FTL: Faster Than Light
FTL: Faster Than Light

Boarding Strategies

Learn effective boarding tactics in FTL by managing crew and disabling enemy systems. Secure scrap and valuable items with strategic enemy ship assaults.

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Boarding Strategies

Boarding is a high-risk, high-reward tactic in FTL that, when executed correctly, can yield significant scrap, weapons, and even crew members. It allows you to disable enemy ships by eliminating their crew, often leaving the ship's systems intact for capture. However, a poorly planned boarding action can quickly lead to the loss of your own valuable crew.

Essential Preparations for Boarding

  • Crew Teleporter: This is the absolute cornerstone of any boarding strategy. Purchase it from a store for 50 scrap. Upgrade it to Level 2 (75 scrap) to reduce cooldown, allowing for faster crew redeployment and escape.
  • Strong Boarding Crew:
    • Mantis: The undisputed kings of boarding. Their 1.5x combat damage bonus makes them ideal for quickly dispatching enemy crew. Two Mantis boarders are a formidable force.
    • Rockmen: While slower, their 1.5x health makes them excellent tanks, especially for drawing fire or fighting in hazardous environments (like oxygen-deprived rooms or fires).
    • Humans/Engi: Less effective in direct combat, but can be used as support or to quickly repair systems if the boarding action goes awry. Avoid sending them into direct combat against Mantis or Rockmen.
  • Medbay: A Medbay on your ship is crucial for healing your boarding party between teleportation cycles. Upgrade it to Level 2 (50 scrap) for faster healing, especially important during prolonged engagements.
  • Mind Control (Optional but Recommended): A Mind Control system (65 scrap) can turn the tide of a boarding battle by forcing an enemy crew member to fight their own shipmates, effectively creating a temporary ally and disrupting enemy repairs.
  • Cloaking (Optional): While not directly for boarding, Cloaking (150 scrap) can buy your crew precious time to heal in your Medbay or for the Teleporter to cool down by making your ship invulnerable to enemy attacks.

Executing a Boarding Action

  1. Disable Key Systems: Before sending your crew, use your weapons to disable critical enemy systems that could harm your boarders or interfere with the boarding process.
    • Medbay: Prioritize disabling the enemy Medbay. This prevents their crew from healing, making them much easier to defeat.
    • Weapons: Reduce the threat to your ship while your crew is engaged.
    • Shields: While not strictly necessary for boarding, disabling shields can allow you to continue damaging other systems or the hull if needed.
    • Teleport Your Crew: Select your boarding crew members and target an enemy room using the Crew Teleporter. Aim for rooms with high-priority targets or strategic value.
      • Targeting Strategy:
        • Weapons Room: Often lightly defended and critical to disable.
        • Shields Room: Can isolate enemy crew and prevent them from reinforcing other areas.
        • Piloting/Engines: Can prevent the enemy from attempting to jump away.
    • Micromanage Combat:
      • Focus Fire: Concentrate your boarders on one enemy crew member at a time to eliminate threats quickly.
      • Door Control: Use your Door System to vent oxygen from adjacent rooms or seal off sections of the enemy ship, forcing their crew into specific areas or suffocating them. This is particularly effective against ships with multiple crew members.
      • Retreat and Heal: If your boarders are taking too much damage, immediately teleport them back to your Medbay. Do not let them die! A lost crew member is a significant setback.
      • Mind Control Usage: If you have Mind Control, use it on an enemy crew member engaged in combat with your boarders. This will turn them against their allies, creating chaos and dealing additional damage.
    • Systematic Elimination: Work your way through the enemy ship, clearing out rooms and eliminating crew. Once all enemy crew are defeated, the ship is yours to loot.
    • Looting and Escape: After the enemy crew is eliminated, you'll receive a bonus reward of scrap, potentially fuel, missiles, drone parts, or even a new weapon or augment. If you wish to capture the ship, you must destroy its systems or hull after the crew is gone. Otherwise, jump away to the next beacon.

Advanced Boarding Tactics

  • Oxygen Deprivation: If an enemy ship has a weak Door System, you can use your weapons to breach their hull and then vent oxygen from their ship. Your Rockmen are immune to suffocation, making them excellent for fighting in oxygen-deprived environments.
  • Fire Strategy: Certain weapons like the Fire Beam can start fires on enemy ships. Fires can damage systems and crew. Rockmen are also immune to fire damage, making them ideal for fighting in burning rooms.
  • Drone Support: If you have a Combat Drone, deploy it to assist your boarders by dealing additional damage to enemy systems or crew.
  • Against Auto-Scouts: Auto-Scouts have no crew, making traditional boarding impossible. You must destroy them with weapons.
  • Against Zoltan Shields: Zoltan Shields must be depleted before you can teleport your crew onto an enemy ship.