[This is the 2nd post in a 4-part series describing Skylight. This post describes Skylight’s ships. Read about the gameplay, and look for posts about the campaign and multiplayer in the coming weeks!]

Before every battle in Skylight, you get a chance to customize your fleet. From a list of 12 ship types, you can take up to 15, including 3 capital ships. That’s all you get for the entire battle, so it’s an important decision.

The 12 ship types are divided into 3 classes: capital ships, regular ships, and fighter squadrons. Each type has a certain amount of armor, a certain DPS (damage-per-second) versus fighters, a separate DPS versus ships, and sometimes a special ability that can be used once per round.

CAPITAL SHIPS

Capital ships (or “capships”) are enormous hulks that form the centerpiece of your fleet. They are much larger and more powerful than the other ship types, but you only get a maximum of 3 in any battle. Destroying the enemy's capital ships is the goal of each battle in Skylight. You need to find a balance between protecting these ships and sending them out to attack the enemy.

BATTLESHIP

Armor: 2500

DPS vs. ships: 60

DPS vs. fighters: 60

Special ability: None

Most capships have a hard time defending against enemy fighter squadrons, but the Battleship is an exception. Fighters would do well to steer clear.





DREADNOUGHT

Armor: 1500

DPS vs. ships: 120

DPS vs. fighters: 20

Special ability: Charge Ray

The Dreadnought has more firepower than any other ship in the game, but less armor than other capships. Its Charge Ray

gains power over time, so it does more

damage when used later in the battle.



GALLEON

Armor: 5000

DPS vs. ships: 40

DPS vs. fighters: 20

Special ability: None

The Galleon is the heaviest, best-armored ship available. Although it’s less useful on attack than other capships, it is exceedingly

hard to destroy.



MISSILE CARRIER

Armor: 2500

DPS vs. ships: 60

DPS vs. fighters: 30

Special ability: Missiles

In addition to the usual railguns and laser cannons, the Carrier is equipped with a battery of four missiles, which it can deploy

to deal significant damage to all enemies in

a small area. This barrage can destroy most

ship types in a single turn.

SHIPS



These “noncaps” are the standard ships that usually form the bulk of your fleet. They have less armor, less firepower, and a shorter range than capital ships, but they can be very useful for escorting, defending, or supplementing their larger cousins.



DESTROYER

Armor: 500

DPS vs. ships: 10

DPS vs. fighters: 30

Special ability: None

Bristling with laser cannons, the Destroyer is the most efficient means of dealing with

enemy fighter squadrons.

CRUISER

Armor: 500

DPS vs. ships: 20

DPS vs. fighters: 15

Special ability: None

The Cruiser has average armor and firepower, but its blaster has the extended range of a capital ship’s railgun. It can stay back at a safe distance and deal damage

while other ships take the brunt of the

enemy assault.



IRONCLAD

Armor: 1000

DPS vs. ships: 10

DPS vs. fighters: 10

Special ability: Shield

The Ironclad has twice the armor of other ships, making it great at soaking up damage. What’s more, it can deploy a

temporary shield, which allows it to protect

nearby ships by taking damage meant for them.



MISSILE FRIGATE

Armor: 500

DPS vs. ships: 20

DPS vs. fighters: 15

Special ability: Missile

The Missile Frigate carries a single oversized missile on its back, which can

damage all enemies within a certain radius.

These missiles are particularly deadly

when used in groups.



FIGHTERS



Fighters are deployed in squadrons of 8, and they behave a bit differently from other ship types. Firstly, they can only attack at very short range, but they compensate with greater speed. Secondly, as a squadron loses individual fighters, its total damage output decreases over time. Lastly, and most critically, they have the ability to distract and incapacitate the enemy: when a ship is under attack by a fighter squadron, it can’t follow orders or continue firing its main guns until the attacking fighters have been destroyed. This makes fighters especially useful for dealing with enemy capital ships.

INTERCEPTORS

Armor: 500

DPS vs. ships: 5

DPS vs. fighters: 30

Special ability: Afterburn

Interceptors are designed with one purpose in mind: to engage and destroy other fighters. Their afterburn ability allows them to get a temporary speed boost,

letting them catch up to any target.

BOMBERS

Armor: 300

DPS vs. ships: 75

DPS vs. fighters: 5

Special ability: None

Bombers are the least-balanced ships in the fleet. On the one hand, they are remarkably flimsy and nearly incapable of engaging other fighters. On the other hand,

nothing else is so effective at dealing damage

to larger ships. They are almost always the

enemy’s first target, and with good reason.



SCRAMBLERS

Armor: 1000

DPS vs. ships: 10

DPS vs. fighters: 10

Special ability: None

Scramblers are not well equipped to actually destroy an enemy, but their armor and agility makes them uniquely proficient

at distracting and incapacitating larger ships.

A squadron or two of scramblers can prevent

an enemy capship from ever entering the

rest of the battle.



PHANTOMS

Armor: 500

DPS vs. ships: 15

DPS vs. fighters: 15

Special ability: Cloak

Phantoms have the ability to temporarily become invisible to the enemy. When cloaked, they cannot be attacked or targeted

by the enemy, making them very

difficult to intercept. The enemy can only

guess where they might reappear. They are

your secret weapon.



