Frigates

Introduction
The second weakest and second cheapest ship to produce. The frigate is the strongest ship which you can build which does not require crystals. It is slower than a gunship when traveling in normal space but has a higher jump speed.

Advantages
It's the strongest ship which does not require any crystals to build, making it ideal for tanking fleets at low-medium levels. It is also fast to build/repair compared to destroyers and cruisers. Another benefit is that frigates are fast in "regular" space and have more jump speed than gunships, making it possible for frigate fleets to be used to scan planets in other systems.

Disadvantages
The jump speed of the frigate is still low, even though it is 20% higher than the jump speed of gunships. Frigates also lack firepower per leadership point when compared to Cruisers and up (Destroyers have precisely twice the firepower of a frigate). They also can be replaced by destroyers for tanking once ship build speeds are greatly reduced and crystal production is increased due to the Destroyer's improved hull type.