Hello Citizens and welcome back. When we first heard about the RSI Hermes—a variant of the already established RSI Apollo design—many people were skeptical about its purpose and utility. After all, the Apollo chassis didn’t seem particularly suited to cargo hauling. Even before we got our first look at the new RSI ship, plenty assumed the Hermes would be just another RSI cash grab.

After the first leaked images and later public advertisements, the criticism didn’t stop. “Dead on Arrival” became the common mantra, and “RSI Herpes” was already a widely used nickname before anyone had even stepped inside the ship. Much of the criticism focused on the seemingly tiny rear ramp, which many believed would make loading cargo an absolute nightmare.

Yet once people began getting their hands on the RSI Hermes, opinions shifted quickly. What started as skepticism—or outright dismissal—turned into genuine surprise at the ship’s design and performance. People quickly noticed its redeeming qualities, and the fact that the rear ramp actually handled cargo better than expected. Reviews began popping up everywhere praising how surprisingly capable the ship really was.

But what truly stood out to us—and to many others—was the ship’s rail-mounted tractor beam. Yes, a ship tractor beam. Something that, until now, has often felt more like a gimmick than a fun and engaging feature. 

Ship tractor beams so far

The first ship tractor beams were introduced over a year ago, primarily on salvage ships to help move debris—and of course with the arrival of the Argo SRV for towing damaged ships through space.

After that, tractor beams slowly began appearing on more ships across the verse—with mixed results. We still remember using one for the first time on the Crusader C1. It was… awkward. The tractor beam was positioned in a strange location, forcing you to move cargo from outside the ship while awkwardly turning inward. 

That trend continued with many ships. On several Drake vessels, for example, tractor beams often felt like an afterthought rather than a carefully designed utility. The Cutlass tractor beam barely provided visibility into its own cargo area, while the Caterpillar’s beams couldn’t really see the cargo grid at all—making even simple cargo movement unnecessarily clumsy. On top of that, they often felt slow and sluggish, and moving cargo simply didn’t feel smooth.

Later ships improved things somewhat. The RSI Zeus CL introduced a tractor beam mounted on an extending arm, greatly improving visibility and making cargo handling less awkward. The Argo Raft and MISC Hull C also provided much better visibility over their cargo grids, making them far more practical to use.

Even so, they were never tools we used regularly. There was rarely any meaningful advantage over simply using a MaxLift or the ATLS.

Another major issue was tractor beam station placement. On many ships the control stations are buried deep within the vessel. On the Zeus, you have to walk the entire length of the ship to the bridge just to operate a beam for a cargo bay located on the opposite side. On the Argo Raft already limited by elevator-only access—the tractor station sits all the way at the top rear of engineering. On the Hull C, it’s tucked away up a ladder on the opposite side of the crew quarters.

In short, tractor beam stations often feel like they’re placed as far away from the cargo area as possible. It never made much sense—and it definitely discouraged us from using them.

General Consensus

Of course, this is all our personal experience—but we also asked other citizens how they felt about ship tractor beams, and the responses were surprisingly mixed.

A large number admitted they rarely or never used ship-mounted tractor beams, preferring handheld tools or the ATLS. Others, however, said they used them regularly on certain ships—especially the Argo Raft, Nomad, Taurus, and a few others. One surprising consensus was that the Prowler utility still has one of the best tractor beam implementations to date.

Many people said their usage depended entirely on the ship and how the beam was integrated. Previously mentioned factors like visibility of the loading area and the cargo grid, or the placement of the ship tractor beam station, whether it’s conveniently placed or out of the way. 

Convenience seems to be an important factor, the ability to just land somewhere open cargo bay doors from the pilot seat and then immediately switch over to the ship’s tractor beam to move the cargo out into an already opened cargo elevator. 

Overall, ship tractor beams remain a mixed bag. Some people love them, others use them occasionally, and many ignore them entirely. They’ve certainly improved significantly since their introduction—better angles, better visibility, smoother operation—but they still haven’t truly revolutionized cargo hauling. They’re useful tools when implemented well, but rarely essential.

The Hermes Rail-Mounted Tractor Beam

While the Hermes itself has been a pleasant surprise, what really convinced us to keep this ship long-term is its rail-mounted tractor beam.

Until now every ship tractor beam has essentially been fixed in place. Some deploy outward or extend, but their operating position remains static. This makes placement extremely important—poor positioning ruins visibility and limits usability. Even on ships with good visibility, you’re still confined to a fixed location, constantly rotating the camera left and right to move cargo. It gets repetitive and doesn’t feel particularly engaging. At that point, a MaxLift or ATLS often feels much more effective—and of course is a lot more fun to use.

And that’s where the Hermes changes things.

It’s the first ship we’ve seen with a rail-mounted tractor beam, allowing the operator to move between positions—specifically between the loading ramp and the rear of the cargo hold. The control station sits right at the ramp entrance, eliminating long walks from cargo elevators to the tractor controls. Visibility is excellent, allowing clear sightlines out of the ramp and across the cargo grid.

It’s not perfect by any means. Like many others,we dealt with cargo clipping walls, getting stuck sideways, or struggling with the ship’s low ceiling. But despite those issues, the experience feels genuinely new..

Operating the Hermes tractor beam feels like a game within a game. Moving cargo while physically sliding along the rail, pulling crates in and out at speed, creates a dynamic and engaging experience we never felt with other ship tractor beams. There’s movement, pacing  and even a skill curve to mastering it. It turns what is usually a mundane task into something genuinely enjoyable!

So yes—it still has flaws. But it feels special. It transforms the tractor beam from an optional utility into a feature you actually want to use. It’s not just an optional tool anymore; it’s a fun , exciting and useful utility. 

So what does the future hold?

Tractor beams have already come a long way since their introduction. Early versions felt clunky, awkwardly angled, and painfully slow. Over time some improved—better visibility, smoother handling, and more practical designs. We remember when the ATLS first launched—it felt strange and difficult to control, but after a few updates it became one of the most enjoyable and effective tools available. It truly shined during the Resource Drive, when an ATLS was stationed next to every cargo elevator of every outpost in Stanton and everyone used them because they are such a convenient, fun and useful tool to move cargo with. 

The Hermes tractor beam feels like the next big step—a potential game changer. It shows, just like the ATLS, how  tractor beams can evolve from basic utilities into an engaging and fun system. Turning cargo handling into something that feels interactive, it adds a layer of enjoyment to what could otherwise be repetitive work.

Looking ahead, we hope more ships adopt similar movable tractor beam designs. Upcoming ships like the Drake Ironclad and RSI Galaxy could be perfect candidates. And maybe older ships might receive updates as well—we could easily imagine the Argo Raft or even the Hercules C2 benefiting from rail-mounted systems.

There’s huge potential here, and we genuinely hope RSI’s innovation with the Hermes sets the standard moving forward. 

Thank you for listening. Agree or disagree ? Leave a comment below, or subscribe for more. Hope to see you again next time.