This guide teaches you how to use Cheat Engine on Faster Than Light safely and effectively. You’ll learn to locate memory addresses, freeze values, and automate cheats without breaking your save files or risking bans. Whether you’re stuck in early game or want to explore more freely, these techniques will help you enjoy the game on your own terms.
How to Use Cheat Engine on Faster Than Light: A Complete Guide
If you’ve ever felt stuck in Faster Than Light—whether it’s running out of power mid-battle, losing a ship to an overwhelming enemy fleet, or just wanting to experiment with different crew combinations without spending hours grinding—you’re not alone. Many players turn to tools like Cheat Engine to gain an edge or simply make the game more enjoyable. But using Cheat Engine can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before. This guide walks you through everything you need to know about how to use Cheat Engine on Faster Than Light, from setup to advanced tricks, so you can enhance your gameplay safely and effectively.
We’ll cover what Cheat Engine is, why people use it, how to set it up properly, and most importantly—how to apply cheats in FTL without ruining your fun or corrupting your saves. By the end, you’ll have full control over your ship’s resources and be able to explore new strategies that were once locked behind tough choices.
What Is Cheat Engine?
Cheat Engine is a free, open-source program that lets you view and modify data stored in a computer’s memory. In video games, this often includes things like player health, money, ammunition, or even hidden stats. Since FTL runs entirely in RAM (random access memory), every number displayed on screen—like your current credit balance or hull integrity—is actually a value being actively updated by the game engine.
Visual guide about How to Use Cheat Engine on Faster Than Light
Image source: i0.wp.com
When you scan for a specific value (say, 1000 credits) and then change it (to 9999), Cheat Engine finds where that number lives in memory and updates it in real time. This means you can keep your credits high even after buying expensive upgrades, or maintain full shields during critical battles. The key is knowing which values are safe to alter and how to find them accurately.
Why Use Cheat Engine in Faster Than Light?
While FTL doesn’t require cheating to complete, many players enjoy using Cheat Engine for several reasons:
- Speed up exploration: Skip grinding missions and focus on discovering new ships, events, and endings.
- Experiment freely: Try risky strategies like sending untrained crew into dangerous sectors without fear of death.
- Overcome hard sections: If a boss fight feels impossible, boosting your firepower or shields temporarily can help.
- Accessibility: Players with limited playtime or mobility issues can benefit from reduced resource pressure.
It’s important to note that using Cheat Engine doesn’t unlock any new content permanently—it only affects your current session. Your save file remains unchanged unless you manually overwrite it later. So you can enjoy cheats without worrying about spoilers or losing achievements.
Before You Begin: Important Precautions
Even though Cheat Engine is widely used and generally safe, there are risks involved. Follow these steps to protect your game progress:
- Back up your saves: Locate your FTL save folder (usually in
Documents/My Games/FasterThanLight/saves) and copy the entire directory before starting. - Run as administrator: Launch both FTL and Cheat Engine with admin privileges to ensure proper access to system memory.
- Close background apps: Programs like antivirus software or Discord overlays can interfere with memory scanning.
- Use the right version: Download Cheat Engine from the official website (www.cheatengine.org) to avoid malware.
Once you’ve taken these precautions, you’re ready to start scanning!
Step-by-Step: How to Use Cheat Engine on Faster Than Light
Step 1: Open FTL and Start a New Game
Launch FTL and begin a fresh campaign. Don’t worry about saving yet—just let the game load fully into memory. You don’t need to complete any missions; even being at the main menu will work, but having some credits and crew makes scanning easier.
Step 2: Launch Cheat Engine
Open Cheat Engine and click the “Select process” button (looks like a magnifying glass). In the list, find the FTL executable (typically named FTL.exe or FTL_Game.exe). Select it and click “Open.”
Step 3: Scan for Known Values
Now we’ll find memory addresses related to common stats. Let’s start with credits:
- In FTL, check your current credit count (top left of HUD).
- In Cheat Engine, choose “Value type” as 4 Bytes (most values in FTL use this format).
- Set “Scan type” to Exact Value.
- Type in your exact credit amount (e.g., 500) and click “First Scan.”
You’ll likely get thousands of results. That’s normal! Now do something that changes your credits—buy a weapon or upgrade. Return to Cheat Engine and enter the new credit total. Click “Next Scan.” Repeat this until you have 10–20 results or fewer.
Step 4: Identify the Correct Address
With a small list, try freezing one address at a time:
- Double-click a result to add it to the address list.
- Right-click the entry and select “Add address to address list.”
- Check the box next to the address to activate it.
- Watch your credits—if they stay frozen, you found the right one!
Repeat until you’ve identified stable addresses for credits, hull, power, and other key stats.
Step 5: Apply Common Cheats
Once you have reliable addresses, here’s how to use them:
- Infinite Credits: Set value to 999999 and freeze it.
- Full Hull: Find your current hull percentage (e.g., 75%), change it to 100%, and freeze.
- Max Power Allocation: Look for your current power distribution (e.g., Weapons: 2, Engines: 1). Change all sliders to max (usually 3) and freeze.
- Instant Repairs: Some players search for repair costs and reduce them to zero before attempting repairs.
Remember: freezing keeps the value constant, while changing alters it immediately. Use freeze mode for ongoing effects and change mode for one-time boosts.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Sometimes Cheat Engine doesn’t work as expected. Here’s how to fix frequent problems:
Problem: No Results Found
This usually means the value type is wrong. Switch between 4 Bytes, Float, and String until you see matches. Also verify that FTL is running in windowed mode—fullscreen can block memory access.
Problem: Values Reset After Freezing
Some values are protected by anti-cheat or encrypted. Try searching for relative offsets instead of raw values. For example, if your credits are always offset by +4 bytes from another pointer, look for that base address first.
Problem: Game Crashes When Applying Cheats
Too many frozen values can overload the game engine. Limit yourself to 3–5 active cheats at once. Also, avoid modifying values that affect AI behavior or mission triggers—this can cause softlocks.
Problem: Saves Corrupt After Using Cheats
This shouldn’t happen if you backed up your saves beforehand. If it does, restore from backup and avoid overwriting saved data until you’re confident with Cheat Engine.
Advanced Tips for Experienced Users
Want to go deeper? Try these pro-level techniques:
- Pointer Scanning: Track dynamic pointers that change every game launch. This lets you create reusable cheat tables.
- Auto-Assembler Scripts: Write custom code to automate actions like auto-repair or rapid firing.
- Save State Modding: Export your modified memory state and reload it later—perfect for testing builds without restarting.
- Community Tables: Download pre-made cheat tables from sites like FTL Wiki. These include verified addresses and scripts.
Always test new scripts in a sandbox save first!
Ethical Considerations and Fair Play
Using Cheat Engine isn’t cheating in the traditional sense—it doesn’t give you an unfair advantage against others because FTL is single-player. However, consider these points:
- Respect your experience: Overusing cheats can rob you of discovery and challenge.
- Avoid spoilers: Some events depend on resource levels. High credits might skip unique encounters.
- Share responsibly: If you post cheat codes online, warn players about potential save corruption.
Ultimately, how you use Cheat Engine is up to you. Just remember: moderation keeps the fun alive.
Conclusion: Master Cheat Engine Like a Pro
Learning how to use Cheat Engine on Faster Than Light opens up a world of customization and experimentation. With patience and practice, you can fine-tune your ship’s capabilities, eliminate frustrating obstacles, and explore new strategies at your own pace. Just remember to back up your saves, start simple, and always respect the spirit of the game.
Whether you’re a casual player looking to relax or a completionist chasing every achievement, Cheat Engine gives you the tools to tailor FTL to your style. So grab the program, follow these steps, and enjoy a smoother, more flexible journey among the stars.