Fighter

Fighters are small ships that can attach to the outer hull of a ship. In earlier versions, fighters are only usable by hostile ships designed to carry them and seem unable to re-attach to the launching ship after a battle ends. As of Update 24 or earlier, they can be crafted and released from drone bays on player ships. Enemy ships do not always require drone bays to have fighters.

Fighter Sprite

Players will encounter fighters while completing Combat contracts or in systems labeled as hostile. They are small and agile but generally do minor damage individually. Gatling guns appear to be the most efficient way to fight them off.

During the playtest, it was possible to spawn a fighter in the Debug menu. This always generated a hostile, unattached fighter. A player can only control a ship carrying fighters by editing a save file, but they will remain hostile to the player. They will automatically launch when the ship carrying them is attacked and will focus on the attacking ship until it is destroyed. They will then begin to attack the player's ship.

When launched from a Fighter Bay, the drones carry a quantity of bullets and fuel, if they run out, they will return to the Fighter Bay to reload, refuel, and repair. Their maneuverability and durability can be upgraded in the research tree.