shipbuilding Tech Comparison
Heavy Cruiser Armour III vs Phase Cloak Drive
Comparing the Heavy Cruiser Armour III (Tier 3) and Phase Cloak Drive (Tier 2), 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 | Heavy Cruiser Armour III | Phase Cloak Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T3 | T2 |
| Research time | 6 | 4▼ |
| metal cost | 6,000 | 3,000▼ |
| crystal cost | 3,600 | 1,800▼ |
| Effect | unlock ship: iron-fortress | unlock ship: void-stalker |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Heavy Cruiser Armour III
Unlocks construction of the iron-fortress (cruiser class).
Unlocks ships: iron fortress
Phase Cloak Drive
Unlocks construction of the void-stalker (frigate class).
Unlocks ships: void stalker
Which Should You Research First?
The Phase Cloak Drive is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the shipbuilding branch, opening the path toward Heavy Cruiser Armour III.