With any game like this, team composition is important, but I find this is especially so early on in Star Renegades

You will only have your 3 starting characters for the first boss

Usually, I try to go for

• 1 Tank or Tanky dps
  
• 1 Character with strong stagger abilities
  
• 1 Anti-armour

Obviously, some characters are more flexible than others and can cover multiple roles

Team 1 (By bpaint2807)

• Valkyrie (Off-tank / Damage / Stagger )
  
• Enforcer (Damage / Stun)
  
• Aegis (Tank)

A good standard new game run comp while you unlock other options and features

Team 2 (By Thndslz)

• Paragon (Stagger / Tanking / Damage)
  
• Saboteur (Stagger / Damage)
  
• Marksman (Damage / Anti-armour)

Flexible starting comp, with quite a bit of stagger and Marksman being your main source of damage output. Note: Sniper mode allows the marksman to hit the backline on later planets.

Team 3 (By Bonzai101)

• Juggernaut (Tank / Stagger / Anti armour)
  
• Saboteur (Stagger / Damage)
  
• Commando (Stagger / Damage / Anti armour)

Note: this comp has alot of stagger! , I was also using a weapon that marked the enemy on attack, so that helped my damage output quite a bit.

Combat can be quite easily broken down into the below components, as you only have a limited number of options when dealing with your enemies

• Get the killshot in before they can act
  
• Stagger the enemy enough, so they break
  
• Stun the enemy
  
• Taunt the enemy onto a tank
  
• Guard / Defend the damage

The key is, to try and optimise what you do, so you manage your enemies effectively and keep your party as healthy as possible

Things to note:

• To maximize your damage output, it is absolutely essential that you are landing crits with pretty much every attack you line up for your characters
  
• The easiest way to guarantee a crit, is by attacking an enemy that you have caused to break, through the amount of stagger applied
  
• To get the extra effects on abilities, you need to be landing crits
  
• The number beside an enemy on the timeline, is the amount of times you can apply stagger to them (Resets once they attack)
  
• Attacks that do not have the stagger indicator, do not use up stagger charges on the enemy when used
  
• Some debuffs can't be applied until you get through shields and / or armour
  
• Armour can't be damaged (unless you have piercing) with the shields up
  
• Armour mitigates pure damage, until destroyed (Especially strong vs. flurry attacks)
  
• Some attacks are instant and will execute as soon as you select them, they will not be added to the timeline

Camping allows you to build the relationships of your characters , any actions you do not use up while camping are wasted.
As well as buff them with the cards effects, some characters also have cards to heal HP damage
Giving them bonuses, above and beyond the card effects as well as combo attacks at 2 hearts
For more information, check the "CHARACTER - Relationship bonuses" section

If you see a character with 4 stars towards another character, you may want to try max out their affection......

• The more you stagger an enemy, the further they will be pushed back on the timeline next round
  
• With the above, you can actually push them another full round back.......
  
• If you do not attack an enemy for a round, or if you are defending, their stagger meter number will increase, giving you a better chance to stagger / break them next round
  
• Keep an eye on the number on the stagger gauge, you can stop yourself causing a break if you accidentally use up all the charges
  
• AOE Attacks are usually the main cause of the above
  
• If an enemy has a counter attack ability, you can attack them without being countered after their turn on the timeline (Doesn't count for damage return)
  
• A few extra levels on your party can make a big difference (Try to trigger the secret events!)

After completing the first planet, you get into a familiar pattern with the next 3

You have 3 cycles of 3 before facing the planets behemoth
Then gaining a new renegade, up to 5

You use up charges, to breach into areas, you can see a preview of what you are about to fight in the bottom right, before you press breach.

There are also 2 Lieutenants and 1 Commander, each guarding an item box
It can be a good idea to have a look at weaknesses (or lack of, a useful one, for this one) on the Imperium screen before taking them on!

Area's lock down every night, personally I try and position myself so that I can hit any areas I really want to reach after the first night cycle (not always possible), an unlucky lock down could stop you reaching where you are trying for
Note: The locations that are locking down are usually adjacent to the ones that locked down the night before

There are also events at night on occasion, which can aid your progress quite a bit
making you stronger, earlier

These may be triggered by:

• Defeating Eternalist enemies
  
• Defeating Warmonger enemies
  
• Defeating Syndicate enemies
  
• For the above, this is alongside breaching an area where the entrance can spawn
  
• Destroying Anti air turrets

There seems to be some randomization to this, so it is not a guarantee
(But you need to be in it, to win it!)
e.g Just opened up a factory tile, took out a Warmonger, factory event just triggered.

• Build up your Fury!
  
• Stagger bosses whenever possible
  
• Don't be afraid to spend a round just defending
  
• Take note of the number beside the boss on the stagger gauge, as you can accidentally use this up, which will cause the boss to not be staggered, like you were planning
  
• As you are attacking with a full party, you can usually expect to be attacked by the boss every second round
  
• If you are facing Lieutenants or Commanders, just be aware that they sometimes attempt to retreat when on low HP

By UMeffert
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2226718146

Now that I've seen this posted in a thread by a mod, I think it's safe to add to the guide.

If you come across a soft lock (the game is locked up, but music and animations are still going) during combat, either restart your game or

Open up the Console, by typing ~ 5 times
then put in the text
load combatsave
enter

This should reload the combat from the previous phase, if it was a specific attack causing the lock, I'd recommend not using it this round.



Further to this (if a mod needs me to remove this part, just let me know)

Within the console, you can actually regularly save.....
Which I STRONGLY recommend ONLY to use, to get around any lock ups or issues with an environment not allowing you to progress (usually by accessing the save just before you entered and getting a different instance), as you will suck the challenge out of the game otherwise

save nameofsave
load nameofsave

e.g I use this before entering secret areas, and a couple of times during a planet so I have a fall back point. save save1 at the start, save save2 at the end of the first night etc.

Simply a refresher on the in game tutorial, if you feel you need it.

Primary Role

• Off tank
  
• Damage

Secondary Role

• Stagger
  
• Anti Armour

Abilities of Note
1 - Slash, quick attack, decent stagger
2 - Battlecry, taunt, increase damage vs. single target
6 - Sever, 30s stagger + bleed (great when combined with a reach item)

Camping
Low cost camping abilities for building relationships
Can heal

My Notes
Solid pick for any team

Primary Role

• AOE
  
• Shield Regeneration

Secondary Role

• Buff
  
• Anti Armour
  
• Stagger

Abilities of Note
1 - Discharge, AOE stagger (Needs about +10s Stagger or more)
Otherwise you just chew up stagger charges
2 - Titan's Strength, +damage and allows the buffed character to target the backline, especially strong late game
6 - Degeneration, anti armour, instant cast
8 - Benediction, group shield restore, removes DOTs

Camping
Ok camping abilties
Consecration at level 5 is pretty decent (+10% dam, +10% def)

My Notes
Can cause issues if his AOE attacks aren't used effectively, I find his flexibility stands out at higher levels, can be a bit of a liability at low levels / without useful gear

Primary Role

• Stagger

Secondary Role

• Stun
  
• AOE

Abilities of Note
1 - Blitz, grand daddy of stagger abilties
2 - Trick shot, low fury stun
4 - Plant Explosives / Detonate, minor stagger, great for debuffing whole enemy team

Camping
Decent camping abilities
Can heal

My Notes
Stagger king, really shines if you can get him an item with reach

Primary Role

• Damage

Secondary Role

• Stun
  
• Counter attacks

Abilities of Note
1 - Burst Shot, reasonably quick, high damage
2 - Buck Shot, low fury stun
4 - Cover Fire, great vs. fury attacks
10 - Ripfire, Burst Shot on steroids

Camping
Lack luster camping abilities apart from
Level 7 Enforcer, gains an 'ALL' ability that costs 1 action, gives 4 hearts which is HUGE compared to most

My Notes
If your team isn't really missing anything and you need damage..........
Enforcer with some very broken items, image by Thndslz! (slightly modified)

Primary Role

• Tank
  
• Guard
  
• Damage Reflection

Secondary Role

• Stagger

Abilities of Note
1 - Deflect, hands down the best defence ability
2 - Charge shields, Needs a complimentary item to have good fury economy
4 - Shield throw, great stagger, can hit back row

Camping
High cost camping abilities
Her level 9 ability is the only real stand out, not that it will be active vs. the final boss...

My Notes
Great tank, but I find she is very gear dependant, needs good fury economy on her charge shields for her to really shine.
In the late game, instead of using deflect I find you need to use guard and fortress more and more, increasing the damage she takes significantly.

Primary Role

• Damage
  
• Anti armour

Secondary Role

• Stagger

Abilities of Note
1 - Sniper mode, slower, heavier attacks, can hit the back row
1 - Killshot, high damage, single target
4 - Keen shot, decent stagger, combine this with sniper mode to stagger back row targets
6 - Disintegrate, decent damage, anti armour

Camping
Ok abilities
Shootin tips at level 5 (applying marked) is a stand out

My Notes
Solid pick for any team, but is a bit frail, so needs a tank or off tank that can look after him

Primary Role

• Buffing

Secondary Role

• Shield Regen
  
• Stagger

Abilities of Note
2 - Inspire, 2nd action for ally
4 - Shield aura, regen shields each round
6 - Empathic surge, shields each round
8 - Strength aura, +15% damage (all)

Camping
Decent abilties, good economy
Can heal

My Notes
Bit of a liability until level 6, then starts to really pull her weight

Primary Role

• Stagger
  
• Anti armour

Secondary Role

• Damage

Abilities of Note
1 - Counter attacks (passive)
1 - Salvo, quick attack, high stagger
1 - Broadside, reasonable damage, reasonable armour damage
2 - Armour piercing rounds, +50% armour damage (all)
6 - Man-o-war, Great damage

Camping
Ok camping abilities
Vague Trueism (level 5) is a standout (+25% shield damage for all)

My Notes
Solid pick for any team, having dual weapons means you can get some pretty ridiculous item combos going, really benefits from a reach item also

Primary Role

• Damage
  
• Anti armour
  
• Stagger

Secondary Role

• Off tank

Abilities of Note
1 - Take That!, quick, decent stagger
1 - Carve, anti armour
2 - Reflection shield, reflects damage, buffs defense
6 - Slaughter house, anti armour, aoe
10 - Cut Open, uber carve

Camping
High cost camping abilities
Complex scheme at level 3 is pretty good (reflect damage 15%) (group)

My Notes
Jack of a few trades, master of none, has a very similar feel to the Valkyrie, but has more anti-armour potential. Great to specialize him with gear.

Primary Role

• Tank
  
• Anti armour

Secondary Role

• Shield Regen
  
• Stagger

Abilities of Note
1 - Battering Ram, second best tank ability
1 - Punch, anti armour, decent stagger
2 - Absorb, only good with shield regen on others
4 - Unleash, instant stagger, can hit back line
(Especially useful for characters like crusaders)
6 - Slam, stronger anti armour

Camping
Low cost camping abilities for building relationships
Can repair armour

My Notes
My personal favourite when it comes to tanking, I find her alot more flexible than Aegis

Darkblue's Notes (see discussion in the guide's comments with Bonzai101)
Juggernaut is best used almost similar to Paragon (ie taunt), as she has no ally protection like Aegis.
As of build August 2021, Aegis is a still better tank when it comes to protecting the team due to her "Recharge Shield" ability that works on its own, unlike Juggernaut' "Leech" which requires her to steal an ally's shield to recharge her own.
Juggernaut works best with a more resilient team, while Aegis works best when you have a bunch of glass cannons that constantly need protection.

Primary Role

• Damage
  
• Stagger

Secondary Role

• Anti armour
  
• Stun

Abilities of Note
1 - Backstab, decent damage, anti armour, stagger and can hit the back line
1 - Bladeshot, decent damage, stagger
2 - Dissipate, low cost stun
6 - Jagged Slash, pretty sure this is the highest single target damage ability
8 - Unstoppable, anti armour, aoe

Camping
Great starting ability to assist tanks
AOE heal (25%)

My Notes
S class
Spectre with some very broken items, image from Thndslz! (Slightly modified)

Primary Role

• Stagger
  
• Debuff

Secondary Role

• Counter Attacks
  
• Shield Restoration

Abilities of Note
1 - Spinback, quick, decent stagger, can hit back line
1 - Contract Killer, quick, applies marked, great for debuffing
6 - Echo, cover fire on whole team, restores shields
10 - Contract II, applies marked (permanent)

Camping
Good camping kit
Delayed adulthood at level 3 is a cheap way to debuff enemy shields (-25% shield def)

My Notes
Being able to stagger the back line is very useful, lately I've been using her with an item that marks the target, to stack marks / debuffs (She lines them up, others knock them down)
Not to mention, with the right item/s and Echo......

Primary Role

• Off tank
  
• Stagger

Secondary Role

• Damage
  
• Shield Restoration (self)

Abilities of Note
1 - Blade throw, good damage, anti armour, great for debuffing
1 - Siphon stab, great with +stagger, and vs. large groups, not as useful for single target
4 - Riposte, taunt, counter attack, great vs. flurry

Camping
Disappointing camping ability economy
Can heal, his only really 'good' camping ability

My Notes
Personally, I think the Paragon needs some added flexibility, right now, I think his only 'strong' build is around aoe stagger
A version of which is:

Primary Role

• Support
  
• Debuff

Secondary Role

• Guard

Abilities of Note

1 - Vorpal Swarm - Free action attack (flurry) that can be stacked according to the current number of Spirit he has collected
1 - Stronghold - Renders all allies (but not himself) immune to damage for one turn
1 - Change element - Can freely change the element of his attacks, one element at a time out of 7 choices. Does not affect Vorpal Swarm.

Camping

Niche camping kit, but helpful where it counts
Reborn restores 100% health, Vorpal Stitches recover 50% armor
Vorpal Bond is can supply him with constant Spirit if you know how to best use it

Notes

• As of August 2021, he is a very excellent support that can fill any little cracks you have during battle
  
• Vorpal Swarm, which doesn't cost any turn, can quick-kill enemies that are hanging on with little HP left
  
• Switching to concussion element allows him to do above-average staggers, especially when equipped with the right items
  
• Works best with reach items
  
• Note: his health fully regens after battle, but he doesn't utilize shield, so don't waste shield items on him

Entry by guide collaborator Darkblue

By UMeffert
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2228990738
The very best relationship for damage output is the Spectre + Enforcer, this gives ridiculous bonuses when using Marked and crit damage in general

Inflicts Extra Xs Stagger

Note: The Zenith is from an unlock and works especially well on the Paragon

Regen Shields / Auto Regen Shields
Auto Regen Shields - Regenerates that amount of shields per turn
Regen Shields - Works with abilities that give you shields back, enhancing them
Note: The Colossus & Exalter are from unlocks and works especially well on the Gunslinger, Empath and Archon

Reach
Light attacks can reach back row (Or if you are luckier, any)

Note: The Peacekeeper implant is from an unlock and works especially well on the Saboteur or Commando

Corruption
When applied to enemies, reduces incoming damage from them

Note: Works especially well on characters who can cast AOE's

Mark
Negative 25% Defense vs Crit damage, Cannot Stealth
Note: The Conquest and Beholder are from unlocks and work well on characters who attack quickly

Vulnerable
Negative X% Defense vs Crit damage


Armor Damage
+ X Armour damage, if your team is struggling to get through armour

Perks - Unlock through general progress, can be used as part of team selection
Characters - Unlock to have them available to choose for your starting team
Weapons - Unlock to find on your run / select one to start with
Bonus

By UMeffert
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2235214554

By DANW0LF
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2224874039

This Behemoth hits HARD for the level you are at, therefore it's essential that your party has a decent amount of stagger, anti-armour and damage.

After you bring down this bosses shield, he will go into a regen / counter phase

I find it is best, to have 1 character stagger him, just enough to push him into the next phase.

This way, you can let him finish his ability (disabling the counter attacks), then get in 3 (non-crit) attacks to weaken his shields before starting the next round
Btw this is not a good example of a party to use, was trying to do an unlock .... it was not successful

The biggest thing for this boss is, DO NOT STUN HIM, just whittle him down, trying to take as little damage as possible.
His 2nd attack will hit a random character, so you just need to try and manage your shields and health the best you can.
And some turns you just need to defend....

The damage output showing on your side is usually for this bosses full attack hitting your party, not just from the damage return.

Make sure to inspect his abilities and judge how much the damage return is actually going to be before executing any attacks.

Defend! When you need to.

He has high stagger resistance, so hitting him with weak stagger abilities will only burn through the available stagger charges.

I've always found the overseer to be a bit of a push over, it does mean you can go into the next fight with full fury though
The key being to deal with the top tentacle first to remove the counter attacks, finish off the 2nd tentacle then crush the overseer under your boot ; D

Note: The ability called "more mother" (I believe) summons more tentacles, so stopping this from being used is usually a good idea

The final boss is a bit of a war of attrition, and can broken down into multiple phases
Note: You may want to move the bomb into the back row, if you have not already and you won't have any camping abilities for this fight

Phase 1
The boss has two low power adds, take your time with this section

• Build up resources for special abilities
  
• The first phase usually ends when the boss is on low or no shields
  
• If possible, try and get as much health damage as possible in, just before this triggers

Alternatively

• If you have high enough damage / stagger you can take the boss out, skipping phase 2

Phase 2
The boss summons two adds

• I usually find this to be the trickiest part of the battle
  
• The duel wielding add is usually easier to take out
  
• Both adds have AOE attacks, it's good to save stuns for this, as you can have multiple in a single round
  
• If you take out the boss first, you can end up with a combination of phase 2 & 4

Phase 3
Once the adds are downed, it's just you and the boss

• Take your time with this phase, if you can, you may be hurting quite a bit at this point
  
• Build up resources for special abilities
  
• This phase ends when the bosses health hits zero

Phase 4 - Final
A Vat is spawned that revives and mutates the boss

• Take out the Vat asap as it is much easier to kill than the boss and has AOE attacks
  
• The boss is much easier to stagger / break in this phase
  
• Whittle down the boss
  
• Celebrate once his (or her, or it's) HP reaches zero!

Alternatively

• If you have high enough damage / utility / stun you can take the Vat out, skipping phase 4

• Darkblue's notes: Take note that the Vat will appear WITHOUT waiting for the Battle Preview to finish. What this means is that: as soon as you finished the Boss for the first time, the Vat will instantly appear DURING the battle preview, revives the Boss and the Boss will be back immediately by the next turn, blocking you from attacking the Vat (unless you have attacks that can reach the back row). If you finish the Boss with an instant attack, the Vat will immediately appear and revive the Boss as well.
  
  
• Contd: You cannot stop the Vat from reviving the Boss. However, you can sneak in some damage on the Vat, especially its pesky shield, before the turn ends.
  
  
• NOTE 1: So, when you're about to finish the boss for the first time (before the Vat appears), try to finish him/her in the middle of the battle preview. DO NOT FINISH THE BOSS IMMEDIATELY with INSTANT ATTACKS.
  
  
• NOTE 2 / Preparation: Also, avoid using all your members to finish him/her. Instead, let the Boss have a little remaining health, small enough that you're sure you can easily finish it with only ONE member of your team. This is how you know you're ready to attack.
  
  
• STEP 1: Now, queue up the first member to finish the Boss, and then after that queue up high-damage members to attack the Boss. Since the first member will finish the Boss, the other members will attack whatever comes up next.
  
  
• STEP 2: After you queue your attacks, and when you end your turn and the battle preview rolls, the first member will finish the Boss, and immediately the Vat will appear. The Vat will revive the Boss, but that's ok because the rest of your members will resume their queue. They will attack the Vat during the Battle Preview.
  
  
• END: By the time the next turn starts, the Boss is already revived, blocking you from attacking the Vat (unless you can reach the back row), but at least you have damaged the Vat already. The best case scenario is having its shield broken and maybe a little bit of its armor and health chipped away by this turn.
  
  
• Contd: You won't be able to finish the Vat instantly, but at least you could still make it fair since the Vat gets a free turn the first time you finished the Boss. You can still dish out considerable damage on the Vat with renegades like the Spectre and Marksman, making it easier to finish the Vat for the rest of the battle.

Week ending 25/10/20 - v1.1.3

• Amended a screenshot in the camping section to point out information
  
• Renamed guide to "Beginners Guide"

Week ending 11/10/20 - v1.1.2

• Added some points to COMBAT - General
  
• Amended Paragon section

Week ending 04/10/20 - v1.1.1

• Minor changes to the Behemoth 3 section
  
• Minor changes to the Combat section
  
• Minor changes to the Character sections
  
• Images added of characters with strong builds
  
• Linked UMeffert's relationship guide
  
• Updated the game lockup section (To be removed at a later date)

26/09/2020 - v1.1.0

• Removed Tier list section
  
• Removed Ability, pointers section
  
• Removed Characters, my personal go to section
  
• Removed Characters, portraits section
  
• Added Changelog
  
• Added Character page for each

Just a section to acknowledge those who have contributed to the guide directly in some way, Cheers!

• UMeffert +++
  
• bpaint2807
  
• Kitsu Chiri, Methodical Busybody
  
• Warzoid
  
• Runiver
  
• MongooseCalledFred
  
• Torus
  
• DANW0LF +
  
• Thndslz ++
  
• Dawnshift
  
• Megumin
  
• Enfys Ellezard