I have said it many times over the last few months, but it seems that some have either missed it, or are not understanding.
If you venture into low law level areas (below level 10) you will either need to gear up your ship to defend yourself, or take some friends with weapons.
The lower the law level, the more dangerous it becomes, so please, please be careful where you fly. Wander into a LL3 alone, and you will be destroyed VERY quickly!!!
If you get dragged into combat a LOT, it means that the area you are in (perhaps mining?) there are a lot of “bored” enemies, and you are a fat juicy target.
Please remember that if you lose the hull on your ship, you will lose your ship, and EVERYTHING in it (ship store, cargo store, missions), and equipped on it.
We are actively monitoring combat, and balancing it as necessary, but the intention was ALWAYS for there to be a risk in low LL areas !
You escape in a pod (very basic ship w/o any equipment slots). While podded you cannot be drawn to combat, so it’s safe to move around (that is, to higher LL areas^^). Also, you get either an insurance payment (if your ship was insured) or a free Marauder (if you don’t have one in storage).
Exit from combat is 30 seconds, so no matter how you end up in combat it takes 30 seconds (once under attack to escape). Players should plan / work with this in mind.
Once your ship starts to take HULL damage all your items will begin to take damage to. So not only will you need to repair the ship when you return but also your fittings.
As for Ship Destruction :
You are placed in an Escape Pod. Then you are sent a Marauder via Email to unpack when you next dock at a ‘station’.
Of course we added insurance a while back so it is now going to also be a personal choice if you insure your ship and on ‘destruction’ get a % of that hard earnt cash back in an insurance payout.
Personal Note:
Becuase combat was not in from day 1, players have a skewed view / perspective on how DANGEROUS lower law levels are. Prior to us adding combat you could travel anywhere in the Galaxy and not worry. Haulage and mining missions and even NPC missions could be taken and completed without a concern about ‘where am I going’.
This was OUR fault and not the players. But players will have to adapt / adjust and understand this was how it was designed from the get go. A game where you ‘pause for thought and consider the destination’ BEFORE marching into a lower law level than your ready for.
But as Prev pointed out… That’s not to say that with ‘team work’ (or as I saw with you yesterday Piko) even with your own toons that you cant fight / work in lower than a single ship can go.