======================================================================= == Freelancer "Starflier" Walkthrough == ======================================================================= 2004-2005 Steve Breslin revised 2006 License ======= You will be welcome to republish this howsoever you like, but please do not alter the text in any way, and please let me know in advance. My contact information is at the end of the file. Introduction ------------ This Starflier Walkthrough is designed purely to stretch your limits as a pilot, by setting a single goal: get to the end of the standard campaign flying only the Starflier, the ship you acquire when the game begins. While the Starflier is the "weakest" ship in the game, it does have some significant advantages: the only ship that even approaches the Starflier's maneuverability is the Drake. Also like the Drake, the Starflier is difficult to hit because it is quite small. With some finesse and grace, and relying on the ship's strengths, you can achieve this challenge. It is crucially important to tailor your weapons loadout to the enemy's shields, and to equip the shield that is most resilient to the enemy's guns. Before each mission, I make a recommendation on the best equipment for the job. -- But you might like to re-familiarize yourself with these matters: so, for your reference, I here list the three types of shields, and six types of guns, along with some remarks and suggestions. ========================= Shields ========================== ======== Graviton ======== Strong against laser, photon, and pulse weapons. Weak against plasma and particle weapons. Best shield available to the Starflier: Guardian Available at Willard Research Station, California. ========= Molecular ========= Strong against plasma and particle weapons. Weak against tachyon and neutron weapons. Best shield available to the Starflier: Sconce Available at Rochester, New York. ======== Positron ======== Strong against tachyon and neutron weapons. Weak against laser, pulse, and photon weapons. Best shield available to the Starflier: Cuisse Available at California Minor, California. ========================= Guns ============================= ====== Plasma ====== + Strong against graviton shields. - Weak against molecular shields. == Recommended loadout: Lavablade Mk II Lavablade Mk II Lavablade Mk III Available at Fort Bush, New York. ** Note: these guns have a slow fire time. I don't use them. ================ Laser and Photon ================ (Two distinct guns, but having the same strengths and weaknesses.) + Strong against positron shields. - Weak against graviton shields. == Recommended loadout: Barrager I Barrager I Barrager I Available from Rochester, New York. (Junkers) == Alternate loadout (faster velocity, otherwise weaker): Azrael Azrael Drail Available at Buffalo, New York. (Rogue) ===== Pulse ===== Does mostly shield damage. ++ Very strong against shields. + Strongest against positron shields. - Weaker against graviton shields. -- Very little hull damage. == ** Rather ineffective by themselves, but when combined with other ** gun types, these are useful and powerful shield-killers. == Available guns: Stunpulse (level 2) Advanced Stunpulse (level 3) Available Baltimore Shipyard, New York. ======== Particle ======== + Strong against graviton shields. - Weak against molecular shields. == Recommended loadout: Scorpion Scorpion Advanced Scorpion Available at Ouray, Colorado. (Xeno) ======= Tachyon ======= + Strong against molecular shields. - Weak against positron shields. ** Note that this must be matched with other non-tachyon weapons: ** there is no level 1 or 2 tachyon weapon, so it must be combined with ** other weapon types. Recommended when fighting against Molecular shields: Barrager Barrager Matterthief 1 Available at IMG bases. E.g., Cardiff, Freeport 4. ======= Neutron ======= + Strong against molecular shields. - Weak against positron shields. ** The Starflier cannot equip Neutron weapons. ========= MISSION 1 ========= Nothing really new here: indeed, most people fly the entire Mission 1 in a Starflier anyway, although fans of the "Sideplay" walkthrough might pick up a Rhino in Pittsburg, during the Mission 1 interlude. When you get to Pittsburgh: if you sell your nanobots and most of your shield batteries, and if you've flown aggressively, you should be able to comfortably afford three Advanced Starbeams, and an Advanced Sentry Light Fighter shield. You should get them for the interim, but you won't be keeping this equipment for long. ==== After Mission 1 ==== If you have not already done so, you should acquire an Advanced Sentry Light Fighter shield from Pittsburg. You'll replace this with a Guardian shield when you reach Willard Research Station (during the second mission). Because the Starflier has relatively little power, you'll want to gather all usable guns and equipment. I recommend you visit he shipwreck Flint, located in the lower-right part of sector 6C. The Azrael guns are useful, so keep them. Sell the remaining goods on Manhattan, and you can easily afford the following equipment. From Rochester, acquire: the Sconce shield three Barragers the Heavy Thruster Improved Countermeasures one Javelin missile launcher one Eraser missile launcher one Stalker missile launcher From Baltimore (or Newark, etc.), acquire: Stunpulse Stunpulse Advanced Stunpulse From Fort Bush, acquire: Lavablade Mk II Lavablade Mk II Lavablade Mk III (Personally, I don't use the plasma guns, as I find them too slow for my combat style. But do pick them up. What's the harm in having them anyway, right? The Lavablades are the only plasma guns in the game that are available to the Starflier.) At this point, you have one of three ideal shields, and three of five ideal gun loadouts. ========= MISSION 2 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: Advanced Sentry shield Barrager Barrager Barrager I recommend a full Barrager loadout for this mission, although I admit this is fairly slow-going. In principle, a Lavablade loadout should be ideal, but my experience is that the guns are simply too slow, and are actually worse than Barragers. Better would be Scorpions, but you haven't acquired them yet. ==== After Mission 2 ==== I recommend you visit the shipwreck Balboa, located in the lower-right part of sector 5C in California. Sell the goods wherever you like, and you will easily afford the following equipment. From California Minor, acquire: Cuisse shield one Slingshot missile launcher one Windstalker missile launcher From Willard Research Station, acquire: Guardian shield From Ouray, acquire: two Scorpion guns one Advanced Scorpion gun From Buffalo (or Alcatraz), acquire: one Drail gun Sell any Starbeams and Justice weaponry you have acquired; the Azraels and Drail are better for this weapon type. You might also prefer them over the Barragers. At this point, you have all three ideal shields, and four of five ideal gun loadouts. The only remaining gun to acquire is the Matterthief, which you will acquire after you reach Bretonian space. (You might also like to scope out the Bounty Hunter Brave I (level 2 particle gun) and Gunslinger I (level 2 lazer), available at Sheffield, Manchester. I wouldn't go out of my way to get them, however: the Scorpion surpasses the Brave; and although the Gunslinger is better than the Azrael, the Barrager tops them both by my estimation.) ========= MISSION 3 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: Cuisse shield Barragers or 2 Azraels (or 2 Gunslingers) and a Drail (hereafter I simply recommend Barragers) For a change of pace, you could approach the second phase of the mission with your stunpulse/missile combination of choice. Just make sure you have enough ammunition to take out the three Rheinland vessels. For the third phase of the mission (defending Willard Station from the Rheinland pirates), I suggest you equip the Slingshot missile launcher, along with two Barragers. ========= Mission 4 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: Guardian shield And either... Barrager Barrager Slingshot missile or... Scorpion Scorpion Advanced Scorpion The mission is still relatively easy, but you might also want to equip the Improved Countermeasure Dropper, and your mine-dropper of choice. After arriving at Mactan, switch to: Cuisse shield Barragers And optionally, your missile launcher of choice. ==== After Mission 4 ==== From Cardiff (or any other IMG base), acquire one Matterthief. From Cadiz, acquire an Advanced Thruster and an Advanced Countermeasure Dropper. (You must be "in the white" with the Corsairs.) Before the next mission, acquire one Razor Mine dropper. ==== Sideplay challenge ==== This is not necessary for completion of the Starflier campaign, but it's a fun challenge. From the Sabre wrecks in Omicron Alpha (4F), acquire at least one Ripper Mine dropper, and twenty Ripper mines. (It's practically impossible to do this unless you're "in the white" with the Outcasts.) WARNING: Although the fastest way to Omicron Alpha is via Omega-41 and Omicron Theta, there are some dangers along this route. Be warned not to approach the neutron star in Omicron Alpha. Also, in the likely event that Bounty Hunters don't currently feel kindly to you, be ready for an ambush as you enter Omicron Theta. It's a good idea to save the game at Cadiz, and again at Freeport 9, if you can dock there safely. Don't rely too heavily on "Autosave" on your way to Omicron Alpha -- it's possible to get into an unmanageable situation. Tricky tip: Retrieving the Ripper Mine Dropper and the Ripper Mines from the wreckage can be difficult, as the nearby Nomads far outpower your little vessel. But with some finesse and patience, it can be done. My strategy is this: First, fly to the Unknown jump-hole (in Omicron Alpha), then back off to a safe distance (between 8-10k, or as far as necessary if any Nomads are chasing). You do this so you can get the several Sabre wrecks on your scanner (listed under the "bases" readout in this case). From a safe distance, kill your engines, and select the first Sabre wreck on your list. Then, "scan" it by clicking on the "select target" icon in your lower-left hand HUD (it's the picture of a ship with the box around it). (Alternatively, you can simply double-click on the object in the list.) Scanning the object, you'll be able to see if there's a Ripper displayed in the picture; if you're not sure, you can click on the "select next sub-component" icon (it's the arrow pointing to a round crosshairs). If the ship appears empty, move on to the next wreck in the list. When you find a ship in which a Ripper displayed, fly to the ship at top speed, shoot it, and tractor in the equipment. Then, very quickly back away to a safe distance, and repeat the process. You can fly through a jump-hole to autosave at any point during this operation. Note: I've sometimes gotten a false reading from my scanner, so don't get too frustrated if you shoot a ship that should be loaded, but nothing comes out. Just back off to a safe distance, and continue the operation as usual. When you're done, you should have at least twenty Ripper Mines, four Ripper Mine Droppers, and some other equipment that you can't use. Sell the surplus as you see fit, but I recommend you save the surplus for now, so you can sell it later piecemeal, to achieve the inter-mission money requirements. At this point you have a perfectly equipped Starflier. A rare treasure. ========= Mission 5 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: Cuisse shield Barrager, or Javelin missile Barrager, or Stalker or Eraser missile Matterthief or Slingshot missile Razor mine (or Ripper mine, but you might want to save the ammunition for later.) Note that I recommend against doubling up on any missile: a Javelin and a Stalker, for example, are far superior to two Javelins or two Stalkers. If you use two of the same missile launcher, you burn through your ammunition twice as quickly; and when that's gone, two of your three gun-slots become useless. You should choose whatever combination of guns and missiles you feel most comfortable with. Recall that you'll be fighting Rheinlanders packing Tachyon weapons, and using Molecular shields. So the Cuisse shield is best, and now is a perfect opportunity to break out your new Tachyon weapon, the Matterthief, if you so choose. The combat is fairly light in the first half of the mission, so there's little chance, during the first part, that you'll run out of ammunition for any missiles you select. The second part is a bit more difficult than the first, so make any adjustments you like during the intermission at Baxter Research Station. If you decide to go with missiles for the second half, I recommend using only one. Unless you're a far better shot than I, you'll run out of ammunition well before the last Rheinlander falls. Before the next mission, acquire one Tadpole Mine dropper. ========= Mission 6 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: Cuisse shield Barrager Barrager Slingshot missile Tadpole mine The first part of this mission (the race against Dexter Hovis) should be very simple. You have the fastest ship in the game, after all. But alas, it's not so easy. Your tiny ship has very little inertial momentum, so one bump from Hovis, and you go flying out of control. If you can get in front of Hovis at the very beginning, you're golden; so definitely hit your thrusters as soon as possible, and take the corners fairly hard. But if he's in front, give him a wide berth. I've found the race far easier if you shoot out the several weapons platforms before docking at the Battleship Hood. It may well be coincidence, but I have had serious trouble in the race when I didn't do this, and it's a snap when I do. So if you're having trouble with the race, consider this move. (Hovis will still call a couple of his cronies to shoot at you towards the end of the lap, no matter what you do.) The second part of the mission consists in destroying the Rheinlanders attacking the GMG station Glorius. They are equipped roughly the same as the ones from the previous mission. Thus, the recommended equipment for this mission is about same, except you will want to upgrade your mine-dropper, and I especially recommend the Slingshot missile launcher. The fight is relatively short, and the Slingshot makes it that much shorter. The last part of the mission consists in escorting Quintain through a couple Rheinland ambushes, and back to Leeds. After re-equipping at Glorius, the same loadout should serve perfectly well. ========= Mission 7 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: Cuisse shield Barrager Barrager Matterthief, or Slingshot missile Tadpole mine Unless you go missile-crazy, you'll easily reach Shinkaku without depleting your 50 Slingshots. The missiles are convenient, but if you prefer strict gunning, the Matterthief is the best choice against the Rheinland fighters. Between Shinkaku and Cali lies a small Rheinland fleet. I recommend the two Barragers, plus the Slingshot missile, as my strategy is to take out the Gunboats quickly with the Slingshots. After this, I make passes at the Goethe, flying along its flank, laying Tadpole mines all the way down. A few passes like this, and the Battleship is destroyed. Once the Gunships and Battleship are dispatched, the remaining fighters are relatively easy to handle. You'll run out of missiles, and destroying Rheinland fighters with Barragers and mines is, I admit, rather slow-going. But you've eliminated the major threats early; anyway, this is the safest and most effective strategy I've found. ========= Mission 8 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: Cuisse shield Scorpion Scorpion Slingshot missile Tadpole mine The potential problem with this mission is the swift destruction of the two weapon platforms nearby Tekagi's transport. There comes "mission failure" if they are not dispatched quickly enough. So it is necessary to hit the two weapons platforms swiftly and decisively with both missiles and guns. After this, the rest is (by comparison) relatively easy. Once you're finished, back on Kyoto, you may want to quickly continue to the next mission. If you've run out of things to sell, the three wrecks in Hokkaido (4C) are nearby, and will easily provide the necessary push. Before the next mission, acquire one Driller Mine dropper. ========= Mission 9 ========= Recommended equipment for this mission: Cuisse shield Scorpion Scorpion Advanced Scorpion or Slingshot missile Driller mine or Ripper mine Here we have the first really difficult mission. There are two main parts to this mission, and unfortunately no autosave between them. First, you must dispatch Tekagi's patrol, then shoot down the four shield generators protecting the entrance to his base. The Tekagi patrol is pretty difficult, but luckily you have several allies taking a share of the damage. Rely heavily upon them; you're playing only a supporting role in this battle. It doesn't help for you to draw the fire from the enemy away from your Dragon allies, but if you can do some damage to the enemy, this speeds things along. It's a good idea to play especially defensively, so as to save your shield batteries and nanobots, which you'll want while breaking into Tekagi's base. You must rely on your maneuverability, ducking and bolting the instant you come under fire. (Bouncing off of asteroids is a good way to change trajectory in a hurry.) When your shield goes down, go into a purely defensive posture, running and weaving at full throttle, using the asteroids as cover. When you get the opportunity, try to target the most damaged enemy. Firstly because you want to eliminate the number of enemy guns in the battle as quickly as possible, and also because you want to avoid a head-to-head battle. If you find an enemy who's targeting one of your allies, you need to worry less about his gun pointing at you. While, yes, it's easier to aim at a head-on target, it's much safer to go for the guy who's weaving: if he's weaving, he's not shooting at you, and plus, you'll weave along with him as you target him, so the enemies behind you have a more difficult target. When you get to Tekagi's arch, I recommend you go straight for the generators, not (as you're instructed) through the cylinder that cuts through the giant asteroid. You'll want to use the shield surrounding the top of the arch as cover from the Battleship's guns. So, take up a position under the arch, so the shield is between you and the Battleship: this is your home position for this operation. With the shield between you and the Battleship, your position is relatively safe. Target any of the generators. A couple of the generators are comparatively easy; the arch's shield provides perfect cover. Fly slowly towards the targeted generator, shooting it the whole way, and when you're just passing it, lay a mine and hit your thrusters, turning back towards the asteroid and cylinder, to return to your main position under the arch. A few passes like this, and the generator will be destroyed. A couple of the generators are not so easy; the arch's shield does not provide adequate cover from the Battleship. The pattern is basically the same, but you'll have to do more runs, because you have to take the runs at full thrust. When you've returned to your position under the arch (and away from the Battleship's guns), take a moment as necessary to recharge your shield. (Don't take any runs with your shield down.) Beware any incoming missiles; they're fairly easy to out-maneuver, and it's worth the trouble, as one blow will knock out your shield. The instant the last generator is destroyed, dock on the arch. You'll be close enough that you'll immediately get into the familiar "letterbox screen" part of the docking pattern, which means you're no longer vulnerable to enemy fire. Landing on the arch means finally achieving a much-sought-after autosave. You'll have to deal with a few fighters and a couple Gunships shortly after the interlude concludes, and you probably will have few if any shield batteries or nanobots. Nevertheless, this battle will seem fairly easy compared to what you just went through. For fun you might begin by selecting a gunship to terrorize. Remember to get behind it, and make passes at it so you can use your Driller mines on it. (Your guns may be relatively weak, but those mines are pretty good.) Alternatively, you can just concentrate on the fighters. ========== Mission 10 ========== Recommended equipment for this mission: Cuisse shield Barrager, Javelin, or Stunpulse Barrager, Stalker or Eraser, or Stunpulse Matterthief, Slingshot, or Advanced Stunpulse Driller mine In the first couple parts of this mission, your role will be one of minor support, the main point being simply to stay alive. Thus, the suggested loadout is pretty open-ended. Along the way to New Berlin, you'll encounter a small Rheinland fleet. Although their guns are a significant threat, and you should certainly keep your distance from the battleship, you can mostly just stay out of the way and let your allies take care of the enemies. After a certain number have fallen, your group will retreat and proceed to New Berlin. Upon your approach to Bruchsal, some Rheinlanders attack. These are rather easy, and again your allies will do the heavy lifting. After reaching Bruchsal, you should change your loadout to the following: Cuisse shield Javelin missile Stalker missile (or Scorpion) Slingshot missile Driller mine Your main goal in what follows is the destruction of one Nomad Battleship, so you're equipping for maximum damage. If you've equipped a full-missile loadout, you have barely enough juice to destroy the battleship, but don't miss many shots. If you decide to take a Scorpion along for the ride, you're sure to have enough firepower for the job, but the going is slower. When you reach the battleships, select one and focus your firepower on it. Be careful to avoid the crossfire, but otherwise stay focused on your Nomad Battleship. You must make every missile count, but they alone will not sum enough damage to destroy the Battleship: you will need your Driller mines also. You can use your mines to good effect, if you fly down the flank, dropping mines as you blast missiles at it. Or better, if you can find a relatively quiet place near the battleship, and can risk killing your engines for a few seconds, come to a stop and release mines while you're facing the Battleship. They are seekers, and should find their way to the right target; but if they're not connecting with the Battleship, maneuver your vessel a bit and try again. If all of your missiles and most of your mines hit the target, it will fall. ========== Mission 11 ========== Recommended equipment for this mission: Guardian shield Scorpion Scorpion Advanced Scorpion Driller mine The Navy fighters that ambush you as you enter New York are relatively harmless. The satellite installation is quite a challenge by comparison, in part because it's in open space, and also because there are weapons platforms to contend with. You can actually take down the satellite fairly quickly, simply flying tight circles around it and dropping mines, but as it's not a threat, it's best to ignore it until the fighters are destroyed. (You'll have to destroy the fighters anyhow.) Once they are destroyed, you can position your ship such that the large "shield" on the satellite (which I'm guessing represents a the satellite's solar array) stands between you and the weapons platforms. From this position, you can destroy the satellite with your guns (or mines), and the weapons platforms can do nothing to stop you. The standoff at the gate into Alaska is more difficult still, as now the Navy fighters have equipped Nomad weaponry. Nevertheless, if you're careful to avoid the line of fire, you can pick a few of them off. If you get into trouble, you can go into a circle pattern around Walker's cruiser. Once you've made it to Alaska, the worst is over. You'll be attacked again upon your exit, but you can just stay in cruise the whole time, avoiding all fighting until Walker heroically dispatches the two Battleships. Upon your return to New York, you'll automatically drop out of cruise as you approach another enemy Battleship. Here you can simply return to cruise and evade the crossfire, while you wait for the Osiris to appear once again. ========== Mission 12 ========== Recommended equipment for this mission: Guardian shield Scorpion Scorpion Slingshot missile Driller mine I've tried this with many different loadouts, and the above recommendation is the only combination that I've had any success with. Unfortunately, even if you've done the Ripper sideplay challenge, you only have 20 Ripper mines, which is not enough for successful completion of the mission. Drillers are necessary. Given the Starflier's limitations, this is the most difficult challenge of the Starflier campaign, the "make it or break it" mission, so good luck, and brace yourself for a challenge. The strategy itself is pretty simple. Find a relatively safe spot within around 150 meters of a Generator, face the Generator and cut your engines. Then give it everything you've got, keeping a close eye on the mines, to be sure they're moving towards and hitting the Generator. (Repeat the process for all three Generators.) When you run out of missiles and mines, you'll still have enough time to take out the rest of the last generator with your guns alone. This is fine in theory, but finding an even relatively safe spot is rather difficult at times. Keep it icy, man! And don't get too distressed if you have to try this mission many times. I did. Once you've acquired the power cell, get out of there quickly, before the jump-hole collapses. On the other side is a fleet of Nomads. At this point you probably have zero mines or missiles, zero shield-generators and nanobots, and you're probably also somewhat damaged. This makes things a bit tricky, but be heartened -- the really difficult part is over. You can go into cruise and fly around the perimeter of the battle, avoiding cruise-disruptor missiles with cruise disruptors and fancy flying: your allies will eventually destroy the Nomads. However, this is time-consuming and also dangerous, so I prefer to go into the thick of battle immediately. With a little luck, you'll make it through after a few tries. This battle may remind you somewhat of the Tekagi patrol, although it is more difficult. I have the same battle-advice as above, but also recall that Nomad Interceptors drop much-needed shield generators. So for each one of them you take out, you substantially improve your position. The Gunships are easier targets, though better armored. They're worth your effort also, because they're dangerous; however, they don't drop anything useful. ========== Mission 13 ========== Recommended equipment for this mission: Guardian shield Scorpion Scorpion Slingshot missile Driller mine or Ripper mine The early parts of this mission are relatively easy and straightforward. You can even be somewhat reckless in the first part of the mission, since after the evacuation you'll have a chance to repair and re-equip on the Osiris. You'll then encounter relatively light resistance outside the Nomad jump-gate. Avoid contact with these enemy ships, so you can save your ammunition, shield batteries and nanobots for the main assault. After you get through, fly straight for one of the power generators, and take each one with the familiar combination of guns, missiles and mines. (Be aware that these things are quite large in size, and it is therefore difficult to judge how close you are; judge your distance from the meter display, not visually, and be careful to fire your mines only when you're close enough to make them count.) The shield generators (a.k.a. "Nomad Satellites") around the central Nomad fortress can be taken simply with your Scorpions. Evade the Nomad ships, but otherwise concentrate on the generators. The safest position (away from the Nomad weapons platforms) is between a generator and the main Nomad fortress. When you've destroyed two of the several generators, you're done. You've accomplished the most difficult challenge there is to find in Freelancer. Welcome to the Starflier Elites. ======================================================================= Anyway, I hope you found this walkthrough enjoyable. Let me know if there's anything significant that I have left out. ======= Credits ======= This trail was blazed by Sherlog back in 2003, on the forums of <http://www.lancersreactor.com/> -- I just came later to perfect the plan a bit, and mostly just to revise and document. ======= Contact ======= Steve Breslin versim at hotmail dot com Corrections and suggestions are warmly welcome. Please put [freelancer walkthrough] at the beginning of the subject line, to make sure I don't accidentally delete your mail. === End ===