ELITE ESSENTIALS

HOW TO RISE UP THE RANKS IN THE GROUNDBREAKING 8-BIT CLASSIC

ASTUTE TRADING

The trick to trading is to sell hightech goods on agricultural planets for a premium while buying their low-cost food, which you sell on industrial planets for a profit while buying their cheap tech. Of course, you also need credits to pay for the fuel used to travel between worlds.

JUDGING JOURNEYS

The decline of the Galactic Government has left a patchwork of widely differing political climates. The safest planets are corporate states – although profits here are slim, whereas the most dangerous are anarchies – where you can make a small fortune if you aren’t killed by pirates.

CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES

There are pros and cons to dogfights. On the one hand, confirmed kills raise your rank, which is a core objective. But on the other hand, you start the game with ineffective weaponry and limited energy, and aside from pirates, most ships will leave you alone if you don’t attack them.

USEFUL UPGRADES

The capabilities of the Cobra Mk III craft that you pilot are initially quite modest, but there are numerous upgrades you can make – providing you earn enough credits. As well as extra energy banks and spare missiles, desirable purchases include a cargo bay extension and a beam laser.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

Depending on your vessel’s upgrades and how capable an opponent is, the different ships you encounter may be easy or near impossible to take out. Each craft is worth just one kill – no matter if it’s feeble or all-powerful – so make sure that you weigh up the risk that each one poses.