You can try your hand in a "Resource" area (or Rez)...asteroid rings around a gas giant...there are Rez, Low Rez, and High Rez.
The are more ships in these areas, but the ships are generally bigger...and the pilots are better (i.e. the same ship you fought at a Nav beacon will hit a lot harder, have stronger shields and armor, and will fly much better.) However, the bounties pay higher. If I take out a Python at a Nav beacon, I might get a 80K to 100K bounty. If I take one out in a Rez, I may get 150 K or higher.
Yea - The Vulture is a good ship.
A bit underpowered for it's Large hardpoints (you need to turn off the Frame Shift Drive in Combat). But it's fast, and night/day difference to Cobra. You need the 4A power plant to run it's weapons and the 5A shield and 5A thrusters...it a fully outfitted one will run you about 20 Mil.
A good "next step" Combat ship from a Cobra is, believe it or not, an Asp Scout. It doesn't have the 2 Large hardpoints like the vulture, but it has 2 medium and 2 small. It has a 4 Power distributor...but the shields are a bit softer than a Viper...but it handles well. Here is a fully decked out one for about 10 million
https://coriolis.io/outfit/asp_scout/0pataFdlddfshf41b1b18180l044502--24.AwRj4y2I.Aw19kA==
The more I fly my Python...the more I like it. Even having it decked out for mission running (cargo and passenger cabins), it's a great combat ship with the engineer upgrades to thrusters and shields. I'm currently running 2 Large Turret Burst Lasers, 1 Large Fixed Burst Laser, and 2 Medium Fixed Burst lasers. The 2 turrets keep the target under constant fire, and I line up to womp the target with the 3 fixed bursts. I fought a Vulture last night (he interdicted me)...I got him lined up and pulled the trigger first...his shields were down in 2 shots!
This is working out much better than my last weapon build of 2 medium turret beams and 3 large fixed multi-cannons. It's not a fighter, so I am experimenting with different weapon loads (versus the traditional fighter buildout.) The Large Turrets track slower than the medium ones did...so I have to not be too much of a spaz when under fire.
The next loadout I am going to try is 2 Large Turret Pulse, 2 Medium Turret Pulse, and 1 Large Fixed Beam for the "under the nose" hardpoint. I can keep the ship in position so the turrets keep the target under constant fire...and just split them open with the beam when I get it lined up.
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