Frequently asked questions
The questions players ask the most, with a link to the article that covers each one in full.
Can I play in a window instead of fullscreen?
Yes. The client opens maximized rather than fullscreen, and F11 switches between the two at any time. You can also change the size of the interface itself with Ctrl and plus, Ctrl and minus, and Ctrl and 0 to go back to the default size.
Do battling and gathering keep running while I am offline?
Yes. Both run on the server, so you do not need to keep the game open. You keep generating actions as long as you logged in within the last 24 hours, or 72 hours with an active premium subscription, and logging in resets that window. See First steps.
Is there any point in doing more than five daily quests?
Only the first five quests you claim each day pay credits, and completing five is what makes the daily bonus claimable. Difficulty decides how much you have to do, not what you are paid, so an easy quest and a hard one pay the same. See Daily Quests.
How do I install a catalyst?
Catalysts go into crafted items only. Open your inventory, go to the Ship parts tab, click the crafted item, press Catalysts, then click an empty slot and pick one from the list. If the item has no Catalysts button, it is not a crafted item. A crafted item bought from another player on the Market has its slots too. See Catalysts.
Do catalysts break when I take them out or scrap the item?
No. Extracting a catalyst is free and puts it back in your inventory ready to install again, and scrapping a crafted item returns every catalyst installed in it. Only installing costs resources. See Catalysts.
Why do I keep dropping level 1 engines and sensors?
Every piece of gear is tied to a skill: weapons and shields to Battling, lasers and probes to Gathering, engines and sensors to Exploring. What drops comes out at your level in that skill, so while your Exploring is 1, engines and sensors drop at level 1 however strong the enemy is. See Battling.
Why can I not equip an item I bought?
The same rule decides what you can wear. A weapon needs your Battling level, a laser needs your Gathering level, an engine needs your Exploring level. Buying it is allowed at any level, equipping it is not. See Your ship.
How do I get fuel?
Fuel comes from Warp Capsules, and there are three ways to get one: produce it at the Laboratory, which needs the whole chain of buildings; buy it from the Battlefield vendor with PvP badges, which needs a squadron holding tiles; or buy it on the Market. Using a capsule refills your tank, and an active premium subscription raises the maximum it fills to. See Laboratory and Exploring.
Do I need fuel to move between starter systems?
No. Travelling between starter systems is free and skips the engine cooldown. You do it from the Atlas, and the starter systems are the ones flagged there. See The Atlas.
The laboratory queue daily quest never completes. Is it broken?
It is not broken, but it only counts manual claims. A queue that runs all the way to the end collects itself, and an automatic collection does not count. Queue enough units for the building to still be producing once the 10 minute claim cooldown is over, then press Claim while it is still working. See Laboratory.
Why do my droids get destroyed, and do I lose them?
You do not lose them. A destroyed droid brings nothing back from that action and is working again on the next one, at no cost. Every droid has a base chance to dodge, raised by its own Maneuverability and by the Droids dodge chance modification on a crafted laser or probe. See Droids.
What do Efficiency and Storage do on a droid?
They do the same thing: both raise the amount of common resources the droid brings back on each action, and the two are added together. Neither has any effect on rare resources, which depend on your Gathering level and its own bonuses. See Droids.
Can I keep gathering and battling while I travel?
Yes. Your clones and droids stay attached to the system where you started them, so they keep working there while you explore somewhere else. To move them, start battling or gathering again from your new system. See Gathering.
How do I raise my Quantum Cores per hour?
Your battling level. The base is 8 per hour and it grows by 1 every 6 battling levels, up to 18 per hour at battling level 60. The Quantum server module in base building adds more on top of that. See Technology.
How do I sell something in the trade chat?
Post it on the Market first, then open My Listings and send it to the chat from there. It appears as a chip with its icon, its name and your price, and anyone who clicks it gets the full detail and a Buy button. See Market.
Do my rank tax and the squadron global tax stack?
No. Whichever of the two is higher is the one applied, so setting a lower rate on a rank does not grant a discount against a higher squadron rate. A member with no rank pays the squadron rate. See Global taxes.
What is the Stellar Dock tax then?
It is a second cut, taken out of what the global tax already collected, and it goes towards the parts for space stations. Global taxes are calculated first and the Stellar Dock takes its share of that amount, so it never adds on top of what you earn. See Global taxes.
How often is the Galaxy Boss and how do I join?
Four times a day at fixed UTC hours: 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00. When one spawns you have a 15 minute window to press Join on the Battle tab, and no late joins are allowed once the fight starts. An active premium subscription joins you automatically. See Galaxy Bosses.
Do I have to travel to the Galaxy Boss system?
No, you can fight it from anywhere. Being in the same system when the fight begins is worth the full reward, and being somewhere else gives you 90% of it. See Galaxy Bosses.
How does my squadron get a space station?
Three steps. Unlock the four Stellar Dock buildings and let their taxes produce one part each, then open the Galaxy Power tab and press Build Space Station, and finally warp to the system you want and press Claim from its info panel. It is the Galaxy Power tab that builds it, not the galaxy map. See Galaxy Power.