The advice on this page will help anyone in any occupation on Titan, but Pirates will will find these things particularly useful. First, follow the two Rules of Piracy:

Know what's going on around you.

Don't turn your back on money.

Below are some of the specific tricks I've found that really help you in nearly impossible situations. I know they'll work for you as well as they've worked for me.

Check Pod Sizes

So you see a Trader carrying some ConstMat. ConstMat isn't too valuable per unit, but it's traded in up to fifty units. Wowza !! But, how can you tell if it's a big load or a small one?

Look at the target view in the lower left corner of your HUD. Is the trader fitted with a Large or Small pod? There won't be much cargo in a Small pod. There's probably a good sized load in a Hawk with a Large pod. It's not always a good idea to waste time on small money cargos.

Hangar Check

Always, always check Moths hanging around the hangars you're entering and exiting. They're there for the same reason you are. To buy and sell. If they don't have cargo now, they probably will when they leave.

I always make it a point to target any Moth entering a hangar when I'm exiting. You know, those pilots you have to dodge to get out. Target them and blast them if they've got cargo. Odds are good they're selling to the business you're leaving. Blast them and you're already near a buyer.

When this happens exiting your own hangar, blast the pilot with Plasma Kannon or Pulse Laser and cause a lot of damage without killng him. This will give him more to repair in your hangar. More cash for you. If you really want to get cruel about it, you can hang around until he exits and repeat the process three or four times before needing Police amnesty. This technique is doubly good if you have goods for sale in your hangar. Blast the buyers and keep "recycling" the goods. Don't forget amnesty.

The "Low Charge" Attack

We've all seen great cargo fly by us when we were seconds from "emergency thrust". We can't fight without a charged up Cell, so we miss the opportunity. Here's how to turn things around in this common circumstance:

Attack the trader with laser or laser turret. Don't use much power. Just three or four hits. Quit the attack when the trader has targeted you. You can tell this by the warning that comes up in your HUD. Now run to the nearest Light Well. The trader you attacked will probably chase you instead of running off to sell their goods.

Now attack them like you would if you were defending youself in a Light Well. Leave the Light Well and attack them in earnest when your Cell is around one-third charged and you can finish the dogfight. Now just pick up the booty.

The idea of attacking someone just to get them to follow you is very handy in a variety of circumstances. Use it to guide a trader over land if he's over water. This way his cargo won't "sink" when you kill him. Lead faction patrols after you into enemy craters. Lead any serious threat into a tunnel where they won't use their missiles and you can set them up for a trap. The possibilities are endless.

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