Blue Stars:

Blue Stars are a free for all competitive multiplayer star usually between four players and one lone battleship (AI), though more lone battleships may appear to fill slots if necessary. The goal of the Blue Star is to be the last one standing. The Blue Star is constantly collapsing, the blue ring showing what has already collapsed, and the red ring showing the area about to collapse. The red ring will flash shortly before it collapses. Any ships caught in a collapsed part of the star are instantly destroyed. A dot in the center of your ship (and others) signifies that ship is in the red area and in danger of destruction. There are cerberus enemies scattered through the star as well. The final sector of the star applies constant 150 damage per second to all ships in that sector. Blue Stars scale mostly scale with your red star level, but take in account your tech as well. Therefore, you should be matched against players roughly around your own level.

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Blue Stars offer various rewards including credits, hydrogen, and blue star fragments. Every 24 hours you are able to run a Blue Star for credit rewards. The rewards will stack up to two times, so if you don't get your credit reward until after 24 hours of it being available it will stack the next reward behind it as to not waste time. If you do not get your credit reward until after 48 hours of it being available, your next reward (at 72 hours) will not stack, so time will be wasted. In order to gain the credit reward, you must win the Blue Star using a ship not equipped with sanctuary. After every run with a non sanctuary ship you are rewarded with the credit reward (if available). If you lose the Blue Star with a non sanctuary equipped ship you will be awarded the credit reward (90% of your ship's cost) but your ship will be destroyed. The credit reward will remain however, as you did not win the Blue Star. If you win the Blue Star with a non sanctuary equipped ship your ship will be returned safely, and you will be awarded the credit award, making a tidy profit. The credit reward will then disappear, unless you have another stacked. The credit reward is equal to 90% of the ship you sent in, so if you win 1/10 Blue Stars you will break even. It is recommended that you run Blue Stars for the credit reward whenever possible, as losing over 10 times in a row almost never happens, especially if equipped with a proper Blue Star ship.

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The hydrogen reward is equal to 25% of your maximum hydrogen storage, and the amount gained scales with your final position in the Blue Star. You can gain this reward with sanctuary equipped ships or non sanctuary equipped ships, so it is recommended that if you have already gained the credit reward, you use sanctuary ships to gain the remaining hydrogen if necessary. Hydrogen does have a daily limit, and show a countdown, same as the credit reward, when you must wait for the hydrogen reward to replenish.

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Blue star fragments are collected after every Blue Star, and the amount scales with the position you recieved, up to 12 fragments. Fragments are used along with hydrogen to power your shipment relay, a station that delivers shipments in specified sectors automatically. Fragments are also used to advance yourself on the Blue Star leaderboards.

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Strategies:

Depending on your module loadout, you might prefer a more offensive build versus a more defensive one. Most loadouts include a mixture of both, having the ability to attack certain loadouts but not others. If your ship is in the red area when it starts flashing, you usually have to move almost immediately if you wish to make it out in time. You can take slightly longer if necessary, especially if boosted by time warp or very close to safety. A good way to destroy Cerberus ships is to lure them to a place where the collapsing ring will kill them. Pointing your ship can be very helpful as well. To do this you plot a course but don’t depart. Letting the timer tick down, but cancelling before you move. Around three seconds left is the ideal time to cancel the move and replot it.

This will make certain ships think that you are going to move to a destination. Often you can get ships to move to that destination, or remain at that destination. This tactic works well to bait cerb ships into destroying themselves when the Star collapses. (Pointing does not work on interceptors). The goal of the Blue Star is to last the longest, and as the center sector applies constant damage, you generally want to be on an asteroid as close to the center sector without entering it. This gives you more time before you have to enter the center sector, allowing for an advantage against players who had to move earlier due to the collapsing star. Usually at least two ships make it to the final sector, so it is important to have modules that keep you in that final sector as long as possible. If you are forced to enter the final sector early, or with to for another reason, you may be able to move to an asteroid on the opposite side of the star and return to another, possibly the one you left from if you scheduled the waypoint early enough. This works well with time warp, and allows you to cross the final sector twice. While you take more damage this can be helpful to increase the amount of time you spend in the final sector. This is mostly helpful if you are forced to leave your asteroid before others are forced to leave theirs.

 

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Enemies:

Sentinel:
Sentinels deal high damage but have low health. They take their time moving to your ship so that other, tougher, ships in the sector, such as guardians, can take the brunt of your fire while they deal high damage values.
Guardian:
Guardians deal low damage but have high health. They are very active and will move towards your ship almost immediately upon entering their sector.
Interceptors:
Interceptors deal a medium amount of damage, and have a mass battery allowing them to hit multiple targets. They have a fair amount of health, and will move to your ship after a few seconds. Interceptors are not susceptible to pointing, but can leave their sector allowing for some strategies to develop around them.
Colossus:
Colossus' deal more damage over time with their laser. They have very high health, and are next to impossible to destroy in Blue Stars unless you lure or point them into the collapsing zone.

Bomber:
Bombers cannot deal direct damage but instead fire rockets at your ship. The rockets deal a large amount of damage if they are in a generic rocket radius, and a smaller amount of damage if neutralized in a smaller radius. Bombers can target ships in their sector and ones adjacent, and fires one rocket per ship in range every (12) seconds. Bombers have very high health, and similar to colossus' are next to impossible to destroy in a Blue Star unless you get them to die in the collapsing zone. Bombers try to keep as much range between themselves and your ship as possible when you're in their sector. This causes a slightly different strategy necessary in order to get them into the collapsing zone. You must move to asteroids that force the farthest location from your ship to be in danger of collapse, causing the bomber to move and be destroyed.

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Modules (and their counters):

Shields:
Omega Shield:
Omega shield is the most common choice for shields in Blue Stars, as it provides the highest protection value. Combined with time warp the shield can be refreshed partway through the Blue Star.
Passive Shield:
Passive shield is not very good in Blue Stars as it has a lower protection value than omega and doesn't offer the opportunity to refresh in combination with time warp. Passive shield's only real purpose in a Blue Star is on a sanctuary ship that's trying to gain the rest of the hydrogen rewards. Since it consumes less hydrogen, you make a larger net profit.
Mirror Shield:
Mirror shield provides some use in Blue Stars as it can be helpful in combat by reflecting a small portion of damage dealt back to the attacker, but that does not reduce the damage you take. It also has less protection compared to the omega shield, and since you're most likely trying to bait colossus' into dying outside of the ring, and the center sector deals a flat value and can't be killed, it is usually more helpful to have the higher protection. It has a use if you want to keep your omega shield low for red stars(smaller hydro cost) so you level up mirror shield, which is more expensive -> bigger reward but as mentioned the shield is weaker, its also great at 1v1

Blast Shield:
Blast shield can occasionally be helpful in Blue Stars. If you equip Blast Shield you would most likely do it in a higher level Blue Star where bombers are present. Blast shield allows you to play with the bombers far more effectively than other ships as you can take far more rockets than the other players. This allows you to maneuver into positions around bombers more safely. This also dissuades other players from attacking you when close to bombers as you can take their rockets far better than they can. Blast shields can also protect well against other ships that have blast damage modules equipped. The downside to this shield is that if you enter combat with another ship it won't protect against direct weapon damage, and it won't protect against the constant damage applied in the final sector.
Area Shield:
Area shield is pretty much useless in Blue Stars as it has one of the lowest protection value of all the shields, and since Blue Stars are a free for all, you don't have anyone to protect so the shield serves pretty much no purpose (it can protect drone).
Delta shield:
Delta shield is not recommended to use in Blue Stars. It has a very low protection value, and it provides a speed increase which is not helpful when you're trying to remain in the last sector as long as possible.

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Weapons:

Battery:
Battery deals a flat damage value and is very helpful in Blue Stars. It's good at killing rockets outside of destruction damage radius, and good at fighting shorter battles. Both with cerberus ships and other players.
Mass Battery:
Mass battery can target 5 enemies at once, but has a very low damage value. It is good at fighting many ships at once or destroying rockets while fighting, but otherwise doesn't have much use in Blue Stars.
Laser:
Laser starts with a low damage value but ramps up to a higher value over time. It isn't very good in short battles and has to be a higher level to destroy rockets outside of destruction radius. Laser is very good in prolonged fights with one target, most often against other players. Laser resets whenever it changes target or the target leaves combat range. If you are able to keep an enemy ship within combat range for a prolonged time, laser can do a large amount of damage.

Dual Laser:
Dual laser works similarly to laser, only it requires two targets to charge up. It is mostly used in Blue Stars so that a ship can more easily destroy rockets when in combat range with another ship. If set up properly it can work well on other players so long as you can keep two targets in range. When switching targets dual laser does not reset, but it does if it gets less than two targets in range.

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Support:

Emp:
Emp causes your ships to become deactivated, and in the final sector can keep your ship in place for a longer period of time. Emp can also be used to deactivate enemy ships in the red area so they are destroyed. You generally do not want to catch other people in your emp radius as it gives them a free stop, but people will occasionally emp the enemy ships if it causes them to be caught in the collapsing sector.
Ways to counter emp include: Destroying or damaging the ship enough ahead of time that the constant damage kills them. Being able to stop for longer than them. Entering the final sector later (be careful to not get caught in the collapsing ring). Stay within combat range of the ship so that if they are forced to disable you as well if they activate emp.

Teleport:
Teleport can be helpful as you can make sudden changes to your movement and it’s harder for your enemies to predict your movement. You can also through interceptors at people using teleport. In order to do this you must plot a waypoint that activates interceptors, either by entering their secor or combat with them, then once the interceptors have begun moving towards that waypoint you teleport away. You want to make your target waypoint somewhere that will be gone by the time that the interceptors arrive, or somewhere closer to an enemy ship so after landing the interceptors will target them instead of you. It can be a great way to cause enemy ships harm, or just annoyance.

Ways to counter include: Making sure you know the enemies teleport radius, and be prepared for their possible unexpected movements. Remaining close to the edge so thrown interceptors are attracted into a collapsing zone, and teleporting to you would be potentially dangerous. (Be careful with the latter tactic, as remaining close to the edge can be dangerous). Being tougher than the ship with teleport helps as well, as it dissuades the enemy to use their teleport to enter combat with you. Remote Repair: Remote repair is good to make your ship even tougher. It allows you to heal if damaged, which can be useful on sanctuary ships when doing multiple runs in a row. It is also helpful for prolonged battles or to keep you healthy longer in the final sector. Ways to counter include: Forcing the enemy to activate remote repair preemptively, minimizing the modules usefulness.

 

Time Warp: Time warp is very helpful, as it allows you to move around the map quickly, and allows for a shield refresh if activated early enough. The extra shield allows you to take more damage earlier on than you would otherwise be able to, and can help you win fights you might have otherwise been unable to.

Ways to counter include: Staying away from the ship until their first shield wears off. If you don’t have time warp equipped and you stay within the enemies time warp radius you may be able to get a shield refresh yourself. (Be careful with the latter tactic as it can potentially be dangerous).

 

Stealth:
Stealth is more circumstantial in Blue Stars but can still be helpful. It can help if you want to avoid combat with a particular ship or don’t want cerberus ships moving or targeting you. It doesn’t not protect against the constant damage in the final sector however.
Ways to counter include: Using blast modules to deal damage to a ship under stealth, as stealth doesn’t protect against blast damage.

 

Fortify:
Fortify can be good in Blue Stars if you need to be able to take more damage, and can be used in combination with many other modules to make an overall tougher ship. Having fortify can make others less likely to attack you. It can prolong your survival time in most any scenario, but must be used carefully as it also forces other ships to attack you.
Ways to counter include: Having a high damage output or defensive protection to minimize the effect the enemies fortify can have.

 

Impulse:
Impulse is generally not very helpful in Blue Stars but can be used well in certain situations. If forced into the final sector too early, it can be helpful to get to the other side and bounce back before the ring collapses too much. It can also be helpful to get out of any sticky situations you find yourself in relatively quickly.
Ways to counter include: Barrier is good against impulse as it holds the ship in place, and with teleport you can easily chase down an impulse ship as well.

 

Alpha Rocket:
Alpha Rocket and be quite useful in a Blue Star as it provides a decent amount of blast damage that can be useful in many situations. It also doesn’t take damage from being in the final sector, so it can be shot through the sector without being destroyed. It is fast and can often turn the tide of a battle, but is not able to be fired without a target so it is not helpful in the final sector of the star.
Ways to counter include: Having a weapon that can target multiple objects can be good against alpha rocket, as can having barrier. Keeping your distance unless necessary is good as well as it gives you more time to adjust or destroy the rocket.

 

Salvage:
Salvage is not the most helpful module in Blue Stars, but can be good on a sanctuary ship as it can help heal your ship after doing multiple runs in a row. It’s most effectively used by staying near the edge of the Blue Star and luring cerberus ships to die in the collapsing ring.
Ways to counter include: attacking the enemy ship before it has a chance to heal too much from salvage.

 

Suppress:
Suppress can be helpful in Blue Stars to avoid damage and make your ship last longer in fights giving you an edge. Suppress can be particularly good against laser and dual laser as it resets its charge. Depending on how long the fight will most likely last, the best time to use suppress against laser varies.
Ways to counter include: Avoiding entering combat with the ship unless you know your ship can handle the temporary loss of weapons. Utilizing blast damage rather than weapon damage to kill the enemy ship.

 

Destiny:
Destiny is mostly helpful in Blue Stars as an extra bit of damage. The large amount of blast damage can help you win many fights, but you have to be careful as destiny randomly teleports you ship and disables it for a short time, which can be dangerous with the collapsing ring.
Ways to counter include: Keeping the enemy ship out of destiny range to avoid the damage. Forcing the enemy to preemptively use destiny without causing permanent damage to yourself.

 

Barrier:
Barrier can be helpful in many situations in Blue Stars. It can keep unwanted ships off your back, and can hold enemy ships in the red ring causing them to be destroyed in the collapsing ring.
Ways to counter include: Being aware and cautious of the enemies barrier radius, and not present them any opportunity to use it against you.

 

Vengeance: Vengeance can be very good in Blue Stars, but can also be hard to use. It deals a large amount of blast damage around your ship. This can change the tide of many battles, but vengeance can only be used once you are at a certain hull threshold (2,000). This low threshold makes it dangerous to pull off, but is often well worth the risk. Vengeance typically works best when paired with another module to compensate for the low hull threshold.
Ways to counter include: Utilizing blast damage to kill the enemy ship shortly before it is at 2,000 hull. Being aware of the range and damage done by the enemies vengeance and being cautious is also important.

 

Delta Rocket:
Delta Rocket is not typically utilized in Blue Stars as it deals less damage than alpha rocket, and the second waypoint is typically not necessary. Delta rocket can be used to send a rocket to a harder to get to location, or to bait cerberus ships into moving where you like.
Ways to counter include: Having a weapon that can target multiple things. Keeping space between you and the enemy ship as to not provide them a good opportunity to use delta rocket for more damage against you.

 

Bond:
Bond can be used in a multitude of ways. It is a good way to push an enemy outside of the ring, killing them, or to keep an enemy at bay as a last resort. You must be careful using bond though, as at lower levels it doesn’t last very long, and if bond wears off before the enemy ship is destroyed, it allows them to remain stationed in empty space, which can be extremely helpful in the final sector.
Ways to counter include: Having any module that causes teleportation, such as destiny or teleport, as teleportation breaks bond. Activating bond on the ship that has you under the influence of bond also breaks bond. If you make sure not to be directly between the enemy ships movement and the ring, it makes it harder for them to push you out as well. Being aware of the enemies bond radius, and not providing them any free opportunities to use bond.

 

Alpha Drone:
Alpha drone can be quite useful in Blue Stars, especially in combination with leap. Alpha drone can through interceptors similar to teleport, by sending it through an interceptor sector. The drone has a long cooldown though, so if you intend to use it again it is recommended to speed up the cooldown with time warp. Alpha drone can also provide an extra damage boost if need be.
Ways to counter include: Having a weapon that can target multiple things, easily killing the drone(works only if the drone is lvl1). Keeping track of when the drone is activated and where it is sent.

 

Suspend:
Suspend can be helpful in Blue Stars mostly to increase how much time you can spend in the final sector. It slows down your movement and deactivation timer. You must be careful to try to keep enemy ships out of suspend radius as best you can though.
Ways to counter include: Hanging close by the ship to take advantage of their suspend. Utilizing other ways of destroying the enemy ship that isn’t affected by their movement or combat speed.

 

Omega Rocket:
Omega rocket can be extremely helpful in Blue Stars as it deals massive blast damage, and deals a smaller amount in a smaller radius if destroyed. The rocket is slow though, so you want to be as close to your target as possible. Omega rocket can make quick work of almost any enemy ship you encounter, and is a good way to ensure enemy ships do not want to enter combat with you.
Ways to counter include: Having a weapon that can target multiple things, possibly killing the omega rocket before it hits. Utilizing barrier to keep the omega rocket in place. Keeping a safe distance between you and the enemy ship in order to make it harder for them to land a hit.

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 Combined Module Strategies:

Omega Shield + Time Warp:
Omega shield and time warp, when combined, can allow you to get another shield refresh before you have to enter the final sector of the Blue Star. This makes any damage done to your shields before the refresh negligible. It can allow you to get into many battles or take extra damage with pretty much no long term effects. This strategy can work with any shields, but omega is the most common due to its high protection value.
Ways to counter include: Avoiding the ship until after its shield has worn off, negating its advantage in a fight.

 

Alpha Drone + Leap:
Alpha drone and leap can make a very powerful combination. When in the final sector, if you fire the drone (you can target the star) and it enters combat, you can then leap to it. With nowhere to land, your ship ends up stationed at empty space (where you activated leap). You must be careful though, as your drone needs to survive long enough to leap to. This generally means you want your drone to target enemy ships immediately, but not be targeted by the enemy. You want to activate leap as soon as possible, but would ideally end up stationed as close to the star as possible.
Ways to counter include: After activating the drone, even if it enters combat immediately, the enemy ship has to wait a very short period of time before they can activate leap. Having a weapon that can target multiple things, makes it easier to destroy the drone before the enemy ship can activate leap. Having available blast damage, such as destiny, can help destroy the drone before leap can be activated. If you can time emp perfectly for the moment the drone is activated, but before leap is, you can disable the drone, causing it to no longer be in combat and therefore be unable to be leapt to. This causes the drone to most often die due to the constant sector damage before it is ready to be leapt to. Avoiding the leap ship in the final sector as to not provide a good opportunity for drone. Moving into the final sector at an angle to the drone ship making it hard for them to activate drone without firing it into your combat radius. Destroying the enemy ship before the final sector, or damaging them enough that the constant sector damage destroys them anyway. Bond can push the enemy ship out of the ring, but must be used carefully as lower levels don’t have a very long duration, and both the enemy ship and you must be in the correct positions.

 

Alpha Drone + Remote Repair:
Alpha drone can be paired well with remote repair as it allows the drone to remain alive longer. This best works in the final sector to try to increase the amount of time between which the drone can be activated and leapt to. This makes the alpha drone + leap strategy stronger, and makes your ship tougher so it can withstand more hits, especially in the final sector.
Ways to counter include: Having blast damage available, such as destiny, that can destroy the drone in one hit. Maneuvering so that you enter combat with the drone and can destroy it if your weapon is strong enough. Using emp to deactivate the drone, preventing it from being leapt to. Strategies to counter Alpha Drone + Leap also work here, though they are harder to pull off.

 

Bond + Teleport:
Bond and teleport can be combined and used in a way that can cause almost instant destruction to a ship. If you activate teleport to a location close to the edge of the ring and bond an enemy ship shortly before teleport finishes, they teleport with you, maintaining the distance between you and and them. If you position bond and teleport properly, you can have their final location be outside of the ring, causing instant destruction.
Ways to counter include: Being aware and careful of the enemies bond radius, and positioning yourself as to not give them an opportunity to use bond + teleport. Any module that causes teleportation breaks bond, such as destiny or teleport, so having these equipped and activating them before teleport finishes makes it so that the enemy cannot take you with them. Using bond on the enemy after they have activated bond on you cancels their bond, as well as your own.

 

Bond + Impulse:
Bond combined with impulse can be very effective at pushing an enemy ship out of the ring, killing them instantly. You must be careful though, as you need to be in the correct position, and speeding around the map can be dangerous, especially in the final sector. It can be a good way to kill the last enemy though.
Ways to counter include: Being aware and careful of the enemies bond radius, and positioning yourself as to not provide any opportunity to destroy your ship using bond + impulse. Having any module that causes teleportation, such as destiny or teleport, or activating bond on the enemy ship break their bond, preventing them from pushing you out of the ring.

 

Teleport + barrier/emp:
Teleport and barrier, and/or emp can be used to teleport to, or close by, an enemies location and use barrier or emp to hold them in the red ring while you remain out of it, causing them to be destroyed by the collapsing ring.
Ways to counter include: Being aware of the enemies teleport radius, and if they teleport to you move out of the red ring as fast as possible. Remaining farther from the red ring so as to not provide a good opportunity for the enemy. Having a module that causes teleportation so that if the enemy catches you, you can escape more easily.

 

Omega Rocket + Destiny + Vengeance:
Any rocket, though omega deals the most damage, in combination with destiny and/or vengeance provides a very powerful combination. Your ship would be capable of dealing massive amounts of extra blast damage, allowing you to win almost any fight. Any combination of these three modules, can provide a large extra damage boost, that can be very powerful. With these equipped, people will usually be more wary of you, so it is easier to obtain the position you want, but it is also recommended that you hunt down at least one enemy in order to get the most out of these modules.
Ways to counter include: Being very cautious of the enemy ship, and avoiding combat with the enemy ship as much as possible. Utilizing different modules to defeat the enemy ship without having to fight them.

 

Destiny + Time Warp:
Destiny can work well with time warp, as after destiny is activated it randomly teleports you and disables you. If you end up landing somewhere in danger of collapse, time warp can decrease your deactivation time, and allow you to move out of danger faster.
Ways to counter include: Not giving the enemy the opportunity to effectively activate destiny.

 

Vengeance + Remote Repair:
Vengeance in combination with remote repair, or another healing module (such as salvage), can be quite effective. Since vengeance has a hull threshold requirement, afterwards it can be helpful to regain some health.
Ways to counter include: Destroying the enemy ship before they have a chance to get vengeance off or heal afterwards. Not presenting an opportunity for the enemy to use vengeance, making remote repair less helpful.

 

Fortify + Vengeance:
Fortify forces all enemies to target you, but you take less damage. This can work well with vengeance in order to get it to activate more easily. You must be careful though, as being the sole target can be dangerous.
Ways to counter include: Keeping out of combat range of the enemy ship as to not provide a much of a reason or point to activate fortify, and therefore take enough damage to activate vengeance.

 

Suspend + Time Warp:
Suspend works well with its counterpart, time warp. Suspend overlaps time warp, and has a smaller radius. Therefore, if you have suspend and time warp activated it will slow you down but speed up everything around you. This works very well, especially in the final sector, as it speeds everyone else up but keeps you moving, and taking the constant damage, at a slower speed.
Ways to counter include: Remaining close to the enemy ship as to gain the slowdown bonus as well. Using strategies that aren’t affected by the enemies movement, such as bond.

 

Suspend + Emp: Suspend combined with emp can work well as it causes your deactivation timer to go down slower, and not be affected by other ships time warp. It can keep you in the final sector longer than some of the competition.
Ways to counter include: Remaining close to the enemy ship to gain the slowdown bonus, or extra deactivation time from their emp. Utilizing strategies to defeat the enemy outside of the final sector, or in ways that their longer deactivation time provides little help.

 

Suspend + Bond: Suspend combined with bond allows bond to last longer. While this also slows down you're movement, it does not slow down the border closing. Therefore if a ship is very close to the edge, you could more easily push them off, or, similar to barrier, hold them in the red area until the ring collapses. This works similar to barrier, but if they are slightly out of the ring, you can push the and then hold them, making it quite effective.
Ways to counter include: Breaking bond using another bond or a module that causes teleportation. Keeping away from the edge of the ring while in proximity of the enemy ship.

 

This is the Blue Star guide/tutorial. If there’s anything you think should be changed, or have any questions, please say so in comments