Rolling too hard into nemesis and tired of dying? I completely missed this being in the menu. If you're just trying to unlock more arsenal without inducing stress, give this a shot. It'll help you get a better idea of what the game is like and know what to expect.

I usually do just that - starting a new game on any game on my first play-through on easier difficulties, then playing them on harder later once I know what's going on.

Gotta disagree with Rebellion here. The cost of weapons is simply too high and improved guns are far too precious to make extra lives worth it. Use your money on guns and mods.

The only good they're for are hasty game exits in the event something comes up IRL and you have to jet while in combat.

The best way to improve yourself is to play as if you're holding on by the skin of your teeth. Being dependent on extra lives gives laziness an allowance to poison your skills and ability to react.

Above all else, make it so you never need to rely on them. Play as if you're always on your last life. Treat them as convenience - not a crutch.

Remember, you have a radar, which counterbalances for your movement hindrances. Know what you're getting into and formulate a plan of attack before going ham.

Don't waste your ammo on certain structures that would otherwise take a lot of it. Use your blaster instead. Specifically, destruction objectives (i.e. shield generators with spinning shields). You'll need that ammo to counter the waves that spawn in as the structure takes damage.

Every place you go will increase the enemy power level, except for missions with the triple building structure. This is the only way to actually negate some of its power.

With growing power comes growing threats, and Nemesis tanks who can utterly trash your run if you're not prepared to deal with them.

Enemies spawn endlessly in these maps, which can make it nearly impossible to beat. Unless you like to farm data, chances are you'll be stuck on these maps trying to capture everything.

If in the event you find yourself unable to secure all the points, let the enemy win. But on the condition that you still live is mandatory, which leads to the next tip...

Failing a mission naturally doesn't take a life. If things look bad, let the enemy win so you can try again. Retreating to map or exiting the game while mid session will kill you though, so make sure the way you exit is via game extraction process.

Failing a couple missions won't end your run, only loss of lives will. You can try again.

But beware... Much like changing routes, enemy AI will still increase in power, and it will give your nemesis a chance to catch up. If that happens and you cannot kill the Nemesis tank, GG NO RE.

Enemies will attempt to lead their shots to hit you if they're fire-and-forget projectiles. If you know someone is shooting at you, bob and weave to throw off the projectiles by moving left and right.

Lock-on missiles are a different story. Did you know you can shoot down other projectiles? Beats wasting data on flares and gives you target practice.

Obviously don't use your turbo when your shields are damaged, but did you know there's a way to use them while in combat?

"Short, controlled bursts." - Aliens marine

I've found the best strategy is to turbo for 0.2 seconds, then letting off for shields to recharge immediately, and repeating every second. Helps reverse course for better dodging, but the moment damage is taken, lay off until they can recharge.

Depending on your tank, these small bursts can also increase your speed by 25-50% and will help you avoid being caught with your pants down, and allowing FAR more liberal use of turbo.

Yep, flying saucers are on the AI's team and they will steal any data lying around on the ground that has yet to be claimed.

But the good news is, they're gold mines for data by themselves, not including the data they suck up.

They've got no guns, but they're invisible to radar, so keep your eyes peeled.

These locations have white stars on them. If you just want to get to the AI core, avoid these if possible. If you cannot, take the "leave" route if you can, because you're playing with the die of fate which can significantly hurt you, such as cutting down on starting ammo or damaging your hull before the next mission.