The Sidewinder Review - The Top 1% of Ships [Elite Dangerous]

The Sidewinder from Faulcon DeLacy in Elite Dangerous is the cheapest, most basic ship, but does the galaxy have a place for it, once the player has enough cash to move onto bigger and better things?
In this video, I go through my personal impressions on this little ship.
All content taken from Elite Dangerous: Odyssey.
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[@potteryjoe]

I love that someone has picked up the gauntlet dropped by The Pilot. Ship reviews can be dry & boring, or entertaining but unhelpful. Yours are both informative, & supremely enjoyable. Well written, & beautifully edited. Great work. Be kind when you get around to the Type-6. o7

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

Thank you - I'm trying to strike the balance between keeping it entertaining and putting some decent information in there - still need to pick up a few editing skills, but it's an ongoing process - Rome wasn't built in a day and all that. As for the Type-6 - I'll be as fair as I can - it's 100% got some perks for the price, although looks sure aren't one of them 🙂. o7

[@EscanthonX]

I have taken my sidewinder into AX and have named it Fool's Dream. Usually I take out just scouts, but recently I've taken down a cyclops with it which is absolutely my crowning achievement. It's in retirement now, stripped of its weapons and boosting at over 700m/s. When I fly it these days, it's usually as a data courier

[@KorekFrost]

I read the last sentence as a date ride 😆. Imagine getting picked up by someone in a sidewinder and learning it goes 700 m/s. Almost like a Toyota Supra with a 2jz

[@intothelean2930]

My sidewinder fully engineered boosts over 700 MS (unsure of exact numbers, not in game.) It has 2 dumb fire missile racks. The smallest foot print for planetary landing and is Absolutly the GOAT for odyssey foot landings and settlement raiding / missions. I don't fly it for sentimentality It is THE best ship for oddy ground missions. it lands on any sort of terrain easily and can park next to any building with the settlement alarms with ease. it hovers around a settlement like an apache helicopter nimble and fast and can rain death with its dumbfire missles. It can do Nap of the earth approaches to hostile land bases flying in fast and hard UNDER the settlments defensive systems. Plus 40 LY jump range, fuel scoop, In and out of stations at several hundred MS because it handles that good. For ground based oddy missions the Sidey does not F around and is the best ship in the game for it.

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

Nothing wrong with the Sidy. I actually did buy one as I let my original one go. I recommend all my young Padawan's to keep it for fun later. Mine is engineered up the ying yang. Advanced Thrusters too. It's a fun little ship.

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

It's well worth keeping - as for engineering, the performance difference between a stock Sidey and a mostly A rated Sidey with some choice engineering really is something to behold

[@Cee64E]

Yes, I still have my Sidewinder. I don't use it often, but it's great for quick trips on the cheap. With proper engineering it can be a vicious little snake, you just gotta choose your battles well and try to stay in your prey's blindspots. It won't make you a _lot_ of money, but it will certainly earn it's keep. And it's just _soooo_ much fun to fly sublight in the shallows.

[@djdaz72]

Great video , yes I’ve still got my sidewinder occasionally jump in it for some more local exploration. It’s engineered as well, I can remember heading to the empire the first time in it and how many jumps it took. And going to Hutton orbital getting there with a almost dry fuel tank .

[@magicarmyman]

with the addition of the sco fsd the sidewinder has become my favorite ship to experiment with, being able to travel incredibly quickly really helps with the shenanigans.

[@cmdrhomborger6214]

Ah! I love my Sideys! One one account I use the “Finding My Way” for FA-off training and ganker baiting. My exploration account has the “Palamino” for investigating black holes, landing on high g worlds and getting in close to NSP’s . The cockpit might be pokey but it provides a marvellous view !

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

Palomino for investigating black holes? Is that in reference to the film "The Black Hole" from 1979?

[@cmdrhomborger6214]

@@gamingsnipsandbits it is indeed! Bought ship kits and snazzy paint jobs for both my Sideys too.

[@J_Solo]

sidewinder can land where no one just can, for example, in the mountains

[@Datan0de]

I honestly can't grasp why anyone would ever sell any ship that wasn't bought just for module storage, particularly one with which they have some history. It costs nothing to keep it, and as you pointed out, the market value of that used Sidey is going to be a rounding error once you've gotten into bigger ships. Of course, its role has changed, but I still have my Sidewinder and still take her out from time to time. Like you, I've found that it's a great way to save money on shipping costs, and makes a great backup bubble taxi. It's also ideal for when I want to do something experimental and colossally stupid, like dive into a black hole (true story). When I'm playing in VR, there's another appeal to choosing it as a runabou: it *feels* tiny, like there's barely anything between you and the black. It's hard to explain, but it's a neat (if vulnerable) sensation, particularly if you're switching to it straight from a gargantuan ship like a Corvette or Anaconda.

[@Datan0de]

Also, it's nice to know that Rick rolling is alive and well in 3309!

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

Absolutely agree with you - mine has done it's fair share of stupid stuff - running into maelstroms with minimum preparation, attempting to finish off a 1% Anaconda by ramming (we both died) and countless other "I wonder if this will blow me up" moments. As for VR, it really does feel small - even the Vulture can feel large in a VR setup, but the Sidey is about as compact as you can go without resorting to an SLF. As for Rick - his works will never give us up, even into the 3300s

[@MetalFalcon99]

Side winder is such a cute ship

[@mrexists5400]

Took my sidewinder to Sag A, it was a while ago but I think I squeezed 40 ly jump range with engineering and guardian fsd booster

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

40ly sounds about right when stripped back far enough - plus it'll land anywhere within reason for if you need a break along the way to stretch your legs ETC - it's a fine little ship for what it is

[@GrandpasPlace]

I left a python at Colonia when I did a run to beagle point and wanted to transfer it back to the bubble. Bought a sidewinder, added a fuel scoop and some extra cargo racks. Flew it to Lave and loaded up on Brandy. Then docked with a fleet carrier for the ride to colonia. Once in Colonia, I sold off the brandy and UC scan data, switched to the python, Sold the Sidewinder, and bought all the Jaques Quinentian Still's I could get my hands on, then went and docked back with the Fleet carrier for the ride back to the bubble. Instead of paying millions to transfer the ship, I made a few million. ;)

[@darkseraph2009]

I keep my sidewinder at Jameson Memorial. Occasionally, i take it out as a runabout, just visiting places idly.

[@sethhancock40]

This was the first video I've watched of yours, and you had to end it with a Rick Roll. Well that's it, you hooked me, hope you're happy, lol. In all seriousness though, I've got hundreds of hours in ED, admittedly took long breaks at times. But the Sidewinder, along the Cobra and Type 6, is one of the ships I have the fondest memories of. I didn't regret selling it at the time to trade up to a Hauler in my earliest days, but later on down the line I bought a new Sidewinder just to have, and to goof around in when I don't feel like playing too seriously. I've done very little engineering on it because...well, don't see a lot of point to putting in that much effort to pimp *that* ride...but either way it's probably still one of my favorite little ships that I've got stored away. Still such a delight to fly around and poke things with, whether it's with the Scanners or the dinky little water pistols they call Class 1 Lasers.

[@evilsteve8915]

I have a mildly engineered Sidewinder that is built for exploration. It is mainly for the memes than anything else with a jump range 29.85

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

Memeships are the best ships - and the Sidey can be a great little explorer - enough range to traverse most of the galaxy, fun to throw around in canyons (although sell your exploration data first in case it goes wrong and gets yeeted into a mountain) and small enough to land pretty much anywhere. Throw a carrier in for support and those jumps a Sidey can't quite make and you're golden

[@timedriverable]

As a new player I have acquired about a half mil doing courier jobs in the simple. What would you suggest as a step up loadout?

[@TheLotw]

I watched this video and bought a sidewinder. I kitted it out with as many A class things I could and some eh weapons as I am not that far into the game to get good ones. I have not too much cargo space, but I have a planetary landing bay for the rover. I was using it for my explorer ship but I would not try to take it into combat as the re-buy cost was pretty high, it actually (if I was to sell it) net me about 1m credits at the ship dealers, which is more than some of my other ships. I retired it from the role (it made me $20m from analyzing plants in my starting system) for a new build. The cargo space is the main reason I retired it, but I can still use it for that role if needed. The Diamondback scout replaced it as my exploration ship, but yeah it was a lot, lot more money and is worth 6x the price. So ya, the Sidewinder can be used for quite a few things and is pretty cheap to replace or kit out. Its worth having one, but also keep a cheap ship for going out to buy a new one, or whatever and then have it sent back to your system for price reasons. My sidewinder (even though its worth that much) only costed about 2k to from two jumps away, where as my Diamondback Scout costs over 6k. I eventually would like to own every ship in the game and play with them to see what they can do. There are several that I just dont like cause they just dont seem to be good at anything I have tried.

[@JGreen-le8xx]

It's an awesome little ship for flying around outside a large station to collect wake signatures. Small, fast, and nimble.

[@345y5]

any tips to build this one.

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

Depends - you got anything in mind for it to work towards? (Combat, exploration, outright speed etc)

[@nelson1111]

If you have a fleet carrier, the Sidey is the perfect ship for those short distance exploration trips. It can land almost anywhere. I’ve been out in my DBX, found fungoida and not been able to find a suitable landing spot, hoped by to the carrier and switched to my Sidey-and landed no problem.

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

Can't agree more - I've been spending a lot of time in my Anaconda recently as I'm getting footage for the next review and compared to a Sidey, it's an absolute ballache to land near to the POI on some planets. An SRV does help with that, but the Sidey generally lets you land right next to your target of choice - brilliant for exobiology, as you can skim the surface, set down when something comes up and then have it scanned and be back in flight in a few moments.

[@Pflanzenturio]

I dont own a Sidewinder anymore. But I have a place in my heart for small ships, so I see why people may choose this for fun and testing

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

Small ships are (mostly) great fun, even without firing a single shot. For the low price of 32k, it's worth adding to your fleet 🙂

[@Cohen.the.Worrier]

Congrats, great vid cmdr. 👨‍🚀

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

Thank you! 😃

[@Tamburello_1994]

No. Just no. Sorry. I tried going back for a time, and no. I've waaay outgrown any use for it as my Cobra III is relegated to signals gathering only these days. So, a SW'der would get no play whatsoever. One ship I do use for taxi, liaison duties? The ASP Scout.

[@asiftalpur3758]

cope

[@Tamburello_1994]

@@asiftalpur3758 why? I'm a multi-billionaire with a Fleet Carrier, why do I need to mess around? For nostalgia sake? Lol. Some of you seem bored with the game, perhaps it's time for a break.

[@asiftalpur3758]

@@Tamburello_1994 your bad at the game (ED game to be exact)

[@Tamburello_1994]

@@asiftalpur3758 I guess so. I'm just: Elite I status explorer; Elite level Trader; Elite level in Combat with over nine billion in the bank; thirteen ships in total including the big 3 (Anaconda, Imp Cutter, Corvette) all wrapped up in a fleet carrier. Can you beat that? You on the other hand -- apparently were "bad" at school not knowing "your" from "you're". Consider yourself schooled. Go back and learn something, and stop humping my leg in the meantime.

[@asiftalpur3758]

@@Tamburello_1994 But you die to basic ships by new players how do you explain that poor guy

[@googleiscancer]

never thought I'd feel nostalgia for the sidewinder but looks like I'm buying a new one lol

[@gamingsnipsandbits]

Do it - If you do I recommend performance thrusters with some dirty drag drive tuning - makes the ship enormous fun to fly

[@googleiscancer]

@Gaming Snips and Bits canyon riding with a sidewinder in vr sounds like an awful fun way to lose my lunch I can't wait