This was the ship I used to get my mate interested in turret gameplay. He previously only enjoyed doing FPS combat, so I took him along in the Gladiator on the way to clear bunkers or 890Jumps. The torps came in real handy to clear out those defense turrets on the ground. Eventually he wanted to try the guns on something, so we went Bounty hunting...today he's one of the best gunners I ever had the pleasure of sharing a ship with, and he always gets first pickings when we bring out the Hammerhead.
I do like your take on the Gladiator a lot of citizens will just say "oh it is a terrible ship do not buy it" but you made some good points about where this ship sits in a line up. Thank you.
Good to see her get some love. I think she's only forgotten cos she released in a time with very few ships in very very specific metas. Now she's clearly a versatile and scrappy ship in the current PU.
As a solo ship, it’s pretty sucky and won’t really ever be viable unless they add extra armaments on the wings with the rework. It’s extremely confined to being a bomber, unlike the harbinger, which is just heavier and has more of the smaller missiles and 1 less torpedo
@@Farrister My org rolled into Xenothreat with a Connie for cargo/gunshipping, a gladiator as a strike fighter and a warden (all but the vanguard fully crewed). The gladiator may well become our go to ship if we don't need the Connie for combat and need more punch than a gladius.
The Gladiator has long been a favorite of mine for its advertised flexibility and firepower as the born-again analogy of the TBF Avenger or SBD Dauntless of Star Citizen, and I'm very happy to see that it's getting a rework considering it's probably one of the most underrated small craft in the game. The ship really is like the Y-Wing of Star Citizen, and it amazes me how many people just don't appreciate what it brings to the table. I also can't help but notice that, barring any size changes in either ship, the Gladiator fits quite handily on any one of the four auxiliary pads on the Kraken, take that as you will.
Glad I'm not the only one that made this Y-Wing connection. Has me kind of wanting to try one, and I don't do much combat stuff, so that's saying something. I do wonder how useful Torpedoes will be in the final game, though. Will they be like Star Wars/X-Wing games where they're useful even for damaging Capital ships, or are they just "mid-sized missiles" by another name that won't be useful against anything larger than a Freelancer?
I've worked for this one in previous patches. I was not dissapointed. I love how it's an older ship that still works in the setting. I've killed NPC's and Players with this one. Surprisingly good with very smooth flight profile and handling. Don't underestimate this ship.
Great review! I got to test this at the last PTU with the Xeno threat, it was fun. Not sure why I haven't picked one up since. Might have to change that asap.
Thank you for the review. The Gladiator is one of the ships I was always somewhat interested in. Now I might finally give it a try once fleet week is upon us. It could be a good companion to my Hurricane 😊 It has such a classic style to it... I somehow was in the impression it's useless however. Thanks for the heads-up.
Seems like this is the Y-Wing of Star Citizen, which...is pretty cool since the Y-Wing in Star Wars really is the "does a little of everything" fighter/bomber.
I went the harbinger route because I wanted the more pilot controlled firepower. Though I need to try out Gladiator now. I only saw a couple during Xeno threat. They should’ve shined then as well.
I think it will get attention when SQ42 needs them, what people are overlooking is its armor. Armor is not in the game right now, and when it is, this ship might be somewhat tanky and the Hornet is supposed to have good armor too. This ship is still using old tech that will have to be revised for gold standard adding modules and improving its balance in the game. It's the perfect size for a carrier fleet when vanguards or retaliators cant fit or you need the numbers. The torps need an upsize, maybe size 7? It would be cool if the torpedoes could be swapped out for dropping cluster bombs. Maybe have 2 Cluster bombs in the bay or maybe some Napalm.
@@Farrister Me too, I was hoping they would make it a more versatile platform that can carry an array of ordinances. The Eclipse is lightly armored stealth and the Retaliator is stealthy with longer range and increased torpedo payload. The Gladiator is shorter ranged, no stealth, and is carrying obsolete payloads for the role it was designed for. Anti large and capital Vanduul ships is what it was designed to take on. Size 5 doesn't cut it, size 7 would. It's pylon missiles and turret are designed for anti fighters. It has one job, fight its way to the target and deliver its payload and return to its carrier for rearming.
I really like this ship the way it flies not too fast for me to handle and if we can get a blade on the turret later down the line this will be a beast.
There doin rework on it? I recently got the glaive fkn 350 ship i can do anything 40k an under for bounties but higher then that i can't take the damage it hits hard but kinda weak on the defence side
I feel the Gladiator makes a lot of sense as a ship to take in the hanger of Polaris. A half decent fighter that can quickly dispatch 1 or 2 medium ships in a scrap.
** Side note on the Gladiator... It was written that the Gladiator's torp bay was used to haul cargo. Making the Gladiator an ideal emergency delivery ship for extreme weather due to it's capability of flying in adverse conditions.
Great review but i feel it needs to be noted that Mantis GT's ballistic Gattlings not repeaters. It might not seem like a difference, but gattlings are high capacity, high fire rate, low damage. Where-as Repeaters, being the middle ground between gattlings and autocannons, have a all around medium fire rate, capacity, and damage output Just chalk it up to my Loadout builders OCD
Useful video, thank you! Please, can you present Anvil Hurricane? Now, in new flight model, how does it stand? How relevant are his weapons now? Is his turret good being a top mounted one with a restricted firing arc?
Really struggling to find updated reviews on this ship so thanks for this. On the RSI website it has a pic of the Gladiator with a massive turret gut as a pose to the copiloted turret that comes as default. Is this pic just another failed aspiration or can you buy something in the game (like for the Super Hornet) where you can slave the turret to the pilots control?
@@Farrister thanks for clarifying that! Think I’ll look elsewhere for my next ship thrills and you saved me some time. Great work on behalf of the SC community 👍
When the gladiator first came out Arena Commander was the only game in town. It was that or the hangar. The PU was still a dream as was star marine. The Gladiator was the only missile ship in town. For quite some time a couple of players ruined the experience of AC by incessantly jumping in with it and simply lobbing missiles. You could still beat them with a bit of practice but the frustration of having to work so hard to defeat such a lazy pilot who would endlessly abuse what was then such an unbalanced mechanic was frustrating enough I remember it to this day. They just lobbed missiles and took pot shots at you as you worked to dodge them. I can see how they’re balanced these days and will be useful in a group.
Backed this ship way back when it was first concpeted and it was what began my love for the anvil looks. Just wish it was a remote turrent for the gunner as the bubble somewhat ruins the sleek rugged look that was in the concept art. Hopping it will get a little rework when we get closer to sq42
The Gladiator is my favorite ship design in SC, but it hasn't had any real attention in a long time. Originally billed as the top frontline torpedo bomber of the UEEN, it took a minor retcon to being a divebomber intended to get in close to targets for shield-penetrating iron bombs with its 2015 release (alpha v1.1.1). It was a very good ship at the time, but has languished between speed and shield nerfs and power creep by newer ships that overlap its strike role. I think if bombing comes in, along with some bay modularity for the civilian market (SAR and salvage) the Gladiator could really turn a corner. As it is... I think currently it less has "a unique role" than that it sits between two roles, not really doing either particularly well. I remain leary that cease to be a TBF Avenger or SBD Dauntless and instead devolve to the Blackburn Skua of Star Citizen.
I actually feel like the Gladiator's closest comparison ship is the Hurricane. They're both 'small' fighters that rely on a turret gunner to have a competitive amount of fire-power, and with the current state of S5 torpedoes, the Gladiator is more geared towards fighting medium ships than the larger ships that make ideal targets for the true bombers that carrry s9 torps.
@@Farrister Ha, that's what I bought my Hurricane for... wanted the cheapest (in aeuc) option for my gf and I to kill Hammerheads. Gladiator was on the list for consideration, as well, but I'm not sure if it actually has the DPS even with unloading s5s...
At 2mil UEC, you might as well go for a Harbinger instead. One less size 5 torp, but way more pilot controlled firepower and a tougher hull. Stronger shields, too.
true but the glad will/ should fit in hangars for small ships like the polaris or idris where as the harbinger cant. that said for now i do agree with ya tho due to lack of said carriers
@@stonerleprechaun1402 yeah, you’ll be able to pack in more gladiators and upkeep them far more than a harbinger. Though, the harbinger I feel is more for runs by itself or with a small wing because of those beds. There’s a place for both these ships for sure.
Great review thanks! I find myself tentatively in the market for a medium and a light fighter. My goal is the achieve maximum combat capability and versatility with a few ships as possible. You might even say that prospective ships would have to ..... punch above their we... I'll see myself out. I own a Warden and am giving consideration to these ships: Sabre, Gladius, Mantis, Eclipse, Inferno to add depth to my orgs combat wing and provide some variety of play styles. Thoughts? suggestions? Cheers o/
@@Farrister A few ships at the core of my fleet are pledged, the rest will be bought in game. I have an ideal fleet in mind and I'm in no rush to get it, suits me to earn and build over time spending enough time in a ship to gain some competency before moving up a class. Also, my current PC is a grade A potato and upgrading it seems a ways off yet... so building and tweaking my fleet on paper has to suffice for now :)
The Vanguard Harbinger Costs the same and offers better Guns for the pilot and the Gunner + 2 beds ... -1 Torpedo, but with more smaller Rockets or S3 Rockets ... so i choose her over the Gladiator ^^
@@Farrister yeah i know that feeling but there are some tricks ^^ 1. Dont use Rattlers, i know if they work properly they are AWESOME but they have 3 different Bugs :( 2. Shoot 1 Decoy Rocket, to trigger the defensive acts and cout 21/22 in your head and the fire another 80% of the time it hits and the cooldown of the Countermessures are still active 3. Use 8 Strikforce S3 rockets they got good Damage and more important crosssection (ER+IR) (same rule for the Torps) evry small to medium seize ship has just 5 anti ER countermessures, so you can also take 16xS2 Rockets with you to empty the enemy fast an easy! I hope this helps you ^^
This ship is one of my favourites and I look forward to it getting it's cargo and C&C modules. It does desperately need a rework, pretty much updated to be like the super hornet, with a remote turret mounted centrally over the centre of the ship (where the giant cooling disc is) so it doesn't impact pilot vision like it currently does, and an extended cockpit canopy for the pilot/co-pilot to sit front & rear. To make it unique to other bombers, allow the co-pilot to take over missile operation or take over the remote turret and swap between them. He can also activate scanning or with the C&C model mark targets and update party members HUD's. Also it will need a missile payload upgrade or swap out the S5 torps for additional S3 missiles in a specialized rack in the middle bay. I think it should get 2x S3 missiles per pylon as well to make it more competitive. This ship is definitely showing it's tooth with age now. I hope it does get a full rework hopefully.
@@Farrister A full volley of her Torps can kill an Idris rail gun. Other than that me and mine roll with 8 size 1 missiles and 4 size 2 for anti fighter work
@@Farrister Even the part where it was firing straight forward as you fired the twin layers? It looked like it fired and stopped firing exactly and you fired and stopped firing the lazers.
Love that you fetured the gladiator but i do have some nidpicking with this ship, some are just old tec making the ship crap (shields not overlapping doors) while others are designfaults. 1) shields are not overlapping doors, take the ship out and shoot the doors of the ships (entrence and torpedo bay doors), the shots will go streight thru them and damage the hull 2) in terms of guns this thing is worse then 300i and avenger unless u have a gunner, if u have a gunner why not have two ships instead? 3) torpedos and missiles are in a wierd place atm, size 5 torps especially. they are good against nothing, not agile enough vs fighters and tried shooting all 4 against a hammerhead and it did not even hurt the shields. 4) it has no role in the game, make a list of what ships that the gladiator is supposed to fight (what it would be good against). there is nothing, and if there is something i bet u a that the medium or heavy fighters does the job better and sometimes more cheaply. Now make a list of ships that can take out a gladiator, that list is massive. 5) huge pricetag considdering what u get, 6) this ship is not for pve, it uses its missiles (since it only has 2 size 3 hardpoints) so its not economical. untop of that, even with missile just load a 300i or avenger up with close range weapons and they do it better at half the price or less. so its pvp ship that cant pvp. 7) it shares none of its design with good bombers in the game, small missiles, short range, not stealthy (thou with components u can make it so), small radar (yeah it supposed be good at it but the range is crap). I love this ship so much but atm it is by far the worst ship in the game. The only good thing i can say about it is - its small (for what that is worth) - its agility is at a good place (worse than fighters but it actually makes sense) - it looks good. i hope they change this ship because atm its really, really crap
Great comments! I do think the turret gunner is a nice touch - if all of the weapons were directly controlled by the player, this would be a powerful ship. I like the idea that for some ships, performance scales with the number of players, as it encourages variety and encourages teamplay. And the missiles are economical for current prices and returns - you can make a comfortable profit in PvE. But agree with many of your other comments!
i got the ship back with 2016 anni sale... back then one torp could destroy one med ship up to cutlass and the pilot could utilize all 4 guns... so much for that xD -- RUINED
I don't know, I like having ships in game that encourage people to fly together, otherwise we'd end up with even more cases of people just flying on their own :(
When it first came out, I had one and the turret was automatically slaved to the pilot, unless someone was in the turret. Ah the good ole days ... I melted it because the SCM speed was only 140. I don't own anything with small components now (can't travel very far) except a C8X and Ursa that came with the Carrack. Thinking about an Ares though, all med components.
Did they really return the control over the turret to the pilot? And upsized all of the guns to S3??? I was considering the Gladiator my main fighter while it had 2*S2 and 2*S1 until the pilot lost turret-control. It would be superb to return to it if all of this is true as the exterior rework is excellent
she is okay, personally i dont like the single seater type ships as they tend to be only combat but the gladiator is nice to see when taking down large/cap ships
My own take on the Glad He Ate Her is that it's weapon loadout and speed is a bit weak for a fighter. And 4 s5 Torpedoes is weak for a bomber. I'd MUCH rather go with a Saber
@@Farrister not of the Gladiator. I've gone with the Warden instead of Harbinger. Because s5 Torpedoes just aren't great. (and the Warden is faster) But back to medium fighters. The Saber has got it going on. With 3 shields, 4 s3 guns. And it flys well. Not sure if you have heard of "snap ships," but I have mine configured to look as much like a Gladiator as I could make it. If you are not familiar, check it out czcams.com/video/frUMGa8kE58/video.html
I really do love your reviews, and maybe it’s bias because I’ve seen them all until now, but is there no way you could cut the 60 second introduction down to like 30 seconds? I’m genuinely not trying to be rude, just asking. I’m not sure how you edit.
It's not rude at all! I can understand how it can be a bit much if you follow them all :) but many viewers will be tuning in for the first time, and the introduction helps to know what to expect. If you have seen a few, I always put timestamps in the video description, or use the 'chapters feature' to help you skip right ahead!
I tried one during the Xenothreat and wasn't impressed. The small torpedoes barely scratched the Idris and guns were weak for fighters. The second person in the turret would be better flying their own ship. And then there's the Harbinger that is straight up better aside from maneuverability and one less torpedo. And that's a shame when it looks so cool. Let's hope it gets some touching up at some point.
I think it depends. The Gladiator is not supposed to be anti-Idris, but has its own voice. It's quite happy to mix with enemy fighters, the guns being comparable to many light fighters. And the missiles offer extra punching power towards small to medium sized ships
@@Farrister Agreed, the Gladiator is not intended to take on genuine Capital ships like the Idris or the Javelin (I honestly can't see where people got the idea that they were supposed to in the first place), but it's more intended for those ships that lie somewhere in the middle, like the Polaris or the Hammerhead, ships where the torpedoes on a Retaliator would be massive overkill. As for the turret, I can't help but praise it for the size of weapons it mounts and the simply excellent field of view it affords the operator.
I wouldn't expect a single Gladiator to be a major threat to an Idris either but currently a size 5 torpedo does so much damage the Idris shield takes a whole two seconds to regenerate it. Three if it's the pirate Idris. That's rather underwhelming. Even large targets like a Hammerhead or a Starfarer are iffy for that. They have enough shields you need at least two Gladiators. Scatterguns would work better and have more ammunition and can be installed on any fighter. And you don't need a bomber for medium and small targets. Obviously the balancing will change at some point but at the moment I just can't see a role for it.
Size 5 torps are maybe the least usefull armament in the game currently, too slow to hit the targets it can damage noticably and too little damage to make a difference vs Large ships. Gladiator, while not as niche as other bombers, but its still very tied to how usefull the torps are.
@@Farrister size 5s has a 750m/s speed... and size 9s can reach 968 m/s. Pve targets also shoot them down like no tomorrow, so a combination of making them more difficult to shoot and having them track mediums ships more reliably would be fine.
The real problem with the gladiator is that if you are alone your firepower is too low. Even with people, there are better options. This ship is also fairly squishy, considering it's maneuverability in space. I see little to no reason not to go for the Harbinger instead of the gladiator. Unless you have a polaris/idris and want to be able to carry a bomber with you, the harbinger has a little bit less torps, but more than make up for it with more pilot dedicated guns, and some S3 missiles in addition to the same S2 load. For a difference of what... 100k AUEC? I very much prefer the gladiator visually, but it's hard to defend it's price/usefulness. I'm sure the military version will be great, but the civ one is underwhelming right now.
I dunno, I really like it even compared to the Harbinger. The Harbinger is big and heavy, the Gladiator is still more nimble. But that's a fair perspective!
I wish it had a second set of guns for the pilot. Really lets it down. A bit more brawling capability and it would be a really fun ship to play, even solo.
@@Farrister Yeah, either allow the pilot to control the turret, or add an extra set of guns. Even if they're just size 2 mounts, it would make a huge difference. I don't own the Gladiator but have it on loan from owning a Retaliator, and it's a fun, good looking ship, but it just gets shredded solo by any dedicated fighter. It just needs something to help it out.
@@collegestudent6071 it's also significantly more powerful than dedicated fighters at hitting with those big missiles, so I guess it's a balancing issue :(
When I started, 2.6 days, the turret would slave to the pilot just like the superhornet does. It made a huge difference, the worst nerf I have ever seen them do was take that away.
@@Hiigaranwarrior159 oh really? I haven’t been hit by a missile during this entire patch, and it’s even more difficult to hit Arrow and Gladius pilots.
The turret was originally slaved to the pilot if there was no gunner. When they changed that this ship became "unusable" overnight. 2 size 3s is not enough to warrant the hassle of a second player, and 2 size 3s is not enough for any combat ship. It was OP then, but of course that was when missiles were also. The ship makes sense at first glance, but 4 size 3s cannot match any of the front line fighters even if the pilot has control. Combine that with poor handling (compared to fighters) and the current state of missiles and it's immediately apparent why this ship is a -NO GO-. Can you make it work? In PVE sure, if you just want to change things up and have F#$@ you money in the PU go for it. Given the state of AI a properly configured Mustang is viable in PVE... It is 100% NOT viable in PVP when compared to alternatives. I am a little bitter about this one. I still have the Gladiator I bought wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy back in the day and even broke it out for this patch. Still frustrating to use and CIG has shown absolutely zero f$%^s given over the state of it.
The turret will be very underutilized for a second player to man, its nice to mess around with but underwhelming it puts it just on par with competition but requires a crew of 2 to do so.
You can tell that ship was designed by the original team when the studio had like three people. That thing is so disgustingly dated looking and needs a couple of updates and some specific areas to bring it up to current style guides
I feel like when we get computer blades the gladiator will get a massive buff to it's effectiveness. As of right now there is no reason to get a gladiator over an harbinger. Except maybe for the one extra soze5 torpedo, but since the harbinger gets a better overall missile loadout Its not really good enough.
This was the ship I used to get my mate interested in turret gameplay.
He previously only enjoyed doing FPS combat, so I took him along in the Gladiator on the way to clear bunkers or 890Jumps.
The torps came in real handy to clear out those defense turrets on the ground.
Eventually he wanted to try the guns on something, so we went Bounty hunting...today he's one of the best gunners I ever had the pleasure of sharing a ship with, and he always gets first pickings when we bring out the Hammerhead.
That's an awesome tale!
I do like your take on the Gladiator a lot of citizens will just say "oh it is a terrible ship do not buy it" but you made some good points about where this ship sits in a line up. Thank you.
Thank you, I do think it can be really fun if you know what you are getting into!
most of that is do to people repeating outdate info.
Good to see her get some love.
I think she's only forgotten cos she released in a time with very few ships in very very specific metas.
Now she's clearly a versatile and scrappy ship in the current PU.
As a solo ship, it’s pretty sucky and won’t really ever be viable unless they add extra armaments on the wings with the rework. It’s extremely confined to being a bomber, unlike the harbinger, which is just heavier and has more of the smaller missiles and 1 less torpedo
But it isn't a solo ship :)
@@Farrister My org rolled into Xenothreat with a Connie for cargo/gunshipping, a gladiator as a strike fighter and a warden (all but the vanguard fully crewed). The gladiator may well become our go to ship if we don't need the Connie for combat and need more punch than a gladius.
The Gladiator has long been a favorite of mine for its advertised flexibility and firepower as the born-again analogy of the TBF Avenger or SBD Dauntless of Star Citizen, and I'm very happy to see that it's getting a rework considering it's probably one of the most underrated small craft in the game.
The ship really is like the Y-Wing of Star Citizen, and it amazes me how many people just don't appreciate what it brings to the table.
I also can't help but notice that, barring any size changes in either ship, the Gladiator fits quite handily on any one of the four auxiliary pads on the Kraken, take that as you will.
Absolutely see the Gladiator as analogous to the TBF Avenger!
I like the Gladiator. To me, it's the Y-wing of the Star Citizen universe.
Stay on target...
Glad I'm not the only one that made this Y-Wing connection. Has me kind of wanting to try one, and I don't do much combat stuff, so that's saying something.
I do wonder how useful Torpedoes will be in the final game, though. Will they be like Star Wars/X-Wing games where they're useful even for damaging Capital ships, or are they just "mid-sized missiles" by another name that won't be useful against anything larger than a Freelancer?
Your vids have a really chill vibe. Love em!
Thank you!
Love this ship. hate how neglected it feels.
I really like it too :)
Me and my mates got talking about them as we had never seen them in verse and after trialing one we have mined our way up to owning 3 or 4
I've worked for this one in previous patches. I was not dissapointed. I love how it's an older ship that still works in the setting. I've killed NPC's and Players with this one. Surprisingly good with very smooth flight profile and handling. Don't underestimate this ship.
Very good review. I'm going to be checking this ship out.
Hope you enjoy it!
Great review! I got to test this at the last PTU with the Xeno threat, it was fun. Not sure why I haven't picked one up since. Might have to change that asap.
Yours for only 2m aUEC xD
One of the few shops I saved up for and bought in game. Love this ship
I can understand why!
Great little bomber with unique qualities
A bit of a brawler too!
@@Farrister
Indeed I was quite pleased with how well you can fight one on one with it! Holds her own for sure!
Thank you for the review. The Gladiator is one of the ships I was always somewhat interested in. Now I might finally give it a try once fleet week is upon us. It could be a good companion to my Hurricane 😊 It has such a classic style to it... I somehow was in the impression it's useless however. Thanks for the heads-up.
Definitely not useless! Really needs that second player to be at full capacity, but than can be really fun!
Since I have a Hurricane for a reason (we use it regularly) the second player is not a problem.
Seems like this is the Y-Wing of Star Citizen, which...is pretty cool since the Y-Wing in Star Wars really is the "does a little of everything" fighter/bomber.
It kinda is a little bit
It truly is a hidden gem, but it's sad that even CIG overlooks it
Hopefully will get some more love with Squadron 42
I went the harbinger route because I wanted the more pilot controlled firepower. Though I need to try out Gladiator now. I only saw a couple during Xeno threat. They should’ve shined then as well.
I think a few people would make the same choice!
I think it will get attention when SQ42 needs them, what people are overlooking is its armor. Armor is not in the game right now, and when it is, this ship might be somewhat tanky and the Hornet is supposed to have good armor too. This ship is still using old tech that will have to be revised for gold standard adding modules and improving its balance in the game. It's the perfect size for a carrier fleet when vanguards or retaliators cant fit or you need the numbers. The torps need an upsize, maybe size 7? It would be cool if the torpedoes could be swapped out for dropping cluster bombs. Maybe have 2 Cluster bombs in the bay or maybe some Napalm.
I really hope it becomes really strong and tanky, that would be awesome!
@@Farrister Me too, I was hoping they would make it a more versatile platform that can carry an array of ordinances. The Eclipse is lightly armored stealth and the Retaliator is stealthy with longer range and increased torpedo payload. The Gladiator is shorter ranged, no stealth, and is carrying obsolete payloads for the role it was designed for. Anti large and capital Vanduul ships is what it was designed to take on. Size 5 doesn't cut it, size 7 would. It's pylon missiles and turret are designed for anti fighters. It has one job, fight its way to the target and deliver its payload and return to its carrier for rearming.
I really like this ship the way it flies not too fast for me to handle and if we can get a blade on the turret later down the line this will be a beast.
I don't know if it will be powerful enough to run a blade!
I enjoy the low flying very much. Makes me wanna get one of these and simply cruise on any planet surface. very nice
The low SCM speed makes it feel faster than it is, but it feels really nice to fly!
@@Farrister Looks like it is. The cockpit design is different than any other ship as well, love it all around.
I like the entering to the ship no interior XD
Yeah :(
Cant wait for the rework on the Glaive, Blade and the Gladiator.
Will be interesting to see what changes!
@@Darthborg oof I don't even have access to that lol, I'm a Discord guy xD
There doin rework on it? I recently got the glaive fkn 350 ship i can do anything 40k an under for bounties but higher then that i can't take the damage it hits hard but kinda weak on the defence side
@@SosayGacha yes the rework can be seen and is finished. How du mb are you, type in youtube glaive rework.
I feel the Gladiator makes a lot of sense as a ship to take in the hanger of Polaris. A half decent fighter that can quickly dispatch 1 or 2 medium ships in a scrap.
Haha for when your Polaris doesn't have enough torpedoes? :D
** Side note on the Gladiator... It was written that the Gladiator's torp bay was used to haul cargo. Making the Gladiator an ideal emergency delivery ship for extreme weather due to it's capability of flying in adverse conditions.
Interesting, would love to see that! Not currently in game though :(
@@Farrister me too! I hold onto my Gladiator hoping to use it as a short range traveler one day.
Great review but i feel it needs to be noted that Mantis GT's ballistic Gattlings not repeaters. It might not seem like a difference, but gattlings are high capacity, high fire rate, low damage. Where-as Repeaters, being the middle ground between gattlings and autocannons, have a all around medium fire rate, capacity, and damage output
Just chalk it up to my Loadout builders OCD
I didn't even know that! Learn something every day, thank you for sharing!
Useful video, thank you! Please, can you present Anvil Hurricane? Now, in new flight model, how does it stand? How relevant are his weapons now? Is his turret good being a top mounted one with a restricted firing arc?
Yes, I plan to revisit :)
Really struggling to find updated reviews on this ship so thanks for this. On the RSI website it has a pic of the Gladiator with a massive turret gut as a pose to the copiloted turret that comes as default. Is this pic just another failed aspiration or can you buy something in the game (like for the Super Hornet) where you can slave the turret to the pilots control?
Not at the moment, it's gunner only
@@Farrister thanks for clarifying that! Think I’ll look elsewhere for my next ship thrills and you saved me some time. Great work on behalf of the SC community 👍
@@simonm7590 you're welcome and thank you - you can try out all sorts for free by heading to the IAE in game for the next week or so!
Oh great, another ship I want.
Wellp, back to farming!
Haha, story of my life :D
When the gladiator first came out Arena Commander was the only game in town. It was that or the hangar. The PU was still a dream as was star marine. The Gladiator was the only missile ship in town. For quite some time a couple of players ruined the experience of AC by incessantly jumping in with it and simply lobbing missiles. You could still beat them with a bit of practice but the frustration of having to work so hard to defeat such a lazy pilot who would endlessly abuse what was then such an unbalanced mechanic was frustrating enough I remember it to this day. They just lobbed missiles and took pot shots at you as you worked to dodge them. I can see how they’re balanced these days and will be useful in a group.
But can still lob missiles :)
@@Farrister sure but these days there are plenty of situations where it will be vulnerable. Back then in was a shark in a fish bowl.
Backed this ship way back when it was first concpeted and it was what began my love for the anvil looks. Just wish it was a remote turrent for the gunner as the bubble somewhat ruins the sleek rugged look that was in the concept art. Hopping it will get a little rework when we get closer to sq42
Would be interesting to see as a remote option :)
The Gladiator is a great ground pounder
Oh I didn't even consider that!
The Gladiator is my favorite ship design in SC, but it hasn't had any real attention in a long time. Originally billed as the top frontline torpedo bomber of the UEEN, it took a minor retcon to being a divebomber intended to get in close to targets for shield-penetrating iron bombs with its 2015 release (alpha v1.1.1). It was a very good ship at the time, but has languished between speed and shield nerfs and power creep by newer ships that overlap its strike role.
I think if bombing comes in, along with some bay modularity for the civilian market (SAR and salvage) the Gladiator could really turn a corner. As it is... I think currently it less has "a unique role" than that it sits between two roles, not really doing either particularly well. I remain leary that cease to be a TBF Avenger or SBD Dauntless and instead devolve to the Blackburn Skua of Star Citizen.
Love the comparison to carrier attack aircraft!
@@Farrister Thanks! It seems to be how CIG conceptualizes a lot of their ship roles, so I try to do the same.
I actually feel like the Gladiator's closest comparison ship is the Hurricane. They're both 'small' fighters that rely on a turret gunner to have a competitive amount of fire-power, and with the current state of S5 torpedoes, the Gladiator is more geared towards fighting medium ships than the larger ships that make ideal targets for the true bombers that carrry s9 torps.
Until you encounter somebody who uses a Hurricane with those scatterguns, and watch in horror as they quickly kill Hammerheads :(
@@Farrister Ha, that's what I bought my Hurricane for... wanted the cheapest (in aeuc) option for my gf and I to kill Hammerheads. Gladiator was on the list for consideration, as well, but I'm not sure if it actually has the DPS even with unloading s5s...
At 2mil UEC, you might as well go for a Harbinger instead. One less size 5 torp, but way more pilot controlled firepower and a tougher hull. Stronger shields, too.
true but the glad will/ should fit in hangars for small ships like the polaris or idris where as the harbinger cant. that said for now i do agree with ya tho due to lack of said carriers
@@stonerleprechaun1402 yeah, you’ll be able to pack in more gladiators and upkeep them far more than a harbinger. Though, the harbinger I feel is more for runs by itself or with a small wing because of those beds. There’s a place for both these ships for sure.
Maybe - they're all performance trade-offs, and the Harbinger is quite a bit bigger and heavier, which some may not prefer!
Its the Star Citizen Tornado :D
Yeah!!
I chose the Hurricane. But I will test that ship as soon as I could.
I like the Hurricane too!
Great review thanks! I find myself tentatively in the market for a medium and a light fighter. My goal is the achieve maximum combat capability and versatility with a few ships as possible. You might even say that prospective ships would have to ..... punch above their we... I'll see myself out.
I own a Warden and am giving consideration to these ships: Sabre, Gladius, Mantis, Eclipse, Inferno to add depth to my orgs combat wing and provide some variety of play styles.
Thoughts? suggestions?
Cheers o/
Haha - are you buying in game or considering pledge?
@@Farrister A few ships at the core of my fleet are pledged, the rest will be bought in game. I have an ideal fleet in mind and I'm in no rush to get it, suits me to earn and build over time spending enough time in a ship to gain some competency before moving up a class.
Also, my current PC is a grade A potato and upgrading it seems a ways off yet... so building and tweaking my fleet on paper has to suffice for now :)
The Vanguard Harbinger Costs the same and offers better Guns for the pilot and the Gunner + 2 beds ... -1 Torpedo, but with more smaller Rockets or S3 Rockets ... so i choose her over the Gladiator ^^
I struggle with the rockets on the Harbinger :(
@@Farrister yeah i know that feeling but there are some tricks ^^ 1. Dont use Rattlers, i know if they work properly they are AWESOME but they have 3 different Bugs :( 2. Shoot 1 Decoy Rocket, to trigger the defensive acts and cout 21/22 in your head and the fire another 80% of the time it hits and the cooldown of the Countermessures are still active 3. Use 8 Strikforce S3 rockets they got good Damage and more important crosssection (ER+IR) (same rule for the Torps) evry small to medium seize ship has just 5 anti ER countermessures, so you can also take 16xS2 Rockets with you to empty the enemy fast an easy! I hope this helps you ^^
This ship is one of my favourites and I look forward to it getting it's cargo and C&C modules.
It does desperately need a rework, pretty much updated to be like the super hornet, with a remote turret mounted centrally over the centre of the ship (where the giant cooling disc is) so it doesn't impact pilot vision like it currently does, and an extended cockpit canopy for the pilot/co-pilot to sit front & rear. To make it unique to other bombers, allow the co-pilot to take over missile operation or take over the remote turret and swap between them. He can also activate scanning or with the C&C model mark targets and update party members HUD's.
Also it will need a missile payload upgrade or swap out the S5 torps for additional S3 missiles in a specialized rack in the middle bay. I think it should get 2x S3 missiles per pylon as well to make it more competitive.
This ship is definitely showing it's tooth with age now. I hope it does get a full rework hopefully.
Nice comments! I think it feels fairly competitive already?
@@Farrister A full volley of her Torps can kill an Idris rail gun. Other than that me and mine roll with 8 size 1 missiles and 4 size 2 for anti fighter work
How were you able to fire the manned torrent from the pilot seat? I've been trying and failing to do that
I wasn't. There's a man in there!
@@Farrister Even the part where it was firing straight forward as you fired the twin layers? It looked like it fired and stopped firing exactly and you fired and stopped firing the lazers.
@@Maltalionis yeah I don't think it's a solo ship
@@Farrister Fair enough, thank you for replying and your videos are great.
can the turrent be used remotely like the super hornet or is it 2nd player controlled only ?
Player only
Is the pilot able to use the turret guns when flying solo?
Nope :)
Love that you fetured the gladiator but i do have some nidpicking with this ship, some are just old tec making the ship crap (shields not overlapping doors) while others are designfaults.
1) shields are not overlapping doors, take the ship out and shoot the doors of the ships (entrence and torpedo bay doors), the shots will go streight thru them and damage the hull
2) in terms of guns this thing is worse then 300i and avenger unless u have a gunner, if u have a gunner why not have two ships instead?
3) torpedos and missiles are in a wierd place atm, size 5 torps especially. they are good against nothing, not agile enough vs fighters and tried shooting all 4 against a hammerhead and it did not even hurt the shields.
4) it has no role in the game, make a list of what ships that the gladiator is supposed to fight (what it would be good against). there is nothing, and if there is something i bet u a that the medium or heavy fighters does the job better and sometimes more cheaply. Now make a list of ships that can take out a gladiator, that list is massive.
5) huge pricetag considdering what u get,
6) this ship is not for pve, it uses its missiles (since it only has 2 size 3 hardpoints) so its not economical. untop of that, even with missile just load a 300i or avenger up with close range weapons and they do it better at half the price or less. so its pvp ship that cant pvp.
7) it shares none of its design with good bombers in the game, small missiles, short range, not stealthy (thou with components u can make it so), small radar (yeah it supposed be good at it but the range is crap).
I love this ship so much but atm it is by far the worst ship in the game. The only good thing i can say about it is
- its small (for what that is worth)
- its agility is at a good place (worse than fighters but it actually makes sense)
- it looks good.
i hope they change this ship because atm its really, really crap
Great comments!
I do think the turret gunner is a nice touch - if all of the weapons were directly controlled by the player, this would be a powerful ship. I like the idea that for some ships, performance scales with the number of players, as it encourages variety and encourages teamplay. And the missiles are economical for current prices and returns - you can make a comfortable profit in PvE.
But agree with many of your other comments!
i got the ship back with 2016 anni sale... back then one torp could destroy one med ship up to cutlass and the pilot could utilize all 4 guns... so much for that xD -- RUINED
I hope the turret can eventuallly be slaved to just point in front and be able to be pilot operated as well
I don't know, I like having ships in game that encourage people to fly together, otherwise we'd end up with even more cases of people just flying on their own :(
When it first came out, I had one and the turret was automatically slaved to the pilot, unless someone was in the turret. Ah the good ole days ... I melted it because the SCM speed was only 140. I don't own anything with small components now (can't travel very far) except a C8X and Ursa that came with the Carrack. Thinking about an Ares though, all med components.
If the turret was slaveable to the pilot, she an extra shield gen & the wing missiles where s3.... shed be a great ship
Sounds overpowered lol - you can change out the wing missiles for size 3 - I roll 4x s5, 2xs3 and 4xs2 for my combat setup.
Did they really return the control over the turret to the pilot? And upsized all of the guns to S3???
I was considering the Gladiator my main fighter while it had 2*S2 and 2*S1 until the pilot lost turret-control. It would be superb to return to it if all of this is true as the exterior rework is excellent
It's still done by the gunner, it would be quite powerful if it was all pilot!
@@Farrister it's sad, as i have spent a long time in arena flying the Gladiator
she is okay, personally i dont like the single seater type ships as they tend to be only combat but the gladiator is nice to see when taking down large/cap ships
Although it's also largely just for combat :(
@@Farrister yeah i'm more into ships that can do more than just combat like the cutty black
Is it just me or does it look like this does gonna eventually possibly have a ball turret in the middle?
That ball totally looks like it should have!
Unfortunately the turret guns can no longer be used from the pilot seat.
I think that's OK, I like ships that encourage multi-crew!
Arguably the most versatile combat ship in Star Citizen.
I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it definitely falls into a really interesting niche!
My own take on the Glad He Ate Her is that it's weapon loadout and speed is a bit weak for a fighter. And 4 s5 Torpedoes is weak for a bomber. I'd MUCH rather go with a Saber
Oh Ted, I thought you'd be a fan!!
@@Farrister not of the Gladiator. I've gone with the Warden instead of Harbinger. Because s5 Torpedoes just aren't great. (and the Warden is faster)
But back to medium fighters. The Saber has got it going on. With 3 shields, 4 s3 guns. And it flys well.
Not sure if you have heard of "snap ships," but I have mine configured to look as much like a Gladiator as I could make it. If you are not familiar, check it out
czcams.com/video/frUMGa8kE58/video.html
I really do love your reviews, and maybe it’s bias because I’ve seen them all until now, but is there no way you could cut the 60 second introduction down to like 30 seconds?
I’m genuinely not trying to be rude, just asking. I’m not sure how you edit.
It's not rude at all! I can understand how it can be a bit much if you follow them all :) but many viewers will be tuning in for the first time, and the introduction helps to know what to expect.
If you have seen a few, I always put timestamps in the video description, or use the 'chapters feature' to help you skip right ahead!
I tried one during the Xenothreat and wasn't impressed. The small torpedoes barely scratched the Idris and guns were weak for fighters. The second person in the turret would be better flying their own ship. And then there's the Harbinger that is straight up better aside from maneuverability and one less torpedo. And that's a shame when it looks so cool. Let's hope it gets some touching up at some point.
I think it depends. The Gladiator is not supposed to be anti-Idris, but has its own voice. It's quite happy to mix with enemy fighters, the guns being comparable to many light fighters. And the missiles offer extra punching power towards small to medium sized ships
@@Farrister Agreed, the Gladiator is not intended to take on genuine Capital ships like the Idris or the Javelin (I honestly can't see where people got the idea that they were supposed to in the first place), but it's more intended for those ships that lie somewhere in the middle, like the Polaris or the Hammerhead, ships where the torpedoes on a Retaliator would be massive overkill.
As for the turret, I can't help but praise it for the size of weapons it mounts and the simply excellent field of view it affords the operator.
I wouldn't expect a single Gladiator to be a major threat to an Idris either but currently a size 5 torpedo does so much damage the Idris shield takes a whole two seconds to regenerate it. Three if it's the pirate Idris. That's rather underwhelming.
Even large targets like a Hammerhead or a Starfarer are iffy for that. They have enough shields you need at least two Gladiators. Scatterguns would work better and have more ammunition and can be installed on any fighter. And you don't need a bomber for medium and small targets.
Obviously the balancing will change at some point but at the moment I just can't see a role for it.
Size 5 torps are maybe the least usefull armament in the game currently, too slow to hit the targets it can damage noticably and too little damage to make a difference vs Large ships.
Gladiator, while not as niche as other bombers, but its still very tied to how usefull the torps are.
It would be nice if the torps were just a little more effective against medium sized ships, that would be the sweet spot I think
@@Farrister size 5s has a 750m/s speed... and size 9s can reach 968 m/s.
Pve targets also shoot them down like no tomorrow, so a combination of making them more difficult to shoot and having them track mediums ships more reliably would be fine.
The real problem with the gladiator is that if you are alone your firepower is too low. Even with people, there are better options. This ship is also fairly squishy, considering it's maneuverability in space. I see little to no reason not to go for the Harbinger instead of the gladiator. Unless you have a polaris/idris and want to be able to carry a bomber with you, the harbinger has a little bit less torps, but more than make up for it with more pilot dedicated guns, and some S3 missiles in addition to the same S2 load. For a difference of what... 100k AUEC?
I very much prefer the gladiator visually, but it's hard to defend it's price/usefulness. I'm sure the military version will be great, but the civ one is underwhelming right now.
I dunno, I really like it even compared to the Harbinger. The Harbinger is big and heavy, the Gladiator is still more nimble. But that's a fair perspective!
I wish it had a second set of guns for the pilot. Really lets it down. A bit more brawling capability and it would be a really fun ship to play, even solo.
Do you mean both sets of guns for the pilot, to fly it solo?
@@Farrister Yeah, either allow the pilot to control the turret, or add an extra set of guns. Even if they're just size 2 mounts, it would make a huge difference. I don't own the Gladiator but have it on loan from owning a Retaliator, and it's a fun, good looking ship, but it just gets shredded solo by any dedicated fighter. It just needs something to help it out.
@@collegestudent6071 it's also significantly more powerful than dedicated fighters at hitting with those big missiles, so I guess it's a balancing issue :(
When I started, 2.6 days, the turret would slave to the pilot just like the superhornet does. It made a huge difference, the worst nerf I have ever seen them do was take that away.
GIB Me my Y-wing! lol
Stay on target!
Missiles are worthless currently, but someday the Gladiator will be a decent little ship again.
I wouldn't have said worthless, they do a good chunk of damage?
@@Farrister missiles are hardly worthless, most people just don't understand how to use them properly.
@@Farrister targeting is currently broken. It’s far too easy to dodge them.
@@Hiigaranwarrior159 oh really? I haven’t been hit by a missile during this entire patch, and it’s even more difficult to hit Arrow and Gladius pilots.
@@SaintNyx are you talking about hitting players, or AI? I've had no real problems against AI, sometimes they dodge, mostly they get hit
16 size 1 missiles. 8 size 2 missiles or 4 size 3 missiles.
4 size 5 missiles.
4 size 3 guns..
Not bad, but needs more
haha, more?
22 months ago
close to the harbinger, isnt it
A lot of people are making the direct comparison!
The turret was originally slaved to the pilot if there was no gunner. When they changed that this ship became "unusable" overnight. 2 size 3s is not enough to warrant the hassle of a second player, and 2 size 3s is not enough for any combat ship. It was OP then, but of course that was when missiles were also.
The ship makes sense at first glance, but 4 size 3s cannot match any of the front line fighters even if the pilot has control. Combine that with poor handling (compared to fighters) and the current state of missiles and it's immediately apparent why this ship is a -NO GO-. Can you make it work? In PVE sure, if you just want to change things up and have F#$@ you money in the PU go for it. Given the state of AI a properly configured Mustang is viable in PVE...
It is 100% NOT viable in PVP when compared to alternatives.
I am a little bitter about this one. I still have the Gladiator I bought wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy back in the day and even broke it out for this patch. Still frustrating to use and CIG has shown absolutely zero f$%^s given over the state of it.
That being said I did enjoy the video :)
Yeah I think that's fair enough if you are looking for a PvP ship
The turret will be very underutilized for a second player to man, its nice to mess around with but underwhelming it puts it just on par with competition but requires a crew of 2 to do so.
Yeah, I like the idea though, something about shooting behind you at attackers!
@@Farrister that's sure is a pro.
@@michaelstellitano2810 Works brill in Xenothreat and allows her to go anti fighter once her Torps are off the rails.
You can tell that ship was designed by the original team when the studio had like three people. That thing is so disgustingly dated looking and needs a couple of updates and some specific areas to bring it up to current style guides
Haha I feel like you were thinking "eww, gross" when looking at it xD
I feel like when we get computer blades the gladiator will get a massive buff to it's effectiveness.
As of right now there is no reason to get a gladiator over an harbinger.
Except maybe for the one extra soze5 torpedo, but since the harbinger gets a better overall missile loadout Its not really good enough.
Perhaps - depends whether it will be able to operate solo or will always require a gunner
From memory since it's a crewed seat you'll have to hire an NPC not blade it
first
Yes!