E:D Black Box
A top-tier large combat ship and the most versatile capital hull in the game. Eight hardpoints, vast internals and a huge armour base make it formidable; it ranks below the Corvette and Cutter only on raw combat focus and agility, while beating both on flexibility and accessibility — no rank required.
This ship's 1–100 suitability rating reflects its fully-engineered fit for this role, scored against every ship in the role. See how ships are rated.
The Anaconda is Faulcon DeLacy's flagship and the game's archetypal do-everything capital ship. In combat it fields eight hardpoints — a huge mount, three large, two medium and two small — behind a 945 base armour hull, eight utility mounts, a single military slot, twelve optional internals and a ship-launched-fighter bay. It is, in every sense, a battleship.
Crucially, it has no rank gate — unlike the Federal Corvette and Imperial Cutter, anyone with the credits can buy one. That makes it the accessible large warship: not quite as combat-focused or agile as the rank-gated apex pair, but more flexible than either and open to everyone. It fights, hauls, explores and runs missions at a scale only large ships reach.
Heavy combat without a rank grind: high-intensity conflict zones, Hazardous RES, pirate massacres, AX work and wing fights — plus the flexibility to re-role the same hull to hauling or exploration at scale.
Four things make the Anaconda a formidable combat capital ship:
It's slow and ponderous — the worst agility of the large combat ships — so nimble enemies can work its blind spots, and it's costly to engineer fully. The Federal Corvette out-guns and out-turns it, and the Imperial Cutter out-shields it. The Anaconda's edge is flexibility and accessibility, not peak combat focus; it's the jack-of-all-trades capital, master of none.
Eight hardpoints with a huge mount, class-8 cores, 945 armour and twelve optionals make it a rank-free battleship; the worst agility among large combat ships is the only real limiter.
The 88/100 headline is a verdict against the combat role's priority-ordered factors. Each factor carries a weight (its share of 100); this hull earns part of each based on how it performs against the whole field. The points sum to the rating.
| Role factor | Score | Why this score |
|---|---|---|
| Hardpoints | 29/30 | Eight mounts — 1 Huge, 3 Large, 2 Medium, 2 Small — out-gun any medium and rival the dedicated large warships. Only the Corvette's twin huge mounts (2H 1L 2M 2S) clearly exceed it. |
| Power distributor | 10/10 | Class-8 power distributor, the largest in the game, feeds eight guns plus boost; A-rating it first is the standing priority. Top of the field, matched only by the other capitals. |
| Shield | 15/15 | ~362 MJ base scaling past 1,600 MJ engineered with a 7C bi-weave and a five-booster Heavy-Duty stack across eight utilities. Very strong, but the Imperial Cutter's shields out-tank it. |
| Armour & internals | 15/15 | 945 battleship armour base reaching ~5,000+ effective, plus twelve optionals, a class-5 military slot and an SLF bay for stacked HRPs and module reinforcement. Among the deepest hull-and-internal pools in the role. |
| Agility | 9/20 | 183/244 m/s on 400 t of mass — the worst agility of the large combat ships; nimble enemies work its blind spots even with Dirty Drives. Clear, defining weakness. |
| Utility & flexibility | 10/10 | Eight utility mounts plus an SLF bay let it field a full booster suite, chaff, heat sink and point defence while re-roling to hauling or exploration. Capital-scale flexibility few hulls match. |
| Weighted total | 88/100 | Matches the headline suitability rating for this ship in this role. |
Weights are an editorial decomposition of the role's stated priority order — not an in-game formula. Bar length shows how fully each factor is earned; the longest factors carried the score, the shortest are where it gave points away. See how ships are rated.
Every table rates ships for combat specifically, split by landing-pad class. The Hardpoints column is the hardpoint loadout — the basis for a weapon suite; the rating is the same 1–100 suitability verdict used across the site.
| Ship | Class | Hardpoints | Pros & cons | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Corvette | Large | 2H 1L 2M 2S | Higher-rated; hardpoints; distributorShield | 98 |
| Imperial Cutter | Large | 1H 2L 4M | Higher-rated; distributor; shieldAgility | 91 |
| Anaconda this | Large | 1H 3L 2M 2S | — this hull (baseline) | 88 |
| Imperial Clipper | Large | 2L 2M | Agility; distributorLower-rated; hardpoints | 79 |
| Type-10 Defender | Large | 4L 3M 2S | Hardpoints; armourLower-rated; agility | 78 |
5 large-pad combat hulls carry a rating, led by Federal Corvette (98). Every same-pad rival lands where this one does — the direct field to shop.
| Ship | Class | Hardpoints | Pros & cons | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fer-de-Lance | Medium | 1H 4M | Higher-rated; agility; hardpointsArmour | 93 |
| Krait Mk II | Medium | 3L 2M | Higher-rated; hardpoints; armourDistributor | 90 |
| Python Mk II | Medium | 4L 2M | Higher-rated; hardpoints; distributorArmour | 90 |
| Mamba | Medium | 1H 2L 2S | Higher-rated; distributor; hardpointsArmour | 89 |
| Alliance Chieftain | Medium | 2L 1M 3S | Agility; armourShield | 88 |
| Alliance Challenger | Medium | 1L 3M 3S | Armour; shieldLower-rated; agility | 86 |
| Corsair | Medium | 3L 3M | Distributor; flexibilityLower-rated; agility | 85 |
| Federal Assault Ship | Medium | 2L 2M | Distributor; agilityLower-rated; shield | 84 |
| Python | Medium | 3L 2M | Distributor; flexibilityLower-rated; agility | 83 |
| Federal Gunship | Medium | 1L 4M 2S | Distributor; armourLower-rated; agility | 82 |
| Alliance Crusader | Medium | 1L 2M 3S | Distributor; armourLower-rated; agility | 80 |
| Federal Dropship | Medium | 1L 4M | Armour; hardpointsLower-rated; agility | 76 |
| Krait Phantom | Medium | 2L 2M | Flexibility; agilityLower-rated; armour | 74 |
The medium-pad combat field (13 rated), led by Fer-de-Lance (93) — cheaper hulls and tighter pads. They undercut this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.
| Ship | Class | Hardpoints | Pros & cons | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kestrel Mk II | Small | 3L 2S | Hardpoints; flexibilityLower-rated; armour | 85 |
| Vulture | Small | 2L | Agility; shieldLower-rated; armour | 80 |
| Cobra Mk V | Small | 3M 2S | Flexibility; hardpointsLower-rated; distributor | 78 |
| Imperial Courier | Small | 3M | Agility; shieldLower-rated; armour | 70 |
| Viper Mk IV | Small | 2M 2S | Armour; distributorLower-rated; agility | 66 |
| Diamondback Explorer | Small | 1L 2M | Flexibility; agilityLower-rated; armour | 65 |
| Viper Mk III | Small | 2M 2S | Agility; hardpointsLower-rated; armour | 63 |
| Diamondback Scout | Small | 2M 2S | Flexibility; armourLower-rated; shield | 60 |
| Cobra Mk III | Small | 2M 2S | Agility; distributorLower-rated; shield | 58 |
| Eagle Mk II | Small | 3S | Agility; hardpointsLower-rated; shield | 55 |
| Imperial Eagle | Small | 1M 2S | Agility; hardpointsLower-rated; flexibility | 54 |
| Cobra Mk IV | Small | 2M 3S | Hardpoints; armourLower-rated; agility | 44 |
| Sidewinder Mk I | Small | 2S | Agility; flexibilityLower-rated; hardpoints | 40 |
The small-pad combat field (13 rated), led by Kestrel Mk II (85) — cheaper hulls and tighter pads. They undercut this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.
At ~142M Cr the Anaconda is a major investment, but it carries no rank or permit gate — the most accessible capital warship. A full combat fit with engineered guns, shields and reinforcement pushes the all-in figure past 220M Cr, comparable to the rank-gated apex ships.
Because it re-roles so completely — battleship one week, deep-space explorer or bulk hauler the next — a single engineered Anaconda can replace several specialist ships, spreading its considerable cost across many roles.
A capital-grade combat fit: a huge main gun and three large mounts, deep shields and reinforcement, eight utilities and an SLF bay. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the combat-ready baseline; Engineered applies the house combat pattern at battleship scale.
| Slot | Initial · buy-only | A-Rated · no eng | Engineered | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardpoints | ||||
| Huge 1 | 4A Multi-Cannon (Gimballed) | 4A Multi-Cannon (Gimballed) | G5 Overcharged + Corrosive Shell | The single huge mount; one Corrosive Shell here strips armour resistance for the whole battery. |
| Large 1 | 3E Pulse Laser (Gimballed) | 3C Beam Laser (Gimballed) | G5 Efficient + Thermal Vent | Beam for shield-stripping; Thermal Vent vents heat so it runs cold under sustained fire. |
| Large 2 | 3C Multi-Cannon (Gimballed) | 3C Multi-Cannon (Gimballed) | G5 Overcharged + Auto Loader | Large multi-cannon for sustained kinetic DPS; Auto Loader removes reloads. |
| Large 3 | 3C Multi-Cannon (Gimballed) | 3C Beam Laser (Gimballed) | G5 Efficient + Thermal Vent | Second beam doubles shield-strip rate; Thermal Vent keeps the heat budget in check. |
| Medium 1 | 2F Multi-Cannon (Gimballed) | 2F Multi-Cannon (Gimballed) | G5 Overcharged + Auto Loader | Fill-in multi-cannon; Auto Loader keeps its DPS uninterrupted. |
| Medium 2 | 2F Pulse Laser (Gimballed) | 2F Pulse Laser (Gimballed) | G5 Efficient + Thermal Vent | Efficient pulse adds low-draw laser damage; Thermal Vent makes it a heat sink too. |
| Small 1 | — | 1G Multi-Cannon (Gimballed) | G5 Overcharged + Auto Loader | Small multi-cannon adds chip damage; Auto Loader keeps it topped up. |
| Small 2 | — | 1G Multi-Cannon (Gimballed) | G5 Overcharged + Auto Loader | Second small multi-cannon; left empty on the buy-only fit, added once the hull is paid off. |
| Utility Mounts | ||||
| Utility 1 | 0A Shield Booster | 0A Shield Booster | G5 Heavy Duty + Super Capacitors | First of the shield-booster stack; Heavy Duty multiplies the bi-weave's raw MJ. |
| Utility 2 | — | 0A Shield Booster | G5 Heavy Duty + Super Capacitors | Stacked Heavy-Duty booster — the cheapest large gain in shield strength. |
| Utility 3 | — | 0A Shield Booster | G5 Heavy Duty + Super Capacitors | Third Heavy-Duty booster; diminishing returns set in but it still pays. |
| Utility 4 | — | 0A Shield Booster | G5 Heavy Duty + Super Capacitors | Fourth booster rounds out the core shield stack. |
| Utility 5 | — | 0I Chaff Launcher | G1 Ammo Capacity (no experimental effect) | Optional / low-priority — Ammo Capacity adds chaff salvos. Chaff spoils gimballed and turreted fire. |
| Utility 6 | — | 0I Heat Sink Launcher | G1 Ammo Capacity (no experimental effect) | Optional / low-priority — Ammo Capacity adds heat-sink charges. Dumps heat for silent running and Thermal-Vent resets. |
| Utility 7 | — | 0I Point Defence | G1 Ammo Capacity (no experimental effect) | Optional / low-priority — Ammo Capacity adds rounds. Point Defence shoots down incoming missiles and torpedoes. |
| Utility 8 | — | 0A Shield Booster | G5 Heavy Duty + Super Capacitors | Fifth Heavy-Duty booster fills the last of the eight utility mounts. |
| Core Internals | ||||
| Bulkheads | Lightweight Alloy | Military Grade Composite | G5 Heavy Duty + Deep Plating | |
| Power Plant | 8E Power Plant | 8A Power Plant | G5 Overcharged + Thermal Spread | Powers eight guns, an SLF, a big shield and cells; Overcharged adds headroom, Thermal Spread bleeds the extra heat. |
| Thrusters | 7E Thrusters | 7A Thrusters | G5 Dirty Drive Tuning + Drag Drives | A-rated + Dirty Drives recover what agility a 400t-mass capital can manage. |
| Frame Shift Drive | 6E Frame Shift Drive | 6A Frame Shift Drive | G3 Increased Range + Mass Manager | A-rated to move a heavy battleship between fights; only G3 range — combat doesn't need a jump monster. |
| Life Support | 5E Life Support | 5D Life Support | G5 Lightweight (no experimental effect) | D-rate to save mass, Lightweight trims more; life support has no experimental effect. |
| Power Distributor | 8E Power Distributor | 8A Power Distributor | G5 Charge Enhanced + Super Conduits | A-rate this FIRST — eight guns plus boost drain the class-8 distributor faster than anything else. |
| Sensors | 8E Sensors | 8D Sensors | G5 Lightweight (no experimental effect) | Drop to D and go Lightweight; combat needs no sensor range, so save the mass. |
| Fuel Tank | 5C Fuel Tank | 5C Fuel Tank | (No blueprint available) | Stock tank; fuel capacity is fixed and cannot be engineered. |
| Military Slots | ||||
| Military 1 | 5D Hull Reinforcement | 5D Hull Reinforcement | G5 Heavy Duty + Deep Plating | Heavy-Duty hull reinforcement in the military slot is the cheapest large multiplier on effective armour. |
| Optional Internals | ||||
| Size 7 | 7E Shield Generator | 7C Bi-Weave Shield Generator | G5 Reinforced + Hi-Cap | Bi-weave regenerates fast under fire; Reinforced maximises its MJ and Hi-Cap adds more. |
| Size 6 | 6E Cargo Rack | 6A Shield Cell Bank | G4 Specialised + Recycling Cell | Optional / low-priority — Specialised cuts the cell bank's heat and power spike. Burst shield healing for emergencies. |
| Size 6 | — | 6D Fighter Hangar | (No blueprint available) | SLF bay adds a second gun platform that draws fire; hangars are not engineerable. |
| Size 6 | — | 6A Shield Cell Bank | G4 Specialised + Recycling Cell | Hull reinforcement caps at size 5, so a 5D HRP under-fills this size-6 slot for max effective armour. |
| Size 5 | — | 5D Hull Reinforcement | G5 Heavy Duty + Deep Plating | Heavy-Duty HRP; armour stacks linearly so every reinforcement pays. |
| Size 5 | — | 5A Shield Cell Bank | G4 Specialised + Recycling Cell | Optional / low-priority — Specialised cuts the cell bank's heat and power spike. Burst shield healing for emergencies. |
| Size 5 | — | 5D Module Reinforcement | (No blueprint available) | Module Reinforcement spreads penetrating-hit damage across internals; not engineerable. |
| Size 4 | — | 4D Hull Reinforcement | G5 Heavy Duty + Deep Plating | More Heavy-Duty hull where the slot allows. |
| Size 4 | — | 4D Module Reinforcement | (No blueprint available) | More internal protection for the modules that keep you flying. |
| Size 4 | — | 4A Shield Cell Bank | G4 Specialised + Recycling Cell | Optional / low-priority — Specialised cuts the cell bank's heat and power spike. Burst shield healing for emergencies. |
| Size 2 | — | 2D Module Reinforcement | (No blueprint available) | Small Module Reinforcement for the last of the internal protection. |
| Size 1 | — | 1D Hull Reinforcement | G5 Heavy Duty + Deep Plating | Optional / low-priority — Expanded Probe Scanning widens probe coverage. Maps planets for exploration data. |
| Open in planner / Export | ||||
| Open in Coriolis | open | open | open | One-click open at coriolis.io. |
| Open in EDSY | open | open | open | One-click open at edsy.org. |
| Copy SLEF | Copies the raw Ship Loadout Export Format for that state. | |||
Twelve optionals, a military slot and eight utilities let the Anaconda tank on shields and hull simultaneously while carrying a fighter and a full booster suite. Few ships can field everything at once like this — use the scale.
Buy the hull and leave bulkheads at stock Lightweight Alloy — then fit the largest shield a class-7 bay allows — a 7E Shield Generator — plus the 5D Hull Reinforcement in the military slot and a single 0A Shield Booster. Even buy-only it's a tank.
Arm the huge mount and most large and medium slots with gimballed multi-cannons, with two gimballed pulse lasers mixed in for shield-stripping. The two small hardpoints stay empty until the hull is paid off.
Leave the rest empty buy-only: the fighter bay, the seven further utility mounts, the shield-cell banks and the extra hull and module reinforcement all come with the A-rated pass.
A-rating priority for a combat capital ship:
Eight hardpoints, a fighter and eight utilities draw enormous power — A-rate the class-8 distributor and plant before anything else or the build can't run at load. The size-6 internal that held a stray hull reinforcement becomes a second 6A shield-cell bank, and the size-1 slot drops the survey scanner for a hull reinforcement — this hull never wants exploration kit.
The full house combat pattern at battleship scale. Pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application; visit in person for experimentals.
| Module | Blueprint | Experimental | Engineer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Plant (8) | Overcharged (G5) | Thermal Spread | Hera Tani |
| Thrusters (7) | Dirty Drive Tuning (G5) | Drag Drives | Professor Palin / Mel Brandon |
| Multi-Cannons | Overcharged (G5) | Corrosive Shell (one) / Auto Loader (rest) | Tod McQuinn |
| Beam & Pulse Lasers | Efficient (G5) | Thermal Vent | Broo Tarquin |
| Power Distributor (8) | Charge Enhanced (G5) | Super Conduits | The Dweller |
| Shield Generator (7) | Reinforced (G5) | Hi-Cap | Lei Cheung |
| Bulkheads | Heavy Duty (G5) | Deep Plating | Selene Jean |
| Hull Reinforcement | Heavy Duty (G5) | Deep Plating | Selene Jean |
| Shield Boosters | Heavy Duty (G5) | Super Capacitors | Didi Vatermann |
Heavy — G5 across class-8 cores, eight weapons and a deep capital-scale defensive suite; this is one of the larger material spends for any combat hull. With a complete inventory it's spend, not farm. Ask for exact per-blueprint counts to verify reserves before committing.
Approximate progression across the three states (figures are representative, not exact rolls):
| Stat | Initial | A-rated | Engineered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top speed (boost) | 244 m/s | 244 m/s | ~300 m/s |
| Shield (MJ) | ~510 | ~720 | ~1,600+ |
| Armour (eff.) | 945 | ~2,400 | ~5,000+ |
| Sustained DPS | very high | very high | elite (huge + 3 large) |
| Agility | poor | poor | poor (heavy) |
The A-rated pass already brings Military Grade Composite bulkheads, so the hull tank is real before any engineering touches it. Engineered, the Anaconda is a true battleship: effective armour into the thousands, a 1,600 MJ shield, eight sustained guns and a fighter. It will never be agile — that's the cost of the scale — but few ships in the game are harder to kill or hit harder while doing four other jobs besides.
The Anaconda is the do-everything battleship: eight hardpoints with a huge mount, vast internals, a fighter bay and battleship armour, all with no rank gate. The Corvette and Cutter beat it for pure combat focus, but neither matches its flexibility or accessibility. For a credits-only capital warship that also hauls and explores at scale, the Anaconda is in a class of its own.
Figures on this page are verified against the sources below.