Sublight Firing Arcs & Target Priority Guide
How Nearest, Nearest in Arc, Focus Boss, turret traverse, firing arcs, and ship turning affect real damage uptime in Sublight.
Use target priority to improve real firing uptime, not to micromanage every turret. “Nearest in Arc” is the best general setting when traverse time is the problem; “Focus Boss” is for boss burn when the slot can reach the target; “Nearest” is useful for close support. A narrow arc on a slow-turning ship can erase the value of a strong weapon card.
The three useful priorities
Official 0.16.7 notes define three particularly important options: Nearest, Nearest in Arc, and Focus Boss. Nearest in Arc selects the target requiring the least turret traverse, which is effectively an uptime optimizer.
Arc is part of the weapon
Do not judge mounts separately from hull handling. A forward narrow arc benefits from turn speed; broad side arcs can reward circling; autonomous craft may interpret “nearest” differently because their support target is tied to the player.
Simple presets
| Situation | Priority |
|---|---|
| General wave clear | Nearest in Arc |
| Boss race | Focus Boss on heavy slots |
| Close-defense fighter support | Nearest |
Common mistake: all slots on the same rule
A mixed loadout usually benefits from mixed priorities. Let crowd-clear weapons maintain local uptime while one or two high-value slots commit to the boss.
Cruise control keeps moving; targeting still needs attention
0.20.02 adds a cruise-control keybind and a controller option so forward movement does not require holding the same input throughout a run. Check the binding in your current control settings, then steer to keep the mounts’ useful arcs on the threats you want to hit.
Continuous movement does not mean every mount should use Focus Boss. Keep crowd-clear slots covering the escape lane and use heavy mounts for the boss or event target they can reach. Since 0.19.04 there is also a weapon-priority option for event targets; that is worth checking during the new pirate encounters.
If boss-camera movement disrupts your line of sight, 0.20.02 adds Options to disable it. Changing that view and changing a turret’s priority solve different problems.
Patch details: official 0.20.02 notes (October 31, 2026, UTC).