Sins Of A Solar Empire 2builds on the success of the first entry in thisstrategy gameseries by making it more accessible and easier to learn. None of the complexity of the original game has been lost. It is just that the UI and gameplay features have been refined to make them simpler to come to grips with.
Cruisersare valuable fleet units inSins Of A Solar Empire 2. Don’t make the mistake of thinking they are simply bigger thanfrigate class ships. They are so much more. Each of them has a unique specialty, such as mobile fleet repair, or delivering long-range missile barrages. Every fleet in this game will need to field a selection of different Cruisers to be effective, and as such, we’ve ranked every Cruiser in the game to help players choose their favorites.
Disappointing Damage Output
At the bottom of this list is theJavelis LRM Cruiser.Considering this is a tier 2 militaryresearch unlock, it is pretty disappointing. With just a single Medium Missile launcher, it does very little damage. Some later military unlocks can buff this damage somewhat, but not to the same levels as other similar ships.
That being said, the Javelis LRM Cruiser can be a useful long-range damage dealer until aSins Of A Solar Empire 2player has completed tier 3 military research and unlocked this ship’s big brother, the Ogrov Torpedo Cruiser. A small fleet of around 10 Javelis LRM Cruisers can help to flesh out a fleet in the early game, until the Ogrov Torpedo Cruiser becomes available.
4Percheron Carrier Cruiser
Strange AI Behavior
ThePercheron Carrier Cruiserwould have been placed much higher on this list if it wasn’t for one specific problem. In general, the AI inSins Of A Solar Empire 2is pretty good, but for some reason, the Percheron Carrier Cruiser seems to have dropped the “I” in its AI, as it behaves quite oddly. This cruiser always sits on the edge of the system, at the jump-in point, and launches its fighters from there.
This causes two problems: Firstly, it means that if the main fleet is engaging on the opposite side of the planet or asteroid, the fighters take forever and a day to get into combat. Second, if an enemy support fleet drops in through the same jump-in point, they land within point-blank range of the Percheron Carrier Cruiser. It would make much more sense if this ship’s AI followed the main fleet but kept at range, rather than sitting in a static spot.
3Hoshiko Robotics Cruiser
Mobile Repair Units
When an expeditionary fleet is working well within enemy territory inSins Of A Solar Empire 2, it does not have access to fleet repair facilities. Yes,capital shipswill repair themselves slowly over time, but this is less than ideal when an enemy fleet could drop into the gravity well at any moment. TheHoshiko Robotics Cruiseris the answer to this problem.
With its onboard remote repair drones, the Hoshiko Robotics Cruiser will repair all ships in a fleet, even non-capital ships. A single Hoshiko Robotics Cruiser would take some time to repair a whole fleet, so it is best to deploy a small squadron of these as fleet support vessels. They are quite expensive to build, but can save a small fortune in building and repair costs if they manage to stop a capital ship from being destroyed. Overall, they are a fantastic investment for any player to use inreal-time combat.
Massive Amounts Of Damage
TheOgrov Torpedo Cruisercan dish out incredible levels of ranged damage inSins Of A Solar Empire 2. However, this is a tier 3 military unlock, so it won’t be available until the player is a fair way into a game. At this stage, it replaces the rather lackluster Javelis LRM Cruiser as the main missile boat for the fleet. A small group of half a dozen Ogrov Torpedo Cruisers can be devastating, turning the tide of a battle.
These ships excel at targeting large structures from range. They are the best way to take out dangerous defensive targets like Starbases. They also excel at laying down damage on enemy capital ships. Overall, fielding a wing of Ogrov Torpedo Cruisers in a fleet is well worth the required investment of research time and support costs in thisgrand strategy game.
Totally Badass
TheHarcka Heavy Cruiserthinks it is a capital ship. This is one mean little ship that can soak up incredible amounts of damage whilst dishing out respectable DPS of its own. However, what makes the Harcka Heavy Cruiser so great inSins Of A Solar Empire 2, and why it takes the top spot on this list, is the way the ship’s AI works. It is just about perfect.
Deploying a wing of 5 or 10 Harcka Heavy Cruisers as part of a fleet is a fantastic way to screen valuable capital ships for damage. The AI of this ship works great; it will close into range with the enemy, sitting between capital ships and the enemy fleet, and simply soak up incoming damage. A single Harcka Heavy Cruiser can be a real threat; a group of them can be a complete pain in the neck to deal with.
