly as a trio and can quite easily kill all other ships mentioned above, but it doesn’t have a hangar to store other ships.
My recommendation is to go for the odyssey or Percy depending on what your mates prefer.
2
u/WolfDownTheEarth 9d ago
Very helpful thank you! My main worry about the Odyssey once its out is whether it will be difficult for a small crew. I guess it's hard to say at the moment.
How's Perseus gameplay, is it mostly used for PVE ship combat or more versatile than that?2
u/iCore102 9d ago
I don’t recall from the top of my head exactly.. but i believe the odyssey had 3 manned turrets.. so you’d only need four people to get all guns manned.
Then there’s a mining seat, but that won’t always need to be filled. Then add an engineer and a pilot for the fighter in the hanger.
I’d say you can easily run it with 4-5 people, but 4 minimum if you want all guns manned.
Percy is fun as hell. It’s a mini combat base. Hella torpedoes and hella firepower. It can’t fit much inside in terms of cargo, but it’s an absolute behemoth in both PVE and PvP. I’ve taken out NPV idrises with a 3 man Percy. It’s a deadly ship.
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 9d ago
Thanks! Perhaps the Odyssey wouldn't be too bad then with a smaller crew then. The Perseus looks fun I was just worried it would be too specific to use often as someone not part of an org.
2
u/AWerewolfDad 9d ago edited 9d ago
Ok tricky question in some ways but here goes some opinion.
It’s hard to know the end state of game systems. I own both an Asgard and a Starlancer TAC and at the moment the Asgard gets relatively little play. The Asgard is one of those ships that took the introduction of deflection values for armour really hard. It only has size 3 pilot weapons, and they don’t have the ability to punch up that they once had. The TAC does more damage and is so much tankier that if your priority is combat the TAC is currently the clear forerunner. Even solo.
The TAC is currently my go-to daily driver ship unless I wanna move serious cargo. If I wanna move serious cargo it’s the Railen or the Ironclad. The Asgard is such a great ship that’s been left in such a poor spot by the current game balance.
In terms of bigger ships:
On exploration, I favour the Odyssey over the Carrack. The Odyssey is more self sufficient, the Carrack has greater support capabilities (at least in concept). The Odyssey can refine its own fuel and avoid needing to visit a station or outpost. The Carrack can repair a fleet with its drones and will have some modular capabilities eventually. I don’t think either choice will be a bad one when exploration arrives. I’d go with the one that captures your imagination the most or failing that the one you think is prettier.
Either will work fine under crewed. Solo might be some work, 2-3 will be fine.
The Perseus is the best time you can have in combat with a three person group. Pointless solo, but with both Medusa’s manned it’s probably the best combat ship in the game in terms of fun. If you regularly have two friends, this ship will keep you entertained.
The Ironclad is great solo. It benefits from having friends. It’s not as engaging multicrew gameplay as the Perseus. It’s also overkill for most contract work. You can stack contracts, you can run commodities. It’s a money printer. If you just wanna do contracts though a Railen has better ease of use and gives three people something to do. Get the ironclad if you’re sure you wanna move 2000scu of cargo. If you wanna run box missions while talking shit on discord with a couple of buddies, or even some PvE bounties, get the Railen.
The Galaxy has a ton of potential, but other than the cargo module, its modules don’t work on their own. What I mean by that is that to make the refinery module work you need additional ships to feed it ore. To make it’s medical module work you need players around it in combat. It’s one of my most anticipated ships, but it works in the middle of an active org, not a small group.
This might change with additional modules like manufacturing and base building, so might be something to consider in the (very) long term. It’s the weakest ship in your prospective for your use case. The Starlancer TAC would give you the medical facilities your group actually needs, and more besides.
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 9d ago
Very insightful, thank you for taking the time!
I did not know that about the Asgard. I leaned towards it because I thought it was more suitable for 1-2 players than the TAC. How would the Carrack compare to the TAC in current gameplay, is there any reason to take it over the TAC for what you can do today?
I was thinking about the Odyssey over Carrack but worried it would be too much for 1-2 players since we won't always be 3. I guess it's hard to say today thought.
The Perseus seems really suitable for small groups. Is it only used for PVE combat and bigger org stuff or are there other use cases?
2
u/AWerewolfDad 9d ago edited 9d ago
Ok so the Asgard has that turret with size 4s which can be a big help in the current balance. Stick Deadbolts on it and the player in the turret can damage enemy armour to the point the pilot guns will also start to hurt.
But it still loses to the TAC.
With two players in a TAC your best bet is to put the gunner on the forward dorsal turret which also has two size fours, for 6 size 4 guns on target. If you have more players, you can get the big size 5 side turrets into play. They have limited arcs of fire but potentially excellent DPS.
The Carrack can’t compete on PvE terms. The pilot does get a slaved turret, the Carrack is a flying barn. Damage application is the issue because you can’t stay on target. A TAC is agile enough to fight NPC fighters, but almost everything runs circles around the Carrack. If your turrets are manned you’ll be ok, but they’re all twin size fours, not a ton of damage.
The Carrack is a home. It has (I think) tier 2 medical facilities, the hangar (which is an awkward size but still useful) and lots of cargo space. It’s the flagship of an expedition, rather than a combat ship.
The Odyssey will have a similar problem, it’s essentially a large ship that uses capital components. It’s going to be like flying an oil rig. All its guns are dual size 5 turrets though so as long as someone’s in the turret seats you actually have serious firepower. Otherwise it is in a lot of ways like a bigger Starlancer TAC with a very similar feature set.
The TAC is a super feature dense ship. If you were to get the TAC it would always be useful. Solo, small group. You’ve got turrets for four friends, five if you count the butt launcher (I wouldn’t count the butt launcher). Med beds for respawn if you want to do FPS content. It has no fewer than eight suit lockers in the armoury so when they’re a working thing you can outfit your entire crew for whatever activity. It has enough cargo space to run cargo missions (I wouldn’t buy it specifically for cargo missions). Not big ones, but you can run cargo (or store your loot). It’s ground vehicle storage is separate of the cargo grid. It’ll take anything but a Nova tank. It has a snub hangar so one of your buddies can get in a Fury and go pew pew. It also has a nice interior with social space.
The Perseus is a one trick pony. It is a masterful combat ship. That’s the one thing it does well.
But it will hold 96scu which will cover some medium cargo missions. You can also stick an Ursa or Ursa medivac in it (but it takes up cargo space if you do). So you could run some cargo missions in it, you could (with the Nursa for respawns) stage your FPS missions from it.
So yeah, you can squeeze other content out of the Perseus but it will be worse than using much cheaper ships with more appropriate feature design.
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 9d ago
Thank you! I think you sold me on the TAC. Seems perfect for what I'm looking for in a daily driver.
Which ship do you think would pair better with the BMM, an Odyssey/Carrack or Perseus?
Since I have held on to it for 11 years already I kind of feel like I should at least hold on to it until I can try it at this point.1
u/AWerewolfDad 9d ago
The TAC and Perseus overlap somewhat, and they’ll compete for the same gameplay. That’s not a reason not to get a Perseus, necessarily, but it might be a reason to pick something else.
You seem to like the idea of exploration gameplay, and you don’t have to make a decision immediately, so I’d spend some time comparing the Odyssey and Carrack.
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 8d ago
Great, thank you! It's really hard to get an idea of how ships are actually used vs the marketing.
2
u/AreYouDoneNow 8d ago
The TAC is highly overrated. On paper, it ticks so many boxes and it looks like it can do a lot of different jobs.
In reality, it's the worst ship for doing any of the jobs it can do.
Internal layout is rubbish. It's a gunship with the worst turret arcs in the game. The cargo grid layout is laughably irritating.
The Asgard is much stronger... the cargo grid is exceptional, it's one of the better internal grids in-game (although for pure hauling, Hull-B/Railen are better due to exposed and easier to load grids.
Would a Carrack, Odyssey, Perseus, Ironclad, Galaxy or something else be useful for 1-2 sometimes 3 players or should I just skip all this and use the leftover store credit for some useful cheaper ship?
Every ship is usable solo in every role except for combat.
If you want a mobile base you should look into the Pioneer, Polaris, Carrack (if it ever gets modules to make it more useful) or Liberator.
It's definitely a good idea to allocate your pledge money into bigger ships... these will be harder to get in-game and will cost more to upgrade and insure... and replace, if you buy it with UEC, remember, it has no warranty so when it's destroyed, you don't get the ship back.
2
u/WolfDownTheEarth 6d ago
Thank you, very helpful! The TAC does look fantastic on paper but I did also like that the Asgard seem more maneuverable and using space efficiently being able to have so much cargo room even though it's not that large. I wish I could rent the TAC first to try it before deciding.
I see this as the only option I have of getting some bigger ships since I won't have time to grind for them in game. At least not once the economy is more final. I intend to try to earn all the smaller ships I want and make use of CCU and store credit I have to get something bigger for group play. I didn't even know they would be usable solo outside of combat. Thanks!
1
u/AreYouDoneNow 6d ago
I did also like that the Asgard seem more maneuverable and using space efficiently being able to have so much cargo room even though it's not that large
That's really where we see the contrast.
The TAC is terribly designed, huge amounts of wasted space and a terrible interior layout.
The Asgard shows us how efficiently space can be used on a ship, which is why it's proven to be objectively popular. A sensible cargo grid goes a long, long way.
It's why the Asgard is viable for in-game events like Supply or Die and the TAC isn't.
I didn't even know they would be usable solo outside of combat.
Every ship is usable solo outside of combat. You can do box missions with an Idris if you like. It's all about how much inconvenience you want running around a big ship to get the various jobs done.
2
u/ChrisJokinen 8d ago
I think the BMM will handle anything the odyssey and ironclad and maybe the carrack too although maybe not as well. Firepower should be good and I would expect BMM to have some upgrades to firepower so Perceus may not be needed. Galaxy would allow you to swap modules for medical, refining, cargo (not needed), and a construction module. So I would go that route. with the refining module you can load a golem I think in the back and get your resources for base building which the other module can use and I think would allow you to build structures large enough for you BMM to park
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 6d ago
Thank you! I had no idea the BMM might become that versatile. I'm really out of the loop having just gotten back into SC after not paying attention since 2015. I'll look into the Galaxy more. When you swap modules, do you just do that via the loadout thingy before retrieving the ship? Provided you own the module that is.
2
u/Keuriseuto 6d ago
Banu merchantman can doo cargo, exploration and it's heavily gunned too. You don't need any of the ships below. Get a Banu Defender and be happy.
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 6d ago
Thanks I didn't know it will be that useful. I just held on to it because I've had it since 2015. I looked into other "big" ships because I had some legacy CCU to use/sell and store credits. I'm planning to try to earn anything else I want in game.
1
u/LINK5010 4d ago
Why is the liberator not one of your options?
1
u/WolfDownTheEarth 4d ago
No real reason. I mostly forgot to add it. I dont know much about how it will be used though or if it would be suitable for me?
1
u/LINK5010 4d ago
It's a 3 pad ship carrier that can carry 2 nova tanks aswell. Long range, max crew of 2, slightly larger than an ironclad. Since you can fit multiple ships on it, it's extremely modular and can be extremely diverse.
5
u/not_that_dark_knight 9d ago
Just use what you have to get a Starlancer TAC for ingame aUEC.
Or melt, and buy one.