Which is a good couple of ships to start with.

Talonsbane

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if anyone tells you freelancer then ignore them, they don't know what they're talking about.
I sometimes find it difficult to take advice from people seriously, that have an icon of them being spit roasted. Especially when they're advising to ignore people that are simply giving out potential next step options with hopes that the suggestions will be within the person's budget so as to not cause them more stress. This being said, now I'm getting hungry for fire roasted meat.
 

Aramsolari

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All ships have their pros and cons.

We often forget that not all of us are willing to spend hard earned cash on this ship or that. For many new (and existing) backers what they're looking for is generally versatility. That's why ships like the Cutlass Black, Avenger Titan, Freelancer, Nomad, etc are rated so highly. All of these ships will serve you well. Many TESTies have multiple ships of different kinds, just give us a shout out on Discord if you wanna test fly something. :o7:

There isn't really point suggesting ships that are smugglers, 'stealthy' or whatever specialization when what the original question is about "testing different parts of the game".

Also...certain individuals need to stop calling people 'sheeple' when they disagree with a comment.
 
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Shadow Reaper

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The Lancer is still Chris Roberts go-to every day uber ship. It's an amazing vessel. Cutty guys don't get how extremely good it is in each of its variants. The standard stock has the lowest signature of any medium craft, unless that's changed recently. The Max hauls fabulous cargo solo, and is quicker and safer than the Taurus. The DUR has the as-of-yet undefined extreme endurance package, but for now fabulous range. Yeah, it can't pretend to be a fighter the way the Cutty does, but if you're not pretending, it hauls better than the Cutty.

Lancers rock and Chris will always make sure they do.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO7RxsZpcKc


Of course if you want something sexier, you want a Cutty:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE7TFnSl9y4


and if you want the redneck pickup truck, go Nomad:


Or decide to play something unique:

View: https://youtu.be/ZnMdQXl0vyg


or insanely DESTRUCTIVE:

View: https://youtu.be/sOPGbBY56zM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2FNBi90l9Q
 
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PeppaPigKilla

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I sometimes find it difficult to take advice from people seriously, that have an icon of them being spit roasted. Especially when they're advising to ignore people that are simply giving out potential next step options with hopes that the suggestions will be within the person's budget so as to not cause them more stress. This being said, now I'm getting hungry for fire roasted meat.
whoa there furry teddy bear

I stand by the statement, ignore anything freelancer

looking for something in that range go cutlass black :)

OP always has the option to ignore me :(
 

Raven_King

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Or decide to play something unique:

View: https://youtu.be/ZnMdQXl0vyg
Having looked into Sabre Ravens for obvious reasons, they’re intentionally not in great supply, and those I could find were an extortionate price. Otherwise I’m enjoying this thread on several levels. I wonder if the OP realised what a fuse he lit here!
 

Talonsbane

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Having looked into Sabre Ravens for obvious reasons, they’re intentionally not in great supply, and those I could find were an extortionate price. Otherwise I’m enjoying this thread on several levels. I wonder if the OP realised what a fuse he lit here!
You do realize that for a similar sized ship with more weapon power & a much more powerful EMP than the Sabre Raven at the cost of the EMP taking longer to charge up, you have the Avenger Warlock that is periodically on sale & usually for about $90, which is a pretty decent deal given that it comes stock with a pair of gimbled S2 weapons & a gimbled S3 on the nose.
 

Aramsolari

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Sabre Raven is overrated and expensive. The only thing it has going for it are it’s looks and rarity. It’s definitely not a “Jack of all trades”….”better than beginner ship”.

I’ve only seen the Sabre Raven in the wild once. I ended up dueling it with my Gladius and forced the pilot to retreat with a bloody nose.
 
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Skyre

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I have a 315P as starter ship from 2015 but I would like to get another ship to play as well. I am thinking about a Drake Cutlass Black but I am open to options. What would be the best ships to be able to try out the different parts of the game?
Short, sweet, and simple: It depends on what you're into.

Atmo bounties are good with the 300 series, but less so with the Cutties, for example.

At a "base" level, I usually recommend the Avenger Titan (does a little of everything, flies well in atmo).
The Cutty Black is good for a lot, but suffers a little from being the allocated meme ship (ie. devs seem intent on making it a joke). Good ship otherwise, but serious limitations.

Also depends on your wallet. My favourite multi-crew is the same as many others here, the Mercury Star Runner, for example. But that's a solid $260 USD, not inc taxes.
 

Aramsolari

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The way I see it the upgrade path is basically this....

Aurora --> Titan Avenger or Consolidated Outland Nomad --> Cutlass Black --> Freelancer -->Constellation Andromeda. If we're staying true to the original posters query...these are the ships that allow you to 'try out different parts of the game'. To fit the multipurpose category I look at three attributes a ship must possess.

1) It can haul stuff (maybe even vehicles). This pretty much rules out much of the Aegis line.
2) It can fight better than haulers that can haul more. For example a Constellation Andromeda will beat an Argo RAFT bloody.
3) It's gotta be cheap to fly and maintain. No 600is or 890Js lol.

Past the Constellation Andromeda, the number of ships that are multipurpose kinda fall off. Past that tier you'll probably look to specialize.

There are of course ships like the Origin 300+ series, Reliants, Mustangs Alphas, etc which are perfectly acceptable Multipurpose ships alternatives to the above list.

I personally am a strong advocate for the Cutlass Black because it fulfills all these requirements plus more...it can also
- Fit a ROC and/or other vehicles.
- Easy to load cargo (Demonstrated well during Jumptown 2.0)
- Allows basic multi person gameplay (Bring your buddy along in a turret!)
- Future tractor beam feature.

downside though? mediocre atmospheric handling, subpar pilot visibility and lack of kitchen/bathroom. I suppose Drake wants us to open the side doors and toss out the buckets that way lol.
 
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Raven_King

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much more powerful EMP than the Sabre Raven
Sabre Raven is overrated and expensive.
Indeed! My interest relates to my username, that's all 🍻 . I believe @Shadow Reaper mentioned the Raven after three serious suggestions, as a alternative for the pilot who wants a unique ship, not as a candidate for the OPs 'best' option. Anyway, I don't mean to derail this thread from it's original topic. I'll start another thread :)
 
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Shadow Reaper

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You do realize that for a similar sized ship with more weapon power & a much more powerful EMP than the Sabre Raven at the cost of the EMP taking longer to charge up, you have the Avenger Warlock that is periodically on sale & usually for about $90, which is a pretty decent deal given that it comes stock with a pair of gimbled S2 weapons & a gimbled S3 on the nose.
I have a special interest in ships that will fit inside the Liberator. The Raven is one of few very compact ships that are survivable because they are so hard to hit, and that might escort wings of Eclipse off a Lib. They're not actually much smaller than the Warlock but they are much more maneuverable, flatter, and faster. I don't think the Warlock will fit inside a Lib but the Raven might.
 
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Ayeteeone

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Sabre Raven is overrated and expensive. The only thing it has going for it are it’s looks and rarity. It’s definitely not a “Jack of all trades”….”better than beginner ship”.

I’ve only seen the Sabre Raven in the wild once. I ended up dueling it with my Gladius and forced the pilot to retreat with a bloody nose.
Catch up with me sometime and you can fly mine. It is not yet a terribly useful ship; John Crewe has stated he doesn't consider it a medium fighter. CR called it a 'resilient datarunner' at release. It's undergunned, has no missiles, using the EMP is fussy, and is less agile than a light fighter. What it was once good at, genuine stealth hunting*, is not in the game right now. It IS fast and sleek.. and about as useful as the sports car it pretends to be.

Having a deep appreciation for enterprise-grade hardware, I bought the drive to use in my gaming system. It's still there and I expect to make use of it for many years to come. Getting the Raven with the drive was that extra little push to throw the money at it.

*before the sweeping changes of 3.14, this ship could clean the minefield missions without being detected. At all. Took a bit of care to watch distances and signatures, but it was FUN gameplay for me.
 
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Richard Bong

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I have a 315P as starter ship from 2015 but I would like to get another ship to play as well. I am thinking about a Drake Cutlass Black but I am open to options. What would be the best ships to be able to try out the different parts of the game?
What do you want to do in the verse?
The Cutlass Black is in a weird place (and I don't mean because of the 3.14 flight changes). It isn't really a starter ship and it isn't really a profession ship.

There are two kinds of starter ships. Those that you start the game with, and those that you start a profession with.

For example:
  • Mining, choose a Prospector.
  • Bounty Hunting, then a Hawk or Avenger Stalker is appropiate.
  • Cargo Hauling, Hull-B Raft or Freelancer.
  • Rearm, repair, refuel then The Vulcan.
  • Fighter Pilot, Arrow, Hornet or Gladius.
  • Salvaging, Vulture
  • Exploration, Freelancer DUR
  • Etc.
Note these are examples, not a complete list.

Your best choice for a second ship is probably the starter ship for your chosen profession.
 
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Richard Bong

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The ones you can afford without the wife hitting you with a frying pan or divorcing you.
Important safety tip. I should have quoted that in my response, because it is the most important factor.

Fortunately, my better half plays. What did she want for Christmas? A HOTAS. :)
 

Richard Bong

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The way I see it the upgrade path is basically this....

Aurora --> Titan Avenger or Consolidated Outland Nomad --> Cutlass Black --> Freelancer -->Constellation Andromeda. If we're staying true to the original posters query...these are the ships that allow you to 'try out different parts of the game'. To fit the multipurpose category I look at three attributes a ship must possess.

1) It can haul stuff (maybe even vehicles). This pretty much rules out much of the Aegis line.
2) It can fight better than haulers that can haul more. For example a Constellation Andromeda will beat an Argo RAFT bloody.
3) It's gotta be cheap to fly and maintain. No 600is or 890Js lol.

Past the Constellation Andromeda, the number of ships that are multipurpose kinda fall off. Past that tier you'll probably look to specialize.

There are of course ships like the Origin 300+ series, Reliants, Mustangs Alphas, etc which are perfectly acceptable Multipurpose ships alternatives to the above list.

I personally am a strong advocate for the Cutlass Black because it fulfills all these requirements plus more...it can also
- Fit a ROC and/or other vehicles.
- Easy to load cargo (Demonstrated well during Jumptown 2.0)
- Allows basic multi person gameplay (Bring your buddy along in a turret!)
- Future tractor beam feature.

downside though? mediocre atmospheric handling, subpar pilot visibility and lack of kitchen/bathroom. I suppose Drake wants us to open the side doors and toss out the buckets that way lol.
Cutlass Black side doors = the ultimate vacuflush head.
 

Sky Captain

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What would be the best ships to be able to try out the different parts of the game?
The above recommendations are good: Titan, 315p, Cutlass Black ...

Personally I'm leaning towards the Mustang Alpha again more as a fun starter ship. Good cockpit layout, great view, cargo, ability to upgrade the nose gun.

But I believe that the official TEST answers is: Aurora!

🍺
 
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