Spaceships

From Terra Invicta Official Wiki
Ship designing

All the covert machinations on Earth and industrialization efforts in space are the path for factions to build fleets of ships to protect and advance their interests. Once the factions unlock the early-game orbital shipbuilding tech, and the follow-on space dock project for their habs, they can build interplanetary spacecraft.

With the right modules, ships can prospect and found habitats, but the primary role for most ships is combat.

At any time, you can design ships out of the modules you've developed. Once you have a shipyard, you can build the ships themselves out of your space resources and, if necessary, boost and money.

Individual ships are constructed at habs at a space dock, shipyard, or spaceworks module. Ships may be built out of a mix of resources mined in space and material boosted from Earth. When construction is complete, ships are deployed docked at the hab that built them.

To save a ship design, it must have a drive, power plant, radiators, battery, armor materials (even with zero thickness), at least one propellant tank, and an assigned role. Specialty designs like colony ships must also have a utility module that allows them to perform the role's function.

Ship Performance

Ships have the following characteristics that need to be tracked:

  • Wet Mass: Wet Mass is the total mass of the ship when fully loaded with fuel. Mass influences the ship's maneuverability. Higher mass decreases Delta-V and turn rate. Hovering over it shows a breakdown with the origin of all Wet Mass.
  • Crew: How many personnel will serve aboard the ship.
  • Cruise Acceleration: How quickly the ship can change its velocity in the strategy layer. Higher cruise accelerations allow ships to overcome a space body's gravity and take more direct trajectories to its destination.
  • Combat Acceleration: How quickly the ship can change its velocity in the combat layer. Some drives are capable of short periods of higher acceleration in combat situations.
  • Turn Rate: How quickly the ship can change its orientation in combat. This value is dependent on the length and mass of the ship; shorter ships will turn faster all things being equal.
  • Heat Sink Capacity: Heat sinks serve as a temporary substitute for a ship's heat management while a its vulnerable radiators are retracted in combat. Higher values allow the ship to fight longer without extending its radiators.
  • Battery Capacity: The ship's batteries store power from its power plant for use by most weapon systems when the power plant is unavailable. More advanced batteries are able to recharge during combat.
  • Construction Cost: Resources required to build the ship. Boost and Money can be substituted for any resource that is lacking. This may increase build time as materials are delivered from Earth.
  • Construction Time: How long it will take to build the ship once all required materials are at the shipyard. Larger shipyards reduce build time.
  • Support: The monthly cost of supporting the ship. If support costs go unpaid the ship will be more vulnerable to other faction's attempts to seize the ship.
  • Cruise Delta-V Determines where the ship can go and how fast it can get there. More propellant increases Delta-V. More mass on the ship decreases it.
    • Ships with less than 8 kps Delta-V may have trouble reaching the Moon from an Earth orbit.
    • Ships with less than 30 kps Delta-V will not be able to reliably perform interplanetary transfers from Earth.
    • Ships with roughly 60 kps will be able to perform more extreme transfers such as transfering from Mercury to Saturn.

Hull

Designing a ship begins with selecting a hull. The type of hull determines the number of nose and hull weapon hard points, the number of utility modules, and the length of the hull.

Shorter ships will have a lower moment of inertia, meaning they will rotate faster than their longer counterparts. The weight required to armor a ship also increases with ship size. Steel armor has been used as a benchmark here, but see the Armor section below for information on lighter armors.

Hull Base Mass
(tons)
Base Crew Base Turn Rate
(deg/sec^2)
Construction Time (days) Hard Points Support Cost Base Construction Cost Required Project Steel Armor Tons/point
Station T1 ConstructionModule.png T1 Station T2 Shipyard.png T2 Station T3 Spaceworks.png T3 Select Nose Hard Point.png Nose Select Hull Hard Point.png Hull Select Utility.png Utility ICO mission control.png ICO currency.png ICO water.png ICO volatiles.png ICO metal.png ICO metal noble.png Nose/Tail Side
Gunship 212 3 227.0 60 51 29 1 0 1 1 1 0.6 2.6 14 4 Interplanetary Warships 46.2 462
Escort 366 4 131.5 90 77 44 0 2 2 1 2 0.8 2.8 14 4 46.2 462
Corvette 382 8 96.9 90 77 44 1 1 2 1 3 1.6 5.1 24.5 7 103.9 900.9
Frigate 680 20 35.4 120 102 59 1 2 4 2 4 4 10 42 12 Patrol Vessels 184.8 1848
Monitor 1040 35 18.5 180 120 84 0 4 3 2 4 7 14 49 14 184.8 2310
Destroyer 1060 40 18.2 203 135 95 2 2 3 2 5 8 15 49 14 184.8 2310
Cruiser 1440 60 9.5 270 180 126 2 3 6 3 10 12 20.5 59.5 17 Fleet Combatants 184.8 3234
Battlecruiser 1480 70 9.3 270 180 126 3 2 3 3 12 14 22.5 59.5 17 184.8 3234
Battleship 1820 80 6.6 450 300 200 2 6 4 3 15 16 27.5 80.5 23 288.7 4620
Lancer 2400 100 4.0 540 360 240 4 3 6 4 20 20 37 119 34 Ships of the Line 473.1 7392
Dreadnought 2980 120 2.9 540 360 240 3 8 6 4 25 24 43.5 136.5 39 565.9 8893
Titan 3480 120 2.3 608 405 270 4 6 8 5 30 24 44.5 143.5 41 Titans 565.9 9702

Role

Each ship has a role, which informs the game on whether the ship is a combatant or noncombatant, what range it should engage in during combat and how much propellant will it want. The role affects the autodesigner behavior and where the ship is placed in a combat formation.

  • Ships with Long strategic range will emphasize propellant for interplanetary operations
  • Ships with Short strategic range will limit propellant mass in favor of maneuverability
Role Strategic Range Preferred Combat Engagement Range
Troop Carrier Long Will avoid combat
Explorer Long Will avoid combat
Inner System Colony Ship Long Will avoid combat
Outer System Colony Ship Long Will avoid combat
Transport Long Will avoid combat
Strike Long Short
Interdictor Long Medium
Attack Bomber Long Long
Fighter Medium Short
Space Superiority Medium Medium
Standoff Medium Long
Interceptor Short Short
Patrol Short Medium
Defense Bomber Short Long

Ship Components

Power Plant

A ship's power plant provides energy to both the ship's drive and other ship systems. The mass of the power plant scales with the greater of the power requirement of the drive or the ship's systems. The power plant also produces waste heat that must be stored in heat sinks or expelled by radiators.

Note: Many drives require a certain class of power plant to function, and in some cases, a lower-tech power plant of the correct class may not be able to produce enough power to support an advanced drive.

Power Plant Classification Efficiency Specific power (tons/GW) Maximum Output (GW)
Fuel Cell I Fuel Cell 70.0% 2,800 0.2
Fuel Cell II Fuel Cell 70.0% 450 0.6
Fuel Cell III Fuel Cell 72.0% 120 1
Solid Core Fission Reactor I Solid Core Fission 75.0% 40 2
Solid Core Fission Reactor II Solid Core Fission 75.0% 34 6
Solid Core Fission Reactor III Solid Core Fission 75.0% 28 15
Solid Core Fission Reactor IV Solid Core Fission 75.0% 12 60
Solid Core Fission Reactor V Solid Core Fission 75.0% 8 125
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor I Solid Core Fission 80.0% 6 1.5
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor II Solid Core Fission 80.0% 5 5
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor III Solid Core Fission 80.0% 4 12
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor IV Solid Core Fission 80.0% 3 20
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor V Solid Core Fission 85.0% 2 20
Molten Core Fission Reactor I Liquid Core Fission 85.0% 3 1
Molten Core Fission Reactor II Liquid Core Fission 88.0% 3 750
Molten Core Fission Reactor III Liquid Core Fission 90.0% 2.5 1300
Vapor Core Fission Reactor I Gas Core Fission 90.0% 13 6
Vapor Core Fission Reactor II Gas Core Fission 92.0% 8 8
Vapor Core Fission Reactor III Gas Core Fission 92.0% 4 14
Gas Core Fission Reactor I Gas Core Fission 90.0% 15 5
Gas Core Fission Reactor II Gas Core Fission 91.0% 10 33
Gas Core Fission Reactor III Gas Core Fission 95.0% 3 150
Terawatt Gas Core Fission Reactor I Gas Core Fission 93.0% 10 1700
Terawatt Gas Core Fission Reactor II Gas Core Fission 95.0% 3.5 1700
Terawatt Gas Core Fission Reactor III Gas Core Fission 96.0% 1 1700
Salt Water Core Reactor I Nuclear Salt Water Core 99.5% 0.45 32000
Salt Water Core Reactor II Nuclear Salt Water Core 99.5% 0.080 230000
Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Reactor I Electrostatic Confinement Fusion 95.0% 2 5
Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Reactor II Electrostatic Confinement Fusion 95.0% 1 25
Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Reactor III Electrostatic Confinement Fusion 95.0% 0.25 80
Z-Pinch Fusion Reactor I Z-Pinch Fusion 96.0% 13 110
Z-Pinch Fusion Reactor II Z-Pinch Fusion 98.5% 5 220
Z-Pinch Fusion Reactor III Z-Pinch Fusion 99.0% 2 3500
Flow-Stabilized Z-Pinch Fusion Reactor Z-Pinch Fusion 99.5% 0.0068 300000
Hybrid Confinement Fusion Reactor I Hybrid Confinement Fusion 97.0% 4 2.5
Hybrid Confinement Fusion Reactor II Hybrid Confinement Fusion 98.0% 2 2000
Hybrid Confinement Fusion Reactor III Hybrid Confinement Fusion 99.0% 1 20000
Fusion Tokamak I Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion 85.0% 28 30
Fusion Tokamak II Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion 88.0% 14 30
Fusion Tokamak III Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion 92.0% 10 212
Fusion Tokamak IV Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion 93.5% 4 1200
Fusion Tokamak V Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion 98.5% 1 4800
Mirror Cell Fusion Reactor I Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion 93.0% 13.4 60
Mirror Cell Fusion Reactor II Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion 95.0% 6.5 360
Mirror Cell Fusion Reactor III Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion 98.0% 1.2 1400
Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor I Inertial Confinement Fusion 85.0% 17.6 5
Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor II Inertial Confinement Fusion 87.0% 12 30
Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor III Inertial Confinement Fusion 89.0% 10 200
Heavy Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor Inertial Confinement Fusion 97.5% 20 650
Inertial Confinement Terawatt Fusion Reactor I Inertial Confinement Fusion 95.0% 1 10000
Inertial Confinement Terawatt Fusion Reactor II Inertial Confinement Fusion 99.0% 0.068 22000
Inertial Confinement Terawatt Fusion Reactor III Inertial Confinement Fusion 99.9% 0.002 3000000
Antimatter Plasma Core Reactor Plasma Core Antimatter 99.8% 0.45 1200
Antimatter Plasma Core Reactor Plasma Core Antimatter 99.8% 0.05 7300
Antimatter Plasma Core Reactor Plasma Core Antimatter 99.8% 0.005 42000
Antimatter Beam Core Reactor Beam Core Antimatter 99.8% 0.00002 3000000

Drive

Drives expel propellant from the tail of the ship to make the ship go places. Drives come in a variety of forms, but are rated by two common values: thrust and exhaust velocity. High-thrust drives can achieve higher velocities more quickly, and high-exhaust velocity drives use less propellant to do so. Together these values determine the power required by the ship's power plant. Adding 100-ton propellant tanks to the ship increases the ship's Delta-V, or how much it can change its speed.

Note: Many drives require a certain class of power plant to function, and in some cases, a lower-tech power plant of the correct class may not be able to produce enough power to support an advanced drive.

Type Drive Required Power Plant Power Plant Weight ** Thrust Rating (single engine) Exhaust Velocity Rating Propellant (Propellant/Tank)
Chemical Apex Solid Rocket N/A 66 14.9 1.4 Volatiles (1)
Chemical Meteor Liquid Rocket N/A 17 14.9 1.6 Water (0.6), Volatiles (0.4)
Chemical Neutron Liquid Rocket N/A 13 15.3 1.6 Volatiles (1)
Chemical Venture Liquid Rocket N/A 14 14.2 2.2 Water (1)
Chemical Diana Superheavy Rocket N/A 14 15.3 1.9 Water (0.6), Volatiles (0.4)
Chemical Nova Liquid Rocket N/A 15 13.9 2.5 Water (1)
Chemical Super Kronos Liquid Rocket N/A 10 12.3 4.4 Volatiles (0.998), Fissiles (0.002)
Electrothermal Resistojet N/A 37 1.0 1.5 Water (1)
Electrothermal: High Energy Tungsten Resistojet N/A 37 4.3 3.3 Water (1)
Electrothermal Arcjet Drive N/A 37 1.0 4.3 Water (1)
Electromagnetic Plasma Wave Drive N/A 37 1.3 6.3 Anything (1)
Electromagnetic: High Energy Lorentz Drive N/A 43 5.3 6.8 Water (0.75), Metals (0.25)
Electromagnetic: High Energy Helicon Drive N/A 55 5.3 8.3 Water (0.9), Metals (0.1)
Electrostatic Hall Drive N/A 37 2.7 4.3 Metals (1)
Electrostatic Ion Drive N/A 37 1.5 6.3 Water (0.9), Metals (0.1)
Electrostatic: High Energy Grid Drive N/A 42 4.3 7.7 Water (0.9), Metals (0.1)
Electrostatic: High Energy Colloid Drive N/A 38 4.0 5.4 Volatiles (1)
Electromagnetic VASIMR N/A 37 1.0 7.2 Water (1)
Electromagnetic Pondermotive Drive N/A 38 2.2 7.2 Water (1)
Electromagnetic Pulsed Plasmoid Drive N/A 38 1.1 8.7 Anything (1)
Electrothermal E-Beam Drive N/A 37 3.2 4.3 Anything (1)
Electrothermal: High Energy Amplitron Drive N/A 37 4.6 3.3 Water (1)
Electromagnetic Mass Driver N/A 63 4.4 3.3 Anything (1)
Electromagnetic: High Energy Superconducting Mass Driver N/A 69 5.3 4.9 Anything (1)
Fission: Solid Kiwi Drive Solid Core Fission 31 6.0 3.1 Water (1)
Fission: Solid NERVA Drive Solid Core Fission 32 6.6 3.0 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Snare Drive Solid Core Fission 34 7.2 3.1 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Rover Drive Solid Core Fission 37 7.8 3.2 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Cermet NERVA Solid Core Fission 40 8.1 3.3 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Advanced NERVA Drive Solid Core Fission 52 9.4 3.0 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Dumbo Solid Core Fission 57 9.6 3.1 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Advanced Cermet NERVA Solid Core Fission 66 9.8 3.3 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Heavy Dumbo Solid Core Fission 278 12.8 3.0 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Pulsar Drive Solid Core Fission 42 7.6 4.0 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Advanced Pulsar Drive Solid Core Fission 79 8.5 5.0 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Pebble Drive Solid Core Fission 43 8.4 3.3 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Particle Drive Solid Core Fission 56 9.4 3.3 Water (1)
Fission: Solid Lars Drive Liquid Core Fission 50 7.6 4.3 Water (1)
Fission: Liquid Fission Spinner Drive Liquid Core Fission 155 10.1 4.9 Water (1)
Fission: Liquid Pegasus Drive Liquid Core Fission 256 10.6 5.3 Water (1)
Fission: Gas Vortex Drive Gas Core Fission 55 9.4 4.3 Water (1)
Fission: Gas Super Vortex Drive Gas Core Fission 66 10.0 4.3 Water (1)
Fission: Gas Cavity Drive Gas Core Fission 40 6.8 4.3 Water (1)
Fission: Gas Advanced Cavity Drive Gas Core Fission 60 9.4 4.6 Water (1)
Fission: Gas Quartz Drive Gas Core Fission 40 7.9 3.4 Water (1)
Fission: Gas Lightbulb Drive Gas Core Fission 58 9.7 4.2 Water (1)
Fission: Gas Pharos Drive Gas Core Fission 63 9.8 4.4 Water (1)
Fission: Gas Fission Lantern Gas Core Fission 1072 14.4 5.0 Water (1)
Fission: Gas Fission Frag Drive Gas Core Fission 43 3.2 8.3 Fissiles (1)
Fission: Gas Dusty Plasma Drive Gas Core Fission 44 1.5 11.9 Fissiles (1)
Fission: Gas Burner Drive Gas Core Fission 45 7.8 6.1 Water (0.98), Noble Metals (0.01), Fissiles (0.01)
Fission: Gas Flare Drive Gas Core Fission 103 12.8 5.1 Water (0.98), Noble Metals (0.01), Fissiles (0.01)
Fission: Gas Firestar Drive Gas Core Fission 167 13.3 5.6 Water (0.98), Noble Metals (0.01), Fissiles (0.01)
Fission: Salt Water Neutron Flux Drive Nuclear Salt Water Core 156 14.7 6.0 Water (0.5), Fissiles (0.5)
Fission: Salt Water Neutron Flux Torch Nuclear Salt Water Core 2566 14.7 12.2 Water (0.5), Fissiles (0.5)
Fission Pulse: Z-Pinch Fission Z-Pinch Microfission Drive N/A 64 4.6 7.3 Water (0.5), Fissiles (0.5)
Fission Pulse Neutronium Microfission Drive N/A 166 6.6 7.3 Water (0.99), Fissiles (0.01)
Fission Pulse Antimatter Microfission Drive N/A 24 8.5 7.0 Water (0.99)*, Fissiles (0.01)*, Antimatter (1 × 10−12)
Fission Pulse: Z-Pinch Fission Minimag Orion N/A 1 10.3 6.5 Metals (0.4), Noble Metals (0.4), Fissiles (0.2)
Fission Pulse: Z-Pinch Fission Advanced Minimag Orion N/A 1 11.9 7.3 Metals (0.4), Noble Metals (0.3), Fissiles (0.3)
Fission Pulse Orion Drive N/A 367 15.0 5.4 Metals (0.4), Noble Metals (0.3), Fissiles (0.3)
Fission Pulse H-Orion Drive N/A 202 15.6 6.9 Metals (0.3), Noble Metals (0.35), Fissiles (0.35)
Fusion Pulse: Z-Pinch Fusion Triton Pulse Drive N/A 178 9.6 7.6 Water (0.995), Fissiles (0.05)
Fusion Pulse: Z-Pinch Fusion Firefly Torch Z-Pinch Fusion 26529 10.7 16.6 Water (1)
Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Lithium Fusion Lantern Electrostatic Confinement Fusion 65 7.1 4.3 Water (0.5), Metals (0.5)
Hybrid Confinement Fusion Hybrid Fusion Drive Hybrid Confinement Fusion 61 4.8 5.7 Metals (1)
Hybrid Confinement Fusion Icarus Drive Hybrid Confinement Fusion 756 10.0 10.2 Water (1)
Hybrid Confinement Fusion Icarus Torch Hybrid Confinement Fusion 6785 11.4 12.1 Water (1)
Magnetic Confinement Fusion Triton Torus Drive Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion 58 7.1 6.1 Water (1)
Magnetic Confinement Fusion Triton Reflex Drive Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion 214 6.6 10.9 Water (1)
Magnetic Confinement Fusion Helion Torus Drive Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion 61 5.2 8.4 Water (1)
Magnetic Confinement Fusion Advanced Helion Torus Drive Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion 604 6.6 12.9 Water (1)
Magnetic Confinement Fusion Helion Reflex Drive Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion 59 5.7 8.3 Water (1)
Magnetic Confinement Fusion Advanced Helion Reflex Drive Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion 178 7.2 9.9 Water (1)
Fusion Pulse: Z-Pinch Fusion Zeta Helion Drive Z-Pinch Fusion 425 9.4 11.8 Water (1)
Fusion Pulse: Z-Pinch Fusion Zeta Boron Fusion Drive Z-Pinch Fusion 339 10.4 10.3 Water (1)
Magnetic Confinement Fusion Mag Protium Fusion Drive Any Magnetic Confinement Fusion 1860 8.6 13.0 Water (1)
Intertial Confinement Fusion Triton Hope Inertial Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion 53 3.5 9.4 Water (1)
Intertial Confinement Fusion Triton Vista Inertial Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion 56 8.9 7.4 Water (1)
Intertial Confinement Fusion Helion Inertial Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion 55 6.8 9.2 Water (1)
Intertial Confinement Fusion Daedalus Torch Inertial Confinement Fusion 440 10.4 13.2 Water (1)
Intertial Confinement Fusion Boron Inertial Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion 53 6.0 7.3 Water (0.5), Volatiles (0.5)
Intertial Confinement Fusion Boron Inertial Torch Inertial Confinement Fusion 156 7.6 14.1 Water (0.5), Volatiles (0.5)
Intertial Confinement Fusion Protium Inertial Torch Inertial Confinement Fusion 227 9.1 13.3 Water (1)
Intertial Confinement Fusion Protium Converter Torch Inertial Confinement Fusion 63551 17.6 13.3 Water (1)
Antimatter Antimatter Pulsed Plasma Core Drive Plasma Core Antimatter 121 11.6 7.9 Water (0.99997)*, Antimatter (0.00003)*
Antimatter Antimatter Plasma Core Drive Plasma Core Antimatter 391 12.8 9.2 Water (0.99991)*, Antimatter (0.00009)*
Antimatter Advanced Antimatter Plasma Core Drive Plasma Core Antimatter 2238 13.3 11.5 Water (0.9999), Antimatter (0.0001)
Antimatter Pion Torch Beam Core Antimatter 70 14.3 13.8 Water (0.5), Antimatter (0.5)

*Rounded

**This is the additional weight that a ship's drive will add. For drives with a required power plant, this is based on a gunship with a size 1 drive, the most efficient power plant of that class, and tin droplet radiators. For drives without a required power plant but that still required power, a Terawatt Gas Core Fission Reactor III will be used. For drives that don't require power, this is based on just a size 1 drive. A heavy ship will have degraded drive drive performance, as well as often costing more due to scaling power plant and radiator costs. Drives more than 1000 tons begin having noticeable issues. Drives more than 10000 tons are practically useless.

Propellant

Each ship must have one or more 100-ton propellant tanks. The number of propellant tanks determines the ship's Delta-V value. There is no hard limit to the number that can be placed on a ship. However, each tank of propellant adds mass to the ship, which reduces its acceleration and gives diminishing returns for delta-V. The resources used to make propellant is determined by the drive.

Radiator

Radiators remove waste heat produced by the ship's power plant. They scale in mass based on the power plant's output and efficiency. Because these are highly vulnerable in combat, they can be retracted if the ship has heat sinks in one or more utility slots. However, once the ship's heat sink fills up, the radiators must be extended again to protect the lives of the crew.

Radiator Combat vulnerability when deployed Mass (tons / GW) Resources / GW
ICO volatiles.png Volatiles ICO metal.png Base Metals ICO metal noble.png Noble Metals ICO exotics.png Exotics
Aluminum Fin Very High 400 0 40 0 0
Titanium Array High 181.8 0 0 18.2 0
Molybdenum Pipe Moderate 222.2 0 11.1 11.1 0
Nanotube Filament Moderate 153.8 14.6 0.77 0 0
Ionic Dust Very Low 333.3 31.7 1.7 0 0
Cobalt Dust Very Low 200 0 1 19 0
Tin Droplet Very Low 125 1.3 11.3 0 0
Gallium Mist Very Low 100 1 5 4 0
Lithium Spray Very Low 76.9 0.77 4.6 2.3 0
Dusty Plasma Low 55.6 0.56 0.56 4.4 0
Exotic Spike Low 41.7 0.21 0.21 3.7 0.042

Battery

The ship's primary battery stores energy from the power plant and provides it to weapons, life support, and other key systems when the main power plant is unable to do so, either due to damage or when the drive is operating on ships that don't have an independently powered drive. High-power weapons can drain the battery quickly in combat. Improved batteries will have a larger capacity or a faster recharge rate. You may add additional batteries of the same type in utility module slots for greater capacity.

Battery Mass (tons) Capacity (GJ) Time to full charge (minutes) Recharge rate (GJ / minute) Resources
ICO water.png Water ICO volatiles.png Volatiles ICO metal.png Base Metals ICO metal noble.png Noble Metals ICO exotics.png Exotics
Lithium-Ion 30 15 50 0.3 0.6 2.4
Lithium-Sulfur 35 21 56 0.38 1.4 2.1 0.035
Molten Salt 80 40 89 0.45 1.6 6.4 0.8
Salt Water 20 20 33 0.61 1.6 0.4
Graphene 120 48 32 1.5 9 2.4 0.6
Quantum 80 80 27 2.96 4 2.4 1.6
Superconducting Coil 2 40 9 4.44 0.1 0.06 0.04
Exotic Nanowire 10 60 10 6.0 0.4 0.25 0.3 0.05

Armor

Armor plating on the ship will absorb incoming weapons fire, preventing damage to internal components. Each point of armor will absorb 20 Megajoules of energy at a single location on the hull before vaporizing. Different armor types require a different thickness and mass to absorb a particular amount of damage. In the below table, the mass required per point is given as a percentage of the mass of steel armour (so for example, a steel plate that weighs 1000 tons would instead weigh 230 tons if it were made of composite armour).

Note that a point of lateral armor is much more massive than nose and tail armor, because it has a greater surface area to cover. The exact ratio depends on the hull used, but side armor will always be 10-20x heavier per point than nose/tail armour.

Armor Weight Multiplier Bonus Resistance Cost / kiloton
ICO water.png Water ICO volatiles.png Volatiles ICO metal.png Base Metals ICO metal noble.png Noble Metals ICO exotics.png Exotics
Steel 100% Chipping 0 2 98 0 0
Titanium 77.5% Chipping 0 0 0 100 0
Silicon Carbide 68.7% 0 50 50 0 0
Boron Carbide 95.2% Kinetic Damage 0 50 50 0 0
Composite 45.3% 0 50 25 25 0
Nanotube 23.0% 0 60 35 5 0
Adamantane 11.4% Kinetic Damage 0 55 35 10 0
Exotic 9.7% 0 25 25 10 40
Hybrid 8.5% Laser Damage 0 30 30 20 20

Utility Modules

Utility Modules perform a variety of functions to widen a spacecraft's capabilities. Extra batteries may also be put in utility module slots.

Utility Module Mass (tons) Effect
Mobile Space Science Lab 200 +5% Space Science Research
Can prospect space bodies from interface orbits
Repair Bay 500 Improves damage control
Marine Assault Unit 200 Enables the Assault Hab fleet operation (assault value 2)
Advanced Marine Assault Unit 200 Enables the Assault Hab fleet operation (assault value 4)
Elite Marine Assault Unit 200 Enables the Assault Hab fleet operation (assault value 6)
Laser Engine 25 +5MJ laser weapon power
Advanced Laser Engine 50 +10MJ laser weapon power
Magazine 100 Projectile weapons gain additional ammo and mass
Component Armor 500 -50% Internal Damage during combat
ECM 10 20% Missile Immunity
ECM Mark II 10 40% Missile Immunity
ECM Mark III 10 60% Missile Immunity

Drive Enhancement Module

Drive Enhancement Modules requires a certain type of Drive to be used.

Utility Module Mass (tons) Ship Requirements Effect
Muon Spiker 40 Nuclear Fusion Drive +20% Thrust
Neutronium Spiker 40 Nuclear Drive +35% Thrust
Antimatter Spiker 40 Nuclear Drive +50% Thrust
Liquid Hydrogen Containment 5 Hydrogen Propellant +10% Exhaust Velocity
Slush Hydrogen Tankage 10 Hydrogen Propellant +25% Exhaust Velocity
Hydron Trap 20 Hydrogen Propellant +50% Exhaust Velocity
ISRU Module 40 Can replenish Propellant at unimproved hab sites that produce raw materials used in ship's propellant
Remass Scoop 40 Anything or Hydrogen Propellant Can replenish Propellant in interface orbits of Jovian planets
No aerobraking damage

Heat Sink

Heat sinks are important modules for combat ship so they may avoid exposing their vulnerable radiators to enemy fire.

Heat Sink Mass (tons) Capacity (GJ) Specific capacity (GJ/ton) Resources
ICO water.png Water ICO volatiles.png Volatiles ICO metal.png Base Metals ICO exotics.png Exotics
Water 250 100 0.40 25
Potassium 205 110 0.54 20.5
Sodium 230 370 1.61 23
Lithium 128 525 4.10 12.8
Molten Salt 485 900 1.86 12.1 36.4
Exotic 250 1800 7.2 20 5
Heavy Water 500 200 0.40 50
Heavy Potassium 410 220 0.54 41
Heavy Sodium 460 740 1.61 46
Heavy Lithium 256 1050 4.10 25.6
Heavy Molten Salt 970 1800 1.86 24.3 72.8
Heavy Exotic 500 3600 7.2 40 10

Kit

Kits allow creation of a small hab with a construction module. Can be replenished by repairing the ship at a dock or shipyard.

Kit Mass (tons)
Solar Platform 200
Solar Outpost 200
Fission Platform 250
Fission Outpost 300
Fusion Platform 250
Fusion Outpost 300
Automated Solar Platform 250
Automated Solar Outpost 1200
Automated Fission Platform 300
Automated Fission Outpost 1800

Weapons

Weapons systems are either mounted on the ship's nose or on the hull. Nose weapons are typically more powerful than hull weapons of a similar size, but they have a limited field of fire. Hull weapons can fire in any direction around the ship. Weapons also come in various sizes; larger weapon systems are generally more powerful but will take up multiple weapon slots.

Certain weapons may only be used offensively against enemy ships and hab modules; others may only be used defensively to shoot down incoming projectiles and missiles, and still others can be used against both types of targets. Weapons can have up to four different possible fire modes:

  • Focus Fire: Will fire at primary target only.
  • Attack: Will fire at primary target if it is in range, otherwise will attack the nearest available target.
  • Guardian: Will fire at incoming projectiles and missiles before targeting enemy ships.
  • Defense: Will fire at incoming projectiles and missiles; will not target ships.

All weapons have a cooldown, and some weapons fire in salvos. If a weapon does not have a salvo listed, it will fire once every time the cooldown timer is up. For example, the Light Railgun Battery Mk1 has a cooldown of 30s and does not have a salvo listed; once in range, it will fire one shot every 30 seconds. If a weapon has a salvo listed of X shots / Y s, it will fire one shot every Y seconds X number of times, and then will go on cooldown, after which it will fire another salvo. For example, the Krait Missile Bay has a salvo of 2 shots / 5 s and a cooldown of 60 seconds; once in range, it will fire one shot, wait 5 seconds, fire a second shot, and then will go on cooldown for 60 seconds.

Weapons can be classified in certain general types:

  • Guns: Use magazines, high ammo capacity. Cannot bombard. Low damage. Short range. Cheap.
  • Missiles: Use magazines, low ammo capacity. Limited bombard. High damage. Will chase the target. Very susceptible to point defense. Only available as hull weapons.
  • Magnetic Weapons: Use magazines, high ammo capacity. High damage, moderate accuracy. Susceptible to point defense. Can bombard.
  • Plasma Weapons: Use magazines. Cannot be targeted by point defense. Cannot bombard. Medium damage, high accuracy. Only available in large sizes.
  • Lasers: Use energy. Limited bombard. Never miss. More effective at close range.
  • Particle Weapons: Use energy. Cannot bombard. High damage. Never miss. Short range.

Guns

Guns are chemical slugthrowers with performance characteristics similar to modern naval weaponry. They are low-tech and cheap, but due to low muzzle velocity will have a hard time hitting anything at range and the projectiles can be targeted by point defense. They are quickly outclassed by magnetic weapons.

Gun Hull Slots Nose Slots Fire Modes Cooldown (s) Damage (MJ) Magazine Magazine Materials Range (km) Mass (tons) Salvo Build Cost
30mm Autocannon 1 Defense 4 3.2 3000 200 19.5 10 shots / 1 s
6-inch Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 12 22.1 600 250 52 4 shots / 2 s
8-inch Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack 15 49 400 250 90 4 shots / 3 s
10-inch Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack 16 88.2 300 250 179 3 shots / 3 s
12-inch Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack 20 156.8 250 250 305 2 shots / 5 s

Magnetic Weapons

Magnetic weapons include railguns and coilguns that fire high-speed projectiles that do significant damage but can be shot down by point defense. Due to low muzzle velocity, railguns may have a difficult time hitting targets at range; coilguns have a significantly higher muzzle velocity and are more difficult to dodge. All magnetic weapons are capable of bombardment.

Magnetic Weapon Hull Slots Nose Slots Fire Modes Cooldown (s) Damage (MJ) Magazine Magazine Materials Range (km) Mass (tons) Salvo Shot Battery Consumption (GJ) Build Cost
Light Railgun Battery Mk1 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 28.1 1000 500 62 0.15
Light Railgun Battery Mk2 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 43.2 1000 550 57 0.18
Light Railgun Battery Mk3 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 68 1000 600 52 0.22
Light Coilgun Battery Mk1 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 40 75.9 1500 500 65 3 shots / 10 s 0.2
Light Coilgun Battery Mk2 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 116.6 1500 550 60 4 shots / 10 s 0.24
Light Coilgun Battery Mk3 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 173.6 1500 600 55 5 shots / 10 s 0.28
Railgun Battery Mk1 2 Focus Fire, Attack 36 81 1200 650 128.8 0.43
Railgun Battery Mk2 2 Focus Fire, Attack 24 124.4 1200 700 118.8 0.52
Railgun Battery Mk3 2 Focus Fire, Attack 12 196 1200 750 108.8 0.64
Coilgun Battery Mk1 2 Focus Fire, Attack 48 218.7 1800 650 136 3 shots / 12 s 0.58
Coilgun Battery Mk2 2 Focus Fire, Attack 36 317.5 1800 700 126 4 shots / 12 s 0.66
Coilgun Battery Mk3 2 Focus Fire, Attack 24 453.6 1800 750 116 5 shots / 12 s 0.74
Heavy Railgun Battery Mk1 4 Focus Fire, Attack 43 233.3 1440 800 269.1 1.2
Heavy Railgun Battery Mk2 4 Focus Fire, Attack 29 358.3 1440 850 249.1 1.5
Heavy Railgun Battery Mk3 4 Focus Fire, Attack 14 563.5 1440 900 229.1 1.8
Heavy Coilgun Battery Mk1 4 Focus Fire, Attack 58 595.4 2160 800 286.4 3 shots / 14 s 1.6
Heavy Coilgun Battery Mk2 4 Focus Fire, Attack 43 829.4 2160 850 266.4 4 shots / 14 s 1.7
Heavy Coilgun Battery Mk3 4 Focus Fire, Attack 29 1148.2 2160 900 246.4 5 shots / 15 s 1.9
Light Rail Cannon Mk1 1 Focus Fire, Attack 45 145.8 200 550 66 0.78
Light Rail Cannon Mk2 1 Focus Fire, Attack 30 223.9 200 600 61 0.93
Light Rail Cannon Mk3 1 Focus Fire, Attack 15 352.2 200 650 56 1.1
Light Coil Cannon Mk1 1 Focus Fire, Attack 40 273.4 300 550 67.5 3 shots / 10 s 0.73
Light Coil Cannon Mk2 1 Focus Fire, Attack 30 396.9 300 600 62.5 4 shots / 10 s 0.83
Light Coil Cannon Mk3 1 Focus Fire, Attack 20 717.6 300 650 57.5 5 shots / 10 s 1.2
Rail Cannon Mk1 2 Focus Fire, Attack 54 419.9 240 700 134.4 2.2
Rail Cannon Mk2 2 Focus Fire, Attack 36 644 240 750 124.4 2.7
Rail Cannon Mk3 2 Focus Fire, Attack 18 1102.2 240 800 114.4 3.6
Coil Cannon Mk1 2 Focus Fire, Attack 48 744.2 360 700 138 3 shots / 12 s 2
Coil Cannon Mk2 2 Focus Fire, Attack 36 1036.8 360 750 128 4 shots / 12 s 2.2
Coil Cannon Mk3 2 Focus Fire, Attack 24 1771.9 360 800 118 5 shots / 12 s 2.9
Spinal Railgun Mk1 4 Focus Fire, Attack 108 1207.5 300 900 276 6.4
Spinal Railgun Mk2 4 Focus Fire, Attack 72 2015.5 300 950 256 8.4
Spinal Railgun Mk3 4 Focus Fire, Attack 36 3169.6 300 1000 236 10.3
Spinal Coiler Mk1 4 Focus Fire, Attack 96 1944 450 900 285 3 shots / 24 s 5.2
Spinal Coiler Mk2 4 Focus Fire, Attack 72 2624.4 450 950 265 4 shots / 24 s 5.5
Spinal Coiler Mk3 4 Focus Fire, Attack 48 4287.9 450 1000 245 5 shots / 24 s 7

Missiles

Missile weapons (which include both missiles and torpedoes) do high damage and will chase the enemy, but are very susceptible to being shot down by point defense and are constrained by small magazines. Missiles will fire offensively only if an enemy ship or hab module has been set as a target. All missiles have a range of 1,000 km.

Missiles and torpedoes can have different types of warheads:

  • Fragmentation warheads do 50% damage to armor
  • Penetrator warheads do 60% damage to armor
  • Explosive warheads do 80% damage to armor
  • Nuclear warheads do 100% damage to armor
  • Shaped Nuclear warheads do 100% damage to armor in a 20-degree cone
Missile Bay Hull Slots Fire Modes Cooldown (s) Damage (MJ) Warhead Acceleration (gs) Delta-V (kps) Magazine Magazine Materials Mass (tons) Salvo Can Bombard
Krait Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire 60 350.9 Explosive 2.5 3.3 10 31 2 shots / 5 s No
Anaconda Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 249.2 Explosive 5 3.7 16 29.2 3 shots / 5 s No
Cobra Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire 50 396.1 Explosive 3.5 4.1 12 29.2 3 shots / 7 s No
Rattler Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire, Defense 40 294.1 Fragmentation 7.5 3.4 24 33.8 3 shots / 5 s No
Riverjack Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire, Defense 50 756.6 Fragmentation 5.3 3.9 18 33.8 3 shots / 7 s No
Harlequin Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 434.7 Penetrator 5 4.2 16 24.2 3 shots / 5 s No
Keelback Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire 50 1,003.5 Penetrator 3.5 4.5 12 24.2 3 shots / 5 s No
Copperhead Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire 50 613.2 Explosive 3.5 5.8 10 39 2 shots / 5 s No
Viper Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire, Defense 50 897 Fragmentation 5.3 6 12 33.8 2 shots / 5 s No
Lancehead Missile Bay 1 Focus Fire 60 3,003 Penetrator 3.5 5.5 10 34 2 shots / 5 s No
Hera Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 1,042.9 Explosive 2 5.8 6 38.8 No
Hermes Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 7,095.9 Penetrator 2 5.8 6 33.8 No
Artemis Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 2,145.8 Explosive 2.5 7.7 6 43.8 No
Vulcan Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 14,346.3 Penetrator 2.5 5.8 6 38.8 No
Athena Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 5,469.7 Explosive 3 11.1 6 43.8 No
Ares Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 37,067.8 Penetrator 3 7.9 6 38.8 No
Cerberus Nuclear Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 1,129,950,000 Nuclear 1.5 2.6 5 52 Not Through Atmosphere
Hades Nuclear Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 2,448,225,000 Nuclear 2 3.6 5 47 Not Through Atmosphere
Nemesis Nuclear Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 4,519,800,000 Nuclear 2.5 5.1 5 47 Not Through Atmosphere
Olympus Shaped Nuclear Torpedo Bay 1 Focus Fire 40 3,766,500,000 Shaped Nuclear 2.5 5.1 5 47 Not Through Atmosphere
Antimatter Torpedo Launcher 2 Focus Fire 40 22,470,010,000 Antimatter 2.5 5.4 5 77 Not Through Atmosphere

Lasers

Laser weapons do not miss and are excellent at targeting enemy projectiles. However, laser weapons have difficulty penetrating armor unless they are at close range. Laser weapons for non-alien ships come in three different wavelengths: Infrared, Visible (Green), and Ultraviolet, from least powerful to most powerful. Additionally, laser weapons use one of three different beam types: Standard, Arc, and Phaser, from least powerful to most powerful. Each laser battery and cannon size comes in nine different configurations, corresponding to all the possible combinations of wavelength and beam type. The more powerful the wavelength and beam type, the better the laser is at penetrating armor.

Laser Weapon Hull Slots Nose Slots Fire Modes Cooldown (s) Base Shot Power (MJ) Range (km) Mass (tons) Shot Battery Consumption (GJ) Armor Effectiveness at 100km Armor Effectiveness at 200km Armor Effectiveness at 500km Build Cost Can Bombard
Point Defense Laser Turret 1 Defense 3 50 250 20 0.2 1,289% 5,156% 32,227% No
Point Defense Arc Laser Turret 1 Defense 3 50 300 20 0.11 1,096% 4,386% 27,412% No
Point Defense Phaser Turret 1 Defense 3 50 350 20 0.14 920% 3,679% 22,994% No
60 cm IR Laser Battery 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 100 600 150 0.4 330% 1,318% 8,239% Not Through Atmosphere
60 cm IR Arc Laser Battery 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 100 600 115 0.29 279% 1,115% 6,968% Not Through Atmosphere
60 cm IR Phaser Battery 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 100 600 75 0.22 233% 930% 5,815% Not Through Atmosphere
60 cm Green Laser Battery 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 100 600 150 0.5 90% 358% 2,238% Yes
60 cm Green Arc Laser Battery 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 100 600 115 0.33 71% 284% 1,777% Yes
60 cm Green Phaser Battery 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 100 600 115 0.25 59% 235% 1,471% Yes
60 cm UV Laser Battery 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 100 600 150 1 30% 118% 738% Not Through Atmosphere
60 cm UV Arc Laser Battery 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 100 600 115 0.5 20% 79% 492% Not Through Atmosphere
60 cm UV Phaser Battery 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 100 600 115 0.33 16% 63% 393% Not Through Atmosphere
120 cm IR Laser Battery 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 150 700 200 0.6 90% 361% 2,254% Not Through Atmosphere
120 cm IR Arc Laser Battery 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 150 700 155 0.43 75% 299% 1,868% Not Through Atmosphere
120 cm IR Phaser Battery 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 150 700 100 0.33 61% 244% 1,523% Not Through Atmosphere
120 cm Green Laser Battery 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 150 700 200 0.75 30% 121% 753% Yes
120 cm Green Arc Laser Battery 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 150 700 155 0.5 23% 92% 577% Yes
120 cm Green Phaser Battery 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 150 700 155 0.38 16% 64% 399% Yes
120 cm UV Laser Battery 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 150 700 200 1.5 15% 61% 378% Not Through Atmosphere
120 cm UV Arc Laser Battery 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 150 700 155 0.75 10% 41% 257% Not Through Atmosphere
120 cm UV Phaser Battery 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 150 700 155 0.5 5% 20% 127% Not Through Atmosphere
360 cm IR Laser Battery 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 225 850 400 0.9 20% 81% 504% Not Through Atmosphere
360 cm IR Arc Laser Battery 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 225 850 315 0.64 15% 59% 369% Not Through Atmosphere
360 cm IR Phaser Battery 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 225 850 200 0.5 10% 42% 262% Not Through Atmosphere
360 cm Green Laser Battery 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 225 850 400 1.1 14% 54% 338% Yes
360 cm Green Arc Laser Battery 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 225 850 315 0.75 8% 34% 211% Yes
360 cm Green Phaser Battery 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 225 850 315 0.56 5% 20% 126% Yes
360 cm UV Laser Battery 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 225 850 400 2.3 12% 47% 296% Not Through Atmosphere
360 cm UV Arc Laser Battery 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 225 850 315 1.1 7% 28% 175% Not Through Atmosphere
360 cm UV Phaser Battery 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 225 850 135 0.75 4% 15% 96% Not Through Atmosphere
240 cm IR Laser Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 200 800 300 0.8 31% 124% 774% Not Through Atmosphere
240 cm IR Arc Laser Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 200 800 235 0.57 24% 96% 599% Not Through Atmosphere
240 cm IR Phaser Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 200 800 150 0.44 18% 73% 456% Not Through Atmosphere
240 cm Green Laser Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 200 800 300 1 16% 64% 399% Yes
240 cm Green Arc Laser Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 200 800 235 0.67 11% 46% 286% Yes
240 cm Green Phaser Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 200 800 235 0.5 7% 29% 180% Yes
240 cm UV Laser Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 200 800 300 2 12% 49% 305% Not Through Atmosphere
240 cm UV Arc Laser Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 200 800 235 1 8% 33% 206% Not Through Atmosphere
240 cm UV Phaser Cannon 1 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 200 800 235 0.67 5% 18% 113% Not Through Atmosphere
480 cm IR Laser Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 250 900 500 1 17% 66% 416% Not Through Atmosphere
480 cm IR Arc Laser Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 250 900 395 0.71 12% 47% 293% Not Through Atmosphere
480 cm IR Phaser Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 250 900 250 0.56 8% 31% 195% Not Through Atmosphere
480 cm Green Laser Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 250 900 500 1.3 13% 51% 322% Yes
480 cm Green Arc Laser Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 250 900 395 0.83 8% 32% 200% Yes
480 cm Green Phaser Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 250 900 395 0.63 5% 20% 125% Yes
480 cm UV Laser Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 250 900 500 2.5 12% 48% 298% Not Through Atmosphere
480 cm UV Arc Laser Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 250 900 395 1.3 7% 29% 180% Not Through Atmosphere
480 cm UV Phaser Cannon 2 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 250 900 395 0.83 4% 17% 109% Not Through Atmosphere
720 cm IR Laser Cannon 3 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 300 950 700 1.2 14% 57% 359% Not Through Atmosphere
720 cm IR Arc Laser Cannon 3 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 300 950 555 0.86 10% 39% 241% Not Through Atmosphere
720 cm IR Phaser Cannon 3 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 300 950 350 0.67 6% 24% 148% Not Through Atmosphere
720 cm Green Laser Cannon 3 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 300 950 700 1.5 13% 51% 317% Yes
720 cm Green Arc Laser Cannon 3 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 300 950 555 1 8% 32% 198% Yes
720 cm Green Phaser Cannon 3 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 300 950 555 0.75 4% 17% 108% Yes
720 cm UV Laser Cannon 3 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 300 950 700 3 12% 49% 307% Not Through Atmosphere
720 cm UV Arc Laser Cannon 3 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 300 950 555 1.5 8% 30% 190% Not Through Atmosphere
720 cm UV Phaser Cannon 3 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 300 950 555 1 4% 16% 101% Not Through Atmosphere
960 cm IR Laser Cannon 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 350 1000 900 1.4 14% 55% 344% Not Through Atmosphere
960 cm IR Arc Laser Cannon 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 350 1000 715 1 9% 36% 227% Not Through Atmosphere
960 cm IR Phaser Cannon 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 350 1000 450 0.78 5% 22% 136% Not Through Atmosphere
960 cm Green Laser Cannon 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 350 1000 900 1.8 13% 51% 320% Yes
960 cm Green Arc Laser Cannon 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 350 1000 715 1.2 8% 32% 200% Yes
960 cm Green Phaser Cannon 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 350 1000 715 0.88 4% 18% 111% Yes
960 cm UV Laser Cannon 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 30 350 1000 900 3.5 13% 50% 314% Not Through Atmosphere
960 cm UV Arc Laser Cannon 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 20 350 1000 715 1.8 8% 31% 195% Not Through Atmosphere
960 cm UV Phaser Cannon 4 Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense 10 350 1000 715 1.2 4% 17% 107% Not Through Atmosphere

Particle Weapons

Particle weapons are short-range weapons that can do severe damage to a ship's internal components if they penetrate a ship's armor. The point defense particle beam is also an effective point defense weapon. They unlock early in the tech tree, but they are quickly outclassed by lasers.

Particle Beam Hull Slots Nose Slots Mass (tons) Fire Modes Cooldown (s) Base Shot Power (MJ) Targeting Range (km) Shot Battery Consumption (GJ) Build Cost
Point Defense Particle Beam 1 3 Defense 4 30 200 0.2
Particle Cannon Mk1 2 100 Focus Fire, Attack 60 90 250 0.9
Particle Cannon Mk2 2 100 Focus Fire, Attack 50 120 350 0.8
Particle Cannon Mk3 2 100 Focus Fire, Attack 40 180 450 0.9
Heavy Particle Cannon Mk1 3 500 Focus Fire, Attack 72 120 325 1.2
Heavy Particle Cannon Mk2 3 500 Focus Fire, Attack 60 180 425 1.2
Heavy Particle Cannon Mk3 3 500 Focus Fire, Attack 48 240 525 1.2
Spinal Particle Cannon Mk1 4 1000 Focus Fire, Attack 90 180 400 1.8
Spinal Particle Cannon Mk2 4 1000 Focus Fire, Attack 75 240 500 1.6
Spinal Particle Cannon Mk3 4 1000 Focus Fire, Attack 60 360 600 1.8

Plasma Weapons

Plasma weapons fire high-speed, low mass projectiles that cannot be targeted by enemy point defense. While their damage is not as high as some of the larger and more advanced magnetic weapons, the high muzzle velocity of plasma weapons make them significantly more likely to hit their target. Plasma weapons cannot bombard.

Plasma Weapon Hull Slots Nose Slots Fire Modes Cooldown (s) Damage (MJ) Magazine Magazine Materials Range (km) Mass (tons) Shot Battery Consumption (GJ) Build Cost
Plasma Battery Mk 1 2 Focus Fire, Attack 30 183.8 500 800 320 0.61
Plasma Battery Mk 2 2 Focus Fire, Attack 25 183.8 500 800 280 0.46
Plasma Battery Mk 3 2 Focus Fire, Attack 20 183.8 500 800 240 0.37
Heavy Plasma Battery Mk 1 4 Focus Fire, Attack 36 306.3 600 1000 640 1.5
Heavy Plasma Battery Mk 2 4 Focus Fire, Attack 30 306.3 600 1000 560 1
Heavy Plasma Battery Mk 3 4 Focus Fire, Attack 24 306.3 600 1000 480 0.77
Plasma Cannon Mk 1 3 Focus Fire, Attack 48 459.4 300 800 540 1.8
Plasma Cannon Mk 2 3 Focus Fire, Attack 40 459.4 300 800 480 1.3
Plasma Cannon Mk 3 3 Focus Fire, Attack 32 459.4 300 800 420 1
Heavy Plasma Cannon Mk 1 4 Focus Fire, Attack 60 612.5 300 1000 720 3.1
Heavy Plasma Cannon Mk 2 4 Focus Fire, Attack 50 612.5 300 1000 640 2
Heavy Plasma Cannon Mk 3 4 Focus Fire, Attack 40 612.5 300 1000 560 1.5

Refits

Factions may refit ships at habs with ship construction modules. Refitting is generally limited to replacing parts of a similar type.

  • Hull cannot change.
  • Power Plant can change, if the new Power Plant is of the same Class.
  • Drives can add or remove thrusters to current drive, or substitute a drive with the same Classification, required Power Plant, and Reaction Product.
  • Weapons can change if the new weapon is of the same Class and Mount. (so 1-hull laser can only be replaced by 1-hull lasers).
  • Armor can change freely.
  • Batteries can change to other batteries freely, but not change with other Utility modules.
  • Heat sinks can change freely, but not change with other Utility modules.
  • Radiators can change freely.
  • Utility modules that aren't batteries or heat sinks can change to other modules with the same Class.

Additional information

Various "Guides" are available that detail among other things ship module performance and functions.