Star Citizen fans got their final anniversary episode of Around The Verse last night, and the clip focuses entirely on the redesigned Cutlass Black. If you’ve invested in Drake’s $115 support ship, there are big changes ahead for alpha 3.0.
Starting with the ship’s design, the entire craft has an increased size and mass compared to previous builds. Its silhouette is more aggressive thanks to a uniform thruster design that looks much cooler than the spinning “soda can” look from before. These changes mean the updated Cutlass has enough cargo space to fit in a bike, and there’s a larger back ramp to assist with rolling those larger objects into the hold. Like many ships in the Star Citizen universe, the Cutlass has three distinct areas: a job-centric space, crew quarters and the cockpit.
These aesthetic changes help to greater inform the ship’s purpose as a support ship with strong combat elements. To make that message even clearer, there’s an additional gun and six full missile racks to take down foes that get in your way. Beyond battle, improved handling ensures getting out of sticky situations is easier than before. Whether you want to make your mark on the Star Citizen universe as an outlaw or law enforcement member, there’s a ton to love about the new look. Like most 3.0 ships, this one is in final-prep phase and will be ready to go when the alpha hits the PTU.
Outside of the episode, Cloud Imperium Games kept the Drake-themed festivities going by allowing fans to vote for one of three ships that will enter the creation pipeline next. The options can be voted on here, and polling will be open through Dec. 11.
- The Drake Vulture: This is a single-pilot, entry-level salvage ship with plenty of cargo to store materials found in the verse. A separate area allows for the processing of resources as well. It’s small enough to sneak into enemy territory and take what’s rightfully yours.
- The Drake Corsair: It’s a tough competitor to the Constellation that features an additional turret but lower missile count. It can transport a vehicle in its cargo hold, it’s fast and it’s paper-thin.
- The Drake Kraken: A Drake capital ship with a cargo hold big enough to transport a few medium-sized ships at once. It’s a mobile truck stop with stores for restocking supplies.
At the time of writing the Vulture and Kraken are battling for the top spot. That being said, even if there will be two losers in this poll, that doesn’t mean they won’t eventually be added to the game at some point. This survey merely decides which of the three ships will be next to enter production.
How do you feel about the redesigned Cutlass Black? Which of these new ships should come to Star Citizen next? Tell us in the comments section!
