In alphabetical order

The Adventurer

One could argue that a career in ‘adventuring’ is not conducive to long life and that its adherents are fools. The adventurer seeks danger like a moth to a flame and is rarely equipped to deal with whatever scenario he finds himself in. Those fortunate few who survive multiple adventures are shaped by their experiences and generally develop a more diverse skill set than other professions. This makes them equally comfortable in any situation, whether fleeing from an intense dogfight, fleeing from a hornet’s nest of sentinels, or fleeing from enraged alien vendors.

The Botanist

Singularly passionate about every nuanced detail and aspect of flora, botanists work hand in hand with Atlas to broaden the galactic catalog of known plant species. Their important work is financed in part by finders fees which are especially helpful in funding their journeys to inhospitable planets where the hardiest species grow. Some unusual species are quite dangerous to the unwary traveler and a few are unlikely sources of useful compounds like silica.

The Big Game Hunter

I spent many muggy afternoons tracking the beast, understanding its behaviors, its needs. And now here it stands before me. To look this great lumbering beast in its maddened eyes as it rampages through the forest, knocking trees aside like mere inconveniences in its haste to consume my flesh, invigorating! To aim my multi-tool calmly between those eyes, knowing that a hit or miss will determine which of us will die this day. And to watch that grand beast topple, crashing mere meters in front of me, breathing its last in labored gulps. What can match the satisfaction of such a feat? I cut away its massive tusks and attach them to my ship as wondrous trophies. I will remember this day until the day I die.

The Collector

Ever on the lookout for the rarest, most coveted blueprints, tech and isotopes, the collector hordes his most valuable possessions on his well-armed cargo hauler. Loathe to part with any of his cherished collection, he laments his finite storage capacity and is desperate to expand it. He frequents space stations to exchange his mundane valuables for the high end commodities he craves. And of course, he loves showing off his collection to the clientele.

The Completionist

Undaunted by silly and obviously made up numbers like quintillion, the completionist bravely sets out to catalog every life form, destroy every type of ship in space, discover and fully explore every planet and moon, learn every word of every language, gain the maximum standing with every faction, mine or harvest every type of resource, find every blueprint, make every type of upgrade, fly every type of ship, uncover all the lore, and discover what lies at the center of the universe. The completionist is actually comprised of three different Chinese gentlemen who work in 8 hour shifts on the same account which ensures that they will reach the center of the galaxy before you.

The Demolitionist

Explosions, how lovely. A bit of an anarchist this one. You might find the demolitionist blowing holes in a rock face to see if there’s a cave inside. Or he could be on the space station lobbing plasma grenades at parked ships just to see what happens. That explosion that blew apart the alien facility you were just about to explore? The demolitionist. Or when you return to the ancient monolith to decipher more runes, only to find a smoking pile of rubble where the slab once stood? Yep, him again. He’s the joyful child arsonist all grown up, and he’s traded in his matchbook for more mature incendiaries.

The Engineer

The engineer’s life revolves around resources, blueprints and upgrades. He is in a constant state of remanufacturing, tailoring his suit and multi-tool upgrades to best meet the requirements of his current situation. The engineer is an absolute resource hog and must double as a miner or trader to secure the glut of elements he requires. He is a skilled ship mechanic and will upgrade his current ship to its maximum capabilities before considering the purchase of a new one.

The Ethologist

The ethologist travels from planet to planet studying animal behavior. Like the botanist, he is compensated for uploading undiscovered species data to Atlas, and he spends those units on suit upgrades that allow him to catalog life on harsher planets. Evolutionary biology is of particular interest to many ethologists, for by studying the mechanisms that have enabled certain species to survive and even thrive in extreme conditions, they gain a broader understanding of how the underlying biological systems interact, knowledge which can sometimes be applied to other fields of research.

The Experimenter

The phrase “what would happen if…” neatly sums up the experimenter’s credo. He has created a huge list of things to try before the game is out. Excerpts include:

*burrow a drainage tunnel under a body of water

*will sentinels show up if I attack ships from inside a space station?

*fly into the sun

*can I get an animal on top of my ship? If so, can I fly it into space? If so, can I deposit it on an asteroid or inside a space station or take it to another planet? Can it breathe in space? If it falls off my ship in space will it float, or will it fall because the programming doesn’t realize it is no longer exposed to significant gravitational forces?

The Exploiter

Taking advantage of glitches, system limitations and programming oversights is the bread and butter of the exploiter. Examples might include encouraging an animal to clamber onto the nose of a ship and then flying them into space, or noticing a loophole in the trading U.I. that nets endless units. The exploiter will actively and intentionally look for these errors, testing and probing Hello Games’ code for weaknesses. When such an error is found, the exploiter will puzzle out how to get the most from it.

The Explorer

Witnessing the beauty and wonder of the cosmos, trekking over verdant hills in search of that next horizon, the explorer knows that discovery is its own reward. She loves to ascend the frozen peaks simply to behold a world from on high. Watching a herd of deermice frantically disperse before a charging blubberlion is a feather in her cap. Her suit is ready for hazards or underwater caves, and she is always upgrading her ship’s hyperdrive so she can see more of what the galaxy has to offer.

The Fighter

In a galaxy this bent there’s no escaping a fight, best be ready for one. Most fighters prefer the fighter class ships for their overall combat proficiency and maneuverability, but some may opt for the solidity and armament of a trading vessel. In either case, the fighter aspires to be an ace pilot, frequently practicing combat maneuvers and constantly upgrading his ship’s capabilities. With boots on the ground the fighter is no slouch, his multi-tool is a mini arsenal, his head is on a swivel, and his tactics and aggression are always at the ready.

The Griefer

Time and time again the griefer is told that the universe is too vast to ever find another player. Lies! He will find them, he must find them. And when he finds that first trace, the planet Dickmunch named by XXXexplorer69, he is ecstatic. He travels to every star system that XXXexplorer69 has visited and scours every planet and space station, determined to find this elusive player. And months later, he does. And when XXXexplorer69 is off exploring an ugly wasteland planet, the griefer blows up his ship and laughs. This is only the beginning of our intrepid explorer’s tribulations. The griefer has found his intended victim and will toy with him for days or even weeks.

The Hero

Defending the innocent and single-handedly meting out swift justice, the hero is always ready to do what is right. When factions are at war, she will take sides with the scientists against the warmongers, or with the oppressed against their oppressors. And when pirates warp in with mischief in mind, the hero zooms in courageously on her glorious fighter and expertly puts an end to their reign of terror before it begins. When the innocent are threatened no battle is too small and no cause too menial.

The Historian

So many unanswered questions. How did the sentinels come to be and why are they so heavy handed? Where are the great and sprawling cities, the prosperous and flourishing civilizations? Have they all taken to space? What are the root causes of the various factions’ ideologies? Where are their homeworlds? The historian seeks answers to these questions and so many others. Recovering lost lore and ancient relics is a start, but to truly piece together the larger puzzle the historian must be a careful and impartial observer.

The Linguist

Learning a language offers insight into the collective soul of a people, it opens a window into their culture and heritage. The linguist is both scholar and diplomat, she takes as much interest in socializing with the locals as she does poring over ancient scribblings and complex hieroglyphs. Unfortunately, some isolationist alien species do not gladly share their language with outsiders, and deciphering these languages and achieving positive interactions with these aliens will prove to be her greatest triumphs.

The Manipulator

The manipulator is a high functioning narcissist who believes that aliens exist only to serve his purposes. He will cozy up to every faction no matter their ideology because he requires them to give him free stuff and provide him with wingmen for space battles. However, if an alien species repeatedly rebuffs him, he may become angry and resort to more underhanded means of acquiring what he needs from them.

The Miner

It’s not glamorous but it’s a living. The miner’s multi-tool is high tech with upgraded scanning capabilities for locating the highest yields. Her suit offers state-of-the-art environmental protection so she can work longer on harsher planets unmonitored by sentinels. Her trading vessel has the cargo space she needs to make runs to agricultural planets that will pay a premium for her ores. But she sticks to the trading lanes and maintains her standing with the local factions for optimal protection against pirates.

The Militant Nihilist

Existence is meaningless and without merit. Invest your love in your family and then watch them die one by one over the passing of years. And when your turn comes, you will suffer. Life itself is an affront. End all life and end all suffering. The militant nihilist will use everyone and everything to forge himself and his ship into an efficient and indiscriminate killing machine.

The Pacifist

There is violence aplenty in the galaxy and the pacifist has no intention of contributing to it. On planets she fires a warning shot to scare predatory animals away or jetpacks to safety. She keeps her activities lawful on monitored planets so the sentinels will have no cause to be alerted to her presence. Her ship has advanced cloaking technology to slip unnoticed past warring factions and bloodthirsty pirate vessels.

The Scavenger

Whether trawling through space debris or rummaging through abandoned cargo pods on a wasteland planet, the scavenger ekes out an existence where others dare not tread–or have no desire to. Rarely will she find something truly worthwhile–an unusual blueprint in old alien ruins, or expensive isotopes salvaged from the engine compartment of a shipwreck. But usually she is happy to get through the day with dry socks and a full belly.

The Scientist

Evolutionary biology and ethology. Physics and the nature of reality. Botany. Biochemistry. Metallurgy. There is so, so much to learn about the galaxy, and so very much of that knowledge is utilitarian. The scientist seeks out knowledge in his chosen area(s) of expertise in a ship specifically designed and upgraded for his purposes. When looking upon a new world for the first time, he does not view it in the same light as you or I. He is always questioning the things he sees and formulating theories and hypothesis.

The Space Dick (contributed by Anthony Carboni, written by me)

Dude, animals are so fluffy and cute, how can you not want to slaughter them? I love watching them hurtle through the air end-over-end after an explosion. So f___ing cool! Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could pit them against each other in an arena, like one space blob against four lizard dogs? I would so watch that. I still want to be able to poison the oceans. No wait, what about the atmosphere? Is there like space mustard gas?

The Space Pirate

An ethically challenged opportunist, the space pirate preys on the weak for her own enrichment. She is a solitary hunter with a fast ship and a deadly arsenal and employs hit and run tactics against unescorted vessels. She may on occasion go aground to resupply and raid isolated settlements. She may also rarely form temporary alliances with other like minded individuals to hunt more dangerous prey, but such tenuous bonds are easily broken at the most inconvenient times.

The Spacer

A trader, dogfighter and asteroid miner, the spacer is a captain and individualist who eschews planetary living. He is at home among the stars. He actually loves gazing upon new planets and will sometimes fly through the atmosphere for a closer look–but he has no desire to set foot on them. Too many unpleasant memories, too many lives lost. But he has a great ship, and uses up all his spare units working on it.

The Speed Freak (contributed by TheBestIsaac)

Adrenaline junkie like no other. To go fast is his only goal. To feel the thrill of hurtling through canyons and between asteroids at death defying speed. Every move is calculated in order to get the fastest ship with the most powerful engines. Attacks pirates and traders alike, just to provoke a chase. He knows they can never catch him.

When on land, gathering supplies or fuel. His jetpack is the only way to go. No point in looking at boring old animals or learning new languages. Where’s the point in that? New blueprints can be stolen if need be.

The only way to live is at great speed.

The Survivalist

Thriving where others flounder, the survivalist traverses toxic, radioactive, or hot and cold planets with relative ease. It’s not just the suit upgrades that make her a formidable explorer, she always has a plan and knows her limits. Maybe she does it to prove to herself that she can, or to find rarities that others might overlook–or maybe she’s laying low. Whatever the reason, she has earned the privilege to visit places and see things that others never will.

The Thief

Alien facilities are an excellent source of valuable resources and the thief knows how to get in and out quickly. He possesses the necessary multi-tool upgrades to bypass security systems and knows enough of the language to operate alien computer terminals. And when things go horribly wrong and a quick getaway is required, his ship is always nearby. Well…not technically his ship, he did hack a vendor terminal and bypass the unit transfer protocols.

The Tourist (contributed by Petal_Chatoyance)

Who’s that, standing there on the edge of the crimson-grass hill, fifteen minutes at last count, just staring at the tiny details on the trunk of that tree? Oh – now they’re following around behind the slow-moving squid-turtle-dinosaur, gaping at how it moves and writhes it’s tendrils… no, no now they are standing waist-deep in the pond, watching the things that are not-quite-fish.

Are they a scientist, ensconced in study? An photographer, looking for the perfect shot? Perhaps they are just lost…

No, they are stoned. Completely bonzed, enraptured by the tiniest things, mind as milky and open as that of a mere babe. Likely, they will accomplish little – but it’s a fair bet that they will enjoy their time in space more than any other explorer.

The Trader

The most vital cog in the galactic machinery, traders acquire resources where they are abundant and redistribute them where they are scarce and needed. The more established traders prefer stable trade routes and dependable income streams whereas the fresh faced captains with newly christened ships yearn for more valuable but riskier and less accessible commodities. Regardless of risk tolerance all traders must be wary of pirates and make quick fight or flight assessments based on the situation.

The Xenophobe

Wretched fleshies and screenheads traipsing about the galaxy as though living and existing were their right. Xaiglop abhors them and their filthy slimeless breeding. As if it were not enough that they sully the Thogazsh Sphere with their unsanctified presence, they now tread upon it with their dirty paw coverings. But Xaiglop SEES! Xaiglop the Everwatchful knows their every misdeed, and this humble shloopfizz shall be the instrument of their leglessness. They shall cast off their coverings and submit to the sliming or they will scream in puddles of their own circulatory juices.