EN MAR 17, 2026 •
5 min read

Guide to Weapons Effective Against Ship Hulls in Various Space Combat Games

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Quick Summary

While 'The Hull' is not identified as a standalone game, 'hull' refers to the structural integrity of a ship in many space combat titles. This guide details weapons specifically designed or highly effective at inflicting damage to ship hulls in games such as FTL: Faster Than Light, Elite Dangerous, ARC Raiders, Starfield, and Stellaris, as well as the armaments of the USS Hull in World of Warships.

◈ Navigation Index ▼
  • 01 Understanding Hull Damage
  • 02 Weapons for Hull Damage by Game
  • 03 FTL: Faster Than Light
  • 04 Elite Dangerous
  • 05 ARC Raiders
  • 06 Starfield
  • 07 Stellaris
  • 08 World of Warships (USS Hull)

Guide to Weapons Effective Against Ship Hulls in Various Space Combat Games

This guide explores weapons particularly effective at damaging the 'hull' – the structural integrity of a spacecraft or vessel – in several popular space combat and strategy games. It is important to note that 'The Hull' itself is not identified as a singular game title in available search results. Instead, 'hull damage' is a common and critical mechanic across numerous titles.

Understanding Hull Damage

In many space combat games, combat involves breaking through a ship's shields before directly damaging its hull, which often leads to critical system failures or destruction. Weapons are often categorized by their effectiveness against shields versus hulls, or their ability to bypass defenses entirely. Kinetic and explosive damage types are typically most effective against a ship's hull.

Weapons for Hull Damage by Game

FTL: Faster Than Light

In FTL: Faster Than Light, specific weapons are designed to inflict significant damage to enemy hulls and systems:

  • Hull Missile: This weapon has a 17-second charge time and can deal 2 damage to a system or 4 damage to an empty room. It also boasts a much higher breach chance compared to an Artemis missile, making it useful for creating oxygen crew kills.
  • Hull Laser 2: Described as surprisingly devastating, the Hull Laser 2 has a very high chance of causing breaches or fires with its three shots, which can obliterate a system. Its high projectile speed also makes it effective. While expensive, a free Hull Laser 2 can be very beneficial. Both hull lasers have a high breach chance.
  • Hull Beam: This weapon can often deal as much damage as a Pike beam but with a faster charge time, making it very effective against the flagship. Hull lasers, in general, are good at destroying systems due to their high breach and fire chances.

    • Elite Dangerous

    Elite Dangerous features various weapon types and mounts, with some excelling at hull damage:

  • Missiles: These are a great source of hull damage, though less effective against shields. They have limited and expensive ammo. Missiles can be dumb-fire or target-seeking and are effective for chasing down fleeing targets with no shields.
  • Multi-cannons: These machine-gun type weapons are highly effective at delivering a lot of hull damage once shields are down. They use cheap ammo and minimal energy and heat. Multi-cannons are best when combined with pulse, burst, or beam weapons. Kinetic weapons, in general, are most effective against hulls, often dealing around +20% damage.
  • Plasma Accelerator: Designed as a strong weapon, Plasma Accelerators deal significant damage to both shields and hull. They are only available in fixed mounts, requiring precise aiming, and use ammo.
  • Weapon Mounts: Fixed weapons deliver more damage than gimballed or turreted options, but require the entire ship to be aimed. Gimballed weapons track targets within a radius and hit more often, making them generally stronger despite lower damage per shot. Turreted weapons offer independent tracking but deal the least damage.

    • ARC Raiders

    In ARC Raiders, the 'Hullcracker' is noted as a strong option for damaging enemies:

  • Hullcracker: This A-tier weapon can effectively decimate ARC enemies. It requires a Magnetic Accelerator, an Exodus Module, and 3 Heavy Gun Parts to craft.

    • Starfield

    Starfield's ship combat involves different weapon types with varying effectiveness against shields and hulls:

  • Ballistic Weapons: These weapons are strong at destroying hulls but are weak against shields. The KE-42 Cannon is a solid B-class ballistic option, dealing 31 hull damage with a 2.5 fire rate.
  • Particle Weapons: Arguably the best overall ship guns, particle weapons deal good damage against both hulls and shields, simplifying power management. The PBO-100 Auto Neutron Beam, a B-class weapon, rapidly deals 15.40 damage per shot and can shred shields before tearing through hulls. However, they can be power-hungry.
  • Missiles: Missiles deliver high, long-ranged burst damage against both hulls and shields, though they have slow fire and reload times. The Atlatl 270B is a reliable choice, dealing 68 damage per hit, with an upgrade to the Atlatl 270C available for C-class reactors.

    • Stellaris

    In Stellaris, certain weapons offer bonuses or unique mechanics for hull damage:

  • Mining Lasers: These weapons deal +50% more damage to hull and +50% more damage to armor, but -50% less damage to shields. They are short-ranged and generally worse than plasma or laser equivalents unless acquired very early.
  • Mata Disintegrators: Similar to Neutron launchers, these weapons deal +50% damage against armor and +50% damage against hull, but -75% damage against shields.
  • Cloud Lightning: This weapon bypasses 100% of shields and armor, hitting the hull directly. It can be salvaged from void clowns and is useful on battleships with an arc emitter, as it ensures damage to the hull even if other weapons are hitting shields and armor.

    • World of Warships (USS Hull)

    The USS Hull (DD-945) in World of Warships is a unique Tier 10 American destroyer with a gunboat-style approach that blurs the line between destroyer and cruiser. Its primary armaments for engaging other ships include:

  • 203mm Guns: These large guns offer firepower akin to a cruiser, allowing the USS Hull to punch above its weight. They can unleash punishing AP (Armor Piercing) salvos on the broadsides of enemy ships for significant damage, and offer improved HE (High Explosive) versatility for consistent damage.
  • 533mm Torpedoes: The USS Hull is equipped with 4x1 533 mm Single/Mk17 torpedoes, each capable of dealing 17,900 hp damage with a 16.5 km range and 66 knots speed. They have a 301% chance of causing flooding.

    • Positioning is crucial for the USS Hull due to its limited speed and concealment, requiring careful play to maximize the effectiveness of its weaponry.

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    [ System Notice ]

    This content was generated by AI. Information may be unverified and could have changed due to game updates. Verify critical data before proceeding.

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    FAQ Database

    Q.01 Is 'The Hull' a specific game?
    ▼

    Based on web search results, 'The Hull' is not identified as a standalone game title. Instead, 'hull' refers to a critical component of a ship's structural integrity in various space combat and strategy games, and many weapons are designed to specifically target or are highly effective against it.

    Q.02 What types of damage are generally best against hulls?
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    Kinetic and explosive damage types are typically the most effective against a ship's hull in many games. Some weapons also have specific bonuses or bypass mechanics for hull damage.

    Q.03 Are there universal 'best hull weapons' across all games?
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    No, the 'best hull weapons' are game-specific. Each game has its own weapon systems, damage types, and mechanics, so what is effective in one game may not be in another. This guide provides examples from several different games.

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