Crusader Industries Hercules Starlifter
Crusader Industries presents the Hercules Starlifter, a ship intended to carpet bomb planets and deliver troops. tanks and cargo to the surface.
Hercules Variants
- C2 Hercules -> Transport
- M2 Hercules -> Military Transport
- A2 Hercules -> Transport Gunship
Crusader Industries Hercules C2
Ship Description (source paraphrased):
“The C2 Hercules sacrifices some firepower for expanded cargo capacity. This ship is suited for racing teams, ship dealers, construction orgs, mining corporations and touring entertainment.”
| Original Sale Date | May 2018 |
|---|---|
| Concept Sale Price | $300 Warbond |
| Max Crew | 2 |
| Length | 94m |
| Role | Vehicle Transport |
| Official Page | C2 Hercules |
Crusader Industries Hercules M2
Ship Description (source):
“The M2 Hercules is the UEE's premier tactical starlifter. The ship's potent combination of capacity, maneuverability, and durability make it the obvious choice in large-scale transport, and a robust weapons package assures your cargo, and crew, gets to where they’re going in one piece.”
| Original Sale Date | May 2018 |
|---|---|
| Concept Sale Price | $400 Warbond |
| Max Crew | 3 |
| Length | 94m |
| Role | Vehicle Transport |
| Official Page | M2 Hercules |
Crusader Industries Hercules A2
Ship Description (source paraphrased):
“The A2 gunship is effective in airborne assaults, search and rescue operations, and landing initiatives. With more than double the firepower of the M2, and a custom bomb bay, the A2 is a transport gunship that caters to players hauling heavy cargo through unfriendly skies”
| Original Sale Date | May 2018 |
|---|---|
| Concept Sale Price | $600 Warbond |
| Max Crew | 8 |
| Length | 94m |
| Role | Support |
| Official Page | A2 Hercules |
Hercules Starlifter Questions & Answers
The official Hercules Starlifter Q&A can be found on the RSI website here: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/16589-Q-A-Crusader-Hercules
Additionally, below we have added our own Questions & Answers based on what we know about the ship so far.
Who needs the Hercules C2?
The C2 Hercules is best suited for single mission operations hauling equipment or vehicles from the surface of planets to other parts of the galaxy. Racing teams can use this ship to transport their racing ships. Ground exploration teams can land ground exploration vehicles on planets.
As the name suggests, this ship is a Starlifter. Ideal for bringing things from planet surface to space.
Who needs the M2?
The M2 offers more firepower than the C2 at the expense of some cargo space. This ship would have a better chance of successfully hauling goods in hostile space than the C2.
Who needs the Hercules A2?
The A2 brings specialised bomb bays and packs more firepower than the M2. This ship makes for a versatile military support bomber / ground delivery ship.
The A2 is suited better for combat missions involving surface to ground operations.
Is The Hercules Better Than The Banu Merchantman?
The Banu Merchantman is a massive mobile warehouse while the Hercules is better suited at providing support for larger operations.
The Merchantman gives players the experience of running a long term cargo trading facility. The Banu Merchantman is also a much larger ship with better living quarters and massive amounts of cargo space. The Hercules Starlifter is better suited at space to ground operations and providing support to fleet operations.
While the Starlifter is a useful (perhaps essential) ship for some operations the Banu Merchantman is a more valuable and prestigious ship.
Is the Hercules Starlifter A Good Ship At Making Money (UEC)?
The Hercules Starlifter provides ample cargo in all variants as well as easy loading and unloading of goods or vehicles. Even the more military focused A2 should be able to earn UEC from it’s support role capabilities. However, given the role of of this ship is very varied, it probably won’t be as efficient at earning as dedicated profession ships.
From the mentioned capabilities so far, the Hercules Starlifter is like a large version of the Cutlass Black in terms of function. The Cutlass Black being perhaps the best ship in game, or at least the most versatile.
The Hercules is a large version of a jack-of-all trades ship. Capable of cargo, ground delivery, support, combat and bombing.
Why was the Hercules Starlifter Considered Overpriced?
As development of Star Citizen progresses, the price of ships is constantly evolving. Some ships move up in value while others stay the same. Larger ships have been estimated by the community to go up in price the most as the game moves closer to release. Larger ships are significantly more work and will require gameplay expansion well into the future. This makes them more expensive to both make as well as buy.
The Hercules price reflects the pricing model adjusting as well as the potential versatility of all three variants of this ship. To help put things into perspective, the Vanduul Blade (15.5m long) was a $250 concept sale, only $50 cheaper than the Hercules Starlifter C2 (94.0m long)!
Given the versatility and size of the Hercules when compared to the other ships it still seems the Starlifter is attractively priced. Not as much a bargain as some of the larger and older ships like the Banu Merchantman or Orion, but certainly still good value for money when compared with some of the smaller expensive ships far beneath it.
Hercules Starlifter Image Gallery
