EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone is fast approaching, bringing with it a stack of enhancements and extras that'll take your enjoyment of it to the next level. You can get the general picture here, but what we're sure you really want to know about is what you'll be able to fly when the expansion drops on 26 September.

The big news is that in Warzone, there are now four ship classes. The Fighter class has become the Assault class, there are still the Heavy and Support classes, and there's the brand new Covert class, which we'll come to over the next few weeks. Every ship is available to you from the start, and each one has its own distinct character and very individual weaponry and abilities. And don't forget that each ship now has an Ultra ability that has the potential to turn the course of a battle – use it wisely.

You'll quickly figure out which ships suit you best and start upgrading them so they suit you even better. To help you get into the action faster, though, over the next couple of weeks we'll be introducing you to all the ships in each class and explaining what they can do.

We're starting off with the Assault ships. Think of the go-to weapons in any FPS – the assault rifle, the shotgun, the sniper rifle and the SMG – and each one's represented by one of these beauties. You'll instinctively know which one's likely to work best for you, so let's begin with everyone's favourite fighter that's been given a serious Warzone upgrade.

Wraith Mk6

Everyone remembers their first Wraith flight. It's fast! It's nimble! And it's deadly at medium range. The Wraith is the perfect beginner's ship, and the Mark Six has been refined and finessed over many generations into a great all-round fighter that only gets better as you pump up your skills and upgrade it to match.

Primary: Assault Cannons - This rapid fire projectile weapon does great medium-range damage, but overheats after continuous use.

Secondary: Missile Launcher - Give any enemy a bad day by unleashing up to five missiles that explode and cause splash damage.

Tertiary: ECM - Get out of trouble fast by deploying chaff that blocks incoming missiles.

Ultra: Mjolnir - Named after Thor's mighty hammer, this one-shot super missile can do catastrophic damage if unleashed at the right time.

Jackal

If you like your combat up close and personal, the Jackal, with its wide stance and twin shot blast cannons, will be right up your street. Designed to deliver plenty of close-range pain, it's like flying a shotgun, and its thickened hull and additional deployable shield mean that you can take plenty of punishment and see out your battles to the end.

Primary: Ripper - Blast out high damage, close range shots that also cause splash damage.

Secondary: Alternate Ripper - This projectile will deliver plenty of damage, but make sure you hit your target as it has no splash damage.

Tertiary: Overshield - If you’re getting a bit beaten up, use this to deploy an additional shield or repair a damaged one.

Ultra: Matter Injection - Whether you want to race to a fight on the other side of the map or get away to safety, this will provide unlimited boost for a short duration.

Strix

For those of you enjoy sneaking around with a sniper rifle and popping distant skulls from rooftops, welcome to your new favourite ship. The Strix is all about precision; its long range, high impact pulse laser will slam through the toughest shields from across the quadrant, but it leaves little room for error. If you miss you'll find yourself completely open to counter-attack, so keep your distance.

Primary: Pulse Laser - This pair of high damage, long range lasers make for some superb sniping.

Secondary: Missile Pod - Fire up to seven missiles that explode and cause splash damage, too.

Tertiary: Dash - If your cover's blown and you need to get away, this will blast you forward in a straight line.

Ultra: Remove Plasma Vent - With this you can fire unlimited shots with no overheat penalty; get it right and you can wipe out most of the opposition before they realise what's happening!

Yurei

Bring the chaos! The Yurei is all about delivering maximum medium range damage; its flight stick ripples intensely as you blast out a high-speed hell storm with its pulse cannons, shredding shields and leaving the enemy vulnerable to your missile loadout. If you enjoy nothing more than running around with a rocket launcher, the Yurei's definitely built for you.

Primary: Pulse Cannon - A mid range-automatic pulse cannon for high-speed kills.

Secondary: Trine Missiles - Finish off a weakened enemy and maybe bag a couple more by firing up to 3 missiles that explode and cause splash damage.

Tertiary: ECM - Block those pesky incoming missiles with a cloud of chaff.

Ultra: Mayhem - Go on a glorious short-term rampage with increased weapons damage.

For more information on EVE: Valkyrie Warzone, check out this blog.