Upgrade Time!

[Bastion]

Planning on upgrading my Aurora LX with LTI at some point, but i'm trying to decide what to.

I'd love a super hornet but that isn't going to happen anytime soon(Because its not available), so im thinking one of the limited ships perhaps? The 350r or M50 sound good, but I also have the AMD Mustang(Racing Variant) so im not sure if another racing ship is really needed. Im not even sure oi the 350r or M50 will have a lot of use (I mean, m50 with ltr... im assuming races wont need insurance?) Do either have any sort of fighting capability? Blech. Any recommendations? Or should I just pony up for a freelancer.

I don't want to gimp myself too hard at release, you know?

 

[AntiSqueaker]

Well, Super Hornet will eventually get sold again (probably when the Hornet variants get put in, if I had to guess). Ben Lesnick confirmed that every ship minus the Idris and Scythe would go back on sale eventually.

I suspect that the 350R/M50 will wipe the floor with the Mustang for racing, since the Mustang is supposed to be a sidegrade of the Aurora. Maybe they're in different leagues though, who knows.

350R has almost the same fighting capability as the 300i, it just lacks the missile racks at the moment (no idea if intentional or an oversight).
M50 is an annoying gnat, but the stock cannons just tickle people. Maybe an M50 loaded with Mass Drivers or Neutron Cannons..... but I don't think those weapons are working right at the moment, so I can't say.

If I was in your situation, I'd just upgrade my LX to a Hornet, and wait for the Super Hornet to be available again. And then buy an Aurora LN because Auroras as super kawaii.

 

[Bastion]

Thanks for the Info AS, I also feel the mustang will fall behind by leagues, but I guess we will see. My mustang pack also came with another Aurora, so no worries, I'll be keeping a test badge of honor.

So basically the 350 R Is a missile-less super-charged 300i... That doesn't sound awful either. LTI Super hornet does take the award for best option though I think. So yeah i'll upgrade to him. Actually, do you know if i choose the cross upgrade paths, and strip down the weapons on each, will the weapons disappear once i upgrade to the next ship?

 

[Egriz]

If you're going to upgrade, just go to the 300 series and no higher. It's not worth spending the money.

Having a hornet as your only ship will cripple you from having zero storage.

 

[Choppanob]

I'm in the same boat as you, and also thinking of upgrading to a Hornet for now. (and maybe a Super if the come back on sale)
But i'm also keeping a eye out for the Gladiator, only problem is... cross chassis upgrades only come out when the ships is usable in the Arena Commander, so i need to wait a bit longer i'm afraid.
At least we can always upgrade (future plan to a Catterpilar maybe ? :) )

 

[Bastion]

After reading that the M50 will be jump capable, have a missle slot, and 2 gimbal weapons in the next patch, i've decided to go for an m50. I've always been a fan of high speed interceptor/superiority fighters and that sounds right up my alley with 2x Energy gimbals. Im going to use the cross upgrade chart to see if i can snag some weapons and try out some other ships along the way (for $0 extra)

 

[Raggy]

I'm contemplating (pretty much convinced actually) a cutlass but wonder if I'm buying for the wrong reason. To explain, I have a 315p (the explo version?) for my explo needs, and a freelancer max for some haulage.

I figured the cutlass would fill the gap for a multi person average cargo ship with combat capability, but now wondering if it would just be suicide if aggressed by nimble smaller ships like the hornet etc.

I also love the idea of the SAR Cutlass, but maybe that's too niche.

Test advice, don't ignore. Go!

 

[Walex]

Thanks for the Info AS, I also feel the mustang will fall behind by leagues, but I guess we will see. My mustang pack also came with another Aurora, so no worries, I'll be keeping a test badge of honor.

So basically the 350 R Is a missile-less super-charged 300i... That doesn't sound awful either. LTI Super hornet does take the award for best option though I think. So yeah i'll upgrade to him. Actually, do you know if i choose the cross upgrade paths, and strip down the weapons on each, will the weapons disappear once i upgrade to the next ship?

What mustang pack comes with an Aurora? The ones with the AMD cards?

If you're only going to have one ship with LTI, I feel like I'd want that to be my most expensive/versatile ship though. Are you able to play Arena commander? I was thinking perhaps you buy the standalone M50 (non-LTI) ship to play around with it this weekend, and then if you like it either keep the standalone ship or get a cross chassis upgrade to save and apply later. If you really like the M50, apply it to your LTI aurora. If you like it enough to keep, apply it to your bonus aurora (or another stock Aurora). If you don't like it at all, melt the M50 standalone for some other ship or save the credits for the November megasale. I may purchases CC upgrades, but I'm not even considering applying them to my LTI ship until more information comes out (or at least till they're in Arena Commander), because unless you make a plea to customer service, I think the upgrades are permanent.

 

[Bastion]

What mustang pack comes with an Aurora? The ones with the AMD cards?

If you're only going to have one ship with LTI, I feel like I'd want that to be my most expensive/versatile ship though. Are you able to play Arena commander? I was thinking perhaps you buy the standalone M50 (non-LTI) ship to play around with it this weekend, and then if you like it either keep the standalone ship or get a cross chassis upgrade to save and apply later. If you really like the M50, apply it to your LTI aurora. If you like it enough to keep, apply it to your bonus aurora (or another stock Aurora). If you don't like it at all, melt the M50 standalone for some other ship or save the credits for the November megasale. I may purchases CC upgrades, but I'm not even considering applying them to my LTI ship until more information comes out (or at least till they're in Arena Commander), because unless you make a plea to customer service, I think the upgrades are permanent.

Yup! I have the AMD Mustang(Racing Variant with Black/red paint job) which comes with an Aurora MR from the Gold Radeon Rewards.
Yeah I was thinking versatility would be good, something like a freelancer(Because... it's a freelancer). I can play arena commander, I never thought about buying, then melting later if i dont like it. Thanks for that awesome idea! What is the November megasale? I haven't heard of it at all.

 

[Groundstain]

I just burned the standard 300 for a 350r. I also made sure it was a package, so that I can have a full crew for my biggest ship that I can customize and not need to hire.

 

[Walex]

Yup! I have the AMD Mustang(Racing Variant with Black/red paint job) which comes with an Aurora MR from the Gold Radeon Rewards.

Nice! Sadly, I'm not sure I'll be getting a new video card (s) in time for the AMD sale. But that's a great intro, Limited Mustang + Fancy Crashing Vehicle!

Yeah I was thinking versatility would be good, something like a freelancer(Because... it's a freelancer). I can play arena commander, I never thought about buying, then melting later if i dont like it. Thanks for that awesome idea! What is the November megasale? I haven't heard of it at all.

No problem, just remember than melting something that is no longer available (like an M50 package, or a 300i -> 300R upgrade) won't allow you to purchase it again. I've gotten in the (bad) habit of purchasing the limited upgrades like the (Freelancer MIS and Constellation Phoenix, unfortunately missed the Super Hornet) even if I don't have the exact ships needed to upgrade just because I want the option to upgrade as more things are revealed.

Last year in November, to commemorate the 1 year of the Kickstarter and such, there was a big sale of a lot of limited ships. For original and veteran backers it was their last chance to purchase new ships with LTI. Lots of Orig/Vet backers also were able to confer that benefit to new users. I took the opportunity to upgrade my Aurora to a better package.

Larger ships that have not been available any time in the past year (Banu MerchantMan, Drake Interplanetary Caterpillar, Starfarer, Gladiator, and Retaliator) were available to purchase during that anniversary sale, and with LTI! People on the grey market have been making bank selling these limited LTI ships all this year. The Xi'an Scout appeared back in the store this spring, but without LTI.

So the prediction is that almost every ship and variant except for the Scythe and the Idris will be placed back in the store for a limited time sale. But none of them will have LTI this go around, and they will be more expensive than last year's pricing.

I'm saving, but personally, I think Chris Roberts would like to see us all make charitable donations before the Winter Steam Sale. :D

 

[SeungRyul]

I'd love a super hornet but that isn't going to happen anytime soon(Because its not available), so im thinking one of the limited ships perhaps?

I was in the same boat and wanted to upgrade to Super Hornet, I just ended up upgrading to the 350r for now as it can be easily upgraded to Hornet for an additional $10. You get to be awesome at races and you don't lose anything in the long term as you can easily upgrade again to the Super Hornet once it becomes available again.