RiftborneIndependent Wiki
Ships and fleets

Which ship should I build?

observedPatch 11.75Build a7b5c7cCore + live worldReviewed
Patch
11.75
Build
a7b5c7c
Scope
Core + live world
Reviewed

The best ship is the hull that supplies a missing mission role at an acceptable cost, travel profile, and upkeep in the active world. Patch 11.75 distinguishes Intelligence, Light, Heavy, Carrier, Siege, Colonization, and Flagship roles. Evidence

Desired result Start by evaluating Check before building
Obtain information Intelligence role Target, mission availability, travel time, and survival assumptions
Fight or intercept Light and Heavy roles Observed enemy mix and current simulator inputs
Move loot or supplies Hulls with displayed cargo Expected surviving capacity and route time
Damage infrastructure Siege role with combat support Target building, surviving siege, and mission type
Found a settlement Colonization role Eligible target, founding origin, slot, and travel time
Support a larger force Carrier or roster-defined support Current effect text and whether enough eligible ships benefit
Defend a colony Sustainable mixed garrison Arrival time, target mix, shield/base effects, and Astra runway

Selection method

  1. Write the mission result in one sentence.
  2. Inspect the current Codex entries for eligible roles.
  3. Eliminate hulls that cannot arrive in time or cannot be sustained.
  4. Compare at least two compositions with the exact target information available.
  5. Use the built-in simulator for combat claims and retain its roster provenance.
  6. Build only the amount supported by the current economy and mission schedule.

Why there is no universal tier list

Multiplayer worlds may provide a custom roster and modifiers. Names, costs, speed, cargo, upkeep, and combat profiles require a world identifier and capture time. A hull can be excellent in one roster and unsuitable in another. Evidence

Needs verification

Any page claiming exact counter ratios or “ships per power” must provide the culture, ship counts, infrastructure, mission, modifiers, roster provenance, simulator seed set, and capture time. Without those inputs, the claim is not reproducible.

Evidence

Sanitized transcripts from the current client. Raw player captures remain private.

  1. Installed client identityThe installed Windows client reports patch 11.75, build a7b5c7c, built 2026-07-31 15:16:13 UTC.Patch 11.75 · build a7b5c7c · verified 2026-08-01 · Riftborne.exe --build-info and Content/build_info.json.
  2. Current fleet and movement implementationFleet role, movement, infrastructure, and roster statements are limited to behavior exposed by the current client implementation and Codex.Patch 11.75 · build a7b5c7c · verified 2026-07-30 · Read-only inspection of ShipTravelSpeedSystem, ShipInfrastructureSystem, and Codex ship screens.
  3. Current combat, raid, siege, and espionage implementationPublished combat statements are limited to behavior used by the current CombatSystem and the Codex. Power is an estimate rather than a fixed conversion from ship count.Patch 11.75 · build a7b5c7c · verified 2026-07-30 · Read-only inspection of CombatSystem and SiegeTargetCatalog.
  4. Active multiplayer-world boundaryThe multiplayer operator owns the world seed, pacing, simulation time, factions, global modifiers, and ship roster. World-specific values must therefore be labeled separately from core rules.Patch 11.75 · build a7b5c7c · verified 2026-07-30 · Current multiplayer client contract and read-only world/session telemetry.
  • Fleet compositionFleet composition balances screening, line combat, cargo, siege, carrier support, and mission-specific speed.
  • Ships, fleets, and travelFleets combine specialized hull families, while their travel time is determined by wrapped distance and the slowest participating ship.
  • Combat simulatorThe built-in simulator evaluates exact fleets, cultures, infrastructure, missions, modifiers, and roster provenance.