Cobra Mk VMultipurpose

The Cobra Mk V is Faulcon DeLacy's answer to a long-standing question: how good can a small ship be at everything at once? The original Cobra Mk III was the genre-defining all-rounder; the Mk V modernises it with more hardpoints, more utilities, nine optional internals and the speed the line is famous for — all while keeping small-pad access to every outpost in the galaxy.

What makes it special is breadth. Three medium plus two small hardpoints give it real teeth; nine optionals let it carry cargo, a passenger cabin, mining kit or exploration modules; four utilities allow a proper defensive suite. It will not out-haul a Type-class or out-fight a Vulture, but it does each job well enough that one hull covers an enormous range of activities — the definition of multipurpose.

Four things make the Mk V the standout small all-rounder:

• Five hardpoints. Three mediums plus two smalls is serious firepower for a small ship — enough to clear RES bounties and defend a cargo run, not just scare pirates.
• Nine optional internals. Genuinely flexible: swap between cargo racks, a passenger cabin, mining tools, shields and exploration modules without ever feeling cramped.
• Four utility mounts. A complete defensive utility suite — shield boosters, chaff, heat sink — that small fighters usually can't field.
• Speed and small-pad access. 415 m/s boost and the ability to dock at any outpost mean it reaches places larger multiroles simply cannot.

Nine optionals, five hardpoints and four utilities make it the roomiest small-pad all-rounder; only a medium multirole's larger cargo and combat ceiling holds the score to 80.

The 80/100 headline is a verdict against the multipurpose 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 the multipurpose role specifically. The role column is approximate maximum cargo — a fair proxy for the internal flexibility a do-everything ship needs.

Same class — small-pad multiroles

In the small-pad multirole class the Cobra Mk V is the clear leader — only the Cobra Mk IV carries marginally more cargo, and it does so far more slowly and with less firepower. If you want one small ship to do everything, this is it.

Other classes — medium multiroles

Step up to a medium and you trade small-pad access for much more cargo and firepower. The Python and Krait Phantom are the natural multipurpose upgrades — but you lose the ability to dock at small outposts, which is precisely the Cobra Mk V's signature advantage.

At ~1.48M Cr the hull is affordable, with no rank or permit gates. As a multipurpose ship the outfitting cost varies with the job — a combat fit, a hauling fit and an exploration fit each cost differently — but none is expensive by medium-ship standards.

Because it can be re-roled by swapping optionals, many commanders keep a single engineered Mk V and change its loadout per task rather than buying separate specialist hulls — an efficient use of credits and engineering materials.

A balanced multipurpose fit — capable in a RES, able to carry meaningful cargo, and survivable. Re-role by swapping the optional internals: cargo racks for hauling, a passenger cabin for missions, mining tools plus a refinery for ore, or exploration modules for the black. Initial is buy-only; A-rated gets the cores to A so the ship is good at everything; Engineered applies one balanced pass that serves every role.

Buy the hull (~1.48M Cr); it ships with stock Lightweight Alloy bulkheads — leave them on, the mass-saving plate suits an all-rounder. Fit a 5E shield generator, one 4E hull reinforcement, two 4E cargo racks and a single 0A shield booster on the first utility — it's mission-ready immediately.

Arm the three mediums with two gimballed multi-cannons and a gimballed pulse laser; fit both smalls with gimballed multi-cannons for cheap kinetic DPS.

Keep the build generalist at first: leave the three spare utility mounts and the smaller optional internals (Size 3 and below) empty, and don't over-commit optionals to one role until you know which jobs you'll run most.

A-rating priority for an all-rounder — sustain and mobility first, then the role modules:

• 1Power Distributor → A — Supports both weapons and boost — the foundation of every role. ~600k Cr
• 2FSD → A — Range matters across all roles; A-rate early. ~1M Cr
• 3Thrusters → A — Speed and agility for combat and quick missions. ~900k Cr
• 4Power Plant → A — Headroom to run guns, shields and utilities together. ~700k Cr
• 5Shield Generator → bi-weave — Balanced defence for mixed-threat play, backed by a 3A shield cell bank. ~500k Cr

A balanced engineering pass that serves every role. Pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application; visit engineers in person for experimentals.

Recommended order

• 1FSD Increased Range first — it benefits every role and improves quality of life immediately.
• 2Then distributor and thrusters for combat and mobility.
• 3Power plant Overcharged to free up power for whatever modules a given role needs.
• 4Defences and weapons last, tuned to how combat-heavy your typical missions are.

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

Engineering lifts jump range past 38 LY, adds ~65 m/s of boost and roughly doubles shields; Heavy Duty G5 with Deep Plating on the Lightweight Alloy bulkheads, plus the engineered hull reinforcements, pushes effective armour past 750 without sinking the jump range. An efficiency-tuned 3A shield cell bank tops the shields back up without spiking heat — turning an already-flexible hull into a small ship that does every job competently and reaches almost anywhere.

• Save multiple loadouts in outfitting so re-roling is a two-minute job, not a rebuild.
• Its small pad is a feature — deliberately seek outpost-only markets and missions that bigger ships can't service.
• Don't try to make it a pure fighter or pure hauler; its strength is the 80% it does in every role, not the 100% in one.
• Lightweight life support and sensors claw back jump range with no practical downside on a multirole.