Marines, and a ship size M6 or larger that you want to capture. Note that fighter ships M3+ to M5 will bail on their own and cannot be boarded by marined.

Because you can use this to capture that pesky Argon Titan or USC Osaka that's been eluding your ever-expanding wallet. This is especially useful in Albion Prelude now that the Terrans are at war with just about everyone else.

Well, for one, you get access to ships that you otherwise wouldn't be able to capture. A select handful of spaceships are unable to be bought but may or may not be able to be boarded. On top of that, you give your Marines that ever-so-valuable combat experience that they can't get any other way. This comes in handy for future boarding attempts!


So now that we've answered some basic burning questions, you're probably itching to get onto the real action! First, however, you need to choose your method of boarding. There are mostly two methods that will be covered.

First and foremost, you will probably be relying on personnel transports until you have more money and resources at your disposal. This usually involves the player using TP-class freighters and buying marines in large quantities. TP-class transports are the only non-capital ship that can have more than five marines, use this to your advantage!

Assuming you've already purchased your TP(s) of choice from your chosen Shipyard, it's time to get your men together! To do this, you will need to dock at a Military Outpost. These are owned by all major races and they are responsible for producing and training Marines!

Once you dock at a Military Outpost, you will have a lengthy list of names and stars next to them. Those stars represent a Marine's computer hacking, engineering, mechanical skills, and combat ability. Obviously, the higher the star rating, the better that Marine is! You want to try and get marines with 3-5 stars total if you can help it, but if you get rookies it's not a problem as you can leave marines at the Outpost to train (for a nominal fee) over time. You can not train a marine's combat skill. This can only be gained by actual boarding.

Finding a target is much more difficult than you might think. Inexperienced marines won't be able to crack that M1 or M2's thick hull, so starting small is the best option. Your first targets should be M6-class ships, as inexperienced marines will have an easier time with them. After you board a few more ships and get about 2-3 stars per category, you can move on to M7s. At 4-5 stars per category you can move on to M1s and M2s. Bear in mind that Xenon ships are much more difficult to capture than the other races. Make sure your marines are trained and ready for this!

Once you've got your target, and it's somewhat isolated, you're ready to move in. First and foremost, marines cannot cut the hull or begin boarding as long as your target still has shields, so make sure to keep your target's shields below 5% at all times until your men are on board the target. To initiate boarding, you will have to tell your TP to board your target in the Piracy section of ship commands.

Boarding is a three step process, use the music and audio cues to tell how far along you are! First, marines have to spacewalk from your TP to the target and start cutting the target's hull. This will cause minor hull damage as they breach and enter the ship. Once inside, they will begin fighting their way from room to room, deck to deck, until they reach the bridge. Once at the ship's bridge, they will begin hacking the ship's computer to turn control over to you. Once marines are on board a ship and have entered it, the only way to stop boarding is for them to die. Boarding can fail at any time on any stage and one can never expect to have no losses.

So now that you've captured a few ships, you're probably wondering how to do this even faster, and more efficiently!

So you may have noticed, one of these times at your local Military Outpost, that they sell Boarding Pod missiles! Only a few M7-class and up ships in the game can use these, but they make boarding a breeze! Obviously, in order to use these pods you will have to get an M7M or bigger ship that can use them.

Boarding pods are an extremely sharp double-edged blade when it comes to boarding. They provide extremely fast approach to the target, and can instantly penetrate the hull and bypass the first stage of boarding. However, ships can shoot boarding pods down just as easily as any other missile, and when a pod is destroyed the crew is too!

The Teladi Gannet is my recommended boarding ship, it has a decent rear turret for defending itself and decent shield strength. The Teladi are also the easiest race to make friends with, and you'll need the reputation.

Simply drain your target's shield as usual, and then launch boarding pods as with any other missile loaded in your cargo bay. Keep in mind that boarding pods are quite expensive, as are the marines inside! Use them wisely, and try to take out your target's missile defenses first.

I should mention some equipment that may affect boarding operations:

• A hull polarising device makes the target's hull significantly harder to cut through.
  
• Internal sentry lasers provide additional enemy combat resistance against your men.
  
• Advanced firewall software protects the target's ship computer from hacking, making it much more difficult.

Now that you're well equipped and know how to use your new men, it's time to put them to good use!

Remember that - after your Marines board a target successfully - they will be on board that ship!

Thank you for reading my guide! Feel free to comment below.