Nanoprobe Hunter is a Starships research that raises the base Nanoprobes you collect from killing Borg Probes with the Vi’dar, from 5% at level 1 to 50% at level 10. It unlocks at R&D Department 24 and its whole ladder lists under 45 days of base research time, which makes it one of the best cheap lines in the game.
What Nanoprobe Hunter does
Nanoprobes are the currency your Vi’dar grind produces, and they bottleneck everything Borg-related that the Vi’dar feeds. Fifty percent more probes from the same daily grinding is a straight raise on that entire economy, with no change to how you play.
| Level | Nanoprobe bonus | Requires R&D Department | Research required | Cost | Base time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5% | 24 | — | 50 3★ Common Refined Crystal, 100K Tritanium, 5 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 80K Dilithium | 2.7 d |
| 2 | 10% | — | — | 100 3★ Common Refined Crystal, 110K Tritanium, 6 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 95K Dilithium | 3 d |
| 3 | 15% | 25 | — | 150 3★ Common Refined Crystal, 120K Tritanium, 7 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 120K Dilithium | 3.2 d |
| 4 | 20% | — | — | 200 3★ Common Refined Crystal, 135K Tritanium, 8 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 135K Dilithium | 3.9 d |
| 5 | 25% | 26 | — | 250 3★ Common Refined Crystal, 150K Tritanium, 10 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 150K Dilithium | 4.3 d |
| 6 | 30% | — | — | 300 3★ Common Refined Crystal, 175K Tritanium, 12 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 175K Dilithium | 4.5 d |
| 7 | 35% | 27 | — | 350 3★ Common Refined Crystal, 200K Tritanium, 14 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 200K Dilithium | 4.9 d |
| 8 | 40% | — | — | 400 3★ Common Refined Crystal, 225K Tritanium, 16 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 250K Dilithium | 5.3 d |
| 9 | 45% | 28 | — | 250K Tritanium, 2 3★ Rare Refined Crystal, 20 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 300K Dilithium | 6 d |
| 10 | 50% | — | — | 300K Tritanium, 3 3★ Rare Refined Crystal, 25 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 350K Dilithium | 6.9 d |
Unlock requirements
Level 1 needs only R&D Department 24, with no research prerequisites. The per-level costs are small; the full ladder is above.
Cost and research time
Per-level costs are in the table above. Maxing all 10 levels totals about 1.8K 3★ Common Refined Crystal, 1.8M Tritanium, 123 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 1.9M Dilithium, 5 3★ Rare Refined Crystal. The base research time adds up to roughly 44.7 d on paper; research speed bonuses cut real timers to a small fraction of that, so use it to compare levels, not to plan your calendar.
Is Nanoprobe Hunter worth it?
Yes for every Vi’dar owner, and max it early; few projects return this much for this little. It pairs with Prime Borg Rewards on the refinery side. The branch is on the Starships Research guide.
