Today’s the day — Dead Star is launching on PS4 and it’s free for PlayStation Plus members this month!

Before you start your journey towards becoming the galaxy’s greatest pilot, we wanted to throw some tips your way.

Dead Star is a 10-on-10 multiplayer shooter set on the fringes of known space, where teams of outlaws and scavengers fight for survival in a galactic prison known as The Wastes. Dead Star incorporates features from multiple modern genres, including RPGs and MOBAs, while remaining true to its roots in arcade-based space combat.

Here are four quick tips as you head into battle.

Choose Your Ship

Dead Star offers many different ships, each with its own unique set of powers and roles in combat, broken down into the following types:

Scouts : These sleek, nimble ships are useful for exploration. They don’t have much combat power, but they can capture outposts four times faster than anything else.

: These sleek, nimble ships are useful for exploration. They don’t have much combat power, but they can capture outposts four times faster than anything else. Raiders : A mix of speed and power, Raiders are formidable in combat and also pack double the cargo capacity — making them the ideal class for upgrading your bases.

: A mix of speed and power, Raiders are formidable in combat and also pack double the cargo capacity — making them the ideal class for upgrading your bases. Frigates: The heavy hitters of Dead Star, Frigates pack a lot of health and offensive firepower at the cost of being among the slowest ships in the game.

Every ship class has three alien variations — the type you choose depends on your preferred gameplay style. The Valant are your offensive-minded powerhouses, loaded full of weaponry that take the fight to your enemies and create havoc on the front-line.

The Ithid are perfect for pilots who thrive on guerrilla tactics — their cloaking devices and teleportation allow for quick surprise attacks.

The Estari are the support crew of the three races. These ethereal energy beings can repair damage to ships while also packing a serious punch with their lighting-based attacks.

You can carry three ships into battle, from any race or any class, so choosing the perfect loadout is crucial!

Battle for Victory

Each region of space in Dead Star is procedurally generated from a collection of asteroid belts, minefields, derelict space junkyards, and dozens of other obstacles, so gaining intel from early scouting is vital to your team’s performance.

At the start of every match, your team’s main goal is exploring the region of space and capturing neutral outposts to establish your front line — victory can be achieved either by destroying your enemy’s Home Base or by earning a set amount of resources from captured outposts. Early captures can turn the tide of battle!

Once you’ve captured an outpost, you’ll want to upgrade it using ore mined from asteroids within the region. Deposit enough ore into the outpost and you’ll unlock new features, including turret defenses, A.I. units you can commandeer to fly alongside your ship, or even sector-wide bonuses for your team. In addition to helping your team, upgrading outposts also earns you experience for your ship!

Level Up and Upgrade Your Ship

As you battle for control of the region you’ll be earning experience for your ship by destroying enemy ships, capturing outposts, mining ore, or performing unique tactical actions. Earn enough experience and you’ll gain an upgrade point, which can be used to unlock new powers for your ship or improve powers you’ve already unlocked.

Each ship has five unique systems that can be upgraded up to four times, improving everything from damage and defensive capabilities to general upgrades to your health, shields, and speed. Finding builds that complement your playstyle is important, but don’t worry if you don’t know where to start: we’ve incorporated an Automated Upgrade system that provides you with a build carefully selected by the dev team to keep you in the action and also learn each ship’s abilities.

Earn Loot

After every match in Dead Star you’ll earn rewards based on your rating as an effective pilot in five different categories, ranging from how many enemy ships you’ve destroyed to how many bases you’ve upgraded. The higher your rating in each category, the rarer rewards you’ll receive — whether it’s a cosmetic skin for your favorite ship, a fancy new portrait for your pilot, or rare components you can use to permanently improve your ship’s abilities.

Also keep an eye out for Contracts — these extremely rare rewards grant your crew access to a powerful Capital Ship used to invade a series of live player matches. If your crew can survive the battle against the Dead Star community, you’ll earn the rarest rewards in the galaxy!

Think you’ve learned enough for your first battle? Join the fight in Dead Star today on PS4 as a free PS Plus download for April. Visit our official forums to share your favorite ship and provide us with your feedback.

Good luck, pilots — we’ll see you on the battlefield!