Even though update after update introduces new features that make it easier for new players to level their character, gaining levels in star sonata still requires a good deal of knowledge about the game. Knowing a class's strengths and limitations is perhaps the most important of them all, so this guide is written to discuss how to play each class in the early stages. The scope of this extends all the way to the upper limits of what one can do without subscribing and unlocking perilous space. This guide will also address players who are on a limited budget.

PART 1

Speed Demon
A versatile and fun class to play. Speed Demon is easy to level with because at low levels, avoiding shots is the way to stay alive, and speed helps tremendously. I recommend starting with a Hotrod+, then capturing a Hotrod Mega (you need remote control and piloting 7 for this), as their speed and number of augmenter slots make them one of the best ships for their tech. But some SDs prefer using heavy fighters with decent speed to fit more gear. Ragnarock, SBB, zebu master+, and parsley are good SD heavy fighters. Invest in speedy movement a bit, then concentrate on speedy firing and try to get high energy regen to power weapons. Avoid investing too much in dogfighting early on, as that decreases your range.

When you hit piloting 19, try to buy an UrQa Suqqa Vazuk. It is the best speed demon ship until you subscribe. When choosing augmenters, avoid Rate of Fire bonuses as much as possible because you might high the ROF cap on some of your weapons, and higher ROF will amplify electricity issues. Overloader Stable 4 and 6 are the best overloaders depending on your power needs.

Budget SD: Locution
Athena aug
Sup. Combined aug
Arson aug/Zeus aug
Arson aug/Zeus aug

Seer
This is one of the hardest classes to level with. Cloaking is nearly impossible at low levels, your DPS is limited, there aren't many good seer ships before piloting 20, and the ships that actually are good (i.e. Faranji Wingship) are expensive. Not to mention, you need to be a skilled pilot to use seer properly. I suggest fighting the temptation to choose this class until later.

Budget Seer: Locution
Athena aug
Sup. Combined/Hibernation aug
Seer Prowess aug
Seer Prowess aug

Fleet Commander
Arguably the most powerful f2p class in the game. Slaves are your best source of damage at low levels. A school of paxminus slaves is cheap and will serve you well until you get RC 17. Popular ways to aug them are Apollo, Hestia or Pyrite, Hestia. Start off with an Earthforce Frigate at piloting 10, then work your way up the capital ship line, using only cheap augmenters like Hestia and FC aptitude augmenters in the beginning. Get yourself a high bank shield with a large charger like a Sponge Charger and tank while your slaves spank. There is no reason to choose a non-capital ship as FC. Invest in slave mastery first, then radiation expert when you decide to use radiation weapons and wild slaves.

Piloting 19 is when you can buy an Earthforce Battleship. Again, aug it for tank and, if you like to DG, hull space. Wild slaves serve as additional firepower in your fleet. The best wild slaves before getting all core skills to t20 are multifiring rosemaries. Even though SBGs are around twice as tanky, MF rosies deal over 3x as much DPS and greater energy regen, and their range allows them to catch speed demons. This translates to greater firepower. Upgrade to dual selens (you need slave research level 1 if you don't have RC 18) or EFBCs with MF bots if money allows. Don't forget to buy the best aura generators from Lyceum.

Budget FC: Earthforce Battleship
Rock Troll Aug
Sup. Resist Aug

Gunner
Thanks to the recent class rebalance patch, gunner was made much easier to level. Instead of having to max out Fleet Focus and Gunner Class to multifire, you immediately get to fire 2 weapons at gunner class 1. Capital ships are the best, but freighters and heavy fighters are good too. If you decide to go weapons heavy, aug for generic combat bonuses like damage, Rate of Fire, energy regen, shields and invest in Big Guns. If you emphasize missiles, you should definitely put some energy regen augmenters and invest in Missile Mastery. When it comes to missile selection, large AP and zaphragi cheetah missiles are the best non-t20 missiles. Be wary of your budget, as each missile volley costs pocket money.

Tech 19 ships for gunner are Earthforce Battleship for cap ship gunner and Snowflake for stealth gunner. A capital ship should be accompanied by dual EFBCs as missile boats. Ares+ and Athena are good augmenters for them, although if you use them primarily for missiles look into energy regen augs. If you decide to use a snowflake, fire missiles from far away and hide. Avoid AI with heat weapons like Bana Spears.

Budget Gunner: Snowflake
Qokuji Aug/Athena aug
Ares Aug
Zeus Aug

Shield Monkey
Compared to Fleet Commander, shield monkey's slaves have more shields. However, they aren't as fast, long ranged, have inferior radar, and inferior DPS. They also don't use wild slaves. The main ship should focus more on regen and HPS than bank. Basically, leveling as a shield monkey is similar to leveling as a fleet commander, except you want your slaves to take aggro so you can heal with high Transference Efficiency. Because you have to control your slaves to be able to heal them, you definitely need a few strong slaves over many weak slaves. Again, I recommend a pair of selens augged for DPS, shields, and sustainability. Choose shields with decent bank and as much regeneration as possible, and get the highest regen shield charger you can, like Rhino Endurance or Oversized Sponge Charger.

Normally I unconditionally go for a t19 ship before subbing, but for this class its not so cut and dry. The hybridized selenologica has more versatility due tot he 4th augmenter slot, but the testudo has much better resists and inbuilts. On one hand, the testudo is cheap and comes with an overloader (Testudo's Shell). On the other hand, you can't argue with another augmenter and the freedom to equip, say, Overloader Stable 6 for extra HPS. Definitely go with the testudo if you don't have much money and want to upgrade to t20 fast. Upgrade shield manipulation first as that actually increases DPS. Upgrade Shield Transference last. Actual shield bank and regen is more important than transference power at low levels. Good augmenters to equip are Shield Monkey Prowess, Adv. Exc. Defensive, Angel Augmenter, Dhatrialasa Bhava, and Caraalasa Psu.

Budget Shield Monkey: Testudo
2 Shield Monkey Prowess Aug
1 Adv. Exc. Defensive Aug

Engineer
I have not played this class, but I spoke to players who have. Despite being a support class, DM is one of the best solo classes if played properly, but a costly investment if played recklessly. Repairing drones is much more expensive than repairing slaves, so focus on drones that have good resists. Pax Christmasicus, Paxian Prismatica, and Goldenboy Bars are good starter DM ships, but Hotrod+ or Mega with Capacity augs is surprisingly good for DM. Serenity is also great, but the slow speed requires a patient pilot and camping at leveling sites. Augmenters should be primarily drone ops, although tanking is important too. When training class skills, invest in Drone Mastery and some Damage Control for survivability, and invest in beam control last. When deploying drones, deploy at least 1 healing or protection drone. Tractor beams help pin an AI so your drones can DPS them, but its not a necessity since most AI don't retreat. Slave are optional; they help give a bit more DPS. DMs typically use the same slave as ShMs.

Testudo is the best Engineer ship for f2p. Its inbuilt overloader gives bonuses to drone ops, which automatically makes it better than all the permanent overloaders a DM can have. Tech 19 means it can deploy Venusian drones, love cylinder drones, and BFD9000 prototypes. The latter is a high DPS but not so durable drone.

Budget DM: Testudo
3 of any Drone operations prowess augmenter or ship master augmenter 19

FTFY. The first AI that you will need stealth bonuses to beat are things like big greens and forgones. Can probably still do it without stealth augs by just leveling the stealth skill.

This is actually not a terrible guide. Good job hpa

Lol this is like, the vaguest guide I've ever read.

Do something like this until suddenly you're tech 19 and then buy these things! GOOD JOB

what will be in Part 2 of this guide ?

PART2 - ZEBUCART Vs EMP

Didn't that actually happen? Admins spawned a bunch of stuff in Improc.

K if you want to be nitpicky about it, I will respond in kind. The most essential core skill, piloting, is a joke to level up to 16. All you have to defeat are a bunch of flyswatter and goldenboy mooks, which can be easily defeated by 4 paximinuses. That being said, I could list out t16 or lower setups.

Yea it did, Danger killed Emp/Kidd in his Zebu with a squad. I think they put it on Youtube.

Tank and spanking with the testudio. I don't have to heal my slaves. My super items do that for me. My high resists and high regent let me fade the aggro i get when dg'ing. Use dwo drones and several diffferent drone controllers with a mix of other drones. Use averesk Augs on the testudio

Tldr; Use testudio with the averesk Augs. Build for regent and resist. Use super items to burst heal slaves thentank and let drones/slaves spank

Guide to leveling up fast:

1. Shoot copperlings with a magcannon until level 200
2. Capture said copperlings as wild slaves, park in a rosemary DG until level 1.4k
3. Get Selen slaves, park in a pick DG until level 2k

Not bad, does anyone have a actual guide if you wanted to play actively. Like camp zones or whatever?

Shrimp+ could be better. Twice as may fighter slots and more sustain at the cost of resists.

1. Selen can be upgraded to t18, and is awesome. Shrimp upgrade is meh...
2. Shrimp doesn't have as much hull space for larger, better gear.
3. Larger slaves (shrimps are larger than selens, take more damage from collision code, and the shrimp is not only larger but has weaker resists.
4. Selens have a range inbuilt which is awesome, Shrimps have a radar inbuilt which would be nice if not made redundant by the fact that basically all t16-t18 slave ships use Athena(+) Augs.
5. Shrimp has a 40% shield mod that's okay, until you factor in that almost all of the resists of a selen are double that of a shrimp. And resists are essentially +bank +regen. So Selen takes this round again.
6. Selen gets a badass shield charger that uses no elec, Shrimp gets a fighter bay in a game where no one uses fighters.

Admittedly the inbuilt expander on the Selen is annoying because you can't mod it, and the 0 size missile launcher on the shrimp is kind of nice but nothing to rave over in my opinion. And of course you can hybridize the shrimp as well, but all accomplish is gaining 1 speed, 10 hull, worse resists, and you lose shield bank for regen. So you hybrid a Selen and it's awesome, you hybrid a Shrimp and it is still a poop-mobile.

Edit: Oh yeah, the shrimp has inbuilt elec, but with elec temp augs and good banks my slaves never have elec trouble anyway.