Commander of the UES Safe Travels, Captain calls down orbital strikes and permanent supply beacons to control the battlefield. His Vulcan Shotgun fires 8 pellets per shot with high proc coefficients, making him excellent for on-hit builds. His biggest weakness is a complete lack of mobility skills - movement speed items are mandatory.
Captain's kit has two distinct modes: the Vulcan Shotgun's rapid on-hit pellet spam for clearing weaker enemies, and the orbital strike toolkit for nuking elites and bosses. Power Tazer into Orbital Probe is his core burst combo. Supply Beacons provide permanent passive value for the rest of the stage.
You choose 2 of these 4 beacons at the start of each run. Two can be deployed per stage and they last indefinitely. The beacon also deals 2000% damage if it lands directly on an enemy.
Heals all nearby allies for 10% of their max HP per second. Stacks with a second Healing Beacon. Best for co-op or sustained fights.
Periodically shocks all nearby enemies every 3 seconds, immobilizing them. Pairs with Orbital Probe and DIABLO Strike for accurate orbital hits.
Recharges your equipment. Unlock: Wanderlust - visit 10 different environments in a single run, including secret realms.
Hacks all nearby purchasables to $0. Two free items per stage including legendary chests. Unlock: Worth Every Penny - repair a TC-280 Prototype drone.
Captain is unlocked by completing the Washed Away challenge, which requires defeating the final boss and escaping. This makes him one of the later unlocks in the game, but any survivor can complete it.
Play as any survivor. The Washed Away challenge does not require you to be playing as Captain.
Progress through the game until you reach Sky Meadow (Stage 5) and defeat Mithrix on the moon.
After defeating Mithrix, escape via the UES Safe Travels ship. Interact with the ship to board it and escape.
Surviving the escape completes Washed Away and permanently unlocks Captain.
Lower the difficulty to Drizzle for your first Mithrix attempt. Stock up on mobility and healing items before Sky Meadow. Huntress and Loader are both strong for the escape phase due to mobility. The escape sequence has a time limit so move quickly after Mithrix goes down.
Captain's item priority is on-hit proc items exploiting the Vulcan Shotgun's 8 pellets at 0.75 proc coefficient per shot, plus movement speed to compensate for his total lack of mobility skills. Soldier's Syringe is his best early pickup as it improves both offense and Microbot defense.
Attack speed increases Vulcan Shotgun's charge speed and fire rate, and also speeds up Defensive Microbots' interception cycle. Both defensive and offensive benefits scale directly with attack speed stacks.
10% bleed chance per hit. Vulcan Shotgun fires 8 pellets per shot, each at 0.75 proc coefficient. At late-game attack speed, bleed stacks accumulate rapidly and become a major sustained damage source against tanky enemies.
25% chain lightning on hit. Eight pellets per Vulcan Shotgun shot means multiple Ukulele procs per burst, each bouncing independently through groups of enemies.
10% missile proc on hit. Eight pellets per shot gives Captain frequent AtG procs. Combined with Orbital Probe's 3x1000% strikes, each probe hit can also proc AtG independently.
Captain has zero mobility skills. Movement speed items are his only answer to a total lack of evasion. Priority pickup from the first stage to compensate for his biggest weakness.
After 5 hits, reduce enemy armor by 60 for 8 seconds. Vulcan Shotgun delivers all 5 hits needed in a single burst, activating Shattering Justice almost immediately. Pairs powerfully with Orbital Probe on freshly-debuffed targets.
18% chance per kill to drop an ammo pack that resets all cooldowns. Resets Orbital Probe charges between elite encounters. With high kill rates against weak enemies, Orbital Probe can be used far more than its 11s cooldown suggests.
Rerolls proc chances for favorable outcomes. Increases effective bleed rate from Tri-Tip Dagger, AtG proc frequency, and Ukulele chains across all 8 Vulcan Shotgun pellets simultaneously.
On crit: guaranteed bleed. Crits roll per attack (not per pellet) on Vulcan Shotgun, so one crit bleeds the enemy. Stacks with Tri-Tip Dagger bleed for doubled DoT application.
Captain's day-to-day loop: keep the Vulcan Shotgun firing at groups to generate on-hit procs and bleed stacks, use Power Tazer to stun elites and heavy enemies, then unload all three Orbital Probe strikes while they are stunned. Save Supply Beacons for the teleporter event where they provide the most value over time.
Utility: Orbital Probe is almost always better than OGM-72 DIABLO Strike for practical play. Three 1000% strikes on a stunned target is consistently effective. DIABLO Strike's 20-second delay and 40-second cooldown make it a novelty in most situations. Beacons: Hacking + Healing for solo runs. Hacking is two free items per stage. Swap Healing for Shocking if you want orbital strike synergy.
Power Tazer into Orbital Probe: Stun an elite or heavy enemy with Power Tazer, then immediately place all 3 Orbital Probe markers on the stunned target. All 3 probes will land while the enemy is still in shock for the full 3000% burst. Against armored enemies, apply Shattering Justice first with a Vulcan Shotgun burst.
Hidden Realms restriction: Orbital Probe, OGM-72 DIABLO Strike, and Orbital Supply Beacon are all unavailable in Hidden Realms including the Void Fields, Bazaar Between Time, and Gilded Coast. Plan your loadout and playstyle around having only the Vulcan Shotgun and Power Tazer in these areas.
Beacon placement timing: Drop beacons at the teleporter before activating it. A Healing Beacon runs for the entire charge time, healing you and allies through the boss fight. A Shocking Beacon continuously stuns nearby enemies, reducing incoming damage and making Orbital Probe easier to land.
Hacking Beacon value: Two Hacking Beacons per stage means two free items, including legendary chests if you place the beacon near one. Over a 5-stage run this translates to 10 free items. It is the single highest item-generation ability in the game.
Complete the Washed Away challenge by defeating Mithrix and escaping via the UES Safe Travels ship. Any survivor can complete this. It is required to actually escape - simply defeating Mithrix without boarding the escape ship does not count.
No. Orbital Probe, OGM-72 DIABLO Strike, and Orbital Supply Beacon are all disabled in Hidden Realms. A disconnected power cord icon appears over these skills when in the Void Fields, Bazaar Between Time, Gilded Coast, or other hidden areas. Only Vulcan Shotgun and Power Tazer remain usable.
Hacking Beacon is the strongest for solo runs - two free items per stage including legendary chests. Healing Beacon is excellent in co-op or when paired with a teleporter boss fight. Shocking Beacon pairs well with Orbital Probe since it continuously stuns enemies to hold them in the strike zone. Resupply Beacon is situational and only valuable with strong equipment.
In most practical situations, no. The 20-second delay makes it very hard to use on mobile enemies, and the 40-second cooldown means you get it far less often than Orbital Probe's 11 seconds. It shines in specific setups - stunning enemies with Beacon: Shocking to hold them in place, or using it on Mithrix during the final phase where he moves predictably. For general play, Orbital Probe is more reliable and easier to use.
Stack Soldier's Syringe for attack speed (benefits both Vulcan Shotgun and Microbots), Tri-Tip Dagger for bleed on all 8 pellets, Ukulele and AtG Missile for on-hit procs, and Paul's Goat Hoof for movement. Shattering Justice activates in a single burst shot making it excellent on Captain. Bandolier refreshes Orbital Probe charges for more frequent elite-nuking.