Missiles

Missiles are small objects that move extremely fast and explode on impact, creating a triangular damage pattern in armor.

The Vela Pulsar, very much resembling an exploding missile. Image by NASA/ESA

Missiles require Missile Launchers of equivalent size to launch them, however missile launchers can launch smaller missiles than themselves, i.e. a size 5 missile launcher can launch size 1-5 missiles.

Each launcher can store one missile. All reloads have to be carried in Missile Magazines.

Missiles and Sensors

A successful missile system contains three components that are matched to each other:

1. the missile,
2. the Active Sensor spotting the target, and
3. the Fire Control directing the missile to the target.

If your anti-ship missile has a range of 40m km, make sure that a) someone's Active Sensor in the Task Group (doesn't have to be on the same ship) can see the target at that range, and b) your FC can see it too. So range and resolution of sensors and fire controls should be matched to the missile. Of course there's no harm in Actives with the best range possible, but if missile or FC are mismatched, you're wasting tonnage, time and money.

Warheads and Damage

The most efficient warhead damage for armor piercing compared are as follows:

1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100... (Square numbers) etc.

For the exact amount of squares pierced, compare to square numbers. Take for example, 3x3, or 9. The damage on impact will be 5-3-1 for each layer of armor from the first to the third. For 10, a non-square number, the damage on impact will be 6-3-1. This means that for each point of WH over a square number, add one to each in a downward fashion. Like this:

WH 10: 6-3-1.

WH 11: 6-4-1.

WH 12: 6-4-2.

WH 13: 7-4-2.

And so on. When there's at least 3 squares on the lowest level, the next WH will place the next point on the next level down. E.g WH 24 will do 9-7-5-3, WH 25 will do 9-7-5-3-1.

Missiles can be designed down past whole numbers as well so you can have a missile that is 1.25 size, but it can only be fired from a size 2 or larger launcher.

A Word about Agility

Play around with the Agility value and see how it affects hit chances. Begin with 0.2, then 0.4, 0.6, etc., until you see the numbers drop again. You'll find a maximum somewhere, after which additional agility makes the missile just heavier and lowers hit chances again. When you've found it, play with the second decimal, e.g. 0.42, 0.44, 0.46 etc., for optimization.

Types of Missiles

Missiles can vary in size but can have the same job, smaller is usually better so more can get through Point defense.

Long Range

Favoring fuel and speed, these are mostly for 'hit first at range' tactics, they also are important to mop up any remaining hostile forces that may run, as it can be a problem to chase every single ship down, they also work to weaken hostiles before shorter ranged higher damage missiles finish them off.

Long range Missile Designs

LR Missile	LR High Speed	LR High damage
1 Warhead	1 Warhead	2 Warhead
1.5 Engine	2 Engine	1 Engine
1.5 Fuel	1.5 Fuel	1.5 Fuel
1 Agility	.5 Agility	.5 Agility

Short Range

Balancing out speed and warhead size, these are for quickly destroying hostiles before any severe conflict can begin, a successful use of these missiles can severely weaken, if not destroy your opponent.

Short Range Missile Designs

Base Missile	High Speed	High damage
1.5 Warhead	1.5 Warhead	2 Warhead
1.5 Engine	2.5 Engine	1.5 Engine
.5 Fuel	.5 Fuel	.5 Fuel
1.5 Agility	1.5 Agility	1 Agility

PD Missile

A missile best designed with a 1 damage warhead, this missile should instead balance out speed and fuel, with a majority for agility, these missiles should also be at max size one, as any bigger is a waste of space and material unless an enemy is throwing size 50 missiles at you then situations may deem a change in tactics. PD Missiles need to be at least Strength 1 to destroy enemy missiles. Depending on your Warhead Strength Per MSP technology level, the warhead size in these example designs may need to be increased to ensure the missile is Strength 1 instead of Strength 0. You may need to sacrifice Engine, Fuel, or Agility to ensure the PD Missile is still size 1.

Point Defense Missile Designs

Mid range PD Missile	Short Range PD Missile	V. Short Range PD Missile
.2 Warhead	.2 Warhead	.2 Warhead
.4 Engine	.4 Engine	.44 Engine
.1 Fuel	.05 Fuel	.01 Fuel
.3 Agility	.35 Agility	.35 Agility

Drones

A drone is a type of missile with a set amount of Engines and no agility. Drone engines are 10x more fuel efficient than missile engines granting them incredible range with little fuel.

These can be used as very long ranged missiles with terrible to hit chance on faster ships, or they can be used to carry your missiles half the way to the enemy before then launching their salvo of faster smaller missiles for the final half million kilometers.

Types of Drones

Long range Anti Ship Drone

Since drones have 10x more fuel efficient engines they can have ranges exceeding 1 billion kilometers while the average missile sits around 50-100 million.

The downside to using them like this is that their hit chance is very low due to no agility.

When you create these designs in game you will probably have 6x longer range with the LR Drone, and 3x longer range with the High damage drone than with a standard missile.

Long range Drone Designs

LR Drone	LR High damage
3 Warhead	4 Warhead
5 Engine	5 Engine
2 Fuel	1 Fuel
0 Agility	0 Agility

MIRV Drone

Drone that carries within it multiple smaller missiles that make up the second stage that when near its target will split off at much higher velocity and high damage to their final target.

With this mix you get the best of both worlds, a Drone that can carry very short ranged missiles a very long distance and high damage/speed/agility missiles with low range for the final stretch.

First Stage

First stage MIRV design

MIRV Drone Designs

LR MIRV Drone
0 Warhead
5 Engine
5 Fuel
0 Agility

Your first stage should mainly be fuel, since the MIRV during first stage will be a slow missile carrying ship for all intents and purposes till it closes to the separation range and the Second stage releases.

Second Stage

Second stage MIRV design includes missiles you previously designed. You can choose what separation range and what missiles you want the MIRV to to carry to that range.

Second Stage

MIRV Second stage Designs

MIRV Second Stage Missile
2 Warhead
2 Engine
0.1 Fuel
0.9 Agility

The missile you put on the MIRV will need a very small amount of fuel because you'll only need it to travel less than 15 million kilometers. Go as short range as your enemy's point defense allows though.

Buoy

A Buoy has a reactor and can be used as a Mine, Sensor, or a geosurvey for bodies.

They have a set lifespan which you adjust when you design them, however so they don't live forever and require replacement eventually.

Types of Buoy

Buoys have multiple purposes from sensors to mines (the kind that explode)

Mine

Mine Buoys are exactly that.

Mines use the second stage ability to release their payloads when an enemy closes with the mines via the separation range setting.

Mines are a very cost effective weapon for jump point defense without dedication of ships.

Mine Designs

Big Mine
20 Reactor Duration
1 size 100 missile

Mine Payload

Mines can carry as many missiles as you want them to.

Sensor

Sensor buoys are good if you want a look at a system to see if there is any activity without risking a ship. Just drop one of these near the jump gate and go back home while this tells you everything that is occurring in the area.

Sensor Buoy

Buoy
20 Reactor Duration
80 Active Sensor (resolution 100)

GeoSurvey

GeoSurvey Designs

Geosurvey
2 Reactor Duration
20 Geo Sensor

Missile series

Missiles can be organized into missile series. This feature allows a ship rearming in a depot to load another missile similar in size and role if no stock of the required missile is available. For example, your standard loadout for a Broadsword destroyer is 25 Long Lance Mk4 missiles. If only 8 are available at the depot, the game will automatically try to load other missiles from the same series, so you might end up with 8x Long Lance Mk4, 13x Long Lance Mk3 and 2x Long Lance Mk5, because they all belong to the Long Lance series and perform a similar role.