Vendetta Online Getting Pirated and Surviving Guide

Vendetta Online Getting Pirated and Surviving Guide by Pizzasgood

Yar. Some of you may not have had the good luck to be pirated yet, and may be wondering what it’s like, and what you should do when it happens. Others of you may have been pirated several times but still not gotten the hang of surviving the event. This guide is intended to help. (Some people will tell you that it’s better to fight or run or just accept fate and die. If you choose to do so, fine. This guide is for those who honestly do want to just pay the fee and get on with their business.)

So, first of all, how do you know when you’re being pirated? This is easy. The pirate will communicate to you his demands. Typically this happens over PM, but it may happen over sector chat instead. Key point is that a pirate will be making some sort of demand (money, cargo, etc.). That is how you distinguish a pirate from somebody who simply wants to kill you.

Once you realize you’re being pirated, the very first thing you should do is STOP. Release your turbo and hit your brakes. The pirate is looking for this. He wants to make sure you’re not running away. If you try to leave your turbo on and pay while you keep flying, you risk dying if you are too slow to send the money.

NOTE: Some pirates take offense if you turn to face them (because you might be preparing to attack them). So it’s generally best to not turn to face the pirate. If you need to see what he’s doing, you can press F9 a couple times.

While all this is happening, the pirate may open fire. Usually though he isn’t trying to kill you (yet). Most likely it’s just warning shots, especially if you haven’t started stopping yet. He’s trying to get your attention in case you were zoned out and missed his hail, and to let you know that he’s serious. If you stop moving, he will stop shooting and give you a chance to pay.

As you are stopping, you should be re-reading the pirate’s messages to you. Read them carefully. They will tell you what you need to do to survive. They will usually detail how much money the pirate is demanding (or whether he wants you to eject your cargo). This is also a good time to reassure the pirate that you intend to comply by sending him a PM or sector-chat.

NOTE: Don’t try to talk to the pirate on 100 while this is happening. 100 is noisy and messages can be missed. PM and sector chat stand out more.

Most likely the pirate is going to be asking for money. You can pay him in two ways. One is by typing in chat ‘/givemoney “playername” amount‘. So, for example, to pay Rin Ganborro 200K credits, you would type ‘/givemoney “Rin Ganborro” 200000‘. The other method is to target the pirate, press the “k” key, and then click the “givemoney” button. If you forget how to pay, just ask him.

What if he’s asking for more money than you have? Or some absurd price you simply refuse to pay? Negotiate. Most pirates would rather at least get something instead of nothing. Also, if this is your first time being pirated by a particular person or guild and you aren’t familiar with their policies, you should ask and see what kinds of deals they offer. For example, when you pay CHRN pirates, you are granted safe passage for the next 24 hours. We add you to a list of people who have paid, and are all careful to not pirate people who are on that list. Other pirates might not be so kind. And some offer an option: you can pay a smaller price to be able to finish this specific trip, or you can pay a higher price to be safe for 24 hours.

So, just like making a purchase in real life, find out what you’re getting for your money and spend it wisely.

I’m posting this because last night I pirated somebody who made several of the mistakes I mentioned. First, he tried to run, so I gave chase and started attacking (I would have stopped if he had cut his engines). When he realized he couldn’t escape, he tried asking me how much I wanted. But he asked on 100, so I didn’t see it (I was busy chasing him, so I was mostly ignoring the shenanigans happening on 100). Furthermore, I had already told him exactly how much I wanted when I first hailed him. And he didn’t stop at this point either, just kept trying to escape. So I killed him.

Neither of us wanted that outcome. He died, and I didn’t get paid. And he didn’t even get the satisfaction of having the SF kill me, as I quite nimbly escaped them.

Hopefully by writing this I can prevent more senseless death and we can all live happily ever after. :)