Best Ship Awards
Steve is the only lancer truly qualified to be impartial in these awards, so we rely on his final decision based on what we have to say about the contenders.

Award for Best Mid-Range Ship
We looked at all the mid-range class 5 and 6 ships and picked out the best of the bunch, then had a look at which one was the best of the best of the bunch!

Steve: "Alright we've narrowed it down to three class 6 ships to choose from.. the Hawk, the Drake and the Barracuda. They are the best of their class, so let's see which one is the best of all the class 6 ships."

Gunbeard: "The Drake can outmaneuever any ship out there, plus you have class 6 equipment, so an expert fighter can take on the biggest baddest ships in Sirius."

Choiceofweapon: "But the Barracuda has six forward guns and 3600 hull. That's a lot more attack and defense than the Drake, plus if you can't turn as fast as them, just use engine kill and drift turn."

Rhodan: "Let's not forget the Hawk, with the same equipment capability as the Drake, but a stronger hull and slightly less turn rate."

Lovable Rogue: "You poor chaps are forgetting about size. The Drake is very small and, combined with its fast turn rate, it is much harder to hit and therefore damage. The advantage gained by this pushes it into 1st place."

Steve's Verdict on the Best Class 6 Ship
1st Place: Drake
"Its small size, tight turning and high class equipment makes it a lethal weapon in the hands of an expert. For sheer fighting potential, it wins."

2nd Place: Barracuda
"A strong hull and lots of guns makes this a great ship for beginner and intermediate freelancers. The Barracuda is a powerful dogfighter for engine kill experts, excelling in single-pass damage potential. A great divebomber, but a very large ship that is easy to hit and can even lose weapons if it loses its wings."

3rd Place: Hawk
"With high class equipment that matches the Drake, and a hull strength that exceeds it, the Hawk looks like at least a second-placer. But next to the Drake, it cannot turn as fast and is a larger and easier-to-hit target. Plus, next to the Barracuda, it has two less class 6 guns, giving it a disadvantage in dogfights."

Honorable Mention: Dromedary
"The Dromedary has the biggest cargo bay of all the ships, but it also handles rather well considering it's size. With a whole bunch of class 6 turrets, you can get a lot of firepower out of this freighter, so it gets an honorable mention."

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Mail Gunbeard with your favorite ship & weapon setups!

Award for Best Small Ship
We took the Bloodhound, the Patriot, the Piranha, the Defender and the Dagger (the Piranha almost made the cut) and had a look at which of these little ships has the most potential in combat.

Steve: "The contenders are the Patriot, the Dagger and the Defender. The others weren't as good as these, so get to it folks.."

Chilli: "Patriot has weaker hull and weapons than the other two, but it is tiny and fast turning, so with stunpulse and scorpions, it will beat the others every time."

Choiceofweapon: "Whoa there mister, the Dagger has a good balance of fire power, speed and size, plus a stronger hull, so i think it just edges the Patriot on firepower, as class 4 weapons get real powerful, plus think of the shield too."

Knuckles: "Yeah but the Defender has one more class 3 weapon than the Dagger, so that's an Adv.Stunpulse, Adv.Scorpion or a Missile, that can make a difference."

Chilli: "Okay so head-on the Defender can probably outgun the other ships, but the Patriot's quick turning still gives it an edge if you use strafe and thrusters. The Dagger is better than the Defender though, again because of size and speed."

Steve's Verdict on the Best Small Ship
1st Place: Patriot
"Once again small size and fast turn rate make the Patriot an unlikely winner. In the hands of an EXPERT ONLY, this ship can beat all the other small ships."

2nd Place: Dagger
"The Dagger has good firepower and a decent hull strength. This relatively strong attack capability combined with it's turn rate and slim profile make it second."

3rd Place: Defender
"The heaviest firepower of the small ships, the Defender's relatively large size makes it a slow turner and easier to hit. Head-on, though, it is very dangerous."

Honorable Mention: Dagger
"The Dagger should really be in first place, but I had to look at what the ships could do in the hands of the very best pilots. When I did, I realized that no matter how good a pilot you are, you can't make a ship turn faster. That fact, combined with the best weapon selections compared to hull strength and hit probability, gave me the end result, however much you disagree with it!"

Send in your own Ship Tips
Mail Gunbeard with your favorite ship & weapon setups!