Well, alright. I'm basically trying to build a base killer with my ship, so... just wondering what to change / aim for when leveling up. As well as the title suggests how my ship is doing this far.

*Update, added base production.*

Rank: 73
Race/Profession: Vygoid Excavator
Size: Heavy Cruiser (345 Decks)
Energy: 235 (21 energy per hour recharge rate, 180 Engies)
Hull: 1980
Shields: 100

Attack: 1345 (145 Tactical Officers)
Defense: 230 (100 Helmsmen)
Scan: 1
Cloak: 0
Cargo: 617/820
Upkeep: 90.7M

-Weapon Modules: 4 Dominion MK1s (2 Dominion MK3s in storage), 4 Heavy Anti Proton Cannons.
-Defense/Shields: 2 Scruuge X-Deflectors, 1 Dark Ring Thruster, Harmonic Resonator, 1 T.O. Harmonic Pulsar.
-Hull: 2 Deep Core Neutronium Armour, 1 Protean Armoury.
-Energy: Omicron Injector, 1 Quantum Capacitator IV.
-Devices: None. (2 Tetra-Seek Targeters in Storage)

Productions
Mining: 472/hr (Yeah, been relying on my legionmates lately to help me pay my upkeep until I can get more mining planets. -.-)
Artifact: 354/hr (Member of Crusaders of Navarone, level 5 base provides around 27000 artifact points and 5000 research points. Numbers seem to fluctuate a lot so this is just a rough average)
Research: 877/hr

Go on a scan run soon as you can your productions are very very low. Maybe visit a research base get some good scanners researched then scan away.
Artifact planets are your top priority.

But I already have max planets.

The planets you have must suck then

ohh..

Well, I suppose that's enough about my poor productions. what about my ship itself?

LOL! Okay...

Get that:

Energy Up
Hull Up
Defense Up
Energy Recharge Up
Hull Modules Up
(Energy Modules Up, also. My legion pushes 3 of your best energy mods, not all do though)

Maybe you can go to an artifact legion and just stay there for a while, while researching sensors to scan more planets, like they said.

I can agree to all of that, the only reason my energy modules are relatively low is because I sort of "slow rank naturally". As for legions, I'm a member of Crusaders of Navarone, a level 5 artifact base.

pretty nice, are u a pvp incline personable Nov and mission type?

Well. I suppose I'm mostly a pvp ship (at least for most of the previous while) and going to switch to doing missions for a while to unlock a race. not sure what though.

Probably start with the Kronyn. You'll need to research defense for your planets, and research planets can be useful for research contract credits when you're through the research tree. Money's and minerals not a problem at low ranks and you could buy your minerals with the contract credits.

Here is mine for comparison :

Rank: 98

Size Class: Heavy Frigate
Space: 160 / 160
Attack: 1400 (810 Tactical Officers)
Defense: 186 (186 Helmsmen)
Scan: 1
Cloak: 0
Cargo: 828 / 1580
Upkeep: 97.2M

Konqul: Attack +20%
Fixer: Hull +30%

Energy: 430
Hull: 4004
Shield: 250

Weapons: Dominion Cannon - Mark II x4
Energy: none
Sensors: none
Hull: Perfect Fermionic Armor x2, Vortul Plating, Protean Armory x3
Shields: none
Cloaking: none
Defenses: none

Minerals: 44 units / hour
Artifacts: 129 points / hour
Production: 1199 research / hour

Following the advise I was given Im not worrying about artifacts and minerals until after I reach rank 100

Planets Occupied: 12
Open planet slots: 13

People Give awful advise...

Artifact is key everything else you want a little as you need to get by.

For Research Dont take anything other than Vm gasses Rich ones would be best

For minerals dont take anything other than VL toxics

(Reasons they can both be upgraded as you got a long making more from that one planet slot than almost any demon or anything non Vm gas research world)

For arti Try and steer clear of anything VL VR or below not always easy i know but will help later in game

Things like Small Mega Rich etc would still be fine.

If your Struggling with your research a few weeks slow ranking in a research legion while you work on getting arti planets would be better than Focusing all your efforts on research planets and having to try and catch up to everyone later on in the game.

im actually pretty happy with the advice thus far. my ship is doing well, at least I think so. the only planets I have are very massive and very rich or better, and the only planets I have are gasses, and metallics with 1 ocean for some artifact production.

also I'm not hurting on research, I'm fifnising syncopated plating currently, and then I will start +12 planet structures. my legion gives around 32k artifacts daily which keeps me well stocked and Eulerian alerts really good planets and occasianlly raffels off some extrmly nice ones.

researched mods will only take you so far by about rank 300 you'll be finishing most of the researched tech and all of your ship strength will come from your arti pulls.

Am aware
best laid plans and all that

your going ssb and you were told research was priority number 1?!

only for the first 100 ranks after that 4:1 ratio of artifact:mining, artifact:research until I get at least 10k artifact / hr.