When it comes to Space Engineers, having the freedom to build anything is a key component of one of the best sandbox games. Although, the game does have a learning curve that some players find too steep to manage on their own. However, there are some veteran players who come to the rescue by sharing their best ship builds on Steam’s Workshop. The building as a process is different depending on whether players are in Creative Mode or Survival Mode, which is much harder. Though, these ship builds are designed by veteran players and will give people that are new to Space Engineers a chance to understand the process of building.
Space Engineers is not a typical space exploration game, a key part of the game is mining for resources, for which players will need a great mining ship! Steams Workshop is the perfect place for players to find some inspiration for their next mining ship build. Be aware that some of the designs may need tweaking once in the game as Space Engineers updates regularly and the mods will need to be updated. Below are some of the best or most inspirational blueprints that are available at the workshop.
6 The Anemone - By Spaced Cadet
The Anemone is a mining rig that comes from Spaced Cadet and can help players collect all the resources they need with ease. The ship comes with small reactors to fuel the mining mission, as well as a battery to ensure enough power is there if needed. The simple, sleek design lends itself well to the game, but the design includes all the essentials too. An O2 generator ensures oxygenation throughout and the drills automatically turn on and off. A key feature of this design is the automated stone ejection, which means that white-listed resources are kept and stone is ejected from the two ejectors at the back of the ship! Nice and easy.
The Anemone comes with automatic spotlights and sensors to turn the drills on and off, both of which run from a proximity sensor. Overall, the Anemone is a great blueprint to work with and even gain some ideas that players can explore themselves.
5 Sveinn The Orbital Hydrogen Miner - By Taidyr
The Sveinn Orbital Hydrogen Miner is created by Taidyr and is an easily accessible mining vessel, optimized for orbital transfer. This ship is all about players being able to search out resources from different planets that would otherwise be unavailable. This small-sized ship is cheap and beginner-friendly. Another bonus for beginner players is that the Sveinn is completely vanilla and doesn’t require any DLCs or other additions. As it is so small, the Sveinn is easy to maneuver and can be stored away in a relatively tiny hangar.
Despite not having a dedicated oxygen tank there is an air vent that can take oxygen in from the outside. The design is a few years old and players may need to tweak a few things to make the ship work within the updated game, however, the Sveinn is definitely a good inspiration for small, beginner-friendly builds.
4 The Amphion - By Spaced Cadet
Another entry from Spaced Cadet is this improved heavy mining craft. As should be expected, the drill systems run automatically based on proximity to asteroids and include a handy safety feature that will shut off the drills if engineers stray too close. As this craft contains greater armor and more advanced technology, like the dual oxygen generation systems, it is more expensive than the Anemone mining craft.
When compared to the Anemone, The Amphion is much like a scaled-up version. In the Amphion, players can mine for longer periods thanks to the backup battery supplies and extended oxygen generation.
3 WHI - Worm (M5H) - By Taidyr
The Worm, or M5H, is designed by FunkyBacon and is perfect for the early to mid-game and can help players transition into asteroid mining on a larger scale. The hydrogen-powered ship is a small design but can carry large amounts of ore with its two large containers and a further eight medium containers. The ship makes use of scripts to maintain storage information, so players can keep an eye on capacity.
As it is a smaller ship, it is best used on shorter runs but can complete longer journeys as it utilizes a large hydrogen tank and a further eight small tanks. This design really showcases how fun designing spaceships can be when done right. Players can subscribe to this blueprint via the Steam workshop but will need some DLC for the ship design to work.
2 Gullinbursti Asteroid Drift-Mining Vessel - By Taidyr
The Gullinbursti Asteroid Drift-Mining Vessel is a small grid Miner, designed by Taidyr for non-atmospheric environments, meaning this handy little craft can be used in various environments. The design is also fully vanilla, making it accessible for all players, but is not specifically meant for beginners. A bonus of this design is the very informative Steam Workshop page, which relays all the information players will need, including hotkeys.
The ship is by no means large, but contains five medium cargo containers, and six drills, and comes with preset stone ejection. The drills cover as much area space as possible without compromising the design. There are also plenty of connectors so that players will have no issue docking.
1 Atlas Atmosphere XL Mining Ship 1.1 - By DerMakrat
The size of this sized mining ship is just one intriguing aspect of the build. As the creator DerMakrat says, it is built for reliability and safety. The Atlas contains ten large batteries and is ideally suited for heavy mining operations within the atmosphere as players tame new worlds, though there is an interplanetary version that can be found here. Unlike a lot of designs, the Atlas is as nice looking as it is functional, the Atlas would not look out of place in Star Trek.
The Atlas comes equipped with four gatling guns, and a roll bar, and can be stored in small hangars. As players would expect, this ship also comes with stone ejection prebuilt in, ensuring only important ore will be held. Speaking of ore, the Atlas is also fitted with ore detection sensors, making mining an easier job all around. The Atlas really does cover everything.
Space Engineers is available on Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.