Carrier (CivBE)

Carrier
Unit in Beyond Earth
Required	Fabrication
Moves	3
Base Unit Strength	18

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Game info[]

Naval aircraft carrier. Requires Fabrication technology.

The Carrier acts as a mobile base for aircraft. This means that aircraft can be rebased to and from Carriers within range, and perform combat missions from Carriers.

A Carrier can hold only one aircraft at start, but can be upgraded to hold two, or three with the appropriate perks. Carriers are generally the first unit players can unlock to make aircraft more mobile and used in assault and they also require no resources, unlike the Aquilon.

Unit Upgrades[]

Tier 1 (Non Affinity)[]

Carriers are the primary unit used for aircraft transportation. Being very fragile and unable to engage in combat directly they require constant maintenance and protection from especially Gunboats and Submarines.

Subject	Tier 1 (Carrier)
Tech Prerequisites	Fabrication
Affinity Prerequisites	None
Resource Cost	No requirement
Production Cost	190 Production
Combat Strength	18 Strength
Movement	3
Perk Choice A	--
Perk Choice B	--
Passives	Can carry 1 aircraft, Unable to declare attacks

Tier 2 (Affinity)[]

Carriers take on the appearance of their sponsor's Affinity into the end of the mid-game, but carry with them powerful perks. Able to carry up to potentially three aircraft now, carriers are specialised to provide regenerative, strength or range based benefits, depending on Affinity. They have also become slightly more durable and are able to handle a few additional hits from potential threats.

Subject	Tier 2 (Hydra)	Tier 2 (Bastion)	Tier 2 (Shepherd)
Tech Prerequisites	Fabrication	Fabrication	Fabrication
Affinity Prerequisites	10 Harmony	10 Purity	10 Supremacy
Resource Cost	No requirement	No requirement	No requirement
Production Cost	370 Production	370 Production	370 Production
Combat Strength	42 Strength	42 Strength	42 Strength
Movement	4	4	4
Perk Choice A	+10HP heal for onboard aircraft per turn	+20% Strength for onboard aircraft	+2 for onboard Aircraft
Perk Choice B	+1 Capacity as base for aircraft	+1 Capacity as base for aircraft	+1 Capacity as base for aircraft
Passives	Can carry 2 aircraft, unable to declare attacks	Can carry 2 aircraft, unable to declare attacks	Can carry 2 aircraft, unable to declare attacks

Strategy[]

The Carrier offers unparalleled range power projection. Between its own movement and the range of its aircraft, a Carrier has a maximum single-turn striking range of between 7 and 16 tiles depending on upgrades, perks, and quest choices. Of course, this all comes at a cost---a fully upgraded and loaded Carrier has cost comparable to end-game Wonders!

Though slightly more durable than the Gunboat, the Carrier is slower and still quite vulnerable to direct attack. A picket of Gunboats, and perhaps hovering units in the later game, will help detect and intercept enemies before they can spot your Carrier. Enemy aircraft cannot be intercepted in this way; against these, the Carrier must rely on its own aircraft for defense.

The Observatory building quest offers a global +2 for all naval units. This is a great advantage in both getting to the combat zone quickly and in ensuring you get the first shot. (This is only the case for the base game, as this building quest bonus is unavailable in Rising Tide.)

Outside of combat, the Carrier can aid in transferring aircraft between cities, either by ferrying them or by acting as a stepping-stone.

It is worth noting however, that if you choose to pursue Supremacy and build Vindicators (which have a perk choice of being able to carry aircraft), then the number of vessels required to escort the carrier will be able to carry the aircraft themselves, therefore reducing the need for the carrier.

In Universe information[]

Because of the great expenditure in resources and effort required to built a Carrier, these large ships were absent for considerable time from colonial navies. After all, survival and economical development were paramount in the infant days of each colony.

But once the basics were covered, and colonies started to extend their territory, the need for power projection was felt acutely, and all military commanders know that few combat machines project power the way aircraft do. Thus the first Carriers were constructed. These were very similar to their cousins from Old Earth - projected for horizontal flight aircraft, with a length of 150 – 250 meters, and displacing between 9800 and 20000 tons. A variety of light weapons were included, but none sufficiently powerful for anything more than defensive action.

As colonial technology developed, and new, different models of aircraft were adopted, Carriers also changed. Their plans now included SVTOL operations, and this led to multiple novel configurations, including pontoon platforms, or double-hull models driven by nuclear hydro-pulsejets. These new Carriers prove very effective for projecting power far beyond the fringes of the colony, both against alien targets and against other colonies.

Civilopedia entry

It took quite some time for Carriers to appear among the extraterrestrial colonies. This was due to the high construction cost, both in resources and dry-dock facilities. As such, construction of these large, multi-purpose vessels could not begin until the necessities for survival and success had been secured.

The initial ships were comparable to the WWII-era carriers of old Earth. They were roughly 150 to 250 meters in length with a beam of 21 to 28 meters, displacing between 9800 and 20000 tonnes. The ships included a variety of light armaments and a flight deck configured for horizontal launch of Aircraft.

As the colony’s Aircraft began to evolve, so did their Carriers. Experimental designs led to vessels which focused on SVTOL air operations. This shift provided a number of distinctive configurations, ranging from pontoon platforms to dual-hull ships driven by nuclear hydro-pulsejets. Whether they were defending against alien life or attacking other outposts, these various Carriers proved useful for projecting air power beyond the settled fringes of the colonies.