Precious Materials is a mining mission in Star Trek Fleet Command with a simple brief: mine some Ore, Gas and Crystal. It is picked up in Fastolf or Sorenle, needs warp 15 to start and complete, and the game lists a recommended level of 1. There are no fights. You mine 140 each of G3 Ore, G3 Gas and G3 Crystal, and in return you get 225,000 Parsteel, 21,000 Officer XP and one shard each of Barot, T’Pring and Stonn. It is an easy pickup for anyone who already mines.
Precious Materials objectives
There are three objectives, all mining, and no choice split:
- Mine 140 G3 Ore.
- Mine 140 G3 Gas.
- Mine 140 G3 Crystal.
No system is named for any of the three, so the mission does not send you to a specific node. What matters is the resource and its grade. Each objective asks for 140 of a G3 resource, one objective each for ore, gas and crystal.
There is no hostile listed anywhere in the mission, and nothing is donated. The whole job is putting a mining ship on the right kind of node until the counts are met.
Where and what warp
You pick the mission up in Fastolf or Sorenle. Both the start and the finish need warp 15.
The recommended level is 1. In practice the gate is having access to G3 mining nodes and a ship that can mine them, since the mission gives no other requirement.
Precious Materials rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Parsteel | 225,000 |
| Officer XP | 21,000 |
| Barot shards | 1 |
| T’Pring shards | 1 |
| Stonn shards | 1 |
Three different officers get one shard each, on top of the Parsteel and Officer XP.
Precious Materials and Priceless compared
Priceless is the other mission picked up in Sorenle and Fastolf at warp 15, and it plays very differently:
| Mission | Warp | What you do | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precious Materials | 15 | Mine 140 each of G3 Ore, Gas and Crystal | 225,000 Parsteel, 21,000 Officer XP, 1 shard each of Barot, T’Pring and Stonn |
| Priceless | 15 | Defeat a Security Vessel in Opla at about 12,905 strength, steal an art piece, then choose where to take it | 7,000 Dilithium or 227,000 Parsteel, depending on your choice |
Both start in the same two systems at the same warp. Precious Materials suits a mining ship and Priceless needs a combat ship, so the two do not compete for the same hull.
Tips
Find the nodes before you accept. The objectives come in order, ore first, then gas, then crystal, so knowing where the G3 nodes near you are saves travel between steps.
Use your survey ships. This is the kind of mission they are built for, and it keeps your combat ship free for hostiles or for Priceless.
The 21,000 Officer XP pairs well with the shards. Put it into whichever of Barot, T’Pring or Stonn you plan to use, or into your regular crew. Other missions by level are on the mission guide.
