drone warfare Tech Comparison
Heavy Drone Platform vs Drone Hive Mind
Comparing the Heavy Drone Platform (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 | Heavy Drone Platform | Drone Hive Mind |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T3 | T4 |
| Research time | 22▼ | 65 |
| metal cost | 40,000▼ | 90,000 |
| crystal cost | 20,000▼ | 45,000 |
| antimatter cost | 200▼ | 600 |
| dark matter cost | — | 400▼ |
| Effect | +35% drone weapon damage; unlocks heavy drones: true | 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.
Heavy Drone Platform
Reinforced drone frames support heavy ordnance, enabling bomber drones and heavy attack drone variants.
Unlocks buildings: heavy drone bay
Unlocks ships: drone bomber mk1
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 Heavy Drone Platform is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the drone warfare branch, opening the path toward Drone Hive Mind.