The Federation Trader is a Survey-class hostile that roams United Federation of Planets space at levels 20 to 51. It barely fights back, so almost any combat ship can clear it. Players farm it for Romulan and Klingon reputation, plus Parsteel, Dilithium, and 4-star Broken Survey Parts at the higher levels. Attacking it lowers your Federation reputation, which is the price for grinding the other two factions.
How to beat the Federation Trader
The Federation Trader only appears as a Survey hull, and Survey ships put up almost no fight, so you do not need to match a specific counter class. Bring any combat ship you have, whether an Interceptor, Battleship, or Explorer, and set your warp to reach the level you want. Nothing changes between levels because the hull stays Survey the whole way up.
For crew, seat a captain that boosts weapon damage against hostiles, then fill the other two seats with officers that add damage or mitigation. At the low end of this level band the cadet crew handles the job: Cadet Kirk as captain with Cadet Spock and Cadet Uhura. For current top picks, check the Officer Tier List, since the best crews shift with the meta.
Where to find the Federation Trader
The Federation Trader clusters in Federation space. Low-level versions sit near starter systems like Vulcan and Aruna at warp 13, while the top levels push out to warp 160 in systems like New Reykjavik and Rylan. Match your warp range to the level you want to farm.
| Level | Warp | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 13 | Aruna, Foaiveb, Gowok, Iocau, Le’Onor, Lo’Uren Co, Voss, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 21 | 13 | Aruna, Bazamex, Foaiveb, Gowok, Iocau, Le’Onor, Lo’Uren Co, Metea, Voss, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 22 | 13 | Aruna, Bazamex, Eagutim, Foaiveb, Gemet, Gowok, Iocau, Le’Onor, Lo’Uren Co, Mapic, Metea, Voss, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 23 | 13 | Aruna, Bazamex, Durchman, Eagutim, Foaiveb, Gemet, Gowok, Iocau, Le’Onor, Lo’Uren Co, Mapic, Metea, Querlz, Voss, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 24 | 13 | Aruna, Bazamex, Doska, Durchman, Eagutim, Foaiveb, Gemet, Gowok, Iocau, Le’Onor, Lo’Uren Co, Mapic, Metea, Querlz, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 25 | 17 | Bazamex, Doska, Durchman, Eagutim, Foaiveb, Gemet, Gowok, Iocau, Mapic, Metea, Querlz, Vulcan, Zadiaoo |
| 26 | 17 | Bazamex, Doska, Durchman, Eagutim, Foaiveb, Gemet, Gowok, Mapic, Metea, Querlz, Vulcan |
| 27 | 18 | Bazamex, Doska, Durchman, Eagutim, Gemet, Mapic, Metea, Noakyn, Querlz |
| 28 | 18 | Doska, Durchman, Eagutim, Gemet, Mapic, Noakyn, Querlz |
| 29 | 19 | Doska, Durchman, Noakyn, Querlz, Thama |
| 30 | 19 | Doska, Noakyn, Thama |
| 31 | 23 | Andoria, Noakyn, Thama |
| 32 | 23 | Andoria, Noakyn, Siiolux, Thama |
| 33 | 23 | Andoria, Axanar, Noakyn, Siiolux, Thama |
| 34–35 | 24 | Andoria, Axanar, Siiolux, Thama |
| 36–37 | 24 | Andoria, Axanar, Siiolux |
| 38 | 24 | Axanar, Kurchee, Siiolux |
| 39 | 45 | Axanar, Dashai, Hyland, Kurchee, Zosam |
| 40 | 64 | Dashai, Holles, Hyland, Kurchee, New Calgary, Zosam |
| 41 | 64 | Dashai, Holles, Hyland, Kor Ar’Ka, Kurchee, New Calgary, New Canberra, Zosam |
| 42 | 70 | Alea, Holles, Hyland, Kor Ar’Ka, Kurchee, New Calgary, New Canberra, ST-9417 |
| 43 | 70 | Alea, Holles, Hyland, Kor Ar’Ka, Kurchee, Leebyrn, New Calgary, New Canberra, ST-9417, Sozin |
| 44 | 70 | Alea, Holles, Hyland, Kor Ar’Ka, Kurchee, Leebyrn, New Calgary, New Canberra, ST-9417, Sozin, Yarega |
| 45 | 70 | Alea, Holles, Hyland, Kor Ar’Ka, Leebyrn, New Calgary, New Canberra, New Reykjavik, ST-9417, Sozin, Yarega |
| 46 | 75 | Alea, Holles, Kor Ar’Ka, Leebyrn, New Calgary, New Canberra, New Reykjavik, ST-9417, Sozin, Yarega |
| 47 | 95 | Alea, Kor Ar’Ka, Leebyrn, New Canberra, New Reykjavik, Rylan, ST-9417, Sozin, Yarega |
| 48 | 110 | Alea, Leebyrn, New Reykjavik, Rylan, ST-9417, Sozin, Yarega |
| 49 | 120 | Leebyrn, New Reykjavik, Rylan, Sozin, Yarega |
| 50 | 135 | New Reykjavik, Rylan, Yarega |
| 51 | 160 | New Reykjavik, Rylan |
Rewards and what it drops
The main reason to hit the Federation Trader is reputation. Each kill awards Romulan and Klingon Points while subtracting Federation Points, so this is a target for players building up the other two factions. Lower levels also drop Parsteel and Dilithium, and from level 39 up you start seeing 4-star Broken Survey Parts. Ship XP climbs steeply with level, so higher targets pay off more when you are leveling a ship.
| Drop | What it is |
|---|---|
| Romulan Points | Reputation with the Romulan faction, used for the Romulan store and reputation tiers. |
| Klingon Points | Reputation with the Klingon faction, used the same way. |
| Federation Points | Federation reputation, which drops when you attack Federation ships. |
| Parsteel | The basic building and upgrade resource (levels 20 to 39). |
| Dilithium | A core currency for research and upgrades (levels 20 to 39). |
| 4-star Broken Survey Parts | Refinery material tied to survey ships (levels 39 to 51). |
Federation Trader stats
Stats vary by hull and climb steeply with level.
| Level | Total strength | Hull HP | Shield HP | Attack | Defense | Ship XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 19,326 | 5,760 | 5,760 | 3,816 | 9,750 | 103 |
| 36 | 604,601 | 150,380 | 150,380 | 141,051 | 313,170 | 313 |
| 51 | 16,479,362 | 9,481,265 | 9,919,121 | 3,284,294 | 3,494,875 | 2,929 |
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 Prime. It runs on cooperation, scientific exploration, and diplomacy rather than conquest, and Starfleet is its combined exploratory and defensive service. In the game’s early era, the Federation is one of the three factions you can align with, alongside the Klingons and Romulans. Its trader and survey ships are civilian traffic moving goods between member worlds, which is why they carry cargo but put up so little fight.
Is the Federation Trader worth grinding?
It is worth grinding if you are pushing Romulan or Klingon reputation and do not mind losing Federation standing. The Survey hull makes every kill fast and cheap, and the Parsteel, Dilithium, and Broken Survey Parts stack on top of the reputation. Pick the level that matches your warp range and the faction rewards you want, then bring whatever combat ship you already fly.