Awaken in the Creche
Eyes open, Rider. You spawn inside the Creche; your temporary spawn point until you make your own base in the void. You’re sitting in your Creation, a compact and agile vessel with pre-assembled modules, which helps you to survive the Frontier.
A tutorial guide will automatically appear in the top-left corner of the screen, walking you through the basics of piloting your Creation, survival skills, and module creation.
- If you do not see the tutorial, or wish to change your tutorial state:
- Click the Star icon in the top-left corner of the screen.
- Select Restart the tutorial to begin anew or skip the tutorial if you prefer to go it alone.
In the initial tutorial phase, you will be introduced to your Creation's basic piloting mechanics.
- Follow the tutorial prompts to learn the fundamentals of the flight system.
- Take control of your vessel and familiarize yourself with the navigation controls to prepare for your journey ahead.
Check out the introductory video below before diving into the guide.
Step 1: Scavenge The Creche and Fuel Your Creation
To proceed with the starting tutorial, your first objective is to fuel your Creation so you can begin your journey from vulnerability to self-sufficiency.
- Scavenge the Dark: Search the Creche for a Fuel Cell and a Component Locker.
- Gas Up: Feed the Fuel Cell to your Creation. Without juice, you aren't going anywhere.
Step 2: Manufacture Your First Modules
Now that you have power, it’s time to upgrade your vessel. Your Creation comes with pre-assembled Mini-Printer and a Material Processor (your mobile crafting bench), though as you progress to different ships, these modules will need to be manufactured and equipped to your vessels using Modular Management.
- Manufacture: Hit Alt+I to open the Mini-Printer, then select Passive Gravity Scanner, add the required materials, then click Start.
- Equip: Hit Alt+F to open the Module Management window. Drag and drop your new Scanner into an available slot on your ship's layout. You’re no longer flying blind.
Step 3: Navigate Out and Face the Void
With your vessel prepped and systems online, engage your thrusters and navigate out of the Creche. The Frontier is not an empty void to simply traverse; it is an active, lethal environment that punishes careless flying.
- Thermal Mechanics: Stars aren't just for screenshots; they radiate heat that will cook your hull. Use asteroids, wrecks, and structures as cover. Positioning is life.
- The Feral Threat: The dark isn't empty. Ferals camp in the shadows and debris. They aggro on sight, and worse; they don't just kill you; they apply a debuff called Feralization, corrupting the bond between you and your Shell.
Step 4: Get Hands-On Essential Tools to Survive the Frontier
Once you're familiarized with your internal modules, it's time to build your first Small Cutting Laser and Synthetic Mining Lens. Consider these tools your most reliable companions in the dark.
- Gather Materials: Scavenge the raw materials drifting just outside the Creche to feed your Mini-Printer.
- Manufacture: Use your onboard Mini-Printer (Alt+I) to manufacture the Small Cutting Laser and Synthetic Mining Lens.
- Fight Back: With a laser equipped, you are no longer helpless. You can defend yourself from the Ferals, stand your ground, and actually win.
- Excavate Ores: Beyond combat, your laser's primary purpose is to mine asteroids. Extract ores and process them in your Material Processor to create usable manufacturing materials.
Step 5: Boosting your journey in the Void
Once you've manufactured your Small Cutting Laser and Synthetic Mining Lens, it's time to increase your mobility.
- Manufacture the "Leap" Module: Use your Mini-Printer (Alt+I) to build the "Leap" propulsion module.
- Equip: Open Module Management (Alt+F) and attach the Leap module to your Creation.
- Increase Velocity: This module is essential for significantly boosting your speed and traversal capabilities in the void.
Step 6: Master the Unified StarMap
Once your Creation is mobile and ready, it's time to look beyond your immediate surroundings. Press [M] to open the StarMap, your ultimate tool for plotting a path through the unknown.
- From Solar System to Galaxy at Your Fingertips: Scale smoothly from a macro galaxy view all the way down into local orbital rings just by zooming in and out.
- Gather Intel: Toggle the Heat Map to check system frostlines or click zones to pull up critical intel on resource nodes and Feral hotspots before you commit to a jump.
- Selecting Clusters: Warpable points are now star clusters which highlight upon clicking them, along with Lagrange Points and Trojan Belts acting as prime drop zones for free-form bases.
Step 7: The Journey is Yours
This isn't a standard starter zone, and Frontier won't force a linear path on you.
- Information On-Demand: You won't get a massive tutorial dump on you the moment you wake up.
- Trigger-Only Tutorials: Guidance only triggers the exact second you interact with a new system or mechanic for the first time.
- Learn by Doing: Stumble into a new feature? You figure it out by engaging with it. Ignore it, and you're left to your own devices.
You want the answers? You have to go find them.