Star Traders: Frontiers – First Blood Commander Guide

Section 100 – Setup

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110 – Introduction – For inexperienced players, ship battles in Star Traders: Frontiers are not easy. Success in ship combat requires the right combination of crew, ship weapons, and defensive modifications to avoid getting hit while destroying your enemy. For this reason, many players spend the first few years in “Ship Combat Avoidance” mode, using bribes, talents, and cargo dumps to avoid dangerous ship combat until their Mid-Game (or Late-Game) combat craft is ready.

In stark contrast, this build encourages you to dive into ship combat almost from the very start. Your tiny starting ship will quickly turn into a lean, mean, butt-kicking machine capable of reliably winning ship battles on high difficulties. What you do from there is entirely up to you.

120 – The Goal – Win at least ten ship battles by the start of Year 3 (212.01).

121 – With Or Without Crew Combat – When using this build you’ll need to decide whether or not you want a Combat Crew capable of handling rudimentary skirmishes. The Combat Crew Build sacrifices some Skills Saves and Ship Defense but afford you more flexible when selecting Missions that require close quarters combat. In the guide below I’ll highlight the differences between both variations.

130 – Starting Template

A – Contracts

• #1 – FDF Commander – Offers Military Officer recruits which are necessary for an “unhittable” ship. Also offers easy “Alliance” Missions during the first 1.5 years. NOTE: You will need to complete the “Call of the Strong” to unlock this Starting Contact.
• #2 – Military Commander – Offers easy “Alliance” Missions during the first 1.5 years.
• #3 – #8 – <<Your Choice>> – Any Starting Contacts of your choice, preferrable something that aligns with your end-game goals. Contact #3 will be located in your Starting Quadrant. The other Contacts will likely be located in other quadrants.

B – Attributes (With Crew Combat)

• Strength = 14
• Quickness = 14 + 11 = 25
• Fortitude = 14 + 16 = 30
• Charisma = 14
• Wisdom = 14 + 11 = 25
• Resilience = 14

C – Attributes (Without Crew Combat)

• Strength = 12
• Quickness = 12
• Fortitude = 12 + 12 = 24
• Charisma = 12 + 18 = 30
• Wisdom = 12
• Resilience = 12

C – Skills (With Crew Combat)

• Doctor +8

B – Skills (Without Crew Combat)

• Command +10
• Tactics +5

D – Ship

• Reach Vindex – With some upgrades the Reach Vindex can be a small but powerful starting combat ship. Note: You will need to complete the “Salvage Contractor” to unlock the Reach Vindex.

E – Experience – Commander Captain Class

• Useless – always an “E” priority for me.

140 – Launching The Game – Use the following settings when you launch your game:

• CHANGE MAP – Use any Map of your choice.
• CHANGE FACTION – Pick any Faction of your choice. Ideally, you Faction should align with your end-game goals.
• CHANGE DIFFICULTY – Pick any difficulty of your choice. I typically play on HARD, because it allows for all Unlocks but is a bit more forgiving of minor mistakes than IMPOSSIBLE.
• Click “YES” for MANUALLY ASSIGN TALENTS.
• Skip the Intro if you want.
• Prepare your captain’s appearance however you want.

Section 200 – Starting Crew & Officers

210 – Starting Standard Crew – After starting the game, land on a planet and make the following changes to your Standard Crew:

• Dismiss 2x Gunners
• Dismiss 1x Pistoleer
• Dismiss 2x Soldiers
• Dismiss 1x Swordsman
• Add 2x Crew Dogs
• Add 1x E-Tech (available at Lux Pop / High Tech / Orbital)
• Add 2x Gundeck Bosses (available at Military >6)
• Add 1x Mechanics (available at Starport >7)
• Add 2x Pilot (available at Starport >4)

Here are the recommended Talents for your Standard Crew:

4x Crew Dogs

• Crew Dogs provide Skill Saves and Rumors.
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 4x Safety Protocols – SHIP OPS Skill Save.
• Level 6 / Rank 5 – 4x Talk in the Hall – Learn Rumors when Spicing.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 4x Battle Damage Repair – Fixes ship after Ship Combat.

5x E-Techs

• E-Techs provide Skill Saves and New Contacts. They also provide one of the best Ship Talents in the game, Vigilant Scanners.
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 5x Hotwire – ELECTRONICS Skill Save.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 –5x Listening Post – New Contact when landing in Urban Zone.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 5x Vigilant Scanners – Buffs ship with +25% Accuracy & Defense.

2x Gundeck Bosses

• Gundeck Bosses provide a variety of useful Skill Saves.
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 2x Snarling Judgment – INTIMIDATE Skill Save.
• Level 6 / Rank 5 –2x Meticulous Checklist – REPAIR Skill Save.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 2x Thorough Service – SHIP OPS Skill Save.

2x Gunners

• Gunners provide Skill Saves and valuable Orbital Ops talents.
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 2x Bullseye Certainty – TACTICS Skill Save.
• Level 6 / Rank 5 –2x Orbital Guard – Remove Salvage Risk Card.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 2x Twitchy Trigger – Remove Blockade Risk Card.

2x Mechanics

• Mechanics provide Skill Saves and discounted Component Upgrades.
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 3x Careful Testing – REPAIR Skill Save.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Greaser Reaction – SHIP OPS Skill Save.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Helpful Hands – Discounts Component Upgrade by 10% + Repair.

3x Navigators

• Navigators provide Skill Saves, New Contacts, and reduced Hyper Warp costs.
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 3x Read Charts – NAVIGATION Skill Save.
• Level 6 / Rank 5 – 3x Efficient Route – Reduces Hyper Warp fuel cost by 4 + Navigation.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Talk of Far Worlds – New Contact when Spicing.

6x Pilots

• Pilots provide Skill Saves, Ship Combat boosts, and Spying card removal.
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 3x Expert Maneuver – PILOT Skill Save.
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 3x Sure Landfall – Lands efficiently on a World.
• Level 6 / Rank 5 – 3x Expert Maneuver – PILOT Skill Save.
• Level 6 / Rank 5 – 3x Evasive Maneuvers – Buffs Ship Defense.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Swift Sweep – When Spying, remove a Risk Card.
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Evasive Maneuvers – Buffs Ship Defense.

220 – Starting Officers (With Crew Combat) – Here are the recommended Jobs & Talents for your Starting Officers if you want to be prepared for Crew Combat.

1x CAPTAIN – Commander / Doctor / Combat Medic

• Your Captain will be your primarily Healer in Crew Combat, using healing talents on your combatants and debuffs on your enemies while sitting in Slot 3.
• Medical Staff (D1) – DOCTOR Skill Save.
• First Aid (CM1) – DOCTOR Skill Save.
• Cleaning Purge (CM1) – Healing Talent.
• Scorn (C11) – Debuffs 2x Targets.
• Flatline (CM8) – Healing Talent.
• Lifeline (CM8) – Healing Talent.

1x Engineer –Engineer / Mechanic / Gunner

• Your sole permanent non-combat officer will provide REPAIR Skill Saves, will reduce the price of Component Upgrades, and will boost your earnings from Ship Salvaging with the talent Orchestrated Salvage.
• Careful Testing (M1) – REPAIR Skill Save.
• Attentive Overhaul (E1) – REPAIR Skill Save.
• Orchestrated Salvage (M1) – Increases Ship Salvage returns.
• Assisted Installation (E5) – Discounts Component Upgrade by 10% + Repair.
• 3x Helpful Hands (M8) – Discounts Component Upgrade by 10% + Repair.

1x Doctor – Doctor / Quartermaster / Commander

1x Quartermaster – Doctor / Quartermaster / Commander

• NOTE: You will be replacing these two Starting Officers with Combat Crew later in the game. You goal is to maximize DOCTOR and COMMAND Skill Saves early on.
• Medical Staff (D1) – DOCTOR Skill Save.
• Stern Leader (QM1) – COMMAND Skill Save.
• Aura of Command (C1) – COMMAND Skill Save.

221 – Starting Officers (Without Crew Combat) – Here are the recommended Jobs & Talents for your Starting Officers if you’re not worried about Crew Combat.

1x CAPTAIN – Commander

• Pick any Jobs and Talents you want for your Captain – it’s entirely up to you!

1x Engineer –Engineer / Mechanic / Gunner

• Same as above, your Engineer will provide REPAIR Skill Saves, will reduce the price of Component Upgrades, and will boost your earnings from Ship Salvaging with the talent Orchestrated Salvage.
• Careful Testing (M1) – REPAIR Skill Save.
• Attentive Overhaul (E1) – REPAIR Skill Save.
• Orchestrated Salvage (M1) – Increases Ship Salvage returns.
• Assisted Installation (E5) – Discounts Component Upgrade by 10% + Repair.
• 3x Helpful Hands (M8) – Discounts Component Upgrade by 10% + Repair.

1x Doctor – Doctor / Quartermaster / Gunner

1x Quartermaster – Doctor / Quartermaster / Gunner

• In this build you’ll keep all of your Starting Officers. Your Doctor and Quartermaster Officers will be a great source of Skill Saves. Add Level 1 Gunner for +4 Gunnery.
• Medical Staff (D1) – DOCTOR Skill Save.
• Stern Leader (QM1) – COMMAND Skill Save.
• Watchful Eye (QM1) – SHIP OPS Skill Save.
• Baleful Grimace (QM1) – INTIMITATE Skill Save.

230 – Starting Crew & Officers Strategy – Your goal in the early game is to maximize Skill Saves, avoid ship combat, and generate money as quickly as possible. This build includes 2-3x Skill Saves for the most common events during ship travel.

Section 300 – Prove Your Charter Rush: The First Half Year (210.03 – 210.29)

310 – Main Story Mission – Compelling Passenger

• Deadline: 39 Weeks
• Route: 1 Stop
• Type: Planet Visit
• Reward: N/A
• This is the first mission assigned at the start of the game. It’s a simple one-way visit to the specified planet. Complete this mission as fast as possible.

320 – Main Story Mission – Arbiter Escort

• Deadline: 39 Weeks
• Route: 1 Stop
• Type: Passenger Transport* (Does not require an available Passenger Cabin)
• Reward: $10K
• New Contact: Calagan Faen
• Another easy mission. Although it’s a Passenger Transport Mission, it doesn’t require an open Passenger Cabin. Complete this mission as fast as possible before Week 20 (see below).

330 – “Prove Your Charter” Missions – For the first 18 weeks (210.03-210.21) your Starting Contacts will offer “Prove Your Charter” Missions. These are typically easy Planet Visit Missions in the starting Quadrant. Complete as many of these missions as you can before 210.21! They provide you with a bit of cash, build Faction Rep with your starting Faction, and don’t harm your Rep with the other Factions. I recommend prioritizing these missions in the following fashion:

• Data Cube Delivery – HIGH PRIORITY – Quick and easy. Accept as many of as possible.
• Passenger Delivery – MED PRIORITY – Buy additional Passenger Cabins as necessary.
• Commodity Delivery – LOW PRIORITY – Ignore these missions unless you can easily purchase/haul these goods in one trip (<25 units, available for sale in the Starting Quadrant).
• Multi-Quadrant Missions – NO PRIORITY – Jumping quadrants takes too much time; ignore these missions for now.

331 – Morale Boost Vs Rep Boost – When you complete a mission you are typically give two choices:

• “Spice Hall/Beer” / Morale Boost – Takes 2-5 days; provides a low Rep gain
• “Official Palace Meeting” / Reputation Boost – Takes 5-10 days; provides a High Rep gain

In the early game I strongly recommend always selecting the “Spice Hall/Beer”/Morale Boost option. Because you can complete more missions in the same amount of time this option provides a similar amount of Contact Reputation but yields vastly more Cash and Contact Influence.

340 – Reasons To Restart The Game (!!!) – In the first 2-3 weeks of the game you might encounter two possible reasons to consider restarting the game:

1) Bad Mission Selection – Sometimes, your Starting Contacts offer exclusively difficult Commodity Delivery and Multi-Quadrant Missions. Poor mission choices in the early game will significantly stunt your rapid progress. I recommend a restart.

2) Unfavorable Conflicts – When you start the game your Starting Faction will already be engaged in two Conflicts, an Alliance Conflict and a Trade Ban Conflict. As you’ll see in the SECTION 400 below, these Conflicts work well with your Starting Contacts. Additionally, in the first 2-3 weeks several more Conflicts arise among random Faction pairs. If an unfavorable conflict appears involving your Starting Faction, you may want to restart the game. Unfavorable conflicts will make finding the right missions in the early game much more difficult.

Unfavorable Conflicts for your Starting Faction (Early Game)

• Duel of Assassins – Impacts Military Missions (Negative)
• Trade War – Impacts Military Missions (Negative)
• Spy War – Impacts Military Missions (Negative)
• Solar War – Impacts Military Missions (Negative)

Favorable Conflicts for your Starting Faction (Early Game)

• Alliance – Impacts Military Missions (Positive)
• Trade Alliance – Impacts Military Missions (Positive)

350 – Wrapping Up “Prove Your Charter” – When the calendar hits 210.21 your Contacts will cease offering easy “Prove Your Charter” Mission. I recommend visiting every contact right before 210.21 and have them offer up as many “Prove Your Charter” Missions as possible. Even if you can’t immediately accept them, they’ll typically remain available under “Mission Offers” for a few more weeks. By doing this, you can keep running “Prove Your Charter” Missions through 210.29 and beyond.

360 – Status Check – End Of First Half Year (210.29) – By 210.29 you should have the following:

• Reach Vindex with a few additional Passenger Cabins and no other upgrades.
• The full crew outlined above (levels 4-6).
• $100-150K in the bank.
• ~100 Faction Reputation with your starting Faction.
• 30-50 Personal Reputation with each of the four Contacts in your Starting Quadrant.
• Completed the Compelling Passenger and Arbiter Escort Main Story Missions.

Section 400 – Alliance Mission Rush: Finishing Up Year One (210.29 – 211.01)

410 – Starting the Second Half of Year One

Around 210.29 the “Prove Your Charter” Missions start to dry up. It’s time to start the next phase of the early game. To begin with, I recommend purchasing the Rank 1 Edict from Calagan Faen for $1,000 and 6 Personal Rep. This will allow you to accept missions that require an Edict.

420 – Missions During The First Two Years – Between year 210.29 and 211.01 you’ll focus on two types of Missions, A) Main Story Missions, and B) “Alliance” Missions.

430 – Main Story Mission – At Faen Court

• Deadline: 1 Year
• Route: Talk to Faen
• Type: N/A
• Reward: N/A
• After you deliver the Arbiter, Calagan Faen wants to talk with you. In the Contact Screen, click on the box labeled “We should discuss further work with the Prince” to complete this mission. Complete this mission around 210.29.

431 – Main Story Mission – Arbiter Neutrality

• Deadline: 2 Years
• Route: 3 Stops
• Type: Passenger Transport; Spying (Optional)
• Reward: $30K
• The first step in this mission is to escort Arbiter Brokstrom to the home world of your Rival Faction. For the second step, you have two choices – either a simple Passenger Transport or a riskier Spying Run. I typically take the safe option. The final step is returning to Faen Court. Try to complete this mission before the end of Year One (211.01).

440 – “Alliance” Missions – In addition to the Story Missions outlined above, load up on as many easy “Alliance” Missions as possible! These missions will not generate negative Faction Rep and will significantly boost your Starting Faction’s Conflict Score. Assuming your Starting Faction is only engaged in one “Alliance” Conflict and one “Trade Ban” Conflict, here are the missions your Contacts will offer:

• Calagan Faen (Prince Missions) – Offers neither “Alliance” or “Trade Ban” Missions. Ignore non-story missions for now.
• FDF Commander (Military Missions) – Only offers “Alliance” Missions. Load up!
• Military Commander (Military Missions) – Only offers “Alliance” Missions. Load up!
• Other Starting Contacts (???) – Depends on what additional Starting Contacts you picked.

Run as many “Alliance” Missions as possible until you’ve amassed $400-500K in the bank. This should take you a little past the end of Year One.

450 – Status Check – End Of Year One (211.01) – By 211.01 you should have the following:

• Reach Vindex with several additional Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells.
• The full crew outlined above (levels 6-8).
• $400-500K in the bank.
• 150-200 Faction Reputation with your starting Faction.
• High Personal Reputation and Influence with each of the four Contacts in your Starting Quadrant.
• Completed the At Faen Court and Arbiter Neutrality Main Story Missions.

Section 500 – Preparing Your Ship and Crew

510 – Military Rank – To boost your Military Officer and Soldier recruits I recommend purchasing Military Rank 5 from Calagan Faen. Here are the benefits it provides:

• Rank 1 – $1K – +2% Mission Bonus, Unlocks Ship Purchases
• Rank 2 – $2K – +2% Mission Bonus, Combat Recruits get +1 Level
• Rank 3 – $3K – +2% Mission Bonus
• Rank 4 – $4K – +2% Mission Bonus, Unlocks Factor-specific Ship Purchases
• Rank 5 – $5K – +2% Mission Bonus, Combat Recruits get +1 Level

520 – Upgrading Your Ship – Once you break the half Million Credit mark it’s time to upgrade your ship. Here are my recommended Component Upgrades:

521 – Large Components

• <None>

522 – Medium Components

• Fuel Tank 1 -> Mass Reducer 1 [$30K/1 Week]

523 – Small Components

• Weapon Locker A1 -> Weapon Locker A3 [$59K/1 Week] (WITH CREW COMBAT)
• Weapon Locker A1 -> Defense Pattern Matrix 1 [$22K/0.5 Weeks] (WITHOUT CREW COMBAT)
• Misc Small Components -> 4x Defense Pattern Matrix 1 [$22K/0.5 Weeks]
• Misc Small Components -> 4x Firestorm Torpedos [$15K/1.5 Weeks each]

530 – Adjusting Your Standard Crew – Travel to your FDF Commander Starting Contact and recruit lots of high-level Military Officers. Recruit them one at a time, teaching each one the talent Recruiter’s Eye so that all of your recruits get boosted stats:

• Dismiss 2x Crew Dogs
• Dismiss 2x Gunners
• Dismiss 2x Mechanics
• Dismiss 1x Navigator
• Dismiss 1x Pilot
• Add 8x Military Officers

530 – Adjusting Your Officers – If you’re playing WITHOUT CREW COMBAT there is no reason to change your Officers. If you’re playing WITH CREW COMBAT I recommend dismissing your two Doctor/Quartermaster/Commander Officers and replacing them with two high-level Soldiers recruited from Calagan Faen. Make one of them a SLOT 1 Soldier/Shocktrooper/Exo-Scout and the other one a SLOT 4 Solider/Bounty Hunter/Xeno Hunter. On your Combat Crew Team you’ll fill SLOT 2 with your most powerful Standard Crew Military Officer.

Section 600 – Charging Into Battle!

610 – How To Start Ship Battles – Now that your ship is combat-ready you’ll need to find some enemies to fight. I recommend traveling to your enemy’s quadrant and participating in Orbital Ops activities such as Patrolling, Blockading, and Spying. I typically pick one or two Factions to fight and ignore everything else (except for Indies, which are always good targets!).

620 – How To Win Ship Battles – Ship combat with this build is very straightforward. Start with a Defense boosting talent like Vigilant Scanner (preferred) or Evasive Maneuvers. Fire all four Firestorm Torpedo batteries from Range 5. The torpedoes only do a little damage but they are very accurate and have a high chance of stacking up Crippling Effects. These effects will pile up very quick as you fire away round after round. When the enemy is battered and beaten you can move in for crew board (if you’re playing WITH CREW COMBAT) or just finish them off with more torpedoes. When the battle is over to you can take Cargo and Fuel (if you didn’t destroy the enemy ship) and you can Destroy/Salvage the enemy ship. Orchestrated Salvage gives a nice boost here, so I recommend using it when you can.

630 – What To Do Next – Now that you have a combat ready ship what you do next is entirely up to you. You can chase down Story Missions, hose a specific faction, or just generally wreak havoc in the universe. As you earn credits from ship salvaging you can upgrade to more powerful components or purchase a better ship. Enjoy the carnage!