Hit markers: what each crosshair tells you
In 4.9 CIG reworked combat feedback. Every shot now draws a marker around the crosshair that reveals what happened on impact — whether the shield held, the armor rejected it, or you punched through to a component. Below, the eight states in vector.
How to read it
The result is based on penetration and armor, not a flat damage number — which is why the same weapon changes marker depending on target and angle.
Hull vs armor
Since 4.7, every ship has an armor threshold: if your weapon's per-shot damage is below that value, rounds bounce off and never reach the structure — that is deflection. Armor is the filter layer that decides whether you get through; the hull is the integrity bar underneath, which only starts dropping once you beat the threshold. Breaking the shield no longer guarantees damage: against well-armored ships, light weapons stall on the hull. Fix: more penetration per shot, a better angle, or target exposed external components.
Neutral state, no impact registered. What you see while you are not hitting anything.
The shot landed but was fully rejected. Armor or angle negated the impact — switch weapon or reposition.
You are hitting the shield. Energy absorbs the damage; keep at it to drop the shield before going for the hull.
The shot cleared the shield, but the armor stopped it. Not enough penetration for what is underneath — you need more damage per shot.
Through the shield and biting into armor and hull. Real structural damage now — keep the pressure on.
Direct hull and armor damage, no shield in the way. Stay on the same spot to crack the structure open.
You punched deep and struck an internal component — thruster, weapon, generator. Critical damage: this is how you disable a ship.
A component was destroyed — or the whole ship went down. Kill confirmed.
Sources
Behavior per Star Citizen Alpha 4.9 patch notes and community testing. The system is new and CIG keeps tuning colors, size and audio each build.
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