Ships Database

Ship Class Breakdown

Scout Fighter is the fastest class in the game — small profile, maximum agility, minimum everything else. Hull points are low. Cargo is essentially nothing. Weapon hardpoints are limited. The Scout Fighter is designed for one thing: going fast and being hard to hit. In practice, most players move through this class quickly or skip it entirely. The agility advantage over Light Fighters doesn't compensate for the survivability loss in any fight that lasts more than a few seconds.

Light Fighter is where the game starts. Most players spend the campaign's opening hours in one. A step up from a Scout in every direction — more hull, more cargo, more weapon slots, similar agility. Not exceptional at anything but acceptable at everything. The Starflier and similar Light Fighters are competent ships and will carry you through early Liberty space without embarrassing you. The moment you can afford a Heavy Fighter, though, you'll know it.

Heavy Fighter is the real beginning. More gun hardpoints means more damage output simultaneously. Shield class jumps up a tier. Hull points are meaningfully higher. The step from a Light Fighter to a Heavy Fighter — even the earliest available Heavy Fighters in Liberty space — is one of the clearest quality-of-life improvements in the game. Fights that were close start going decisively in your favor. The trade is agility: Heavy Fighters are noticeably less nimble. In a well-matched fight you need to account for this.

Very Heavy Fighter (VHF) is the end-game class. The Sabre, the Eagle, the Titan, the Anubis — these are the ships the community recommends to anyone who asks "what should I be flying?" VHFs have the most gun hardpoints, the best shield classes, the highest hull points. They are slower and less agile than anything below them, but they win fights. The tradeoff is access: every VHF worth owning is in space that requires work to reach.

Freighter is a different game entirely. The Hegemon — the most combat-capable freighter — can mount turrets and a decent shield. It will survive pirate interdictions. It will not win an extended dogfight with a competent combat ship. Freighters exist to move large amounts of cargo efficiently, and the good ones do that well. A trader who knows the routes and avoids picking fights can run a Freighter profitably and relatively safely.

Transport is the largest class. Enormous cargo capacity, ship-like agility, turrets that can respond to threats but won't save you from a determined ambush. Player-controllable, but in practical terms a Transport in dangerous space is a target. Most traders who reach this level of play work with escort ships or fly routes carefully chosen to avoid contested space.

What Stats Actually Matter

Hull points are raw survivability. More hull = more hits absorbed before you die. Simple and important.

Power plant class is the stat most new players underweight. The power plant determines how many weapons you can fire simultaneously without draining your energy. If your ship's power plant can't sustain all your weapon hardpoints firing at once, you'll be managing bursts instead of sustained fire. A ship with a higher-class power plant punches above what its hull points suggest.

Shield class is the first line of defense. Shields regenerate between fights. Higher shield class means more capacity and faster regeneration. Matching your shield type to the weapons your typical enemies use can matter in the late game — energy weapons, kinetic weapons, and explosive weapons have different shield resistances.

Cargo capacity is playstyle-defining. A VHF with 70 cargo units is a ship that can run missions and carry moderate trade goods. A Freighter with 300+ units is a different economic machine. The trade-off between cargo and combat capability runs through every class.

Gun hardpoints vs. turret hardpoints. Gun hardpoints fire forward — in the direction your ship faces. Turret hardpoints have a field of fire that extends beyond the ship's nose. Most ships have turrets pointing rearward or to the sides, for defensive fire. The exception matters.

Nanobot and shield battery capacity. These are your mid-combat consumables. Nanobots repair hull damage instantly when used. Shield batteries restore shields instantly. The maximum capacity per ship determines how long you can sustain yourself in extended fights.

Why Hardpoint Layout Is Half the Decision

The Sabre has a turret mounted in a forward position.

On most ships, turrets cover your blind spots — they fire backward and to the sides, protecting you from fighters that have gotten behind you. A forward turret adds its damage to your forward arc, meaning the Sabre can effectively fire more weapons at a target directly ahead than a ship with the same number of gun hardpoints but all rear-turrets.

In a game where most combat is ships trying to stay on each other's six o'clock, having an extra gun pointing forward changes the math. The Sabre's forward arc damage is higher than competing VHFs of similar specification. Combined with its balanced overall profile — solid hull, good cargo capacity, strong power plant — this makes it the community's most consistent recommendation for a main combat ship.

This is why raw stats don't tell the whole story. Two VHFs with identical hull points, power plants, and gun counts can perform very differently depending on where those guns point and what the turrets cover.

Notable Ships — Community Consensus

These are the ships the community has settled on as worth targeting. Consensus built over twenty-plus years of play is more reliable than any single guide.

Sabre — The standard recommendation for anyone asking "what's the best VHF?" Forward turret, balanced profile, solid cargo capacity for a VHF. Found in Omega border world space. Worth the journey.

Eagle — Sold at Freeport 9 in the Sigma-17 system. High agility for a VHF, which makes it popular with players who want the VHF survivability without sacrificing all the maneuverability of lighter classes. Also has notable cargo capacity. Popular with explorers and hybrid traders.

Titan — The Corsair VHF, sold in Corsair space (Omicron Gamma system). Highest hull points of any VHF — it is essentially a tank. Less agile than the Eagle, more durable than almost anything. For players who prefer winning through endurance rather than maneuvering.

Anubis — Nomad technology, assembled from alien components. Requires Order faction rep to access the components and knowledge needed to acquire it. The stats are competitive with the Sabre but the acquisition path is more involved. Popular for players who have engaged deeply with the Order storyline.

Hawk (Heavy Fighter) — The accessible mid-game upgrade. Available in Liberty space at various stations. Solid step up from starting Light Fighters. The first ship that feels like a real combat platform rather than a survivable taxi.

Hegemon (Freighter) — The combat freighter. More durable and combat-capable than standard freighters, less so than any dedicated fighter. For traders who want to haul serious cargo and still have a fighting chance against routine pirate interdictions.

Where to Find End-Game Ships

The pattern is consistent: the best ships are sold in places that require work to reach.

This is intentional. Freelancer gates its best equipment behind exploration and reputation, not credits alone. You need the right faction standing to dock at the stations selling top-tier ships, and getting that standing requires being in the border worlds, which requires knowing how to get there.

Sabre: Battleship Hood, Omega-3 system. Requires Bretonian Armed Forces access and willingness to navigate through Omega border world space. The Omega systems connect through Edinburgh in Bretonian space.

Eagle: Freeport 9, Sigma-17 system. Freeport stations are Zoner-run and accessible to anyone — the challenge is getting to Sigma-17, which is deep in border world territory accessible through Kusari and the Sigma system chain.

Titan: Corsair space — Omicron Gamma system. Requires navigating deep into the Border Worlds through Tau and Omicron systems, with Corsair faction rep neutral or positive enough to dock.

Anubis: Acquired through Order faction — components and assembly information come from deep Omicron space. The most involved acquisition of any VHF, requiring significant engagement with the Order questline.

In all cases: the credits to buy the ship are a secondary concern. The access is the challenge.

Playstyle Recommendations

Trader: The Hegemon (combat freighter) for players who want to haul serious cargo through moderately dangerous space. A large freighter (Dromedary or equivalent) for safe routes in house space. Accept that full-combat encounters in a freighter are losing propositions — the goal is to avoid them or survive long enough to reach a trade lane.

Combat Specialist: Sabre or Eagle depending on whether you prioritize forward fire (Sabre) or agility (Eagle). Maximize your shield class — get the highest-tier shield your power plant can sustain. Match your weapon class to a single type (all energy, all kinetic) rather than mixing — weapon types have resistances and mixing reduces efficiency.

Explorer/Hybrid: Eagle — the best balance of VHF durability, agility, and cargo capacity for a ship class that sees everything. Enough cargo to run profitable trades. Enough combat capability to survive border world encounters. Agile enough to disengage if a fight goes badly. The standard recommendation for players who want to do everything moderately well rather than specialize.

Ship Class Summary Table

Notable VHF Reference Table

Note: Prices are approximate base game values. Prices vary slightly by exact vendor. Verify via The Starport for exact current values.

Sources

• Freelancer game data files — ship statistics (community-documented via The Starport and Freelancer Wiki)
• The Starport forum — ship database and tier discussions: https://the-starport.com
• Freelancer Wiki (community documentation)
• Community consensus from r/freelancer and The Starport threads