Ship Specs in the outfitting menu provides critical details about your ship’s performance, split into four categories: General, Capacity, Offence, and Defence. These stats define how your ship handles in exploration, combat, or trading, and are influenced by modules and engineering. Below, I’ll break down each stat, its impact, and how to modify it.

These stats cover core performance like speed, maneuverability, jump range, and power management.

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Definition: Maximum speed in normal space (m/s).
Impact: Higher speed aids in escaping combat, chasing targets, or quick travel (e.g., surface missions). Vital for agile ships like the Viper Mk III.
Modifications:

• Thrusters: Higher-class/grade thrusters (e.g., 5A vs. 5D) boost speed.
  
• Engineering: Dirty Drive Tuning increases speed but raises thermal load.
  
• Mass: Lower mass (lightweight modules) improves speed; heavier ships are slower.
  
• Boost: Temporarily increases speed, enhanced by better thrusters.

Definition: Angular rotation speed (degrees/s):

• Pitch: Nose up/down.
  
• Roll: Barrel roll.
  
• Yaw: Side-to-side turning.

Impact: Higher values mean sharper turning, key for combat aiming/evasion. Small ships (e.g., Eagle) excel; large ships (e.g., Anaconda) are sluggish.
Modifications:

• Thrusters: A-rated thrusters improve all three.
  
• Engineering: Dirty Drive Tuning boosts maneuverability.
  
• Mass: Lower mass enhances agility.
  
• Flight Assist: Disabling it allows sharper control but requires skill.

Definition: Frame Shift Drive (FSD) jump range (light-years):

• Min: Range when fully laden.
  
• Current: Range with current load.
  
• Max: Range with no cargo/minimal fuel.

Impact: Longer range reduces travel time, critical for exploration.
Modifications:

• FSD: Higher-grade FSDs (e.g., 6A) increase range.
  
• Engineering: Increased FSD Range boosts range (~50-60% at Grade 5).
  
• Mass: Lower mass (lightweight modules) improves range.
  
• Guardian FSD Booster: Adds fixed range (e.g., 10.5 ly for Class 5).

Definition: Power draw (MW) of modules when hardpoints are stowed (retracted) or active (deployed).
Impact: Exceeding power plant output shuts down modules. Deployed weapons draw more power.
Modifications:

• Power Plant: Higher-grade plants (e.g., 7A) provide more power.
  
• Engineering: Overcharged increases output; Low Emissions reduces heat.
  
• Modules: Energy-efficient modules (e.g., D-rated sensors) lower draw.
  
• Power Priorities: Set in modules menu to keep critical systems online.

Definition: Power plant’s total output (MW).
Impact: Determines if all modules can run. Higher power supports demanding modules.
Modifications:

• Power Plant: Upgrade to higher-class/grade (e.g., 6A).
  
• Engineering: Overcharged boosts output; Armoured adds durability.

These stats define carrying capabilities and physical traits.

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Definition: Ship’s total mass (tonnes), including hull, modules, cargo, and fuel.
Impact: Affects speed, agility, and jump range. Heavier ships perform worse.
Modifications:

• Modules: Lightweight modules (D-rated) reduce mass; heavy modules (e.g., A-rated shields) increase it.
  
• Engineering: Lightweight mods lower mass.
  
• Cargo/Fuel: More cargo/fuel adds mass.

Definition: Maximum cargo (tonnes) the ship can carry.
Impact: Key for trading/mining; more capacity means higher profits.
Modifications:

• Cargo Racks: Larger racks (e.g., Class 6) increase capacity.
  
• Optional Internals: Sacrifice shields/scoops for more racks.
  
• Ship Choice: Ships like Type-9 (788 tonnes) excel for cargo.

Definition: Maximum fuel (tonnes) in the fuel tank.
Impact: Determines jump endurance. Larger tanks aid exploration but add mass.
Modifications:

• Fuel Tank: Larger tanks (e.g., Class 5) increase capacity.
  
• Fuel Scoop: Refuels from stars, reducing tank size needs.

Definition: Number of passenger cabins for missions.
Impact: Affects passenger mission profitability and type (e.g., economy, VIP).
Modifications:

• Passenger Cabins: Add cabins in internal slots.
  
• Cabin Type: Luxury cabins (e.g., Beluga Liner) enable VIP missions.
  
• Ship Choice: Passenger ships like Beluga have large slots.

These stats describe combat capabilities of weapons.

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Definition: Combined raw damage per weapon volley.
Impact: Higher damage destroys targets faster, key for tough enemies (e.g., Thargoids).
Modifications:

• Weapons: High-damage weapons (e.g., plasma accelerators) increase output.
  
• Engineering: Overcharged or Efficient boosts damage.
  
• Hardpoints: Larger hardpoints (Class 4) allow stronger weapons.

Definition: Sustained damage output per second, factoring fire rate/reload.
Impact: Higher DPS is vital for prolonged combat.
Modifications:

• Weapons: Rapid-fire weapons (e.g., multicannons) boost DPS.
  
• Engineering: Rapid Fire or Overcharged increases DPS.
  
• Ammunition: High-ammo weapons (e.g., multicannons) sustain DPS.

Definition: Highest armor-piercing value of any weapon.
Impact: High piercing ensures full damage against armored ships (e.g., Corvette).
Modifications:

• Weapons: Railguns/plasma accelerators have high piercing.
  
• Engineering: High Yield Shell or Focused increases piercing.

Definition: Power draw (MJ) from the distributor to fire all weapons.
Impact: High draw depletes weapon capacitor, limiting fire. Key for laser builds.
Modifications:

• Power Distributor: Higher-grade distributors (7A) improve capacitor.
  
• Engineering: Weapon Focused or Charge Enhanced boosts performance.
  
• Weapons: Kinetic weapons draw less than lasers.

Definition: Heat generated by firing all weapons.
Impact: High heat risks overheating, critical for stealth/combat.
Modifications:

• Weapons: Lasers generate more heat than kinetic weapons.
  
• Engineering: Efficient reduces heat; Overcharged increases it.
  
• Heat Management: Heat sinks or Thermal Vent lasers mitigate heat.

Definition: Combined mass of weapons (tonnes).
Impact: Adds to ship mass, reducing speed/agility/range.
Modifications:

• Weapons: Lightweight weapons (e.g., multicannons) reduce mass.
  
• Engineering: Lightweight mods lower mass.

These stats define survivability in combat.

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Definition: Total shield hit points (MJ).
Impact: Higher strength absorbs more damage, key for combat.
Modifications:

• Shield Generator: Larger/higher-grade generators (6A) increase strength.
  
• Engineering: Reinforced or Enhanced Low Power boosts strength.
  
• Shield Boosters: Add strength (e.g., +20% per A-rated booster).
  
• Guardian Modules: Shield reinforcements add hit points.

Definition:

• Standard: Shield regen rate (MJ/s) when undamaged.
  
• Broken: Regen rate after shields collapse.

Impact: Faster regen improves recovery; slow broken regen increases vulnerability.
Modifications:

• Shield Generator: Bi-weave shields have faster regen, lower strength.
  
• Engineering: Fast Charge or Thermal Resistant improves regen.
  
• Shield Boosters: Resistance boosters indirectly aid regen.

Definition: Damage reduction (%) for kinetic, thermal, explosive damage.
Impact: Higher resistances increase effective shield durability.
Modifications:

• Shield Generator: Prismatic shields have high baseline resistances.
  
• Engineering: Thermal/Kinetic Resistant boosts specific resistances.
  
• Shield Boosters: Resistance Augmented boosters improve resistances.

Definition: Hull hit points before destruction.
Impact: Higher integrity allows more damage post-shield loss, key for hull-tanking.
Modifications:

• Hull: Ships like Type-10 have high base integrity.
  
• Hull Reinforcements: Add hit points in internal slots.
  
• Engineering: Heavy Duty boosts integrity.

Definition: Hull’s resistance to damage.
Impact: Higher rating reduces hull damage taken.
Modifications:

• Hull Type: Military-grade or reactive composite increases rating.
  
• Engineering: Heavy Duty or Reflective Plating improves rating.
  
• Ship Choice: Combat ships (e.g., Corvette) have high ratings.

Definition: Damage reduction (%) for hull from kinetic, thermal, explosive.
Impact: Higher resistances make hull tougher against specific damage.
Modifications:

• Hull Type: Reactive composite favors explosive/kinetic resistance.
  
• Engineering: Layered Plating (kinetic) or Reflective Plating (thermal).
  
• Hull Reinforcements: Deep Plating boosts effective hit points.

• Trade-offs: Bigger shields/weapons add mass, reducing speed/range. Balance is key.
  
• Ship Role:
  
  • Combat: Prioritize DPS, piercing, shields, and armour.
    
  • Exploration: Focus on jump range, fuel scoop, lightweight modules.
    
  • Trading: Maximize cargo capacity, moderate shields.
    
  • Passenger: Prioritize cabin capacity, jump range.
    
• Engineering: Unlock engineers (e.g., Felicity Farseer for FSD) for stat boosts.
  
• Power Management: Ensure power plant supports all modules or make use of priorities.
  
• Mass Management: Keep mass low for agility/range unless tanking.

Note: Experiment with outfitting and engineering, to tailor your ship to your own liking, perhaps this way you can transform ships to be useful in ways you would not have thought.