Sprocket is a tier 4 patrol ship used by the Fringe Systems Resistance.
This ship is one of the first tough opponents you may come across in a run, and thus many fall flat against it. To beat Sprocket, you'll need to keep your cool with a well-made ship, or that deck cannon will rip straight through your defenses. Somewhat counterintuitively, the best way to beat Sprocket is to face it head-on, instead of letting it run circles around you and fire into your sides. If you have two shields which are properly supplied and protect each other, you've effectively won the fight as soon as Sprocket rams into you, as it can't penetrate two well-supplied small shields - one will always recharge after the other goes down. While Sprocket's armor is slightly weaker on its very front, it's unlikely that you'll be able to exploit that when you're being rammed this early in the game. If you can, though, do it. Thick armor of your own can make up for only having one or no shields, but you'll need to kill Sprocket quickly enough to avoid it breaking through your defenses. If you've got any at this point in the game, HE or EMP missiles will be very effective as Sprocket's sides aren't that well defended.
Sprocket is already a rammer, so it's unlikely that ramming Sprocket will work unless you have a similar design to it. Strafing Sprocket however is quite effective, but slipping up is dangerous, so be careful. Kiting Sprocket can work, but it's rather fast. Flanking it is very effective, but you will probably not have any flankers at this point in the game.
In conclusion, Sprocket is effectively the first vibe check a new player will most likely meet and the first real test of your shipbuilding capabilities, so be prepared!
