Preparing for the Astrafite Rush — ‘Grind to 30’ Guide
In the upcoming Astrafite Rush, pilots will scour the stars for Astrafite to mine and Fire Dancer pirates to defeat — striving for the chance to earn Astrafer (Phantom Galaxies Governance Token) rewards.
For players determined to net a substantial Astrafer haul, there is plenty you can do in the lead-up to the Event — including earning XP, leveling up, and finding your ideal Class, weapon and Skill loadout. Reaching the current cap of Level 30 will allow players to unlock the entire Skill tree, and blast into the Astrafite Rush with abilities worthy of an Ace.
Read on to learn the fastest way to reach Level 30 (based on the Phantom Galaxies Alpha at the time of writing).
Main and Side Quests
Completing Episode 1 to 3 of the Alpha is required for every pilot anticipating the Astrafite Rush. The Main Quests can be completed at a quick pace, and there is ample time before the Event begins. Enter the Ranger Corps as an Ensign, learn the ropes and safeguard the cosmos — battle against the growing threat of pirate factions, rapidly arming up throughout the NCA.
Once you’re all caught up on the story that is coming to a head in Episode 4, try to complete all the Side Quests for extra XP. Break up pirate convoys, track down the writer of mysterious poems found across Halberd-001, play Cupid for a budding Ranger romance, and more! Explore Halberd-001 to track these Side Quests down, particularly around the Mess Hall…
After finishing the first three Episodes, the average pilot has likely reached roughly Level 11 (depending on the Side Quests completed and the time you have spent in ‘free roam’). It’s now time for … the Grind.
The Grind
Throughout the Phantom Galaxies universe, there are many sources of XP — here is our suggestion for the most efficient path to Level 30!
1) Up to Level 15: Grind at planet Huli, which is located in the Maesser system. The mobs there are always Level 15 and sometimes spawn five at a time.
An important note: if your Wingman delivers the killing blow to an enemy, you do not receive the XP. Something to keep in mind as you battle the pirate hordes.
2) Level 15 to Level 30: Repeat the Bounty Quest, which can be repeatedly picked up in the Shining Star Bar — located at Hades, in the Styx system.
Be aware that the Quest Giver can spawn in three different locations within the Shining Star Bar:
- Sitting at a table to the right as you walk into the Shining Star Bar
- Standing by the window a little further back
- At the back of the room, standing by the lavatory area
Here’s another handy tip to streamline this process: the Quest Givers in the Shining Star Bar consist of two types, one giving Bounty and Delivery Quests, but the Deliveries offer no XP.
As such, we suggest picking up a Delivery Quest from a Shining Star Quest Giver, but leaving it uncompleted. You won’t receive new Deliveries while the Quest sits uncompleted in your log, so only new Bounty Quests will appear in the Shining Star Bar. Complete Bounty after Bounty to rack up a wealth XP.
Choose Your Mech
Your gameplay choices can heavily impact your rate of XP, and careful choices will pay off during leveling up and the Astrafite Rush itself!
First off, your Mech: there are currently three Mech Starfighter Classes available, each with their own unique Primary and Secondary weapons, as well as Special Moves. We’ve broken down the important info and outlined a suggested load-out for each…
Assault Class
The specs for the Assault are:
Armor : 200
Shields : 200
Energy : 500
Speed: Good
Special Move: ‘Drone Assist’
Suggested load out:
Primary — ‘Damocles Peril’
Secondary — ‘Assault Shield’
Breacher Class
The specs for the Breacher are:
Armor : 200
Shields : 220
Energy : 500
Speed: Average
Special Move: Very powerful ‘Plasma Beam’ (approx. 30 sec recharge)
Suggested load out:
Primary — ‘B7-Heses’
Secondary — ‘452 Lament’ and ‘Breacher Shield’
Buster Class
The specs for the Buster are:
Armor : 250
Shields : 220
Energy : 500
Speed: Slow
Special Move: ‘Berserk Barrage’ homing rockets (approx. 30 sec recharge)
Suggested load out:
Primary — ‘Soul 2821’
Secondary — ‘Orphans Protector’ and ‘Kings Way’
We encourage players to select the mech that most appeals to their play style, but here’s another handy tip for you: many pilots have found that using the special move of the Buster during the Level 15 to Level 30 grind is an especially effective, rapid-fire method for leveling up…
Weapons
Some players only have eyes for the Damage Per Second stat, and want to build their play-style accordingly. Above, we’ve recommended top-tier loadouts for each of the Classes, but here is a breakdown of the weapons that offer the best raw output of damage.
Allocate Skill Points
Finally, the Skills that will send your XP sky-rocketing. Below is a list of the Skills we recommend players prioritize, to give an edge in battle and increase efficiency while leveling.
1) Stellar Journeyman: XP rate (1 level)
2) Decisive Strike: Critical Hit effectiveness (3 levels)
3) Terra’s Dominion: Human enemy damage (1 level)
4) Inflamed Arsenal: Ballistic damage (1 level)
5) Heaven’s Recourse: Energy damage (1 level)
6) Devil’s Eruption: Explosive damage (1 level)
7) Shift’s Wake : Successful dodge restores shields (1 level)
8) Energy Charge : Critical Hit restores Energy (1 level)
9) Armament Maestro : Reload speed + Accuracy (1 level)
10) Metamorphose Rush : Transform Speed (1 level)
Of course, all of these are just recommendations. Every pilot should pick the Starfighter and weapons loadout that most suit their preferred play style, and tailor their Skills accordingly.
The guide above lays out an efficient path to grinding your way to max Level before the Astrafite Rush event! It won’t be for every player, but will place you in the best possible position to hurtle through the Astrafite Rush and enrich yourself with Astrafer rewards!
Happy flying!
All credit goes to two of our most loyal community moderators: Greyht and Jetlag. This guide was written by them with the ‘By the community, for the community’ ethos in mind.
