Ships are the core mechanism in Star Citizen and it is pretty self-explanatory. When you are freely traveling in space, your essential is to have a Ship that allows you to go from one point to another. Being a versatile and massive game, Star Citizen doesn't limit itself on the number of Ships you can have.

There are probably Ships for everything in this game and they also provide ways to earn in the game. The only problem beginners might face with the game is getting to know their Ship or even knowing how the Ship system works in Star Citizen.

For that reason, we have here a Star Citizen Ship Guide to help you know about them a little, figure out their controls, and then talk about the best pick at the start of the game until you figure things out for yourself. Without any further ado, let’s get started with the Star Citizen Ship Guide

Star Citizen Ship Movement

There is a Six Degree Flight Model, meaning as a pilot, you can move the Space Ship in X, Y, and Z-Axis. Furthermore, the movement is not limited to only these movements, rather you can roll the ship, use thrusters in some ships to aid in movement, and so on. The essential Ship Movement in Star Citizen is as follows;

You can use W, S, A, and D keys to move Forward, Backward, Left, and Right. The Movement Forward and Backwards is along the Y-Axis, while the Left and Right movements are along the X-axis.

Using Space Bar and LCTRL to move the ship upwards and downwards. This movement is along the Z-Axis.

Pressing the Q and E keys to roll the ship to left and right.

To enable Boosts, you will have to use the LSHIFT key. There is a Boost Power for every ship and you can use the Boost till that bar is fully depleted or you leave the Boost Key alone.

To use the Break in Space for your Ship use the X Key. This Brake will nullify or halt any Strife movement to the Ship. You can use the option of Space brake Engages Boost to enhance the power of Break even more. One more trick to break faster is flipping the ship in opposite direction.

To look at the ship freely, use Z+Mouse or use the F4 key to permanently change the Cam settings to External. You can zoom in external by using Mouse Wheel with the F4 key

Press K for VTOL, which is available in some Ships

There is a Thrust Bar on your Ship that allows you to limit the Thrust of the Ship. Use the RALT plus Mouse Wheel to move that Thrust around (increase or decrease)

Pressing the C key will enable the Cruise Control on the Ship. The speed is limited to the Speed Limiter which we will mention below.

Using your mouse, you can control the Pitch and Yaw of the Ship. In the Default mode, you can use the mouse to move the nose of the ship faster. This mode is referred to as the VJOY mode and it is the default mode.

You can change from the VJOY to Relative which allows you to have the feeling of regular FPS games.

Speed Limiter in Ships

 

On your Ship HUD, there is an option with Redline, and some numbers on the left and it changes with your movement/speed of the ship. Well, that is the Speed velocity and it shows how fast the ship is moving on the combined Strafe Axis. The arrow on the button shows your current speed and the value shows Speed Value in meters per second.

The speed below the Redline is referred to as Space Combat Maneuver Speed (SCM) and indicates maximum ship responsiveness. While the Red one shows the Cruise Speed. There is a Box at mid that limit the speed to SCM.

You can Lower the Speed limiter by using Mouse Scroll Wheel. It will give you more precision, speed control, and movement control and makes things much more versatile for you. When you raise the Speed limiter, your Ship speed increases and allows you to get things done quickly, while it takes a toll on your maneuverability.

At the speeds above SCM, it becomes nearly impossible to control the Pitch and Yaw of the Ship, that is why you have Speed Limiter Binding or that Box we just mentioned. It allows you to reset the limiter and get you under control quickly.

There is a cruise option which we mentioned. Pressing the C will increase the speed of the ship automatically but only to the box referred to as Speed Limiter. Cruise is defined by an up Arrow with a line on a pointy head alongside the Box.

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How to Take Off and Land a Ship

Well, now that we are over with our Key Bindings and Controls of Ship, let's head over to the main section where we talk about Takeoff. In Star Citizen, there are various Panels Found in the Space Port. Simply head over to the Panel, interact with it, and call the vehicle you want to the Hanger.

A Pointer will appear that indicates where your ship is on the Hanger. Simply reach the location and press F and Enter the Ship. Whereas, after getting on the Ship, you can use R to get the Flight Ready or even use the F (Interaction) method. To get the Power Off you need to press the U button.

Now to Take Off, you need to disable the Hanger and make contact with the Traffic Controller. Press F11 to see the Friends Chat Panel, then Talk to the NB Int, Spaceport. After a time, the doors will open, and you will have to press space for flight and move with W upfront.

Keep in mind, that to Land the Ship in Star Citizen, you need to enable the Landing gear, which is done by pressing the N Key. In case you somehow forgot that before landing your ship, it will then result in damage to your ship.

These were all the basics of a Ship in Star Citizen. Furthermore, when it comes to picking one for yourself, there are various options. Below, we have various starter ships to pick from in the Star Citizen Ship Guide.

Best Starter Ship in Star Citizen

 

Before you begin the beautiful journey of Star Citizen, you need a suitable Starter Ship or Pack. Don’t go out of the boundaries with the first starter pack by picking something expensive. Rather, go for something moderate, that is good with features while also saving your credit.

Note: Some packs come with access to Star Citizen, while there are packs that stand alone and come with a ship and not anything else.

That being said, Star Citizen is a skill-based game and starter ships might sound a bit strange when it comes to stats. But they do have some space on them to carry artifacts, come with a bed to freely leave the game and come back to, and finally a weapon carrier to defend yourself at any stage. Lastly, the benefit of a Starter Ship is that it immediately respawns back after getting destroyed, while the longer ships take time.

All of this means, for beginners, a starter ship is the perfect suite instead of getting something massive and going out of budget range.

Starter Ships with Game Access

Mustang Alpha Starter Pack (45 Dollars)

Not the most compact one on the list, but rather something that doesn’t come with an interior. There sure is an external cargo compartment for transportation but that is broken in Star Citizen.

 Aurora MR Starter Pack (45 Dollars)

Aurora MR comes with an internal space for beds, and boxes and has a compact for. It doesn’t look that great at first sight but does the work beautifully at that price point.

Anvil C8X Pisces Expedition Starter Back (60 Dollars)

The smallest ship in the game that comes with incredible interior space. Not only does it have a cargo, bed, but also has that space for personnel.

 100i Starter Pack (65 Dollars)

A luxurious starter ship that is not only incredibly feature-proof but also comes with an amazing exterior look. It comes with a Bespoke Refinery System that regenerates and repurposes space gas you find as you explore. For a Cargo ship, this also makes up for an amazing carrier and touring ship.

Starter Ships without game Access

Starter Ships without access to the game aren’t that recommended because of their cost at the startup. Still, some of the best choices are;

 Avenger Titan (55 Dollars)

It comes with enough Cargo Space to fit a vehicle inside or Cargo. It comes with Bed Space and Weaponry for protection in outer space. It comes with a general game price of 55 dollars but costs additional 10 dollars for the game inclusion. Some people consider Avenger Titan with a game to be the best Starter Package in Star Citizen

300i (60 Dollars)

It is the Larger Partner of 100i, coming with a better interior and upgraded features. Still, it isn’t recommended at this stage of the game, but rather later when you get a hang of stuff.

 The Reliant Kore

This unorthodox Ship offers less space for Cargo, Room for Crew and has good look. Still, not the best choice, but if you want to get this one, you can go for it.

Final Verdict

Star Citizen Being an unfathomably massive game comes with absolute attention to detail. Ranging from the Ships, their interior, exterior, and usability to be full of controls, there is much more to study here. In this Star Citizen Ship guide, we mentioned some of the most essential mechanisms and controls of Ship, while at the end mentioned some of the best Starter Packages/Ships to get started with. It is important to mention that it is only the first layer to understanding the basic concept of the game.