When it comes to building an empire, Stellaris gives players plenty of options to choose from. The in-depth grand strategy mechanics featured in Stellaris make diplomatic and economic avenues important, but for the most part, war is still the best way to expand, and even pacifists need to defend themselves from potential threats lurking in the galaxy.
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Central to this is the ship designer, which allows players to customize their fleets by picking from a wide variety of components, determining exactly how they want their ships to look, fight, and fly. When it comes to shields, armor, and utility components, players simply use the highest tier available, but weapon choices are a little more complicated. It’s also best to avoid the auto-designer, which tends to produce flawed results. For players in need of a powerful fleet, these ship designs are sure to vanquish even the most dangerous of foes.
10 Interceptor Corvette
This Interceptor Corvette design is a good starting point as it is relatively cheap and reliable. There are only three small slots to work with, so things aren’t too complicated at this point. One Red Laser combined with two Mass Drivers make this a well-rounded ship capable of tackling most of the minor dangers a player might face in the early game.
Energy weapons do more damage to armor, while kinetic weapons do more to shields. At this point in the game, it’s generally better to have more kinetic weapons, as they typically do more damage overall, and armor is less important, which is worth experimenting with for those that want to better understand the ship designer.
9 Torpedo Corvette
Though it may be surprising to new players, Torpedo Corvettes are some of the most effective ships in Stellaris and are even capable of taking on battleships by overwhelming them with superior numbers. They can be built by changing the corvette hull to the Missile Boat variant, which comes with one small weapon slot and one explosive slot.
Devastator Torpedoes have the highest base damage of any explosive weapon and also do bonus damage to armor too, making them especially deadly in first strikes. In the small slot, Stormfire Autocannons work best, as they have the highest tracking of any small weapon, with their only drawback being their low range, not a problem for these corvettes as the Afterburners in their auxiliary slot raise their Evasion, allowing them to dodge enemy fire while also quickly closing the distance in combat. Power management can be tricky in corvettes, so remove the autocannon if necessary.
8 Early Artillery Destroyer
It can admittedly be a struggle to find a useful role for destroyers, but when first researched they can provide an often-overlooked advantage. With the Artillery Bow equipped, Destroyers are the earliest a ship can be built with a large weapon slot, giving players a potentially significant advantage.
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This slot is best filled with the Kinetic Artillery, a high-damage weapon capable of outranging many early opponents, destroying their fleets before they can return fire. In the auxiliary slot, Auxiliary Fire-control improves the ship’s chance to hit, making the Kinetic Artillery even more effective. For players fighting an early war, this may be exactly the upper hand needed to conquer the enemy’s planets.
7 Flak Destroyer
The best way to use destroyers is as picket ships, designed to intercept enemy strike craft and missiles. This is a role they excel in because with the Picket Ship Bow and Stem equipped, destroyers offer three-point-defense slots, more than any other ship in the game.
Note that Flak Artillery is definitely preferable to Guardian Point-Defense. Though the Guardian modules do slightly more damage, Flak Artillery has significantly higher tracking, making them able to completely negate missile Evasion and keep up with strike-craft. Even a few Flak Destroyers are handy for making sure fleets are well-protected from whatever an enemy might bring to a fight.
6 Heavy Cruiser
Cruisers are the first taste of real firepower that players get in Stellaris, and represent a significant advantage for the empires that get their hands on them first. It’s best to go with the Artillery Bow and Core for the two large weapon slots, filled with Kinetic Artillery.
There is a significant power gap between cruisers and destroyers in the mid-game, as cruisers typically have more than triple the health and armor of destroyers. It is worth considering taking advantage of this disparity to aggressively expand if neighboring empires haven’t caught up yet.
5 Artillery Battleship
Like many 4x Games, bigger is always better in Stellaris, and battleships are indeed better. Battleships are the true heavy-hitters of any fleet, and will quickly become the backbone of an empire. The Artillery Bow, Core, and Stem allow players to mount a stunning total of 6 large weapons on their ships.
At this point, it’s worth using Neutron Launchers alongside Kinetic Artillery, as the energy weapons will have been significantly buffed through repeatable research techs. This early battleship design will outgun most opponents, giving players the confidence to deal with any opponents they might be facing.
4 Arc-Emitter Battleship
Once an X weapon has been researched, it becomes possible to equip battleships with the Spinal Mount, allowing them to use the most powerful weapons available in the entire game. There are three X weapons to choose from: the Focused Arc-Emitter, Tachyon Lance, and Giga Cannon. The Arc-Emitter is generally preferable in the late game, as it benefits from research repeatables and tends to overtake the other two. For similar reasons, Neutron Launchers should fill the remaining slots. Auxiliary Fire-control is useful here, to give the ship the best chance of hitting its targets.
Players should be sure to retrofit their battleships with X weapons as soon as they become available. This design opens up endless possibilities for empires with lofty ambitions, and will also be necessary in order to take on the end-game crisis once it arrives.
3 Carrier Battleship
For an alternative battleship design, the Carrier Battleship is a reliable option that allows players to better defend their fleets while still bringing impressive amounts of firepower to bear. Swapping out the middle section for a Carrier Core adds an extra two point-defense slots and two strike craft slots.
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Strike craft are both a form of point defense and great offensive options. This makes carriers especially effective when it comes to dealing with defensive stations and fortifications. Make sure that the ship computer is set to carrier, which will ensure that they stay out of range of the enemy, remaining safe while the strike craft dish out damage.
2 Ultimate Titan
The Titan is one of the final ships a player will unlock, and it takes firepower to a whole new level. Titans come with an exclusive weapon slot that can be equipped with the Perdition Beam, with base damage more than double that of the strongest X slot weapon. Though the Titan is capable of serious destruction, its high price means it’s best to use it cautiously. For this reason, make sure the ship is equipped with three Shield Capacitators, allowing it to soak up more damage.
The Titan’s most valuable contribution isn’t actually its gigantic laser, but its unique support auras that can apply significant debuffs to any enemy fleet. The best options are the Subspace Snare, to prevent enemy ships from escaping a battle once heavily damaged, or the Shield Dampener, which hampers enemy shields (especially effective on the Unbidden).
Use of Titans requires the Apocalypse DLC.
1 Fleet Support Juggernaut
No sci-fi game would be complete without a ship of truly ludicrous proportions, and the Juggernaut fits this description precisely. Two Focused Arc-Emitters, six strike craft slots, and four shield capacitors mean there aren’t many things that will worry an empire in control of a Juggernaut.
Nonetheless, don’t throw it straight into the front lines, as the Juggernaut is actually also a mobile shipyard, capable of repairing, upgrading, and rebuilding fleets while away from home. It also offers unique support auras, the best of which are the Target Acquisition Array for enhanced fleet range or the Strike Command for those fleets with a more carrier-heavy composition.
Use of Juggernauts requires the Federations DLC.
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