Light Fighters are, as the name might suggest, the lightest and speediest fighters currently in the Discovery mod. They shine in incredible speed and a small hitbox, making them a real nuisance to hit if flown properly. They also have access to special Light Fighter (Class 6) guns that deal heavier damage compared to their ordinary heavy fighter alternatives. Their general gun count is lower than their heavier brethren, however - most Light Fighters have access to three or four guns. The downside to these ships is that they are incredibly poorly armoured. Their hull points are the lowest of all fighters, and their shields are the easiest to break as well. They absolutely can not risk taking hits and must rely on maneuvering and dodging to survive. It only takes one (even indirect!) Nuclear Mine to put you out of action instantly. There are some hybrids in this class, such as the Sea Serpent or the Scimitar, that are actually viable as a light fighter.

This class of ships can, more or less, only be flown effectively by experienced players who know how to maneuver incredibly well and know how to dodge fire and avoid mines. I would not recommend you to fly these ships as a new player, unless you are flying it for roleplay and taking advantage of its highest cruise speed in the mod (425 m/s).

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Heavy Fighters are nimble, relatively fast fighters that have access to ordinary fighter guns (Class 7), but do not have access to light fighter (Class 6) or heavy fighter (Class 8) guns. Their armour strength is lower than Very Heavy Fighters, but exchange that for a better turn rate and smaller ship size. The majority of them have access to 6 guns, making them have the same damage output as their heavier alternatives.

Heavy Fighters require some skill to fly, as they rely more on maneuvering and dodging to survive. They are a nice alternative to players who enjoy outmaneuvering their opponent and punishing them for flying poorly. They require decent skills to fly proper, and as such, I wouldn't recommend them to new players just yet.

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[img float=right]http://i.imgur.com/rLVuj2x.png?1[/img]Very Heavy Fighters are the most commonly seen ship class flying around. They are the bread and butter of ordinary group fights, and the easiest ship class to begin with, and ultimately master. Very Heavy Fighters can use up to 6 (or 7!) guns, as well as have access to heavy fighter (Class 8) guns. They have high hull strength and shield capacity, while still retaining good mobility.

It should be noted that there are three prominent types of this fighter class: the agile out-turners with low hull and relatively large size (Eagle), the extremely average and flexible fighters (Guardian), and the heavy tanks with large powercores (Avenger).

This is the ship class I recommend new players to fly at first. Very Heavy Fighters are the most flexible and survivable class out of the current four. It's easiest to learn fighter PvP in the average faction VHFs (all of them are relatively flat, have a good powercore, maneuverability and ~12,000 hull strength).

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Super Heavy Fighters are the heaviest fighters available. They have an enormous powercore, can mount multiple utility weapons (Cruise disruptors, mini razors, torpedoes) and can be absolutely deadly in duels. They have very large hull strength, making them tough to take down, along with the ability to mount strong freighter shields. The biggest downsides that make it awful in most fights, however, are that it is incredibly slow and large. It's very easy to hit a Super Heavy Fighter while constantly staying behind it. Most people avoid this ship class, or fly it to use weird silly loadouts that you normally wouldn't be able to use.

Learning fighter PvP with this ship class will teach you the completely wrong set of skills. I would not recommend using this ship class at all, except for fun or specific scenarios.

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Regardless of what ship class you've decided to roll with, you'll need one piece of equipment that is absolutely necessary to effectively perform in fights.
Universal Armour Upgrade VIII(8) - 15 million credits

What this piece of equipment does, is that it takes up a lot of your cargo hold and MULTIPLIES your hull by reducing the damage you receive by the number it mentions (2.5). This means that, if your fighter has 12,000 hull strength, you'll end up effectively having 30,000 once you equip it. You can probably see why it's necessary.
Optionally, if you can't afford it and your cargo hold allows it - get a Heavy Armour Upgrade 1. It multiplies your hull a bit less, but it's a lot more affordable.

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As a new player, you will optimally want to be getting the fastest projectile speed and refire weapons available. The current fastest projectile speed for weapons is 750m/s, and the fastest refire rate is 8.33. There are a -lot- of guns that have these two features combined, which makes them the optimal guns for new players. If your faction does not have these weapons, you can always find Adv. Flashpoints on civilian stations and use those.

Optionally, if you dislike high-refire-low-damage weapons, I would recommend you to use 5.88 (750 or 700m/s) or 4.00 (650m/s) refire ones instead. They are energy efficient and still fire fast enough to train your aim, as well as deal damage.

There are also 3.03 and 2.00 refire "shotgun" weapons (600 and 650m/s), but they require excellent aiming skills to use effectively. I suggest you stay away from these until you develop your aim to the point where you're able to consistently deal damage to other players.

Once you've chosen the hull-damaging weapons you want, it's time to get two shieldbusters. The standard civilian weapons that everyone uses are called Debilitators. There are two variants of them - pick the one that has the projectile speed closest to your hullbuster weapons!

There are three mines to choose from, each being unique in its own manner:


There are some general guidelines to use when using mines.

Use them sparingly and be unpredictable with their placement.
Never use them when your shield is down - you might be countered and get it blown up right as you drop it.

There are a few utility weapons, each uniquely different in its use:


It's recommended that new players use a Cruise Disruptor and get the hang of using it in combat. A cruise disruptor is arguably the most useful weapon a fight and is desperately needed in capital fights as a support weapon. You can pair intelligent Cruise Disruptor use along with mines to make incredibly-hard-to-avoid mine traps, guaranteed to deal crippling damage.

There are three countermeasure droppers, each being useful. All three types juggle between countermeasure effectiveness and range. It's really a matter of opinion of which is better in what situation - I prefer the standard one that comes with the ships (Fortress CM Dropper) as it gives you the most countermeasures to spam in a pickle, or the Silencer CM Dropper as it is a very good all-rounder.

Use Countermeasure Droppers to avoid missiles, cruise disruptors and torpedoes.