Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime Beginner Tips

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a couch co-op space shooter developed and published by Asteroid Base. You and your crew run around inside one shared ship, jumping between guns, shield, engine, map, and the Yamato Cannon while rescuing critters and surviving waves of Anti-Love enemies.

This is a beginner guide for the released game on Windows PC, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game is friendly to start, but the ship gets hectic quickly, so the real beginner skill is dividing attention before every alarm becomes a scramble.

Essential Tips

1. Give every player a default job

Before the first busy fight, decide who normally steers, who watches the shield, who rotates through turrets, and who checks the map. These jobs should stay flexible, but defaults stop everyone from chasing the same emergency. A quiet rule like “driver calls direction, shield protects the front, gunner clears the nearest threat” makes the ship feel organized even with only two players.

With three or four players, avoid assigning everyone to guns. The ship still needs movement, defense, and navigation.

2. Treat solo play as two-character management

In solo mode, you are not really alone. You command a loyal AI space-pet while controlling your spacenaut, and that pet can cover a station while you handle another job. A strong early habit is to put the pet on shield or a nearby weapon, then take the engine or map yourself.

Do not expect the pet to replace planning. Give it simple, useful work, then move your own character to whatever station needs judgment.

3. Move the ship before the fight becomes crowded

The engine is easy to ignore because weapons feel more urgent, but steering decides how many problems reach you at once. Pull away from clusters, turn the ship so active guns have angles, and avoid drifting into walls or hazards while everyone is focused on enemies.

When a fight starts, ask whether you need more damage or more space. Often the better beginner answer is space.

4. Use the map as a station, not a decoration

The navigation station keeps the crew from wandering. Check it after rescues, after finding gifts, and whenever the ship has been pushed off course. A player who calls the next direction can prevent slow circles around already-cleared space.

In co-op, make map calls short: “up-right,” “back to heart,” “rescue below.” The map player should guide the ship, then leave the station once the next objective is clear.

5. Rescue more than the minimum when it is safe

Many stages let you advance after rescuing five critters, but there can be more to find. Extra rescues matter because they help your ship growth and unlock better upgrade options. If the ship has health, supplies, and a clear route, take a little extra time to search.

Still, do not force a full clear when the ship is barely holding together. Unlocking the exit and leaving alive is better than losing a run because you chased one more cage through a dangerous corner.

6. Place gems around roles, not curiosity alone

Power, Beam, and Metal gems change stations in meaningful ways. A shield gem can improve defense, a turret gem can reshape damage, an engine gem can help movement or leave hazards behind, and Yamato gems can change your big emergency weapon. Try new combinations, but ask what problem your crew actually has.

If your crew keeps taking contact damage, improve the shield or engine before stacking every turret. Once two-gem station upgrades arrive, experiment between levels and keep the combinations your crew understands under pressure.

7. Save the Yamato Cannon for real pressure

The Yamato Cannon is a powerful station, but it is not a substitute for basic crew rhythm. Use it when enemies are stacked, when a boss or heavy wave needs a fast answer, or when the ship is losing control and needs breathing room.

After firing, go back to fundamentals: shield the worst angle, steer to safety, and put players back on useful stations.

Crew Roles and Solo Pet Control

Two-player crews should think in pairs. One player can be the driver-map caller while the other handles shield and nearest weapon, then both swap when enemies demand it.

Three- and four-player crews need cleaner communication because there are more hands in the ship. Use short calls for station changes: “shield top,” “left gun,” “I have map,” “move now.”

Solo players should keep the pet on low-ambiguity jobs. Shield is usually dependable because blocking one side buys time. A turret can also work when enemies are clustered in one direction.

Stations and Priority Calls

The station priority changes with the situation. If the ship is surrounded, shield and engine come first because survival needs angles and distance. If enemies are approaching from one side, a weapon station may solve the problem before it reaches you. If the crew is lost, map comes first because shooting in the wrong direction wastes time.

Turrets are strongest when players commit to good angles. Pick the station with the cleanest shot, fire until the angle is bad, then move.

The shield is not only a panic button. Keep it between the ship and incoming fire, move it before collisions, and remember that upgrades can change how it behaves.

Gems, Upgrades, and Ship Growth

Gems come from presents and can be installed into stations. Power, Beam, and Metal upgrades are not just small stat bumps; they can change how a station aims, fires, blocks, boosts, or clears space. That makes your loadout a teamwork choice.

Start simple. Put one reliable damage upgrade on a turret, one defensive upgrade on the shield, and one movement-friendly upgrade on the engine if available.

When the ship earns second gem slots, combinations become the fun part. Upgrade one or two stations, play a level, and learn what the new tools actually do.

Exploration and Rescue Routes

The best beginner route is a loop, not a straight line. Check the map, pick a direction, rescue what you find, collect gifts, then return toward the exit when the ship is stressed or the minimum rescue count is met. Randomized layouts mean memorizing one perfect path is less useful than learning how to read the current map.

Open cages only when the crew is ready for the fight around them. If enemies are already closing in, clear space first, then rescue.

Platform and Setup Notes

Plan around local play. The game supports couch co-op for two to four people and a solo mode with an AI pet, while the game itself is built around shared local control. On PC, gamepads are recommended, though keyboard play is supported. If two players share one keyboard, simultaneous keypress limits can matter.

On Steam, Remote Play Together may help distant players connect through Steam’s wrapper, but that is different from built-in online co-op.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Leaving the engine empty during danger - The ship needs space and angles before damage can matter.

2. Putting everyone on turrets - Guns do not help if nobody blocks shots, steers, or reads the map.

3. Ignoring the AI pet in solo mode - A pet sitting on the wrong station turns solo play into unnecessary multitasking.

4. Chasing every critter at low health - Extra rescues are valuable, but leaving alive is the first goal.

5. Installing gems randomly - Upgrades should solve crew problems, not just fill the nearest station.

6. Changing the whole loadout at once - Learn new gem effects gradually so the crew knows what changed.

7. Wasting Yamato on small threats - Save the big weapon for waves, boss pressure, or emergency resets.

8. Making long callouts during fights - Short station and direction calls keep everyone acting quickly.

Summary

Category	Top Tip
Co-op Roles	Assign default jobs, then swap only when the situation demands it.
Solo Play	Put the AI pet on shield or a clear weapon job while you steer and decide.
Stations	Prioritize engine and shield when the ship is losing space.
Gems	Upgrade stations to match problems your crew actually has.
Rescues	Grab extra critters when safe, but leave once survival gets shaky.
Setup	Use local controllers when possible and test inputs before a full run.