Diamondback ExplorerMultipurpose

The Diamondback Explorer is best known as Lakon's budget deep-space scout, but as a multipurpose hull it earns its keep too. It pairs a strong FSD and light mass for explorer-grade range with a large hardpoint, two mediums and four utility mounts — enough for self-defence, light bounty work and the odd cargo or passenger run. Crucially it does all of this from a small pad, so it lands at any outpost the bigger generalists are locked out of.

What it offers the all-rounder is reach and economy rather than capacity. Its cool-running plant and four optional internals let it carry a flexible mix — a small shield, a cargo rack or two, a fuel scoop, an SRV bay, a scanner — and re-tune between light combat, a survey trip or a courier loop at a station. What it can't do is fight or haul at the level of a Cobra Mk V, Asp Explorer or Python; its small internals, thin armour and modest shields cap the heavy end of every role.

Four things make the Diamondback Explorer a useful generalist:

• Explorer-grade range. A light hull and strong FSD give ~62 LY even multirole-loaded — far more reach than any other generalist near its price.
• Small-pad access. It lands at any outpost, so resupply, turn-ins and missions are never blocked by pad size — an advantage the do-everything mediums and larges don't share.
• Real (if light) hardpoints. One large and two mediums plus four utilities arm it for self-defence and low-intensity bounty work, not just scanning.
• Cheap to own and run. Under 1.7M Cr hull and inexpensive modules — a flexible ship that costs a fraction of a true multirole medium.

Class-leading ~62 LY range, small-pad reach and sub-15M-Cr value carry it; light 1L/2M firepower and thin small-ship internals cap the heavy end at 68.

The 68/100 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 multipurpose use — versatility across combat, trade, exploration and more. The role column is the maximum cargo capacity in tonnes as one measure of capacity; versatility is judged across all roles.

Same class — small-pad all-rounders

Among small-pad all-rounders the Diamondback Explorer sits in the middle: the Cobras out-haul and out-fight it, but none matches its jump range, and only the Courier outclasses it on speed and shields. Its niche is the long-legged generalist — the small ship that does a bit of everything and reaches the far systems.

Other classes — the do-everything mediums and larges

The do-everything mediums and larges carry, fight and tank far beyond the DBE — but each costs many times more and most need a larger pad. The Diamondback Explorer's multipurpose appeal is delivering a workable slice of all-round capability, with explorer-grade range and small-pad access, for a tiny fraction of their cost.

At ~1.64M Cr the DBE is cheap, and its small modules keep a balanced multirole fit — weapons, a shield, cargo, scoop and scanner — well under 15M Cr engineered. That is a complete, flexible ship for less than the price of a single weapon on a warship.

It's the value generalist with no gates: no rank, no permit, small pad. For a commander who wants one affordable hull to roam and dabble across roles, it's cheaper than committing to a multirole medium — and it goes further on every tank of fuel.

A balanced multirole fit — light guns, a fast-recharge bi-weave, some cargo and a fuel scoop, with the FSD kept strong so it still roams. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the multirole baseline; Engineered makes it capable across the board for the size. The DBE's real strength is swapping its few optionals at a station, so engineer each module once and reuse it across role swaps.

The buy-only state is bare bones: the hull on its stock E-rated cores — power plant, thrusters, FSD, life support, distributor and sensors — plus the stock class-C fuel tank and the free Lightweight Alloy bulkhead the hull ships with. Every hardpoint, utility, shield, cargo rack, fuel scoop, hull reinforcement, Guardian FSD booster and scanner is left empty (—) until credits allow.

A-rate the core internals first — the FSD, plant and thrusters serve every role.

Build role-specific module sets (explorer scoop/SRV, cargo racks) in storage to swap in as needed.

A-rating priority for a budget all-rounder:

• 1FSD → A — Range is this hull's signature edge; A-rate it first. ~2M Cr
• 2Power plant + distributor → A — Run the guns and shield, and serve every role. ~2M Cr
• 3Thrusters → A — Mobility for combat and quick station turns. ~1.5M Cr
• 4Shield + weapons — A bi-weave and a gimballed gun set for self-defence and light combat. ~2M Cr
• 5Guardian FSD booster + role modules — A 1H Guardian FSD booster fills the spare Size-1 slot for the biggest single jump gain; add fuel scoop, SRV, cargo racks and scanner to swap. varies

A light all-rounder engineering pattern — range, mobility, shields and guns all touched on a small hull. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.

Recommended order

• 1FSD Increased Range to G5 with Mass Manager — preserve the hull's defining reach.
• 2Overcharged plant and Dirty thrusters for power and mobility across every role.
• 3Bi-weave Reinforced shield (Hi-Cap) plus Heavy-Duty boosters and an HRP for survivability.
• 4Overcharged multi-cannons (one Corrosive) for light combat capability; engineer once and reuse across role swaps.

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

Engineered, the DBE roams at ~66 LY — the 1H Guardian FSD booster adds the final few light-years on top of a Long-Range G5 drive — defends itself with a corrosive multi-cannon set, carries a small cargo run and surveys with a scanner and SRV, all from a small pad for almost nothing. A Heavy Duty–engineered Lightweight Alloy hull plus the size-2 reinforcement lifts effective armour without taxing jump range. Its small internals and thin defences keep it well short of the do-everything mediums, but as a long-legged budget generalist it earns its rating.

• A-rate the FSD and cores first — range is this hull's edge over every other budget generalist.
• It's a do-most-things ship, not a do-everything one — a Cobra Mk V, Asp Explorer or Python beats it at the heavy end of every role.
• Lean on the small pad — it docks where the multirole mediums and larges can't.
• It has a dedicated exploration manual too — this one is for the flexible, do-a-bit-of-everything build.