FYI: If any stats change on this or the ES - a new review will be made once the ship is live. I love making these videos so expect it for all ships that get changes in patches! ;)
The Zeus series have been my favorite ship since concept. It looks amazing, it feels amazing to fly, and just hits a spot that no other ship has really hit. It feels and looks like a ship we would actually make IRL
@@midnightfender Your opinion just like how that is my opinion. I never liked how the freelancers felt when flying them. Everyone is so concerned about raw stats on Erkul. Not every ship needs to put out a lot of DPS. I would just get a combat ship if I want combat. If I wanted dedicated Hauling. I'd get my C2. Ships have to have downsides or everyone will just choose it because it's "meta" Edit: If you wanted to get technical about it. The Zeus pitch and yaw is off by one. It is faster by 3. It has more Gun DPS, but less Missile DPS. It has more Hull HP and more Shield HP. Zeus has a better view from the cockpit. The CL also has 8 more cargo than the MAX by 8. The MAX can carry an URSA (or NURSA if you need it) while the Zeus can't. Not everyone wants or needs to carry a NURSA. So if we are going based off raw stats. The Zeus is better. Even if by a little. Are all these subject to change? Yes. Could the freelancer become better down the road yes?
@@Starrshade It has nothing to do with erkul its a worse ship to its direct compotators. Not equal, not upgrade...straight worse...its cargo is amazing hard to use ESPECIALLY with its own tractor beam, damage wise (not being a combat ship but more of a multi role with specialized variants) it loses to everything own to a cutter.
Such stunning ships. I wish they could take the time to polish up other ships, based on popularity, to bring them up to the standards of this. Imagine a Starfarer with this level of polish. Or a Carrack.
Agreed. I would love to see the Starfarer get a proper rework as well as Origin ships. I've all but given up on my 11 year old 325 and other origin ships.... I'm tempted to melt all my old ships and convert them to the new generation because of lack of attention to originals.
As a Warning for cargo hauling. The cargo grind is 8 x 5 x 3. That mean that most of your cargo can't be at least 4x4. So until we can choose what box we get on cargo hauling mission. You wont be able to use your full 126 cargo grind. Good review I also ear the tractor beam is hard to use because it too close. But I didn't try it yet.
Contrary to what CIG has these ships listed as, they are small cargo haulers. The C2 is going to be for medium hauls. Using the ships in this manner will allow you to stack multiple missions in one run. IRL trucks running up and down the highway aren’t stacked to the ceiling with their loads. Using the whole grid on your ship every time is not necessarily realistic.
@@Deez276 going with that idea. Us a a starship driver should not touch the cargo and manage box in the cargo hold. We should park and wait to be filled.
@@samgau2It depends on what kind of trucking you’re doing. At my current job (LTL/P&D) I touch freight all day. When I was long haul I didn’t. I don’t think the guys driving Hull C and above should be loading their ships.
I was super hesitant with the Zeus ships. Admittedly, I was super hyped for the Spirits and was let down by their overall implementation. I hold out hope that they will be redeemed with atmospheric flight, but I digress. I love RSI. My first ship was an Aurora, and the second I saw a Constellation Andromeda I had to have one. It was the symbol of Star Citizen. The Zeus had me pretty salty that it essentially replaced the new ship I was so hyped for and disappointed by. HOWEVER, seeing this review has completely changed my opinion on this ship. Sorry to say Spirits, this is much closer to my vision to what I wanted the Spirit to be: a sleek and functional daily driver. I really love that sleek vibe you mention, it feels so good. I was predicting the compartments of the ship at points based on how I might have placed them. When you entered the cockpit, I immediately thought "please let there be a gun rack", and you turned around to the most glorious cockpit gunrack I've ever seen. That was the second I was instantly sold. I am sorry C1 Spirit. My love for you is true, though scarred. I will return when you are better.
That's what i love about SC. There's ships for everybody and we won't be running the same ships ! I have both, a C1 Spirit and a Zeus CL. The more I watch the reviews and reveals, the more I am gonna melt or upgrade the Zeus and keep the Spirit.. I'm just not a fan of the design/proportions of the Zeus although the interior layout is a bit superior probably. But I'm a Crusader fan, with all their quirks and all. To each their own , and I love that about SC !
@@BruBrusmayhem Thanks for that comparison, I am still fairly new to SC and wanting to step up from my starter to a medium, and been hesitating between the C1 and the upcoming Zeus CL. I see advantages in both, but I am leaning most towards the Spirit. Even if the single exit does kinda bug me, and the pilot's view on the Zeus appears better. I just love the Crusader interior, and the less cramped living quarters. (wish I could try them ingame, but the rent cost is a bit high to a new player)
She is an real Beauty. The RSI Styleguide looks very Good! iam waiting for the ZEUS MR and the Bountyhunter Gameplay TIER 2. Nice Review. you are doing a good Job!
Thanks EvenLease (you must do an explanation vid regarding your YT name man!), for bringing us the best Zeus CL video to date in such a short time window. Some have tried but fell short of what you delivered. I was eager to see the storage grid dimensions and tractor beam arm. It is very good the CL can indeed carry 96 SCU of 4x4 box sizes. Nowadays I look at that 4x4 metric more than pure cargo capacity. So for me the Taurus is a 112 SCU hauler, haha! Would love to know what the jump range is on the CL and ES with an XL-1 quantum drive. We’ll find out soon enough but I can’t wait until CIG releases this in Live. Cheers o7
I don't have one. But I have a Freelancer Max, which I still prefer aesthetically. It is very clear that CGI thread the needle very carefully to make this ship pretty much the equal of the MAX, without making the MAX obsolete.
Exactly, the MAX is the vehicle hauler of the group and the trade off is no built in tractor beam. I think that's a great balancing factor. Of the two, I prefer the flexibility of the MAX.
Always excited to watch videos from this channel. I never really cared for RSI just because I don’t like all the logos plastered everywhere, but this ship really caught my eye. This is the first ship I’ve seen in a while that is the perfect match of function and form. Gorgeous ship, excited to get my own.
Thank you for your review of the CL. I got an ES as soon as it came available and looking forward to seeing it soon! I thought about getting the CL, but decided to buy back the Taurus that I had melted some time ago...for $150. Being as everyone has said it is slow, I'll keep my C1 for smaller cargo and Taurus for medium. Thanks again!
Great review and way better than most "first look"-reviews, thank you!. My only suggestion would be to have a closer look at the cargo grid, because it is quite important for freighters and the one of the CL is especially awkward.
The only issue I have with it is that the cargo doors are too narrow for an Ursa (or more importantly, and Nursa) to fit inside. At least, not without removing the wheels from it first. There's plenty of room once it's inside the cargo bay. Both are made by RSI, it seems like a natural combination. Leaves me wondering if this is an actual oversight, or if they specifically made this choice to deny the combination.
Probably the latter (Deny the Ursa / Medical Ursa to be used with the Zeus series), so as to ensure the Freelancer MAX retains its niche of being the smallest ships able to carry the Ursa series.
Literally the only ship I have ever, and probably will ever, get with real money at the concept phase - and looking like I won't regret it, ship looks exactly how great I was expecting
Only ship I'll run merc missions on now is the cutlass series because of their crew storage. They need to add a crew storage to every ship in game imo. Zues looks good and great video Even!
I "upgraded" Cutty Black for a C1 Spirit and quickly realized I needed a Constitlation Taurus...the CL seems like a good alternative to the Taurus if you don't wanna shell out $200
Glad they have gotten it to a more stable ready for release state as its the first exclusive for the newer studio. Hopefully this frees them up to start working on our older beloved ships as well.
I like the look and feel of the Zeus. It's clear that there was a lot of thought that went into the overall design. Like yourself, i anticipate some amount of rework as they continue to bring it in-line with the long term vision for the game. That being said, you raised two points that have me pausing. The first is the constellation series rework. I Love them. And I can't wait to see those ships updated with a modern look and feel and that level of polish that a (currently) complete new vessel has. I do wish they'd let us more easily stock the gally. Item number two, is the Mercury. Having more than one entrance/exit not withstanding, this is another ship that will benefit greatly from a rework in terms of its over all usability. So seeing the Zeus as it exists today makes me look forward to those. Will I buy a Zeus? Hard to say. It looks good, but it doesn't bring a lot to the table that similar sized vessels don't already have which are simply lacking that polish.
that airlock door is soo cool. its gonna make a neat snipers perch for the new bunkers and the ai roaming the surface. i have the combat one so im excited to see how that one feels
It definitely looks awesome. I don't have one and will probably not get one coz it feels too tight in there. I still prefer the C1's interior and cargo hold.
I'm getting one simply because of the better living quarters than the C1. Practically speaking, there's not much the Zeus CL can do that the C1 can't, even with it's 128-SCU capacity on paper. In practice, you're not going to be able to fully utilize that space with hauling contracts, where the C1 can exceed it's paper listing of 64-SCU.
Uhhh really nice, love the CL design :) It gives star destroyer vibes so we need a iron grey skin :D The details are great but i hope for my Perseus the more a older look like the Reclaimer has. I personaly like my MSR with only one entrance :D
that bottom up look does got that star destroyer vibe yeah we need more dorido ships i love windows too! i wish they are big enough so i can see the ground even when sitting on the chair
Great video. The Zeus MK II series is really quite impressive now that we get to see the models in action. I'm almost regretting the melt I did of my CL pledge some months after the concept first went on sale...hopefully the price hike for a CCU upgrade won't be too outrageous when they put it back in the store.
If you previously purchased it and melted it, you should have it in your buy-back area and we just got more buyback tokens, allows you to get it again using store credit.
If it was a CCU the buyback price will change relative to the price increase. If it was a standalone or concept pledge for the whole ship the price won't change.
Just noticed the default livery has massive "Shoot Here" paint where the components are... I think this is meant to be an NPC ship.. or maybe one you earn from contracts or can get for super cheap in game.
I can’t wait to fly my CL. I’m not sure how I’ll use it now since I’ll only land planet side to load freight in a Hull A or a RAFT. Station to station I generally run my C2. I guess I’ll hold on to it and wait to see what other kinds of hauling missions come around down the line.
Wow, wow, WOW! The attention to detail is awesome. So is you efficiency on putting out these quality videos 😉 😊 The walkway in the hand do look like a bit of a tight squeeze 😅. 13:40 😂 I do like the look of the new MFDs. I think it’s a great ship. 7.8 out of 10. Really great review as always, Even! (Especially recording and editing in such a short amount of time). .. Btw, is the ES variant also in PTU?
Why would window be a weak spot? Aluminum Oxynitride, transparent aluminum, is super durable, with extreme hardness, and is more abrasion resistant than aerospace aluminum.
If Im correct the Materials used for the windows is actually stronger then the rest of the ships hull. (at least in lore, most ship windows are made out of Diamond Laminate)
Let the Zeus loose, baby! (I'm just excited about actual tangible releases) I also want to give you a bonus point in my book for calling it a Starship and not just "spaceship", it sounds so mundane to me. Starship sounds much more grandiose and that it has a purpose, on a mission.
So, @EvenLease, in your opinion, how does it compare to the C1 Spirit? From the video it looks much nicer, but what about factoring flight characteristics and DPS. I think the Zeus vs Spirit was the big debate when this ship was announced. I think your 8/10 puts the Spirit as a better rated ship, but things might have changed.
As of 3.24.2 the Zeus will have better maneuverability and a bigger health pool and less of a crew requirement (even though you could run the Zeus with just two people also) Zeus having three entrances is a huge bonus too. It’s so hard to say how one will do over the other but I’m super excited to find out over the next few months.
I locked the bathroom of my cutter's from outside the open door once, glad the game loop wasn't in yet or the ship would have been gimped for the patch.
I wish I could fly it in the PTU without owning it. I know everyone is excited about this new ship, but I'm not feeling it. I do like the ladder and the airlock access to the roof. But having a C1 spirit and some creds I'm hoping for a nice constellation series refresh and skipping the mid size. At least for cargo. I am a bit interested if the ES will be a big deal for Pyro missions.
I'm loving the look of the Zeus so far. I was honestly worried I would prefer the loaner ship (the C1) more than the CL. Mainly cause I like the Spirit series and I was worried on how they were going to top it. I'm definitely excited to get my hands on mine. Guessing this will become my new daily driver...though I'm sure no one has ever said that about a ship ever (sarcasm) lol.
