Gameplay Tips

## Introduction

Hades' Star is primarily not an action game nor one that requires multi-hour sessions of continuous gameplay. It does, however, require commitment and is very much a "long haul" journey. Players typically check in hourly to maintain income and other operations.

This guide is sourced and compiled from many pre-existing online sources; users are encouraged to add any information they may have or edit any sections of this entry. For further reading, please check the below sources.

* /r/HadesStar Subreddit Wiki (by /u/Hobkin): https://www.reddit.com/r/HadesStar/wiki/index
* /r/Hades Star Subreddit Guides (by /u/Kyran):
	+ Beginner Advice (Expansion and Upgrading, Technology and Ship Upgrades, Battle Tech): https://www.reddit.com/r/HadesStar/comments/7fjl9n/advice\_for\_beginner\_please/
	+ Red Star Levels 4 to 6: https://www.reddit.com/r/HadesStar/comments/888oa7/best\_transitminingbattleship\_support\_mods\_for/dwmqfou/
	+ Saving Credits (Red Star Scanner Level 8 to 9): https://www.reddit.com/r/HadesStar/comments/aw7yfl/4\_million\_credit\_cap/

It should be noted that while these resources may be of immense help, this article nor any of the above aforementioned sources are endorsed by and/or written by any entities or persons representing Hades' Star.

## General Tips

### Tips

1. Only upgrade what you need on ships. In particular, be careful upgrading your battleships too early as they use a lot more hydrogen. The upgrades you should do are often dictated by the challenges you face in-game. If shipping is taking too long, you aren't getting enough credits to support your progress, consider upgrading your planets and transports. If Red Stars are too difficult and you find combat is taking its toll regularly, it is time to upgrade your battleship or its modules.
2. Scan as many sectors as possible so you can expand your trade so you can earn credits faster. Also, optimize your scanner locations so you don't waste money. Try these links- Info on Reddit or on this wiki.
3. Shipment rewards can account for up to 90% of your income, depending on how much you play per day. If you spend multiple hours, the shipment rewards become pocket change compared to Red Star runs with continuous salvage of excess Artifacts. The key is having to have lots of Miners to sustain constant Red Star runs. For more advanced players, 90k credits/day is the norm, out of which only about 20k are shipments, however, shipments cost significantly more hydrogen to do. If you have the time, Red Star missions provide much more income, at least pre-RS4.
4. You can farm RS2 relatively easily with 2 level 1 Battleships with Alpha Shield. You will not be able to clear the map of Cerberus ships, but one can generally get to a level 2 planet without losing a ship.
5. Focus on Alpha Shields, improving Batteries, getting to a level 3 Shipyard to get a third Transport, and upgrading them so they can carry two level 2 Artifacts, which weigh a combined four tons.
6. Sentinels have low health but high damage. Guardians have high health and low damage, so attack in such a way (route) that your ships fire on the sentinel first, or with weapons capable of targeting multiple enemies, i.e. Mass Battery or Dual Laser.
7. Be careful entering a Red Star mission if low on fuel, roughly ~500H should be okay without account for scans at lower levels. If low on Hydrogen, it may be useful to send Miners to a level one Red Star.
8. Theoretically, you only need two Transports capable of carrying two tons of cargo until you get to RS3, then a four-ton Transport is preferable.
9. 2 Battleships, 2 Transports and 1 Miner will get you to RS2 easily. Upgrade colonies to Level 8 or 9, scan all areas and try to build a 2nd scanner before RS3.
10. Long term colony plan? Here you go.
11. You can store Artifacts on a planet or its moons (though this prevents them from generating shipments). This may or may not be worth it, depending on your playstyle and reliance on shipments. Just keep your Research Station full, especially before going to sleep.
12. Don't waste Hydrogen running half-full Transports. It is sometimes beneficial to leave some shipments until more spawn so as to ensure a run is worthwhile. It may also be occasionally useful to move shipments only partially to their destination.
13. Need help building battleships? You can find a list of builds here.

## Tips and Tricks

### Supporting Your Battleships

Battleships are the main combat ships, but they do not have to attack alone. At Level 3, Transports and Miners can mount 1 support module. Offensive modules like the Alpha Rocket can be equipped to provide an explosive punch, and the Remote Repair module can turn a Transport or a Miner into a healing ship supporting the Battleships. As always, even a max-level Transport or Miner will be instantly destroyed by enemy fire, so protect these ships.

### Teamwork

It is hard to clear level 3+ Red Star missions by yourself. Teamwork is essential in late-stage gameplay, especially in Level 4+ missions. Although private missions in the comfort of your own Corporation are easier to set up and work through, sometimes none are available. In public missions, it can be daunting to try to work with strangers, but more often or not, asking for and offering help can lead to much quicker success, not to mention potentially find friends.

### Tap and Drag Movement

If you tap a spaceship and drag it to a destination, the distance in AU, time required, and amount of Hydrogen consumed will be displayed at the destination. This information is useful, especially in Red Star missions.

### Quick Selection/Cycling Ships

When you're with 4 other players packed together on one planet and having trouble tapping each of your Battleships, try using the little side cycling arrows to the left and right of your modules. This will take you to your other ships of the same type, making it easier to move all of your ships in crowded situations.

### Placement of Red-Star Related Stations

The Red Star Scanner and the Research Station are similar in the fact that they allow you to interact with Artifacts. The Scanner grants you access to Artifacts, which are researched in the Research Station. Because they are closely related, putting them close together eliminates long travel times and Hydrogen costs. Putting these stations near a planet (in case a Battleship takes hull damage, and to store excess Artifacts) is also advised. Optionally, a Shipyard near the planet can also be used to reinforce your ships in case a ship is lost on a mission.

### Diplomacy Stations

The diplomacy station can be very useful or near useless, depending on what you do with it. Here's something you may have not realised yet, though- you can mine the hydrogen in other people's sectors. This is useful if you have a low hydrogen income in your home system, and require another source of the stuff. A small issue, though, is that your miners do not auto-mine sectors like they would back at your home star system.

This can work both ways, however- be careful of your Diplo buddy leaching off your hydrogen!