Elite Dangerous offers many activities, but ship combat is undoubtedly one of the most fun, considering the game’s excellent flight model and diverse roster of ships. For players looking for a true challenge, Thargoid hunting is the best PvE option. Thargoids are an alien race fighting a war against humanity in Elite Dangerous, and things are looking increasingly desperate for humans.
Thargoid hunting is a true test of skill and also requires a great deal of effort to practice and master the unique mechanics involved. Those players who are able to do so, however, enjoy the satisfaction of taking down some of the toughest enemies in the game, as well as a hefty payout. It’s important that players new to the activity don’t rush in, as doing so is sure to get them sent to the rebuy screen.
8 Pick The Best Ships
It’s probably somewhat obvious, but not every ship in the game is suited for combat, and most certainly isn’t great for Thargoid hunting. In general, players should stick to ships explicitly dedicated to a combat role when weighing options. The absolute best choices for players new to Thargoid hunting are the Alliance Chieftain or Krait Mk.II. Medium ships will be a lot more forgiving and are the best way to learn how to properly fight Thargoids.
The Imperial Cutter can also be a good option, as it has absurdly powerful shields that can tank damage for extended periods of time. Once players are more practiced, more ships start to become viable, and it’s worth considering using large ships like the Corvette, which can achieve great results.
7 Use The Right Weapons
Normal weapons don’t work well against Thargoids, as they have strong damage resistance to them, making almost all of them nearly useless. As such, it is vital that ships be equipped with Anti-Xeno weapons instead, which can generally be found at Industrial and Military planetary bases or Jameson Memorial in Shinrarta Dezrha for players with an Elite rank.
AX weaponry comes in a variety of forms, and most are good options, but the best are usually Guardian gauss cannons, which pack a real punch and will do serious damage. The catch is that gauss cannons are totally unassisted weapons, so they’re difficult to aim and require a lot of practice to get good with. Players should also consider using Remote Flak Launchers for dealing with Thargoid swarms.
6 Engineer Your Modules
Thargoid hunting isn’t a beginner-level activity, and at least some level of engineering is definitely necessary for success. The most important are the hull reinforcements, thrusters, and power distribution. However, there’s a good chance any build will also need the power plant engineering for sufficient power. Keep in mind this is only the minimum, and ideally, players should really be aiming to engineer almost everything in their ships.
When building ships and engineering, note that Thargoids' weapons are totally unaffected by damage resistance. The only thing that matters is getting the highest shield and hull numbers possible to maximize survivability. Additionally, players must make sure that their ships are capable of achieving a high top speed (over 500m/s boost), as Thargoid Interceptors are exceptionally fast, and they'll need some serious mobility to stay in the fight.
5 Practice With Flight Assist Off
When taking on Thargoid interceptors, using flight assist (FA) is not practical. This is because only FA-off gives players the maneuverability necessary to properly fight an interceptor. Primarily, this will be most helpful as players will often need to turn to damage an interceptor while still traveling in a certain direction. The typical strategy for taking one down is also to ‘orbit’ the inceptor, which can only be done with FA-off.
However, FA-off is a serious challenge for those who have never used it before, and it takes a great deal of practice. For M+KB players, make sure to enable Relative Mouse Mode in the settings menu to make things easier. Start simple with FA-off, and try to master the basics of flying in the mode before using it in combat.
4 Start Small And Build Up
It’s best not to jump straight into fighting interceptors, and players new to Thargoid hunting will certainly want to avoid anything harder than a Cyclops. Players without any combat experience may want to hone their skills against easier human targets first before moving on to Thargoids. Scouts are the easiest Thargoids to take on and require no special knowledge or tactics. They’re a good jumping-off point for getting used to AX weaponry.
From there, players will move on to Interceptors, which come in 4 ranks of increasing difficulty: Cyclops, Basilisk, Medusa, and Hydra. The difference between the ranks comes primarily in the form of increased health, armor, and faster reload times. Make sure to go through the ranks logically. Players shouldn’t fight Basilisks unless they can confidently kill a Cyclops, and so on.
3 Learn The Interceptor Mechanics
Fighting Interceptors is very different from engaging a human target. In addition to having to use AX weapons, Interceptors have entirely unique combat mechanics that must be learned in order to take them down. In essence, interceptors have ‘hearts’ that give them extremely rapid health regeneration. Once an interceptor has been damaged enough, hearts can be exerted and become vulnerable while the interceptor regenerates health.
There is a 45-second window to damage a heart, during which any damage is permanent. Ideally, a player should be able to destroy one heart in this window, though this will likely take some practice as the hearts are small and tricky to hit. The higher the rank of the interceptor, the more hearts. Cyclops have 4 hearts, and Hydras have 8. Players must repeat this loop of damage and destroying the hearts until all hearts are destroyed, at which point the Interceptor can finally be killed for good.
2 Wing Up With Other Commanders If You Can
Fighting a Thargoid is exponentially easier when done cooperatively. Players having difficulty should seek out others to wing up with and take on Interceptors together. Doing so has no downsides, as the payout per player is not decreased, and everyone gets paid as long as they do some damage. Additionally, if players are able to find experienced AX commanders, this is a good way to learn the ropes and will make things much less frustrating.
1 Be Prepared To Fail
The simple reality is that even with these tips and a good amount of preparation, players taking on interceptors for the first time are likely to lose. Thargoid hunting isn’t easy, and it will likely take at least a few destroyed ships before a player kills their first Interceptor.
As such, try not to get too frustrated, and also make sure to have plenty of credits in the bank to pay for rebuys. Players who are strapped for cash aren’t really ready for Thargoid hunting, which is an end-game activity, and should play more before taking on Interceptors.
Elite Dangerous is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.