Types of Ship
There are over 60 different types of ship in X4: Foundations and with the exception of drones and Xenon ships all can be flown by the player. Ships are classed into four size categories determining where and how many can dock at a docking module or ship hanger. Ships are also classified into specific roles determining the weapon and software options available.
Other X4: Foundations Guides:
- X4: Foundations – Controls
- X4: Foundations – Sector Map
- X4: Foundations – Crystal Mining
- X4: Foundations – Beginner’s Guide
- X4: Foundations – All Crafting Recipes
- X4: Foundations – How to Use the AutoMiner
- X4: Foundations – Basic Concepts for New Players
Sizes
S: Small ships are cheap and fast but fragile with only S weapon options making them useful for dangerous tasks like exploring unknown territory or for swarming larger ships,
M: Medium ships are the most common ship type covering a diverse range of economic and military roles.
L: Large ships are expensive and have limited docking options but are considerably more efficient than their smaller counterparts at mining, trading and combat.
XL: Extra Large ships have limited combat options but cover specialised roles for station construction, resupplying fleets and as carriers of large S/M ship wings.
Roles
Combat
Ships built to engage other ships and stations in combat and either destroy or capture them. Fight ships range from small agile Scout craft to large and heavily armed Destroyers. In general as fight ships progress in size through Scout>Interceptor>Fighter>Corvette>Destroyer roles there is an increase in shielding, fire power and cargo bay size but at the cost of being slower and more expensive to manufacture. Other combat ships like Frigates and Carriers specialise in transporting wings of smaller ships at high speeds to where they are needed while delivering modest supporting firepower. Bombers and Scavengers are specialised combat ships with a small profile which focus on missile support and piracy.
Trading
Ships with large cargo bays for shifting wares around the universe for profit, manufacture, construction work and to keep front lines supplied. Traders come in may sizes balancing speed with cargo space and armaments. Small Courier ships are fast, medium sized Transporter ships offer a good mix of mobility and cargo space while large Freighter ships are good for carrying wares in bulk.
Mining
Miner ships are capable of efficiently harvesting Solid and Liquid resources from asteroids and nebulae
Constructuion
Large and lightly armed Builder ships able to construct stations
Other
Other ships include the player Space Suit, autonomous Drone craft used by larger ships and stations and NPC mass traffic Police Vehicle ships that scan for illegal cargo which are lightly armed.