Beginner's Guide: Tips and Basics - Kerbal Space Program 2 Guide - IGN (2024)

Kerbal Space Program 2 is a space flight simulator/sandbox set in the world of Kerbin, and its orbiting moon, The Mun. In KSP2, you are a rocket scientist who must build and test rockets, spaceships, and planes. The more successful the flights, the more successful the space program is.

This is a true sandbox game that allows you to build any type of ship and launch it. You can configure it however you wish as long as the main rocket components are included. Because of this, it can get a little confusing as to what you can do and how to get started. This Beginner's Guide will detail everything you need to know when starting out in Kerbal Space Program 2.

Beginner's Guide: Tips and Basics Explained

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• Starting a Campaign
• Basic Features
• Training Center
• Vehicle Assembly Building
• Launchpad
• Space Map View
• Essential Tips and Tricks

Starting a Campaign

When you start a campaign, you can set the Difficulty (East, Normal, Hard, Rocket Scientist, Custom), which adjusts General controls like Reverting and QuickLoad, and it can give you access to Stock Vehicles. You can adjust the Docking Tolerance as well as toggle "Infintite Fuel" and "Infinite Power."

You can customize your Agency Flag and colors. These colors will be applied to any spaceship or spaceplane that you build. Once you have these basic controls set, you are ready to go and can begin the campaign.

Once the campaign begins, you have free reign. You can start by checking out the Training Center tutorials or starting in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Basic Features

Kerbal Space Program 2 features key buildings that you will engage with during your playthrough. The main buildings are the Training Center, Vehicle Assembly Building, and the Launchpad.

The Training Center provides tutorials to help you understand the basic mechanics of the game. There are four modules to complete, each with 4 to 7 lessons. Each Module will have a video that introduces the lessons, and then it will take you step-by-step through the process.

The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is where you will build your ships. You can choose from a variety of Pods, Fuel Boosters, Engines, Probes, Parachutes, and other miscellaneous parts. This is also the place to adjust your ship when you have already launched it.

The Launchpad is where you test launch your ship. Here you can check your Navball, the SAS, and the decoupling stages.

Training Center

Beginners should complete the tutorials prior to building their own shapeship. These tutorials cover everything you need to know about how to build a rocket, how to launch them, how to put them in orbit, and how to descend back down. It covers the dos and donts and highlights the useful tools you need to make your space program a success.

Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)

The Vehicle Assembly Building, or the VAB, is the where you build your spaceships. When building ships, you have your choices of different parts including:

• Command Control Vessels
• Fuel Tanks
• Engines
• Structures
• Couplings
• Payloads
• Aerodynamics
• Ground (Wheels and Gears)
• Thermal
• Electrical
• Communication
• Utility

When building ships, you can run an Engineer's Report that lets you know if there is a problem with your build. There's a Parts Manager that gives you detailed information about the part you selected. Trip Planner tells you information about your planned trip. There is also an Action Group Planner and a Kerbal Manager.

Launchpad

There are multiple Launchpads that you can utilize to launch your spaceships and spaceplanes. Launchpads and runways allow you to test these ships and make the necessary adjustments to get these vehicles to fly.

There is a Flight Cluster that shows you all your flight controls and information. This is where you can adjust your throttle, and there is a Navball that shows your altitude. You can speed up and slow time. There is also a Staging Stack that shows you the order in which your rocket's parts activate.

Space Map View

When your ship finally launches, there is a Space Map View screen that gives you detailed information about your flight path, including the Periapsis (PE) and Apoapsis (AP). Here you can set your Maneuver Plan to land back on Kerbin or to assume orbit around The Mun.

Essential Tips and Tricks

• If you are new to the game, check out all of the Tutorials to get familiar with how the mechanics work before building your first rocket.
• Ship pieces come in different sizes (XS, SM, MD, LG, XL, 2XL). When starting, it is best to stick with the same sizes when building. Then you can experiment with other parts.
• When building, check the Engineer's Report to see what you're missing. The report will tell you if something isn't going to work or if a part is missing.
• Do not forget to add a Decoupler to create different decoupling stages.
• Fuel tanks and engines should always connect.
• You can always return to the VAB if something doesn't work during your launch.
• Always make sure your Decoupling Stages are in the right order. The Parachute should always be last to be deployed.
• At the end of every flight, there is a Flight Status that gives you important information.
• Depending on what you want to do, remember your fuel only lasts for so long. For longer flights, you will need more fuel.
• Getting to space requires multiple rockets to get you there.
• Always manage your throttle. Going full throttle will burn your fuel and may prevent you from achieving orbit. But a combination of 100% throttle and 0% throttle will ensure you can achieve orbit.
• When landing a ship on Mun, you must also manage your throttle. Lowering your throttle will help you land, but be aware of the effect of Mun's gravity.
• Don't forget your parachute.
• For every ship you build, it will create a new workstation. You can merge workstations for larger projects.