shipbuilding Tech Comparison
Capital Yards vs Solar Energy Barrage IV
Comparing the Capital Yards (Tier 3) and Solar Energy Barrage IV (Tier 4), 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 | Capital Yards | Solar Energy Barrage IV |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T3 | T4 |
| Research time | 24 | 8▼ |
| metal cost | 60,000 | 12,000▼ |
| crystal cost | 30,000 | 7,200▼ |
| antimatter cost | — | 200▼ |
| Effect | enables capital class: true | unlock ship: nova-battleship |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Capital Yards
Enables construction of capital ships.
Unlocks buildings: capital shipyard
Unlocks ships: frigate mk1, hauler mk1
Requires: shipbuilding 2
Solar Energy Barrage IV
Unlocks construction of the nova-battleship (battleship class).
Unlocks ships: nova battleship
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 Solar Energy Barrage IV.