Basic Equipment Advice
We learn the strengths and weaknesses of different weapon and shield types, as well as some Important Points to remember.

Guns. Lots of Guns.
Plenty of choices out there, but you have to get the right tool for the job. Each weapon has statistics that show you how much damage it does and how fast it does it.

"Drail" Laser Weapon	"Lavablade Mk2" Plasma Weapon

As weapon class increases, so does the firepower. Higher class weapons often need bigger ships with better power systems, so always be aware of what your ship can handle.

Choiceofweapon: "Try experimenting offline before you go online with a setup. This way you can reload a savegame instead of pay for your mistakes."

Strengths and Weaknesses
Certain types of weapon are good against certain types of shields. This can be a problem when you find yourself up against an opponent with shields that resist your weaponry.

One solution is to get different types of weapons in your setup, but that will affect your accuracy in combat. The best way is to use Pulse weapons to strip the opponent's shields. Once the shields are out of the equation, the hull is vulnerable to all weapon types.

	Graviton	Molecular	Positron
Laser, Photon and Pulse vs.	Weak	Average	Strong
Plasma and Particle vs.	Strong	Weak	Average
Neutron and Tachyon vs.	Average	Strong	Weak

The above diagram shows us that Laser weapons are weak versus graviton but strong against molecular shields. Also neutron weapons are average against gravitons but weak versus positron shields. Learn which weapons are good against the different shield types.

Chilli: "Observe players carefully and learn what the most popular weapon and shield types are for the different ship classes. Pick your equipment to counteract theirs and you'll have an instant advantage for piracy and self-defence."

Summary Points
Scan ships to find out what equipment they carry. Ships in the same faction carry the same equipment. Remember this when you choose who your friends and enemies are.

Bare hull has no strengths and weaknesses, meaning attacks will do unmodified damage.

Fitting the maximum class weapons on your ship may mean you run out of weapon energy fast. Shields, mines and missiles do not use weapon energy.