Complete Cycle: Frontier Beginners Guide (2024)

The Cycle: Frontier is a new free-to-play extraction shooter similar to games such as Hunt: Showdown and Escape from Tarkov. In this game, players are prospects sent in on a planet called Fortuna III that was once colonized by a human colony but got wiped by a deadly storm called The Cycle. The purpose is a prospector is to complete missions for the three different factions in the game: The ICA (Independent Civilian Advisory), Osiris and Korolev. Doing assignments for them will reward players with different prices such as equipment, gear, weapons, and K-Marks.

Some call The Cycle “Tarkov-lite,” which is in some way accurate as it borrows some aspects that Escape from Tarkov focuses on. We agree with this statement but also consider that this is a better version of what Escape from Tarkov should be.

Don’t get us wrong, Tarkov is an excellent game with a massive player base but is a game that is very unfriendly to new players. The Cycle: Frontier is a game for both experienced and new players, and it feels the developers understand this is a videogame and don’t overcomplicate its existence. We will introduce you to all of the critical aspects of the Cycle Frontier in this beginners guide.

In this game, players don’t need to worry about waiting for a server wipe to decide to jump in or not. Anyone can have a good time without worrying about the gear tier. The game is pretty balanced, and while players can encounter other prospectors with high-tier gear,t The Cycle is still very playable. We have found that the game is well-balanced for all the players.

Next, we will cover the basics of The Cycle: Frontier that every beginner player should be familiar with before jumping into a match.

Introduction to The Cycle: Frontier Gameplay

Once a player spawns on the map, the priority should be to complete missions to level up and get materials and gear for upgrades. You can find items in civilian structures and materials through mining or recycling items. You can also destroy plants in the Cycle Frontier for resources. Various plants can be found in different parts of the map. Once a player has everything they need or can carry, prospectors must run to an extraction site marked on the map with a red arrow.

On reaching the extraction point, they will need to press “Y” to call for the extraction ship, which can take a few moments. During all of these, encountering other players or fauna from the planet is possible. Every player has a safe pocket, a small storage space that will protect anything stored there. Placing items in your safe pocket prevents them from being grabbed by enemy prospectors in case the player dies.

Guide to Hostile Fauna Beginners Should be Aware of in The Cycle Frontier

Here, we will provide a brief overview of each of the many creatures you can find in the game. For much more detail on how to find, evade, or destroy each creature, check out our guide covering many PvE tips for every creature in The Cycle Frontier.

Strider

A Strider is a red creature similar to a rat. Players can quickly kill them with a heavy melee. The strider can only attack through melee.

Rattler

The Rattler is easy to identify as it’s very similar to a spider. These are lethal creatures that will attack by melee or spitting acid that will deal a lot of damage. The best way to kill these creatures is by shooting the yellow area on their neck or eyes.

Marauder

Also known as ‘Jeff,’ the Marauder is a giant, two-legged creature very hard to kill that can make ranged and melee attacks. This creature is extremely dangerous. Beginners reading this guide should stay clear of them in the Cycle Frontier.

Crusher

The crusher is the most enormous and most lethal creature in the game. Avoid it at all costs if new to the game.

Overview of The Cycle Frontier’s Maps for New Players

There are two maps in this game, each one with its difficulty. Bright Sands is a standard map recommended for gathering resources and for players looking for a balance between PvE and PvP. The second map is Crescent Falls which is better for experienced players looking for a more PvP experience. Players can press the “M” Key to access the map blueprint in both maps.

The Three Factions in The Cycle: Frontier

During the gameplay, players will find themselves doing missions for these three factions. Completing them will get the rewards, access to faction-specific equipment, and access to more demanding missions with higher regard. At all times, players can have one task from each faction active.

You can see your active missions by pressing “G” on the keyboard. You can also complete the three tasks for every faction simultaneously.

The I.C.A

The I.C.A (Independent Civilian Advisory), also known as the ‘civies,’ is a pseudo-political organization abandoned by the big companies after the catastrophe. They operate for the rights, needs, and freedoms of the civilians supported by the Federation. Moreover, they establish unofficial governments in areas where order is needed.

In their market, players will find gear based on power and speed.

OSIRIS

OSIRIS is a scientific organization that focuses on research for the local flora and fauna of Fortuna III. They tend to participate in dangerous expeditions to research the planet.

OSIRIS offers equipment focused on speed and evasion.

Korolev

Korolev Heavy Industries is in charge of building large scaled budget buildings and machines that will operate basic systems for human settlements. They have a heavy presence in political factions and markets.

Korolev equipment is focused on heavy weapons and armor.

Beginners Guide to the Types of Weapons in The Cycle: Frontier

The Cycle frontier currently offers players 25 weapons divided between the factions with different rarities.

Co-tec is the standard store, and players will be gearing up most of the time here. Players can find only basics and common equipment, weapons, consumables, attachments, and gear from Co-tec.

Most weapons in The Cycle: Frontier can be equipped with attachments such as optics, grips, stocks, Magazines, Muzzles, Ammo Converters, and others such as tactical lights and scanning modules. You can buy common attachments at Co-tec, and the rest has to be either printed or acquired through a specialized faction.

Beginner players just starting in The Cycle Frontier can find these factions and the printer at the Prospect Station. Prospect Station is a hub where players can peacefully roam before joining a match.

For new players, we highly recommend starting with the AR-55 Assault Rifle and the C-32 Bolt Action rifle from Co-tec as they are not very expensive and reasonably reliable.

Beginners Guide to Equipment in The Cycle Frontier

In The Cycle: Frontier, players can gear up with two types of equipment; Consumables and Gear. These are fundamental for any player’s survival and can be bought or crafted depending on the item’s rarity.

Consumables

Consumables are items that can be used once, such as healing gear and grenades. These can be found on the surface or bought at the Prospect station.

Consumables, especially medicines, are a must in every match. We guide beginners to The Cycle Frontier to carry ten weak stims, if possible, and one or two weak Medkits. Grenades are very powerful and have a short fuse time, so bringing one or two can help damage, kill or draw enemies out of their cover. Smoke Grenades are great for concealment during combat or extraction.

You can use audio decoys to distract strong PvE enemies.

Beginners Guide to Gear in the Cycle: Frontier

Gear is everything the player can equip for protection and storage, such as helmets, armor, and backpacks. In The Cycle frontier, players can wear different types of armor and helmets that offer additional benefits such as stamina, protection, health restoration, and more. The other backpacks only provide more storage capacity depending on the rarity. This gear can be crafted, found, or bought at the Prospect Station.

Insurance

Before jumping into a match, every prospector has the opportunity to insure their gear in case they die. There are two types of insurance, Gear Salvage which will attempt to recover the items after a player dies. Standard insurance will payout players for the items lost if recovered.

Once you start accumulating a few items worth saving, we highly recommend in our beginners guide to the Cycle Frontier that new players purchase some form of insurance to avoid losses as they are still learning how to play the game.

Prospect Quarters

This is a personal room for every prospector that can be found at the Prospect Station. Prospectors can upgrade their Generators, Inventory, and Workbench in this room.

Generator

Unlock and improve the daily generation of K-Marks, Aurum, and Supply Crates.

Inventory

Here, prospectors can increase the capacity of their stash and Safe Pockets. This is not something you will need as a new player just starting in The Cycle: Frontier. However, as beginners accumulate more and more stuff, they will need to guide themselves to it in The Cycle Frontier.

Workbench

Improve printing times for the quarters.

Quarter Upgrades Computer

This massive computer is located in the prospector quartes where players can collect Aurum, K-Marks, Supply Crates, Insurance Packages, and even Twitch drops. Beginner players to the Cycle Frontier should eventually make their way to it.

Wrapping Up our New Player Beginners Guide to The Cycle: Frontier

Our recommendation is to jump in and start doing missions right away as they will make prospectors visit the map locations, which will guide beginners to The Cycle Frontier and familiarize them with the map, equipment, and the PvE and PvP elements of the game.

The Cycle: Frontier has a friendly community, and every new player can enjoy this game for free. This is an excellent game with a nice mix of polished gameplay and beautiful visuals. It is also incredibly fun, especially with friends!

We hope you have enjoyed our Cycle Frontier Beginners Guide. We will be bringing you a lot more Cycle focused content shortly. If you are looking for more great insights, please comment below, and we may even make a guide just for you.

Happy hunting out there!