Choose the resource loop you want to manage

Playstack describes commanders as different combinations of abilities, perks, artifact synergies and XP scaling. The official spotlights below explain those identities; they were published before launch, so check the current tooltip before relying on a precise balance value. This is a playstyle reference, not a performance tier list. The opposing StarVaders pilots can disrupt the plan, which makes a commander’s resource loop only one part of a run.

Captain: spend Budge or preserve it

The Captain spotlight gives The Mothership one Budge at turn start and artifact XP when a pair scores in its column. Monocle lets a lone Base Die count as a pair. Rocketship rewards spending Budge with random unit STR, while Bunker rewards saved Budge with Mult at turn start. These point in different directions: decide whether the current plan needs an immediate value adjustment or a saved-resource payoff. The spotlight describes the choices; it does not rank them across runs.

Check the arrow condition before building a chain

Tyler notices that an artifact he wanted to activate needs its arrow condition satisfied. He changes the relevant placement to Comet so that his Base Dice pair can produce the XP interaction he wanted. Before buying another piece for a chain, check the receiving artifact’s trigger. An effect that looks useful on the board is not necessarily activated by the action your engine performs.

In this run, the Mini Dice engine beats the Leviathan plan

For a conditional Captain recommendation, Tyler’s release run offers a direct comparison: his initial Leviathan carry idea becomes less important than an Astromancer and Xeno Seed engine. He says Leviathan is not his heaviest hitter. Asteroids trigger the artifact in their column, and repeated Mini Dice generation lets the connected effects do more work. He finishes the run with that direction. Prefer developing this interaction when its pieces are already working together; the recording does not prove it is the strongest Captain build across difficulties or patches.

Sources

Sources checked October 4, 2026. Player reports remain attributed; this site has not performed the gameplay tests.