Rapier

Featherweight space superiority fighter. Two electronics and two armour slots, one cannon, extreme agility. Wins by never being hit.

Role in the match

The Rapier is the United League (ULA)'s interceptor for space fights. Unlike infantry guns, you do not purchase it in the loadout screen — Angels Fall First offers vehicles as your score climbs, then lets you customise them with the same Combat / Support / Command budgets you already use for kit.

Crew seats matter as much as the hull. Listed crew for this chassis: Pilot. Fill the seats that actually fire or drive first; empty gunner positions are free damage left on the table.

Interceptor doctrine

Interceptors win early space engagements and hunt bombers. They lack the punch of heavier fighters in prolonged hull trades, so play energy, angles and disengage timers rather than turning fights into brawls.

Tactics

• Hunt bombers and dropships; avoid turret sightlines of capital ships.
• Grav-mode-off drifting lets you shoot behind you while flying forward.

How to get value from the Rapier

Score early with infantry objectives so the offer arrives while the match is still decidable. Once you are in the seat, play the class fantasy above — light transports flank, tanks break open ground, fighters screen, dropships deliver boarding teams. Dying heroically in the wrong envelope just feeds the enemy score and delays your next offer.

Bring a Multitool passenger or wingman whenever the chassis is expensive to replace. Field repairs turn one vehicle life into two or three objective cycles, which is often the real difference on Territories maps.

Loadouts and upgrades

Vehicle modules still compete for the three budget tracks. Do not empty Combat on a vanity weapon if Support repairs would keep you alive longer. Use the loadout calculator to sanity-check ranks, then read the budget system guide and the space combat guide for full theatre doctrine.

Faction counterpart

Across the line, the closest mirror is the Iret (AIA). Learn one and the other will feel familiar — the differences are usually armour, gun arcs and how forgiving the chassis is when you misposition.

Other space vehicles

When this offer is not available yet, or the map asks for a different job, consider:

• Iret (Interceptor) — AIA interceptor.
• Sword (Fighter) — Mid-weight ULA fighter.
• Firefly (Fighter) — AIA medium fighter with dual cannons.
• Katana (Assault Fighter) — Heaviest ULA fighter.
• Salamander (Assault Fighter) — AIA heavy fighter.

Checklist before you spawn into it

• Know whether the current map even fields this class.
• Call for gunners/passengers on voice or text before you leave spawn.
• Pre-plan an exit: repair pad, hangar, or infantry fallback.
• Keep an anti-vehicle infantry loadout ready if you get forced out.