Star Citizen C2 Hercules Guide: Cargo, Crew, Price & Solo

The Crusader C2 Hercules Starlifter is a strong choice for players who want to move large amounts of cargo while still being able to land normally and transport heavy ground vehicles. Current Alpha 4.10 data gives it 696 SCU of cargo capacity, 2 crew, front and rear cargo access, and enough space for vehicles such as the Nova, Ballista, and Spartan.

Its biggest advantage is not simply the 696 SCU number. The C2 combines that capacity with a huge enclosed, drive-through hold that works for planetary freight, vehicle deployment, commodity trading, and large hauling contracts without forcing the ship into the specialized loading workflow of a Hull C.

The main compromise is labor. A single player can fly the C2 and use it as a hauler, but filling or emptying nearly 700 SCU manually can become a much larger job than flying the ship itself. For players who value flexible heavy transport more than maximum theoretical cargo capacity, the C2 remains a useful large hauler in Alpha 4.10.

C2 Hercules Specifications in Alpha 4.10

SpecificationCurrent Alpha 4.10
Manufacturer	Crusader Industries
Role	Heavy freight / heavy lift transport
Status	Flight Ready
Crew	2
Total stations	2
Beds	2
Cargo	696 SCU
Cargo grids	480 SCU + 216 SCU
Maximum container size	32 SCU
Length	94 m
Width	70 m
Height	23 m
SCM speed	160 m/s
NAV speed	950 m/s
Hydrogen fuel	45 SCU
Quantum fuel	20.9 SCU
Shields	144,000 HP total
Pilot weapons	2× Size 5 M7A laser cannons
Remote turrets	2 turrets with 2× Size 4 weapons each
Standalone MSRP	$400
Current in-game purchase price	18,900,000 aUEC
Standard claim time	32.7 minutes
Expedited claim time	10.9 minutes

Current Alpha 4.10 vehicle data supports the 696 SCU cargo capacity, Crew 2, two stations, two beds, dimensions, speeds, fuel capacities, shield pool, weapons, claim times, and current build information. The cargo capacity is split across 480 SCU and 216 SCU grids, both supporting containers up to 32 SCU.

C2 Hercules Price and In-Game Availability

Current Alpha 4.10 data puts the C2 Hercules at 18,900,000 aUEC, with purchase records at New Deal's Crusader Showroom in Orison and Astro Armada at Area18. The same current vehicle data lists a $400 MSRP.

The $400 figure should be treated as the C2's standard standalone reference price rather than a promise that it will be continuously available in the RSI pledge store. Hercules pledge availability can vary, so current store availability should be checked when making a purchase decision.

For a player interested primarily in its current gameplay, the in-game route is particularly relevant. Eighteen million aUEC is a substantial acquisition cost, but it lets you evaluate whether the C2's cargo workflow actually suits you before making a real-money fleet decision.

Why the 696 SCU Cargo Hold Is Still the C2's Main Advantage

The C2 has 696 SCU on its cargo grids, divided into a 480 SCU section and a 216 SCU section. Both grids support containers as large as 32 SCU.

That capacity is large enough to reduce the number of trips required for high-volume cargo work, but the more important feature is where that cargo goes: inside a broad vehicle deck accessed through large ramps at both ends of the ship.

The result is a drive-through cargo workflow. Vehicles can enter through one end and leave through the other rather than reversing out of the same narrow entrance. Current reference material lists the Nova, Ballista, and Spartan among the large ground vehicles that can be carried.

This makes the C2 useful for more than commodity trading. It can move:

• bulk freight between landing zones, stations, and surface facilities;

• mission cargo in large containers;

• mining or industrial vehicles to remote operating areas;

• armored ground vehicles for organization operations;

• mixed loads combining freight with vehicle space.

Cargo and vehicles compete for the same physical hold, however. A C2 carrying several large ground vehicles is not simultaneously a full 696 SCU freighter. The nominal grid capacity describes what the ship can secure as cargo, not a guarantee that every mixed vehicle configuration leaves that same amount of usable freight space.

The C2's Cargo Problem Is Labor, Not Capacity

The hold is enormous, but moving cargo into it is still work.

Current Alpha 4.10 vehicle data does not list an integrated cargo tractor-beam system on the C2. With as much as 696 SCU available across its grids, a manually loaded run can therefore require substantial cargo handling, particularly for a solo operator working with many separate containers.

That creates an important distinction for buyers:

The C2 has excellent cargo capacity, but cargo capacity is not the same thing as cargo-handling efficiency.

For commodity runs where cargo can be handled with minimal manual interaction, the 696 SCU capacity is highly attractive. For contracts requiring you to personally move many containers, bringing another player or suitable tractor equipment can make a larger difference to turnaround time than changing the ship's components.

Can You Solo the C2 Hercules?

Yes. A single player can fly the C2 and use it for cargo or vehicle transport under current mechanics. That should not be confused with the ship being designed around a one-person crew, however. Current Alpha 4.10 data lists Crew 2, two total stations, and two beds.

A solo player can handle normal flight, quantum travel, landing, commodity transport, and vehicle deployment. The practical limits appear when the session requires several tasks at once or large amounts of physical cargo handling.

For routine hauling, the pilot can still use the C2's defining forward weapons while flying the ship. But a second player can help with remote weapons, cargo movement, ship systems, or other work that would otherwise pull the pilot away from the cockpit.

For practical play:

One player is enough for routine cargo trading, moving a vehicle, repositioning the ship, or hauling when loading requirements are manageable.

Two players make more sense when manually loading large contracts, operating in riskier space, using more of the ship's defensive coverage, or handling ship systems while another player remains available to fly.

The C2 is therefore usable solo, but being able to fly and use the ship alone does not mean every 696 SCU workflow is efficient alone.

C2 Vehicle Transport

Vehicle transport is one of the strongest reasons to choose the C2 over another freighter.

CIG's Hercules Q&A identifies vehicle transport as a core purpose of the Hercules platform, and the current C2 layout still reflects that role. The large cargo deck and front/rear ramps allow heavy ground vehicles to move through the ship rather than treating the hold as nothing more than a container warehouse.

For organizations, that allows one C2 to act as a transport layer between space travel and ground operations. A group can move personnel, equipment, and heavy vehicles to a planet or moon without dedicating separate ships to every ground asset.

For a solo player, the same space creates flexibility. A C2 can carry a ROC, rover, armored vehicle, or other equipment and still retain substantial room for cargo, depending on how much of the deck the vehicle occupies.

This is where the C2 separates itself most clearly from the MISC Hull C. The Hull C has far more raw capacity at 4,608 SCU, but its cargo is carried externally and the ship is not intended as an internal vehicle transporter.

The Hull C wins the bulk-freight numbers contest. The C2 is far more flexible when the destination or payload involves a planetary surface or wheels and tracks rather than cargo containers alone.

Flight Performance and the Alpha 4.10 Fuel Changes

For a ship 94 meters long and 70 meters wide, the C2 remains relatively quick in a straight line. Current data lists 160 m/s SCM speed and 950 m/s NAV speed, although its turn rates still make its size apparent when maneuvering.

Landing is therefore less about raw flight difficulty and more about planning. The C2 has a wide footprint, and the amount of space needed around its ramps matters when using surface facilities or rough terrain. You are flying a heavy transport, not a large fighter.

Alpha 4.10 also made a significant change to its fuel profile. Version-locked changelog data shows:

• hydrogen fuel capacity changed from 132 to 45 SCU;

• quantum fuel increased from 6.6 to 20.9 SCU;

• quantum travel speed changed to roughly 532 million meters per second in the current data.

The practical lesson is not simply that the C2 received "more range." Alpha 4.10 changed several parts of its travel configuration at once, so fuel assumptions and route calculations based on older patches should not be carried forward unchanged.

The larger quantum fuel capacity is particularly relevant on a ship whose job regularly involves moving valuable cargo over long routes.

Weapons and Defense

The C2 is armed well enough to defend a transport, but it should not be purchased as a combat ship.

Current Alpha 4.10 data gives the pilot two Size 5 M7A laser cannons. The ship also carries two remote turret installations, each mounting two Size 4 weapons in the current loadout. Its defensive systems provide 144,000 total shield HP.

The Size 5 pilot guns make the C2 less helpless than its cargo role might suggest. Large or slow targets that remain in front of the ship can take meaningful damage.

That does not solve the fundamental combat problem: the C2 is a very large target carrying potentially valuable cargo. Smaller combat ships can control engagements more easily, and committing a loaded C2 to a prolonged fight exposes both the hull and the cargo investment.

For cargo pilots, the weapons are better treated as a defensive tool and a way to create an escape opportunity rather than justification to seek combat.

A second crew member also allows more of the ship's remote weapon coverage and onboard workload to be used without competing entirely with the pilot's attention. Even then, the C2 remains the civilian cargo-focused member of the Hercules family.

C2 Hercules vs M2 Hercules

The M2 Hercules is the most obvious alternative if you like the Hercules layout but expect to operate in more dangerous conditions.

Current Alpha 4.10 data gives the M2 522 SCU, Crew 3, and 211,200 shield HP, compared with the C2's 696 SCU, Crew 2, and 144,000 shield HP.

Choose the C2 when maximizing freight volume and keeping crew requirements lower are the priority.

Choose the M2 when you are willing to sacrifice 174 SCU for stronger protection and a more combat-oriented Hercules configuration.

For ordinary commercial hauling, the C2's extra capacity is usually more valuable. For moving high-value vehicles or cargo through contested space with a crew, the M2's trade-off becomes easier to justify.

C2 Hercules vs Caterpillar

The Drake Caterpillar currently carries 576 SCU and lists Crew 4 in Alpha 4.10. Its cargo is spread across multiple cargo grids rather than one huge drive-through vehicle deck.

The Caterpillar remains attractive to players who prefer its narrower shape, segmented freight layout, and Drake-style utility. The C2 is the clearer choice when the priority is maximum enclosed capacity with easy heavy-vehicle access.

The difference is larger than 696 versus 576 SCU. A player moving tanks and other large ground vehicles is solving a different problem from someone who wants a segmented freight platform.

C2 Hercules vs Hull C

The Hull C carries 4,608 SCU and currently lists a Crew 4–5 range, so it operates in a different cargo-volume category.

If the objective is simply to move the greatest possible amount of containerized freight, the Hull C's capacity overwhelms the C2.

The trade-off is specialization. The Hull C uses external cargo spindles and was designed around large-scale cargo transfer rather than driving ground vehicles into an internal bay. Its cargo workflow and operating model are therefore fundamentally different from the C2's conventional landing-and-ramp layout.

Choose the C2 when where you can deliver and what you can carry matter as much as the SCU total.

Choose the Hull C when bulk freight volume is the dominant requirement and its specialized workflow fits the routes you intend to run.

Ownership Friction

The C2 is easy to understand but not cheap to operate carelessly.

A fully loaded cargo run can put a large amount of aUEC into one ship, which means the financial consequence of piracy, pilot error, or a serious bug can be much larger than the insurance cost of the hull itself.

The ship also has a current standard insurance claim time of approximately 32.7 minutes, with an expedited time of 10.9 minutes listed in Alpha 4.10 data.

Its size creates several smaller costs in time:

• getting between the bridge and cargo deck;

• opening and positioning the large ramps;

• manually moving containers;

• landing with enough clearance for safe loading;

• dealing with onboard systems when something is damaged.

None of these make the C2 a poor hauler. They explain why the ship becomes much better when the load justifies the logistics.

Using a C2 to move a tiny shipment because it happens to be available wastes much of what makes the ship valuable. It is at its best when the payload is large enough that avoiding extra trips compensates for the additional handling and ship-management time.

Who Should Buy the C2 Hercules?

The C2 makes the most sense for players who regularly need high-volume internal cargo capacity but still want normal planetary access.

It is particularly strong for:

• cargo pilots running large commodity or hauling loads;

• solo players who want a large ship that remains usable without filling multiple crew positions;

• organizations moving ground vehicles between operating areas;

• players combining cargo and vehicle gameplay;

• owners who want more surface flexibility than a dedicated bulk freighter provides.

The C2 is less attractive if you mostly run small contracts, dislike physical cargo handling, want a dedicated combat ship, or simply want the greatest SCU number available regardless of operating model.

A player who rarely fills more than a fraction of its hold may be better served by a smaller hauler with faster loading, easier landings, and less capital tied up in each trip.

Is the C2 Hercules Worth It?

The C2 is worth owning when you can make regular use of its combination of 696 SCU, planetary access, and heavy-vehicle transport.

That combination is more important than any one statistic. A Hull C carries dramatically more freight, an M2 provides stronger combat protection, and smaller haulers are easier to manage. The C2 occupies the useful space between them: very large internal capacity without turning cargo transport into a specialized external-freight operation.

Its weakness in Alpha 4.10 is workflow rather than flight capability. The ship can be used solo, but moving large amounts of physical cargo without an integrated cargo tractor system can make loading the real bottleneck. The wide landing footprint and long claim time also punish careless operation.

For players who regularly move hundreds of SCU or transport large vehicles, those compromises are reasonable. For someone buying a large ship because "696 SCU" looks attractive on a stat sheet, they are exactly the reasons to try the C2 in-game before committing to it as a permanent fleet centerpiece.

FAQ

How much cargo does the C2 Hercules carry?

The C2 carries 696 SCU on its current cargo grids. Alpha 4.10 data divides that capacity into a 480 SCU grid and a 216 SCU grid, with support for containers up to 32 SCU.

Can you solo the C2 Hercules?

Yes. A single player can currently fly the C2 and use it for normal cargo or vehicle-transport operations. Current Alpha 4.10 data still lists Crew 2 and two total stations, so being usable alone should not be interpreted as every large-scale cargo workflow being efficient solo.

Can the C2 carry a Nova tank?

Yes. Current C2 reference material specifically lists large vehicles including the Nova, Ballista, and Spartan as compatible with its large front and rear ramp cargo hold.

How much does the C2 Hercules cost in-game?

Current Alpha 4.10 purchase data lists the C2 at 18,900,000 aUEC, including purchase records at New Deal's Crusader Showroom in Orison and Astro Armada in Area18.

Is the C2 better than the M2?

For pure cargo hauling, usually yes: the C2 carries 696 SCU compared with the M2's 522 SCU and has a lower current crew figure. The M2 trades 174 SCU for stronger protection and a more combat-oriented configuration, making it more appropriate when the route is expected to be dangerous.

Final Verdict

The C2 Hercules is a practical large transport ship in Alpha 4.10 because it solves several logistics problems at the same time. Its 696 SCU hold is large enough for serious freight work, yet the ship can still land normally, move heavy ground vehicles through its drive-through bay, and remain usable by a single pilot when the workload is manageable.

Its biggest weakness is that the ship's enormous capacity can create enormous cargo work. A solo pilot can control the C2, but that does not make manually handling hundreds of SCU fast. Players who routinely load physical freight should treat loading equipment and additional hands as part of the operating plan.

Buy the C2 for flexible heavy logistics: high-volume cargo, surface operations, and vehicle transport from one hull. Skip it if you need maximum bulk capacity, expect regular combat, or rarely move enough cargo to justify a 94-meter transport.

Its value comes from the combination of capacity, vehicle access, and relatively low crew requirements rather than winning every individual category.