A rogue-like adventure game set in space. It features a randomized galaxy in which a heroic crew must travel, fighting and trading along the way, to deliver the crucial data to save their galactic Federation.
52
votes
1answer
115k views
How do I unlock all the other ships in the hangar?
In my FTL career, I've managed to unlock one or two of the other ships in the hangar, but there are still some that are unavailable.
One thing that I've found is that there tends to be a relatively ...
38
votes
2answers
1k views
Does air pressure equalize more quickly if the doors are open?
If a room has no oxygen, does opening the doors help replenish the oxygen more quickly? In other words, does oxygen equalize between adjacent rooms with open doors?
37
votes
8answers
13k views
How can I beat the final boss in Faster Than Light?
How can I beat the final boss in faster than light? I can beat the first form, but the second form just obliterates me regardless what I try.
I have tried using nothing but missiles, a combination ...
36
votes
2answers
5k views
What triggers crew experience increases?
When I've got a station manned, I'm trying to work out what causes my crew to develop in skills. It looks like engines and cockpit crew only upgrade when an attack is dodged, and then get a single ...
33
votes
2answers
5k views
Should I accept a ship surrendering or should I finish it off?
Sometimes after taking heavy damage an enemy will offer to pay you off if you accept their surrender.
It's possible to deny this and go for the kill, which will also give you a reward. Which option ...
31
votes
1answer
524 views
Does crew headcount or race influence oxygen usage?
My ship has a fixed volume, but my crew count can range from 1 to 8 and include various species. Do either of those two factors influence the rate of oxygen consumption?
29
votes
1answer
802 views
Does leaving a sector early give the player more time in the next sector?
In FTL the player can generally leave a sector before the rebel fleet makes it absolutely necessary to jump to the next sector.
Often it can be a good strategy to spend a few extra jumps in a sector ...
27
votes
4answers
8k views
How do I keep up with the power curve?
I've played through several times on Normal, and after about three sectors I invariably find that I'm utterly outclassed by every enemy ship I encounter - my weapons can't do more than tickle them ...
27
votes
1answer
536 views
What happens if I retreat first?
Often Rebels will try to power up their FTL drives and jump away to report my position. What happens if I manage to stall them long enough to get my own drives online and jump away first.
Do they ...
25
votes
2answers
576 views
Do Engi extinguish fires faster?
Engi are naturally faster at making repairs. Does extinguishing fires count as a repair action?
24
votes
2answers
1k views
FTL - What happens when your crew is full? will you still be offered new crew? can you elect to swap crew members?
I'm trying to get 6 different crew members on the ship but my crew is full; should I kill a current crew member to ensure space to take on new crew, or will I be given the option to swap if a new ...
24
votes
1answer
502 views
Utility of level 3 sensors?
Among all the discussion surrounding FTL, one thing I have not seen is a verdict on the wisdom/idiocy of upgrading to level 3 sensors.
For those of you who never have, doing so allows you to see the ...
22
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I identify my enemies' weapons?
How do I know what weapon my enemies have before they attack me with them?
I remember what some of the weapons look like, however not most of them. The scanner doesn't seem to provide any ...
21
votes
4answers
889 views
If my doors are stuck open, how do I manually close them?
Awww, See... what had happen was... yea.... But now my doors are all stuck open over there with my crew holed up in the engine room. Nothing works but my weapons sort of and my engine and o2.
21
votes
5answers
49k views
Can I back up and restore my FTL save file?
FTL shares many similarities with roguelikes, especially in that you can't save and load your game easily. However, you can save and quit.
Sometimes I get into a really good position and then die ...
20
votes
1answer
1k views
What happens if I jump with crew members away on another ship?
What happens if I jump with crew members teleported away on another ship? I've never dared try.
20
votes
1answer
6k views
Do automated reloaders stack?
My current game is going very well and I have a more powerful arsenal of weapons than in any of my previous games (2x burst laser, breach bomb mk II and anti-bio beam). I also have one automated ...
18
votes
2answers
6k views
What effective combat strategies exist with the cloaking device?
I recently unlocked the Stealth Cruiser, but my first game with it is going less than stellar. Cloaking alone seems like an ineffective way to survive a battle, as the time between cloaking is so ...
18
votes
4answers
5k views
How do I optimally use the Ion weapons (Ion Blast, Ion Blast Mark II, Heavy Ion)?
I would like to know how to optimally use the Ion weapons ((Ion Blast, Ion Blast Mark II, Heavy Ion).
With that goal in mind, I have these questions:
How long does each Ion weapon disable an ...
17
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I repair my O2 Generator in an oxygen deprived ship?
If my ship has 0% oxygen in it, how can I repair my O2 generator if my crew wont live long enough to do so?
Note that I've already tried, and because of this I have 2 crew members stuck in my medbay ...
17
votes
1answer
3k views
How much does the Repair Arm augment repair?
The Repair Arm augment has the following description:
Repair Arm
Repairs your hull every time you collect scrap, but reduces scrap collected by 15 percent.
Does anyone know by how much it ...
17
votes
2answers
63k views
How do I fix this broken stasis pod?
While exploring an asteroid field I stumbled across a Damaged Stasis Pod:
In this instance, I found the pod just before leaving sector 7 and ended up finished the game before discovering what it ...
17
votes
1answer
260 views
Is there any benefit to damaging enemy Sensors?
Damaging an enemy ship's systems in a battle reduces their capabilities, the same as them doing damage to your ship's systems does. However, unlike everything else on a ship, the only function ...
16
votes
7answers
12k views
What are some effective strategies for boarding enemy ships?
When boarding an enemy ship, are there any strategies for killing enemy crew members? Whenever my boarding party corners an enemy, the enemy always fights until they're at low health (taking a fair ...
16
votes
6answers
14k views
Tips for killing enemy crew without use of boarding parties
I'm a fan of capturing enemy ships intact if possible, due to the greater rewards involved. With a teleporter, a couple of Mantis "spare" crewmates and an S. Bomb, this is very effective.
However, I ...
16
votes
2answers
459 views
Are there any shops in hostile zones?
In FTL: Faster Than Light, each sector is labeled as either Civilian, [Species] Controlled, or Nebula. Each of these sectors has a corresponding color that determines whether or not they are Friendly, ...
16
votes
2answers
656 views
Shooting vs. melee when fighting boarding parties
I noticed that, when two people are fighting against a single intruder in one room, one fighter usually moves closer and fights with the intruder hand-to-hand, while the other stands back and shoots ...
16
votes
2answers
249 views
When does dodge chance take effect?
Does the game roll for my dodge chance when the enemy weapon is fired, or when it would hit my ship?
16
votes
1answer
811 views
Can I turn specific weapon on auto fire without forcing all of my weapons to do so?
If I have 3 weapons on my ship, lets say an Artemis Missile, an Ion Blast, and a Pike Beam, can I have my Ion Blast on auto-fire at their shields, and then use the beam and missiles without them ...
16
votes
2answers
419 views
Do enemy ships have limited missiles/drones?
Is it possible to wait for an enemy ship to run out off missiles and/or drones so that I can focus killing their crew with less pressure? If so, are the quantities fixed or random within some range?
16
votes
1answer
1k views
Is upgrading the piloting subsystem worth it if I always keep it manned?
I always have a crew member at my piloting station. Is it worth it to upgrade the subsystem to increase my evasion?
15
votes
2answers
732 views
Is it possible to escape a fight without fuel?
I am stuck in a never-ending fight in FTL. Is it possible to escape the fight?
I have no fuel, and no missiles left. My shield and my engine are top notch. The enemy shield has 3 slots. My best beam ...
15
votes
1answer
11k views
How do I repair my hull
I've sustained quite a bit of damage and my hull needs repairing.
The tutorial mentioned that your crew cannot repair the hull of the ship, but only subsystems.
How do I repair the hull?
15
votes
2answers
563 views
How do beam weapons damage enemy crew?
Do I need to draw the beam directly across the enemy crew member, i.e. exactly over where they are stood, or does just damaging the room they are in also hurt any crew in that room?
15
votes
1answer
4k views
What is the difference between an Anti-Ship Drone and an Anti-Ship Beam Drone?
They both cost 50, require 2 power. Their flavor text is nigh identical:
Powerful Drone that continually attacks the enemy ship.
Combat Drone that repeatedly attacks with a small beam weapon.
What ...
15
votes
1answer
3k views
What factors influence the speed of the rebel fleet?
I'm just playing my first round of FTL and I'm wondering what can affect the speed of the rebel fleet that is pursuing me.
Does the time I spend in realtime in each system matter, or is only the ...
14
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I know if someone's crazy?
One of my friends told me that some crew members you pick up randomly on your journey can be a mentally unstable and may go on a murderous rampage and attack other crew members. Is there any way to ...
14
votes
2answers
5k views
What strategies are there for upgrading ship systems?
It seems like every time I die I find it could have been avoided had I upgraded a certain system. Are there some systems you should upgrade early in the game? Are there systems you should ignore until ...
14
votes
2answers
3k views
What's the effect of having more than one scrap recovery arm?
How much scrap do I get with two Scrap Recovery Arm augments installed? 110%, 120%, 121%, or some number that doesn't make any sense?
14
votes
2answers
2k views
Is there a way to stop enemies from boarding?
While traveling through space I often find myself batteling enemy ships with teleporters in them. Now right at the start of battle they will usually send a boarding party. Is there a way to stop the ...
14
votes
1answer
12k views
Where's the Secret Sector?
One of the rockman ship achievements is "Find the Secret Sector". There doesn't seem to be room on the map for a secret sector.
What's the secret sector?
14
votes
3answers
363 views
What determines what races a slaver can provide?
When encountering a slaver ship, you have a couple of options to acquire a new crew member. You can buy slaves, fight to receive a slave as a bribe, or kill the slaver crew to gain your choice of ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
How can I counter enemy away teams?
I've reached sector 8 a few times, though I have yet to destroy the final boss. Without a doubt the one factor that most affects my success right now is whether I get an enemy with a teleporter.
I ...
13
votes
1answer
863 views
What difference will the more skillful (1 star or 2 star) crew members make compared to a non-skilled one in FTL?
I checked out all tooltips in the game and their official website. Since FTL did not come with a manual I have no clue here. I know that they have something to do with recharge rates and percentages ...
13
votes
1answer
2k views
Is there a way to manually open doors if your Doors Subsystem is broken?
If my door subsystem is broken, and in the middle of a large fire, is there any other way to open the doors to flush the fire or am I DOOMED?
12
votes
2answers
2k views
Why did my oxygen run out in FTL?
I was attacked in an ion storm (sensor and 50% power) and my O2 was damaged. I repaired it and killed the intruders but my O2 kept running down and everyone died. There were no fires.
Why would that ...
12
votes
1answer
499 views
Does it matter if I open one or two doors? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Does air pressure equalize more quickly if the doors are open?
If two rooms, or a room and space, are connected by two doors, does it make a difference whether I open ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
Is there a shortcut key for the cloak?
The cloaking system is very useful for avoiding damage, but I can't seem to find a shortcut key to activate it. This makes using the cloak more difficult than it should be.
Is there a shortcut key ...
12
votes
1answer
2k views
Is it possible to re-name crew-members in-game?
I know it's possible to re-name your starting crew at the hangar, but I can't seem to find any way to do this once I'm in-game. I prefer to give my crew custom names since it's easier for me to ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
How is score calculated?
Okay, so I've managed to beat the game on Normal. It seems like the thing to do now is work on getting a higher score.
However, scoring is a complete mystery to me. What sort of things should I do ...
