Die [PRO] M-5 Multitronic Unit is an Epic Forbidden Tech, a prototype artifact you slot onto a warship built to attack enemy Outposts. Its headline effect is a large Critical Hit Chance boost against Outposts, backed by heavy mitigation, extra base damage against Borg Outpost Retaliation Ships, and a big Apex Barrier. The whole piece is built to make an Outpost attacker hit harder and shrug off the counterattack. Chase it if you run Borg Outpost content.
What the M-5 Multitronic Unit does
The first buff, a Critical Hit Chance boost against Outposts, is active from the start. The other three switch on as you tier the piece up, and once a buff has unlocked its value climbs with the item’s level. Every effect is written against Outposts, and the two strongest ones target Borg Outposts and the ships that retaliate when you hit them.
| Buff | Unlocks at tier | Unlock value | Max value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Hit Chance against Outposts | Stufe 1 | 3% | 50% |
| All Mitigation stats against Outposts and Outpost Retaliation Ships | Stufe 3 | 15% | 250% |
| Base Damage against Borg Outpost Retaliation Ships | Stufe 6 | 50% | 850% |
| Apex Barrier against Borg Outposts and Borg Outpost Retaliation Ships | Stufe 8 | 400 | 8,000 |
In play, a fully built M-5 lands more critical hits on an Outpost, takes far less damage from the Outpost and its retaliation ships, deals much heavier base damage to the Borg ships that come after you, and carries a large Apex Barrier into the fight. One caution from the data: the Apex Barrier buff does not apply when Tal is assigned to the bridge, so crew that piece around him. All values reflect the current game data and shift if the game rebalances them.
How to get the M-5 Multitronic Unit
This is an Epic Forbidden Tech, so you unlock it with Epic Forbidden Fragments in the Forbidden Tech refinery, with more Fragments coming from Q’s Trials and special rewards. Before you can equip any Forbidden Tech you also need a free slot on the ship, which you open with Forbidden Tech Fusion Rods; the same Rods let you remove a piece later. Fusion Rods come from the refinery and the Store. If you pile up spare Forbidden Tech parts, you can exchange the Forbidden Tech Credit Pieces they produce for Forbidden Tech Credits in the refinery.
Upgrading the M-5 Multitronic Unit
Two tracks raise the piece. Tiering up with Prototype Tech Tier-Up Catalysts raises the level cap and switches on the later buffs at the tiers shown above, while leveling up with Prototype Tech Protomatter scales the values between those caps. Upgrade attempts also draw on Forbidden Tech Reactors, and Probability Devices raise your upgrade chances.
| Ebene | Level cap | Kosten |
|---|---|---|
| Stufe 1 | 5 | Starting tier, no cost |
| Stufe 7 | 35 | 4,000 Rare Prototype Tech Tier-Up Catalyst |
| Stufe 12 | 60 | 4,125 Epic Prototype Tech Tier-Up Catalyst |
Reaching max tier costs 24,800 Rare Prototype Tech Tier-Up Catalyst and 9,075 Epic Prototype Tech Tier-Up Catalyst in total. Taking it from level 2 to level 60 costs 815,050 Epic Prototype Tech Protomatter and 368,000 Rare Prototype Tech Protomatter.
Best ships and uses for the M-5 Multitronic Unit
This is an offense piece aimed at one job: attacking Outposts, and specifically Borg Outposts. It belongs on the ship and crew you send against Borg Outposts, where all four buffs earn their keep. The crit and mitigation buffs help against any Outpost, but the base damage and Apex Barrier buffs only trigger around Borg Outposts and their retaliation ships, so the piece pays off most for players deep in that content. Keep Tal off the bridge of the ship carrying it, since the Apex Barrier buff shuts off when he is assigned. If you never attack Outposts, none of these buffs do anything for the rest of your fleet.
The M-5 Multitronic Unit in Star Trek
The M-5 is real Star Trek canon, from the original series episode “The Ultimate Computer.” Dr. Richard Daystrom built it as a multitronic system meant to run a starship on its own, an advance on the duotronic computers already standard in the fleet. During its trial aboard the Enterprise, the M-5 turned a war-games exercise deadly, firing on other Federation ships with live weapons and killing crew. The cause was Daystrom himself: to give the machine true judgment he had imprinted his own memory engrams onto it, and the computer inherited his instability along with his intelligence. The game keeps that story, casting the unit as powerful technology that came at a terrible cost.
Is the M-5 Multitronic Unit worth it?
If you fight Borg Outposts regularly, the M-5 is a strong pickup: the crit, mitigation, damage, and barrier buffs all point at that exact fight and stack into a much tougher, harder-hitting attacker. Take it as far as your Prototype Tech materials allow, since the largest values only arrive at high tier and level. Players who leave Outposts alone can skip it without missing anything.