# FTL: Faster than Light **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** video-games-e-games\ **Created:** [November 18, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402 "2024-11-18T15:52:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/1 "2024-11-18T15:52:38Z")
Honestly, this game is one of the most reliably fun games ever made for a PC or any other platform. Has anyone ever unlocked EVERY ship type? The federation cruiser type C is damned hard to get through. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/2 "2024-11-18T16:33:25Z")
I haven’t played it in years, but I remember it as an excellent game. Maybe I’ll download it tonight and give it a few more runthroughs! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/3 "2024-11-18T16:39:59Z")
Excellent game. I think I unlocked most of the ships, though I had to use the wiki for at least one: the pathways to unlocking some of the ships are extremely specific. Sadly, most of my playtime was on an iPad and it was the first and last iOS device I ever used extensively. My progress on PC is almost certainly much less. Though I do have a steam deck now… ---
**Author:** ![jadielyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jadielyn/32/8808_2.png) [@jadielyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jadielyn)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/4 "2024-11-18T17:00:13Z")
Yes, I spent many many hours replaying it and unlocking all the ships and achievements. Like @Johnny_Bravo I needed some research online for the path to a few of them. Eventually got to the point of realizing that I was always playing for the endgame of how to survive the final boss, with some ship configurations able to get to that point but typically ending in a loss. Interest eventually waned after that. There are some interesting looking mods on PC but it felt so natural to play on tablet touchscreen that repurchasing to play with mouse/keyboard felt like a step backwards and I never explored them. Have tried a number of games that tried to copy its style and aesthetic but none of them ever quite measured up to FTL. Remember, giant alien spiders are no joke! ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/5 "2024-11-21T03:18:37Z")
Great game. I believe I’ve unlocked every ship. I know at one point I was attempting to beat it on all difficulties with all ships. I know I didn’t do that because some of the ships are brutally hard, but I don’t recall if it’s also because I didn’t unlock some. Most op ship is the crystal one with the 4 person teleporter. As long as you get some weapon to take down shields reasonably early you’re golden for the mother ship. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/6 "2024-11-21T14:16:29Z")
Yeah I’m trying to win with the C level Mantis ship and it’s driving me crazy because you just don’t get enough weapons. Transport tech is great for fighting the dreadnought because its weapons are all in little isolated rooms. Send in a Mantis or two, kill that guy, kill the weapon; in no time, the ship doesn’t have any weapons. But in this run I cannot get through the shields. They hack what limited weapons I have, and transporting in to kill all the other guys is impossible because they’ve got a medical bay I can’t shoot. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/7 "2024-11-21T14:22:57Z")
Are you using ion weapons? The medbay shouldn’t be that big of a deal. If you’re sending in 4 mantis they should be able to damage the guys enough so they run to the medbay and then your guys can break the shield room. Easy from there. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/8 "2024-11-21T23:11:55Z")
Yes! Years ago FTL was a near addiction for me. I both unlocked & beat the game with every ship. A few thoughts: Spend as much time as you possibly can searching each sector before jumping to the next. This is how you earn enough to make even the “bad” ships strong enough to beat the final boss. The stealth ship seemed terrible until I realized you can buy shields. Sell the upgrade it comes with (which gives you a percentage chance to avoid component damage) to afford them. Once you purchase shields it becomes OP. Slight spoiler: the Mantis ships are the easiest to beat the final boss with. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/9 "2024-11-22T14:17:05Z")
Yeah, I learn your spoiler was correct because of the supership’s very strange internal layout. The best build though is the original cruiser if you can just load up on Burst Laser II’s (which seem to only be readily available if you have that ship.) A ship with four of those will simply tear anything apart, in any sector. If you also have the Weapon Pre-Igniter, the single most important piece of kit there is, you’ll kill the supership in twenty seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/10 "2024-11-22T15:45:41Z")
I think my very best runs were ones with the laser that sweps multiple rooms. The bad guys just aren’t capable of doing that many repairs at once. The laser, sone kind of ion system for shields, and then excess energy into literally any direct weapon for knocking out specific systems. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/11 "2024-11-22T23:25:40Z")
There are a lot of potential loadouts that trivialize the last encounter. 4x flak1 or 4x burst laser 2 being the easiest to obtain probably. Quad teleporter with 4 maxed mantis or crystals and the healing teleport as well. Double Vulcan. Weapon igniter +flak 2 + glaive beam. Hacking is probably the most important thing to salvage a mediocre run though. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/12 "2024-11-22T23:35:53Z")
I love FTL but despite playing it a lot and understanding the mechanics well I never once finished a run successfully. I got very close a few times but it was always something (which mostly means me) that messed it up at the end. I unlocked a lot of ships, most of them think, but still frustrating for me. Even so, I think it is an excellent game and well worth a try if you like that sort of game. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2024, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/13 "2024-11-24T08:27:37Z")
I’m tempted to pick this up. Currently on sale for $2.49 at humblebundle. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2024, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/14 "2024-11-24T08:42:13Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I love FTL but despite playing it a lot and understanding the mechanics well I never once finished a run successfully. I got very close a few times but it was always something (which mostly means me) that messed it up at the end. Same here. I’ve never been able to beat the battleship, because it seems like that fight requires an entirely different set of skills and equipment from what works best to survive the run up to that point. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/15 "2024-11-24T15:09:19Z")
I don’t know if it’s a different set of skills so much as a massive difficulty spike. It’s much much much easier to **get** to the boss than it is to beat it. You’ve got to maximize your scrap intake from the very beginning of the game even though it doesn’t feel necessary yet. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2024, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/16 "2024-11-24T21:50:19Z")
It also helps to have a plan for it, where most of the other fights you can just repeat fire in the shield room and get through. Your guys can’t beat it on easy? On easy I think you should head into the final fight with at a minimum: - Lvl 4 shields - Trained crew in weapons, shield, engine, pilot - 7 or 8 energy worth of weapon load out Which is really pretty basic. Cloaking or hacking are the easiest/best upgrades after that. Mind control is also good. For each stage I think taking out the missile room is most important. If you have teleport you can kill most of the crew in the first round and that makes the rest of the rounds a lot easier. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/17 "2024-11-26T01:55:35Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Same here. I’ve never been able to beat the battleship, because it seems like that fight requires an entirely different set of skills and equipment from what works best to survive the run up to that point. Keep at it with the very first ship on Easy. I’m not sure what you’re doing wrong but eventually you’ll win the game. Just hammer the shields until they’re dead red, then attack weapons. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/18 "2024-11-26T01:56:46Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Which is really pretty basic. Cloaking or hacking are the easiest/best upgrades after that. Mind control is also good. The only problem with mind control is that if you get it to early you’ll find yourself up against a lot of Slug ships. Funny, that. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ftl-faster-than-light/1010402/19 "2024-11-27T16:53:02Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > > [@Smapti](#): > > > > Same here. I’ve never been able to beat the battleship, because it seems like that fight requires an entirely different set of skills and equipment from what works best to survive the run up to that point. > > Keep at it with the very first ship on Easy. I’m not sure what you’re doing wrong but eventually you’ll win the game. > > Just hammer the shields until they’re dead red, then attack weapons. The easiest way to beat the final boss is to buy a transporter during your run and upgrade shields to max. As soon as you can, transport a crew-member or two into each of the weapon rooms at the top to kill the crew and destroy the weapon. The weapon rooms are separated from the rest of the ship and cannot be repaired until the ship jumps. After disabling all of the main weapons keep hammering the shield room with your best weapons until it the ship ‘dies.’ Leave at least one of the enemy crew alive or the more difficult AI will take control of the ship.