As you advance into the Union Star System in Everspace 2, the game opens up significantly, offering new challenges, more expansive exploration, and an array of ship and gear upgrades. This guide will walk you through how to approach mid-game progression, what ships and equipment to focus on, and how to optimize your combat strategies, devices, and perks for success.

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Union Star System: A Vast New Frontier

Upon leaving Sito and entering Union, you’ll likely be around level 9 or 10, possibly piloting your first Tier 2 ship. Unlike Sito, where you level up quickly, Union features a slower but richer progression, roughly doubling the content while only granting about five levels. This shift encourages players to explore and engage with side content rather than rushing through the main storyline.

Key Advice: Take your time. Explore the system, complete side quests, and enjoy the experience instead of racing to the next objective. You only get to experience Union for the first time once.

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Best Approach to Progression

While how you progress is ultimately up to you, a balanced mix of activities is recommended:

• Start with side quests at Prescott Starbase (levels 10-11).
• Take on jobs and random encounters to earn experience, gear, and renown.
• Complete the Union Explorer Challenge—this grants the ability to shorten travel time, which is invaluable for navigating Union.
• Avoid rushing the main quest—consider picking it up again around level 12.
• Engage in high-security areas, but stick to normal difficulty and green modifiers for safer Catalyst blueprint farming.

A good habit is to plan routes where you can stack multiple objectives—pick up a side quest, grab a job, and tackle a high-risk area along the way. Minesweeper jobs are particularly easy and require no combat.

Renown rewards start paying off at Tier 3, granting high-quality gear that makes completing jobs worthwhile.

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Upgrading Ships: When and How?

Tier 2+ ships become available around level 10, costing approximately 65K credits. It’s wise to start saving for an upgrade around level 12. Meanwhile, swapping ships within the same tier is free, so experiment with different classes to find what suits you best.

At level 15, Tier 3 ships become available for 135K credits. These ships have three passive slots instead of two and offer significantly better base stats. However, don’t stress about them until you’re nearly ready to leave Union.

Tip: If you’re looking for a specific ship type, rotate between the two ship dealers in Union—shops refresh their stock as you travel and complete jobs.

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Equipment and Loadout Evolution

By level 12, your loadout should consist of a mix of uncommon (green) and rare (blue) gear, with rare items becoming more frequent by level 15. While leveling is slower, it ensures you have enough time to upgrade and craft weapons and equipment appropriately.

Where to Get the Best Loot?

• Elite enemies (marked with a skull) and destroyers have the highest drop rates for:
  • Ship colors and cosmetics
  • Blueprints
  • High-quality weapons and equipment
• Hidden and secure containers also offer higher chances of rare loot.

Combat Tip: Always check enemy levels before engaging. Being one level below is manageable, but fighting stronger enemies requires strategic device and consumable use. Don’t hoard consumables—use them! Short-term cloaking, emergency shields, and unlimited weapon energy boosts can turn the tide in difficult fights.

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Loadout Optimization and Combat Strategy

• Optimize your weapons: If you have a powerful but energy-draining weapon, install an Efficient Catalyst or upgrade your Energy Core.
• Use missiles and secondary weapons: A High Capacity Catalyst adds 30% more ammo, making even standard missiles devastating.
• Crafting helps bridge gaps—if you struggle to find an upgrade, crafting a weapon that’s 2-3 levels higher can be a game-changer.

Some players struggle with combat because they don’t use all their tools. If you’re only strafing and shooting while sitting on unused missiles, devices, and consumables, you’re making things harder than they need to be. Utilize your full arsenal!

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Best Devices and Perks for Mid-Game

Recommended Device Setup

By this point, you should have at least three device slots in your ship. The following are highly recommended:

• EMP – Stuns enemies, making it invaluable for crowd control.
• Missile Defense System – Destroys incoming missiles; set it to Sustenance for maximum uptime.
• Temporal Nano Compensator – Acts as a lifesaver; set it to Resurgence when maxed out.

These devices offer the best balance of offense, defense, and survivability, with EMP being an essential tool for controlling fights.

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Best Perks to Invest In

By level 15, perks play a huge role in optimizing your performance. Here’s what to focus on:

Must-Have Perks

• Relentless (Level 15 Perk): Grants +20% weapon energy per support device, making it a must-have for Interceptors and Gunships.
• Defensive Massacre (Level 5 Perk): Great for sustained combat, triggering frequently.
• Close Call (Level 5 Perk): Acts as a “second wind,” granting 10 seconds of invulnerability.
• Downtime Warrior (Level 10 Perk): Perfect if you frequently use EMP—lowers device cooldowns after enemy kills.

Situational Perks

• Excessive Force (Good for Snipers/Scouts) – If you prefer long-range combat.
• Exit Strategy – Helps manage boost energy but isn’t always necessary.

Companion perks, while useful, are not game-changing. The best ones include:

• Upgraded tractor beam
• Resource tracking on the map
• Energy orb upgrades

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Wrapping Up and What’s Next?

If you fully explore Union, complete side content, and follow the progression steps outlined here, you’ll reach level 15-16 with enough credits to buy a Tier 3 ship. From there, Zarkov awaits, bringing new challenges and opportunities.

The key takeaway is this: Mid-game is all about finding your preferred playstyle, optimizing your loadout, and preparing for high-level combat. Experiment with different ship classes, refine your weapon setups, and don’t neglect devices and perks.

Stay tuned for more Everspace 2 guides, and as always—fly safe, pilot!