Before we get into the specific recipes of Ship Builds, let’s talk about general strategies for those builds. For example, a Cobra isn’t going to be a large capacity miner but will be fast and very maneuverable. A type 10 on the other hand will make you wonder if your controller is broken, but is more likely to take punishment long enough to escape and can hold much more cargo.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when planning your build and play style. Knowing these answers before venturing into the void will greatly affect your mining experience.

• Is fighting back an option?
• Should I just plan to give up the cargo demanded by the pirates?
• Should I plan to run?
• How much can I hold and how far is the best station to sell it at?
• Is the ship I’m in easy to avoid interdictions with? It will happen.
• Can you afford it if you lose this ship? NEVER FLY WITHOUT REBUY!

There are certainly more you could add to the list below but the point is to think about the context in which you will be mining. Each has advantages and disadvantages. The Cobra is known to be fast, so perhaps you equip it to run when the time comes. A Cutter can basically do it all but is very expensive to purchase and outfit, plus there is the cost of time to get the rank to even buy the thing. What mining strategy should you implement with the ships you currently have access to?

• Unprotected mining - No shield so you can hold more, either in small or large ships. Strong hulls are needed.
• Large Capacity mining - Over 200 capacity, Cutter, Type 9, Type 10, and Anaconda are all eligible.
• Small Capacity mining - Small ships like a Cobra.
• Long-range mining - Needs Fuel Scoop, maybe  FSF Booster, perhaps an extra fuel tank.
• Short-range mining - No fuel scoop. Miners of this type need a Fleet Carrier or Station nearby.
• Fighter Miner - Can mine, but with a few Hardpoints dedicated to defense.

Ships are equivalent to different characters in Elite Dangerous. The number of ship builds possible is amazingly large with the introduction of Engineering. The different experiences to be gained from those different builds also vary greatly. One of the fun aspects of Elite Dangerous is the process of Outfitting your ship for specific purposes. For example, a combat build will never be good at mining. You can outfit a ship for both, but both of those functions will be diminished on the same ship.