Replace my Cutlass Blue with?

[u/cree8ion]

I have a Cutlass Blue on my starter package (don’t want to melt as I will lose LTI - the old Nomad CCU), but I am not a PVPer, and the space cop thing doesn’t seem a reality.

What is a viable CCU upgrade I should look out for come IAE?

EDIT: Thanks everyone for your thoughts and input. Seems the Connies are somewhat popular (still).

Here is what I could do (I have enough store credit to ccu the Cutty Blue into a Taurus, maintaining my package LTI and SQn42.
The left over credit I can buy an LTI Hoverquad from buy backs.
And keep the Prowler Ute.

[u/FPSrad]

Corsair, Asgard, new Aquila.

I would say these are the big 3 workhorses.

shoutout to the old Taurus too

[u/Rapom613 → u/FPSrad]

And the MK4 andromeda for that matter

[u/Beerbeardinspace]

You could try putting in a support ticket. It will most likely be ignored but they might let you melt your un-meltable package or remove the upgrades to your bike. If they help you out you could get one of the new constellations and call it good.

Failing that it depends on how much you want to spend. Hornet ghost mk2 is only $10 on the cutty blue and you could live the life of the smuggler/assassin with the ghost and prowler.

My other recommendation is an Apollo triage with tier 1 medbeds you get the utility of a system wide respawn point letting you cut down on travel times to repeatable missions. Super useful overlooked ship.

People like the Asgard but i find its overpriced for what you get. I also melted my Corsair but you can buy it in game or pick one up from the executive hangers.

[u/Final_Tie8665]

I would get that LTI out of buyback sooner rather than later. They are getting real weird with buybacks lately.

[u/EastLimp1693]

I like what you suggest, don't fall into chasing newest and brightest, taurus + steality is pretty good combo

[u/Guardian_Templar]

A very open ended question without knowing what u like, that ship has a bunch above it to chose from without a budget or game loop interest shared.

Also, about LTI, I’d need to know your situation but odds are high you can get that LTI back if you rebuy that ship if you melted it. If the base ship that you upgraded from has LTI then you get LTI back when you buy it back, however you do lose all of the upgrades associated with that original cutty Blue

[u/cree8ion → u/Guardian_Templar]

Valid.
The game package was very early with only 6 month ins, but has Sqn42. In order to have LTI, I applied the Nomad CCU in the chain to Cutty Blue. So if I melt and rebuy, I’ll lose LTI.

I guess I’m thinking about gameplay loops that can earn aUEC. I only ever start with 5k and it feels like a struggle to get going.

I wondered about $5 CCU to the Super Hornet mk.1 and then I’d have a combat ship, but not much else.

[u/Disastrous-Power-699 → u/cree8ion]

A Connie Taurus. You’ll have fire power and cargo space. Can do a whole lot with that ship and earn a ton initially.

[u/OriginTruther → u/Disastrous-Power-699]

This, and now with the new event PHB flight blade its even better

[u/cree8ion → u/OriginTruther]

I’ll have to look that up thanks.

[u/Fresh-Mess-3888 → u/cree8ion]

Agreed with the above and if you want something with some more firepower and a little snub fighter in the back get the andromeda

[u/shadownddust → u/cree8ion]

Last I heard, if you melt anything with sq42 you at the very least lose sq42 unable to buy it back, so I would confirm that.

[u/AWerewolfDad → u/shadownddust]

If he only has two pledges and that one has SQ42 it can’t be melted at all.

[u/Guidion7 → u/AWerewolfDad]

Not true if the other pledge also has SQ42 and SC game access... You can lock a single pledge for both games.

[u/AWerewolfDad → u/Guidion7]

He mentions that the one has SQ 42 and doesn’t mention it about the other.

[u/Guidion7 → u/AWerewolfDad]

Hence the if in the "Not true if" statement.  I am also pretty sure that any pledge with sq42 access also had sc access, but I could be wrong there, which is also why that if is there.  Op does mention in a later post that their only other pledge was a referral one, which does not have sc access, so.....

[u/Guardian_Templar → u/cree8ion]

Imo, you’re in a tough spot here, with that sq42 pack it’s about to be unmeltable and locked to your account.

I second the idea of a Mk IV connie. I’d recommend renting one in game during a game session then making that money back quickly with the Gilly Missions under the Merc tab.

With IAE around the corner you can get any ship you’d like. You can use the free Mk V rental right now to grind some money. You can also find out if you like a ship that big. The MK V is technically immune to the damage of a Hammerhead (atleast with its default repeaters) so you can grind out that Gilly 7 mission for 200K for nearly free.

[u/Guidion7 → u/Guardian_Templar]

Not sure what you mean "about to be". They locked pledges on OCT 1, so if OP cannot move game access to a different pledge, then this one is locked already.

[u/Prestigious-Leg-2996 → u/cree8ion]

was this said already? maybe - didn't read everything BUT don't melt a package with SQ42 in it cuz you cant buy it back.

[u/ComfortableSpell6600 → u/cree8ion]

Super Hornet is a great fighter, but the Mk 1 Super Hornet is not sold anymore. The Mk 2 SH is priced at $240, so you'd be looking at a $65 CCU.

Have you considered the M80 as a fighter? I have been finding it a joy to fly. Though at its price point, you might want a chance to fly it in game before committing to that big of a CCU.

(My original S42 package is the Digital Bounty Hunter edition. The M80 feels like the ship it should have included (Not the original 300i or even the 325A upgrade I initially picked up)

If you melt this pack, you cannot buy it back. Do you have more than one package with S42? If you only have the one pack, you will be locked out of melting with the recent game library update anyway.

[u/cree8ion → u/ComfortableSpell6600]

Ohhh true. I forgot about that…you’re right, it does have that locked icon on it.

[u/multiple_iterations]

What is it that you loved about the Blue? What game play loops do you tend to focus on?

[u/cree8ion → u/multiple_iterations]

I was a Drake fan, and I loved the cockpit glass on the Blue. I thought being a bounty hunter (PVE) sounded fun, and maybe one day that will be a thing?

The other ship I have is built on a non meltable referral dragon fly. 🤦‍♂️it was a Corsair but in a late night fit of “ooohhh shiny” stupidity, I CCU’d it to a Prowler Utility.

That said I love the Prowler, and do lots of little deliveries, but I am looking to do something else, and sadly the Cutty Blue just doesn’t seem to offer that.

The rookie mistakes I made were having two unmeltable ships.

[u/AWerewolfDad → u/cree8ion]

Capture alive bounty hunting will come, but nobody can say when.

Don’t regret the Prowler-U. It’s niche but it’s super good at its niche.

If you want to upgrade to something you’ll get a ton of use out of, look at the popular daily drivers. The Connie 4 and 5 are topical, you could get that Corsair back, the Asgard, one of the Starlancers, a C2 Hercules (not my fave but here for completeness), Railen or Hermes if you want a cargo ship, Zeus if you wanna stick relatively small.

If you want something more combat focused, Guardian MX or M80 are good fighter options that are more expensive than your Cutty.

[u/multiple_iterations → u/cree8ion]

I mean, if it's a generalist you're after, the Asgard is excellent, and not a terrible ccu cost from a Prowler Utility. If you wanted to fly mine for a few jobs to see what you think of it before spending any actual money, DM me

But that doesn't really solve your problem with the Blue

[u/Guidion7 → u/multiple_iterations]

It actually does. While the pledge is locked, the Cutlass Blue in it can still be CCUed, and at $175 it can easily be upgraded to any Cutlass MK IV, and can be upgraded into a M80. While the Asgard is not available now, it is also a more expensive ship so CAN be upgraded to when it becomes available again, likely next month.

Granted CCU-ing to anything will also be locked in from melting/gifting, but even the upgraded ship can be further upgraded.