shipbuilding Tech Comparison
Autonomous Drone Carrier IV vs Iron Titan Heavy Assault IV
Comparing the Autonomous Drone Carrier IV (Tier 4) and Iron Titan Heavy Assault 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 | Autonomous Drone Carrier IV | Iron Titan Heavy Assault IV |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T4 | T4 |
| Research time | 8▼ | 30 |
| metal cost | 12,000▼ | 95,000 |
| crystal cost | 7,200▼ | 48,000 |
| antimatter cost | 200▼ | — |
| gas cost | — | 12,000▼ |
| rare elements cost | — | 30▼ |
| Effect | unlock ship: phoenix-carrier | +25% battleship armor; +20% siege damage |
▼ 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
Iron Titan Heavy Assault IV
Reinforced spinal-mount battleship doctrine pairing layered ablative plating with siege-grade fire control. Unlocks the Iron Titan heavy-assault battleship.
Unlocks ships: iron titan
Requires: shipbuilding 7, heavy battleship frame iv
Which Should You Research First?
Both sit at the same tier. The Autonomous Drone Carrier IV is the cheaper project, so it's the safer early pick if your economy is tight; otherwise prioritise whichever effect supports your current strategy.