Pirate: Difference between revisions

Proper [[ship]] choice is key to a pirate. Proper offensive and defensive capabilities are needed. Sufficient speed is necessary to not be outrun by haulers and other vessels. The ship must have enough [[Internal Compartment|internal]] space to carry all [[modules]] and cargo racks.

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|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 [[Starport|Starports]] and [[Outpost]]s that import or export expensive goods, for instance waiting just beyond No Fire Zones of Stations or following the wakes of haulers.

[[Seeker Missile Rack|Seeker missiles]] and [[Missile Rack|dumbfire missiles]] are effective to disable drives. Alternatively, [[Cannon|cannons]] with [[High Yield Shell]]. The [[Krait MkII|krait MKII]] is good for piracy. It could be equipped with two seeker missile launchers and any laser weapons.

Piracy is possible at a [[station]] such as McArthur City in Kurughnaye 2 ''(250 ls)''.<ref>[https://www.edsm.net/en/system/stations/id/6650/name/Kurughnaye/details/idS/22169/nameS/McArthur+City EDSM McArthur City]</ref> The [[star system]] should be: government: anarchy, allegiance: independent, economy: industrial. This requires disabling ships while they arrive, but never shoot the station.

The philosophy of pirates in Elite is simplicity. It draws on the fear of total loss of a ship and cargo by the attacking pirate. Pilots either drop some of their cargo to meet the demands of the pirate, or risk destruction and the total loss of their cargo with a pricey insurance payment. Pirates may use any number of activities to assert dominance over the situation and persuade the target into cooperation, (e.g.- [[Mass Lock|mass locking]], proving faster speed, or showing superior firepower). Sometimes the simple presence of a large combat ship is enough to pressure a pilot into dumping some of their cargo. In Elite, most pirates only seek cargo and do not actively engage for PvP kills; though will attack if pilots do not cooperate.

Generally, pirates will leave players unharmed if their demands are satisfied. Some will still attack to kill afterwards. However, like any other flamboyant task, those who engage in piracy will start to become known among pilots and those who destroy their targets after receiving cargo will become infamous. Such pirates are known as "player killers," and pilots are less likely to cooperate. Instead, they will attempt to escape or die fighting which leaves the pirate with nothing. It is therefore beneficial to the long-term success as a pirate to be careful with actions and to keep their promise of no harm if they drop cargo.

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 realise 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]]s may jettison cheaper cargo first to draw attention away from themselves and attempt to jump to [[Hyperspace]] before jettisoning more expensive cargo. A Manifest 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.