Best Ships for Bunker Missions in Star Citizen
The C8R Pisces Rescue is the cheaper way to put a regeneration point close to a ground mission. The Cutlass Black makes more sense when ground-vehicle transport is part of the plan. The Cutlass Red is stronger for two-player medical support, while the Starlancer TAC becomes relevant when an entire squad needs transport, medical recovery, equipment storage, and cargo aboard the same ship.
At the heavy end, the Anvil Asgard is less about running from the ramp to a bunker door and more about transporting a ground vehicle to a surface objective.
The important distinction is that a good bunker ship is not necessarily the ship with the most guns. Once you leave the cockpit, landing footprint, medical recovery, equipment storage, cargo access, ground mobility, and the cost of losing the ship all matter more than raw spacecraft DPS.
Alpha 4.10.1 was deployed on September 16, 2026. The specifications and shop prices below use the version-locked Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle dataset because that is the consistent data snapshot used for this comparison. They are not presented as independent Alpha 4.10.1 performance tests.
Alpha 4.10.1 LIVE Deployment — RSI Status
Best Bunker Mission Ships at a Glance
| Category | Our Pick | Medical | Cargo | Why It Fits | Main Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Overall Bunker Ship | Drake Clipper | 1 × T3 bed | 12 SCU | Solo-friendly mix of medical support, storage, cargo, and weapons | Not designed around dedicated ground-vehicle transport |
| Best Budget Bunker Ship | C8R Pisces Rescue | 1 × T3 bed | 0 SCU | Tiny footprint, low purchase price, and short-range regeneration support | Almost no loot or vehicle capacity |
| Best Bunker Ship with a Ground Vehicle | Cutlass Black | None | 46 SCU | Large rear bay, useful cargo capacity, and multirole flexibility | No onboard medical bed |
| Best Medical Bunker Ship for Two | Cutlass Red | 2 × T3 beds | 12 SCU | Pilot and medic can divide transport, recovery, and treatment duties | Less cargo and vehicle utility than the Black |
| Best Bunker Ship for a Squad | Starlancer TAC | 2 × T3 beds | 96 SCU | Medical support, equipment storage, cargo, and infantry-oriented layout | Large footprint and substantial crew overhead |
| Best Heavy Vehicle Bunker Support Ship | Anvil Asgard | None | 180 SCU | Vehicle-focused dropship with a large transport bay | Expensive and excessive for routine solo bunkers |
These are editorial recommendations, not rankings produced from one artificial score. Different bunker runs prioritize different things: a solo player benefits from a compact medical ship, while a group transporting a vehicle has a completely different requirement.
The underlying Alpha 4.10 records support one T3 bed and 12 SCU for the Clipper, one T3 bed for the C8R, 46 SCU for the Cutlass Black, two T3 beds and 12 SCU for the Cutlass Red, 96 SCU and two T3 beds for the Starlancer TAC, and 180 SCU for the Asgard.
What Actually Matters for Bunker Missions?
A spacecraft spends only part of a bunker mission doing spacecraft things.
You fly to the surface, land, leave the ship, complete an FPS objective, recover whatever equipment or loot you intend to keep, and then return to the ship. That changes what “best ship” means.
A Medical Bed Can Be More Valuable Than More Ship Weapons
Once you are inside a bunker, the guns mounted on your spacecraft are no longer helping you.
A medical bed can.
Under RSI's current medical rules, a Tier 3 medical bed can fully treat minor injuries. Moderate and severe injuries can be stabilized at any medical bed, but full treatment requires a T2 bed or higher for moderate injuries and a T1 bed or hospital for severe injuries.
T3 beds can also serve as regeneration points within 50 km, provided the player has selected the bed and it remains functional and supplied.
Healing and Medical Treatment — RSI Knowledge Base
A Tier 3 bed has 200 cSCU of MedGel capacity, and one regeneration consumes 100 cSCU. Treatment also consumes MedGel, so two regenerations should not be treated as a guaranteed reserve if the bed has already been used for medical treatment.
Regeneration also does not recover your belongings. RSI states that equipment remains at the corpse and place of death, so respawning aboard the ship solves the travel reset but does not automatically bring your gear back with you.
Small Ships Are Easier to Use Repeatedly
A large ship can carry more people and equipment, but every bunker contract does not require a mobile headquarters.
A compact vessel is easier to position around uneven terrain, involves less walking between cockpit and exit, and usually creates less friction when the purpose of the ship is simply to get one player to an FPS objective and back.
That is why this comparison does not automatically put the Starlancer TAC or Asgard above the Clipper and C8R.
Ground Vehicles Solve a Different Problem
A ground vehicle becomes useful when you want to leave the spacecraft away from the objective and cover the remaining distance on the surface.
That can be valuable when the immediate landing area is inconvenient, exposed, or simply farther from where you want to park the ship.
For this playstyle, medical beds matter less than bay access, vehicle fit, loading time, and how quickly the vehicle can be deployed.
Loot Changes the Cargo Requirement
The C8R is excellent at transporting a player and providing medical support, but its Alpha 4.10 record has no conventional cargo grid.
That matters if your bunker routine includes bringing back containers, armor, weapons, mission supplies, or other recovered material.
You do not need a freighter for a bunker mission, but some proper cargo capacity makes repeated loot-and-extract runs much easier to organize.
Drake Clipper — Best Overall Ship for Bunker Missions
The Drake Clipper has an unusually useful combination for a solo bunker runner.
Its current Alpha 4.10 vehicle record lists:
- 1 crew station
- 1 × Tier 3 medical bed
- 2 total beds
- 12 SCU cargo capacity
- 1 weapon rack
- 2 rifle slots
- 6 pistol slots
- 26.5 m length
- 205 m/s SCM speed
RSI's Clipper Q&A describes it as a single-occupant generalist intended to combine habitation, medical facilities, cargo storage, component access, and other general-purpose capabilities rather than specialize in one profession.
That first-party positioning is useful for understanding the ship's role. The current numerical specifications above still come from the version-locked Alpha 4.10 vehicle record.
Q&A: Drake Clipper — RSI
Why the Clipper Beats a Pure Medical Ship for Repeated Bunkers
The C8R is smaller and much cheaper.
What it does not have is a proper cargo grid.
The Clipper gives up some of the C8R's extreme compactness in exchange for 12 SCU of secured cargo space and a more complete equipment-storage layout. That matters as soon as the mission stops being a simple “arrive, clear objective, leave” run.
If you routinely bring spare armor, ammunition, supplies, containers, or recovered items back from ground missions, the Clipper turns the ship into a small staging area rather than only a medical shuttle.
Its Tier 3 bed still has the same treatment-tier limitation as other T3 beds: it cannot completely heal moderate or severe injuries.
The Clipper Is Still a Generalist
The main reason not to choose it is specialization.
Twelve SCU is not a serious freight hold. Its single T3 bed is not a dedicated medical facility. Ground-vehicle transport is also not the core design purpose of the Clipper, so players planning a vehicle-dependent bunker workflow should choose around confirmed practical fit rather than assume the ship is a dedicated vehicle carrier.
That is different from claiming that every small ground vehicle is categorically impossible to use with it.
For one player running mixed FPS and surface content, the Clipper gives enough useful capability without making the ship itself the main logistical problem.
The Alpha 4.10 snapshot records a 3,619,730 aUEC Stanton purchase price and a 90,493 aUEC Lorville rental.
Star Citizen Clipper Guide — LTI Hangar
C8R Pisces Rescue — Best Budget Bunker Ship
For a player who mainly wants to get to the bunker, have a nearby medical bed, and get back out, the C8R Pisces Rescue remains difficult to beat on cost and simplicity.
Its Alpha 4.10 record gives it:
- 1 × Tier 3 medical bed
- 0 SCU conventional cargo
- 16 m length
- 220 m/s SCM speed
- 555,660 aUEC recorded purchase price
- 13,892 aUEC recorded rental price
It is the smallest ship in this comparison and has the lowest recorded purchase price.
Why the C8R Fits Solo FPS Missions
The C8R is small enough that the ship does not become its own mission.
There is little interior travel, one pilot operates the vessel, and the medical bed gives the player a regeneration option near the objective under the current 50 km T3 rule.
For a bunker runner, that means the bed is most useful as mission continuity, not as a complete hospital.
A minor injury can be fully treated aboard. More serious injuries can be stabilized. If the player dies within range after selecting the bed, regeneration can put them back aboard instead of sending them to their home location, provided the bed is functional and has enough MedGel.
Where the C8R Starts to Feel Too Small
The biggest limitation is logistics.
There is no conventional cargo grid, so the C8R is not a good choice for a player whose main bunker routine involves bringing back substantial physical cargo or treating the ship as a mobile equipment warehouse.
It also does not replace a vehicle carrier.
The C8R is best when the ship exists primarily to move the player and provide nearby medical support.
Drake Cutlass Black — Best Bunker Ship with a Ground Vehicle
The Cutlass Black solves the bunker problem differently.
Instead of giving the player a medical bed, it gives them a much larger rear hold.
Its current Alpha 4.10 record lists:
- 46 SCU cargo
- 217 m/s SCM speed
- 16 missiles
- 4 rifle storage slots
- 2,010,960 aUEC Stanton purchase price
The current vehicle data does not record a medical facility.
Why a Ground Vehicle Changes Bunker Runs
If your preferred routine is to park away from the immediate objective and drive the last part of the route, the Cutlass Black becomes more useful than the C8R or Clipper.
The rear hold can support cargo and practical ground-vehicle workflows, turning the ship into a transport rather than simply a landing craft.
The exact vehicle still matters. Physical fit, ramp clearance, cargo arrangement, and current in-game behavior should be checked for the vehicle you intend to use rather than inferred from the ship's SCU figure alone.
For bunker gameplay, the operating idea is straightforward: the spacecraft stays at the chosen staging point while the ground vehicle handles the final approach.
The Trade-Off Is Medical Recovery
If the bunker run goes badly, the Cutlass Black does not give you an onboard regeneration point.
That makes the choice between the Black and Clipper unusually clear.
Choose the Clipper when medical continuity and compact solo use matter more.
Choose the Cutlass Black when cargo volume and ground-vehicle transport are central to the mission.
Star Citizen Cutlass Black Guide — LTI Hangar
Drake Cutlass Red — Best Medical Bunker Ship for Two Players
The Cutlass Red is more useful when a bunker run involves two players and one of them is expected to handle medical recovery.
Its Alpha 4.10 record lists:
- 3 crew stations
- 4 total beds
- 2 × Tier 3 medical beds
- 12 SCU cargo
- 4 rifle storage slots
- 212 m/s SCM speed
- 2,714,800 aUEC purchase price
- 67,869 aUEC Lorville rental
Only two of the four total beds are medical beds.
Why Two Medical Beds Matter
A duo can divide responsibilities naturally.
The pilot handles transport and keeps the ship available. The second player can focus on retrieving an injured teammate, carrying medical equipment, or helping move recovered items aboard.
Once back at the ship, two T3 treatment positions give the crew more flexibility than the single bed aboard a C8R or Clipper.
The important limitation is still the treatment tier.
Both beds are T3. They can fully treat minor injuries and stabilize more serious injuries, but moderate and severe injuries require higher-tier medical facilities for complete treatment.
Cutlass Red vs Clipper
For one player, the Clipper is usually the more complete bunker platform because it combines its T3 bed with more general-purpose storage in a smaller solo-oriented package.
For two people deliberately running rescue-heavy or FPS support sessions, the Red's second medical bed and ambulance layout become more relevant.
MISC Starlancer TAC — Best Bunker Ship for a Squad
The Starlancer TAC is where bunker missions stop looking like individual FPS contracts and start looking like small combined-arms operations.
Current Alpha 4.10 data gives it:
- 96 SCU
- 6 crew stations
- 6 total beds
- 2 × Tier 3 medical beds
- 9 weapon racks
- 10 rifle slots
- 12 pistol slots
- 90 m length
- 144,000 shield HP
Its dedicated Crew & Medical summary is important because the top-level crew field in the extracted current record is malformed. The clearer current field is six crew stations, not a newly invented “8–6” crew range.
Why the TAC Works for Group Ground Missions
For a group, the TAC can consolidate several jobs that would otherwise require multiple ships.
Players can travel together, store weapons and equipment aboard, carry mission supplies or recovered cargo, use two T3 medical beds, and keep enough space for a longer ground operation.
RSI's earlier Starlancer TAC reference sheet also documents eight infantry jump seats as part of the ship's intended deployment layout.
That sheet is useful for the design and seating arrangement, but not as the current specification authority. It published an older 83 m length and 115 m/s SCM speed. Current Alpha 4.10 data instead supplies 90 m and 150 m/s, so this article uses the current vehicle data for numerical specifications.
Starlancer TAC Reference Sheet — RSI
This gives a squad a real staging platform.
Players are not simply passengers sitting inside a large ship. They have equipment storage, treatment capability, cargo space, and infantry seating available around the operation.
Why the TAC Is Overkill for Routine Solo Bunkers
The same features that make the TAC attractive for a group create friction for one player.
It is 90 meters long, requires more space to position, and contains many systems a solo bunker runner will not use.
Walking through a large multicrew ship to reach the exit does not make a simple FPS mission more efficient merely because the vessel has more capabilities on paper.
The TAC therefore belongs in this comparison for group operations, not because it should replace a C8R or Clipper for one player.
Its Alpha 4.10 record lists 13,381,200 aUEC.
Star Citizen Starlancer TAC Guide — LTI Hangar
Anvil Asgard — Best Heavy Vehicle Support Ship for Bunker Missions
The Anvil Asgard should not be bought because you want to park ten meters from a bunker door.
Its value comes from the opposite approach: carry a serious ground vehicle, land at a suitable staging point, unload, and let the vehicle handle the ground portion of the operation.
RSI's Asgard Q&A and introduction define the ship around delivering ground vehicles into contested areas. That first-party material supports the vehicle-dropship role, while the current dimensions, cargo, HP, shields, missiles, storage, and price below continue to come from the Alpha 4.10 vehicle record.
Q&A: Anvil Asgard — RSI
The current Alpha 4.10 record lists:
- 180 SCU
- 2 crew
- 48 m length
- 77,000 ship HP
- 21,120 shield HP
- 16 missiles
- 5 rifle slots
- 6 pistol slots
- 17,860,500 aUEC purchase price
When the Asgard Makes Sense
The Asgard becomes relevant when the ground vehicle is part of the mission plan rather than an optional convenience.
A vehicle-first group can stage equipment aboard, unload through the transport bay, move toward the objective by ground, and keep the ship farther from the immediate FPS site.
That is a fundamentally different workflow from the C8R or Clipper.
It is also why the Asgard should not be judged only by its 180 SCU cargo figure. The bay is part of a ground-vehicle transport design, not simply a conventional cargo-hauling proposition.
When It Does Not Make Sense
For a solo player repeatedly clearing ordinary bunkers, the Asgard is excessive.
It has no medical bed in the current record, its hull is considerably larger than the compact alternatives, and the recorded in-game purchase price is 17,860,500 aUEC.
You are paying for vehicle deployment, durability, combat capability, and transport space.
If those features do not solve a real problem in your bunker routine, a smaller ship creates less operational friction.
Star Citizen Asgard Guide — LTI Hangar
Bunker Ship Prices in Alpha 4.10
The following are recorded Alpha 4.10.0 in-game purchase prices in Stanton, not real-money pledge prices and not guarantees of current Alpha 4.10.1 inventory.
| Ship | Recorded Stanton Purchase Price |
|---|---|
| C8R Pisces Rescue | 555,660 aUEC |
| Cutlass Black | 2,010,960 aUEC |
| Cutlass Red | 2,714,800 aUEC |
| Drake Clipper | 3,619,730 aUEC |
| Starlancer TAC | 13,381,200 aUEC |
| Anvil Asgard | 17,860,500 aUEC |
These snapshot prices are useful for comparing acquisition cost. The current in-game terminal remains the final authority if availability or price changes after the data snapshot.
Should You Bring a Ground Vehicle to Bunker Missions?
Not every bunker run needs one.
If you can place a small ship where you want it and the route to the objective is straightforward, unloading a vehicle adds another step.
A ground vehicle becomes more useful when the landing point you prefer is separated from the ground objective, when terrain makes parking close to the site awkward, or when your group deliberately wants the spacecraft staged away from the immediate action.
| Strategy | Ship Type | Best Example |
|---|---|---|
| Land close and keep medical support nearby | Compact medical/generalist | C8R or Clipper |
| Carry a ground vehicle and more loot | Medium multirole | Cutlass Black |
| Treat the ship as a squad staging base | Large support ship | Starlancer TAC |
| Build the mission around vehicle deployment | Vehicle dropship | Asgard |
A vehicle is therefore not automatically an upgrade over a compact medical ship. It is a different solution to the last part of the journey.
Medical Ship or Vehicle Carrier: Which Matters More?
For many solo players, this is the real buying decision.
Choose a Medical Ship When
You usually run bunkers alone, losing time to death and re-travel is a major frustration, and you do not need a ground vehicle as part of the mission plan.
The C8R is the inexpensive option. The Clipper adds cargo and a broader daily-driver role.
Choose a Vehicle Carrier When
Your bunker routine already includes a ground approach, you want more cargo or recovered loot capacity, and an onboard medical regeneration point matters less than transporting equipment or a vehicle.
The Cutlass Black fits the smaller end of this approach, while the Asgard is a specialized heavy-vehicle solution.
Use a Large Support Ship When
Several players regularly run ground missions together and want medical beds, equipment storage, cargo, and infantry deployment capability in the same platform.
That is where the Starlancer TAC becomes more convincing.
What Should You Keep Aboard a Bunker Ship?
The ship choice matters, but a poorly prepared ship still creates unnecessary resets.
Useful supplies include spare FPS weapons and ammunition, medical equipment, MedGel for ships with medical beds, utility tools, spare personal equipment where storage permits, and enough free cargo space for whatever you intend to extract from the mission.
For a medical ship, MedGel deserves special attention.
RSI states that medical-bed actions outside clinics and hospitals consume MedGel, and regeneration fails when the selected bed does not have enough.
The presence of a medical bed therefore does not mean you can ignore its supplies indefinitely.
Ships That Are Good for Bunkers but Did Not Make the Main List
Several ships can perform bunker missions perfectly well without needing their own main category here.
C1 Spirit
The C1's 64 SCU cargo grid and cargo-oriented layout make it useful for equipment and loot, but it does not offer the Clipper's medical bed.
It is a reasonable bunker ship if you already own one. It is less compelling as a bunker-specific purchase.
Carrack
The Carrack carries a Tier 2 medical bed and extensive cargo, vehicle, and expedition facilities.
For a large expedition it can be an excellent ground-operations base. For ordinary bunker contracts, its size and multicrew overhead are unnecessary.
Valkyrie
The Valkyrie is a purpose-built dropship and remains relevant for organizations transporting infantry and vehicles.
It makes more sense when deploying the team is itself the mission. A small group clearing routine PvE bunkers does not need to carry the operating burden of a dedicated military dropship simply to reach an FPS objective.
Cutlass Steel
The Steel is similarly focused on transporting infantry.
That becomes valuable during organized ground assaults, but its troop capacity offers little advantage to a solo or two-player bunker runner.
FAQ
What is the best ship for bunker missions in Star Citizen?
The Drake Clipper is our overall editorial pick because it combines one Tier 3 medical bed, 12 SCU of cargo, weapon storage, a compact solo-oriented hull, and useful pilot-controlled capability.
The best choice changes when ground-vehicle transport or squad support becomes the main requirement.
Can you respawn in a C8R or Clipper?
Yes. Their Tier 3 medical beds can serve as regeneration points within 50 km when the bed has been selected, remains functional, and has enough MedGel.
Regeneration does not recover equipment left at the place of death.
Is the Cutlass Black good for bunker missions?
Yes, especially when cargo capacity and ground-vehicle transport matter more than having a medical bed aboard.
Its Alpha 4.10 record lists 46 SCU, 217 m/s SCM, 16 missiles, and no recorded medical facility.
Is the Starlancer TAC too large for bunker missions?
For routine solo bunker contracts, its size and crew overhead are difficult to justify.
For a squad, two T3 medical beds, 96 SCU, equipment storage, eight jump seats from the RSI layout reference, and broader staging capability make it a more relevant platform.
Do you need a ground vehicle for bunker missions?
No.
A ground vehicle is useful when your chosen staging point is separated from the objective or when your strategy deliberately keeps the spacecraft farther away. Compact medical ships remain simpler when you do not need that extra ground leg.
Final Verdict
There is no single bunker ship that solves every version of the mission.
For a solo player who wants one complete ground-mission platform, the Drake Clipper offers a strong balance of medical recovery, equipment storage, cargo capacity, compact size, and direct pilot control.
For the lowest-cost medical option, the C8R Pisces Rescue is difficult to beat.
The Cutlass Black becomes more useful when a ground vehicle and larger cargo bay matter more than an onboard medical bed, while the Cutlass Red is the stronger choice for a two-person team built around casualty recovery.
For larger groups, the Starlancer TAC turns the spacecraft into a staging base rather than simple transport.
The Asgard goes one step further and makes ground-vehicle deployment the center of the operation.
Choose the ship around what happens after you land. For bunker missions, that decision matters more than choosing the spacecraft with the longest weapon list.
