Capital Warship

The Capital Warship is the entry point to the Legendary tier of CONTRABAND: Edge of the Fold — a ship class typically reserved for military fleet operations, available to civilian pilots through extraordinary circumstances. At 450,000 credits it is the cheapest Legendary ship by a significant margin, but its price still dwarfs every Epic-tier hull combined. Purchasing a Capital Warship is the single largest credit commitment most players make in the game, often funded by trade and combat accumulated across 30+ hours of gameplay.

The Capital Warship's stats are formidable: 750 HP (nearly double the Voidreaver), 500 shield, and 80 cargo — the highest combined durability and cargo of any ship outside the Keystone. Its speed and agility are the worst in the game among pilotable ships, reflecting the sheer mass of the hull. A Capital Warship pilot commits to being a big, obvious, powerful target. The ship does not hide, maneuver, or finesse — it endures, and punishes.

Strategy and role

The Capital Warship is the closest CONTRABAND gets to a siege weapon. Its role is to absorb and return damage at overwhelming scales. Against multiple Scourge Dreadnoughts simultaneously, the Capital Warship is the only non-Legendary ship that can realistically survive. Its capital weapons deal damage at tiers no other ship possesses — a single Broadside Battery shot can one-shot an entire group of Fold Echoes.

Abilities:

• Broadside Battery — Fires massive kinetic damage in a 180-degree arc. Single most damaging attack in the game below Keystone level. Long cooldown.
• Capital Shields — Active: +100 shield for 3 turns AND +30% damage reduction. Combined effect makes the ship essentially unkillable for a brief window.
• Fleet Aegis — Passive: any allied ship in the same combat takes -40% damage while the Capital is alive. Turns group engagements into near-automatic victories.
• Final Stand — When HP drops below 20%, all abilities reset and the ship gains +30% damage for the rest of combat. The comeback mechanic.

How to acquire

The Capital Warship is sold only at Tellen's Rest and requires Core Worlds reputation ≥ 80 for sale authorization. The purchase includes a formal ceremony where Admiral Tellen personally presents the keys to the ship — a unique cutscene that cannot be skipped and grants the "Admiral's Favor" hidden cosmetic. This makes the Capital Warship the most ceremony-heavy purchase in the game.

No discount paths exist for this ship. Private brokers in Keros occasionally list "used Capital-class hulls" at 300,000-350,000cr, but every known such listing is a trap — accepting one triggers a Scourge ambush that results in ship destruction. Players should only acquire the Capital through official channels.

Upgrade path

From Capital Warship, the Weaver Arkship (680,000cr) is the next tier of Legendary progression for players exploring Weaver content, or the Echo of the Fold (900,000cr) for stealth-oriented endgame. The ultimate endpoint is the Keystone (1,200,000cr). The Capital Warship itself is complete — it does not need upgrading; players who choose it choose it as their final ship.

Best crew pairings

• Kairos (Gunner) — +15% damage on Broadside Battery's already-massive damage. One-shots more than it already did.
• Brood-7 (Engineer) — +10 HP per jump stacks with 750 base HP to make the ship's durability genuinely absurd.
• Echo of a Weaver or Fragment of Oracle — Rewind insurance is valuable when a single ship's loss is 450,000cr.

Lore and design notes

The Capital Warship's model (capital.glb) shows a massive, boxy fleet vessel with visible weapon mounts, multiple docking bays, and characteristic Core Worlds Alliance paint. Only 12 Capital Warships are known to exist in the game's galaxy at any given time. Nine are in active Core Worlds military service. Two are in private hands. One has been lost somewhere in the Silent Fold for 40 years and is occasionally referenced as the "Broken Citadel."

Flying a Capital Warship unlocks unique responses from every major NPC faction. Core Worlds patrols salute the ship on entry to every system. Weavers acknowledge it with grave respect. Scourge actively avoid engagement unless they outnumber 4:1. Flying a Capital is not quiet — it is a declaration of your role in the galactic order.

Comparison with other Legendary ships

The Capital Warship has the highest cargo and second-highest HP in the Legendary tier (only the Keystone at 1,200 surpasses it). Its speed and agility are the worst of the four. Against the Weaver Arkship, the Capital wins direct combat but loses against stealth opposition. Against Echo of the Fold, similar — the Capital's weight beats the Echo's evasion in pitched battles. Against the Keystone, the Capital simply loses; the Keystone is the ultimate ship.