FASTER THAN LIGHT:

ADVANCED EDITION

VICTORY
IN HARD DIFFICULTY

© ittarter 2015
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A. THE HANGAR.................................................................4
CHOOSING YOUR SHIP
SUCCESSFUL AND UNSUCCESSFUL PLAYSTYLES
GETTING YOUR FIRST WIN ON HARD

B. STRATEGY...................................................................... 8
PLANNING A SECTOR ROUTE
PLANNING A BEACON ROUTE
UPGRADING YOUR SHIP AND SCRAP MANAGEMENT
GETTING SCRAP
SPENDING SCRAP
A NOTE ABOUT THE SCRAP RECOVERY ARM
EARLY-GAME PRIORITIES: PREPARING FOR SECTOR 3
MID-GAME PRIORITIES: PREPARING FOR SECTOR 5
END-GAME PRIORITIES: PREPARING FOR SECTOR 8

C. TACTICS......................................................................... 16
CREW POSITIONS
BATTLE TACTICS
MANAGING YOUR SHIP
IDENTIFYING THREAT PRIORITIES
USING YOUR WEAPONS EFFECTIVELY
BOARDING THE ENEMY SHIP
DEFENDING FROM BOARDERS
BATTLE TACTICS: FLAGSHIP
PREFACE

This guide discusses successful and unsuccessful playstyles, specific ship strengths
and weaknesses, route planning, resource management, and battle tactics in FTL:
Advanced Edition.

It also assumes you are familiar with the basic terms and play of FTL, have beaten
FTL on Easy or Normal difficulty, and are attempting to improve the quality of your
play. If you haven't beaten FTL yet, I recommend AyCarrumba's guide: "From 'Oh No!'
to Pro".

This guide does not currently cover several advanced topics such as modding,
achievements, and community challenges (e.g. No Pause, Shieldless). Nor does it
provide exhaustive databases such as items or events, which may be found at
ftl.wikia.com.

Personally, I think that many players, the best way to learn this game is to watch an
expert play. However, I hope that these observations can be of some assistance to
people looking for an organized resource. I make no attempt to be exhaustive but
simply to stick to the most important points for each issue.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Twinge and LethalFrag for starting me on the path.

Thanks to Eirh, Tetragoner, and everyone else inn the reddit/ftl/ community for their
insightful comments, probing questions, and smart observations.
-3 = a serious problem that must be addressed to have a viable early game
-2 = a serious problem that must be addressed in order to have a viable mid-game
-1 = a drawback in certain situations but fairly easily overcome

+1 = an advantage in certain situations OR in most situations but easily obtainable

+2 = build-enabling, very useful beginning OR end, difficult / expensive to get in-game
+3 = build-enabling, very useful beginning AND end, nearly impossible to get in-game

+1 Kestrel A. ++great starting wpns -small human crew.

+4 Kestrel B. ++4 lasers (start/upgrade) +crew +layout.
+1 Kestrel C. +S2 wpns (1 end-game) +4 wpn slots -crew.
+1 Engi A. +drone system +ion blast 2 (end-game) +scrapables -comb. drone deals random
damage -weak to boarding.
-4 Engi B. +drone sys +scrapables ---1 crew ---S1 weapons (3 slots: heavy laser I unlikely
end-game).
+2 Engi C. +-S2 wpns req drone (1 end-game) +hacking +solid crew of 2 engi, 1 lanius.
+1 Federation A. +crew +art. beam for turtling +Burst Laser II -lost system spot -layout.
-1 Federation B. +art beam for turtling -lost system spot -layout.
+0 Federation C. ++teleporter +4 crew +art flak for turtling -lost system spot -weak
boarding crew --no wpns; tough start but end-game 4-power 20-sec flak II equiv.
+2 Zoltan A. +++zshield +halberd (endgame but slow early game) -missile dependent -crew
weak to boarding, stray shots -layout.
+2 Zoltan B. +++zshield ++starting wpns for ion stacking -shields of 1 -crew weak to
boarding, stray shots -ship layout: doors, O2 vulnerable.
+1 Zoltan C. +++zshield -battery reliant -S1 wpns and req drone -crew weak to boarding.
+1 Lanius A. +4 wpn slots +hacking -wpns hard to pair.
+7 Lanius B. +++most efficient wpn in game +4 wpn slots +mind control ++teleporter
+boarding crew -no sensors can cause problems vs AP drones.
+1 Stealth A. ++cloak +scrapables -crew weak to boarding +dodge of 4 --no shields.
+0 Stealth B. ++L2 cloak ++glaive --problem of supporting glaive mid-game --no shields.
-2 Stealth C. +drone sys +scrapables --3 wpn slots with two low-power weapons requires
tradeoffs ~sector 6-7 --no shields.
-1 Rock A. +crew boarding potential +scrapables ---2 missile weapons req either boarding
or new wpn setup.
+0 Rock B. +crew boarding potential +firebomb boarding potential -no doors -S1 wpn
(heavy pierce).
+0 Rock C. +crew boarding -missile-reliant vs 2 shield.
+0 Slug A. +3 wpns to start (2 end-game) +scrapables -2 crew -terrible for O2 venting.
-2 Slug B. +teleporter but must find strong boarders +scrapables --only wpn req missiles
--no medbay/clonebay.
+1 Slug C. +hacking +mind control +boarding potential --S1 wpn.
+2 Mantis A. ++teleport ++crew 3 mantis 1 engi --bad wpns.
+6 Mantis B. +++4-teleporter ++drone sys with def I drone +L2 shields +2 of 4 mantis
already +scrapables --no wpns.
+4 Mantis C. +++4-teleporter +crew engi lanius mantis +layout +scrapables --no wpns.
+1 Crystal A. ++S3 slow wpns +crew boarding potential +scrapables -switch to non-
crystal wpns difficult but ultimately necessary -layout.
+8 Crystal B. +++4-teleporter +++crew ++cloak +scrapables +layout –-no weapons
(cost, problems with zoltan).
SUCCESSFUL AND UNSUCCESSFUL PLAYSTYLES

It's commonly said that "to fail to plan is to plan to fail." From the moment in the
hangar when you choose your ship, you should have a basic design in mind.

Gunships attempt to down shields quickly (~10 seconds, before any mid-range
weapons are fired) and keep dangerous systems disabled until the ship is destroyed.
Hacking is the fastest, most reliable way to bring down 3+ shields, but ion, missile
and bomb weaponry also work well. Kestrel, Engi, and Lanius ships lean in this
direction. For example, small bomb + flak I + heavy laser II, or ion blast I + burst
laser II + pike beam.

Turtlers attempt to mitigate a higher percentage of damage for 15-20 seconds

while big weapons are charged/sped up. Cloak or a Defense I drone is typically the
best defense against heavy missiles. Federation, Stealth and Zoltan ships lean in
this direction. For example, vulcan + chain laser, or flak II + glaive.

Boarding ships attempt to board, disable medbay/clonebay and then kill the crew.
Boarding ships usually have more scrap, since they receive higher rewards for
capturing ships, and usually wait longer to upgrade offensive capabilities; however,
autoscouts, Mantis, Lanius and Slug ships can cause serious problems without
careful play. Depending on weapons, systems, room sizes, and the number/race of
boarders, they typically teleport to piloting, medbay/clonebay, shields, weapons, O2,
doors, or mind control. Mantis, Rock, Lanius and Crystal ships are best suited for
boarding. Good to buy Backup DNA bank, Reconstructive Teleport, Hacking and Mind
Control. For example, Lanius to O2, Rock with fire weapons, Crystal to medbay, 4-
man teleporter to a large room, Mantis to medbay after it is diabled with a weapon.

Drone-reliant ships are rare since you simply won't be able to find or buy enough
drone parts to sustain this approach otherwise. This is mitigated with the Drone
Recovery Arm, but since it is not always found in stores and in space, you can't go
into a game thinking, “I want to destroy the enemy with drones.” Further, without
the rare and expensive Defense Scrambler, drones are severely hampered by anti-
drone drones. Thus drones must be thought of, in almost all cases, as support only.

Ships that start with four weapon slots and two drone slots are more flexible than
ships with three and three. It's rare that you'll find yourself in a situation where you'll
have to make a tough decision between two drones for the second spot. However,
gunships will enjoy popular and common 8-power weapon setups 2/2/2/2, 3/2/2/1,
and 4/2/1/1. Gunships with only three weapon slots are more often forced to
exchange a small weapon for a bigger one despite the former's efficiency.
GETTING YOUR FIRST WIN ON HARD

Take it slow. Decide that "this is going to be it." Even if this is the tenth time you've
tried. Have a zero tolerance policy for mistakes. If you need to take a break, take
one. Pause every Blue event, alt-tab to your web browser, look up the options. Pause
if you don't know what a weapon is on the enemy ship, and look it up. Your sole goal is
to prepare for the final battle. Be ruthless.

If you're trying a Class D or F ship, stubbornness and desperation are your greatest
virtues. Keep trying, and try slightly different setups.
 B. STRATEGY
PLANNING A SECTOR ROUTE

When looking at your overall route, avoid long strings of purple sectors, as these
typically yield less scrap and you run a higher risk of running out of fuel. If possible,
stay away from any edges, as you won't be able to choose the better sector for your
ship. There's nothing worse than having an Engi/Zoltan crew and getting stuck with a
Mantis sector, or having a great boarding ship and being forced to fight a dozen
Lanius ships. Many ships with good potential have been lost like this.

From a distance, you can only see the sector's color.

Green sectors have more stores (2-3) and fewer hostile events than red sectors (1-
2). Favor Zoltan sectors if you have ion weaponry, Engi if you board and aren't reliant
on attack drones or missiles, Civilian otherwise.

Red sectors are more difficult and more profitable for standard ships but have fewer
stores (1-2). Rock and Abandoned are the harder red sectors. Favor Rock if you have
flak or beam weapons. Favor Abandoned if you aren't boarding and have flak/beam
weapons. Rebel, Mantis and Pirate and the easier red sectors. Favor Mantis if you
are strong against boarding. Favor Rebel if you are strong against autoscouts and
drones of all kinds. Favor Pirate otherwise, or if you need more crew (a multiracial
crew yields more Blue options).

Purple/Blue sectors require more fuel. Slug ships often attempt to flee or disable key
systems, so they are risky for boarders, and can be fruitless or even deadly for
slower or weaker ships. However, there are lots of stores (2-3). Nebula aren't
challenging and a heavily populated with autoscouts, but they are probably the least
rewarding sectors in the game.
As a last way to choose, go to sectors controlled by races on your ship, as you'll
have more blue options. Some Homeworlds and the Rebel Stronghold can yield
special quest rewards.

PLANNING A BEACON ROUTE

As soon as you arrive in a new sector, plan a route that allows you to respond to as
many distress events as possible, and takes you through as many nebula as
possible, while arriving on the same turn as the rebels. Often, this means you take a
more centralized route through the sector, not on the edges, unless a distress
signal, store or nebula is there.

If the exit is panned to the far right of the map, you have about ten turns (plus or
minus event results), with any two nebula beacons buying you an additional turn. Be
careful of dead ends and avoid retracing your steps. On my computer screen, the
width of my finger is the distance the rebels advance each turn. Find something you
can use to “count” how many turns you have to get to the exit.

When planning to visit a store, if possible, visit a couple extra beacons first instead
of beelining straight for it. You'll have more scrap when you go, and just maybe you'll
find that item or crew you were going to buy! 80 scrap (including items you're willing
to sell) is enough to buy the Burst Laser II, the most expensive "always a good idea"
item.

If you have Long Range Scanners, you can also detect ships and environmental
hazards at adjacent beacons. If you route through ships, you'll have a better chance
of missing the one or two empty beacons in each sector. In most cases, asteroid
fields and ion storms greatly increase the likelyhood that your ship will be damaged,
while red giant stars and plasma storms (nebula) are not usually as dangerous, as
their effects are much easier to manage.

If you do not have Long Range Scanners and meet a mercenary at the first two or
three beacons, you can pay him to reveal the sector map. In emergency situations
this can help you quickly locate a hard-to-find store or possible locations of a special
quest.

Distress events are especially rewarding if you have installed extra systems and
crew, but even otherwise, they offer a lot of double rewards. Always take the blue
option. If there is no blue option and you have a clonebay (except for the Great Eye
event), take it. If you don't have a medbay and don't know the risks of the event, Alt-
Tab out of FTL and google it. You'll be glad you did.

Remember, don't mess with giant alien spiders. However, if there's no blue option,
having a Clonebay allows you to try events without fear of losing a crewmember
(except the Great Eye).
UPGRADING YOUR SHIP AND SCRAP MANAGEMENT

This is the single most important and complex aspect of FTL:AE. If you don't upgrade
your ship correctly, you will not beat Hard difficulty. Correct upgrades means
knowing when to spend, how much to spend, and what to spend it on. The trick is to
upgrade wisely and anticipate future risks by upgrading preventively rather than
reactively.

GETTING SCRAP

Getting better at FTL means more scrap out of every sector. Fight as many ships as
possible. Avoid retracing your steps, retreating from battle, unnecessary store
visits, arriving at the end beacon early, letting ships get away, and running out of
fuel. Plan your routes, keep your ship battle-ready, disable piloting of ships charging
their FTL, and keep a reasonable amount of fuel, right up until sector 7.

Capturing a ship by killing its crew yields more scrap than destroying a ship. If you
have two or more Mantis, Lanius Crystal or Rock aboard, consider buying a
teleporter.

Have a few Blue options of the following: upgraded Medbay, an ion weapon, an Engi,
upgraded sensors/piloting (esp. in Nebula), and a multiracial crew. Blue options often
yield scrap rewards higher than regular battles, not to mention more weapons and
augments, which at worst you can sell, and at best you can not buy. You can also
get more crew, which is nearly always better than scrap.
SPENDING SCRAP

Spend your scrap on what counts. Avoid buying weapons before you need them,
buying systems before you need them, buying augments before you need them, and
buying crew unless absolutely necessary. Keep track of what attack and defense
you'll need soon, and try and stay one step – just one step – ahead of the
competition. If you need to be more than one step ahead to survive, you're relying
more on luck than on skill.

All ships must have sufficient weapons/crew/systems to either board and kill the
crew, disable systems, or down shields and score hull damage, given their current
sector. Similarly, all ships must have sufficient shields, engines, drones, and
secondary support systems to mitigate damage sufficiently.

Purchase options in FTL:AE can be divided, for convenience, into four categories.
1) almost always a good purchase
2) a good purchase for my current ship
3) a good purchase for my future ship, but not good right now
4) a bad purchase for my current ship
5) almost always a bad purchase

Category 5 makes up about 20% of items you will see in-game. These items are
simply not efficient at what they do. If you find them for free, use them, and sell
them once you find something better, and hope that you do not have to rely on them
all the way to Sector 8.
-repair arm (you have even less scrap in Hard).
-most augments, especially FTL-related augments
-Hull Smasher lasers
-Heavy Ion and Chain Ion (misnamed Charge Ion in-game)
-Hull beam
-Healing Burst, Crystal Bomb, Repair Burst
-Drones: Boarding and ion intruder, shield overcharger

Category 4 is probably 50% -- items that are irrelevant for your current ship,
perhaps because you already have something that fills that role (e.g. any missile if
you already have a bomb), or because you don't have that kind of ship (e.g. a glaive
beam if you have a fire beam and two Rock boarders).

Category 3 (~10%) is the one that is very important on Hard, because in Easy and
Normal you had enough scrap that you could buy something you wouldn't need for a
while, and you would still have enough scrap to get the things you DID need right
away. Now, however, you simply can't afford this error. You have to consider the Total
Cost: initial purchase + necessary systems upgrades (esp. weapons systems) +
reactor upgrades.

Category 2 (~10%) is why you're visiting all these stores. These are the puzzle
pieces you're looking for to complete a functional ship that will ultimately tear the
Flagship to bits.

Category 1 (~10%). You're always happy to see these items, and if you already have
a ship that doesn't need them any more, sad to let them go. But those times are
rare indeed. Flak I and Burst Laser II are the cream of the crop, followed by the two
Heavy Laser variations. Automated Reloader is always worth it for a non-boarding
ship, and they stack!

NOTE ABOUT THE SCRAP RECOVERY ARM

Finding it is wonderful; buying it is complicated. If you have a strong ship it could

indeed make it stronger in the long run, but I'm going to go against popularly
accepted wisdom and advise you not to just buy it unquestionably in Hard mode. It's
rarely wise to buy before upgrading shields to level 2, or after sector 6. Remember
that it might take more than two sectors to fully pay off. What could you have
upgraded in that time? What unknown future store items are you turning down in
the next sector?
EARLY-GAME PRIORITIES: PREPARING FOR SECTOR 3

Unless your ship sports a Zoltan Shield or a Cloaking Device, your number one
priority is to support two shield bubbles before leaving Sector 1.

Once you can reliably damage ships with two shield bubbles, consider upgrading
secondary Systems to increase survivability and improve your chances of Blue
options. First, upgrade Doors and Medbay/Clonebay to 2. If going through lots of
nebula, upgrade Piloting to 2 and, unless you have Long Range Scanners, Sensors to
2 as well.

Attempt to keep enough scrap on hand for a good weapon purchase at a store, but
don't force it until absolutely necessary. Most ships do not have urgent needs to
upgrade weapons, and it's far better to wait for something that will last you until
the end-game than to waste your money on a temporary solution. Avoid buying new
Systems, except possibly a Drone System that comes with Defense I (85 scrap), or
if you have a strong potential boarding team, a Teleporter (90 scrap).

Especially in early sectors, keep an eye out for ships surrendering and offering 4 or
more fuel, especially if you're not capturing the ship. Getting some extra fuel early on
can save you scrap in the mid-game.

MID-GAME PRIORITIES: PREPARING FOR SECTOR 5

With few exceptions, the first four sectors see a slow ramp up in difficulty, with a
sharp incline at Sector 5 and the transition to fighting better-equipped enemies. A
good idea is to aim for three shield bubbles no later than the beginning of Sector 5,
and 45% evasion by the beginning of Sector 6. If you have a Defense I drone,
Cloaking System or the Zoltan Shield, you can often wait an extra sector on those
upgrades. Unless your ship feels squishy, try to gain more missiles and drones than
you use.

Continue to avoid buying new Systems, unless you can't find an appropriate third
weapon to add to your arsenal and you won't be strong against three-shielded ships.
If you've had bad luck with crew and don't have four, look for a good deal in an event --
ideally, a race you don't have, and someone who is already partly trained in a useful
skill.

If you're boarding, keep an eye out for Reconstructive Teleporter. If you have a
clonebay, look for Backup DNA Bank. If you have a Cloaking gunship, you might want
Stealth Weapons. If you rely heavily on drones, a Drone Recovery Arm or possibly a
Defense Scrambler can make a huge difference. If you didn't start with Sensors and
don't have a Slug, Lifeform Scanner is better than buying the Sensors subsystem.
Most of these augments appear rarely.
END-GAME PRIORITIES: PREPARING FOR SECTOR 8

Building from upgrades in the mid-game varies greatly depending on need and
strategy, but there are still some nearly axiomatic truths. Before you leave Sector
5, aim for 45% evasion (L5 engines and a fully trained pilot and engine man). From
Sectors 5 to 7, it is important to add secondary Systems to give your ship flexibility.
Hacking, Mind Control, Drone System (with a Defense I drone), and possibly Boarding
or Cloaking. You will run into enemies with four shield bubbles, enemies with six crew,
enemies with multiple Systems of their own, and enemies with four weapons.

Once you buy your System, get it to L2 within a couple beacons so you can start
using it regularly (except Mind Control, which you can leave longer at L1, and
Hacking, which is usually always worth it to upgrade to L3 as soon as you can, after
you buy it). If you've haven't yet stockpiled a large number of drone parts, this is your
last chance to start.

It's very important to consider any gaps in your weaponry. Can you quickly take down
four shield bubbles, even if one of your systems is offline? If you can't, avoid Lanius,
Slug, Rock and Mantis sectors after Sector 5, until you can.

If you don't have a bomb or missile yet, small bomb, ion bomb, or breach bomb I/II can
really enhance your arsenal. Avoid missiles unless you have no other choice.

By Sector 7, if you don't have any Zoltan, a backup battery is a possible last-second
purchase – you shouldn't need it before the Flagship itself. If you went boarding and
you have a Medbay/Clonebay preference, you may now be able to afford to switch
(you preserve its level: Medbay L2 becomes Clonebay L2, and so on).

By Sector 8, you should also be able to address, with relative speed, the Flagship's
30-point Zoltan Shield in phase 3, a large number of boarders in phase 3. A powerful
boarding ship sometimes forget the former, and a powerful gunship sometimes
forgets the latter. At minimum, you need to be able to kill the majority of the crew in
phases 2 and 3, and do at least some damage to a shield.

Unless you've had a very hard run, you should have all your System spots filled up.
Any of Hacking, Cloaking, Defense I Drone, Boarding, and Mind Control, if used
correctly, can be the difference between winning and losing the battle. All Systems
and Subsystems should be upgraded to L2 as a damage buffer. A stray missile
should not be the difference between victory and defeat.

On the other hand, if you've had a lucrative run, upgrade shields to L8 OR, if you
have problems with missiles and have tons of extra scrap, upgrade engines to L8.

If you have a crew weak to boarding, upgrade Piloting and Doors to L3 before phase
3. This is often your very last upgrade, and you can even wait for the scrap you earn
from defeating Phase 1 (you don't earn much of anything from Phase 2).
 C. TACTICS
CREW POSITIONS

Standard order of systems manning: piloting, engines, weapons, shields, doors,

sensors. Note that sometimes doors or shields or even sensors can get a higher
priority, depending on your ship build and the specific threat at hand. If your sensors
or doors are manned, unman them when repairing. Even a Mantis can make a
difference in getting those shields back online.

Slugs make great pilots. Consider replacing your pilot, engine or weapon crew with a
rescued Slug.
Zoltan are best placed in engines, or in pairs, in shields. Since Zoltan power cannot
be ionized, this protects the last shield bubble(s).
Lanius are great for doors, but be careful putting them in weapons or shields,
particularly against the Flagship, as this can hinder fast repairs by multiple crew.
They do, however, ignore breaches.
Rock are great anywhere, but preferably in a system located in a more central room,
since they're so slow. Due to health and fire immunity they also make decent pilots.
Humans are great in shields, since this is typically the longest system to train at,
and they train faster.
Engi and Crystal are great anywhere, except perhaps piloting, where it is least likely
their abilities will come in handy.
Mantis are best in doors or sensors, where they can more readily leave their post to
defend the ship.
BATTLE TACTICS

The singular goal of each battle is to destroy OR disable the ship while mitigating
incoming damage/disabling of different kinds. A strong ship is able to sustain damage
AND defense even if any ONE system is fully disabled or any TWO systems are partly
disabled (this happens a lot against the Flagship). So a boarding ship might have a
couple weapons and a turtler might have a small boarding team. Have a Plan A
(where you take no damage) and a Plan B.

When fighting, look carefully at enemy weapons and systems and develop a clear plan
of attack. Early or mid-game, if the ship poses no threat, avoid using consumable
resources and consider training your crew. If you need to flee, put as much power
into your engines as possible to increase your FTL charge, and keep a second
crewmember in the cockpit beforehand to speed possible repairs. While fighting,
pause regularly to reassess the situation and perfectly time shots. Flak is slowest
to reach the enemy ship, then ion/missile/bomb, then lasers. Beams are almost
instanteous – but not quite!

MANAGING YOUR SHIP

Learn to juggle power between systems – this way you can upgrade systems earlier
and tailor your response to a given situation. Medbay and O2 are the most obvious.
At 100%, you can turn off Oxygen for about 75 seconds before any consequences.
That's two or three times longer than most battles. Weapons can sometimes be
depowered if you're just trying to escape. Defense I drones can be depowered after
they have shot down enemy drones and missiles (remember to repower them when
you hear the next volley). Engines can be depowered during cloak, if you have over
100% evasion. Nearly everything has potential to be temporarily depowered.
Improving the quality of your play involves slower play, pausing more, using your
reactor effectively.
IDENTIFYING THREAT PRIORITIES

Learn to recognize enemy weapons so you know how best to attack and defend.
Some weapons look the same (basic laser and dual laser) but most have a distinct
graphic. This information is critical when determining your battle plan. You can also
identify a weapon based on its cooldown (relative to yours; you don't have to count
the seconds).
Prioritize piloting when evasion or escape is a problem.
Prioritize the medbay/clonebay if you are trying to kill the entire crew. O2 is a great
target for Lanius boarders.
If the ship has cloaking and you expect a longer battle, prioritize it. If you're fighting
a small crew or a Mantis ship, it probably won't make much difference, as they won't
be able to finish their repairs before the cloak wears off.
If the ship hacks your weapons or shields, you will need to respond immediately.
If the ship mind controls your pilot or a Mantis, try to disrupt it.
Prioritize weapons over shields if they're an immediate threat. Sometimes partially
damaging the weapons system can desynchronize their weapons so they can longer
deal damage, even after repaired.
If the enemy has a Zoltan shield, conserve bombs, missiles and long-charge weapons
so they're ready to go when you break it. Ion damage is doubled against the Zoltan
shield.
USING YOUR WEAPONS EFFECTIVELY

A standard gunship will typically focus fire on shields first, and then weapons or
drones, then piloting.
Autofire is wonderful for the ion blaster 2, most most other weapons are better to
be carefully timed in volleys. For example, I have a small bomb, a dual laser, a flak
cannon, and a pike beam. The enemy has four shields and high dodge. My dual laser
and flak cannon charge at 10 seconds, but I don't shoot either immediately, because
I want to wait for my bomb and beam. I shoot the bomb first, at shields. I see it
hits, but before it even explodes, I fire the flak. I give it a 1-second head start, at
which point the bomb explodes, reducing enemy shields to max three bubbles. Then I
fire the dual laser, and right about now the pike beam is charged. Two of the three
flak hit, and 1 of 2 lasers hit, dropping shields to zero. I fire the pike and try to hit
shields, weapons and piloting.
Missiles are generally useless if the enemy has an active defense drone. Don't waste
them. If you have a short supply of parts, just fire enough to open up the enemy ship
to your other weapons. Target shields and possibly cloak, or if boarding, the medbay.
Bombs don't do hull damage, but they do system damage, damage crew, and some
start fires and breach the hull. Bombs are a wonderful way to support your lasers
and flak. Once you've got the enemy ship on the back foot, stop firing them!
Beam weapons can often do an extra point of damage if you play with your beam line
a bit. Two- and three-damage beams will pierce one and two shield bubbles, in a
pinch, but the resulting damage is much reduced. If you start your line at the shield
room you can sometimes disable or destroy that system in order to deal full damage
to the rest of the rooms in the beam path.
Flak weapons are best used to take down shields by targeting a large or centralized
room. Defense drones typically shoot down one of the volley.
Ion weapons are best left on autofire targeting the shields. If you have enough ion
firepower to permanently disable shields, start thinking about other targets you'd
like to disable. Defense II drones can shoot them down.
Lasers and beams are your best damage dealers. Disable and destroy key systems.
Defense 2 drones can shoot down lasers, but not beams.
Attack drones (beam, combat and fire) deal random damage and can act as
secondary damage dealers. They work well as primary damage dealers with two or
three ion weapons.
USING YOUR SYSTEMS EFFECTIVELY

Mind Control is used to a) neutralize an enemy boarding party, b) help your boarders,
c) temporarily reduce enemy evasion to 0, d) regain control over your mind-
controlled crewmember, or e) do a bit of damage to an enemy system without
boarding. The last is rare. Gunships should typically target the enemy Pilot right
before their first volley. If you lack vision because of a nebula or event, Hacking can
reestablish vision of a single room. In this case, hack enemy shields and mind-control
crew in that room (if any).

Hacking is the single most powerful ship System. If the enemy also has it and you
don't have a Defense drone, it's wise to wait a couple seconds to see what they'll
hack before you send yours. If they hack Weapons or Shields you might need to hack
their Hacking room, but remember, hacking their shield room allows you to disable
their Hacking with conventional weapons, and 90% of the time this is the best
tactical decision. If the enemy has a Defense or anti-drone drone, you can exploit a
game bug by pausing the game right after it fires a shot toward your Hacking drone,
depowering your Hacking system, unpausing for about half a second, then
repowering the system.

Cloaking is a short-term and powerful defensive system. Use it to avoid big missiles,
volleys, powerful weapons, or to give your ship a breather from stacked ion damage.
If possible, shoot your weapons right before you enable cloaking, as every non-beam
weapon shot while cloaked costs you two seconds of cloaking protection.

Defense drones are extremely powerful against missiles and boarding/hacking

drones, but anything that hits shields (even asteroids) is difficult for Defense drones
to hit. They often shoot too late. If you have multiple defense drones, prioritize
powering the Defense I drone before the others. You don't need them powered all the
time, but it takes them a second to power up, so be sure to do so soon after an
enemy missile is fired. Depower them as soon as they destroy it.

If boarding, keep your Teleporter fully powered unless you happen to be fighting a
powerful gunship with a skeleton crew. Losing your boarding team because your
teleporter was still five seconds on cooldown is a huge setback. This is not a system
to juggle power lightly.
BOARDING THE ENEMY SHIP

Man sensors L1 so you can see inside the enemy ship and know how many crew
there are, their location and race, and if there are any anti-personnel drones. If you
don't have at least seven crew then upgrade sensors to L2.
Before you board, look at the enemy's doors. If they're orange, you will be able to go
anywhere unimpeded. If the enemy has a Door System, you will have to break down
any door before you pass through it.
Board in pairs. Use Mantis, Rock, Lanius or Crystal.
If you think it might be close, make sure your teleporter is powered to L2 or L3, in
case you need to teleport them out quickly.
If the enemy has a Medbay or Clonebay, disable it (a bomb is often simplest), then
teleport there and defend the room. Consider damaging other systems like Doors or
Drones to support your boarders.
Teleporting to piloting is often a strong position, because it is small and often
isolated. Teleporting to a large room like weapons or shields can be very risky if there
are three or more enemy crew.
Learn to rotate your boarders by pausing, ordering them all to other rooms,
ordering them one at a time back to their original room, then unpausing. The
boarders will change position without leaving the room.
Use your weapons to weaken crew in other rooms, but be careful not to destroy the
ship. Be careful with flak and in asteroid fields not to accidentally kill your boarders.
Hack the target room to control the doors and prevent enemies entering or leaving.
Hacking the adjacent room also works well and can allow you to control a large
portion of the enemy ship.
Against Autoscouts, L2 teleporter can bring crew back before they suffocate. If
they have cloaking and you don't have Clonebay, it's a highly risky mission.
Against Mantis, you may need to teleport a second pair of boarders to help spread
damage.
Against Lanius, if you don't have Crystal or Lanius boarders, you made a mistake
going to this sector in the first place. As a last option you can use Mind Control or
Hack with L3 teleporters to give you a chance at boarding.
Against Slugs, be wary of Mind Control. Combinations of cloak and fleeing can also
easily cause you to lose your crew, even if your ship is equipped with a Clonebay.
DEFENDING FROM BOARDERS

If you have a large crew with Mantis, Rock, Lanius or Crystal, you're fine! Pause a lot.
If you have a small or weak crew (Zoltan and Engi), you will need to strategize a bit
more.
Upgrading and manning doors is often critical to anti-boarding strategies. Upgrade
doors to level 2 by sector 2, or man it if you can spare the crew. An anti-personnel
drone can also make a difference, but only if you start with one or find one.
Depending on where the boarders teleport and the layout of your ship, venting
specific rooms is often the best option. After they start taking damage from low
oxygen, boarders will immediately stop attacking your crew or the system in the
room and try to leave the room. They will suffocate in about 10 seconds if they can't
get out. Even if they do break through, their reduced health will make for a much
easier fight.
This technique doesn't work with boarding drones or ion drones, and since they
breach the room when they board, the situation can be complicated. If you have a
Mantis and a second spare crewmember to fight, send them both in and open the
doors to that room, to decrease the damage from low oxygen. Depending on your
response time, you can destroy a boarding drone before you die. Note that drones
have 150 health.
Ion drones don't fight your crew, but ionize the room and stun any of your crew in
the room. When you see the ion drone's wings extending, order your crew to leave
the room, ideally to an adjacent room with a system. There they can wait for the ion
drone. If you have an Engi, consider using him to repair the breach once the ion
drone has left instead of attacking the drone directly. It will simplify the fight a great
deal.
When fighting with multiple crewmembers, you can pause, order your crew out of
the room and, one at a time, back in, in a specific order, then unpause. This causes
them to rotate positions and allows you to spread damage evenly across your crew.
A light green square will show their new position before you unpause.
Be especially careful when using Zoltan, as their low health can catch you offguard,
and they can be killed before you expect them to.
BATTLE TACTICS: FLAGSHIP

Once you're in Sector 8, remember to upgrade all systems to 2. Practice your

technique with the Rebel ships on the way to the Base; you should take no hull
damage from them. Avoid flashing red beacons if possible as they offer no rewards.

For last-minute changes, there's always a store in Sector 8, but your chance of
finding and getting to the beacon before it's captured is low (~30%).

At the start of each phase, if you have a defense drone, power it immediately. They
will shoot down hacking and boarding drones.

Phase 1 (hardest to deal damage). This phase is about getting the cloaking system
(and sometimes hacking) offline, along with shields, and usually the missile launcher.
If it hacks shields or weapons, maybe drone control, hack the hacking system
(chance to destroy the probe) or jump away and back. Pilot/engines hack
manageable. No risk of boarding. Hack shields, bomb/damage cloak. Cloak during
missile bursts or synced laser/ion bursts. Reduce crew volume if possible. Focus
damage on missiles, shields, cloak and piloting. Boarding: damage weapons systems
first, then hack/disable medbay.

Phase 2 (easiest). This phase is the easiest, as long as you don't get caught off-
guard by the drone surge. Sync a one-bar cloak with drone overcharge: 6 attack
drones (random amts of beam I and combat I; combat I shoot first). If you use all
two or three bars, it won't be available for the second overcharge. Turn it on when
you actually see your shields start to drop, not when you hear the warning sounds.
Anti-drone drone makes this phase really easy; if you don't have that or cloak, take a
couple weapons systems offline (don't forget their drone system) before the
overcharge. Your crew should easily dispatch the ion boarding drone -- if it lands in
Shields or Weapons, take down that enemy drone system as soon as possible.

Between phases 2 and 3, consider upgrading piloting and doors to L3, if you haven't
done so already. These final upgrades often make the most difference.

Part 3 (hardest to mitigate damage). Unless you've already killed most of the crew,
this phase usually requires strong anti-boarding tactics while, like Phase 2,
protecting yourself from surges of damage. Man doors. As in phase 2, 1 bar cloak
only, synced with the overcharge, is the best. Damage Mind Control over their
Teleporter. The Zoltan shield regenerates if you take too long.
 NOW GET OUT THERE
AND GET THAT INFORMATION
TO THE FEDERATION FLEET!