The Viper Mk3 [Elite Dangerous] | The Pilot Reviews 

Trust me my Krait seat is filled with crumbs.

The Viper, to me, always felt like a police cruiser. I even named mine "Interceptor". You know the "police officer went rogue because he got tired of bureaucracy slowing down his delivery of justice" stereotype? That guy, in the Elite universe, is flying an engineered Viper.

You are correct about choosing to fly a viper as opposed to having to; but it’s more than a choice of ships. Choosing to fly the viper is about taking the harder road earlier to learn things that can only be learned from the experience of doing it the hard way first.

The Federal Viper Division thanks you for the showcase. Fly dangerously CMDR.

I was supposted to do something else right now, but there's a new The Pilot video so I have to watch it NoW

I still have my viper and I can tell everyone right now it's one of the most pleasant experiences taking it into combat and actually doing well, Up until the point where boost a little too much and end up as viper tomatoe paste on the side of someone's shield or a chunky asteroid.

When learning combat, I thought when I finally aquired the "be-all-end-all" Anaconda I could fight and beat up anything that I came across. After several finance-ruining Ananconda rebuys ... I chose the Viper

Recently found a wing of two deadly Vipers with my Vulture and picked a fight with them thinking easy pickings. I could barely get a shot off at them and they picked at me incessantly between them. I ended up high tailing it and limping back to starport with my hull at 50% integrity and my pride at half that. ;)

my viper mk3 is named "suicide booth" and i love it. It is not as deadly as any bigger ship would be,but it makes every fight exciting.

Ah yes my first actually ship after the sidewinder. I think i sold her off a while ago. Rip Edit: sold her off b/c i fell inlove with imperial ships

I've never actually owned a Viper Mk III. My first 'favorite ship' was actually the Mk IV (yes, I know most people hate it). I felt it made a great "armed courier" ship, which really matched my play style at the time.

Yes, I made the mistake of skipping from the Sidewinder directly to the Cobra. Eventually I will go back and get one just to have all the DeLacy ships.

Your reviews are always spot on. you show us how to take the wild untamed ship and put it to work doing what it does best. You are the ship whisperer.

I come back to watch these sometimes. just stunning videos. I'd love them to release more ships partially just so there were more of these, literally some of the most awesome gaming videos I've seen.

I was confused when you said you don't like the Viper, but I like how you turned it around. And you're right. I did choose this speedy little guy even though I could buy any ship in the galaxy, because it's fun. I have more fun fighting in Vipers and Eagles than I ever have in my Python or Anaconda.

Having tuned my Viper MK III with enhanced performance thrusters, trimming down the tons and analyzing graphs of performance data to get that perfect balance of speed, defense and lethality for myself, this really speaks to me. Sure I have a fully tuned Corvette, and my Chieftain can run circles around everything but there's really something about hunting in a fully tuned Viper that keeps me coming back.

Seriously man ... Fdev should ask you for voice over description in game of all ships from an independent pilot view. None of this " it's just the best ship " or " it's the meta "... Hands down great review again man. o7 Cmdr...

I love that what you said is 100% true, because yes I could go into a haz res and blow everything up in 20 seconds with my conda, but I could also take my viper and make it a challenge which personally I find more enjoyable because it reminds me of the old days when I bought the viper and it was the biggest meanest ship I had, so great video as always :) Also I just noticed the outro is a little bit wrong, it’s saying episode 15: type 10 defender, hope this helps

Ah Viper MK3, my first 'precious' ED ship. In the early days there was no easy money so this was good stepping stone. You either went Viper or Cobra. And the Cobra never sat well with me. But the Viper, the engine sound was worth the asking price on its own. It's specific combat role fit and handling made it a niche that fit like a glove. You either fell in love with it or didn't 'get it'. It's every Maverick's F-14. Sure there's something better. But you'll never have that 'loving feeling' from another ship as you ride at blistering speed into the danger zone!

Ah the viper mk3 holds a special place in my heart, I’m on PS4 and had the game since it’s launch, in the years before I couldn’t wait for the game and had a general idea of what ship path I would take; Sidey-viper mk3- python-conda. Actual route post launch: sidey- viper- type 6 (farmed a rare commodity trade route for a week)- bought the python and only bought, took another 3 weeks to get it fully outfitted, in that time, I got the vulture and Asp X, doing community goals and ahem...a side helping of quince (hey most of us did that! Blame Mini, he recommended the place xD) there was a CG in the harma system way back when, my vulture, unengineered, but outfitted well, netted me over 550mil that week, and not only did I outfit the python, I bought the conda (I should mention these ships were bought in a li Yong Rui system for discount) and the python helped me outfit my conda. Main point; the Viper mk3 WAS my first real ship, that opened the door to so much more and my beloved “Ankle Biter” still sees use as an over engineered, space-time bending speed demon killing machine, when I feel like taking it out for a spin for ol’ times sake, because all “milestone” ships deserve to be gone back to and loved. o7

It's the IROC Z-28 of ED! You know what I'm talking about, Broseph...

Came back from a major solo expedition out in the black in my AspX with my Explorer Elite rank and fat stacks of exploration cash a few months back. When you're new, the 'Conda seems like the ship to aim for. Now, I finally had the finances for the big boy... ...and decided I actually wasn't interested. I wanted something smaller. I wanted a cockpit that felt as cramped as an F-16. I wanted to pull enough G's to black myself out. I wanted unmatched speed. I wanted a ship that you didn't strap yourself into, but strapped onto your back instead. I finally finished engineering my Viper MkIII, "Diamond Flash", a couple of hours ago. It is everything I was looking for. Stripped down and unarmed, it is uncaged lightning. When finally given the choice to own any ship I wanted...this is the one I chose. And, I've still got plenty of credits left over, in case I ever change my mind about that 'Conda...

Man I still love taking out a well engineered viper. It's so much closer to everything. Big ships will destroy things faster and more easily, but weaving dogfights through asteroid belts in one of these is totally my jam.

Viper doesn't make you worse, it just forces you to git gud.

The viper isn't just a go-to for newer combat pilots, but it excels as a budget fighter for high-risk engagements. Its nearly trivial insurance makes it a much more attractive option in high-risk conflict zones, while offering a much more aggressive and durable option over the Eagles, and a more dedicated-for-purpose frame than a Cobra. As someone who mostly runs missions and moonlights as an explorer, I normally only go into combat due to interdictions. For bounty hunting and conflict zones, however, I could easily point to the Viper as a go-to if you aren't an Ace combat pilot. In fact, it's probably the best casual bounty hunting ship for the cost.

How surreal, I'm currently in a Viper MkIII :D I agree with everything you say - While the viper is good at combat and going fast, other ships get close or beat it, but they do other things too - although they cost more. But I still find myself drawn to the viper for a disposable combat ship (mostly for story purposes) but it is limited if you want to do anything other than fight.. but then, it's a police car, not a mini-van :D

I went from the sidewinder to the viper as soon as I could. Skipped the Eagle altogether, until later on. Hauler and Adder were skipped as well. Loved the look of the Viper. A rated it up (before I had opened up engineering) and never looked back. Still have the same ship, never lost in battle with it (PVE only). Love my "Wolf Cub".

What’s crazy is how much progression has changed. I was in a viper a long time because you had to spend time in the small ships as your economy of scale really forced you too. And I miss it honestly

Ah, The Fast Boi

I started out my combat career in a Viper. I guess it made more sense to do so before Horizons, engineering, etc. Because it always seemed like the most viable option to me back then. Definitely it made for a lot of fun! Heading into resource extraction sites in a wing with a Cobra and a Diamondback Scout, and taking on ships twice or three times our size

I found the Vulture to just be better than the Viper completely. And even after owning every ship in the game, I still choose to fly the Vulture into combat

The Viper III is my preferred assassination ship. With a rebuy that might as well be 0CR, I can fully commit to the engagement and not worry about waking before I pop.

Dude, absolutely amazing content. I think you're my favorite elite dangerous youtuber now.

Was my first combat ship before I fell in love with the Vulture. I enjoyed it, but as you did, I outgrew it. I like big guns.

Maybe it is an attitude thing. I bought a MkIV to use as a mission runner. Liked it so much I bought the MkIII for bounty hunting. I haven't flown the MkIII yet because there doesn't seem to be a middle ground. You can fly it stock, or you can engineer it. But you can't engineer it in stages. Well, unless maybe you start with the powerplant. I'm sitting at like 140% power consumption. And that's before I turn on the dome light.

I always fancied doing a federal review type playlist reviewing all the ships, from the perspective of somone from the federation but its clear that youre doing just that, nicely done o7 cmdr

I also have used the hell out of the Viper 3 before moving into a Viper 4 instead. Would love to see a video for the viper 4, very different ship. :)

I started Elite quite a while ago, working my way from Sidey, to Viper, to Asp, to Python, to Anaconda and eventually up to an engineered Corvette. Most of that in a time when money was not thrown at you. However, I never felt like I actually learned how to pilot and it was mostly a matter of throwing stats at the npc enemies, which is a fight you're likely to win when in a Federal Corvette. The last thing I did before I quit was to build myself a Viper. I found a build somewhere online, decided not to think too hard on it and build it, engineering and all and went back into an RES. Most fun I've had in the game since my first month or so. I toy sometimes with the idea of resetting my save, building a Viper, ignoring engineering, and just seeing what I can get myself into. I miss the days of sitting at a Nav Beacon, scavenging a kill on a big wanted Anaconda that got in trouble with security and rushing back to Ackerman Market or the other station (it's been a while :p) full of excitement to buy the next part for my ship :)

I keep coming back to my Viper 3. Like Mad Max and his Interceptor. It just feels right.

I have a few fighter builds (iCourier, vulture, and vip3) and I keep trying to put myself in the vip3, but you're totally right, pilot, it's so hard to step down when you've got bigger readily available for use. Great video dude, keep up the awesome work!

This is one of those ships that I never flew, but also, for whatever reason, just don't want to. It's not that I don't appreciate a wing of these coming to help take out bounties at a high res, nav beacon, or combat zone, but when I'm out taking care of business, I just prefer to be in something with a bit more kick to it. Maybe I'll buy one to check it out soon, who knows. Anyway, great video man! Can't wait to see what you've got coming out next!

the viper mk3 was my first real ship after the sidewinder. I spent so much time bounty hunting in it that my next ship was the asp explorer. The reason I loved it was because of the freedom the speed gave you, there is no better interceptor in its class. Yes, you were out gunned, and even out maneuvered occasionally, but no one catches you, or outruns you. You're absolutely right in that the ships limitations forces you to learn how to manage all aspects of the ship. Do you have any idea how much space stations charge to refurbish leather? I'd rather craft diamonds with my bare hands!

I used the Viper for grinding courier missions, fast speed for docking, firepower for interdiction rewards, etc.

Can't get back into smaller ships I'm to spoiled and after reaching rank dangerous and hardly ever engineering my equipment it's a chore I miss them tho

The editing you do is phenomenal! Nice work and keep at it.

I flew the viper from when the game first came out until a couple months after the vulture was released, once the price was reduced to its current levels. I got to know that ship really well.

Agh. I'm very new to the game and although these vids are a bit dated, I find the content a cut above the rest. thanks for what you did as its still relevant today.

Found your channel like a week ago. Subscribed immediatedly. Good content, keep it coming, thanks

The Viper was my first bounty hunter. I certainly enjoyed how it felt to fly. By now I've moved up to the Fed Gunship, but the Viper is what taught me how to fight. Sure, the power plant and distributor is limited, but it teaches you power management. You can't just hold down the trigger and keep firing forever, you need to make your shots count.

I’ve only recently gotten back into flying in Elite Dangerous solo on the PS4 (I bought the game + Horizons this past May, prior to getting an actual HOTAS...which made the learning curve exceedingly difficult on a controller; pro tip, if you’re playing on console, YOU *NEED* A HOTAS, NO IFS OR BUTS). After getting reacquainted with the game, my first purchase was an Eagle after graduating out of my Sidewinder. My Eagle was a good little courier runner and could get itself out of trouble easily enough, but my next step up was the Viper. That was when I discovered bounty hunting. After (accidentally) leaving the starting zone, I put a Kill Warrant Scanner, an FSD Interdictor, and a Wake Scanner on my Viper and did not look back. And I’ve yet to engineer a single bolt on the thing. I’m planning on upgrading to the Fer-De-Lance eventually...but I plan on earning every penny for it by flying my Viper. Sure, I might make more credits mining and trading, but that’s *boring.* Plus, I’d be a sitting duck for whichever would-be pirate lord decides to poke their nose into my business. With the Viper, when a pirate shows up to a rez site, I’m usually not too far behind to educate him on the errors of his chosen profession. Especially if his price tag has six figures on it. I’m taking things slow, obviously, I’m still kinda green, but I’m loving the Viper. It seems to have been purposely built for bounty hunting. For pirate cleansing. For taking out a larger foe without so much as a broken sweat. No wonder every System Security/Defense Force in the Bubble employs this thing by the bucketload. It’s cheap, it’s reliable, it’s fast, and it’s deadly. What more could you want?

that Austrailia paintjob makes me think of wing commander...

Skipped it. Bought a Cobra. Then after some fundage rolled in, I got the Viper MKIV to practice pew. Sold the Cobra since, still have the MKIV :)

Later into the game and Im starting to appreciate these starter ships . This is no exception . Thing is I was spoiled. My first and only small combat ship was the vulture. I held out till I could afford one

"Vipers, clear to launch."

I’m also used to my big ships but iv been seriously thinking about getting back in to a vulture for a few week and then engineering it and doing another month to revisit how I used to fight

The Viper has pedigree, going back to the original game where the Viper Police fighters were the game's finger of god that would scramble to instantly murder unruly Commanders, who were dumb enough to open fire on space stations. You did not fight the Vipers, you could not run from them, all you could do was die valiantly.

The pilot: the viper mk 3 is too small Me: so, get a viper mk 4

As a new pilot the viper was my first love, my first real ship. Moving onto the vulture didn't feel right, its canopy was too large for anything with the title of "fighter." It's more like a camper van that performs like a fighter. In the end I went back to the viper and have been happy to steam clean my seat every day since :) On a more practical note the viper does have a better hardpoint configuration. I'll take a cytoscrambler and a railgun over 1 large hardpoint any day of the week.

2:20 Miniture Mamba.. I missed this ship too, I went straight for the Cobra mk3. Great videos man. 👍👌

My current main ship is the Viper mk3. I'm a newbie to this game, but I love bounty hunting in this ship. Of course, I haven't fitted it the most efficient way possible, but I just really like her

No word about how this is an excellent pirat ship.

And this only made my love for my viper grow. I'm not really good at combat but I do just love my ship. And your right is steam the inside of the ship. She takes care of me I might as well do the same.

It's the speed that makes it great. Being able to move quickly through the resources extraction sites is key to getting more pirates. You can't beat the buyback if it all goes sideways.

Great video! I know it's a bit early to ask this, but what will happen once you have reviewed all the ships? Will we see more stuff like the Getaway special? Obviously, when new ships release you will review them, but what next? I know you have a long way to go, but I was thinking about it and realized that there isn't an infinite number of Elite ships.

I killed things in an Eagle until I had about 5 million credits and then got a Viper Mk3 and fitted it from a build I found online. I LOVE handing out Justice in the form of 4 hardpoints to the enemies of the Federation. The Viper Mk3 pays for it's self and all it's fittings by doing what it does best - Killing shit.

The viper has one thing that just cant be topped. Not by any other ship. The crackle of those engines going from full tilt to full stop or reverse thrust just resonates through my bones like an ls swapped go cart.

I have been eyeing the Viper Mk 3 for a while now. I am still fairly new to Elite but I already have a well outfitted Asp and Diamondback Explorer. I am a multirole pilot hence the Diamondback but I use the Explorer mainly as a long range combat cargo ship, meaning that if that if bandits try to mess with me, then this means war. Lately I am thinking of a ship more combat oriented since I am fighter pilot at heart the Viper Mk 3 seems to fit the bill even though it has less firepower than my Diamondback (which is a beast.) but it is more of a heavy fighter. Regarding what you said about suited for wolf pack combat, I hope to join one one day.

I was stuck between this and the imperial eagle for my combat ship, and i went with the viper and dont regret it one bit; in fact its made dogfighting real fun

I’ve always hated the Viper Mk III and IV but I recently just got my own Viper Mk IV and am building it as a Asiling’s Guardian ship as a meme of sorts and to do cheap combat when I don’t want to risk my Cutter, Clipper, or Krait on massacre missions

I had a Mk3 that used very little, and then passed to the MK4. Now it's been almost two years from that and I got one, for the fun of it. I built it for pure combat, and like to engage bigger ships in HAZ sites. It requires lot of experience to make it a proficient combat ship.

I too am a Viper IV pilot, give up a bit of the speed to polish out some of the weaknesses, no heat probs better plant, etc

Damn I just bought the viper and was doubting but you sold me.👍lol

It’s so true. I should love the viper, but I stick to a Cobra - and I’m not totally sure why. And if I really do feel like a pure combat ship just for a change, the FDL is right there....

Still loving these videos!😁👍 My God, if Elite Dangerous and No Man's Sky could have a baby, there would be no need for other games!

Love your videos, mate. Keep up the great work.

I never even flown one of these. I jumped straight to a Cobra III and from there got my Asp X and never looked back :)

Back before Engineering was added I skipped this ship and went straight to the MK IV variant. "I want to like it" was a common mantra, but I never did.

Great video, as always.

I used to play Viper all the time, I’ve moved on (still have my Viper for racing now). But now that I fly larger ships it feels like a fighter now haha. Now for fun I did try, a squadron of well trained vipers is terrifying, they can outmaneuver most larger ships in combat

I've never tired the viper ever but it seems fun

I've just realised why I like these videos so much. Elite:Dangerous narrated by Dexter Morgan. Keep up the good work.

I dont even own this game but I love listening to this guy

Love your videos and that music track is hard !

I kinda bypassed the viper Mk III initially, going Cobra-Type6-Type7-Python, but bought one later on discount out of curiosity. Fitted two small fixed, efficient pulse lasers (one thermal vent one phasing sequence), and two fixed, sturdy size 2 cannons (one with thermal cascade, one with high yield(probably dumb)). I don´t use it much, I have more effective cash cows, but darn is it fun. I even went to combat zones for kicks and giggles.

the viper mk3 is pretty much the F1 of space ... in a death race

Do the Vomit Comet next, the Adder

The Viper is the king of the small combat ships. I got out of mine as quickly as I could and into the Vulture but I've been considering picking up the Viper once again and engineering the piss out of it.

You described ny feelings on the viper. The first time i bought one I was slightly disapointed

Very nice, love your vids and your style. Keep it up fellow commander O7

These really are fantastic videos. I can count on one hand the number of creators for whom I will dive straight on and watch as soon as I see a new video released and you are one of that number Mr Pilot. :) This one has me scratching my head now though. I have mostly avoided combat so far, but I had planned to buy a Viper next because I had thought, clearly mistakenly, that it would be a great ship to learn the combat ropes in. So the question is, if I now have a Viper class shaped hole in my fleet... I should fill it with what then? Thanks Badger

Thank you ThePilot, nice argued video. It's a nice ship, fast, cheap, effective, and available almost everywhere. I won't complain about the jump relationship, but.. mmm.. It is not the best option to join a commander far away. It's a ship for use in the neighborhood so bring it with you :)

It's funny how different the Viper Mk3 and Viper Mk4 handle, and the differences in what they can do. I can use the Viper Mk4 as a multirole ship; right now, it's my go-to planetary lander to gather raw materials, with the added bonus of being able to hold its own in a scrap or engage in a bit of lucrative piracy or smuggling along the way. The Viper Mk3 is just a fighter, with no capability to haul cargo, smuggle, or really anything other than shoot at things. And considering I have an iCourier for when I feel the need for speed, and it has three medium hardpoints, a sturdy shield, and a decent powerplant; I have a Vulture, a Viper Mk4, and a Cobra Mk3 for tooling around doing odd jobs in a small ship; I have a Python for large-haul trading; I have a Federal Dropship for deep-core mining; and I have a Krait Phantom for everything else...I don't need a Viper Mk3. It can't do the things most of my fleet can do, and it's worse than them at the things it can do.

"Face-meltingly fast" I love it!!!

I bought Viper as my first real ship and never sold it, it's just so damn good of a ship, I mainly use it for racing because it's so god damn fast, just zipping through canyons with it feels so damn good

I love my Viper. I eventually replaced it with a DBS, but there's something intoxicating about taking down the biggest nastiest ships in ship that feels like it's held together on a hope and a dream. It's my ship, and there's no other quite like it

Both Vipers were my first run at taking out bug scoots. The most fun I have had yet in this game.

I want to like the Viper. Either Viper. But once you've spent time in an Imperial Courier, it's damn hard to go back to any other small pad combat ship, except maybe the Vulture. As for credits, all I'll say is I've never been able to force myself to mine for very long. I can't stand mining void opals at all, and I haven't taken my mining ship back out since I unlocked Selene Jean. I know it's a fast way to make a boatload of credits, but I've got 3 ships in storage, 280mil in the bank, and just cannot be bothered to go earn any more. Right now I can afford 300 rebuys for any ship I own. Why bother farming credits? Still, mad respect for the miners. Doubly so for the ones like the Rock Rats doing it in the middle of nowhere. I'm not sure how you guys stave off the space madness but you keep doing you! Oh and excellent video, as always. Do I even need to keep saying that? Isn't that obvious?

Thanks for another great video! I'll be heading out on the Perseus Reach Expedition to Semotus Beacon in February in a racing build Viper MkIII. I'm choosing to have fun (in a "space-crazy explorer" definition of fun) ;-)

My newbie squadron wolf packs 4 Vipers every Friday and Saturday night. There's definitely better ships to rock a Hazres, but it's nice to have a cheap ship with plenty of firepower that we're sure everyone can max out and have fun in.

These vids are basically really good ADs for the ship companies