Lab Guns reviews the Anvil Aerospace trio—the Valkyrie, Asgard, and Paladin—as a well-designed family of ground assault ships in Star Citizen, each fulfilling unique roles from troop and vehicle transport to fire support. He highlights their complementary capabilities, current strengths, and potential future importance in the evolving ground combat gameplay, encouraging viewers to engage with the community for further exploration.
In this video, Lab Guns explores his favorite family of ships in Star Citizen designed for ground assault missions: the Anvil Aerospace trio comprising the Valkyrie and Asgard drop ships, alongside the Paladin gunship. He begins by sharing a personal anecdote about being defeated by a Valkyrie on his first day in the game, which sparked his admiration for its distinctive, robust design. He highlights how these three ships form a well-rounded and synergistic family, each fulfilling unique but complementary roles, showcasing the thoughtful design approach by the developers to create distinct ship variants rather than endless similar models.
The first ship discussed is the Anvil Valkyrie, a heavily armed personnel drop ship available for 19.8 million AUEC. It boasts multiple turrets and door-mounted miniguns, allowing it to provide both troop transport and gunship support. The Valkyrie features two separate troop chambers, each accommodating 10 assault troops, with efficient door configurations for rapid deployment. Its interior also supports light vehicles like the Cyclone, making it versatile for ground operations. However, Lab Guns notes that the Valkyrie is beginning to show its age in terms of modern conveniences and would benefit from quality-of-life updates.
Next, he covers the Asgard, the Valkyrie’s larger but less expensive sibling priced at 17.9 million AUEC. While it has fewer turrets and less overwatch capability, the Asgard excels in carrying large heavy armor vehicles such as the Tumblr Nova tanks and Anvil’s Ballista, Centurion, and Spartan. This makes it ideal for mechanized ground assaults where heavy firepower and vehicle deployment are crucial. The Asgard sacrifices some gunship features to prioritize transport and deployment of armored assets, making it a valuable asset for organized ground missions.
The newest addition to the family, the Paladin gunship, is designed primarily for fire support rather than troop transport. With a four-person crew, including dedicated gunners, the Paladin features powerful size four and five turrets capable of 360-degree coverage, making it excellent for sustained air support during ground operations. It has enhanced shielding and power components compared to the drop ships but lacks storage for ground vehicles. Lab Guns praises the Paladin for its role specialization and suitability for patrols and extended missions, emphasizing its complementary function alongside the Valkyrie and Asgard.
Finally, Lab Guns addresses the current and future relevance of ground assault ships in Star Citizen. Despite ground gameplay still developing, he argues that meaningful objectives requiring troop and vehicle deployment already exist and will become more critical as the game evolves, especially with planned defensive base mechanics. He appreciates how the Anvil trio offers distinct roles within a cohesive family, contrasting this with the game’s tendency toward repetitive ship variants. He invites viewers to share their preferred ground assault ships and encourages engagement with his community for those interested in ground combat training and gameplay.