shipbuilding Tech Comparison
Heavy Battleship Frame IV vs Dreadnought Engineering
Comparing the Heavy Battleship Frame IV (Tier 4) and Dreadnought Engineering (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 | Heavy Battleship Frame IV | Dreadnought Engineering |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T4 | T4 |
| Research time | 8▼ | 80 |
| metal cost | 12,000▼ | 180,000 |
| crystal cost | 7,200▼ | 90,000 |
| antimatter cost | 200▼ | 1,200 |
| dark matter cost | — | 600▼ |
| Effect | unlock ship: kraken-battleship | enables dreadnought class: true; enables capital class: true |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Heavy Battleship Frame IV
Unlocks construction of the kraken-battleship (battleship class).
Unlocks ships: kraken battleship
Dreadnought Engineering
Multi-segment superstructure design and redundant reactor cradles unlock the Dreadnought — a Capital hull rivaling the Titan in mass.
Unlocks buildings: dreadnought foundry
Unlocks ships: titan dreadnought, hammerfist battleship
Requires: shipbuilding 7, shipbuilding 8, shipbuilding 5
Which Should You Research First?
Both sit at the same tier. The Heavy Battleship Frame 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.