Running without xp: when to level up? (spoilers)

[DrSnooze]

I'm running Incident at Absalom Station right now, and we're running without xp. I'm going to level up the party at appropriate times in the story, but I'm not clear on when exactly those times are. The book provides some guidance, but it's non-specific.

They're supposed to level up to 2 some time while they're exploring the ship. But they never leave the ship, and I don't really like them just jumping up in level mid-exploration. Maybe after the ship and before the asteroid makes the most sense.

Are they supposed to be level 3 before the last encounter? I've heard some reports that it's pretty tough. It's a party of 5, and not 4, so maybe it won't be so bad? Should I bump them to 3 before the encounter? Or just let them fight through it at level 2 and then have them reach 3 at the end?

[ENHenry]

My level "milestones" for Dead Suns book 1 are going to be:
1) right before act 2, and
2) right before facing the big guy in Act 3

I'm running my players through a SFS scenario after Act 1, so I'm leveling before they get to Book 2 because I don't want them to feel they don't have a sense of progress.

The big encounter in Act 3 there's a lot of debate on -- people's experiences vary from "at level 2 they get slaughtered" to "at level 3 it's a cakewalk." I remember one thread by a person who counted all the XP awards in the book and found that if they hit every single award they'd be level 3 before the end, and if they missed a few they'd be just shy. Even if level 3 makes it easier for them, I still think the big encounter is going to produce enough tension to make it worthwhile. Plus, Level 3 characters in starfinder come into their own finally, and I think it'll be cool to give the players a chance to flex their muscles and feel like they "earned it."

I'm just glad that Book 2 is now out and I have some buffer material to the AP so that I won't run out of main plot. :)

[Game Master Q]

I did Level 2 right after the fight with the Necroglider, and Level 3 just before the fight with the Garaggakal.

[TigerDave]

That was about it for us as well. I definitely recommend level 2 after the necroglider and not before.

[pauljathome]

When we played, we fought the Garaggakal at level 2 (a very tough fight but we won, admittedly with the aid of an NPC) and again at level 3 (it surprised us on the ship but, even so, it was a pretty easy fight).

With 5 players, I'd definitely tend to keep them at level 2 for it (that is what I'm planning on doing :-))