The best thing about Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is undoubtedly the array of awesome ships from the 40K universe that you get to command, in large numbers, and in battle. Never before in a video-game have we been able to see these monsters in action. Miles in length, armed to the teeth, and millennia in terms of age, these are the most awesome ships you can command.

Voidstalker

One of the biggest ships of the Eldar fleet, it features launch bays, weapon batteries and pulsar weaponry. Unlike other Eldar ships of smaller size, the weaponry is not limited to the prow of the craft, meaning that this ship retains the maneuverability of Eldar ship design but with a much more superior damage output. This is the pinnacle of the mostly highest advanced race in the galaxy, and it kicks ass.

Custodian

Built primarily as a carrier ship, the Custodian (or Or'es El'leath Class battleship) is the latest in Tau ship design. At the rate they’re going, they’ll have made a new one by the time I finish this paragraph, so I’ll be quick! It bristles with ion cannons and railgun batteries, and utilises ‘deflector’ technology that significantly improves the shielding of the ship. Its hull armour is not as great as other ships of its size, but it fits the Tau ethos of ‘Pacifism....until not Pacifism’.

Battle Barge

These are battleships that were under the control of the Legiones Astartes (Space Marines) during the Great Crusade back in 30K. Now in 40K they’re still the back-bone of the Space Marine fleet, capable of transporting three companies of Space Marines and their gear, including enough drop pods to launch all companies onto a planet’s surface simultaneously. Not only that, but these ships wouldn’t be any good if they couldn’t get to orbit in the first place, and so have enough armour and armament to breach any planetary defenses, featuring many bombardment cannons to give unlimited fire support to the space marine companies below.

Deathdeala

The Ork Pirate’s biggest and best battleship, the Deathdeala not only looks like a flying junkyard but acts like one too. It has the most customisable slots in the game, so can be fitted for any occasion, whether it be for pure firepower, or as a carrier. It has as many guns on its prow as it does on its sides, so it can chase enemy ships as well as trade effectively in broadsides. In fact taking the maximum amount of Heavy Cannons makes the close-range broadsides of this ship one of the highest in the game. Oh, and don’t forget to go full power and ram your enemies whenever you can.

Desolator Class

Described as a ‘heavy-lancer boat’, this ship was a prototype back in the 33rd Millennium that defected to the traitor legions, and continued to destroy and evade Imperium forces since. It features extremely accurate and long-range lance weaponry, capable of ignoring shields at a distance, and has the speed to keep away from any threats. These weapons are also used to surgically strike Imperium worlds to sow chaos and death, and suffer no reactionary attack.

Emperor Class

This ship combines the firepower and armour of a battleship, and the utility of a carrier, making it the most powerful ship in the entire Imperial Navy. The long range sensors (or auspex) help allow the complement of fighters to go on especially long reaching missions, and its huge plasma reactors power unparalleled cannons that can fling death and destruction further than any other ship in the fleet. These are unsurprisingly used as flagships in almost every flotilla in the Imperium, and have won countless fame in the Gothic War alone.