Star Citizen Ares Inferno Guide: Weapons, Ammo, Solo & Price

The Crusader Ares Inferno is a single-seat heavy fighter built around one unusually large weapon: the bespoke Size 7 SF7B ballistic Gatling. Instead of spreading its damage across several conventional fighter guns, the Inferno concentrates its combat role into sustained ballistic fire against gunships and other targets large enough to keep under the nose.

That makes it a genuine solo heavy-combat platform, but not a general-purpose fighter. It has no cargo grid, no walkable interior, and a finite main-gun ammunition supply. Against the right target, that specialization is exactly the appeal. Against small, agile fighters or missions that demand long endurance between resupplies, the same specialization becomes its main limitation.

Alpha 4.10.1 is the current Live release as of this update; RSI deployed build 4.10.1-live.12660092 on September 16, 2026. The latest version-locked Inferno-specific vehicle dataset used for the exact ship figures below remains 4.10.0-LIVE.12519617, so those values are not being relabeled as a 4.10.1 extraction.

Ares Inferno Specifications

Specification	Current Reference
Manufacturer	Crusader Industries
Role	Heavy Fighter
Crew	1 pilot
Cargo	0 SCU
Dimensions	30 × 27 × 6 m
SCM Speed	205 m/s
NAV / Max Speed	1,050 m/s
Main Weapon	1 × fixed Size 7 SF7B ballistic Gatling
Main-Gun Ammunition	3,000 rounds
Missiles	20 × Size 3
Shields	2 × Size 2, 21,120 combined HP
Pledge / MSRP Reference	$250
In-Game Purchase Price	4,725,000 aUEC

The crew, cargo, dimensions, flight speeds, shields, weapon and missile figures above come from the version-locked 4.10.0 vehicle data. That data specifies 20 missiles, a 3,000-round SF7B, and two FullStop Size 2 shields providing 21,120 combined shield HP.

For in-game acquisition, the version-locked 4.10.0 vehicle record and the current UEX terminal listing support a price of 4,725,000 aUEC at New Deal – Crusader Showroom in Orison.

The Size 7 SF7B Defines the Entire Ship

The Inferno makes sense only if you want the SF7B.

Current vehicle data shows a single Size 7 SF7B ballistic Gatling with 3,000 rounds. It is not one weapon among several interchangeable hardpoints; it is the centerpiece around which the airframe was designed. CIG's original Ares Q&A also described both Ares Size 7 weapons as bespoke components that cannot be swapped between the Ion and Inferno or replaced by another standard Size 7 weapon.

That lack of flexibility has an upside. One pilot gets access to sustained heavy ballistic fire without needing a gunner, turret crew, or larger multi-crew gunship. The firing pattern also suits large silhouettes. Once an Inferno establishes a stable firing line on a gunship or larger spacecraft, the pilot can keep correcting the stream of rounds instead of depending on a single high-damage shot landing perfectly.

The weakness appears when the target is small enough to keep moving outside that firing line. A Size 7 gun does not make the Inferno a better light-fighter dogfighter. Its damage only matters when the pilot can keep the fixed weapon pointed at something worth shooting.

CIG's original design discussion made the same broad distinction: the Ares was intended to handle more like a heavier platform than a Sabre or Hornet because of the compromises required to carry the Size 7 weapon. That source is historical design context rather than a current flight-stat reference, but the current ship remains a specialized heavy fighter rather than a conventional agility fighter.

The 3,000-Round Ammo Pool Is an Ownership Constraint

The Inferno's ballistic ammunition changes how the ship should be used.

The current 4.10.0 vehicle snapshot gives the SF7B 3,000 rounds. Unlike an energy weapon that can recover firing capacity through the ship's power system, spent ballistic ammunition eventually means returning for service and rearm.

That makes trigger discipline more important than the headline gun size suggests. A large target that stays in the firing window can justify a sustained burst. Chasing a light fighter while scattering rounds across empty space burns the same finite resource for much less useful work.

This also affects mission chaining. The Inferno is easy to crew because it needs only one player, but its useful combat endurance is not unlimited. A pilot planning repeated heavy-combat missions has to include ammunition state in the decision to accept another engagement.

The practical ownership loop is therefore closer to a specialist strike fighter than an unlimited-use daily combat ship: deploy against suitable targets, preserve ammunition when the firing solution is poor, complete the heavy engagement, then rearm before the remaining magazine becomes the limiting factor.

Missiles Give the Inferno More Than One Attack Option

The SF7B receives most of the attention, but the Inferno also carries a substantial missile load.

The current configuration totals 20 Size 3 missiles across three racks: two four-missile racks and a twelve-missile bespoke Ares launcher. The version-locked data shows eight Viper III missiles plus twelve Arrester III missiles in the stock configuration.

That gives the pilot another way to apply pressure without immediately spending Gatling ammunition. Missiles can complicate an opponent's approach, provoke defensive countermeasures, or supplement a gun run.

They do not turn the Inferno into a dedicated bomber. The ship still lives or dies by whether its fixed main weapon can be brought onto the target consistently. If the primary requirement is delivering a small number of very large torpedoes and disengaging, a bomber is solving a different problem.

Defensively, the same data snapshot lists two Size 2 FullStop shields with 21,120 combined shield HP. The protection is useful for repeated attack runs, but it should not be interpreted as permission to sit inside unrestricted return fire from a large armed ship.

Can You Solo the Ares Inferno?

Yes. The Inferno is genuinely a solo ship.

Current vehicle data lists one crew position and one ejection seat. The pilot controls the ship's main gun, missiles, flight and defensive systems without losing major offensive capability because another player is absent.

That distinguishes it from many ships that are technically flyable solo but surrender turret firepower or other stations when operated by one player. There is no similar multicrew tax here.

Solo-friendly does not mean daily-driver friendly, however.

The Inferno has 0 SCU of cargo capacity, and CIG's Ares Q&A describes the platform as a single-seat fighter with no interior. There is no living space, cargo room or bed that converts it into a long-duration general-purpose spacecraft.

A solo combat pilot who already has other ships for travel, hauling and general utility can treat that as an acceptable specialization. Someone looking for one expensive ship to cover combat plus everyday logistics may find the restriction much harder to justify.

Ares Inferno for PvE

PvE is one of the cleaner use cases for the Inferno because target selection is easier to control.

When contracts or combat activities produce larger, more durable ships, the Inferno can spend more time doing what its weapon is built around: keeping repeated Size 7 ballistic impacts on a substantial target. The larger the silhouette and the more predictable the target's movement, the easier it becomes to turn the SF7B's sustained output into useful damage.

The less attractive scenario is a mission dominated by small fighters. The Inferno can shoot them, but every missed burst consumes ammunition and every hard turn makes the fixed-gun problem more noticeable. A more conventional fighter can be easier to live with when most targets are small and maneuverable.

This makes the Inferno more sensitive to what you plan to fight than many generalist combat ships. Buying it because “Size 7 is big” misses the point. It earns its place when your regular PvE activity gives that Size 7 gun targets worth feeding ammunition into.

Ares Inferno for PvP

In PvP, the same specialization becomes more dependent on the engagement.

Against a large ship, an occupied gunship, or a target already pressured by allies, an Inferno has a clear job: find an attack line and keep heavy ballistic fire on the valuable target. A group can also help prevent light fighters from freely sitting on the Inferno while it concentrates on the heavier threat.

In a small-scale fight dominated by agile fighters, the situation reverses. The Inferno has a fixed oversized weapon, a comparatively heavy fighter chassis, and no second crew member to cover another firing arc. A skilled pilot can still punish an opponent who crosses the nose, but the ship is not designed to solve every fighter matchup through raw gun size.

That makes the Inferno much easier to evaluate as a fleet specialist than as a universal PvP choice. Actual combat outcomes still depend on the target, positioning, pilot skill, balance, and engagement conditions.

The original CIG Q&A was explicit that an Ares was not intended to destroy a capital ship by itself; CIG described it instead as a useful ship to bring with a fleet attacking one. That statement is historical design guidance, not a promise about current time-to-kill values, but it remains a useful boundary for interpreting the “anti-capital” label.

Price and Availability

The Inferno's pledge/MSRP reference is $250. RSI's official IAE 2951 Crusader page listed the Flight Ready Ares Inferno with a $250 Ship Value, while the version-locked Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record also exposes an MSRP of $250. This is a price reference, not proof that RSI offers the ship for unrestricted standalone purchase at all times; pledge availability can rotate with sales and events.

In-game, the version-locked Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record and the current UEX terminal listing both support a purchase price of 4,725,000 aUEC at New Deal – Crusader Showroom, Orison.

That in-game price matters when evaluating a real-money purchase. The Inferno is flight ready and purchasable with earned currency, so players who are uncertain about its narrow combat role have a practical way to experience the ship before deciding whether permanent account ownership has enough value.

Who Should Buy the Ares Inferno?

The Inferno makes the most sense for a player who already knows why they want it. You want a single-seat combat ship, regularly fight larger targets, prefer ballistic weapon gameplay, and are comfortable trading cargo, interior space and broad weapon flexibility for one highly specialized gun platform.

It is also easier to justify as part of a wider fleet. If another ship handles general travel, cargo and day-to-day utility, the Inferno does not need to pretend to be anything except a combat specialist.

Who Should Skip It?

Skip the Inferno as a primary ship if you need one spacecraft to perform several jobs. Zero cargo capacity and no usable living interior leave almost no non-combat flexibility.

It is also a poor fit if most of your preferred combat revolves around small, agile fighters. You would be paying for an oversized fixed weapon while repeatedly choosing targets that make it harder to exploit.

Finally, finite ballistic ammunition is a real operating constraint. Players who strongly dislike rearming or monitoring ammunition during extended combat sessions may prefer an energy-based alternative.

Ares Inferno Alternatives

The Ares Ion is the closest alternative. It retains the single-seat Ares concept but replaces the Inferno's ballistic Gatling with a bespoke Size 7 energy cannon. It deserves its own comparison rather than being reduced to “Inferno without ammo,” because the two weapons produce different firing rhythms and target-engagement preferences.

The Vanguard Warden is the more relevant alternative for someone who wants a broader heavy-fighter platform. Its appeal is not reproducing the Inferno's extreme gun specialization; it is giving up that specialization for a ship better suited to varied operations and a wider range of combat situations.

The Aegis Eclipse solves the large-target problem differently again. It is a torpedo-strike platform rather than a sustained direct-fire heavy fighter. Players interested in approaching, delivering a high-value strike and disengaging are looking for a different combat loop from the repeated gun runs that define the Inferno.

Is the Ares Inferno Worth It?

The Ares Inferno is worth owning when its specialization matches the fights you actually choose.

Its strongest argument is simple: one pilot controls a fixed Size 7 ballistic Gatling with 3,000 rounds, backed by 20 Size 3 missiles. You do not need to organize a crew before accessing its principal weapon, and larger targets give the SF7B the stable firing opportunities that justify carrying such an extreme gun on a fighter-sized platform.

The limitation is equally clear. The Inferno provides almost no fallback career utility. It has no cargo grid or walkable interior, its primary weapon cannot be exchanged for a more general-purpose setup, and every extended combat sortie consumes a finite main-gun magazine.

For a player building a fleet around heavy combat, those are reasonable trade-offs. For someone buying a first major ship or wanting one fighter for every combat matchup, the Inferno is much harder to recommend over a more flexible platform.

Its value comes from having one job worth specializing in, not from doing more jobs than other ships.

Check current Ares Inferno availability at LTI Hangar

Ares Inferno FAQ

How many rounds does the Ares Inferno have?

The current version-locked Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle data lists 3,000 rounds for the Size 7 SF7B ballistic Gatling. Because the weapon is ballistic, that ammunition is finite and has to be replenished after use.

How many missiles does the Ares Inferno carry?

The current reference configuration carries 20 Size 3 missiles: eight Viper III missiles on two four-missile racks and twelve Arrester III missiles in the Ares' bespoke launcher.

Does the Ares Inferno have an interior or cargo space?

It has 0 SCU of cargo capacity and is not a cargo ship. CIG's Ares Q&A also describes the Ares as a single-seat fighter without a normal interior, so it should not be treated as a ship with living quarters or a bed.

How much does the Ares Inferno cost in game?

The version-locked Alpha 4.10.0 vehicle record and the current UEX terminal listing both support a price of 4,725,000 aUEC at New Deal – Crusader Showroom in Orison.