Orion

"Packed with turret bays and layers of armour, the Orion class is a ship designed purely for combat. This formidable vessel can outrun even fighters with the only downside being a smaller cargo hold."

***- In-game description***

The Orion is a frigate available for use in the Interstellar Pilot universe. It can be purchased at a Shipyard, and is the only ship available at a Shipyard that doesn't require an in-app purchase.

## Overview

As stated in its description, the Orion is a combat-oriented frigate. It boasts the second highest hull integrity of any frigate in the game at 1,000 points, only lower than its sibling, the Thunder. Like the Thunder, the Orion also possesses the most slots for frigates, with 5 turrets, a mine slot, a passenger module, an electronics slot, and a countermeasure slot. By default, it has 300 shield integrity, and both A and X models come equipped with twin tier II photon bursts, twin small launchers, and a rear-facing autocannon; the X model will also come with a Mk. I small cloak.

## Advantages

This frigate is one of the fastest in the game, and boasts speeds of up to 38.5 units per second using normal engines, making it capable of outrunning most ships and staying on the move; this can be further increased to 41 units per second if the best engines are equipped. The Orion is also capable of tanking damage, as the default shields stand up well to most of the weapons equipped on fighters and frigates. When the shields do fall, the high hull integrity means that the Orion can keep fighting for a while longer before having to retreat. Another benefit of having high hull integrity is that modules are less likely to be damaged in a firefight. As a frigate, the Orion is also capable of equipping tier II energy weapons as well as the military launcher, making it an effective vessel for combat applications. This is further enhanced by its stellar turret placement, with four of the turrets being able to fire forwards, as well as three of the turrets having 180° firing arcs. Due to the turret placement, an Orion with a maximized setup is capable of dueling larger ships. The player is encouraged to keep in mind that this is NOT a capital ship; a lone Orion will still crumble under the pressure of fighter swarms and heavily fortified bases. Another, somewhat odd note about the Orion is that it can equip a Medium Passenger Module. This essentially turns it into a glorified Pioneer-P. It is entirely possible to use a fleet of Orions as a transit service. That being said, buying an Orion as a personal warship in an unlawful playthrough can be extremely beneficial, as the player can equip the passenger cabin alongside a cloak and have a source of income outside of selling the cargo of victims and bounty hunting.

## Disadvantages

The in-game description notes that the Orion has a smaller cargo hold, which is true - it only has 40 units of cargo capacity, enough to load the ship with ammunition and flares, but unsuitable for trading, especially considering the price of the ship: 86,750 credits for a barebones Orion purchased from the player shipyard. The A model runs for 121,750 or higher, and an X variant demands a hefty 146,750 credits or more. A maxed Orion can run upwards of 275,000 credits. The only frigate more expensive than the Orion is the Thunder. Repairs can get quite costly as well thanks to the thick plating and the lack of discounting outside of a Repair Shop, and the costs only get worse if modules do get damaged. The Orion also has the worst turn rate of any frigate in the game: a rate of *29*. This is worse than the Hauler, although marginally so, but it is still bad enough that the player will struggle to stay within the blind spots of other ships, especially scouts, fighters, and lighter frigates. Fortunately, the Orion can withstand the return fire, and some of its turrets have fairly good firing angles.

## Usage

Overall, the best way to employ the Orion is as a heavy fighter or as a fast transit vessel. It can take on smaller groups of fighters, as well as frigates and lone capitals. The Orion's price tag means that early on it is best used as a smaller flagship, until it can be superseded by a larger, more capable vessel, after which point it may be used as a heavy fighter. Due to the multiple turrets as well as the lower generation rate and capacity as a frigate, having multiple heavier energy weapons will drain the energy quickly without proper trigger control, unless the user opts for a missile-boat setup. Additionally, it is also usable as a faster passenger ferry, though it is up to the user to decide whether or not the extra tens of thousands is worth the extra speed and durability over the Pioneer-P.

## Stats

### Weapons

The Orion has 6 turret bays, 1 Tractor Beam, and 1 Countermeasure Bay. The types of turret bays are listed below.

Front Left Turret - 180° firing arc to the front

Front Right Turret - 180° firing arc to the front

Top Left Turret - 90° firing arc to the front

Top Right Turret - 90° firing arc to the front

Rear Turret - 180° firing arc to the rear

Mine Launcher