Answers
Combat
Is aiming manual?
Mostly not: lock a target and turrets track on their own.
- Your job is piloting to keep them on target.
- Tab locks a target. Ones near your cursor come first; otherwise enemy players, then NPC ships, mines and boss mounts, then attack drones. Tab again within 0.5 s cycles; Tab on your locked target unlocks it.
- You can only lock a contact inside your sensor range with a clear line of sight. Beyond that (up to 10 km) it shows as a blip you can't target.
- Some weapons are aimed manually. Missile launchers aim at your cursor. Matching torpedo launchers share one hotkey; with no turrets fitted, Tab fires your largest group of matching launchers.
- The Vanguard Lance fires only along your ship's heading, so turn into your target.
- Shots can miss: you'll see 'miss' in the damage log. Turrets track based on the target's signature radius.
My turrets won't fire at the locked target.
You're probably out of range.
The range indicator above the turret in the module bar turns green when in range. Close in until it does.
If it's green and they still hold fire, check:
- The lock: pressing Tab on your locked target unlocks it. Press Tab to lock again.
- Sensors: the target must be inside your sensor range with line of sight. A blip can't be targeted.
- Heat: during a SCRAM your turret batteries are suspended while heat is held at zero for 3 seconds.
- Enemy ECM: a Tracking Disruptor briefly disables its target's turrets, and a Signal Jammer briefly stops nearby enemies' turret fire.
- A Remote Tracking Shroud stops enemy turrets firing on the squadmate it covers.
To reach further:
Triangulator (+10% turret range) or 
Tracking Computer (briefly +100% sensor range).How does range affect damage?
At 2x optimal range damage is about 30%.
- Optimal range is per turret type. A battery uses the average optimal and falloff range of its turrets.
- Marksman perk: -50% damage at 25% of optimal or closer, scaling to +100% at 125% of optimal or farther.
- Brawler perk: +100% at 35% of optimal or closer, scaling to -50% at 125% or farther.
- Both are Turret affinity perks at 20 points spent. You pick one, and the pick can't be changed.
- Both thresholds follow each turret's optimal range. With short-range turrets such as the Flak Cannon, Brawler's bonus only applies very close: about 250 m.
Tip
To push your range out (which also widens Brawler's bonus range), turret affinity has an option worth +1% optimal range per point, and a Triangulator adds +10% turret range.
What counts as long or short range for turret perks? (earlier answer)
Long range is the end of optimal range; close range is within 250 m.
Should I mix different turret types?
Usually not.
Turrets that rotate at different speeds and have different optimal ranges are harder to keep on target.
- Every turret of one family joins one battery; a different family forms a second battery.
- A battery takes its damage, ranges (optimal and falloff), tracking, crit chance and cycle time as the average across its turrets.
- Each family gives its battery one ability, such as Rapidfire on the Auto-Cannon or Charge Shot on the Railgun.
- You can fit at most six turrets of one family, and no more Battery modules than the hull has battery hardpoints.
Tip
Heat rewards families differently. In the Optimal zone, Auto-Cannons, Flak Cannons and Railguns fire about 10% faster; Rampart Gatlings and Vanguard Lances 25% faster.
What are the damage types?
Kinetic (turrets, drones) and high-explosive (missiles, torpedoes, mines).
Base resistances since Beta Patch 2:
Defense Kinetic High-explosive Armor 24% 20% Shields 10% 30% - A resist is the share of incoming damage prevented. Shields counter high-explosive best; armor counters kinetic.
- High-explosive resist can be raised only through shield modifiers. Armor's can't go above its base.
- Kinetic resist: an Armor Hardener gives +35% armor kinetic resist while running (45% in the Optimal heat zone); Armor affinity adds +0.75% per point. A Heat Purge System lowers it by 40 while running.
- Only mines deal splash damage. The Flak Cannon's Shockburst may be an exception.
- Ramming does no damage yet. Ship stats also list an acid resist; nothing known deals acid damage.
Changed in Beta Patch 2: shields had 0% resistance to both before.
How do signature radius and cloaking work?
Turrets track based on your signature radius, so a smaller signature is harder to hit.
Your signature grows in flight with heat in the reactor, each shot you fire, any throttle above zero, and a SCRAM (+1,500). A ship coasting cold with its guns silent is hardest to track.
- Shrink it: Dampening Baffle (-14%), Ghost Rack (-16%), Echo Array (-10%).
- Grows it: a Mining Laser (+20%), or an enemy Target Painter on you (+200%).
- Signature doesn't affect missiles or mines, or how far away you're detected.
Detection is separate:
- Everyone sees up to 10 km. Within their own sensor range (usually 4–6 km) they also see details.
- Outside someone's sensor range you show as an orange dot. A Cloak hides even that from enemies.
- Missiles can't track cloaked ships.
- Sensor range beyond 10 km gives no benefit for now.
- The system is still being refined.
How do I survive missiles and torpedoes?
Keep your distance and high transversal (move across their path).
- Before the run, fit point defence. The
Rampart Gatling shoots down missiles aimed at your hull on its own; the 
Flak Cannon's Shockburst destroys nearby enemy missiles. - Lean on shields: they resist 30% of high-explosive damage, armor only 20%.
- In the fight, keep your distance and move across the missiles' path. Missiles coast for 0.8 s after launch before they accelerate.
- A
Signal Jammer briefly disables nearby enemies' missile homing. A squadmate's Remote Tracking Shroud does the same for missiles aimed at you.
Good to know
- Torpedo reload was slowed in Beta Patch 1, from 1.5s to 2s.
- Signature radius doesn't affect missiles. Missiles can't track a cloaked ship.
Changed in Beta Patch 2: Cruise Missile damage fell from 200 to 180, Torpedo from 250 to 225, and homing bonuses shrank.
- Before the run, fit point defence. The
How does the Vanguard Lance work?
It only fires at targets directly in front of the ship, so turn into your target.
You'll need
- Every fitted lance fires. Lances form one battery and fire together; you can fit up to six.
- Battery ability, Penetrator Round: it charges, then each lance's next shot gets longer reach and passes through its target into every ship behind it in line, allies included. Fire before the window expires.
- Lances fire 25% faster while your reactor is in the Optimal heat zone (30% to 70% of max heat).
Warning
Shooting an ally costs Merits, so check what's behind your target before a penetrator shot.
Can I swap weapons mid-run?
Only at refit terminals inside the breach, and you can be attacked while there.
- Find a refit terminal. Only some breach maps have them.
- Tether to it with the harpoon and wait out the hack, which takes 8 seconds. Once authorised, tethering again skips the hack.
- Swap modules. Only idle ones can be removed: no target, not cycling, cooling down or reloading.
Good to know
- Attacking another player breaks your tether and locks you out of the terminal for 30 seconds.
- You also can't refit while one of your modules is active on another ship, or theirs on you.
Tip
The terminal also repairs, paid in ORE from your ship's cargo: 5 per 100 armor, 10 per 100 hull.
Can I command NPCs?
At certain ranks faction NPCs follow your pings.
- Raise your Merit rank. Recruit (10,000 Merits) commands 1 NPC; Sergeant 2, Commander 3, Praetor 4, Exarch 5, Imperator no limit.
- Hold left click for the ping wheel and ping. The nearest willing NPCs follow your newest order, which replaces the last; if none accept, your current order stays.
- An order lasts until it runs out, or until you leave, switch faction or lose your ship.
Good to know
- You can take over another player's NPCs only if you outrank them.
- If your rank drops, NPCs above your new limit are released.
Can I play with friends?
Squads of up to 5.
- Enter the breach together as a squad.
- The squad system is basic. If joining together fails, add each other from the callsign list inside the breach.
Useful squad modules:
Remote Damage Amplifier (+25% turret damage on a squadmate while active) and 
Remote Tracking Shroud (stops enemy turrets firing on a squadmate and disables missile homing toward them).Good to know
- Squadmate distances always show, even without line of sight.
- Repairing other pilots earns your ship affinity XP; repairing yourself gives none.
Warning
Being in the same faction doesn't stop friendly fire, and hitting an ally costs Merits.
Changed in Beta Patch 2: squads held up to 3 before.
How do I lock a target?
Press Tab or right-click a target; your weapons fire once it's in range.
- Tab picks targets near your cursor first. After that it goes enemy players, then NPC ships, mines and boss mounts, then attack drones.
- Press Tab again within 0.5 s to cycle to the next target.
- Press Tab on your locked target to unlock it.
Good to know
The pilot you're locking can see that you're locking them.
What's the difference between a signal jammer and a tracking disruptor?
The jammer covers turrets and missile locks but only protects you; the disruptor covers turrets only but can help allies.
- Signal Jammer: disrupts both turrets and missile locks, but only on ships that are targeting you.
- Tracking Disruptor: affects turrets only, reloads much faster, and can be used to protect allies.
Which ECM modules work on NPCs?
Tracking disruptors, defense shredders and thrust scramblers work on NPCs; heat projectors don't.
- Work on NPCs: Tracking Disruptor, Defense Shredder, Thrust Scrambler.
- No effect: heat projectors, because NPCs have no heat.
Good to know
Since Beta Patch 2 a thrust scrambler shuts off an NPC's boost, and a Torque Snare shuts off its drift.
Do flare launchers fire automatically?
No, you launch flares yourself.
A flare launcher only fires when you trigger it.
Any tips for clearing tier 4 and 5 breaches?
Take enemies one at a time and never overextend, a trusted player advises.
- Pick enemies off one by one.
- Kite them instead of charging in.
- Don't overextend.
- Avoid the highest-rated elites (around 9.6K build rating).
Vanguard Lance