Star Citizen Polaris Weapons Guide: Torpedoes, Turrets & PDCs

The RSI Polaris is built around anti-large-ship strike capability rather than pilot-controlled gun damage. Its defining weapon is a battery of 28 Size 10 torpedoes, backed by a distributed turret network, conventional missiles, and seven automated point-defense turrets.

That combination creates several layers of firepower. The torpedoes threaten large vessels at range; the heavier gun turrets provide sustained damage without consuming capital ordnance; smaller laser repeaters cover more mobile threats; and the PDC network prioritizes incoming hostile ordnance before engaging nearby hostile ships.

Current Alpha 4.10 live-derived data also shows why crew matters so much to Polaris combat: most of its useful gun firepower is distributed across turret stations rather than concentrated in the pilot's hands.

If you need the ship's dimensions, cargo, medical facilities, crew, hangar, or broader role first, our full Star Citizen Polaris guide covers those systems separately. This page stays focused on the weapon systems and how a Polaris crew can use them effectively.

Polaris Weapon Loadout in Alpha 4.10

The current loadout is easiest to understand when separated into heavy strike weapons, direct-fire turrets, conventional missiles, and defensive systems.

Weapon SystemCurrent Alpha 4.10 ConfigurationMain Role
Size 10 torpedoes	4 bespoke racks × 7 S10 torpedoes	Anti-large / anti-capital strike
Lower-front heavy turret	2 × S6 Maris ballistic cannons	Heavy sustained direct fire
S4 laser cannon turrets	2 × 4 S4 Omnisky XII cannons	Sustained direct fire against larger targets
S3 laser repeater turrets	2 × 4 S3 CF-337 Panther repeaters	General defensive and small-target coverage
Remote gun turret	4 × S3 CF-337 Panther repeaters	Additional defensive coverage
Forward missiles	16 × S3 Arrester III missiles	Conventional missile pressure
Remote missile turret	12 × S2 Ignite II missiles	Secondary missile coverage
Point defense	7 × M2C “Swarm” PDC turrets	Incoming ordnance / nearby threats

The five manned gun turrets consist of two quad-S3 Panther positions, two quad-S4 Omnisky XII positions, and the lower-front twin-S6 Maris turret. Alpha 4.10 data also records the quad-S3 remote gun turret, missile systems, and seven PDC positions.

The loadout matters less as a single DPS number than as a collection of weapons for different targets. A Size 10 torpedo, twin S6 ballistic turret, Panther repeater position, and automated PDC solve very different combat problems.

Size 10 Torpedoes: The Polaris Strike Weapon

The Polaris carries four bespoke Size 10 torpedo racks, each with seven actual S10 torpedo slots, for 28 loaded torpedoes in total.

This is easy to misread in raw component data. Each rack can expose eight component ports, but only seven are Size 10 torpedo slots; the additional port belongs to the rack's internal tube attachment. The current rack description itself specifies seven S10 torpedoes.

The stock weapon is the Behring VT-T10 “Veritas”, an infrared-guided Size 10 torpedo. Alpha 4.10 data lists:

• Minimum lock range: 2,500 m

• Maximum lock range: 30,000 m

• Flight range: approximately 40,500 m

• Listed damage: 650,000

• Tracking: Infrared

These are current-patch values rather than permanent Polaris specifications and can change with balance updates.

CIG's updated Polaris Q&A places the torpedo system in a clear tactical context. The ship is intended to engage larger vessels strategically rather than behave like a close-range brawler, with its heavy ordnance becoming most useful when an important target is vulnerable enough to justify the strike.

Historical CIG guidance describes the same basic torpedo trade-off: compared with smaller missiles, torpedoes sacrifice speed and maneuverability for much greater payload. Large ships, capital vessels, installations, and other relatively slow targets are therefore much more natural targets than agile fighters.

Timing the strike

Having a torpedo lock does not automatically make firing the best decision.

A defended capital ship may have PDCs, countermeasures, escorts, or enough room to maneuver. The Polaris itself demonstrates why this matters: its own PDC network is designed to prioritize incoming missiles, bombs, and torpedoes.

Heavy ordnance becomes more effective when it is part of a broader engagement. Other ships can occupy escorts, pressure defensive systems, damage the target, or force reactions before the Polaris commits a limited S10 weapon.

The point is not to guarantee a hit. It is to avoid asking one torpedo to solve the target's entire defensive problem by itself.

Torpedo Reloading and Combat Endurance

Empty launchers do not necessarily end the Polaris's torpedo capability.

CIG confirms that once the loaded torpedoes have been fired, the racks can be manually reloaded with a Multi-Tool tractor beam, provided additional compatible munitions are aboard.

That confirms the ability to carry extra ordnance and use it for manual reloading. CIG's current Q&A does not, however, specify a fixed dedicated reserve-torpedo capacity or define an official number of spare torpedoes that the Polaris should carry.

The verified starting point is therefore simple:

The current racks hold 28 loaded Size 10 torpedoes. Additional compatible munitions aboard can be used for manual reloads.

How much additional ordnance a crew chooses to transport is a logistics decision rather than a separate official reserve-magazine specification.

Manual reloading also means continued torpedo use requires crew work between firing cycles. Heavy ordnance has to be transported and handled rather than instantly replenished through an abstract ammunition counter.

The Heavy Gun Turrets

When a Size 10 torpedo is unnecessary, the Polaris still carries substantial direct-fire weaponry.

The most distinctive gun position is the lower-front manned turret with two Size 6 Maris ballistic cannons.

These weapons give the crew a heavy direct-fire option without spending capital torpedoes on every large target.

Because the Maris cannons are ballistic weapons, their damage comes with an ammunition constraint. Sustained use eventually requires resupply, making target selection relevant here as well. Long deployments benefit from crews that know when the heavy ballistic position is worth using and when the ship's energy weapons are sufficient.

The Polaris also mounts two quad-S4 Omnisky XII laser-cannon turrets.

Those positions provide sustained fire against targets large enough for the gunners to track effectively without consuming ballistic ammunition on every engagement. They form an important middle layer between the S10 strike weapons and the ship's lighter repeater coverage.

This gives the Polaris ways to remain dangerous after a torpedo attack without making every follow-up shot another piece of capital ordnance.

S3 Turrets and Small-Target Coverage

The Alpha 4.10 configuration includes two manned quad-S3 CF-337 Panther repeater turrets and another remote quad-S3 Panther gun position.

The term “anti-fighter” is useful as an editorial description of how these faster-firing weapons can contribute against smaller craft, but it is not the formal component role name in the current data.

Their practical value is straightforward: they give the Polaris more appropriate direct-fire options when smaller or more mobile threats operate close enough that its heaviest weapons are inefficient.

They do not turn the Polaris into a dedicated anti-fighter platform.

A ship such as the Hammerhead concentrates much more of its combat identity around turret coverage against smaller craft. The Polaris divides its capabilities among heavy torpedoes, large direct-fire weapons, conventional missiles, PDCs, and carrier operations.

That makes external support useful when fighters become the dominant threat.

The onboard hangar can contribute to that defensive plan as well. Instead of expecting the capital ship to solve every fast-moving contact with its own turrets, a crew can deploy a carried fighter when appropriate. Our Polaris hangar guide covers the official and player-tested fighter fits without repeating that compatibility discussion here.

Conventional Missiles

The Polaris also carries weapons below the capital-torpedo tier.

Current Alpha 4.10 data shows two forward racks with eight Size 3 Arrester III missiles each, giving that system 16 S3 missiles.

A separate remote missile turret carries 12 Size 2 Ignite II missiles.

These give the crew proportional alternatives for targets that do not warrant a Size 10 weapon and can add pressure alongside the ship's gun turrets.

They also complicate an opponent's defensive workload when used as part of a coordinated attack, although missiles should not be treated as guaranteed PDC saturation. Countermeasures, range, target movement, defensive systems, and timing still affect the result.

Their main value in the Polaris loadout is flexibility: the crew is not forced to choose only between direct gunfire and its most expensive strike weapon.

Point-Defense Turrets

The Polaris carries seven M2C “Swarm” point-defense turrets in the current Alpha 4.10 configuration, each associated with an AI module.

CIG describes their current target priority as:

1. incoming hostile ordnance, including missiles, bombs, and torpedoes;

2. nearby hostile vehicles.

The present AI-module implementation is also described as an early or basic version of the broader blade concept, with greater control potentially coming later.

That priority clarifies the PDC network's main role.

Its first responsibility is to protect the Polaris from hostile ordnance, not to function as a complete automated anti-fighter screen.

If no higher-priority incoming weapons need attention, the PDCs can engage nearby hostile ships. That is useful supplementary defense, but serious fighter pressure still benefits from human-operated turrets, positioning, escorts, and potentially a carried fighter.

Weapon Coverage Depends on Crew and Positioning

Polaris firepower is distributed across the ship.

Five manned gun turrets, a remote gun position, conventional missile systems, automated PDCs, and the dedicated torpedo role mean the vessel does not fight like an oversized single-seat ship.

Ship orientation therefore affects more than the pilot's view of the target.

A pilot who constantly maneuvers to maximize one weapon angle can reduce the firing opportunities available to other turret crews. The ship performs better when movement creates useful arcs for several weapons rather than treating every engagement as a nose-on pursuit.

Station priority also changes with the target.

Against a large vessel, the torpedo operation and heavy gun positions become more important.

Against smaller attackers, the Panther turrets gain relevance.

When hostile heavy ordnance is inbound, the PDC network provides automated protection while the crew continues managing the wider fight.

This crew dependency is part of the Polaris ownership decision as much as it is a weapon-system issue. If your normal group cannot occupy the stations relevant to the encounters you want to fight, our Polaris review looks at whether the ship still makes sense to own and operate regularly.

Target Selection

The weapon mix works best when different systems are reserved for targets that justify them.

Large ships and capital targets

Large vessels are the clearest use case for the S10 torpedo battery.

The best targets are important enough to justify limited heavy ordnance, large enough that the torpedo's lower agility is less problematic, and preferably already under enough pressure that the torpedo is not facing an untouched defensive network alone.

The S6 and S4 positions can contribute direct fire before and after the strike without requiring another S10 launch immediately.

Medium ships and support vessels

This is where the conventional gun and missile network becomes more important.

Targets that pose a meaningful threat but do not justify a capital torpedo can still be pressured with the Polaris's direct-fire weapons and smaller missiles.

Whether the capital ship should remain in the engagement at all depends on the tactical situation, not simply on whether it has a weapon capable of hitting the target.

Fighters and agile craft

Small, agile ships are poor primary S10 targets.

CIG's original torpedo guidance specifically noted that fighters and similar craft can evade these larger, less maneuverable weapons much more easily.

Against persistent small-ship pressure, turret coverage, PDC support, maneuvering, escorts, and the Polaris's carried fighter are generally more relevant parts of the ship's combat toolkit.

A Practical Polaris Combat Rhythm

The Polaris favors deliberate engagements.

Before committing heavy ordnance, the crew needs enough information to decide whether the target justifies it. Once engaged, the pilot should position the ship so that the relevant turrets can contribute while avoiding unnecessary exposure to the enemy's strongest weapons.

A torpedo strike becomes more useful when the target's attention or defenses are already being pressured.

After firing, the Polaris does not need to remain at knife-fighting distance simply because it is a capital combat ship. CIG's current description favors strategic engagement against larger targets over sustained close-range brawling.

Between major strikes, the gun and missile network can maintain pressure. If the loaded torpedoes have been exhausted and additional compatible ordnance is available aboard, the crew can perform manual reloads before another strike cycle.

The result is a combat pattern based more on positioning, coordinated fire, and selective heavy-ordnance use than constant forward aggression.

Common Polaris Weapons Mistakes

A few recurring mistakes reduce the value of the loadout more than raw weapon statistics do.

Spending capital torpedoes on low-value targets. The ship has several other weapon layers specifically so every contact does not require an S10 launch.

Treating PDCs as a substitute for crewed defense. Their priority begins with incoming hostile ordnance, so their attention changes with the threat environment.

Ignoring turret arcs. Poor orientation can leave powerful gun positions unable to contribute even though the weapons themselves are functioning normally.

Forgetting ballistic logistics. The Maris cannons provide heavy direct fire, but ammunition is finite.

Staying in a close brawl unnecessarily. The current Polaris role favors strategic engagement against larger targets rather than prolonged close-range trading.

Reading the rack's eight component ports as eight torpedoes. Each rack has seven actual S10 torpedo slots plus an internal tube attachment, producing 28 loaded S10 torpedoes across four racks.

Final Verdict

The Polaris weapons work best when the ship is treated as a crewed strike platform with several distinct layers of firepower.

Its 28 Size 10 torpedoes provide the defining anti-large-ship weapon. The lower-front twin-S6 Maris turret and quad-S4 Omnisky positions give the crew substantial direct fire between torpedo attacks, while the S3 repeaters and conventional missiles handle situations where the heaviest weapons are unnecessary. Seven automated PDCs add a defensive layer whose first priority is incoming hostile ordnance.

The main limitation is not a shortage of weapons but how widely their value is distributed across the crew.

A coordinated Polaris with useful turret coverage and deliberate torpedo operation is a very different combat asset from the same hull with most stations unattended.

For the rest of the ship's capabilities, use the full Polaris guide. The Polaris review covers whether that distributed capability justifies the ownership burden, while the Polaris hangar guide covers fighter fit and carrier operations for crews that want external fighter support as part of their combat plan.