I would like to address some valid criticisms extended in the comments section. This guide is one of the oldest guides for Airships: Conquer the Skies, and I would contend that the broader strategy outlined in the guide is still sound. However the examples and any specifics, particularly concerning the economy, are now obsolete. This guide may still be useful to you, but it's old, so be gentle with it.

This guide walks through the strategies needed for effective fleet design for single player, and also provides examples of ships. All ships and buildings are available for subscription on the workshop, just follow the links.

Before going in to fleet design, I would like to explain a little ship design. Ship design is more than just slapping parts together until they all connect and the ship flies. If your ships light up like torches or fall out of the sky, you should probably check the overlay tab. I would highly recommend keeping the water in all rooms below 3 seconds, ammo below 2 seconds, and coal below 4 seconds.
When designing medium or large ships, armor is key. Protect coal rooms, suspendium rooms, weapons, and ammo. This will increase the effective durability of the ship, and also reduce fires.

When the game begins, especially on harder difficulties, you will find yourself strapped for cash. It will take too long to build a medium or large type ship, so a small one will have to suffice to protect your starting city. Generally, a lot of cannon is a good thing, but also make sure it doesn't start on fire easily and waste your money. It should also be quick and maneuverable, for rapid reallocation or out-maneuvering opponents in battle.


The Vanguard Prometheus. Four cannon, and less than $900. It is rather effective, especially in a defensive capacity, but can run out of ammo pretty quick. Find it here.

The early game ends when you build your first medium sized ship. Medium ships are tough, but have a few weaknesses. They are far from perfect, but affordable.

The medium ship will form the backbone of your fleet. It should be somewhere in the $1000 to $1500 range, so it is easy to afford. You might want two different classes of ship: a general purpose grunt ship, and a specialist, either a rammer/boarder or a bomber. The first ship shown is more of a grunt ship, and should comprise around 60% of your fleet. The second, a specialist, should form another 30% of your fleet.



The Vanguard Sixteen. It is a major improvement on the Prometheus with armor, more ammo, and a higher service ceiling. Find it here.



The Vanguard Destroyer. It is slightly more expensive than the Sixteen, but has way more armament, notably bomb bays and a ventral turret. It's perfect for tough fortifications. Find it here.

Even if you have a lot of medium ships, it is still a good idea to have huge, nigh invincible ships for various purposes. A big ship should be very large, and able to repel most attacks and counter with devastating power. It needs full (or nearly full) armor, and every type of weapon available. It should be maneuverable with a high service ceiling. This should be your flagship, your pièce de résistance, your raison d'être. Spare no expense! However, to be effective, try to keep it under $3500. You should make at most two or three of them at a time, as the upkeep is murder to your economy.



The Vanguard Victoria. Elegant, expensive, and virtually indestructable. It has plenty of bombs, cannon, flak, and turrets, is heavily armored, fast, maneuverable, and won't start on fire easily (Shown with water overlay in the Ship Design section). Find it here.

The final aspect of your fleet is a solid defensive building. Ideal building designs can put out fires, have plenty of ammo, and bristling with all sorts of weapons, especially dorsal turrets and flak. They should be relatively cheap, with a small footprint. $500 to $750 is a good target to shoot for. Each city should have at least one, and two or more if you do not leave behind any ships as a garrison.



The Vanguard Defender. Plenty of guns, and also a cockpit for control. Find it here.

Honestly I don't really find landships too effective. It is essentially a mobile building that can be moved from city to city. If you find you really need a landship, take a building, add some coal, and put it on tracks. Their main weaknesses lie in not being able to maneuver effectively, and only in one dimension. A nimbler, less armed airship can easily take down a more powerful landship.

Nonetheless something could be said for a huge offensive landship. I don't currently have an effective design, but go big or go home. Tons of cannons and a ventral turret, definitely. Flak is also good to prevent bombing. I would also shy away from legs. They are super cool, but also pretty weak in my book.

The rules of fleet design are completely upended in multiplayer. While single player AI do not use boarding too often, strong boarding prescence is key to any success in multiplayer. Variety of ship is also necessary to adapt to any opponent configuration and to keep your fleet under $10,000, when in single player a few general purpose ships will suffice. Use the rarer, more powerful weapons, such as suspendium cannon, heavy cannon, gatling guns, and arachnid boarders, as well as money and weight saving features such as fire extinguishers.