The Skater is a light scout & Anti-air ship. They offer very high speed, a long sight range and Stealth (invisibility to radar).

Use them in the beginning of sea battles to harass your enemy’s early base structures, and block their constructors from expanding. Its Anti-air turret is weak and won’t stand a chance against more advanced aircraft, but during the T1 stage they provide useful protection from EMP drones and gunships. Always include them in your fleet.

They are hopeless in a matchup with any other ships, so only use them as a support/scouting force.

Skaters are a bit faster than their Cortex counterpart, the Herring.