Starter ship for a first timer

[Starooqi]

Hello all,

I just joined the forum and just starting my Star Citizen journey. I have read a number of conversations in this forum and seen a lot of videos on SC. I have a question for members here:

Per my research, the recommended starter is Aegis Titan. There is also Nomad. Nomad probably offers more game loops for a new player versus Titan can offer better combat capability. Also, there are recommendations for Cutlass Black.

I am a complete noob but hope to stay for the long term. Plan to spend up to Cutlass Black cost if needed but not sure. I know that once in a while there is a wipe and players start from scratch with the ship that was bought in the RSI shop. I know I can save in-game money and buy larger and more capable ships. I will get better by playing overtime. Hence trying to figure out whether buy AT or Nomad or CB to start off so that I am set for the long run. Even then I will probably for the following route based on current packages available: 100i > Titan > CB or Nomad > CB.

I will probably play all the above ships before upgrading to feel them before upgrading them. If I go the Nomad way I save a few more start-up dollars versus 100i if I upgrade to CB. Here are the options:

1. Buy 100i and upgrade to Titan and do not do any further upgrade and just buy ships in-game because I always want to start with every new iteration with Titan because it is the best starter. Titan will be the long-term starter.
2. Buy Nomad and sit tight because it is the best starter with more game loops compared to Titan. Upgrade in-game as I see fit. Nomad will be a long-term starter.
3. Buy 100i and upgrade to Titan and then CB. CB will be a future long-term starter.
4. Buy Nomad and upgrade to CB. CB will be a long-term starter. (Save a few bucks)

I intend to focus mostly PvE with occasional PvP play as I get better in flying and combat. Do bounty missions and freighting/mining. Adjust as I get comfortable with what I enjoy most in the game.

I know this is a lot but appreciate your feedback.

Thanks.

 

[Talonsbane]

Greetings @Starooqi & welcome to the TEST party.

I'm just starting to wake up, so I'm probably confusing myself, but are you asking which starter pack to get to start playing the game or do you already have a starter pack & you've looking for answers for your next ship step upwards?

IF you already have a starter pack & you're looking to figure out which of these suits you best, check the TEST Discord & Guilded for members that are on. Many of us have 1 or more of these in our hangars & would be happy to log on to let you TEST out the ships in game so that you can see which works best for you currently.

IF you haven't purchased a starter game package yet, then my honest opinion is to wait until either there is a Free Fly Event going on, then do the above, followed by waiting until either the Invictus Launch Week at the end of May or for the Interstellar Aerospace Expo which happens the last week or so of Nov for you to get the best deals on ships as well as getting the most ship insurance for it in the process as an added bonus.

Either way, my overall advice is to start off aiming low with real currency & then as you become increasingly happy with the game & development, figure out where you want to go from there.

 

[FZD]

If you absolutely want to get a pack right now, the 30% discounted 100i pack is probably the best starting point, as 100i is $50 ship value for upgrading purposes, while the Aurora MR is $30. (So to upgrade to Avenger titan, you'd need just $5 from 100i while you need $25 from Aurora MR)

However, I got to agree with @Talosbane, it'd be better to wait for a free fly. The next one is Invictus Launch Week in May. There's two reasons for why you should wait:
Probably wider variety of discounted packages, warbond CCUs, etc. to plan with. I mean, probably no bigger discounts than currently, but like maybe a few more to choose from.
Could be a better joining bonus. At around free flies there is usually the sort of promotion that, if you use a referral code ( something like STAR-6LVP-XJ6F ) and spend over $50, both you and the person whose referral code you used get an extra ship. A very very cheap one, like a P-52 Merlin snub with upgrade value of $25, BUT it is something extra, so that's nice.

Oh, and during these promotions, you'll probably get a longer term insurance, though nobody really knows what that will eventually mean exactly.
And I suppose getting to try how your computer runs the game wouldn't be a bad idea either, though freeflies usually have terrible performance because the servers are overloaded with people.

 

[White Lando]

Sounds like you already have a sound plan to me!

The Titan is my favorite starter ship if combat capability is a priority.

 

[Vavrik]

I intend to focus mostly PvE with occasional PvP play as I get better in flying and combat. Do bounty missions and freighting/mining. Adjust as I get comfortable with what I enjoy most in the game.

I'd say put mining in the back burner for now, and work toward earning enough in game to buy a prospector in game so it doesn't cost anything except time.

I would also say put Item 2 in your list to bed. The Nomad is a better freighter than a Titan, but not better than a Cutlass Black, and both are better choices than the Nomad in combat. The Titan is a good fun ship to start with and you can figure things out with that ship, and you could always upgrade it to Cutlass Black... but...
Don't feel that you need to upgrade right now. Get a feel for the game first, then as @FZD says you can buy something you really want during one of the sales, and perhaps get a better deal.

 

[Starooqi]

If you absolutely want to get a pack right now, the 30% discounted 100i pack is probably the best starting point, as 100i is $50 ship value for upgrading purposes, while the Aurora MR is $30. (So to upgrade to Avenger titan, you'd need just $5 from 100i while you need $25 from Aurora MR)

However, I got to agree with @Talosbane, it'd be better to wait for a free fly. The next one is Invictus Launch Week in May. There's two reasons for why you should wait:
Probably wider variety of discounted packages, warbond CCUs, etc. to plan with. I mean, probably no bigger discounts than currently, but like maybe a few more to choose from.
Could be a better joining bonus. At around free flies there is usually the sort of promotion that, if you use a referral code ( something like STAR-6LVP-XJ6F ) and spend over $50, both you and the person whose referral code you used get an extra ship. A very very cheap one, like a P-52 Merlin snub with upgrade value of $25, BUT it is something extra, so that's nice.

Oh, and during these promotions, you'll probably get a longer term insurance, though nobody really knows what that will eventually mean exactly.
And I suppose getting to try how your computer runs the game wouldn't be a bad idea either, though freeflies usually have terrible performance because the servers are overloaded with people.

Yeah I have been thinking about that. I do want to start now because that is probably at least 2 months away. I am thinking to go with Option 1 and upgrade to Titan for 5 bucks. Learn the game in the following months and then purchase any deal if it makes sense in May. I can choose to keep the deal or melt my TItan to upgrade the new purchase.

If I do not do this I will have nothing to do for 2 months while I wait. Unless there are further suggestions that I am missing.

I am already appreciating the support I am getting. Joining the forum was the right idea no matter what.

What is the Discord server link? I can join that too.

 

[DrunkSpacePeej]

If you do want to jump on board now, I believe there is a refund period of a couple weeks or so if you decide the game isn't for you.

Discord is https://discord.testsquadron.com/

 

[Dirtbag_Leader]

Per my research, the recommended starter is Aegis Titan.

YES! Titan is always the correct answer to this question. The next step *after* that is where things start to get complicated. But don't worry about that until you've covered some good ground both in Arena Commander and in the 'Verse with the Titan. AC capability is the reason I maintain Titan > Nomad, plus with the current state you can use the Titan to grind bounties for the ~1M you need to buy the Nomad in-game pretty easily.

 

[Talonsbane]

YES! Titan is always the correct answer to this question.

Silly me, I always thought the correct answers were either beer or Aurora. Or enjoying beer IN an Aurora. Cheers!

 

[vahadar]

Welcome Starooqi !

My advice, try all 3 ships. Use them for extended time doing various things.
They are all 3 great jack of all trades, Cutlass and Nomad being able to carry small vehicle (Roc, bike..).

Also you can ask ppl on Discord if they can lend you the ship for you to try, add me ingame (vahadar) if you want to try them all.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

All the ship choices you're considering are poor combat choices, made so you can do both combat and hauling. I recommend you wait 2 weeks to do any significant combat and start with a 315i. Depending upon the time you have, you can easily earn half million aUEC/day flying the 890 Jump mission. I would focus on that and forget hauling. You can kill 2 NPC CBs with ease in a 315, well befoe you learn anything about combat.

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

Open Letter to Tiara

T, I’ll give you a short answer and then a long one. Short answer is, I am not the person to ask. There are many extremely sharp players in game that have played hours each day for years. With this comes the kind of experience needed to answer your questions about starting. I suggest jointing...

testsquadron.com

 

[FZD]

Yeah I have been thinking about that. I do want to start now because that is probably at least 2 months away. I am thinking to go with Option 1 and upgrade to Titan for 5 bucks. Learn the game in the following months and then purchase any deal if it makes sense in May. I can choose to keep the deal or melt my TItan to upgrade the new purchase.

If I do not do this I will have nothing to do for 2 months while I wait. Unless there are further suggestions that I am missing.

I am already appreciating the support I am getting. Joining the forum was the right idea no matter what.

What is the Discord server link? I can join that too.

Oh, uhm, not to sound like super ominous or anything, buuuut 2 months waiting and Star Citizen is like no time at all. I mean, I joined the SC community in 2014 (And TEST in 2016)... That is to say, we do a lot of waiting around here.

But yeah, I understand wanting to have a go at it right away. That 100i package is a good deal, I'd start with that. Then up that to Avenger, which is a nice little ship and all, I flew that in the beginning as well. One ship I'd consider also, is as @Shadow Reaper suggested, the 315p. It has 12 SCU cargo capacity and is quite fast. A pathfinder ship, which I do believe is an alternative spelling for smuggler. I mean, at least that's what I do with it. It's upgrade value is $65, so you can upgrade a Titan to it, and if you don't like it, you can turn it into a Nomad, so it's definitely worth checking out if you wanna go upwards from a Titan. It has less firepower than a titan though. But I just love how luxurious 315p is. It's always nice climbing up to it.

So all in all, I'd
1. Get the discounted 100i package
2. Test the 100i for a while
3. Upgrade to Avenger Titan. Fly that for a few months or however long you'd like.
4. If you wanna go upwards, get a 315p. See how you like that.
5. If you wanna go upwards, checkout Arrow or Reliant Tana, they're both $75 upgrade value so you got to choose one.
6. Still can turn that to Nomad, as it's $80 and a $5 difference in value is all you need to be able to CCU.

My point is, do a smaller CCUs, you get to try out more ships that way. And like, $5 or $10 dollars every few months fits in any budget way better than going straight for $100 Cutlass Black. If you find out that in the end, you really liked Avenger Titan the best, you can always just melt the whole thing and use a buyback token to go back to 100i and then upgrade to Avenger Titan again. Though you can't get the extra store credit turned back to cash, you can use that on a bike or a paint or something.

 

[BUTUZ]

My advice is don't go crazy a nice avenger titan would be a great ship for anyone to earn their first million in

 

[Richard Bong]

Hello all,

I just joined the forum and just starting my Star Citizen journey. I have read a number of conversations in this forum and seen a lot of videos on SC. I have a question for members here:

Per my research, the recommended starter is Aegis Titan. There is also Nomad. Nomad probably offers more game loops for a new player versus Titan can offer better combat capability. Also, there are recommendations for Cutlass Black.

I am a complete noob but hope to stay for the long term. Plan to spend up to Cutlass Black cost if needed but not sure. I know that once in a while there is a wipe and players start from scratch with the ship that was bought in the RSI shop. I know I can save in-game money and buy larger and more capable ships. I will get better by playing overtime. Hence trying to figure out whether buy AT or Nomad or CB to start off so that I am set for the long run. Even then I will probably for the following route based on current packages available: 100i > Titan > CB or Nomad > CB.

I will probably play all the above ships before upgrading to feel them before upgrading them. If I go the Nomad way I save a few more start-up dollars versus 100i if I upgrade to CB. Here are the options:

1. Buy 100i and upgrade to Titan and do not do any further upgrade and just buy ships in-game because I always want to start with every new iteration with Titan because it is the best starter. Titan will be the long-term starter.
2. Buy Nomad and sit tight because it is the best starter with more game loops compared to Titan. Upgrade in-game as I see fit. Nomad will be a long-term starter.
3. Buy 100i and upgrade to Titan and then CB. CB will be a future long-term starter.
4. Buy Nomad and upgrade to CB. CB will be a long-term starter. (Save a few bucks)

I intend to focus mostly PvE with occasional PvP play as I get better in flying and combat. Do bounty missions and freighting/mining. Adjust as I get comfortable with what I enjoy most in the game.

I know this is a lot but appreciate your feedback.

Thanks.

I would start with an Aurora, Mustang or Avenger Titan, and earn ships in game from there. :) Learn from my mistakes. :)

I would also recommend waiting until Invictus Launch Week so you get 10 years of Insurance for your game package. Though you can usually cash in your package and pick up another, with better insurance during ILW or IAE.

 

[Stevetank]

Honestly a lot of those lower end ships are pretty good for playing the game. Heck, I have over 50 ships and I still fly my Nomad and Cutlass around for shopping trips, bunker missions, and to help that poor 890 Jump.

As some have said, these beginner ships are not the best in combat but they are still fine for learning the basics. They still beat NPCs if you have the skills.

Here's an Avenger vs a Hammerhead NPC

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5U-aMTvCQI


My favorite ships are the all rounder ships. These are ships that can do just about anything. These are the Avenger Titan, Nomad, Cutlass Black, and Taurus, Caterpillar. The last 4 even have tractor beams for later when that becomes a game feature. They all can fight NPCs but aren't the best for PvP unless you are really skilled. Ships with turrets do better with turret gunners.

I recommend getting the Avenger Titan to explore the verse and just buy the rest in game with in game currency. You can rent a few ships like the Cutlass Black and see if you like it before you buy. You can even ask in chat if someone has a ship you want to buy so you can borrow it for a bit. There are a lot of people who will let you just borrow their expensive ships.

 

[Starooqi]

I got a pretty good road map based on the above. I don't mind spending a few bucks. For me time is money. Therefore for a few buck investment, I would rather start early and get some experience. I feel that if I like what I am doing I will end up investing more to support the game. If I don't, the initial investment of a good dinner will have provided me with significant hours of entertainment and I would still walk away happy.

Love the commentary and different perspectives. I am looking forward to hanging out with you guys. (Maybe for another 10 years before this game is complete. Lol)

 

[Richard Bong]

I got a pretty good road map based on the above. I don't mind spending a few bucks. For me time is money. Therefore for a few buck investment, I would rather start early and get some experience. I feel that if I like what I am doing I will end up investing more to support the game. If I don't, the initial investment of a good dinner will have provided me with significant hours of entertainment and I would still walk away happy.

Love the commentary and different perspectives. I am looking forward to hanging out with you guys. (Maybe for another 10 years before this game is complete. Lol)

10 years? Now that seems to be a bit optimistic.

 

[Talonsbane]

That is to say, we do a lot of waiting around here.

We also do a lot of other things like consuming beverages, theory crafting & shit posting. There's always something to do somewhere if you look around enough or are creative enough to keep yourself entertained. Cheers!

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

Welcome aboard!

My advice is Fly Before You Buy - there are TESTies who will more than happily lend you their ships to play in and you can also rent ships from the major starports in game to have a try in without having to spend real cash and then find you are not a fan of the ship.

Two warnings:
1) Don't get too attached to a certain ships flight or other characteristics. Everything is in flux and things about your favoured ride could change even after the game has launched in the name of balance.
2) Try not to fly anything you are not willing to pledge on. Don't want to spend over a starter ship? Only try out the starter ships. You'd be willing to go up to and including a Cutlass/Freelancer? Try that and things below it out.

Oooh, and there are also ship showrooms in the game you can get yourself a nice craft with in-game earned UEC so you don't have to spend more than your game package, really. Just beware earning/buying ships at present, occasionally there are database wipes (intentional and necessary for game dev) which strip your in-game progress, but eventually a ship purchased in game will be just as yours as one bought from the Pledge Store.

I think everyone else has said this already but never was one to be late to a party and not enjoy myself :-D

 

[Bambooza]

Welcome aboard!

My advice is Fly Before You Buy - there are TESTies who will more than happily lend you their ships to play in and you can also rent ships from the major starports in game to have a try in without having to spend real cash and then find you are not a fan of the ship.

Two warnings:
1) Don't get too attached to a certain ships flight or other characteristics. Everything is in flux and things about your favoured ride could change even after the game has launched in the name of balance.
2) Try not to fly anything you are not willing to pledge on. Don't want to spend over a starter ship? Only try out the starter ships. You'd be willing to go up to and including a Cutlass/Freelancer? Try that and things below it out.

Oooh, and there are also ship showrooms in the game you can get yourself a nice craft with in-game earned UEC so you don't have to spend more than your game package, really. Just beware earning/buying ships at present, occasionally there are database wipes (intentional and necessary for game dev) which strip your in-game progress, but eventually a ship purchased in game will be just as yours as one bought from the Pledge Store.

I think everyone else has said this already but never was one to be late to a party and not enjoy myself :-D

Ya, I agree to try to find your current perfect starter ship is like trying to surf a tornado. Unless your goal is to pick a ship that works well for the current build otherwise pick a ship that looks like something you would like to have a jpg of.