Nanoprobes are the resource behind the Borg progression loop in Star Trek Fleet Command. They are not mined from systems: you farm Inert Nanoprobes by destroying Borg Tactical Probes in Borg space, then refine them into Active or Charged Nanoprobes. The whole loop runs on the Vi’dar, which unlocks Borg space, farms the probes, and houses the refinery.
Why you need nanoprobes
Nanoprobes drive two things every Borg-focused commander wants: leveling the Vi’dar (and later the Vi’dar Talios) and promoting Borg officers. Charged Nanoprobes tier up the ship and buy from the event store, including faction credits and reputation. Active Nanoprobes promote Borg Offiziere to raise their power. If you run Borg content at all, nanoprobe farming is the routine that pays for it.
The three types of nanoprobe
Nanoprobes come in a base form and two refined forms, and knowing which you need decides how you set the Raffinerie:
- Inert Nanoprobes – the raw drop from Borg Tactical Probes. Useless on their own; they are the feedstock for the other two.
- Aktive Nanosonden – refined from Inert. Used to promote Borg officers and increase their power.
- Geladene Nanosonden – refined from Inert. Used to upgrade the Vi’dar and to buy items, faction credits, and reputation from the event store.
How to get nanoprobes
- Borg Tactical Probes. The only source of Inert Nanoprobes. These hostiles sit in Borg space, starting around the Alta system, and drop Inert Nanoprobes when destroyed.
- The Vi’dar refinery. Not a source of Inert, but the required second step: it converts Inert into Active or Charged. The refine options unlock once the Vi’dar is built and in use.
- Borg armadas and events. Borg-themed armadas and event stores pay nanoprobes and charged variants directly.
Access to Borg space runs on Transwarp Cells: a built Vi’dar earns a daily allotment (two per day at first) that you spend to enter Borg systems and farm probes. That daily cell count, not the probes themselves, is the real throttle on how fast you progress.
How to farm nanoprobes efficiently
The Vi’dar is purpose-built for this: it deals bonus damage to Borg targets, so it clears Tactical Probes far faster than a standard interceptor. Higher-level Borg systems hold higher-level probes that drop more Inert per kill, so push into the deepest Borg space your Vi’dar can handle. Spend your Transwarp Cells daily — they do not stockpile usefully — and refine your Inert on cooldown rather than letting it pile up unused.
Nanoprobes FAQ
Are nanoprobes mined?
No. Unlike Erze or latinum, nanoprobes are not gathered from system nodes. Inert Nanoprobes drop from Borg Tactical Probes in combat, and the refined forms come from the Vi’dar refinery.
What is the difference between Active and Charged Nanoprobes?
Both refine from Inert. Active promotes Borg officers; Charged upgrades the Vi’dar and buys from the event store. Set your refinery toward whichever you are short on.
Do I need the Vi’dar to get nanoprobes?
Effectively yes. It unlocks Borg space through Transwarp Cells, farms probes with bonus Borg damage, and houses the refinery. You can begin building it from Betrieb level 25.
Why am I capped on nanoprobe farming?
Your daily Transwarp Cells limit how many Borg systems you can enter. That daily cell count is the ceiling, so the fix is progressing the Vi’dar and its research, not just grinding more probes.