Sea of Stars Ship Comparison: Which One of These Three is Most Overpowered?

Sea of Stars Ship Comparison: Which One of These Three is Most Overpowered?

Last night, I played Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars for the umpteenth time, and by the end of the game, all three of these three capital ships were in my flotilla:

These three capital ship loadouts are overpowered in some form, for one reason or another - and rightly so.

So which of them is most overpowered? For me, the answer is obvious, as I have proven time and time again: the first of these, a Terran corvette equipped with a fast thruster, strong shields (Proton Matrix Shield at minimum), a high-end targeting computer (at least an Eidetic Matrix Bubble), a powerful secondary weapon (in this case, a Proton Blaster, although I have proven that a Tachyon Ray Gun is even more effective, as long as you can get one) and a Nova Cannon is the most overpowered ship of all. It can quickly tear through even the most heavily defended enemy fleets thanks to its immense damage output and high speed (and agility, if fitted with a Quantum Corkscrew or Reactionless Thruster) with skillful use of hit-and-run tactics. The fact that this loadout also has a Signature Projector (for deflecting incoming missiles) and a Multibot Repair Drone (for maximum damage control) makes it even tougher for any enemy fleet to counter.

But what if the Nova Cannon is unobtainable for any reason? Well, a Garthan frigate with a thruster upgrade and two Multi-Missile Launchers can be just as effective, though not as potent overall. It's a bulkier and less maneuverable ship, and one that isn't unlocked until 4594 AD, but can be just as fast with upgrades, and doesn't actually cost much to obtain - 4 coins on Gartha seems like a lot until you consider that Garthan merchants value weapons over all other items, allowing you to raise the funds required to buy it simply by selling a pair of low-end weapons to the Garthans. Also, Multi-Missiles may not be as powerful or fast as a Nova Cannon, but are more accurate and do not require the activation of a Timeless Bauble to acquire. The upshot is that this ship is equally suited to hit-and-run and sniping attacks as the Nova corvette described above - and it has the advantage of an extra equipment slot.

As for the Calatian destroyer, it's a different proposition entirely. I have proven countless times that it should not be underestimated just because it is small, lightly armored and lacks the ability to mount medium- or long-range weapons. However, it can carry up to four Proton Blasters, which are the most powerful weapons that can be mounted on small turrets, and when you consider that these weapons are incredibly accurate, fire very quickly and have a high damage per shot for their size, that means the Calatian destroyer can potentially become the most effective ship for close to medium-range combat. Combined with its small size, it is also faster and more agile than a larger capital ship with the same thruster type.

But what makes these three loadouts even more overpowered than they already are is the fact that all of them incorporate a Plasma Coil Cloaker. This piece of advanced Urluquai technology makes it possible for any capital ship equipped with it to hide from enemy forces with a single left click - before they emerge to attack when they least expect it. In fact, I have found it to be the single most overpowered piece of equipment in the entire game - it can remain active indefinitely until it is deactivated manually or disabled by enemy fire - although it can be countered by attacking a cloaked ship with heavy weaponry at close range, preferably as soon as it decloaks.

So there you have it. These three capital ship loadouts I have just described are among the most overpowered the game has to offer, with special mention going to the first one for being the most overpowered loadout in Infinite Space franchise history ever. However, given that obtaining it requires a very specific set of circumstances, you'll be glad to know that there are other configurations that may not be as potent on paper, but are just as effective in practice.