Battle/Units Guide (a bit rusty, but still good)

Inter-drive ships

Unit: Fighter
Cost: 5
Weapon: Laser
Base attack power: 2
Base armour: 2
Base shield: 0
Base speed: 0
Shipyard required: 1
Research required: Laser 1
Notes: This is the best unit in the game. With the highest Attack to cost ratio out there, These units get great loss ratio's against any unshielded unit it the game and under the proper circumstances, Can even get decent ratio's against attacking cruiser waves. Make sure you have clouds of this unit above all of your bases, Masses of them in every assault fleet you have.

Unit: Bomber
Cost: 10
Weapon: Missiles
Base attack power: 4
Base armour: 2
Base shield: 0
Base speed: 0
Shipyard required: 2
Research required: Missiles 1
Notes: To be honest, bombers aren't all that great. Yeah, sure, they have twice the power of a fighter, but they are NOWHERE near as good. They can be used to hit Cruisers with relatively good ratios, and you MIGHT be able to get away with attacking HC with them, but I wouldn't recommend it. Only use these if you are confident that you will get a good ratio.

Unit: Heavy bomber
Cost: 30
Weapon: Plasma
Base attack power: 10
Base armour: 4
Base shield: 0
Base speed: 0
Shipyard required: 3
Research required: Plasma 14
Notes: A great unit for taking out Cruisers and heavy cruisers that have been left out without any fighters to help protect them (Most likely, A base occupation or after a large attack on a heavily defended base). While their high cost prohibits their use, I recomend having 1 of these for ever 15-20 fighters you have in your fleet.

Unit: Ion bombers
Cost: 60
Weapon: Ion
Base attack power: 10 (50% of the weapon power cross shields).
Base armour: 4
Base shield: 1
Base speed: 0
Shipyard required: 3
Research required: Ion 10 + Shielding 10
Notes: While a decent unit capable of taking down mid to top range capital ships from battleships to Death Stars, In reality, This unit fails due to its nasty habit of being hit by large fighter drops. As such, These units are good at creating recycler sized debris out of themselves. Only use when hitting lone capital ships occupying your base, and make sure you're going to be online when the production finishes.

'Utility' ships

Unit: Recycler
Cost: 30
Weapon: Laser
Base attack power: 2
Base armour: 2
Base shield: 0
Base speed: 5
Shipyard required: 5
Research required: Laser 1 + Stellar drive 1 + armour 2
Notes: This ship wins the wars in AE. They provide a great boost in economy in a war by sucking up debris after a battle. Each recycler will collect 10 debris per hour on every half hour when placed over debris. Always make sure to carry a contingent of these with you at all times.

Unit: Scout ship
Cost: 40
Weapon: Laser
Base attack power: 1
Base armour: 2
Base shield: 0
Base speed: 12
Shipyard required: 4
Research required: Warp drive 1
Notes: This speedy ship is mainly used to what its name implies, Scouts. Send these out before a large attack to monitor a region for enemy reinforcements or monitor enemy jumpgates to see where they are going. In peacetime they are used to find UC's and planets to colonize. However, they have another notorious use in a wartime situation. They are used as a speedy raiding ship against Undefended routes and planets.

Unit: Outpost ship
Cost: 100
Weapon: laser
Base attack power: 2
Base armour: 4
Base shield: 0
Base speed: 3
Shipyard required: 8
Research required: Warp drive 1
Notes: Possibly the most important utility ship in the game. The outpost ship is used to build new colonies at other locations. It’s slow and poorly armed, however that is because it is generally a taboo to attack other outpost ships. When it comes to vacant astros it is first come, first served.

Non-shielded ships

Unit: Corvette
Cost: 20
Weapon: Laser
Base attack power: 4
Base armour: 4
Base shield: 0
Base speed: 8
Shipyard required: 4
Research required: Laser 2 + Stellar Drive 1 + Armour 2
Notes: A fast unit with a great cost to attack ratio. Capable of inflicting large amounts of damage against cruisers and some heavy cruisers, Its also one of the fastest non warp units in the game. Commonly used as a rapid strike force to hit undefended recyclers or cruisers left out without guards. This unit should always be included in your main fleet.

Unit: Destroyer
Cost: 40
Weapon: Plasma
Base attack power: 8
Base armour: 8
Base shield: 0
Base speed: 5
Shipyard required: 6
Research required: Plasma 1 + Stellar Drive 2 + Armour 6
Notes: This is probably the 3rd best unit in the game. It wreaks havoc on the midrange ships that are so useful in this game. It is the bane of cruisers and Heavy cruisers. This, Combined with a weapon that uses one of the best techs in the game, and you have a unit that only gets better as time goes on.

Unit: Frigate
Cost: 80
Weapon: Missiles
Base attack power: 12
Base armour: 12
Base shield: 0
Base speed: 5
Hangar spaces: 4
Shipyard required: 8
Research required: Missiles 6 + armour 8 + Stellar drive 4
Notes: Don't build them. They are a waste of credits and can't do anything that other units can't do better.

Small, shielded units

Unit: Ion frigate
Cost: 120
Weapon: Ion
Base attack power: 12 (50% of the weapon power cross shields)
Base armour: 12
Base shield: 1
Base speed: 5
hangar spaces: 4
Shipyard required: 8
Research required: Ion 10 + Stellar Drive 4 + Armour 8 + Shielding 10
Notes: Combine an Ion Bomber with a Frigate. The only saving grace of this ship is the fact that it, along with Ion Bombers, can hit unguarded capital ships when you have nothing else. Otherwise, don't build them.

Unit: Cruiser
Cost: 200
Weapon: Plasma
Base attack power: 24
Base armour: 24
Base shield: 2
Base speed: 4
hangar spaces: 4
Shipyard required: 10
Research required: Plasma 4 + warp drive 2 + armour 10 + shielding 2
Notes: The second best unit in the game. Masses of this unit are capable of leveling the top defenses in the game and Destroying any capital ship up to and including dreads. (the recent shielding changes imply you should not use these against dreads unless in an emergency) This unit should represent a bulk of your main offensive fleet.

Unit: Carrier
Cost: 400
Weapon: Missiles
Base attack power: 12
Base armour: 24
Base shield: 2
Base speed: 4
hangar spaces: 60
Shipyard required: 12
Research required: Missiles 6 + warp drive 4 + armour 10 + shielding 2
Notes: This unit is great for increasing the amount of meat you can bring to a fight. Beyond that, Its combat capabilities leave something to be desired. Never let these go into combat. Never. When Fleet Carriers become available this unit should be used sparingly, traditionally as a slightly faster fighter dropper in an emergency. A fighter/bomber drop can tear them apart at a good profit though, so be careful.

Unit: Heavy Cruiser
Cost: 500
Weapon: Plasma
Base attack power: 48
Base armour: 48
Base shield: 4
Base speed: 3
Hangar spaces: 8
Shipyard required: 12
Research required: Plasma 6 + Warp drive 4 + armour 12 + shielding 4
Notes: This unit does everything a cruiser can do plus hit titans. I recommend including plenty of these in your assault forces.

Unit: Battleship
Cost: 2000
Weapon: Ion
Base attack power: 168
Base armour: 128
Base shield: 10
Base speed: 3
hangar spaces: 40
Shipyard required: 16
Research required: Ion 6 + warp drive 8 + armour 16 + shielding 8
Notes: This unit fits into a unique area in the game. Once your shielding research reaches a certain level, This unit becomes effective against swarms of heavy bombers and Destroyers. Its useful for holding occupations on worlds belonging to lower level players and is the perfect anti leviathan unit later in the game. However, This unit is not quite as useful as the cruisers available to you. Build several of these, But don't let it be the focus of your fleet.

Unit: Fleet carrier
Cost: 2500
Weapon: Ion
Base attack power: 64
Base armour: 96
Base shield: 8
Base speed: 3
hangar spaces: 400
Shipyard required: 16
Research required: Ion 4 + warp drive 8 + armour 14 + shielding 6
Notes: See carrier. This is what you are going to be using to bring the meat to the battle. Keep them, Use them, And don't let them into battle. Improved shields give immunity to hits from Fighters/Bombers/Corvettes.

Capital ships

Unit: Dreadnought
Cost: 10000
Weapon: photon
Base attack power: 756
Base armour: 512
Base shield: 20
Base speed: 2
Hangar spaces: 200
Shipyard required: 20 + level 1 orbital shipyard
Research required: Photon 6 + Warp Drive 12 + Armour 20 + Shielding 10
Notes: This unit sees its main uses in holding occupations due to its power against most mid range players and United colonies. I recommend leaving a few around to hold occupations in a war and then later in the game to take down Death Stars. Improved shields now allow very good ratios against cruisers, but can still be destroyed by them.

Unit: Titan
Cost: 50000
Weapon: Disruptor
Base attack power: 3402
Base armour: 2048
Base shield: 30
Base speed: 1
Hangar spaces: 1000
Shipyard required: 22 + level 3 orbital shipyard
Research required: Disruptor 6 + warp drive 14 + armour 22 + shielding 14
Notes: This unit sucks. Period. Its slow, Its easily destroyed by heavy cruisers and serves no real purpose other then holding occupations against high level players. Use only a handful of these units. Improved shields has given it a use as a cruiser/fighter fleet killer, but its speed limits that ability.

Unit: Leviathan
Cost: 200000
Weapon: Photon
Base attack power: 10000 (10% bonus to fleet attack power)
Base armour: 6600 (10% bonus to fleet armour strength)
Base shield: 40
Base speed: 1
Hangar spaces: 4000
Shipyard required: 24 + level 5 orbital shipyard
Research required: photon 12 + warp drive 18 + armour 24 + shielding 16
Notes: This unit's attack and defense bonus is what makes it worth the slowed fleet and the time to build this floating pile of debris. Left alone, it can be easily sniped by a squad of battleships. Keep it protected and it will prove a valuable asset to your assault fleet. Its ability to use a jumpgate separates it from the Death Star, and makes "tapping" weak bases with it practical.

Unit: Death star
Cost: 500000
Weapon: Disruptor
Base attack power: 25500 (10% bonus to fleet attack power)
Base armour: 13500 (10% bonus to fleet armour strength)
Base shield: 60
Base speed: 1
Hangar spaces: 10000
Shipyard required: 26 + level 7 orbital shipyard
Research required: Disruptor 10 + Warp Drive 20 + Armour 26 + Shielding 18
Notes: There are only a handful of these known to exist in the game. With a production time of over 900 hours for the top players in the game and a power unrivaled in the game, Its hard to know how this unit will effect battles in AE. It lacks the ability to use a jump gate which means it wil most likely only be used in the same galaxy it is built in. The most likely use is protecting vital shipyards or strategic jumpgate nodes. Be sure to keep it protected by a large fleet and do not let it out alone.

Now that we have looked at the different types of ships in the game, Lets learn how to fight with them. Slinging your fleet around in a war is a perfect way to lose it and give your enemy a nice pile of debris to fund his war with. Lets look at the different situations you will see in the game and how to handle each one.
Most large attacks are going to be done in waves. This usually means a wave of fighters possibly followed by a wave of heavy bombers. A fighter wave is a simple tactic that is performed by landing your fleet at the desired target, And then moving to the next available planet leaving behind a number of fighters and then attacking with them. While knowing how many fighters to leave it really or whether a fighter wave it really needed is something that depends on the situation and the player, Most bases with high end defenses or shields, Fleets with a large fighter base, Or when you can remove a large portion of the meat in a fleet in the attack. When doing a fighter wave, I use 1.1-1.2 times the number of fighters I'm attacking or I drop enough to leave 3/4 of the hangers in my fleet without including carriers full. You may want to use a second fighter wave to clean out the remaining meat if you have enough to do it. If the meat has been cleared out and there are a large number of cruisers/heavy cruisers in the fleet, then drop half of your heavy bombers and use them in a wave. The last attack will be with your main fleet. There is no set amounts or times to use waves, Its just up to you the player. however, never be afraid to ask on the guild board in game for help.
Most of the attack you are going to make are going to be against bases, So lets look at what we should be using against them.
Ion turrets and lower = 1-2 Battleships + Fodder. A good rule to follow is one battleship per level. Also, A single titan or dread can be used.
Photon turrets = 5-10 batteships + fodder per level, 1-2 dreads per level, or a titan + fodder
Disrupter turrets = 20-30 battleships per level, 5-10 dreads per level, 1-2 titans
Rings = Use massive swarms of cruisers(500+) and heavy cruisers against these. Don't use anything else if you can help it. Always use fighter screens and clear any fighters from the enemy's bases before attacking.
Shields = Bring enough firepower to kill these in one shot or you will lose more then it is worth to take the base.

The rest of your fights are going to be against ships either in the open or over guild jumpgates. If it is over a base that belongs to the same player, beware command centers. They will make it a lot more costly to remove that fleet. If there are command centers, Kill the meat before going for the bigger ships. Heres what you should be using to kill the different ships in the various fleets across the game. Always attack with a lot of what you need and none of what you don't. NOTE: Your fleet should always be accompanied by fighters. Corvettes, Destroyers, and Cruisers can be used as fodder against larger units (such as Levis and DS) and Corvettes and Destroyers can be used in hits against large numbers of Cruisers/HC to deflect damage away from your Cruisers and HC.

All unshielded units should be killed by waves of fighters. Do not attack large fleets with your main fleet until their meat is dead.
Cruisers/Heavy Cruisers should be taken out with several waves of Heavy bombers, or one shotted (?) with Cruisers (HC may be included if the enemy fleet contains HC as well)
Battleships should be hit with Cruisers and/or HC
Dreads should be hit with Cruisers and Heavy Cruisers (or just Heavy Cruisers)
Titans should be hit with Heavy Cruisers
Leviathans should be hit with Heavy Cruisers or Battleships
Death Stars should be hit with Battleships or Dreads

Once you are done with your attacks, Leave something that will be hard to kill for that player on the base and recycle the debris. Never leave your recyclers undefended.