Mothership Guide in SpaceBourne 2

The Mothership is a new class of ships introduced in the v2.0.0 update on May 19, 2023. The new Mothership is even larger than a Capital ship and uniquely possesses its own hangars, where the player can store 2 of their fighters. Players can switch to these fighters directly during combat, leaving the Mothership.

Furthermore, this gigantic new ship has built-in Ammo (for replenishing the player’s weapon stock) and Services (for managing the components and armaments of the Mothership itself) consoles. In addition to several slots for static weapons, the Mothership can carry up to 15 drones. This guide aims to shed light on all the primary Mothership mechanics in SpaceBourne 2.

Where to Buy a Mothership and How Much It Costs

A Mothership can be bought at almost any station. For example, you are guaranteed to be able to purchase it in any capital solar system in each star sector (such as in Nymph N19).

Remember, the star map in SpaceBourne 2 is made up of sectors belonging to individual houses and factions, each of which has a main (capital) solar system. You simply need to open the Atlas (M) and zoom out so that all secondary systems disappear from the map. This will easily let you identify which system is the main one. Please refer to the SB2 space navigation guide for more details.

The Mothership costs more than 200 million TY. Moreover, you will need an additional 20-30 million for purchasing weapons and modules. Check out the TY earning guide in SpaceBourne 2, where the primary methods of quickly acquiring in-game currency are outlined.

How to Place Your Fighters in Mothership Hangars

1. Approach the “Ship Manager” console at any station.
   
2. Scroll down your list of ships to the end. In the “Deck 1” and “Deck 2” drop-down lists, select the fighter ships that will
3. be stored in the Mothership’s hangars.
   

Now the ships are docked with your Mothership, and you can use them at any moment.

Docking Correctly with Space Stations

Unlike a Capital ship, the Mothership docks with stations on its left side: the part where the fighter hangar is located. Given the ship’s enormous size, it’s quite difficult to dock at a station.

That’s why I recommend not docking with stations at all if you don’t intend to switch your Mothership for another ship. There is no necessity for this since the Mothership has a Services panel onboard, through which you can easily install purchased modules, buy drones, etc.

Instead of docking the bulky and unwieldy Mothership with a space station, you can simply approach the station closer, switch to a fighter from the hangar, and go to the space station with it. In my opinion, it’s much more convenient.

Internal Functionality of the Mothership

The Mothership has a quick transition feature, as space stations do. To use it, you must interact with a special device displaying a hologram of the ship.

Also, pay attention to the direction signboards indicating the location of different ship modules. Beginners might find it challenging to navigate without them, given the ship’s large size.

In the current game version (v2.0.0), you will find the following modules inside the ship.

• Cockpit. Here, you can take the captain’s seat to control the ship.
  
• Armory. Currently, this section only allows you to replenish your character’s rifle ammunition for free. This module works the same as the Ammo console on space stations.
  
• Storage. By interacting with this module, you can sell obtained useful cargo (a large commission is charged).
  
• Mechanics. Here, you can upgrade the Mothership in the same way as you would at stations like Faction Hangar. Read the ship guide in SpaceBourne 2 to learn more.
  
• Hangar. This is where the Services console and your two fighters are located, provided you brought them with you. The Services console has the same functionality as the Services panel when docking with space stations. This is why it’s not mandatory to dock the Mothership.
  

Switching Between the Mothership and Fighters

1. Hold down “G” to exit control mode.
2. Use the quick travel console to get to the Hangar of your Mothership.
3. Approach your fighter (or another ship you brought with you) and press “F” to get into the cabin.
   
4. The fighter will be automatically ejected into space, and the Mothership will remain stationary.
   

To dock the fighter back to the Mothership, you simply need to fly within the range of a free landing pad (for example, L2) and exit the ship with the “G” key.

Automatic docking does not always work (the game is still in early access and contains many bugs), so even if your ship is just “hovering” within the landing pad’s range, you can still peacefully leave it and return to the cockpit of your Mothership. Your fighter will remain in the hangar regardless.

How to control combat drones

A detailed guide on how to control Combat Drones has already been published on the website. By pressing the hotkey “3“, you can activate the ship’s perk “Combat Drones“, which will release the drones into space. After that, a radial menu will appear in the lower right corner of the interface, through which you can issue orders to the drones.

You can purchase drones at space stations through the “Services” menu in the “Drones” section. The “Services” console is also available on the Mothership itself, but drones cost several times more there.

Interesting Applications of the Mothership

You can use the Mothership to accelerate mining leveling. To do this, leave the Mothership close to the starting point of the Asteroid Field (this is necessary so as not to lose the ship, as the starting point will be displayed in the interface), switch to the mining ship, and go mine ores (refer to the linked guide to learn more). You can sell the collected ore in the Mothership.

Of course, such a use of the Mothership is contrived, because if you had enough money to buy it, mining ores is unlikely to interest you… Similarly, you can use the Mothership during the farming of instances like “Salvage” on the surface of planets.

If you have any questions regarding the Mothership in SpaceBourne 2, feel free to ask them in the comments. Remarks and criticisms are also welcome, as I may have missed something. Good luck!