The VZUS opod is a stealthy, data validation vessel with robust living quarters and well-rounded starship amenities. Highly robust scanning radars, antennae, surveillence equipment and packed with explorer drones make this ship a favorite for small deep space explorer crews looking to trade in information with rare and valuable data.”

Find the Vzus Opod on the Start Atlas Marketplace.

Manufactured by VZUS

VZUS is one of the 3 ship manufacturers that have firmly aligned themselves with a single major faction – in this case the USTUR. Their blueprints and designs are focused on mixture of military and stealth technology.

VZUS ships are made mainly of the resources that can be found in higher abundance in the USTUR faction space (Viscovite, Dodiline, Lithium). These materials translate into highly nimble thruster tech and top tier hull reinforcing pipelines.

If you ever want to build a VZUS ship yourself, you will need the according blueprint. How to get one? You will need to get in a manufacturer’s good graces. To get there, you will have to prove that both your interests are aligned and/or that you’re supporting them. In in-game terms, you will need to gain loyalty (aka reputation) with them, before they judge you worthy of building ships with their logo on them (accruing loyalty won’t be possible before the SCORE v1 and CREAM v1 modules have been released).

Gaining loyalty with VZUS requires completing their missions. To gain access to these missions, you will either have to be a member of the USTUR faction or you will need a faction passport. These passes function a little like real-world visas, allowing you to visit another factions’ territory and trade with them. More importantly, in this case, a faction pass will allow you to accept and complete missions for the manufacturers that are aligned to that faction. You can learn more about shipbuilding and blueprints in our in-depth guide.

Component overview of the VZUS opod

There are no big surprises in the VZUS opod when it comes to components – all of them are classified as medium in the size class according to the ship.

As we know from the manufacturer’s description, the opod is supposed to have “VZUS branded stealth features”. However, neither stealth components nor modules can be found in the ship’s marketplace statistics.

Daniel Floyd, Star Atlas chief product officer, clarified that “barebone ships will have an energy output suppression factor baked in as well as the default components that come with it will have stealth class attributes assigned.”

Modules of the VZUS opod

Compared to the components, however, the modules are considerably more interesting. And there are four different ones, an absolute rarity in the lower size ranges.

The GAO version of the opod comes with a Medium Drone Port, a Small Scanner and a Medium Data Rack. The package is rounded off by a Small Smuggle Cargo module. This should cause some speculation about the ship’s role in the Star Atlas universe. Most likely, the collected data and discoveries from the vastness of space are to be safely stowed away as a precaution.

Crew of the VZUS opod

If the opod already offers an attractive package in terms of the number of modules, the number of crew members with 5 is also quite compelling.

In addition to a Captain, Pilot and Co-Pilot, the opod offers space for an Engineer and a Cargo Foreman. Since we already know that there is also a Smuggle Cargo Foreman in the role distribution, it will probably only be a matter of time before the shrewd opod owner exploits this role to the appropriate Smuggle Cargo module.

A fully equipped Generation 1 model

Remember that all ships bought through the GAO (Galactic Asset Offering), are delivered fully loaded. In later game stages, new ships will be barebone and only limited components are bespoke and fixed. So – you’re not only getting a Generation 1 model, but you’re also getting more bang for your buck!

However, the ships will still fully customizable. All the various modules can be changed/sold as needed as confirmed by Bunthius (Star Atlas CPO):  “The plan right now is that all GAO ships come with filled crew/component/module slots. You’ll be able to un-slot all these GAO filler items and sell them, and respec individually.”

See how the Vzus Opod is doing on the Marketplace on our Ship Market Overview.

Earning potential of the VZUS Opod

If you’re wondering how much you can earn with your VZUS Opod in Star Atlas, here are some facts:

Before Star Atlas releases the full game in the Unreal 5 engine, all players have the opportunity to participate in the browser game (called SCORE) with their ship NFTs to generate revenue (learn all the details about the Star Atlas mini game in our guide).

If the player provides his ship to his faction (ONI, MUD or Ustur), he will receive ATLAS, the in-game currency of Star Atlas, in return. This amount is measured by the VWAP (the “volume weighted average price” at which the ship was offered in the Galactic Asset Offering) of your ships. For the VZUS Opod, the VWAP is $1,666.67 USDC.

So if you have the opportunity to buy this ship at a price below the VWAP, this could be a good deal for you (of course no financial or ship advice).