Research is the permanent upgrade system in Star Trek Fleet Command. Every project you finish in the R&D Department buys a lasting bonus: harder-hitting ships, faster mining, cheaper buildings, more warp range. The full tree now spans 20 branches and more than 2,000 individual projects. This page is the map: what each research tree does, how big it is, which projects players look up most, and a link to the full guide for every tree.
How research works
Research lives in the R&D Department on your station. Each project costs resources and time, and most trees gate their projects behind a building level (usually your R&D Department, sometimes Operations or another building) and one or more prerequisite projects. Once a project finishes, its bonus is permanent and always on. Research times look brutal on paper, but research speed bonuses from buildings, officers, and events cut them heavily in practice.
Not every tree unlocks the same way. The eight core trees open up as your Operations level grows. The specialty trees have their own doors: Territory research opens at R&D Department 25 and saves a few late projects for the Continuum Consulate, Outlaw research runs through the Botany Bay, Faction Favors upgrades are bought with faction hull plating, and ship skin research unlocks when you own the skin itself.
The eight core research trees
These are the main branches almost every player works through. Each link goes to a full table of that tree with what every project does, its unlock level, cost to max, and research time.
| Research tree | What it does | Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Combat Research | The largest branch. Weapon damage, critical hits, piercing, and defenses: how hard your ships hit and how long they last in any fight. | 371 |
| Starships Research | Ship-specific upgrades. Most projects buff one named ship or ship line rather than your whole fleet. | 244 |
| Station Research | Economy and quality of life. Cheaper, faster building and research, plus station defense. It makes your whole base run better. | 212 |
| Territory Research | Mid-to-late economy and armadas, unlocked from R&D Department 25, with a few late projects behind the Continuum Consulate. Refining returns, high-tier mining, and armada power. | 199 |
| Galaxy Research | Economy and mobility. Mining rates, refining efficiency, warp speed and range, cargo size, faction reputation, and officer stats. | 180 |
| Away Teams Research | The officer branch. Better away-team assignments and stronger officers, from around Operations 10 into the low 40s. | 111 |
| Outlaw Research | Mid-game faction branch built around the Botany Bay: cost efficiency and staying alive while you mine. | 70 |
| Starbase Research | The Cardassian and Assault branch, tied to Deep Space Nine content. Nearly every project targets Cardassian armadas or Assault mode. | 53 |
Faction, event, and specialty trees
The rest of the tree is newer and more specialized. Several of these branches are endgame content with steep unlock requirements, and a few work on completely different rules from the core trees.
| Research tree | What it does | Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Ship Skins Research | Every ship skin’s built-in research bonus. Unlocks by owning the skin, not by Operations level. | 124 |
| Artifact Research | Utility grab bag. Each project is a unique Artifact granting one specific buff, from mining rate to PvP defense. | 117 |
| Mirror Research | Endgame branch from the Mirror Universe arc, unlocked at Operations 40 and heavily focused on PvP defense. | 99 |
| Ascension Research | Catch-up branch for G3-and-up players. Sources ships and blueprints you may have skipped on the way up. | 112 |
| Ex-Borg Research | Endgame branch built around the Borg Cube, unlocked from R&D Department level 28, with a set of all-ship combat boosts. | 55 |
| Aggregation Research | Aggregation-focused projects with their own unlock path. | 33 |
| Faction Favors Research | Hull-plating upgrades for Federation, Romulan, and Klingon faction ships, bought with faction materials instead of standard resources. | 27 |
| Bajoran Research | Projects tied to the Bajoran faction arc. | 25 |
| Section 31 Research | Projects tied to Section 31 favors and content. | 22 |
| Maverick Research | Endgame faction branch for the Maverick faction and Conqueror Borg Solo Armadas, mostly gated at R&D Department 55 and up. | 22 |
| Terran Research | Projects tied to the Terran arc. | 12 |
| Star Path Research | A small branch tied to the Star Path system. | 10 |
What to research first
Early on, split your effort between Combat and Galaxy. Combat basics raise the damage and survivability of every ship you own, and the Galaxy economy lines (mining, refining, warp range) decide how fast everything else moves. A fight bonus you use in every battle beats a niche bonus you use once a week.
Station research is the quiet winner in the mid game. Cheaper and faster construction and research compounds over months, so pick up its cost and speed lines whenever they come into reach. Away Teams research pays off as soon as you are running assignments regularly.
The specialty trees are not optional forever. Territory, Outlaw, Ex-Borg, and Mirror each carry some of the strongest bonuses in the game for their level range. Open each one as soon as you meet its unlock, then prioritize inside it by what you actually do: miners push economy lines, PvP players push defense and damage, armada crews push their target’s tree.
Prime research list
Prime research projects are the short, high-value nodes scattered through the tree, most of them one or two levels long. Many are paid with a dedicated particle or token instead of (or on top of) standard resources, such as Prime Orbit Medallions, Prime Valor Emblems or a Prime Particle named after the project. There are 164 Prime projects across the trees on this page. This is how they split by tree:
| Research tree | Prime projects |
|---|---|
| Combat Research | 38 |
| Galaxy Research | 36 |
| Station Research | 29 |
| Starships Research | 20 |
| Ex-Borg Research | 10 |
| Mirror Research | 9 |
| Away Teams Research | 6 |
| Territory Research | 6 |
| Starbase Research | 5 |
| Outlaw Research | 4 |
| Maverick Research | 1 |
The full list below is grouped by tree and sorted by the building level that unlocks each project. Cost to max is the total across every level, which for most Prime projects is a single level. The projects with their own pages are linked.
| Prime research | Tree | Unlocks at (building level) | Cost to max | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Armada Damage | Combat | None | 753.8M Dilithium, 1K 5★ Uncommon Refined Gas | Increase base Weapon Damage against Armada targets. |
| Prime Critical Hit Chance | Combat | None | 1K 5★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 2.1B Dilithium | Increase Critical Hit Chance for all ships. |
| Prime Critical Hit Damage | Combat | None | 1K 5★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 1.1B Dilithium | Increase Critical Hit damage for all ships. |
| Prime Damage | Combat | None | 35K Dilithium | +100% bonus to base Weapon Damage for all ships. |
| Prime Defenses | Combat | None | 250 4★ Rare Refined Ore, 2.2M Dilithium | Increased base Shield Deflection, Armor and Dodge for all ships. |
| Prime Hulls | Combat | None | 125 3★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 90K Dilithium | Increase base Hull Health for all ships. |
| Prime Piercing | Combat | None | 2.6M Dilithium, 300 4★ Rare Refined Crystal | Increased base Accuracy, Shield and Armor Piercing for all ships. |
| Prime Shields | Combat | None | 100 3★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 70K Dilithium | Increase base Shield Health for all ships. |
| Prime Critical Damage Floor | Combat | R&D 20 | 5M Dilithium, 1K Prime Orbit Medallion | Critical Hit Damage cannot be reduced by enemy Players or Hostiles below a base percentage. |
| Prime Battleship Isolytic Damage | Combat | R&D 33 | 1K Prime Ship Isolytic Damage Particle | Increases Isolytic Damage for Battleships |
| Prime Explorer Isolytic Damage | Combat | R&D 33 | 1K Prime Ship Isolytic Damage Particle | Increases Isolytic Damage for Explorers |
| Prime Interceptor Isolytic Damage | Combat | R&D 33 | 1K Prime Ship Isolytic Damage Particle | Increases Isolytic Damage for Interceptors |
| Prime Station Assault | Combat | R&D 33 | 278.7M Dilithium, 1K 5★ Rare Refined Ore | Increases base Damage when attacking a station. |
| Prime Battleship Wrecking | Combat | R&D 35 | 55.6M Dilithium, 1K Prime Particle Key | Increases base weapon damage against Battleships while fighting other Players. |
| Prime Critical Evasion | Combat | R&D 35 | 27.9M Dilithium, 1K Prime Orbit Medallion | Reduces true Critical Chance of target players and Hostiles by 20% (after all other research and bonuses). Does not apply during combat against Armadas, Assaults or station defense. |
| Prime Critical Hit Reduction | Combat | R&D 35 | 1.5K Prime Valor Emblem, 75M Dilithium | Reduce the Critical hit chance of enemy players at the start of combat for 2 rounds. (Does not trigger in station combat) |
| Prime Critical Strike | Combat | R&D 35 | 2.2K Omega Particle, 2.4B Dilithium | Increases base Critical Hit Damage for all ships |
| Prime Explorer Wrecking | Combat | R&D 35 | 55.6M Dilithium, 1K Prime Particle Key | Increases base weapon damage against Explorers while fighting other Players. |
| Prime Hull Breach Resilience | Combat | R&D 35 | 1K Prime Hull Breach Resilience Particle | Decreases opponent’s Critical Hit Damage for 3 rounds if your ship is Hull Breached at the beginning of any round of combat. |
| Prime Interceptor Wrecking | Combat | R&D 35 | 55.6M Dilithium, 1K Prime Particle Key | Increases base weapon damage against Interceptors while fighting other Players. |
| Prime PvP Damage Resistance | Combat | R&D 35 | 2K Prime PvP Damage Resistance Particle | Decreases enemy player’s base Weapon Damage (does not apply during Station defense). |
| Prime Station Siege | Combat | R&D 35 | 1K Prime Valor Emblem, 50M Dilithium | Increases base Damage when attacking a station. |
| Prime Apex Hunter | Combat | R&D 40 | 1K Apex Hunter Particle | Increases base Apex Shred on all ships when fighting Players (does not apply while defending station). |
| Prime Station Delay | Combat | R&D 40 | 2K Prime Valor Emblem, 100M Dilithium | When attacking a station, delay opponent ship and defense platform weapon fire for the number of rounds shown below. |
| Prime Wartime Morale | Combat | R&D 40 | 1.5K Prime Wartime Morale Particle, 519.8M Dilithium | Increases base Isolytic Damage by 20% while your ship has Morale |
| Prime Weapon Damage | Combat | R&D 40 | 1K Weapon Prime Particle, 519.8M Dilithium | Increases base Weapon Damage for all ships |
| Prime Weapons Drain | Combat | R&D 42 | 1.5K Prime Weapons Drain | Decreases enemy player’s base Weapon Damage (does not apply during Station defense). |
| Prime Tactical Advantage | Combat | R&D 46 | 2K 5★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 4.9B Dilithium | Increases base Damage against all non-player targets. |
| Prime Station Damage | Combat | R&D 48 | 3K 5★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 11.8B Dilithium | Increases base Damage against enemy Defense Platforms. |
| Prime Solo Outpost Assault | Combat | R&D 51 | 7.4T Dilithium, 3K Prime Outpost Insignia, 17.4M Σ-Dilithium | Increase base Weapon Damage for all ships against Outpost and their Retaliation ships. |
| Prime Hardened Shield Phasing | Combat | R&D 52 | 66.5B Dilithium, 2K 7★ Uncommon Refined Gas | Increases base Shield Health. |
| Prime Hull Citadel | Combat | R&D 52 | 1K 7★ Rare Refined Crystal, 66.5B Dilithium | Increases base Hull Health. |
| Prime Armada Vulnerability | Combat | R&D 54 | 1K 6★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 299B Dilithium | Increases Critical Hit Damage vs. Armada Targets. |
| Prime Siege Warfare | Combat | R&D 57 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 1T Dilithium | Increases base Damage against Stations. |
| Prime G6+ FKR & Vengeance Station Crit Mitigation | Combat | R&D 61 | 5K Radiogenic Particle | Increases base Critical Mitigation on combat start for 2 rounds against player Stations for the U.S.S. Vengeance and 6★+ FKR ships. |
| Prime Hazard Conditioning | Combat | R&D 61 | 86K Σ-Dilithium, 2K 7★ Uncommon Refined Ore | Increases Base Hazard Resistance. |
| Prime G7 FKR & Vengeance Station Crit Mitigation | Combat | R&D 71 | 5K Radiogenic Particle | Increases base Critical Mitigation on combat start for 2 rounds against player Stations for the U.S.S. Vengeance and 7★+ FKR ships. |
| Prime Surge Research CE | Combat | R&D 71 | 3K V’ger Filament | Increases base Cost Efficiency of Primordial Plasma in Surge Research. |
| Prime Officers | Galaxy | None | 100 4★ Rare Refined Gas, 1.7M Dilithium | Increase base Attack, Defense, and Health for all Officers. |
| Prime Mining XP | Galaxy | R&D 1 | 1K Flashpoint Prime Particle | Increases the amount of ship XP gained from mining. |
| Prime Efficient Forbidden Tech | Galaxy | R&D 19 | 1K Agonizer Switch, 46K Dilithium | Increases base Forbidden Tech Protomatter cost efficiency for level up. |
| Prime Daily Faction Event | Galaxy | R&D 23 | 1K Faction Event Particle, 22.2K Dilithium | Increases Faction Rep and Tokens gained from the Daily Faction Event by 100% |
| Prime Augment Ordinance | Galaxy | Ops 26 | 1K Covert Procurement Particle | Increases reputation dropped by Augment Exile hostiles and unlocks a daily free claim in the Augment Faction store containing Common, Uncommon, Rare and Epic Wrath Credits. |
| Prime Cloaked Racketeer | Galaxy | R&D 26 | 6M Dilithium, 1 Cloaked Racketeer Token | Increases the rewards from cloaking daily goals. |
| Prime Syndicate XP | Galaxy | R&D 27 | 1K Syndicate Prime Particle, 27.6M Dilithium | Increases the amount of Syndicate XP gained from the Daily Chest. |
| Prime 3★ Crystal Refining | Galaxy | R&D 29 | 64.9M Dilithium, 1K 4★ Uncommon Refined Crystal | +1 refine when refining 3★ Crystal. |
| Prime 3★ Gas Refining | Galaxy | R&D 30 | 100.6M Dilithium, 1K 4★ Uncommon Refined Gas | +1 refine when refining 3★ Gas. |
| Prime Cloaked Warfare | Galaxy | R&D 30 | 3K 5★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 67M Dilithium | Increases base Damage against player ships while cloaked. |
| Prime FKR Elite Recruit | Galaxy | R&D 30 | 111M Dilithium, 2K Elite Recruit Prime Particle | Greatly improves the officer yields in Federation, Romulan and Klingon Elite Faction Recruit refineries |
| Prime Federation Tribute | Galaxy | R&D 30 | 10K 6★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 88.4B Dilithium, 4K 7★ Uncommon Refined Gas | Increases Federation Reputation gains and losses from hostiles. Grants a daily free bundle containing Reputation and Credits in the Federation Faction Store. Reputation and Credits increase with research level. |
| Prime Klingon Tribute | Galaxy | R&D 30 | 10K 6★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 88.4B Dilithium, 4K 7★ Uncommon Refined Crystal | Increases Klingon Reputation gains and losses from hostiles. Grants a daily free bundle containing Reputation and Credits in the Klingon Faction Store. Reputation and Credits increase with research level. |
| Prime Romulan Tribute | Galaxy | R&D 30 | 10K 6★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 88.4B Dilithium, 4K 7★ Uncommon Refined Ore | Increases Romulan Reputation gains and losses from hostiles. Grants a daily free bundle containing Reputation and Credits in the Romulan Faction Store. Reputation and Credits increase with research level. |
| Prime Structure | Galaxy | R&D 30 | 2.4K Prime Dolamide Particle, 113.7M Dilithium | Increase base Hull Health for all ships. |
| Prime 3★ Ore Refining | Galaxy | R&D 32 | 1K 4★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 224.7M Dilithium | +1 refine when refining 3★ Ore. |
| Prime Survival Skills | Galaxy | R&D 32 | 149.8M Dilithium, 3K 5★ Uncommon Refined Gas | Increases base Attack, Defense, and Health for all officers. |
| Prime Armada Command | Galaxy | R&D 34 | 4.8K Prime Coaxial Particle, 102.5B Dilithium, 95K Σ-Dilithium | Increases the number of armadas which can be led concurrently. Does not include leading multiple nodes of the same Formation Armada. |
| Prime Bajoran Diplomacy | Galaxy | R&D 35 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 55.6M Dilithium | Increases amount of Diplomacy Tokens earned when claiming chests in the Bajoran store |
| Prime Fleet Commander Gift | Galaxy | R&D 35 | 1K Prime Valor Emblem, 50M Dilithium | Fleet Commander chest claim now includes Rare Skill points and Commander Shard drops are increased. |
| Prime Junking Speed | Galaxy | R&D 35 | 100M Dilithium, 1.5K Prime Cosmic Particle | Increases base Scrapping Speed |
| Prime Armada Refinery | Galaxy | R&D 40 | 1K Prime Valor Emblem, 520M Dilithium | +1 refine when claiming G4 and G5 Armada bundles from the Alliance Store. |
| Prime Material Extraction | Galaxy | R&D 40 | 1K 6★ Rare Refined Crystal, 519.8M Dilithium, 100 Rodinium Particle | Increases the base mining rate of all grades of Crystal, Gas, and Ore. |
| Prime Terran Arena Claim | Galaxy | R&D 40 | 1K Prime Q Sigil | Increases Common Terran Credits and Uncommon Terran Credits in the Terran Arena Daily Claim |
| Prime Enhanced Analysis | Galaxy | R&D 41 | 6.7K Multiphasic Credits, 226.5M Dilithium, 125 Rodinium Particle | Increases base Ship XP earned from combat. |
| Prime 4★ Crystal Refining | Galaxy | R&D 43 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 1.6B Dilithium, 170 Rodinium Particle | +1 refine when refining 4★ Crystal |
| Prime 4★ Gas Refining | Galaxy | R&D 43 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 1.6B Dilithium, 170 Rodinium Particle | +1 refine when refining 4★ Gas |
| Prime 4★ Ore Refining | Galaxy | R&D 43 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 1.6B Dilithium, 170 Rodinium Particle | +1 refine when refining 4★ Ore |
| Prime Agile Scrapping | Galaxy | R&D 51 | 1K 6★ Rare Refined Ore, 88.6B Dilithium, 325 Rodinium Particle | Increases base scrapping speed. |
| Prime Solo Outpost Components | Galaxy | R&D 51 | 57.4T Dilithium, 2.5K Prime Outpost Insignia | Increases the amount of Common, Uncommon and Rare Solo Outpost Components your ship receives from Solo Outpost Retaliation attacks. |
| Prime Solo Outpost Credits | Galaxy | R&D 51 | 31.9T Dilithium, 2K Prime Outpost Insignia | Increases Solo Outpost Credits and Elite Solo Outpost Credits dropped from Outposts and Outpost Retaliation ships. |
| Prime Solo Retaliation Rewards | Galaxy | R&D 51 | 57.4T Dilithium, 2.5K Prime Outpost Insignia | Increases the amount of Outpost Retaliation Medals and Retaliation Plunder your ship receives from Solo Outpost Retaliation attacks. |
| Prime 5★ Crystal Refining | Galaxy | R&D 53 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 199.3B Dilithium, 370 Rodinium Particle | +1 refine when refining 5★ Crystal |
| Prime 5★ Gas Refining | Galaxy | R&D 53 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 199.3B Dilithium, 370 Rodinium Particle | +1 refine when refining 5★ Gas |
| Prime 5★ Ore Refining | Galaxy | R&D 53 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 199.3B Dilithium, 370 Rodinium Particle | +1 refine when refining 5★ Ore |
| Prime Training Merits | Galaxy | R&D 61 | 1K #1121993180 | Increases the amount of Training Merits gained from Academy Drones. |
| Prime Build Speed | Station | None | 80 3★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 65K Dilithium | Increased base Construction Speed for all buildings. |
| Prime Protection | Station | None | 140K Dilithium, 40 3★ Rare Refined Ore | Increased base Station Resource Protection. |
| Prime Repair Costs | Station | None | 1M Dilithium, 100 4★ Rare Refined Crystal | +100% to base Cost Efficiency for repairing ships. |
| Prime Repair Speed | Station | None | 150 4★ Rare Refined Gas, 1.2M Dilithium | +100% to base Repair Speed for all ships. |
| Prime Research Speed | Station | None | 150 3★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 100K Dilithium | Increased base Research Speed. |
| Prime Resources | Station | None | 15K Dilithium | Increased base production speed for all resources. |
| Prime Efficient Ship Engineering | Station | R&D 28 | 7.7K Prime Dolamide Particle, 914B Dilithium | Increases the base Cost Efficiency of Tritanium, Dilithium, Σ-Parsteel, Σ-Tritanium, Σ-Dilithium, and Crystal, Gas, and Ore for Ship Components. |
| Prime Efficient Ship Parts | Station | R&D 28 | 7.7K Prime Dolamide Particle, 914B Dilithium | Increases the base Cost Efficiency of Explorer, Interceptor, Battleship, and Surveyor Ship Parts for Ship Components |
| Prime Ship Repairs | Station | R&D 35 | 800 5★ Rare Refined Gas, 9M Dilithium | Increased base cost efficiency for repairing ships. |
| Prime Temporal Disruption | Station | R&D 38 | 60M Dilithium, 1.5K Prime Temporal Disruption Particle | Increases the base amount of Temporal Disruptors received from the daily claim in the Ex-Borg Faction Store by 300% |
| Prime Repair Cost Efficiency | Station | R&D 40 | 1K Repair Prime Particle, 519.8M Dilithium | Increases base Repair Cost Efficiency for all ships |
| Prime Station Resources Efficiency | Station | R&D 40 | 7.5B Dilithium, 1K Prime Orbit Medallion | Increase cost efficiency for Parsteel, Tritanium, and Dilithium on Station Modules (Does not include Sigma [Σ] resources) |
| Prime 4★ Survey Manufacturing | Station | R&D 41 | 1K 5★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 753.8M Dilithium | +1 Refine when refining 4★ Survey Parts |
| Prime Select Ship Efficiency II | Station | R&D 41 | 3K Temporal Particle | Increases base Cost Efficiency of Monaveen, Gorn Eviscerator, NX-01, Vindicator & NSEA Protector Special Ship Components |
| Prime 4★ Battleship Manufacturing | Station | R&D 43 | 1K 5★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 1.6B Dilithium | +1 Refine when refining 4★ Battleship Parts |
| Prime 4★ Explorer Manufacturing | Station | R&D 43 | 1.6B Dilithium, 1K 5★ Uncommon Refined Gas | +1 Refine when refining 4★ Explorer Parts |
| Prime 4★ Interceptor Manufacturing | Station | R&D 43 | 1K 5★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 1.6B Dilithium | +1 Refine when refining 4★ Interceptor Parts |
| Prime 5★ Survey Manufacturing | Station | R&D 51 | 44.3B Dilithium, 1K Prime Orbit Medallion | +1 Refine when refining 5★ Survey Parts |
| Prime 5★ Battleship Manufacturing | Station | R&D 53 | 99.7B Dilithium, 1K Prime Orbit Medallion | +1 Refine when refining 5★ Battleship Parts |
| Prime 5★ Explorer Manufacturing | Station | R&D 53 | 99.7B Dilithium, 1K Prime Orbit Medallion | +1 Refine when refining 5★ Explorer Parts |
| Prime 5★ Interceptor Manufacturing | Station | R&D 53 | 99.7B Dilithium, 1K Prime Orbit Medallion | +1 Refine when refining 5★ Interceptor Parts |
| Prime Construction Speed | Station | R&D 61 | 86K Σ-Dilithium, 1K Multidimensional Particle | Increases base Construction Speed for buildings. |
| Prime Sigma Dilithium Vault Protection | Station | R&D 61 | 5K Prime Vault Particle | Increases base Σ-Dilithium Vault Protection values. |
| Prime Sigma Parsteel Vault Protection | Station | R&D 61 | 5K Prime Vault Particle | Increases base Σ-Parsteel Vault Protection values. |
| Prime Sigma Tritanium Vault Protection | Station | R&D 61 | 5K Prime Vault Particle | Increases base Σ-Tritanium Vault Protection values. |
| Prime Vengeance Parts CE | Station | R&D 70 | 3K V’ger Filament | Increases base Cost Efficiency of U.S.S. Vengeance ship parts. |
| Prime G7 Bonus Crystal Refinery | Station | Ops 71 | 1K V’ger Prime Particle | Unlocks a new bonus refinery to exchange G7 Raw Crystal for G7 Refined Crystal. |
| Prime G7 Bonus Gas Refinery | Station | Ops 71 | 1K V’ger Prime Particle | Unlocks a new bonus refinery to exchange G7 Raw Gas for G7 Refined Gas. |
| Prime G7 Bonus Ore Refinery | Station | Ops 71 | 1K V’ger Prime Particle | Unlocks a new bonus refinery to exchange G7 Raw Ore for G7 Refined Ore. |
| Prime Swarm Refinery | Starships | R&D 17 | 1K Swarm Prime Particle, 4K Dilithium | Increases the amount of Parsteel, Tritanium and Dilithium received in the Swarm Refinery by 500% |
| Prime Borg Rewards | Starships | R&D 24 | 100 4★ Epic Refined Gas, 3M Dilithium | +100% Rewards for Faction Credits and Reputation in the Borg refinery & better outcomes for the Latinum Antique Refinery |
| Prime Charged Nanoprobes Refining | Starships | R&D 25 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Crystal, 9M Dilithium | +100% Refine for Charged Nanoprobes |
| Prime Active Nanoprobes Refining | Starships | R&D 26 | 200 4★ Epic Refined Crystal, 11.2M Dilithium | +100% Refine for Active Nanoprobes |
| Prime Latinum Refining | Starships | R&D 28 | 18M Dilithium, 200 4★ Epic Refined Ore | 25% lower costs and 50% higher yields for the Raw Latinum Refinery |
| Prime Vi’Dar Cargo | Starships | R&D 32 | 6M Dilithium, 400 5★ Rare Refined Ore | Increases base max cargo size for the Vi’Dar ship. |
| Prime Actian Harvester | Starships | Foundry 33 | 1K Pure Venom, 1 Dilithium | +100% Actian Venom rewards from Actian Hostiles with the Mantis |
| Prime Synthetic Nitrium Refining | Starships | Foundry 34 | 1K Pure Venom, 1 Dilithium | Increases Synthetic Nitrium refinery rewards |
| Prime Defiant Ability Efficiency | Starships | R&D 35 | 1.2K Prime Dolamide Particle, 60M Dilithium | Increases base cost efficiency of the Defiant’s active ability. |
| Prime Defiant Force | Starships | R&D 35 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 55.6M Dilithium | Increases Critical Hit Chance during an Assault while Buffed by the Defiant |
| Prime Discovery Warp Range | Starships | R&D 35 | 4.5K Prime Valor Emblem, 75M Dilithium, 13.2K Σ-Dilithium | Increase the warp range of the U.S.S. Discovery |
| Prime Inert Nanoprobes | Starships | R&D 35 | 1K Vi’dar Talios Prime Particle, 111M Dilithium | Increased Inert Nanoprobes dropped from Borg Probes while using the Vi’dar Talios |
| Prime Cerritos Cooldown | Starships | R&D 36 | 2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 750M Dilithium | Increases the base cooldown speed of the Cerritos’ active ability. |
| Prime Building Materials Claim | Starships | R&D 39 | 1K Building Materials Particle | Unlocks a daily claim that provides upgrade materials for the War Room, Command Center, Artifact Gallery, and District 56 buildings. |
| Prime Vindicator FC Acquisition | Starships | R&D 40 | 1K Fleet Commander Particle | Increases Fleet Commander Acquisition rewards in the Vindicator Refinery by 100% of base. |
| Prime El-Aurian Revenge Strategies | Starships | R&D 42 | 1K Temporal Particle | Increase base amount of credits dropped by Borg Type 03 Solo Armadas while using the SS Revenant. |
| Prime Material Fabricator Manufacturing | Starships | R&D 42 | 1K Prime Material Fabricator Particle | Increases Fabricator Chips found in the Borg Type 3 claim by 1 |
| Prime Recycle Reward Tokens | Starships | R&D 45 | 1K Prime Recycle Reward Tokens Particle | Increases base GS-31 Recycle Reward Tokens from the GS-31 Strongbox by 100%. |
| Prime Start Bundle | Starships | R&D 45 | 1K Prime Start Bundle Particle | Grants a free daily bundle containing Section 31 Private Ciphers, Borg Polygon Group Armada Directives, Rare Formation Armada Directives, and Armada Quick Starts in the Section 31 Faction store. |
| Prime U.S.S. Athena Regenerate Efficiency | Starships | R&D 61 | 1K Radiogenic Particle | Reduces the cooldown of U.S.S. Athena’s Regenerate ability. |
| Prime Borg Cube Upgrade Efficiency | Ex-Borg | R&D 28 | 1K Temporal Particle | Increases base Cost Efficiency of both Shape Memory Alloy used in Borg Cube Ship Components and Advanced Cybernetics used in Research. |
| Prime Shearing Boost | Ex-Borg | R&D 28 | 1K Prime Shearing Boost | Increases the Borg Cube Cutting Beam’s charge by one, allowing it to hold an additional charge and increases base Cost Efficiency for the Borg Cube’s Cutting Beam by 75%. |
| Prime Borg Cube Isolytic Damage | Ex-Borg | R&D 30 | 1K Prime Borg Cube Isolytic Damage Particle | Increases the Borg Cube’s Isolytic Damage. |
| Prime Mining Rate | Ex-Borg | R&D 30 | 1K Prime Mining Rate Particle | Increases base Mining Rate for all mineable resources. |
| Prime Cutting Beam Damage Boost | Ex-Borg | R&D 33 | 224.7B Dilithium, 2.7K Prime Orbit Medallion, 536K Σ-Dilithium | Increases Borg Cube’s Cutting Beam damage against Hostiles. Damage Boost 1 = 70,000 (requires Borg Cube Tier 2) Damage Boost 2 = 3,000,000 (requires Borg Cube Tier 5) Damage Boost 3 = 70,000,000 (requires Borg Cube Tier 10) Damage Boost 4 = 4,000,000,000 (requires Borg Cube Tier 14) |
| Prime Dominion Solo Raiding | Ex-Borg | R&D 35 | 1K Prime Valor Emblem, 50M Dilithium | Increases Uncommon, Rare and Epic Dominion Solo Armada Credits dropped from Dominion Solo Armada targets. |
| Prime Ex-Borg Credit Efficiency | Ex-Borg | R&D 38 | 1.2K Prime Dolamide Particle, 60M Dilithium | Increases base cost efficiency of Ex-Borg faction credits in Research. |
| PRIME Ex-Borg Ordnance | Ex-Borg | R&D 40 | 7.5B Dilithium, 1K Prime Orbit Medallion | Unlocks a daily free claim in the Ex-Borg Faction store containing Ex-Borg reputation and Uncommon, Rare, and Epic Ex-Borg credits. |
| Prime NX01 Rare Opportunities | Ex-Borg | R&D 40 | 1K Prime Q Sigil | Reduce the cost of Rare Choice Opportunity Chips spent to claim Special Opportunity Chests in the Enterprise NX-01 Refinery. |
| Prime Xindi Scrap Trade | Ex-Borg | R&D 40 | 1K Rare Prime Orbit Medallion, 7.5B Dilithium | +1 refine when refining Xindi Scraps in the Enterprise NX-01 refinery, doubling the output |
| Prime Apex Barrier | Mirror | Ops 40 | 2K Prime Mirror Particle | Increases base Apex Barrier on all ships when fighting Hostiles, or Player targets (does not apply to Armadas or while defending station). |
| Prime Isolytic Damage | Mirror | Ops 40 | 1K Prime Mirror Particle | Increases base Isolytic Damage for all ships. |
| Prime Liquid Trellium-D Refining | Mirror | Ops 40 | 1K Prime Mirror Particle | Increases the Mirror Refinery payouts of Liquid Trellium-D. |
| Prime Mirror Research Efficiency | Mirror | Ops 40 | 1K Prime Mirror Particle | Increases base Cost Efficiency on Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Omega Mirror Dust in the Mirror Research Tree. |
| Prime Raw Trellium Mining Bonus | Mirror | Ops 40 | 1K Prime Mirror Particle | Gives a bonus amount of mined Raw Trellium-A and Raw Trellium-D upon collection with any ship. |
| Prime Wave Defense Central Entity HHP Increase | Mirror | Ops 40 | 1K Prime Mirror Particle | Increases the Health of the Central Entity in Wave Defense once Wave Defense starts (Stacks with other players in your Wave Defense) |
| Prime Ω Advanced Warfare | Mirror | R&D 40 | 1K Omega Prime Particle | Increases base weapon damage for all ships. |
| Prime Ω Critical Damage Floor | Mirror | R&D 40 | 1K Omega Prime Particle | Critical Hit Damage cannot be reduced by enemy Players or Hostiles below a base percentage. |
| Prime Ω Liquid Omega-Trellium Refinery | Mirror | R&D 40 | 1K Prime Q Sigil | Increases Liquid Omega-Trellium in the NSEA Refinery by 100% and reduces the amount of Raw Omega-Trellium needed by 60% |
| Prime Away Team Extension | Away Teams | Shuttle Bay 22, Ops 26 | 4K Service Award, 200 Away Teams Particle | Permanently grants the ability to get one extra away team assignment |
| Prime Priority 1: Adaptive Algorithms | Away Teams | Ops 26 | 1K Covert Procurement Particle | Permanently unlocks the chance for every Priority 1 Away Team Assignment to appear with a length of only 1 Hour. |
| Prime Priority 1: Away Team Research Efficiency | Away Teams | Shuttle Bay 26, Ops 26 | 1K Covert Procurement Particle | Increase base Cost Efficiency on Service Awards, Merit of Honor and Pioneer Crests in the Away Teams Research Tree. |
| Prime Priority 1: Extension | Away Teams | Shuttle Bay 26, Ops 26 | 700 Covert Procurement Particle | Permanently grants the ability to receive one extra Priority 1 Away Team Assignment. |
| Prime Materials Extractor | Away Teams | R&D 30 | 8.8K Service Award, 500 Away Teams Particle | Increases the base mining rate of all grades of crystal, gas, and ore. |
| Prime Maximum Warp | Away Teams | R&D 41 | 837.6K Service Award, 1K Away Teams Particle, 90 Merit of Honor | Increases base warp speed for all ships. |
| Prime Damage Vs Players | Territory | R&D 25 | 1K Prime Particle, 7.6M Dilithium | Increased base damage against player ships. |
| Prime Protected Cargo | Territory | R&D 25 | 1K Prime Particle, 7.6M Dilithium | Increase base Protected Cargo. |
| Prime Capture Node Damage | Territory | R&D 35 | 1K Prime Particle, 555.5M Dilithium | Increases base damage while occupying a Capture Node. |
| Prime Isogenite Mining | Territory | R&D 61 | 1K TC Prime Particle, 24.8K Σ-Dilithium, 44.7K 6★ Common Refined Gas | Increases the Mining Rate of Isogenite. |
| Prime TC Armada Loot | Territory | R&D 61 | 1K TC Prime Particle, 24.8K Σ-Dilithium, 44.7K 6★ Common Refined Gas | Increases Isomorphic Relics from Origin Sector [OGN] Armadas. |
| Prime TC PvE Loot | Territory | R&D 61 | 1K TC Prime Particle, 24.8K Σ-Dilithium, 44.7K 6★ Common Refined Gas | Increases Loot from Origin Sector [OGN] Non-Armada Hostiles. |
| Prime Ablative Armor Plating | Starbase | R&D 25, Assembly Chambers 1 | 1K Prime Medal, 33.4M Dilithium | Increases Hull Health for all ships. |
| Prime Alliance Reputation | Starbase | R&D 25, Assembly Chambers 1 | 500 Prime Medal, 33.4M Dilithium | Increases the amount of Alliance Reputation earned when defeating Cardassian Stations |
| Prime Cardassian Loot | Starbase | R&D 25, Assembly Chambers 1 | 1K Prime Medal, 115.9M Dilithium | Increases the amount of Cardassian Loot and Superior Cardassian Loot earned |
| Prime Enhanced Shield Buffers | Starbase | R&D 25, Assembly Chambers 1 | 1K Prime Medal, 33.4M Dilithium | Increases Shield Health for all ships. |
| Prime Alliance Fist | Starbase | R&D 26, Assembly Chambers 1 | 500 Prime Medal, 5M Dilithium | Increases base damage during an Assault |
| Prime Augment Favor | Outlaw | R&D 26 | 30K Outlaw Research Credits, 12.1M Dilithium, 1K 4★ Uncommon Refined Gas | Improve outputs from augment reputation bundles in the faction store |
| Prime Stella Efficiency | Outlaw | R&D 31 | 1K 4★ Uncommon Refined Ore, 60K Outlaw Research Credits, 102.2M Dilithium | Base Cost efficiency for unique materials for the Stella. |
| Prime Stella Cargo | Outlaw | R&D 32 | 400 5★ Rare Refined Gas, 6M Dilithium | Increases base max cargo size for the Stella ship. |
| Prime Rogue Credit Yield | Outlaw | R&D 35 | 90K Outlaw Research Credits, 222.2M Dilithium, 1K 4★ Uncommon Refined Crystal | Improve outputs of Rogue Credit Bundles in the faction store |
| Prime Maverick Intel Efficiency | Maverick | R&D 55 | 5K #380868399 | Increases the Cost Efficiency of Maverick Periphery Intel in the Maverick Research Tree. |
Most searched research projects
A small set of individual projects gets looked up far more than the rest. These have their own detailed pages:
- Obviate Interceptors and Fragile Explorers (Combat)
- KSG Shield Mitigation and KSG Superhighway (Combat)
- Section 31 Superhighway (Combat)
- Prime Syndicate XP and Enhanced Warp Cores (Galaxy)
- Federation Devotion, Prime Federation Tribute, and Prime Romulan Tribute (Galaxy)
- Prime 5★ Gas Refining (Galaxy)
- 1★ Isogen Extraction and Prime Damage Vs Players (Territory)
Research FAQ
Where do I research in STFC?
In the R&D Department on your station. Open it, pick a tree, and start any project whose requirements you meet. Upgrading the R&D Department raises the research levels available to you.
Are research bonuses permanent?
Yes. Every completed research level is a permanent, always-on bonus. Nothing expires and nothing needs to be re-run.
Why can’t I see a research tree in my game?
You have not met its unlock yet. The core trees appear as your Operations level rises. Specialty trees have their own conditions: Territory opens at R&D Department 25, Mirror opens at Operations 40, Outlaw and Ex-Borg need your R&D Department at 19 and 28, and ship skin research only shows skins you own.
Where is Compact Defense research?
Compact Defense is in the Combat tree. It unlocks at R&D Department 65, has 10 levels, and increases Interceptor Isolytic Defense against Battleships. Its prerequisites are Stubborn Determination, 6★ Interceptor Casing, 6★ Interceptor Absorbers, 6★ Hit-and-Run Tactics, 6★ Kiting Tactics and Isolytic Warheads, and maxing it costs 12.1M Σ-Dilithium, 690.6K 6★ Common Refined Crystal and 396.2K 6★ Uncommon Refined Crystal.
How do I speed up research?
Research speed bonuses stack from buildings, officer abilities, exocomps, and alliance help, and research speed-ups finish jobs instantly. Long timers on paper are normal; active players finish most projects far faster than the listed base time.
