The ECS Fortunate is a grade 1 Common Survey ship in Star Trek Fleet Command, flown under the Independent faction. It is an entry-level mining freighter built to haul cargo and pull Parsteel faster, not to fight. You unlock it at Shipyard level 7, and it costs only Tritanium to build. For a brand-new commander it is a cheap first dedicated miner, and later it makes a handy grade 1 scrap feeder.
How to get the ECS Fortunate
The Fortunate needs 10 blueprints and a Shipyard at level 7, and it is gated behind the Unlock Fortunate research at level 1. Once those are in place the build cost is 750 Tritanium and the build finishes in 1h 20m. The data lists the requirement and cost but not where the blueprints come from, so gather them from whatever event or store is offering the Fortunate at the time rather than assuming a fixed source.
ECS Fortunate ability
The ship ability is Parsteel Mining Laser, which raises your Parsteel mining rate. It starts at 15% at ship level 1 and climbs to 100% at level 20, with roughly 40% around level 10. Ship abilities are always active, so the bonus applies every time the Fortunate mines Parsteel with no button to press. In practice this makes it a faster Parsteel node than a starter ship with no mining bonus, which is the whole reason to build one early.
Parsteel is one of the base building resources in the early game, so anything that speeds up how fast you collect it pays off across construction, upgrades and repairs. Because the bonus grows with ship level rather than tier, leveling the Fortunate up is the fastest way to make it mine harder, and by level 20 the rate reaches more than six times its starting value.
Stats and tiers
These are base values from the current game data; research, buffs and officers raise them in play. Health (displayed) is the shield and hull average the game shows on the ship card.
| Tier | Warp (speed / range) | Impulse | Cargo (protected) | Shield HP | Hull HP | Health (displayed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 1.5 / 6 | 94 | 2,000 (200) | 110 | 220 | 165 |
| Tier 2 | 1.7 / 8 | 94 | 5,720 (240) | 250 | 220 | 235 |
| Tier 4 | 2 / 13 | 94 | 14,700 (350) | 910 | 220 | 565 |
Cargo is where the Fortunate grows the most, from 2,000 at tier 1 to 14,700 at tier 4, while its protected cargo stays small. That means most of what you carry is exposed if the ship is destroyed, so run it where hostiles and hostile players are not a threat.
Scrapping the ECS Fortunate
The Fortunate can be scrapped once your Operations reaches level 7. Scrapping a maxed one returns Tritanium and Survey Parts, which makes it a reasonable early source of grade 1 survey materials once you have moved on to a better miner. There is no ship skin available for it.
Weapons and firing pattern
Warm-up is the round a weapon first fires; cool-down is how many rounds pass between shots after that. The Fortunate carries one light energy weapon, so it can defend itself against weak targets but is not a combat ship.
| Weapon | Type | Shots | Warm-up | Cool-down | Damage | Crit chance | Crit damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon 1 | Energy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 69–84 | 10% | 150% |
Crew slots and officer bonus
The Fortunate opens officer slots as it levels: one at level 5, two at level 10, and a third at level 20.
| Ship level | Officer slots |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 20 | 3 |
On top of the slots, the ship gives your bridge officers a bonus to their attack, defense and health stats, and those three bonuses step up on the same ladder as the ship progresses.
| Amount | Bonus (attack / defense / health) |
|---|---|
| 20 | 15% |
| 40 | 30% |
| 65 | 45% |
| 90 | 60% |
| 120 | 75% |
| 160 | 90% |
| 220 | 105% |
| 300 | 120% |
| 400 | 135% |
| 600 | 150% |
Crew for the ECS Fortunate
Crew the Fortunate for mining, not combat. Since its own ability speeds up Parsteel, the best partners are officers that add mining speed, boost mining rewards, or protect more of your cargo so a lost ship costs you less. Because this is an early ship you often crew it with whatever mining-focused officers you have unlocked rather than a fixed lineup. A simple approach early on is to fill the bridge with your highest-level mining officers and keep the ship in safe space so its thin protected cargo is not a liability. For current picks, check the Officer Tier List, and remember that the best mining crews shift as the meta and your roster change.
Best crews for ECS Fortunate
Captain: Barot
Officer: Elea Makinen
Officer: Raphael DuPont
Best ECS Fortunate crew for mining crystal.
Captain: T’Pring
Officer: K’Bisch
Officer: Domitia
Best ECS Fortunate crew for mining gas.
Captain: Stonn
Officer: Helvia
Officer: One of Eleven
Best ECS Fortunate crew for mining ore.
The ECS Fortunate in Star Trek
The Fortunate comes from Star Trek: Enterprise. ECS stands for Earth Cargo Service, the civilian fleet of freighters that hauled goods between colonies in the years before the Federation. The Fortunate appeared in the first-season episode Fortunate Son as a Y-class cargo ship whose crew had been pushed to defend themselves against Nausicaan raiders, which fits the game version’s identity as a working freighter rather than a warship. The in-game ship keeps that origin: a high-capacity hauler that trades comfort, speed and firepower for the ability to carry more.
ECS Fortunate build cost by tier
Build and repair costs for every tier, carried over from the previous version of this page.
| Tier | Build cost | Repair cost | Build time | Repair time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 750 Tritanium | — | 1h 20m | 2m 24s |
| Tier 2 | 1,900 Tritanium 18 1★ Survey Parts |
38 Tritanium | 30m | 3m |
| Tier 3 | 5,950 Tritanium 45 1★ Survey Parts |
117 Tritanium | 1h | 4m 6s |
| Tier 4 | 15,500 Tritanium 108 1★ Survey Parts |
291 Tritanium | 1h 40m | 5m 36s |
ECS Fortunate ship XP needed by level
Experience required to reach each level, with the health and shield bonuses that come with it.
Tier 1
Level 2: 4
Level 3: 6
Level 4: 8
Level 5: 12
Tier 2
Level 6: 16
Level 7: 22
Level 8: 40
Level 8: 45
Level 10: 80
Tier 3
Level 11: 90
Level 12: 140
Level 13: 150
Level 14: 230
Level 15: 250
Tier 4
Level 16: 350
Level 17: 500
Level 18: 600
Level 19: 700
Level 20:
Resources to max out a ECS Fortunate
Total Build Cost*
- 29,300 Tritanium
- 216 1★ Survey Parts
Total Experience: 3,243
*Costs and time are base values only. These are player-specific based on buildings and research.
ECS Fortunate recycling time & reward
Scrapping rewards at level 20
Scrap Time*: 07h 12m
Seconds: 25,920
Rewards*:
- 7,343 x Tritanium
- 6 x 2★ Common Gas
- 1 x 2★ Uncommon Gas
- 12 x 2★ Common Crystal
- 2 x 2★ Uncommon Crystal
- 709 x Ship Xp
- 13 x 2★ Survey Parts
Note:
* Trit & Dil rewards are based on upgraded components.
* Scrap time will depend on the level of your Scrapyard.
ECS Fortunate video
Is the ECS Fortunate worth it?
For an early commander, yes, in a limited way. As a grade 1 Common Survey ship it is cheap to build and gives you a real Parsteel mining bonus before you can reach stronger miners. Its weak protected cargo and single energy weapon mean it stays a peaceful-space miner, and most players outgrow it well before the endgame. Build it if you want faster early Parsteel and a low-cost survey ship to scrap later for grade 1 parts.