Star Citizen Polaris vs Idris: Which Capital Ship Should You Choose?

The comparison changes depending on which Idris you mean. The civilian-oriented Idris-P and military Idris-M have different weapons and cargo configurations. The Idris-M's spinal cannon must not be attributed to a standard Idris-P.

For a smaller organization, the Polaris's concentrated strike capability may be more relevant than operating a much larger frigate. An organization that needs a larger carrier and multiple simultaneous combat roles has a different reason to consider the Idris.

Version and source note: Numerical ship specifications use community-maintained vehicle records locked to Alpha 4.10.0-LIVE.12519617. These are extracted game-data values, not independent Alpha 4.10.1 flight tests. The Polaris's 28-torpedo count is separately supported by RSI reference material. Historical Idris design statements are identified where they do not establish current gameplay behavior.

Polaris vs Idris: Key Specifications

The following table compares the standard Polaris with the Idris-P and Idris-M separately. Their different weapons and cargo configurations should not be combined into a single Idris specification.

Specification	RSI Polaris	Aegis Idris-P	Aegis Idris-M
Manufacturer	Roberts Space Industries	Aegis Dynamics	Aegis Dynamics
Ship classification	Corvette	Frigate	Frigate
Ship size	Size 6	Size 6	Size 6
Dimensions (L × W × H)	181 × 87 × 40 m	243 × 127 × 57.5 m	243 × 127 × 57.5 m
Crew data	12	28-22*	28-22*
Total crew stations	12	22	22
Cargo capacity	576 SCU	1,374 SCU	1,326 SCU
Shield HP	648,000	2,112,000	2,112,000
SCM speed	145 m/s	110 m/s	110 m/s
NAV speed	940 m/s	850 m/s	850 m/s
Principal heavy weapon	28 loaded S10 torpedoes	No standard Idris-M spinal cannon	S10 spinal mass driver
Fighter hangar	Single-fighter support	Frigate-scale hangar	Frigate-scale hangar
Medical beds	4 × Tier 2	1 × Tier 2 + 4 × Tier 3	1 × Tier 2 + 4 × Tier 3

The Idris vehicle records display the crew field as 28-22, an inconsistent range format. It is reproduced here as a raw database value rather than interpreted as a valid minimum-to-maximum crew range.

Sources: Polaris Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record , Idris-P Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record , and Idris-M Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record . The medical-bed figures come from each ship's detailed Crew & Medical section rather than the abbreviated medical label at the top of the database page.

The Idris has substantially greater recorded cargo and shield capacity. Its hull is also 62 meters longer and 40 meters wider than the Polaris.

That scale creates more room for a fleet operation, but it also means a larger ship to maneuver, protect, supply, and move personnel through.

The Polaris has higher recorded SCM and NAV speeds. These figures do not establish that it can escape every Idris engagement; acceleration, handling, damage, and the tactical situation still matter.

Combat: Torpedo Strikes vs Frigate Firepower

Polaris: Heavy torpedoes and coordinated attacks

The Polaris's defining weapons are its 28 loaded Size 10 torpedoes across four launchers.

RSI's official Polaris reference material  supports that ship-level count. The version-locked community rack data contains an aggregate counting inconsistency, but its detailed arrangement identifies seven S10 torpedo slots per launcher.

The aggregate field should not be interpreted as proof that the Polaris carries 32 loaded S10 torpedoes.

CIG's original Polaris Q&A  describes the corvette as a vessel intended for light strikes, patrols, and attacks against larger ships. Its torpedoes provide the means to threaten targets that would be difficult to engage using smaller conventional weapons alone.

A Polaris attacking an Idris should therefore be considered part of a coordinated operation, not a ship guaranteed to win because its torpedoes have a large size designation.

An Idris presents a large target, but it also has extensive defenses. A Polaris crew needs to consider the target's position, available defensive weapons, accompanying fighters, and opportunities to launch before the corvette is exposed to sustained retaliation.

The torpedo magazine provides multiple attack opportunities, but a missed or intercepted torpedo still consumes ammunition.

Its torpedo and turret layout  supports both heavy strikes and conventional fire, provided the crew can staff the relevant stations.

Idris-M: Direct capital firepower

The Idris-M is the military variant.

Its Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record identifies an S10 spinal mass driver alongside an extensive turret network that includes Size 5 and Size 7 weapons.

This gives the military Idris a fundamentally different principal weapon from the Polaris.

The Polaris delivers its main heavy damage through expendable torpedoes. The Idris-M's spinal cannon is a direct-fire weapon whose effectiveness depends on bringing the ship and weapon into an appropriate firing position.

The distinction affects how a crew approaches a large target.

A Polaris can prepare a torpedo attack while coordinating with allied ships to create a firing opportunity. An Idris-M crew must also manage the frigate's orientation to bring its main gun to bear.

An S10 cannon and an S10 torpedo should not be assumed to have equivalent damage, range, interception characteristics, or ammunition requirements simply because both use the same size designation.

Idris-P: Do not assume it has the military cannon

The standard Idris-P has a different configuration.

CIG's original Idris announcement  described the peacekeeper variant as removing the military ship's main ship-to-ship gun and spinal mount in favor of additional cargo capacity and other changes.

The Alpha 4.10.0 data is consistent with that fundamental distinction: the Idris-P and Idris-M have different principal weapons, while the P has a larger recorded cargo capacity.

A standard Idris-P should therefore not be evaluated as though it automatically includes the Idris-M's spinal mass driver.

Military conversion kits, special editions, and modified configurations require their own verification. They cannot be silently combined with the standard Idris-P specification.

For a buyer, this distinction is more consequential than a small difference in speed or cargo capacity. It changes the ship's primary offensive options.

Fighter Hangars and Carrier Operations

The Polaris and Idris can both support smaller craft, but their hangars are intended for operations of different scales.

Polaris: One carried fighter

The Polaris has a dedicated hangar for a single fighter-sized craft.

RSI's published material describes a hangar capable of accommodating, repairing, and rearming a medium-size fighter, with the RSI Scorpius used as an example. Earlier official design material also refers to a single fighter, light bomber, or support ship.

These descriptions do not establish an official compatibility list for every similarly sized spacecraft.

A Polaris crew can use its carried fighter for reconnaissance, interception, or support during a torpedo attack.

Consider an organization preparing to engage an Idris. The fighter can investigate the target's escorts while the corvette remains at a distance. Once the crew identifies an appropriate attack opportunity, the Polaris can move into position and launch its torpedoes.

The fighter gives the corvette an additional tactical option, but deploying it requires a pilot who is no longer available for another onboard station.

The Polaris hangar's practical compatibility limits  also matter here: a fighter that physically fits is not necessarily convenient to launch, recover, and service repeatedly.

Idris: A larger fighter-support platform

The Idris has a substantially larger hangar.

CIG's historical Idris design material describes the ability to carry two single-seat fighters. That establishes an intended carrier role, but it should not be interpreted as a complete, independently verified Alpha 4.10.1 compatibility list.

The frigate's larger internal space supports a different operational arrangement.

A fleet can assign personnel to manage the mothership while other players operate carried fighters. The Idris can remain at the center of the operation as those craft investigate threats or engage smaller opponents.

This is a more demanding arrangement than carrying one fighter aboard a Polaris.

The organization needs enough pilots, support personnel, and available craft to make meaningful use of the larger hangar. A mostly empty hangar provides little operational benefit simply because it belongs to a larger ship.

Alpha 4.10.1 carrier-persistence limitation

Carrier operations also have a documented Alpha 4.10.1 persistence limitation.

RSI reports that fighters docked aboard the Polaris or Idris may despawn after a bed logout from the mothership. No workaround is listed in the published known-issues entry.

This does not mean every bed logout causes a fighter to disappear, but crews should not assume that a stored fighter will reliably persist between sessions.

Repair, refueling and rearming

Ship Hangar Services T0 was introduced in Alpha 4.8.

The system enables supported motherships to service compatible carried vehicles using supplies stored on the host's cargo grid. The Polaris is explicitly included in CIG's original implementation documentation .

The documented system consumes appropriate fuel commodities, RMC, and compatible ammunition or missiles.

Those supplies must be available on the cargo grid rather than merely placed loose somewhere inside the ship.

The Idris's much larger cargo capacity suggests greater potential for carrying fleet supplies. However, cargo capacity alone does not prove that every fighter-servicing function, carried craft, or service location works identically to the Polaris.

Its current hangar-servicing behavior must be established separately rather than inferred from the frigate's size.

Crew Requirements: Corvette vs Frigate

Crew availability is one of the most important ownership differences.

The Polaris's Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record lists 12 crew members and 12 total crew stations.

The Idris records expose an inconsistent crew field displaying 28-22. That value should not be presented as a valid crew range.

The detailed vehicle records separately identify 22 crew stations for both Idris variants. These include pilot, co-pilot, turret, engineering, and bridge positions.

The Idris has a considerably larger set of combat and carrier responsibilities, including its extensive turret network, engineering, ship handling, and fighter operations.

Operating with a small group

Consider six players preparing for a capital-ship engagement.

A Polaris crew might assign a pilot, captain or weapons coordinator, torpedo operator, two turret gunners, and an engineer.

That arrangement covers several important responsibilities, although other stations remain unattended.

Deploying the fighter requires moving one of those players away from the corvette unless the group adds another pilot.

A six-player Idris crew faces more competing responsibilities.

The frigate has additional turret positions and a larger internal environment. If the group also wants to launch fighters, it must decide which onboard stations can remain empty.

The Idris can be moved with fewer people than a fully staffed complement, but being able to pilot it does not mean the crew can use its entire combat and carrier capability efficiently.

Can you solo the Polaris or Idris?

Both ships can be flown by a single pilot, but their defining combat capabilities depend on additional players.

A solo Polaris pilot cannot simultaneously operate the separate torpedo station, manned turrets, engineering systems, and carried fighter.

The Idris introduces an even larger division of responsibilities. A lone player cannot independently crew its turret network, manage fighter operations, and handle all shipboard duties while piloting.

Future NPC crew or automation should not be used to justify a current purchasing decision unless those capabilities are actually available and their limitations are understood.

With a small crew, Polaris station assignments  become a trade-off between operating weapons, maintaining the ship, and deploying its fighter.

Cargo, Medical Facilities and Extended Deployments

The Polaris carries 576 SCU across two 288-SCU cargo grids.

The Idris-P carries 1,374 SCU in the Alpha 4.10.0 record, while the military Idris-M carries 1,326 SCU.

These are distinct variant-specific values.

The Idris's larger cargo capacity offers more room for transporting supplies and mission freight, but a fleet needs to consider how those resources will actually be loaded, stored, and used.

A Polaris can reserve space for fighter servicing resources, medical supplies, ammunition, and equipment while retaining room for other cargo.

An Idris crew may need to organize supplies for several fighters and a larger shipboard complement.

Its greater capacity can support that requirement, but it does not eliminate loading work or automatically provide more convenient access to every part of the hold.

Medical support

The Polaris has four Tier 2 medical beds in the verified Alpha 4.10.0 configuration.

Both the Idris-P and Idris-M have one Tier 2 medical bed and four Tier 3 beds in their version-locked vehicle records. Their summary labels display Medical T3, but the detailed medical sections explicitly identify a Tier 2 bed in each variant.

This gives the Polaris more Tier 2 treatment capacity, while the Idris variants have additional Tier 3 beds. The Idris should not be described as lacking Tier 2 medical capability.

Under RSI's published medical rules , Tier 2 beds can treat minor and moderate injuries, stabilize severe injuries, and support regeneration within the applicable range when properly supplied and configured.

A Polaris crew conducting boarding or security operations can use its medbay as a recovery point, provided the beds remain functional and have sufficient MedGel. An Idris crew also has access to a Tier 2 bed, but must account for its lower Tier 2 patient capacity.

For extended boarding operations, the Polaris medical facilities  offer four Tier 2 treatment positions, compared with one aboard either Idris variant.

Shields, Mobility and Current Combat Limitations

The Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle records list 648,000 shield HP for the Polaris and 2,112,000 for each Idris variant.

The Idris therefore has substantially greater recorded shield capacity, but the figures do not establish how long either vessel will survive a particular engagement.

Weapon types, component damage, engineering response, positioning, and the number of available defenders all affect combat outcomes.

Idris-P shield bug in Alpha 4.10.1

RSI documents a known issue affecting the Idris-P in Alpha 4.10.1: its shields fail to block laser weapons other than Panther Repeaters.

The published entry identifies this as unintended behavior, states that no workaround is available, and indicates that a fix is planned for a future patch.

This is an implementation bug, not a change to the Idris-P's recorded shield capacity or intended defensive design.

The same issue should not be attributed to the Idris-M without separate evidence.

A fleet planning to use an Idris-P in an environment where laser weapons are common should account for the documented fault rather than relying exclusively on its theoretical shield HP.

Mobility and operational positioning

The Polaris has a recorded SCM speed of 145 m/s and NAV speed of 940 m/s.

Both Idris variants list 110 m/s SCM and 850 m/s NAV in the Alpha 4.10.0 snapshot.

The Polaris's smaller hull and higher recorded speeds provide a different approach to positioning and withdrawal. The Idris brings greater scale and a larger defensive network, but its crew must also manage the movement of a 243-meter frigate.

These values do not establish that the Polaris can always disengage successfully or that an Idris cannot reposition effectively. Actual handling and battlefield conditions remain important.

Ownership Costs, Availability and Fleet Planning

The decision between a Polaris and an Idris should not be based solely on their recorded pledge reference values.

The Idris-P and Idris-M have different acquisition histories and configurations. A historical Idris-M price should not be presented as a currently available standalone offer, nor should the Idris-P's price be used to imply that its military counterpart is available on the same terms.

Current standalone availability, insurance, and upgrade eligibility depend on the specific offer.

CIG's official Loaner Ship Matrix  also lists additional loaner arrangements for certain ship owners. Those loaners should not be confused with permanent included equipment or used as evidence that every Idris variant has identical ownership arrangements.

Operating costs

The Polaris has a smaller hull and a more concentrated set of combat systems.

Its heavy torpedoes, fighter hangar, medical facilities, and cargo hold still require supplies and crew coordination.

The Idris adds a substantially larger hull, more turret positions, and a larger carrier operation.

Those differences imply a greater organizational workload, but they do not establish a reliable fixed cost-per-hour comparison.

Actual expenses depend on damage, fuel use, ammunition consumption, repair requirements, and the activities undertaken.

A larger ship does not automatically provide a more reliable persistent home. The practical value of any capital-ship deployment depends on the current state of ship storage, carried-craft persistence, and recovery mechanics.

Polaris vs Idris: Which Ship Fits Your Organization?

Choose the Polaris for a smaller capital-combat group

The Polaris is suited to an organization that wants heavy torpedoes, a carried fighter, and supporting facilities without operating a frigate-sized vessel.

Its 28 loaded S10 torpedoes provide a specialized anti-large-ship capability.

The cargo hold, medical facility, and hangar support longer operations, while its smaller hull reduces some of the physical scale involved in moving and organizing a capital ship.

The limitation is that it cannot reproduce the Idris's larger carrier environment or extensive frigate turret network.

A group that primarily wants to engage large targets and support a single fighter has a direct use for the Polaris's existing equipment.

Choose the Idris-P for a larger carrier-oriented operation

The Idris-P offers frigate-scale facilities and substantially greater cargo capacity.

Its larger hangar and internal environment support an organization intending to operate a larger shipboard team and multiple combat roles.

The standard Idris-P does not include the Idris-M's military spinal mass driver. Buyers interested in that weapon need to verify the exact variant or conversion configuration rather than assuming it comes with every Idris.

An organization that cannot regularly staff the frigate may find much of its additional capacity unused.

The documented Alpha 4.10.1 shield bug is also relevant to any immediate combat plans involving the Idris-P.

Choose the Idris-M for its military configuration

The Idris-M is a different acquisition and combat proposition from the civilian-oriented P.

Its S10 spinal mass driver and military weapon configuration provide a different offensive approach from the Polaris's torpedo battery.

The decision involves more than choosing the ship with the larger hull. It also requires confirming actual access to the desired variant, its current equipment, and the personnel needed to operate it.

The Alpha 4.10.0 Idris-M vehicle record establishes its configuration in the game data; it does not, by itself, establish that every player can acquire that military variant through a current standalone offer.

Final Verdict

The Polaris is a torpedo-focused corvette with single-fighter support. The Idris is a larger frigate with greater carrier and fleet infrastructure.

The Polaris fits groups whose regular operations revolve around heavy strikes and a more concentrated set of supporting systems.

The Idris becomes relevant when an organization needs its additional internal capacity, turret network, and larger carrier role—and has enough people to operate them.

For combat comparisons, always identify the Idris variant. The standard Idris-P and military Idris-M do not have identical principal weapons.

Players considering the corvette can view the RSI Polaris listing  on LTI Hangar. This is a third-party marketplace listing, not an official RSI pledge-store offer. Confirm the current price, insurance, and actual availability before purchasing.