AnacondaMining

Mining is a slow, stationary business that makes you a magnet for pirates — and the Anaconda answers that better than any other capital miner. Its huge and large hardpoints mount every mining tool you need (lasers, sub-surface missiles, a seismic charge launcher for core mining, an abrasion blaster), its twelve optional slots carry a full refinery, several limpet controllers and a deep ore hold, and crucially it keeps the shields and guns to turn and destroy the pirate that interdicts you mid-session.

Where the trade-miners and navy capitals out-haul it, the Anaconda answers with self-defence and no rank gate: a Cutter or Type-9 holds more ore, but the Cutter needs Imperial rank and the Type-9 folds the moment a pirate arrives. The Anaconda mines a deep hold, fights off the attention, and needs nothing but credits to fly. The costs are the large pad, ponderous handling, and a fit that runs well into nine figures — but for working valuable cores in pirate-heavy rings without an escort, it's the safe capital choice.

Four things make the Anaconda a superb miner:

• Mounts every mining tool. A huge and three large hardpoints fit lasers, sub-surface missiles and a seismic charge launcher for laser and core mining at once — with mounts to spare for guns.
• Vast internals for a full suite. Twelve optionals hold a refinery, prospector and several collector controllers, a detailed surface scanner and a deep ore hold all together.
• It defends itself decisively. Strong shields, a class-5 military slot and battleship hardpoints mean it destroys the pirates that interdict laden miners, rather than fleeing.
• No rank gate. Unlike the Cutter, anyone with the credits can fly one — capital-scale mining with self-defence and no navy grind.

Vast slot fit and battleship-grade defence make it the standout rank-free capital miner; a ~320–400t hold that trails the Cutter/Type-9 and a large-pad lockout cap it at 86.

The 86/100 headline is a verdict against the mining role's priority-ordered factors. Each factor carries a weight (its share of 100); this hull earns part of each based on how it performs against the whole field. The points sum to the rating.

Both tables rate ships for mining specifically. The role column is the maximum cargo capacity in tonnes — though practical ore capacity is lower once the mining suite (refinery, limpet controllers) is fitted.

Same class — large-pad miners

Among large miners the Anaconda is the rank-free middle ground: a deeper hold than the dedicated Type-11 and far more self-defence than the Type-9 or Type-7, without the Cutter's Imperial gate. The trade-miners out-haul it and the Type-11 out-specialises it, but none combines this much hold with battleship-grade defence on a hull anyone can buy.

Other classes — the medium miners

The medium miners land on outpost pads, cost far less and defend themselves nearly as well at smaller scale — the Python in particular is the standout medium. The Anaconda's edge is the deep capital hold behind a battleship's shields and guns; the more ore you want per trip while staying safe, the more it justifies the large pad and price.

At ~142M Cr the Anaconda is a major purchase — pricier than every dedicated trade-miner — but it carries no rank gate. A mining fit (tools, refinery, limpet controllers, deep ore racks and a defensible shield) brings the A-rated figure to around 175M Cr, and an engineered defence-and-mobility build runs past 210M Cr.

Its versatility offsets the cost: the same hull mines, hauls, fights or explores by swapping modules at a station. For pure tonnage per credit a Type-8 or Type-9 is cheaper; for a deep-hold miner that also defends itself decisively and re-roles to anything, the Anaconda earns its price.

A complete capital miner that keeps real guns and a strong shield for self-defence. Initial is the cheapest buy-only loop; A-Rated is the role-ready mining baseline; Engineered focuses on mobility, defence and heat — the mining tools themselves are not meaningfully engineered, so they stay stock.

Buy the hull and fit the full mining suite: two mining lasers, a seismic charge launcher, a sub-surface displacement missile and an abrasion blaster, plus a refinery, prospector and collector limpet controllers, a pulse wave analyser and a detailed surface scanner.

Keep the stock Lightweight Alloy bulkhead — it is the lightest skin and protects jump range over a laden hold; the integrity engineering comes later for almost no mass. Fit the 6C bi-weave shield generator for self-defence, and leave the huge multi-cannon mount, the second abrasion blaster and the shield boosters empty for now — the gun, the extra blaster and the boosters come with the A-rated pass.

Fill the first optionals with ore racks and run E-rated core internals to start; A-rate the power plant and distributor next so the mining tools and limpets all run together.

A-rating priority for a defensible capital miner:

• 1Power Distributor → 8A — Mining tools, limpets and guns are power-hungry; A-rate first. ~18M Cr
• 2Power Plant → 8A — Run tools, limpets, a strong shield and guns together. ~20M Cr
• 3Shield Generator → 6C bi-weave — Survive the exposed minutes of cracking a core. ~12M Cr
• 4Refinery + limpet controllers → A — The heart of the mining loop (4A refinery, 5A/3A/1A collector and 3A prospector controllers). ~5M Cr
• 5Thrusters → 7A — Reposition and fight when pirates arrive on this heavy hull. ~16M Cr

Mining engineering is light and focuses on the ship, not the tools — the mining hardware itself isn't meaningfully engineered. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.

Recommended order

• 1Engineer the ship for defence and mobility — bi-weave shield, boosters, thrusters — not the mining tools.
• 2Low-Emissions plant keeps heat down during long mining sessions on this heat-prone hull.
• 3FSD Increased Range for reaching distant hotspots and hauling a deep ore hold home.
• 4Leave the mining lasers, limpet controllers and refinery stock — they don't benefit meaningfully from engineering.

Approximate progression across the three states (figures are representative, not exact rolls):

Engineered, the Anaconda mines a ~400t ore hold behind a 1,600 MJ shield, a 5A shield cell bank and battleship guns — the bulkheads stay Lightweight Alloy so the laden hull still jumps, with Lightweight armour engineering buying free integrity. It cracks cores in dangerous rings and destroys the pirates that come for the haul. It carries less than a stripped Cutter or Type-9, but none of them mines as safely without a rank gate.

• Keep real guns and a strong shield — the Anaconda's edge over the Type-9 and Type-7 is surviving the pirates that hunt laden miners.
• Don't engineer the mining tools — they don't benefit; engineer the ship's defence and mobility instead.
• A-rate the distributor and plant so lasers, limpets and guns all run together on this power-hungry hull.
• Mind the large pad — outpost-only ring bases are out; plan around large-pad stations or a carrier.
• For maximum tonnage a stripped Cutter or Type-9 holds more; choose the Anaconda for a deep hold plus safety and no rank gate.