Elite Dangerous Beginner's Guide - What Ship Should I Buy Next? | Friendship Drive Guides

What ship should you buy next in Elite: Dangerous? Hopefully this brief guide will help you make some decisions, but I am a firm believer in flying whatever ship you enjoy the most.
I have purposefully not mentioned every single ship in the game, as we'd be here all day if I did! If there's interest in a full ship guide sometime with thoughts on all the ships, let me know and maybe we can do one in the future.
I stream full-time on Twitch (Mon - Fri at noon UK time), and play a lot of Elite: Dangerous and other space, sandbox, or story games. We'd love to have you over there sometime! / psyche
First Elite Dangerous Beginner's Guide: • Elite Dangerous Beginn...
The full Elite Dangerous guides playlist: • Elite Dangerous Beginn...
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Music throughout provided by Epidemic Sound.
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Twitch: / psyche
Twitter: / psycheplays
Instagram: / psycheplays
Website: psycheplays.com
#EliteDangerous

[@PsychePlays]

I have left out TONS of ships, this is just meant to provide a little bit of guidance for newer players. I also totally forgot to mention the Imperial Eagle because I forgot it doesn't require Empire rank to buy, and my fiancé will now never forgive me for not talking about his favourite ship. 😂

[@PsychePlays]

Awwh I'm so glad! Thank you so much, I'm so glad you're enjoying the game!

[@lukedudley5030]

Has he got a courier that's so much fun to fly for such a small ship :-)

[@bloodwing9597]

@@PsychePlays do you and your fiance play on p.c. or console ?

[@canabiljones1486]

Thank you for your videos. I just started playing Elite and found your friendship drive playlist extremely helpful. Keep up the good work.

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you so much! Welcome to Elite. o7

[@wtfpantera]

I am quickly running out of things to say about this series, so I'm just going to say - thank you for doing these and for continuing the series!

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the support!

[@shermangriffin4668]

I could listen to you talk all day. I love my Asp Explorer.

[@user-te9ic2xh9k]

The most informative content on this specific topic that I've seen. Thank you for your wisdom

[@xrystianvacha]

Love that you rep that purple it's a nice custom look to any ship ☺️

[@spdoosh]

Thanks for the vids, just getting into mining and didnt have a clue where to get limpets, you explained it perfectly thanks.

[@GamePlaySStuff]

Thank you for doing this series.

[@nathanielgaffney2230]

Super helpful as a new player. Thanks!

[@brainscott]

Awesome Content! Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you so much!

[@elfojonas]

I like your canal, you're very kind, thanks for that!

[@AerodeonThorne]

Wonderful guide as always. Makes me want to buy some of the smaller ships and try them out.

[@PsychePlays]

Do iiiiit!

[@PerrenialMillennial]

Thanks for this! I'm a new player so this really helped me make an informed decision.

[@PsychePlays]

Thank you! I hope you're enjoying the game!

[@ojgunner31]

What do u play on

[@yellowlemonade5904]

This is a 3 year old vid now but im just starting out in ed and this is a huge help

[@ninja-wy6we]

Thanks for your tips. Just started playing and I have no idea what I'm doing just yet... I will be watching the how to videos. Thanks again.

[@PsychePlays]

Welcome to Elite! Hope the videos are helpful!

[@ninja-wy6we]

@@PsychePlays Yes they are... Kinda stuck but I'll eventually get it.

[@marajaded69]

9 months late to finding your channel and videos but better late than never. Thanks for helping out us beginners to Elite dangerous as I just recently started playing it and it is pretty steep learning curve. Keep these videos coming as they are very informative

[@PsychePlays]

If there are any other videos you think would be helpful feel free to let me know! I'd like to make more that target very beginner players because I think we often assume people already know the basics, so it can get super overwhelming.

[@stormraven7898]

I love how pretty your UI is at the beginning of the vids, I was wondering if you could touch on how you change from the default orange UI?

[@DrDinoNuggies]

I was literally looking up what ship should I buy next in elite dangerous!! And this was posted as I was searching

[@PsychePlays]

We're clearly on the same wavelength! 😉 It's not a comprehensive guide but I hope it helps!

[@SpaceMissile]

i remember starting out and saving up to get the viper instead of the eagle. I always thought that ship looked (and sounded) so darned cool. Vulture was great fun, but short-lived (because i made so much money bounty hunting with it lol). now I love my FDL, but the Viper mkIII always stands out to me. I should really buy another one...

[@crimson5664]

thx Psyche u helped me

[@evilways961]

Thanks for the video...

[@doctorockzo]

I like using the Dolphin for exploration. Low price, solid jump range, and super sexy in screenshots. Brings new meaning to the phrase "ballin on a budget"

[@VaupellGaming]

Thanks

[@rcpoisond]

ASP is my favorite due to the open cockpit which is great in VR

[@PsychePlays]

The Asp cockpit is one of my favourites too!

[@ultra_axe7812]

I would recommend the Imp eagle over the normal eagle, that medium hardpoint wen a long way for me

[@rubryc1557]

The ASP has always been my goal as an explorer. I love the shape, love the cargo capacity to bring back stuffs that I find on my routes. But I had my Cobra for so long... I think I will buy one back and do some mission running once in a while.

[@PsychePlays]

The Asp Explorer is a great ship, but the Cobra Mk III is my favourite of all time. 💜

[@adamw.8579]

Hi! Cobra is my best choice, zero i-dictions lost. Truly multipurpose vessel. Now I seek some bigger, but also handy. I'm torn between Krait MK2 and Phantom. My role profile is mostly trading and exploring, but also some defence in need. MK2 has more cargo space and one HP more, but is heavier and less jump range. So I think about Krait MK2, some deadweight may be always discarded for exploring, D-class modules installed and this setup become equal to Phantom. Python is too slow and lazy for me. :)

[@davedahl4461]

I leveled up exploring by using my hauler. I made money through exploring and made enough to buy an asp explorer and I hated it, lol. I traded down for a diamondback and was much happier.

[@Jay-sn7wu]

thanks~

[@danielgoldsworthy544]

After some years of my friends trying to tell me to leave Eve and play this game I finally did. I bought it and immediately got a refund because of the flying part. Your videos have changed my mind completely! Rebought it and now I am completely in love with it. Your videos have really helped me and I can't thank you enough!

[@PsychePlays]

I'm a former EVE player too! I still think about going back casually, if such a thing exists, but Elite fills the spacey need for me for now.

[@szakal700]

Great Vid, but where i will find ships to buy? I`m interested in Hauler. Dont have experience in game... idk what i can do with my sidewinder so I focused on transpotation.

[@rozenroot1]

Im lost, this game is awesome 😅

[@lukedudley5030]

Cobra mk3....asp exp.....are brill 2nd ships if you're willing to wait a bit till the money grows :-) cobra mk3 is op for its weight class a bit :-) great vid some nice advice

[@PsychePlays]

Cobra is a beast!

[@Jakes_1-1]

I went from Sidewinder to Cobra Mk3 to ASP Explorer then Python and Anaconda.... And I managed to keep all of them.... Thanks to Robigo! Python is still my favourite ship!

[@PsychePlays]

The Cobra is still my favourite, but I fly the Python all the time. I have like...five of them. 😂

[@Jakes_1-1]

@@PsychePlays I have 2...one for passenger, one for everything else... I still fly my Cobra from time to time...such an awesome unique ship

[@emeraldknight5522]

To do mining, I would use nothing less than an Asp Explorer. The reason is, the added cargo space makes the Asp Explorer an essential mining tool. She carries 6 hard points as opposed to only 3 on the Adder. The Asp Explorer's shields and armor can stand up to a fight as opposed to the Adder's shields which I would compare to paper. And with the additional hard points on the Asp, it makes it much easier to stand up to any enemies you might encounter while hauling precious cargo. And she's a lot tougher when it to comes to gankers who might try to Jack your haul.

[@lsswappedcessna]

Can confirm, the Adder has paper shields. A beam laser meme cobra can strip an Adder of any hope it has of living in just under 3 seconds. That's why you're best using the Adder as a stunt ship, alongside the Viper III and Imp. Eagle. Those two are alright for combat, but once you have something like a Chieftain or Python, you're not gonna want to go back to having such low firepower.

[@reptar1098]

Just started playing a week ago. I wish you could do a "free float camera fly around" or something of the ships in the shipyard, and a preview of the cockpit. Also, a popular request I suppose is different panels per manufacturer

[@ojgunner31]

What do u play on?

[@reptar1098]

@@ojgunner31 Xbox. One game I wish I still had a pc for

[@edwardo1973]

This is a great guide to some of the ships in Elite. I, like you, have a love for the Cobra MkIII. It's always a ship you can go back to time and time again regardless of the rest of the fleet. It's a wholesome ship for some good ole flying about.. Nothing beats it.

[@darxmac]

Maybe the Asp scout ? ;)

[@PsychePlays]

Best ship in the game!

[@PsychePlays]

@@darxmac NO

[@hisnibs7166]

Type 7 with heat sinks is great for damaged station rescue

[@PsychePlays]

For sure! As long as you mind the forehead haha.

[@Xadoras]

The Anaconda is cursed. Once you own your own, you will struggle to switch to other ships.

[@jeffjulien6986]

Friendship drives!!!

[@PsychePlays]

Friendship drive! 🙌

[@darkestfugue]

pfff, cobra, python and anaconda are the only ships you will ever need, however, they may not be the only ships you will ever want, shout out to the dbx also to get around with a maxxed out jump range, but i agree with the lady, i have all the best ships at this stage and i keep going back to my cobra, you can outfit it for so much

[@Eredanavavsnomad]

I love have women playing and commenting about this game, Thanks a lot !

[@esnevip]

I like how my Adder looks, but I can't see a thing out if it.

[@tc7337]

Cobra med hardpoints on the wings? Admittedly, its been a while since I've last flown a cobra 3, but I thought the mediums were just under the cockpit?

[@PsychePlays]

You're totally right, I got the small and meds mixed up! The small ones are out on the "wings", the mediums are beneath the cockpit. Either way, the convergence is a bit wonky if you used fixed hard points, so I still recommend going gimballed!

[@magicarppet]

Where can I buy these ships my rank isn't high enough to go to Jameson memorial and I have 650,000 dollars

[@Sir-Complains-a-Lot]

Cobras mediums hp are infront of the cockpit, not on the wings.

[@PsychePlays]

You're absolutely right, the small hardpoints are on the wing, not the medium, I misspoke! My point still stands though, its hardpoint convergence is not ideal, especially not for fixed weapons.

[@crota5059]

i with i had these videos when i started XD

[@PsychePlays]

I make them because I know that I would've loved to have something like this when I started too!

[@SilentAddle]

Ugh.. I'm too pretty to buy ships, can't I just get one given to me? Thanks for posting this Psyche, but I am currently watching your partnerverserary partypartypartyfaceparty stream and cannot pay attention to information.

[@PsychePlays]

You're right. Too pretty to buy ships, I'll make a complaint to the ship people to get you one for free.

[@SilentAddle]

@@PsychePlays Thank you Psyche, you always take care of your potato.

[@V081WLBlue]

Right are you in America but from Norn Iron or Scotland?!?!? Hearing that in your accent! EDIT Ah right OK I see you are actually from Norn Iron!!! lol Bit of an American vibe to how you talk threw me!

[@PsychePlays]

Yup, I'm from Northern Ireland but I've lived in Dublin and live with someone from South Africa, so my accent is a little bit mixed!

[@dallasnateweyes3288]

Good game?

[@DragonfartLp]

YUP! if you're up for a grind at least Just started playing the game yesterday and im already addicted

[@badgids]

It's a FRAME Shift Drive... My wife makes fun of the game saying the computer says "friendship" drive. It's Frameshift, change the computer voice and the accent doesn't sound like friendship anymore.

[@PsychePlays]

It's just a community meme, I am completely aware it's Frame Shift Drive, having played the game since closed beta. Most of the community jokingly calls it a Friendship Drive, but thanks. 😉

[@fenrishi966]

Nah. Got 2,5k hours in the game pretty sure it's Friendship.