My Favourite Cobra Loadout for Combat - Elite: Dangerous

Coming in at over 7 million credits, this cobra can take on any role, even at the same time. With 6 internal compartments and a huge power plant, there are a lot of options when choosing it.
Viper Combat Loadout - • My favourite Viper Loa...

[@Nightlurk]

If you're grinding bounties in resource belts, you should always go full energy weapons simply because leaving to restock ammo will reset the resource belt instance and we all know how hard is to find a good spot now days. You also want to drop the cargo racks (useless) and fuel scoops (again useless if you're grinding bounties), and lower your fuel tank to lowest since you won't be leaving the system. That alone will give you a ton of weight shaved off and plenty of compartments to fill with armor resistance mods. Obviously this guide was done before resistance mods were added, but still, if you're going combat, go full combat, don't half-measure. You gotta "dress for the occasion"...

[@kpops_is_fab]

This was in my watch later playlist and got recommended today. Takes me back, miss old ED! Great vid 😂

[@cmbta1]

I found that it wasn't worth putting fixed beams on the outer hardpoints because on all but the largest ships you can't get both weapons on target at the same time. I use 1 fixed medium beam, 1 gimballed medium multicannon and 2 gimballed small burst lasers. I usually only use the multicannon if the enemy ship starts to charge its FSD.

[@TallinuTV]

***** How well do you manage to hit targets with fixed class 1 wing-mounts? I'm not saying it's a terrible choice, but personally, I've had extremely poor luck with that on the cobra. I wish I knew what the actual damage numbers on different size weapons were, so we could, for instance, compare a class 2 MC with a pair of class 1 MCs, or a pair of C1 beams with a single C2 beam, in terms of damage and energy usage.

[@HenryHoblahblahblah]

***** BodenGames, you can turn off targeting by pressing 'T' again and manually aim beams until their Chaff dissipates. ;)

[@Dunk1970]

Firstly, great video as ever. One point I do find funny though is your choice to reduce the size of your fuel tank. The tank itself is zero weight, so the only reason you experience a smaller laden jump range is if you fill up your fuel tank. ie You can stick with the larger fuel tank and only half fill it. That will give you the same jump range as filling a tank which has a max load of half the size. Halving the fuel tank size only adds an unnecessary constraint to your load out.

[@smakarphoenix]

Great video! I just purchased my first Cobra MkIII and I REALLY appreciate your advice!

[@Subarashii_Nem]

Doing missions to get Federal Assault Ship so this loadout is perfect. I did want to do it in my vulture but cargo space is an issue on that thing and it's power draw is very very bad. So thank you for this, it's helping me spam those ranks!

[@zontarr22-zon]

;) interesting choice but a few tips ;) : fixed beams cl1 are inefficient .. best setup for cobra is one class2 beams gimbaled and 3 mc's also gimbaled because of the distance betwin the harpoints . The missiles you need to reload after each encounter so waste one classs 2 hard in just few mins . And another tip for the shield cell banks A 2 is sufficient dor an A 4 shield gen. Hell the A3 is sufficient for an A 6 class shield on Asp , so trust me , i had cobra full maxed. ;)

[@iWASRUNNINGg]

Great video BD, thank you for the insight! I'm going to be changing up my Cobra's loadout a bit. Currently I am running 1 medium fixed beam laser, 1 medium gimballed multicannon, and 2 small gimballed multicannons. But with this loadout I go after everything but Annies.

[@HenryHoblahblahblah]

Hey BodenGames, you can use the modules tab to set priorities to your modules. By turning off your FSD and your Cargo + Fuel Scoop, you can probably take off 8% of your usage when u activate your guns.

[@concretec0w]

Awesome vid as usual. Lots of information packed into there. Would love to see more info on the functions of the loadouts, like power management and warp drive, etc. Haven't seen many vids on this topic. Keep it up man :D

[@concretec0w]

why thank you!

[@PrudentMantis]

Back in Beta 2, someone did some Bulkhead testing. I think it's still linked in the "Common Topics" sticky on the Frontier forums. They found that the two high-end specialised bulkheads had far better protection than Military-grade for their specialisation, and not much worse in their "weakness", with that (say Thermal for the Reactive) still being a lot better than Reinforced's protection. I', wondering if Reactive might be worth it, simply to protect against Kinetic really well (what really thrashes your hull), while still giving decent protection against Thermal.

[@iWASRUNNINGg]

I'd just like to put my 2 bits here, but given that Anacondas or Pythons are going to be the only things taking your shields down regularly, and given that they most often use beam lasers (correct me if I'm wrong, just my own observation), wouldn't it be more useful to get the bulkhead that are better against thermal attacks?

[@PrudentMantis]

Duf1091 Hmm... that does make a lot of sense...

[@iWASRUNNINGg]

I honestly wasn't sure if it truly did make sense or not; I mean it did to me, but it's good to have someone confirm it.

[@powergamer332]

I try to stay away from using heat seeking missiles noting that the ship your going after might have chaff and might use it to make that missile you just fired wasted ammo. I use fixed beam lasers on the front hardpoints, and gimbaled multicannons on the bottom hardpoints.

[@kubel83]

Great vid m8

[@TallinuTV]

Interesting choices... I find it very difficult to hit targets with fixed weapons mounted on the Cobra's class 1 hardpoints, though, considering how widely spaced they are. As such, I prefer a class 2 fixed beam laser and a pair of class 1 gimbaled multicannons, which also do a much better job of tracking that elusive lead indicator than I ever can, while I'm actually a decent shot with fixed lasers and can easily carve up eagles and sidewinders with that single C2 beam alone to save ammo. I haven't actually tried missiles, seeking or dumbfire, yet. They've always seemed rather ineffective when used against me, although maybe that's only when they're hitting shields (when I didn't manage to dodge or shoot them). My old Cobra is set up with a mining laser in the second C2, and even with just the three weapons, I've had no trouble taking out anything that tried to jump me for my delicious platinum and palladium filling. My Asp uses a similar loadout, except with four multicannons and a plasma accelerator in the second C2 slot as an alternative secondary weapon - I like the punch per shot and ammo count much better than the railgun I tried first, and they still do decent damage to hulls as well as shields - but I might try out dumbfires now and see how they work against the bigger targets.

[@hitmantl]

I'm having the same problem. One thing I'm going to try is putting fixed beam lasers on the right side, and gimbaled multicannons on the left side. Maybe that way I can have the best of both worlds and I can keep the fixed beams tight using the right half of the Cobra.

[@TallinuTV]

hitmantl That's why I like the class 2 beam laser. Even with a rank A power distributor and full power to weapons, it still drains the cap, so it's definitely making full use of your power output even with a single laser, and I find that the single aim point makes it a lot easier to hit and stay on target as much as possible. I use mouse control with X set to yaw instead of roll (and Q/E for roll, with a roll/yaw toggle key I use to swap them when docking a big ship). I find it relatively straightforward to track most targets, and I doubt I could strip off shields any faster with multiple lasers - capacitor power would be the limiting factor in the end, especially against vipers and larger ships. The single medium beam laser is a good balance between damage per second and efficiency, with pretty much unbeatable accuracy - I'm far less likely to waste half my shots on empty space with the single laser. And since it's a beam, the moment I'm off target, I can stop firing, and begin again as soon as I reacquire, even if it's for a brief slash as they cross my reticule. Pulse or burst lasers are much less flexible in that regard. Even agile targets like eagles get carved up with relative ease once I get them in front of me (though they often require a brief deactivation of flight assist and some vertical thrust to reacquire after they whoosh past). Often I don't even bother wasting multicannon ammo on them (or on sidewinders), unless they're very good or ganging up on me.

[@hitmantl]

I should have read this post earlier. So, the half n' half config I mentioned didn't really work. Next I opted for Two class 2 beam lasers and ran into exactly what you said. Lots of damage in a short period of time, but even with 4 pips to weapons they drain my weapons capacitor very quickly. Now I've got the loadout that you're talking about. 1 Class 2 beam laser and 3 gimbaled multicannons. I'm still going to play with it to see what benefit might be had by adding a little more variety. The heavy-hitting Class 2 multicannon is great for hulls, so if anything I might sacrifice a smaller multicannon for a missile turret or heck, maybe even a torpedo launcher for those most desperate times, lol.

[@NdranC]

Don't you find the small hardpoints in the cobra too wide for fixed weapons?

[@crooker2]

I'm curious as to why you choose fixed vs gimballed weapons. I like the gimballed (in my viper) because it gives me a much wider arc to hit my target in. Gimballed beam lasers coupled with a pair of gimballed multi's has made my bounty hunting career quite profitable.

[@hitmantl]

Fixed weapons are much more effective at long range, and they usually pack more damage too if you're a decent shot. Plus, fixed weapons aren't affected by countermeasures like silent running and chaff.

[@MarquisRex]

hitmantl true, but when your target initiates chaff, its easy to de-target Gimballs and continue firing ahead without lock. The same if the silent run. You lose a little only in terms of ultimate punch

[@cactired505]

Im thinking of getting a cobra for mining/ commodity trading, If i swapped one of the beam lasers for a mining laser, replaced shield cell bank with a refinery would this be any good? Also, what should I swap the kill warrant scanner for?

[@omegapng]

I have a question, I'm kinda new to this game, but why is it that with the "fixed" weapons, the reticle moves everywhere? It makes targets way too hard to hit, and it pisses me off a ton. Why can the weapons not just be centered?

[@UnbalancedApple]

I can't find a place that sells the class 4 15.6MW powerplant. Anyone know where I can go to get one?

[@UnbalancedApple]

Thanks, but you're a bit late haha. I've already made my way from a cobra to an Anaconda.

[@carnivorouscookie7846]

Why get the beam lasers fixed? Isnt gimballed better??

[@dachefie0073]

i need to know where to buy these upgrades :D

[@monkadelic13]

i use 2 medium plasma accelerators and 2 small burst lasers gimballed. all A gear and insurance is 600k LOL

[@NobreakerXD]

What about lakon type 6 7 and 9 trading loadouts? :D

[@NobreakerXD]

***** thanks :D

[@epicpinecone4593]

In what systems did you get all these modules and weapons ? just so i know where to go for upgrades and such :P

[@williamtessier5449]

Great videos, can you please do one for the ASP, i have this ship and its great but i wonder what the best load out would be. Thanks

[@RSharpe]

I second a video for the Asp!

[@PromethorYT]

Wait isn't the cobra 300k and the Vulture 5M now? Thats what it cost me anyways. youre prices seems high, maybe to patched that.

[@TheGypsay24]

He spent 7m in upgrades on it, the base ship is 300k

[@xDP02]

Are there Beam lasers that cant be manually shot? I believe i bought the wrong ones, i cant shoot them but they seem to shoot on their own.

[@xDP02]

xDP02 Finally found the ones you are using, 74k instead of 500k sounds a lot better lol

[@HowlerBikeVlogs]

xDP02 so the ones you had were probably turreted? not fixes or gimballed?

[@xDP02]

Yeah. spotted that already, they were automatically shooting turrets

[@CLANSCRIMMAGES]

I have a Million Credits, could I afford upgrading from my Sidewinder to what you have and still have enough Credits left over for Insurance? Thanks.. Nice Vid BTW

[@TheWackyhead]

You would have enough... I upgraded at 1 mil

[@carnivorouscookie7846]

Shall I get all these fixed weapons or shall I get them gimballed?

[@HowlerBikeVlogs]

CarnivorousCookie from what i've read here i think imma gonna try 1 fixed beam lasers and 3 gimballed MC tonight, it seems the most efficient loadout for the cobra in regards to power usage and the spread between hardpoints

[@carnivorouscookie7846]

Howler Cool, I will try that too!

[@MarcosSilveira]

@xDP02 Self shooting weapons are all I want as I really suck at aiming and You're complaining!!! LOL

[@NialasDubh]

Halving your fuel capacity for the sake of an extra 0.5LY jump range is crazy. And stop saying "missull".

[@outlierVR]

Yes it is. Also, you can add the larger tank, and just run around with half a tank all the time. Having a larger fuel TANK doesn't add mass to your ship. Topping it off to 100% at every star you jump to, well that can make you heavier.

[@robdfar]

they must have changed it because i cant use the same stuff . to much tonage .

[@AshyGr33n]

Lol does he really understand how the heck the game works? Two gimballed class 2 beams plus two gimballed class 1 MC. Period.

[@eXX0n]

Helmstif, the Sarcastic Asianman Lol do you? It's a roleplaying game. He can do what ever he wants. Because it's a rollplaying game, with choices. And with choices you can CHOOSE. No rules. He can do whatever he wants. Because that is how the developers developed the game. To be able to choose. That's how the game works. Period.

[@avencaster4]

TulllTott Amen!

[@billybigballs5690]

Wow mate take a breath ! Are you a sniffer ?