Strategic layer · Verified September 22, 2026
Map the confirmed systems between missions without pretending there is one universal upgrade order.
Direct answer
Review personnel and medical needs first, then mission-fit equipment, finances and contracts, followed by allies and intelligence. This is a conservative review order built from officially named systems, not a published optimal upgrade path.
Use the classes and squad guide for roster questions and the beginner loop for the connection between deployment and recovery.
Build the Workshop. Patch 1.0.1 removed the Recon Drone contract and makes the Recon Drone available immediately afterward. If an older guide or FAQ tells you to sign that contract first, use the newer August 24 patch note for this specific unlock.
The Hunter Drone is a different item: the same patch fixes its damage display. That does not establish a shared unlock, damage value, equipment slot or deployment key for both drones.
Availability is not the same as being equipped. The checked sources do not establish the equipment slot or deploy key; use the current item tooltip for those controls.
Check the unlock and missing-item routeThis is the rename route stated in the official FAQ, not a class-change control.
Check recruit-class selection statusThe FAQ distinguishes veterans: they have special skins and do not use the same regular-soldier customization.
Compare regular soldiers and veteransThese menu routes come from the developer FAQ, with the Recon Drone contract corrected by the newer patch. Both sources were checked on September 22, 2026.
The Steam store names recruiting, upgrading, equipment purchases, logistics, finances, medical supplies and downtime. It also names allied factions, relationship building, intelligence gathering and covert operations. These are confirmed categories, not a published economy model. See the Steam store base-management description, checked on September 22, 2026.
Recruit, protect, treat and recover the operators who carry the campaign.
Purchase equipment and manage logistics against mission needs.
Track finances and medical supplies before committing to a contract.
Allies, intel and covert operations can change access and options.
Our editorial order is to check casualties and recovery, then loadouts, finances and the next contract. Update 1.0.2 adds useful displays for these checks:
Exoskeleton is late-game armor available from loot or the Black Market. The campaign economy was rebalanced, but the announcement gives no purchase prices, recovery formula or optimal upgrade order.
Official 1.0.2 release notes, reviewed September 29, 2026. Use rookie class selection for recruitment; the existing Workshop and rename instructions above describe separate actions.
The official description says decisions can affect missions, gear and allies, while the public sources do not publish every threshold or lockout. A short record makes campaign changes easier to understand without claiming a hidden rule.
This log is most useful when paired with the spoiler-light campaign guide. It can produce reproducible questions for a later update without turning correlation into a factual mechanic.
Steam explicitly says decisions determine access to missions, gear and allies. That makes a contract more than a standalone tactical map. Read choice text carefully, keep a save where the game permits it, and avoid assuming that every branch can be completed in one campaign. The source does not define every lockout or whether all branches are reversible.
Steam’s global achievement list adds several visible milestones: “Floating Fortress” asks players to build all bays, “Top Manager” asks them to land all contracts, “Gang’s All Here” covers all veterans and “All the King’s Men” covers the maximum soldier count. These confirm meaningful base and roster completion goals, but the page does not reveal costs or unlock order.
Exact building costs, bay prerequisites, medical rates, contract economics, relationship thresholds and a universal upgrade order are not present in the approved source set. They should be documented only from a current official source or reproducible full-game evidence tied to a version. Until then, use the installed game interface for numbers and treat confident launch-week optimization claims with caution.