Oh. Boy. Here we go. Short’n sweet but not that much meat. Not going over premium stuff because holy hell this is gonna be long. Don’t ask why I’m doing this. We have like no up to date documentation or guides or anything. Blame the other dudes.
If you’re looking for thoughts on a specific standard ship/destroyer hit ctrl + F and just type in the name. I think I spelt them all right.
Tier lists are always opinion based. This is just my opinion based on experience in PvP with higher than average ping. Yeet.
Here have a little guide to what this even means:
_ D : Don’t use it unless you HAVE to.
C : Acceptable. You can use it but you’ll struggle to compete in mixed rank PvP or even on rank PvP.
B : Sh*t’s pretty good. It’s a solid choice and will compete in mixed rank PvP decently and do well in on rank PvP.
A : Meta. It’s one of the best._
FAQ (from the future)
What is a Standard ship?
A standard ship is a ship available for purchase for credits and features fixed passive slot layouts.
What is a synergy passive?
A pssive bonus applied to the ship upon reaching a certain level. I’m too stubborn to not call experience synergy.
Why are Destroyers on here?
Because the game treats them as standard ships with the main campaign considering it mandatory to own at least 2. So f*ck it.
Fighters
Lynx : It’s rank 1, it’s basically free and for the rank is okay but can’t compete at higher ranks at all. Rank: C-
Lynx-M : It’s the Lynx, but with a Dawn locator and a really weird crit passive. Rank: C
Lynx Mk II : It has racing stripes, discount inhibitor swarm, singularity cannon access and kinematic. What more do you want from a ship this rank. Rank: B
Fox : Plasma minigun is okay. Inhibitor drone if dropped in someone’s face can be obnoxious. The ship can’t take a hit, but hit and run tactics work. Rank: C
Fox-M : It’s a Fox once again so you won’t be able to take many hits but with acces to Beam Disintegrator you can deal with interceptors much better. Other passives are pretty meh and slot layout is okay. Rank: C
Silent Fox : It’s the fox series once again, so you know the deal. You won’t be taking a hit still but with access to ‘Realignment’ this ship immediately becomes a competitive choice for T3 tournaments or Sec Con. Rank: C+
Wolf: One of the more solid T3 choices. With a kinetic passive this ship is capable of running Thar’Kth to moderate success. The ship has access to okay uniques but the ship itself is the selling point. Rank: B
Wolf-M : One of the current go-to T3 fighter choices. Plasmer and Kinetic wave are potent uniques with the passive slot layout being fairly optimal to boot. Rank:** B**
Hyena : This ship can perform the roll of tackler well, but like other Federation tacklers cannot stay under fire for long. Slowing Projector is a potent Unique module and Gravi-beamers make tackling easy. Rank: B-
Wolf Mk II: With access to Dawn Locator the ship has potential, but with mediocre passive layout and mediocre synergy passives the ship struggles to compete. Well, I think anyways. Rank: C+
Tiger-M : It’s discount Stingray. Kinematic shield adapter is absurdly powerful, the ship is highly mobile and capable of dogfighting interceptors if built right and has okay synergy passives. No reason not to get it. Rank: A-
Tiger: Once again, Inhibitor drone if dropped on someone’s face can be potent but unlike the Fox this ship can take a bit more of a hit. Passives are optimal, synegy passives are… odd. Rank B-
Tiger II: Access to Disintegrator beam makes this ship potent in mixed rank due to the higher presence of Interceptors. Passive layout however is sub-par and the ship cannot take many hits. Rank: C+
Lion: Decent passive layout, good unique module access and decent synergy passives. This ship can perform well in mixed rank PvP on busy maps but struggles somewhat in open maps. Rank: B+
Piranha-B2: Decent passive layout, decent unique module access and synergy passives. This ship can perform similarly to the Tiger-M but without kinematic has far less regen potential. Rank: B
Lion Mk II: Good passive slot layout, access to slowing projector and good synergy passives. This ship is only held back by how fragile it is… and maybe a seoncd CPU slot. Rank: A-
Hercules: It’s rank 1. It’s actually free. It’s a gunship. It’s good for the rank but won’t scale. At all. Rank: C-
Hercules Rage : It’s the Hercules but with access to Singularity cannons and a secondary crit chance increase. It can compete at low rank but won’t scale. Rank: C
Hercules Arrow : One of the first commands you can get access to now. It has decent unique module access but horrible passive slot layout for the rank. Rank: C
Deimos: A highly mobile fighter for Empire standards thanks to ‘Deimos Engine’ access. It has good potential for low rank activities but once again won’t scale. Rank: C+
Demios 2: It’s the Deimos but with worse unique module access - however the ship can stack kinetic resistances unlike vanilla Deimos. Rank: C
Phobos: For a rank 7 this ship performs well. It has good unique module access, decent passives and a good passive slot layout. Rank: B-
Prometheus: Horrible slot layout for a command and restricted further by passive rank access. Only thing worth noting on this ship is the increased range passive, cheesing clearance tasks needing “kills”. Rank: C
Achilles: Good passive layout (almost perfect), decent unique module access and great synergy passives. The only thing holding this ship back is the lack of mobility and durability. Rank: B-
Prometheus X: Almost perfect passive slot layout again, decent unique module access… again and decent synergy passives. This ship can perform decently thanks to Thermal Energy Burner and a good build. Rank: B-
Prometheus Fire: One of the first ships older players may have ever used. It features decent passive slot layouts and decent synergy passives. For the rank of the ship it is capable of performing well. Rank: B
Castor: Deimos’ older cousin. With access to Demios Engine it is one of the most mobile Empire fighters and has amazing disengage potential as a result. Synergy passives and passive slot layout are both decent. Rank: B
Spartacus: A solid command ship for the rank. Great unique module access, near ideal passive slot layout and great synergy passives help this ship compete. The only thing holding it back is mobility. Rank: B+
Argonaut: An extremely annoying ship to go against due it’s powerful unique modules. It cannot tank very well but has obscene DPS potential thanks to focusing laser. Rank: B+
Apollo: Good passive slot layout, decent durability and good synergy passives. This ship is only held back by it’s lack of mobility which pushes it straight out of the meta currently. Rank: B
Aura: An extremely reliable command choice for the Portals mode. Outside of portals it features fairly decent unique module access and good passive slot layout. This ship can compete in mixed rank PvP. Rank: A-
Lightbringer: Relatively poor unique module access, acceptable passive slot layout and decent synergy passives. This ship struggles to compete in mixed rank PvP with the current mobility meta. Rank: B-
Axe: It’s free almost. It’s rank 1. I might be biased due to nostalgia but just about everything at this rank can compete… well, almost everything. Rank: C
Axe-X : Second verse, same as the first except this time with very powerful unique module access to make it stand out. Rank: C+
Machete: A good ship for the rank - the unique module access are counter-intuitive with one encouraging close range and the other designed for long range. Rank: C
Machete AE: With potent unique module access, the ship is very good for the rank but is still only note worthy for the unique modules. It is otherwise a gateway ship to it’s successor. Rank: C+
Machete S: With decent unique module access the ship once again - performs well for the rank with the only downside being poor passive slot layout for the rank. Rank: C
Katana: One of the better aged rank 7 ships. It has decent unique module access, good passive slot layout for the rank and good synergy passives. It is only held back by it’s fragility. Rank: C+
Katana AE: A tackler with unique synergy passives, good passive slot layout and good unique module access. It is only held back by it’s rank and Jericho’s faction passive. Rank: B-
Katana S : With fantastic passive slot layout, decent unique module access and decent synergy passives - this ship can still compete in rank limited battles. Rank: B
Lance: With good passive slot layout and synergy passives - this ship is fairly decent but is overshadowed by it’s successor too much in almost all ways. Rank: B-
Lance Bartle: With potent unique module access, this ship has good dogfighting capability despite being a tackler. It is only held back by Jericho’s faction passive. Rank: B
Lance S: This ship features potent synergy passives, unique module access and has a good passive slot layout. The only thing holding this ship back is Jericho’s faction passive. Rank: B+
Sword: Feature unideal passive slot layout, odd synergy passives and poor unique module access. This ship is having an identity crisis. Rank: C+
Sword AE: Unlike the previous Sword entry, this ship has good passive slots, good unique module access and decent synergy passives. It is once again however held back by Jericho’s faction passive. Rank: **** B
Sword S: One of the few commands with an alternate special module, this ship once again holds mostly ideal passive slot setups for a regular command but once again is held back by the faction passive. Rank: B
Frigates
Raptor : It’s rank 2, it’s the squishiest ship in the game almost, it can barely even compete in it’s own tier. Rank: D
Raptor-M : Second verse, same as the first. Not even commitment can salvage this ship. Rank: D
Raptor Mk II : This one is only saved by having access to multiphase laser access. The ship still can’t take a hit but you can heal people okay. Rank: C
Alligator-C : The ship has good passive setup, good module access but no good main weapon choices. You can take a hit, but you can’t do damage. Rank: C-
Alligator-M: It’s a very, very, very slightly more durable Raptor. You won’t be brawling. You won’t be tanking. You’ll even struggle to heal with the limited module access this ship has. Rank:** D**
Alligator MkII : Unlike the rest of the Alligator series this ship is redeemed by it’s unique module(s), as it has access to a lower rank Eclipse launcher allowing for better healing potential. Rank:** C-**
Anaconda : The old school punching bag. Formerly just a free kill, with access to Fuse blaster and Energy compensating projectile this ship has good potential but cannot be played aggressively. Rank: B-
Anaconda-M : A fairly solid guard frigate for the rank. Solid passive layout but fairly poor synergy passives. It has potential to be competitive in mixed rank PvP but struggles against burst DPS of some ships. Rank: B-
Anaconda Mk II: Ram attack is stupid. Adaptation Mehanism is solid. Synergy passives are good. It’s great for memes. Rank: B+
Grizzly Mk II: Good synergy passives, good passive slot layout. The only thing holding this ship back is poor rotation speed and an excessively bulky model. Rank: B
Grizzly: A fairly under-rated ship. Still fairly squishy but with absurd burst heal potential due to Commitment and an ideal passive slot layout. In portals this ship has good potential. Rank: B+
Grizzly-M: :The meme ship capable of going faster than an interceptor. Passive layout is good, Unique module access is poor and synergy passives are meme tier. Rank: C+
Osprey: Multiphase laser is the only saving grace of this ship. It’s squishy and has a massive hitbox but has solid healing output. Passives are identical to above ships and synergy passives are okay. Rank: B
T-Rex Mk II: The king of Frigate choices in portals arguably. Almost perfect passive slot layout and synergy passives. The ship is only held back by it’s huge hitbox. Rank: A
T-Rex : This ship struggles to compete outside of portals entirely due to it’s fragility and massive hitbox yet again. In portals however, it has the ability to stay highly mobile while healing allies - making it potent. Rank** : B+**
Harpy : It’s rank 2. It’s basically free. If you have a solid aim it can perform well for it’s rank but will not scale. Rank: C
Iron Harpy: It’s the Harpy bubt with slightly better passive slots and some unique modules. It out performs the harpy, but that isn’t saying much. Rank: C
Steel Harpy: Sinobi jump is one of the only redeeming features of this ship. Otherwise it is mostly XP fodder and in some ways it out performed by Iron Harpy. Rank: C-
Hydra: Featuring poor unique module access, decent passive slot layout (for the rank) and acceptable synergy passives. This ship is acceptable for the rank but won’t scale much further. Rank: C+
Hydra 2: For an Empire Engineer of the rank this ship has obscene burst heal potential, decent tanking potential. This ship is arguably the strongest rank 6 Frigate. Although that doesn’t say too much. Rank: B-
Acid Hydra: Particle flow disruptor is the saving grace of all LRFs. Decent passive slot layout is just a bonus. Rank: B
Cerberus: Mediocre unique module access, good passive slot layout but cannot take many hits due to the LRF durability penalty (-50% hull and shield of standard frigates). This ship has seen better days. Rank: B
Styx: A fallen king of the T3 Frigate meta. This ship has good unique module access, great passive slot layout and good synergy passives. The only thing holding it back is the inability to regen quickly on demand. Rank: B+
Garm: With underwhelming unique module access, a poor passive slot layout and weird synergy passives. This ship is extremely unremarkable and always has been. Rank: C
Centaur: With decent unique module access, this ship has potential to deroot Engineering frigates but is held back by the LRF durability penalty and lack of Particle Flow Disruptor. Rank: C
Minotaur: With poor synergy passives, underwhelming unique module access and good passive slot layout. The only thing worth noting on this ship is it’s tanking capability which even then is limited. Rank: C+
Chiron: A hidden gem with missile reload focused builds, this ship has potential to have serious influence over the field with it’s high mobility and burst damage potential but is held back by the LRF penalty. Rank: C+
Dragon: A fairly unremarkable entry to the empire LRF line. Poor unique module access, decent passive slot layout and poor synergy passives do not do help this ship stand out. Rank: C
Naga: A fallen king of old school SC. This ship features decent passive slot layout, great unique module access and powerful synergy passives. It is held back however by the lack of good self defense options. Rank: B-
Archdragon: Particle flow disruptor is the prime feature of this ship, making it powerful in Sector Conquest with a great passive slot layout also helping it be a hidden contender in portals. Once again, LRF penalty. Rank: B
Zealot: It’s dirt cheap. It’s rank 2. It’s a guard. Rank: C
Zealot AE: It’s the Zealot but with powerful unique special modules. It’s held back primarily by it’s rank however. Rank: C+
Neuron Zealot: It’s the Zealot AE but tankiner and with alternate unique module access. Rank: C+
Templar: The lowest rank Jericho LRF. The ship has good passive slot layout but is held back significantly by the underwhelming special module and LRF penalties. Rank: C
Templar AE: A relatively squishy LRF yet again. It has good single target, longe range CC but is otherwise extremely underwhelming. Rank: C
Templar S: One of the first notable Jericho frigates. It features good synergy passives and decent passive slot layout but is held back significantly due to the lack of hull strength. Rank: C+
Crusader: Featureing relatively poor synergy passives, primarily poor unique module access. The only saving grace for this ship is “Conformist” booster. Rank: C
Ira Deus: A fairly decent JLRF. Featuring unique synergy passives, decent unique module access and mostly acceptable passive slot layout. This ship is still usable in rank limited battles. Rank: B-
Crus S: A fallen king of the T3 Frigate meta. The ship features relatively underwhelming unique module access but is saved by having near ideal passive slot layout. Rank: B-
Tormentor: Potentially one of the more recongisable ships in the game - any benefits this ship would have had are immediately stripped away by the sheer size of the ship, making dead zones immense. Rank: C+
Tormentor AE : A relatively underwhelming LRF. It is far too squishy and is far too easy to spot when under EM scattering field due to it’s size and shape. Rank: C
Tormentor S : Ssecond verse, dangerously close to the first. This ship is somewhat saved by “active missile shield” which despite the name is primarily used for shield regeneration. It is usable, but not powerful. Rank: C+
Inquisitor : Arguably the strongest of the Jericho guards due to it’s passive and unique module access. This ship is somewhat viable in PvP but struggles without an Engineer nearby. Rank: B-
Inquisitor AE: Despite being the maximum rank Jericho LRF, it is still far too weak - even in comparison to Empire LRFs. It is too squishy, the special module is too weak and is too easy to spot under cloak. Rank: C
Inquisitor S: Formerly the tankiest guard in the game, the Inquisitor S now offers underwhelming unique module access, poor synergy passives which are only compensated by good passive slot layout. Rank: B-
Interceptors
Swift : It’s a rank 3, it’s a covert ops - it used to dominate lower tier PvP. It barely scales due to rank but can whoop xxxx in rank restricted stuff. Rank: C+
Swift-M : Unlike the regular swift, this one competes in higher ranks and as such, doesn’t hold out as well as fighters are stronger competition. Rank: C-
Hawk : It’s a recon. It has shrapnel access. It has duelist access. This thing could be used in mixed rank PvP seriously if you truly wanted to commit to the meme. Rank: B-
Swift Mk3 : The first swift that can be taken semi-seriously. Mass plasma disturbance is obnoxious as hell in objective PvP and Adaptive Camo makes for great disengage potential. Rank: B-
Hawk-Eye: For a rank 7 once again, this recon is very good. Tracer plasma gun is good. Covert Ops spy drone is good. Critical counter is good. The passive bonuses and slots are good. Rank: B-
Hawk-M : With bonus strength to Covert Ops modules this ship is immediately competitive. The unique modules are sub-par but with access to Plasma arc, Orion and the typical Covert Ops stuff it can do well. Rank: B
Kite : One of the kings of the T3 meta. This ship still is able to compete in mixed rank PvP due to the power of Emergency Retreat and Adaptive plugin. This ship is still very, very solid. Rank: B+
Black Bomber: Once again. A recon. Great disengage potential but this time with sub-par Unique modules. Passive layout makes strafe plasmagun possible but nothing else distinct about this ship. Rank: B-
Kite-M: Mass interference generator is one of the most obnoxious unique modules in the game. Combined with a reload passive, this ship is annoying as hell to play against if used properly. Rank: B
Swift Eagle: Same deal as Black Bomber. Unique is discount Tai’kin… xxxx cloud and passive layout allows for strafe plasmagun usage. The passive layout overall is more ideal however… Rank: B-
Eagle: Unlike the other two ships which can run strafe plasmagun. This one can’t… but it has EM passives. Poor Unique modules do not help this ship stand out but for low ping play the passive layout is good. Rank: B
Eagle-M : The most powerful Covert Ops ship in Sector Conquest due to it’s synergy passive for missile damage and nuke access coupled with decent passive slot layout. No reason not to have it. Rank: A
Grey Falcon: In standard PvP this ship is fairly mediocre. In portals however, when used with a low ping can be extremely potent. The point I’d reccomend getting used to this ship if you have under 100 ping. Rank: A-
Spectre Falcon : A ship I often frequent in mixed rank and portals. Exceptional passive access, decent passive slot layout, decent synergy passives. Even with higher ping this ship can perform well in PvP. Rank: B+
Falcon-M: Grey Falcon’s more potent cousin for mixed rank PvP. With access to Mass plasma disturbance and Adaptive plugin this ship has insane objective play potential and killing potential in the right hands. Rank: A
Dvergr 2: It’s literally free. It’s a recon. Don’t ask what happened to Dvergr 1. We don’t talk about Dvergr 1. Rank: C
Dvergr Knight : It’s an upgrade to the Dvergr 2 with powerful unique module access. Rank: C+
Neutron: Currently the first ECM new players will use. It features decent unique module access and good synergy passives aaand is cheap as dirt. What else do you want. Rank: C+
Dwarf 2: Unlike the Hawk which I deemed to be potential mixed rank viable, the Dwarf 2 has poor unique module access and poor mobility. Decent for the rank but not very note worthy. Rank: C
Diamond Dwarf: Featuring decent passive slot layout, decent unique module layout and a powerful set of synergy passives. This ship’s main standout is the Bow EM laser. Rank: C+
Swarm: A fitting name given the unique module access of the ship. It has good disengage potential as per all recons and good passive slot layout. For the rank it is a good ship. Rank: B-
Black Swarm: Potentially one of the most toxic interceptors to go against. It has obnoxious unique module access, good passive slot layout and good synergy passives. The only drawback is poor DPS output. Rank: B
Magnetar: With great unique module access. good passive slot layout and fairly potent synergy passives. This ship can be quite annoying to go against as per most ECMs. Rank: B
Tempest: This ship is somewhat mixed rank PvP viable due to it’s passive slot layout alone. It has underwhelming synregy passives and niche unique module access but is viable regardless due to it’s rank. Rank: B+
Nibelung: The most obnoxious standard recon to go against in objective based PvP modules due to it’s unique modules. This ship can be incredilbly difficult to shutdown if used corrently. Rank: A-
King Nibelung: Depiste holding title over it’s predecessor - this ship is worse in almost every way.It has horrible unique module access, poor passive slot layout and decent synergy passives. Rank: B-
Viking: If the rankings don’t make it obvious by now, recons are fairly potent in objective based game modes. This ship even with poor unique module access is still relevant due to passive slots and bonuses. Rank: B
Storm Viking: Arguably the king ECM of portals. The fantastic passive slot layout and synergy passives make this ECM extremely potent in the right hands. In normal PvP the unique modules keep it relevant. Rank: A-
Jarl: With fairly decent unique modules and passive slot layout - this ship is simply outperformed in both regular PvP and portals due to the Empire passive slowing it down so much. Rank: B
Dagger: It’s rank 3. It’s dirt cheap. It’s an ECM. Rank: C
Dagger AE: It’s the Dagger but with more module slots and limited unique module access. Rank: C
Dagger V: Honestly, this ship is not very note worthy. It has acceptable passive slots for the rank, underwhelming unique module access and is limited in synergy passives due to being rank 5. Rank: C-
Stiletto: A powerful single target module denial ECM. If rank 4-6 tournaments ever see a return it may see use again. Rank: C+
Stiletto AE: A hidden gem in low rank. It’s unique module access has very niche but powerful usage however the unique engine modifier is more likely to get you killed than save you. Rank: C+
Kris: A relatively solid ECM for the rank - feautring decent unique module access and good passive slot layout. It is however overshadowed by it’s successor. Rank: B-
Ricasso: A solid Covert Ops ship for it’s rank due to it’s unique module access. In the right hands the ship can be difficult to shutdown but it limited by it’s passive slot layout. Rank: C+
Kris AE: An extremely obnoxious ECM to play against due to it’s unique module access. It sports decent passive slot layout and powerful synergy passives. Rank: B
Kris S: An extremely high damage Covert Ops - it is exceptionally powerful against larger targets but suffers from energy stability issues. Rank: B-
Nodachi: A relatively dismissable ship after the change to Last Man Standing’s danger zone. It is possible to use to some extent in mixed rank but is significantly overshadowed by it’s successor. Rank: C+
Nodachi A: A relatively dismissable ship after the removal of it’s EM synergy passives. It features passive slots ideal for low ping dogfighting but is held back by underwhelming unique module access. Rank: B-
Nodachi EW: A fairly strong ECM featuring potential for extremely high shield builds without sacrificing resistances. This ship is somewhat capable in mixed rank PvP scenarioes and even Sec Con. Rank: B
Wakizashi: An extremely obnoxious ECM to fight against due to the effect of it’s unique module access. It however isn’t very capable of high damage output whilst using it’s uniques however. Rank: B
Wakizashi R: This ship is extremely potent and in PvP it can perform exceptionally well thanks to it’s powerful unique module access, synergy passive bonuses and passive slot layout. Rank: A-
Wakizashi AE: A survivable ECM due ot it’s unique module access. It’s synergy passives make it very potent against players without a proton wall but is otherwise somewhat unremarkable. Rank: B+
Destroyers
Procyon : The ship has solid synergy passives and module layout but a single Plasma Arc will either kill you or leave you at death’s door. Heck, even a close range EM torpedo will almost kill you. Rank: D+
Antares: The best of the Rank 11’s and at the same time dangerously close to the worst. if not played highly mobile you may as well have just taped two Anaconda’s together for similar result. Rank: C+
Sirius: A shadow of it’s former self. Plasma Arc’s and Stingrays are still overhwlemingly common in mixed rank and max rank PvP due to Ze’tas power and this ship can’t do much to stop them. Use at your own risk. Rank C+
Invincible: Currently the WORST Destroyer in the game. It is unable to heal, almost at all from incoming attacks. Cannot block long range attacks for long periods of time and has virtually no shield capacity. Rank: D
Brave: Second verse, dangerously close to the first. Once again Empire Destroyers have horrible missile slot cooldown and have very vulnerable modules. The only good part of this ship is good turret placement. Rank: C
Vigilant: The worst of the Rank 14 Destroyers. Although it can perform well in smaller maps due to remote minelayer, a single ECM or a ship with emergency barrier will de-root you in seconds. Rank: C+
Archon: Good synergy passive selections, good shield capacity and module layout. The ship is only held back by Destroyer’s inability to regenerate hull quickly and poor hull durability due to it’s rank. Rank: C
Sibyl: Second verse, same as the first honestly. The ship has the same benefits and downsides - just at a higher rank. Rank: C+
Tyrant: The only standard Destroyer that can reliably compete in mixed rank PvP and hold out decently at higher PvE levels. The Tyrant has the best unique module access of all Destroyers arguably. Rank: B
Okay that’s that done. Never ask about tier lists ever again. Okay thanks.