Pirate

Template:RoleInfobox Pirates are NPCs and players who take cargo from other pilots for monetary gain. The philosophy of pirates in Elite is one of simplicity, and draws on the fear of total loss of ship and cargo from attacking players. Pilots either drop some of their cargo to meet the demands of the pirate, or risk death and complete loss of expensive cargo and a pricey insurance payment. In Elite, most pirates only seek cargo and do not actively engage for PvP kills; though will not hesitate to attack if pilots do not cooperate. Pirates may use any number of activities to assert dominance over the situation and persuade the target into cooperation, (i.e.- 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. Generally pirates will leave players unharmed if their demands are satisfied, although 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 known for doing so. These pirates will become known as "player killers," and pilots will be less likely to cooperate, instead attempting to escape to the death leaving the pirate with nothing. It is therefore beneficial to long-term success as a pirate to be careful in what actions are taken and to hold to their word if a promise of no harm is made.

Those engaging in piracy attack other ships for their cargo for a monetary profit, with few other reasons for doing so. Pirates operate anywhere in the Elite universe, but low-security systems where system security and defenses are weak or absent are the most lucrative for pirates. Pirating is mostly seen in Anarchy systems, or systems where the minor faction in charge is an Anarchy Government. Most pirating takes places in Anarchy systems as it avoids the attacking pirate gaining a bounty, and avoids response from system security NPCs. It's also worth noting that if the last station you were docked is owned by a minor faction you have, or gain, a bounty with, you'll respawn at that station and have to pay that bounty off if you're destroyed. Thus keeping your last dock at a station in Anarchy space is preferred.

Pirating requires the use of several specific modules to operate successfully. Being able to track down targets between systems requires the use of a Wake Scanner. Pirates must also be able to force targets out of supercruise with the use of a Frame Shift Drive Interdictor. Next, a pirate must be able to assertain what kind, if any, cargo the ship is carrying, requiring the use of a Cargo Scanner. Without a cargo scanner, a pirate has no way to tell whether a pilot is carrying anything of value, or telling the truth about the type and amount of cargo they are carrying. A pirate then has to be able to obtain the cargo, by force if necessary. This means directly damaging the target's cargo hatch, or using Hatch Breaker Limpets. Lastly, a pirate must have Cargo Racks equipped to hold any looted cargo; Collector Limpets may be used to more efficiently pick up dumped cargo. Being able to effectively do these tasks means the difference between being successful and making a profit, or becoming broke. It also means pirates must carefully choose their ship. Proper ship choice is key to a pirate, as proper offensive and defensive capability is needed, high enough speed to not be outrun by typical cargo vessels is a necessity, and the internal space to carry all modules and cargo racks required is needed.

One of the most common methods of pirating involves staying in supercruise at a low speed around a Nav Beacon waiting for players to jump into a system, then using a Frame Shift Drive Interdictor to force targets out of supercruise. Once a target has been interdicted and their cargo scanned, the pirate has numerous options available to them. The pirate can start simply by directly talking to the player; the player may already know they can not out-run or out-gun the pirate and quickly hand over some cargo and move on. The pirate can choose to attack, damaging 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 looses; once cargo stops, you can begin to attack the cargo hatch again. Hatch breaker limpets may be used on their own, or in tandem with attack on the cargo hatch - the time needed to hack the cargo hold is related to the health of the target's cargo hatch module. Traders may often 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 prevent this, and gives you more bargaining power by letting the player know you know what they are hauling and what you want ahead of time.

As of Patch 1.5, Pirating in Elite was overhauled and the definition of "piracy" broadened. Previously, the term "Pirate" was normally reserved only for players who would actively seek out and prey on other CMDRs hauling valuable cargo, as well as the generic term for any Wanted NPCs that interdict players and that populate Nav Beacons, R.E.S., USS sites, and other locations. After the changes implemented in 1.5, NPC ships entering and leaving stations now carry cargo more reflective of each station's Economy and its respective Imports and Exports. These NPC ships may also carry an array of expensive rare commodities such as Scientific Samples. This means that players can now choose to pirate the shipping lanes between wealthy stations and outposts that import or export expensive goods - sometimes even laying in wait just beyond No Fire Zones of stations or following the wakes of trade ships. New and updated piracy missions were also added to the Bulletin Board. These changes provided a more open-ended path with more choices for player's choosing piracy. Players can now engage in a form of piracy that is reliable, lucrative, and well-paying without having to rely on only attacking other players directly; this also had a secondary effect of lessening the social stigma and impact of the term "Pirate." As it's possible to carry out the activities of a pirate without having to attack other players many are more likely openly admit to pirating, leading to open discussion about the profession between players and helping to further piracy as a career. Piracy has become a more lucrative career choice with the potential for a much larger income less reliant on PvP than it had been previously.

Avoiding becoming a victim of piracy is helped by knowing how pirates operate, using defensive techniques, and a bit of luck. Avoiding high risk systems, traveling in wings, using mines to deter pursuing ships, becoming efficient in breaking frame shift interdiction, knowing the mechanics of the game (i.e.- submitting to interdiction means a faster FSD cooldown time then failing to avoid interdiction) and utilizing developed PvP techniques and tricks to try and circumvent and outmaneuver pirates all help in reducing risk and maintaining ownership of all your cargo. Also, just as dishonorable pirates become well-known, dishonorable players who use exploits such as combat-logging become just as well known for such acts, and may even be reported.

Things to remember about pirates

• Pirates are often accused of being griefers. While the victim of any pirate attack may view such actions as griefing, the pirate(s) will view the same situation as their normal routine.
• If a pirate is an NPC in a better ship than you, run. Also if you dump a small amount of cargo they will stop to pick it up.
• If it's a player in a better, faster ship they will know the tricks to not letting you get away and will likely blow your rear off. Better to meet their demands (or run anyway if they are the shoot first kind).
• There's such a thing as a good pirate, he isn't a good person but he's good at what he does. If he talks to you: listen, if you run or shoot first you will likely die.
• A good pirate knows that if he kills you after you have given up cargo, you will likely add him to his ignore list. That is bad for his long term profits so he shouldn't kill you if you give up cargo.
• Keep an eye on the comms.
• If you are a pirate give the ultimatum "Kill your engines or I'll kill you." before asking for cargo as zeroing your thrust is easier to do than dropping cargo so they are more likely to do it. From there you have the time to talk it over.
• Combat Logging to avoid getting killed will get you reported and your account warned and possibly name-shamed on public sites.