shipbuilding Tech Comparison
Autonomous Drone Carrier IV vs Capital Yards
Comparing the Autonomous Drone Carrier IV (Tier 4) and Capital Yards (Tier 3), both shipbuilding technologies in Starforge MMO. Use this to decide which to queue first when your research lab can only run one project at a time.
Research Comparison
| Attribute | Autonomous Drone Carrier IV | Capital Yards |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T4 | T3 |
| Research time | 8▼ | 24 |
| metal cost | 12,000▼ | 60,000 |
| crystal cost | 7,200▼ | 30,000 |
| antimatter cost | 200▼ | — |
| Effect | unlock ship: phoenix-carrier | enables capital class: true |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Autonomous Drone Carrier IV
Unlocks construction of the phoenix-carrier (carrier class).
Unlocks ships: phoenix carrier
Capital Yards
Enables construction of capital ships.
Unlocks buildings: capital shipyard
Unlocks ships: frigate mk1, hauler mk1
Requires: shipbuilding 2
Which Should You Research First?
The Capital Yards is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the shipbuilding branch, opening the path toward Autonomous Drone Carrier IV.