During the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2954, the developers of Star Citizen presented the Polaris, a new heavily armed capital ship that has sparked discussions in the community.
What kind of capital ship is this? The official description of the new spaceship from Star Citizen reads as follows (via robertsspaceindustries.com):
The Polaris is an agile capital ship of the corvette class, equipped with a full range of weaponry including turrets and torpedoes, providing significant firepower. The Polaris is intended to serve as both a marine patrol ship and a flagship for a militia, capable of conducting search and rescue operations, light attack missions, and general security patrols. The Polaris has the capability to repair, upgrade, and refuel a single fighter, a light bomber, or a support ship.
In the trailer, the new capital ship resembles the colossal military spaceships from the popular series Battlestar Galactica, albeit on a smaller scale:
The power of capital ships like the Polaris is highlighted in a new talk by the developers on YouTube. It is stated that battles against flying fortresses are meant to feel like “combat puzzles.”
Multiple ship types must help breach shields at specific locations, prevent shield recharge, disable turrets, and ultimately destroy or board the ship. This is at least the current vision of the team.
How much does the Polaris cost? Currently, there are two standalone variants:
- the Special Event Edition with an exclusive 10-year insurance policy for just under 940 euros
- the IAE Edition with an exclusive 10-year insurance policy for just under 1,079 euros
According to some fans on Reddit, the early concept price was estimated to be between 625 and 750 US dollars. During the sale, one could still secure the ship at a significantly “lower” price.
Currently, however, there is no other spaceship in the shop that is as expensive. In 2nd place are the Heavy Cargo Hull E and the Heavy Bomber A2 Hercules, each priced at 750 euros (via robertsspaceindustries.com).
What does the community say about the Polaris? Supporters of Star Citizen had expected months ago that the capital ship would cost between 900 and 1,100 euros (via Reddit). Accordingly, the comments are quite measured:
- Fr0stBytez24 humorously comments on Reddit: “My wife will be happy to hear that I made a deal for 700 US dollars!”
- darkestvice writes on Reddit: “Completely expected. I would have been very surprised if they sold the standard for less than 900.”
- PanicSwtchd explains on Reddit: “I have no problem with the new price. The Polaris was regularly offered in sales […] and we received regular updates this year […]. If someone intended to purchase it, they probably would have already done so. And if the price change keeps them from doing so, that’s fine too… […]”
Some players have even scrapped their Polaris in the meantime. Isalops123 writes on Reddit: “I melted my Polaris last week because I’m a solo player, and now a part of me regrets it, but whatever.”
By the way: As part of the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2954, you can play perhaps the most ambitious (because 744 million weight) project in video game history for free until December 5, 2024. All details about the “Free Fly” event of Star Citizen can be found here.
