Archive:Guides

This page will serve as a basic **how to play guide for *The Cycle: Frontier***. While there is little information available as to the particulars of the gameplay at this time, we urge you to check back often, as new information is being added all the time! Feel free to edit this guide with any tips, tricks, and suggestions.

## Basic Gameplay

Once you load into a match you will have 20 minutes to stay on Archive:Fortuna III. You will be able to see a timer at the top of your screen that will tell you how much time is left in each match. It is your job to go around and complete as many Archive:Contracts as possible. Right now there are 11 main contracts along with a few personal contracts. You can get more information on each of these here. You need to get the most VPs or Victory Points in order to win the match. You get VPs by completing contracts.

## Contracts

In each match there will be the mineral contract, and three other contracts. Completing contracts and earning VP will make you able to win.

### Archive:Hunt:

In this contract you will be hunting marked creatures on Fortuna III. These creatures will drop biomass that you need to pick up in order to get points towards the contract. These also currently come in 4 tiers of difficulty.

read more > Archive:Hunt

### Archive:Power Facilities:

In this contract you will head to facilities and uncover 3 terminals to power up the facility. If there are 5 power stations active at the same time and it is before the 5:00 minute mark, the central station contract will spawn.

read more > Archive:Power Facilities

### Archive:Zeal Shard:

In this contract you will head over to 1 of 2 zeal shards on the map. Once you pick up the zeal shard it will reveal your location on the map but it will give you points over time for holding it.

read more > Archive:Zeal Shard

### Archive:Veltecite Minerals:

In this contract you will fight off wildlife as you drill for Veltecite Minerals. You have to wait for the drill to finish mining in order to claim the Veltecite Minerals. The challenge depends on the size of the mineral vein.

read more > Archive:Veltecite Minerals

### Archive:Letium Gas:

In this contract you will head to Letium Gas Geysers and either drop a refinery on top, or claim a refinery from another Prospector.

Either way, for each refinery you own, you gain a certain amount of of points per second, working towards your contract.

read more > Archive:Letium Gas

### Archive:Uplink:

In this contract you will head to an Uplink Station and capture the area. With the Uplink claimed, you work towards your Uplink contract over time. Be careful, as it can be claimed by other Prospectors.

read more > Archive:Uplink

### Drone Salvages:

In this contract you will reactivate Drones and put them in the carrier. After that, you must protect the Drone Carrier. After it flies of with the data from the Drones, you will work towards your contract.

read more > Archive:Drone Salvage

## Settings

There are many different settings that can effect your experience and gameplay within the game, if you are aiming to have the fastest and most snappy experience low settings in the Video tab will result in more Frames Per Second, if you like to explore and enjoy the map and ambience use High or Epic settings. There are many other settings that are to give players options and are all preference, for full details on all the settings please go to this article > Settings

### Controls

For the full controls and keybinds please visit this article > Controls

## Tips and tricks

* It is possible to work on multiple contracts at the same time. For example, you could hunt and defend a mineral harvester at the same time, which means more points per second.
* You are able to pact with other Prospectors to complete missions together, although you will receive penalties to shields and point gain
	+ Be wary of your teammates! Anytime they can backstab you and keep all the rewards for themself.
		- Either way, pacting is an art. You may enjoy going alone, but then Prospectors can team up against you. If you like having somebody to depend on, you risk getting betrayed. It's a playstyle

## See also

* Archive:Release date
* Archive:System requirements