The Drake Ironclad in Star Citizen 4.8.1 offers impressive cargo capacity, strong defenses, and unique interior weapons, making it a promising choice for large-scale cargo missions despite its slow speed and limited maneuverability. However, the ship is currently plagued by numerous bugs—such as freezing, oxygen depletion, and non-functional weapons—that significantly impact its usability, though the reviewer rates it highly when excluding these issues.
In this 10-minute review of the Drake Ironclad base ship in Star Citizen 4.8.1, the reviewer Even Lee provides an in-depth look at the ship’s current state, highlighting both its strengths and numerous bugs. While the Ironclad has improved since earlier versions—no longer detaching during server jumps—it still suffers from critical issues such as freezing, oxygen depletion, and non-functional interior weapons. Players are advised to be cautious when operating the ship due to these persistent bugs, though the reviewer emphasizes that his rating excludes bug-related problems.
The Drake Ironclad base is priced at $525 in war bonds or $600 in store credit. It features an 18-minute claim time, reduced to 6 minutes with expedited claim, allowing players to retrieve items quickly if the ship is destroyed shortly after deployment. The ship’s offensive capabilities include ten size-five Reaper 5 torpedoes launched via visually impressive hatches, multiple turrets with a combined burst damage of 8,522 DPS, and an innovative interior Scorpion GT215 ballistic gatling gun designed to defend against boarders—an unusual feature in Star Citizen. However, some weapons, like the interior gun, currently do not function properly.
Defensively, the Ironclad sports a quadrant shield with 288,000 HP and substantial armor rating, offering solid protection for its size. Its total health pool stands at 258,000 HP, making it durable in combat, though its speed is relatively slow with a top speed of 110 m/s in SCM and 900 m/s in quantum travel. Maneuverability is limited, reflecting its role as a heavy cargo ship rather than a nimble fighter. The ship carries a massive 2,200 SCUs of cargo, making it an excellent choice for large-scale cargo delivery missions.
The interior of the Ironclad is spacious and well-designed, featuring multiple entrances, cargo grids, and storage areas. It includes specialized cargo rooms, weapon racks, crew habitation with six rooms, bathrooms, and a comfortable owner’s suite with privacy controls and personal storage. The ship also has several fire extinguishers scattered throughout and multiple relay stations. The remote turret and tractor beam controls are accessible but require multiple crew members for optimal operation. Despite its impressive layout, some features like the remote turret in the cargo hold remain non-functional.
Overall, the reviewer rates the Ironclad base highly at 90 out of 100 when ignoring bugs, praising its cargo capacity, defensive features, and unique interior weapons. However, the ship’s numerous bugs and operational issues currently hinder its usability. The reviewer hopes for future patches to fix these problems, improve pilot control, and enhance the ship’s reliability. Despite its flaws, the Ironclad remains an attractive and promising ship for players interested in cargo delivery and ship defense in Star Citizen.