The Federation Combat Ship is a Federation hostile that spawns as an Explorer across two level bands, roughly levels 20 to 42 and again at 53 to 55. You find it in Federation and neighboring systems at warp 13 and up. Killing it earns Romulan and Klingon reputation along with Parsteel, Dilithium, and Broken Explorer Parts, while it costs you standing with the Federation. Bring a Battleship and it goes down cleanly.
How to beat the Federation Combat Ship
It only ever appears as an Explorer, so bring a Battleship. In the combat triangle, Battleships beat Explorers, and because this hostile never changes hull type, you can use the same Battleship at every level with nothing to swap between spawns.
For crew, put a captain that boosts weapon damage against hostiles in the captain seat, then fill the other two seats with officers that add damage or mitigation. Early on, a cadet crew handles the low-level spawns well: Cadet Kirk as captain with Cadet Spock and Cadet Uhura. For current top picks, see the Officer Tier List. Crews shift with the meta, so treat any named lineup as a starting point rather than a fixed answer.
Where to find the Federation Combat Ship
The Federation Combat Ship clusters in Federation space and the systems that border it. Low-level spawns sit at warp 13 to 20 in starter systems, and the warp requirement climbs steeply as the level rises, topping out at warp 320 for the level 53 to 55 spawns in Assimilated Tellar. Match your warp range to the level you want to farm.
| Level | Warp | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 13 | Aruna, Iocau, Le’Onor, Lo’Uren Co, Priya, Voss, Zadiaoo |
| 21 | 13 | Aruna, Foaiveb, Gowok, Iocau, Le’Onor, Lo’Uren Co, Priya, Voss, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 22 | 13 | Aruna, Bazamex, Earorfilad, Foaiveb, Gowok, Iocau, Le’Onor, Lo’Uren Co, Metea, Priya, Voss, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 23 | 13 | Angosia, Aruna, Bazamex, Eagutim, Earorfilad, Foaiveb, Gemet, Gowok, Iocau, Le’Onor, Lo’Uren Co, Mapic, Metea, Priya, S’mtharz, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 24 | 13 | Angosia, Bazamex, Durchman, Eagutim, Earorfilad, Foaiveb, Gemet, Gowok, Hann, Iocau, Mapic, Metea, Priya, Querlz, S’mtharz, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 25 | 17 | Angosia, Bazamex, Doska, Durchman, Eagutim, Earorfilad, Foaiveb, Gemet, Gowok, Hann, Lainey, Mapic, Metea, Querlz, S’mtharz, Vulcan |
| 26 | 17 | Angosia, Bazamex, Doska, Durchman, Eagutim, Earorfilad, Gemet, Hann, Lainey, Losti, Mapic, Metea, Querlz, S’mtharz |
| 27 | 18 | Angosia, Doska, Durchman, Eagutim, Gemet, Hann, Lainey, Losti, Mapic, P’Jem, Querlz, S’mtharz |
| 28 | 18 | Ascher, Doloran, Doska, Durchman, Hann, Lainey, Losti, Noakyn, P’Jem, Querlz, Sahqooq |
| 29 | 19 | Ascher, Barklay, Doloran, Doska, Inari, Lainey, Losti, Noakyn, P’Jem, Sahqooq, Sinisser |
| 30 | 19 | Ascher, Barklay, Doloran, Inari, Losti, Noakyn, P’Jem, Sahqooq, Sinisser, Thama |
| 31 | 20 | Aiti, Ascher, Barklay, Doloran, Inari, Noakyn, P’Jem, Sahqooq, Sinisser, Thama |
| 32 | 23 | Aiti, Andoria, Ascher, Barklay, Doloran, Inari, Noakyn, Sahqooq, Sinisser, Tau Ceti, Thama |
| 33 | 24 | Aiti, Andoria, Barklay, Inari, Siiolux, Sinisser, Tau Ceti, Thama |
| 34 | 24 | Aiti, Andoria, Archer, Axanar, Siiolux, Sirius, Tau Ceti, Thama |
| 35 | 24 | Aiti, Andoria, Archer, Axanar, Siiolux, Sirius, Tau Ceti, Tellar |
| 36 | 24 | Andoria, Archer, Axanar, Babel, Barnard’s Star, Deneb, Denobula Triaxa, Fellebia, Peliar Zel, Riktor, Siiolux, Sirius, Tau Ceti, Tellar, Terra Nova |
| 37 | 24 | Alpha Centauri, Altair, Archer, Arcturus, Axanar, Babel, Barnard’s Star, Bolarus, Cor Caroli, Deneb, Denobula Triaxa, Fellebia, Fibona, Lakeside, Memory Alpha, Peliar Zel, Riktor, Siiolux, Sirius, Tellar, Teneebia, Terra Nova, Trill, Vega, Wolf |
| 38 | 38 | Alpha Centauri, Altair, Archer, Arcturus, Axanar, Babel, Barnard’s Star, Bolarus, Cor Caroli, Deneb, Denobula Triaxa, Fellebia, Fibona, Groombridge 34, Lakeside, Memory Alpha, Peliar Zel, Riktor, Sirius, Tellar, Teneebia, Terra Nova, Trill, Vega, Wolf |
| 39 | 40 | Alpha Centauri, Altair, Arcturus, Babel, Barnard’s Star, Bolarus, Cor Caroli, Deneb, Denobula Triaxa, Fellebia, Fibona, Groombridge 34, Lakeside, Memory Alpha, Peliar Zel, Riktor, Tellar, Teneebia, Terra Nova, Trill, Vega, Wolf |
| 40 | 40 | Alpha Centauri, Altair, Arcturus, Babel, Barnard’s Star, Bolarus, Cor Caroli, Deneb, Denobula Triaxa, Fellebia, Fibona, Groombridge 34, Lakeside, Memory Alpha, Peliar Zel, Riktor, Teneebia, Terra Nova, Trill, Vega, Wolf |
| 41 | 40 | Alpha Centauri, Altair, Arcturus, Bolarus, Cor Caroli, Fibona, Groombridge 34, Lakeside, Memory Alpha, Teneebia, Trill, Vega, Wolf |
| 42 | 40 | Groombridge 34 |
| 53–55 | 320 | Assimilated Tellar |
Rewards and what it drops
Because it flies under the Federation flag, killing it trades Federation reputation for Romulan and Klingon reputation, which makes it a common target for players grinding standing with those two factions. Lower-level spawns also drop Parsteel and Dilithium, while the level 40 and up spawns drop Broken Explorer Parts. Ship XP scales with level, from a few hundred at level 20 to about 4,000 at level 55, so higher spawns level a ship faster.
| Drop | What it is |
|---|---|
| Romulan Points | Reputation with the Romulan faction |
| Klingon Points | Reputation with the Klingon faction |
| Federation Points | Federation reputation; attacking this ship lowers your standing with the Federation |
| Parsteel | Basic resource for building and upgrading (levels 20 to 39) |
| Dilithium | Premium resource used for research and construction (levels 20 to 39) |
| 4★ Broken Explorer Parts | Refine these into 4-star Explorer ship parts (levels 40 to 55) |
Federation Combat Ship stats
Stats vary by level and climb steeply as it goes up, so treat these anchor rows as low, mid, and high reference points.
| Level | Total strength | Hull HP | Shield HP | Attack | Defense | Ship XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 46,590 | 6,160 | 8,890 | 17,970 | 21,095 | 309 |
| 33 | 820,258 | 92,940 | 134,250 | 349,003 | 357,660 | 743 |
| 55 | 45,652,274 | 17,284,245 | 24,197,960 | 18,645,697 | 6,265,475 | 4,001 |
The Federation in Star Trek
The United Federation of Planets is the interstellar union at the heart of Star Trek. Founded in 2161 by Earth, Vulcan, Andoria, and Tellar, it grew into a democratic alliance of member worlds bound by shared law, science, and defense. Its exploratory and military arm, Starfleet, crews the ships most fans know, from the Enterprise to the Discovery. The Federation stands for peaceful exploration and cooperation, though it has fought long wars with the Klingons, Romulans, and the Borg. In Star Trek Fleet Command, Federation ships and space form one of the three founding factions a commander can align with or fight against.
Is the Federation Combat Ship worth grinding?
It earns its keep if you want Romulan or Klingon reputation, since every kill pushes both up while lowering your Federation standing. The mid and high spawns also give solid ship XP and, from level 40, Broken Explorer Parts. Two practical tips before you go: match your warp range to the level you want, and always bring a Battleship, since the hull never changes.