Star Citizen's varied ship roster allows players to choose from hundreds of ships that range in cost, size, speed, and specializations. Aegis Dynamics is one of the massive ship manufacturers found within Star Citizen. This company is most well known for its military craft supplied to the UEEN (United Empire of Earth Navy). This is why we see a lot of Aegis ships tailored toward space combat engagements.
This guide will highlight the best ships developed by Aegis and the key factors that make them a great purchase for all players. Not only do these ships excel in their specification, but they also stand out from the other ships in the manufacturer's directory.
Aegis Hammerhead
The Hammerhead is one of the most lethal ships in the game. With 6 manned turrets, each holding 4 size 4 repeaters, the potential damage output is unstoppable when compared to other vehicles available.
The pilot role is purely dedicated to controlling the ship. However, they do have access to 4 size 3 viper missiles allowing for slightly longer-range engagements before the turrets are fully effective.
With this firepower, the Hammerhead excels in bounty-hunting missions and can easily take on Extreme Risk Targets (ERTs) with a full crew.
Aegis Eclipse
Although bombers can’t directly compete with the engagement of fighters, their single payload damage potential is great for catching enemies unaware. The Eclipse is one of two ships in Star Citizen that feature size 9 torpedoes; the other being the Retaliator, a multi-crew Aegis ship also directed towards bombing.
The Eclipse heavily resembles the B2 Bomber, a plane currently used in today's warfare. For this reason, many players love the look and feel of this ship and how it clearly takes inspiration from a practical design.
The reason the Eclipse makes this list over the Retaliator is due to its ability to deliver this payload efficiently without the need for other players. At a slightly cheaper price point of 3.5m aUEC compared to the 4m aUEC of the Retaliator also makes it a slightly better option.
Aegis Gladius
The Gladius is the most iconic fighter in the game and will become even more infamous with its presence in the upcoming Squadron 42 release. Although the firepower may not compare to something like the Vanguard, its maneuverability and speed make it hard for both players and NPC enemies to engage with.
For those looking for their first fighter, this is a great place to start, as it is easy to control, and the damage output can compete with enemies you may encounter in Medium to High-Risk bounties. The Gladius is easy to customize and upgrade with cheap parts from various locations around the system. Although the ship comes stock with 3 size 3 weapons, these can be switched out for slightly smaller gimbaled weapons, making it easier to hit targets in motion.
When all of these factors are considered, the Gladius shapes up to be an awesome all-round fighter that is great for any player to take into space combat.
Aegis Vanguard Warden
The Warden is Aegis’ answer to the heavy fighter. With awesome ships such as the Anvil Hurricane in this class, the Vanguard has to bring some special features to compete with the behemoth meta weapon that is the Hurricane.
At the expense of agility, the Vanguard brings some extreme firepower to the fight, with the pilot having access to 5 size 4 weapons alone. On top of this, with a player in the size 6 turret, the Vanguard can deal out additional damage from the 2 size 2 repeaters.
This stands as a great middle ground between the nimble Gladius and the Hammerhead warship. However, there is another gunship in the Aegis roster that should be considered before purchasing any of the variants from the Vanguard range. With a few upgrades to the shield generator and weapons, the Vanguard can become an even more competitive ship.
Aegis Redeemer
The Redeemer has quickly become one of the community's favorite ships. Back in 2014, CIG ran a competition for the community to introduce a concept into Star Citizen. The Redeemer was the winner of this competition. It wasn’t until the end of 2021 that it was finally introduced to the game with a few development tweaks. However, the ship we have now is currently part of the meta and finds itself to be an absolute powerhouse on the front line.
With dual manned turrets found at the top and bottom of the ship, the Redeemer can easily cover a 360-degree field of view to pick off fast-moving craft. It only takes 3–4 players to fully man the ship, making it a great option for those taking on bounties or other players in a small group.
The shields are one of the strongest points for the Redeemer. The 2 size 3 generators mean the ship can take massive amounts of oncoming fire without needing to worry. For comparison, the much larger Hammerhead gunship has the same shield health making it great for mercenary and combat missions.
Not only does the Redeemer stand out from the other ships in Star Citizen, but it is also a turning point in the game’s development. We hope to see the development team integrating more community designs in the future.
Aegis Idris
The Idris capital ship is a capital ship currently unavailable for purchase in Star Citizen. However, when taking on specific missions in the game, the ship can be disabled and boarded using specific glitches.
Although this may be a short-term solution to obtaining this frigate, it is a great way to get an early look at the ship before its release, sometime around the launch of Squadron 42. The Idris is easily the most powerful ship currently in the game. With a massive size 10 canon and turrets that range from size 9 to size 4, it’s difficult to find a ship that could take on this behemoth without support.
There are a few variants of the Idris which allow players to choose between specialized versions for specific roles:
- Idris-M - Military Variant
- Idris-P - Patrol Variant
- Idris-K - K - Upgraded Protection Variant
As the game develops, more capital ships will be added to the game - these include the RSI Bengal and the Aegis Javelin (both set to feature heavily in Squadron 42). It will be interesting to see how community lead organizations and large groups determine the meta by building their fleet around these massive roaming bases.
With the persistence update in 3.18, we may see more disabled Idris ships littered around the Stanton system.
Star Citizen is available on PC.