[Top 10] Stellaris Best Ship Designs (2024)

How to dominate galactic conflicts with good ship design choices.

A Mega-Shipyard ready to begin its work on a grand scale.

Do you have a strong industrial capacity as an empire but still find that your fleets are being decimated? Are you having to spend mountains of resources reinforcing fleets after every single battle? Are your ships designed for the enemy at the door? If not, look no further for some of the best possible ship design ideas. Just remember, build for flexibility in the early game and specialize for your greatest foe in the late game.

Starter Corvette

The very first ship you will ever get; it needs a little help.

Stellaris Ship Design Guide 2.2 |Corvettes|

The most basic of basic, the Corvette. In this layout the ship uses nothing but starting technologies to ensure that it can be flexible to help those science ships go out and explore. Not near the category of being called good, these bad boys will see you through the early game.

Ships Purpose

• Early Game.
• Flexibility.

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Any 2-1 combo of damage types for flexibility.
• Defense: Any 2-1 combo of armor and shields for flexibility.
• Other: Basic systems and no upgrades.

Missile Boat Corvette

Adapting the Corvette for late game.

Stellaris Ship Design Guide 2.2 |Corvettes|

Starting to hit the mid game where the enemy is fielding those bigger ships, time for a design change my friend. This ship launches torpedoes from long range in order to deal damage prior to closing the gap with those larger ships and with its high evasion it is sure to survive just a little bit longer.

Ships Purpose

• Mid to Late game.
• Long range damage and evasion for survivability.

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Best in slot Missile type and a weapon to counter your greatest threat.
• Defense: Best 2-1 combo to counter your greatest threat.
• Other: Max systems, advance afterburners, and a picket computer.

Basic Destroyer

Starting to get past the early game.

Stellaris Ship Design Guide 2.2 |Destroyers|

So finally moving on from the dinky little Corvettes now? The destroyerwith its flexible setup will help carry you from the early game to the mid game. Balancing armaments and weapons for any situation this will be a workhorse till you get better technologies in the mid to late game.

Ships Purpose

• Early to Mid-Game.
• Flexibility.

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Any 2-3 combo of damage types for flexibility.
• Defense: Any 1-1 combo of armor and shields for flexibility.
• Other: Basic systems, a picket computer system, and afterburners.

Late Game Destroyer

These guys are starting to feel like Corvettes.

Stellaris Ship Design Guide 2.2 |Destroyers|

Hitting late game your destroyers will essentially become the Corvettes of the mid game. So, set them up to engage with long range damage before they come under threat at closer range. Toss some afterburners on there so they don’t slow the fleets down either.

Ships Purpose

• Late game.
• Deal damage from long range prior to being taken down.

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Best in slot weapons to counter your greatest threat.
• Defense: Best 2-1 combo to counter your greatest threat.
• System: Max systems, a line computer and afterburners.

Late Game Cruiser

Every ship needs to pull its own weight as the end-game approaches.

Stellaris Ship Design Guide 2.2 |Cruisers|

Cruising for a bruising in the late game? Well, if you're not having your cruisers engage from a long range prior to closing the gap, your cruisers will certainly be getting bruised. Kit them up with the damage type that counters your greatest enemy.

Ships Purpose

• Late game.
• Long Range damage.

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Best in slot weapons to counter your greatest threat.
• Defense: Best 5-3 combo to counter your greatest threat.
• System: Max systems, line computer and Auxiliary fire controls.

The Battleship

Building your fleet up for the coming wars.

Stellaris Ship Design Guide 2.2 |Battleships|

Battleships, the real warhorses of your galactic army. The largest ship without a build limit, these will be your biggest and baddest of your ships minus the Titans and Juggernaut. When you first get them maintain a flexible load out of damage and defense until you identify your greatest threat.

Ships Purpose

• Mid game.
• Flexibility.

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Best in slot strike craft and a 1-1 combo of damage types for flexibility.
• Defense: Any 1-1 combo of armor and shields to maintain flexibility.
• System: Max systems, line computer, afterburners, and auxiliary fire control.

Artillery Battleship

Call in an artillery bombardment!

Stellaris Ship Design Guide 2.2 |Battleships|

Name of the end game is long range damage. Wipe your enemies’ fleet out of the system before they even get halfway over to you. With this setup Battleships act as solid sources of long-range damage. Meaning not only are they tough and durable, but your enemy must spend more time closing the gap to them.

Ships Purpose

• Late game.
• Long Range Damage.

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Best in slot weapon to counter your great threat.
• Defense: Best 2-1 combo to counter your greatest threat.
• System: Max systems, artillery computer, afterburners, and auxiliary fire control.

Carrier Battleship

Release the fighters!

Stellaris Ship Design Guide 2.2 |Battleships|

Get in close to your enemies to disrupt their plans with a swarm of strike craft. This style of Battleship will close the gap to mid-range and swarm your opponent’s larger weapons, that can’t track small targets, with strike craft. All the while blowing enemy strike craft and missiles off the battlefield.

Ships Purpose

• Mid to Late game
• Strike craft and point defense.

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Best in slot strike craft and a 1-1 combo of damage types for flexibility.
• Defense: Best 2-1 combo to counter your greatest threat.
• System: Max systems, line computer, afterburners, and auxiliary fire control.

Titan

Every fleet needs a flagship!

Stellaris Ship Design Guide 2.2 |Titans|

The Titans! Big bad and burly, these guys don’t have much choice but long range. However, that Titan class weapon and aura are where their strong suits lay. The Lance can snipe battleships from nearly across a system. But keep in mind, auras don’t stack, so have a few different designs.

Ships Purpose

• Late game.
• Long range damage and Utility.

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Best in slot weapon to counter your great threat.
• Defense: Best 2-1 combo to counter your greatest threat.
• System: Max systems, artillery computer, auxiliary fire control, two afterburners and an aura that fits your playstyle.

Juggernaut

War is no longer fought on a tactical basis, think strategically.

Stellaris - The Juggernaut (There's Always a Bigger Ship)

The King of Kings, the Juggernaut just released with the Federations DLC. These ships need to be viewed as strategic mobile starbases more than just really big ships. Build them out with survivability and an aura that fits your combat strategy and let it begin its slow crawl across the galaxy.

Ships Purpose

• Late game
• Ship Production and Utility

Ship Design Components

• Weapons: Best in slot strike craft and best in slot weapon to counter your great threat.
• Defense: Best 2-1 combo to counter your greatest threat.
• System: Max systems, carrier computer, an aura that fits your playstyle and 4 shield capacitors or regenerative hull tissue, whichever defense you have built for.

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