Pirate: Difference between revisions

| suggestedupgrades = [[Hatch Breaker Drone]]; [[Cargo Scanner]]; [[Frame Shift Drive Interdictor|FSD Interdictor]]; [[Cargo Rack]]s; [[Collector Drone]]; [[Frame Shift Wake Scanner]]

Piracy requires the use of several specific [[modules]] to operate successfully. Being able to track down targets between systems requires a [[Frame Shift Wake Scanner|Wake Scanner]]. Pirates must force targets out of [[supercruise]] with a [[Frame Shift Drive Interdictor]]. Next, a pirate must be able to ascertain what kind, if any, cargo the ship is carrying. This requires a [[Cargo Scanner|Cargo Scanner.]] Without that a pirate has no way to tell whether a pilot has value cargo or the type and amount of cargo. Then a pirate must obtain the cargo, by force if necessary. This means directly [[Weapons|damaging]] the target's [[Cargo Hatch|cargo hatch]], or by using [[Hatch Breaker Limpet Controller|Hatch Breaker Limpets]]. Lastly, a pirate's ship must be equipped with [[Cargo Rack|Cargo Racks]] to hold the looted cargo. [[Limpet Controller/Collector|Collector Limpets]] can be used to more efficiently pick up disposed cargo. Doing these tasks effectively determines whether you make profit.  

NPC ships that enter and leave stations carry cargo reflective of the station's economy. The respective imports and exports are based on the system state and the [[background simulation]]. The NPC ships may also carry an array of expensive [[rare commodities]].<ref name=":0">http://imgur.com/zZOHoOp</ref> Thus players can pirate the shipping lanes between wealthy [[station|stations]] and [[outpost|outposts]] that import or export expensive goods. Such as wait just beyond No Fire Zones of stations or follow the wakes of haulers.

One of the most common methods of piracy involves staying in [[supercruise]] at a low speed around a [[Nav Beacon]] while waiting for players to jump into a system, then use a [[Frame Shift Drive Interdictor]] to force targets out of supercruise. Once a target has been interdicted and their cargo is scanned, the pirate has numerous options. The pirate can start simply by directly talking to the player with the [[Comms|Comms Panel]] or a microphone. The target player may already realize they cannot outrun or outgun the pirate and quickly hand over some cargo before moving on. The pirate can choose to attack, damage the cargo hatch until cargo is ejected. Once cargo begins to eject (module ~75-80% health), it is advised to stop shooting, as further damage will not change how much cargo the ship loses. Once cargo stops, you can attack the cargo hatch again. [[Hatch Breaker Limpet Controller|Hatch breaker limpets]] can be used separately or while attacking the cargo hatch. The time needed to hack the cargo hold is related to the health of the target's cargo hatch module. [[Trader|Traders]] may jettison cheaper cargo first to draw attention away from themselves and attempt to jump to [[hyperspace]] before jettisoning more expensive cargo. A cargo scanner helps to prevent this and it gives you more bargaining power by telling the player that you know what they have and what your demands are ahead of time.

It's possible to pirate players without using [[Hatch Breaker Limpet Controller|Hatch Breaker Limpets.]] This frees a module slot for something else or use a ship with a more limited number of internals. This approach relies on the target manually ejecting some cargo after the pirate makes demands over the [[Comms]].

Shooting at players may send them into panic mode, especially if they have not encountered player piracy before. Try mass-locking and using [[Comms]] first.

Event Pirates are more predictable and very common for traders. There are two kinds; ones chasing your cargo and assassins hired to kill you. The former can be generated any time you enter [[Supercruise]] or jump to a new system. They can be easily identified since they always hail the player for their large cargo hold before interdiction. Cargo delivery [[missions]] also generate them occasionally. You will often be told by your [[mission]] employer that they are coming. These pirates are always scaled to the player they are hunting; a [[Sidewinder]] will be attacked by other Sidewinders, [[Eagle MkII|Eagles]] and occasionally [[Adder|Adders]]. Their rank is always one or two levels higher than yours. [[Assassin|Assassins]] function mostly the same, but are much more dangerous. For one they do not care for your cargo and will attack as soon as they interdict. They also generally fly better ships than typical NPC pirates. These can spawn during a mission and you will receive a message about their arrival and attack and will gain a bonus if you can eliminate them. They spawn on rare occasions for delivering data and other legal non-cargo missions. Like other pirates, they always have a bounty and it scales with their rank and ship.  

Supply runs, where you source a designated amount of cargo, have a rather deadly quirk. Unlike assassins, these missions commonly spawn pirates, a 70% chance per mission. Furthermore, these pirates have a higher level than assassins. For example, a [[Type-9]] normally encounters ships such as [[Viper|Vipers]] and on very rare occasions [[Python|Pythons]]. While pirates for these missions very commonly fly [[Anaconda|Anacondas. T]]hey have a very high rank such as Elite while the player is as low as Competent. It's advised to take serious caution on these missions and don't take them in bulk. Note that [[Wing Missions|wing missions]] don't have this issue.

* Travel in [[wing|wings]].

<references />[[Category:Guides]]