A Blessing and a Bane is a five-part chain that puts Dr. Crusher aboard your ship and sends you after a stolen atmospheric manipulation prototype. It opens in Hurgh’maQ, runs through Ra’taj and B’Oh, and finishes on a choice that decides what happens to the technology. Part 1 is tuned for level 1, but Parts 2 through 5 are built for level 42 and reach warp 80. The chain pays 8 Beverly Crusher shards, 5 Jean-Luc Picard shards, and over 18 million Parsteel. Run it once your warp range can cover the whole thing.
A Blessing and a Bane at a glance
| Part | Recommended level | Warp to complete | Main reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Blessing and a Bane Part 1 | 1 | 65 | 8 Beverly Crusher shards |
| A Blessing and a Bane Part 2 | 42 | 70 | 8,334,000 Parsteel |
| A Blessing and a Bane Part 3 | 42 | 70 | 10,000,000 Parsteel |
| A Blessing and a Bane Part 4 | 42 | 70 | 395,000 Dilithium |
| A Blessing and a Bane Part 5 | 42 | 80 | 5 Jean-Luc Picard shards |
In game the parts carry roman numerals: A Blessing and a Bane, then II, III, IV and V. Each one unlocks the next, so nothing gates you once Part 1 is open. The chain picks up after A Great Escape Part 10 and hands off to Warriors Lost Part 1.
A Blessing and a Bane Part 1
You escort Dr. Crusher to a research facility in Hurgh’maQ and collect the controller for a prototype the team has been working on.
- Set a course for the Hurgh’maQ system
- Get the prototype controller from the researchers, in Hurgh’maQ
- Defeat 5 hostiles of level 41 or higher in the Hurgh’maQ system
Warp to complete: 65.
Rewards: 8 Beverly Crusher shards, 80,000 Officer XP, 1,974,000 Tritanium.
A Blessing and a Bane Part 2
The prototype has been copied and turned loose on two planets in Ra’taj. This part is all travel and demolition, with no combat.
- Set a course for Ra’taj
- Check for survivors on Talha, in Ra’taj
- Destroy the prototype on Talha, in Ra’taj
- Set a course for Tonrak, in Ra’taj
- Destroy the prototype on Tonrak, in Ra’taj
Warp to complete: 70.
Rewards: 8,334,000 Parsteel, 1,234,000 Tritanium, 10 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal.
A Blessing and a Bane Part 3
The trail leads to B’Oh and to whoever reverse engineered the weapon. It ends in the hardest fight of the chain.
- Track down the final prototype, in B’Oh
- Confiscate the reverse engineered technology, in B’Oh
- Destroy the Arkonian vessel in B’Oh, roughly 5,649,811 strength
Warp to complete: 70.
Rewards: 10,000,000 Parsteel, 300 Ship XP, 30 one-hour speed ups.
A Blessing and a Bane Part 4
With the copies gone, the original goes back to the people who built it, and Dr. Crusher needs a ride home from Talha.
- Return the stolen prototype to the researchers, in Hurgh’maQ
- Defeat 10 hostiles of level 40 or higher in the Hurgh’maQ system
- Pick up Dr. Crusher from Talha, in Ra’taj
Warp to complete: 70.
Rewards: 395,000 Dilithium, 300 Ship XP, 15 3★ Uncommon Refined Gas.
A Blessing and a Bane Part 5
Back at the research facility you decide what happens to the Atmospheric Manipulation Technology, and the mission splits. Both paths pay 5 Jean-Luc Picard shards; the objectives and the rest of the payout differ.
- Return to the research facility, in Hurgh’maQ
- Decide what to do with the Atmospheric Manipulation Technology
Path 1: destroy the technology
- Beam the technology aboard, in Hurgh’maQ
- Find an isolated spot, in Hurgh’maQ
- Destroy the Atmospheric Manipulation Technology, in Hurgh’maQ
- Escort Dr. Crusher to Lugau, in Szov
Rewards for Path 1: 5 Jean-Luc Picard shards, 65,000 Officer XP, 6 Latinum.
Path 2: relocate the researchers
- Beam the researchers and their technology onboard, in Hurgh’maQ
- Set a course for the Fect system
- Relocate the researchers on Duopant, in Fect
Rewards for Path 2: 5 Jean-Luc Picard shards, 55,000 Officer XP, 5 Latinum.
Warp to complete: 80. Path 1 adds a fourth stop in Szov and pays 10,000 more Officer XP and one more Latinum than Path 2.
Tips for completing A Blessing and a Bane
Warp range is the real gate here, not level. Part 1 already asks for warp 65 to finish, and Part 5 pushes to 80, so check your warp before you open the chain rather than stalling halfway through. Warp to start is 1 on every part, which means you can pick a part up long before you can finish it.
Three parts involve combat. Part 1 wants 5 kills at level 41 or higher and Part 4 wants 10 at level 40 or higher, both inside Hurgh’maQ, so a hostile-grinding crew earns its keep on those two trips. Part 3’s Arkonian vessel sits at roughly 5.65 million strength and is the only named target in the chain; bring a repaired ship and a combat crew for it.
The two Ra’taj planets in Part 2, Talha and Tonrak, are visited in order, and Part 4 sends you back to Talha for the pickup, so expect to cross between Hurgh’maQ and Ra’taj more than once. Decide your Part 5 path before you get there, since the branch changes where you end up: Szov on Path 1, Fect on Path 2.
Are the A Blessing and a Bane rewards worth it?
Yes, if you can finish it. The chain hands over 8 Beverly Crusher shards, 5 Jean-Luc Picard shards, 18.3 million Parsteel, 3.2 million Tritanium, 395,000 Dilithium, and 30 one-hour speed ups for five parts and one real fight. The Parsteel alone covers a serious building push at level 42, and the officer shards make it hard to skip.
