In The Black · Training

In The Black Simulator Guide — Tactics, Tips & Best Ships

Free flight + tutorial sandbox. Use this to learn Newtonian physics, dock, and tune HOTAS.

About Simulator

Simulator mode is the offline sandbox: free flight, scripted tutorials, target ranges and HOTAS calibration. There is no progression or credit reward here, but every new pilot should burn at least two hours in Simulator before queuing BloodSport. Specifically practice: 1) cold-thrust 180° rotation, 2) docking with full RCS off, 3) headless turret tracking from the gunner seat.

Top tips for Simulator

Start the "Newtonian 101" scripted tutorial — it covers vector math better than any YouTube guide.
Practice docking with HUD set to inertial mode, not orbital.
Run the AI duel range with flight assist OFF for 30 minutes; muscle memory is everything.

Recommended ships

Light · Tier A

Shrike

Cheap, agile light interceptor. The default "starter" fighter in BloodSport — high turn rate, low survivability.

Medium · Tier A

Reus

The all-rounder. Medium hull with enough armor to brawl and enough mounts to carry a real weapon mix.

Related Guides

BloodSport guide (PvP)

5v5 ranked PvP. The flagship competitive mode — Assault, Conquest and Team Deathmatch sub-rotations.

Contract guide (PvE)

Single-player PvE missions. Debris Sweep, Drone Sweep, Interdiction, Raid, Recon, Search & Destroy, Ship Strike, Station Defense.

Ship Tier List

Pick the best fighter for this mode.

Best Loadouts

Weapon mixes that work in this mode.