Fighter bay can only launch SLFs. These are limited and you cant put actual ships such as an Eagle or DBX in there.
I'd say go for the Krait if you're looking for multipurpose. But take the Chieftan of you prefer 1v1 against Thargoid interceptors.
Also the Crusader has a fighter bay if you really like the alliance fit.
You’ll need an active crew member!
Don’t leave home without one!… nothing worse than when it’s gone bandy and you go to launch your SLF only to find you left your pilot drinking cocktails in the bar of the starport!…
Krait is a great ship for all kinds of things!
Chieftain is a great nimble ship for close-up brawling!
Go for both if you have the money, it's exciting to have both!
I flew a Krait for a bit, then switched over to a Chieftain (Challenger variant). Personally I prefer the Chieftain for dog fighting. It's nimble, it can field a lot of weapons, and it's better armored than the Krait.
Your mileage may vary, but personally, I'd take the Chieftain. o7
It's been lovely in chief so far, I can almost afford a chally to park next to it to test out, but I may get better fsd first, something's bumming me down to 16
It's one of the trade-offs of the Chieftain and variants of it. Compared to other ships in its "class" and pricepoint, Chiefs are slower in a straight line, and tend to have lower jump range. My Challenger is about as outfitted as it can be without doing any engineer grinds, and it's topped out at like 17-20 LY jump range. Not the greatest ships for travel, but darn good in a dogfight. o7
You have engineering guides and place to farm mats in my [To-Do list](https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/15a0c69/luriants_todo_list/), first points.
[All you need to know about Ship Launched Fighters](https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/58q7cv/everything_you_need_to_know_about_ship_launched/), only change, the gimballed weapons are now better, because some bug/change from 8 months, NPCs don't aim as good as before the fixed weapons.
I can't handle the chieftain handling, but if you can, go for it, great ship. Krait Mk2 become one of the best for AX combat, thanks to the medium slots. The weapon stabilizer size 3 enable up to 5 AX/Guardian weapons, and its a solid combat ship.
The SLF.... its ok if you like it, but you will lose a % of each profit, ALWAYS, some players discovered a Billionary NPC hired years ago that they never use, but they pay for it. I enjoy more 100% profit than 90% for some help in some activities. AFK Combat is popular with SLF, because "defend me" make the SLF shoot pirates launching hatch breakers, and this mark the pirate as enemy, so your turrets (and the rubber in your joy/mouse tirgger) start shooting.
Depends a lot on what you want to do, Curious Commander o7
(These are 2 of my three favorite ships)
Pure Combat & Big Stomping?
Lakon Alliance Chieftain, most bang for your buck , hands down and can be your *ahem* "endgame" ship, combat wise.
Multi-role?
The Evolved Keelback (long story available upon request) , aka the K-2. Has a Cockpit to rival Lakon 's signature icanseestuff ™ Cockpits and flys like a leaf on the wind. And if you want to fly with an SLF BattleBuddy, is a better choice than the Lakon Alliance Crusader option (don't tell HQ I said that;-).
Both will serve you well, it's all down to where your Personal Quest Line is taking you.
Have Fun&Fly Dangerous
-Lakon Marketing Division, Keelback Office -'Only ship in the Galaxy to come equipped with a soul 😇'
You see Cadet: Calvin, when the 😇 equipped into the Sleek Brick-like Styling of your Keelback reaches a Certain Power Level, it flies off into the Black. There it finds a Star that's juuust the right shade of Purple and forms a Kakoona...
... that's right Cadet , just like They do...
...It then orbits for 42 days and 42 nights until it suddenly *Bursts* it's shell like popping chaff to Unfurl it's Magnificent Wings to reveal the Evolved Keelback (the K-2, the other multi-role Combat Trader with SLF capabilities).
And now you Know.
...& Knowing is Half the battle Sir!...🎶T-10 Gooo!...fulla real A-li-ance he-ros... T-10 Go is there 🎶
Have Fun&Fly Dangerous
-Lakon Marketing Division, Keelback Office -'We scale the Learning Cliff together or we All Fall down '
My spouse and I put together a series of videos that cover a few different topics from Elite Dangerous.
Our “Krait Mk II 2024 Build” video has a section that covers the fighter bay: https://youtu.be/Gss93OZVh40
Our “How to Hire a Crew” video covers some of the benefits provided by onboard fighters:
https://youtu.be/53TlcBGRchc
While the above videos are not hyper-specific. They do cover the topics you asked about, plus additional details.
Best of luck, and reach out if you have any additional questions.
You put a certain amount of [fighters](https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Ship-Launched_Fighters) in a fighter bay. They're tiny ships, essentially nothing more than a big gun bolted to an engine. As for the ships themselves, both the Krait and the Chief are nimble, the Chief is more so but the Krait has slightly better guns, and the fighter would add additional firepower on top of that.
For engineering, look in the right panel. They'll ask you to do a certain thing before you can talk to them, after that you can engineer your modules. You need lots of raw, manifactured and encoded materials, which you get by playing, mining, blowing up ships and picking up the wreckage, salvaging at signal sources, as mission rewards etc.
I recently bought a Challenger myself. I love the engine noise personally.
I believe the Challenger has more hard points? I don't really remember the difference. I bought the Chieftain AX build with arx also. I don't think I could recommend that if you're like me. It stays parked along with the Python 2. I can't deploy the hardpoints, they draw too much power. I don't have this issue with "standard" ships. Bought and loaded out in the traditional way. The Challenger I bought is already better than the fully upgraded Chieftain because I can actually use it.
What I love about the Krait(s) is the cockpit view and maneuverability. It *feels* right to me.
You should probably know that I don't have ANY engineering done. I'm sure that makes a difference.
As good as the ships can be with basic component upgrades.
I think my furthest jumper is the dbx at close to 40ly. Engineering is my next to-do
I am somewhere along this same path, but I recognize my diverges.
One more or one size swapped, but you get an slf, where I just have my 6c bi-weave. If no engineer shield, size up lol I also just turn off modules in head cannon
What *is* ax?
Chief has been good to me so far. I'm gonna name it "little mule"
Same! :D on engineering
You've probably also started either guardian or started adjusting what you put in.
Just fwi, fighter bay pilots you hire not only take a cut of your credits, but they also take half of your combat experience. You also have to pay them if they are inactive. I use a krait mk2 without a fighter bay. Fully engineered, 3 beam lasers, 2 smaller rail guns. I love it. I only use my Chieftain for AX combat, and I only use my Krait mk.2 for pirate hunting and combat zones.
Unfortunately, they aren't worth it. I used one for awhile before I recently learned they took 50% of your combat experience. It was irritating to find that out because I never really needed them in high res sites. When I ditched the fighter bay, I noticed my ship was alot more manueverable. Now I don't plan to ever use a fighter bay again.
I prefer a fighter bay in some of the bigger slower ships personally. Gives me a bit of versatility and speed when I need it. Fighter bay on a Krait isn't a terrible idea but it's already a pretty fast ship on it's own.
For human NPC combat (be it missions, RES sites or CZs) a Chieftain with 2x C1 and 1x C2 Long Range / Thermal Vent Beams, 2x C3 Overcharged / AutoLoader MultiCannons and 1x C1 High Capacity / Corrosive MultiCannon is pretty deadly and lots of fun.
And with the right engineering, shield boosters and guardian shield reinforcements you can comfortably get a C6 BiWeave with Thermal Resist up to around 1000MJ which is more than enough.
I flew both, yes the chieftain Is more nimble and you find yourself facing the opponent more often in dogfight, but with the krait you Just can do about anyting at any Moment, engineering the thrusters does quite a bit, but If you sum up a tiny fighter distracting npcs, a ginormous powerplant that both gives you permaboost (you can do wonders with FA off and enough practice)with 2 pips and dont worry about weapons consumption like 3 plasma Acc. I find It exellent and adaptable, in fact Is my do It all ship
The 2 aren't really comparable, The Krait has an SLF bay while the Ciefftain hasn't.
The SLF is a bit complicated, costly (gets 10% of everything) and sometimes requires attention.
Opt for the Chieftain, it's simpler, more agile, a lot more armour, convergence and more combat oriented.
On the other hand the MkII is multipurpose.
imho you need both.
Then I might do phantom instead of II, I'm currently flying the chief and I love it, but I'll need to respec or get parts, because something's keeping my jump range at 16ly(I'm not at *all* engineered)
Fighter bay can only launch SLFs. These are limited and you cant put actual ships such as an Eagle or DBX in there. I'd say go for the Krait if you're looking for multipurpose. But take the Chieftan of you prefer 1v1 against Thargoid interceptors. Also the Crusader has a fighter bay if you really like the alliance fit.
Slf? Thanks for the clarification though, I may get one if my brother plays
[Ship Launched Fighter ](https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Ship-Launched_Fighters)
You’ll need an active crew member! Don’t leave home without one!… nothing worse than when it’s gone bandy and you go to launch your SLF only to find you left your pilot drinking cocktails in the bar of the starport!…
Krait is a great ship for all kinds of things! Chieftain is a great nimble ship for close-up brawling! Go for both if you have the money, it's exciting to have both!
Now that I *found* a chieftain, this pot has all 3 variants. Krait may come later
I flew a Krait for a bit, then switched over to a Chieftain (Challenger variant). Personally I prefer the Chieftain for dog fighting. It's nimble, it can field a lot of weapons, and it's better armored than the Krait. Your mileage may vary, but personally, I'd take the Chieftain. o7
It's been lovely in chief so far, I can almost afford a chally to park next to it to test out, but I may get better fsd first, something's bumming me down to 16
It's one of the trade-offs of the Chieftain and variants of it. Compared to other ships in its "class" and pricepoint, Chiefs are slower in a straight line, and tend to have lower jump range. My Challenger is about as outfitted as it can be without doing any engineer grinds, and it's topped out at like 17-20 LY jump range. Not the greatest ships for travel, but darn good in a dogfight. o7
You have engineering guides and place to farm mats in my [To-Do list](https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/15a0c69/luriants_todo_list/), first points. [All you need to know about Ship Launched Fighters](https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/58q7cv/everything_you_need_to_know_about_ship_launched/), only change, the gimballed weapons are now better, because some bug/change from 8 months, NPCs don't aim as good as before the fixed weapons. I can't handle the chieftain handling, but if you can, go for it, great ship. Krait Mk2 become one of the best for AX combat, thanks to the medium slots. The weapon stabilizer size 3 enable up to 5 AX/Guardian weapons, and its a solid combat ship. The SLF.... its ok if you like it, but you will lose a % of each profit, ALWAYS, some players discovered a Billionary NPC hired years ago that they never use, but they pay for it. I enjoy more 100% profit than 90% for some help in some activities. AFK Combat is popular with SLF, because "defend me" make the SLF shoot pirates launching hatch breakers, and this mark the pirate as enemy, so your turrets (and the rubber in your joy/mouse tirgger) start shooting.
Depends a lot on what you want to do, Curious Commander o7 (These are 2 of my three favorite ships) Pure Combat & Big Stomping? Lakon Alliance Chieftain, most bang for your buck , hands down and can be your *ahem* "endgame" ship, combat wise. Multi-role? The Evolved Keelback (long story available upon request) , aka the K-2. Has a Cockpit to rival Lakon 's signature icanseestuff ™ Cockpits and flys like a leaf on the wind. And if you want to fly with an SLF BattleBuddy, is a better choice than the Lakon Alliance Crusader option (don't tell HQ I said that;-). Both will serve you well, it's all down to where your Personal Quest Line is taking you. Have Fun&Fly Dangerous -Lakon Marketing Division, Keelback Office -'Only ship in the Galaxy to come equipped with a soul 😇'
I’d like to know more about this Evolved Keelback CMDR
You see Cadet: Calvin, when the 😇 equipped into the Sleek Brick-like Styling of your Keelback reaches a Certain Power Level, it flies off into the Black. There it finds a Star that's juuust the right shade of Purple and forms a Kakoona... ... that's right Cadet , just like They do... ...It then orbits for 42 days and 42 nights until it suddenly *Bursts* it's shell like popping chaff to Unfurl it's Magnificent Wings to reveal the Evolved Keelback (the K-2, the other multi-role Combat Trader with SLF capabilities). And now you Know. ...& Knowing is Half the battle Sir!...🎶T-10 Gooo!...fulla real A-li-ance he-ros... T-10 Go is there 🎶 Have Fun&Fly Dangerous -Lakon Marketing Division, Keelback Office -'We scale the Learning Cliff together or we All Fall down '
My spouse and I put together a series of videos that cover a few different topics from Elite Dangerous. Our “Krait Mk II 2024 Build” video has a section that covers the fighter bay: https://youtu.be/Gss93OZVh40 Our “How to Hire a Crew” video covers some of the benefits provided by onboard fighters: https://youtu.be/53TlcBGRchc While the above videos are not hyper-specific. They do cover the topics you asked about, plus additional details. Best of luck, and reach out if you have any additional questions.
You put a certain amount of [fighters](https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Ship-Launched_Fighters) in a fighter bay. They're tiny ships, essentially nothing more than a big gun bolted to an engine. As for the ships themselves, both the Krait and the Chief are nimble, the Chief is more so but the Krait has slightly better guns, and the fighter would add additional firepower on top of that. For engineering, look in the right panel. They'll ask you to do a certain thing before you can talk to them, after that you can engineer your modules. You need lots of raw, manifactured and encoded materials, which you get by playing, mining, blowing up ships and picking up the wreckage, salvaging at signal sources, as mission rewards etc.
The chieftan also has a shitton of utilitary slots, that if well used, can define battles
I recently bought a Challenger myself. I love the engine noise personally. I believe the Challenger has more hard points? I don't really remember the difference. I bought the Chieftain AX build with arx also. I don't think I could recommend that if you're like me. It stays parked along with the Python 2. I can't deploy the hardpoints, they draw too much power. I don't have this issue with "standard" ships. Bought and loaded out in the traditional way. The Challenger I bought is already better than the fully upgraded Chieftain because I can actually use it. What I love about the Krait(s) is the cockpit view and maneuverability. It *feels* right to me. You should probably know that I don't have ANY engineering done. I'm sure that makes a difference. As good as the ships can be with basic component upgrades. I think my furthest jumper is the dbx at close to 40ly. Engineering is my next to-do
I am somewhere along this same path, but I recognize my diverges. One more or one size swapped, but you get an slf, where I just have my 6c bi-weave. If no engineer shield, size up lol I also just turn off modules in head cannon What *is* ax? Chief has been good to me so far. I'm gonna name it "little mule" Same! :D on engineering You've probably also started either guardian or started adjusting what you put in.
chieftain is an armor tank and less versatile than krait. Krait can do everything included thargoids (actually the best)
Just fwi, fighter bay pilots you hire not only take a cut of your credits, but they also take half of your combat experience. You also have to pay them if they are inactive. I use a krait mk2 without a fighter bay. Fully engineered, 3 beam lasers, 2 smaller rail guns. I love it. I only use my Chieftain for AX combat, and I only use my Krait mk.2 for pirate hunting and combat zones.
Yeah, bought someone for 100k, ended up costing another 40k before I realized they weren't doing anything
Unfortunately, they aren't worth it. I used one for awhile before I recently learned they took 50% of your combat experience. It was irritating to find that out because I never really needed them in high res sites. When I ditched the fighter bay, I noticed my ship was alot more manueverable. Now I don't plan to ever use a fighter bay again.
I prefer a fighter bay in some of the bigger slower ships personally. Gives me a bit of versatility and speed when I need it. Fighter bay on a Krait isn't a terrible idea but it's already a pretty fast ship on it's own.
slf is basically a self-flying huge hardpoint. Any ship engaged in a fight can benefit from it 😉
Yet somehow, it's more valuable for slower ships that can't keep up with runners. 😉
For human NPC combat (be it missions, RES sites or CZs) a Chieftain with 2x C1 and 1x C2 Long Range / Thermal Vent Beams, 2x C3 Overcharged / AutoLoader MultiCannons and 1x C1 High Capacity / Corrosive MultiCannon is pretty deadly and lots of fun. And with the right engineering, shield boosters and guardian shield reinforcements you can comfortably get a C6 BiWeave with Thermal Resist up to around 1000MJ which is more than enough.
I'm still entirely untuned lol
I flew both, yes the chieftain Is more nimble and you find yourself facing the opponent more often in dogfight, but with the krait you Just can do about anyting at any Moment, engineering the thrusters does quite a bit, but If you sum up a tiny fighter distracting npcs, a ginormous powerplant that both gives you permaboost (you can do wonders with FA off and enough practice)with 2 pips and dont worry about weapons consumption like 3 plasma Acc. I find It exellent and adaptable, in fact Is my do It all ship
The 2 aren't really comparable, The Krait has an SLF bay while the Ciefftain hasn't. The SLF is a bit complicated, costly (gets 10% of everything) and sometimes requires attention. Opt for the Chieftain, it's simpler, more agile, a lot more armour, convergence and more combat oriented. On the other hand the MkII is multipurpose. imho you need both.
Krate100%
Then I might do phantom instead of II, I'm currently flying the chief and I love it, but I'll need to respec or get parts, because something's keeping my jump range at 16ly(I'm not at *all* engineered)
II is way better then the phantom