Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is a game based on the eponymous board game that takes place in the Warhammer universe. This tactical space strategy took some of the mechanics from its original board game and harmoniously laced them with battles in real-time format.
As of now, the game has four factions: Imperial Navy, Chaos, Ork Pirates, and Eldar Corsairs. Each faction has its own fleet of spaceships, which you can take under your command. There are 46 warships available in the game that can be categorized into five different groups: Escort Ships, Light Cruisers, Cruisers, Battle Cruisers, and Battleships.
Escort Ships
There are 15 Escort Ships in Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, which makes them the largest group of spaceships in the game. However, these ships are the smallest ones and, unlike other ships, they can’t gain any experience points or skills.
Cobra
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Torpedo Boat
Weapons: Forward Mounted Sub-macro Cannon Turret, Prow-mounted Torpedoes Launcher
This Imperium warship belongs to the Cobra class of Escort Ships. It is poorly armored, but is the fastest Escort in the Imperial battlefleet.
Firestorm
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Heavy Hitter
Weapons: Light Double Macro-Turret, Light Prow Lance
The Firestorm class of ships usually has weak engines, but strong weapons, especially Prow Lance that can be deadly to other Escort Ships.
Sword
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Jack-of-all-trades
Weapons: Light Double Macro-Turret
The Sword class is very similar to Firestorms ships, which means that they are small and fast. Sword Frigates are no threat to capital ships, but can deal enough damage to other Escort boats and civilian transport.
Widowmaker
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Torpedo Boat
Weapons: Prow Light Torpedo Launcher
Widowmaker is a sub-type of the Cobra class of warships equipped with experimental long-range scanners.
Iconoclast
Faction: Chaos
Type: Light Gun-boat
Weapons: Light Missile Pod Turret
The Iconoclast class of ships was designed by pirates, so it has almost no armor, but a ridiculous speed. It is perfect for scouting missions, but has absolutely no value in heavy combat.
Idolator
Faction: Chaos
Type: Light Lance-boat
Weapons: Light Missile Pod Turret, Light Prow Lance
Idolators are the most dangerous Escort Ships in the game. They’re fast, strong and one such boat can easily deal with the whole swarm of Imperial Firestorm warships.
Infidel
Faction: Chaos
Type: Torpedo Boat
Weapons: Light Missile Pod Turret, Prow Light Torpedo Launcher
The biggest advantage of Infidel destroyers is their upgraded armor, which is a rarity among Escort Ships. In combination with fast speed and strong weaponry Infidel easily becomes one of the best choices in the game.
Brute
Faction: Ork Pirates
Type: Ram Ship
Weapons: Grot Prow Gunz
Ram Ships are especially effective when used in a group, when you can ram a bigger target from many different angles.
Onslaught
Faction: Ork Pirates
Type: Attack Ship
Weapons: Grot Prow Gunz
Out of all Ork Pirate Escort Ships this one has the highest fire rate. However, its weapons can fire only in the forward direction.
Ravager
Faction: Ork Pirates
Type: Torpedo Boat
Weapons: Grot Prow Gunz, Prow Weak Torpedo Launcher
Just like Brute ships, Ravager boats are most effective when used as a group. If you can combine 5+ ships in one row and shoot simultaneously, you will have 10+ torpedoes hitting the unlucky target.
Savage
Faction: Ork Pirates
Type: Gunship
Weapons: Heavy Kannon
Savage Gunships are equipped with two powerful cannons that can take out any big and slow ships. When only one such Heavy Kannon hits the target it can deal insane amounts of damage.
Aconite
Faction: Eldar Corsairs
Type: Frigate
Weapons: Light Prow Starcannon
These agile ships are best used in small groups that can easily get behind a large target and hit it with their highly powerful laser cannons.
Hellebore
Faction: Eldar Corsairs
Type: Frigate
Weapons: Prow Torpedo Launcher, Prow Starcannon, Prow Pulsar
This is the most heavily weaponized type of Escort Ships in the entire game. Although not too well armored, they have so much firepower that even Imperial light cruisers can’t compete with them.
Hemlock
Faction: Eldar Corsairs
Type: Destroyer
Weapons: Light Prow Starcannon, Prow Pulsar
Destroyers are tiny ships that mostly consist of a flying Pulsar Gun that are very vulnerable to any sorts of threats in combat.
Nightshade
Faction: Eldar Corsairs
Type: Destroyer
Weapons: Light Prow Starcannon, Prow Light Torpedo Launcher
This type of Destroyers uses special Eldar Light Torpedoes that are highly sensitive to enemy targets, thus making them especially effective in close range combat.
Light Cruisers
Light Cruisers are slightly larger boats than Escort Ships that can also be upgraded and repaired if needed. In total there are 7 Light Cruisers in Battlefleet Gothic: Armada.
Dauntless (Variant mk1)
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Scout and Skirmish Cruiser
Weapons: Heavy Prow Lance, Light Double Macro-Turret, Light Macro-Battery
Dauntless can be used either as an Escort Ship or a Scout Cruiser. Due to Heavy Prow Lance it is more effective at short and medium range combats against equally-sized ships.
Dauntless (Variant mk2)
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Scout and Skirmish Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Medium Torpedo Launcher, Light Double Macro-Turret, Light Macro-Battery
A slightly different modification of the Dauntless (Variant mk1), which has a Torpedo Launcher instead of a Lance. It is mostly used against large targets and usually in a long range combat.
Hellbringer (Variant mk1)
Faction: Chaos
Type: Light Carrier
Weapons: Heavy Macro-Turret, Ordnance Launch Bay
Hellbringers are the deadliest warships in their class. If upgraded properly and in time, they can become very fast and very dangerous in both short- and long-range combats.
Hellbringer (Variant mk2)
Faction: Chaos
Type: Light Carrier
Weapons: Heavy Macro-Turret, Lance Battery
This is a modified version of the Hellbringer (Variant mk1) that uses Lance Battery instead of Ordnance. However, it is no less dangerous than its elder brother.
Aurora
Faction: Eldar Corsairs
Type: Eldar Light Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Torpedo Launcher, Prow Pulsar
Aurora is light and fast, but is manual-fire only, which makes it a bit of a hard ship to control. However, if you can master the famous Eldar hit-and-run tactics, it can do no wrong.
Solaris
Faction: Eldar Corsairs
Type: Eldar Light Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Starcannon, Launch Bays
Solaris is a companion sister-ship to Aurora, which carries a slightly different set of weapons. There is basically no difference between the two, which is also the main reason why they are often confused in combat.
Basha
Faction: Ork Pirates
Type: Ork Light Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Weak Torpedo Launcha, Lotsa’ Gunz
This Cruiser has a very strong Torpedo Launcher that can destroy any type of Escort Ship with just a few successive hits.
Cruisers
Cruisers are larger iterations of Light Cruisers and they are also more numerous. Overall there are 11 Cruisers in the game.
Dictator
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Light Carrier
Weapons: Prow Heavy Torpedo Launcher, Macro-Battery, Ordnance Launch Bay
Dictator is a hybrid of Light Carrier and Light Cruiser, which was designed to escort larger ships on long range cruises that could also protect their commanding ships more effectively than typical smaller escorts.
Dominator
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Heavy Cruiser
Weapons: Nova Cannon, Macro-Battery
This heavy ship can’t boast with speed or armor, but its Nova Cannon is one of the most terrifying weapons that a warship of this class could carry. Dominator is especially useful in situations when you need to destroy a few larger targets.
Gothic
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Heavy Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Heavy Torpedo Launcher, Lance Battery
This is another Heavy Cruiser in the Imperial fleet that is designed for the purposes of inflicting loads of damage to enemy warships by piercing through their armor with a number of Torpedoes and Lance Batteries.
Lunar
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Heavy Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Heavy Torpedo Launcher, Lance Battery, Macro-Battery
Lunar class of cruisers is one of the most numerous, cheap and versatile warships in the entire game. So, if you have a hole in your fleet that you need to fill, strongly consider Lunar Cruisers over any other choices.
Tyrant
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Heavy Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Heavy Torpedo Launcher, Plasma Macro-Battery
Tyrants carry experimental Plasma-based cannons that were designed to hit more distant targets than what usual Macro-Batteries couldn’t reach. These Cruisers also show good results in close-range knife combats.
Carnage
Faction: Chaos
Type: Fire Support Vessel
Weapons: Heavy Macro-Turret, Macro-Battery, Heavy Missile Pod Turret
The name Carnage is not incidental, as these ships were created to massively destroy squadrons of small Escort Ships. Heavy Macro-Turret and Macro-Battery are perfect for these types of missions.
Devastation
Faction: Chaos
Type: Heavy Raider
Weapons: Lance Battery, Macro-Turret, Ordnance Launch Bay, Missile Pod Turret
This is a very similar design to the Hellbringer Light Cruiser, but with more weapons and armor. They can be well upgraded and will destroy almost any type of target.
Murder
Faction: Chaos
Type: Lance Boat
Weapons: Heavy Prow Lance, Macro-Battery
Murder is a slightly weaker version of Lunar class of Cruisers. However, its Battery is a huge threat to any smaller Escort Ship or Light Cruiser.
Slaughter
Faction: Chaos
Type: Damage-Dealer
Weapons: Macro-Turret, Twin-Linked Battery, Missile Pod Turret
Another experimental vessel with a new type of hybrid weapons that are based on a Fusion power plant, which makes its Batteries very effective in a mid-range combat.
Shadow
Faction: Eldar Corsairs
Type: Eldar Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Starcannon, Prow Torpedo Launcher
Shadow is arguably the fastest and most maneuverable Cruiser in the game. However, it is mostly useful in close combat only, and if needed it can outrun almost any other similar ship.
Terror
Faction: Ork Pirates
Type: Heavy Carrier
Weapons: Prow Gunz, Prow Torpedo Launcha, Lotsa’ Gunz
Terror is a larger, bulkier version of Basha. Almost every department of Terror is optimized except of the speed. It is perfect for ramming tactics in close combat.
Battle Cruisers
Large, long-range warships that can be used in almost any role from cruisers to destroyers. There are 7 Battle Cruisers in Battlefleet Gothic: Armada.
Mars
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Jack-of-all-trades
Weapons: Nova Cannon, Lance Turret, Ordnance Launch Bay, Macro-Battery
Mars has an impressive set of weaponry on its board, especially Nova Cannon that can deal devastating damage to any other warship. It is mostly used for long-range attacks.
Overlord
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Heavy Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Heavy Torpedo Launcher, Lance Turret, Plasma Macro-Battery
A companion-ship to Mars, but designed specifically for close-range combat. Overlord has almost no disadvantages with both well balanced armor and weaponry.
Acheron
Faction: Chaos
Type: Advanced Lance Boat
Weapons: Lance Battery, Lance Turret, Heavy Missile Pod Turret, Heavy Macro-Turret
Basically, Acheron is a redesigned Cardinal ship with better Lances that have a more efficient heating distribution system, which helps them save a lot of energy in the course of combat.
Hades
Faction: Chaos
Type: Brawler
Weapons: Heavy Prow Lance, Lance Turret, Macro-Battery
Hades is very similar to Carnage class of ships with a slightly better armor, Lance battery and powerplant.
Styx
Faction: Chaos
Type: Dedicated Carrier
Weapons: Super Heavy Macro-Turret, Lance Turret, Ordnance Launch Bay, Super Heavy Missile Pod Turret
If you want to add serious firepower to your Chaos fleet, then Styx is the best choice. It is basically a Hellbringer with double the amount of weapons.
Eclipse
Faction: Eldar Corsairs
Type: Attack Carrier
Weapons: Prow Starcannon, Launch Bays, Prow Pulsar
Eclipse is the deadliest carrier in the game. It can quickly deploy its Darkstar fighters and Eagle bombers and then disappear from the frontline in a blink of an eye.
Hammer
Faction: Ork Pirates
Type: Ork Battle Cruiser
Weapons: Prow Gunz, Prow Torpedo Launcha, Lotsa’ Gunz
Hammer is an almost identical twin of the Terror class of ships. The only difference is that it has a second row of Prow Gunz and three more turrets.
Battleships
This is the largest and most resilient class of warships in the game. As of now, there are 6 Battleships in the game.
Emperor
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Flagship
Weapons: Heavy Macro-Turret, Ordnance Launch Bay, Heavy Plasma Macro-Battery
Emperor, just like any other Imperial Flagship, carries Plasma Cannons that can turn into dust the whole squadrons of Light Cruisers and Escort Ships. It is also one of the most ancient ships in the game’s lore.
Retribution
Faction: Imperial Navy
Type: Heavy Brawler
Weapons: Plasma Macro-Battery, Lance Turret, Prow Super Heavy Torpedo Launcher
With a massive amount of armor and heavy weaponry, Retribution can answer any type of threat. It is so powerful that it can alone withstand a fleet of attackers without any additional support.
Desolator
Faction: Chaos
Type: Super-Heavy Lance Boat
Weapons: Prow Super Heavy Torpedo Launcher, Merged Lance Battery, Super Heavy Missile Pod Turret
Desolator is a great long-range Lance Boat that can most effectively utilize its lances and batteries on much larger distances than any other Battleship.
Despoiler
Faction: Chaos
Type: Heavy Attack Carrier
Weapons: Super Heavy Lance Battery, Ordnance Launch Bay, Lance Turret, Heavy Macro Cannon Battery
Just like Desolator, Despoiler is a long-range Attack Carrier that can also be either a good raiding or an escort vessel.
Voidstalker
Faction: Eldar Corsairs
Type: Eldar Battleship
Weapons: Launch Bays, Heavy Prow Starcannon, Heavy Prow Pulsar
The only Battleship in the Eldar fleet is also the largest one. It carries a great variety of weapons and is as maneuverable as any other Eldar Escort or Cruiser.
Dethdeala
Faction: Ork Pirates
Type: Ork Battleship
Weapons: Prow Gunz, Prow Torpedo Launcha, Lotsa’ Gunz
A significantly larger and more heavily weaponized version of Hammer Battle Cruiser. This one can carry as many Gunz as you want or simply be a huge carrier – it will do the job well in both cases.
Tindalos Interactive, the game’s developer, will be releasing more new factions in the future. The additional content will add a group of new and exciting warships to the already impressive roster that is available in the game, so stay tuned.
Come back soon for more Battlefleet Gothic: Armada guides at GameSkinny!
