is broken up into sectors that have different attributes. The map is built out of hexes. Players are able to build stations in order to claim a hex as their own. They are then able to improve those stations in order to provide a wide variety of bonuses. In addition, they can build a variety of outposts which allows them to specialize their station in a specific role. Players are also able to discover missions around the map. These missions are events that provide the player with timed cards and other rewards. Finding missions is an important pathway to more resources. Victory Conditions At least one of the following three victory conditions are always present in the game. Strategic Victory - is won by the empire or alliance with the most victory points. Victory points are earned by capturing and controlling mysterious mechanisms and enigmatic mechanisms, which are worth 1 and 3 victory points respectively. Dyson Victory - Is won by the empire or alliance with the highest level Dyson Shell in their Dyson Sphere. Dyson Spheres are unlocked by controlling a certain amount of grand terrestrial planets that surround each Dyson Sphere. Spheres are levelled by building and upgrading the Dyson Shell building in each Dyson Sphere. Territorial Victory - Is won by the empire with the most hexes claimed. Players can claim hexes by building stations anywhere apart from the starting zones or Omega Sector. Policies Policies are empire-wide buffs that unlock at a certain level. Commanders are able to unlock more policies as they level up. In order to use policies, a player must first join a faction, which opens up a unique set of policy slots depending on the faction. Policies fall into four categories: Military, Domain, Industry and Wildcard. Each category has a wide variety of policies that can help players specialize their empire towards espionage, production, military, or tech builds. Factions There are a total of six playable factions in Starborne, and four additional factions for the Dead Zone game variant. Each faction has a unique set of lore, features, policy slots, and ship effects. Atlas Syndicate Is a financial conglomerate with deep political and economic ties to almost every other faction in the Starborne universe. The Atlas Syndicate’s commitment to a neutral political stance, combined with a highly favorable tax regime, helps to entice organizations of all stripes. This has helped the faction