Making Money

So, you want to buy that refurbished Starbridge, or get in on that sweet deal on a Manticore? You need cash. How do you get that? I'm glad you asked. Below are all of the different ways of getting cash in Nova, and my opinions on them.

Trading

Trading is one of the easiest ways to make money, but making LOTS of money is much harder. If you can find a good trade route, and purchase/capture enough big escorts (Terrapin, Pegasus, Enterprise, Leviathan, Cambrian, Sprite), and continue with that one route until you can get an incredibly powerful warship (unless you're happy doing that route).

Actual trade routes aren't listed here, they'll be listed on the Trade Route page. Just keep your eyes open, and feel free to let me know of ones that you find...

Ordinary Missions

Ordinary Missions consist of plain missions that can be acquired through the Mission BBS. There are passenger missions (some require 1 ton of space, but most don't), ordinary freight missions (drop off cargo somewhere), and rush/urgent missions (missions with time limits on them). Passenger missions usually net you 5,000, while freight can get you between 15,000 and 18,000 credits. Rush and Urgent missions are worth a LOT more, but have much higher cargo capacities (most of the time). They can get you between 40,000 and 60,000 credits.

There is nothing wrong with doing ordinary missions, especially when you first start out. As you start to work your way of the galactic food chain, though, you'll rely on these less and less. As insignificant as these may seem, picking up a quickie passenger or freight mission when it is already on your way to a much more lucrative spot is always handy. You should check the BBS every once and a while. A few passenger missions can get you enough credits to get that Hellhound missile launcher you were looking at.

Piracy

Piracy runs rampant in some areas of the universe, and you can help it if you so choose. However, if you start taking out helpless traders, don't expect many people to like you. The best way to be a pirate is to rob other pirates. People won't mind that. :)

Capturing Ships

What I have done for practically every beta was to get a Starbridge and load it up with some Marine squads. These squads help you capture ships. In Nova, you can sell your escorts -- if you manage to steal 40,000 credits off a ship, and then sell it for another 200,000, you've made quite a profit.

Of course, you'll want to keep (and upgrade) at least a fraction of the ships you get, because eventually you can just let them do the attacking, making it even that much more profitable.