The Fastest Ship in the 'Verse

Good afternoon, Browncoats!

Today's topic is about your engine, also known as your Drive Core.

Coming out of the gate, your Firefly has a maximum full burn range of 5 sectors.  For most players, they are content with that.  I am not like most players.  For me, I like having a ship that can outrun any other ship on the board, especially when I am playing with my Pirate Rules in effect.  There are numerous advantages to upgrading your Drive Core or your Ship that boosts your flight abilities:

• Increased Range gets you to your destination in fewer turns (especially if that destination is all the way across the 'Verse).
• Increased Range allows you to flip over more Nav Cards in a single turn (which is handy for players that have an Onboard Chop Shop or other bonuses to Salvage Ops).
• For Outlaw Ships, if you are completely avoiding the Alliance Sector, with increased range, you can simply fly around the Border space.
• Smuggling, Transport, and Shipping Jobs take fewer turns to complete since you can get to your destinations faster.
• If you are racing other players to get to a Goal, it helps to fly farther than they can.
• If you have an efficient engine, you will not consume fuel during full burn which can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars during the course of the game.

So what are the negatives for upgrading:  There is only one negative and that is cost!  The price for a new drive core or Shiny, New, State-of-the-Art Compression Coils can be prohibitive, especially early in the game.

What Engines are available?

• Radion Accelerator Mark I  -  Your starting Drive Core consumes 1 Fuel for each Full Burn and has a range of 5 sectors.  Everybody has it and nobody wants it.
• Modified Radion Accelerator Mark II  -  This Drive Core costs $1200 and has a range of 6 Sectors.  It consume 1 Fuel for each full burn.
• Hyper-Efficient Radion Accelerator Mark III  -  This Drive Core costs $800 and has a range of 4 Sectors.  However, the advantage of this core is that it does not consume fuel.
• Enhanced Graviton Accelerator  -  The best engine in the game costs a whopping $2400.  It consumes 1 Fuel for each full burn, moves a total of 6 Sectors.  It can also Mosey for two sectors and it ignores all breakdowns.

All of the drive cores are exclusively available for sale on Osiris. You will not find them on any other planet.

Engine Upgrades

There are also a number of Ship Upgrades that will affect your engine in some manner or another that can be obtained at other planets:

• Full Tune Up  -  This upgrade allows your ship to ignore all breakdowns.
• Shiny, New, State-of-the-Art Compression Coils  -  Mosey up to 2 sectors and Ignore all breakdowns. ($1600 on Osiris).
• Overcharged Grav Thruster  -  Adds +1 to Max Range. ($1000 on Regina).

Wash: Best Pilot in the 'Verse

Undoubtedly, Wash is the best pilot in the game, if you are going for speed.  He only costs $200 and he adds +1 to your Max Range.  He also provide 1 Tech and 1 Negotiate Skill.

The Fastest Ship Possible:

Not counting  the Artful Dodger (since many people do not have that promo ship), the fastest ship you can achieve is 8 Sectors in a single Full Burn, that costs one fuel.  To achieve this, you will need to buy an Enhanced Graviton Accelerator, an Overcharged Grav Thruster, and hire Wash, because these bonuses do stack.  Total Price for the whole package:  $3600.

If you prefer a more "green" or economic approach, you can purchase the Hyper-Efficient Radion Accelerator Mark III and the Shiny, New State-of-the-Art Compression Coils, instead of the Graviton Accelerator.  This will give you a max range of 7 per full burn BUT it won't cost you any fuel.  This package will also cost $3400.  Unfortunately, this will take an additional Ship Upgrade slot.

Personally, I usually roll with a fair amount of Tech and I am usually not worried about breakdown rolls and I don't typically mosey, unless I am right next to the target.  Typically, I will forgo the Compression Coils which brings the cost down to $1800 which is much more palatable on my wallet, especially considering my fuel costs will be significantly reduced.  I will usually only keep two fuel on hand, just in case I need to evade Reavers or the Law.

Thanks for reading everyone!  Your continued support is greatly appreciated!

Stay Shiny,

~ Captain Paddy Bardic