Who This Guide Is For
This guide is for players who are brand new to Sectorum — whether you've never played a space trading game before, or you're a TradeWars 2002 veteran who just wants to understand what's different. By the end, you'll have a firm grasp of the core gameplay loop and be ready to build your strategy.
Step 1: Create Your Account
Go to game.sectorum.net and create a free account. No payment information required. Choose a commander name — this is how other players will know you in the galaxy. Pick something memorable, because your reputation will stick with it.
Step 2: Understand Your Ship
You start with a basic ship. Your ship has several key attributes:
- Cargo holds — how much commodity you can carry per trade run
- Shields & hull — your defensive capacity in combat
- Fighters — offensive firepower and sector defense
- Turns — every action costs turns; you receive a daily allotment
Early on, prioritize upgrading cargo holds. More cargo = more profit per trade run = faster growth.
Step 3: Learn the Turn Economy
Turns are Sectorum's most important resource. You start each day with a set number of turns. Moving between sectors costs turns. Trading at ports costs turns. Every action is a choice about how to deploy your limited daily budget. Early mistakes here are the most common reason new players struggle.
Rule of thumb for beginners: Never spend turns traveling to a port unless you're sure it's profitable. Scout before committing.
Step 4: Make Your First Trade
Find a port in your starting sector or nearby. Ports trade in three commodities: Ore, Organics, and Equipment. Each port buys some and sells others. Your job is to find pairs of ports where you can buy low at one and sell high at another.
- Arrive at a port and check what it's buying and selling
- Buy a commodity it's selling cheap
- Navigate to a nearby port that buys that commodity
- Sell it for a profit
- Repeat — this is a trade route
It sounds simple. The depth comes from figuring out which routes are most efficient with your turn budget, and protecting those routes from competitors.
Step 5: Understand the Galaxy Map
The galaxy is a network of 1000+ sectors connected by warps. Each sector can contain ports, planets, NPC ships, and other players. As you explore, you'll build a mental — or literal — map of profitable routes, dangerous zones, and strategic opportunities.
Early in your career, stick to sectors near your starting area. Players with established empires tend to claim the most profitable sectors near the center. The edge of the galaxy often has unclaimed opportunity for new players willing to explore.
Step 6: Recruit Your First Crew Member
As you earn credits, you can begin recruiting crew members. Your first crew member should reinforce your primary activity — trade specialists if you're trading, combat officers if you're planning to fight. Don't wait too long to start building your crew; the experience advantage compounds over time.
Step 7: Find a Corporation
Solo play in Sectorum is viable but difficult at scale. The galaxy's top players are organized into corporations — alliances that coordinate trade routes, defend territory, and wage war collectively. Finding a good corporation early dramatically accelerates your growth and protects you from being preyed upon.
Check the Discord community linked at the homepage to find corporations actively recruiting new members.
Step 8: Plant Your First Colony
Once you have some credits and turns to spare, finding and colonizing an uninhabited planet is a major milestone. Your first colony starts producing passive resources, which means income while you're offline. Think of it as your first passive income stream — the first step toward building an empire.
Common New Player Mistakes
- Wasting turns on unprofitable routes. Always calculate profit-per-turn before committing.
- Ignoring crew recruitment. Start building your crew as soon as you can afford to.
- Flying into contested sectors without scouting. Check sector status before warping into danger.
- Not joining a corporation. The game is much harder alone. Find allies early.
- Neglecting planetary defense. An undefended colony is a free target.