Imperial CutterPassenger

The Imperial Cutter is the rare passenger ship that carries like a freighter and protects like a warship. Its ten optional internals pack the most economy cabins in the game — roughly 340 berths, well past a Beluga — while its shields, the strongest in the game, and eight utility mounts make a VIP run all but impossible to interrupt. And uniquely among the giants, it's quick: a 323 m/s boost lets it outrun threats a liner would have to sit and take.

What it does not carry is a liner comfort bonus. Gutamaya never built it as a tourist ship, so it earns less per seat than a Beluga, Lynx or Orca of equal class. The Cutter's case is therefore volume and safety, not luxury: when the contract is sheer headcount, or when the passenger is a target, nothing moves more people through more danger and lands them all. The costs are the Imperial Duke rank and a price tag that, fully cabined, dwarfs every dedicated liner.

Four things make the Cutter the megaliner:

• The most berths in the game. Around 340 economy seats — more raw capacity than any dedicated liner, including the Beluga.
• The strongest shields in the game. A prismatic Cutter keeps its passengers safe even under sustained attack — the safest VIP transport flying.
• Fast for a large ship. A 323 m/s boost lets it outrun interdictors a liner must stand and absorb.
• Eight utilities. A full shield-booster and point-defence suite turns it into a fortress that happens to carry tourists.

Role-leading on raw berths (~340, most in game) and the strongest shields (~2,500 MJ); the absent liner comfort bonus, capping per-seat pay, is the only real drag on an 89.

The 89/100 headline is a verdict against the passenger 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.

Both tables rate ships for passenger work specifically. The role column is the maximum economy passenger capacity — but note that dedicated liners earn comfort bonuses, so on premium routes they out-earn the Cutter per seat despite its larger raw headcount.

Same class — large passenger ships

The Cutter carries the most bodies of any large ship and protects them best, but the Beluga's comfort bonus earns more per seat and the Orca turns trips around faster. The Cutter wins on volume and safety: for mass transport, or for VIPs through danger, nothing else lands this many passengers this reliably.

Other classes — the dedicated and medium options

The Lynx and Dolphin land more flexibly and earn comfort bonuses per seat; the Beluga banks the most premium pay. The Cutter's distinction is sheer scale plus the only warship shield in the role — the choice when the job is moving a crowd, or keeping a high-value passenger alive.

At ~209M Cr and behind the Imperial Duke rank, the hull alone is a major commitment — and the cabins are where it gets expensive. Luxury and first-class suites in the Cutter's big slots cost a fortune, so a fully fitted passenger Cutter lands near ~451M Cr, the priciest liner to outfit in the game. Rebuy runs ~23M Cr.

Conveniently, the same Imperial-rank ladder you climb toward Squire and the Achenar permit eventually reaches Duke — so the passenger Cutter sits at the end of a grind you may already be on, and the same hull doubles as a combat flagship and a bulk hauler.

A high-capacity liner fit built around the game's best shields. Initial is buy-only economy seating behind a basic shield; A-Rated swaps in a prismatic generator and a VIP cabin mix; Engineered preserves speed and protection while maximising berths. Economy cabins cap at size 6, so the two size-8 optional slots hold a size-6 cabin (or the prismatic) — there is no larger passenger module.

Earn Duke, buy the hull, and fit a basic 8E Shield Generator in the first size-8 slot, then fill the next size-8 slot and the two largest size-6 slots with 6E Economy Passenger Cabins — three cabins of high-volume seating from the start. Economy cabins cap at size 6, so even the size-8 slot can't take a larger berth; a 6E is the most it will hold.

Mount a single 0A Shield Booster on the first utility; the other seven utilities, both military slots and the smaller optionals stay empty until credits allow.

Cores stay stock E-rated and the hull keeps its factory Lightweight Alloy bulkhead for now — the A-rate pass that restores speed and protection, and the engineering that swaps in Military Grade Composite armour, come next.

A-rating priority for a high-capacity liner:

• 1Shield Generator → 8A Prismatic — The Cutter's whole edge over a liner; the best shield protects the passengers. ~25M Cr
• 2Cabin suite — The payload; economy for volume, first/luxury for VIP boards. varies
• 3Thrusters → 8A — Keep the speed that lets it outrun trouble. ~20M Cr
• 4FSD → 7A — Range to reach scenic and distant destinations. ~20M Cr
• 5Power Plant → 8A — Power for the big shield, cabins and utilities. ~25M Cr
• 6Power Distributor → 7A — Feeds the boost that powers the escape and quickens shield recovery. modest
• 7Booster suite + hull reinforcement — Five more 0A Shield Boosters and two 5D Hull Reinforcements round out the defensive stack; the bulkhead stays stock Lightweight Alloy until the engineering pass swaps in Military Grade Composite. varies
• 8Emergency + ferry fill — A 3A Shield Cell Bank for burst shield healing and a size-1 Supercruise Assist to ease the long autopilot top off the smaller optionals. modest

The passenger engineering pattern weighted to protection. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.

Recommended order

• 1Prismatic shield Reinforced + Hi-Cap plus Heavy-Duty boosters first — protection is the Cutter's liner edge.
• 2Thrusters to G5 to keep the speed that lets it outrun threats to the board.
• 3FSD Increased Range to reach distant destinations; Low-Emissions plant for cool running.
• 4Cabins aren't engineered — just fit the right classes for the board.

Approximate progression across the three states (figures are representative, not exact rolls):

Engineered, the Cutter seats ~340 passengers behind a 2,500 MJ shield at ~360 m/s, with a Military Grade Composite hull and twin reinforcements taking raw armour past ~3,000 — the most berths in the game, protected better than any liner can manage. It earns less per seat for lack of a comfort bonus, but no rival lands this many bodies, or this valuable a passenger, through this much danger.

• Volume and safety are the point — the most berths in the game behind the best shields, not luxury per-seat pay.
• No comfort bonus — on premium routes a Beluga or Lynx earns more per seat; the Cutter wins on headcount and survival.
• Keep the speed — A-rated thrusters mean it outruns what it can't out-tank.
• Mind the large pad, the Duke rank gate, and the steep cabin cost — all part of the price.