Star Citizen's unique player experience is constantly in development, with new updates every few months that add new ships and gameplay features for the community to enjoy. Boarding is a feature in Star Citizen that is possible, but it will be getting a massive overhaul with new additions in future updates such as "soft death" in the 3.18 update.
This guide will help players of all skill levels better understand the boarding process currently in the persistent universe and when it is beneficial to do so. Currently, some ships are only playable through boarding and glitches making it a valuable skill to have.
Why Board Ships?
Boarding ships is generally not a part of the main missions available in Star Citizen. However, it can be a great way to take an enemy hostage or capture some precious cargo.
Boarding can take a few different shapes, whether it's on the ground or deep in space, there are a few ways to gain access to a ship and take control of the vessel.
Boarding is the only way to get access to some ships currently unavailable to most players in Star Citizen. Having this skill at the ready is always helpful and can come in handy when least expected.
Soft Death in 3.18
Soft death is a new feature added to Star Citizen in the alpha 3.18 update. This feature will allow ships to be disabled before they explode in combat, allowing for more boarding opportunities.
When a ship is disabled in space combat, it will slowly come to a stop and will only have basic functions allowing for doors to be opened and electrical systems such as lights to be engaged.
When fighting in an atmosphere the disabled ship will slowly plummet to the ground and will likely explode on impact depending on its velocity and strength of the ship.
If the ship is still intact, it is possible for players to recover the loot and easily transport cargo from one ship to another.
The "soft death" changes will open up some awesome gameplay opportunities, however, there are still some details that need to be ironed out to ensure this experience is as smooth as possible.
How to Board in Space
When in space, players trying to board will need an EVA suit to allow for free movement outside a ship and safety from the vacuum of space.
It is possible to board ships that are running at full capabilities, as long as they are stationary. This will need a somewhat stealthy approach and is a little tricky to pull off on experienced pilots.
If the doors of the ship are unlocked, the boarding process is easy and simple. However, most of the time the external access of a ship will be locked. There are a few ways to bypass this, however, none of these seem to be an intended gameplay mechanic.
The player will need to do damage to the door, whether it's using fists or a weapon. This is much easier to do when the shields are disabled or the ship is turned off.
Players around the verse have managed to board deadly NPC fighter ships such as the Aegis Hammerhead using the OxyTorch Cutter attachment on the multi-tool. However, this doesn't always guarantee access and can leave the player stranded in space if the Hammerhead decides to move.
How to Board on the Ground
Boarding on the ground is slightly more simple as there is no need to navigate a deadly space environment. There may be a few scenarios the player encounters when trying to board a ship on a planetary surface.
Players will find plenty of other citizens landing at outposts or mining facilities. This is a great opportunity to sneak aboard and steal some precious cargo.
Disabling a ship will leave it vulnerable and stop the enemy from escaping once the ship has crashed to the surface. Unfortunately, this is where most players will log off and join a new server to save some of their loot. Changes in the future leading up to the release of 4.0 will help to prevent this from happening.
Boarding the Idris Capital Ship
One of the main reasons players may want to board an enemy ship is to gain control of a vessel they are currently unable to unlock. A good example of this is the Idris Capital Ship.
To initiate the mission that spawns this behemoth, the player will need to look for a combat assistance mission with a critical threat level (this is not a bounty hunting mission). This usually pays out around 300,000 aUEC so is easy to find among the other missions available.
As the player is quantum traveling to the location, they need to abandon the mission in the mobiglass which will prevent the Idris from attacking.
The boarding of the Idris is done through a glitch and can be a little tricky without the correct ship. The player will need a ship with a cargo ramp to allow them to jump through the window of the Idris and enter the pilot seat. The CO Nomad is a great choice here due to the cargo storage at the rear, and it's accessibility as a starter ship.
There are plenty of video guides online which help to guide the player through each step. Hopefully we will see an official method added to Star Citizen to allow all players access to this awesome ship.
Future of Boarding and the Anvil Legionnaire
In the future, we will see plenty of changes made to the boarding system in Star Citizen. The additions and updates in 3.18 are just the start, and we will see plenty of other gameplay loops added to accommodate this side of the game.
The Anvil Legionnaire is a ship that is currently in concept, but is currently available for pre-order on the Star Citizen pledge store.
This ship will feature a special docking collar that will attach to enemy ships and hack the bridge to open the exterior door. It's exciting ideas like this that keep the community excited about the future of the game and all the possibilities this unlocks with every update.
Star Citizen is available on PC.