shipbuilding Tech Comparison
Autonomous Drone Carrier IV vs Heavy Cruiser Armour III
Comparing the Autonomous Drone Carrier IV (Tier 4) and Heavy Cruiser Armour III (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 | Heavy Cruiser Armour III |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T4 | T3 |
| Research time | 8 | 6▼ |
| metal cost | 12,000 | 6,000▼ |
| crystal cost | 7,200 | 3,600▼ |
| antimatter cost | 200▼ | — |
| Effect | unlock ship: phoenix-carrier | unlock ship: iron-fortress |
▼ 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
Heavy Cruiser Armour III
Unlocks construction of the iron-fortress (cruiser class).
Unlocks ships: iron fortress
Which Should You Research First?
The Heavy Cruiser Armour III is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the shipbuilding branch, opening the path toward Autonomous Drone Carrier IV.