The basics of piracy in Star Citizen are detailed in the crowdfunding $3.5 million announcement and the initial ships plan. 

A short summary is that most ships can be used for piracy, but some ship upgrades are required.  At a minimum, you'll need a tractor beam and some form of cargo hold.  It has also been mentioned that destroying an enemy has a chance to release his cargo as debris that can be tractored in. Boarding or capturing the victim ship tentatively requires (see my piracy questions post) a docking collar and a ship with multiple crew slots.   EVAs could make this more flexible, but we’ll need to wait for more detail before factoring in.

So, with those basics out of the way, what is the value of each of the known ships in Star Citizen to all you ne'er do wells?

• Aurora - by itself, not much.  Some tractor beams have been listed as Class 2 (Cutlass announcement), so you’ll likely be able to tractor booty with an upgrade.  That said, actually destroying another player’s ship will be a challenge in this ship.  PvE piracy or big groups would likely be your main avenue of swashbuckling in this ship if you really must. Lifetime insurance may make this craft useful as cannon fodder (battering ram or damage sponge), but players that only own this class of ship will likely be more successful pirates as members of a boarding party on someone else’s ship.
• Origin 300i - probably the real minimum for an aspiring scallywag.  The 300i is well rounded (fast with ‘decent’ armament) and likely a contender during battle in a skilled pilots hands.  That said, this is not a high-end ship and you’ll be at the mercy of equally skilled pilots in better or more specialized craft.  In the world of piracy, this ship looks to be a nice knife.  Just be careful not to take it to a gun fight.
• M50 - The fastest ship around, but with limited armament and next to no hold. Likely useful as a scout or in some strategic capacity, but dog fighting will take the most skill hands.  Outlaw fleets and guilds may take advantage of this speed, but no room for booty means most pirates will likely not bother.
• Hornet - excellent fighter, but has little room for swag. For piracy, it will likely be used in a group as a front line fighter with a heavier ship on tractoring or boarding duty.  The heavy weapon loadout and great maneuverability could make Hornet the premier ship disabler.
• Freelancer - With less fight and way more freight, the freelancer looks to still be a good pirate option as it can hold its own and hold a bunch of swag.  Since it can also hold a crew member, the Freelancer can participate in boarding maneuvers and ship captures. Typical lower-tier trading vessels should be easy pickings, but pilots tackling dedicated fighters 1 on 1 (Hornet or Vanduul) should be mindful as the Freelancer has less armaments and is likely less maneuverable.  As with most cargo-heavy ships, the Freelancer may will likely fair best with a little fighter support to help fill that hold.
• Vanduul Scythe - Another top-of-the-line fighter with likely little cargo capacity (unknown at this point). This ship sounds like a mixed blessing for a pirate as it is very fast and maneuverable (12 thrusters), but its ramming capability may make accidental kills fairly likely. More details are needed, but this sounds like a tool for the most skilled pilots and a necessity for any pirate gang claiming battle superiority. Another benefit is that the Scythe is may be just a bit slower than the M50 (depending on what is decided on mass and engine upgrades).  So, even in less skilled hands, the Scythe may make a good combination fighter / scout in a pirate fleet.
• Cutlass -  A real purpose-made pirate vessel with a decent cargo hold (more than the Hornet, less than the Freelancer) and fighting capabilities.  The Cutlass can also hold a second crewman to support boarding opportunities. If you got this ship as part of the crowd-funding (via Avast Mateys! or in the Pirate Package), the Cutlass comes with a docking collar and tractor beam, making it the perfect pirate starter craft and the only fighter ship (not counting the Caterpillar) that will be able to jump back into the game with no insurance cost (possibly perfect for piracy in Risk Level 5 areas).  Generally speaking, the Cutlass is a Hornet-like fighter that  trades out some armament and an upgrade slot for piracy essentials.   My guess is that these will be most effective in groups that attack and board larger targets in tandem.  Since the Cutlass is a pretty even compromise, I don't expect a mix of craft is really necessary in a pirating raid unless you are going for really high-end prey.
• Gladiator - A bomber that sounds like it may be a good pirating choice: Two crew, big hold, and nice weapons. Overall, this sounds like a beefier Cutlass without the pre-packaged piracy upgrades.  It's speed and maneuverability are the downside, so traveling with a faster fighter may be needed for disabling prey.
• Constellation - The ship of choice for bigger operations: 4 crew, armed to the teeth, and an miny snub fighter.  This ship has all the hallmarks of an excellent pirating backbone. Like the Gladiator, speed and maneuverability may be the only issue, but the snub fighter may negate this concern with an extra pair of hands.  Paired with some Cutlasses or other fighters, the ‘Stella’ will likely be a pirating staple.
• Drake Caterpillar - Where the Cutlass is a pirate’s comprise on a fighter (eg Hornet), the Caterpillar is a compromise on a Freelancer. Being lighter on weapons and upgrades, but big on armor and crew, the Caterpillar looks great for pirate boarding operations. That said, the maneuverability likely means she’ll need significant fighter support to disable the target (at least for any target that takes four crew to capture) and protect her during boarding.   Also, just like the Freelancer, I expect that trade vessels and mid-level craft will be easy pickings, but pilots should be wary of higher-end fighters or military craft.
• Starfarer - A fuel tanker with little offensive capabilities. Strategically, a pirate fleet or large raiding party could utilize a Starfarer to jump farther and faster than normal, but the loss of what could otherwise be fighting ship is a heavy cost Secondary accounts may influence its use, but we'll cover that discussion in a later post.  Likely, this is a ship that will need to be evaluated in-game to ascertain its pirating potential and reevaluated as new strategies are devised.
• Retaliator - This is a big ship with a nice crew size and a heavy armament that, at first, looks great for holding boarding parties. It's only downside is that all of its default  armament is missiles and turrets which ‘may’ be cumbersome for disabling prey ships (so far as we currently know).  Upgrades could change this, but this ship will be a hulk war vessel no matter how you load it out.  Thus, more so than other big craft, the Retaliator will likely need a significant fighter compliment to be useful to pirates.   You’re more likely to be fighting Retaliator escorts than flying them into combat.
• Idris Corvette - The only information we have on this ship is that it is just smaller than a capital ship and holds a small number of some form of fighters (unknown if the are specialized craft like the Constellation or existing craft). This is obviously of some use to a pirate tactics, but we don't have enough info to see exactly what yet.
• Other capital ships (Bengal carrier, destroyer, etc.) - These bigger ships will likely be useful strategically as mobile bases and for large scale events.  They are probably not all that useful in the traditional tactical elements of piracy.

So, those my opinions.   Do you disagree or have something to add?  Please use the comments to let everyone know.


-Kinshadow

This is the first of what I hope will be a long running feature here on Dread Citizen: Tall Tale Tuesdays!  We hope to feature a new short story or episodic piece of fiction each Tuesday with you, so if you've got content to share, just ping me!  All of the tales should share in the vision of Dread Citizen (piracy, assassination, thievery  bounty hunting, and the like) and exist in the Star Citizen universe.

Our first story is an episodic tale of pirate adventure and suspense authored by me.  The first part the Savior of the Damned can be found here and the following parts will be posted on subsequent weeks.  You can also navigate there through our Tall Tales link up top.

Enjoy!

-Kinshadow

There is a lot of information yet to be released (or perhaps even designed) on this game that pertains to the act of piracy. Here's my personal wishlist of information I'd like to see as it comes available and I plan on asking the devs about (via an Imperator subscription). If you have a suggestion, leave a comment:

1. First and foremost is reputation, which is the theoretical piracy downside. We know citizenship is earned through service to the Imperium.
2. Is Citizenship taken away by misdeeds? (this is hinted in a Kid Crimson story)
3. Is this automatic or must the Advocacy 'see' it (be present in the same system)? UPDATE: We now know that ship theft status is tied to insurance claims and the Advocacy will attack ships reported stolen,  No word on the rep itself.
4. Will reputation affect the planets you can dock at?
5. Is reputation something that is easily identifiable (eg feed into FoF missiles)
6. Can it be masked so that those of low repute can skirt the law?
7. Can you earn reputation with other factions (e.g. pirates gangs) and races (Vanduul tribes)?  Citizenship?
8. Do accounts have multiple characters with different reputations / Citizenship?

1. Ship capture: Ship boarding has been detailed (somewhat), but capture of smaller vessels has not.  It has been said fighters (eg the Vanduul Scythe) can be captured by disabling the thrusters, but that's the end if the information.
1. Boarding parties must kill crews on larger vessels. Is that also true on smaller ships?
2. If so, how?  Shoot the cockpit?  Computer hack?
3. Is a docking collar needed or will the new pilot just EVA?  Or can you tow a fighter to port?
4. Can the new owner simply repair and insure the craft or is license 'laundering' (a black market fee) required? UPDATE: From the Insurance update, the answer is yes.  You must buy a new ship ID from the black market.
5. How will ship capture defeat possible insurance exploits?
6. How vulnerable is the pirate ship during the boarding process?  For boarding, can a pirate drop his crew and immediately leave before the prey ship is secured?
7. Can multiple ships dock with and board another vessel?  Simultaneously?  Back-to-back?
8. Will there be specialized weapons for easier disabling of thrusters / ships?  (EMPs were mentioned in Kid Crimson)
2. Bounties: bounty hunter as a mentioned activity / profession.
1. Are bounties issued for both PCs and NPCs?
2. How does a PC get a bounty on his head?
3. Can PCs put out bounties?
4. Do other non-UEE factions have bounty systems? Ex Can a NPC pirate asteroid have bounty missions?
5. Are all bounties for kills or are there captures?  If so, how would a capture work?
6. Are bounties single issue or perpetual (based on reputation; a standing bounty for those known as pirates)?
3. Pirate bases: A past update mentioned there are NPC black market asteroid bases and derelict ones that can be inhabited
1. Can these be 'owned' or are they only temporary objects?
2. Can defense be installed?
3. Will there be ways to restrict access once captured / found?
4. Will NPC bases have full ship hangars, etc. to access capabilities similar to core worlds?
4. Zones: it has been mentioned that some zones and routes are safer than others
1. Are these classifications dynamic?  If so, can players influence this or just events, etc.?
2. Will faction reputation influence what areas are 'safe'?
3. Could pirate PCs travel through some zones and be more secure that Citizen PCs?
4. UPDATE: We now know that zones will have risk levels that determine the insurance needed.  We don't know if these levels are static or not.

-Kinshadow

This is a blog focused on the seedier side of the upcoming video game called Star Citizen. Here you'll find news and discussion articles on piracy, assassinations, black market trading, and whatever else twitches my cutlass. Occasionally, you will also find creative fiction, art, and related content in the theme of the galaxy's dark element. 

If you've got content you want to see posted or discussed, just ping me though the contact form.  I'd love to hear from you.

This isn't a SC guild nor is it really a social networking site, but there is a possibility it may function like one as the game gets closer to release. I imagine the readers of this site are the type that approve more of guidelines than rules.

Lastly, just to be clear, I am in no way affiliated with Cloud Imperium Games.  I make no promises to this sites content and you should assume all my content is outright lies and disinformation made completely for entertainment value.


-Kinshadow