Viper Mk. 3 or Viper Mk. 4?

[Drunk Demoman]

So, I'm usually doing both cargo hauls and bounty missions, so I chose the Viper Mk. 3 and just added some cargo space (14 without fuel scoop, 12 with- depending on how much cargo I'm carrying and the distance)

I see that the Viper Mk. 4 is worse in every category except cargo space and hull integrity, so is it worth "upgrading" to the Mk. 4 or just keep the Mk.3 until I get enough credits to get something better? I'm at about 5M credits right now, so the Mk. 4 isn't really that much at 460k (130 if I trade in my Mk. 3)

[L37]

IMO for combat MK IV is straight downgrade from MK III. Same firepower with tiny bit of extra hull HP at a cost of reduced speed/maneuverability, which is arguably the most important thing for a small ship.
It is also MUCH more expensive when you look at (larger) core internals cost, not just hull cost.
It is better as multipurpose, obviously, but it might be a good idea to simply get another ship for non-combat purposes, like may be cobra MK III.

[Drunk Demoman]

Would it be worth just saving up instead for a large hauler in the future? Most of my missions are in the 300k range, so it shouldn't take too long to get enough credits for one- even with Mk. 3's horrid cargo space and average hardpoints.

[L37]

Well, for cargo you can just buy Type6. It is actually a decent ship, with good speed, jump range and cargo capacity for its price. Just entirely incapable of combat.
For combat... ViperIII is not bad. Its hardpoint/distibutor combination is as good as you can get for small fighters. Next noticable upgrade would probably be vulture.
If you want something multipurpose you are probably going to need at least asp explorer, which will cost a fair amount of money to buy and outfit, far more than 5M.

Also, ships in elite tend to be either geared towards specific role or capable of performing any role decently. Good multipurpose ships are few and far between, and more importantly - usually very expensive to outfit. Like you can probably make AspE good enough fighter to be comparable to vulture, but single shield generator from those AspE will cost about as much as whole vulture including hull and a set of A-grade components. Trying to use ships outside of their intended roles might sometimes work, but mostly will not, viperIII or vulture will never be good for hauling cargo, T6 will never be good for combat. So it is probably a good idea to decide what you really want to do before searching for your next upgrade.

[Crimson Echo]

Remember when trading in a ship you lose 10% of the hull value... Never fly with out a rebuy or several...

If you are hauling and doing combat the Cobra MK III is where it is at for small ships. The vipers are meant as pure combat ships that typically attack in groups (like the police vipers around stations.) There is always the option to switch between the viper and cobra as needed.


The Viper MK IV is intended as a hull tank, but is not as agile as the MK III. The two models are intended to coexist in their own niches. (they are simply two designs built on the same basic frame/hull.)

[Jeff Kaos]

I played for a really long time with a Viper Mk IV as my main ship. I mostly used it for hauling and courier missions. I ended up saving enough money to buy a Viper Mk III for bounty hunting and mercenary work. I don't think I would try to set it up to do both though. In the end I broke down and bought a Type-6 for hauling. I was reluctant because I liked that my Mk IV was much more combat worthy than the Type-6 and could break interdictions a lot easier. But truth be told I haven't really had an issue with it, I make way more money with the Type-6 and even with engineered FSD I spent less than 5 million credits on it. I kept the Mk III for combat but recently "side-graded" to an iCourier.

[Agony_Aunt]

I'd say the VM3 is better for bounty hunting while the VM4 is better for CZ. In CZs you need to be able to take a lot of punishment or avoid lots of hits. The VM4 can make a solid tank and its silly to try and make the VM3 into tank.

[MadArtillery]

You'll probably dislike the mk4, most people do, myself included my fiance, and everyone else who I've ever talked to that's flown it. Probably would make a better hauler though. Still if you want hybrid cargo combat ships saving up for a keelback would probably be a good idea. It's really good for bounty hunting, especially with the fighter bay, and it carries quite a bit because it's based off the type-6 dedicated hauler with a bunch of upgrades. It also fly's really well, those rotating thrusters are no joke, it'll always go exactly where you want without a lick of drift. Took a lot of practice to get back into other ships after flying it.

[A Bar of Soap]

Originally posted by MadArtillery:

You'll probably dislike the mk4, most people do, myself included my fiance, and everyone else who I've ever talked to that's flown it.

I love the Mk4. I enjoyed it way more than the Cobra Mk3 I switched from. Flew better and was a decent multi-purpose mission runner.