What factions have the best ship in each class?

[Silver (Skrublyfe)]

We all know the Imperial Navy has the best Frigates, but which factions have the best Destroyers, Cruisers, Battlecruisers, Carriers, Battleships, and Dreadnoughts? I have my opinions on a few, but I'm interested in what the rest of the community has to say.

Frigates: Without question, the Imp Frigate is the best, with its amazing hit and run tactics and ability to ignore shields to a large degree. I'm willing to hear arguments for other factions' Frigates, but I doubt they will measure up to the Imp Frigate.

Destroyers: I have less experience using this class of ship, even in the Imperial faction, but from what I've seen, the Royal Navy could claim that spot. It has a great balance of weaponry to deal with shields and armor alike, and even has a micro-jump drive to help it get out of a sticky situation or jump to an advantageous position. The only other I would say has a shot at top spot is the Colonial Destroyer. The Gamma Artillery and Gamma Barrage it has are great for wearing down shields from a safe position behind a larger bullet sponge and makes it a solid support option.

Cruisers: This one I would have to give to the Colonial Cruiser. It is an incredible primary ship for the Colonial Navy, and though it might be a bit expensive to be a filler ship, it has great synergy with itself if you field them in larger battle groups. The Kinetic Guns are solid in close encounters, and the Plasma Torpedoes are great against aggressive ships. The main draw of this ship is the Plasma Artillery, without a question. Combined with its Artillery Reload ability, it has amazing "Alpha Strike" capacity, able to use the artillery twice in a single turn. This gives Colonial Cruiser battle groups incredible burst damage potential. It also has Gamma Missiles for those stubborn shields on certain ships, but it isn't wise to rely on them.

Battlecruisers: I would have to give the top spot to the Syndicate Battlecruiser. While the Plasma Guns and Antimatter Missiles are certainly nothing to scoff at, it is the Kinetic Railguns that are the main draw of this ship. They hit so hard and once upgraded, can be used every turn. Combine this with the Battlecruiser's Shield Pierce fleet ability, and you have a deadly firing line that can even shred Dreadnoughts with ease. On top of all that, you even get to supplement your action economy with the occasional Corvette Deployment ability, and Syndicate Corvettes, while not the most flexible Corvette type, have a very hard hitting main gun for their size. Overall, while it isn't recommended to have fleets with nothing but this ship due to how expensive they are, they do make for a great core ship of a fleet.

Carriers: This ship class is in a weird place in Final Theory. Carriers are typically pretty tanky and lean into a defensive play-style with defensive turrets and support missile weaponry. If they do have an offensive weapon, it is usually pretty underwhelming. This is because it is primarily used to deploy mass numbers of Corvettes, and a Carrier is only as good as its Corvettes. So determining which navy has the best Carrier actually comes down to which navy has the best Corvette and how fast the Carrier can create them. As such, I do not have a solid opinion on which Carrier is the best, but I did have good results with four Imperial Carriers supported by six Frigates. The Imperial Corvette has a nifty little Kinetic Gun that benefits greatly from the Frigate's Shield Pierce fleet ability. It doesn't do a ton of damage, but when you can create up to three Corvettes per Carrier every 4 to 5 turns, you can overwhelm the action economy of opposing fleets, making them waste their weapons each turn on a small, weak ship that doesn't count toward ship losses when destroyed. This synergizes really well with the Hit and Run tactics of the Imp Frigate, the Corvettes distracting the enemy fleet while the Frigates tear them apart from behind.

Battleships: I don't have much experience with Battleships and don't really have a good frame of reference regarding how they stack up against each other, but the one I'm familiar with is the Imperial Battleship. By the time I have access to these ships, I usually end up investing in its larger cousin; the Imperial Dreadnought. Honestly, I'm open to hearing out anyone who has more experience with the other factions and their Battleships. I personally like the Colonial Battleship because of its Plasma Artillery and Kinetic Cannons. I consider it a suped-up Colonial Cruiser, which I've already explained why it was the best Cruiser in the game in my opinion. However, other Battleships probably have solid features that could put them in a great spot for best in slot.

Dreadnoughts: Ah, the Dreads. The ship which is meant to best represent the faction it is part of. It is a concentration of resources and power meant to strike awe and fear into enemy fleets. Even a single Dread used wisely can turn the tide of a battle, but if used poorly, can spell defeat for the faction that lost it. I honestly don't think it's easy to classify any Dread as "bad" by any means, but whether one could be considered the best is just as difficult, if not more so. Any fleet that has a Dread is built around that Dread's strengths and weaknesses. It is the Flagship of any fleet it appears in, and if that fleet fails, it is rarely because of the Dread under-performing. Rather it comes down to how well the Strategist utilizes the ships in their fleet. The one that best fits my play-style is the Syndicate Dread. It feels like it hits the hardest out of all the Dreads thanks to its Kinetic and Antimatter Railcannons. Command Zeta is a great buff ability to any ship with a hard-hitting weapon, and the Plasma LRM is quite strong and helps fill a gap in the Dread's offensive options. Combine all that with its Micro-Jump Drive and it can capitalize on wise positioning which maximize damage output. All of this comes together to make the Syndicate Dread feel like a Death Star level super weapon. However, I cannot say that it can stand on its own as a front-line vessel against a whole fleet. I feel that the Imperial Dread is the most well rounded and has the best chance of coming out on top when outnumbered.

With all this in mind, I look forward to hearing about what everyone else thinks. Which ships do you think are the best of each class?

[Carnwulf]

I agree with your list. I perceive it a lot like you.

The Royal Fleet Destroyer is the Best and most versatile. However i think the Syndicate Destroyer with its early Rail Gun and its life saving repair skill is also close behind.

When it comes to cruisers I also like the basic imperial cruiser a lot. It is well rounded and kann dish out nice damage.

When it comes to carriers i do agree that imperial carrier + frigates is a deadly combo. I did once a playthrough only using frigates and carriers. Worked like a charm.

However that being said i do have a soft spot for the royal carrier. The Royal Carrier is to me a small battlestar galactica. Meaning it is a hybrid design dishing out good damage in direct combat while also fielding corvettes. So i happen to like that one a lot.

Battleships are indeed less used but still powerful. I like all battleships equally (except federal battleship never played that campaign far enough to get to their battleships because all the ships they have suck sooo hard, so cant talk about them)

Dreadnaughts. Yeah Syndicate has the Raw damage output while imperial is a versatile and deadly jack of all trades. If i remember correctly the royal dread had however a lot of buffs to apply to other ships. It is not as stong as the others but felt like a genuine command Ship. So i liked it a lot in a sense of it being thematic.


I would be interested to know: Which fleet do you think is overall the strongest? Which one the most versatile? And which one the most thematic? (I dont ask for the weakest. I think we all now it is the Federal Fleet by a mile).

[Tenacitybrit]

Frigates: I actually HATE imp frigates, I'm probably gonna be in the minority here but hear me out: Those kinetic guns don't feel fun to use, you're relying too much on RNG to do meaningful damage to shielded ships and you're often too close for comfort to the enemy. For me I prefer the Colonial Frigate, its got more raw firepower with more weaponry and its thermal artillery works wonders when supporting bigger ships.

Destroyers: Again i'm going against the crowd but not as strongly as with frigates, I love the Royal navy destroyer like you guys, but the Syndicate destroyer is simply too powerful to be ignored. Its railguns and plasma guns give it unmatched firepower since they can both be used every turn. It out-ranges and outguns everything else while at the same time it can repair hull and recharge shields, plus its just as tanky as the Royal version, no contest.

Cruiser: Colonial all the way, its got lots of guns, good health, good mobility and can pretty much do what it wants. A gang of these guys can take on pretty much anything in the game. and at only 300 resources a pop, this is a steal.

Battle-cruiser: Syndicate Battle cruiser for pretty much the same reasons as its little brother the destroyer: Unmatched firepower along with corvette support options mean this beast is not to be messed with by anything.

Carrier: Royal navy carrier by miles. Its just so much better than both the Imperial and colonial carrier by leaps and bounds. Its cannons and torpedoes are amazing, it can shoot anyway it wants unlike the battleship's version of the same particle guns and its corvettes are the fastest, hardest hitting and out range every other corvette except the syndicate one. (But that can only shoot forwards while the Royal version can shoot its guns anywhere)

Battleship: Ooooh this is a tricky one, But i'm going to go with the Royal navy battleship. All the battleships have good firepower, but the Royal one feels like its the most versatile of the lot. Most of its weaponry can damage shields and armour almost equally well, with a slight bias towards armour damage, its mobility is good enough for its role despite its very long charge time on its micro warp and its the toughest battleship of the lot.

It was a toss up between this or the Syndicate version: the Syndi Battleship is VERY fun to use with its powerful cannons, but its slow speed and surprisingly fragile hull make feel more like a big gun with an engine on the back, rather than a 'true' battleship like the Royal version.

Dreadnought: Another tricky one but this time i'm going with the Syndicate dreadnought, having an off-brand deathstar laser is too fun NOT to use, its conventional cannons can shoot in any direction, which I feel is an underrated feature of the ship, its LRMs mean you're not safe at any distance and its kinetic railgun can murder a whole row of smaller ships with ease, not even another Dreadnought from any of the other factions can take this thing in a 1v1.

[Carnwulf]

Ah i forgot the Battlecruiser. Yeah the Syndicate Battlecruiser is a Monster. However i happen to like the imperial one also a lot.

Overall i guess the crowd here seems to lean strongly towards Syndicate and Royal Ships. With some love for the colonial and imperial designs.

I guess i need to do another colonial and royal fleet run again. I have been playing too much syndicate and imperial lately.

[Tenacitybrit]

Well I like different navies for different reasons. Syndicate is my absolute favourite since they fit my aggressive play style, then Royal for their overall tanky hulls and user friendly weaponry. and lastly Colonial and Imperial for joint third place, because I use both pretty much the same way

[Warlord Mal]

Frigate - Syndicate is a great workhorse.
Destroyer - I think its really hard to beat the royal navy destroyer for price and damage output.
Cruiser - Imperial cruiser is terrifying and versatile with its torp loads. It has the best pacing with its upgrades for all the cruisers
Battlecruiser - Hands down, the royal navy. That micro-warp cannon obliterates most fleet strategies by getting rid of the most troublesome enemy. And its a workhorse for thermal damage.
Carrier - Federal Navy is my favorite. It is the fastest carrier and its corvettes carry thermal torpedos...and its thermal cannons have amazing range. The spread works really well for this ship in picking off lighter classes efficiently.
Battleship - This is a hard one because i dont often use battleships, i jump straight to dreads.
Dreadnought - Royal Navy for its versatile commands and amazing weapons that punch through everything.

Favorite fleet - Man it is tough not to love how vicious the Royal Navy is.

[Tenacitybrit]

Originally posted by Warlord Mal:

Frigate - Syndicate is a great workhorse.
Destroyer - I think its really hard to beat the royal navy destroyer for price and damage output.
Cruiser - Imperial cruiser is terrifying and versatile with its torp loads. It has the best pacing with its upgrades for all the cruisers
Battlecruiser - Hands down, the royal navy. That micro-warp cannon obliterates most fleet strategies by getting rid of the most troublesome enemy. And its a workhorse for thermal damage.
Carrier - Federal Navy is my favorite. It is the fastest carrier and its corvettes carry thermal torpedos...and its thermal cannons have amazing range. The spread works really well for this ship in picking off lighter classes efficiently.
Battleship - This is a hard one because i dont often use battleships, i jump straight to dreads.
Dreadnought - Royal Navy for its versatile commands and amazing weapons that punch through everything.

Favorite fleet - Man it is tough not to love how vicious the Royal Navy is.

Syndi frigate Eh? Its OK I guess, It beats the fed and Royal frigates.

Imp and Col cruisers are both monsters when fully upgraded, truly the best I agree.

Never really liked using the micro warp cannon when using the Royal navy, mainly because it doesn't suit my play style, I can usually kill a troublesome ship before it becomes a big enough problem to really worry about. The Royal BC doesn't have much raw firepower, so I just don't use it. The Fed version however I DO use. Its got much better firepower AND a micro warp cannon. So I why not use it?

out of all the ship comparisons you can do, I'd say the Fed and Royal carriers are the closest together in terms of ability and role. Both have good fire power and corvettes. But I'd still say the Royal version is superior:

1) Its corvettes are faster and can repair other ships.
2) Its guns shred shields just as quick as hull.
3) Antimatter torps have a good chance to ignore shields entirely.
4) Can be used as an off-brand battleship if you're careful and tactical enough

The Fed version falls short in these areas for me, its only real advantage is speed and reload time on its thermal torps. Digging through the Royal carrier's impressive shields alone will be hard as hell.

Syndicate Dreadnought just laughs at other Dreads with its shield ignoring anti-matter cannon and kinetic cannon.

Mal you really need to play Syndicate Navy on your channel at some point, your love of Royal will evaporate the instant you start shredding fools with their railguns. :)

[Warlord Mal]

Syndi frigate Eh? Its OK I guess, It beats the fed and Royal frigates.

Imp and Col cruisers are both monsters when fully upgraded, truly the best I agree.

Never really liked using the micro warp cannon when using the Royal navy, mainly because it doesn't suit my play style, I can usually kill a troublesome ship before it becomes a big enough problem to really worry about. The Royal BC doesn't have much raw firepower, so I just don't use it. The Fed version however I DO use. Its got much better firepower AND a micro warp cannon. So I why not use it?

out of all the ship comparisons you can do, I'd say the Fed and Royal carriers are the closest together in terms of ability and role. Both have good fire power and corvettes. But I'd still say the Royal version is superior:

1) Its corvettes are faster and can repair other ships.
2) Its guns shred shields just as quick as hull.
3) Antimatter torps have a good chance to ignore shields entirely.
4) Can be used as an off-brand battleship if you're careful and tactical enough

The Fed version falls short in these areas for me, its only real advantage is speed and reload time on its thermal torps. Digging through the Royal carrier's impressive shields alone will be hard as hell.

Syndicate Dreadnought just laughs at other Dreads with its shield ignoring anti-matter cannon and kinetic cannon.

Mal you really need to play Syndicate Navy on your channel at some point, your love of Royal will evaporate the instant you start shredding fools with their railguns. :)

I have played the Syndicate Navy! They are damn good for their range, very evil.

I do need to play them on my channel though.

I also need to really dig into battleships for each faction. This post made me realize i really dont know them at all.

[Tenacitybrit]

Originally posted by Warlord Mal:

I have played the Syndicate Navy! They are damn good for their range, very evil.

I do need to play them on my channel though.

I also need to really dig into battleships for each faction. This post made me realize i really dont know them at all.

In almost all the factions, Battleships are the general-purpose brawler that you just throw towards the enemy. Compared to dreadnoughts, battleships are faster, but usually lack the powerful 'one turn killing' weaponry dreadnoughts enjoy. They compensate by having lots of weaponry and some form of AoE support weapon. (EMP barrage of the imp battleship, bombs of the Royal one etc)

The syndi battleship is the odd one out however. Its slow like a dreadnought and has the weakest hull health. It does get VERY powerful weaponry however and a quick charging micro warp. which compensates for its lack of speed. If the other battle ships are tanks, the the Syndi version would be a Tank destroyer.

[Warlord Mal]

Great summary man, thanks!