Ship classes

Below is a list of ship classes, from largest to smallest. You may notice that the M numbering is out of order, this is because over many x-games, the ship classes have been added to (between the M2 and the M3) but since there was no room between the numbering, the newer classes got added to the bottom of the list.

Combat ships

Class	Type	Description
M1	Large carriers	The M1 class is the largest ship type, able to carry smaller ships such as M3/4/5. The M1 may not have the largest weapon systems, but with a hanger of 30+ ships it can deliver some serious damage. The fighters act as drones. Often the M1 itself is setup for anti-fighter.
M2	Large destroyers	These ships have the largest weapon systems in the game, featuring around 40-60 powerful weapons. Destroyers also have very strong shields and are capable of taking on other Destroyers or fighters. However M2 dont often have a hanger of any sort and are very slow.
M7M	Missile frigates	The M7M class is like the M7, as in shield and cargo size but rather than use normal guns, the M7M launches high powered missiles. These missiles can do very large amounts of damage to capital ships and fighters. The M7M class also have access to a special missile called the boarding pod. These missiles allow M7M's to send a group of 4 marines in a missile like craft. The downside to the M7M class is that when the ship runs out of missiles, then the ship is easy pickings.
M7	Frigates	The M7 range is a half-way house between the M6 and the M2 class. They are roughly half the size of a M2. They have a good amount of shielding and weapons. They can sometimes even take on a M2! M7's are usually much faster than M2's, so can be more fun to pilot.
M7C	Small carriers	The M7C range is a newly introduced class, called the small carrier. The M7C is a mix of M1 and M7 technology, allowing fighters to dock inside the M7C hanger.
M6	Corvettes	The M6 class is a medium sized ship that fits between M3 and M7's. They have a few turrets with and some 200MJ shields. M6's normally do well against fighter ships because of the arrangement of weapons they carry. For many pilots getting your first M6 is a milestone, as they are very useful ships.
M8	Bombers	You may be forgiven if you think an M8 looks similar to that of a M3. That's because M8's are basically M3's but with one difference. The main weapon system has been replaced with a missile launcher. These missile launchers fire one type of missile and can deliver some serious damage to other ships. However when the ship runs out of missiles, then it becomes another easy target.
M3+	Heavy fighters+	The M3+ range are upgraded M3's that feature usually an turret or two. In-game they class as M3, so you can dock them anywhere an M3 can dock on, such as a M7 or M1. M3+ offer a good half way between M3 and M6.
M3	Heavy fighters	There are 3 main types of fighter, the M3 being the largest. M3's have usually a few 25MJ shields and a good arrangement of frontal weapons. They can deliver some serious damage in large groups, even to large destroyers.
M4+	Interceptors+	The M4+ range are basically upgraded M4, with usually better shields (similar to that of a M3). They have a good top-speed making them great for gorilla style fighting.
M4	Interceptors	The M4 is the medium sized fighter, that is a balance between speed and damage. However because of this balance they dont specialise in either, making a bit of a mixed choice for most. They often get over-looked by most pilots.
M5	Scouts	The smallest of all the fighters - the M5. The M5 has one of the highest top-speeds making it great for exploring. However because its very light and fast design, the M5 only features very minimum shielding. In large groups they can be a pain for a M3 type craft, because they can be hard to shot-down. However a single M5 will struggle to take down anything bigger than a M4.

Non-combat ships

Class	Type	Description
TL	Station carriers	The TL is the largest non-combat style ship with one feature not found on any other ship: ST sized cargo-bay. This ST sized cargo-bay allows a TL to pick-up and deploy stations in the x-universe. You can hire TL's but usually many pilots have they own TL. The reason for having your own is that you can fit a jumpdrive onto it, making much quicker to transport stations around. TL's do have a few weapons, however they are mainly just for defence.
TM	Ships carriers	TM's are a relativity new ship class in the x-games (only added in X3TC). They are basically mini ship carriers, that can carry around 3 or 4 ships M3 or smaller craft. This makes them great at transporting captured ships to a distance shipyard, because the carrier itself can have a jump-drive - transporting itself and all the docked ships to another sector. ie. out of danger.
TS	Trade ships	TS ships form the backbone of the economy, transporting wares all over the x-universe. You can think of TS ship being trucks that go down the motorways/roads. TS ships usually carry a few 25MJ shields but for defensive reasons only.
TP	Personnel transporters	TP's are slightly smaller TS ships that swap cargo-bay space for an area to transport passengers (like a bus). They do have some cargo-bay space but their main role is transport passengers (or even marines).

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