FTL: All Ships Tier List & Weapon Combos

Ships are the foundation of your FTL run. This guide ranks every ship and explains the best weapon combos.

Ship Tier List

S-Tier Ships

• Stealth Cruiser (Engi B): The best ship in the game. Cloaking device + Burst Laser II = one-shot potential.
• Kestrel A (Human): Balanced starter. Good weapons, solid shields. Best beginner ship.
• Lanius B (Lanius): Best late-game ship. Lanius crew drain oxygen. Devastating with boarders.

A-Tier Ships

• Engi A (Engi): Strong shields + Engi crew. Great for defensive play.
• Stealth Cruiser (Human C): Cloaking + missiles. Good but less consistent than Engi B.
• Mantis A (Mantis): Boarding-focused. Strong but risky.
• Rock B (Rockman): Tank ship. High HP + Rock crew. Great for beginners.

B-Tier Ships

• Slug A (Slug): Telepathy reveals enemy crew. Good for boarding.
• Crystal A (Crystal): Crystal Vents lock rooms. Useful but situational.
• Fed B (Human): Strong weapons but weak shields. High skill ceiling.

C-Tier Ships

• Mantis B (Mantis): Boarding-focused but weak defenses. Hard to survive.
• Rock A (Rockman): Tank but slow. Outclassed by Rock B.
• Slug B (Slug): Telepathy + cloaking. Interesting but inconsistent.

F-Tier Ships

• Crystal B (Crystal): Weak in every way. Avoid.
• Stealth Cruiser (Fed C): Cloaking but no weapons. Useless.

Best Weapon Combos

Burst Laser II + Cloaking (Stealth Cruiser)

The legendary one-shot combo:

1. Activate cloaking device
2. Enemy shields drop (they cant see you)
3. Fire Burst Laser II (3-damage burst)
4. All 3 shots hit hull directly
5. 6 damage to hull = instant kill on most ships

Beam + Missile Combo

• Beam weapons strip shields layer by layer
• Missiles bypass shields entirely
• Strategy: Use beam to strip shields, then fire missiles for hull damage

Ion + Weapon Combo

• Ion weapons disable enemy systems for 5 seconds per hit
• Strategy: Fire ion at enemy weapons, then attack while they cant shoot back
• Best ion weapons: Ion Blast II (2 ion damage), Stun Bomb (ion + boarders)

Drone + Weapon Combo

• Combat drones provide constant damage
• Strategy: Pair drones with weapons for maximum DPS
• Best drones: Laser Drone (consistent damage), Beam Drone (shield stripping)

Ship-Specific Strategies

Stealth Cruiser (Engi B)

• Start with: Cloaking Device + Burst Laser II
• Priority upgrades: Shields (2 layers), Engines (4 bars), Weapons (3 bars)
• Strategy: Cloak → Fire → Repeat. One-shot potential on every fight.

Kestrel A

• Start with: Artemis Missile + Burst Laser I
• Priority upgrades: Shields (3 layers), Weapons (4 bars), Engines (3 bars)
• Strategy: Balanced play. Use missiles to strip shields, lasers for damage.

Lanius B

• Start with: Lanius crew + Ion Blast
• Priority upgrades: Shields (2 layers), Weapons (3 bars), Drone Control (2 bars)
• Strategy: Lanius drain oxygen. Board enemies and watch them suffocate.

Drone Strategies

Best Drones by Role

Combat:

1. Laser Drone: Consistent damage, no ammo
2. Beam Drone: Strips shields
3. Missile Drone: High burst damage (uses ammo)

Defense:

1. Defense Drone: Shoots down missiles and asteroids
2. Anti-Personnel Drone: Kills boarders automatically

Utility:

1. Boarding Drone: Boards enemy ships
2. Hacking Drone: Disables enemy systems

Advanced Tips

• Save scrap for stores. Weapons and drone parts are worth the investment.
• Avoid rebel fleet by taking longer routes. More events = more scrap.
• Repair between fights. A damaged ship is a dead ship.
• Use cloaking to dodge missiles. Saves shield power.
• Boarding is risky but rewarding. Only board if you have Mantis crew.
• The Rebel Flagship has 4 shield layers. Use hacking + missiles to bypass shields.