Elite Dangerous Surviving Pirate Interdictions Guide

Elite Dangerous Surviving Pirate Interdictions Guide by bka1

I thought I’d write up a guide on what actually does work against piracy and more importantly, murderers.

Before I start I have done very little rare trading and 0 commodity trading. I know what works because I went from a D rated cobra, skipped Asp, and earned enough to buy a low end Clipper solely by pirating other CMDR’s for rares over the course of months after release. Since then I am in a top of the line clipper now, and there are still a few traders smart enough to escape me who do less than the following:

First the best way to win against pirates is to never be found. Trade outside frequented space and your chances of ever seeing another player in open is low, of seeing a pirate is miniscule. That isn’t what this guide is about. This also isn’t about identifying pirates in SC, watching for someone coming behind you and quick dropping or any other interdiction avoidance tactics I could name off. There are plenty of tactics you will pick up over time on avoiding being interdicted in the first place.

This will cover how to go about your business in populated space in Open mode and escape pirates after they interdict you using game mechanics to their fullest.

Firstly and most importantly kit your ship defensively. If you go all cargo racks and no shields you better go to solo. If you haven’t died yet it is coming. Here is an example of a cheap type 6 load out I will take a million credit wager against any pirate (in any ship) to interdict me and kill me before I high wake away:http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=60W,mpU0_g0_q0_q,2-506u6u3m5K3m6k,08c08c0727Re05U03w7dg Load out in your usual pirating kit if you wish to take the challenge, don’t throw on 5 rail guns for example or change your load out just for the challenge.

Next follow these simple steps after the interdiction begins if you wish to be no part of any negotiations:

1. Submit to interdiction (FSD now has 15 second cool down) NOTE: This may be changed at some point, hopefully after traders get REAL defences.
2. After the drop – 4 pips to SYS (shields 2.5x stronger), 2 to ENG, 100% thrust/boost every time you can, and use a shield cell bank…keep using them immediately off cool down.
3. Select a system in your NAV menu and aim your ship towards it. (You can always have a system selected and have a button hotkeyed to select next system if you really wanna be on the ball) -NOTE: You should have all of 2 and 3 done before the 15 second FSD CD timer is up. Feel free to type hello in local if they are not immediately shooting. Pirates will generally not be firing before the 15 second CD is up. A few will and murderers always will, so you perform this way regardless to make things simpler.
4. Roll ship continuously. Do not perform any sidethrust using maneuvers people suggest because they slow down maximum foward thrust. They make things worse. Anyone who suggests you do this in ANY trading vessel is wrong. Max thrust and rolling ONLY. 500m more between you and your enemy make a large difference in amount of damage weapons do to shields.
5. Engage FSD to jump out of system. This takes 15 seconds to complete. You will continue to boost, roll, and use shield cell banks as FSD charges and they begin or continue shooting you. Never adjust pips from 4 in SYS, 2, ENG unless shields fail, then 4 into ENG and continue the plan. As soon as the timer reaches the countdown you become immune to fire. IF SHIELDS EVER FALL, ENGAGE SILENT RUNNING, 4 PIPS TO ENG AND CONTINUE WITH CURRENT PLAN. (ship will overheat like crazy, this is life and death at this point, doesn’t matter)
6. Drop to normal space when you arrive and select a new system to sell your goods.

This will all happen in a span of approx 25 seconds once you get it all down (FSD cool down timer starts before anyone can move their ship). I’ve referred to it as the Submit-FSD Shuffle since back when I was pirating a lot. It is nearly unbeatable when performed flawlessly even in the poorly kitted, low armor, slow type 6 load out I provided.

All that said, I think submission low timer should and will be removed. I think traders need good defenses as well to make piracy / piracy escaping a skilled game. Until any of that is done this is the best way to escape pirates if you wish to irk them, feel like YOU beat THEM and still play within game mechanics.

There are a few advanced tactics that can be added through using comms and dropping a little cargo to make them pause fire, but that is stuff you can pick up with time and you’ll usually be up to better traders by then where your shields simply cannot be knocked down, because of stronger shields or you are just too fast now, before you jump. This is a simple guide that will work 99% of the time. If you think it won’t feel free to friend add and challenge me. I will use the exact low end type 9 kit listed above with a million cr bet in palladium going to the winner in 1.3.

You don’t need to resort to combat log cheating if you wish to trade in open. Let the whiners and cry babies go to solo if they get murdered in open then decide this is their personal game, the “griefer” is playing the game wrong, and they refuse to play with others til it is changed to how the game is supposed to be played for them to have fun. Be better than them and learn to use game mechanics to adapt, overcome, and get the feeling you won, not the pirate.

And my pirate friends how to defeat traders doing this? Well that is another lesson…