Panther Clipper Mk IIMining

The Panther Clipper Mk II is the game's largest freighter, and that hull translates directly into mining: thirteen optional internals — two of them class 8 — mean an ore hold no other ship can match, with room left over for a full refinery, prospector and a deep bank of collector controllers. Its two large and four medium hardpoints mount every mining tool at once, six utilities carry a pulse wave analyser and a real shield-booster suite, and its tough frame shrugs off the pirates that prey on laden miners. As a self-defending mining platform it is genuinely capable.

The catch is that mining rarely rewards that much hold. A single ring session — even a long core-mining run — seldom fills a thousand tonnes, so most of the Panther's signature advantage sits empty. Meanwhile it's slow, ungainly to reposition between rocks, large-pad-bound, and one of the most expensive hulls in the game. The dedicated Type-11 Prospector, the Imperial Cutter and the medium Python all mine more efficiently for the credits. The Panther's mining case is the marathon: filling a fleet carrier with tritium or ore over hours without ever docking to dump.

Four things make the Panther a viable miner:

• The largest ore hold in the game. Two class-8 internals plus deep racks mean you crack rocks for hours and never fill it.
• Mounts every mining tool with room to spare. Two large and four medium hardpoints fit lasers, a seismic launcher, sub-surface missiles and an abrasion blaster — and still leave guns for defence.
• It defends itself decisively. Six utilities and a tough purpose-built frame make it the hardest miner in the game to gank, even laden.
• Rank-free. Unlike the Cutter, anyone with the credits can fly one.

It leads on the largest ore hold in the game (~1,048 t) and decisive self-defence, but is held back by large-pad-only access and a ~287M-Cr price that overkills any single mining session.

The 77/100 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-pad miners the Panther holds the most ore by a wide margin — but everything above it on the ladder mines more efficiently. The Type-11 is the dedicated specialist, the Cutter and Type-9 deliver similar capacity for less weight or less cost, and the Anaconda doubles as a warship. The Panther's hold is unmatched; its rating reflects that the rest of the package lags the field.

Other classes — the dedicated and medium miners

The medium miners reach far more rings via outposts, reposition faster between rocks and cost a fraction as much — for most commanders they are the smarter mining buy. The Panther only justifies its size when the session is long enough that running out of hold would otherwise stop you. That is a narrow niche, and the rating shows it.

At ~287M Cr the Panther is one of the most expensive ships in the game and far pricier than any dedicated miner — though it needs no rank or permit. A mining fit adds the suite (lasers, seismic launcher, refinery, limpet controllers, a defensive shield), bringing the all-in figure past 330M Cr.

For mining that price is hard to justify on tonnage alone: a Type-11, a Type-9 or a Python mines effectively for a fraction of the cost. The Panther pays back only if you already own one for hauling and want a single hull that also mines marathon sessions, or if filling a carrier without ever docking to dump is genuinely your workflow.

A complete mining fit for laser and core work that keeps guns and a strong shield for self-defence. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the mining baseline; Engineered focuses on mobility, defence and heat — the mining tools themselves are not meaningfully engineered. The vast remaining internals fill with ore racks.

Buy the hull on its stock Lightweight Alloy — no bulkhead spend on day one — and fit a single mining laser; buy-only, the 2D Mining Laser is the only hardpoint mounted. The rest of the suite (the seismic launcher, sub-surface missile, abrasion blaster, the pair of small-mount 1D lasers, refinery and limpet controllers) waits for the A-rated pass.

Keep both large mounts — one for the laser, one for a gun — and a class-7 slot for a strong bi-weave shield; with six utilities you can defend a fortune in ore.

Fill the remaining internals, including both class-8 slots, with ore racks; A-rate the plant and distributor to run the whole suite.

A-rating priority for a marathon miner:

• 1Power Distributor → 7A — Mining tools, limpets and guns are power-hungry; A-rate first. ~15M Cr
• 2Power Plant → 8A — Run tools, limpets, shield and guns together on a class-8 plant. ~25M Cr
• 3Shield Generator → 7C bi-weave — Survive the exposed minutes of cracking a core in a vast, slow hull. ~12M Cr
• 4Laser array + refinery + limpets — A 2D plus two 1D mining heads feed a 4A refinery; three collector controllers and a prospector keep a big swarm working. ~6M Cr
• 5Thrusters → 8A — Reposition the heavy hull between rocks and fight when pirates arrive. ~20M Cr
• 6Frame Shift Drive → 7A — Claw back jump range on the heavy, loaded hull between rings. ~18M 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 marathon sessions.
• 3FSD Increased Range and lightweight non-essentials to claw back jump range on the heavy hull.
• 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 Panther mines behind a 1,300 MJ shield, cracks cores with seismics and rakes ore with a three-laser array, and guns into a hold no session can fill — it works dangerous rings and destroys the pirates that come for the haul. Its engineered Lightweight hull and a Stripped Down distributor trim mass to claw jump range back on the loaded ~1,200 t airframe. But the advantage is endurance, not efficiency: it carries more than you can usually mine, stays slow and large-pad-bound, and costs far more than the miners that out-pace it per trip.

• Fill both class-8 slots with ore racks — the bottomless hold is the only reason to mine in this hull rather than a cheaper one.
• Keep guns and a heavy shield — with six utilities the Panther defends a fortune in ore better than any other miner.
• Don't engineer the mining tools; engineer the ship's defence and mobility instead.
• It's slow and large-pad-bound — pair it with a fleet carrier at the ring so you never fly the laden hull home.
• For efficiency per trip or per credit, a Type-11, Type-9 or Python mines better; choose the Panther only for marathon endurance.