Starfighter: Infinity - Legendary Challenge

The Starfighter: Infinity Legendary Challenge is an unofficial gauntlet that pushes the limits of exploration, combat, and game mechanics in Starfighter: Infinity. The Legendary Challenge is meant to be harsh, exceedingly difficult, punishing, and requires a player to carefully make decisions as they progress through the Starfighter: Infinity universe.

Introduction

The Legendary Challenge is an unofficial quest to complete the main exploration and leveling of Starfighter: Infinity, inspired by similar challenges in other games, as well as "hardcore" or rouge-like games where failure means restarting. It is meant to be harsh, punishing, and frustrating if decisions are not carefully made - it is not meant to be easy, and not everyone will be able to complete the legendary challenge.

Participants partaking in the Legendary Challenge must honestly and truthfully adhere to the following rules, both explicit and in-spirit.

Rule #1 - Denoting Participation

1a.
Participating characters must have "LD" in their name to denote their status as a participant in the challenge.

This is used to both inform other players of their vulnerability and used to group up with other "LD" participants.

Rule #2 - Game Modes

2a.
Participants must keep full multiplayer mode on at all times.

2b.
Participants may only join a squad if it consists exclusively of "LD" participants.

Part of the challenge is the occasional player interaction and conflict. Note that participants are allowed to use co-op squadrons, which automatically places the squadmates into a co-op instance.

Rule #3 - Obtaining Items

3a.
Participants cannot buy items from stations.

3b.
Participants cannot be given items from other players.

3c.
Participants cannot be given/take items from organizations (this includes Storbital Storage).

Part of the Legendary Challenge is obtaining items the hard way - items can only be obtained via drops, mission rewards, default ship gear, and crafting.

Rule #4 - Banned Items

4a.
Participants are not permitted to equip the hyperspace recharger, or any variant thereof.

4b.
Participants are not permitted to equip the life extender, or any variant thereof.

This is intended to prevent skipping over hazards, skipping challenging game content, and forcing participants to immerse themselves into the star systems of Starfighter: Infinity, as well as maintaining a true consequence to dying - there is no quarter to be given in the event of failure.

Normal (default) hyperspace recharging, docking to reload hyperspace, hyperspace harvesters, etc. are all fair game, as they require either sacrifices and/or critical decision-making.

Rule #5 - Losing a Ship

5a.
If a player reaches 9 lives with a ship, it and all its current contents (including cargo in the ship at the time of death) must be deleted ASAP.

This is the main mechanics of the Legendary Challenge - losing even a single life results in the loss of a ship - fight carefully, and pick your battles.

Rule #6 - Loss Condition(s)

6a.
If a participant reaches 9 lives with their final ship, they have failed the legendary challenge and must delete the save (after recording final progress).

The Legendary Challenge only ends when you do - as long as you have a ship to fly, you're still in the game.

Rule #7 - Obtaining Additional Ships

7a.
A player may purchase an additional ship when they first enter a new star system on the first dock on a main (full) station. Leaving the station without purchasing a ship, or leaving the system before a first main station dock forfeits this additional ship.

7b.
A ship obtained in the manner described in section 7a cannot be a model that was previously deleted as per rule 5.

7c.
Before leaving DTr for the first time, a player may optionally replace the starting starfighter with another ship, provided the starting starfighter is deleted afterwards.

Additional ships provide a bit of padding in the challenge, provided participants are able to progress to the next star system. In this manner, participants must balance ship availability at their current level vs the safety of additional ships.

Rule #8 - Scoring and Win Conditions

8a.
A participant scores their final progress in the Legendary Challenge using the cumulative sum of star ratings obtained from star systems. If all available stars are obtained/earned, the main Legendary challenge is "beaten" - but does not end.

8b.
A participant meeting the requirements in 8a can have an "unlimited mode" score by additionally recording their final level, experience, Kills, Deaths, and K/D stats for bragging rights.

This shows total progress in the main game, as well as "unlimited" progress after the main game is completed.

Rule #9 - Unexpected Circumstances

9a.
In the event a player perishes/loses a ship from circumstances that are clearly and evidently a result of an in-game bug that would otherwise have allowed them to live, they are excused from deleting the respective ship in that instance.

This is to prevent unfair suffering from bugs/glitches that may interfere with the nature of the challenge.

Rule #10 - Storage

10a.
A max of 50 (station) storage spaces are allowed.

This is to prevent hoarding, and to add an additional challenge of players prioritizing items, builds, and encourage strategic decision-making.

Closing

The Legendary Challenge is meant to be incredibly difficult and taxing - failure is harsh, success is fleeting, and it will take a great deal of knowledge and skill to complete; this allows a player to truly challenge themselves in the world of Starfighter: Infinity as well as make use of many in-game mechanics, both well-known and obscure.

Good luck, you'll need it.