Best ship to branch out from Liberty?

Mon Mar 24, 2003 4:06 pm by Pastey

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum. I just purchased Freelancer over the weekend and so far I'm loving it, though I'm a wee bit overwhelmed. :-)

I've completed mission 3 (the run to Willard). Luckily at the time I was in a Defender but I about got my buttocks handed to me what with all the missile action going on in that mission. My poor defender limped into port with no wings left. :-(

Anyway, I decided I need to build up some $$$ before going on to the next stage. I'm at the point where Juni wants to meet me on Manhattan but I'm holding off for now. Up to this point I've been doing the trade run between the Missouri and West Point trading H-Fuel and water. I also take on the occasional mission if it's on my route between the two. I've kept the Defender up till now though I may purchase a Rhino just so I can increase my profit per run.

Here's my question/semi-spoiler: what do you guys suggest I do next? I believe I'm at level 7 right now, so there must be a better ship to upgrade to. I've seen the Startracker available but it doesn't seem to be that much of a step up from the Defender for the money. I'm in pretty bad with most of the rebel elements in Liberty so I get lane jumped CONSTANTLY as soon as I leave New York. This tends to get expensive in terms of counter-measures and seeker drones. A strong defense is a must. What ship should I look for? And without telling me what's up next in the storyline, what amount of cash should I have in the bank before I meet Juni?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Mon Mar 24, 2003 4:23 pm by HeymlicH

1. purchase a rhino.
2. trade between Houston and LA. This is the most profitable trade route in liberty. I'm forgot what to trade there - you will find out. I think it was some "optical" thing and some "mechanical" on the way back ...

But I remember it yields 30 k per run and a run takes <20 minutes.
3. once you have about 150 or 200 k buy the best ship I think I used the Dagger, but there are others ... and the best shield. Weapons don't matter, you will just have to run on your next mission...

Don't waste too much time trading in liberty, there is a much more profitable trade route in bretonia.
4. In bretonia the best trade route is between leeds and cambridge (diamonds/engine components). freighters are available on these planets. At level 10 you can purchase a dromedary in mactan/magellan. The best fighter in bretonia is offered in dublin.

One more thing. Don't buy your next ship in bretonia too early. It resets the Bounty hunters to neutral. So shoot bounty hunters (in dublin) until corsairs and gaians are neutral, then purchase the next ship and get the bounty hunters neutral, too. That makes trading in bretonia much easier

Of course, it takes >100 bounty hunters to kill ...

Mon Mar 24, 2003 4:37 pm by zuiko

I would get a dagger, it is available at buffalo base in NY. It's better than the defender. And it's only 17k. Once you get to New Tokyo, the drone is a pretty decent freighter (63k).

Edited by - zuiko on 24-03-2003 16:38:04

Mon Mar 24, 2003 4:50 pm by Pastey

Thanks for the advice guys.

One problem with buying a Dagger - Buffalo Base is run by the Rogues, right? Well, one: I haven't found the base yet and two, they hate my ever-lovin' guts. REALLY hate. I've taken quite a few jobs against the Rogues. Any advice on this? Is the Startracker pretty comparable or does the Dagger have more of an advantage? Should I look for something outside of Liberty?

Also, can the Rhino mount enough firepower/shields to manage the trade run in Bretonia or should I stick to Liberty until I can upgrade?

EDIT:

Hmmm. Been checking over the system/ships available listing. What about purchasing something like the Barracuda in Cortez? It's max level 6, is this too high for a level 7 character to buy (or are these ratings equivalent)? Would purchasing this screw anything up? It looks pretty bad-@ss.

Edited by - Pastey on 24-03-2003 17:11:42

Mon Mar 24, 2003 6:10 pm by Michael Dan

Unfortunately the Barracuda requires lvl 13, that's why it can only be bought from Kusari, in Kyushu, andt its 71 k...at lvl 12 u'll be fleeing from Bretonia with the Rheinladers hot on your tail...

)

the Dagger will probably be the best "escape" fighter but i fled with a Defender with little difficulty. The key it's buying a better shield rather than a better ship and u'll get one in Mactan, the Line Hacker base. it's better to save the money for that. In bretonia a Crusader with a lvl 4 positron shield should do the trick as u will enconter pirates with mainly neutron guns(Corsairs and Mollys). U can get it at the battleship Sufflolk near New London.

Mon Mar 24, 2003 6:11 pm by Oxymoron

I don't think that your level would be high enough to buy a Barracuda - heck, I'm not even sure whether you can even enter the Cortez system yet.

Just stick to the Defender, buy a nice level 3 shield for it in California, as well as a few nice guns (Justice Mk III maybe), and be sure to be stocked up on shield batteries.
If you're having problems with missiles, just get yourself a countermeasure dropper, preferably the improved variant.
Other than that, just learn to fly better. Practice dodging enemy fire by using your afterburner, and to lead your targets.

The mission is easily possible with a well-equipped Defender.

Mon Mar 24, 2003 6:27 pm by HeymlicH

1. You can't go to cortez. Unless you fly the next mission you are stuck an the 4 liberty systems.

2. If you are attacked and sitting in a freighter, NEVER fight. Eat batteries until the tradelane is up again and run away.

3. If the pirates hate you you have 2 choices: Buy the defender instead of dagger or shoot 100 bountyy hunters to get the pirates neutral. I suggest shooting at bounty hunters because that way corsairs will be neutral when you arrive in bretonia, and this makes a HUGE difference.

Mon Mar 24, 2003 9:38 pm by zuiko

If you want the dagger, the best way to get the rouges neutral with you is to blow up DSE and Police cargo storage containers by Fort Bush and Planet Manhattan (some of the cargo is also worth quite a bit). Their base is west of the texas jump gate, in the badlands.

The dagger is a lot better than the defender. Less guns (it is a LF) but more manuverable, more armor, more cargo space, and much cooler looking.

Mon Mar 24, 2003 9:41 pm by zuiko

Also the junkers have some decent low level guns at Rochester base (north of Manhattan). Might want to check them out if you have Justice guns now.

Mon Mar 24, 2003 10:21 pm by Pastey

More good info guys. Thanks again!

My machine isn't in front of me right now, but here's my ship loadout from memory:

Defender:
3 Drails
1 Lavablade (I think) Class 4 turret
1 Windstalker missile
1 Imp. Countermeasure
1 Seeker Drone
Adv. Guardian Shields - Class 3
Improved thruster

BTW, what exactly is a "DSE"? Also, will blowing up Liberty Police property make things difficult in the SP missions?

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