Hostile Skies Gloster Meteor Guide

The Gloster Meteor is the first Allied jet in Hostile Skies that holds its own in mixed lobbies. It has been the meta Allied pick for the last four patches and only just got nudged down by the v3.5.1 M22. This guide covers how to unlock it, how to upgrade it, and how to fly it so it stays effective through the late game.

What the Gloster Meteor is good at

The Gloster Meteor is a boom-and-zoom fighter. It accelerates well, holds energy in a dive, and out-runs every prop on the Allied side. The trade-off is turn rate: the Meteor does not turn well, and you will lose every pure turn fight against an FW 190 or a Spitfire that gets on your six.

In practice the Meteor is the safest Allied jet for new pilots who want to learn energy fighting. The acceleration is forgiving, the roll rate is high enough to dodge return fire, and the gun convergence is set up for 400–600 m engagements. If you keep the fight at energy, the Meteor will win consistently.

If you want a quick history reference, the Plane tier list ranks the Meteor in A-tier for v3.5.1, just below the new M22. The Best starter plane guide does not cover jets — start here once you have reached tier 4 unlocks.

Hostile Skies Gloster Meteor gameplay

How to unlock the Gloster Meteor

The Meteor unlocks at level 35 for 120,000 credits. It is one of the most expensive Allied unlocks between the P-51 Mustang and the M22, so plan your credit sink around it.

The fastest unlock path is:

1. Stay on the P-51 Mustang until level 35. Do not waste credits on cosmetic upgrades — you will sell the Mustang the moment the Meteor unlocks.
2. Run the How to earn gold fast farming routes from level 25 onward so you have the 120,000 credits banked before you hit the unlock level.
3. Redeem every active code on the Active codes page the day you hit level 35. The codes drop credit boosts that stack with your saved credits.
4. Buy the Meteor the second you unlock it. The cost does not decrease over time, but the credit boosts only stack on the day you buy.

If you are below level 25, see the How to unlock planes page for the full ladder. The Getting started guide walks new pilots through the first five levels.

Upgrade order for the Meteor

The Meteor has four upgrade slots: engine, guns, airframe, and wings. The optimal order for the Meteor is different from a prop fighter:

1. Engine — the Meteor lives and dies on acceleration. Max engine first.
2. Guns — the default Hispano cannons are accurate at range but underpowered. Max guns second so your bursts actually threaten late-game jets.
3. Airframe — extra HP lets you survive the longer engagements you take as a boom-and-zoom pilot.
4. Wings — wings do almost nothing for the Meteor. Skip them until you have the rest of the plane maxed and only then max wings as a vanity upgrade.

Each upgrade costs between 18,000 and 35,000 credits. Plan on saving an extra 100,000 credits on top of the unlock cost if you want to fly the Meteor fully maxed.

How to fly the Meteor

The Meteor rewards energy fighting. That means you dive on enemies, fire a burst, and extend away before they can turn on you. You never, ever try to turn with a turn fighter in a Meteor.

The standard Meteor engagement loop is:

1. Find a target that is flying level or turning gently below you.
2. Roll inverted, pull the nose down to build energy, and roll back upright as you close range.
3. Fire a single burst between 400 and 600 m. The default convergence is set for this window.
4. Extend away in the dive, do not pull up into a turn. Repeat the pass until the target is dead or the fight has separated.

The most common Meteor mistake is pulling up after the burst. As soon as you pull up you bleed all your energy, and a turn fighter on your six will eat you. The How to fly guide covers the same idea in more detail; the Turn vs energy fighting page explains when each style works.

How to fight the Phantom

The Phantom (Axis apex jet, released in v3.5.1) out-runs the Meteor by about 80 km/h and out-climbs it. In a straight fight the Meteor loses. The way to beat a Phantom in a Meteor is to drag the fight into a vertical turning fight below 2,000 m, where the Phantom’s high-speed handling falls off.

The opening pass matters more than the rest of the fight. If you bounce a Phantom from above with energy, you have a real chance. If you let a Phantom set the engagement altitude, the Phantom wins. Pair this with the How to shoot down bosses target-priority rules — the Phantom is essentially a flying boss and you treat it the same way.

Best events to farm in the Meteor

The Meteor is the best Allied credit farmer in the game for two reasons. First, it kills bots faster than any prop. Second, it survives long enough to reach the bonus-tier kill thresholds.

The best event rotation for the Meteor is:

• Bomber Run — you can reach the bombers before any prop and one-clip them with the upgraded cannons.
• Phantom Pursuit — the M22 is the optimal pick here, but the Meteor is a viable second pick if you have not unlocked the M22 yet.
• King of the Hill — the Meteor’s acceleration lets you reset between waves faster than any other Allied jet.

For the full event rotation, see the Event schedule page. The Active codes page lists the credit-boost codes that stack with event payouts.

When to switch off the Meteor

Switch off the Meteor the moment you unlock the M22. The M22 is the new apex bomber-killer and dominates every Allied jet role except pure turn fighting. If you play bomber-hunter, the M22 out-DPS you. If you play dogfight, the M22 out-turns you up to 600 km/h and out-runs you above that.

The Meteor remains the second-best Allied jet and the safest jet for new pilots. Keep it upgraded as your backup until you have the M22 maxed.

For the full unlock ladder, see the How to unlock planes guide. For which jet to switch to once you have credits, see the Plane tier list.