“Rank is earned one hull at a time.”
— Fleet Admiral Selene Voss
Player level
Your commander earns XP for doing something for the first time. Your level and XP are shown at the top of the HUD.
| What you do | When it pays |
|---|---|
| Build a ship | The first time you build each design (a class and a role, such as a Corvette Striker). The same design from another faction does not count again |
| Build a module in the Forge | The first module you build of each family and tier: weapons, armor, shields and specials, five tiers each, so twenty times in all. From 1,500 XP at tier 1 to 8,100 at tier 5. Another module of the same family and tier does not count again, nor does the same one from another faction |
| Finish a research node | The first node you finish of each research category and tier, twenty-five times in all. From 800 XP at tier 1 to 3,000 at tier 5. Another node of the same category and tier does not count again |
| Win a battle against another commander | Every time, though less for beating the same commander again that day. A tenth of the hull XP of the ships you destroyed |
| And from the Tide | When it pays |
|---|---|
| Win a battle against the Tide | Every time, as much for beating it again: a tenth of the hull XP of the Tide ships you destroyed |
Repeating a build earns nothing: your seventieth identical fighter does not advance you, but the first hull of a class you have never built does.
| Player level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total XP | 0 | 100 | 300 | 600 | 1,000 | 1,574 | 2,308 | 3,190 | 4,240 | 5,510 | 7,020 | 8,820 | 11,000 | 13,500 | 16,600 | 20,200 | 24,500 | 29,600 | 35,600 | 42,700 | 51,000 | 60,900 | 72,500 | 86,200 | 102,000 | 121,000 | 143,000 | 169,000 | 199,000 | 234,000 | 274,000 | 322,000 | 377,000 | 440,000 | 514,000 | 600,000 | 699,000 | 812,000 | 944,000 | 1,090,000 | 1,270,000 | 1,470,000 | 1,690,000 | 1,960,000 | 2,250,000 | 2,590,000 | 2,980,000 | 3,420,000 | 3,920,000 | 4,490,000 |
A Fighter is worth 50 XP the first time you build that design.
The upper part of the level track is earned in combat. The first builds and research run out at about level 27 (Cruisers open at 30), and from there XP comes from winning battles: against the Tide, or against other commanders.
What player level unlocks
| Player level | Ship build speed | Research speed | Repair speed | Module builds | Module research | Repairs at once |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Level 5+ | +5% | +5% | +5% | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Level 10+ | +10% | +10% | +10% | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Level 15+ | +10% | +10% | +10% | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Level 20+ | +20% | +15% | +20% | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Level 30+ | +30% | +25% | +30% | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Level 36+ | +35% | +25% | +35% | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Level 37+ | +35% | +30% | +35% | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Level 38+ | +35% | +30% | +35% | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Level 40+ | +35% | +30% | +35% | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Level 43+ | +40% | +30% | +40% | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Level 44+ | +40% | +35% | +40% | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Level 47+ | +40% | +35% | +40% | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Level 50+ | +45% | +40% | +45% | 8 | 6 | 6 |
Player level also gates research tiers and ship research.
Commander mastery
Level 50 is the last player level, but XP keeps counting. Past it, every 150,000 XP earns a mastery point, and XP you earned past level 50 before mastery existed counts too. Your mastery level is the number of points you have earned; it shows on your profile next to your level (LEVEL 50 - MASTERY 12).
Spend the points on COMMANDER MASTERY: open your own profile (your portrait on the HUD) and press MASTERY. There are three tracks of five steps each, in any mix. Each track's steps are taken in order, and step n costs n points: 15 points for a whole track, 45 for all three.
| Step | Prospector | Raider | Warden |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1 point) | Mining hold +3% | Loot from a breach +3% | Building armour +3% |
| 2 (2 points) | Mining speed +4% | Your ships' repairs take 5% less time | Turret damage +4% |
| 3 (3 points) | Mineral Mines, Helium-3 Extractors and Antimatter Condensers make 5% more | Damage to buildings +2% | Your vault keeps an extra 5% of your stores out of a raider's reach |
| 4 (4 points) | They also store 8% more before they are full | Raid cargo room +5% | Base repairs cost 5% less |
| 5 (5 points) | Mining hold +6% (+9% with step 1) | Loot from a breach +5% (+8% with step 1) | Turret range +5% |
The bonuses are small on purpose, and none makes a ship stronger in a battle between fleets. On the screen a step you have taken is gold, the next one you can take is cyan with its cost, and a locked one is grey with a padlock.
RESET gives back every step and every point for 50,000 coins. It asks you first, and it cannot be done while your fleets or your base are in a battle.
The three levels at a glance
| Level | Raised by | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Player | First-time ship builds, module builds and research | Research tiers, ship research, queue sizes and speed bonuses |
| Base | The buildings, Marks and fitted modules in your base | Build-queue slots (and higher tile re-type costs) |
| Bridge | Upgrading the Command Bridge | New buildings and more of the base grid |
| Shipyard | Upgrading the Shipyard building | Ship bay space, fleet slots and the build and research queues |
| Fleet | The hulls assigned to the fleet | The fleet's map icon |
Daily orders
Every day brings three orders, the same for every commander: one for your base, one for battle and one for mining. Open them with the button at the bottom right of the screen. It shows a number while something is waiting to be claimed.
| Order | Pays |
|---|---|
| Collect 600 resources from your base | 1,500 coins and 600 helium-3 |
| Build 2 modules | 1,500 coins and 1,500 minerals |
| Destroy 5 Tide ships | 2,500 coins |
| Fight 3 battles | 2,000 coins |
| Win 2 battles | 2,000 coins and 60 antimatter |
| Mine 500 units from asteroids | 2,000 coins and 1,500 minerals |
| Bring home 400 units of cargo | 2,000 coins and 600 helium-3 |
Each order has a bar that fills as you do what it asks. An order pays when you press CLAIM, not by itself. Claim all three in a day for a bonus of 5,000 coins. The day turns over at 00:00 UTC: new orders arrive, and anything left unclaimed is gone.
Resources stop at the size of your stores, as every payment does. Coins do not.
The login reward
The same screen has a seven-day reward. Press CLAIM on today's tile once a day:
| Day | Reward |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 coins |
| 2 | 1,000 minerals |
| 3 | 600 helium-3 |
| 4 | 1,500 coins |
| 5 | 1,500 minerals |
| 6 | 60 antimatter |
| 7 | 10,000 coins |
After day 7 it starts again at day 1. It also starts again after a day on which you claimed nothing.
Starting values. The orders, what they ask for and what they and the seven days pay may all change.
Weekly Tide bounties
From level 40 there are five bounties a week, harder than the daily orders and the same for every commander: one to hunt the Tide, one for the incursions, one against other commanders, one for mining and one of command. Open them with the reticle button at the bottom right, which every commander has. It shows a number while a bounty is waiting to be claimed. Below level 40 the panel still shows the week's five, so you can see what is coming, and its anvil and chevrons open the Relic Forge and the Tide Threat panel as they do for anyone.
| Bounty | Pays |
|---|---|
| Beat 3 Tide fleets of tier 13 or higher | 4 Tide cores and 10,000 coins |
| Destroy 300 Tide ships | 4 Tide cores and 10,000 coins |
| Beat 10 Tide fleets of tier 10 or higher | 4 Tide cores and 10,000 coins |
| Take 5% off an incursion fleet in a single battle | 4 Tide cores and 10,000 coins |
| Fight in 3 incursions | 4 Tide cores and 10,000 coins |
| Win 3 battles against other commanders | 3 Tide cores and 10,000 coins |
| Destroy 30 ships of other commanders | 3 Tide cores and 10,000 coins |
| Breach a commander's base | 3 Tide cores and 10,000 coins |
| Hold your base against a raid | 3 Tide cores and 10,000 coins |
| Mine 60,000 minerals, 6,000 helium-3 or 1,000 antimatter | 25 fragments and 10,000 coins |
| Claim all three daily orders on 5 days | 25 fragments and 10,000 coins |
| Build 10 modules | 25 fragments and 10,000 coins |
| Collect 30,000 resources from your base | 25 fragments and 10,000 coins |
Claim all five in a week for a bonus of 3 Tide cores, 25 fragments and 25,000 coins. The week turns over on Monday at 00:00 UTC. A bounty you finished but did not claim is paid to you then, so a busy weekend never costs you a week's work. When the incursions are not running that week, a second hunting bounty takes their place.
As with the daily orders, a bounty counts what you do while you are online.
Starting values. The bounties, their targets and what they pay may all change.
Medals, titles and your profile
Every commander has a profile: your medals, the title you wear, your alliance, your level and your career in numbers. Open your own by clicking your portrait at the top left of the HUD. Open anyone else's by clicking their name in chat and choosing Profile, by clicking a profile somebody shared in chat, with VIEW PROFILE on a member picked in your alliance's roster, or by clicking the other commander's name on a battle report, a raid's result or YOUR BASE WAS BREACHED. Any commander can open anyone's. A profile never shows resources, fleets, where a base is or whether its commander is online.
Medals have three grades, I, II and III, and each grade pays fragments once: 10, 25 and 50. Your play from before medals existed counts: battles and kills since 7 October, every incursion, mining since 13 October, your Commander's Licence and your level. It is counted the first time you sign in after medals arrived, and the medals it earns are given and paid then. A medal earned while you play is told on your screen, for example Medal earned: TIDEBREAKER II. +25 fragments.
On a profile, hold the pointer on a medal to see what each grade takes, and on your own how far along you are. WHISPER on someone else's profile opens the chat on a whisper to them.
| Medal | What it counts | I | II | III |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tidebreaker | Tide ships destroyed | 1,000 | 10,000 | 50,000 |
| Apex Hunter | Tide fleets of tier 13 or higher beaten | 10 | 100 | 500 |
| Centurion | Battles won | 100 | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| Duelist | Battles won against other commanders | 10 | 100 | 500 |
| Flagship Slayer | Incursions you fought that ended with the flagship destroyed | 1 | 10 | 50 |
| Vanguard | Incursions where you dealt the most damage | 1 | 5 | 25 |
| Ally in Arms | Incursions fought alongside a member of your alliance | 1 | 10 | 50 |
| Deep Miner | Units mined into your holds | 100,000 | 1,000,000 | 10,000,000 |
| Quartermaster | Days with all three daily orders claimed | 7 | 50 | 200 |
| Bounty Hunter | Weeks with all five bounties claimed | 1 | 10 | 50 |
| Veteran | Commander level | 20 | 35 | 50 |
| Licensed Commander | Every mission of the Commander's Licence finished | one grade | ||
| First Breach | Commanders' bases breached | 1 | 10 | 50 |
| Held the Line | Raids on your base that you held | 1 | 10 | 50 |
| Threatbreaker | Incursion flagships destroyed at threat 7 or more, with at least 5% of the damage | 1 | 10 | 50 |
Every medal you hold unlocks a title with its name. On your profile press CHANGE TITLE and click a medal you hold to wear its title, or NO TITLE to wear none. Your title shows after your name in chat. SHOW IN CHAT posts a link to your profile in the room you have open.
Starting values. The medals and what each grade takes may change.
The daily sector briefing
Once a day Fleet Admiral Selene Voss of Frontier Command reports on the day that has just ended. The report is written a little after 00:00 UTC from what really happened on the server, and it is the same for every commander.
Open it with the comm button among the round buttons at the bottom right of the screen (they stand in two rows, Battle Reports first). A dot on the button means there is a report you have not heard.
| What she reports | When |
|---|---|
| How many battles were fought, how many Tide fleets and ships were destroyed, and how many of our fleets the Tide broke | Every day. On a day without a single battle she says so |
| How many of the fights were commander against commander | When there were any |
| The commander with the best record of the day | When somebody won at least two battles |
| The top farmer of the day: the commander who mined the most, all three resources together, and roughly how much | When somebody mined at least 100 units that day. Only what a fleet mines counts, not cargo won in a battle |
| A Tide incursion: when the flagship came, whether it was destroyed or how strong it still was when it left, how many commanders fought it and, if it fell, who hit it hardest | On a day with an incursion. It comes first in the report |
| New alliances | When one was founded that day |
With the card open she begins by herself. Her words are written on the card, so the report can be read as well as heard. STOP stops her, PLAY starts her from the top, and once she has finished the button offers REPLAY. A report counts as heard when she has reached its end, and the dot on the button goes out. A report that is words alone counts as read when you open it.
Her voice is a recording made for that day's report. Her face is not: your own machine works out how she moves from the recording, once per report, which takes a few seconds the first time. If the recording is not there yet, the card shows VOICE CHANNEL DOWN // TEXT ONLY and the report is words alone until it arrives.
Names are spoken as she would say them. A commander or alliance whose name she cannot say is counted but not named.
She also runs commander training: see the Commander's Licence, below.
Commander training: the Commander's Licence
Fleet Admiral Voss trains every commander, from the first login to commander level 20. The Commander's Licence is 27 missions in six chapters. Each mission is one real thing done in the game: nothing is simulated and nothing is locked while you train. A mission pays when you press CLAIM, and when every mission of a chapter is claimed the chapter pays its own reward and your licence grade goes up by one.
| Chapter | Opens | Missions | The chapter pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Welcome to the Frontier | From your first login | 5 | 3,000 coins and 2,000 minerals |
| II. Guns of the Frontier | When chapter I is complete | 4 | 5,000 coins and 3,000 minerals |
| III. The Perfect Fit | When chapter II is complete | 4 | 5,000 coins and 1,500 helium-3 |
| IV. Command the Sector | At commander level 3 | 5 | 10,000 coins and 120 antimatter |
| V. Bonds of Steel | At commander level 10 | 4 | 20,000 coins and 300 antimatter |
| VI. The Road to Twenty | At commander level 12 | 5 | 30,000 coins and 600 antimatter |
She speaks every line. A comm card briefs each mission in her own voice (BEGIN answers it, LATER brings it back the next time you play), a gold banner marks a mission done, and a card with your new grade closes each chapter. Everything she says is written on the card as well.
The tracker under your commander card shows the mission in hand and what it pays, and a gold ring points at the button to press next. Click the tracker to open the Licence: every chapter, every mission and its reward. There you claim rewards, TRACK any open mission, press REPLAY BRIEFING to hear a mission's card again, or PUT TRAINING AWAY. Training is optional, and the same button brings it back.
When the tracker is not on your screen a training button with the Licence's gold wings stands at the bottom right, the last of the round buttons there. The tracker is away in three cases, and the button's tooltip says which. In the Base View the tracker steps aside, so it does not cover the building list or the chat, and the button opens the Licence instead; back in the sector view the tracker returns. You put training away: press the button and training is back, the tracker with the mission you were on. Nothing you did or claimed is lost by putting training away. No mission is waiting (the next chapter opens at a commander level you have not reached, or your Licence is complete): the button opens the Licence, where you can see where you stand and replay any briefing. With a mission or a reward in hand the tracker is back and the button is gone.
Chapter I: Welcome to the Frontier.
| Mission | What to do | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Destroy the drill target | Click your Fighter beside your outpost, then right-click the drill target next to it | 3,000 coins |
| Collect from your mines | Open the Base View and press COLLECT ALL | 500 coins |
| Build a second building | In the Base View, pick a building and put it on a free tile | 1,000 coins and 1,000 minerals |
| Upgrade a building | Select a building in the Base View and press UPGRADE | 1,000 coins and 1,000 minerals |
| Choose a faction | Press FACTION at the top right and choose the power you will fly for | 1,000 coins |
Chapter II: Guns of the Frontier.
| Mission | What to do | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Put a ship in a fleet | In FLEETS on the right, press ASSIGN on a fleet and add a ship. Your Fighter is in one already, so this is yours to claim | 1,000 coins |
| Deploy the fleet | Press DEPLOY on the fleet's row. Your Fighter is out already | 1,500 coins |
| Repair your ships | Bring the fleet home, open the Shipyard and press REPAIR | 1,500 coins and 1,000 minerals |
| Build a hull of your own | In the Shipyard open BLUEPRINTS and build a ship | 2,000 coins and 1,500 minerals |
Chapter III: The Perfect Fit.
| Mission | What to do | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Research a module | Open the Research Laboratory and start a node | 1,500 coins |
| Mark something up | Raise the Mark of a ship or of a module in Ship Outfitting | 1,500 coins and 1,500 minerals |
| Build a module | Open the Forge and build a module you have researched | 2,000 coins and 600 helium-3 |
| Fit a module | Open Ship Outfitting and fit a module to a ship | 2,000 coins |
Chapter IV: Command the Sector.
| Mission | What to do | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Mine an asteroid field | Select a deployed fleet and right-click an asteroid field | 2,000 coins |
| Bring the cargo home | Press RECALL and let the fleet reach its bay | 2,000 coins and 600 helium-3 |
| Claim a daily order | Open Daily Orders at the bottom right and claim an order you have filled | 1,500 coins |
| Beat a Tide fleet | Attack a fleet of the Tide and win. Start with a Tier 1 | 4,000 coins and 60 antimatter |
| Watch a battle | Select a fleet that is fighting and press WATCH | 1,500 coins |
Chapter V: Bonds of Steel.
| Mission | What to do | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Read the rules of engagement | Press READ THE RULES on this mission's card | 1,000 coins |
| Join or found an alliance | Press the alliance badge on your commander card | 5,000 coins |
| Add to a weekly order | Do something your alliance's weekly orders count: destroy a Tide ship, bring cargo home, or hurt an incursion fleet. It counts even when the alliance has already finished that order | 3,000 coins |
| Fight in a Tide incursion | When the Tide sends a flagship, attack it and take health off it | 5,000 coins and 120 antimatter |
Chapter VI: The Road to Twenty.
| Mission | What to do | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Work a signal | Send a fleet to a signal on the map and see its work through. Signals open at level 10 | 3,000 coins and 1,500 helium-3 |
| Take a faction contract | Open Contracts and accept one of your own faction's. They open at level 10 | 3,000 coins |
| Research a tier 4 module | In the Research Laboratory, start a node of tier 4 or higher. Tier 4 opens at level 10 | 3,000 coins and 2,000 helium-3 |
| Beat a tier 4 Tide fleet | Attack a Tide fleet of tier 4 or higher and win. Bring a full fleet | 5,000 coins and 150 antimatter |
| Reach level 20 | Earn XP: first builds, research and winning battles. Level 20 opens Frigates and every faction's contracts | 10,000 coins and 400 antimatter |
Your first ship is on Frontier Command. At your first login Voss gives you one armed Fighter, puts it in your first fleet and sends it out beside your outpost, so the drill fight can start at once. A commander from before this, with no ship, is given one the same way. Every ship after it you build yourself.
The drill target is a single weak Tide ship that stands beside your outpost while that mission is in hand. It is yours alone: you may see another commander's near their outpost, but only its own commander can attack it. If you are on the sector map, BEGIN on her card takes you to your planet first. Press WATCH when the fight begins and she talks you through giving the orders yourself.
The rules of engagement are read on the first card of chapter V: press READ THE RULES and she reads them to you. They are the same rules as in Combat.
What you have already done counts. A mission the server can see you have done is complete at once and pays when you press CLAIM, and a deed done before its chapter opens is remembered. The one thing that leaves no trace is collecting from your mines, so every commander is shown that first card.
Coins always pay. A resource reward goes into your stores and stops at their size, as every payment does.
Starting values. The missions, what they pay and the levels at which chapters IV, V and VI open may all change.
Your first week
A commander below level 10 at their first login on this version (every new commander) gets YOUR FIRST WEEK from Voss: seven days of three goals each, and a ship for finishing them all. Open it with the FIRST WEEK button at the bottom right of the HUD. A number on it means a day is ready to claim, and while one is, the board opens by itself once after you log in. Until the drill fight is won it stays out of the way.
Day 1 opens the day you begin, and one more day opens at each 00:00 UTC. A goal counts when you do it while its day is open, and an open day stays open until you claim it, so a day missed can be caught up later. When a day's three goals are done, press CLAIM DAY on the board. The board closes 14 days after it began.
| Day | Goals | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collect from your mines, upgrade a building, build a hull | 3,000 minerals |
| 2 | Start a module research, build a module, claim a daily order | 1,000 helium-3 |
| 3 | Fit a module, mine an asteroid field, bring the cargo home | 5,000 minerals |
| 4 | Beat a Tide fleet, repair a ship, Mark something up | 100 antimatter |
| 5 | Watch a battle, claim a daily order, upgrade a building | 2,000 helium-3 |
| 6 | Beat a Tide fleet, build a hull, mine an asteroid field | 8,000 minerals |
| 7 | Be in an alliance, beat a Tide fleet, claim a daily order | 200 antimatter and a Corvette (Assault) of your faction |
The goals are the same deeds the Licence counts, done again on their day: building a hull on day 6 counts even if you built one on day 1. Being in an alliance counts for day 7 however long ago you joined. The Corvette arrives docked in your Shipyard, built, outside your build queue.
Starting values. The goals, what each day pays and the prize may all change.
Welcome back
Come back after three days or more away and Voss meets you with a card and her welcome-back supplies, at most once a day. They grow with your level:
| Your level | Minerals | Helium-3 | Antimatter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,500 | 2,000 | 55 |
| 5 | 11,500 | 4,000 | 115 |
| 10 | 19,000 | 6,500 | 190 |
| 20 | 34,000 | 11,500 | 340 |
| 30 | 49,000 | 16,500 | 490 |
| 38 and up | 60,000 | 20,000 | 600 |
They go into your stores and stop at their size, as every payment does.
Each new level
Each time your commander level goes up, a card from Voss says what the new level opens (a research tier, a ship class, signals, contracts, a chapter of the Licence, one more build or research at a time) and at which level the next thing opens. At levels 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 and every fifth level after, she says it aloud. CONTINUE closes it.