Are you a jack-of-all-trades kind of pilot who likes to do all types of missions in Elite Dangerous: Horizons? If so, you should get yourself a spaceship that fulls within the multipurpose category. Those are flexible ships players can fit to whatever roles they need them for. These are five of the best multipurpose ships in Elite Dangerous: Horizons that can be efficient for all pilot roles.
Read also: 5 of the Best Third-Party Tools in Elite Dangerous: Horizons
1. Cobra MkIII
The Cobra MkIII is the best multipurpose ship in Elite Dangerous: Horizons for beginner players with limited budgets. This small spaceship will set you back 349,718 credits, which makes it a real bargain. You can potentially turn this into a ship worth six to seven million credits with upgrades. It’s better to get a Cobra MkIII than save up millions of credits for a more expensive spaceship.
Cobra MkIII is a fast and maneuverable spaceship with decent storage space for one of its size. This spaceship’s default cargo space amounts to 18 tons, and you can upgrade that to a maximum of 64 tons. The MkIII’s cargo space outstrips cheaper freighter ships more specifically designed for trading.
The Cobra MkIII has eight internal components, which is a lot for a ship of its price range. So, this spaceship has enough space for exploration, cargo, and mining modules.
This spaceship is a pretty good one for exploring the Milky Way thanks to its sizable fuel tank. The Cobra also has a respectable maximum jump range of 28.6 light-years. That range beats the 208 million Imperial Cutter’s jump range of 25.70!
Other Cobra MkIII Specifications:
- Max Speed: 325 m/s
- Max Boost: 464 m/s
- Utility Mounts: Two
- Small Hardpoints: Two
- Medium Hardpoints: Two
- Internal Compartments: Eight
2. ASP Explorer
Lakon Spaceways’ ASP Explorer is a multipurpose spaceship that has been designed a bit more for exploration than other general-purpose alternatives. Yet, this is still among the most versatile ships in Elite Dangerous. At approximately 6.6 million credits, the Explorer is a great value medium-sized spaceship.
The ASP Explorer
I don’t like spaceships with short jump ranges, which is exactly why ASP Explorer comes recommended. The ASP Explorer has a fantastic maximum jump range of 38.19 ly when upgraded. That’s the third-highest maximum jump range for an Elite Dangerous spaceship. So, this is an ideal ship for pilots who want to explore the far-flung corners of the Milky Way.
With six weapon hardpoints (two medium and four small), the ASP Explorer can hold its own in combat. The Explorer’s four utility mounts enable players to strengthen its shield with four boosters. It’s not much of a match for an Anaconda, but that’s hardly surprising considering this ship is more than 100 million credits cheaper. Nevertheless, the ASP can annihilate small vessels and at least stand up to most spaceships.
You’ll also love ASP Explorer’s unique unobstructed cockpit canopy that provides panoramic views of space. The front, sides, and top of its canopy are all glass. To fully appreciate that canopy, press the middle mouse button so that you can look in all directions when flying the ASP Explorer.
The ASP Explorer’s cockpit canopy
Other ASP Explorer Specifications:
- Max Speed: 290 m/s
- Max Boost: 395 m/s
- Max Cargo: 130 tonnes
- Internal Compartments: Eight
3. Krait Phantom
The Krait Phantom is a medium-sized spaceship that’s a variant of the more pricey and combat-orientated Krait MkII. The Phantom is a more genuine multipurpose ship that’s faster and has better agility than the MkII. This spaceship has genuine multi-role capability as it can be configured for combat, trading, and mining. You can snap this ship up for approximately 37 million credits, which is about eight million less than the MkII.
Aside from its greater flexibility, the Phantom also beats the MkII for jump range. This spaceship has a max jump range of 34.79 ly, which is only bettered by a small number of alternative ships. Thus, exploration pilots can really reach for the stars with the Phantom!
The Krait Phantom
The Phantom has a spacious cargo hold for a medium-sized ship, which makes it a pretty solid choice for trading. It can carry 82 tons of cargo by default, and you can upgrade that to a maximum of 190 tons. This spaceship’s high jump range is another bonus for trader pilots who need to fly long distances.
Other Krait Phantom specs:
- Max Speed: 290 m/s
- Max Boost: 406 m/s
- Internal Compartments: Nine
- Utility Mounts: Four
- Medium Hardpoints: Two
- Large Hardpoints: Two
4. Python
The Python is one of the big daddy medium-sized ships in Elite Dangerous: Horizons, which you can snap up for 56,978,180 CR. This is one of the best-balanced spaceships in the game with strong firepower and durability. The in-game description for the Python says this:
Manufactured by Faulcon deLacy, the Python is a multipurpose ship that offers an enticing balance of maneuverability, firepower, and defense. With five hardpoints, it can go head-to-head with large ships such as the Anaconda and Imperial Cutter, while its agility allows it to handle smaller vessels without having to rely on turret weapons.
Do I need to say more? It could be added that Python has three large hardpoints. It’s those large hardpoints that give the Python some serious firepower and make it a real match for bigger combat ships, such as the Anaconda. This ship also boasts very hard armor, which is only bettered by the likes of the Imperial Corvette.
The Python
Trader pilots will appreciate the Python’s substantial cargo space. This spaceship can pack in a maximum of 294 tons of cargo. That’s partly due to the fact this ship has 10 internal compartment slots, which give it more space for cargo racks. The Python has the largest cargo size for medium ships that can dock at Outposts. So, that makes this ship more preferable to large spaceships that can’t dock at Outposts for trading.
The only drawback to flying the Python is that its maneuverability kind of sucks. However, no ship is perfect, right?
Other Python Specifications:
- Max Speed: 267 m/s
- Boost Speed: 348 m/s
- Max Jump Range: 30.45 ly
- Utility Mounts: Four
- Medium Hardpoints: Two
5. Anaconda
The Anaconda is a monster of a spaceship that blows most other ships out of the water. This is an extremely versatile and large ship that can excel in numerous roles (most notably combat). Alas, the Anaconda doesn’t come cheap as you’ll need 146,969,450 credits to fly it. When you have enough credits for this space vessel, however, make sure you snap it up.
Although Anaconda falls within the multipurpose ship category, it’s a renowned combat spaceship with a whopping 16 hardpoints. Eight of those hardpoints are utility mounts that you can equip Shield Boosters to. The other eight are for weapons, and the Anaconda has three large and one huge hardpoint. Therefore, this is one of the few spaceships in Elite Dangerous you can equip with Class 4 weapons.
The Anaconda
The Anaconda is also a great spaceship for the explorer. This spaceship boasts the longest jump range in the game. It can cover jump distances up to 41.45 ly unladen, and you can increase the Conda’s jump range to an amazing 84 light-years with engineering enhancements. With a large 32-ton fuel tank to boot, the Anaconda is a dream ship for exploration pilots.
Trader pilots will also be satisfied with the Anaconda’s very substantial storage space, which can pack in a maximum of 470 tons of cargo. The Anaconda’s cargo space is relatively small for a large ship. However, its storage space surpasses the vast majority of spaceships in Elite Dangerous: Horizons nonetheless. With 12 internal compartments, this vessel is also great for mining as it has plenty of space for mining equipment, limpets, and storage racks.
Other Anaconda Specifications:
- Max Speed: 209 m/s
- Max Boost: 279 m/s
- Armor: 945
- Shield: 362 MJ
Those are some of the best multipurpose ships in Elite Dangerous: Horizons to take your pick from. The above spaceships will serve you well in all types of Elite Dangerous missions for exploration, combat, and trade.
