Megaship

Megaships are a class of non-flyable huge ships. They are primarily for commercial purposes such as transporting bulk quantities of goods or large groups of people. There are 3 megaship types: Flight Operations Carrier, Bulk Cruiser, and Generation ship. Unlike other capital ships, Megaships are generally not designed for frontline military duties, but they can do support and logistics roles.

Megaship types

There are various models of megaships categorized into three main types. Most Megaships are non-dockable Bulk Cruisers. Flight Operations Carriers have landing pads. Generation Ships are derelict megaships and lack docking facilities.^[1]^[2]

A number of megaships are mobile with a rotating flight plan, and they will jump to the next system on their itinerary either every week or every other week, while other megaships are stationary and can reliably be found at the same location.

Flight Operations Carrier

All Flight Operations Carriers (aka Civilian Cruisers) are dockable with flyable ships of all sizes. They feature a variety of services except shipyards. The most common Carrier megaship is the Wells-class Carrier. It offers a level of hospitality and functionality between an outpost and a starport. Detention Centres function similarly to Flight Operations Carriers and they are open to the public with limited services. Generic Rescue Vessels are found in systems with recently-damaged stations. They have limited services and will depart the system once the damaged station has been stabilised.

Bulk Cruiser

Bulk Cruisers are common non-dockable megaships. They often feature one or more text or audio logs that can be downloaded from Ship Log Uplinks using a Data Link Scanner. They possess no docking facilities, but commodities and materials can usually be salvaged. Some have unique names in addition to a class and ID code.

Generation Ship

Generation Ship are rare, non-dockable megaships. They have audio logs with lore about the history. The logs can be downloaded from Ship Log Uplinks. Generation Ships are ancient derelicts from a time before humanity developed the hyperdrive. There is nothing to salvage.

Generation Ship

Commodities & materials

Normal

Hackable Data Transmitter

Cargo Bay

Escape Hatch

Some megaships, most often Bulk Cruisers, can be salvaged to obtain commodities and materials:^[3]

Megaships need to be scanned with the Data Link Scanner to highlight any interactive modules and allow them to be targeted.
Interactive objects are added to the Contacts section of the left HUD panel.
Some of interactions utilise limpets of various types to allow you to activate, deactivate, damage, hack or simply operate an item, while others can be shot or scanned to interact.

Most current interactions are considered illegal, tying in with the changes to Crime and Punishment. These interactions provide criminal pilots gameplay options as well as give lawful players new locations to find wanted pilots.

Players can scan certain revealed targets to uncover sub-targets. These can be interacted with in different ways depending on the type.^[4] (Legal)
Players can damage generators to disable turrets.^[4] (Illegal)
Players can use recon limpets to activate data terminals and comms arrays.^[4] See Salvager#Looting Megaships for details. (Illegal)
Players can use hatch breaker limpets to open a cargo bay.^[4] See Salvager#Looting Megaships for details. (Illegal)
Players can scan the Ship Log Uplink with a Data-Link Scanner to determine the megaship's flightpath. This is the intended target for "Infiltrate the Megaship Data Link" missions. (Legal)

Periodically, megaships may broadcast a distress signal as waves of hostile Pirate NPCs jump in and begin to attack the megaship. Players then receive a chat prompt (similar to those used for Conflict Zones) and have two options;

They can help attack the megaship, as the pirates can potentially assist with turret-disabling missions. This involves fighting the system authorities which will cause them to issue a bounty on your head. (illegal)
They can help defend the megaship and fight off the pirates, earning bounties if the ship is in a non-Anarchy system. (Legal)

Players will also receive additional influence and reputation with whichever side they assist, along with causing minor adjustments in the security status of both factions.

Damaged

If a Bulk Cruiser megaship is present in a system that experiences a Thargoid Incursion, it becomes damaged by a Thargoid attack and will remain trapped in the system until the Incursion is eliminated. While a Bulk Cruiser is in this damaged state, its available interactions change.

The megaship may be guarded by Thargoid Interceptors or Thargoid Scouts. Interceptors will search the vicinity and pick up any Occupied Escape Pods, then depart unless directly provoked by the player.
Rescue ships may patrol the megaship.
Loose commodity canisters may be floating near the megaship.
The megaship can still be scanned to reveal sub-targets.

Scale

Megaships are huge up to 4.5 kilometers long. These capital ships rival small space stations in size. They feature giant main thrusters, multiple decks, and external docking or operational hardpoints.