Get Your First Win in FTL Hard Difficulty

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".

PREFACE AND VERSION HISTORY

(C) ittarter 2026

This guide examines both successful and failed playstyles, with a focus on ship strengths and weaknesses, route planning, resource management, and combat tactics in FTL: Advanced Edition.

It assumes familiarity with the core mechanics and terminology of FTL, as well as at least one completed run on Easy or Normal difficulty. If you have not yet reached that point, consult AyCarrumba’s guide, “From ‘Oh No!’ to Pro” (www.reddit.com/ftl).

Certain advanced topics are not covered here, including modding, achievements, and community challenges such as No Pause or Shieldless runs. Likewise, this guide does not attempt to catalogue all items or events; comprehensive references can be found at ftl.wikia.com.

The goal is not completeness, but clarity. The focus remains on the most relevant ideas for consistent success in Hard mode.

VERSION HISTORY

v1.3 (2026) — Cleaned up the writing. Added an important update on Sector Route Planning. Added links to learn about each ship class.

v1.2 — Added guides for specific ships.

v1.1 — Added an Addendum covering advanced techniques and niche optimizations. While many of these could be integrated into earlier sections, their specificity contrasts with the broader strategic focus of the main chapters, and they remain separate for now.

Also added a brief Strategy section addressing early-game issues with certain ships.

v1.0 (2015) — Initial publication.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, my heartfelt gratitude to Justin Ma, Matthew Davis and the rest of the crew at Subset Games for creating and publishing such an inspired game.

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.

THE FOUR DHARMAS OF FTL

The Spacebar is your first level of attainment. Free yourself from rushed action. Listen and learn from your experience.

After this comes the second level of attainment - the Hangar. Every time your ship explodes, you have not failed, but rather you have been reincarnated to apply all your knowledge and goodness to a new journey. Pain is your teacher and friend, not your enemy.

The third level of attainment is Knowledge. What is each thing in itself? Understand the purpose of every system, weapon and augment.

The fourth and final level of attainment is to post your Hard wins with every ship on the Internet and gloat about it like a sonofab!tch. There is no teaching of the Buddha that contradicts it, and it is most logical.

A. THE HANGAR

1. CHOOSING YOUR SHIP
2. SUCCESSFUL SHIP BUILDS
3. GETTING YOUR FIRST HARD WIN

CHOOSING YOUR SHIP

In FTL, not all ships are equal. There are great, mediocre and weak ships. Not every ship can win every Hard run, even with perfect play. Whatever ship you choose, you need to understand its unique strengths and weaknesses. Serious weaknesses need to be addressed early in a run; strengths should be used, not ignored.

The following information allows you to pick your ship knowing its overall ease of play, as well as its unique pros and cons. Mastering the ship means being able to compensate for its weaknesses and leverage its strengths. (Engi A, for example, can be difficult to play before you understand how to use the Ion Blast II in the early game.)

***

Class A ships
e.g. Kestrel B, Zoltan B
Significant advantages in starting weapons/equipment/crew enables a winnable early-game strategy with minimal risk and may also simply Sector 8. Ships also have no weaknesses for the majority of early-game battles or any cannot be solved by Sector 8.

Class B ships
e.g. Rock C, Kestrel C, Slug C, Crystal B
These ships have just enough starting advantages or long-term potential to outweigh any existing disadvantages.

Class C ships
e.g. Engi C, Fed C
These ships' starting setups need careful management in the early game, and resultant trade-offs (spending scrap on repairs) or poor luck (battles going badly; not finding decent weapons) may cause long-term setbacks.

Class F ships.
e.g. Engi B, Rock A
The weaknesses of these ships' starting setups are glaring; poor play or even bad luck will quickly end a run (sometimes during a single battle).

***

How ship points are calculated:

-3 indicates a difficult problem that must be solved by Sector 3
-2 indicates a problem that must be solved by Sector 5
-1 indicates a drawback in certain situations or a feature that complicates Sector 8

+1 means a small starting advantage but is easily obtainable
+2 means a strategy-enabling advantage that is useful in early sectors
+3 means a long-term strategic advantage that is useful in early sectors as well as either the mid-game or end-game, or the entire game

Kestrel Ships

See Sullla's fantastic and entertaining write-up for each ship class.

https://www.sullla.com/FTL/kestrela.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/kestrelb.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/kestrelc.html

Engi Ships

See Sullla's fantastic and entertaining write-up for each ship class.

https://www.sullla.com/FTL/engia.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/engib.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/engic.html

Federation Ships

Zoltan Ships

See Sullla's fantastic and entertaining write-up for each ship class.

https://www.sullla.com/FTL/zoltana.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/zoltanb.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/zoltanc.html

Stealth Ships

See Sullla's fantastic and entertaining write-up for each ship class.

https://www.sullla.com/FTL/stealtha.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/stealthb.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/stealthc.html

Slug Ships

See Sullla's fantastic and entertaining write-ups for each ship class.
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/sluga.html
https://sullla.com/FTL/slugb.html
https://sullla.com/FTL/slugc.html

Rock Ships

See Sullla's fantastic and entertaining write-ups for each ship class.
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/rocka.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/rockb.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/rockc.html

Lanius Ships

See Sullla's fantastic and entertaining write-up for each ship class.

https://www.sullla.com/FTL/laniusa.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/laniusb.html

Crystal Ships

If I have time, I'll add more ships!



See Sullla's fantastic and entertaining write-up for each ship class.

https://www.sullla.com/FTL/crystala.html
https://www.sullla.com/FTL/crystalb.html

SUCCESSFUL SHIP BUILDS

It is often said that failing to plan is planning to fail. In FTL, that planning begins in the hangar. The moment you select a ship, you should already have a rough build in mind.

Gunships aim to break shields quickly—ideally under 13 seconds, before long-charge weapons come online—and then keep key enemy systems disabled until destruction. Hacking remains the fastest and most reliable method for collapsing 3+ shield layers, though ion, missile, and bomb weapons can fill this role effectively. FTL ships such as Kestrel, Engi, and Lanius tend toward this archetype. Example setups include Small bomb + Flak I + Heavy laser II, or Ion blast I + Burst laser II + Pike beam.

Turtlers prioritize damage mitigation over a longer window (15–20 seconds) while charging or accelerating heavier weapons. Cloaking or a Defense I drone is generally required to handle high-damage missile threats. Federation, Stealth, and Zoltan ships commonly follow this path. Example builds include Halberd + Burst Laser 2, or Flak I + Glaive beam.

Boarding ships focus on crew elimination by disabling the medbay or clonebay and systematically killing the enemy crew. These ships tend to accumulate more scrap due to higher rewards from captures, and often delay investment in weapons systems. However, autoscouts and certain enemy crew types (notably Mantis, Lanius, and Slugs) create consistent risk without careful control. Boarding targets vary based on context—piloting, medbay/clonebay, shields, weapons, oxygen, doors, or mind control—but the objective remains the same: isolate and eliminate. Mantis, Rock, Lanius, and Crystal ships are best suited to this approach. Key supporting systems and augments include Backup DNA Bank, Reconstructive Teleport, Hacking, and Mind Control. Representative tactics include sending Lanius to oxygen, Rock units with fire weapons, Crystal units to lock down medbay, four-man teleports into large rooms, or Mantis follow-ups once healing is disabled or hacked.

Drone-focused builds are technically viable but uncommon. Sustaining multiple drones per fight is constrained by limited drone part availability. The Drone Recovery Arm mitigates this, but cannot be relied upon due to inconsistent access. As a result, committing to drones as a primary damage source from the outset is rarely practical. Additionally, without the expensive Defense Scrambler, attack drones are countered effectively by anti-drone systems. In most runs, drones function best as supplementary damage rather than a core strategy.

Ships with four weapon slots and two drone slots are generally more flexible than those with three and three. Situations requiring a third drone slot are rare, whereas four-slot gunships can reliably support common 8-power weapon configurations such as 2/2/2/2, 3/2/2/1, or 4/2/1/1. By contrast, three-slot gunships are more frequently forced into inefficient trade-offs, replacing smaller, efficient weapons with slower, heavier ones to maintain scaling damage output.

GETTING YOUR FIRST HARD WIN

Take it slow. Decide that this run is really going to be the one you finally win, even if it is the tenth time you have said that. Maintain zero tolerance for avoidable mistakes. If you need a break, take one. Pause at every Blue event, Alt-Tab to your browser, and check the FTL Wiki before choosing. Pause when you do not recognize an enemy weapon, then look it up. Your single purpose is to prepare for the final battle. Be ruthless.

If you are attempting a Class D or F ship, then stubbornness and desperation are not character flaws. They are your strongest assets. Keep trying, and vary the setup slightly each time.

B. STRATEGY

4. PLANNING A SECTOR ROUTE
5. PLANNING A BEACON ROUTE
6. UPGRADING AND SCRAP MANAGEMENT
7. GETTING SCRAP
8. SPENDING SCRAP
9. ABOUT THE SCRAP RECOVERY ARM
10. STRATEGY IN SECTORS 1-2
10B. SHIP-SPECIFIC EARLY-GAME TIPS
11. STRATEGY IN SECTORS 3-4
12. STRATEGY IN SECTORS 5-7

PLANNING A SECTOR ROUTE

Route selection has a measurable impact on win rate. Your path through sectors should reflect your current build, strength, and immediate needs rather than habit or preference.

On the Sector Map, only sector color is visible in advance. Avoid extended chains of purple sectors; they tend to yield less scrap and increase the risk of fuel shortages. Edges are also unfavorable, as they limit future choice. Being forced into a bad matchup—such as an Engi/Zoltan crew entering a Mantis sector, or a strong boarding build into an Abandoned sector—ends otherwise viable runs.

Green sectors offer more stores (typically 2–3) and fewer hostile encounters than red sectors (1–2 stores). They are the safer option. Favor Zoltan sectors if you rely on ion weaponry, Engi sectors if you board and are not dependent on drones or missiles, and Civilian sectors otherwise.

Red sectors are more dangerous. Rock and Abandoned (Lanius) sectors are the most punishing. Choose Rock if you have flak or beam weapons; choose Abandoned if you are not boarding and can handle Lanius ships efficiently. Rebel, Mantis, and Pirate sectors are comparatively manageable. Favor Mantis if you can counter boarding, Rebel if you are equipped against autoscouts and drones, and Pirate for general flexibility or if you need crew—diverse crews increase access to Blue options.

Purple (Nebula/Slug) sectors consume more fuel. Slug sectors are volatile: enemies frequently attempt to flee or disable critical systems, making them inefficient or risky for boarding and underpowered builds, though they often contain 2–3 stores. Nebula sectors are not especially difficult and are populated heavily by autoscouts, but they offer low rewards overall, particularly without Long-Range Scanners.

As a secondary filter, align sectors with the races present on your ship to increase the frequency of Blue options. Some homeworlds and the Rebel Stronghold provide unique quest rewards, while others—such as Slug home sectors—are comparatively low value.

Update (2026): For data on average profit by sector type, refer to this Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ftlgame/comments/bwk4ot/sector_profit_data_from_200x_sector_4_hard/
In essence, it demonstrates that Rebel and Civilian sectors generate about 10% more rewards, and Uncharted/Mantis about 10% fewer rewards than the other sectors. However, Engi sectors yield the most items found, which can make it strategically superior, especially early on.

PLANNING A BEACON ROUTE

As soon as you enter a sector, map out a path that maximizes value: prioritize distress beacons, route through nebula where practical, and time your arrival at the Exit to coincide with the rebel fleet. In most cases, this leads to a central path rather than hugging the edges, unless you are deliberately diverting for a store, nebula, or known signal.

If the Exit sits far to the right, you typically have around ten jumps, with each nebula beacon effectively buying one additional turn. Avoid dead ends and unnecessary backtracking. Track rebel advance visually—use a fixed reference on your screen to estimate how many jumps remain before the fleet overtakes key nodes.

When targeting a store, avoid going directly unless necessary. Clear a few additional beacons first to increase your scrap total; this improves purchasing flexibility and may eliminate the need to buy at all. Around 80 scrap (including potential sales) is sufficient for high-impact items such as the Burst Laser II, one of the few consistently reliable purchases.

With Long-Range Scanners, route toward detected ship beacons to minimize wasted jumps on empty nodes. Environmental hazards should be evaluated selectively: asteroid fields and ion storms carry higher damage risk, while red giants and plasma storms are generally more manageable with proper timing and system control.

Without Long-Range Scanners, early encounters with mercenaries can justify the cost of sector map data, particularly if you are searching for a store or a quest node under pressure. The information can prevent inefficient routing or missed opportunities.

Distress beacons are disproportionately valuable, especially with expanded crew or systems. Blue options should be taken whenever available. Without them, clonebay users can accept most risks safely, with a few known exceptions. If operating without a medbay and facing an unknown event, external reference is preferable to guesswork.

And remember, NEVER mess with giant alien spiders.

UPGRADING AND SCRAP MANAGEMENT

This is the single most important and complex aspect of FTL. On Hard difficulty, most losses trace back to poor upgrade timing or inefficient scrap allocation rather than combat execution. Success depends on disciplined spending: knowing when to invest, how much to commit, and what to prioritize.

Effective upgrading is preventive, not reactive. You are not solving the current fight—you are preparing for the next sector. Anticipate scaling threats (shields, missiles, boarding, drones) and invest before they become lethal. Scrap spent late to patch a weakness is usually less efficient than scrap spent early to avoid it entirely.

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 10% more scrap than destroying a ship. If you have two or more Mantis, Lanius, Crystal or Rock aboard, consider buying a teleporter.

If your ship is in good condition, consider increasing your Blue options with the following early upgrades: Medbay L2, an ion weapon, piloting L2 (if in a large nebula), and a multiracial crew (esp. Rock/Engi). 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

Do not buy weapons, systems, augments, or crew before they are required. Track what your ship will need in the near future—both offensively and defensively—and aim to remain exactly one step ahead. More than that, and you are overinvesting; less than that, and you are gambling. Stay on the edge.

At any point in a run, your ship must be capable of one of three offensive paths: killing crew through boarding, disabling critical systems, or breaking shields and dealing hull damage. At the same time, your defenses—shields, engines, drones, and support systems—must be sufficient to limit incoming damage to a survivable level for the current sector.

For practical decision-making, store purchases can be divided into five categories:

1. Almost always a good purchase
2. A good purchase for your current ship
3. A good purchase for your future ship, but not yet
4. A bad purchase for your current ship
5. Almost always a bad purchase

Category 5 represents roughly 20% of items. These are fundamentally and always inefficient. If acquired for free, they can be used temporarily and sold later, but relying on them long-term is not viable, particularly in Hard mode. Examples include Repair Arm (scrap is already scarce), most augments—especially those tied to FTL mechanics—most missiles (which split utility inefficiently compared to bombs), Heavy Ion and Chain Ion (distinct from the much stronger Charge Ion), Healing Burst, Crystal Bomb, Repair Burst, and drones such as Boarding, Ion Intruder, and Shield Overcharger.

Category 4 accounts for about half of what you will see. These items are not inherently bad, but they do not fit your current build. This may be because their role is already filled (for example, buying missiles when you already run bombs), or because they conflict with your ship’s direction (such as adding a glaive beam to a fire-based boarding setup with Rock crew). By this stage, most players recognize and ignore these quickly.

Category 3, around 10% of what you find, is where Hard mode punishes careless planning. These are items that will become useful later, but are not immediately effective. In lower difficulties, surplus scrap allows premature purchases; here, it does not. Evaluate total cost: purchase price, required system upgrades (especially weapons), and reactor demand. Determine whether the item will provide value within the next one to two sectors, or whether it is better deferred. At the same time, early survival may require short-term weapons that will be obsolete later; without them, you may not reach the point where long-term efficiency matters.

Category 2, also around 10% of what you find, is the reason to visit stores. These items directly strengthen your current build or solve immediate weaknesses. They are the components that complete a working ship capable of surviving the next sectors while progressing toward a final configuration.

Category 1, the remaining ~10%, consists of universally strong options. These are rarely unwelcome and often define winning builds. Flak I (more common) and Burst Laser II (rare) are among the most efficient weapons available. Halberd Beam, Heavy Laser II, and Ion Burst II integrate easily into many loadouts and provide strong returns. Automated Reloaders are consistently valuable for non-boarding ships and stack effectively. Hacking remains the single most impactful system addition across nearly all runs.

ABOUT THE SCRAP RECOVERY ARM

Finding the Scrap Recovery Arm is excellent; buying it is not automatic. In most runs, it is a poor purchase before shields reach level 2, and it loses value sharply after Sector 6. A strong ship can leverage it over time, but in Hard mode the opportunity cost is often underestimated.

It can take more than two sectors to break even. While resale recovers part of the cost, scrap is not static in value—25 scrap in Sector 3 is materially different from 25 scrap in Sector 6. Purchasing it delays upgrades across multiple beacons, which introduces risk. That delay may cost access to a critical store item or leave you underprepared for an upcoming fight. The same logic applies to Distraction Buoys.

If the goal is to increase scrap income, Long-Ranged Scanners is usually the stronger choice. It is cheaper and provides actionable information. By routing efficiently and prioritizing ship encounters, it generates more scrap in practice than the passive return from a Scrap Recovery Arm.

STRATEGY IN SECTORS 1-2 (EARLY GAME)

With few exceptions (notably certain Stealth variants), the primary objective before leaving Sector 1 is securing two shield bubbles. Without this, incoming damage becomes too volatile to manage consistently in Sector 2 and beyond.

Next, aim to reliably damage ships with two shield layers—accounting for the reality that a portion of non-beam shots will miss.

Third, shift attention back to survivability, while selecting certain upgrades for general utility, depending on your ship and route. For example, Doors to level 2 if you anticipate trouble with mantis, and Medbay or Clonebay to level 2 for better blue options. If your route includes multiple nebula, Piloting level 2 becomes a priority.

Build a reserve of 70+ scrap when planning to visit stores, but do not force purchases prematurely. Many ships do not require weapon upgrades in Sectors 1 or 2, and it is more efficient to wait for equipment that remains viable into the late game rather than investing in short-term fixes. If a strong weapon is acquired through events, transition immediately—spend the scrap and integrate it. New systems should generally be avoided early, with limited exceptions: a Drone System paired with a Defense I drone, or a Teleporter if your crew supports a boarding path.

In early sectors, surrender offers can be strategically valuable. Prioritize deals that include four or more fuel, especially when not pursuing a crew kill. Early fuel reserves reduce mid-game scrap pressure and provide routing flexibility when options narrow.

SHIP-SPECIFIC EARLY-GAME TIPS

Engi A. Replace the combat drone early; keep Med-Bot Dispersal until you have reliable anti-boarding crew. In early fights, target weapons with Ion Blast II rather than shields if there is any realistic threat of taking damage.

Engi B. One or both starting weapons must be replaced before Sector 3. If necessary, delay standard defensive upgrades to make this happen. Without improved offense, progression stalls.

Fed B. This is the ultimate turtling ship. Dual Lasers are efficient enough to carry the early game. Acquire a Defense I drone as soon as possible and rely on the artillery beam for scaling damage until better weapons appear. Prioritize defensive layers to the point of near damage immunity.

Fed C. Secure level 2 shields, add a weapon (at minimum a bomb), and ideally acquire a Defense I drone. Do not sell Respirators; they enable boarding autoscouts. The core constraint is crew safety—losing control of the clonebay ends runs. Manage missile threats carefully, but commit fully when boarding; sending all four crew at once is often the safest option.

Stealth A. First upgrade is Cloaking level 2. Timing determines survival. After reaching two shield layers, delay Dual Laser fire slightly to align volleys. While cloaked, maximize evasion by temporarily depowering oxygen after enemy weapons fire; cloak adds 60 evasion, it does not cap it.

Stealth B. First upgrade is Cloaking level 3.

Stealth C. First upgrade is Drone Control level 3. A single stray hit cannot be allowed to disable your only defense.

Rock A. After securing level 2 shields, save for a laser or flak weapon, or a teleporter. Do not continue defensive upgrades until the missile threat is addressed.

Slug A. If the initial laser volley misses, bomb enemy weapons, then transition to Bio Beam. After reaching level 2 shields, support the Bio Beam with an additional weapon. Disable medbay and eliminate crew. Replace the Bio Beam by Sector 8 or earlier if shield-breaking becomes unreliable.

Slug B. Patience is essential. Until you acquire a medbay or clonebay, boarding must be controlled and conservative. Preserve Artemis for critical systems, especially weapons and medbay, and avoid unnecessary risk.

SECTORS 4-5 (MID GAME)

The first four sectors scale gradually; Sector 5 marks a clear jump in enemy quality and loadouts. Plan to reach three shield bubbles by the start of Sector 5. If you have a Defense I drone, Cloaking, or a Zoltan Shield, this can be delayed to the end of Sector 5 if offense is still incomplete. Maintain resource discipline—unless the ship is fragile, aim to accumulate more missiles and drone parts than you spend.

Continue to avoid adding new systems unless your offense cannot handle three-shield enemies and no suitable third weapon is available. If crew count is below four, prioritize event-based recruitment, ideally filling missing races and acquiring partially trained specialists. Efficiency in crew composition increases both survivability and access to Blue options.

Boarding builds should watch for Reconstructive Teleport; clonebay users benefit from Backup DNA Bank. Cloaking gunships can leverage Stealth Weapons to maintain firing cycles under cloak. Drone-reliant ships gain significant consistency from Drone Recovery Arm or, situationally, Defense Scrambler. If you lack Sensors and do not have Slug crew, Lifeform Scanner is typically a more efficient substitute than purchasing the Sensors subsystem. Availability for these augments is inconsistent, so decisions must be opportunistic rather than planned.

SECTORS 5 TO 7

Mid-game paths diverge, but several constraints remain consistent. Before leaving Sector 5, target roughly 45% evasion, which typically means level 5 engines with fully trained pilot and engine crew. From Sectors 5 through 7, expand into secondary systems to increase tactical flexibility: Hacking, Mind Control, Drone Control (with a Defense I drone), and in some builds Boarding or Cloaking. Enemy ships will now field four shield layers, larger crews, multiple active systems, and full weapon suites.

Once a system is purchased, bring it to level 2 within a few beacons so it can be used reliably. Mind Control can remain at level 1 for longer, but Hacking is often worth pushing to level 3 early. If you have not accumulated at least 15 drone parts by this stage, you are approaching the last window to do so.

Weapon evaluation for purchase becomes even stricter. You must be able to break four shield layers quickly, even under partial system failure. If this is not yet possible, avoid sectors dominated by Lanius, Slug, Rock, or Mantis ships until it is resolved. Do not invest in weapons that cannot contribute to a coherent 7 or 8-power endgame setup against the Rebel Flagship. Even if you never reach a perfect configuration, early commitments should not limit that ceiling.

If you lack bombs or missiles, options such as small bomb, ion bomb, or breach bomb II add precision and control. Missiles in general remain inefficient unless no alternative exists, particularly because Phase 2 introduces a Defense I drone that can neutralize them entirely.

By Sector 7, if you have no Zoltan crew, even a fully updated reactor can be insufficient. A Backup Battery can therefore compensate during the final fight. Ships may even consider switching between Medbay and Clonebay at this stage. Crew count also matters: fighitng the flagship with fewer than five is possible but it is much harder to manage heavy repairs and defending from boarding simultaneously in phase 3. If systems and weapons are already stable, recruting a Mantis, Engi, or Zoltan can improve both combat and event outcomes.

By Sector 8, you should be able to handle both the Flagship’s 10-point recharging Zoltan Shield and the heavy boarding pressure in Phase 3. Boarding-focused builds sometimes neglect shield-breaking; gunships sometimes neglect anti-boarding. Both gaps are fatal.

In most runs, all system slots should be filled by this point. Hacking, Cloaking, Defense I drone, Boarding, and Mind Control each provide decisive advantages when used correctly. All systems and subsystems should reach at least level 2 to absorb damage; a single missile hit should not cripple the ship.

If resources allow, upgrade shields to level 8 rather than pushing engines to level 8, as it is more cost-efficient. Sector 8 provides guaranteed hull repairs, so entering below full health is acceptable if it enables a meaningful upgrade. Final victories rarely come down to a single point of hull.

If your crew is vulnerable to boarding, plan to upgrade Piloting and/or Doors to level 3 before Phase 3. This is often the final improvement, and it can be funded with scrap earned from earlier Flagship phases.

C. TACTICS

13. CREW POSITIONS
14. GENERAL TACTICS
15. MANAGING YOUR REACTOR
16. PRIORITIZING THREATS
17. USING WEAPONS EFFECTIVELY
18. USING SYSTEMS EFFECTIVELY
19. BOARDING THE ENEMY SHIP
20. DEFENDING FROM BOARDERS
21. TACTICS VERSUS THE FLAGSHIP

CREW POSITIONS

Default manning priority is piloting, engines, weapons, shields, then doors and sensors. This order shifts with context. Under boarding pressure or fire spread, doors can move up; under sustained fire, shields may take precedence; sensors can matter when information is the constraint. When systems are damaged, unassign crew to repair immediately—manning bonuses are irrelevant if the system is offline. Even low-repair species can be the difference in restoring shields before the next volley.

Species roles are situational but generally consistent.

Slugs are strong pilots due to Mind Control immunity; replacing an early trained crewman can be worthwhile if there is time to retrain.

Zoltan fit well in engines or paired in shields, where their non-ionizable power stabilizes the final layer.

Lanius are effective on doors and in breach-heavy environments, but can slow multi-crew repairs in weapons or shields.

Rock crew are durable generalists and function best in central systems or as pilots due to low movement speed and fire immunity.

Humans are efficient shield operators because of accelerated training.

Engi and Crystal perform well in most stations, with piloting being the least synergistic.

Mantis are best placed where they can disengage quickly—doors or sensors—so they can respond to boarders without sacrificing system control.

GENERAL 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.

FTL is a thinking game, and the more you slow down your decision-making, the more likely you will improve your game. Pause at the beginning of each battle and look at the enemy's loadout. Really think about it, and make a plan.

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!

Afterward, think about the battle. Did it go according to plan? Did you get lucky or unlucky? Were there any threats you over- or underestimated? Did you play the very best fight possible, or did you make mistakes?

MANAGING THE REACTOR

Effective power management allows earlier system upgrades and more precise responses to changing threats. investing into the reactor earlier than necessary means missing out on a critical weapons or defensive upgrade.

Reactor limits are flexible if you actively reallocate power. Medbay and oxygen are the most obvious candidates. Oxygen can be safely disabled for roughly 75 seconds at full levels before becoming an issue, which exceeds the duration of most fights. Just be sure to turn it on and let levels return to normal before warping away.

Weapons can be depowered when disengaging or charging FTL, freeing energy for engines or defense. A Defense I drone can be turned off after intercepting an incoming volley, then reactivated for the next one. Engines can be reduced or shut off during cloaking if evasion exceeds 100%, as additional power has no effect in that window. Most systems can be temporarily deprioritized if the situation allows. Optimal execution requires slower pacing and frequent pausing.

PRIORITIZING THREATS

Recognize enemy weapons on sight before the first volley. Most sprites are distinct, and missile types can be inferred from projectile behavior even when launchers share graphics. Cooldown timing relative to your own weapons is another reliable identifier. This information determines your opening plan—what to disable first, when to cloak, and whether to commit resources.

Target piloting when the ship is evading many of your attacks or trying to escape, for example, against autoscouts or Slug ships. Target medbay or clonebay when pursuing a crew kill; for Lanius boarding, oxygen becomes a primary target. Target the drone system when anti-personnel drones, boarding drones, or defense drones are creating pressure—early on, combat drones can outpace shield recharge and may be a higher priority than weapons.

If the enemy has cloaking and the fight will be extended, disable it to maintain your attack tempo. Against small crews or Mantis-heavy ships, this is less critical; they often cannot repair systems fast enough to exploit cloak cycles. Against Engi-heavy crews, disabling cloaking is low value because repairs complete before the next cooldown. If your weapons or shields are hacked, disable their hacking immediately. If your pilot or a Mantis is mind-controlled, disrupt it or counter with your own Mind Control.

Weapons take priority over shields when they pose immediate damage. Even partial damage can desynchronize enemy volleys, preventing effective follow-up even after repairs. Against Zoltan shields, conserve bombs, missiles, and long-charge weapons so they are ready the moment the shield drops. Temporarily depower teleporter, hacking, or mind control if needed to fully fund shields or drone defense during that phase.

USING YOUR WEAPONS EFFECTIVELY

A standard gunship prioritizes shields first, then weapons or drones, then piloting. The goal is to collapse enemy damage output while avoiding as much damage as possible.

Autofire is reliable for Ion Blast II, but most weapons perform better when timed into volleys. The sequence, not the individual weapons, creates the damage.

Example: small bomb, dual laser, flak I, and pike beam against four shields and high evasion. Dual laser and flak charge at 10 seconds, but firing immediately is suboptimal. Start with the bomb on shields. As soon as you see the bomb hit (the sprite begins to appears in the room you targeted), queue the flak with a delay so it lands just after the bomb explodes. Follow with the dual laser, and fire the pike beam as shields drop. In a typical outcome—two flak hits and one laser hit—shields fall to zero, allowing the beam sweep across shields, weapons, and piloting.

Missiles lose most of their value against active defense drones; conserve them. With limited ammo, use only enough to open the ship for your primary weapons, targeting shields, cloaking, or medbay if boarding. Bombs trade hull damage for control: they damage systems, injure crew, and can start fires or breaches. Use them to create the initial advantage, then stop once the fight is stabilized.

Beam weapons reward precision. Small adjustments to the beam path can yield an extra point of damage by clipping additional rooms. Multi-damage beams can partially penetrate shields, but the resulting damage is reduced; using them this way is situational. Starting the beam on the shield room can disable it mid-sweep, allowing full damage across subsequent rooms.

Flak is most effective when aimed at large or central rooms to maximize hit probability; defense drones will often intercept one projectile from the volley. Ion weapons are typically left on autofire against shields, or weapons in the early game. If ion output can permanently suppress shields, shift targeting to other systems. Defense II drones can intercept ions.

Lasers and beams are your best damage dealers. Use them to disable and destroy key systems. Defense 2 drones can shoot down individual lasers, but not beams.

Attack drones (beam, combat and fire) cannot be timed into volleys; they are thus secondary damage dealers. They can work as primary damage dealers when paired with strong ion or hacking, but due to limited drone parts and your inability to focus fire on specific enemy systems, this is a challenging strategic choice.

USING YOUR SYSTEMS EFFECTIVELY

Mind Control serves multiple roles: neutralizing enemy boarders, supporting your own boarding crew, dropping enemy evasion to zero by targeting piloting, breaking opposing Mind Control, or applying minor system disruption without committing crew. The last use is uncommon. Gunships should typically Mind Control the enemy pilot just before the first volley to guarantee hits. In low-visibility conditions, such as nebula or certain events, Hacking can restore your vision in a single enemy room; in that case, hack shields and Mind Control any crew inside to create immediate pressure.

Hacking is the strongest system in FTL. Against an enemy trying to hack you, you might want to delay your own deployment briefly to see their target. If they hit your weapons or shields, counter-hacking their Hacking system is one option, but in most cases hacking their shields is better—you can then disable their Hacking with conventional fire. Against Defense or anti-drone drones, there is a timing exploit: as soon as the drone fires at your Hacking drone, pause and depower Hacking (this freezes your drone's movement), unpause briefly so the enemy's shot misses, then before the enemy has a chance to fire again, repower Hacking.

Cloaking is a short-duration defensive reset. Use it to avoid heavy missiles, synchronized volleys, or to clear accumulated ion pressure on your shields. Fire your weapons just before activating cloak; each non-beam shot during cloak reduces its duration by two seconds. Defense drones are highly effective against missiles and hostile drones, but struggle with projectiles that interact with shields, such as asteroids. If running multiple, power the Defense I drone first. They do not need to remain active constantly, but require a short spin-up time, so activate them shortly after an enemy missile launches and depower after the projectile is destroyed.

For boarding builds, maintain Teleporter readiness. Underpowering it risks losing your crew to cooldown timing, especially against high-damage ships. If upgraded to level 2, ensure it is fully powered before committing, unless the enemy crew and weapons profile make delay inconsequential.

BOARDING THE ENEMY SHIP

Man Sensors at level 1 to gain visibility into crew count, positions, races, and the presence of anti-personnel drones. If your total crew is below seven, upgrade Sensors to level 2 for consistent information. Before committing, check door strength: standard (orange) doors allow free movement, while a Door System requires breaking through each room, which affects timing and survivability.

Board in pairs using Mantis, Rock, Lanius, or Crystal crew. If the outcome is uncertain, ensure the teleporter is powered to level 2 or 3 to allow rapid extraction. When a Medbay or Clonebay is present, disable it first—bombs are the simplest method—then teleport into that room and hold it. Supporting damage to Doors or Drone Control can stabilize the fight. Piloting is often a strong entry point due to its small size and isolation; large rooms like weapons or shields are riskier if three or more defenders are present.

Crew rotation is essential. Pause, issue movement orders to adjacent rooms, then reassign one by one back to the original room before unpausing; this swaps positions without exposing crew to additional damage. Use ship weapons to weaken defenders elsewhere, but avoid destroying the hull. Exercise caution with flak volleys and in asteroid fields to prevent friendly casualties.

Hacking the target room locks doors and controls reinforcement flow; hacking an adjacent room can extend control across multiple compartments. Against autoscouts, a level 2 teleporter allows retrieval before suffocation, but cloaking makes these engagements risky without a clonebay. Against Mantis crews, a second boarding wave may be required to distribute damage. Against Lanius, boarding without equivalent crew or crystal lockdown is a structural disadvantage; Mind Control or high-level teleporter timing may create limited openings. Against Slugs, account for Mind Control and escape attempts—cloak plus retreat can strand your crew even with a clonebay.

DEFENDING FROM BOARDERS

With a large, combat-capable crew—Mantis, Rock, Lanius, or Crystal—defense is straightforward. Pause frequently and concentrate force. With smaller or weaker crews, especially Zoltan and Engi, survival depends on control rather than direct fighting. Door upgrades are central to this. Reach level 2 doors by Sector 2 or assign a crew member to man them if possible. An anti-personnel drone can also stabilize these encounters, but only if available early.

Venting is the primary tool. Based on boarding location and ship layout, open doors to remove oxygen from targeted rooms. Once boarders begin taking suffocation damage, they stop attacking and attempt to leave. If trapped, they die in roughly 10 seconds. Even if they escape, reduced health shifts the fight in your favor. This method does not apply to boarding drones or ion intruders, which create breaches on arrival and do not suffer damage from low oxygen. In those cases, send a Mantis plus one additional crew to engage while opening doors to that room to reduce oxygen damage taken by your own crew. Boarding drones have 150 health, and with fast response you can destroy them, although sometimes you will destroy the enemy ship first.

Ion intruders behave differently. They do not attack crew but ionize the room and stun anyone inside. Combined with low oxygen, stunned crew die easily. So when the drone's wings extend, immediately move crew out—preferably to an adjacent system room—then re-engage after the pulse. If you have an Engi, prioritize repairing the breach after the drone moves rather than attacking it directly; this simplifies the situation.

Crew rotation reduces casualties. Pause, move all crew out, then reassign them back into the room one at a time before unpausing. This redistributes positions and spreads incoming damage across the team; the interface shows new positions before resuming. Exercise caution with Zoltan, whose low health can lead to sudden losses if they are not rotated out early. Also, they explode when they die.

TACTICS VERSUS THE FLAGSHIP

Entering Sector 8, bring all systems and subsystems to level 2. Use Rebel encounters en route to the base to refine execution; ideally, these fights cost no hull. Avoid flashing red beacons when possible, as they provide no rewards. A store may appear in Sector 8, but the probability of locating and reaching it before capture is low, so do not depend on it. At the start of each phase, immediately power any Defense drone to intercept hacking and boarding drones.

Phase 1 focuses on breaking the flagship control systems, then dealing damage. Disable enemy cloaking (and sometimes hacking, if it gets your weapons or shields), reduce shields, and when possible, focus fire on that missile launcher. If your shields or weapons are hacked, consider running away and coming back. Other room hacks are generally manageable. There is no boarding pressure in this phase. Standard approach is to hack shields, apply bombs or direct fire to cloaking, and cloak against missile volleys or synchronized laser and ion bursts. Target priority typically includes missiles, shields, cloaking, and piloting. For boarding builds, disable weapon systems first, then remove medbay through hacking or damage.

Phase 2 is mechanically simpler but punishes poor timing. The drone surge deploys six attack drones, a mix of beam I and combat I, with combat drones firing first. If you have it, synchronize a one-bar cloak with the worst of the surge; using full cloak duration early risks losing coverage for the next surge. Activate cloak when shield layers begin to drop, not at the warning sound. Without cloak or four shield layers, preemptively disable several weapon systems and the drone system before the surge. Boarding drones should be handled quickly by your crew; if one lands in shields or weapons, prioritize disabling the enemy drone system.

Before transitioning to Phase 3, reduce enemy crew where possible: man sensors, target clustered crew, and finish them when they retreat to medbay. Between phases, upgrading piloting and doors to level 3 can materially improve survivability.

Phase 3 combines heavy boarding with periodic damage surges. Unless the crew has already been thinned, strong anti-boarding control is required alongside surge management. Keep doors manned. As in Phase 2, use one-bar cloak timed to the surge. Target enemy Mind Control before their Teleporter. The Zoltan shield will regenerate if the phase drags on, and if you are crippled, this can end your run. Some damage is unavoidable, and full repairs may not be possible between surges; ensure that shields, weapons, piloting, doors if needed, and key support systems are fully operational before each surge. Maintain crew at stations and keep system pressure on the Flagship to limit its recovery.


NOW, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET OUT THERE AND DELIVER THE INFORMATION TO THE FEDERATION FLEET!

ADDENDUM: MORE TRICKS AND TIPS

CREW MANAGEMENT

Crew positioning includes rotation (“the truffle shuffle”) to distribute damage evenly and keep units alive longer. In the medbay, if more crew need healing than can fit, repeatedly order additional crew to pass through from one adjacent room to another; as long as they are physically inside the medbay at any moment, they will heal. The same mechanic applies to teleporting: any crew physically inside a room will be teleported, even if they are walking through it or have not reached their assigned tile.

CREW POSITIONS

With a small crew, it is often correct to prioritize manning doors or sensors before jumping to a new beacon, even if that leaves engines or shields unmanned. This provides immediate information about enemy crew and systems, and protects against boarding. After arrival, return crew to standard stations if that information or door control is no longer needed.

GENERAL TACTICS

Observe enemy door timing to estimate crew count and races. Repair speed also reveals crew type. Pirate ships tend to be multi-racial; Rebel ships are usually human. Event text can also provide clues about enemy composition. When considering boarding, check drone control systems—even if no drones are visible. Without a Zoltan Shield, this often indicates repair or anti-personnel drones; with one, it may indicate boarding or ion drones.

Audio cues provide additional information. Breaches and fires can be heard on both ships. If enemy crew are low on health, a well-placed shot into their room can finish them and grant the crew-kill scrap bonus, even without boarding or anti-bio weapons. Beam damage to crew is tile-specific, while all other damage applies to any crew in the room hit.

PRIORITIZING THREATS

Weapon timing knowledge is actionable. Heavy and hull lasers fire faster than standard lasers, and tracking cooldowns allows precise planning. For example, a burst laser II (12 seconds) paired with a mini-beam (10 seconds) produces a predictable sequence where shields drop immediately before the beam fires. This creates a fixed window—four volleys—before that alignment occurs.

Enemy weapon power allocation can be manipulated. If an enemy has a burst laser II (two power) and an Artemis missile (one power), dealing one damage to weapons may force them to depower the missile; dealing two damage may allow both to be powered again. With three shield bubbles, the missile may be the greater threat, so partial damage is sometimes preferable.

In plasma storms, enemy systems are already underpowered, so damage may not remove an additional shield layer or weapon as it would in normal battles. The enemy can have a larger effective buffer than expected.

Drone behavior is readable. Drones point at the center of their target room about a second before firing. This allows preemptive decisions—cloaking, firing before systems are disabled, or repositioning crew.

System vulnerability depends on crew. A mantis-manned system is slower to repair than an engi-manned one. If a mantis is repairing shields while an engi mans engines, the shields become a more efficient target.

MANAGING YOUR REACTOR

Reactor upgrades are often over-prioritized. System upgrades typically provide more flexibility, but require precise power shuffling. The interaction between shields and engines is frequently misunderstood. If shields are down, hit/miss/evasion is calculated when the projectile reaches the center of the room (or target point for flak). If shields are up, the calculation occurs as the shot passes through the shield layer.

Scenario 1: before a missile crosses the shield line, you can safely reduce evasion to zero to power oxygen, fully power the clonebay, or fire weapons. After it passes, engine power can be removed again without affecting the outcome.

Scenario 2: if missiles are the only remaining threat, shields can be temporarily depowered to free energy for weapons or cloaking, then restored before impact while maximizing evasion.

After damaging enemy weapons or drone systems, reassess how many shield layers are required. Excess power can often be shifted into other systems.

USING YOUR WEAPONS EFFECTIVELY

With a Weapon Pre-Igniter, effective weapon power can actually exceed eight. Before jumping, allow some weapons to fully charge. Pause, depower them, and allocate power to uncharged weapons. Jump immediately. Upon arrival, the powered weapons are charged; after firing, power can be redistributed to the others, which will have lost minimal charge time. It's a niche strategy for Hard difficulty since the Pre-Igniter is rare and scrap is so limited.

Ion damage stacks. Each hit removes one system bar for five seconds; subsequent hits before expiration add both duration and additional disabled bars. Early game, target weapons for safety; later, shift to shields. If ion is no longer needed—for example, when running dual flak—sell it and reallocate power.

Flak is a shield-breaking tool. Pair it with weapons that require shields down, such as lasers or beams. Ion and missiles do not benefit as much from flak synergy. Even if the targeting markers miss the hull, flak still impacts shields unless evaded; missing markers only indicate missed hull damage after shields are down.

Lasers are flexible—usable for shield breaking, system damage, and hull damage—but lack specialization. Hull and heavy lasers are inefficient against shields but work in a pinch.

Beam weapons provide consistent, unavoidable damage once shields are down. Most builds benefit from exactly one beam. Multiple beams are viable only when the rest of the loadout reliably strips shields and supports their timing, which is rarely trivial outside strong builds.

ADDENDUM: MORE TRICKS AND TIPS 2

DEFENDING FROM BOARDERS

Boarding defense includes manipulation as much as actual combat. You can open doors selectively to split enemy crew, letting one through while others are delayed. This increases the time they spend breaking doors and creates isolated fights. Running a crewmember through the room can also distract boarders from attacking doors; even in low oxygen, this is often favorable.

Against boarding drones or ion intruders, direct combat is often inefficient unless you have strong fighters such as Mantis or Lanius. Disabling the enemy drone control is frequently safer. With ion intruders, you can open a path to let them leave the breached room, then seal it behind them and repair the breach safely with an Engi or multiple crew. This avoids simultaneous low oxygen and combat pressure.

In boarding events without an enemy ship, if your crew is outmatched, retreat immediately to doors or medbay. Depower oxygen and open external doors to accelerate suffocation. Oxygen drains faster when O2 is offline and more exterior doors are open. On ships with poor venting, an unrepaired breach in an empty room can be used deliberately against fires or boarders.

Level 2 teleporters allow enemies to retrieve crew before suffocation. To prevent this, attack them in low-oxygen rooms, cloak when their health is low, disable teleporter or medbay, or immediately target those systems when they arrive. Each point of hull damage equates to 15 crew health, making system damage an indirect but effective kill method.

BOARDING THE ENEMY SHIP

On Hard, enemy crew man systems in a fixed priority: piloting, engines, weapons, shields. Shields are the highest repair priority, followed by weapons, and oxygen when critically low. If an enemy is charging FTL, boarding a four-tile room can draw the pilot away and delay escape.

Against ships without a Door System, movement becomes a weapon. Multiracial crews and Rock units can run across the ship, creating temporary 2-on-1 engagements at each endpoint. With a two-man teleporter, this buys time until reinforcements arrive, and can keep low-health boarders alive while cooldown recovers.

In a 4-on-3 scenario, sending a fourth crew member—preferably a Mantis—to medbay or clonebay can destroy it uncontested. Even partial damage to medbay can prevent enemy recovery. Watch health bars carefully to determine whether the enemy is gaining or losing ground overall. Boarding also forces enemy crew off stations, degrading shield recharge, weapon cooldown, and evasion.

If the enemy boards as well, it is often better to let them initiate. Boarding first can prevent them from sending crew at all, but handling two smaller boarding groups is often easier than fighting one concentrated group on your own ship. This is another reason boarding builds benefit from strong door control.

Boarding with Hacking allows control over movement. Hacking does not need to target medbay; weapons or shields may be higher priority depending on the fight. Position hacking so that key rooms can only be accessed through the hacked room. Teleport immediately after the drone connects and overwhelm isolated crew before reinforcements arrive. Timing matters: when the hack ends, doors reseal, creating an ideal moment to finish low-health enemies. You can also move through hacked doors or open them in advance to reposition aggressively.

Hacking combined with Mind Control allows system disruption without boarding. Hack a critical system and mind control the crew inside; they will damage it without opposition, even without sensor visibility.

Drone micro can neutralize defense drones. Turn off combat drones just before firing so a defense drone rotates into position, then reactivate; the defense drone is destroyed or bypassed. This is especially useful against Defense II drones.

TACTICS VERSUS THE FLAGSHIP

If vulnerable to boarding, fight Phase 2 at the base, then move away for Phase 3. Accept the boarding wave and jump back to the base to reset positioning.

Flagship weapons behave like artillery. Damaging them slows firing but does not stop it unless fully disabled. Phases 1–2 weapons use three power; Phase 3 weapons use four, significantly reducing cooldown (for example, lasers from 15.5 seconds to 10.5, missiles from 17.5 to 12.5).

In Phase 2, dealing exactly one damage to the missile launcher causes it to fire during the drone surge, allowing a single cloak to cover both threats.

Before entering Phase 3, if you lack Mind Control, reposition crew away from vulnerable rooms such as weapons or single-power systems. Mind-controlled crew attack the system they occupy first, then move. You can contain them by forcing combat with your own crew, but this requires sustained control for the full duration of the effect.

[Parakeetúo]

You forgot to cover the Crystal ships despite including a section with them.

[daggaz]

Such a good guide. You left out Kestrel A though (for newbies it would be nice to at least rank it and tell them why) and although the ship "cards" are cool looking, I wish it was just typed out like the rest of the guide for ease of reading.

[Joebob]

Excellent travail! J'utilise ce guide pratiquement depuis sa création pour initier des amis à FTL, et le fait qu'il soit encore mis à jour 8 ans plus tard témoigne de sa richesse et du dévouement des créateurs.

En passant, j'ai remarqué quelques coquilles dans la nouvelle version. Est-ce que je devrais les lister ici?

[LLAMA FLEX]

Thanks, Warrior, I haven't played this game for a while but that makes sense

[MadeUpNoun]

you have forgotten one thing which is really important for the flagship
dont target the lasers and let them keep the lasers
and shoot down missiles ion and beam weapons as the game makes the flagship go into AI mode
meaning it repairs itself without units
which also means you cant just shut down the shield and engine rooms and have a blast riping it to pieces
but if you keep one in the laser room (which a three shield ship can defend against perfectly)
then boarding crew can take out the main crew while guns break the weapons and then no matter what damage you do to the main rooms they cant be healed

[LLAMA FLEX]

Thanks xBoomski, I'm glad you enjoyed the guide!

[xBoomski]

@ZenDogYago What a trip to read, appreciate all the time you put into this my man! I thought I was decent at this game and use it to pass a lot of time, it's very enjoyable. But i NEver dwelled into it this much until now.

[LLAMA FLEX]

BlackJack: this guide is written for those whose micro might not yet be quite that good, i.e. people who have never won on Hard Difficulty.

[BlackJack]

About your analysis on the Fed C: The boarding crew isn't really that bad. A mantis and a human together can win most fights with good micro.

[LLAMA FLEX]

Thanks DarkyNeko!