Developed by Lakon Spaceways, the Diamondback Scout is a dual-purpose combat and exploration ship. Its 30 light-year jump range makes it popular with aspiring explorers, while its exceptional manoeuvrability makes it excellent at evading incoming fire. And with two medium and two small hardpoints, the Scout can also pack a punch.
— In-Game Description
The Diamondback Scout is a ship manufactured by Lakon Spaceways. It was conceived as an attempt to repeat Lakon's success with the Asp Explorer at a lower price point. The result was a capable small ship with good jump range, and it was marketed as a light reconnaissance craft that could be outfitted for combat or exploration. After the Diamondback Scout's maiden flight, however, it was criticized for its lack of versatility, but it nonetheless saw modest success in the long-range reconnaissance, long-range interceptor, and fast picket ship roles for organisations not able or willing to invest in more expensive vessels.[1] In an effort to address the shortcomings of the Scout, Lakon later released an enhanced variant called the Diamondback Explorer.
Overview[]
The Diamondback Scout is a cheap vessel built primarily for combat that can also be repurposed as a moderately satisfactory exploration ship for pilots who cannot afford better options.
In combat, the Diamondback Scout is very effective. It has exceptional mobility and a small body letting it dodge with ease, resulting in a ship that can be incredibly nimble and tough to hit. This helps counteract its rather poor shields and armour. Good heat signature and a lot of utility mounts make it capable of running stealth builds and is very effective in the role. It has good firepower potential for its price range with two Class 1 and two Class 2 hardpoints. As a stealth build or long-range fighter, the Scout is perfect and can deftly handle bounty hunting, but its lacking internal compartments make it a somewhat poor pirate.
As an explorer, the Scout also performs well. At 30 LY without Engineering, the Scout has a high jump range for its price, but is still outperformed by the cheaper Adder and Hauler, although those two ships have their own shortcomings in the role. One drawback is the Scout's very restricting internal space, which can hamper Outfitting options, and its small fuel tank, but such limitations are to be expected with a ship in the Scout's low price range.
The Scout is a poor choice for trading, mining, and passenger transport. It does have higher cargo capacity than the Adder at 28t, but the cheaper Cobra MkIII surpasses it.
Diamondback Scout hardpoints convergence
The weapon hardpoints are located as follows: one Class 1 hardpoint on either side of the cockpit, and one Class 2 hardpoint on either side of the cockpit, for a total of four hardpoints. These hardpoints have their aim points arranged in a straight horizontal line with little space between reticle dots making them easy to use with fixed, gimballed, and turreted weapons.
Purchase Locations[]
| System | Station | Date Seen | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinrarta Dezhra | Jameson Memorial | Always available | 10% discount |
| Brestla | i Sola Prospect | Always available | 20% surcharge |
| Akkadia | Calvin Lawrence | Nov. 28, 2019 | 15% discount |
| KP Tauri | Spedding Orbital | Nov. 28, 2019 | 15% discount |
| G 35-15 | Leslie Gateway | Nov. 28, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Dinda | Mount Sunday | Nov. 28, 2019 | 15% discount |
| Tau Ceti | Ortiz Moreno City | Nov. 28, 2019 | |
| Altair | Solo Orbiter | Nov. 28, 2019 | |
| Futhark | Ravescene Memorial | Nov. 28, 2019 | |
| Angurongo | Dahm Port | Nov. 28, 2019 | |
| LP 131-66 | Vasilyev Vision | Nov. 28, 2019 | |
| Holiacan | Fortress Yarrow | Nov. 28, 2019 |
Outfitting[]
- Main article: Outfitting
All ships are highly customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Diamondback Scout.
| Category | Default System | Default Rating | Default Class | Max Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Hardpoint | Empty | -- | -- | 1 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Medium Hardpoint | Pulse Laser | F | 1 | 2 |
| Pulse Laser | F | 1 | 2 | |
| Utility Mount | Empty | -- | -- | 0 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 0 | |
| Bulkheads | Lightweight Alloys | I | 1 | 8 |
| Reactor Bay | Power Plant | E | 4 | 4 |
| Thrusters Mounting | Thrusters | E | 4 | 4 |
| Frame Shift Drive Housing | Frame Shift Drive | E | 4 | 4 |
| Environment Control | Life Support | E | 2 | 2 |
| Power Coupling | Power Distributor | E | 3 | 3 |
| Sensor Suite | Sensors | E | 2 | 2 |
| Fuel Store | Fuel Tank [x16] | C | 4 | 4 |
| Internal Compartments | Empty | -- | -- | 3 |
| Empty | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Shield Generator | E | 3 | 3 | |
| Empty | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Advanced Docking Computer | E | 1 | 1 | |
| Supercruise Assist | E | 1 | 1 | |
| (PAS) | I | 1 | 1 |
- (L) = Loaned Module
- [x#] = Capacity
- (PAS) = Reserved solely for the Planetary Approach Suite or Advanced Planetary Approach Suite
Notes[]
- The Diamondback Scout was released with the Powerplay update (1.3).
Trivia[]
- The Diamondback Scout length (39m) is similar to the Space Shuttle orbiter (37m) that was operated by NASA.[2]
- Excluding the Cobra MkIV, the Diamondback Scout is tied with the Type-7 Transporter for lowest amount of Livery options. This is particularly odd as the Diamondback Explorer has a far great amount despite being released much later.
- The Diamondback Scout is the only ship in Elite Dangerous to have a cargo capacity of 0 as its default loadout.
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