With that said, if you've managed to grab yourself a shiny starter ship - and still have a little extra cash floating around - we recommend checking out some of the new players fits detailed over at the Bark and Byte blog. How exactly you choose to kit out your ship will depend very much on the activities you have planned, and how much cash you have in the bank to complete the upgrades. You can make various upgrades to your ship in the Outfitting section of the Station Services interface. It's got a fantastic jump range (particularly when it's been upgraded), and its fuel capacity will keep you on the road for yonks. Exploration shipsДЄs you can probably guess, the Asp is a great choice for those who need to sail across particularly wide gulfs of space. The Lakon Type-9 represents the last and best in the Lakon line - for now at least - and boasts the biggest cargo hold currently available in the game. You might have spotted a pattern emerging here. The logical next step for those who've been grinding out the credits in a Type 6. Like the Type 6 but bigger, and capable of putting up a bit more of a fight in space. The relatively high purchase cost (approximately one million credits) means you'll be hauling goods for some time before you get to set foot in it though. The Lakon Type-6 is a pure trading and hauling vehicle. The cargo hold can be expanded from the default eight to 22 slots. Note that it is extremely limited in combat, so be prepared to run rather than stand your ground. Transport shipsДЄs the name suggests, this clunky machine is best at shipping goods from one section of the galaxy to another. It's massive and armed to the teeth, but you'll need to bring around 150 million credits to the table if you want to fly one of these beauties. The Anaconda is pretty much the end-game as far as combat ships are concerned in Elite Dangerous. The Python can go up against an Anaconda if it's flown by the right pilot, but given the high cost of fitting out this particular ship it's a brave or rich player who opts for one of these in combat. If you want to fly the Federal Dropship you'll need to first attain the rank of Ensign or better with the Federation, and find 40 million or so credits from behind the back of the sofa. On the negative side, the Viper burns through both fuel and power like nobody's business, so don't expect to carry much with you when you leave the Station. The Viper is good enough for the authorities to police space with, so it should be good enough for you too. The Eagle is a very popular combat ship for those starting out their career as a Bounty Hunter, although you should invest in better shields as soon as you have the funds to do so, as the hull is a little lightweight. To purchase it, you'll need to have achieved either the Empire rank of Baron or better with the Imperial Navy, or achieved Allied status with the faction the base owner is connected with. The Imperial Clipper is one of the most powerful all-rounder ships in Elite Dangerous.

A decent weapons system rounds off the package. It's low heat signature will keep the police at bay, while its decent cargo capacity ensures you make efficient use of your time. If you want to smuggle your ill-gotten gains from one part of space to another, you can do a lot worse than the Cobra. Not only does the Adder have a great jump range for exploration fans, its cargo-hold can also be upgraded to turn the ship into a decent transporter too.

The Adder represents the halfway house between the default Sidewinder ship and the beefier Cobra Mk III.

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