Asteroid Wars — everything you need before your first match
← back to asteroidwars.comAsteroid wars is a squad-based space combat game where you fight for control of an asteroid belt.
The game is won through the tactical focus of a key role: The Squad Leader. There is one Squad Leader per squad, with 4 squads per faction, and 6 members per squad.
To win, a team must create an unbroken chain of Forward Operating Bases across the sectors from their home Star Gate to the enemy Gate, with no enemy FOB contesting any sector.
| Squad Leader | Squad Members |
|---|---|
| Can lay groundwork for infrastructure | Can rapidly build infrastructure |
| Tactical focus, limited fighting capabilities | Must fight together to protect the squad's economy and assets |
| Stockpiles equipment and upgrades for the squad | Can request access to spend squad funds |
| Coordinates with other Squad Leaders to strategize faction victory | Must focus on inter-squad coordination |
| Freely access squad treasury | Must request permission. Squad leader approves spending. |
| Can be elected | A member can start a vote for squad leader. If a quorum is reached, that member is elected SL. |
The Logistics Vehicle is the tool to accomplish the mission. It carries material from the gate to forward sectors, which can then be used to build FOBs, upgrades, and defenses in the forward sectors.
Q to access logistics and supply. F for building. G for gear.
3 Material Depots, the Gate, the FOB, and the LV. Quicly unload with U
You're in open space with a gravity pack. You can attach to asteroids.
| Key | Does |
|---|---|
| W A S D | Thrust forward / left / back / right |
| Space | Thrust up. Liftoff, when standing on an asteroid |
| Shift | Thrust down |
| Mouse | Look. Click once to lock the cursor |
| V | Toggle first-person, while standing on an asteroid |
| R | Latch onto an asteroid. With Grapple Hook upgrade, you can swing through asteroids with great finesse. |
When next to an asteroid, slow down and latch with 'R'. This stabilizes you to make mining easier and to emplace Refineries.
Press 2 for the mining laser, then hold the left mouse button on a single voxel in the asteroid. You can hold a certain amount of material before it needs to be deposited in a Depot
| Looks like | Is | Worth |
|---|---|---|
| Dull grey, matte | Barren rock | Trace amounts only |
| Grey-shiny or muddy bronze | Metal | Good |
| Violet / blue, glowing | Crystal | Good, with varying degrees of richness |
| Bright gold, hard glint | Gold | Rare, worth far more in metal |
Barren rock does pay a trickle, so mining anything is better than mining nothing, but mining a vein is worth far more than grinding grey.
A Refinery built on an asteroid doubles everything mined from that rock, including the barren parts. It's the single biggest economic upgrade available.
Mining funds your victory. You won't win without a stable economy and the advantages it buys.
Voice is push-to-talk. Hold the key while you speak. Nothing transmits when you let go.
| Hold | Talks to |
|---|---|
| C | Everyone nearby, both teams can here this proximity chat |
| Z | Your squad |
| X | Team command (must be SL) |
There is also a text chat.
Communication is the most important aspect of the game. A team that communicates will have an easy victory over a silent one.
Press F for the build menu.
| Building | Cost | Placed | Does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refinery | 80m / 30c | On an asteroid | Doubles mining yield on this asteroid. |
| FOB | 140m / 50c | In open space | Forward base. Stores ore and gear, and you can respawn at it. |
| Shield Factory | 100m / 80c | In open space | Shields your buildings in this sector, and provides personal shields. |
| Gravity Lab | 100m / 80c | In open space | Provides grapple hooks and drive tunes. |
| Armory | 100m / 60c | In open space | Provides ball turrets and burst guns. |
The FOB comes first. Refineries and gravity labs need a completed FOB in the area before they can be placed, and the FOB is also where your team can respawn, so losing your forward FOB pushes your whole team back. Spawn points can be selected in the Tactical Map at any FOB or home.
Buildings take time to construct and can be destroyed. A Shield Factory hardens every friendly structure in its sector, which is what stops a lone raider from undoing an hour of work.
Press G to buy. Purchases are personal but paid for from the team treasury, and each one requires standing next to the building that unlocks it.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Shield | 60c | Absorbs damage before your health does. |
| Grapple Hook | 60c | Greatly improves the power of your latch tool. |
| Ball Turret | 200m / 150c | A piloted gun platform, tougher than you but no grapple. |
| Drive Tune | 80c | Raises your top speed by 50 m/s, up to three times. |
| Burst Gun | 150m / 120c | Ten fast shots, then a lockout while it cools. |
| Shield Node Kit | 30m / 180c | Three nodes that span a wall blocking shots from both sides. |
If a purchase is refused, you're almost certainly not close enough to the right building or you don't have permission from your SL. Request by attempting to buy.
Press M for the full-screen map. It is a 3D cake of the whole world, one layer per altitude, with each cell tinted by which team controls its sector. This is where you decide where to push.
| Control | Does |
|---|---|
| M | Open and Close the map |
| Navigate | Navigate the map as you would normal gameplay, while also being able to click-drag. |
| Y SLICE slider | Hide layers above the thumb, to see inside the stack |
| Click a cell | Drop a waypoint. Click the marker again to remove it. |
| Waypoints | Squad leader waypoints show to squad in mini map, and to everyone in tactical map. Marked by squad number. |
Waypoints you drop also show on your HUD.