Federation, Klingon and Romulan: the Big Three factions
- Reputation with the three factions is linked: gaining it with one usually lowers it with another, so most players focus on one or two.
- Federation ships are defensive, Klingon ships are aggressive, and Romulan ships sit in between.
- The Faction Store opens at tier 3 (Untrustworthy).
- Five Faction Locks stop your reputation from falling below them: 10 million, 1 billion, 15 billion, 500 billion and 450 trillion points.
Federation, Klingon and Romulan are the three founding powers of Star Trek Fleet Command. Each has its own reputation ladder and its own Faction Store. The Store sells blueprints, recruit tokens and raw resources. Each faction suits a different playstyle: Federation is defensive, Klingon is aggressive, Romulan is in between. Reputation is not independent. Fighting or raiding for one faction usually costs you standing with the rival you attacked. Most players chase one or two factions seriously.
All three factions use the same 35-tier ladder. It runs from Enemy at the bottom (as low as -2,000,000 points) through Neutral, Friendly, Respected, Champion, Legend and Hero. The top tiers are the six Prestige tiers. The last one tops out at 450 trillion points. The Faction Store unlocks at tier 3, Untrustworthy. Five tiers are Faction Locks: Respected (10 million points), Champion (1 billion), Legend (15 billion), Hero (500 billion) and Prestige VI (450 trillion). Once you reach a lock, your reputation with that faction never falls below it. Lock in one faction before you spend kills and missions on the next.
Each faction patrols its space with Scouts. Scouts are Interceptors that move much faster than normal system hostiles. Killing a Scout can drop Encrypted Messages. The amount depends on the Scout's level, and it can be zero. The exchange is cross-wired. Klingon Messages give Federation credits. Federation Messages give Romulan credits. Romulan Messages give Klingon credits. You redeem Messages in the Faction Store. As your reputation rises, both the cost and the reward of the Message Exchange Chest go up.
FULL DETAIL — 3 MORE SECTIONS
The Federation stands for diplomacy and defense. Its ships have strong shields and hull, built to outlast a fight. You build Federation reputation by running Federation missions, clearing daily faction missions, and destroying Klingon or Romulan hostiles and traders. Traders give a large amount of reputation for their level, so they are a favourite grind target. Reputation drops if you attack Federation ships or targets in Federation space, or if you build up a rival faction. The Federation Store sells ship blueprints, recruit tokens, raw resources and mission commendations. Buy commendations only when the mission that needs them is active. You can work with several factions, but many players reach the locks of one or two before they move on.
The Klingon Empire rewards aggression. Its ships trade defense for higher damage output and stronger critical hits. Reputation comes from destroying Federation and Romulan hostiles and traders, completing Klingon missions, and Klingon faction events. Reputation Exocomps can speed up the grind. Attacking Klingon ships, failing Klingon missions or building up a rival faction lowers your standing. If it falls below Tolerated, an aggressive hostile attacks you when you enter Klingon space. The Klingon Store sells blueprints, recruit tokens, materials and commendations. More becomes available as your reputation rises. To progress faster, specialise in one faction before you expand. Grind hostile ships and traders of the other two factions, and join Klingon faction events for extra reputation and Klingon Credits.
Romulan ships split the difference between the other two. They have strong shield penetration, solid hull health and high critical damage. This suits players who mix mining with PvP. You earn Romulan reputation through Romulan missions, faction dailies, hunting traders, and defeating Federation or Klingon hostiles. Some research nodes and officers add reputation bonuses. Attacking Romulan ships in Romulan space costs you standing, and so does building up a rival faction. If it drops below Tolerated, a powerful hostile attacks you in Romulan space. Using Romulan ships to defeat opposing faction hostiles can give extra reputation bonuses.
