I got one when they were announced, I'm a little disappointed with the cargo layout (and Ursa gatekeeping), but aside from that I love the ship. I REALLY hope the Connie gets an update to this design style because I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
I could care less about the Ursa, but am miffed as hell that the cargo layout got nerfed from just being a simple 4x32 into the frankenstein-esque 16x2, 4x8, 16x2 garbage it is now. Especially with the hitboxes on boxes themselves seeming to be slightly larger now, and causing them to clip into eachother. It's an utter pain in the ass to fully utilize the 128SCU just because people whined you wouldn't be able to reach the component bays if fully loaded. Which I think is bullshit, because that should be a choice with a drawback, not something enforced.
Connie needs an update badly. Freelancer too. I understand why CIG de-prioritizes older ships, and that's fine, as long as those ships get their comeuppance eventually.
@@Amusing_Alias Considering the Connie is one of the original ships from the Kickstarter and I think one of CR's ships, it will most likely get a refresh towards 1.0 or so.
I was thinking about swapping freelancee max for this. But I hear alot of complaints with cargo.. I like that this has a tractor beam. And u can use it for cargo
I understand how keeping the same format is beneficial, but I'd kinda be curious to see these reviews with the "combat performance" section swapped for something like "role suitability;" judging cargo ships on how well suited they are to cargo, salvage ships on their advantages or shortcomings for that loop, etc. Obviously some loops (mining, salvage) don't offer a lot of actual options, but it's still helpful to make people aware of the quirks and issues, imo.
That seems pretty short sighted, pirates love cargo. Plus as was stated at the beginning, this ship is great for multi use, so MANY people do want to know how it fares in combat.
The Zeus is great, I can fly my Vulture right up and the salvage just flies right into my hold. I find that its lack of bulbous protrusions and rounded body makes it optimal for both maximizing RMC and minimizing the time it takes to strip.
Good call, sure they compliment each other well, the Vulture is a lovely little ship, you can have an industrial workhorse that has finese and style, new MFD's certainly help.
I've been using one of these to do ROC mining the last couple of days along with a C1. The doorway on the back is just as narrow as the C1. I'm scrapping sidewall on both of them. That said, I found three advantages over the C1. The ladder access on the front, two additional seats to ferry other folks, and the two side cargo grids inside the left and right side of the back ramp for a couple of 2 SCU boxes while carrying a ROC. Better downward visibility too for watching the ground for mineables. No comment on the tractor beam. I usually just use my handheld to move the one or two 1 - 2 SCU boxes as needed.
I think that the best choices for the Zeus is the ES (we’ll see what the MR offers later). As a cargo hauler I still prefer the C1. And for more cargo I’d take the Taurus or Starlancer after the C1….or RAFT. I love how the Starlancer cargo grid is set up with transporting a vehicle in mind.
I stand by my criticism that it looks great and happy to see the gold standard, but the ramp is cramped for style and cargo area is awkward. The biggest con is the price, it should be much closer to the C1 and not it's bigger cousins the Connies.
I honestly love the CL on paper.. but I keep turning back to my Taurus, better storage, weapons and a well placed tractor turret … I’m honestly probably gonna upgrade out of it this IAE but I am keeping my ES
Being a new ship it has a lot of nice features and CIG learns to design better. But I would say it's Achilles Heel is the size of the cargo bay door and the weird cargo grid. If you're going to do a lot of cargo I would actually suggest the Freelancer Max. Sure it technically holds a bit less, and it has that weird middle room, but the main bay is a nice rectangular room with a big door at the end.
If you picked up a Connie Taurus at the original price, that would have been the best deal imo. You get most of the firepower of the standard Connie but still get a nice cargo bay.
@shadow7037932 Taurus is so nice as a cargo ship cause u can grab boxes from far away and not have ramp in the way when ur on the bottom on the ground and cargo is up high in the ship. U have to be up the ramp to see boxes in the back.
The tractor beam should be able to move from inside to outside on a rail or something, that would make loading and unloading much much better, just have a single foot path down the middle instead of around the sides, move the internals to the mid of the ship for better balance.
lol I feel the opposite about the paint. I want the ES but with the CL livery, the other hazard stripe one on the store is nice but this one has more contrast.
I've been happy with the my Zeus CL because of the esthetics, cargo capacity and second entrance. My MAX is still my ROC escort but the CL can certainly offer a good backup to the FL.
I can imagine some suit in the verse coming up with the bright idea to automate delivery contracts with AI and this ship. It's a good thing that AI is basically banned in lore due to many, many close calls and unfortunate casualties. But, if you could remote into the cargo elevator system on a landing zone, you could theoretically lock the doors to your interior and components and just use the tractor to move your stuff into the lift. I wonder if CIG has any plans for that. Maybe using small drones to plug into the console and let you use your mobiGlass to access the controls remotely, or having a special app added to contact the service directly. It'll be fun to see what they end up doing in the future, but I think they mostly want players doing the cargo missions (which is perfectly fine by me, gimme that gameplay any day).
I would like to see the videos incorporate some comparisons, like car reviewers. So when you state the SCU of the hold, throw up some similar alternatives and chuck in a couple seconds to show them. A bit like how CarWow will say "the boot has 400 litres of space, but you might want to consider X which has 460 litres or Y which has 380 litres but comes with Z".
If the turret would be a top one, I would definetly get one. In its current iteration the cargo grid and the bad turret position just outright disqualify the ship.
I’m a bit disappointed that they didn’t widen the rear ramp on the CL variant, I feel like that would make everything a lot of easier with loading, and could even maybe let more vehicles fit in the back. But it seems to be a pretty decent ship otherwise. Hopefully the Connie gets a big TLC to bring it up to par with this ship, the Connie was never a looker (to me), but it could become one for sure.
It’s home now to me, I love everything about it and yes except for the cargo grid, I mean all I’m really asking for is for a wider door bay if that’s what it’s called lol
When you buy a Starlancer you get 3 times the ship at just $75 more. I upgraded from Zeus to Starlancer about a week ago. I still love the Zeus CL and will buy it in game when its available.
Great design, cramped cargo grid. Still no handy, solo-flyable medium freighter. For hauling it easily fits several small hauling missions, medium nah. Not in one go. As for commodities: my happy medium is 8x8SCU boxes (64) on the grid with 8x4SCU (32) boxes on top for them with 2x2SCU on the sides (thus 2x2x2 = 8 in total). Then 64+32+8=104 SCU. For a complete fill of the grid, you need 12x2SCU boxes more to put in between.
... the Taurus is there for people preoccupied with getting shit-done. The Zeus is there for the true end-game: looking like a BOSS... and not an employee.
A very cool ship. For a while I was tempted to upgrade one of mine to it. But I think I'll hold off until I know CIG won't be drastically changing it's performance like they're in the habit of doing. Slight re balance I can understand. But these bait and switch tactics have me holding off on pledging any item.
I had really high hopes for this ship. I was looking so forward to getting it. I did the warbond last IAE on it. The devs really let me down by not being able to fit an Ursa in it. Major fail for me. I'm a bunker/hauler type player. Because of it's lackluster guns I can't really swap to bounty/hauler either. Very disappointed. With the way bunkers have evolved, having a med bed really is a necessity now. I haven't done it yet because I already had an in game purchased Corsair, but I'll be swapping the Zeus for a Corsair when 4.0 wipe happens. TBH, the Zeus is lesser of a ship than the Freelancer Max, and the Max is $25 cheaper. As you may can tell, I feel really betrayed lol.
I grabbed one with store credit just to try out and while a very nice ship otherwise, the weird cargo grid layout drove me a bit insane since I'm mainly a cargo guy.
It's even more mind baffling that this is marketed as a "specialized" cargo ship and highlights on a bigger cargo hold vs what the competition is offering, yet it's cargo bay it's the biggest weakness. Engineers were smoking pot on this one but hey at least it's looks good.
Anyone deciding between the C1 Spirit and the Zeus for a medium cargo hauler, I would say just get the C1. The Zeus is absolutely frustrating for cargo hauling. I melted mine down and went back to the C1 and Hull-A for cargo missions despite them having lower capacity I was actually more profitable and less frustrated with them compared to the Zeus. The 128 SCU capacity that the Zeus claims to have is theoretical. Yes, it is possible if you have the exact combination of crate, but even then it is frustrating to fit the crates in the right positions or against the ceiling. I found myself spending more time fighting with cargo than just doing cargo hauls. I have had to unpack the C1 on multiple occassions to pack it differently to fit a cargo haul. I've accepted multiple cargo hauls that were 85-88 SCU that I was unable to fit into the Zeus because it was the wrong mix of cargo box sizes, despite it supposedly being able to fit an extra 40 SCU. At least with the C1 or Hull-A, you know that as long as it is 64 SCU or less you can take it. They are also faster and easier to load and unload, which in cargo hauling as of 3.24 is now the most defining factor of profitability. A ship that loads or unloads faster will make you more profitable than some ships with more capacity but more time consuming loading. The Zeus and the C1 are surprisingly similar in terms of amenities and specs, with the Zeus just being bigger (and having design of RSI vs Crusader). However the C1 will fly easier, land easier, and have a lower profile while delivering you better profitability (saving you time and operating costs) and saving you sanity.
I flew one as a rental. Visually highly appealing to me, but has some drawbacks. The cargo capacitiy is way larger than from my Cutlass Black. The option to board the ship via the ladder behind the cockpit is a nice quality of life feature. I would have hoped that an Ursa would fit in. In combat, it is notciably worse than the Cutty. It feels more sluggish to maneuver and the firepower of the guns is a bit lower. 8 size 2 missiles pale in comparison to the Cutty's 48 size 1 missiles. I think I'll stay with my trusty Cutlass for a while.
It looks interesting... Might try it out once it truly is available (beyond paywall). But for now I will stick to my hercules for trading... And personally prefer the C1 it it boils down to size.
Perhaps one of the biggest omissions are in the technical specifications. Namely especially when comparing a Freelancer Max vs the Zeus CL. Freelancer Max M Radar 2x M Computers M Jump Module Zeus CL L Radar M Computer S Jump Module ^ I've been looking at some of these differences because I have been considering upgrading from the Freelancer Max to the Zeus CL - mostly because of the improved interior, lockers, weapon racks and tractor beam. However, I'm at an impasse now, as the components differ - for example what differences are there between the S and M Jump Modules? What benefits are there to having 2x M Computers or a L Radar? Food for thought - thank you for this video!
Your being OCD, just buy/enjoy/melt and.....yeah! you got it, you dont need to make life hard, all the options are there to be used. ''Some motherf*ckers are always trying to ice-skate uphill''
@@Farrister Tell ya what I do like though with the in-game differences. Zeus Weapons racks Tractor beam SPEED - 1000m/s vs 400m/s in Freelancer. Kitchen! Freelancer Better Cargo ??? Nothing else? XD
I think it's a little silly that CIG are so obstinate about making sure the Ursa won't fit into this class of ship, but that's not really my gripe with the Zeus CL. I melted my C1 for the CL, and I'm still considering saving to buy a C1 again in game. I'm keeping the Zeus, because I really appreciate its possibilities for multi-crew gameplay, even if I do mostly play solo. The thing is, with those rafters, and the doorway to the cargo bay at the back, it can take more time just to get the boxes in on top of the large boxes than it does to load the entire rest of the bay combined. If the upper 1/3 of the door was a foot larger in each direction, and the rafters sat flush with the ceiling, I think the Zeus would be the ideal ship in this segment. Just opening up the top portion of the door still lets them gatekeep the Ursa out, and if they still want to have the design look more structurally beefy than the ES, they can have the rafters in a different color, but flush with the ceiling. Even with that though, I'll still rarely load it up to full capacity. The cycle time is so much longer on the Zeus than on the C1 when fully loaded (to my standard "full" haul of 152scu in the Zeus, and 124scu in the C1), solely because of the extra height and clearance issues in the Zeus, that I usually just run it with 104scu (the 2s on the sides, 32scu on each side with an aisle like a slimmer C1, and 4s on top of the 32s). It's less cargo than I run in the C1, but it doesn't require loading a 24scu, and squeezing a 4scu into an awkward position with the ship's beam like the C1 does, due to the C1's lack of a second entrance. It allows me to run 2-3 loads per session, rather than 1 152scu load before I run out of time for the evening. When they eventually make it so we can't safely haul loose boxes, I think that's going to change the dynamic entirely, and the CL is going to be the natural choice between the two.
RSI Zeus Mk 2 CL I like even if it is farther out on my ship to own, although I want to use it for mining pack a ROC inside and a few containers to load up. Not sure if it is the right ship but it is in my thoughts right now.
i haven't been able to play for at least a month. i cant get into my hanger and i have extreme lag in the hanger elevator/terminal area. the elevators wont work either and usually my ship wont spawn. reinstalled, nothing changed. have you experienced this? how do you seem to have no issues
Absolutely love my CL and I’ll never melt it. Exactly the ship I’ve been waiting for all these years. I get why people don’t like the cargo grid, but it’s perfect if you just want plenty of space for multiple roles, not just max cargo.
What if the pilot used weapons that are a bit slower in terms of muzzle velocity than the turret gunner? Wouldn't then the pilot need to rotate extra making it easier for the bottom turret to participate in combat?
I originally bought it on announcement but after getting my hands on it safe to say I was a little dissapointed. Hopefully the Misc Starlancer Max will prove a better replacement for my Freelancer Max
they should add high value low volume boxes like maybe make long haul missions where you cant use nav mode because you have fragile or hazardous cargo but have to go between planet and station in orbit or local system but has large payout or ones that take you way further away but pay a lot more so they are harder maybe take longer or you can be interdicted traveling on route but there is a payoff and they really need to fix cargo missions like rather than getting payed the same to move 6 scu and 27 scu maybe have a base price thats the same but scales based on amount of cargo so the missions are not as ridiculous
It's taken me a little bit to get around to responding to this review, but with some IAE fleet shuffling, I'm finally flying a Zeus CL. It replaced the longest-lived unreplaced ship in my fleet, the Freelancer from my starter pack. I'll be honest, it was tough to let the ol' girl go, but with them overlapping in role and so much leaning in favor of the Zeus, it was time. Let me be clear, though - I'm not entirely sure that the Zeus CL is meant to compete with the Freelancer. As of right now, the Zeus costs nearly 60% more than a base Freelancer, and sits cleanly in the range of the 'fat boy' Freelancer MAX, the Argo RAFT, and the Constellation Taurus. It's these, rather than the baseline Freelancer and Spirit, that are the real competition. In terms of performance, there isn't really a significant difference between the the group other than the RAFT, but the RAFT is also quite a bit cheaper than the other three. Each of them has their own quirks with regard to ease of loading as well, so I don't exactly know that the difficulties of the Zeus are a clear negative. With regards to versatility, you can pretty much rule out the MAX and the RAFT, neither of which is really much of anything other than a freighter. Combatwise, the Constellation probably wins, with its better guns, larger missile complement, and large shields, but the Zeus runs away with the versatile equipment racks and a cargo bay that forgives the inclusion of a vehicle much more readily, while still leaving ample space for commodities. And, let's be honest, the habitation and crew areas of the Zeus are a dream compared to the Connie Taurus. The thing I see, though, is this: Of the two, I'd bring a second person along on the Zeus more eagerly than the Taurus. For both of them, there's not much for a second (or even third, or in the case of the Taurus, FOURTH) crew to do most of the time, but in almost all situations I've found, having a two-man crew cuts down on the time and frustration of loading immensely, even if it cuts into profits when you divide the shares up. And when you're moving from point to point, your extra crew are going to be far more comfortable than they would on the Taurus. Does it mean that I'm flying it more than my Taurus? Right now, yes. But when auto-loading of cargo comes back, honestly, it's a toss-up that I'm just going to answer with a "Por que no los dos?" meme.
A little advice: Show the ship sounds in and outside of cockpit, the startup, the computer talking, the boost. Not a single channel does this. You skipped the best cockpit animation in your Talon video. It sucks
too bad the CL variant doesn't have a black & white paint available like using the paint job from the other variant. Design and colors are a big factor in making my choice, I know, that's not efficient, but to me the look comes first !
I still trust my FL MAX for this size category. The Zeus mk2 CL is better in most other ways but the cargo door is a little tight and is harder to squeeze things through than the MAX. And since cargo is the main function of the ship... Yeah.
If I were to compare this ship to the Constellation Taurus, I would have a difficult time justifying the use of the Zeus. The Taurus has more weapons, missiles, better tractor beams for loading cargo, and more cargo space. Other than the aesthetics and gold pass on the Zeus and maybe atmospheric flight being a little better, I am not sold on it.
Cargo rear (at the door) could use like 20cm more space for walking by and not having to use the ladder to get in + the ceiling should be an other 10cm taller so boxes would not get glitched in when she is fully laden. Disappointing cargo transporter, beautiful daily driver tho.
So, the two disappointing problems of this ship are the presence of only two cannons for the pilot and a broken cargo compartment, although its design and simply incredible dimensions for such a capacity are impressive
If it fits CIG made it so, we dont want jack of all trade ships, ships are niche and have a role to play, other wise just make 4 ships and leave it at that. The Zues does what its supposed to do, you'll just have to upgrade.
@@davewills148 Except, with its busted and janky cargo grid, it really is not that good at what it 'is supposed to do'. I like the ES, though, as I am not a cargo guy. Nice layout in the ship, fun to drive, and the two S4's are fine for a cargo ship. But there are simply just.. better options unless you are purely going for looks.
The cargo bay to me is a turn off for the Zeus CL. Granted the series does look like a possible bunker runner, if it had a med bay or could fit the Nursa.
"... first you get the game... then you get the Zeus(*). Once you get the Zeus(*)... then you get the womens." - Tony - (*) Zeus-ES recommended... and not included in Zues-CL base-package. User-results may vary...
I’m super disappointed with this ship. It’s a beauty indeed - but the 5 wide 3 tall cargo grid, where you can just barely fit in boxes of various sizes. Such a failure on CIGs part. 😢
I'm sooo disappointed on this ship.. constant bugs, i wish i could melt it for a C1, but as i upgrade to it from a referral program, it cannot be melted... worst buy ever.
Calling this medium freight is pretty ridiculous, given the alternatives in the game... Struggling a bit to see who this is for? No veteran would never be caught dead in it, if for no other reason than they have much better ships for what this can do... And for a starter ship? - Meh... A Taurus is STILL a much better deal and so are many other ships a starter might consider. Even more so if he is not isolated and has "advisors" helping him chose a good ship for the price...
...lost a plege ship... ----> still, please, you do buy a pledge ship with real money.... and enjoy, losing it.... !! ---> GO STAR CITIZEN !! ---> hmmmmmm ?!?!? 🤔
You ''cant loose a pledge ship'', not possible, never happened to me in 5+ yrs. I can tell by your comment your a Noob, you really need to expand on your issue, use Spectrum or be more discriptive instead of bleating.
YOu missed one of the Main strengths of the Zeus. It is the stealthiest cargo ship in the game by far. The cross-section of the ship is great. 3 339front x 6 009side x 12 520top.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I got one when they were announced, I'm a little disappointed with the cargo layout (and Ursa gatekeeping), but aside from that I love the ship. I REALLY hope the Connie gets an update to this design style because I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
I could care less about the Ursa, but am miffed as hell that the cargo layout got nerfed from just being a simple 4x32 into the frankenstein-esque 16x2, 4x8, 16x2 garbage it is now. Especially with the hitboxes on boxes themselves seeming to be slightly larger now, and causing them to clip into eachother. It's an utter pain in the ass to fully utilize the 128SCU just because people whined you wouldn't be able to reach the component bays if fully loaded. Which I think is bullshit, because that should be a choice with a drawback, not something enforced.
Connie needs an update badly. Freelancer too. I understand why CIG de-prioritizes older ships, and that's fine, as long as those ships get their comeuppance eventually.
@@Amusing_Alias Considering the Connie is one of the original ships from the Kickstarter and I think one of CR's ships, it will most likely get a refresh towards 1.0 or so.
Ye i hope the connies and the reliants get some TLC
I was thinking about swapping freelancee max for this. But I hear alot of complaints with cargo.. I like that this has a tractor beam. And u can use it for cargo
I understand how keeping the same format is beneficial, but I'd kinda be curious to see these reviews with the "combat performance" section swapped for something like "role suitability;" judging cargo ships on how well suited they are to cargo, salvage ships on their advantages or shortcomings for that loop, etc. Obviously some loops (mining, salvage) don't offer a lot of actual options, but it's still helpful to make people aware of the quirks and issues, imo.
Completely agree on this one. I do not care at all how a cargo freighter fairs in combat.
Agreed, if a little early for that. But that's CIG's fault, not ours... 😞
That seems pretty short sighted, pirates love cargo.
Plus as was stated at the beginning, this ship is great for multi use, so MANY people do want to know how it fares in combat.
@@TinMan445 doesn't really matter if pirates love cargo if the ship can't effectively deter pirates
guess you didn't watch until the end.....go to 12:20 and he covers cargo and if a ship has weapons I want to know how it fairs in a fight
As you promised and outstanding as always! Thanks Farrister much apprciated my good man!
Great review as always, good job mate
nicely done video. I ended up giving the z cl a try thanks to your video.
realy liked the video! could you maybe make a video about your favorite daily drivers/ships currently in 3.24.x
The Zeus is great, I can fly my Vulture right up and the salvage just flies right into my hold. I find that its lack of bulbous protrusions and rounded body makes it optimal for both maximizing RMC and minimizing the time it takes to strip.
Good call, sure they compliment each other well, the Vulture is a lovely little ship, you can have an industrial workhorse that has finese and style, new MFD's certainly help.
Great review!
I've been using one of these to do ROC mining the last couple of days along with a C1. The doorway on the back is just as narrow as the C1. I'm scrapping sidewall on both of them.
That said, I found three advantages over the C1. The ladder access on the front, two additional seats to ferry other folks, and the two side cargo grids inside the left and right side of the back ramp for a couple of 2 SCU boxes while carrying a ROC. Better downward visibility too for watching the ground for mineables. No comment on the tractor beam. I usually just use my handheld to move the one or two 1 - 2 SCU boxes as needed.
Can't wait to see your medical Terrapin review.
Medium freight ship. But cannot do medium cargo hauling missions unless you ignore the cargo grid.
Caterpillar is a medium freight ship too, according to cig
Cargo missions are terrible right now. You need to be able to choose box sizes.
I think that the best choices for the Zeus is the ES (we’ll see what the MR offers later). As a cargo hauler I still prefer the C1. And for more cargo I’d take the Taurus or Starlancer after the C1….or RAFT. I love how the Starlancer cargo grid is set up with transporting a vehicle in mind.
I still love my CL Andy! It has problems, but for hauling, she's great. That said, RAFT has really come into its own
I stand by my criticism that it looks great and happy to see the gold standard, but the ramp is cramped for style and cargo area is awkward. The biggest con is the price, it should be much closer to the C1 and not it's bigger cousins the Connies.
i think it has more to do with it having bigger weapons and bigger cargo grid than c1 for the pricing which is odd but i think its why
I honestly love the CL on paper.. but I keep turning back to my Taurus, better storage, weapons and a well placed tractor turret … I’m honestly probably gonna upgrade out of it this IAE but I am keeping my ES
The Polaris and Starlancer Max is already in the Evocati, can't wait for you to do a video on it.
Do you have either, or just tempted?
Will get around to it, it takes me a couple of weeks to fly the ships before I can review them
Being a new ship it has a lot of nice features and CIG learns to design better. But I would say it's Achilles Heel is the size of the cargo bay door and the weird cargo grid. If you're going to do a lot of cargo I would actually suggest the Freelancer Max. Sure it technically holds a bit less, and it has that weird middle room, but the main bay is a nice rectangular room with a big door at the end.
If you picked up a Connie Taurus at the original price, that would have been the best deal imo. You get most of the firepower of the standard Connie but still get a nice cargo bay.
Was thinking of swapping freelancer max for this but. Thinking now maybe not.. just liked this has a tractor beam and u can use it on cargo
@shadow7037932 Taurus is so nice as a cargo ship cause u can grab boxes from far away and not have ramp in the way when ur on the bottom on the ground and cargo is up high in the ship. U have to be up the ramp to see boxes in the back.
@divingfalconfpv4602 and the Max can hold the Ursa Medical. So you can bring your respawn point with you. It won't fit in a Zeus.
@Dracounguis oh shit really. My friend has one. I'm try it haha
If only the Nursa would fit!! Great review.
The tractor beam should be able to move from inside to outside on a rail or something, that would make loading and unloading much much better, just have a single foot path down the middle instead of around the sides, move the internals to the mid of the ship for better balance.
You gotta mention the panic button in the armor racks! It's a fun little ship but I'm thinking of upgrading mine for a Taurus tbh
I think you should. The Taurus is so much better!
Taurus is king.
Thank you. I'll keep ny Spirit C1 and upgrade my Zeus CL.
My instant daily driver. I love this ship. The only thing I don't like about it is the paint scheme, and the store paints are not any better.
lol I feel the opposite about the paint. I want the ES but with the CL livery, the other hazard stripe one on the store is nice but this one has more contrast.
I've been happy with the my Zeus CL because of the esthetics, cargo capacity and second entrance. My MAX is still my ROC escort but the CL can certainly offer a good backup to the FL.
I can imagine some suit in the verse coming up with the bright idea to automate delivery contracts with AI and this ship. It's a good thing that AI is basically banned in lore due to many, many close calls and unfortunate casualties. But, if you could remote into the cargo elevator system on a landing zone, you could theoretically lock the doors to your interior and components and just use the tractor to move your stuff into the lift.
I wonder if CIG has any plans for that. Maybe using small drones to plug into the console and let you use your mobiGlass to access the controls remotely, or having a special app added to contact the service directly. It'll be fun to see what they end up doing in the future, but I think they mostly want players doing the cargo missions (which is perfectly fine by me, gimme that gameplay any day).
I would like to see the videos incorporate some comparisons, like car reviewers. So when you state the SCU of the hold, throw up some similar alternatives and chuck in a couple seconds to show them. A bit like how CarWow will say "the boot has 400 litres of space, but you might want to consider X which has 460 litres or Y which has 380 litres but comes with Z".
If the turret would be a top one, I would definetly get one. In its current iteration the cargo grid and the bad turret position just outright disqualify the ship.
I’m a bit disappointed that they didn’t widen the rear ramp on the CL variant, I feel like that would make everything a lot of easier with loading, and could even maybe let more vehicles fit in the back. But it seems to be a pretty decent ship otherwise. Hopefully the Connie gets a big TLC to bring it up to par with this ship, the Connie was never a looker (to me), but it could become one for sure.
These videos are so cool, loving the game and can't wait until I can afford it. Thank you for the video! 🫡
Hopefully soon!
@@Farrister 🙏🙏
It’s home now to me, I love everything about it and yes except for the cargo grid, I mean all I’m really asking for is for a wider door bay if that’s what it’s called lol
Agreed!
When you buy a Starlancer you get 3 times the ship at just $75 more. I upgraded from Zeus to Starlancer about a week ago. I still love the Zeus CL and will buy it in game when its available.
Great design, cramped cargo grid. Still no handy, solo-flyable medium freighter. For hauling it easily fits several small hauling missions, medium nah. Not in one go.
As for commodities: my happy medium is 8x8SCU boxes (64) on the grid with 8x4SCU (32) boxes on top for them with 2x2SCU on the sides (thus 2x2x2 = 8 in total). Then 64+32+8=104 SCU. For a complete fill of the grid, you need 12x2SCU boxes more to put in between.
Nice ship, but the C1 Spirit will remain my daily driver. I've absolutely fallen in love with that ship
If only the cargo door were bigger... Not sure if I'm gonna buy this or just jump straight for the Taurus. The Taurus seems like straight up better.
... the Taurus is there for people preoccupied with getting shit-done. The Zeus is there for the true end-game: looking like a BOSS... and not an employee.
@@RoyHobbs-f4v I'd rather get shit done and have fun with it. I'll focus on the end-game when the game gets out of Alpha.
@@yvastel8153 Your children might be able to experience the end-game.
A very cool ship. For a while I was tempted to upgrade one of mine to it. But I think I'll hold off until I know CIG won't be drastically changing it's performance like they're in the habit of doing. Slight re balance I can understand. But these bait and switch tactics have me holding off on pledging any item.
I had really high hopes for this ship. I was looking so forward to getting it. I did the warbond last IAE on it. The devs really let me down by not being able to fit an Ursa in it. Major fail for me. I'm a bunker/hauler type player. Because of it's lackluster guns I can't really swap to bounty/hauler either. Very disappointed. With the way bunkers have evolved, having a med bed really is a necessity now. I haven't done it yet because I already had an in game purchased Corsair, but I'll be swapping the Zeus for a Corsair when 4.0 wipe happens. TBH, the Zeus is lesser of a ship than the Freelancer Max, and the Max is $25 cheaper. As you may can tell, I feel really betrayed lol.
I grabbed one with store credit just to try out and while a very nice ship otherwise, the weird cargo grid layout drove me a bit insane since I'm mainly a cargo guy.
It's even more mind baffling that this is marketed as a "specialized" cargo ship and highlights on a bigger cargo hold vs what the competition is offering, yet it's cargo bay it's the biggest weakness. Engineers were smoking pot on this one but hey at least it's looks good.
Anyone deciding between the C1 Spirit and the Zeus for a medium cargo hauler, I would say just get the C1. The Zeus is absolutely frustrating for cargo hauling. I melted mine down and went back to the C1 and Hull-A for cargo missions despite them having lower capacity I was actually more profitable and less frustrated with them compared to the Zeus.
The 128 SCU capacity that the Zeus claims to have is theoretical. Yes, it is possible if you have the exact combination of crate, but even then it is frustrating to fit the crates in the right positions or against the ceiling. I found myself spending more time fighting with cargo than just doing cargo hauls. I have had to unpack the C1 on multiple occassions to pack it differently to fit a cargo haul. I've accepted multiple cargo hauls that were 85-88 SCU that I was unable to fit into the Zeus because it was the wrong mix of cargo box sizes, despite it supposedly being able to fit an extra 40 SCU. At least with the C1 or Hull-A, you know that as long as it is 64 SCU or less you can take it. They are also faster and easier to load and unload, which in cargo hauling as of 3.24 is now the most defining factor of profitability. A ship that loads or unloads faster will make you more profitable than some ships with more capacity but more time consuming loading.
The Zeus and the C1 are surprisingly similar in terms of amenities and specs, with the Zeus just being bigger (and having design of RSI vs Crusader). However the C1 will fly easier, land easier, and have a lower profile while delivering you better profitability (saving you time and operating costs) and saving you sanity.
I imagine the C1 will be cheaper to run as a daily driver
I flew one as a rental. Visually highly appealing to me, but has some drawbacks. The cargo capacitiy is way larger than from my Cutlass Black. The option to board the ship via the ladder behind the cockpit is a nice quality of life feature. I would have hoped that an Ursa would fit in. In combat, it is notciably worse than the Cutty. It feels more sluggish to maneuver and the firepower of the guns is a bit lower. 8 size 2 missiles pale in comparison to the Cutty's 48 size 1 missiles.
I think I'll stay with my trusty Cutlass for a while.
It looks interesting... Might try it out once it truly is available (beyond paywall). But for now I will stick to my hercules for trading... And personally prefer the C1 it it boils down to size.
Perhaps one of the biggest omissions are in the technical specifications.
Namely especially when comparing a Freelancer Max vs the Zeus CL.
Freelancer Max
M Radar
2x M Computers
M Jump Module
Zeus CL
L Radar
M Computer
S Jump Module
^
I've been looking at some of these differences because I have been considering upgrading from the Freelancer Max to the Zeus CL - mostly because of the improved interior, lockers, weapon racks and tractor beam.
However, I'm at an impasse now, as the components differ - for example what differences are there between the S and M Jump Modules? What benefits are there to having 2x M Computers or a L Radar?
Food for thought - thank you for this video!
Your being OCD, just buy/enjoy/melt and.....yeah! you got it, you dont need to make life hard, all the options are there to be used. ''Some motherf*ckers are always trying to ice-skate uphill''
I mostly focus on current in-game performance, the rest is all up in the air as far as I'm concerned!
@@Farrister Tell ya what I do like though with the in-game differences.
Zeus
Weapons racks
Tractor beam
SPEED - 1000m/s vs 400m/s in Freelancer.
Kitchen!
Freelancer
Better Cargo
??? Nothing else? XD
I think it's a little silly that CIG are so obstinate about making sure the Ursa won't fit into this class of ship, but that's not really my gripe with the Zeus CL. I melted my C1 for the CL, and I'm still considering saving to buy a C1 again in game. I'm keeping the Zeus, because I really appreciate its possibilities for multi-crew gameplay, even if I do mostly play solo. The thing is, with those rafters, and the doorway to the cargo bay at the back, it can take more time just to get the boxes in on top of the large boxes than it does to load the entire rest of the bay combined. If the upper 1/3 of the door was a foot larger in each direction, and the rafters sat flush with the ceiling, I think the Zeus would be the ideal ship in this segment. Just opening up the top portion of the door still lets them gatekeep the Ursa out, and if they still want to have the design look more structurally beefy than the ES, they can have the rafters in a different color, but flush with the ceiling. Even with that though, I'll still rarely load it up to full capacity. The cycle time is so much longer on the Zeus than on the C1 when fully loaded (to my standard "full" haul of 152scu in the Zeus, and 124scu in the C1), solely because of the extra height and clearance issues in the Zeus, that I usually just run it with 104scu (the 2s on the sides, 32scu on each side with an aisle like a slimmer C1, and 4s on top of the 32s). It's less cargo than I run in the C1, but it doesn't require loading a 24scu, and squeezing a 4scu into an awkward position with the ship's beam like the C1 does, due to the C1's lack of a second entrance. It allows me to run 2-3 loads per session, rather than 1 152scu load before I run out of time for the evening. When they eventually make it so we can't safely haul loose boxes, I think that's going to change the dynamic entirely, and the CL is going to be the natural choice between the two.
RSI Zeus Mk 2 CL I like even if it is farther out on my ship to own, although I want to use it for mining pack a ROC inside and a few containers to load up. Not sure if it is the right ship but it is in my thoughts right now.
i haven't been able to play for at least a month. i cant get into my hanger and i have extreme lag in the hanger elevator/terminal area. the elevators wont work either and usually my ship wont spawn. reinstalled, nothing changed. have you experienced this? how do you seem to have no issues
Having some buddies transporting you out through ground surfaces helps.
Absolutely love my CL and I’ll never melt it. Exactly the ship I’ve been waiting for all these years. I get why people don’t like the cargo grid, but it’s perfect if you just want plenty of space for multiple roles, not just max cargo.
What if the pilot used weapons that are a bit slower in terms of muzzle velocity than the turret gunner? Wouldn't then the pilot need to rotate extra making it easier for the bottom turret to participate in combat?
They are indeed the ''New Standard''.
I originally bought it on announcement but after getting my hands on it safe to say I was a little dissapointed. Hopefully the Misc Starlancer Max will prove a better replacement for my Freelancer Max
they should add high value low volume boxes like maybe make long haul missions where you cant use nav mode because you have fragile or hazardous cargo but have to go between planet and station in orbit or local system but has large payout or ones that take you way further away but pay a lot more so they are harder maybe take longer or you can be interdicted traveling on route but there is a payoff and they really need to fix cargo missions like rather than getting payed the same to move 6 scu and 27 scu maybe have a base price thats the same but scales based on amount of cargo so the missions are not as ridiculous
Im kinda stuck between the cl and es. For someone who used both does the extra shield really make a huge difference on the es?
So I got this ship on the pledge store and bought the black and orange livery and it's not showing up, can you not change the paint for this?
I'm not sure, are you at your home location? I guess the livery would be delivered there
@Farrister Yea, I guess the livery is only for the MK2 ES
how did you get the mini map
It's taken me a little bit to get around to responding to this review, but with some IAE fleet shuffling, I'm finally flying a Zeus CL. It replaced the longest-lived unreplaced ship in my fleet, the Freelancer from my starter pack. I'll be honest, it was tough to let the ol' girl go, but with them overlapping in role and so much leaning in favor of the Zeus, it was time.
Let me be clear, though - I'm not entirely sure that the Zeus CL is meant to compete with the Freelancer. As of right now, the Zeus costs nearly 60% more than a base Freelancer, and sits cleanly in the range of the 'fat boy' Freelancer MAX, the Argo RAFT, and the Constellation Taurus. It's these, rather than the baseline Freelancer and Spirit, that are the real competition. In terms of performance, there isn't really a significant difference between the the group other than the RAFT, but the RAFT is also quite a bit cheaper than the other three. Each of them has their own quirks with regard to ease of loading as well, so I don't exactly know that the difficulties of the Zeus are a clear negative.
With regards to versatility, you can pretty much rule out the MAX and the RAFT, neither of which is really much of anything other than a freighter. Combatwise, the Constellation probably wins, with its better guns, larger missile complement, and large shields, but the Zeus runs away with the versatile equipment racks and a cargo bay that forgives the inclusion of a vehicle much more readily, while still leaving ample space for commodities. And, let's be honest, the habitation and crew areas of the Zeus are a dream compared to the Connie Taurus.
The thing I see, though, is this: Of the two, I'd bring a second person along on the Zeus more eagerly than the Taurus. For both of them, there's not much for a second (or even third, or in the case of the Taurus, FOURTH) crew to do most of the time, but in almost all situations I've found, having a two-man crew cuts down on the time and frustration of loading immensely, even if it cuts into profits when you divide the shares up. And when you're moving from point to point, your extra crew are going to be far more comfortable than they would on the Taurus.
Does it mean that I'm flying it more than my Taurus? Right now, yes. But when auto-loading of cargo comes back, honestly, it's a toss-up that I'm just going to answer with a "Por que no los dos?" meme.
A little advice: Show the ship sounds in and outside of cockpit, the startup, the computer talking, the boost.
Not a single channel does this. You skipped the best cockpit animation in your Talon video. It sucks
too bad the CL variant doesn't have a black & white paint available like using the paint job from the other variant. Design and colors are a big factor in making my choice, I know, that's not efficient, but to me the look comes first !
I still trust my FL MAX for this size category. The Zeus mk2 CL is better in most other ways but the cargo door is a little tight and is harder to squeeze things through than the MAX. And since cargo is the main function of the ship... Yeah.
If I were to compare this ship to the Constellation Taurus, I would have a difficult time justifying the use of the Zeus. The Taurus has more weapons, missiles, better tractor beams for loading cargo, and more cargo space. Other than the aesthetics and gold pass on the Zeus and maybe atmospheric flight being a little better, I am not sold on it.
Why do the stats show 128 scu cargo? It looks like it barely fits 16...
Haha, it fits 128 SCU, but it's not simple or easy
I really like the Zeus! It's a neat ship and doing hauling missions with it is actually quite fun!
you should do a video for the starlancer max
I hope to get to it eventually
@@Farrister I can loan ya mine if you do not have one =)
@face6994 I have access to one, it just takes me time to get experience flying it before I put out a review
Hey Folks, can The Zeus CL Carry a ROC ?
It can
Yes, though it is a little tight through the door.
Cargo rear (at the door) could use like 20cm more space for walking by and not having to use the ladder to get in + the ceiling should be an other 10cm taller so boxes would not get glitched in when she is fully laden. Disappointing cargo transporter, beautiful daily driver tho.
The small cargo area is hard to get past, and it blocks your components. I like the ship, but I think the C1 Spirit is more practical.
---> i'm starting to know though ! ;)
I don't like that the interior is a dark gray. They should have at least made doors and things a different color.
In 4.0 the Quantum fuel is a lot more limited sadly it seems.
RUclips seems to be doing the whole unsubbing thing again, so thanks for the reminder to check that!
So, the two disappointing problems of this ship are the presence of only two cannons for the pilot and a broken cargo compartment, although its design and simply incredible dimensions for such a capacity are impressive
Can the Zeus fit inside the polaris
No, it’s a bit too long🥲
Door width to keep the ursa out, makes cargo loading suck.
If it fits CIG made it so, we dont want jack of all trade ships, ships are niche and have a role to play, other wise just make 4 ships and leave it at that. The Zues does what its supposed to do, you'll just have to upgrade.
@@davewills148 Except, with its busted and janky cargo grid, it really is not that good at what it 'is supposed to do'. I like the ES, though, as I am not a cargo guy. Nice layout in the ship, fun to drive, and the two S4's are fine for a cargo ship. But there are simply just.. better options unless you are purely going for looks.
Respectfully, that should have been, "Coming Soon (TM)"
Wait a minute... is this a repost?
The cargo bay to me is a turn off for the Zeus CL. Granted the series does look like a possible bunker runner, if it had a med bay or could fit the Nursa.
Me watching my 20st video from Farister. Me realizing I’m not subscribed… 😅
I’m SORRY ! 😢
I like this line
Waiting for my MR,
Omninski 😂😂😂
I could replace my Connie with a Zeus mkII
"... first you get the game... then you get the Zeus(*). Once you get the Zeus(*)... then you get the womens."
- Tony -
(*) Zeus-ES recommended... and not included in Zues-CL base-package. User-results may vary...
Does anybody here got the ladder wont open. Cant do shit
Happens to me sometimes too! Claiming the ship fixes it
Zeus terrible ship. Cost $175! Taurus - $200 and much much much better.
I’m super disappointed with this ship. It’s a beauty indeed - but the 5 wide 3 tall cargo grid, where you can just barely fit in boxes of various sizes. Such a failure on CIGs part. 😢
I'm sooo disappointed on this ship.. constant bugs, i wish i could melt it for a C1, but as i upgrade to it from a referral program, it cannot be melted... worst buy ever.
Calling this medium freight is pretty ridiculous, given the alternatives in the game... Struggling a bit to see who this is for?
No veteran would never be caught dead in it, if for no other reason than they have much better ships for what this can do...
And for a starter ship? - Meh... A Taurus is STILL a much better deal and so are many other ships a starter might consider. Even more so if he is not isolated and has "advisors" helping him chose a good ship for the price...
...is sc fixing things or are they just money bullshitters ? ---> i dont know ?
...lost a plege ship... ----> still, please, you do buy a pledge ship with real money.... and enjoy, losing it.... !! ---> GO STAR CITIZEN !!
---> hmmmmmm ?!?!? 🤔
You ''cant loose a pledge ship'', not possible, never happened to me in 5+ yrs. I can tell by your comment your a Noob, you really need to expand on your issue, use Spectrum or be more discriptive instead of bleating.
YOu missed one of the Main strengths of the Zeus. It is the stealthiest cargo ship in the game by far. The cross-section of the ship is great. 3 339front x 6 009side x 12 520top.
Not for long, with the the new Enhanced Scanning and Radar imminent, no ship will be able to hide