Phantom Galaxies 101: Launching into Early Access

Welcome, new Rangers! Let’s catch you up to speed on everything you need to know about Phantom Galaxies.

The Story So Far…

Phantom Galaxies is a sci-fi action RPG, set amid an expansive and visually striking universe. The Non-Colonization Area (NCA) is a collection of star systems scarred by past conflict. Two civilisations, the Commonwealth and the Union, fought a long and bitter war in this space — until unspeakable tragedy shocked both sides into brokering peace and retreating.

Within the damaged and lawless NCA, pirate factions spread, wreaking havoc throughout the cosmos — to combat this threat, the once warring civilisations joined forces, and the Rangers Corps were formed.

The elite Rangers Corps strive to bring order and peace to the galaxy, and they are ever in need of new recruits.

Joining the Ranger Corps

When you join the Ranger ranks, Halberd-001 will be your home, operations command and armoury. You will meet storied commanders, officers and captains aboard the station, who will assign you on operations across the stars. Beyond, the NCA is filled with exciting locations where you will carry out missions, gather resources and assist people in need. To access these diverse locations, climb into your Starfighter and hurtle through the blue Warp Gate waiting outside Halberd.

Main story missions are received from a variety of characters located within Halberd-001 and other safe zones. Aboard Halberd-001, you can also access Bounty missions, more regular and numerous than main story quests, offering rewards of different Phantom Galaxies currencies.

In safe zones you can also access Trading Terminals. Trading Terminals sell equipment such as Weapons and Thrusters, which you can equip onto your Starfighter to attain an edge in battle. They are also a place to sell items such as unused equipables you no longer need and scavenged resources — your mining laser can be used to break down asteroids and extract valuable resources within.

Traverse the Red Warp Gate outside Halberd-001 to enter the PvP area, and meet up with friends or other members of the community. Test your piloting abilities to see who dominates the skies!

Starfighters

The Ranger Corps pilot advanced Starfighters to accomplish their interstellar missions and bring peace. There are four Starfighter Builds to choose from — each has a distinct play style, but can be equally effective in combat. Every Build has a unique Missile, Tech Ability and Ultimate Ability, and when you transform into Mecha form, you can deploy a devastating Build-specific melee attack to dispatch threats that come too close.

Assault Build: A balanced all-rounder — a good choice for newer players, or players who don’t want to specialise or narrow their playstyle.

Comes with an Assault Drone for its Tech Ability and a homing missile for its Missile Ability. Its Ultimate is an ultra-powerful Super Weapon with unlimited ammunition and rapid, enemy-seeking fire.

Buster Build: Bulky, hardy and powerful, able to deal massive amounts of unfocused damage to large areas.

The Buster’s Tech Ability sends out scorching energy that forms a damaging chain through multiple enemies. Its Missile Ability is a cluster that splits into five projectiles, and its Ultimate sends a huge salvo of missiles that seek out all enemies in sight.

Breacher Build: The bulwark, a mech designed to charge head-first into the fray and decimate enemies at close range.

The Breacher’s Tech Ability delivers an EMP shockwave that debilitates enemy systems, while its Missile Ability draws in enemies before exploding. The Ultimate deploys a Mag Shield that soaks in enemy fire and returns it in a powerful wave.

This Build is available after Level 5.

Lancer Build: The sniper, able to target an enemy’s weak points, single out the most dangerous targets, and deal heavy damage with precise firepower.

The Tech Ability draws on your HEAT to empower the fire of your equipped weapon. The Missile Ability is a slow-moving missile with a wide explosion radius, and the Ultimate takes the form of a devastating laser.

This Build is available after Level 5.

A complete list of controls is available towards the end of this article. Level up your Pilot to equip weapons of a higher level.

By default, you will have a Base Starfighter. However, you have the optional opportunity to pilot a distinct Starfighter NFT of your very own, through the Web3 version of Phantom Galaxies. To do so, you can purchase a mintpass from the Phantom Galaxies website, or purchase already minted Starfighters from OpenSea. For those of you that have no experience with NFTs, an explainer article on how to attain your mintpass and mint your Starfighter can be found on our Medium. For all the Steam gamers, there will be opportunities to customise the cosmetic appearance of your Starfighter in the future.

So far, we have released three (3) collections of Starfighter NFTs. These are the Pristine Fleet collection and the Veteran Fleet collection, each with unique cosmetic styles and attributes, as well as Standard Issue.

Within the Pristine and Veteran collections of Starfighters, there are also Classes (First Class, Second Class, etc). The Class of a Starfighter determines the quality of Hangar you will receive, as well as increasing the likelihood of receiving rare traits.

Avatars

Avatars are your Ranger models. These dictate the appearance with which you traverse the Phantom Galaxies universe, interacting with other players, battling pirate foes, and building your legend as a hero of the Ranger Corps. By default, you will have a Base Avatar.

When you first begin your Phantom Galaxies journey, you will have the opportunity to generate your Avatar and select a gender. An Avatar will be generated for you with random characteristics, but simply select ‘Regenerate Avatar’, and a new Avatar with different randomised attributes will be created — you can regenerate until you find an Avatar to your liking! This will be changed in the future to allow for more control.

As with Starfighters, more variety and uniqueness over your Avatar’s appearance can be acquired through the Web3 version. You can purchase a mintpass from the Phantom Galaxies website or you can purchase already minted Avatars from OpenSea. These Avatar NFTs come with a wider range of distinct characteristics.

As mentioned, if you are new to NFTs, feel free to check out our explainer article on purchasing mintpass and minting Avatar NFTs.

So far, we have released three (3) collections of Avatars, the Elpis Gene Sample and the Zveta Gene Sample, each with unique cosmetic styles and attributes, as well as Unspecified Origin.

Within the Elpis and Zveta collection of Avatars, there are also Classes. The Class determines the quality of Player Quarters you will receive, as well as increasing the likelihood of receiving rare traits.

Economy

Credits:

After the ceasefire between the Union and the Commonwealth, a unified currency was created — Credits. Credits are used to purchase and manufacture/upgrade your equipment. You can collect Credits by:

• Completing Missions.
• Finishing Bounties.
• Defeating pirates.
• Selling equipment that pirates drop.
• Selling resources that you mine.

ASTRAFER:

Deadly Astrafite was scoured from the stars, and transformed by the Rangers into a substance inert and invaluable — ASTRAFER.

ASTRAFER is the primary Web3 currency of the Phantom Galaxies universe. It will also be the sole governance token for the game. You can use ASTRAFER to purchase Credits, Ores and U-Cubes for Upgrading your Equipment. ASTRAFER is a rare resource that can be received via Planet emissions and through the Ranger Tracks. You can also buy/sell ASTRAFER on secondary marketplaces. The current source of Planet emissions is through The Ceres Quadrant: Recon Phase, which is a browser based mini-game where people who own Planets can complete missions and gain ASTRAFER. The sources of ASTRAFER will increase in-game as more functions are implemented throughout — you can expect more to be developed throughout Early Access.

Starlings:

Amid the chaos of the NCA, a currency rose to prominence which persists in use to this day — Starlings.

Starlings is the premium Steam currency in Phantom Galaxies. Starlings will be sourced and utilised in the same manner as ASTRAFER, except that you cannot buy and sell them on secondary markets, nor receive as Planet emissions. You will be able to purchase Starlings in-game. If a Steam player wishes to change over to the Web3 iteration, they can take their Starlings across and spend them in game. However, they cannot then receive more Starlings, as ASTRAFER replaces it within the Web3 version.

Controls

Finally, an overview of your controls.

Ship Movement

• Hold W to activate your ship thrusters.
• Hold S to decrease thrust and bring your ship to a stop.
• Use A/D to move the ship left/right.
• Hold ‘Shift’ to Boost.
• Hold E/Q to roll clockwise/counterclockwise (if roll is enabled).
• Double tap E or Q to realign with the horizon (if roll is enabled).
• Hold X to switch to your mining tool, and press LMB to activate the laser. RMB activates your mining vision.

Mecha Movement

• Press G to transform into Mecha mode.
• Use A/D to strafe left/right.
• Use W/S to move forward/backward.
• Hold shift to run (when on the ground).

Combat

• Press LMB for primary fire.
• Press RMB for secondary fire.
• Press X to switch your weapon.
• Press ‘Tab’ to open the Player Menu and equip new weapons.
• While in space, double tap A or D to perform an evasive manoeuvre (most useful when enemy missiles are inbound).
• Press 2 to use your Tech Ability.
• Press 1 to use your Missile Ability.
• Hold G to use your Ultimate Ability.
• Hold V to trigger your Melee Ability (only available in Mecha form).

Pilot Movement

• Use W/A/S/D to move.
• Use ‘Mouse’ to look.
• Use ‘Space’ to jump.
• Use F to interact.
• Hold G to bring up the Emote Wheel.
• Use ‘Tab’ to open the Player Menu.

We hope this overview of some core aspects of Early Access has been useful, as you find your way through this expansive new universe. More articles are on their way to fill in further details around gameplay and our future plans, as the Phantom Galaxies experience expands and transforms throughout Early Access.

If you have any more questions, join us on the Phantom Galaxies Discord, and look through further information on our wiki page and FAQs!