The Drake Clipper is a versatile, generalist ship in Star Citizen designed for solo pilots, featuring a three-deck layout with cargo, medical, crafting, and combat capabilities, though it sacrifices speed and maneuverability for its multifunctional role. While not excelling in any single area, its low operating costs, solid armament, and distinctive Drake design make it an appealing choice for players seeking a multi-purpose ship with room for upgrades and future enhancements.
The Drake Clipper is a highly anticipated and versatile ship in Star Citizen, designed as a generalist platform suitable for solo pilots. The video review by Farister follows a structured format, covering a detailed ship tour, combat performance, handling and visibility, operating costs and profitability, and a final summary. The Clipper features three decks including a cargo bay with 12 SCUs capacity, a mid deck with a medbay and crafting room, and a top deck housing the cockpit, habitation, and engineering sections. The ship’s design emphasizes Drake’s signature style with large thrusters and a distinctive tall profile, while interior touches like a querty keyboard and ashtray decal add character.
In terms of armament, the Clipper is equipped with four size three weapons—two Mantis Gatling guns and two Omnisky 9ines—and a flexible missile loadout ranging from size one to size three missiles. Its defensive capabilities include two size one shield generators, making it comparable to many medium fighters. While the firepower is sufficient to engage NPC opponents, the ship’s relatively slow speed and quickly dropping shields mean that pilot skill and positioning are crucial for success in combat. The cockpit offers good visibility, although the ship’s tall and wide frame requires heightened situational awareness.
Handling-wise, the Clipper performs moderately well at SCM speeds with a top speed of 205 m/s and boost up to around 400 m/s. However, it feels heavier than a typical fighter, and its wings do not significantly enhance maneuverability. At navigation speeds, it tops out at 1,000 m/s, which is rather slow for its class, and the stock quantum drive is the slowest available, making an upgrade advisable. Despite the cool retro thruster effects, braking performance is sluggish. Overall, the Clipper’s handling is better than many industrial ships but less agile than dedicated fighters or haulers.
Operating costs for the Clipper remain relatively low, with refuel, restock, and repair expenses in the low thousands of alpha UEC, though missile use can be costly. The ship’s versatility allows for various roles, including small cargo hauling, low-end combat contracts, and transport for bunker running thanks to its cargo bay, medbay, and potential future crafting capabilities. Upgrades to the quantum drive, shields, power plant, and cooler are recommended to enhance performance, especially with engineering features anticipated in future updates. The Clipper fits in small hangars but its height limits compatibility with ship-based hangars.
In summary, the Drake Clipper is a jack-of-all-trades ship that excels in versatility but falls short in specialized roles compared to dedicated fighters or haulers. It offers a solid platform for solo players who want a home base with combat, cargo, and medical facilities all in one. Priced between $135 and $150 at launch, it is positioned as a generalist rather than a starter ship. While it may not outperform competitors in any single category, its ability to cover multiple roles makes it an attractive choice for players seeking a multi-functional ship with a distinct Drake aesthetic.