The Cycle: Frontier has officially launched and stands out in the extraction shooter genre for being surprisingly beginner-friendly. However, the mix of PvP, PvE, and looter-shooter mechanics can still be overwhelming at first. This guide walks you through everything you need to know to get your footing and start progressing smoothly through Fortuna III.

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Getting Started: The Hub and Factions

Once you’ve landed in the main hub after the intro and tutorial raid, you’ll find yourself in a familiar space—similar to Monster Hunter or Destiny’s Tower. This is where you’ll accept missions, upgrade gear, interact with NPCs, and maintain your hideout.

At the center of your progression lie the three factions: ICA, Osiris, and Korolev. Each faction offers missions and unique gear. Progressing with them unlocks better equipment, consumables, and crafting options.

Your faction level is not tied to your character level. Instead, it reflects your reputation with each individual faction. You can—and likely will—have different levels with each faction depending on which one you prioritize.

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How to Level Factions

There are two main ways to increase your faction level:

1. Sell Items to the Merchant: This gives you K-Marks (currency) and faction reputation. However, it’s not the most efficient method, since many of the items are needed later for missions and crafting.
2. Complete Missions: These are the main method for progression. Missions provide faction XP, K-Marks, valuable items, and vouchers—which are required to upgrade stations in your hideout.

In addition, there are Jobs, which are repeatable side missions. They offer similar rewards, but typically slightly less lucrative than core missions. Jobs unlock in tiers as your faction reputation increases.

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Markets, Crafting, and Repairs

The default market in the center of the hub sells basic white-tier gear. You can’t sell to this market—it’s strictly for stocking up on entry-level equipment.

For crafting, head to the 3D printer. Here you can craft gear using specific materials. Just select your item, press print, and wait the required time (e.g. 15 minutes). Alternatively, you can skip the timer using Aurum (premium currency).

You can also repair damaged armor at dedicated stations—just as straightforward as crafting.

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Upgrading Your Hideout (Quarters)

Your hideout includes passive income and station upgrades:

• The generator produces K-Marks over time.
• The quarters computer lets you upgrade your base and its modules.

You’ll need:

• Materials collected from raids
• Vouchers from faction missions
• K-Marks or Aurum to finalize upgrades

These upgrades give you long-term passive bonuses and faster access to resources and supplies.

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Understanding Weapons and Penetration

Each weapon has:

• Damage
• Penetration
• Magazine size

The damage system is fairly simple:

• If your weapon’s penetration matches the target’s armor rating, it deals full listed damage.
• If it’s higher, it deals slightly more.
• If it’s lower, the armor mitigates damage.

For example, a weapon with 10 damage and 10 penetration will do full damage to white-tier armor. If your target wears blue-tier armor (e.g. 13 rating), they’ll resist a significant chunk—possibly 40% or more.

To succeed in PvP, always match or exceed the armor tier of your opponents. Bring a green-tier weapon if green armor is common.

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Modding Weapons and Attaching Gear

You can customize your gun with sights and other attachments. Just drag the mod (e.g. red dot sight) onto the weapon via middle-click. While the visual changes don’t appear in the hub, you’ll see them in raid.

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Entering a Match: Map, Insurance, and Strategy

Select your map—stick to the easier map at first. The more difficult one features stronger monsters and more experienced players.

On the loadout screen, you can insure your gear:

• Standard insurance gives back a portion of the value (in K-Marks) if you die.
• Gear salvage (premium insurance) gives back the item if it isn’t looted—requires Aurum.

Returned items or funds will appear at your hideout generator.

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First Moves After Landing

Once you drop into the world:

• Land, crouch, and listen. Nearby enemies may move to your drop site.
• Open the map (M). Unlike other games, The Cycle: Frontier gives you a full map, with landmarks, extraction points, and more.

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Looting and Combat Basics

• Loot flowers, crates, and mine rocks using your pickaxe (Q).
• Weight is the only limit to your backpack—not slots. Drop heavy items if you’re encumbered.
• Melee small creatures to save ammo—but aim carefully. Larger creatures will require firearms, and gunfire can attract players.

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Extracting and Evac Safety

When ready to extract:

• Open your map and head to the nearest extraction zone.
• Press Y to call your evac ship.
• Stay alert—other players may be waiting.
• You only need to be inside the ship when the purple bar reaches 75%.

One fun fact: don’t stand under the ship when it lands—it deals over 740,000 damage and will instantly flatten you. Science confirms it.

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The Game Loop

After extraction:

• Review your raid stats (loot, kills, progress)
• Return to the hub and stash your gear
• Accept new missions, sell extras, repair gear, and prep for the next drop

Eventually, you’ll unlock higher-tier missions, stronger weapons, and better upgrades. That’s when The Cycle: Frontierreally opens up.

If you’ve made it this far, congrats—you’re no longer a beginner. Just remember to pace your progress, think tactically, and have fun exploring Fortuna III.

Happy hunting, Prospector.