Overview
Combat in Elite Dangerous can be broken into two categories.
- PVE (player vs. environment)
- PVP (player vs. player)
For this article we'll focus on PVE combat against an AI opponent. AI enemies in Elite dangerous will react to your movements in real time so it's important to be good at both defensive and offensive maneuvers.
Offense
While it may seem obvious, having strong weapons will make combat much easier. Which type you choose will depend on what style of combat you are comfortable with.
- Fixed Weapons: These are weapons that are fired manually. Most weapons come in fixed, and will do more damage than gimbals or turrets.
- Gimballed Weapons: These weapons provide limited aim assist, but have the disadvantage of being countered by chaff. Gimbals are great for beginners or for ships with slower turn rates.
- Turreted Weapons: Turrets will automatically lock onto a target as long as it is in their line of sight. They do the least amount of damage compared to other weapons. Despite their weakness, they can be useful in applying experimental effects to your opponent, such as scramble spectrum.
Defense
Your best defense is going to come from improving your piloting skills. Look here for a detailed explanation of pilot maneuvers. There are also devices that can help make your ship harder to hit such as chaff, ECM, and point defense turrets.
- Chaff: This scrambles your opponents sensors, making it difficult for gimballed and turreted weapons to lock onto you. It only lasts a short while however.
- ECM (Electronic Countermeasures): This is an ammo-less device that you charge up before firing. It will confuse missiles and torpedoes that are within range of your ECM.
- Point Defense: This is a small turret that will shoot down incoming missiles, torpedoes, and hatch breaker limpets. If your ship is a slow turner, this might save you from a torpedo that could knock out your shields. Once your shields are down, your components are vulnerable to missile attack.
Pip Management
Switching power to systems, engines, and weapons on the fly is an essential skill for all pilots.
- Full pips to systems means you effectively double your shield hit points. It also recharges your shields.
- Full pips to engine will recharge your booster and make your ship faster.
- Full pips to weapons will cool down your weapons allowing you to fire longer.