Note: This walkthrough makes use of the well-known "lander bug" that allows you to sell infinite planet landers, since I find resource acquisition tedious and would rather just get to the story. It also assumes that you have maps of hyperspace and QuasiSpace.

Go to Io (the first moon of Jupiter), mineral scan, land, and pick up some radioactive minerals. Stop off at Luna (Earth's moon - surely you knew this?), energy scan, and check out the moonbase. You can orbit Earth and look at it if you want (which may be useful for calibrating your mental picture of what the classes of weather and tectonics activity mean), but you can't scan it or land there because of the Ur-Quan slave shield. Go to the starbase at Earth. Meet the commander and transfer your radioactives. Just as you begin explaining the situation to him, you'll be interrupted by an appearing Ilwrath Avenger. Attempt to kill it using your Earthling Cruiser (fire off a couple shots, then run away while your batteries charge, then turn around quickly and fire another); if you lose that ship, finish it off with your flagship. Now talk to the commander again. Ask him about everything, if you're interested; none of it is necessary, but some of it is amusing.

Go to Outfit Starship. Sell your planet lander, holding down Enter. This triggers a bug, giving you infinite landers to sell. As you get to 100k, slow down and sell them in bursts. When the area at the right of the screen clears, exit, then return and they will all be gone. This will give you about 130k RU. Your ship comes with one front gun, one fuel tank, one storage bay, and one crew pod. Buy 3 landers, all the turning jets and thrusters you can have, 2 more crew pods, 4 fuel tanks, 5 dynamos, and another gun for the spread position. Fill your fuel tanks. Go to the shipyard and fill up your crew pods. Save the game. Let's take her for a spin.

Head down to Gamma Krueger 1. This is the Pkunk homeworld. Talk to them and you will get four Furies and something called a Clear Spindle. Re-encounter the planet and contine to talk to them. When done, meet up with a Pkunk ship and ask them about everything until you hear about the dream with the little creature.

Go to Delta Gorno and look for the Shofixti ship. If you don't see it right off, visit the planets. When you find Tanaka, repeatedly insult him and get into a fight, but then use the escape button. Do not kill him. Repeat this until he realizes you are not a disgusting Ur-Quan slimewad.

Go to Gamma Vulpeculae 1. Talk to the Orz and form an alliance. (When conversing with Orz, avoid inquiring too deeply about the Androsynth. Abandon that line of questioning when the next line that appears is "Okay, but what would you say if you did?") Go to Delta Vulpeculae 2-c and ask politely to land on the planet. Energy scan, and pick up the object. It is the Taalo shield, which will protect you from the Dnyarri when you meet it. Go to Eta Vulpeculae 2 and energy scan. These are Androsynth cities. Visit three of them.

Go to Alpha Pavonis 7 (the blue planet at the upper right of the system). Don't worry if you get tailed along the way, since you can outrun everything else in hyperspace unless it happens to approach head-on. (If you run into a Slylandro Probe in this fashion, make sure to get hit at least once before destroying it or escaping.) Energy scan when you get to the planet. Land there and investigate the Ur-Quan wreck.

Head towards the Circini constellation. You don't have to pick any particular star as a destination, just head in that direction. On the 17th of every month, a green portal will appear just "north" of Circini, and it will close on the 20th of the month. Enter this portal, and you will enter QuasiSpace.

Look at the starmap. The exit portals will contine to say UNKNOWN even after you have been through them. Travel through QuasiSpace uses no fuel, but time passes normally. Go to the large portal-spot that's off by itself on the upper right. This is the homeworld of the Ariloulaleelay. Ask about everything, saving the warp pod for last. At the end of the conversation, you will have a device called a portal spawner. (As long as you have 17 units of fuel on hand, you can now get home from anywhere in the quadrant: 10 to spawn the portal, 6 to fly from its outlet to Sol, and 1 unit for a cushion.)

Stop off at Beta Pegasi 1, since it's close by, and have a gander at the innermost planet. This is a Rainbow world, of which there are ten. Their coordinates are worth a lot of credits to the Melnorme, traders of technology and information whom you will meet later. Rainbow worlds are always the innermost planet, and are always yellow/tan/gold when viewed in screens preceding orbit. They can be landed on like all other solid planets, but you'll need much fortified planet landers to do so. For now, return to the Sol region.

Go to Earth starbase and talk to the commander. Ask for an analysis of your "recent acquisition" (the portal spawner), if you're interested. As explained by the station scientists as well as the Ariloulaleelay, it opens portals into QuasiSpace from anywhere in hyperspace. No one else can follow you into a QuasiSpace portal, and a portal can be opened directly on top of a star's "gravity well" in hyperspace, so it is useful for making escapes. Though the dialogue hints that the portal spawner may cease to operate at some point, I've never had this happen. Replenish crew if necessary.

Go to Pluto. Energy scan and go to the location indicated. The loss of crew is unavoidable. The landing vessel will return to the flagship, and you'll find yourself conversing with a Spathi named Fwiffo. You can say whatever you want to Fwiffo (and any Spathi) so long as you don't outright pick a fight. When you've persuaded Fwiffo to join you, return to Earth and fill up his ship with crew.

Go to Epsilon Gruis 1. Go to the moon of the planet and converse. Tell them the cypher. Talk to them until they tell you about the menace of the Evil Ones. Ask for details and agree to the mission. Go to the planet surface, do a bioscan, and stun all the beasts, being careful not to get too close. They are immobile, but will whack you good if you touch them. Return to the moon and report, then return to Earth to re-fuel and re-crew.

If you didn't accidentally encounter a Slylandro probe on your way to Circini, wander about for a while in the general area of Sol, exploring planets, gathering biodata, or whatever. Slylandro Probes should start appearing this far "south" in early-mid July 2155. Encounter one, fight it with either your Cruiser or a Skiff (in case you lose), and be sure to sustain at least one hit. Once you have done, set course for Beta Corvi. Planet 4, the gas giant, is the home of the Slylandro. Go there, converse with the Slylandro and tell them all about humans. You can ask them about everything if you like. Be sure to ask them about their Probe and reason with them until they realize what's going wrong with the Probes. Ask if there is a self-destruct code and they will give it to you. Leave.

It's time for a sojourn to some Rainbow worlds. First, go to Epsilon Draconis. Around here, encounter a Thraddash ship and converse with them until you have the option to suggest that they fight the Ur-Quan's enemy. Next, go to Epsilon Lipi, then Beta Leporis. While you're here, meet the Supox at Beta Librae 1 (and get the broken Ultron) and the Utwig at Beta Aquarii 1. Continue on to the Rainbow worlds at Gamma Aquarii, Groombridge, and Alpha Andromedae.

Next, go to Arcturus. Energy scan the moon of planet 1. This is the Burvix Hyperwave caster; pick it up. Finish off with the rainbow worlds at Gamma Reticuli, Gamma Kepler and Zeta Sextantis. Go back to the moon of Epsilon Gruis 1. Remind them about the alliance they promised, and keep at them until they relent. Go back to the Sol region, but stay in hyperspace. Use the Burvix caster. Wait a moment, and a Melnorme ship will show up. Give them the biodata and rainbow world locations that you have. Use your credits first to buy all their tech, then "useful data about alien races" until you learn about the Syreen and how the Mycon destroyed Syra. (Feel free to spend the rest of your credits on anything you like.) Go to Earth.

In the Shipyard, build and crew four Eluders. You'll need them later in the game, as they are extremely effective against Dreadnoughts and Marauders, but six months from now the Spathi figure out how to slave-shield themselves (as they originally wanted), disappearing from the game and removing Eluders as a ship you can build. Don't sell them, and if you lose them, quickly build replacements. Go to Outfit Starship. Sell off all your fuel, empty one of the crew pods, and sell and all your modules, except planet landers and the 3 full crew pods. Outfit the ship with 3 efficient fuel tanks, 5 Shiva Furnaces, 2 Hellbore Cannons (front and spread), and 3 ATSs. Refuel and re-crew the ship. Save the game and prepare to kick ass.

When you are through talking to him, go to Alpha Cerenkov 1, avoiding any VUX ships you may see. Talk to Admiral ZEX and agree to get the animal he desires in exchange for the Shofixti Maidens. Go to Delta Lyncis 1. Bioscan, and dispatch far from all life. The creature ZEX is after is the fastest-moving one on the map. Keep shooting it until you finally stun it, then return to Alpha Cerenkov 1. Give him the beast, don't bother dickering about it. When the scene is over, you'll be looking at a standard planet view. Energy scan. Those are the Maidens. Pick them up, then return to Delta Gorno and find Tanaka. Talk to him and give him the Maidens. As the worship of Aphrodite ensues, leave for Orz space.

Go to Beta Copernicus 1 (the planet that was Syra). Do your best to avoid the Mycon ships, and save the game before combat if you can't. Syra is now a Shattered World, which means that the Mycon have been around with a Deep Child, as you may recall from talking to the Melnorme. Energy scan the planet and get the egg case. Go to the station at Betelgeuse 1. Talk to Talana and learn about Syra and Gaia. Ask her about Deep Children and show her the egg case. When you're through, go to Epsilon Camelopardalis 1-a. Energy scan and land. This is the vault Talana mentioned. Return to Betelgeuse again. Take note of Talana's directions for you, and then have a lil' smackeral. Go to the Mycon homeworld at Epsilon Scorpii 1. Head for the planet, rather than encountering any random ship. Don't waste time trying to chit-chat, just tell them about the planet orbiting Organon (wink, wink). Head back home to re-fuel and re-crew.

Check your starmap. Notice how the Mycon are moving to Organon. Go to Beta Brahe 1. Just before you enter its "well", check the map and make sure you are outside the Mycon circle of influence (otherwise, you will encounter infinite ships at the planet). Kill the Mycon group and energy scan. Land and pick up the sun device. While you're waiting for the Mycon to get their fungus kicked, go to Alpha Tucanae 1. Talk to the ZoqFotPik and make an alliance.

Go to Alpha Tauri, the Ilwrath home star. (Tauri is a bit "north" of the Ilwrath circle of influence.) Stay at the bottom of the screen and use the caster. Tell the Ilwrath to seek new prey, and then leave. (Eventually, the Ilwrath and Thraddash will destroy each other.) Go to Procyon 2. Feel free to check out the abandoned station, but the planet is what we're interested in. Use the caster and speak to the Chenjesu/Mmrnmhrm. After you are finished, use the sun device, and you will get further information from the Chmmr.

Go back to Delta Draconis. Do not go to the home planet this time. Meet up with a ship, talk to them, and ask how impressing the Ur-Quan went (notice they were half annihilated in that fight?). Then, fight them. They die in one good shot. You must rack up 25 kills to impress them, and must kill entire combat groups for any of them to count against your total. Then, go to planet 1, converse, and help them with their new culture (tee hee). Go to Zeta Persei 1 and talk to the Druuge. Sell the egg case in trade for the Rosy Sphere. Leave, and use the Rosy Sphere. It too becomes part of the broken Ultron.

Go home, re-fuel and re-crew. Sell one of your Skiffs to make room for a Shofixti ship. Go to Gamma Serpentis and encounter a Yehat ship (do not go to the home planet). Tell them the Shofixti are reborn, and send the little guy on over. Go to Alpha Tucanae 1 and save them from the Kohr-Ah ship. Talk to the Kohr-Ah first and say "Hold! What you are doing to us is wrong!" After the fight, talk to the ZoqFot some more if you like. Stop off at Betelgeuse, talk to Talana, and find out how the battle with the Mycon went.

Go to Beta Orionis 1, avoiding the Umgah. At this point they are being controlled and are hostile. You will find yourself talking with a Dnyarri, who orders ten Umgah to attack you. Once you have killed them, you'll be talking to the Dnyarri again. You can find out a bit about his version of history before you agree to bring him on board. If you encounter any Umgah as you leave the system, ignore their suggestion to go to their home planet for your reward. (At least, that is what I recommend you do. The Umgahs' desire to reward you is genuine; they'll give you 500 units of biodata if you return to the home planet. But then they decide that this hero thing has lost its luster and you two could have a lot more fun if you were their glorious enemy, so they give you 4 Drones and descend upon you en masse. While they're quite jubilant, they're as much of a pain in the ass to fight as they were before, and it's better to just skip the whole thing.)

Go to Zeta Draconis 1. Energy scan and get the object. It's the Aqua Helix. Congratulations, you've now stolen a major Thraddash artifact, and the Thraddash will now hate you and kill you again if you run into any before their mutual annihilation with the Ilwrath. Plunk the Aqua Helix in the Ultron, then go to Beta Aquarii 1 and give it to the Utwig. Go to Zeta Hyades 6-b (large green planet at the left) and kill the Druuge that appear (talking to them is amusing, but futile). Their cannon is powerful and has long range, so you may want to save first, and be careful. You can kill them in one shot by coming up on them sideways. Energy scan, land, and get the bomb. Go to Procyon 2 and show the Chmmr that you are ready.

Two weeks later, you will be back at the Earth starbase. Put 2 crew pods, 1 high-efficiency fuel tank, 1 hellbore cannon, and 2 Shiva Furnaces back in the ship, and fill up with fuel. In the shipyard, sell the Scout, the remaining Skiffs, and two of the Eluders and build five Avatars (total three Eluders, four Furies, and five Avatars). Fill everything with crew. Go to Delta Crateris. Use the Dnyarri. Go to the planet the Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah were surrounding. In place of a moon is the Sa-Matra.

Kill the 6 Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah. Some Yehat, having won their civil war, will arrive with Terminators and Furies. Converse (which actually has you speak to the Dnyarri) and then attack. You are trying to destroy the red force-bubbles. The Avatar's laser can break them quickly, but you will likely lose all the ships, since they are too slow to outrun the green blobs and fireballs. The Fury is fast enough to outrun the missiles, but cannot withstand the damage they do (although resurrection is nifty), and you have to shoot for quite a long time before you will burst a bubble. If you break the last bubble and the current ship is still alive, escape (or get killed), then pilot your flagship into the hole. Sit back and watch the movie and credits.

World colors and resource types

Colors are as the planets appear from space, before you have landed on them.

Rainbow Worlds: Beta Pegasi, Epsilon Draconis, Epsilon Lipi, Beta Leporis, Gamma Aquarii, Groombridge, Alpha Andromedae, Gamma Reticuli, Gamma Kepler, Zeta Sextantis

Violet/Pink: Yttric (base, rare earth), Oolite (precious, rare earth), Ultraviolet (base, precious, radioactive, common), Fluorescent (noble, radioactive, base)

Yellow/Tan/Gold: Treasure (precious), Rainbow (common, radioactive), Lathanide (rare earth), Auric (precious), Urea (common), Plutonic

Orange: Metal (base, precious, corrosive, radioactive), Radioactive (radioactive), Cimmerian (common), Crimson (corrosive, base), Magma (base)

Cyan: Organic (common), Opalescent (common, rare earth, noble), Xenolithic (precious, base), Sapphire (exotic)

Green: Alkali (base), Halide (corrosive, radioactive), Redux (base, corrosive), Acid (common), Quasi-Degenerate (exotic), Green (rare earth), Copper (base), Primordial (common, base), Magnetic (base), Emerald (exotic), Iodine (base, corrosive), Chlorine (common, base, corrosive)

Blue: Noble (common, noble), Water (base), Hydrocarbon (common, base), Ultramarine (rare earth, base, noble), Azure (base), Telluric (base, precious)

Purple: Super-Dense (base), Vinylogous (base, common), Pellucid (base, nothing, rarely exotic), Purple (base), Chondrite (common)

Red: Infrared (base), Dust, Maroon (common, base), Ruby (exotic), Carbide (common), Crimson (base, corrosive)

White (grey): Selenic (base, nothing)

Where to find mineral-rich planets
(extremely incomplete; I had only just begun such a list the last time I did anything with this walkthrough)

Sapphire worlds: 3 at Delta Tauri
Emerald worlds: Gamma Vulpeculae 4, Beta Chandrasekhar 2
Ruby worlds: Gamma Trianguli 4

Last updated: 1/18/2012