Starship Classifications

While the actual make and model of starships that exist are almost as numerous as the stars, almost all starships can be categorized into one of four different weight classes:

Support Craft: Generally this category consists of smaller ships like Starfighters and Shuttles. Almost exclusively used in a support role in larger engagements, these ships are lightly armed and armored (if they even are at all).

Frigates: The smallest warships fit into this weight class, along with most civilian craft. Free Merchant vessels make up the majority of the civilian ships in this class, while Patrol Boats, Corvettes and Heavy Frigates make up the militant examples. Combat frigates are generally lightly armed, and most often serve in patrol fleets or in an escort capacity.

Cruisers: The contemporary standard ship-of-the-line, Cruisers are faster and more maneuverable than Capital ships, but more heavily armed than Frigates. These ships most commonly serve in front-line combat, leading frigate flotillas, serving in picket lines or blockades. While unarmed, civilian Bulk Freighters often fall into this weight class as well.

Capital Ships: The largest ships mankind has ever built, capital ships come in two main varieties: Carriers and Dreadnaughts. Carriers are massive hulks that house up to twelve full squadrons (two-hundred and sixteen fighter craft), a quarter as many shuttles and even possess repair and transit hangars capable of housing two to four frigates. Dreadnaughts are multi-kilometer long battleships armed with dozens of batteries of heavy, devastating weapons capable of engaging entire enemy fleets all on their own. Capital Ships are expensive to both build and operate, making them extremely valuable. Often they are held in reserve for only vital battles or fleet actions.

NOTE: While space stations do not have weight classes and are not starships, mechanically in the game they are considered cruisers for small space stations and capital ships in the case of larger stations.