ok so i picked up this game like 3 sales ago and then completely

Shields 2 should be your sector 1 priority, then getting a weapon setup that can pierce shields 3, then shields again by 3 or 4 depending on how you're doing, then a defensive system, preferably cloaking or hacking. Plan your route so you get maximum coverage of beacons and are able to check for stores if needed. Always check what the exit beacon connects to so you don't lock yourself out. Don't be afraid to repair your hull, but don't repair beyond the first green point. You shouldn't buy crew. Priority for manning systems goes: piloting, engines, weapons, shields/doors, sensors. Look up the rest, especially how sectors work and event outcomes, everyone does.

Also, normal and hard are simply unbeatable depending how hard the sectors fuck you over, don't beat yourself over it.

>>376490921

All about frame of mind, need to learn when to cut your losses, is this enemy REALLY worth 3+ missiles and 5+ hull damage, thats easily 40 scrap right there!

I'd recommend leveling up shields to at least two bubbles.

Liberal use of space bar.

As for saving crew from dying on the ship during battle nothing is better than a level 2 medical station, even if you have massive breaches, fires, the life support destroyed you can manage to scrape by healing through the pain of no life support.

Best "weapon" you're going to get is the pre-igniter, that bad boy can make a run.
Now if you really start enjoying the game I HIGHLY recommend the mod "Captains edition" mod.

That is incredible, it feels bigger more involved than legit expansion packs of old, close to a FTL2 you'll get.

Randomized flagship is fun to.

Loot randomizer if you're going all out.

Oh yeah by the way after a while you'll be able to reach the end more consistently but good luck with the boss, a real gear check. Teleporter/repair bots/cloak are a huge help.

you basically require cloaking to win the game

EVASION is probably the single most inportant stat to have, mostly to deal with missiles

Also if you can take down a ship without destroying it you get bonus loot

>>376491662

The game is damn fun for multiple ways to play the game.

A ton of lasers (they NEVER miss) and a high level hack to the shields is a damn fun set up.


But yeah captains mod is much harder but it adds a trading system, certain goods you buy in certain sectors sell for much more in others.

Way more events and interactions.

New sectors.

New characters (ai companions)

http://ftl-captains-edition.wikia.com/wiki/FTL:_Captain%27s_Edition_Wiki

if anyone is interested.

>>376491994
how do i take down a ship without destroying it?

>>376490921
Ok. The game is hard because you're shit at it. Don't worry, you'll get better.

First of all, use the pause function. Often.

Second of all, your objective is to get as much Scrap as possible with as little damage to you as possible.

So take as many jumps as possible to reach the next sector. Always take out the enemies weapons first.

Take note of enemy weapon types. Beams are blocked by shields but ignore evasion. Missiles ignore shields and need to be evaded, lasers have to overcome shields and evasion.

Timing is important. Use salvo fire for best results.

The best missile defense is cloak level 1. Just time it correctly and you should have your cloak back in time for the next.
Defense Drone 1 is great as well, but not 100%. DO NOT BUY MARKII!

The best crewmates are any non human. Aim for a diverse crew for those blue events.
Fighting:
Mantis>Rockman>Lanius>Slug/Human>Engie/Zoltan

Best weapons are generally lasers MK2 (the tripple shot one), the flak gun, a teleporter with Mantis.

You should aim to upgrade your shields early. Up till sector 5 you should have shields 3, then look into what you need. Go for shields 4 for the mothership definitely.

Don't forget your sub-systems. Doors, medbay give you blue events sometimes. Ion-weapons and beam weapons too.

Use pauses!

>>376492159
Teleporters usually

>>376492159
Kill everyone on the ship

I fucking love Mantis for this reason

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDlzJq3odqU

watch and learn

>>376492159
Kill the crew. You need one of the following. Teleporter, fire (beam or bomb), a drone or the anti-bio beam.

>>376492159
Teleporters and boarding drones to murder the crew
Making breaches and hacking oxygen to suffocate them
Spreading fires
Or just a good camera system and aiming where the crew is standing.

>>376491705
Depends. A defense drone is often good enough until the flagship. Hacking can work defensively if your weapon setup is great. Easy should give him more than enough scrap to make up for anything. Normal is manageable for most ships, if just barely. Hard is very difficult to pull without cloaking unless your weapon setup is good enough to pierce all the flagship shields, take down missiles and keep them down. Or if you got a pre-igniter. It all boils down to what the run presents you, as all the scrap will do you no good if you can't find the stores you want.

>>376491994
Evasion is a noob trap. It's too costly and not reliable enough, ideally you should stay at 2-3 for the most part and only go 4-5 on late game, maybe 6-7 for flagship if you don't have cloaking.

>>376492159
You can either board them, burn them alive, hack and destroy O2 until they suffocate or use the anti-life beam. Don't bother trying to convert regular ships into boarding ones, it's too costly.

Always use the space bar to min max your timings.
Get shields and guns. Explore for money, dont rush to the end.
Pray for some luck and to get good weapons enough to beat the boss.

>>376492202
Rooms:
Always have a pilot. Always have someone on engines. Then weapons. Sensors, doors what you need.

Oh, one more thing. The enemy ships scale with your reactor power. Be conservative about reactor upgrades. Do you really need a medbay running 24/7? Do you need oxygen during the fight?

a neat trick for beginners is to train your pilot/engineer/shields on a ship that cant damage you

just find a ship which cant break your shields fast enough to damage you then wait

You have to play a lot and stick to a very tight formula of when to progress.

Basically you need to find out through trial and error what each and every possible outcome if any node can be because chances aren't transparent.

Only through a lot of playtime or reading guides you can ACTUALLY start to make tatctical decisions because only then you can guess the chances.

>>376492008
What's the latest version of captain's edition? 1.3?

i give up
im playing on easy and this game completely fucks me over
i try and do the events and my crew dies
i go into a nebula and 4 people MAGICALLY board my ship and kill my entire fucking crew
fuck this shit game
seriously
fuck rng and fuck games that have it as a gameplay feature
fuck off

>>376493783
Git gud

my problem with this game is no content. after 3-4 hours it's "heh nice play again now". but I don't want to play again because everything is fucking same.

>>376493936


(try the mod)

If you get another 3-4 hours of entertainment then it's a decent purchase price I'd say.

Are Flak cannons meant to be OP as fuck?

>>376493783
lol

holy shit you are bad at games

>>376493783
if you get boarded send everyone to the med bay then open all the doors except the ones to the med bay
the boarders will either suffocate or be forced to fight you while you're regenerating which you cant lose

most events where you send someone to help or investigate will eat your crew 50% of the time

>>376493783
Nebulas are just bad news. Man doors so they get reinforced and flush them out.

>>376494336
In my experience it's more like 70%, fuck what the game files say.

>>376494383
>it's more like 70%
confirmation bias

>>376490921
>what systems should i max first?
>which crewmen should i hire?
>which are the best weapons to buy?
>which rooms should i keep manned?

The entire gameplay is literally learning about these things, you ask someone to explain it to you in 4chan post

>>376490921
depends on your build
depends on your build
depends on your build
depends on your build

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>>376491705
I have beaten the game tons of times without cloaking

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>blow up the flagship
>"Whew, that wasn't so bad"
>it teleports away

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83KB, 241x228px

>>376495070
>get to the flagship
>do alright
>kill the first one
>the drone superweapon 1 shots me

>>376490921
You get Flak 2, max every defensive stat, then you win

>>376494172
yes and no

>>376490921
on the last boss always blow the shit out of the third weapon room from the left.
it's your only hope.

>>376491705
Cloaking is shit

>>376492008
Captains edition is fucking amazing.

>almost won the game
>nothing is happening
>suddently oxygen supply starts draining fast
>check the entire ship room by room for breaches
>there is no breach
>oxygen production is fine
>everyone suffocates to death for no fucking reason

WHAT A PIECE OF FUCKING SHITE GAME HOLY FUCK

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>>376497976
>left the airlocks open
>dies

>>376497976
did you give power to O2 room?

>>376497838
Cloaking is great. One power bar and you dodge virtually any missile.

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>>376497976
you turned off the oxygen supply room, or left the airlock open don't blame the game for your own stupidity

>>376497976
You probably transfered power from o2 room somewhere else. I sometimes do it but only if necessary and redirect power to it again when o2 is dangerously low.
Though i forgot about it sometimes. I died at least twice like this.

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>>376495070
>>376495170
>get to the flagship
>have 4 mantis boarding party
>kill all the crew
>"That wasn't so hard."
>Ship's AI activates and kills me

>>376499137
Just TP the Mantis over again and destroy every single room without resistance. It's literally no different than leaving one guy in a weapon alive.

The AI repairs super slowly and the rooms get repaired between every battle even with crew. So you take one or two salvos in any case.

>>376492485
>Evasion is a noob trap. It's too costly and not reliable enough, ideally you should stay at 2-3 for the most part and only go 4-5 on late game, maybe 6-7 for flagship if you don't have cloaking.

Nah, evasion is fine. It's dirt cheap and works on everything.

Say you have two shields and 35% evasion. That means to hurt you, an enemy needs to fire 4 lasers at you. Sometimes you don't dodge, but you also dodge a lot on other times.

Sure, a third shield point would be better, but it costs more, takes more energy and forces you to upgrade your reactor more.

35% evasion is 3 bars and a pilot and someone on engines with two aptitudes. That's what? 40 scrap?

Dirt cheap. You can't even get half a shield point for that.

So with the rest of the scrap you can reinforce your doors, upgrade medbay or sensors.