A versatile, defensible medium trader: ~294 tonnes on a medium pad, backed by strong shields and three large hardpoints that let it destroy the pirates other haulers must flee. It ranks mid-pack on raw cargo capacity — the Type-8 carries more for less — but no medium hauler defends its hold better, and the same hull re-roles to combat, mining, or exploration on demand.
Python · Faulcon DeLacy
72/100
~294 t
Max cargo
3L · 2M
Hardpoints
4
Utility mounts
~55.3M Cr
Hull price
Medium
Pad size
Rating methodology
This ship's 1–100 suitability rating reflects its fully-engineered fit for this role, scored against every ship in the role. See how ships are rated.
01
Role & Overview
The Python is the trader that doesn't need an escort. It carries ~294 tonnes on a medium pad — a solid load — but its real distinction is that the same hull is a tough, three-large-hardpoint warship. Where a Type-9 or Type-8 must run from pirates, a combat-fitted-then-cargo-loaded Python can simply turn and destroy them. It defends its own cargo.
It carries less than the dedicated Type-8 and costs more, so for pure tonnage it isn't the pick. But its blend of solid cargo, medium-pad flexibility, strong shields and the option to fight back makes it the safest active hauler — and because it re-roles to combat, mining or exploration, one Python can be a trader that becomes a warship the moment a pirate makes a mistake. A classic, versatile choice.
Where this hull shines
Defensible, versatile trading: high-value runs through pirate space where fighting back beats fleeing, mixed trade-and-combat play, and a single hull that hauls one day and fights or mines the next.
Four things make the Python a fine defensible trader:
It defends its own cargo. Three large hardpoints and strong shields mean it can fight off pirates a dedicated freighter must flee.
Solid cargo on a medium pad. ~294 tonnes landing at most stations — a good load with flexible docking.
Strong shields and deep internals. It tanks interdiction comfortably and has room for a big hold plus defences.
Total versatility. The same hull trades, fights, mines or explores — one ship, many jobs.
The ceiling, stated honestly
It carries far less than the dedicated freighters — the medium Type-8 hauls 100+ tonnes more for less money — and it's slow. For pure cargo-per-credit it's beaten. The Python's case is defensibility and versatility: it's the trader you pick when you'd rather fight pirates than outrun them, or want one hull for everything.
03
Why This Rating
Scorecard
A 72 led by best-in-class medium-pad defensibility — strong shields and three large hardpoints — limited by mid-pack ~294t cargo, slow 234 m/s hull, and ~55.3M Cr price.
The 72/100 headline is a verdict against the trading 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.
Role factor
Score
Why this score
Maximum cargo
20/35
~294t engineered on a medium pad is solid but mid-field: the Type-8 hauls ~406t, the Krait Phantom ~220t, and large freighters (Type-9 ~790, Cutter ~794, Panther ~1048) carry two to three times more.
Pad class & market reach
19/20
Medium pad with no rank or permit gate docks at nearly every outpost and station — maximum market reach, unlike the large-pad freighters that out-haul it but lock out medium-only ports.
Laden jump range
10/15
~26 LY laden jump engineered (G5 Increased Range on the 5A FSD) is workable for a laden medium, beating the heavy freighters but well short of dedicated long-range medium haulers.
Survivability
18/20
~1,100+ MJ engineered bi-weave shield, two Heavy-Duty boosters, hull reinforcement and three large hardpoints make it the only medium trader that fights interdictors off rather than fleeing — role-leading survivability.
Speed & cost
5/10
234/306 m/s is slow, and ~55.3M Cr hull (~90M all-in) is pricier than the dedicated Type-8 that out-hauls it — its weakest axis, offset only by re-role versatility.
Weighted total
72/100
Matches the headline suitability rating for this ship in this role.
How to read it
Weights are an editorial decomposition of the role's stated priority order — not an in-game formula. Bar length shows how fully each factor is earned; the longest factors carried the score, the shortest are where it gave points away. See how ships are rated.
04
How It Compares
Every table rates ships for trading specifically, split by landing-pad class. The Max cargo column is maximum cargo tonnage behind a shield; the rating is the same 1–100 suitability verdict used across the site.
The large-pad trading field (10 rated), led by Panther Clipper Mk II (98) — bigger pads and bankrolls. They out-muscle this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.
The small-pad trading field (5 rated), led by Cobra Mk IV (52) — cheaper hulls and tighter pads. They undercut this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.
05
Cost & Access
Hull
~55.3M Cr
A-rated trader
~70M Cr
Engineered
~90M Cr
Pad
Medium
Rank
None
Permit
None
At ~55.3M Cr the Python is pricier than the dedicated medium freighters, with no rank gate. A defensible trade fit — cargo plus shields plus a few engineered guns — brings the all-in figure to around 90M Cr.
Its versatility offsets the cost: the same engineered Python trades, fights, mines or explores, so one hull replaces several. For pure hauling, the cheaper Type-8 is the value pick; for a do-everything ship that also hauls well and defends itself, the Python justifies its price.
Versatility is the value
Engineer one Python and it's a trader, a warship and a miner by swapping modules — a hauler that can fight, for the price of its flexibility.
06
3-State Loadout
A defensible trade fit: a solid hold, strong shield and enough guns to fight off pirates. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the trade baseline; Engineered balances cargo, protection and teeth.
Copies the raw Ship Loadout Export Format for that state.
Haul, but keep the teeth
Unlike a pure freighter, the Python keeps its three large guns and a strong shield alongside a ~216t hold — so when a pirate interdicts, you turn and destroy them rather than fleeing. Carry a little less cargo for the privilege of never being a victim.
07
Initial Loadout — Buy-Only Plan
Buy the hull and fill the three class-6 optionals with stock 6E Cargo Racks — ~200t of buy-only hold to start earning.
The hull ships with stock Lightweight Alloybulkheads — leave them. A trader wants mass low for laden jump range, not armour plate, so Lightweight Alloy is the right plate all the way through.
Leave the three large hardpoints, all four utility mounts, and the smaller optional slots empty (—) until you can afford the A-rated kit — buy-only, the Python carries cargo but neither shields nor guns.
08
A-Rated Loadout — Upgrade Plan
A-rating priority for a defensible hauler:
1Power Plant → 7A — Power for guns, shields and modules. ~9M Cr
2Power Distributor → 7A — Sustain the guns and boost while laden. ~7M Cr
3Thrusters → 6A — Move the laden hull and reposition in a fight. ~7M Cr
4Shield Generator → 6C bi-weave — Tank interdiction while you turn to fight. ~5M Cr
5FSD → 5A — Laden range for route efficiency. ~6M Cr
Mount the three large hardpoints — twin 3C multi-cannons plus a 3C beam — with twin 0A shield boosters, a chaff and a heat-sink on the utilities, and slot a 3A SCB and a 2D hull reinforcement in the small optionals. Bulkheads stay Lightweight Alloy: the bi-weave, boosters and SCB carry the defence, so spend no mass on heavy plate.
Power for guns and cargo
The Python is a trader that fights — A-rate the plant and distributor so it can sustain three large guns even fully laden, then it never needs to run.
09
Engineering Plan
A hybrid trade-combat engineering pattern. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.
3Bi-weave shield Reinforced (G5) plus Heavy Duty boosters to tank interdiction.
4Overcharged multi-cannons (one Corrosive) so it kills the pirates that try it.
Material intensity (qualitative)
Moderate — trade blueprints plus a few combat weapon G5s. With a complete inventory this is spend, not farm. Ask for exact per-blueprint counts if needed.
10
Key Stat Upgrades
Approximate progression across the three states (figures are representative, not exact rolls):
Stat
Initial
A-rated
Engineered
Max cargo (t)
~200
~270
~294
Shield (MJ)
none
~580
~1,100+
Hull armour
~270
~270
~380
Can fight pirates
no
yes
decisively
Laden jump (LY)
~14
~20
~26
Versatility
high
high
high
Engineered, the Python hauls ~294t behind a 1,100 MJ bi-weave and three large guns, with the Lightweight Alloy bulkheads carrying a G5 Advanced (lightweight) roll plus a heavy-duty 2D hull reinforcement — ~380 armour for almost no mass, so laden range still reaches ~26 LY. A trader that turns and destroys pirates rather than fleeing. It carries less than the Type-8, but no medium hauler is safer on a dangerous route, and none re-roles so completely.
11
Key Activities & Where To Do Them
Getting started
High-value runs through pirate space. Fight off interdiction instead of fleeing — the Python's signature.
Mixed trade-and-combat. Haul cargo and clear bounties or missions in the same hull.
Medium-pad commodity loops. A solid defended load to most stations.
Advanced
Dangerous-route hauling. Where a Type-9 would be robbed, the Python turns and wins.
Re-role on demand. Swap modules to make the trader a warship, miner or explorer.
Powerplay logistics under threat. Move cargo through contested space and defend it.
Generic example routes
Any valuable loop, especially through risky space, suits it. From your home base it hauls defended cargo and re-roles to combat or mining as needed — one hull, many jobs.
12
Field Notes — What Else To Know
Keep the guns — the Python's edge over pure freighters is fighting back; don't strip them for a little more cargo.
Power plant and distributor must sustain guns while laden — A-rate them.
For pure tonnage, the cheaper Type-8 carries more; choose the Python for defensibility and versatility.
It has combat, mining and multipurpose manuals too — the same hull does it all.
Verdict
The Python is the defensible medium hauler: ~294 tonnes on a medium pad, behind strong shields and three large guns that let it destroy the pirates other traders must flee. The Type-8 out-hauls it for less, but no medium trader defends its cargo better or re-roles so completely. The hauler that fights back, and a true do-everything classic.
13
Sources
Figures on this page are verified against the sources below.
Elite Dangerous (official)Frontier's official Python ship page — manufacturer specs, feature overview, and the ship render used on this page.elitedangerous.com/.../python
E:D Black Box