[Elite: Dangerous] How to escape a Gank

With the right techniques, nobody needs to fear open play. Follow our hero, Dave, as Crimson attempts to teach him how to keep his Diamondback from becoming space dust.
This is the first video in my upcoming PvP tutorial series, covering everything a commander needs to know when it comes to 'interacting' with other commanders. We are starting with the absolute basics: how to avoid getting your non-combat ship blown up by sweatlords.
Special thanks to Geno and Sesim for helping record this. They flew actual ganker-tuned mambas and made no attempts to 'throw' the gank in my favor.
DBX build (my actual, unironic exploration ship):
s.orbis.zone/nvh-
Song used:
Metal Gear Solid - Alert Theme

[@Zebediela42]

"Unless I'm flying the Throngler" classic!

[@coloniajesus6048]

just what we have been telling the community for years. GG

[@CrimsonGamer99]

Sometimes we just gotta visualize it through the medium of the shitpost.

[@heavybattle6650]

I think this is a wonderful idea for a series of videos. Open is the game's future where the most & the easiest variety exists. The more players stop being needlessly afraid of it, the better.

[@N1ck1976]

100 percent agree, even the anti xenon initiative play in private sessions, been playing in open for years always fun

[@chjeremy6538]

if u are onto engineering, keep in mind the default amour of everyship don't gain weight when engineered, so 500+ hull-hardened ASP Explorer with 0 weight penalty is a thing

[@EtheE]

A couple of additional points I think are worth making: 1. When high waking, you don't have to be aiming at the system in question until the very last second. This gives you a lot more freedom to fly evasively than just flying in a straight line with some sideways thrusts. This is especially relevant against hitscan weapons like superpen rails. 2. There's a hotkey named something like "Plot course to last system" which instantly plots a course to the last system you had selected. If you bind that key you can then select a system the moment you enter a dangerous system, and if you happen to get pulled you don't even need to open your menu to start a high wake, just press the hotkey and start your frameshift drive. 3. You can highwake out of an interdiction if you manage to charge your drive and get lucky enough to point at the target system. This is not a reliable method of escape and if you attempt it you should plan to throttle down at the first sign of failure, but it can be really funny if you pull it off.

[@ninjajagyr]

Sharing this in some noobie discords Im doing my part!

[@CrimsonGamer99]

That was my intention with this one.

[@kosmarjus]

Did I just travel back 7 years?

[@grouchpotato6197]

ahh, so this is why u had so many deaths to Geno come up on the kill feed earlier lol

[@CrimsonGamer99]

yeah there were a few... outtakes...

[@Squidgy55]

There's a kill feed? Where is it?

[@genogaron]

Amazing!

[@CrimsonGamer99]

Thx for the help recording this, you puppy-kicking basement dweller!

[@somedude4805]

I love the back and forth banter.

[@robertpaws]

Ive havent played this game in years, this video is really entertaining, fantastic!

[@victoryeung2844]

Add a bit is flight assist off before submit and rotate after submit and flight assist on towards ganker before boost. Turn on combat mode to drop chaff and shock mine when passing through.

[@That_weird_guy_Dragooon]

wow i learnt something new! thanks!

[@screemonster]

Nice! I wonder if it's worth addressing the other classic mistake people often make though, namely "do you even have to be in that particular system in the first place?"

[@psyantologist]

no idea what you are talking about

[@Alejolas]

"I'll try spinning, that's a good trick" 🤣🤣🤣

[@Shipnot_Nonindustries]

I named my Krait Mk.II "The Throngler" and it boosted my combat capabilities by 500%. I was just naming it as a joke but...

[@Highlyskeptical]

ED wisdom and comedy void opals.

[@technoviking2415]

That was real good m8

[@LuxDez]

Build a Cutter with rails and torpedoes, and no ganker is afraid.

[@CrimsonGamer99]

the webgear cutter

[@LuxDez]

​@@CrimsonGamer99Seriously, I don't understand why this wasn't included in the meta for all "peaceful" players: Orca with repairs, drones, rack, scanner, armor, shields, vehicle, and FSD accelerator. It has 613-642 m/s, 2400+ armor and 800-900 shields with 50-60% resists, has 2 rails for range and one for knocking down a shield, while jumping ~47-49 years. I have been using this ship for over 900 hours and it has never been intercepted without my consent. I have not found a more suitable universal ship for the open.

[@Squidgy55]

​@@LuxDez Is that jump range engineered?

[@LuxDez]

@@Squidgy55 yes

[@Squidgy55]

@@LuxDez Sorry, sounded like a silly question. I meant G5

[@Phenom3082]

great vid and funny

[@wildcatsson]

Keeping this in mind for if I ever play open (haha npcs suck at interdictions). Just one question, why wait until after the interdiction to target the high wake system?

[@CrimsonGamer99]

In case they don't actually pull you. Generally when you're in supercruise, you have a destination in-system. If you don't want to unlock that destination, then don't lock the star while in supercruise.

[@wildcatsson]

@@CrimsonGamer99 Ah I see, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

[@ceres_o7]

@@CrimsonGamer99 The other strat is to quickly set a route from the galmap soon as you jump in. Then you can use the "target next system in route" keybind for the same effect.

[@FURIOUSAM31]

Just because you're a MGS fan I sub ❤

[@meoka2368]

I would suggest one change to this. Actually fight it for the first few second until you see who is better. You might be able to shake it, but as soon as thing start tipping in their favour, that's when you submit. So long as you submit at some point before you're taken out of supercruise, your spool up is still only 5 seconds.

[@magicarmyman]

honestly as someone who mainly uses a dbx, this is a common occurence anytime I return to home base.

[@Cavedweller001]

Can gankers interdict you over and over if you low wake out? I had one the other day interdict me again immediately after low waking 7 times in a row. I thought there was a limit to how many times they could do that or a cool down at least.

[@CrimsonGamer99]

Yes. If you submit and low wake, your FSD recharge is the same length as theirs. If you low wake, they will see you doing it and charge a low wake at the same time. You both return to supercruise at the same time and the ganker can pull you immediately. This is referred to as a "chain pull", and the only escape is to beat the interdiction (not advised), high wake (only safe option), or perish in glorious combat (based).

[@mrvang2537]

i’m sorry dave, i’m afraid i can’t do that

[@bloodoni8056]

IDK what shotty hardpoint other homie was using but i need that engineer build, that thing ate that hull up so fast

[@CrimsonGamer99]

They were both frag mambas. Usually full gimballed frags, as large as you can fit (huge frag doesn't exist, so put a large in the huge spot for a total of 3 large, 2 small). I don't know their exact builds but I know the meta. G5 Overcharged for them all, put incendiary munitions on the large ones, drag munitions on one of the smalls and corrosive munitions on the other small.

[@bloodoni8056]

@@CrimsonGamer99 brother i need to join you cause you just hit me with a bible of knowledge lol good insight

[@genogaron]

Can confirm, all correct.

[@ottolehikoinen6193]

Very unrealistic, you should use a Type-9 cargo build, fully loaded, have a mission destination in the community goal system and there should be at least two gankers chasing you, mission is to get to the station so you do not get shot down on the planetary landing pad.

[@TianfangsAdventures]

Very unrealistic. Didn't end with Dave cursing out the ganker, and threatening to break TOS by exploiting the games peer to peer nature.

[@greendango3375]

what is gank? i tought only gonk exist 🤔

[@gunnerguy0107]

Just got popped in a python. This would have been good to watch about an hour ago

[@CrimsonGamer99]

Well now you know what to do next time!

[@gunnerguy0107]

@@CrimsonGamer99 keel over and wait for the sweet release of death because my thrusters were 2-tapped. Got it!

[@CrimsonGamer99]

@@gunnerguy0107 try shields.

[@gunnerguy0107]

@@CrimsonGamer99 broken. PAs are a hell of a drug

[@CrimsonGamer99]

@@gunnerguy0107 build a thronglepython. You've got a 7A distro, it can handle full SRB plasmas.

[@Mort3na007]

i do be flying an Imperial Eagle sett for SPEEED. grab me all you want. 900+ M/s says ill live. pluss for added fun got some Reverb Torps for added pain and suffering. cant catch me and i sting ^^'

[@TerracottaBrick]

Long range railgun:

[@Mort3na007]

@@TerracottaBrick thats a fair point. still guna be a little hard at that speed tho

[@TerracottaBrick]

Also torps are the second most useless weapon in the game.

[@TerracottaBrick]

@@Mort3na007 Even at 900 m/s your average opponent will have about 20 seconds to hit 4 rail shots that will kill you before you get 6km away.

[@Mort3na007]

@@TerracottaBrick my dude me at 900 and a Ganker at lets say 350 heading at me the closing speed is 1200+ the time to aim and shoot is slimm at that speed Torps wise not there to kill just to anoy the Ganker ^^' useless ore naa xD

[@williamplays0402]

not first but second

[@williamplays0402]

amazing video

[@Rykaas]

Been playing since early 2023, always in open, and never had problem with gankers. I don't get the drama some people make about it. Interactions with other cmdrs make the game more interesting imo

[@ottolehikoinen6193]

Yes mostly so, you get to know the regular places of gankers. For example, never go Shinrarta with an expensive ship, never go to a community goal that involves heavy freight, never fly your unfinished ship to an engineer, find out the nearest station you can get it in. Funnily enough, I guess the safest places to avoid gankers and npc-pirates are low combat zones between npc-factions, lol. You don't need to fight in those.

[@fxzn]

First!

[@3atmorechikin]

And don't forget the most crucial step of blocking the ganker whether you escape or not. You'll never see them again, and they'll cry about how blocking "breaks instancing" :)

[@perilousrange]

Man, you got me right in the cope. Boosts away at 850.

[@LuxDez]

What's the point of going to the open if you block those who meet you?

[@ottolehikoinen6193]

​@@LuxDezyou probably hang around with gang members in real life too, so I understand your comment.

[@LuxDez]

@@ottolehikoinen6193 I'm playing alone. I only fly Orca with mines and multi-cannon. My ship does a great job of fending off interception and allows me to travel autonomously. I have enough shields and armor, and a jump of ~47. I'm really friends with gankers, just like with other players. Sometimes I'll have fun attacking passers-by, sometimes I'll want to fix them or refuel them. I just play, always open. Running away from a ganker is also fun, especially leaving it without shields and engines and flying away. Sorry for google translater.

[@Sir-Complains-a-Lot]

Reddit now says: "This is all staged!" Lmao. People rather denial reality the learn to survive.😅🤣😂😁

[@CrimsonGamer99]

lol DM me the link

[@billmiller2524]

Don't bother to play in Open with children? LOL....

[@bobanfrombangladesh]

The funny part is that people would continue to whine and/or play in solo/private instead of learning from their mistakes

[@Noruzenchi86]

I'm more annoyed by the fact gankers shut down entire systems doing this. Welp, guess I'll log off Elite then. Absolute pissing contest of a "game" edit: that's not even mentioning hackers

[@CrimsonGamer99]

come back in an FDL :)

[@sidthebassist89]

Blockades happen for various reasons CMDR. It's Braben's will that CMDRs who wish to get through assemble a team and run support for people trying to get through.

[@MurkyDregs]

@@sidthebassist89 This is why anything to effect BGS should only be able to happen in Open. PVP would be so much more amazing with actual strategic objectives.

[@get5killch3cked]

where was this video 3 hours ago

[@CrimsonGamer99]

mmmmbout halfway edited.

[@Raugharr]

I just have a fully engineered Courier that pulls 820 m/s while having a prismatic shield. Gankers just choke on my fumes

[@CrimsonGamer99]

We rarely pull couriers and ieagles because we know.

[@garfieldbrewer4834]

@@CrimsonGamer99 but what will happen if the courier equips a FDSI and pulls you out of supercruise,then run away and repeat that?

[@TerracottaBrick]

​@@garfieldbrewer4834highwake and then blow the dust off your deathstar

[@garfieldbrewer4834]

@@TerracottaBrick but that makes ganking less effecient?So if i got ganked,it is possible to counter-grief the ganker?

[@TerracottaBrick]

@@garfieldbrewer4834 The only form of counter ganking possible is to git gud at pvp and mop the floor with them in a combat ship. Other are just a nuisance and can be easily countered with long range weaponry in your case.