drone warfare Tech Comparison
Stealth Drones vs Drone Hive Mind
Comparing the Stealth Drones (Tier 3) and Drone Hive Mind (Tier 4), 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 | Stealth Drones | Drone Hive Mind |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T3 | T4 |
| Research time | 18▼ | 65 |
| metal cost | 35,000▼ | 90,000 |
| crystal cost | 18,000▼ | 45,000 |
| dark matter cost | 300▼ | 400 |
| antimatter cost | — | 600▼ |
| Effect | unlocks stealth drones: true; +30% drone evasion | drones autonomous targeting: true; +40% drone combat efficiency |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
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
Drone Hive Mind
Swarm AI allows drones to operate autonomously in combat, selecting optimal targets without pilot input.
Unlocks buildings: hive mind core
Requires: drone warfare 2, drone warfare 3
Which Should You Research First?
The Stealth Drones is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the drone warfare branch, opening the path toward Drone Hive Mind.