There are a variety of ships and guns to choose from. Keep in mind that not all content is available across Co-Op PvE and PvP. Some weapons are simply too powerful to be in PvP. It is best to experiment on your own by creating Practice matches to test all the different ships and guns that are available. Each have their own nuances, pros and pros.
Ship Components
All ships have the following components that can take damage:
- Hull Armor
- Balloon
- Engines
- Guns
The Hull Armor is the most important. If the Armor is down, then the ship will begin taking Core Hull damage. And when Core Hull is at zero, the ship explodes and you die. When the Armor goes down, it normally becomes a frantic rush to the Hull to rebuild the Armor and absorb continued damage.
Balloons keep the ship afloat. When the Balloon is down the ship will begin to fall. The ship’s vertical maneuverability effectiveness is also defined by the amount of health the Balloon has.
Engines provide the ship with lateral movement. All ships have an engine on both sides, while others have additional engine in the center. If a sided engine is down, it will affect the turning of the ship. The thrust each engine provides is also affected by the amount of health it has.
Guns shoot things… and while not essential to the movement or survivability of the ship, it’s a good idea to keep them operational. The gun’s overall effectiveness like reload speed and turn speed is affected by the amount of health it has.
Gun Types
There are many guns and behaviors in the game. All of them, however, share the same basic qualities in that they can have up to 2 damage types. Damage types are incredibly important in the game as they will define how, when, and against what ship component they are most effective against.
The damage types are as follows:
- Piercing—Highly effective against armor and mechanical components like engines and guns.
- Explosive—Once the hull armor is down, it will rip the hull to shreds but little else.
- Shatter—Extremely effective against mechanical components, but ineffective against everything else.
- Flechette—For those who like popping balloons.
- Fire—Wreaks havoc on balloons and the hull. Less effective against armor.
- Impact—What happens when your pilot misbehaves and crashes. Deals a handful of damage to balloons and hull.