Star Citizen DefenseCon 2956 Beginner Guide: Play Free, Visit Area18 & Rent Ships

New to Star Citizen? Start here first

The first step is to create your Star Citizen account:

Create an account with 50.000 UEC

Then download the Star Citizen launcher from the official Free Fly page:

Play Star Citizen Free During DefenseCon

How to get to DefenseCon from the main menu

When you launch Star Citizen and reach the main menu, your most important decision is your starting location.

For DefenseCon, I strongly recommend that new players choose:

Stanton → ArcCorp → Area18

DefenseCon takes place at the Bevic Convention Center next to Area18, so starting directly in Area18 is the easiest option for new players. The location and event dates are listed as Bevic Convention Center, Area18, May 14–27.

Area18 may be crowded during the event, but for beginners it is still usually much easier than starting on another planet and trying to fly, quantum travel, land, and navigate the city without knowing the controls yet.

Recommended beginner route

1. Create your Star Citizen account with link above. (If you have shortly created an account you can still enter the code STAR-JG9B-VR4M at the bottom on your profile sidebar on robertsspaceindustries.com)

2. Download the launcher from the official Free Fly page.

3. Start the game and select ArcCorp / Area18 as your starting location.

4. Begin the tutorial if offered.

5. Once you understand basic movement, interaction, elevators, and navigation, pause your tutorial progress and head to the DefenseCon expo.

6. Visit the rental terminals and rent ships you want to test.

The goal is simple: get to the expo first, rent ships, and explore from there.

What is DefenseCon 2956?

DefenseCon is a large in-game ship expo focused on military, utility, combat, support, and industrial vehicles. In 2956, the event is bigger than usual because many manufacturers are represented across the show floor, not only Drake Interplanetary. The event runs from May 14 to May 27, and the final two days make all previous event vehicles available again through rental kiosks.

At the expo, you can walk around the halls, look at ships up close, and rent available ships for 48 hours through the Traveler Rental terminals.

DefenseCon 2956 schedule summary

May 14–15: Drake Interplanetary & Grey’s Market

The opening days focus on Drake ships such as the Buccaneer, Corsair, Cutlass variants, Cutter variants, Caterpillar, Vulture, Ironclad, Ironclad Assault, Mule, Dragonfly, Pitbull, and the Grey’s Market Shiv.

Best for beginners who want to try rugged, practical ships for combat, cargo, salvage, and general gameplay.

May 16–17: Origin, RSI & Kruger

These days include ships such as the Origin 125a, 325a, M80, RSI ships like the Aurora Mk II, Constellation series, Apollo variants, Mantis, Perseus, Polaris, and Kruger ships like the L-21 Wolf and L-22 Alpha Wolf.

Best for players who want to try premium fighters, starter-friendly ships, and larger multi-crew vessels.

May 18–19: Argo, Greycat, Mirai & MISC

This rotation includes utility and support ships such as the MPUV variants, SRV, Starfarer Gemini, Starlancer MAX, Starlancer TAC, Freelancer MIS, Fury variants, Guardian variants, Pulse, Razor EX, Reliant Tana, and the MISC Starlite.

Best for players interested in support, hauling, industrial gameplay, racing, and compact combat ships.

May 20–21: Aegis Dynamics

Aegis brings combat-focused ships such as the Avenger Titan, Gladius, Eclipse, Sabre variants, Redeemer, Hammerhead, Retaliator, Vanguard variants, and the new Tiburon.

Best for players who want to test military ships and fighters.

May 22–23: Crusader & Tumbril

This period features ships and vehicles like the Ares Inferno, Ares Ion, Hercules A2/C2/M2, Mercury Star Runner, Spirit A1, Spirit C1, Nova, Storm variants, and several Cyclone vehicles.

Best for players interested in heavy transport, ground vehicles, and larger combat ships.

May 24–25: Anvil Aerospace

Anvil’s days include the Arrow, Asgard, Ballista, Carrack, Centurion, C8R Pisces Rescue, C8X Pisces, F7C Hornet Mk II variants, F8C Lightning, Gladiator, Hawk, Hurricane, Paladin, Spartan, Terrapin variants, and Valkyrie.

Best for players who want to try popular fighters, exploration ships, medical ships, and dropships.

May 26–27: Finale

During the final two days, all ships previously available during the expo return to the rental kiosks. This is the best time to try anything you missed.

Best beginner ships to try first

If this is your first time playing Star Citizen, do not start with the biggest ship you can find. Try ships that are easy to understand first.

Good beginner choices during DefenseCon:

Drake Cutter / Cutter Rambler
Small, practical, simple to fly, and good for learning basic travel.

Avenger Titan
One of the best all-round ships for new players. Good for flying, combat, small cargo, and general missions.

C8R Pisces Rescue
Small, easy to handle, and useful for medical gameplay.

Cutlass Black
A great step up once you understand basic flight. It can carry cargo, vehicles, friends, and weapons.

Gladius or Arrow
Good choices if you want to learn fighter combat.

Important beginner tip: do not buy too early

DefenseCon is perfect for testing ships before spending money. Rent ships first, fly them, crash them, get lost, and learn what kind of gameplay you actually enjoy.

Star Citizen can be overwhelming at first. You do not need a huge ship to start. A small starter ship is enough, especially while you are learning controls, landing, quantum travel, missions, and inventory.

Free Fly and game package explanation

During DefenseCon, Star Citizen is free to try. That means you can create an account, download the launcher, and play without owning a game package while the Free Fly event is active. CIG describes DefenseCon as a Free Fly event and says new players can try Star Citizen for free during the event.

After the Free Fly ends, you will need a Star Citizen game package if you want to keep playing.