First time with an SLF pilot

[Cometborne]

No need to send your SLF out while in a CNB, just deploy the SLF, set it to defend, and go hunting yourself. The SLF pilot usually managed to get a couple shots in, that is enough for the promotion.

[JohnLuke]

No need to send your SLF out while in a CNB, just deploy the SLF, set it to defend, and go hunting yourself. The SLF pilot usually managed to get a couple shots in, that is enough for the promotion.

But if the NPC doesn't fire on you, your SLF won't "defend" you and shoot at the NPC. That happens to me a fair amount of the time in a CNB with the small ships. The blow up before they get a shot in.

[Cometborne]

That's what I am using the medium pulse turrets for, they can plink away at the pirate to make it come after me.

[TorTorden]

No need to send your SLF out while in a CNB, just deploy the SLF, set it to defend, and go hunting yourself. The SLF pilot usually managed to get a couple shots in, that is enough for the promotion.

But if the NPC doesn't fire on you, your SLF won't "defend" you and shoot at the NPC. That happens to me a fair amount of the time in a CNB with the small ships. The blow up before they get a shot in.

Still mapping a few commands to your hotas or using voice attack can help immensely.
Besides I find the defend or engage at will modes really not that useful, they aren't clever enough to this right, so micro-management is key.

So the only modes I use are "hold formation" and "attack target". That keeps them ready for when I NEED them, and not tootling around the field after any potential target.
This is especially true for Cz's. Granted the slf's are exceedingly limited in effectiveness in conflict zones, but setting them to only engage specific targets and close by seem to help their survivability by a lot, especially compared to leaving them at "engage at will", this will have them run off against any red target and the slf will soon find itself far far away from you, and picking a fight it cannot win.

But of course these are big ships tools.
The keelback, well who would use one of them for anything combat related ?
The gunship, is even more useless.

[Taranava]

This reminds me, I need to take my SLF pilot out to train. She's been sitting in the bar earning free money lately.

[DarkMere]

They do rank up at a heck of a rate. Combat has never been my primary interest in ED and I do not claim to be a great fighter pilot, just average. When I teamed up with my wing lady I was (I think) 20% Expert. This morning I am 52% Expert and my wing lady is 12% Master. Becoming an Elite fighter pilot is a hack of a way away for me. But finally getting a good combat ship that compensates for my ability and the wing lady helping me out. I do believe that I will get to that rank....... at some point.

She already seems lethal. Any ship smaller than an Anaconda, if we get their shields down before my guns lose focus, they are as good as dead very quickly, bigger ships take a little longer, but only a little. I still have problem taking out wings of 3 efficiently, but that too is probably down to my combat skills.

[Rylo Ken]

Do you gain rank for ships the slf kills? For example, if my slf kills an elite cobra, does that count toward my trek for elite status?

RK


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[Xebeth]

Do you gain rank for ships the slf kills? For example, if my slf kills an elite cobra, does that count toward my trek for elite status?

RK


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Well you gain the bounty, so I assume it does

[Cometborne]

It will probably depend on how much of the kill you make. During my combat rank grind, almost all kills were a shared job, so both my SLF pilot and I gained rank. I expect that if the SLF does all the work, you get nothing, and vice versa.

[Rylo Ken]

It will probably depend on how much of the kill you make. During my combat rank grind, almost all kills were a shared job, so both my SLF pilot and I gained rank. I expect that if the SLF does all the work, you get nothing, and vice versa.

This is my suspicion as well. Just trying to see if anyone knows for sure.

RK


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