AI War:Ships and Structures

Fleet Ships

Fleet ships will form the backbone of your fleet. Numerous and cheap to make, you start with the Fighter, Bomber, Missile Frigate, and an additional bonus ship type for each homeworld you start with. The AI starts with at least one bonus ship, or two bonus ships if the difficulty is 7 or above (See here for more details.)

The basic mechanics of fleet-ship balance revolves around the Ship-Triangle, where ships types have damage bonuses against each other. In this, Fighters beat Bombers beats Missile Frigates beats Fighters:

Fighter	Inexpensive, with a small attack range.
Bomber	Inflicts high damage on heavy defenses. Best ship class for hitting force fields and the final AI command stations.
Missile Frigate	Fires powerful, long-range missiles, but has a very slow reload time.

Most bonus ship-types either place themselves in-relation to this triangle, or provide some new role not previously available. The various fleet-ships unlockable by the player can then be roughly categorised by their roles below. Note that some ship-types are versatile and have been listed in multiple categories, and that the Triangle-Ship counter are highly ship-type dependent:

Fleet Roles	Sub-types	Ships list
Fleet combat	Role: Brawling (archetype: Fighter) Large numbers, easily replaceable geared towards general combat and attacking assault-craft tend to be lighter hulls Cheap DPS Short range	Acid Sprayer (anti-rare hulls/bombers) Anti-Armor (Long-range, anti-heavy/bombers) Fighter Laser Gatling Neinzul Youngling Commando (anti-light) Neinzul Youngling Weasel (anti-rare hulls/bombers) Tachyon Microfighter Vampire Claw (melee) Vorticular Cutlass (melee)
	Role: Tanking (archetype: Shield Bearer) Emphasis on survivability Possesses immunity to some ammunition, or high HP Can lead ahead of other ships	Armor Ship (anti-light) Bulletproof Fighter Shield Bearer Space Tank (polycrystal) Spire Railcluster Spire Stealth Battleship Zenith Reprocessor (converts enemies into resources) Zenith Viral Shredder (melee)
	Role: AOE-attack (archetype: Electric Shuttle) Damage increases with enemy fleet size	Electric Shuttle Grenade Launcher Saboteur (AoE on enemy death) Neinzul Youngling Firefly (AoE on ship death) Tackle Drone Launcher Zenith Auto Bomb Zenith Beam Frigate
	Role: Utility (archetype: Missile Frigate) Bonuses against specialised hull-types such as Neutron, Refractive and Composite	Acid Sprayer Missile Frigate Neinzul Youngling Weasel Zenith Reprocessor (converts enemies into resources)
Assault-craft	Role: Assault (archetype: Bomber) geared towards larger and/or armored targets Rarer hulls such as Swarmer, Neutron and Polycrystal Large damage, or bonuses to Heavy/Ultra-heavy/Structural Usually require fleet support unless on suicide run	Autocannon Minipod (cheap swarmer, no heavy bonus) Bomber (polycrystal) Infiltrator (cheap swarmer, no structural bonus) Neinzul Youngling Tiger (cheap polycrystal) Raider (cheap, no structural bonus) Space Tank (polycrystal) Zenith Chameleon (close combat) Zenith Siege Engine (set-up time, AoE attack) Zenith Electric Bomber (neutron)
	Sub-Role: Alternative Uses other mechanics Increased damage against specific types of targets	Anti-Armor (Long-range, armor-piercing) Impulse Reaction Emitter (neutron, energy-based scaling) Neinzul Youngling Vulture (ship damage-based scaling) Spire Armor Rotter (removes armor) Zenith Polarizer (armor-based scaling)
Long-range	Role: Fleet-oriented (archetype: Missile Frigate) Out-ranges combat ships (range >6000) (usually) bonuses to Light, Ultra-Light, and/or Swarmer no armour piercing relies somewhat on first-strike Slow to medium speed	Attractor Drone Grenade Launcher Missile Frigate MLRS Spider Bot Spire Stealth Battleship Zenith Beam Frigate
	Sub-role: Kiting ships (archetype: Raptor) Fast AND long-ranged Relatively brittle	Raider Raptor Space Plane
	Sub-Role: Super-sniping (archetype: Sniper) Very long-range/Planet-wide attack High-DPS against target, armour-piercing Retreats	Sentinel Frigate Sniper Spire Blade Spawner Zenith Bombard
Strike-teams	Role: Assassination (archetype: Eye Bot) Cloaking, free reign in absence of tachyon Bypasses some defenses Flexible in role Generally Refractive hulls	(Top-ranks lean towards anti-light, e.g. fleet-ship combat) Raptor Vampire Claw Spire Stealth Battleship (Ultra-heavy hull) Etherjet Space Plane (Ultra-light hull) Autocannon Minipod (Swarmer hull) Eye Bot Zenith Chameleon (Close combat hull) (Bottom-ranks lean towards on anti-heavy, e.g. neutering)
	Role: KO-ships Suicides Optimised in roles	Neinzul Youngling Nanoswarm (support) Spire Mini Ram (anti-large) Zenith Auto Bomb (anti-small)
	Role: Teleportation (archetype: Teleport Battle Station) Instant movement within wormholes High mobile defense Positioning critical for targeted attacks	Teleport Battle Station Teleport Raider Spire Teleporting Leech
Support ships	Role: Fleet-support (archetype: Munitions Booster) Increases effectiveness of other ships by altering stats or DPS, or directs damage away from friendly ships	Simple boosters: Armor Booster Munitions Booster Spire Armor Rotter Damage redirection: Neinzul Scapegoat (sacrifices itself to regenerate ships) Neinzul Youngling Weasel (redirect missile) Shield Bearer (force field) Zenith Mirror (redirect damage, retaliation) Repair: Zenith Medic Frigate Tachyon Detection: Tachyon Microfighter Sentinel Frigate
	Role: Disablers (archetype: Spider Bot) Provides some form of delaying Generally useful on defense Can complement attack depending on situation	Paralyse/Remove attacker: Neinzul Youngling Nanoswarm (paralysis) Spire Maw (eats ships) Zenith Paralyzer (paralysis) Slows/stops attacker (but not damage): Spider Bot (engine damage) Spire Gravity Drainer (gravity) Spire Gravity Ripper (paralysis) Tractors: Etherjet Spire Tractor Platform Tackle Drone Launcher
	Role: Reclaimers (archetype: Parasite) Does reclamation damage Converts enemy ships	Neinzul Youngling Nanoswarm Parasite Spire Teleporting Leech

Starships

Starships are large centerpieces that you build your fleet around.
Most Starships have extra abilities to boost your fleet or increase your strategic options.
A single starship has vastly more health and damage dealing potential then a single fleet ship. A ship-cap of starships has roughly twice the health and 75% the dps of a ship cap of an equivalent Mark of fleet ships, but also costs more.

The following Starships can be build at the Starship Constructor:

Starship	Role
Flagship	A front line combatant to stiffen your fleet. Boosts the attack power of nearby units.
Zenith Starship	A powerful combat starship reverse-engineered from scavenged Zenith technology. Mounts many medium-range missile launchers.
Spire Starship	A formidable combat starship built using technology based on alien artifacts discovered years ago. Mounts a single photon lance (sustained fire beam weapon).
Bomber Starship	Fast, tough starship that cannot attack small targets, including most fleet ships.
Cloaker Starship	Equipped with a Cloaking Super-Booster, this ship can grant cloaking to ships near it that do not have it themselves.
Leech Starship	Starship that reclaims enemies. Reclaimed ships are converted to your side and join your fleet.
Neinzul Enclave Starship	Starship that can build the same units as a Space Dock but can build them anywhere, even outside of Supply.
Plasma Siege Starship	Starship that excels against large ships and structures. Also does massive engine damage to multiple ships when it attacks. Specializes in attacking Force Fields.
Raid Starship	Extremely fast Starship designed for raiding. Is Immune to Black Hole Machines and Tractor Beams. Is also Immune to Force Fields and can attack enemy units protected by them.
Riot Control Starship	Starship designed to counter swarms of smaller ships. Can be equipped with various modules to customize its loadout. Does moderate Engine Damage.
Scout Starship	An unarmed, cloaked Starship designed for scouting. Is immune to anything that would slow it down or block its path.
Spire Corvette	A bonus starship with a photon lance. Can be customized with various modules, making it quite versatile.
Protector Starship	A unique bonus starship that can protect nearby allies from enemy fire with its shot-intercepting defensive modules.

The following Starships can be build at captured Core Fabricators:

Starship	Role
Core Starship	A front line combatant to stiffen your fleet. Boosts the attack power of nearby units.
Beam Starship	A starship equipped with a powerful beam weapon. Fires the Zenith Beam Weapon.
Warbird Starship	A fast starship equipped with a burst weapon for attacking multiple ships at once.

The following Starships are non-combat support ships built from the SUP tab of the system build menu:

Starship	Role
Decloaker	A mobile Tachyon Beam Emitter with a massive range for revealing Cloaked units.
Transport Ship	An unarmed but fast and heavily armored ship for carrying smaller units. Is immune to Tractor Beams and Mines.

The following Starships are only available to the AI or a non-controllable Minor Factions:

Starship	Role
AI-Neinzul Hybrid	A strange fusion of AI technology with Neinzul Youngling biology. The primary actor of the Hybrid Hives AI Plot.
Avenger	A massive, mobile space station that the AI sends after you in retaliation for destroying an AI Home Command Station. Enabled by the Avenger AI Plot.
Beachhead	A highly disruptive structure that the AI has a chance of sending along with its waves. Enabled by the Beachheads AI Plot.
Carrier	A storage location for AI ships when there are too many located in a single star system for the AI to keep online. Once activated, it carries its cargo towards human territory.
Hunter/Killer	Extremely strong starship that the AI sends from outside the galaxy to attack human territory once the AIs concern at the Human alliance with the Fallen Spire has reached unacceptable levels.
Mothership	A colossal armed planetoid that the AI sends when even the Hunter/Killer is not enough.
Neinzul Preservation Warden	The Wardens are enthralled by the beauty of the celestial realm and horrified by the human's rapid resource extraction and use of nuclear weapons and will attack humans for their affront against the sanctity of space. Enabled by the Neinzul Preservation Wardens minor faction.
Neinzul Roaming Enclave	The Neinzul who have not allied with either the Human or the AI forces roam space trying to survive. Enabled by the Neinzul Roaming Enclaves minor faction.

Turrets

Turrets are immobile, Human-only defensive structures:

Turret	Description
Counter Dark Matter Turret	Negates all Dark Matter weapons fire in a radius around itself. Most commonly used to counter AstroTraims.
Counter Missile Turret	Negates all Missile weapons fire in a radius around itself.
Counter Sniper Turret	Negates all Sniper weapons fire in a radius around itself.
Flak Turret	Short range turret that fires exploding canisters for taking out swarms of lighter ships. Only has its attack power reduced by 25% by friendly Force Fields.
Gravitational Turret	This turret slows the Move Speed of enemy ships in a radius around itself.
Heavy Beam Turret	This turret is armed with a massive long-range beam cannon.
Needler Turret	Basic medium-range turret. Counters heavy and artillery armor.
Laser Turret	Another medium-range turret. Counters heavy and polycrystal armor.
Lightning Turret	Emits an Electrical Blast in a radius around itself. Only has its attack power reduced by 25% by friendly Force Fields.
MLRS Turret	Fires multiple, mid-powered rockets.
Missile Turret	Fires high powered and extremely long ranged missiles but has a slower reload time.
Sniper Turret	Fires Sniper Shots that can target any ship in the same system.
Spider Turret	Fires Sniper Shots that can target any ship in the same system and damage the engines of any target it strikes.
Tachyon Beam Emmitter	Emits tachyon beams around itself to reveal cloaked ships.
Tractor Beam Turret	Emits Tractor Beams that lock on to enemy ships and immobilize them.

Guard Posts

The AI currently have no Turrets to defend their planets with. Instead, they employ large structures called Guard Posts. While most of these mount basic weapons, some have special abilities that the player should be careful of, such as the Counterattack Guard Post.

A list is available here.

Guardians

In addition to regular starships the human player also has access to, the AI will reinforce its planets with a special class of starship called guardians. Many of these mount basic weapons such as lasers or missiles, but some have special roles the player should be wary of. This applies especially to the EMP Guardian, Warp Gate Guardian, and Special Forces Rally Guardian.

A list is available here.

Military Structures

Modular Fortresses

These are only available with the Ancient Shadows expansion.

Human Modular Fortresses are researched with any Science lab for 3000 knowledge. Other races' modular fortresses are unlocked as rewards for completing nebulae.

All modular fortresses can mount 8 light and 4 heavy modules, which never exceed Mark III, and must follow the same racial restrictions as champion modules. Mark I Needler, Laser Cannon, MLRS, Missile, and Shield Modules are always available. Higher marks are unlocked by researching higher marks of the corresponding turrets or regular (non-hardened) forcefields. Mark I and higher versions of other modules are unlocked along with the corresponding champion modules as nebula rewards or by spending unlock points.

There are two special cases:

• Missile Modules are light for modular fortresses but heavy for champions.
• Heavy Beam Cannon Modules for modular fortresses are made available by researching the corresponding turrets.

Fallen Spire Campaign

The following Starships are part of the Fallen Spire Campaign:

Starship	Role
Spire Frigate	The smallest of the Spire's combat ships. Mounts a powerful Spire Beam Weapon designed for engaging Starships and Heavy Defenses.
Spire Destroyer	A medium Spire combat ship. The smallest Spire ship that can mount weapon and shield modules.
Spire Cruiser	A medium-large Spire combat ship. Can mount more powerful weapon and shield modules.
Spire Battleship	A large Spire combat ship. Can mount the most powerful weapon and shield modules.
Spire Dreadnought	A gigantic Spire combat ship. Can mount several of the most powerful weapon and shield modules.
Spire Super Dreadnought	A stupendously large Spire combat ship that can only be built outside our galaxy. Mounts many of the most powerful weapon and shield modules.

Ancient Shadows

These are only available with the Ancient Shadows expansion.

Light/Heavy Modules on Champion Ships

Race \ Class	Frigate	Destroyer	Cruiser	Battleship
Human	6/2	12/3	16/4	20/5
Zenith	6/2	8/4	10/6	12/8
Spire	2/3	4/5	6/7	8/9
Neinzul		6/2	6/4	8/5

Champion Modules

Mark I versions of Needler, Laser Cannon, MLRS, and Shield Modules are always available. Mark I Missile Modules can be unlocked for 1 unlock point. All other modules become available at Mark I as rewards for completing nebulae, although not every module is unlocked in an ordinary game. Mark II / III / IV / V modules are unlocked by spending 1 / 2 / 2 / 2 unlock points.

Modules' Racial Compatibility

Module	Human	Zenith	Spire	Neinzul
Light modules
Needler	√	√	√	√
Laser Cannon	√	√	√	√
MLRS	√	√	√	√
Acid Jet	X	√	X	√
Doom Accelerator	√	X	X	√
Flak	√	√	X	X
Impulse Reactor Cannon	X	√	√	X
Insanity Inducer	X	X	X	√
Nanosubverter	√	√	X	X
Paralyzer	√	√	X	X
Polariser	X	√	√	X
Rail Cannon	√	X	√	X
Translocator	X	X	√	√
Heavy Modules
Shield	√	√	√	√
Missile	√	√	X	√
Bomber Bay	√	√	X	√
Interceptor Bay	√	√	X	√
Slicer Bay	√	√	X	√
Heat Beam	X	√	X	X
Heavy Beam Cannon	√	X	X	X
Photon Lance	X	X	√	X
Plasma Seige Cannon	X	X	√	X
Rail Cluster	X	√	√	X

Golems

This page is updated game version 5.050 and should still be correct

Golems from the Zenith expansion come in two flavours: broken wrecks of the ancient Zenith empire that can be utilised by players (and AI-versions that may appear under select circumstances), and the survivors who may interact with both players and AIs in different ways.

In order to use a golem wreck, players must repair it and also constantly maintain it once they bring it online. This is because golems have constant attrition damage to themselves unless they are put in low-power. The attrition will slowly bring its health down to 1 (it will not kill the golem by itself) usually over a span of 2 hours except for the Cursed Golem.

Note that when playing against the AI-type Golemites, their healths are a fraction of the player based golems. this is 50% of normal value except for Botnets, which are 10%.

A rule of thumb on maintenance costs: an Artillery Golem (10M m+c) will cost ~350 metal and crystal per second (in addition to energy costs) to keep online. This is calculated via (0.25)*(build cost)/(attrition time). Between Unity release and 5.046, this rate has been reduced by Engineers in a ratio with their repair rate - this exploit has been fixed in 5.050.

Broken Golems	Descriptions	5.035 "nominal" maintenance cost per sec
Armored Golem	A heavily armoured golem suitable for frontal assault.	1041.67
Artillery Golem	Siege artillery with a powerful, infinite range attack against large targets.	347.22
Black Widow Golem	Carries paralysing tractor beams for superb riot-control.	868.06
Botnet Golem	Reclaimer - converts masses of enemy fleet-ships into zombies.	1388.89
Cursed Golem	Powerful infinite range attacks, but attritions faster than other golems.	694.44
Hive Golem	Produces and stores Wasps for release in swarms. (NB: 1 wasp every 2 seconds.)	694.44
Regenerator Golem	Resurrects other player ships when they are destroyed on the same planet, at a cost to its own health.	208.33 (equiv. 27.8K HP, has bonus of 1/10 repair cost)
Golems of Minor Factions	Descriptions
Devourer Golem	A lone vessel that traverses the galaxy, consuming any non mark-V military ships (mobile ships with weapons and scouts) it encounters, player or AI. Triggers AI alert.
Dyson Sphere	A stationary golem at the edge of a system. Produces powerful Dyson Gatlings that have different alliances depending on who owns the planet.
Mining Golem	Fleets of minor golems will periodically travel to a planet in the galaxy, and consume all of its metal and crystal deposits in order to maintain their vessels.
Trade Ship	A lone vessel that traverses the galaxy, who will sell unique structures to the player (at exorbitant prices) or AI (for no cost?!).

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