Best Medical Ships in Star Citizen
The Anvil C8R Pisces Rescue is our pick for players starting medical gameplay in Star Citizen. It gives one pilot a Tier 3 medical bed in a compact ship, without the expense or operating burden of a larger ambulance.
The Cutlass Red adds a second Tier 3 bed and useful cargo capacity. The Terrapin Medic provides Tier 2 treatment in a small, protected rescue ship. For players building a dedicated medical operation, the RSI Apollo Triage and Apollo Medivac offer configurable medical rooms that can prioritize patient capacity or higher-tier treatment.
Not every useful medical ship is a dedicated ambulance. The Drake Clipper, Starlancer TAC, and Anvil Carrack combine medical facilities with other jobs, making them relevant when treatment is part of a wider mission rather than the mission itself.
The right choice depends on whether you need to reach one injured player, treat several casualties, or keep a crew operating away from a hospital.
Version note: Alpha 4.10.1 deployed on September 16, 2026. Ship specifications and aUEC prices below use version-locked Alpha 4.10.0 community-maintained records. Medical mechanics are sourced separately from RSI's medical documentation. This article does not claim independent 4.10.1 rescue testing or guarantee current dealership stock.
Best Medical Ships at a Glance
| Category | Our Pick | Medical Facilities | Cargo | Main Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Entry-Level Medical Ship | C8R Pisces Rescue | 1 × T3 bed | 0 SCU | Limited defenses and patient capacity |
| Best General-Purpose Ambulance | Cutlass Red | 2 × T3 beds | 12 SCU | Cannot fully treat moderate or severe injuries |
| Best Compact Tier 2 Rescue Ship | Terrapin Medic | 1 × T2 bed | 0 SCU | No conventional cargo grid |
| Best Configurable Medical Ship | Apollo Triage | 2 configurable medical rooms | 32 SCU | Larger ship and higher acquisition cost |
| Best Medical Ship for Riskier Pickups | Apollo Medivac | 2 configurable medical rooms | 32 SCU | Defensive equipment does not replace an escort |
| Best Solo Ship with Medical Support | Drake Clipper | 1 × T3 bed | 12 SCU | Generalist rather than dedicated ambulance |
| Best Patrol Ship with Medical Support | Starlancer TAC | 2 × T3 beds | 96 SCU | Medical facilities compete with other crew duties |
| Best Expedition Ship with Medical Support | Anvil Carrack | 1 × T2 bed | 456 SCU | Large operating and crew requirements |
The Apollo rows describe the configurable medical system, not a promise that every purchased ship arrives with every bed tier installed. The standard Apollo records show six Tier 3 beds; alternative configurations have separate vehicle-data records.
Medical Bed Tiers: What Changes Between T3, T2, and T1?
The medical-bed tier is one of the most important differences between these ships. In Star Citizen, Tier 1 is the highest treatment tier, not the lowest.
| Medical Bed | Injuries It Can Fully Treat | Regeneration Range | MedGel Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 3 | Minor injuries | 50 km | 200 cSCU |
| Tier 2 | Minor and moderate injuries | 8,000 km | 400 cSCU |
| Tier 1 | Minor, moderate, and severe injuries | 750 million km | 600 cSCU |
All three tiers can stabilize injuries above their full-treatment capability. They can also support regeneration when a player has selected the bed as a regeneration point and its operating conditions are met.
This means a C8R can help stabilize a severely injured player, but its Tier 3 bed cannot completely heal that injury. A Terrapin Medic can fully treat moderate injuries, while an Apollo equipped with a Tier 1 module can provide treatment unavailable on either smaller ship.
Regeneration Is Not Unlimited
A ship medical bed must be functional, contain sufficient MedGel, and be within its permitted regeneration range. The player must also have selected an eligible bed as their regeneration location.
If the selected bed cannot support regeneration, the player returns to their home location instead.
RSI's medical documentation lists 100 cSCU of MedGel per regeneration. Additional MedGel canisters can be carried in conventional ship storage and loaded into medical beds when needed.
A medical ship can therefore be a valuable local respawn point without becoming an unlimited or system-wide safety net.
Anvil C8R Pisces Rescue — Best Entry-Level Medical Ship
The C8R Pisces Rescue is the most accessible dedicated ambulance in this comparison.
Its Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record lists one crew position, one Tier 3 medical bed, a 16-meter hull, and no conventional cargo grid. Its lowest recorded in-game purchase price is 555,660 aUEC, with a recorded rental price of 13,892 aUEC.
The C8R is useful because it can bring basic treatment close to an injured player without requiring a large landing area or a multicrew ship.
For solo medical gameplay, the workflow is straightforward: fly to the casualty, reach them with appropriate medical equipment, stabilize them if necessary, and bring them aboard for treatment or transport.
Its Tier 3 bed can fully treat minor injuries. Moderate and severe injuries may need stabilization followed by transfer to a higher-tier medical facility.
Where the C8R Works Best
The C8R suits short-range rescue work, small ground teams, and players learning medical mechanics.
It also offers a practical way to try medical gameplay without buying an Apollo before knowing whether rescue missions are something you enjoy.
The limitation is capacity. One medical bed means the ship cannot provide simultaneous bed treatment for several patients. Its light defenses also make it a poor substitute for a protected extraction operation in a contested area.
RSI includes the C8R among its recommended entry-level medical ships.
Drake Cutlass Red — Best General-Purpose Ambulance
The Cutlass Red offers a more substantial ambulance without moving into the Apollo's larger medical platform.
The Alpha 4.10.0 record lists two Tier 3 medical beds, 12 SCU of cargo capacity, and a crew range of 2–3. Its recorded Stanton purchase price is 2,714,800 aUEC; the same snapshot lists a rental at 67,869 aUEC.
Two medical beds let the ship accommodate more than one patient at a time. Its cargo grids also provide space for supplies and equipment, which is useful when the crew expects to remain away from a station.
That combination makes the Cutlass Red a practical step up for a player who wants to respond to rescue calls with a friend.
One person can pilot while another helps recover or treat the casualty. Both can assist when the ship is safely landed.
Cutlass Red vs C8R
The C8R has the smaller footprint and much lower recorded purchase price.
The Cutlass Red provides another treatment position, more interior space, and conventional cargo capacity. Those advantages become useful when the job involves multiple casualties or additional supplies.
Neither ship's Tier 3 beds can fully treat moderate or severe injuries. Moving from the C8R to the Cutlass Red increases capacity and operating flexibility; it does not increase treatment tier.
For players who specifically need Tier 2 treatment, the Terrapin Medic is the more relevant comparison.
Anvil Terrapin Medic — Best Compact Tier 2 Rescue Ship
The Anvil Terrapin Medic provides something the C8R and Cutlass Red do not: a Tier 2 medical bed in a compact single-pilot ship.
Its Alpha 4.10.0 data lists one crew position, one Tier 2 bed, a 20-meter hull, and no conventional cargo grid. The recorded in-game purchase price is 5,704,770 aUEC.
The higher medical tier allows it to fully treat moderate injuries and provides an 8,000 km regeneration range under RSI's current medical rules.
It also has a more protected hull and shield configuration than the C8R. That makes it relevant when a rescue requires a small vessel but the pilot expects a more demanding approach.
When the Terrapin Medic Justifies Its Price
The Terrapin Medic makes sense when medical capability matters more than cargo or the number of beds.
It gives a solo responder access to Tier 2 treatment without operating a Carrack or configuring an Apollo.
The trade-off is that it still has only one medical bed. A group with several casualties may find the Cutlass Red's two treatment positions useful, even though those beds are lower tier.
The Terrapin Medic also lacks a conventional cargo grid, limiting its usefulness for transporting large quantities of medical supplies or mission freight.
It is a focused rescue ship rather than a general-purpose transport with a medical room.
RSI Apollo Triage — Best Configurable Medical Ship
The RSI Apollo Triage becomes relevant when a medical crew needs to plan for different types of casualties rather than relying on a fixed bed configuration.
Its Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record lists two crew positions and 32 SCU of cargo capacity. The base record displays six Tier 3 medical beds, but the Apollo's defining feature is its configurable medical system.
CIG's original Apollo design describes two medical rooms. Each can be configured around higher-tier treatment or a larger number of lower-tier beds. The version-locked vehicle database also contains distinct Apollo configurations, rather than treating every layout as the same ship state.
The configurations create a clear capacity trade-off:
| Configuration Across Both Medical Rooms | Medical Capacity |
|---|---|
| Tier 3-focused | Up to 6 × T3 beds |
| Tier 2-focused | Up to 4 × T2 beds |
| Tier 1-focused | Up to 2 × T1 beds |
Mixed configurations are also part of the Apollo's medical concept. The numbers above are configuration capacities, not six T3 beds plus four T2 beds plus two T1 beds installed simultaneously.
The practical availability of a particular module should be checked before relying on that configuration. A ship's design flexibility does not establish that every buyer already owns or can immediately obtain every module, or that each alternative configuration functions as intended in the current Live build.
Triage vs Cutlass Red
The Cutlass Red is easier to justify for basic ambulance work. It costs less in the version-locked shop records, has two Tier 3 beds, and carries a smaller operational burden.
The Apollo Triage becomes more useful when its medical configuration matters: treating several patients, preparing for higher-tier injuries, or supporting a group across repeated missions.
It is not a sensible purchase solely to gain a second Tier 3 bed. The Cutlass Red already provides that.
RSI Apollo Medivac — Best for More Exposed Rescue Operations
The Apollo Medivac shares the Apollo family's configurable medical approach but emphasizes defensive equipment for potentially dangerous retrievals.
Its Alpha 4.10.0 record lists two crew positions, 32 SCU of cargo, 14,400 shield HP, and 16 missiles. The recorded purchase price is 8,295,210 aUEC, compared with 7,541,100 aUEC for the Apollo Triage.
Both variants can be configured for different medical needs. The Medivac's additional acquisition cost should therefore be evaluated against its defensive emphasis, not an assumption that it automatically has a higher medical tier.
Why Crew Matters More Than the Bed Count
A rescue involves more than arriving with treatment facilities.
Someone must locate the casualty, stabilize them, move them aboard, and operate the medical equipment. If the pickup area remains dangerous, another player may need to handle the ship or help secure the extraction.
CIG's Apollo Q&A describes the ship's two crew roles as flexible rather than permanently assigning one player to the cockpit and the other to medicine.
A solo owner can use an Apollo as a mobile medical base, but responding to an incapacitated player may require leaving the ship unattended. The extra defensive equipment on the Medivac does not remove that problem.
For regular rescue groups, the Medivac becomes more attractive when there is a pilot and at least one additional player available for patient recovery. Its configurable medical rooms and crew arrangements are most useful when the team can staff both the ship and the recovery operation.
Medical Support Ships: Clipper, Starlancer TAC, and Carrack
A dedicated ambulance is not always the most useful medical vessel for a group. Sometimes the ship carrying the team is already close enough to provide treatment.
Drake Clipper — Medical Support for Solo Daily Missions
The Drake Clipper combines one Tier 3 medical bed with 12 SCU of cargo capacity in a single-pilot generalist.
That makes it useful for players who want a local regeneration point during ordinary travel, FPS missions, and surface activities without owning a separate ambulance.
The medical bed supports the Clipper's wider daily-driver role. Its cargo, weapons, and medical facilities make it a more flexible daily ship, but they do not give it a second patient bed or Tier 2 treatment.
MISC Starlancer TAC — Medical Support During Ground Operations
The Starlancer TAC has two Tier 3 medical beds alongside its infantry deployment facilities, weapons, cargo hold, and dedicated Fury hangar. Its Alpha 4.10.0 record lists 96 SCU of cargo capacity.
Those medical beds are useful when a crew combines space combat with bunker missions or ground deployment. Injured players can return to the ship for appropriate treatment instead of sending the entire group back to a station.
The TAC is not a replacement for an Apollo configured with higher-tier treatment. Its medical facilities are one part of a wider patrol and deployment design.
That distinction is important during crew planning. A player sent to retrieve a casualty is no longer staffing a turret or operating the carried Fury; the TAC's medical and deployment arrangement therefore matters as much as its bed count when assigning a team.
Anvil Carrack — Medical Support for Long Expeditions
The Anvil Carrack carries one Tier 2 medical bed alongside its hangar, rover accommodation, and 456 SCU of cargo capacity.
Its medical facility is particularly valuable when the ship is already serving as a mobile base for an expedition crew.
A ground team can use the Carrack as a nearby location for Tier 2 treatment and regeneration, while smaller craft or ground vehicles handle the final approach to a destination.
That does not make the Carrack a more convenient ambulance than the C8R, Terrapin Medic, or Apollo. Its hangar, rover support, and Tier 2 medical bay make sense together as an expedition base, not as a reason to buy a large ship solely for rescue work.
Medical Ship Prices in Alpha 4.10.0
The following are recorded in-game aUEC purchase prices, not RSI pledge-store offers or current 4.10.1 transaction prices.
| Ship | Alpha 4.10.0 Community Shop Price |
|---|---|
| C8R Pisces Rescue | 555,660 aUEC |
| Cutlass Red | 2,714,800 aUEC |
| Terrapin Medic | 5,704,770 aUEC |
| Apollo Triage | 7,541,100 aUEC |
| Apollo Medivac | 8,295,210 aUEC |
The C8R's listing is recorded at Astro Armada in Area18; the Cutlass Red has a 4.10.0 listing at New Deal in Lorville. The Apollo records provide reference prices but do not establish a specific sales terminal in the cited entries. The Terrapin Medic record supplies a price but does not expose a sufficiently specific retailer name in the retrieved listing.
The price gap is substantial. A player can try basic Tier 3 medical gameplay in a C8R without immediately saving for an Apollo.
Before making a purchase, confirm the game's current shop listing. A historical community price is a useful planning reference, not evidence that the ship is in stock today.
Real-money standalone ships, Warbond offers, and CCU upgrades are separate acquisition methods. Their prices and included insurance should not be inferred from the aUEC table.
What Should a Medical Crew Bring?
Buying a medical ship is only part of preparing for rescue work.
RSI's current medical guidance identifies hand-held medical equipment, suitable treatment facilities, and MedGel as parts of the medical workflow. A ship's bed does not automatically recover an incapacitated player who is still outside the hull.
Before leaving, a medical crew should check that its beds have enough MedGel, carry additional supplies where appropriate, and decide who will retrieve patients if a rescue requires leaving the ship.
For an Apollo crew, that may mean keeping the pilot available while another player performs the pickup. For a solo C8R or Terrapin Medic owner, it means accepting that the ship may be unattended during recovery.
A group expecting combat should also consider how it will secure the landing area and leave if the situation becomes unsafe.
The purpose of a medical ship is to make treatment accessible. It does not eliminate the risks involved in reaching the patient.
FAQ
What is the best medical ship for a solo player?
The C8R Pisces Rescue is our entry-level solo choice because it is compact, has one Tier 3 medical bed, and has the lowest recorded purchase price among the dedicated medical ships compared here.
The Terrapin Medic offers Tier 2 treatment for players who specifically need a higher medical tier and a more protected small ship.
Which medical ship has Tier 1 beds?
The RSI Apollo Triage and Apollo Medivac support configurations with Tier 1 medical beds.
The base Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle records show six Tier 3 beds. Tier 1 capability depends on the installed medical modules, so it should not be assumed from the standard record alone.
Can a Tier 3 medical bed respawn players?
Yes. Under RSI's current medical rules, a Tier 3 bed can support regeneration within 50 km when the player has selected it as their regeneration point and the bed is functional with sufficient MedGel.
Its regeneration capability does not mean it can fully treat Tier 2 or Tier 1 injuries.
Is the Cutlass Red better than the C8R?
The Cutlass Red offers two Tier 3 beds and 12 SCU of cargo space, while the C8R is smaller and substantially cheaper in the version-locked 4.10.0 shop records.
Both provide Tier 3 treatment. The decision is mainly about operating scale, patient capacity, and cargo needs.
Is the Apollo Medivac better than the Apollo Triage?
Both use the Apollo family's configurable medical system.
The Medivac emphasizes defensive equipment for riskier rescue operations. The Triage has a lower recorded acquisition price.
The Medivac's additional equipment does not automatically give it a higher medical tier; that depends on the installed modules.
Do ship medical beds need MedGel?
Yes. RSI states that medical-bed actions outside clinics and hospitals require MedGel.
A selected bed can fail to provide regeneration if its MedGel supply is insufficient, even when the ship itself remains operational.
Final Verdict
The C8R Pisces Rescue offers the most accessible starting point for dedicated medical gameplay. The Cutlass Red adds patient capacity and supplies, while the Terrapin Medic provides Tier 2 treatment in a compact rescue platform.
The Apollo family becomes relevant when medical capability is the center of the operation. Its configurable rooms make bed selection a real planning decision, and the Medivac adds defensive equipment for crews expecting more exposed pickups.
The Clipper, Starlancer TAC, and Carrack solve a different problem: they bring treatment along with other activities, reducing the need for a separate medical vessel on every mission.
Choose the ship according to the injuries you expect to treat, how many patients you may need to recover, and the number of people available to perform the rescue.
