The USS Franklin-A chain is an eleven-part retrofit questline that turns the standard Franklin into its upgraded, Swarm-capable version. Every part is a station job: raise your Operations building by one level, collect a Franklin-A component, and open the next step. It runs from around level 36 to 49, all at warp 1 in your home system, with no combat or travel. Clear all eleven and you walk away with the full set of Mk. II warp parts plus the three Retrofit Keys that finish the ship.
USS Franklin-A at a glance
| Teil | Recommended level | Warp to complete | Key reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Franklin-A Teil 1 | 36 | 1 | 1 Franklin Warp Interlock Mk. II |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 2 | 38 | 1 | 1 Franklin Warp Conduit Mk. II |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 3 | 40 | 1 | 1 Franklin Warp Relay Mk. II |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 4 | 42 | 1 | 1 Franklin Warp Regulator Mk. II |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 5 | 43 | 1 | 1 Franklin Warp Injector Mk. II |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 6 | 44 | 1 | 1 Franklin Warp Containment Mk. II |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 7 | 45 | 1 | 1 Franklin Warp Coil Mk. II |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 8 | 46 | 1 | 1 Franklin Warp Core Mk. II |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 9 | 47 | 1 | 1 Franklin-A Alpha Nachrüstschlüssel |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 10 | 48 | 1 | 1 Franklin-A Delta-Nachrüstschlüssel |
| USS Franklin-A Teil 11 | 49 | 1 | 1 Franklin-A Omega Nachrüstschlüssel |
USS Franklin-A Teil 1
The chain opens at recommended level 36. The only task is a single Operations upgrade at your home station, and finishing it kicks off the Franklin-A retrofit.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 37 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin Warp Interlock Mk. II.
USS Franklin-A Teil 2
At level 38 the pattern is set for the rest of the chain: one more Operations upgrade at home, warp 1, no travel.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 39 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin Warp Conduit Mk. II.
USS Franklin-A Teil 3
Recommended level 40 here. Push Operations up another rung and the third warp component drops.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 41 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin Warp Relay Mk. II.
USS Franklin-A Teil 4
By level 42 you are halfway through the warp parts. This part again asks for a single home-system upgrade.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 43 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin Warp Regulator Mk. II.
USS Franklin-A Teil 5
Level 43 brings another Operations bump in your home system, and warp stays at 1.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 44 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin Warp Injector Mk. II.
USS Franklin-A Teil 6
At level 44 the routine holds: raise Operations one level, collect the sixth component.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 45 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin Warp Containment Mk. II.
USS Franklin-A Teil 7
Recommended level 45. Another Operations upgrade delivers the seventh Mk. II warp part.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 46 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin Warp Coil Mk. II.
USS Franklin-A Teil 8
Level 46 closes out the Mk. II component set with the eighth and final warp part.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 47 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin Warp Core Mk. II.
USS Franklin-A Teil 9
From level 47 the rewards shift from components to keys. This upgrade hands over the first Retrofit Key.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 48 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin-A Alpha Retrofit Key.
USS Franklin-A Teil 10
At level 48 the second Retrofit Key is on the line for one more Operations upgrade.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 49 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin-A Delta Retrofit Key.
USS Franklin-A Teil 11
The finale sits at recommended level 49. The last Operations upgrade completes the chain and the retrofit.
- Upgrade Operations to Level 50 (Player Home System)
Warp to complete: 1. Reward: Franklin-A Omega Retrofit Key.
Tips for completing USS Franklin-A
Every part is a station upgrade done in your own home system, so you never leave home, warp is always 1, and there is no combat. The real gate is Operations build cost and time, which climbs sharply through the mid-40s. Stockpile parsteel, tritanium, and Dilithium before you start so an upgrade timer never stalls the chain.
Because each part is tied to an Operations level, the chain tracks your normal base progression. You clear each step as you hit the level anyway, which makes it low-effort income toward the ship. Parts 9 through 11 pay out the Alpha, Delta, and Omega Retrofit Keys, the pieces that actually convert the ship, so keep them alongside the eight Mk. II warp components from Parts 1 through 8 until you apply the retrofit. Within the storyline this chain sits in the Absolution arc and follows Going Back to the Death Place.
The parts unlock in order, so you cannot rush ahead of your Operations level. Treat the chain as a long-running background goal that resolves itself as your base climbs, rather than something to finish in one sitting. If you are short on a resource for the next Operations level, that shortfall is the only thing standing between you and the next component.
Are the USS Franklin-A rewards worth it?
The value is high because there is nothing to grind beyond upgrades you would do anyway. The full payoff is the complete Franklin-A retrofit: eight Mk. II warp components and the three Retrofit Keys that finish the ship. If you are leveling a base through the low 40s and want the upgraded, Swarm-ready Franklin, this chain is close to free progress toward it.
