Elite Dangerous: Fer-De-Lance Assassin

[@steveragnar1155]

Your videos are like old Open University lectures I saw on BBC 2 and their VHS tapes given with their courses! And very good they were too! I did a degree course with the OU on Maths and Computing back in 1985-1995. You're a very good presenter Professor E. D WiggyB. :-)

[@WiggyB]

Ha! I remember those shows. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@SopwithMammal]

Thanks for the video, well done. With my many years playing combat flight simulators, especially IL-2, and others, I've noticed more so the FDL is meant to be flown, to be maneuvered. It's like a WWII Spitfire, it's strength was certainly in its guns, but also in its agility. Combine those two efficiently and weapons and countermeasures become less of an overt concern. I've done many Assassination missions in PVE(combined with CZ's and Haz's) and find that my capability piloting the ship rather than dependence on weapons is what takes down the Corvettes and Anacondas. They just can't keep the target on me, while using lateral thrusters, boost, faoff, and so on, while changing pips settings two to three times during a typical Deadly Corvette battle. I'm a shield tank, and normally never use my SCB during the missions. My modified build is a huge MC(High Capacity/Corrosive, 2 Efficient Beams/Thermal Conduit, Efficient Burst/Thermal Shock, Efficient Pulse/Scrambled Spectrum. I sometimes change to Effcient Burst/Inertial Impact and Efficient Pulse/Phased Sequence. All Shield Boosters for utility slots minus one for KWS. I've tweaked the core internals for better performance in thrust and engine management. Although I own other capable ships, the FDL fits me like a glove. She's got everything a pilot desires besides her sexy curves, and that's to actually fly it and get on the enemy's six, to out-maneuver like the ace pilots of old. Face-palming the enemy is an inefficient way to use the FDL and requires dependence on countermeasures that could be better utilized for boosting shields.

[@anderslolle2147]

Tip to never get a bounty: If you pull over one of the targets, wait, it will open fire on you, and you will thus not gain a bounty, only the fine for the interdiction 👍

[@anderslolle2147]

Another thing is that the big ship targets have a oppotunity to spawn some of the grade 5 mats, and if you have collectors and don’t get a bounty in a non-anarchy system, you can easily collect them, if you are in a shield tank, that’s because the police will arrive and distract the big targets wingmates.

[@WiggyB]

I've stuck around a few times for these mats. I haven't noticed anything I couldn't get from bounty hunting though.

[@mellowmoo6747]

Oh man this is such a fun build,m. Even if you don’t use it for wet work/assasination missions it’s amazing in haz res for making a mil in a minute. I’ve been using a slightly modified version of this build (same hard points) in 89 Leonis for casual bounty hunting and it’s great to be able to destroy anacondas and clippers in less than a minute

[@shalev3368]

a little tip use prismatic with reinforced shields and shield boosters heavy duty you can reach over 4200 shileds and use milltary alloys its cheaper and better because plasma accelerators will do absolute damage do your shield and hull so resistance is not the best thing to use the more shields and hull the better your survival

[@wjfox2006]

That was insanely awesome. I will have to get back into my Fer-de-Lance and try this.

[@kacoh.9111]

13:46 nice edit.

[@WiggyB]

I'd forgotten about that!

[@davido9208]

Well done sir. I like the practicality of your videos. Simple and straight forward. More ship loadouts and How-To videos. Keep it up! Also when talking about experimental effects, talk about the other potential and their uses. Just a suggestion.

[@WiggyB]

Thanks! Please be aware though - FDev have changed the ships that spawn. It's now a fast FDL + engineered support ships. Much harder to hit with frags.

[@MrJesterblack]

Outstanding build. This thing is an absolute beast.

[@WiggyB]

It is a little OP for the Haz RES. Good fun though.

[@grumpybadger1177]

for RES or CZ sometimes I change up to beams/mcs or bursts and mcs, or just bursts. For hunting big ships though, this is a great setup! only other thing different is I sold myself to the Smurf Khalessi for 4 weeks and got the 5A Prismatic... with all the engineering, not going to lie, the ship is completely broken lmao :D

[@TheKermit2110]

Just subscribed to you cmdr wiggly - this is an excellent vid, I especially love the attention to detail and the clear explanation. Many thanks as I am just getting into engineering and assassinations so this was particularly relevant. Look forward to watching many more of your back catalogue

[@Stef791]

Damn that thing is fast

[@kineographBOT]

I'm defininatly going to try this out. I lucked out on some non wing assassinations with my current build. One was a shieldless vessel that I took out quickly before my shield fell. The other was for some reason not helped out by the police when I opened fire so I was able to 1v1 it. I'd like to use this build for bounty hunting too. seems like it would shred in a Haz rez.

[@WiggyB]

Haz rez can be fun - I have to keep apologising to my wing mates for annihilating enemy ships before they get a shot on. Be aware though, to make this build work you have to fire from point blank. From 1k away it does virtually no damage. Have fun.

[@TeddyLindsell]

Interesting build Wiggy and informative video as usual 👍

[@cmdresquisite6254]

Bi weaves, 3 x efficient PAs including the huge, 2 rails! All you need!

[@WiggyB]

That is a good load out. Current PvP meta as far as I can tell.

[@cmdresquisite6254]

WiggyB great build all around. And small ships are good target practice.

[@ork120]

Plasma has a speed of only 875 m/s and glows like a Christmas tree. Acceleration downwards+boost or rotation with displacement makes it easy to dodge it. Or do you know a secret? In my expirience, Plasma works well only againist big ships. Can you kill an elite viper3 or eagle by plasma (not focused/long range) ?

[@cmdresquisite6254]

ork120 it’s the meta for a reason. It’s about how you fly and firing it at a point in flight so they cannot avoid it

[@cmdresquisite6254]

ork120 and yes I can. Npcs are easy. Just takes practise

[@kudosbudo]

Working as of this morning when I did it. Pop over to the system your target is in. If you are lucky you can see your WIng Assasination target in SC. Follow them and when they low wake, drop in and kill them without them having an escort. They are fun missions. i like that you can get lucky and catch them in SC. Just bring good shields and an SCb are your fine to squash the squad too.

[@QuiteSpiffing]

Oooh .. I must try this

[@WiggyB]

I still love this build. Unfortunately, the assassination spawns have changed and this ship isn't quite to dominant. Fantastic in the has res though.

[@Lee-gc2mq]

have you tried the same setup but with 4 guardian shard cannons and a huge over charged multi cannon.

[@hamburglurgl]

Awesome video! I like the weapons used.

[@hamburglurgl]

s.orbis.zone/15wa Small tweaks for suggestion: Shield and booster engineer mod changes give similar thermal hp, but drastically increase the others. Cheaper armor plating with better eng choices gives better hps there too. Power plant mod changed to increase efficiency and protection and still power everything. Could drop sensors to D rating and put long range on which would give better scan range but slow your boosting speed by 2m/s

[@heartkicker_]

Nice build

[@brilliantmind5946]

I have an Important Question how long did u take to Gather the Materials for everything u needed for the Engineering

[@aerohead02]

I run a similar build with my FDL, only with a chumbo PA (rapid fire, p slug), and 4 efficient overcharged beams. I've also been doing wing missions, (got my butt handed to me more that once), since it seems to me the Dev's have dumbed down the availability of the solo Assassination missions and not near as plentiful. Question; is there a way to bind each chaff launcher to a different key so you can consecutively fire them off and not have to wait for reload?

[@WiggyB]

I play on xbox and bind chaff to X (cross mapped bottom left on my Elite controller paddles). Each time I hit the button, the chaff with the highest ammo count fires. As a result, they fire alternately. Works for 2 and 3 chaff. The only difficulty is making sure you don't press it too often and end up with multiple chaff firing at the same time.

[@Beer_Dad1975]

Really good video, learned a lot!

[@robertboomer7632]

Cool video !!!!

[@ork120]

Hi, fragment cannon is my favorite weapons too )) Can you please explain why do you prefer overcharged+screeen.shell(63 DPS), but not rapidfire+screeen.shell(93 DPS)? Yes, overcharging increased overall damage up to 70%, but DPS is less on 32%

[@WiggyB]

I make it 77 v. 59. If I'm honest I, I forgot about rapid fire when I made the video. That said, I've never been keen on that mod as it increases jitter - essentially widening the spread of your shot. To make use of the damage increase you therefore have to be even closer to the target. If you give rapid fire a go, I'd be interested to hear you know you you get on.

[@WiggyB]

Apologies for the verbal diarrhoea. Shouldn't multi-task. I'm clearly not up to it.

[@retromech101]

great video as always :)

[@brilliantmind5946]

Brotha Please are u on Reddit please post your build on Reddit the link nots working

[@toweleeielite]

thats a MIGHTY F-D-L you have there commander ;)

[@williamread5652]

Be interested to see you conduct this mission on a console rather than a pc.

[@WiggyB]

I play on and XBox 1X.

[@Jake-um4gg]

Not played this game all year. Are the big 3 good for these missions? Or are they that difficult that they require a more skilful ship and specialised loadout? Or is this more of a fun/challenge thing?

[@eduardofreitas8336]

Oh its easier for sure. This is done with a fdl because its more funsies

[@brilliantmind5946]

It’s seems like u had to farm a lot of material for this and a lot of trouble

[@WiggyB]

Not really. I have over 100 ships with probably 50+ fully G5 rated. Even so, I rarely grind materials. I simply play a varied game and collect mats as I go. If I find myself in a boom system I’ll drop into any nearby high grade emissions. If I’m bounty hunting I’ll collect valuable drop. If I feel like doing missions I’ll choose ones with rare drops as a reward. I quite enjoy thrashing he SRV and so take it for a drive now and then, collecting as I go. Small spells of mining also yields raw mats. I built a new ship on a whim this month and had almost everything in stock to max it out.

[@brilliantmind5946]

@@WiggyB wow I guess that’s what I’m missing then I’m trying to the same build for the Fer de Lance because it’s seems like an unstoppable build for Combat at a certain extent but half the mats I don’t have so I know what I have to do And plus I think the coriolis is down to so I’m on here looking to see what I forgot If I engineer most things to G4 will it holds its own until I gather most mats

[@APFSDS-DU]

how were you able to record the first 2 mins of the video? is there a way to save "demos" of the game where you can go back with the debug camera to record game footage?

[@WiggyB]

Sadly you can't go back and review with the debug cam. The first few mins were simply me flying using the debug interface. Over the shoulder style combat without a target marker and shield strength indicator is great fun! I think my Vulture video was the first one that I tried this on. It took a bit of practice to find a camera position that I was happy with. Once I could predict the track of my shots it became relatively easy to hit from within 500m with fixed weapons. The biggest challenge is not loosing sight of the target! Give it a go.

[@gogeta667]

Is there a similar build to this using the Federal Gunship?

[@WiggyB]

You'll have more trouble staying close as it's not so agile, but it's got the DPS for sure.

[@morsmagne]

Surprisingly, you could use a 5A power plant with this build rather than a 6A! This leads me to suspect that this is a sub-optimal build: it doesn't make full use of the FDL's strengths.

[@WiggyB]

I do tend to over-spec the power plants in my builds. If the PP takes damage and its output falls, you can still fight or escape. Spec it to the wire and just about everything turns off even with priority settings!

[@morsmagne]

Oh, I see!

[@morsmagne]

In that case then, if you further optomised the power plant, I suppose you'd choose Overcharged 5, but what about the experimental effect?

[@captpugwash8915]

Hi Wiggy, I have been mulling over a hit and run build recently, so this was well timed! Do you think a silent running build is feasible? I was thinking of a dbx with a pac frag and two medium frags. Don’t think it could handle those wing missions on its own, but the solo ones?

[@WiggyB]

I rarely use the DBX because it doesn't fit my play style. If you're confident that you can get close enough to use frags then it will be a fun build. Just watch out for missiles if you're going hull tank. Remember, even when silent running they can see you on the scanner whenever you shoot - and NPCs cheat.

[@captpugwash8915]

Thanks for the reply: as I’m sure many will confirm, silent running only really works when you can keep your distance, so after a few experiments (and rebuys) it’s plan B: 4 torpedoes with reverb for the shields followed by large MC engineered for long range sniping. I read somewhere that if you retreat to a safe distance while keeping the npc targeted, it’s wingmates lose interest, and may even disappear off the radar. Anyway I have to find a combat use for my dbx because she did take me across the galaxy and back :)

[@jdubs2171]

Allan Whalley Why use her in a combat role? I learned that lesson the hard way. I keep mine as a long distance grocery-getter/mat gatherer/taxi. Great jump range, can carry any wep size 3 or less (for tx to eng and back), and pennies to call over when needed. Not great for combat imo/xp.

[@captpugwash8915]

Agreed, in fact until recently it was called ‘taxi’, but I got bored and started thinking how I could use that large hard point that seemed well suited to long range fixed weapons. I’m no combat pilot, just like playing with weird load outs 😜

[@WiggyB]

Weird load outs make the game for me.

[@mikedimimd]

Do you think there is a chance you will ever do a video on silent running combat?

[@WiggyB]

I've actually recorded quite a bit of footage for one - but I'm not happy with it yet. I'm struggling to make it easy to digest. Watch this space. Cmdr Na'Qan has a simple and effective video here... kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqeQmGd8q8SDrbs

[@mikedimimd]

WiggyB what ship would you choose? I’m testing silent running out a viper now. I’m trying out a thermal vent beam, with clean drive G5 thermal spread and no shields. I️ haven’t had time for PP mods yet. I️ feel like I️ have no idea what I’m doing

[@WiggyB]

It only really works for PvP and some aspects of piracy. NPCs aren't effected by it once they have a lock on you. You're better to just hull tank if you want to fly without shields against NPCs.

[@mikedimimd]

WiggyB I️ look forward to any future content. You videos are always the most comprehensive. Thank you

[@eduardofreitas8336]

How are you so gooood at keeping in position I suck at this :D

[@Skill5able]

As of 3.0 double shot is not the best anymore, RF SC provides the highest DPS. OC is the best if you want more sustainability.

[@WiggyB]

Thanks for that. Should have checked! I see what you mean about sustainability. Looks like it's got the same problem as DS - huge ammo usage. I'll still build a few to play with though...

[@Skill5able]

It's ridiculous. It almost quadruples the sustained DPS from unmodded according to coriolis.

[@kineographBOT]

add some material gatherings to the prep list for synthesizing ammo in the field. probably not the best time to be doing it but, if a player doesn't get the kill with the initial stock of ammo, it won't be a complete waste of time.

[@K1lostream]

Skill5able - I'd say to avoid blindly going by what coriolis says anymore - some stuff is okay, but many stats are horribly inaccurate nowadays. Since you don't know which, you have to manually check everything (which makes it a good deal less convenient). Also, if you go in to correct an error manually, it often changes it to something wrong! FD haven't helped matters by changing the percentages the game tells you - for example all my 200+% shield boosters now say 60-odd % in game, but I still have to put in the 200+% figure in coriolis. I also think Elite does not display the true figures anyway, because even before the problems started with coriolis, I still couldn't get an exact match on coriolis to my actual builds - difference was those errors were small enough to be explained by rounding - these new errors aren't.

[@Skill5able]

I checked EDSY too The previous differences were due to the game not displaying two decimal points for everything, if you exported your loadout instead of manually filling the info on coriolis in you got the correct results. Dunno why FDev decided to change the way boosters display the shield increase, but it's a unique case and it's purely cosmetic. Coriolis used to calculate resistances wrong but afaik that was fixed when the 3.0 engineering changes were added

[@jamalt5]

Dumb question but you never say what ship this is? The one you are using

[@WiggyB]

It's a Fer-De-Lance.

[@avatharbehemoth]

nice effort. even though i am not a weapon expert... this is a less than mediocre build. the shotguns are only meaningful at very very short range, even then they are an area of effect weapon. you are wasting ammo against shields. lasers are much more efficient for that. for sustained dps you would want a constant reload and large clips. like i have on my huge multicannon. i also have lasers to take out shields. no ammo there. and since i have the heat transfer perk... i also use lasers to cool down. how is that for sustained dps?

[@WiggyB]

Thanks for the reply. Please remember that this is a build targeted specifically at wing assassination missions. The following uses Coriolis data. When targeting my Coriolis shield tank test Cutter, 4 efficient beams with thermal vent + a huge multi have a sustained DPS of 25 against shields (after resistances) and 28.5 against armour (after resistances). The shields fall after 7:34 of continuous fire and the hull pops after 3:12. To achieve this the ship also requires 4 pips to weapons, meaning that shield pips fall to 2 and engine pips fall to 0. You are therefore vulnerable and slow moving. Engineer with anything other than efficient and the weapon cap empties very quickly reducing sustained DPS even further. The frag build has a DPS of 61.9 against shields and 54.6 against armour. The same Cutter's shields fall in 3:03 and the hull pops after 1:40. Clearly this assumes the ship is well positioned close to the target. This takes a bit of practice but is achievable. Because of the low distributor draw, I only need 1.5 pips to run the weapons continuously. This means I can spread 4.5 pips between shields and engines. The kill is quicker and shields are far stronger. The ship is also more agile, meaning that an experienced pilot can stay out of the fire arc of the target's front facing weapons. Win win win. I hope this helps dispel the myth that lasers are best against shields.

[@avatharbehemoth]

yes well, after watching the vid for the second time.. it became clear your fight seemed unduly long because of the flow of the vid. i suggest reediting for more flow in the vid. you take a long time to talk preparation etc. this means the fight starts at about 15 mins. also this enemy uses a shitload of shield batteries. so this makes it also seem like a long time before his shields collapse. normal enemies would be shieldless within probably a minute. i dont think i mentioned it. my ship is an anaconda. 1 huge multi cannon with large cap mag and experimental effect auto loader. then 3 engineered large beam long range and thermal vent 2 medium burst not engineered ill probably swap those out for more multicannon. 2 small multi cannon also high cap mags... i thought i had given them experimental effects as well. i bought those but because of materials i didnt buy the next engineering upgrade (hope i didnt waste my materials) the experimental effects were corrosive shel and incendiary. as ive said.. i havent timed the demise of my opponents. but they do go rather quickly. this has included clippers and anaconda's i have yet to encounter/engage a corvette (which will be my next ship.. that one rocks).

[@innocentiuslacrim2290]

Nice build for this purpose. Frags seem to be almost purpose built weapons for the assassination weapons as long as you combine them with a ship that has the maneuverability to stay close to the target. I am currently testing something that requires similar positioning, but is more for generic bounty hunting: short range burst lasers with inertial impact. The jitter is awful against small ships (t is actually pretty comparable to frag cannon spread), but against large ships, its pretty nice as long as you can stay close. Kornelius made a video about those weapons a while back. For the assassination missions my build would be worse though: it requires more pips to weapon capacitor and gives roughly half the dps (~54 dps and 18 dpe for large slot).

[@emilyhofland8219]

Here's mine... It is fantastic... Not sure how it's displayed, fuel scoop gets traded for another shield recharger thingy. And I sometimes work in a tier 2 fuel tank. I also have no overheating issues. inara.cz/cmdr-fleet/126263/706306/

[@maydayj2099]

I just want to give a little bit of positive feedback. Your voice is quite hard to hear while I am driving down the road with my window down. The sounds from the game are overpowering the volume of your voice as I drive. Regardless, pretty cool.

[@WiggyB]

Thanks for the feedback. Sound has been surprisingly difficult to get right during my KZbin journey. I think I changed my mic setup after this video but I'm still not entirely happy with it. Much still to learn I have. o7

[@erbalumkan369]

Yout voice is being drowned in the noise.

[@1117williamtsimmons]

60 min for 3 mil plus hazardous wtf. There's way way way better ways of making credits.