// Fleet Research Database

Research Tree

Select a faction to view its ship research chain. Click any ship node for detailed stats. Ships marked green require no Research Points to unlock.

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American Space Force
// Doctrine: Kinetic Dominance — Long-range precision fire

Railguns and precision missiles. Built to pick off exposed targets before they close range. High accuracy at distance.

European Space Coalition
// Doctrine: Area Denial — Control space, punish advances

Minefields and heavy torpedoes. Some EU ships sacrifice shields entirely for significantly reinforced armor plating.

Japanese SSDF
// Doctrine: Electronic Warfare — Disable before engaging

EW suites, EMPs, and cruise missiles. Strips enemy sensors and systems before committing to direct engagement.

Chinese Space Navy
// Doctrine: Directed Energy — Sustained pressure at medium range

Laser beams and blasters. Sustained energy output that grinds down shields efficiently over time.

Russian Space Federation
// Doctrine: Brute Force — Close-range brawling

Heavy rockets and high-caliber projectiles. High armor, high volume of fire. Doesn't rely on finesse to win.

// New Commander Briefing

How to Play

The Basics

Ascension After Thunder is a session-based multiplayer space combat game. You pick a ship, enter a battle, fight over objectives, and earn Research Points to unlock new ships. There is no persistent world — each session is self-contained.

You belong to one of five factions, each with its own ships, weapons, and combat doctrine. Your faction determines which ships you can research and fly.

No Pay-to-Win: Ships are unlocked with Research Points and Credits, both earned in battle. Real money cannot be used to skip progression.

Session Loop

StepPhaseWhat Happens
01DeployPick a ship from your fleet and enter a battle.
02Fight & CaptureEngage enemies and contest map objectives. Damage, captures, and assists all contribute to your score.
03Earn RPResearch Points are awarded based on performance. Winning earns more, but contributing in a loss still gives something.
04Research & BuySpend RP to research new ships. Once researched, buy them with Credits. No real-money shortcuts.
05Into BattleTake the new ship out and refine your fleet composition.

Win Conditions

  • Capture and hold strategic positions on the map
  • Deplete the enemy team's reinforcement pool by destroying ships
  • Protect or destroy a high-value target (flagship, station, supply line)
  • Time-limited territory control — highest score at the end wins

Triple-Layer Defense

Every ship has three defensive layers. To destroy a ship, all three must be depleted — in order. Each layer responds differently to damage types, so weapon selection matters.

LayerNameHow It Works
01 Shield Energy barrier. Depletes under fire, then slowly regenerates over time. Some European Coalition ships sacrifice their shields entirely in exchange for heavier armor.
02 Armor Physical plating. Does not regenerate passively. Absorbs and reduces incoming kinetic force. EU ships that trade shields receive substantially more armor HP.
03 Hull Structural integrity. Zero means the ship is destroyed. No passive recovery. Most vulnerable to explosive and thermal damage. Low hull risks system damage.
Tip: Don't switch to hull-focused weapons until you've confirmed the armor layer is depleted. Mismatched damage types waste significant damage potential.

Damage Types

There are four damage types. Understanding how each interacts with the three defensive layers is the core of combat effectiveness.

TypeEffect
Kinetic High damage to Hull, normal to Armor, low to Shield. Best for finishing off stripped ships. Weak against shields.
Energy High damage to Shield. Each hit has a 30% chance to bypass the shield and deal 75% damage directly to Armor. Makes energy weapons unpredictable but versatile.
System Targets internal systems — propulsion, bridge, weapons. Each system has its own HP pool. Damaged systems lose efficiency but cannot be fully destroyed. Systems repair over time unless continuously hit.
Thermal / Nuclear Large burst damage on impact, then damage-over-time that stacks with multiple hits. Effective against all layers. Most punishing when the target cannot disengage.

Weapons

CategoryWeaponsNotes
Kinetics Bullets, Shells, Railguns Primarily Kinetic damage. Railguns punch through armor better than standard shells.
Explosives Missiles, Rockets, Mines, Torpedoes Mix of Kinetic and Thermal damage. Thermal warheads add damage-over-time.
Energy Laser Blasters, Laser Beams Energy damage. High shield damage with 30% armor-bypass chance per hit.
Specialty Magnetic Bombs, EMP Magnetic Bombs attach to hulls and deal Kinetic damage bypassing deflection. EMP deals System Damage.
Ammo Swapping: Compatible weapons allow mid-battle ammo swapping. There is a brief delay on the switch — it's a deliberate tactical decision, not instant.

Progression

Currencies

  • Research Points (RP) — Earned through battle performance: damage, assists, captures, and match outcome. Used to research new ships.
  • Credits — Secondary currency earned through play. Used to purchase already-researched ships.
  • Tech Points — Per-ship points earned by playing a specific hull. Spent in that ship's Tech Tree.

Tech Tree

Each ship has its own Tech Tree. The tree has more nodes than you can fully unlock, so you must make choices. Lean into speed, survivability, firepower, or signature reduction. Respec at any time using in-game currency.

Upgradeable stats: Speed, Armor, Shield, Evasion, Reload, Repair, Signature, Range, Power.

Ship Mastery

A per-ship experience level that tracks time spent in a hull. Cosmetic only — no combat stat changes. Other players can see your Mastery level.

Skills & Strategies

Command Skills — High Impact, Long Cooldown

SkillEffect
Stationary DefenseLock in place. +50% tracking accuracy, -12.5% incoming damage. Ideal for holding position.
EM BlockadeDeploy a zone that slows enemy ships and disables incoming missiles inside it.
Target SharingBroadcast all spotted enemy positions to the entire allied fleet simultaneously.

Battle Strategies — Active, Shorter Cooldown

StrategyEffect
Anti-SpacecraftLoad specialist ammo for extra damage against lighter ship classes.
Improved Cruising+25% speed across all thrust axes. Short afterburner burst.
General Quarters!+30% tracking speed and faster reload. For close engagements.
Evasion SequenceAuto-countermeasures and +40% turn speed. For disengaging from bad positions.
Air CoverAnti-strike protection for nearby allied ships.
Fire as you BearEngage targets as they enter firing arcs rather than waiting for optimal position.
Mark Target for StrikeCoordinate a bomber or missile strike on a specific enemy ship.

Ship Classes

ClassCategoryRole
DroneStrike CraftSmall and expendable. Swarming and screening. Deployable from Carriers.
USVStrike CraftUnmanned. Operated remotely or deployed from a Carrier.
FighterStrike CraftIntercepts other strike craft. Fast and maneuverable, limited against larger ships.
AttackerStrike CraftHybrid fighter/bomber. Works against a wider range of target sizes.
BomberStrike CraftHeavy damage to capitals but needs escort. Struggles in direct fights.
CorvetteLight WarshipFirst real warship tier. Armed with turrets. More durable than strike craft.
DestroyerLight WarshipFleet protection against missiles, torpedoes, and incoming strike craft.
FrigateWarshipGeneral-purpose. Decent firepower and survivability. Good fleet starting point.
CruiserCapitalMid-weight capital. Balances firepower and speed. Backbone of most fleets.
BattlecruiserCapitalHeavy guns, cruiser speed. Hits hard, moves faster than a Battleship.
BattleshipCapitalMaximum armor and firepower. Slow, extremely hard to kill. Fleet anchor.
CarrierSupport CapitalDeploys and recovers strike craft. Force multiplier, not a direct combatant.
Combat EngineerSupportConstructs field structures, repairs allied ships, handles battlefield logistics.
Auxiliary / CommandSupportJamming, fleet-wide buffs, mobile spawn point for allies.