Reaver
The Reaver is one of the 16 flyable ships in CONTRABAND: Edge of the Fold. At 95,000 credits and 250 hull / 160 shield, it occupies a specific niche pilots learn to respect.
What the Reaver is good at
Pirate-coded brawler. With 3 weapon slots, this hull supports a focused build rather than a swiss-army-knife setup. The 3 slots reward layered loadouts: a primary that does steady damage, a secondary for opening shields, and (where slots allow) a utility piece for finishing.
Where to buy it
The Reaver is sold at the Scourge Reach shipyard. Until you have rep with the region's dominant faction, expect a small markup over the listed price. After you complete the introduction quest in Scourge Reach, the markup drops by 10–15%.
Recommended early loadout
- Primary: a balanced pulse cannon if you are still learning combat
- Secondary (if available): beam emitter to drop shields on tougher enemies
- Utility (if available): a shield booster to compensate for the 160 base shield
When to upgrade
Most pilots fly the Reaver for 8–14 hours before swapping it. The clearest sign you have outgrown the hull is when boss encounters take longer than four minutes — that means your DPS-to-HP ratio is wrong for current content.
Strategy notes
Pilots have shared a few tactical lessons specific to the Reaver. It rewards keeping range when shields are healthy and closing in only when you have committed to a kill. The 250 hull means you can absorb one or two mistakes per fight, but not three. Crew that improves agility or shield recharge tends to outperform raw damage crew on this hull.
Related ships in the same tier
The Reaver is roughly a mid-tier ship. If you are choosing between it and another option in the same price range, weigh whether you want raw HP, raw shield, or weapon-slot count. Most builds in CONTRABAND are weapon-slot-bound rather than HP-bound, so a hull with one extra slot often outperforms a hull with 50 more HP.