The Mandalayan ship in Elite Dangerous is praised for its exceptional performance, combining the longest jump range, superior maneuverability, robust shields, and versatile cargo space at an affordable price, despite its quirky design. The reviewer humorously suggests it outclasses many other ships, making it a highly versatile and game-changing vessel that simplifies player choices without sacrificing capability.
The video review of the Mandalayan ship in Elite Dangerous begins with a sarcastic tone, initially dismissing the ship as “useless garbage” but quickly revealing it to be an exceptional vessel. The reviewer highlights the ship’s unique, somewhat odd design resembling a “pregnant flying rat,” but emphasizes that its performance far outweighs its aesthetics. With a wide wingspan, decent weapons, ample cargo space, and an impressive jump range, the Mandalayan is praised as possibly the best ship in the game, especially given its affordable price tag of under 20 million credits. Despite its quirky looks and some design quirks like a World War I-style cockpit and a seemingly pointless “feet window,” the ship offers significant value and capability.
Performance-wise, the Mandalayan excels in several key areas. It boasts the longest jump range in the game when fully stripped and optimized, surpassing even the Anaconda, which is traditionally seen as a top-tier ship. It also offers superior maneuverability, with the highest normal speed among similar class ships and a turn rate that outpaces all others by a significant margin. The ship’s rotational speeds are notably faster than any other vessel, making it extremely agile in combat. The reviewer humorously compares its handling to that of Star Citizen’s combat ships, highlighting how fun and responsive it is to fly, especially with relative mouse controls and flight assist off.
In addition to its speed and agility, the Mandalayan features robust shields and comparable hull armor to other combat ships like the Chieftain, but at a much lower price point. While its power distributor struggles to keep up with simultaneously powering shields and weapons, the ship still manages to hold its own in combat scenarios. The weapons, although smaller, do not significantly detract from its effectiveness. Moreover, the Mandalayan offers more cargo space than the ASP Explorer and nearly as much as the Krait Phantom, making it versatile for both exploration and trade, further blurring the lines between specialized ships.
The reviewer strongly criticizes the redundancy of other ships in the game, suggesting that the Mandalayan effectively replaces many older and less capable vessels, including the ASP Explorer, Krait Phantom, and even the Anaconda in some respects. This dominance leads to a tongue-in-cheek call for Frontier Developments to remove other ships from the game, as the Mandalayan’s combination of jump range, speed, maneuverability, cargo space, and shields makes it a one-stop solution for most roles. The reviewer expresses excitement about having fewer ship choices to worry about, implying that the Mandalayan simplifies decision-making for players without sacrificing performance.
Overall, the review is a mix of humor, sarcasm, and genuine admiration for the Mandalayan. Despite its unconventional design and some minor flaws, the ship stands out as a highly capable, versatile, and affordable option in Elite Dangerous. The reviewer concludes by praising Frontier for creating such a well-rounded vessel and jokingly hopes for an even better ship in the future that would replace every other vessel in the game, eliminating the need for players to choose at all. The Mandalayan is celebrated as a game-changer that challenges the relevance of many other ships in the Elite Dangerous universe.