Cruiser designs and armaments vary wildly, ensuring you will always have a tool available for the task at hand. They are able to engage any target, but are rarely especially powerful against any particular foe. Line ships of the fleet, Cruisers are universally versatile. They are highly vulnerable to frigates, but the fighters they bring to battle should never be underestimated. Carriers are fragile, often lightly armed and best kept as far from battle as possible. They range in size from cruiser to dreadnought, but they all share a particular vulnerability stemming from the fact that a hangar is a giant hole in a ships armor. Expensive, but worth every credit.Ĭarriers are a recent invention in the Mass Effect universe, pioneered by Humanity during the First Contact war. They are typically built around massive Spinal Mass Accelerators, but regularly boast sizeable arsenals of other weapons as well. Dreadnoughts are a hard counter for Cruisers, as well as being the only ships well armed enough to pose a serious threat to other Dreadnoughts or Reapers. Some rely on heavy shielding, others thick armor, and the mightiest often have both. They are universally heavily armed, as well being consistently the most well protected ships available. These mighty behemoths of space are the core of any fleet in DotR. All ships of a particular class share certain properties, no matter who constructed them. To begin with, I will explain ship classes. There are some notable difference between ground combat and space combat, and any prospective Admiral would do well to pay attention to these. Today I will be talking about the basics of space combat - ship classes and weaponry in the Mass Effect universe. Welcome to the first in a series of articles covering the many unique gameplay aspects of Dawn of the Reapers.

Mass effect reaper ships