FTL: The best tips

Surviving in space is difficult - that's why we have put together the best FTL tips for you in this article.

FTL tip 1: Get rich with junk

So that you can celebrate success quickly, you should regularly improve your ship and prepare for upcoming battles. You need scrap for this. Space junk is the intergalactic currency in FTL.

• You get this after every fight and at random events. In any case, the more planets you visit, the higher your chances of finding scrap.
• Therefore, you should not heat directly to the exit of the sector, but plan a route that is as extensive as possible. Be careful, however, that you don't have to fly to a planet twice, as you only waste fuel.
• Of course, luck also plays a role and risky fights can cost you more than they bring. Therefore, depending on the situation, you have to decide whether the risk is worth the profit.
• This is especially true if you see the rebel fleet approaching and this could cut you off from the exit. Fighting the fleet is of no use apart from fuel and therefore usually only costs resources.
• With the Scrap Recovery Arm you get even more scrap. Of course, this is particularly worthwhile if you find the arm in a shop early in the game, but even towards the end it pays off quickly. Just don't forget to sell the device before the finale and replace it with an extension that will help you in the fight.

FTL tip 2: avoid damage and save scrap

Not only do you have to collect a lot of scrap, you should also be careful what you spend the scrap on. Repairs are the worst option here - even if they are often necessary.

• The general rule therefore applies: avoid damage if this is somehow possible.
• Bring your shields to level 2 early on. This protects against most ships in the first sectors. Only missiles can cause you damage. Therefore, you should also upgrade the drive quickly a few steps to better avoid it.
• Of course, it can be worth taking a certain risk for special events. Having to repair individual damage points is manageable if you get a piece of scrap for it.
• Also, be sure to buy only those resources that you need. If you are not using rockets and drones, do not top up here unnecessarily. This is especially true when pirates want to buy themselves free. Here you are often offered rockets, which you also have to use, otherwise it is more worthwhile to destroy the ship for more scrap.
• Conversely, with bribery offers you should have the equivalent of fuel, rockets and drones in your head in order to convert the offer into a pure scrap value. In the shop, fuel costs three, rockets six and drones eight scrap. If you speculate on trading events, you can also profit from these resources - or be very unlucky.
• You should never completely repair your ship in shops - except for the preparation for the final battle. There are often events that help you and repair your ship for free. Therefore, always leave five to ten damage points open.
• Conversely, you should always have a certain amount of fuel with you to avoid running aground. Fill up as often as possible and stay at around 20 sprints. You should always make it to the nearest petrol station, even if you are unlucky.
• If you are in the penultimate sector, you can neglect both repair and refueling, as you will be fully repaired and fueled up in the final battle. So here you can save well again.

FTL tip 3: Hire the right specialists

It is worth having a large and well-mixed crew for many reasons. Therefore, use the strengths of the individual alien races:

• People are not bad, but not really good either. If you ever have too many crew members, the first thing you should do is replace people. In addition, there are hardly any special blue events that can be solved more easily by a human crew.
• Zoltan and Engi should not fight because they do little damage and endure. For that, they are excellent crew members. The Zoltan's energy bonus is a huge advantage. But don't waste it in rooms like the cockpit and get these aliens on board as often as possible. With the repair bonus from Engi, on the other hand, you can quickly repair even critically hit ships.
• A combination of mantis, rockmen and at least one crystal is worthwhile for fights. Especially if you board enemy ships, you can use the Crystal to seal off a room and prevent the crew from escaping or entering. Mantis deal massive damage and Rockmen can take a lot and survive fire.
• Slugs are also useful because they give you information about your opponent and are otherwise flexible. Since they do not have to move for their abilities, they are well suited as captains. However, you don't need more than one of the snails.

If, after FTL, you're in the mood for a dark, humorous rogue-like feel, here's where you can play The Binding of Isaac.