Vanguard Augment

“	The Vanguard Augment is experimental tech procured from an unknown military source. This aftermarket modification augments a Titan's systems, elevating combat performance allowing them to sustain against enemy fire and support allies via additional utility.	”
	— In-Game Description

Stats

Vanguard Augment	I	II	III
SPECIFICATIONS
Ship Mass	2%	4%	6%
DPS	+5%	+10%	+15%
Shield Defense	+5%
Ablative Defense	+5%
Screen Defense	+5%
Speed	+80 m/s	+120 m/s	+180 m/s
Acceleration	+10%	+20%	+30%
Support	Vanguard Field I	Vanguard Field II	Vanguard Field III
Restricted to	Titans
Restricted to	Altairians, Umbra, Pharmakon
Restricted to	Tier 8
Hull XP	46,447 XP	53,353 XP	61,287 XP
BLUEPRINT
Tech Lab Required	XI	XII	N/A
REUSABLE ITEM
Tech Lab Required	N/A	N/A	XII
CRAFT
Workshop Required	IX
Fragments	N/A	N/A	150
EQUIP
Time	6h 00m	9h 00m	13h 00m
Helium-3	12,300,000	17,400,000	22,800,000
Antimatter	3,480,000	4,800,000	6,600,000

General

The Vanguard Augment is a special intended to boost the effectiveness of ships with the Titan role in combat.

Note that this special is mutually exclusive with thrusters.

Strategy and Setup

Advantages

This item is essentially a thruster with no downsides, as it gives a massive boost to forward speed without any reductions to other ship speeds. It also provides a minor acceleration boost which helps the ship recover from being slowed due to Stasis Dealing effects or, in the case of the Ajax, its Fortify overdrive.

Moreover, it significantly increases the ship's defense rating, which in normal circumstances decreases the bleedthrough damage by half, enabling the ship to last much longer as long as it keeps its defenses up.

Finally, it projects a decent-sized stasis-inducing field which slows down enemies in range, making it easier for your fleet to catch them.

Disadvantages

The Vanguard Augment is only available to Tier 8 ships with the Titan role. Although the Spectre Switch is a Titan as well, it cannot use the augment because it's Tier 9.

Although Titans are meant to counter Fighters, the latter's Augment grants them stasis resistance which reduces the effectiveness of this Augment's stasis field against them. The DPS boost is also not particularly useful as Titans generally carry less weaponry than other Tier 8 ships.

The Support Field generated by ships with the augment will trigger enemy Overdrives dependent on the prescense of one, like the Phoenix Frigate's Bloodhunt.

Trivia

It is one of the two specials released for Tier 8, the other one being the Spearhead Augment. Interestingly, there is no Augment for ships with the Ranger role.

Specials Navigation Bar

Miner Rebellion Specials
Thrusters	Rotation Thrusters • Rear Thrusters • Strafe Thrusters
Cargo	Basic Cargo
Ship Weapons	Focused Optics • Ion Modulator • Sweep Launcher • AM Warheads • Iridium Magnets • Phased Projectiles
Base Weapons	Focused Apertures • Ion Recharger • Sweep Maximizer • AM Detonators • Iridium Arrays • Phased Munitions

VEGA Mining Specials
Thrusters	Fusion Thrusters
Cargo	Armored Hold

VEGA Security Specials
Thrusters	Binary Thrusters
Ship Weapons	Ionized Optics • Spectral Warheads • Phased Magnets

Iron Star Company Specials
Thrusters	Unstable Reactor

Demon Corps Specials
Thrusters	Armored Thrusters
Ship Weapons	Targeting Computer • Volatile Fuel • Blister Rounds • Reinforced Rails • Electric Rails
Ship Squadrons	Elite Squadrons

Xeno Division Specials
Thrusters	Blitz Thrusters • Strike Thrusters • Supersonic Thrusters • Xeno Armored Thruster
Cargo	Xeno Armored Hold
Ship Weapons	Beam Capacitor • Xeno Beam Capacitor • Overcharged Warheads • Xeno Munitions • Siege Casing • Xeno Siege Casing
Base Weapons	Xeno Focused Apertures • Xeno Ion Recharger • Xeno Sweep Maximizer • Xeno AM Detonators • Xeno Iridium Arrays • Xeno Phased Munitions

A.X.I.S. Specials
Thrusters	Harmonic Chase Thruster
Ship Weapons	Harmonic Beam Capacitor • Harmonic Xeno Beam Capacitor • Harmonic Siege Casing • Harmonic Xeno Siege Casing • Pierian Fuel
Generators	Agility Field Generator • Harmonic Agility Field Generator • Ion Field Generator • Harmonic Ion Field Generator • Phase Shifter Generator • Harmonic Phase Shifter Generator
Utility	Harmonic Agility Reactor • Harmonic Warfare Reactor • Harmonic Siege Reactor

Tier 6 Marauder Specials
Thrusters	Voltaic Thrusters
Ship Weapons	Void Ionization • Void Warheads • Void Phasing Magnets • Scourge Fuel
Generators	Agility Field Compact Generator • Ion Field Compact Generator • Phase Shifter Compact Generator
Utility	Overcharged Accelerator

Tier 7 Altairian Specials
Thrusters	Zephyr Thruster
Ship Weapons	Palladium Munition • Neutrino Fusion • Beam Overcharge Capacitor • Ballistic Sabot • Phased Solenoid
Generators	Enguard Overdrive Generator • Riposte Overdrive Generator
Utility	Regeneration Converter

Tier 7 Umbra Specials
Thrusters	Sunder Thruster • Ifrit Thruster
Ship Weapons	Thermic Disruptor • Incendiary Corpus • Apex Impaler
Utility	Magnetic Collar • Hostility Augment

Tier 7 Pharmakon Specials
Ship Weapons	Atrophy Router • Plasma Atrophy Router • Anthracite Munition • Plasma Anthracite Munition • Celestial Optics • Plasma Celestial Optics • Thermionic Filament
Utility	Phase Charge Relay • Phase Drain Buffer

Tier 7 Marauder Specials
Thrusters	Void Binary Thrusters
Ship Weapons	Void Neutrino Munition • Void Beam Overcharge Capacitor • Flux Coil • Void Harmonic Beam Capacitor
Utility	Resurgence System

Tier 8 Specials
Utility	Spearhead Augment • Vanguard Augment

Spectre Division Specials
Thrusters	Tachyon Thruster • Turbo Thruster • Haste Thruster • Orbit Thruster • Union Thruster • Evasive Thruster • Warden Thruster
Ship Weapons	Shielded Conductors • Nitro Munitions • Compressed Rounds
Base Weapons	Ion Apertures • Unstable Warheads • Hardened Munitions
Generators	Spectre Agility Field Generator • Spectre NET Field Generator • Spectre Crippling Field Generator

Retrocitor Specials
Thrusters	Drag Thruster • Salvaged Thruster • Momentum Thruster • Burst Thruster
Ship Weapons	Overload Conductors • Rapid Launchers • Superheated Rounds
Base Weapons	Overlocked Conductors • Rapid Munitions • Exposed Rounds
Utility	Modified Loaders • Lateral Thrusters • Charged Hull • Energy Booster • Unstable Power Cells • Range Booster • Repurposed Squadrons • Shield Regenerator • Modified Targeting System • Field Extender • Point Defense Drones • Expanded Battlefield Salvage • Streaming Weapon Systems • Deflection Protocol • Voltage Maximizer • Pinpoint Targeting

RetroSyn Consortium Specials
Ship Weapons	Annihilation Rounds • Ballista Shells • Disarray Munitions

VEGA Alliance Specials
Thrusters	Adjoining Thruster • Blast Thruster • Jink Thruster • Spin Thruster
Ship Weapons	Galvanic Conductors • Brink Warheads • Kinesive Stabilizers