Game Map and Special Zones

The Game Map is your main navigation interface in the game. You start at your home base and will see nodes representing star systems scattered all around you. Clicking on a star system commands your carrier to travel to it. Moving your carrier consumes fuel, and the amount consumed depends on the distance traveled. Your current Fuel quantity is displayed on the upper left part of the screen as a blue barrel. The initial fuel capacity is 100 units, which can be increased to up to 600 units by upgrading the fuel tanks on the skill tree. If you run out of fuel, the carrier will not be able to travel and the player will have to wait to be rescued, making it crucial to replenish the fuel supply before it runs out. Fuel is always sold in star bases, smuggler's bases, beacon merchants, and can often be found while exploring gas planets.

After a short distance from the center of the map (which appears on the edge of the screen in light years) factions begin to spawn with occupied territory in the faction's color. At the centers of these occupied territories are faction capitals marked with a big rotating star symbol where stores, workshops, shipyards, and missions are available. Note that only the last option will be available until either a sufficient reputation is gained via missions or the base is captured.

## Combat

Every system has a fleet of enemy ships, which are indicated by a '!' triangle symbol. In most cases, traversing to a new star system will trigger an attack from the opposing fleet found there. The system arbitrarily compares the strength of your fleet to the enemy fleet present, and shows an estimate of the difficulty of the battle. The range of difficulty ratings are: "Very easy", "Easy', "Average", "Hard", and "Impossible". If the player's fleet is significantly stronger than the enemy fleet (when difficulty is rated as "Very easy"), the enemy fleet will remain in orbit instead of attacking the player, making the battle optional. However, If the target star system is within the border of an undefeated faction, the enemy fleet will always attack you regardless of your fleet strength. Wining the battle allows you to access the star system, while losing the battle or selecting retreat before the battle begins makes your carrier return to the nearest safe star system. The strength of the enemy ships is strongly correlated with your distance from the center of the map.

## Special zones/nodes

Special star systems have an icon visible on them from the game map. Each one serves a different useful purpose.

### Wormholes

Indicated by a black circle with a gray border to the upper-right of the node. You can enter the wormhole to be transported to a different system instantly for free. Wormholes tend to lead to other wormholes at a similar LY distance from the center of the map so they become more useful later on.

### Capital Ship

Indicated by a red drone symbol in a circle to the upper-right of the node. You encounter a Capital Ship, described as a "Huge Military Vessel". These are very dangerous and very powerful ships but if you can manage to destroy one you can get very good equipment and resources from which ever faction was controlling the area. They almost always drop technology stars which can be used for their corresponding faction. If beaten the system will become empty for about three days. After the timer is up the Capital Ship will respawn and may be defeated again for more rewards. Grinding many of these nodes at once in low level areas can be a good way to gather up many of that faction's technology points.

### Military base

Indicated by a yellow star within a circle to the upper-right of the node. For a fee of stars you may level up your ships. The cost depends on ship class and its current level. The level of ships is limited by the level of the military base which is half of its LY distance. Star cost formulas for leveling up ships in military base :

* Frigates : 1 + (0.05 \* ship level) rounded down
* Destroyers : 1 + (0.10 \* ship level) rounded down
* Cruisers : 1 + (0.12 \* ship level) rounded down
* Battleships: 1 + (0.15 \* ship level) rounded down
* Capital ships : 1 + (0.20 \* ship level) rounded down

### Survival (Gauntlet)

Indicated by a red skull within a circle to the upper-right of the node. You can choose to fight up to 100 ships gradually increasing in strength, the final 3 ships are usually Capital Ships. The gauntlet ends when either all of your ships are destroyed, you surrender, or you kill all 100 enemies. The more enemy ships you destroy the bigger the reward at the end; this can be one of your best sources of rarer equipment early on and a good way to level up weaker ships since experience is guaranteed as long as you do some damage. If you complete the gauntlet it has a cool down time of 5 hours.

### Arena

Indicated by yellow crossed swords within a circle to the upper-right of the node. This is the place where you can battle other players' AI-controlled fleet from over the Internet. To begin you will have to register. The game will register you with your current Google Play Games account and your current fleet (Internet connection required). After successful registration, you can start finding and battling other players' fleet. You will also start with 100 Fleet Rating upon first registration.

When selecting the battle option the game will search for players close to your Fleet Rating, and you can change opponent for free. Challenging an opponent will cost 1 attempt, with 10 attempts in total that gradually restore overtime. Once all attempts are spent, you can wait or pay 5 Star Credits to buy 10 more. Ships on each side are chosen at random. In this match you cannot switch ship mid-game, and can only call for more enemy ships. Each round lasts 90 seconds until next enemy ship arrives. When the last enemy ship enters, you have 280 seconds to win the match or automatically lose. Winning will award you Battle Points (Purple Skull) which can be spent in the "Choose your reward" section. Battle Points can be calculated by the Opponent's Fleet Rating divided by 1000 and rounded up. Your Fleet Rating will also increase/decrease upon winning/losing. You also have the option to train where you can do training matches with your own fleet to test their strengths and weaknesses. No reward nor punishment will be given upon ending the matches.

In the rewards section you can spend the Battle Points you have earned to acquire rare modules. All modules found here will be gold, and each Arena node will have a different set of modules.

Prior to 0.13 for some credits, you can choose a ship to go into 1 v 1 battle. Your opponent will be much higher level and can be from non- to 2 x veteran, including flagships. If you win, you'll get 2 times the money you paid, and the arena will level up, increasing payment/prize and enemy power (enemy type changes too). Enemy level depends on the level of the ship you've chosen, and distance to home. This is one of the only places where you can find a Flagship in a zone with a planet.

### Abandoned Stations

Indicated by a red Death Star inside a circle. This allows you to explore an abandoned station guarded by a fleet of powerful Daazen ships. Beating it grants you Daazen research points, some rare loot, and significant experience. These encounters can be as difficult as Capital Ships, and are deliberately more difficult than an encounter at a typical Daazen node would be, accounting for level. If beaten the system becomes empty.

### Challenges

Indicated by a yellow trophy cup within a circle. A 1 v 2 battle where you are not allowed to use your regular fleet. You are forced to use a rather weak ship with a default layout (shown on bottom), against a more powerful enemy (shown on top). Both ships are level 0. During battle, there is a timer. If it reaches zero, the screen will turn red and you will start taking continuous damage. If you win, you receive a reward, and the arena "levels up" shown by an added star. Each higher level presents greater challenges and greater rewards, up to a maximum of 5 stars. The matchups are almost universally unfair against you; some put you in a short-ranged slow ship against a long-ranged fast ship, so you'll need to use every trick in your disposal to beat them (usually involves luring the enemy ship to be hit and killed by an asteroid). If the highest difficulty is beaten, you'll be rewarded with a Star Credit and high grade loot, and the system becomes empty.

### Hives

Indicated by a pale greenish yellow bio-hazard symbol within a circle. Hives are special explorable planets based on living ships which usually contain multiple alien outposts. These alien outposts are unique compared to others because they have an organic cyst-like appearance to them and they rely on constantly spawning many enemies (typically Contagion ships) instead of using turrets. Like other alien outposts they will drop stars, modules, blueprints, alien technology, and even ships upon defeat except their drops are all Contagion themed. A strong Frigate with a way of healing and capable dealing strong non-kinetic damage is recommended.

### Beacons

A beacon can be found in the same system as any of the other special zone. Indicated by a pulsing node if you've purchased a Star Map and a pulsing trio of dots when inside the node, i.e., where one accesses shops and planets. When investigated it most often is an enemy ambush (Sometimes an enemy fleet identical to the initial enemies, otherwise a few other random ships but a few levels higher then usual, also with the same rewards, but you will also get a Star Map), a fleet without fuel which you can attack or give fuel for a reward, or a Trader to shop with (always has a Star Map for sale) or attack (high difficulty). NOTE: If you attack traders there is a probability of not getting a Star Map, so if you rely on Beacons for exploring the map don't shoot at them. You can also get a Worm Event, which will say that you have come across a Wormship, which you can either attack or ignore. I would recommend attacking it as it yields many high-tier modules and large amounts of credits and stars, and it is relatively weak as it can be quickly destroyed via quantum detonator, or quick volleys from larger missile launchers.