I've been loving this recently, and really enjoy how the game deals with travelling between and within solar systems. Helps with immersion too, and gives a good sense of scale.
There's so many options and playstyles. As soon as I think I've found my fav (rail gun and beam laser) I hit a new level with a random weapon drop and everything changes again.
Just starting to get into Union properly now, around level 13. Will be looking to jump into a Tier II or even III ship soon. Might take the time to explore different ship styles too, Vindicator seems interesting but I think I'm leaning more toward Sentinel style of play.