Weapons, defenses, and utilities are the three main pieces of equipment that you can add to your starship in Space Arena. Each has its own function, but no ship can survive without all of them being present in the ship. The most challenging part about playing Space Arena is balancing these pieces of equipment to build the strongest starship that can survive any battle and defeat any opponent that comes their way. 

The beauty of weapons, defenses, and utilities is that you don’t have to spend currency other than Credits to unlock them permanently. Depending on the types of Starships you have at your command, the equipment you can put on your ship will vary greatly. To understand the significance of these pieces of equipment, let’s take a look at some of their functionalities. 

Weapons

1. Ballistic

Ballistic weapons are the first weapon type. Ballistic weapons are the most popular weapon type in ships because of their quick firing rate and strength against barriers. Ballistic weapons have quite a low range, which makes them ineffective against enemies who like to keep their distance. The primary strength of the Ballistic Weapon is that it can break through barriers, which are the first hurdle in beating enemies.

• 

  Firing Rate: Quick
• Range: Near
• Against Armor: Weak
• Against Barriers: Strong

Ballistic weapons should be placed at the very front of the starship to compensate for their very low range. They have two firing modes, which include the normal firing mode and burst firing mode.

2. Missile

Missile weapons are a homing type of weapon, and so are the most devastating ones. Missiles do splash damage, meaning they can penetrate through thin walls once they make contact with armor. The missile’s homing function also allows them to damage the enemy ship’s flank or sides when direct contact misses.

• Firing Rate: Average
• Range: Far
• Against Armor: Strong
• Against Barriers: Weak

Missiles can be placed at the very far end of the ship since they are most effective if they’re not hitting the front of the enemy ship.

3. Laser

Lasers are a powerful weapon type that completely bypasses barriers. The biggest downside of the laser is that it consumes a lot of energy and has very weak defenses. Lasers are favored in lower-tier games where most ships don’t have armor platings around their body and rely mostly on barriers for protection.

• Firing Rate: Slow
• Range: Far
• Against Armor: Weak
• Against Barriers: Unaffected

Lasers have the most linear attack pattern, so plan carefully on where you equip them. They are very weak in face-to-face combat unless the enemy only has a thin layer of armor. 

Defenses

1. Armor

Armor pieces are static defensive platings that are placed on the outer linings of the ship. They stand as the second line of defense when the barrier goes down. Armor pieces have high defenses and are extremely difficult to get rid of. Make sure to cover important weaponry or utilities using these armor plates.

Download Space Arena on PC

Download Space Arena on PC

There is a second type of armor plate, which is the Reactive Armor, that generates energy at the same time. This piece of equipment generally has a slightly lower amount of Health compared to regular armor, so you can place it in areas that are less likely to be destroyed or as inner linings after the armor plates.

2. Barrier

Barriers are energy shields or force fields that cover the outer layer of the ship. Barrier generators are placed in areas inside the ship where the range of the barrier can cover a good portion of the starship. Keep in mind that Barrier Generators have low health compared to armor, so don’t place them on the outer linings of the ship.

3. Debris Shooter

Debris shooters are a piece of advanced defensive equipment that shoots out random items outside the ship in an attempt to block incoming damage. This defensive mechanism works best on ships that like to remain stationary throughout the fight. Unlike the Barrier, the debris doesn’t follow you around, nor does it protect you at a 360-degree angle. It can easily be destroyed by quick weapons like ballistic guns.

4. Point Shooter

Point shooters are a type of weapon on the ship that tries to shoot at incoming projectiles or support ships. The purpose of the point shooter is to keep missiles from landing on the outer layer of the ship as much as possible. This is a vital piece of equipment that you might overlook but will need as you climb higher in the ladder. Point shooters aren’t weapons, though, so don’t go too crazy about adding them to your ship.

Utilities

1. Reactors

Reactors are your primary source of energy. They power all the functions of the ship and are the heart of the operation. Reactors are mainly placed at the very center of a starship to prevent your ship from being powered down during a fight. Since most players like to equalize power generation and consumption, they can’t afford to lose even a single reactor.

2. Engines

Engines make your starship move. Unlike other ship modules, engines can only be placed on their designated areas, meaning you can only add a limited amount of engines to your ship. Depending on how many slots your ship has, you can mix and match engines or focus on a single movement type. There are different kinds of engines, and each one affects how your ship moves. 

• Ion Drives are engines that propel your starship forward and primarily affect speed. 
• Thrusters move the ship towards a specific direction and primarily affect Turning Speed. 
• Warp Drives periodically teleports the starship behind enemy lines and are favored by starships that don’t like to fight direct confrontations.

3.  The Repair Bay

The Repair Bay is a specialized utility system that primarily functions by repairing other weapons, defenses, or utilities. Each Repair Bay will try to heal a damaged portion of your ship as quickly as possible. The Repair Bay only has a limited supply, so once you’ve exhausted all of your repair bays, the ship will stop repairing. The Repair Bay can’t attempt to repair a piece of equipment that has already been destroyed.