1> Recycler ops

You use destroyers, corvettes and frigates (always with a fighter complement) to protect your Recycler squadrons, if you wish to separate them from the main fleet. The idea is to split the damage taken by an enemy attacking your RCs to as many ways as possible.

Also, you use stellar units to attack enemy fleets that contain RCs. CVs are especially suited for this role, as they are both fast and small enough to infiltrate and attack enemy fleets, thus crippling the opponents ability to profit in the war. Destroyers are also efficient in this role, although they are slower and they do not focus as much of their attack power to the RCs inside enemy fleets. Frigates in this role are only viewed as rapid swarm transports, throwing their load of fighters or/and bombers against enemy RC squads and retreating for refilling.
2> The meat shield.

You use stellar units both in attack and defense to provide your main battle units (CRs and HCs) the support needed to fight for another day. Stellar units are expendable, and they have a cheap armour/cr ratio. You use them as a “meatshield”, sacrificing them to get better ratios against base defenses by spreading damage inside your fleet and diverting it from your main battle units.

Fighters are considered as the first tier of meat shield. They are the most cost effective unit in the game armour wise.

The second tier of meat shield contains the following units:

Bombers
Corvettes
Destroyers

After fighters, thee units have the next best armour/cr ratio.

It is highly advisable to NOT use HBs and/or frigates for the meat shield role. they will actually hurt your ratios more than help them.
3> Corvettes

Additionally you use corvettes in the following roles:

a) scouting/eye popping. CVs are fast enough to function as scouts with the added bonus of killing easily enemy scouts. You use CVs both for scouting and in small squads (2 or 3) to kill enemy eyes fast and deny your opponent the view of the battlefield. Small CV squads at most times are undetected by scanners due to the overall small size of the squad so they are ideal for this job. I once killed more than 2,k cr worth of scouts with a single CV named “Eye Popper O_o” over a period of 14hrs….^^

b) Raiding. Players often choose to retain minimal garrisons at UCs and inactive OCCs because they want to preserve their forces or/and they feel that they are safe from an attack. Many times, you can see a single fighter holding the occupation. CVs can wreak havoc in an enemy players OCC network, thus disrupting his income and forcing him to divert forces from the theater of war to re-occupy and protect his occupations.

c) Rapid reinforcements. Many times you will see you attack fleet getting low on or losing its fighter complement when in enemy territory. CVs can replenish a critically low on meat attack fleet with the much needed protection to survive a little more. Fighters are twice as efficient, but if you don’t have enough (or you dont have the means to send them there fast) and you’ve got a fleet that’s about to get hit, get your Corvettes there instead.

4> Destroyers

Additionally you use destroyers in the following roles:

a) CR ~ HC busting. Destroyers are very efficient against cruisers and heavy cruisers that are stripped of their fighter screen. It is highly advisable to use them for attacking fleets that have expended their meatshield protection. A combination of fighters-destroyers will decimate with whooping ratios CR or HC fleets. Also, with some CC backup they become even more deadly, and can avert pure HC rape attacks on your bases. (Is is advisable though NOT to retain them for static garrison duty. Fighters will rip them to pieces 100% of the time).

b) See 3c above. destroyers have the same armour/cr stats as CVs, so they both suit the role.

5> Frigates

Well….frigates still try hard to earn a place in the game. After the hangar bay increase, they have some use as fast swarm units, either transporting fighters for a drop against enemy targets and retreating for replenishment, or filling them up with bombers and attacking Cr/HC fleets for good ratios.

Frigates also have an inexpensive weapon tech, that can make BO/FR squads carry a good punch against attack fleets. BUT, they are still too inefficient to use both as transports, fodder and/or attack units. I personally build some for RC escort duty and fast guerrilla drops, but until they get the 16/16 upgrade in armour/shields their use will remain at best limited…