PythonMultipurpose

The Python is the medium-pad answer to 'one ship for everything.' Its three large hardpoints and strong shields make it a serious warship; its deep internals and ~294-tonne hold make it a defensible trader; it mines valuable cores while fighting off pirates; and it explores respectably. All of that on a medium pad that lands at the vast majority of stations — flexibility the capital all-rounders can't match.

It's slower than the Kraits and carries less than the dedicated freighters, but it does more things well than almost anything its size, and it's tough enough to survive whatever it's doing. For a single medium hull that fights, hauls, mines and explores — switchable by swapping modules — the Python has been a beloved benchmark for years. The medium fleet-in-one-ship.

Four things make the Python the ultimate medium all-rounder:

• Serious firepower. Three large hardpoints make it a genuine warship, not a token-armed trader.
• Defensible capacity. ~294 tonnes of cargo and strong shields — it hauls and mines while fighting off pirates.
• Deep, flexible internals. Room for any role's full kit — cargo, mining suite, exploration gear or combat tanking.
• Medium-pad flexibility. Lands at most stations — far more accessible than the capital all-rounders.

Best-armed, deepest-holding medium generalist — three large hardpoints, ~294 t and ~1,100 MJ shields on a no-rank medium pad — held off the top only by a modest ~45 LY range.

The 86/100 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 — versatile mediums

Among versatile mediums the Python is the toughest and best-armed all-rounder with the biggest hold. The Kraits are faster and the Mandalay jumps far better, but none matches the Python's blend of firepower, capacity and durability. The medium do-everything benchmark.

Other classes — the capital and small all-rounders

The Anaconda does everything at capital scale but needs a large pad and more money; the small all-rounders are cheaper and land anywhere but far less capable. The Python sits in the sweet spot: capital-like versatility and toughness on a flexible, affordable-ish medium pad.

At ~55.3M Cr the Python is a solid investment, with no rank gate. Its versatility spreads the cost: one engineered hull is your warship, trader, miner and explorer, swappable by changing modules.

Outfitting it well across roles and keeping module sets to swap brings the practical figure to around 90M Cr — cheaper than buying and engineering several medium specialists, and far cheaper than an Anaconda.

A balanced multirole fit — real guns, a strong shield, cargo room and decent range, ready to re-tune. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the multirole baseline; Engineered makes it excellent across the board.

Buy the hull and fit a balanced multirole loadout buy-only: keep the stock Lightweight Alloy bulkhead, hang two 3C Multi-Cannons and a 3C Beam Laser across the large mounts, two 2F Pulse Lasers in the mediums, a single 0D Shield Booster, a 6E Shield Generator, E-rated cores, and a pair of cargo racks (6E + 5E).

Leave the rest empty for now — the Military Grade bulkhead, the extra shield boosters, the chaff and heat-sink launchers, the three hull reinforcements, the shield cell bank and the surface scanner all come in with the A-rate and engineering passes.

A-rate the core internals first — they serve every role — then build role-specific module sets (trader, miner, explorer) in storage to swap in.

A-rating priority for an all-rounder:

• 1Core internals → A — Plant (7A), thrusters (6A), FSD (5A) and life support (4A) serve every role. ~18M Cr
• 2Shield Generator → 6C bi-weave + dual 0A Shield Boosters — Survivability across combat, mining and hauling. ~6M Cr
• 3Weapons — Three large gimballed guns (two multi-cannons, one beam) plus two medium pulse lasers for real combat capability. ~10M Cr
• 4Power Distributor → 7A — Sustain guns and tools while laden. ~7M Cr
• 5Armour & defensive layer — Swap the stock plating for a Military Grade Composite bulkhead, fill all three reinforcement slots (4D/3D/1D Hull Reinforcements), add a 5A Shield Cell Bank, and fit chaff + heat-sink launchers. modest
• 6Role module sets — Cargo, mining suite, fuel scoop and SRV to swap. varies

The house all-rounder engineering pattern. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.

Recommended order

• 1Core mobility and power first — Overcharged plant, Dirty thrusters, Increased-Range FSD serve every role.
• 2Reinforced bi-weave shield plus Heavy-Duty boosters and HRPs for survivability.
• 3Overcharged multi-cannons (one Corrosive) plus a Thermal-Vent beam for combat.
• 4Engineer once; modules carry their mods between role swaps.

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

Engineered, the Python fights with three large guns behind a 1,100 MJ shield and a Military Grade hull braced by three reinforcement packages to ~2,500 effective armour, hauls ~294t, mines valuable cores and explores respectably — all on a medium pad. Specialists beat it at the extremes, but nothing its size does more, more toughly. The medium do-everything classic.

• A-rate the cores first — they power every role; then build storable module sets to swap.
• Keep the three large guns — real firepower is what makes it more than a trader.
• It's the best medium generalist, not a specialist — a Type-8, Mandalay or FdL beats it at the extremes.
• It has combat, trading and mining manuals too — this one is for the do-everything build.