View source for User:Zemurin/Best Ships

[[File:Syladon.png|thumb|right|400px|The best ship?]]

What are the best ships in the game? Which ships should you focus on? That '''heavily''' depends on what you're doing, your personal preferences, and your level.

Open the [[Ship List]] in a new tab/window and let's walk through the options.

== Prologue ==

=== Starting Ship Selection ===

You start with 6 options:

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Start Type
! Starting Ships
! Notes
|-
! Prospector
|
* [[Frontier]], Garnil, Skiff<br> [[File:Garnil.png|100px]]
* [[Mindus Manufacturing]], Chisel Mk I, Skiff<br> [[File:Chisel Mk I.png|100px]]
| Not really a contest. Garnil has more hull, more cargo, more speed and more acceleration.
|-
! Navy Officer
|
* [[Akai Armory]], Raptor, Cutter<br> [[File:Raptor.png|100px]]
* [[Frontier]], Margil, Cutter <br>[[File:Margil.png|100px]]
| Both suck, Margil sucks less. Starting combat will be difficult and will cause hull damage. Raptor has shields, but it has next to no shields. Margil is all hull, which will take damage regardless, but there's ''more'' of it.
|-
! Wreckage Explorer
|
* [[Mindus Manufacturing]], Chisel Mk I SN, Skiff <br>[[File:Chisel Mk I SN.png|100px]]
* [[Frontier]], Tugbit, Skiff<br> [[File:Tugbit.png|100px]]
| Virtually identical, dealer's choice. I'd go for Chisel Mk I SN as it's a rare (and only!) Mindus salvage vessel, just so you can say you had one at some point. Mindus are normally the mining ship manufacturers, not salvage or anything else.
|-
|}

=== Ending Ships to Exit Prologue ===

If you can, get three ships by the time you exit prologue. This isn't necessary if you're rushing, but getting three ships will allow you to run all main activities ([[Combat]], [[Mining]], [[Salvage]]) without having to swap turrets and use wrong hulls. Hulls have bonuses for their primary activity type. See [[Ships]].

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Activity
! Ships
! Notes
|-
! Combat
| 
* [[Frontier]], Tergal, Gunship<br> [[File:Tergal.png|100px]]
| The only gunship you can buy in the prologue with player level being restricted to 10, and at a [[Stranded]] station. Do not get attached to it, better ships await.
|-
! Mining
| 
* [[Mindus Manufacturing]], Pickaxe, Hewer<br> [[File:Pickaxe.png|100px]]
| The only Hewer you can buy in the prologue with player level being restricted to 10, and at a [[Stranded]] station. Same as before, it sucks but it's better than what you had.
|-
! Salvage
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Rekkem, Scow,<br> [[File:Rekkem.png|100px]]
| The only Scow you can buy in the prologue with player level being restricted to 10, and at a [[Stranded]] station. Even more than the other two, Rekkem's only saving grace is two hardpoints so you can run a cutter and a grinder at the same time. No armor, no shields, it's really bad.
|-
|}

== Frontier ==

Congratulations! The world has opened and now proper shiphunting begins! Ships now cost actual money, and you will need lots of it. Fortunately - the larger the ship, the more cash it can generate.

=== Best Size-2 ships available in Frontier ===

Size 2 ships are '''really optional'''. If you can, you should save for size-3 ships. But if you're determined to get the best small ship, go ahead!

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Activity
! Ships
! Notes
|-
! Combat
|
* [[Akai Armory]], Shrike, Gunship, (default)<br> [[File:Shrike.png|100px]]
* [[Stellar Industries]], Phalanx, Gunship<br> [[File:Phalanx.png|100px]]
* [[RedStar Forge]], Berdysh, Gunship<br> [[File:Berdysh.png|100px]]
| Normally, Shrike.<br>
If you want to try out a (M)-sized weapon, Phalanx.<Br>
If you want to try an (M)-sized weapon on an armor-driven warship, Berdysh.
|-
! Mining
|
* [[Stellar Industries]], Carbo, Hewer<br> [[File:Carbo.png|100px]]
| Largest bay available, 2 hardpoints.<br>
There are odd ships out there like Gale (single M-sized slot), or Foreman (drone bay), but at this stage these are not efficient.
|-
! Salvage
|
* [[RedStar Forge]], Otrub, Scow<br> [[File:Otrub.png|100px]]
| Marginally better than Rekkem since it has armor.<br>
Again, odd ships are available like Kite (1M slot), Remnant (drones), but not that useful, yet.
|-
! Trade
|
* [[RedStar Forge]], Vagon, Ferry<br> [[File:Vagon.png|100px]]
| You should not need a transport yet, but if you're dead-set on having one, at least pick one with largest cargo bay.
|-
|}

=== Best Size-3 ships available in Frontier ===

Size-3 ships are where the game hits its groove. Each ship now serves a very specific role and there's no more turret-swapping. Also, the ships are powerful enough to leave unattended for a long duration.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Activity
! Ships
! Notes
|-
! Combat
|
* [[Akai Armory]], Cyclone, Corvette<br> [[File:Cyclone.png|100px]]
| Cyclone has the best combination of hull/armor, available hardpoints (1M, 2S) and raw speed.<br>
Other ships exist, especially the Maniple (4S) or Kamin (1M, 1S, armor) if you want to experiment.<br>
Drone ships at size 3 are still not relevant or efficient.
|-
! Mining Drones
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Moxe, Dregder<br> [[File:Moxe.png|100px]]
| At this point it's useful to consider the eternal question: ''To Drone, or not to Drone?''<br>
Moxe is a powerful ship with 6 drones (expandable to 12 in extremely ideal circumstances), that can carry the Drone quest by itself - serving as a combat vessel or a salvage ship if needed.
|-
! Mining No Drones
|
* [[Mindus Manufacturing]], Auger ERC-7, Dregder<br> [[File:Auger ERC-7.png|100px]]
| If you decide to skip drones, Auger ERC-7 is the best out there, and [[Mindus Manufacturing]] will carry the mining ships from this point onwards.
|-
! Salvage Drones
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Exdyne, Scrapper<br> [[File:Exdyne.png|100px]]
| Simmilar dilemma as with mining: Drones or not?<br>
Drones: Exdyne, no questions asked.
|-
! Salvage No Drones
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Fultor, Scrapper<br> [[File:Fultor.png|100px]]
* [[Akai Armory]], Osprey, Scrapper<br> [[File:Osprey.png|100px]]
| No drones: Fultor for its large cargo bay. It is slow as molasses though. If that bothers you:<br>
No drones and fast: Osprey, the rare Akai salvager that's worth its weight in gold.
|-
! Trade
|
* [[RedStar Forge]], Bremya, Hauler<br> [[File:Bremya.png|100px]]
| You '''still''' should not need a transport yet, but if you really want to go out and trade, again - pick the one with largest cargo. Speed and hardpoints '''do not matter'''.
|-
|}

=== Best Size-4 ships available in Frontier ===

Size-4 ships are dedicated upgrades over size-3. They are expensive, cost millions, often require maxed reputation, and will serve you well, for a ''long'' time.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Activity
! Ships
! Notes
|-
! Combat Drones
|
* [[Akai Armory]], Tempest, Frigate<br> [[File:Tempest.png|100px]]
| Not many options for a droned combat ship, and the Redeemer sacrifies too much. Drones serve as a distraction for enemies to shoot at while Tempest rails them from a distance.
|-
! Combat No Drones
|
* [[Spirit Design]], Penance, Frigate<br> [[File:Penance.png|100px]]
* [[Stellar Industries]], Centurion, Frigate<br> [[File:Centurion.png|100px]]
| These two ships are very similar, with 3M hardpoints. Centurion has a bit more shields, Penance has more cargo and speed. Player's choice.
|-
! Mining Drones
|
* [[Mindus Manufacturing]], Warden, Breaker<br> [[File:Warden DSF-3.png|100px]]
| No competition as this is the only ship available. And it's a powerful one.
|-
! Mining No Drones
|
* [[Stellar Industries]], Ferrum, Breaker<br> [[File:Ferrum.png|100px]]
| Again no competition as this is the only ship available. Also very powerful.
|-
! Salvage Drones
|
* [[Spirit Design]], Sanctifier, Wrecker<br> [[File:Sanctifier.png|100px]]
|  Again no competition as this is the only ship available in the category.
|-
! Salvage No Drones
|
* [[RedStar Forge]], Kuvald, Wrecker<br> [[File:Kuvald.png|100px]]
| Kuvald beats Scoria with a single larger hardpoint, at the cost of a bit of cargo and speed which isn't that bad.
|-
! Trade
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Trundar, Freighter<br> [[File:Trundar.png|100px]]
| At this stage, trade either matters or doesn't. Trundar is a snail but economy skill tree will give it some boosts. Cargo is huge and you can ferry thousands of bulks across the Intertrade.
|-
|}

== Conquest ==

Welcome to Conquest! Let's rethink our options.

At this stage you should have 4 ships - one for each of the activities listed above. These ships have no better alternatives '''yet'''. Yes, you can go and buy some [[Obrix]] vessels, but you'd more likely than not be side-grading, when you should be focusing on getting the largest vessels there are.

So, don't side-grade, not yet. Later, when you have all size-5 ships you need, then go back and buy the '''best''' sub-5 ships if needed.

Also, by now you probably figured out that having a small size-1 cutter is best for fast travel. Remember to skip to the end to see which ones will be useful - really soon - maybe after the next beta starts.

=== Best Size-5 ships available in Conquest ===

'''Note''': Best two destroyers - the Terravex and the Eclipse - you will get for free over the course of the game. Assuming you don't want to wait that long and have plenty of cash, [[Conquest Reputation]] and [[Faction Currencies|Commendations]] to spare, buy one of the two options below.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Activity
! Ships
! Notes
|-
! Combat Drones
|
* [[Marade Wharf]], Rypper, Destroyer<br> [[File:Rypper.png|100px]]
* [[RedStar Forge]], Varyag-R, Destroyer<br> [[File:Varyag-R.png|100px]]
* [[Spirit Design]], Inquisitor, Destroyer<br> [[File:Inquisitor.png|100px]]
| Cyclone is a disaster with no L slots, so let's focus on the three that are good. Rypper has large bay but only 1L+2S slots. Varyag-R is more reasonable with medium bay and 1L+2M slots. Both are armored which is good.<br>
Inquisitor is similar to Varyag-R, firepower-wise with 1L+1M+2S slots but uses shields which are more finnicky when fighting extreme level bounties/patrols. All three are ok choices if you're fine with fiddling with drones in combat. If you have no patience for that, skip all three.
|-
! Combat No Drones
|
* [[Akai Armory]], Hurricane, Destroyer<br> [[File:Hurricane.png|100px]]
* [[Stellar Industries]], Sparta, Destroyer<br> [[File:Sparta.png|100px]]
| Again, Varyag (not the -R variant) is a disaster with no L slots, and the remaining two are both good. Hurricane has a bit more shields and turret variety (L turrets are ''very'' slow to rotate), but there is nothing wrong with Sparta. Player's choice.
|-
! Mining Drones
|
* [[Mindus Manufacturing]], Maul, Harvester<br> [[File:Maul.png|100px]]
| No competition. Keep in mind that Sledge has 10 "hardpoint points" and this ship only has 8 points (5 hardpoint points + 3 points in the large drone bay) - (1L = 3 points, 1M = 2 points, 1S = 1 point). Number-wise Sledge is better, but this one can be more efficient.
|-
! Mining No Drones
|
* [[Mindus Manufacturing]], Sledge, Harvester<br> [[File:Sledge.png|100px]]
| No competition, see above.
|-
! Salvage Drones
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Gryp, Reclaimer<br> [[File:Gryp.png|100px]]
|  No competition. Again, similar to Maul vs Sledge, this ship has 8 points (5 hardpoints + 3 drones), Axcetor has 9. Less of a difference, and realistically, this is the ship to do [[Industrial Ops]] with.
|-
! Salvage No Drones
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Axcetor, Reclaimer<br> [[File:Axcetor.png|100px]]
| With one less stat to focus on (drone power), and one hardpoint point more than Gryp, Axcetor can be a true beast, but it won't do Industrial Ops well.
|-
! Trade
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Drometar, Carrack<br> [[File:Drometar.png|100px]]
| The Paktar has speed, which is irrelevant, and has double weapons, which are even more irrelevant. Drometar has double the cargo space and can hit 10.4K cargo with proper crew and boosters.
|-
|}

=== Revisiting Size-4 ships available in Conquest ===

By now you should know two things - drones on small ships are no longer relevant (you have the Maul and the Gryp!), and best combat ships come from [[Obrix]]. So, let's drop the pretense and weed out drone ships.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Activity
! Ships
! Notes
|-
! Combat
|
* [[Obrix]], Ramose, Frigate<br> [[File:Ramose.png|100px]]
| Best hardpoint points and best shields, solid speed. Excellent ship.
|-
! Mining
|
* [[Stellar Industries]], Ferrum, Breaker<br> [[File:Ferrum.png|100px]]
| No change.
|-
! Salvage
|
* [[RedStar Forge]], Kuvald, Wrecker<br> [[File:Kuvald.png|100px]]
| No change.
|-
! Trade
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Trundar, Freighter<br> [[File:Trundar.png|100px]]
| No change.
|-
|}

=== Revisiting Size-3 ships available in Conquest ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Activity
! Ships
! Notes
|-
! Combat
|
* [[Obrix]], Syladon, Frigate<br> [[File:Syladon.png|100px]]
| 2M with best available hull and shields, barely beats the Cyclone.
|-
! Mining No Drones
|
* [[Mindus Manufacturing]], Auger ERC-7, Dregder<br> [[File:Auger ERC-7.png|100px]]
| No change.
|-
! Salvage No Drones
|
* [[Akai Armory]], Osprey, Scrapper<br> [[File:Osprey.png|100px]]
| If Fultor is just too slow. If not, it still remains an option.
|-
! Trade
|
* [[RedStar Forge]], Bremya, Hauler<br> [[File:Bremya.png|100px]]
| No change.
|-
|}

=== Revisiting Size-2 ships available in Conquest ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Activity
! Ships
! Notes
|-
! Combat
|
* [[Obrix]], Petara, Gunship<br> [[File:Petara.png|100px]]
* [[Obrix]], Oryne, Gunship<br> [[File:Oryne.png|100px]]
| Oryne and Petara are virtually identical, save for Oryne having 15 more cargo. Petara is vertical though. Player's choice.
|-
! Mining
|
* [[Obrix]], Eradon, Hewer<br> [[File:Eradon.png|100px]]
| Eradon is the beefiest Hewer there is. Gale is technically heavier but with its 1M slot it can't get yield bonuses for cutter+grinder equipped.
|-
! Salvage
|
* [[RedStar Forge]], Otrub, Scow<br> [[File:Otrub.png|100px]]
| No change. Again, Kite is technically more powerful but same as Gale it loses the yield bonus because of its single 1M slot.
|-
! Trade
|
* [[RedStar Forge]], Vagon, Ferry<br> [[File:Vagon.png|100px]]
| No change.
|-
|}

=== Revisiting Size-1 ships available in Conquest ===

If the "rumors" are true and we'll be getting size-6 carriers in the near future, those carriers will more likely than not - carry ships. And that's one of reasons to revisit the smallest ships.

The second reason is - small ships are fast. You can travel the galaxy in them in a blink of an eye. Yes, there are faster (hello Eclipse!) when doing Fast-Lane Travel, but nothing beats a cutter when taking off and blazing to a station one jump over.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%"
! Activity
! Ships
! Notes
|-
! Combat
|
* [[Marade Wharf]], Stinger, Cutter<br> [[File:Stinger.png|100px]]
| If there's ever been a ship you would want when travelling about, it's the Stinger. Don't wait buying it. It's the speed-racer of Vanguard Galaxy, nimble and stupidly fast. Yes, with lvl74 gear it can fight ''anything'', including lvl75 bounties.
|-
! Mining
|
* [[RedStar Forge]], Bur, Skiff<br> [[File:Bur.png|100px]]
* [[Stellar Industries]], Dolabra, Skiff<br> [[File:Dolabra.png|100px]]
* [[Spirit Design]], Veinseeker, Skiff<br> [[File:Veinseeker.png|100px]]
| Unclear why you'd want to own one at this stage, but if you do, Dolabra balances cargo capacity and speed, Bur has largest cargo, and Veinseeker is the fastest to zip around with.
|-
! Salvage
|
* [[Stellar Industries]], Lacinia, Skiff<br> [[File:Lacinia.png|100px]]
* [[RedStar Forge]], Skrap, Skiff<br> [[File:Skrap.png|100px]]
* [[Spirit Design]], Reliqua, Skiff<br> [[File:Reliqua.png|100px]]
| Odd as it may be, but if you want a salvage skiff and don't mind traveling back to a sub-lvl25 system to get one, Lacinia has largest cargo, Skrap has excellent armor, and Reliqua has the speed.
|-
! Trade
|
* [[Utixon Corp]], Oxlo Mk I, Courier<br> [[File:Oxlo Mk I.png|100px]]
| Don't fall for the Vesper speed trick, that ship can't haul 50 pieces of ore. Oxlo is the best size-1 transporter.
|-
|}

[[Category:Guides and Tutorials]]