Krait Mk IIAX Combat

Where the Chieftain dodges and endures, the Krait Mk II kills. Its three large hardpoints carry the heaviest AX weapon suite of any popular medium — multiple Gauss cannons or large AX multi-cannons that melt an Interceptor's exposed hearts fast — and its ship-launched fighter adds both extra firepower and a decoy to split Thargoid attention. For burning down Interceptors quickly, few ships match it.

The trade-off is hardening: it has no military slots, so it can't pack the Guardian Module Reinforcement that lets a Chieftain shrug off the module-stripping lightning. It relies more on dodging and raw speed of kill — end the fight before the Thargoid ends you. It's also pricier. For an experienced AX pilot who wants maximum damage and a fighter wingman, the Krait Mk II is a superb, aggressive Xeno hunter; for learning or survivability, the Chieftain is gentler.

Four things make the Krait Mk II a fearsome Xeno hunter:

• Three large hardpoints. The heaviest AX weapon suite of any popular medium — it melts Interceptor hearts fastest.
• A fighter bay. An SLF adds firepower and, crucially, a decoy to split a Thargoid's attacks away from you.
• Good speed. Quick enough to reposition and dodge between damage windows.
• Deep internals. Room for Guardian hull reinforcement, caustic and heat kit alongside heavy guns.

Three large hardpoints carry the heaviest Gauss suite of any popular medium and a 245 m/s hull dodges well; zero military slots cap module hardening, the one factor holding it below the Chieftain.

The 89/100 headline is a verdict against the anti-Xeno 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 anti-Xeno combat specifically. The role column is the hardpoint loadout — the basis for an AX weapon suite. Evasion, hardening and heat management matter as much as raw mounts.

Same class — medium AX fighters

The Krait Mk II is the damage-and-decoy pick of the medium AX fighters. The Chieftain and Challenger harden against module damage with their military slots; the Krait kills faster and brings a fighter instead. For aggressive, experienced AX pilots, it's the high-DPS choice.

Other classes — the heavier AX options

The large AX ships out-tank and out-gun the Krait but can't dodge Thargoid attacks — and in AX, evasion saves you where armour can't. The Krait Mk II's niche is medium-agility with maximum damage and a decoy fighter; it ends fights fast, which is its own kind of survival.

At ~44.2M Cr the Krait Mk II is pricier than the Chieftain, with no rank gate. An AX fit with heavy Guardian/AX weapons, a fighter and Guardian hull reinforcement brings the all-in figure to around 75M Cr — again, much of it Guardian-tech unlocks.

It's the choice for a committed AX pilot who already knows the discipline and wants to kill Interceptors faster. For learning, the cheaper, more forgiving Chieftain is wiser; the Krait rewards skill with speed of kill.

A high-damage anti-Xeno fit: heavy Gauss/AX weapons on the large mounts, a fighter for decoy and extra guns, and Guardian hull reinforcement (no military slots, so hardening goes in optionals). Initial is buy-only; AX-fitted adds the kit; Engineered hardens mobility and survival.

The buy-only state is just the hull, its stock Lightweight Alloy bulkheads and stock core internals — 7E Power Plant, 6E Thrusters, 5E Frame Shift Drive, 4E Life Support, 7E Power Distributor, 6E Sensors and a 5C Fuel Tank.

Every hardpoint, utility and optional slot stays empty (—): the AX/Guardian weapons, Xeno Scanner, caustic sink, Shutdown Field Neutraliser, shield booster, fighter bay and Guardian hull/module reinforcement all need Guardian and AX unlocks first.

That gear arrives in the AX-fit pass once the unlocks are done. Out of the box the Krait can fly and jump, but it can't yet fight Thargoids.

AX-fitting priority:

• 1AX / Guardian weapons — Two fixed Guardian Gauss Cannons, two Enhanced AX Multi-Cannons and a Guardian Shard Cannon to melt Interceptors fast. material unlocks
• 2Military Grade bulkheads — Swap the stock Lightweight Alloy for Military Grade Composite; with no military slots, the hull itself is the Krait's only innate armour upgrade. ~3M Cr
• 3Optionals — shield + Guardian reinforcement — 6C Bi-Weave Shield Generator, stacked Guardian hull reinforcement (sizes 5/4/3), Guardian module reinforcement (sizes 5/3) and the Guardian FSD Booster harden the ship without military slots; a 1E Decontamination Limpet Controller tucks into the size-2 slot so the size-4 carries armour, not a half-empty limpet bay. material unlocks
• 4Fighter bay — A 6D Fighter Hangar for the SLF decoy that splits Thargoid attacks. ~5M Cr
• 5Core internals → A — Power Plant → 7A and Power Distributor → 7A feed the power-hungry Gauss; Thrusters → 6A buy dodge agility; FSD → 5A and Life Support → 4A; drop Sensors to 6D to save mass. ~7M Cr
• 6Utilities — Xeno Scanner, caustic sink, a Shutdown Field Neutraliser to break the Interceptor EMP that would otherwise leave you helpless, and a shield booster. ~2M Cr

AX engineering hardens mobility, heat and survival; AX/Guardian weapons have limited engineering. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.

Recommended order

• 1Overcharged plant and Charge-Enhanced distributor to feed power-hungry Gauss weapons.
• 2Dirty thrusters for the agility to dodge between damage windows.
• 3Thermal-resistant bi-weave shield and shield booster against Thargoid thermal damage.
• 4Note: AX/Guardian weapons and Guardian reinforcement come from unlocks, not blueprints.

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

Engineered and Guardian-armed, the Krait Mk II melts Interceptor hearts faster than any popular medium, with an SLF to split Thargoid fire and a Shutdown Field Neutraliser to break the EMP. Heavy Duty Military Grade bulkheads and stacked Guardian hull/module reinforcement push its effective armour as far as a slot-starved medium can go, but it still hardens less than a Chieftain — so it survives by killing fast and dodging. An aggressive, expert's Xeno hunter.

• Kill fast — with no military slots, ending the fight quickly is your main survival tool.
• Use the SLF as a decoy to split Thargoid attacks away from you.
• Put Guardian reinforcement in the optionals; manage heat hard with Gauss weapons.
• Learn AX in a Chieftain first — the Krait rewards skill, not learning.