Use my code STAR-F3V9-NVLK when signing up (or click this link: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist?referral=STAR-F3V9-NVLK ) to nab an extra 5,000 of the game's currency UEC when the game is eventually finished (as well as after wipes, which happen occasionally, though rarely at this point). Note that you cannot add a code after creating your account!
The bonus stuff happens once you have spent at least USD40 in the pledge store; for example, in case there is a referral bonus going on when you go past that USD40 spend, using my code here would also let you get in on that if you pass that threshold during that period. Doing it any other time will still land you that 5,000 UEC, but it's usually a neat bonus and it'd be a shame to miss out on it :)
And you are in luck! A really neat bonus is current happening, to coincide with the Red Festival 2955. The Red Festival is the in-universe holiday that's a little bit like the Lunar new year, and this time around, if you sign up before February 17th, 2025 at 20:00 UTC, using somebody's referral code, and then spend at least USD 40 on the pledge store (see below for suggestions on which starter pack to get if you aren't sure), you will get: A Drake Dragonfly, with the fancy Coalfire paint! This is a two-seater hover-bike, which can operate both on the ground, as well as in space, and is canonically the oldest hover-bike in the 'verse. All the details for the bonus can be found here: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/comm-link/transmission/20379-Lunar-New-Year-2025-Referral-Bonus (in particular, note that you, as the recruit, will get your bike when the referral period ends, on February 17th).
But! Don't spend until you're ready. We would usually have the Red Festival free-fly going on at the moment, but as CIG has set out to make 2025 a strong focus on playability, they have decided to postpone the free-fly part of the event until we have a more stable base to let people try out. Traditionally, the game has always shown itself at its most rough during free-fly periods, and while it would be useful to have an influx to perform those tests, it also would not be a great experience for those struck by the worst of the problems. So, speaking as a software developer here, understandable.
As such, we don't really know when the next one is likely to be, however given the speed at which they are working on sorting things out, i would personally be unsurprised to see them open one for the next in-game event, Coramor (basically in-universe Valentine's Day), due sometime mid to late February. It is entirely possible, though, that they might hold off for longer than that, but the next more or less guaranteed one is in May, to coincide with Invictus Launch Week.
Alongside this, if you really want to try things out now, it is worth noting that refunding is straightforward and no-quibbles within the first 14 days after your purchase: Simply plop a ticket in, and while it can take a while during heavy periods, such as the various holidays (you know, where the casual player might have time to take a stab at playing a new thing they've been putting off), as long as the date of your ticket being created is within that period, you can get that done no problem and no question asked.
If you would like to wait for the next free-fly, but haven't got the time to check all the time to keep up on when that is going to be - feel free to give me a poke if you'd like a reminder when the next one happens, and i'll send you a message here on Reddit to make sure you know about it :)
As a new player, you will likely want to hop on and actually do the tutorial that has (finally) been added. It's a fairly short one, but it'll get you familiar with the basics of the game (on-foot navigation, interaction, flight controls, that sort of stuff), and you even get a set of armour and a bit of cash at the end of it. In short, simple, but worth your time. You can also use the Guide system, which you can find over on Spectrum once you've signed up: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/spectrum/guide - sometimes there's little bonuses for doing that as well, but it's always useful, as it's a real person, who plays the game, who is there to help you work out how to do things in the game.
After what one of the rougher releases we've had of the game, which while certainly not another 3.18 (which, if you know, you know) has still resulted in a game that is more than a usually rough experience for some, while for others they have been having, quoting one of my org members here, "Its like a real game!". But, never forget that the game is still in development, and that there's going to be bugs, sometimes light, sometimes extreme. So while the general gameplay is decently smooth, of course the old "it's an alpha" always applies, and you should always treat this game as one to make sure your expectations are at the correct level for jankiness. That said, you just might be able to have some outright gameplay type fun out in the big sandbox that is out little star system of Stanton, and some much harsher and more PvP heavy gameplay in its much larger cousin Pyro.
Additionally, right now, on the 4.0.1 LIVE game environment, the game is playing host to Fight For Pyro, the second chapter of a one-time multi-stage event where not only are you able to help the denizens of Stanton against a bunch of nasties trying to ruin everybody's day, but you are also able to get yourself a couple of special edition ship weapons, for permanent addition to your hangar, by completing parts of the event. All the details can be found over here: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/comm-link/transmission/20279-Fight-For-Pyro
Finally, there is the combined in-universe and real-world event Red Festival, which has a bunch of little fun things going on: There's the referral bonus (see above), a sale on starter packs (see below), a little treasure hunt in the form of finding red envelopes around the Stanton landing zones, and a competition that you can take part in to win some lovely prizes. All the details can be found over here on the Red Festival landing page: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/comm-link/transmission/20373-Lunar-New-Year-2025
Most importantly, when picking what to get: Anything called a "starter pack" will get you in the game, and spending more doesn't equal a better ship. Specifically, don't get something called a Standalone Ship, as that will not include game access. It says as much on the store, but there is a lot of text, so it bears pointing out here.
When there is no sale happening, the most cost effective way to get in the game is one of either the Mustang Alpha or the RSI Aurora MR starter packs. These will do you very well for a starter ship (and if you want, you can either upgrade that ship later with money, or you can buy pretty much any ship in the game inside the game, for in-game money, which generally is fairly easy to come by). You can see all the available game packages here: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/store/pledge/browse/game-packages/
The cheapest option to enter the game is still the two starter packs listed above, however, for the Red Festival, there are two packs on discounted sale: The Drake Cutter Red Festival Starter Pack, and the Drake Cutlass Red Festival Starter Pack.
My personal recommendation for this time is the Drake Cutter Red Festival Starter Pack, which at 15% off is an exceptional deal for a really solid little ship. A tiny space camper with enough cargo space to do some decent delivery missions, and enough firepower to get you out of a tight spot. Not only does this pack include the ship and the game access, it also includes some extra starting cash, two nifty paints (one for each of the two relevant years: the in-game year of the pig, and the real-world year of the snake), an entire set of armour, backpack, and an SMG. That 15% off, it has to be said as well, is 15% off relative to the normal starter pack price, which doesn't include all those bonus things, so that just makes it even nicer. The details for that one are here: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/pledge/Packages/Cutter-Red-Festival-Starter-Pack-Warbond
The Drake Cutlass Black 'Red Festival' Starter Pack includes more or less what you saw above, except that the ship is a Cutlass Black, and that the gun is a shutgun instead of the SMG. This is one of the oldest flyable ships in game, and a really solid all-rounder, with enough space for yourself and a couple of others to do a bit of basic multi-crew type stuff. While this one is 20% off, it still is a touch more than i would perhaps recommend spending on an early access game, but if you feel like you're happy to stretch to that kind of thing, then it's a solid enough ship for the money. All the details for the pack can be found here: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/pledge/Packages/Cutlass-Red-Festival-Starter-Pack-Warbond
Thanks for you consideration, and o7 to all our new citizens! If you need any help, feel free to give me a poke here, and i'll be happy to try and help you (we can even do the guide thing) - in particular the basics of the game and its quirks, or if you need help working out which starter pack to buy in the pledge store.
So either use my code STAR-F3V9-NVLK when signing up, or just click right here to create a new account: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist?referral=STAR-F3V9-NVLK
By - leinir
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