Oh fuck, I'm partway through the Starchart, what should I be doing?

Last updated: 2026 january 22

General note that while these are Advised and some Are Mandatory For Progression, Fun comes first. If something is fun past the bare minimum there is no downside to just doing more of it. And if something Really Sucks hmu maybe I can help you cheese it

Progress through the planets. You don't need to clear every node on each planet as you go (especially if something proves Really Difficult - if you can go around it, there is no shame to just skipping it until you have better gear later), the bare necessity is to cut a path through the starchart
Related to the previous point: Junctions. They are your way between planets but they also have tasks you need to do to progress to them. Use these tasks as a guide on what to do, they were put there with the purpose of introducing you to more of the game! Give the mechanics they are showing you a try and see if they're fun beyond the bare minimum requirement to get past that one Junction
Quests. You have an available quest? Do the available quest. They are the no1 way you Actually Technically Progress through the game
Keep checking in with the different tabs in the top right of the Starchart to see what's currently going on! Nightmare and Invasion missions are harder versions of normal missions that can give you unique rewards for example (with Nightmares only unlocked if you have cleared every node on that specific planet), and Void Fissures will give you shinies if you've got relics to bring
Get new gear. Level new gear. Rinse and repeat. This is a lot harder solo but is regardless a very basic component of progression: how much stuff you have mastered contributes to your MR, which in turn allows you to unlock more things as the game progresses (MR is not exactly equal to how good you are at the game, you can beat the story on relatively low MR, but you still need Some of it. And the good shit is locked higher up.)
Note: Unfortunately a lot of blueprints are dojo-only, meaning you need to be in a clan to access them. There are nonetheless a good bunch in the Marketplace! You can filter the Marketplace in the top left to show only weapons with blueprints available
Nightwave gives you a lot of good rewards and some direction in having the little tasks to complete. You probably can't do a lot of them right now and that's okay! Some tasks may have spoilers in their name/description (sorry)
Maroo's Ayatan Hunt is available once a week and will give you a random ayatan sculpture! Go stock up on that endo, you will need it
There is nothing stopping you from repeating missions you simply enjoy! More loot and more affinity (EXP) never go amiss
At the start of a play session, you might want to AFK in a relay for a little bit (recommended: instances of Strata Relay on Earth that aren't Busy) - MR30 players can cast a blessing on all present in the Relay instance once a day, most commonly affinity, credits, or resource drop chance. This is a 25% boost that lasts for 3 hours. If you snag one, it should give you a little boost