Upgrading

Collecting Scrap

Any ship destroyed will cast scrap metal out around it. As you fly close to scrap, you’ll automatically suck it up. This is used to upgrade your ship and your equipment.

XP & Levels

Certain missions and events may provide an XP reward, but generally you get XP only when you help destroy an enemy ship. The ship will drop a glowing blue orb that you can pick up and gain XP. At the top of your screen you’ll see your XP bar – when you reach a new level, you gain 15 skillpoints that can be used to enhance your class abilities. This can be done when docked at a regular space station, by selecting the “Upgrade Ship & Abilities” option from the dock menu.

Abilities

Each class you start with comes with one defensive ability, one active ability, and one passive ability. These start off at very low levels and can be upgraded using Skill Points. The upgrading can be done when docked at a regular space station, by selecting the “Upgrade Ship & Abilities” option from the dock menu.

These ability upgrades are completely refundable, allowing you to experiment and find different combinations of upgrades that works for you.

Upgrading ship

There are various aspects of your ship, turrets, and companion that can be tuned and upgraded using scrap metal. This can be done when docked at a regular space station, by selecting the “Upgrade Ship & Abilities” option from the dock menu.

These ship upgrades are completely refundable, allowing you to experiment and find different combinations of upgrades that works for you.

Repairing ship

When docked at a regular space station, select the “Repair Ship” option from the dock menu. Please note that repairing a ship costs credits and is expensive — so it’s best to try avoid getting hurt too badly in battle.

Upgrading equipment

Any equipment that has a tier or a level (weapons, shields, heatsinks, powersources, artefacts) can be upgraded at a Research Station. Tiers can be upgraded, and levels can be increased (within a limit of the station’s level).

Trading ship for a better model

If you want a better ship, find a shipyard. Your ship can be traded in for free for a variety of newer, snazzier models.

Hiring a companion

If you’re feeling a little lonely out there in space, hire a companion. This can be done by docking at a regular space station, and selecting “Hire Companion”. When your companion is “destroyed”, he’ll simply warp out and come back to help you after a ‘repair’ period.