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.

Sources

• FTL: Faster Than Light on Steam
• FTL Steam news (Advanced Edition, translations, achievements)
• FTL: Faster Than Light — Wikipedia