drone warfare Tech Comparison
Drone Command vs Stealth Drones
Comparing the Drone Command (Tier 2) and Stealth Drones (Tier 3), both drone warfare 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 | Drone Command | Stealth Drones |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T2 | T3 |
| Research time | 9▼ | 18 |
| metal cost | 12,000▼ | 35,000 |
| crystal cost | 6,000▼ | 18,000 |
| dark matter cost | — | 300▼ |
| Effect | +50% max drones per fleet | unlocks stealth drones: true; +30% drone evasion |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Drone Command
Advanced command software increases the maximum drone count per fleet by 50%.
Unlocks buildings: drone command center
Unlocks ships: drone carrier mk1
Requires: weapons 2
Stealth Drones
Light cloaking fields render recon and strike drones invisible until attack range, unlocking the void-needle drone.
Unlocks ships: void needle
Requires: drone warfare 1
Which Should You Research First?
The Drone Command is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the drone warfare branch, opening the path toward Stealth Drones.