Star Citizen Gladius Ship Loadout Guide

Overview of the Aegis Gladius

The Gladius is a single-seated fighter aircraft with an aerodynamic-styled body and is particularly known for its agility. It has 3 size 3 weapon hardpoints (2 wings, 1 nose), 4 size 3 missile rack hardpoints, a quantum drive, and an ejection seat in case of emergency.

Default Loadout

The default loadout for Gladius is 2x CF-337 Panther Repeaters (wings), 1x Mantis GT-220 Gatling (nose), and 4 Size 3 missile racks: 2x Arrester III and 2x Ignite II; it also has various Size 1 equipment, including power plant, coolers, shields, etc. This loadout is rather decent but having your ship customized can make a large difference depending on the situation. For customization, you will be required to spend Star Citizen aUEC, so make sure you keep enough stock of the same.

Weapons

Due to the mounting flexibility based on the three Size 3 hardpoints, the Gladius can be equipped with several weapons. Consider these options:

1. Laser Repeaters: 3x CF-337 Panther Repeaters

   Pros: High rate of fire, good for shield damage

   Cons: Less effective against the hull

2. Laser Cannons: 3x M6A Laser Cannons

   Pros: High damage per shot, good for larger targets

   Cons: A slower rate of fire, requires more precision

3. Ballistic Gatlings: 3x Mantis GT-220 Gatlings

   Pros: High damage, can penetrate shields

   Cons: Limited ammo, requires resupply

4. Mixed Loadout: 2x CF-337 Panther Repeaters (wings), 1x Mantis GT-220 Gatling (nose)

   Pros: Versatile; combines shield and hull damage.

   Cons: Requires managing different weapon types

For bounty hunting, a mixed loadout or all-laser configuration is often preferred for sustained engagements without needing to resupply.

Missiles

The Gladius can support up to eight Size 2 missiles or four Size 3 missiles. Some of the current choices are Size 2 Ignite II (Infrared) and Tempest II (Electromagnetic), or Size 3 Arrester III (Cross-section) and Thunderbolt III (Electromagnetic). On flexibility, a combination of the missile types should be adopted to suit the prevailing circumstances and countermeasures.

Components

Ship enhancement involves replacing the current parts of your ship with better ones, and it can greatly enhance the ship’s capabilities. For the power plant, the stock Regulus should suffice, but for a military grade, there is JS-300 and for a civilian grade, although efficient, is the QuadraCell MT-50. Improve the cooler to 2x CoolCore (military grade) or 2x Polar (civilian grade, energy efficient) to deal with the heat generated from the energy weapons. Increase your survivability by using more durable shields like the FR-76 (military, all-around) or Palisade (Civilian, larger energy pool). To move from one bounty to another in a shorter time, level up your quantum drive to VK-00 (military, fastest) or Atlas (civillian, fast but not overly efficient).

Loadout Strategies

1. Bounty Hunting (PvE): Allocate 3x CF-337 Panther Repeaters, a combination of Ignite II and Tempest II missiles, and emphasize cooling and shields. As the name implies, this loadout is for dealing with NPC enemies as effectively as possible.

2. Dogfighting (PvP): Two CF-337 Panther Repeaters, One Mantis GT-220 Gatling, Arrester III, or Thunderbolt III missiles with an emphasis on the use of speed and engine thrust. The mix of weapons brings some variety in dealing with players, and the bigger missiles are a real treat.

3. Hit-and-Run: Employ 3x M6A Laser Cannons, and Thunderbolt III missiles and choose high speed and burst fire. It provides the possibility to make fast attacks with high amounts of damage and then leave the battlefield.

4. Balanced Approach: Two 2x CF-337 Panther Repeaters, One M6A Laser Cannon, a selection of Size 2 and Size 3 missiles, and balanced component upgrades. It will be an all-purpose loadout for different types of missions and kinds of fights.

Combat Tactics

Take advantage of this by dodging as Gladius is known to be good in turning battles. As a resource, control your energy the way you have control over your weapons, shields, and engines at your disposal depending on the ongoing fight. Use speed to break the engagement and choose the time and place for the fight if overmatched. Learn to conserve your missiles for bigger fish or when you want to send a clear message of surrender. Stay away from large and well-equipped ships, do not engage them for a long time.

Upgrading Path

As you earn more credits, prioritize upgrades in this order: guns, armor, carriers, quantum drive, and power plant. Specify weapons according to the action you like and amplify the shields for the increase in the health number. Replace the coolers so that up to now generated heat by energy weapons will be controlled better and buy a new faster quantum drive since traveling from one mission to another takes too long.

It is only necessary to upgrade the power plant if there is an increased power use in the community. This upgrade path provides a mixed power and efficiency increase making the Gladius progressively better at even more difficult missions. Buy Star Citizen aUEC to make easy upgrades, and defeat your opponents easily.

Conclusion

The Aegis Gladius is an all-around light fighter that can be specialized in different tasks in Star Citizen. The weapons, missiles, and components are selectable to design a loadout that is optimal for your gameplay and task at hand. Do not forget to monitor the current patch and adapt your equipment to that as well. Try out different stances to make one that suits you and remember that the setup can be changed in response to the difficulties that appear in the verse.