Distant Worlds 2 Ship Tips

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While creating designs and picking the right hull for your imagination is something I’d encourage you figure out on your own, so that you might form your own strategies, I’ll lend some more specific tips.

Tips to Use Ships

Admittedly, a part of it is the breadth of differences between races. Imagine that every single following statement is appended with “*Depending on race, some are outright exceptions to this”

Some swear the Fast Frigate is hands down the best ship. Some call to cruisers and battleships. Personally, I believe the basic frigate and the fleet/heavy destroyer are the most capable of pulling the most weight. Really though, each hull has its uses, and it’s all about how you use them.

Escorts are good for one thing. Being cheap. They can serve as distractions or filler for a little niche role within a fleet you don’t need much power for. For example, a long-range EMP lance fire support ship.

Frigates are generally the most cost-effective combat ship. They are the best at stacking countermeasures, are relatively fast, and typically exemplify the battle ethos of the race. If you’re looking to get the most firepower for the cost, it’s going to be the frigate. The basic frigate can be the best to serve as the backbone of your navy. The advanced versions are closer in cost to the destroyer than the basic frigate with the requirement of Aculon, a potentially restrictive construction resource, but they excel at specialist roles. For example, the Heavy Frigate often gains a weapon slot ideal for PD weapons, making them more suitable picket ships.

Destroyers typically have more large weapon slots and a higher potential ratio of defense to total cost. Many can include fighters (a big deal). Advanced versions use the same resources and don’t cost much more proportionally. The increase in performance is well worth the cost unless you’re looking to optimize firepower to cost as a heavy weapon platform. The increased defense, heavy weapons, and general slots allow them to excel in some specialist roles that frigates don’t quite do well at. Generally, they are good at all-round performance. I find the Fleet and Heavy Destroyer often make a good choice as the backbone of a navy.

Light Cruisers belong in a category of their own. Their cost is comparable to destroyers, but they are unrivaled in their flexibility. If a frigate or destroyer can’t do a job, the light cruiser can do it. It can be fast. Heavily armed. Tough as nails. A fighter carrier. A command and support ship (I always use a Light Cruiser to do this). What it can’t do, is all these at once. However, if you’re looking for the toughest fleet possible, it’s Light Cruisers.

Advanced Cruisers hulls are nearly twice the cost of a light cruiser (almost 3 advanced destroyers), the 3rd versions are a bit past that, because they demand Hexodorium, one of the 3 rarest construction resources in the game, and a lot more Aculon. A fully equipped Light Cruiser can be cheaper than the hull of a Heavy Cruiser. They don’t offer much more performance than a Light Cruiser, either- about 10-20% more space, and a bit better bonuses. However, they get more slots. Which means they are stronger at any specialized role you can think of. So, if you really need something done in the strongest way possible without regard to cost (short of what battleships and carriers do), Advanced Cruisers fit the bill.

Battleships do two things. Bring heavy weapons and sustain damage over time. Unless you’re trolling, you’re using it for long-range firepower (yes, you could build a blaster battleship that will output terrifying firepower in the thick of a ship melee, but nothing about this is optimal- battleships are slow, and by cost, just don’t compare to the firepower and durability of smaller ships). You can use a battleship as a command and support ship, but battleship space is expensive. Given that it has enough weapons, it will attract firepower away from your smaller ships, and it has lots of defense slots, which get a shield recharge boost. Use that. Coupled with the massive range boost, battleships are an ideal center point of a fleet, but if you’re focusing on long-range weapons (especially beams), a fleet of battleships can be unstoppable. I recommend multiple repair bots.

Carriers aren’t just fighter platforms- destroyers and cruisers generally do better as small carriers. Like Battleships, they’ll attract a lot of attention, so make use of the heavy defense slots and recharge boost, with at least 2 repair bots. If you don’t use heavy weapons, you’ll have room to spare for command and support components. Still, I recommend arming carriers to the teeth- including some blasters. They should be able to outgun an AI destroyer without fighters and far outlast it. With heavy defenses and some ship-to-ship bite, they’re a great compliment for a battle fleet with limited fighters and lacking battleships.

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