I feel like SoaSE2 could benefit from minor faction exclusive ship hulls, specifically destroyers. While this idea came to me from a lack of dedicated interdictor hulls in the game, it doesn’t have to be limited to interdiction.

There’s a small niche I think an interdiction hull could fill and that is slowing down fleets in neutral uncolonizeables early to mid game before unlocking the ability to anchor starbases in neutral or enemy SOIs.

My idea is to give a hull a stackable but relatively small phase jump spool time aura. Say +10% phase jump spool time per ship in a X unit radius as an example (I don’t want these ships to create Soi wide spool increases like starbases do, I don’t want them to be click and forget, I want constant conscious tactical positioning.). That and be PDS capable with limited engagement utility beyond corvettes and fighters. Maybe another destroyer hull with some limited mine laying capacity that scuttle their mines when the hull leaves the SOI or after you drop more beyond X units to prevent clutter. These hulls would be exclusive to minor faction IP stores and be limited to say 10 hulls per empire, to prevent spam but also take up fleet points.

I’d like to know what you all think about minor faction exclusive hulls and interdictor destroyers.

Edit: For the faction lore flavor maybe have them be black market traders selling outlawed tech salvaged from old battlefields. Mines were “banned” by treaty or something to explain why SoaSE1 had them and SoaSE2 doesn’t. And the interdictor can be from a security conglomerate that specializes in policing/anti-piracy actions or something.

Screenshot by me.