The map is not a menu; it is the shared language of the game. Every strategic action leaves a mark on it: mining, building, capturing, losing a base. Reading the map matters more than memorising hotkeys.
How the world nests
The world runs top-down:
galaxy → region → system → orbit → planet or moon → surface plot
Each level answers its own question. The galaxy tells you where the war is. The system tells you who holds it and how calm it is. Orbit tells you what is happening above the planet. The plot tells you where the command post will stand.
Fog
Every object has a state:
unknown → detected → charted → surveyed → visited → claimed
Fog is not a grey placeholder. Until a system is opened, it simply isn’t on the map. “I can’t see it” means “I don’t know”, not “it’s empty”. That is the honest rule of scouting: the map shows only what you or your side have actually seen.
Three habits follow:
- Fly carefully. A jump into an unknown system is always a bet, never a stroll.
- Share what you find. A system you open becomes known to your side.
- Don’t mistake emptiness for safety. A missing marker does not promise a missing patrol.
What you see on the map
- Stars — the centres of systems. Colour and brightness follow the star type.
- Planets and moons — bodies in orbit; inhabited worlds carry a stronger marker.
- Asteroid belts — ore sources and cover for raiders.
- Stations — service points: dock, repair, market, weapon upgrades.
- Relays — the nodes factions fight over.
- Debris and anomalies — sources of salvage.
- Fleets and patrols — moving markers.
The Galaxy panel
Three things you will use constantly:
- Search — by system name across 250 systems.
- Faction filters — show only the front you care about.
- Travel — pick a system and jump.
Markers on held systems show the faction. Once a relay or planet is captured it changes colour: the map is also a record of the territorial war.
Security
Every system has a rating from 0 to 100. The lower it is, the thinner the order and the richer the pickings.
| System | Owner | Security |
|---|---|---|
| Skurn | Federation | 20 |
| Draa | — | 35 |
| Astraa | — | 45 |
| Cala | — | 55 |
| Aera | Seth | 65 |
Every other system sits at 50 by default. Security does not stand still: it recovers by 1 point every ten minutes while no war is running in the system.
Three thresholds are worth knowing by heart:
- Above 60 — no colony can be founded.
- Above 50 — no foreign base can be captured.
- 40 and below — loot is 10% richer.
That turns the map into a simple set of decisions. Aera at 65 cannot be settled at all. Cala allows building but not capturing. Skurn, Draa and Astraa allow both — which is exactly why they are busy.
Wayfarer Station
The starter station in Skurn is the first place where you can put yourself back together. It offers a dock, fuel, repair, an ore market, weapon upgrades and capture beacons.
The station charges a 5% starter fee and an owner’s tax of 1–10%. A good price on paper can look smaller in your wallet — do the sums before the deal, not after.
Markers and states
| Marker | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bright dot with a ring | Inhabited system or important node |
| Dim dot | System with no current interest |
| Faction marker | System controlled by a power |
| Pulsing ring | Capture or siege in progress |
| Alert marker | Base under attack |
Before you jump
Travel takes time, and the road back may not be there. Check four things:
- whether the destination has a station for repair and trade;
- whether the system is someone else’s territory;
- whether your hold can carry the loot home;
- whether a siege is running there.
What next
- Planets and surfaces — from the map to a colony.
- Factions — who is dividing the map.
- Flight and combat — how nodes and bases are taken.