Pilot Archive

Vaksai *can* be a rough mission, or it *can* be an easy mission. If you take the time to go back and find some threads about the mission, you may learn some interesting tips (that don't *really* need to be rehashed). Having flown a Vak around for the last few days, I have mixed feelings about it. Still one weapon slot, but with the worst firing spread I've had to deal with in a long time. All the mass in the world has a hard time making up for that, in my opinion.

I typically recommend trying the Vette mission while flying whatever ship you are comfortable flying, rather than forcing yourself to fly something you can't handle as well. As this sounds like your first Pilot "Ace," you might want one or more experienced (multiple Vette convoy kills) Pilots out there helping you.

If you have contacts on the ground, or a lot of credits, look into what it takes to aquire a Belbullab. Also, you can pick up a JSF if you are able to get into the Imperial Ground Army. Both ships are quite nice, though the JSF is a one time only Quest reward, while the Bel is loot drop in the form of a deed.

Good luck with it all,
Shona

To the OP- The amount of lag and time of day you try these missions can matter a lot. If the t4 Specialists are taking too long, then I had little problems by simply ignoring them. They are 1 gun fast fliers and wont do significant damage to your escort target, while the other rocket bearing foes can, so if they take too long, let them be.

To Shona- The spread takes getting used to, no argument, but its nowhere near as bad as an ARC or theoutboard gunsof a Krayt. The more I fly mine the better I get, and I still need to recite to myself, "it's meant for PvP" every so often. Great ship in its role, and takes nowhere near as much acclimation time as some other ships *cough* Bwing *cough*

I haven't given up on the Vaksai, just not as thrilled with it as I'd have liked to be (considering I'm still a fan of the Kihraxz). I refuse to fly a Krayt, and have not yet aquired an ARC, so those comparisons don't hit home for me.

Shona

Also, yes, disable is your friend, and the Rihx is a very good ship, you just need to throttle down and have an engine with good PYR. If you've ever tried a Y-Wing with Tier 2-3 components, you won't knock the Rihx, BELIEVE me...

Many people from all Factions like the JSF and Belbullab, so I'll skip those.

Dunelizard is often the favorite among Pilots who prefer light fighters. Two weapon slots with the mass to get pretty decent weapons attached, with handling better than all but a few other Freelance ships, kept the Duney a popular ships (especially pre-RotW).

Heavy Scyk (and Vaksai) has taken the light fighter spot for some Freelancers. The extra mass and superb handling, along with smaller hit profile, comes at the price of only one weapon slot.

Kimo/Rihkxyrk is often used as a PvE heavy fighter/bomber for people who have not ''Ace'd'' yet. The mass and abundant weapon slots make them very potent against predictable AI, regardless of the enormous hit profile and poor handling.

Krayt is often a post-Ace heavy fighter/bomber workhorse. More mass and better handling than either the Kimo or Rihk typically leads to replacing those ships with this one. It may have one of the best handling-to-mass ratios of all pre-RotW ships, and no 'new' Freelance ship can really come close to the firepower potential.

Ixiyen is a PvE compromise for those pre-Ace Pilots who want more mass than a Duney but better handling than a Kimo or Rihk.


Personally, I fell in the Dunelizard group pre-RotW, and I am still deciding what ships will make the list for the future. I enjoy light fighters and do not get the kind of pleasure from heavies, so I still stay away from the Krayt (which puts me into the minority), but I do love to take my YT-1300 out for a spin.

Shona

I still really like my Dune Lizard. Another good choice would be the Grivious fighter. It'll dogfight better than the heavy Syk, and has 90k mass.