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This week I finally achieved the rank of Combat Elite! Coincidentally, I also passed the $1B credit mark. After over a year playing this amazing game, I thought I'd take this opportunity to pass along what I've learned along the way to any new commanders who might be looking for combat tips:

First, I play Elite Dangerous exclusively in VR and highly recommend it. It's one of the most immersive VR games out there, even though it wasn't built that way from the ground up. I've played ED using the Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest, and now the HP Reverb G2. If you're playing in VR, you'll need a flight stick (HOTAS controller)…I use the ThrustMaster T16000M as it's one of the only ones I've found that can be configured for lefties. Even though the ThrustMaster has a good set of programmable buttons, I also highly recommend using VoiceAttack for voice control of ED functions, as it's pretty challenging to find buttons on the joystick while you're in VR.

If you're bucking for Elite rank, Combat is the toughest to get…it definitely takes a while, and you really have to enjoy the pew-pew! You'll also need an well-engineered combat ship. I tried several along the way (Cobra, DBX, Krait Phantom, even a Fer-De-Lance for a minute), but I finally settled on the tried-and-true Krait Mk II for my combat ship. It has the key characteristics I'm looking for: great cockpit visibility (with a center-mounted pilot seat), a good set of large and medium hardpoints, strong hull, and good maneuverability. I use a beam laser for the large hardpoint and multi-cannons for the mediums, both engineered (thermal efficiency for the laser, corrosive for the cannons). You'll also want to engineer the powerplant (7A) and shields, and shield boosters on the utility mounts.

There are various strategies for accumulating combat experience points, but this one worked for me:

1. Find yourself a good system with a variety of Resource Extraction sites (High). Lots of commanders recommend Conflict Zones (CZs), but Res sites are situated in ringed planets and I like flying around the asteroids in a Res site…adds to the realism, and there are some gorgeous ringed planets. Most importantly, in Res High sites you will get help from the cops (Fed Security Service, Alliance Enforcers, etc.)…when you're starting out, you'll need these guys to soften up the bad guys for you so you can claim the bounties. I spend a lot of time in LHS 20 (Ohm City), but then I found 89 Leonis (Sanger Dock)…it's a great system, multiple sites and some beautiful ringed planets. Also, I like a ringed planet with multiple Res High sites…that way, if you don't find a lot of pirates in the first site, you can quickly cruise to another in the same set of rings.
2. You'll need to develop some flight skills and moves, but luckily nothing all that fancy. The first move you need to learn is PATIENCE! When in a Res High site, it's typically best to let the cops engage the pirates first before you do…if you engage first, you run the risk of getting ganged up on by a team of pirates. Also, you need to carefully pick and choose your targets. You need to give the larger ships (Pythons, Vultures, FDLs, and Anacondas) a wider birth and proper respect…I typically wait for the cops to engage those guys for a minute before engaging myself. As you rank up, you can get more aggressive, but even at my current level being impatient still gets me vaporized now and again.
3. When confronted with several pirate opportunities, you'll want to stick with the higher-ranked ones. Remember, an Elite Sidewinder or Eagle gets you more combat points than a Master Anaconda (and is much easier to kill). Of course, the larger ships are worth more credits…much more, if you have a Kill Warrant Scanner, which can get you a substantial bonus in many cases (I tie mine to the laser, that way I can get a pirate scanned while I strip away his shield, then finish him off with the multi-cannons).
4. Probably the best move to develop is the use of Flight Assist off (FA Off) to make your turns sharper. I have the FA Off tied to the large button to the immediate right of my joystick, so I can toggle it on and off easily while turning. FA Off will allow you to turn on a dime while boosting, and keep your enemy in your sights. Many commanders advocate the use of FA Off for most combat and to perform other fancy maneuvers, but I've found it to be mostly useful in turns. I also try not to get in 1:1 fights with larger ships, as these invariably turn into prolonged jousts that are tough to win. If you are jousting, remember to pip up your weapons while turning (you won't be getting fired upon), and then pip up your shields after completing the turn…that will allow you to get in some good laser/MC blasts during your joust pass. Don't be afraid to cut and run if you find yourself losing a joust…and look for those green symbols on your radar, flying towards a cop can induce them to engage with your jousting foe and finish him off for you.
5. I like to carry a full set of limpets (64) to gather valuable materials and canisters that get dropped along the way while destroying bad guys, but be careful…high value cargo (gold, silver, etc.) will get you attention from more pirates. Be sure to get yourself a PD (Point Defense) turret next to your cargo hatch to defeat hatchbreaker limpets sent by pirates, or you'll lose your swag. Try to resist flying around with too much valuable cargo, as that's a good recipe for vaporization…I'm still chafing about the time I picked up 9 Gold canisters that I lucked upon and foolishly tried to keep bounty hunting…should have packed it up and gone back to the station to collect!
6. Finally, the most important rule (in bounty hunting as well as gambling)…don't get greedy! Once you're out of ammo, you can still hang around and off pirates with your lasers if the pickings are rich…but you're courting disaster. I generally look to get back to the station after I lose over 50% of my shields. Also, it's a good idea to tie a Voice Attack profile to max engines…that will help you quickly get out of Dodge if you're in trouble with a badass Anaconda or whatever.

Now that I've reached my goal of Combat Elite billionaire, my next goals are to obtain the Guardian FSD booster…then a Sol permit to finally see the home system. After that, I may take a trip out to Sag A, but we'll see…I've been playing ED non-stop pretty much this whole year, it may be time to take a break and play some other games, but I'll be back!