Q&A: DefenseCon 2956 New Ships

DefenseCon New Ships

There's a full payload of new ships dropping this DefenseCon, and we know you want that sweet, sweet intel.

We hit up the Vehicle and Gameplay teams to fire off the hard-hitting questions about every ship blasting onto the scene at DefenseCon 2956. Here are the answers, straight from the devs themselves.

How have the Ironclad and Ironclad Assault evolved since they were first concepted, and how have other recent flyable ships informed their development?

Since their concept, the primary change to both Ironclads has been the internal layout in the rear half of the ship, prioritizing ease of traversal throughout what is a complex environment. The original concept interior had a lot of back-and-forth traversal across the width of the ship. Now, there are additional stairwells and ladders to help cut down movement time.

Other changes occurred in the hold, which resulted in increased cargo capacity by adjusting the cargo grid size to allow for more space utilization while maintaining a clear path through the center.

Both the Ironclad and Ironclad Assault appear to be well equipped for multiple roles beyond their intended use as armored freight and combined-arms platform respectively. What types of multi-crew gameplay do you see them excelling at?

Both platforms have the capacity to go well beyond their intended roles simply due to their cargo areas’ sheer size and volume. For example, other vehicles can be stowed within the cargo hold, allowing the Ironclads to serve as motherships or hubs for other gameplay loops.

With the release of the Ironclad, the Caterpillar will also receive its Command Module. While the Ironclad’s module can be used with the Caterpillar, is the reverse also true, and how does the module differ from the original Caterpillar concept?

Both ships now share an identical Command Module. When making the current Command Module, we wanted to ensure the role of the previous one was maintained for Caterpillar owners, hence why it still has the beds and drop seats. So, regardless of which ship it’s attached to, it can function as the “life raft” as originally intended.

Can you tell us more about the Ironclad Assault’s fabricator? What can it craft, and how does it fit into the ship's broader utility role?

Like the Clipper, the Ironclad Assault features a fabricator, and when available in a future patch, it will be able to craft any available blueprint directly to and from the cargo grid. However, it is not enabled at launch due to the functionality of fabricating to and from vehicle grids not currently being available.

The Ironclad includes multiple tractor beams. Are they all the same, or do they differ in functionality?

They are all the same size but, due to their locations and ability to be moved (much like the RSI Hermes’ tractor rail), they provide multiple angles of coverage for loading and unloading.

How does the Ironclad Assault’s repair and refuel functionality work, and can it be used on small ships as well as ground vehicles?

Like other select ships in Alpha 4.8, the Ironclad Assault features the initial implementation of Ship Hangar Services. This is currently ship-wide, so any ground vehicle or ship within the Ironclad Assault can utilize it. However, in a future patch, this will be limited to the rear third of the cargo bay, which is the designated repair area.

It was previously mentioned that the Ironclad could not be flown independently with the Command Module detached, although the main hull would still retain some core functions such as power, cooling, tractor-beam control, and self-defense. How do you envision pilots making use of these capabilities in-game when the command module is detached?

The ability to leave behind the main hull allows for easier atmospheric entry and exit while leaving the parent ship above the planet to carry on doing whatever activities are required.

How will insurance claims work when the command module is detached and the main ship is lost or destroyed?

If the main ship is lost or destroyed, the claim will return the host vehicle with a new Command Module attached, effectively claiming both at once. Any previously stored Command Module from that ship will be bricked, whether it was stored at the time of the claim or not. Bricked modules remain visible in the Fleet Manager and can be removed from the ASOP through the new scrap option.

If the loadout is insured, players can select the insured loadout option when filing the claim. This returns both the Command Module and the host vehicle with a snapshot of the prior loadout changes applied.

The Command Module can also be claimed on its own, without triggering a claim on the host vehicle.

With ship armor now implemented, how does this system affect the Ironclad and Ironclad Assault's performance and role in the broader fleet, and how do they sit within the landscape of ships like the M2, C2, and Starlancer series?

With armor now active, the Ironclad takes its place as a durable industrial hauler, plated for sustained industrial operations. The Ironclad Assault carries improved armor on top of that, letting it endure stressful situations better than the civilian variant.

Looking at armor capabilities, the Ironclads sit in the middle of the pack, better protected than lighter civilian haulers, like the C2 Hercules and Starlancer, but below more refined military platforms, like the M2 Hercules. Even so, both Ironclad variants carry more base hull HP, letting them keep soaking up damage long after lighter rivals would be disabled, extending their operative time in hostile space.

Can you give us an overview of the Pitbull’s armaments and what kind of targets it was built to take on?

In classic Drake form, the Pitbull has more guns than comparable craft, providing plenty of firepower at the expense of durability.

The Pitbull joins a competitive snub fighter category alongside ships like the Mirai Fury. What sets it apart?

The Pitbull trades resilience for aggression. Where the Fury concentrates its fire through 4× S2 guns, the Pitbull spreads it across 6 barrels (4× S1 plus 2× S2), putting more rounds on target at the cost of per-shot punch. Built on a lighter frame, it pitches harder, accelerates faster, and turns tighter in the close fight but pays for that edge with a more fragile hull that cannot trade hits.

How many Pitbulls can the Ironclad Assault carry, and what does that open up for groups running them together?

Simply put, lots. With some careful arrangement, it can easily be into double figures, allowing for the Ironclad to become a snub carrier.

With Tactical Strike Groups releasing alongside the Pitbull, how does the ship's hit-and-run design philosophy translate into that gameplay?

While not packing heavy firepower to damage larger ships, a swarm of Pitbulls is a great hit-and-run deterrent to help screen larger ships and provide complementary fire support.

In addition to dogfighting and swarm tactics, the Pitbull’s minimalist approach and high speed seem like they’d make for a competent racer. Is this something the team considered during production?

Naturally, given their size and relative agility, most snubs suit racing, but the Pitbull is not specifically tailored to it.

As a snub fighter lacking a quantum drive, the Pitbull was clearly designed to be carried within a larger vessel. Which ships was the Pitbull designed to fit within?

Part of the initial brief criteria for the Pitbull was to not exceed the volume of the Fury to maximize transport suitability, so any ship that can fit a Fury should be capable of fitting a Pitbull. A great thematic example is the Drake Ironclad Assault, as this allows both the storage of multiple Pitbulls as well as Ship Hangar Services, providing fleet support to other operations, such as mining or escort.

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