Into The Stars - Achievement Guide

The aim of this guide is to provide a clear and detailed descriptive of the requirements for unlocking the achievements bound to Into The Stars. General hints and tips will also be provided to help facilitate strategies and tactics for the highly ambitious completionists. Godspeed, Captain!

Introduction

This guide has been created as a tool to assist the achievement completionists out there. While it may be handy to have a guide holding your hand through it all, I would highly recommend referring to this guide only as a last resort. Exclusively hunting for achievements can get in the way of enjoyment, and I would much rather people explore everything this game has to offer first and foremost.

Note: This achievement guide will provide guidance on how to unlock 15 of 17 achievements (88%). The remaining two achievements are either bugged or not working.

Hints & Tips

During the course of consecutive playthroughts you will become familiar with the sort of thinking and approach you should apply towards shuttle missions, how best to tackle Skorn and various other challenges. Below is a list of hints and tips to help optimise your chances of success during your journey.

• Repeated mining: The more you mine from the same planet, the more you deprive it of resources. Your first two mining attempts will always bring in the most resources. Attempts thereafter will yield a reduced haul.
  
  
• Target effectively: If the Skorn attacks in a group of three then target the weapons of one of the three ships. The weapons will only disable for a brief period, but it will make your life easier to either deflect or evade the attacks of the other two ships. The shield will passively absorb some damage if you choose to target the hull. Therefore, your next target should be the shield. You will find the hull takes greater damage without an active shield.
  
  
• Benefits of enhancements: While it may be tempting to gamble with fate for better modules during missions, I would strongly recommend stocking up on enhancements and repair kits.
  
  > The blue enhancement provides temporary HP to a selected module for a brief period - highly resourceful in the absence of repair kits.
  
  > The red enhancement allows the selected module to run at its maximum while consuming less resources for a limited time. It is highly advisable to activate this on either the life support, protein sequencer or engine modules. These three consume the most resources and would therefore improve the longevity of your journey during mining droughts.
  
  
• Multidisciplinary training: The stronger your crew of six, the better. Whenever you receive a notification for training, unrest or medical outbreak, send a crew member to deal with the mission. Also, do not push all training efforts for a particular trait on a single crew member - i.e. If a crew member is highest on pilot, try and train them in another speciality. Having a multidisciplinary crew will come in handy if you were to lose crew members during attacks or risky missions.
  
  
• Trading civilians: You will find it difficult to find the right resources during mining expeditions and will therefore rely on trade ships. Trade ships will always give you plenty of resources in exchange for civilians. If your city has a decent growth percentage then threat not. Trade those civilians and continue on your journey!
  
  Note: You will come to realise with less civilians on board your ship suddenly burns through a lot less resources. You can employ this strategy if you find yourself stretched for resources.
  
  
• Consistency of module running cost: If you plan on going for the Normal or Pursuit difficulty achievements it would help to be consistent with the running cost of modules. By selecting modules with the same running cost, you are saving yourself from having to mine for a variety of resources each time. You can very effectively reach Titus Nova with a ship running on pure Hydrogen and Magnesium as shown on the image below. Your arsenal will be your greatest downfall against three enemies, but you can improve that through shuttle missions.

Ark Achievements

Into The Stars

Description: Begin your journey

Select 'new game'. Pick your desired crew and install your preferred ship modules. Once the warp drive is complete you will be introduced to the objectives and game controls. Once you have read through the text, tap shift to accelerate and this achievement will reveal itself.

Civilian Construction

Description: Construct a civilian building

You can either choose to do this as soon as the game kicks off or you can implement it as part of your current playthough. Configure your ships resources (or harvest from the nearest planet) to meet the needs of a desired construction. Once you have the appropriate resources give the green light for construction. Make sure you are not constructing this at the expense of other services around the ship. The last thing you need is a resource crisis. Once constructed, this achievement will unlock.

Note: Civilian buildings level up over time. Keep an eye out for upgrades and optimise their efficiency in growth, maintaining order, spreading happiness and providing healthcare.

To the Last Drop

Description: Mine a planet until the timer reaches 0

The first few planets are rather easy to mine for resources. You can mine for more resources and have less obstacles to stop you from reaching 0. Majority of planets at the centre of the system are hell-bent on throwing as many obstacles as possible. Remember, you can only accept four collisions against the red barriers. The fifth collision will destroy the drill and result in failure.

Technological Advancement

Description: Discover a new module

There are various methods by which you can discover and choose to install new modules. Whether they are better than an existing module is left entirely to your discretion, but ideally you should avoid replacing a module if you lack the necessary resources to meet the running cost no matter how good the new module may be. New modules can be discovered via several ways:

• Planetary exploration: Interact with planets and send a shuttle crew to the surface. You will be presented with 3 scenarios with the option of picking only one. The game makes it easier to decide which scenario to trigger by including the title of the reward (i.e. module, crew, item). Select module as a reward (IF module as a reward is available - if not, jump to the next planet) and upon mission success you will be given the option to analyse the existing and new module stats and choose to whether install or decline. If you are happy to replace, do so and the achievement is yours.
  
• Wreckage: Successfully exploring the wreckage of Ark or Skorn ships will unlock a random reward. This may include modules, enhancements, repair kits or civilians. Be warned, the majority of these missions are riskier than planetary missions. Having a high level commander will certainly help your odds of success.
  
• Storage containers: It is possible to find modules in storage containers though the odds are rather slim. You are more likely to find enhancements and repair kits.

Galactic Trader

Description: Perform a trade with an Alien Race

Scattered throughout the galaxy you will find alien trade ships, indicated by green chevrons from a distance (Menkhet ships are also indicated by green chevrons). Trading will always be in favour of the alien race, but if you are in dire need of some hydrogen in order to make it to the next sector then you will have no alternative option than to trade with aliens. Perform a trade with any pirate or merchant ship you come across and you will unlock this achievement.

Note: Upon completing a trade, the alien ship will warp out of the sector or activate an invisibility cloak. Make the most of it!

Once Marooned

Description: Find a survivor to replace a lost crew member

I find it unusual to not be able to recruit from the civilian populace or to hire crew as substitutes in the event of crew loss, but let's just assume nobody is qualified. You will never be presented a mission reward of new crew member without losing a crew member. You can lose crew members either through failed missions, risky mining crew attempts, or during Skorn ship encounters. Once you lose a crew member, you will be given the option of hiring new help from shuttle team missions or investigating ship wreckages.

Explorer Achievements

Where No Man Has Gone...

Description: Explore a new planet for the first time

Upon starting a new game you will see a planet directly ahead called 'Aurelius'. Interact with the planet by entering its atmosphere or select 'F' once close enough. You will have three options: Shuttle crew, mining crew, mining probe. In my case, this achievement did not unlock with the launch of a mining crew, but did unlock with a shuttle crew.

Silent Grave

Description: Explore an Ark wreckage

Press '2' to bring up the map. You will notice there are several blimps (indicated by red boxes in the image below) scattered throughout the map. These are the locations of all Ark ships. You only need to explore one wreckage to unlock this achievement. Exploring them all does not introduce any new material to the storyline.

This achievement will unlock regardless of scenario success or failure.

Combat Achievements

Death to the Skorn

Description: Kill a Skorn ship in combat

You can often spot Skorn scouts flying around in search of Ark ships. The ships AI will also notify you of the presence of scouts. Scouts (or Drones) have a light hull, low-grade shield, and weak (but lethal nonetheless) weapons. Individually they aren't much of a threat, but in the even of three popping up at once, they can be a handful. These would be ideal ships to target for this achievement.

Alternatively you can choose to overstaying your presence in sectors to attact the attention of larger, better equipped Skorn ships. Once you engage in combat, defeat the enemy ship(s) and this achievment will be yours.

Say No to Pirates

Description: Defeat a Menkhet Pirate

Menkhet pirates usually linger near mine fields and storage containers and are indicated in green chevrons - similarly to Glubdon trade ships. You can find plenty in the Sigma Sectors where the bulk of mine fields reside. Menkhet ships are heavy-duty, meaning you will have to hit it several times to ensure victory. Evaluate the amount of damage a Menkhet ship inflicts, then pick your targets (weapon, hull, shield) accordingly.

Completion Achievements

A New Home

Description: Complete the journey to Titus Nova

Reach Titus Nova on any difficulty setting.

Explorer

Description: Reach Titus Nova on Explorer or higher difficulty

There are three difficulty settings with achievements tied to each:

• Explorer (Easy): Explorer difficulty puts an emphasis on exploration and a means of discovering new strategies for attempts on higher difficulties. You can conjure a safe path by familiarising yourself with the available resources on certain planets via certain routes, making attempts on harder difficulties less tiresome. It also gives you the opportunity to trial different module combinations. The game is slightly more generous on explorer as threat levels stay as they are and combat is mostly limited to skirmishes with Skorn patrols. Take your time exploring the system, but make sure you reach Titus Nova if you want the achievement.
  
• Normal (Intermediate): Threat level will increase the longer you spend in a given sector. Patrols will also increase the threat level if spotted.
  
• Pursuit (Hard): Where possible, try to avoid combat. Try and keep your distance if you spot the presence of a scout ship. Do not backtrack and do not overstay your presence in sectors for mining or other purposes. Pursuit difficulty is extremely unforgiving because the Skorn are ridiculously accurate with their shots, whereas you can still miss the off shot here and there. Take the long winded path to avoid the bulk of Skorn fleets congregated at the centre of the system. I would strongly recommend equipping modules requiring similar resources.

Completing the game on Normal difficulty will automatically unlock the Explorer and Normal achievements; completing the game on Pursuit difficulty will automatically unlock both Explorer, Normal and Pursuit achievements.

Seasoned Captain

Description: Reach Titus Nova on Normal or higher difficulty

Refer to basic hints and tips to optimise your chances of unlocking this achievement.

See 'Explorer' achievement for details.

Legendary Captain

Description: Reach Titus Nova on Pursuit Difficulty

Refer to basic hints and tips to optimise your chances of unlocking this achievement.

See 'Explorer' achievement for details.

Best of the Best

Description: Reach Titus Nova and receive an A or higher Grade

Refer to basic hints and tips to optimise your chances of unlocking this achievement.

Selecting a higher difficulty will contribute a difficulty bonus to your overall. You gain multipliers for the remaining civilians, discovery of Ark ships, exploring planets, and killing enemies (Skorn or other threats in the galaxy). Reaching Titus Nova with resources will also contribute to your score, but will not have as great an impact as the aforementioned.

• Population growth: Build growth centre buildings to increase your population. It will take time, but hopefully by the time you reach Titus Nova it will be above 10,000. Remember to keep an eye out for upgrades as they will increase growth rates. You may also find civilians on planets or abandoned Ark ships to add to your score.
  
• Ark discovery: Try and explore all the Ark ships along your path. You don't have to succeed in order to gain the bonus.
  
• Exploring planets: Similarly to Ark ships, dotted along your path are planets. You can either choose to explore all, or some. Try and land on as many as you can without stretching your resources. Use a mining probe to avoid risking your pilot and miner under bad weather conditions.
  
• Defeating threats: In sectors without threat levels, you can choose to linger and defeat the odd one or two Drone ships which is easier than taking on a group of three brutes. Regardless of vessel tier, all ships contribute the same bonus score. You can also choose to attack scouts but pursuit of these ships tend to favour the Skorn because of their speed. Defeating Menkhet ships also contribute to the enemy ship bonus.

Faulty Achievements

After spending two separate playthroughs (Normal and Pursuit) and a lengthy hunting expedition on Explorer difficulty I am now convinced that the following achievements are not working. According to the Steam global stats, some users have already unlocked these achievements. However, I believe these are either the devs themselves or other gamers which may have unlocked the achievements before they became deactivated following an update or patch - a common issue.

Enemy Remnant

Description: Explore a Skorn wreckage

Defeated or energy-less Skorn ships are distributed throughout the galaxy, but mostly along or near the outer sectors of the map. I have had both success and failures upon investigating Skorn scout and Skorn fleet wreckages with various loot as reward, but neither outcome unlocked the achievement.


The closest Skorn wreckage can be found two sectors to the immediate right.

Piracy When Necessary

Description: Find a Storage Container hidden in the world

The Menkhet fleet has scattered storage containers throughout the system. Some guaraded by a wall of mine fields and the odd one or two Menkhet ships stationed nearby, others sitting idly near asteroids or floating through space. I have carved three paths along the centre of the map, and two paths along the outer sectors. I have encountered dozens of storage containers with enhancements, resources, repair kits, and modules, but none triggered the release of this achievement.

Thank You & End of Guide

Please feel free to drop a note below if you have any further questions, would like further clarity, or wish to contribute to this guide.

Thank you for reading and Godspeed, Captain!

[Ult]

Hi Shockedfrog. Unfortunately it has been a while since I last played this game and therefore have no recollection of my attempts, but I do recall running through the entire map exclusively for this achievement on one of my attempts at trying to obtain it. You may be right though. If I ever hop back on this, I will be sure to update the guide accordingly. Many thanks for your input!

[shockedfrog]

"Piracy When Necessary" worked for me. It didn't work when I first interacted with the storage container by pressing F, but I then flew back into the container after using it and it triggered then so it could be due to the method of approaching it or just only works the second time you use the container.