This is the complete Elite Dangerous Ship Guide from Ricardos Gaming — covering every major ship in the game, their roles, their strengths, and Ricardo’s verdict on when to fly each one. Save this page to your browser or use your browser’s Print function (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) to save as PDF for offline reference.

🚀 Starter Ships

Ship	Role	Cost	Rank	Verdict
Sidewinder Mk I	Starter	Free rebuy	None	Everyone starts here. Expendable. Learn in it, not in it long-term.
Eagle Mk II	Light Combat	~44K	None	Fast, agile, excellent for learning combat basics.
Imperial Eagle	Light Combat	~110K	None	Better Eagle variant. Beautiful ship.
Hauler	Budget Trade	~52K	None	First dedicated trade ship. Surprisingly good cargo for price.
Adder	Multirole	~87K	None	Decent all-rounder at low cost. Good stepping stone.

⚡ The Cobra Family

Ship	Role	Cost	Rank	Verdict
Cobra Mk III	Multirole	~349K	None	ICONIC. Best value multirole in the game. Engineer this before upgrading.
Cobra Mk IV	Combat/Trade	~760K	None	Tankier Cobra. More durable, less agile. Good for traders who need defence.
Cobra Mk V	Combat Multirole	~890K	None	2025 addition. More combat-focused, excellent hardpoints, highly capable.

🎯 Combat Ships

Ship	Role	Cost	Rank	Verdict
Viper Mk III	Light Combat	~143K	None	Fast and aggressive. Good starter combat ship.
Viper Mk IV	Combat	~435K	None	Slower than Mk III but more survivable. Better for beginners.
Vulture	Combat	~4.9M	None	EXCEPTIONAL. Two large hardpoints, extraordinary agility. Community favourite.
Alliance Chieftain	Combat	~19.4M	None	Best medium combat ship for AX and PvE. Superior manoeuvrability.
Krait Mk II	Combat Multirole	~45.8M	None	Gold standard medium combat. Fighter bay, excellent hardpoints.
Kestrel Mk II	Combat	~28M	None	2024 addition. Agile, well-armed, excellent mid-tier combat ship.
Mamba	Combat	~56.7M	None	Fastest boost in the game. Devastating large hardpoints. PvP specialist.
Fer-de-Lance	Combat	~51.6M	None	Apex medium combat. Large hardpoints on a medium hull. PvP monster.
Federal Assault Ship	Combat	~20M	Chief Petty Officer (Fed)	Strong combat medium. Excellent hardpoints, reasonable price.
Federal Gunship	Combat/Support	~35M	Ensign (Fed)	Heavy combat, fighter bay. Tank build for serious PvE.
Federal Corvette	Heavy Combat	~187M	Admiral (Fed)	BEST combat large ship. Three large hardpoints. Essentially unkillable engineered.

📦 Trading and Cargo Ships

Ship	Role	Cost	Rank	Verdict
Type-6 Transporter	Budget Trade	~1M	None	First dedicated cargo hauler. Good capacity for cost.
Type-7 Transporter	Trade	~17M	None	Strong cargo capacity at accessible price. Upgrade from Python pre-Anaconda.
Python	Trade/Multirole	~56M	None	BEST medium cargo ship. Trade, mine, fight — all adequately.
Type-10 Defender	Heavy Trade	~124M	None	Massive cargo. Slow. Not fun to fly, but productive per trip.
Anaconda	Multirole Large	~146M	None	Does everything at the highest level. First large ship recommendation.
Panther Clipper	Heavy Cargo	~240M	None	2025 legend returns. Rivals Cutter on cargo without rank requirement.
Imperial Cutter	Elite Cargo	~208M	Duke (Empire)	BEST cargo ship. 700T+ possible. Requires Duke rank.

🔭 Exploration Ships

Ship	Role	Cost	Rank	Verdict
Hauler	Budget Exploration	~52K	None	Surprisingly good early explorer. Tiny but long-ranging when stripped.
Diamondback Explorer	Exploration	~1.9M	None	Best budget exploration ship. Excellent jump range, low cost.
Asp Explorer	Exploration	~6.6M	None	Community favourite for years. Great cockpit visibility, strong range.
Caspian	Exploration	~12M	None	2025 addition. Best jump range available. Premium exploration experience.

⛏️ Mining Ships

Ship	Role	Cost	Verdict
Cobra Mk III	Budget Mining	~349K	Starter mining ship. Viable for early income.
Python	Mid Mining	~56M	Good balance of cargo and hardpoints. Popular mining choice.
Anaconda	Advanced Mining	~146M	Versatile. Can switch between mining and trading without major refitting.
Type-11 Prospector	Dedicated Mining	~85M	Purpose-built mining ship. Best dedicated option at its price tier.
Imperial Cutter	Elite Mining	~208M	Maximum cargo. Most lucrative mining ship for high-value hotspot mining.

⭐ Ricardo’s Top Ship Picks by Budget

Budget	Combat Pick	Trade Pick	Exploration Pick
Under 1M	Viper Mk III	Hauler	Hauler
1M-10M	Vulture	Type-6/7	Diamondback Explorer
10M-60M	Chieftain / Krait Mk II	Python	Asp Explorer
60M-200M	Fer-de-Lance / FAS	Anaconda / Type-10	Caspian
200M+	Federal Corvette	Imperial Cutter / Panther Clipper	Engineered Caspian

💡 Remember: Engineering matters more than ship choice at the same tier. An engineered Cobra Mk III beats an unengineered Vulture in its role. Build well, then upgrade.

For video reviews of each ship, visit the Ricardos Gaming YouTube channel.