What Ship to Get
This is without a doubt the one thing any Elite: Dangerous player will vacillate over more than any other part of the whole game. Buying a new ship is often akin to picking which puppy to choose from a litter. The cutest one keeps crapping on the floor, the quiet one barks at your little sister, and the playful one just sneezed in your eye, yet you still want them all. When it comes to picking one from the Elite: Dangerous litter, there are a handful of factors to take into consideration.
Whatever ship you choose will need to have enough internal compartments to fit the ore you’ll be mining into Cargo Holds. It will also require at least one – but preferably two – hardpoints to mount Mining Lasers and these things called Refineries. Forgetting the Cargo Hold and Mining Laser for a moment, this Refinery is without a doubt the crux of your whole operation. You should also take into account the maneuverability of your prospective craft as well as its jump distance.
When starting out, a Sidewinder or Hauler are both fairly good options. They’re maneuverable and have enough space to hold your first nuggets of cargo. When more of that sweet mineral money starts to roll in, consider upgrading to an Adder or even a Cobra. Both of these ships have plenty of compartments to store everything you need, along with the opportunity to have some defensive weapons and shield generators to fend off the pesky pirates mentioned on the previous page.
The temptation is of course there to get your eyes on a larger ship like the Lakon Type 6 or Asp for mining but hold up on that one. Both of these ships can be put to much better use elsewhere. Putting them into the dangerous asteroid fields of Elite: Dangerousis like putting and Elephant onto a driving range: something is bound to hit that big lump in the middle sooner or later.
