Be aware! The hints below may contain spoilers!

• 1. Is there a best ship to choose in Drox Operative? It depends on your playing style. Each ship has it's own advantages. However, for early play the Fringe ship might work for you because it has a race specific slot for a power plant which allows more powerful (and power hungry) weapons to be equipped. Each race's ships have different bonuses which can be viewed at the bottom right of the "Create Ship" screen when you start a new character.
  
• 2. Consider creating a "practice" ship the first time you start. You can always create a new ship after you learned more about how to best equip it.
  
• 3. If you can, place a cargo bay you buy/find in your shared stash; and place extra Ramjet Drives, Battery rechargers, and EMPs in the stash. You can then access these items and equip them if you start over with a new ship (character). This will make starting a new ship much easier and fun as you'll have more speed and weapons.
  
• 4. On the "Set Up Sector" screen, DO NOT select a sector size larger than small. Larger sectors can be quite huge, and quests may be quite difficult to complete as a result due to the distances involved. However, it's completely up to you. If you like a longer game and exploring, a larger sector might work for you.
  
• 5. Hover the mouse cursor over items to learn more about that item.
  
• 6. Press "H" to bring up context sensitive help. Note the "Full Help Topics" button to obtain more help.
  
• 7. Learn to fly using the "W" key to thrust. And learn to use either the mouse cursor or the "A" and "D" keys to steer.
  
• 8. Learn to fire your weapons using the number keys on your keyboard and the right-click slots.
  
• 9. Starlanes and Wormholes (used to travel to other star systems) are ALWAYS located at the outer edges of a star system.
  
• 10. Always activate any Jump Gates (also used to travel to other star systems) you find by clicking on them. If 2 or more Jump Gates are activated, you can travel between the systems that have activated Jump Gates. You can also purchase Jump Gate activation from a race who owns that gate. Some are not owned by anyone though.
  
• 11. Equip your ship with better components as soon as possible. When you find a component that is better than what you are currently using, equip it (if your power load permits - avoid Power Overload!). Especially equip your ship with better drives (engines) whenever you can to improve your thrust. To increase thrust you can also equip 2 drives in 2 different heavy slots if you so choose.
  
• 12. Don't travel to another star system until you have improved your ship with better weapons, shields and armor. Monster ships are usually more dangerous in adjacent systems. When just starting; if you find an EMP, equip it. Then you will have 2 (or more) weapons. An EMP can destroy multiple ships at once. A Battery Charger will help you recharge your energy after using weapons.
  
• 13. Equip Power Plants to give you additional power. Better weapons require significant power, so you will need to eventually have a power plant of some kind. Always upgrade your power plant whenever possible. Your available power is shown at the bottom of your ship components screen (Press "I").
  
• 14. Check the Relations screen often (Press "R") after you have discovered a few alien races. You can see which race is winning (at the moment) by checking the Power Rankings.
  
• 15. Click on a race's icon on the Relations screen to interact further with that race.

• 1. Do NOT upgrade to a larger ship (by adding Crew Points to Command) until you have improved your thrust significantly. A larger ship requires more thrust to go as fast. If you upgrade to a larger ship without first upgrading/increasing your thrust; your ship will fly and turn slower, and you will be very unhappy!
  
• 2. Star Lanes, Wormholes, and Jump Gates are the only way to travel between star systems. Star Lanes and Wormholes are ALWAYS located at the outer edges of a star system.
  
• 3. An Unstable Wormhole sends you to unknown star system: To get back, find the Jump Gate to that system, activate it, and use it to return to your home system. This might be challenging if there are a lot of monsters in that system so be careful! Using star lanes and wormholes may take a very long time to get you back, so use the Jump Gate to quickly get back to known territory.
  
• 4. Jump Gates can be found anywhere within a star system. Two Jump Gates must be activated (by either clicking on it or by purchasing activation from the race that owns it) to travel between those two Jump Gates. Your home Jump Gate is always active.
  
• 5. If you accept a quest in a system that you haven't discovered, that system will show up on your Sector map. But that system will show no connections yet. As a general rule, if the unconnected system is to the right of your present system, explore right to find a starlane to that system. This works most of the time, but not always.
  
• 6. When you encounter a Star Lane or Wormhole, USE it immediately by clicking on it. You can then immediately return if you want. This will identify the system to which it will take you, and that new system will then show up on your Sector Map.
  
• 7. Use your Minimap (in the upper right corner) to see where many discovered things are located. The Minimap can be used to aid you in getting back to discovered star lanes, wormholes, jump gates, and other things without having to look at the system map. Placing your cursor over an item (such as a star lane) on the minimap will also identify that item.
  
• 8. Use Waypoints to mark items on a star system's map. To set a Waypoint bring up the system map (press "M"), and then right-click where you want to set the waypoint marker. Right-clicking the marker again will remove it. The waypoint will show up on your Minimap as well, and you can also right-click on the marker on the minimap to remove it.
  
• 9. Getting to a previously discovered planet: Note: This only works if you are using the mouse to steer: If you are in the system containing that planet, you can bring up the System map (press "M" and DO NOT scroll the map). Place your cursor directly over the planet to which you wish to travel; then, without moving the mouse, press "Esc", and then press "W" to begin thrusting. You ship should begin flying directly towards that planet.
  
• 10. Pay attention to the race's cruise, diplomatic, and other major ships. When they are traveling, they are headed directly to a starlane, wormhole, or planet. You can follow them; or, better yet, fly ahead in the direction they were headed to discover star lanes, wormholes and planets.
  
• 11. Kill Alien Monster Quests: After accepting this type of quest, use the Quests screen (press "Q") to select that quest from the list; and at the bottom of that quest's description (which tells you the system where the monster may be found), click the "Search for enemy" button. A waypoint marking the last known position of that monster will be placed in the monster's system.
  
• 12.Comets and stranded ships will be displayed on their system map to be easily identified and located.

• 1. Equip new or better weapons as soon as possible, and learn to use the number keys to fire your weapons.
  
• 2. Beware of traps! When you click on anomalies, space junk, derelict ships, etc., fly away from them imediately after clicking on them to avoid possible explosions and unstable, hidden wormholes (which can transport you to a system far, far away). If you do get flung to some unknown star system, find that system's Jump Gate and use it to return to your home system for free.
  
• 3. Keep your ship always moving during battle. Turn on "Thrusters Toggle" in Options/Game Options and tap the "W" key to start thrusting (a left-click stops thrusting). Use either the "A" and "D" keys to steer; or use the mouse cursor to steer by turning on "Thruster Cursor" in Options/Game Options.
  
• 4. If you encounter a hoard of ships, you can run away from them and drop mines if you have a human ship. If not, you can buy/find and equip a mine weapon at a later time. You can run outside the star system to escape (no mines or bad guys out there).
  
• 5. Fight some monster ships from a distance and you might not be fired on as much. Missiles have a greater range and so help you fight from a distance. However, if you equip an EMP weapon, flying into the middle of a hoard of monster ships and firing the weapon can often destroy several ships and missiles with one shot. So your attack strategy will need to be based on what type of weapon you have equipped.
  
• 6. Equip Battery Rechargers, Batteries, and better Power Plants when possible. Power and Energy are key components to allow you to use more powerful weapons. When equipping powerful weapons, pay close attention to your Power Load on the Ship Components screen (press "I"). Avoid a Power Overload situation which can cripple your ship.
  
• 7. Note where Recharge Stations, dimensional pockets, and Star Lanes/Wormholes are located. You can often use these to escape a hoard of monster ships. You can make a mental note of their location, or mark the first two with a waypoint marker by right-clicking on the system map (which will show on minimap as well).
  
• 8. Use friendly planets for recharging shields and repairing you ship. If your relations are above 50% with a race, you can get your shields recharged for free when you click on one of their colonies. If you select "Trade" at a colony planet, you can also have repairs made for a fee (bottom buttons on the "Trade" screen).
  
• 9. You might want to declare war on Talon, Overlord, and Legion races as soon as they appear. These 3 races are extremely difficult to deal with. Making friends with them is nearly impossible (at least in my experience). If you let them gain strength, they may become a powerful enemy. I'd destroy them as soon as possible.

• 1. Solving Quests is NOT the primary focus in Drox Operative. Though important, solving quests is simply another tool to affect your relations with the races. However, you do receive XP (experience points) and money for solving quests, so solving/not solving quests is totally up to you. It is possible (though difficult) to win a sector without solving a single quest.
  
• 2. Most quests can be accepted (obtained) and solved using the Relations screen (press "R"). Clicking on a race's icon that has a "?" or "!" on it will bring up that races menu from which you can choose to get most quests or solve them. Some quests (such as delivery and colonize a planet quests) can only be accepted at the quest planet. After completing any quest, it can be solved from the Relations screens though.
  
• 3. Solving a quest for one race will not only effect your relations with that race, but will also affect your relations with all the other races.
  
• 4. You can complete quests without ever accepting them from a race. For instance, if you destroy a hoard of monster ships, a race may have had a quest for that task. Since you completed the task (even without knowing about it), a race will indicate that you completing that task with a (!) on a planet or on the Relations screens.
  
• 5. Quests in your current star system will be marked with a green asterisk (*) This makes it easy to select just the quests for local star systems.
  
• 6. You do not get credit for a quest until you solve it. So, you can complete quests but wait to solve them later if you want. That way you can wait until you see which race(s) is likely to dominate a sector, and then solve the completed quests for that race(s) to improve relations which can help you establish treaties with that race (which is how I play the game).
  
• 7. Quest items (items that a colony needs) will have a green exclamation point (!) in the upper left corner of their icon. If you check near the bottom of the quest item's highlight text (just hover your mouse cursor over its icon), it will tell you what race, planet, and system needs that item. So you can buy the quest item without ever accepting the quest, deliver it to a planet that needs that item (you sell it to them); and a green exclamation point will appear on that planet indicating that you have completed that quest. You can choose to solve it right away or later from the Relations screen.

There are lots of traps and mines in Drox Operative to avoid.

Unstable Wormholes: These resemble normal (stable) wormholes. The unstable wormholes can transport you to any location against your will. So your ship could be flung to some distant star system. Stable wormholes will have a nametag while unstable ones will have NO nametag. Also, unstable wormholes appears less focused (blurrier effect) and are a slightly different color.
If you do get accidentally transported to a far off system, find and use that system's Jump Gate (do NOT use star lanes or wormholes) to return to your home system. Your home system has an asterisk next to it on a Jump Gate's sector map.

Trapped Items: Nearly any item you click on can be trapped. Storage pods, space junk, derelict ships, etc. can be trapped with explosives, unstable wormholes, ambushing monster ships, and more. The best way to avoid these traps is to click on the item, and then fly away from it as quickly as possible. Use the "W" key to fly away!. Don't use the left mouse button to fly away as you will stop investigating the item as soon as you depress the left mouse button to fly away. You can avoid many traps this way.

Mines: There are several types of mines that are set off if you approach too closely. Avoid these when ever possible. However, if you have lots of shielding and/or armor, you can fly near an explosive mine to detonate it to destroy/damage a group of ships nearby; but you'll suffer some damage as well, so be careful.

Cloaked Mines: Later in the game there are cloaked (hidden) mines. They can be seen but are barely visible, so you'll need a keen eye to spot and avoid them.

Since drops are random, Cargo Bays can sometimes be rare to find. So be on the lookout for them!

• If you want to open ONLY your Cargo Bays (without opening the ship components), use the "up" arrow next to your Cargo Bay stats (shown below).

• Components (items) can only be stored in Cargo Bays.
  
• You need to place a Cargo Bay(s) in in you Ship Stash or Shared Stash in order to store components in the Stashes. You can then store components in the installed Cargo Bays.
  
• Store excess components in your Shared Stash that you feel will be useful when you create a new ship. Items such as Ramjet Drives, EMPs, Battery Rechargers, Power Plants, Mines, weapons, and even other cargo bays are often good choices. You can then equip them immediately (if you want) when you start a new ship.