Project Stardust weapon types differ most in how they reach a target and what prevents that delivery. Direct guns need a firing solution, beams need tracking or an available cycle, missiles need a viable path through defensive coverage, spinal weapons need hull alignment, and carrier craft need commands, travel time, and recovery.
The live ship panel and combat interface define exact names, ranges, damage, reload, locks, and ammunition. Use this guide to ask the right tactical questions rather than memorize a value from an older version.
Community corroborated — checked September 12, 2026: Players consistently discuss direct projectile or energy weapons, beams, missiles, point defense, spinal mounts, and carrier craft. Individual ships mix systems, and current behavior can change.
Direct projectile weapons
Projectile weapons deliver direct pressure but can require target lead, usable range, and an unobstructed arc. Watch current aim feedback and impact rather than assuming the crosshair alone guarantees a hit. Target speed, direction, distance, your own turn, and server conditions can affect the firing solution.
Use them when a target will remain in arc through the cycle. Avoid firing every group during a desperate turn if the geometry blocks them. A repeatable moderate hit is more valuable than peak damage that rarely connects.
Counter them with range change, cover, unpredictable lateral movement where the ship permits it, and pressure that forces the attacker to turn away.
Beam and sustained energy pressure
Beam-style weapons may reward keeping the target tracked during an active window. Exact mechanics vary, so observe whether the current system applies damage instantly, over time, in pulses, or through another visible pattern.
Choose large or committed targets when tracking is demanding. Enter the cycle from a stable angle and avoid a maneuver that removes your own arc. During recovery, use cover or teammates rather than remaining exposed simply because the next cycle will eventually return.
Defenders should break line of sight, force a turn, or exit the effective envelope. A beam that cannot stay on target loses its theoretical value.
Missiles
Missiles create delayed pressure. Their value depends on target selection, launch angle, travel time, defensive coverage, and what else occupies the defender on arrival. A lone volley against intact overlapping point defense is easy to waste.
Launch when an enemy is isolated, defenses are distracted or damaged, or friendly pressure creates too many simultaneous problems. Observe the result and adjust instead of repeating the same launch on cooldown.
Defenders should remain near useful coverage, present the protected angle when possible, and avoid isolating from escorts. The missiles guide covers the full cycle.
Point defense
Community references describe point defense as automatic engagement of nearby missiles and squadrons. Its real value is a coverage zone. Mount arcs, range, survival, allies, saturation, and current targeting rules all matter.
Position so coverage protects a likely target without stacking hulls. Some community-documented systems can serve anti-ship and defensive roles; using them offensively may create an opportunity cost. Confirm how the current mount behaves.
Attackers should observe which side intercepts effectively and coordinate threats rather than assume a single missile or craft will pass. Read the point-defense guide for both sides.
Spinal weapons
Spinal weapons are mounted along the hull, so the ship itself aims. They can create major forward pressure while demanding a stable lane and early alignment. Select targets whose path or objective commitment makes movement predictable.
Do not rotate a capital ship after every small target. Control a lane, wait for a valuable window, and plan the turn out before firing. Teammates can help by pressuring targets into predictable movement.
Counter a spinal ship by changing angle, using cover, forcing its hull to choose between aim and retreat, or attacking during recovery. See spinal weapons for detail.
Carrier craft
Carrier craft take pressure away from the hull but add travel and command costs. Community roles include fighters, fighter-attack craft, bombers, healers, and anti-ship or interception duties, though current labels vary.
Send craft on routes short enough to redirect or dock. Avoid flying across the full map into concentrated defense. Use guard, escort, or intercept functions when protecting the team produces more value than another attack.
Counter craft with point-defense overlap, interceptors, movement toward friendly coverage, and pressure on an exposed carrier. The carrier guide explains current-check practices.
Mixed batteries and firing arcs
Many ships combine types. Identify which groups can work from the same facing and range. A forward missile launch, broadside direct group, and defensive mount may each demand a different angle. Do not add their peak numbers as though every system has constant target access.
Choose a primary group that defines the engagement envelope. Use secondary groups when the target enters their safe window rather than closing automatically. Keep defensive coverage ready when incoming missiles or craft are likely.
Test the arc boundaries in a safe opening and use ship stats to connect mount placement with movement.
Choose for mode and map
Deathmatch rewards weapons that help secure eliminations without forcing a suicidal chase. Fleet Battle adds target value and makes the loss of a weapon-heavy capital ship costly. Attack and Defend creates predictable lanes and objective pressure. Domination requires weapons to influence capture space.
Open maps support long lines but expose approaches. Dense structures break sightlines and can protect short-range movement. Large obstacles create strong cover separated by dangerous gaps.
Select the delivery system whose conditions the current lobby can provide.
A weapon test routine
Use one ordinary match to learn range and arc, another to learn cycle and retreat, and a third to observe counterplay. Keep the ship constant. Record when pressure began, why it stopped, and whether the hull remained useful afterward.
If current behavior differs from an old guide, trust the live interface, note the date, and check updates. A weapon becomes understandable when you can predict not only what it does, but when the enemy can prevent it.