Opinions are like Sidewinders, everyone's got one. To win a reward in this bounty, tell us which of Elite's many ships is the most underrated and why. We're looking for more than just aesthetics here; think about which ship has underused utility or overlooked potential (for any career or activity).
You can enter with video for $4 or text for $2. Whichever you choose, make sure you explain why it's underrated; we will not accept more generalist ship reviews. If you enter with text, you'll be eligible for the $4 reward if youinclude an original image of the ship. There's no minimum word count for this bounty, but we expect at least a couple of sentences.
For me the iCourier is incredibly underrated. She's a versatile powerhouse - 45LY jump range, easy 800m/s boost speed (if you can't dock her in 10-12 seconds you're flying her wrong), very agile. I use her for pretty much everything BGS - scans, courier (duh) missions, destroy power (planetary and megaship), quick turnarounds for ground CZs. And at 45LY, she's a great Bubble runabout.
She can reach about 55ly if you're pushing further, you still get to keep her at 800m/s boost speed still, that's how I fly mine for courier missions, errands and exobiology ;)
The hauler is underrated as as exobiology ship. With the right engineering it can be pushed over 60LY (laden) while still having a shield, and can touch 70LY on fumes. It handles very well in supercruise and with a very small footprint, is extremely easy to land. It's also one of the cheapest ships in the game to buy and kit out.
The Federal Drop Ship (FDS) is, in my opinion, an underrated multi-role ship for beginners. I've seen many comments complaining about this ship, describing it as, well, boring.
Indeed, it is somewhat boring and awkward compared to other ships in the same price range. It doesn't have the jump range of an Asp Explorer, it can't fight as effectively as its sibling, the Federal Assault Ship or the Chieftain, and it can't carry as much cargo as the Type-7. It even requires a Federal rank to unlock for purchase. It seems like FDev themselves have forgotten that they created this vessel, as there are only a few paint jobs and no ship kit available for the FDS, and they even use a Vulture instead of a real 'Drop Ship' for combat zone deployments lol.
However, compared to the Type-7 and Asp Explorer, it offers a tougher hull and a large hardpoint, given its original military design. With modifications, achieving more than 3000 hull points is easy. Additionally, compared to the FAS, the FDS has a grade 6 optional internal slot, which the FAS lacks, making it more versatile. With certain modifications, its jump range can reach over 40 light-years, which, while not extensive, is sufficient for light exploration.
I started studying this ship because I was building a battlefield maintenance vessel for supporting others during combat with the last Titan. Since this is a risky task, I wanted to avoid a high rebuy cost, which ruled out the Python and Krait. I wanted a ship with better survivability, which ruled out the Type-7. I needed a ship that was tough, versatile, and cost-effective, and the Federal Drop Ship naturally became the choice. Here is my build:
This is my FDS, the UES - Nordanvind. 'Nordanvind' means 'North Wind' in Swedish. I chose this name because I initially wanted to name it '北风' in my language, but sadly ED doesn’t support Chinese characters. 'North Wind' sounded a bit plain, and as I am currently learning Swedish, 'Nordanvind' seemed like a fitting choice. I love this name, it gives me a feeling of resilience, endurance and purity.
UES stands for United Earth Starfleet
In conclusion, if you are a beginner looking for an intermediate multi-role ship, consider the FDS. It works.
It also has a fairly acceptable load capacity because we can replace the passenger cabins with cargo holds.
And if we want to transport passengers we can place a luxury passenger cabin.
For me it is one of the best ships in the game.
Thanks to my “Orca” I was able to achieve the rank of “King” in the Empire, doing evacuation missions in stations attacked by Thargoids, since its speed allows me to escape from the Thargoids very easily.
