Pilot Levelling Tips

[Hansuki]

Lvl 3 pilot, trying to get to 4 today so I can customize my ship finally. I understand it's achievement based, but some of the pilot achievements are really unfair, like win 10 matches with the goldfish. I hate the goldfish, switched to the Junker almost immediately and started winning way more games. I have 9 wins with my junker now, but NONE count toward the junker achievement, because I haven't unlocked it - I need to get those goldfish wins first apparently.

Then there are some seemingly high numbers like Shake 40 spots. I guess I've done 10 already for the first achievement, but it just seems like I'll have to play 50+ games before get any of these done. And as a pilot, how the heck am I supposed to get 20 cannonade kills for the second achievement in that teir (the first being do 10 dmg with the gatling gun, which was hilariously easy) when I have to fly the ship? Doesn't that seem really counter-intuitive for the new player?

Not complaining - loving the game - I just want some advice on what achievements to prioritize, so that I can get out of novice and start playing the real game with a ship of my own customization.

[☸ mezhu]

You don't need level 4 to start customizing your ship. You can play non-novice games as a level 3, where everything's available.
Yes, many achievements are pretty unfair and a few make no sense whatsoever. Focus on learning and enjoying the game and achievements will start doing themselves

edit: any pilot achievement that has a (crew) suffix doesn't require you to do whatever's asked yourself- any crew member doing it would count

[Hansuki]

Here are my available achievements:
Uncharted territory - requires 7 capture points and novice players cant play CP
Now you see me - shake 40 spots; reasonable if time consuming
Hot air - destroy 20 ballons with carronade(crew) PROBLEM: novice players are restricted to preset loadouts, none of which contain the carronade (that I can see, please correct me if I'm wrong)
Gone fishing - win 8/destroy 16 goldfish(crew), probably doable
Tongue lashing - 100 parts with flamethrower (crew), limits you to the goldfish or preset C of the Prym
Killing me softly - win CPs, as before, cannot novice players cant make/join CP games
Fighting fish - win 10 games with the goldfish :( I'd hate to have to do this
Dust in the wind - Win 5 matches in Dunes, again, novice players cant go there.
Focused fire - locked until level 5

So 5/9 achievements CANNOT be done as a novice player playing againsn't other novice players. The remaining four practically force me into playing as the goldfish (and winning). Seems like a poorly thought out progression system, for pilots anyway - my friends dont seem to have this problem with the gunner and engi classes.

[Alistair MacBain]

I am not sure but i think labyrinth is available for novice games. That would be a capture the point.
Dunes is enabled for sure so that achievment would be possible too.
Then there is the goldfish with a heavy carronade on the front. That build is quite easy to fly and works. And it will finish your achievment really fast.
A Flamer is a secondary weapon and it will set you fires quite fast. You probably finish it in 2-3 games.
The reason why you have to fly the goldfish for some of the starting achievments that its quite easy to fly it. Its one of the easiest ships and doesnt need alot to learn to do decent with.

But still. You arent restricted to novice games. You can decide to hop out of novice games at any point. Just go to the matchlist and set the filter for novice to no.

[Billdog]

I've never come across labrynth in novice.

[Alistair MacBain]

Ok then i was wrong with this.

[Alistair MacBain]

It is possible. Just saw a novice match with labyrinth as map. So it is possible.

[Hansuki]

Possible, though few novice players seem to join/create anything other then deathmatch. I did manage to play one time however.

I've done the achievements to get to rank 4 now (RAMMING SPEED XD) - thanks for the tips. If any other new pilots read this, best advice is to stick with that Goldfish loadout with the carronade, as mentioned above, to move up faster than I did.