Demi JenkinsIt may sound easy but it’s not. FTL is a tough game and can give you a real challenge even on the easiest difficulty settings. Have you played the Dark Souls yet? If you have then you know what I am talking about. Faster than Light is not just another game that you have to beat; it is a game where you have to learn how to survive. It gives each player quite a tough time and with the new Advanced Edition update, things have just got harder and sadistic than they were before.
All thanks to the new Hard mode which is now added to the game.
Faster Than Light (FTL) has a massive fan base. The game has both, new fans and old ones that cherish every aspect of the gameplay. This post is basically not for the hard nut professionals but it is devised for the new amateur players who are just about to step in. So are you a new player who has just discovered FTL and is equally excited to play? Do you want to learn how to survive? Then read on.
We have covered this article not only for the Advanced Edition but for all versions of the game. So no matter where you start, here are some helpful FTL tips to help you survive in the long run.
Best FTL Tips to Survive the Game & Get Acquainted
Death is Imminent
Dying is like a very normal thing in FTL. So, if you have the patience to go through the same grind over and over again, FTL is a game that you should definitely play. Whether you die on your very first jump or under heavy fire of an enemy ship at the end game, you need to make sure that you keep your patience intact. You will encounter several stages which may seem easy to conquer at first but it will rattle your brains out when you will try to pass the stage. Do you think the game is getting hard to handle? it’s okay to restart the game completely and start the whole thing all over again.
As a beginner player, that’s going to happen quite a lot so don’t shy away or back out early.
Fill Up on Your Resources
For any survival-based game, resources play a keen role in ensuring that you actually do SURVIVE. And just like any other game, FTL can throw some real challenges your way. Just below the damage meter located on the top left screen, you can find all necessary resources that are important for your survival in Faster Than Light. If your gunship relies on missiles and drones, then you need to make sure you stock up on that from the store. You will require a lot of fuel to travel around in space, so you will have to stock up on fuel as well. You will have to be smart too when it comes to spending fuels and will have to choose the right directions to navigate. In case, you do end up with fuel mid-way, you can always deploy a stress beacon and wait for someone to come and re-fuel but, it can expose some risk.
It can draw rebels to your location and blow you to smithereens if you’re not prepared.
Explore Early Sectors in Game
Whether you are a new player or just starting FTL all over again, the early sectors of the game are areas where you want to spend a lot of time in exploration. Every jump that you make inside a sector will only bring the pursuing rebel ship closer to your location. It means that you are going to lock into battle more often than expected. In case, your enemies can empower you during combat, you can say goodbye to lucrative rewards. As you move forward in-game, you will face tougher ships and harder challenges. But, conquering them will offer increased FTL scraps which can be used as FTL currency.
You can also purchase a Scrap Recovery Arm or a Long-Range Scanners from the store. Both of these devices can be of significant help in gathering resource materials throughout the game.
Build Your Ship for Mass Destruction
If you want to win combat in FTL, make sure that you implement dozen of strategies so you can survive the combat. Each of your strategies should focus on how you’ve aimed to build out your ship. Shipbuilding is very important because your ship in FTL is going to decide whether you are able to survive the rebel onslaught or not. Invest in technologies and resources which complements your battle style. For example, if you’re a fan of long-range shooting and like to work with a small crew, then there is no need to invest your resources in a teleportation system. What kind of ship you choose plays a major role in what kind of weapon choices you make.
Study each ship in the system and crew configurations. Then create a ship that works best for you.
Pause In-Game to Study Enemies
Unlike other games, FTL greatly relies on micromanagement. And to do so, you might have to pause the game countless times, even during battles. Shields recharge quickly; therefore, when you fire a weapon in a cluster, just pause the game immediately after you issue the order and stack another fire order right behind it. Ion shots from your enemies can easily knock your shields out. If you don’t want your ion shots to leave you vulnerable to the enemies, pause the game and cut power to your shields if you see an enemy fire coming your way. After the impact, restore power immediately to raise shields.
In FTL, no pause is more of a challenge that only advanced players do sometimes to prove a point. So be prepared to hit that spacebar button multiple times if you don’t want your crew dying a lot.
Put together the Perfect Crew in FTL
If you want to survive the game, then it is important that you put together the perfect surviving team. You need people who are good at piloting your ship and manning your engines. And you need people who can ensure your survivability. By investing in crews capable of manning systems and engines, you can achieve an effectiveness upgrade and you won’t even require an extra reactor power to earn that. Moreover, your crew can also earn experience on a number of activities such as working on individual systems/subsystems, repairs, and combat. Make sure that you create clear roles for crew members.
After all, you don’t want an engineer piloting your ship or a pilot manning your weapon systems.
