Anvil Paladin Guide: Weapons, Crew, Solo Play and Price in Alpha 4.10

The Anvil Paladin is a flight-ready heavy gunship built around crewed firepower rather than pilot-controlled guns or general-purpose utility. Its defining weapon is a remote battery of four Size 5 guns, backed by two dual Size 4 wing turrets and missiles. Current Alpha 4.10 vehicle data lists a four-person crew, 4 SCU of cargo, 72,000 shield HP, and a 53.5-meter hull.

The Paladin is particularly interesting for two- to four-player combat crews. With only one player, the pilot can still control the wing turrets in a restricted forward arc, but the quad Size 5 battery remains a separate weapon station. Add a second player to that main turret and the ship gains access to the weapon system that defines it. CIG specifically designed this crew-scaling behavior into the Paladin.

Its main weakness is equally clear: this is not a flexible daily driver. Cargo capacity is minimal, maneuverability is limited by its size, and much of its combat value depends on having someone other than the pilot operating the main battery.

Paladin Specifications in Alpha 4.10

Current Live-derived data differs in several places from the Paladin's original concept specifications, so the table below uses the 4.10.0-LIVE.12519617 implementation rather than older reveal numbers.

SpecificationCurrent Alpha 4.10
Manufacturer	Anvil Aerospace
Role	Gunship
Status	Flight-ready
Vehicle size	Size 4 / Large
Crew	4
Practical crew (editorial)	2–4 players
Length	53.5 m
Width	38 m
Height	15.5 m
Cargo	4 SCU
SCM speed	175 m/s
NAV speed	950 m/s
Main turret	4 × Size 5
Wing turrets	4 × Size 4 total
Stock missiles	10
Shield	1 × Size 3, 72,000 HP
Quantum fuel	7 SCU
RSI MSRP	$350
In-game price	15,876,000 aUEC at Astro Armada, Area18

The 2–4 players practical-crew figure is an editorial gameplay assessment, not a separate crew value exposed by the current vehicle-data record. The Live-derived crew field itself is 4.

The most useful number in the table is not the ship's size or top speed. It is the distribution of its weapons between crew stations, because that determines how much of the Paladin's combat capability a given group can actually use.

Paladin Weapons and Main Turret

The Paladin's central weapon is a remote quad Size 5 turret. In the current stock configuration, it carries four CF-557 Galdereen laser repeaters. The turret travels between dorsal and ventral positions, allowing its gunner to move the battery above or below the hull rather than forcing the pilot to reorient the entire ship for every firing angle.

Two additional remote wing turrets each carry two Size 4 CF-447 Rhino repeaters. Current Alpha 4.10 data puts the complete stock turret package at roughly 8,181.2 DPS, with about 4,909.6 DPS coming from the quad Size 5 battery and about 3,271.6 DPS from the two wing turrets combined.

That split explains the Paladin's crew dynamics unusually well. Roughly 60% of its stock turret DPS sits on the main four-gun battery, while the two pilot-accessible wing turrets account for the remaining 40%. This is a derived comparison of the current stock loadout rather than an official CIG crew recommendation, but it shows why the second player produces such a large increase in practical combat capability.

The rail-mounted turret also should not be confused with instantaneous all-direction coverage. Moving the battery between the upper and lower positions improves its firing options, but the pilot still needs to think about orientation, target movement, and which side of the ship the main gunner currently covers.

Missiles

The Paladin has six Size 4 missile-rack hardpoints, but six racks does not mean six missiles. Its current stock configuration carries ten missiles: eight Size 3 Arrester IIIs and two Size 4 Raptor IVs.

Missiles give the pilot something useful to manage even when another player is handling the heavy battery. They are better treated as supplementary pressure, opening damage, or a way to complicate an opponent's defensive workload than as the Paladin's primary reason for existing.

Can You Solo the Paladin?

Yes, but solo play leaves the Paladin's most important weapon station unused. CIG's flyable-era Paladin Q&A states that a solo pilot receives slaved control of both remote wing turrets. Those weapons fire through a restricted forward arc when pilot-controlled; putting players at the turret stations unlocks their wider independent coverage.

The earlier Paladin Q&A adds an important detail: the forward-slaved wing guns have limited convergence because of their placement and are better suited to mid- and longer-range targets. The same source confirms that all weapon stations can be used with two total crew, although CIG did not describe that configuration as optimal.

This makes the Paladin a very different solo proposition from a ship whose main battery sits under pilot control. A solo Paladin still has four Size 4 guns and missiles, but the four Size 5 guns that define the ship are not part of the normal pilot-controlled package.

You can therefore fly it alone, run lower-risk PvE, move it between locations, and defend yourself. Buying it primarily as a solo heavy-combat ship is much harder to justify.

Two Players May Be the Paladin's Most Efficient Crew Setup

For many groups, the biggest jump in value happens when the crew goes from one player to two.

The pilot retains the two wing turrets in their forward-slaved configuration when those stations are unoccupied, while the second player can operate the quad Size 5 battery. The earlier official Paladin Q&A specifically states that all weapon stations are usable with only two total crew, although restrictions on the pilot-controlled wing guns make this less than optimal.

That arrangement can bring the entire gun package into a fight against a suitably positioned target without requiring four people to log in at the same time.

The compromise is coverage. Four players let the main turret and both wing turrets operate independently, so the Paladin can respond to threats outside the pilot's forward firing solution. With two people, concentrating fire on a medium or large target is much easier than maintaining full defensive coverage against several fast ships approaching from different angles.

That makes two players the practical entry point, while three or four become more valuable when the fight is spatially complicated.

Full-Crew Paladin Gameplay

Current Alpha 4.10 vehicle data lists a crew of four, while CIG's Paladin material describes the ship around one pilot and three gunners.

With all stations occupied, the pilot no longer needs to spend the fight forcing the wing guns onto a forward firing solution. The main gunner can work the quad Size 5 battery while the other two gunners use the wing turrets to cover flanks, rear approaches, or a secondary target.

This is where the Paladin becomes a real multi-direction gunship rather than a large forward-firing combat ship. The benefit of the extra players is therefore not simply "more DPS." Two players can already access a great deal of its theoretical damage. Full crew primarily buys independent firing arcs, better target coverage, and less dependence on the pilot pointing the entire ship at every threat.

Survivability and Shields

The Paladin is built around an armored frontline identity, and CIG directly contrasted it with the Redeemer by saying the Paladin favors firepower and durability, while the Redeemer has the advantage in agility and avoiding incoming fire.

Current 4.10.0-LIVE.12519617 data lists a single Size 3 Stronghold shield generator with 72,000 shield HP and quadrant shielding. The hull also has a current armor definition and a large overall structural-health pool, although raw HP figures should not be treated as a complete measurement of survivability under the current damage model.

The practical limitation is size. At 53.5 meters long and 38 meters wide, the Paladin is not a target that survives by being difficult to hit. It works better when the crew controls range and firing angles, removes dangerous targets quickly, and avoids being isolated under sustained focus fire.

A Current Alpha 4.10 Turret Issue

There is also a patch-specific bug worth separating from the 4.10.0-LIVE.12519617 vehicle-data snapshot used for the specifications elsewhere in this guide.

Issue Council record STARC-219752 was reported against the later 4.10.0-live.12572603 Live hotfix build and describes the Paladin's top turret as not being protected by the ship's shields. The issue was listed as Confirmed on September 12, 2026.

Because this report comes from a later 4.10 Live build, it should not be read as part of the 12519617 vehicle-data snapshot. It is a current 4.10 bug affecting a later build, not an intended defensive characteristic of the Paladin.

That distinction matters for ownership decisions because the affected turret carries the ship's signature quad Size 5 battery. It is reasonable to account for the issue when playing the current build, but not to treat it as the Paladin's permanent defensive balance.

Cargo, Interior and General Utility

The Paladin gained a dedicated 4 SCU cargo grid before becoming flight-ready. CIG specifically identified that lower-deck cargo area as one of the notable changes from the original concept, and the current Alpha 4.10 vehicle data also exposes the 4 SCU grid.

Four SCU is useful for supplies, equipment, mission items, or a small amount of recovered cargo. It is not enough to turn the Paladin into a meaningful freight ship, and cargo profitability should not enter the buying decision.

The interior is similarly combat-focused. CIG describes an armory with suit lockers and weapon racks on the lower deck, while the upper deck includes bunks, personal storage, food facilities, and a toilet.

Those facilities make sustained group operations more practical, but they do not change the ship's role. There is no substantial cargo deck, medical gameplay package, vehicle bay, or snub hangar to justify bringing the Paladin when combat is not the main objective.

Alpha 4.10 Fuel Changes

The Star Citizen Wiki's version-to-version vehicle changelog shows a substantial Paladin fuel change between 4.9.0-LIVE.12232306 and 4.10.0-LIVE.12519617.

Hydrogen-fuel capacity changed from 61 SCU to 17.1 SCU, while quantum fuel increased from 3.85 SCU to 7 SCU. The same data-derived changelog shows quantum range increasing from roughly 706 billion meters to 1.284 trillion meters and the equipped quantum-drive speed increasing at the same time.

This is a community-derived comparison of game data rather than a CIG explanation of balance intent. It shows what changed in the data, not why CIG made the change.

The ownership consequence is mixed. The Paladin is better provisioned for long quantum movements under the 12519617 configuration, while its local maneuvering-fuel pool is much smaller than it was in 4.9. Crews planning repeated combat sorties should therefore treat refueling logistics as part of the session rather than assuming older fuel endurance still applies.

Paladin for PvE

The Paladin fits PvE particularly well when the targets are large enough for its heavy turrets to maintain firing time.

Medium and large bounty targets, combat escorts, and group missions let the main gunner exploit the quad Size 5 battery without asking the pilot to dogfight like a heavy fighter. A duo can concentrate essentially the whole gun package into a suitable forward engagement, while larger crews make it easier to handle escorts and targets approaching outside that firing lane.

The Paladin becomes less efficient when most of the fight consists of chasing small, evasive craft. Its firepower remains substantial, but a large hull with a 175 m/s SCM speed and crew-dependent firing arcs cannot force agile opponents to remain in favorable positions.

For PvE, target selection matters more than the headline weapon sizes. The ship is at its best when you can make the enemy fight the Paladin's guns rather than make the Paladin chase the enemy.

Paladin for PvP

PvP is more demanding because real players are much more likely to exploit firing arcs, distance, turret transitions, and the ship's large profile.

Against medium and larger opponents, a coordinated Paladin crew can apply serious sustained pressure, especially when the main battery stays on target while the wing gunners protect the ship's flanks. Against skilled light fighters, raw Size 5 firepower is less valuable if the gunner cannot maintain hits.

This is also where crew count matters differently from PvE. A two-person crew offers strong concentrated firepower, but four independent weapon operators make it considerably harder for an opponent to exploit an unattended sector. Full crew therefore produces a larger defensive benefit in PvP than a simple DPS comparison suggests.

The Paladin belongs in PvP as a positioned gun platform and fleet combatant, not as an oversized fighter expected to win through nose authority.

Paladin vs Redeemer

CIG itself identifies the Aegis Redeemer as the Paladin's primary gunship competitor. Its comparison is straightforward: the Paladin favors firepower and durability, while the Redeemer has the advantage in agility and avoiding incoming damage.

Choose the Paladin when the priority is a heavier turret battery, a strong two-player damage setup, and an armored Anvil gunship built to hold a combat position. The quad Size 5 turret is the decisive differentiator.

Choose the Redeemer when maneuverability is more important and you want the gunship itself to be better at changing position or avoiding damage rather than absorbing and returning it. That trade-off becomes especially relevant against smaller ships and in fights where the pilot cannot dictate engagement geometry.

The comparison should not be reduced to which ship has the larger guns. The Paladin is the more committed firing platform; the Redeemer is the more mobile gunship.

Paladin Price and In-Game Availability

The 4.10.0-LIVE.12519617 vehicle record lists the Paladin at 15,876,000 aUEC from Astro Armada in Area18, giving players a direct in-game acquisition route. The same data records an RSI MSRP of $350.

That $350 figure is the recorded MSRP, not a claim that a $350 standalone pledge is continuously available from RSI. The current official Paladin promotional page states that the promotion has ended and directs visitors back to the wider Pledge Store.

For players deciding between earning one in-game and owning one permanently, the question is less about raw combat power than frequency of use. A group that regularly runs multi-crew combat can make use of the Paladin's specialization. A mostly solo player can spend the same fleet budget on ships that expose more of their capability to the pilot.

If the Paladin already matches the role you want in your fleet, you can check current standalone availability here:

View Anvil Paladin availability at LTI Hangar

Who Should Buy the Paladin?

The strongest Paladin buyer is someone who regularly has at least one other combat player available. A pilot and main-turret gunner already unlock the ship's core idea, while three or four players turn that concentrated gunship into a platform with much stronger independent coverage.

It also makes sense for organizations that want something below the crew and logistics burden of ships such as the Hammerhead or larger sub-capital combat platforms. The Paladin can provide several meaningful combat seats without needing a large fleet crew merely to bring its primary weapons online.

Solo-focused players, generalists, cargo pilots, and anyone looking for one ship to cover most mission types should be more cautious. Four SCU of cargo does not create meaningful economic utility, and the lack of pilot access to the quad Size 5 turret means the solo experience does not deliver the weapon package most people associate with the ship.

Is the Anvil Paladin Worth It?

The Paladin is worth considering when you are buying for a crew rather than just for yourself.

Its best feature is not simply four Size 5 guns. It is the way the weapon layout scales from a workable solo configuration to a much more dangerous duo and then to full independent turret coverage with four players. A two-person crew can already combine the pilot-controlled wing guns with a dedicated main-battery gunner, making the second seat unusually valuable.

Its biggest weakness is specialization. The 4 SCU cargo grid, large footprint, modest maneuverability, and crew-dependent primary battery make it a poor substitute for a versatile daily driver. Current 4.10 builds also have a confirmed top-turret shield issue reported in 4.10.0-live.12572603, which should be treated as a current bug rather than a permanent property of the ship.

For a small group that wants a dedicated armored gunship, the Paladin has a clear role and a sensible crew scale. For someone expecting four Size 5 pilot guns, strong solo performance, and broad utility from the same hull, it is the wrong ship.