The Cerberus
Space Safety Handbook

Space is mostly empty, mostly harmless, until it isn't. Follow this handbook when you travel and the worst day you will have, will be a boring one.

Know your zones

In-game view of non-PvP safe space
Non-PvP · safe

No combat here. You can't be shot and you can't be looted. Dock, trade and move freely.

In-game warning entering PvP but non-lootable space
PvP · not lootable

Most of space. You can be shot, but your loot stays yours. You'll get warnings the moment you approach the line.

In-game warning entering PvP lootable space
PvP · lootable

You can be shot and looted. Go down here and you lose what you carry. Know exactly where these zones are before you fly.

See the lootable zones on the map

What can you lose?

Inventory showing the Resources and Materials tabs, the only lootable items

If you get looted, only two inventory tabs are at risk:

ResourcesMaterials

Everything in your other tabs stays with you. The only things a pirate can take are whatever sit in those two, which is exactly why the prime directive is to fly empty.

Things to remember!

Prime Directive

Don't fly with loot.

No loot means you can't be looted. Simple as that. If your hold is empty, a pirate who catches you gets nothing for it. The safest cargo is no cargo.

  1. Rule 2

    Pack the essentials

    Never undock without fuel, a repair kit and welding wire. Running dry in transit turns you into a sitting duck. Or even worse, getting looted and being stranded at Athena SS.

  2. Rule 3

    Never fly A to B

    Pirates camp the obvious lanes. The direct routes between planets carry the most traffic, so that's exactly where they wait. Break the line: climb, dive, or drift off the beaten path before you set course. Space is enormous; a small deviation at the start is the difference between a looting and a dull, safe trip.

  3. Rule 4

    Read the room

    Most pirates lurk at space stations, waiting for someone to spawn so they can lock on and hit R the instant you appear. Always check your surroundings first. Pull a false start: move, then watch who moves with you.

  4. Rule 5

    Show your teeth

    Carry a weapon and let it be seen. Loosing off a few shots tells a watching pirate you're not a soft target, often enough to make them hold out for easier prey.

  5. Rule 6

    Travel in numbers

    A lone ship is a target. If you can wait five minutes to launch alongside another ship (a second ship, not a passenger), do it. Fly in teams.

  6. Rule 7

    Strip the UI

    Hide your interface while travelling for a clean, unobstructed view of everything around you.

  7. Rule 8

    Leave a margin

    Pull your UI in slightly from the screen edges. Player icons are far easier to spot in that clear border than buried in the middle of your HUD.

  8. Rule 9

    Bind “align horizontal”

    It's easy to lose your bearings out there. Put the align horizontal button on a hotkey or your UI. One press to level out can save you the moment you get disoriented.

// Living document. More rules will be carved in as the void teaches them.