Ship parts that you build with in Starfield can range from usable systems to merely cosmetic pieces. Grav drives are definitely both since you’ll need one to explore the Settled Systems, and well, they look super cool too.
There are several considerations to make when upgrading your grav drive. Grav jump thrust, mass, and drive health are typically the most important stats to think about. If you need a little help discerning the best choice for your ship, here are the ten best grav drives in the game, ranked.
10 SGD 1400 Grav Drive
The basic design and affordable cost make this grav drive appealing early in the game. Its mass is one of the lowest of any top-tier grav drive available, which can help offset its relatively low jump thrust. But that still renders the SGD 1400 unable to reach the most distant stars. So it’s really only good for early gameplay.
- Class A
- Max Power: 9
- Grav Jump Thrust: 19
- Grav Drive Health: 80
- Mass: 40
- Starship Design Rank 1
- Connections on every surface
9 Vanguard Recon Grav Drive
Although this grav drive is quite weak compared to most others, it has ultra-low mass and doesn’t require any Starship Design skill to build, so it’s a popular option for players who want to min-max the capabilities of their primary combat ships. This grav drive can also be unlocked very early on, after just a couple of missions into the Vanguard storyline.
- Class A
- Max Power: 12
- Grav Jump Thrust: 18
- Grav Drive Health: 52
- Mass: 26
-
No Starship Design Skill required; players must complete the
UC Vanguard introductory missions - Connections on front and bottom
8 SGD 2300 Grav Drive
Class B grav drives tend to have a wider range of potential stats than other classes. This Class B drive is closer to the lighter, less powerful end of that spectrum. It has about half the mass of a regular Class C drive, with more than half the jump thrust. But that lower thrust still limits the SGD 2300’s usability to lightweight Class B ships.
- Class B
- Max Power: 10
- Grav Jump Thrust: 30
- Grav Drive Health: 155
- Mass: 77
- Starship Design Rank 2
- Connections on every surface
7 Helios 400 Grav Drive
Arguably the coolest-looking Class A grav drive, the Helios 400 is also one of the most powerful. An exceptionally light ship with one of these installed could even reach some of the most remote star systems. Unfortunately, this drive’s health is also very low, so it can’t take much damage at all before it goes offline and needs repairs.
- Class A
- Max Power: 9
- Grav Jump Thrust: 27
- Grav Drive Health: 84
- Mass: 42
- Starship Design Rank 1
- Connections on front, top, and bottom
6 R-4000 Alpha Grav Drive
This grav drive’s bulky and complex appearance might look good on a HopeTech cargo ship, but it also has connections on every side in case the owner wants to hide it away in between other parts. The R-4000 Alpha has the most drive health of any Class A model, making it an excellent choice for lightweight Class A warships.
- Class A
- Max Power: 9
- Grav Jump Thrust: 27
- Grav Drive Health: 95
- Mass: 47
- Starship Design Rank 2
- Connections on every surface
5 Aurora 13G Grav Drive
The simplicity of this grav drive’s design can easily fool viewers at first glance. The Aurora 13G is one of the most powerful Class B drives in the game, and it still barely weighs more than the weaker Class B units. But it might still need a relatively light ship in order to reach the maximum grav jump distance of 30 light years.
- Class B
- Max Power: 10
- Grav Jump Thrust: 33
- Grav Drive Health:162
- Mass: 81
- Starship Design Rank 2
- Connections on every surface
4 RD-3000 Beta Grav Drive
This is the best grav drive for Class B ships by far, with incredible jump thrust and drive health compared to other series. And the RD-3000 is still significantly lighter than Class C grav drives. The only real reason to get a more powerful grav drive than this one is if your ship is just too heavy to jump as far as it needs to go.
- Class B
- Max Power: 10
- Grav Jump Thrust: 36
- Grav Drive Health: 180
- Mass: 90
- Starship Design Rank 2
- Connections on sides, top, and bottom
3 SGD 3300 Grav Drive
Class C grav drives are the most powerful and durable of all. They’re also extra massive and take up 2 spaces vertically in the shipbuilder. So it’s a good thing that Class C ships are typically huge as well. The SGD 3300 probably looks the most futuristic of them all, but its stats are actually not as great as the more powerful Class C models.
- Class C
- Max Power: 11
- Grav Jump Thrust: 45
- Grav Drive Health: 275
- Mass: 137
- Starship Design Rank 4
- 2x tall
- 2 connections on front, back, and sides; plus 1 connection on top and bottom
2 Apollo GV300 Grav Drive
There are only a couple of grav drives in the game that max out at 50 jump thrust, and the Apollo GV300 is one of them. In addition to the huge size of Class C ships and all those extra parts, all Class C systems have much more mass than lower tiers. Custom ships can be built so massive that grav drives like these even become a necessity.
- Class C
- Max Power: 11
- Grav Jump Thrust: 50
- Grav Drive Health: 288
- Mass: 144
- Starship Design Rank 4
- 2x tall
- 2 connections each on front, back, and sides
1 J-52 Gamma Grav Drive
Although grav drives aren’t usually the most vital of ship parts for staying alive during space combat, they can be useful in retreating from especially deadly encounters. So while the J-52 Gamma drive isn’t much more powerful than the other Class C series, its durability gives it a huge edge in those more dangerous space fights, allowing you to retreat to safety after taking way more damage, making this the best grav drive of all.
- Class C
- Max Power: 11
- Grav Jump Thrust: 50
- Grav Drive Health: 308
- Mass: 154
- Starship Design Rank 4
- 2x tall
- 2 connections each on front, back, and sides; plus 1 connection on top and bottom