Combat Research

Combat research is the largest branch of the Star Trek Fleet Command research tree, and it decides how hard your ships hit and how long they last. This page lists every combat research in the game with what it does, the Operations level it unlocks at, how many levels it has, the total cost to max it, the research time, and its prerequisites, so you can plan your next unlock without digging through the tree in game. Below the table is a short guide to what each type is for and which lines to push first.

What combat research does

The branch breaks into a few kinds of upgrade. Weapon and critical research raises your base damage and critical hits and applies to every fight. Piercing research (armor, shield, accuracy) gets your shots through a defended target and matters most in player combat. Defense research (shields, hull, mitigation, dodge) reduces the damage you take, with mitigation scaling best in long fights. The anti-hull grinding lines are the fastest way to speed up hostile kills: one family raises your damage against a hostile hull, another raises your mitigation against it. The rest covers ship-line and faction research, plus the Superhighway missions that open fast-travel lanes.

Every combat research

All 369 combat research projects, sorted by unlock level (most projects gate on your R&D Department; some use Operations or another building). Cost to max is the full resource total across every level. Research time is the base time before your research-speed bonuses, which cut it heavily in play, so treat it as a relative gauge between projects rather than a real-world clock.

How to prioritize combat research

What to research first depends on how you spend your time. Put your research into the type that matches what you do most, using the three cases below.

If you grind hostiles, the anti-hull lines pay back fastest. Check the hull your target flies in the hostile guide, then push the matching damage line, and for tougher targets the mitigation line. The Fragile family raises damage against a hostile hull, and the Obviate family raises your mitigation against it. Base weapon damage and critical research help against everything, so they are a safe default.

If you fight other players, piercing and mitigation matter more than raw damage. Shield and armor piercing get your hits through, mitigation keeps you alive, and accuracy helps against dodge builds. The faction combat lines like KSG Shield Mitigation and the Section 31 criticals shape the opening rounds of a fight.

If you run armadas, favor sustained damage and survivability, since armada targets have deep health pools, and lean on your crew as much as your research.

The Superhighway lines, such as KSG, Section 31, and Immortal, do not raise a combat stat, but the travel time they save adds up, so complete each one when your queue has a gap. Officers and ship abilities often swing a fight more than one research level, so pair your research with the officer tier list and the ship guide.

Frequently asked questions

Where is combat research in Star Trek Fleet Command? It is the Combat branch of the research tree, opened from your station. Each research unlocks at the Operations level shown in the table above.

What combat research should I do first? Base weapon damage and mitigation are safe for any account because they apply to every fight. Add the anti-hull damage line that matches the hostiles you farm most.

How do I unlock a Superhighway? Complete the matching Superhighway research, such as KSG, Section 31, or Immortal. Finishing it grants a mission in the Gifts section that opens that fast-travel lane.