FTL: Faster Than Light — Complete Guide

From your first Kestrel run to beating the Rebel Flagship: systems and power, scrap priorities, weapon synergies, crew races, events, the flagship fight, ship unlocks and mods.

Researched September 2026 — current as of FTL: Advanced Edition version 1.6.x (the last update added Japanese in 1.6.12 and Steam achievement integration in January 2020; the game is finished). Check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

Pause constantly. Spacebar pause is not cheating; it is how the game is meant to be played.
Shields are your first big purchase. A second shield layer (4 power into Shields) is the number one early priority for most ships.
Explore each sector thoroughly but stay ahead of the Rebel fleet (the red wave). Every beacon is scrap and events; running out of time means fleet fights that give nothing.
Target enemy weapons or shields first. Knocking out their weapons stops the damage; knocking out shields lets your guns land.
Scrap is your score. Spend it on upgrades that affect every fight — shields, engines, weapons — more than on repairs.
Keep crew in stations. Manned Piloting, Engines, Shields and Weapons each give bonuses. Put your best crew there and level them.
Blue event options are safe or better. They appear when you have the right crew, system or equipment.
Store visits are planned, not random. Plan routes through stores if you need a weapon or fuel.
Normal difficulty is recommended. Easy gives more scrap for learning; Hard (AE) is much tighter.

How the Game Works

Eight sectors, each with around 20 beacons. The Rebel fleet advances each jump.
Sector 8 ends at the Federation base, where you fight the Rebel Flagship.
Permadeath: if your hull or crew goes to zero, the run ends.
Resources: scrap, fuel, missiles and drone parts. Running out of fuel strands you.

Systems and Power

System	Role	Priority
Shields	Block projectiles; each layer needs 2 power	Very high; aim for 2 layers early, 3 by midgame
Engines	Evasion and FTL charge	High; pair with a manned Piloting station
Weapons	Firepower	High
Oxygen	Crew breathing	Keep powered
Medbay / Clone Bay	Healing / reviving crew	Medbay for boarding defence; Clone Bay resurrects crew
Piloting	Required to dodge and jump	Keep manned
Doors	Blast doors resist boarders and fires	Level 2 is a strong cheap upgrade
Sensors	See enemy ship interior	Useful but lower priority
Drone Control	Powers drones	Build-dependent
Teleporter	Boarding	Build-dependent
Cloaking	Dodge volleys	Strong defensive tool
Hacking (AE)	Disable enemy systems	Strong utility
Mind Control (AE)	Control enemy crew	Situational
Backup Battery (AE)	Temporary extra power	Useful for power-hungry builds

The reactor caps total power. Upgrade it steadily; many systems need more than the default.

Scrap Priorities

A common upgrade order for most ships:

Shields to 2 layers (sector 1-2).
A weapon that can break two shield layers — e.g., Burst Laser II or Ion Blast II paired with a laser.
Engines to 3-4 and Doors to 2.
Reactor upgrades as you need power.
Shields to 3 layers by around sector 5.
Defense Drone I to shoot down missiles.
Late-game damage: Pike or Halberd beam, Flak, Glaive Beam, Chain Vulcan.

Avoid repairing too much — it is cheap at stores but scrap spent on upgrades pays off more.

Weapons and Synergies

Weapon	Role	Notes
Burst Laser II	Shield breaker	One of the best all-rounders
Heavy Laser	Big hit	Pairs with shield breakers
Ion Blast II	Shield stripper	Fires fast; excellent with lasers or beams
Artemis missile	Ignores shields	Consumes missiles; strong against Flagship systems
Hull Beam, Pike Beam, Halberd Beam, Glaive Beam	Beam damage	Needs shields down first; Glaive is a top-tier weapon
Flak I / Flak II	Shield breaker	Very strong shield stripping
Chain Vulcan	Accelerating barrage	Slow start, devastating later
Pre-Igniter augment	Weapons start charged	Excellent with any setup
Zoltan Shield Bypass augment	Skips Zoltan shields	Useful against Zoltan ships and the Flagship

Rules of thumb:

Volley together. Fire weapons at the same moment so shields cannot regenerate between shots.
Ion first, then lasers or beams. Ion shots break shields longer than lasers.
Beam weapons need shields down; pair them with ion or flak.

Crew Races

Race	Strength	Weakness
Human	Balanced baseline	No special traits
Engi	Repair speed	Weak in combat
Mantis	Combat	Slow repair
Rockman	High HP, fire immunity	Slow
Zoltan	Powers systems they occupy	Low HP
Slug	See through walls and resist mind control	Average combat
Lanius	Drain oxygen from rooms; do not need air	Their drain hurts your own crew if mixed in the same room
Crystal	Can lock rooms	Slow

Mantis and Rockman are the best boarders. Engi and Zoltan are ideal at systems.

Events and Beacons

Distress beacons can reward you or trap you.
Blue options appear based on your crew, systems or equipment — almost always better.
Stores sell fuel, missiles, weapons, systems, augments and crew.
Nebula sectors slow the Rebel fleet but may disable sensors.
Quests add beacons with rewards; worth following if they are nearby.

The Rebel Flagship

The Flagship fight has three phases:

Phase 1: four weapons (including a missile launcher, lasers and an ion weapon) sit in isolated rooms; knocking out the missile launcher and ion weapon first reduces incoming damage most.
Phases 2 and 3: the Flagship escalates with a drone surge, a Zoltan super shield that must be burned through before normal damage lands, and devastating periodic power surges. Keep shields high, dodge with engines and cloaking, and finish each phase fast.

Between phases the Flagship retreats and heads for the Federation base; use sector 8's repair stations and stores to patch up before re-engaging, and do not let it reach the base.

Tips:

Bring a Defense Drone or cloaking.
Board or hack to disable key systems.
Take down the teleporter or have strong internal defences.
Missiles and beams chew through its systems once shields are down.

Ship Unlocks

There are ten ship classes (Kestrel, Engi, Federation, Zoltan, Mantis, Slug, Rock, Stealth, Lanius and Crystal), each with A/B layouts (C layouts in AE for most). Unlock by completing ship-specific quests, reaching sectors, or earning achievements. The Crystal cruiser has the most involved unlock chain.

A Sector-by-Sector Run Plan

Sectors	Goals
1-2	Visit as many beacons as possible; buy the second shield layer; pick up any cheap shield-breaking weapon
3-4	Engines to 3-4, Doors to 2, a reliable damage setup that beats two shield layers; consider a Defense Drone
5-6	Third shield layer, reactor upgrades, and a win condition for the Flagship (beams, flak, missiles or boarding)
7	Top off crew skills, hull and missiles; pick up augments like the Pre-Igniter if a store has them
8	Save scrap for repairs; visit stores and repair stations; engage the Flagship on your terms

Sector choice: civilian and Engi sectors are gentler; Mantis and Rock sectors are tougher on your hull but offer rewards; nebula sectors are good for escaping the fleet if you can handle limited sensors.

Ship Notes

Ship	Strategy
Kestrel	Balanced starter; upgrade shields and add a second damage source
Engi	Ion and drones; slow early damage, strong later
Federation	Artillery beam that ignores shields; build defence around it
Zoltan	Zoltan shield absorbs early hits; crew powers systems
Mantis	Boarding-focused; build teleporter and crew strength
Slug	Slug crew sense lifeforms and unlock extra event options; tricky early damage
Rock	Tough hull and fire-immune crew; slow but durable
Stealth	No shields at start (type A); cloaking and evasion are everything
Lanius	Oxygen drain and unique systems; boarding and hacking synergy
Crystal	Strong crew and unique weapons; hardest to unlock

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not upgrading shields early.
Ignoring crew stations.
Spending scrap on repairs over upgrades.
Overbuying weapons you cannot power.
Letting fires spread — vent oxygen or send crew immediately.
Leaving medbay unmanned during boarding.
Forgetting fuel reserves before long jumps.

Advanced Tips

Scrap Recovery Arm early increases total scrap across the run.
Venting oxygen kills boarders and fires; use doors wisely.
Stealth ship is the best ship for mastering evasion and cloaking.
Hacking the enemy's shields or weapons changes most fights.
Mind control can turn Flagship crew against itself.
Mods: Hyperspace and the fan-made Multiverse overhaul add huge amounts of content for veterans.

FAQ

Is FTL still updated? No major updates since 2020; the game is complete.

Is Advanced Edition free? Yes, included with the base game.

What is the best ship? Stealth and Kestrel are great for learning; Crystal and Lanius are strong once mastered.

How do I beat the Flagship? Upgrade shields to 3, carry strong shield breakers, and target the missile launcher and ion weapon first.

Can I pause the game? Yes, with Spacebar.

Do achievements count on Steam? Yes, Steam achievements were integrated in 2020.