Krait Mk IICombat

The Krait Mk II is Faulcon DeLacy's answer to 'what medium should I fight in?' and the answer most veterans give. Three large hardpoints headline a loadout backed by two mediums; four utilities carry a full defensive suite; and nine optional internals give room to shield-tank or hull-tank as hard as the build demands.

Its signature trick is the ship-launched fighter bay. Deploy an SLF and you split enemy fire, add a second damage source and gain a remote pair of eyes — a force multiplier most mediums can't field. Combined with strong internals and a usable jump range, the Krait Mk II is the medium that turns up to every fight prepared and leaves most of them ahead.

Four things make the Krait Mk II a top-tier combat medium:

• Three large hardpoints. A heavy main battery for a medium — enough alpha and sustained damage to kill anything a RES or CZ throws at you.
• A fighter bay. Launch an SLF to split incoming fire and add a second gun; with multicrew or an NPC pilot it's a genuine force multiplier.
• Nine optional internals. Deep enough to shield-tank with cell banks or hull-tank with reinforcement — you choose the defensive style, you're not forced into one.
• Balanced everywhere. Strong class-7 plant and class-6 distributor, decent speed, usable jump range — no glaring weakness to exploit.

Three large plus two medium hardpoints, nine optional internals and an SLF bay give it large-ship combat reach from a no-rank medium pad; only its class-6 distributor and non-elite turning hold it short of perfect.

The 90/100 headline is a verdict against the combat 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 combat role specifically. The role column is the hardpoint loadout — the raw weapon mounts behind the damage.

Same class — medium-pad combat ships

In the medium combat class the Krait Mk II is the balanced benchmark. The Fer-de-Lance and Python Mk II edge it on duelling and alpha respectively, but neither matches its blend of heavy guns, a fighter bay, deep tanking and range. For all-round PvE combat it's the safest top-tier choice.

Other classes — the larger leagues

Stepping up means a large pad and usually a rank grind. The Corvette and Cutter out-tank and out-gun the Krait outright; until you've earned them, the Krait Mk II delivers most of a large warship's capability from a medium pad, complete with a fighter bay neither large ship needs.

At ~44M Cr the Krait Mk II is mid-priced for a top-tier combat medium, with no rank or permit gate. Its deep internals mean a full combat fit — shield, cell banks, reinforcement, SLF bay — adds up, but the all-in cost stays well below a rank-gated large warship.

The fighter bay is the one optional that earns its slot many times over in extended fights; budget for an SLF and a good NPC pilot alongside the usual A-rating and engineering.

A balanced shield-tank combat fit with an SLF bay. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the combat-ready baseline; Engineered applies the house combat pattern. Swap a cell bank for more reinforcement to lean hull-tank instead.

Buy the hull and fit a stock 6E Shield Generator in the larger class-6 bay, backed by a single 0A Shield Booster — RES-ready immediately. Bulkheads stay at stock Lightweight Alloy and the core internals all go in at base E-rating.

Arm the three large mounts with gimballed weapons — two multi-cannons and a pulse laser — and the two mediums with a multi-cannon and a pulse laser.

Everything else stays empty for now: the second class-6 bay carries a cheap cargo rack, while the fighter bay, the other three utilities, the shield cell banks and the hull/module reinforcement all wait for the A-rated pass.

A-rating priority for a balanced combat medium:

• 1Power Distributor → 7A — Sustains the three large guns plus boost — the foundation. ~7M Cr
• 2Power Plant → 7A — Headroom for guns, shields, SLF and utilities together. ~9M Cr
• 3Thrusters → 6A — Mobility to control range and hold the fight on your terms. ~6M Cr
• 4Shield Generator → 6C bi-weave — Fast regen suits a brawler that re-engages. ~5M Cr
• 5Bulkheads → Military Grade Composite — Lifts raw hull and resistances under the shield for a hull-tank brawler. ~12M Cr
• 6FSD → 5A — Reach fights and turn-ins faster. ~5M Cr

The full house combat pattern on a balanced medium. Pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application; visit in person for experimentals (Corrosive Shell, Thermal Vent, Fast Charge).

Recommended order

• 1Distributor and plant to G5 first — three large guns and an SLF are power-hungry.
• 2Thrusters to G5 to keep a 320t hull mobile.
• 3Weapons next: Overcharged multi-cannons with one Corrosive; Thermal-Vent beams for heat-neutral shield stripping.
• 4Defences last: Reinforced bi-weave with Fast Charge, Heavy-Duty boosters and HRPs balanced across the deep internals.

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

The Military Grade Composite bulkhead and twin hull reinforcements lift effective armour from the A-rated pass onward; engineered, the Krait doubles shields, multiplies effective armour several-fold and sustains three large hardpoints plus a fighter indefinitely — large-ship combat capability from a medium pad, with a force multiplier the big ships skip.

• Decide shield-tank vs hull-tank up front; the deep internals support either, but you build for one.
• Keep a good NPC fighter pilot — SLF effectiveness scales hard with pilot rank.
• Thermal-Vent beams strip shields while shedding heat, keeping your modules healthy in long fights.
• As a no-rank balanced warship it's the ideal ship to fight in while grinding toward a Corvette or Cutter.