shipbuilding Tech Comparison
Heavy Cruiser Armour III vs Modular Design
Comparing the Heavy Cruiser Armour III (Tier 3) and Modular Design (Tier 2), 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 Cruiser Armour III | Modular Design |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T3 | T2 |
| Research time | 6▼ | 8 |
| metal cost | 6,000▼ | 10,000 |
| crystal cost | 3,600▼ | 5,000 |
| Effect | unlock ship: iron-fortress | +100% utility slot |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Heavy Cruiser Armour III
Unlocks construction of the iron-fortress (cruiser class).
Unlocks ships: iron fortress
Modular Design
Unlocks module slot expansion. Ships gain +1 utility slot.
Unlocks buildings: shipyard mk2
Unlocks ships: corvette mk1, miner mk1
Requires: shipbuilding 1
Which Should You Research First?
The Modular Design is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the shipbuilding branch, opening the path toward Heavy Cruiser Armour III.