A captain’s path is measured by what you can do, not by a rank. First you are alone in the debris. Then you have a colony, a ship and work that pays. Here are the six milestones of that road, and what remains after them.
Six milestones
| Milestone | What it takes | What it opens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Debris | Wake up and collect three containers | 15,000 cr, a beacon, ore and a turret blueprint |
| 2. Cutter | Look over the Loaner Cutter | A free ship that always comes back |
| 3. First colony | A beacon and 5,000 cr | Income, upkeep and a place in the world |
| 4. Frigate | Assemble a large hull | More parts, a bigger role in a fight |
| 5. Station | Reach Wayfarer | Dock, repair, market and weapon upgrades |
| 6. Fleet contracts | Prove useful to a wing | Work for credits, artifacts and standing |
Milestones 1–3: survive and dig in
The first three are the starter loop. The debris gives you a beacon and ore, the cutter removes the fear of losing your only ship, and a colony turns a plot into income.
The entry cost:
- Capture beacon — 2,000 cr; the first is in a container.
- Founding a colony — 5,000 cr.
- First modules — 1,800 cr for a power plant, 2,500 for a mining plant, 2,800 for a turret.
Milestone 4: the frigate
A frigate is not bought from a menu; it is a project in the constructor. Hull, wings, engines, blocks and parts come together into one ship, and the price is the sum of its parts.
What matters at this step:
- A ship carries at most 40 parts.
- The library holds up to 32 designs.
- Weapons can climb to MK.3: damage 25 → 35 → 50.
- Upgrades happen at a station, within 60 m of the dock.
A large hull does not make you stronger by itself. It makes room for a role: more blocks, more reach, more responsibility.
Milestone 5: the station
Wayfarer Station in Skurn is the first real supply base. 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%. That is the price of not having to build everything yourself.
Milestone 6: fleet contracts
Contracts are work with a clear price.
| Contract | Reward |
|---|---|
| Kill a patrol leader | 1,200 cr |
| Loot a derelict | 800 cr |
| Board a convoy | 1,500 cr |
| Capture a colony at security ≤40 | 3,000 cr and an artifact |
The last one is not for a lone pilot. A capture takes preparation, ships and a siege window, and a system at security 40 or below means someone else is probably already interested.
The long goal: artifacts and blueprints
Artifacts and blueprints are what remains when a base is lost and a hold is emptied.
- There are only five artifacts, and you can hold at most five.
- A duplicate artifact turns into 750 cr.
- Blueprints are never sold: they are a permanent unlock.
- Standing and appearance cross the season boundary.
What to do after the first hour
- Keep upkeep paid. Arrears cut power and cost integrity.
- Grow the base to level three. Three strong modules beat twelve weak ones.
- Raise the weapon to MK.2. 2,000 cr buys the cheapest real increase in power.
- Build a frigate. Start from a preset and replace one part.
- Take a first contract. It will show you what you are missing.
- Find a corporation. 5,000 cr for a shared treasury and roles is an investment in company, not in a building.
Check yourself
- The colony earns more than its upkeep costs.
- You fly a ship you assembled, not only the cutter.
- The weapon is at least MK.2.
- You have completed at least one fleet contract.
- You know which artifact you are looking for, and why.
What next
- Ships and the hangar — how to assemble a frigate.
- Loot — where artifacts and blueprints come from.
- Online and the world — what survives a season boundary.