Tundra's debut roguelike takes FTL's paused ship combat and drops it into a techno-gothic future where the Solar Empire worships the Immortal God King Hyperion and three Ruinous Cults want the same prize you do. A run crosses exactly six sectors and the sixth is always the Imperial Coreworlds, whose final node is the Vault of Souls. Every playable hull carries 30 hull points and room for at most nine installed systems, and the only ship unlocked when you start is Imperial Cruiser A, the Triumph of Heaven. Crew come from seven human factions with more than seventy distinct types between them, so boarding parties are built rather than drafted.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Protostar Wastes | Reactor power across nine system slots basics | Raider Clans | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Raider Clanworlds | Cannons, beams, lances and missile templates mastery | Raider Clans | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Imperial Shrineworlds | Boarding actions with faction crew and wargear + gear | The Empire or Raider Clans | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Forge Enclaves | Build optimization | The Empire | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Imperial Coreworlds | Min-max | The Empire or Technocult | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Protostar Wastes)
One of the few sector types that can appear more than once in a single run and can also be your starting sector. It is unclaimed space, which means the encounter mix leans toward hazards and fights rather than merchants, so plan to leave it with less scrap than you entered.
Level/Difficulty: Sector 1 through 4, can repeat Key Rewards: Early scrap from combat encounters, occasional derelicts, few shops
What to Do in Protostar Wastes
- Learn Reactor power across nine system slots. Systems do nothing until the Reactor feeds them, and no hull accepts more than nine installed systems, so every purchase is also a decision about what you will never fit. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Raider Clans as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Shield power only moves in steps of two, and each additional barrier costs two upgrade levels. Budget for that before you buy a third weapon you then cannot power.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Beam Armaments or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Reactor power across nine system slots fundamentals
- Raider Clans selected and functional
- Protostar Wastes main content cleared
- Ready for Raider Clanworlds
Phase 2: Early Game (Raider Clanworlds)
Home space for the loose alliance of pirates descended from old starship crews and spaceyard workers. Raider crew are common recruits here, and the faction occasionally makes common cause with anti Imperial rebels, which changes how encounters resolve if you have pledged against the Empire.
Level/Difficulty: Sector 2 through 5 Key Rewards: Raider Clan crew recruits, salvage encounters, faction standing shifts
What to Do in Raider Clanworlds
- Work on Cannons, beams, lances and missile templates. Cannons never pierce shields but each hit strips one layer, beams sweep multiple rooms in a single burst and bounce off any shielding at all, and Lances start pre charged and punch straight through shields for a limited number of shots per battle. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Beam Armaments if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Nine systems is the hard ceiling per hull. Installing a system you never intend to power is a wasted slot you cannot reclaim later in the run.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Imperial Shrineworlds.
- Consider whether The Empire might suit your playstyle better than Raider Clans.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Cannons, beams, lances and missile templates integrated into gameplay
- Beam Armaments acquired
- Raider Clanworlds fully cleared
- Ready for Imperial Shrineworlds
Phase 3: Mid Game (Imperial Shrineworlds)
Devotional Imperial space where crew carrying the Imperial Citizen trait turn up far more often than anywhere else. If you want a crew built around Imperial troops rather than cultists or raiders, this is the sector to route through while you still have jumps to spare.
Level/Difficulty: Sector 2 through 5 Key Rewards: Imperial Citizen crew, shrine encounters, Imperial faction standing
What to Do in Imperial Shrineworlds
- Master Boarding actions with faction crew and wargear. You recruit crew from the human factions and equip them with weapons, armour and operational gear before sending them over. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Cannons. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Crew standing in a system room make that system run better. An empty Engines room during a fight is a measurable loss of evasion, not a cosmetic detail.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in A six sector run to the Vault of Souls for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Boarding actions with faction crew and wargear mastered
- Cannons acquired or in progress
- Imperial Shrineworlds fully cleared
- Ready for Forge Enclaves
Phase 4: Late Game (Forge Enclaves)
Technocult industrial space, run by priests of the Machine Cult who put knowledge and rationality above everything else. It is the sector to visit when your ship needs parts rather than people, since the encounter tables lean toward systems, modules and upgrades.
Level/Difficulty: Sector 3 through 5 Key Rewards: System and module upgrades, Technocult crew, shipyard access
What to Do in Forge Enclaves
- Finalize your build. You should be running The Empire or Raider Clans with optimized gear.
- Cannons should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- All three Vault of Souls bosses carry shield boosters. Bring an ion heavy loadout, a missile or bomb to knock the shields out early, or a boarding party willing to kill the crew instead.
- Resonance unlocks between runs optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Imperial Coreworlds.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Cannons upgraded to max
- Forge Enclaves fully cleared
- Ready for Imperial Coreworlds
Phase 5: Endgame (Imperial Coreworlds)
Always the sixth and final sector, ending at the Vault of Souls. The Vault is guarded by a hostile ship representing one of the three Ruinous Cults, and on your first three completions you meet them in a fixed order: the Doom Engine, then the Necropolis Barge, then the Ariokine Starflayer.
Level/Difficulty: Sector 6, final Key Rewards: Run completion, ship unlocks, the largest Resonance payout of the run
What to Do in Imperial Coreworlds
- Imperial Coreworlds tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- The bosses swarm you with boarding parties of their own. A crew that cannot win a fight in your own corridors will lose the run even if your guns are fine.
- The endgame loop: run Imperial Coreworlds, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Technocult for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Resonance unlocks between runs mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Imperial Coreworlds fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Buying a third weapon before the Reactor can run it alongside Shields and Engines, which leaves you with an expensive system sitting unpowered during every fight.
- Sending the whole crew on a boarding action and leaving Engines and Shields unmanned, so the ship you are trying to capture wins the exchange at home.
- Treating Lances as a main weapon. They pierce shields and start charged, but the per battle shot cap means the fight has to end quickly or you have nothing left.
- Arriving at the Vault of Souls with no repair equipment. The bosses ion or destroy systems faster than an unassisted crew can fix them.
- Spending every jump chasing combat in Exclusion Zones, then reaching sector five with no shipyard visited and a hull that is still on its starting loadout.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Shield power only moves in steps of two, and each additional barrier costs two upgrade levels. Budget for that before you buy a third weapon you then cannot power.
- Nine systems is the hard ceiling per hull. Installing a system you never intend to power is a wasted slot you cannot reclaim later in the run.
- Crew standing in a system room make that system run better. An empty Engines room during a fight is a measurable loss of evasion, not a cosmetic detail.
- All three Vault of Souls bosses carry shield boosters. Bring an ion heavy loadout, a missile or bomb to knock the shields out early, or a boarding party willing to kill the crew instead.
- The bosses swarm you with boarding parties of their own. A crew that cannot win a fight in your own corridors will lose the run even if your guns are fine.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Void War Guides
- Void War Void War Overview
- Void War Best Builds
- Void War Tier List
- Void War Beginner's Guide
- Void War Tips & Tricks
- Void War Weapons Guide
- Void War Combat Guide
- Void War Boss Guide
- Void War Maps & Locations
- Void War Crafting Guide
- Void War Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Void War, check out these related guides:
- Risk of Rain 2 Walkthrough: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Hades Walkthrough: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Darkest Dungeon Walkthrough: roguelike game with similar mechanics
