Star Citizen Advanced Missile and Torpedo Guide

A frequent assertion in the Star Citizen community is that missiles and torpedoes are ineffective weapons that are somehow broken. But this belief, which is popular among legacy thinkers, comes from a fundamental lack of understanding regarding how missiles and torpedoes work and interact with various mechanics in the game.

In this article, I’m going to help you discover and understand the factors that affect missile and torpedo use, and why so many pilots and missile operators are failing to employ them effectively.

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Key takeaways

• Missiles and torpedo models, types, and features vary much more widely than most players understand.

• Warheads can be single or cluster, and have proximity or strike fuzes, while guidance systems can be infrared, electromagnetic, or cross-section.

• Missile Operator Mode is the mode that allows pilots to select, queue, and launch missiles and torpedoes.

• Selecting the right missile or torpedo for the right target involves accounting for various target factors, as well as the missile or torpedo’s guidance type, fuze type, acceleration, speed, and blast radius.

Deep intel on missiles and torpedoes

Guided munition categories

Missiles and torpedoes are currently the only two categories of guided munitions in Star Citizen. They differ from rockets and bombs in that they are self-propelled and guided. By contrast, rockets are self-propelled unguided munitions, while bombs are free-falling (or momentum-inheriting) unguided munitions.

Missile and torpedo sizes range from Size 1 to Size 9, with the exceptions of Size 6 and Size 8. The latter two sizes don’t currently exist in the game. The term “missile” is used for Size 1 to Size 4 munitions, while anything larger is classified as a torpedo.

Officially, developers have stated that there’s no functional difference between missiles and torpedoes. But there is in fact a practical difference that makes distinguishing between the two useful and informative. That difference lies in the speeds of the munitions and their rational targets.

In most cases, guided munitions of a certain size tend to have a top speed that meets or exceeds the top speeds of a ship of the same size. The same is true for acceleration. For example, most Size 3 missiles can match or outpace the vast majority of Size 3 ships currently in the game. The smaller the missiles are, the higher their speed and acceleration are.

Everything about warheads

Single-warhead and cluster munitions are the two types of warhead configurations currently available in the game. Single warhead munitions operate like any conventional missile or torpedo would. Cluster munitions on the other hand employ tandem warheads. The first warhead splits into a cluster of rockets to weaken a target’s armor or shields. This leaves the target much more vulnerable to the full payload of the second warhead.

Warheads have two types of fuzes. The first is a proximity fuze, which is triggered when the missile or torpedo is within a certain radius of its target. The second is a strike fuze, which only detonates if the missile or torpedo makes physical contact with its target or another object.

All warheads have a blast-fragmentation explosion pattern. That is to say that they create a large explosion intended to damage or destroy one or more targets within a certain radius. The size of the explosion is determined by the explosion radius of the warhead, which has a minimum and maximum radius. The effectiveness of a missile or torpedo depends on the distance between the target and the center of the explosion, as well as the target’s shield state and vulnerability to physical damage.

Currently, missile and torpedo warheads have an explosion radius of anywhere from 1.25 m to 15.75 m. The exact minimum and maximum explosion radiuses depends on their size and type. Additionally, all warheads will automatically detonate at a certain range if they don’t hit their target or another object first.

Guidance system types

Missiles and torpedoes have one of three types of guidance systems. The first is infrared (IR), the second is electromagnetic (EM), and the third is cross-section (CS). As their names imply, each guidance system detects, locks on, and tracks IR, EM, and CS emissions and signatures respectively.

It should be noted that missiles and torpedoes can be “dumb-fired” without engaging their guidance systems. This effectively makes them big, expensive, and comparatively slow rockets. However, employing missiles and torpedoes without guidance does have practical use cases.

Missile Operator Mode

Lastly, one would be remiss not to go over how to select, queue, and launch guided munitions.

To activate Missile Operator Mode (MOM) in Star Citizen, press the middle mouse button (MMB) while piloting a ship equipped with missiles. Your head-up display (HUD) will immediately change. The most notable change will be that the selected type and number of queued guided munitions will be displayed. The arming state of the missile or torpedo is represented by a hollow bar that fills once the munition is ready to be launched.

By default, pressing “G” will increase the number of munitions that are queued up to be fired. Only missiles and torpedoes that are of the same make will be added to the queue. Missile operators may fire a maximum salvo of 4 missiles or torpedoes. The selected munition type and amount will be saved if MOM is deactivated and then reactivated later.

The types of munitions that are available to the missile operator can be cycled by pressing the right mouse button (RMB).

If a target is selected (by pressing “T” or “5”), the aiming reticle will change to a large, thin circle. A target picture must be sighted within this circle in order for the missile or torpedo’s guidance system to begin its lock-on sequence. The status of the lock-on sequence is indicated by two circles. A small circle appears around the target, confirming that it has been acquired. Another circle forms around the target to confirm the lock.

If a target is out of the range that the missile can be fired within—that’s to say the target is either too far or too close—the circles that appear will be red. When a target is within the allowed range, the circles will be green. Every munition has a different lock on range and time largely determined by their guidance system type and warhead size. Although there may be some variation between equivalent munitions, generally IR locks on faster than EM which locks on faster than CS. Equally as generally, the lock ranges tend to be inversely proportional to this rule, with CS munitions having the longest maximum lock range.

The missile operator may launch any queued munitions by pressing the left mouse button (LMB). If no target is selected, or if the target is not acquired and locked on to, or if the target is outside the boundaries of the guidance system’s range, the munitions will be dumb-fired.

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An explosive analysis

Guided munition categories

Torpedoes are not suitable to be used on ships that are smaller than Size 5. Indeed, many missiles are also unsuitable for use against dedicated combat ships which typically have a higher top speed, quicker acceleration, and turn rate than other ships of the same Size. This is because the bigger a warhead gets, the slower the missile or torpedo it’s attached to is. Slower missiles and torpedoes are less likely to deliver their payloads to the target.

The role of guidance systems

Guidance systems also play a key role in whether or not a missile or torpedo reaches its intended target. That’s because the lower a signature is, the harder it is for the guidance system to acquire and maintain a lock. A few smaller ships like the Drake Cutter have incredibly small cross sections, but high EM or—as is the case with the Cutter—high IR. As a result, targeting these ships with a missile using a CS guidance system as opposed to another type of guidance system is unlikely to yield satisfactory results.

There is merit to dumb-firing missiles and torpedoes. While firing unguided missiles and torpedoes is considerably expensive, warheads with larger blast radiuses are likely to prove effective against infantry and stationary targets—especially true if they’re protected by crevasses or rock shelters. The technique’s effectiveness against fast-moving surface vehicles is a matter of conjecture.

Pioneer I and TaskForce I missiles have a minimum explosion radius of 4 m and 4.5 m, respectively. By contrast, all rockets have an explosion radius of 4 m regardless of their size or make as of a3.19.1. Therefore, they are the smallest—and so the cheapest—missiles worth using in this way.

Proximity vs. strike fuzes

By their nature, proximity fuzes should be better suited to defeating small, nimble ships like fighters. This is because a warhead armed with a proximity fuze doesn’t need to actually hit its target to cause damage. Rather, it just needs to get close enough for the target to be within the warhead’s maximum area-of-effect radius.

By contrast, strike fuzes need to make contact with the target in order to trigger the warhead. This makes larger, slower, and more heavily armored ships ideal targets for warheads armed with a strike fuze. Missiles or torpedoes carrying such a warhead are more likely to catch up to such targets and have a much larger surface area to hit, thus being more likely to make contact. In theory, when contact is made, the warhead should deliver a much more powerful explosion directly into the target.

It’s tempting to make a direct comparison between the Pioneer I and the TaskForce I, which are both EM-tracking Size 1 missiles. The Pioneer I can soar at up to 1,750 m/s and is armed with a proximity fuze that triggers a payload of 1,089 physical damage. Compare it to the TaskForce I, which is armed with a strike-triggered payload capable of causing 1,156 physical damage and is considerably slower at 1,500 m/s.

This seems to support the theory that smaller missiles and proximity fuzes are intended for weaker, faster, and more nimble targets, while strike fuzes are intended for slower, less maneuverable, but tougher targets. Yet, keep in mind that this is the only apples-to-apples comparison available; the Pioneer I and TaskForce I are the only two human-made same-sized missiles with identical guidance systems that sources state have different fuzes.

Smaller isn’t necessarily better

A popular rule of thumb among many legacy thinkers is that smaller warheads are better. Such legacy thinking is caused by a combination of the fact that two warheads of one size less have a higher combined total damage than a warhead one size larger. And because missile and torpedo racks carry half as many missiles as they increase in size, ships with swappable warhead racks can carry twice as many missiles when they install racks that carry smaller missiles.

However, this line of legacy thinking fails to take into account volley fire. For example, four Spark Is, which are Size 1 missiles with the lowest damage, can output more damage than an Assailant IV, the Size 4 missile with the highest damage. But the maximum volley of Size 4 missiles will always output more damage than the maximum volley of Size 1 missiles. Therefor, four racks carrying a single Size 4 missile has more volley-fire damage potential than multiple racks of Size 1 missiles. Thus, the question of whether or not “down-sizing” is better isn’t quite as clear-cut as many would assume it to be.

The effect of Missile Operator Mode on use

Missile Operator Mode makes missiles and torpedoes largely impractical for many pilots to use in dogfights. MOM is a separate and self-contained weapon system from other weapons systems. As a result switching between systems can be time-consuming and even dangerous depending on the type and phase of combat a ship is engaged in. However, this shortcoming can usually be mitigated (and even turned into a useful advantage) by dedicating a co-pilot to using MOM—provided such a station exists. Otherwise, missiles and torpedoes are best limited to being used when it’s impractical or impossible to use other weapon systems.

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Using the right tool for the right target

Choosing the right warhead for your target is an important skill that can make a difference in combat. Assuming that your platform is oriented toward attack, there are no less than 12 individual factors that you, as a missile operator, must account for when considering whether or not to attack a target with a missile or torpedo. They can be broken down into two groups. They are:

Ordnance factors:

• Target’s IR/EM emissions and CS signature.

• Guidance type(s) of available missiles or torpedoes.

• Missile or torpedo fuze type.

• Missile or torpedo’s maximum acceleration.

• Missile or torpedo’s maximum speed.

Target factors:

• Directional travel of the target.

• Target’s current speed relative to yours.

• Target’s maximum speed relative to yours.

• Target’s maximum acceleration.

• Exposed surface area of the target.

• Countermeasure availability to the target.

• Maximum and remaining shield health of the target.

Failing to account for these factors in your combat calculus opens you up to risking a very expensive shot in the dark at best. By using them as a framework, you can select the right warhead for the right target every time.

If you have anything to add on the subject of missiles and torpedoes, leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you have to say.

Additional operational training material