"Into the Void is a strategy RPG and exploration sci-fi game with an epic story and intense battles. Travel through space and discover the origin of a cosmic threat which destroyed Earth centuries ago. Fight or cooperate with the different factions; be a leader !"

This is the tagline for the game Into the Void, and I would say that it's not far off. However the one thing that this game doesn't do very well at all is help a new player understand the game. The goal of this guide is to help a new player ease into game play, and let them feel comfortable with the system. Once the basics are understood, you should be able to explore this game with much more familiarity and comfort, and enjoy your time in the game.

Upon entering a game for the first time, you are taken to your base and are presented with a few pop ups that explain some of the icons on the screen. Read them carefully, because this type of pop up is about all the help you're going to get from the game itself. It is important to note that not only does this game make use of simplistic icons to denote function, but also color. I will try to make note of this whenever possible. It is also important to note that the 'option' window for the game is in the upper right and appears like a document tree, with one blue box and a branch leading down to two smaller boxes. I mention this because my first hour of play, I never clicked on it, thinking it had something to do with networking.

The first pop up details the UI elements on the left and right sides of your base screen. On the left you see a white robotic arm, this represents the Crafting section of your base. In the crafting section you will be able to create, upgrade, or dismantle various items for your fleet.

Below the crafting arm is a teal colored microscope icon, this represents the Research section of your base. In the research section you can spend research points in order to discover new technology, in the form of blueprints. These blueprints can then be used in the crafting section to create new weapons, shields, hulls, armoring, or other items to equip your fleet. Once you learn a blueprint, you can use it as often as you have the resources, you never 'forget' a blueprint or lose it.

Below the research microscope is an orange 'ship' icon, this represents the Fleet section of your base. In the fleet section you can create new ships by using resources. You also equip your ships here with items that you've crafted, and can upgrade those items while they are equipped to your ships. You can also see detailed information about any of your ships in this section. It is important to note that you can only have six ships at a time, and balancing out speed versus power versus support is an important part of your strategy.

Now moving right across the screen you should see a yellow icon that looks like five circles connected by lines. This is your 'quest' hub, and takes you to the galaxy map. From the galaxy map you can select different Acts in the game and complete the story quests. Once you complete a quest you can always re-attempt it to gain more resources, or simply to fly around space and harvest more materials.


Now, in the top left of your screen, you should see four boxes with numbers in them. These are your resources. In order from left to right they are ore, crystal, antimatter, and research points. The game explains that these are vague representations of various materials. So in other words, instead of needing to track down a dozen different metals in various quantities to make a ship's hull, it lumps all those metals together into the generic term 'ore'.

One last icon that you will see fairly regularly is an arrow icon that is shaped like a box, pointing off to the left. This is the 'back' button and will take you to the last screen or selection. You'll see this fairly regularly throughout the game.

Finally as I mentioned above, on the top right hand side of the screen is the game's option button, which includes the save button.

This walkthrough will help you understand the first mission. Don't worry you can always play it again on your own and get a much better feel for the game without my help.


First, from your base, click on the yellow quest button in the lower right and that takes you to the galaxy map. You'll see "ACT I: Horizon" available on the galaxy map. Click this, then in the pop out, choose the story quest "A little competition." You will get a pop up of the mission breifing, including the awards that you will receive upon completion of the mission. Click the yellow "START MISSION" button to begin.

It is important to note that each game gets a randomly generated map when you enter, and the map can even change if you go back to your base and return to this quest later. So I can not provide exact details on planet or star system names.

After seeing a quick recap of the mission, you are presented with the solar system view. In the lower left you'll see the yellow 'Constellation' icon, a set of green concentric rings that represent the solar system view, and a group of 3 orange ships which will take you to the fleet view. In the lower right corner is a green hour glass that will cause your fleet to hold position and wait, which often causes random events to happen. In the upper left you'll see three resource boxes. The first includes a nuclear symbol with the number 160 and a warning below. This is your fleet's fuel, the warning is because you are constantly draining it, and 160 isn't a lot. But don't worry, we can get more fairly easily. Next to fuel is a circle that represents your fleet's mining probes, you have zero right now. Then next to that is a skull and cross bones which represent your fleet's marine troops, you also have zero of those to start. Next to the option button you'll notice a set of numbers, 2986.05.23 or the like. This represents the game's date, year, month, day. Finally on the bottom are two buttons labeled 'take a course' and 'return to base'. Return to base does exactly that, cancells your current quest and returns you to your base screen. 'Take a course' should probably be written as 'plot a course' and is used to move your fleet about the solar system.


So, use your mouse to look around the solar system. Do you see a planet with a blue aura around it? In blue text you should also see the name of the current quest next to the planet, "A little competition."

Click on this planet, and then click on the 'take a course' button. Your ship will fly to the planet and you will engage in some dialogue. I chose to attack the pirates, though of course you are free to do something else if you wish. This put me into combat.

The first thing you see is the pre-battle match up, showing your fleet's strength and the opponent. In my case I had an attack strength of 1921 versus the enemy of 250, (an easy win). For your first battle, do not be afraid to click the auto battle button in the lower right. Especially with such an overwhelming force, it will be much quicker. But be warned in the future that using autobattle, while quicker, may not be the wiser move. When facing multiple opponents, the auto battle icon will sometimes fire shots randomly, when you'd rather focus on taking down one enemy ship at a time. Once the battle is won, you collect some spoils and can continue the quest.
Now you should be looking at your two ships and a planet, click the green concentric ring icon that represents the solar system view. See the next planet with a blue halo? This represents the next step in your quest. Click on it and take a course there.

You can continue this, but you may be getting concerned about your current fuel levels. Lets take a quick detour to the star in the center of the system and refuel our ship. Click on the star in the center and take a course there. Once you arrive you will see an icon on the right that looks like a gas station pump with a nuclear symbol on it. Clicking this will allow you to refuel your ships. Once you have some fuel, click the green solar system icon to return to the system view and move onto your next quest target.

You may get pop ups with different messages, some good, some bad, as you are doing this quest. These various events will apply beneficial or detremental effects to your ships or your whole fleet. Some will stick around for a while, some will clear quickly, and some will go away as soon as you leave the planet or star you are near. We can go into this at a later point.

After you finish your third planet, you have completed this introduction mission and are taken back to your base. Congratulations, you've just completed your first mission. Remember you can always select this mission again to come back and engage in more combat, or once you've got a support ship with drones and marines, you can harvest materials.

Now that you have the absolute basics and understand how to navigate the spartan interface some what, you should explore! Delve into the game, there is a surprising amount of depth for you to find. From the balancing act of weapons versus shields, to choosing what research is best for your play style, to engaging in non-automated combat.

Try going to your base and researching a new ship hull so that you can create a 'support' ship. These ships will be weak in combat but will let you carry drones and troops, which will let you farm resources from the planets you visit.

Try repeating the first mission and flying around, experimenting with the game. Don't forget that you can hit the game options button and pull up the 'help' window which will give you some idea of what icons mean and what various facets of the game are.

It's your sandbox, go play!