The Romulan Trader is a Survey-class hostile that roams Romulan space from level 20 to 51. It shows up only as a Survey ship, so it barely fights back and any real warship overpowers it. Killing it pays out Federation and Klingon reputation, raw materials at the lower levels, and 4-star Broken Survey Parts higher up, while costing you Romulan reputation. Match its warp range for the level you want and bring a combat ship.
How to beat the Romulan Trader
The Romulan Trader only appears as a Survey ship. Survey hulls are built for mining, not fighting, so this target has thin firepower and folds fast. Bring any warship, whether an Interceptor, Explorer, or Battleship, and you will not need to juggle a hull counter, because there is only the one variant across every level.
For the crew, put a captain that boosts weapon damage against hostiles in the captain seat and fill the other two chairs with officers that add damage or mitigation. At the low end of its level range the cadet crew still works well: Cadet Kirk as captain with Cadet Spock and Cadet Uhura. As you climb toward level 51, stronger officers earn their spots, so check the current picks on 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 Romulan Trader
The Romulan Trader clusters across Romulan systems. The low-level spawns sit near warp 13, and the deepest level 51 version pushes all the way out to warp 160. Early levels crowd starter systems like Draken, Rosec, and Tufem, while the high end moves into Aralen, Kiina, and Teranth. Match the warp of the level you want before you go hunting.
| Level | Warp | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 13 | Dauouuy, Davidul, Draken, Llorrac, Mada, Posel, Rosec, Tufem, V’varia |
| 21 | 13 | Dauouuy, Davidul, Draken, Llorrac, Mada, Nipaj, Posel, Rosec, Tufem, V’varia, Wauoxic |
| 22 | 13 | Dauouuy, Davidul, Draken, Jeuaiei, Llorrac, Mada, Mewudoh, Nipaj, Posel, Rosec, Sufiday, Tufem, V’varia, Wauoxic |
| 23 | 13 | Dauouuy, Davidul, Draken, Jeuaiei, Llorrac, Mada, Mewudoh, Nipaj, Posel, Rooth, Rosec, Strezhi, Sufiday, Tufem, V’varia, Wauoxic |
| 24 | 13 | Dauouuy, Draken, Jeuaiei, Llorrac, Mada, Mewudoh, Nipaj, Posel, Rooth, Rosec, Strezhi, Sufiday, Tufem, V’varia, Vendus A, Wauoxic |
| 25 | 17 | Dauouuy, Draken, Jeuaiei, Mewudoh, Nipaj, Posel, Rooth, Rosec, Strezhi, Sufiday, Tufem, Vendus A, Wauoxic |
| 26 | 17 | Draken, Jeuaiei, Mewudoh, Nipaj, Posel, Rooth, Strezhi, Sufiday, Tufem, Vendus A, Wauoxic |
| 27 | 18 | Galorndon Core, Jeuaiei, Mewudoh, Nipaj, Rooth, Strezhi, Sufiday, Vendus A, Wauoxic |
| 28 | 18 | Galorndon Core, Jeuaiei, Mewudoh, Rooth, Strezhi, Sufiday, Vendus A |
| 29 | 19 | Galorndon Core, Izanagi, Rooth, Strezhi, Vendus A |
| 30 | 19 | Galorndon Core, Izanagi, Kaisu, Vendus A |
| 31 | 24 | Galorndon Core, Izanagi, Kaisu |
| 32 | 24 | Aerimea, Argentomea, Galorndon Core, Izanagi, Kaisu |
| 33 | 24 | Aerimea, Argentomea, Galorndon Core, Iapedes, Izanagi, Kaisu |
| 34–35 | 26 | Aerimea, Argentomea, Iapedes, Izanagi, Kaisu |
| 36 | 26 | Aerimea, Argentomea, Iapedes, Kaisu |
| 37 | 26 | Aerimea, Argentomea, Iapedes |
| 38 | 26 | Aerimea, Argentomea, Iapedes, Vola |
| 39 | 38 | Delmas, Iapedes, Rowla, Vola, Yvnys |
| 40 | 64 | Delmas, Inaara, Rowla, Talvath, Vola, Yvnys |
| 41 | 64 | Delmas, Draomn, Inaara, Naalur, Rowla, Stelama, Talvath, Vola, Yvnys |
| 42 | 70 | Delmas, Draomn, Inaara, Naalur, Nuva, Stelama, Talvath, Vola |
| 43 | 70 | Ballion, Delmas, Draomn, Inaara, Naalur, Nuva, Stelama, Talvath, Veisa, Vola |
| 44 | 70 | Ballion, Delmas, Draomn, Inaara, Naalur, Nuva, Stelama, Talvath, Urhaasi, Veisa, Vola |
| 45 | 70 | Ballion, Delmas, Draomn, Inaara, Kiina, Naalur, Nuva, Stelama, Talvath, Urhaasi, Veisa |
| 46 | 75 | Ballion, Draomn, Inaara, Kiina, Naalur, Nuva, Stelama, Talvath, Urhaasi, Veisa |
| 47 | 95 | Aralen, Ballion, Draomn, Kiina, Naalur, Nuva, Stelama, Teranth, Urhaasi, Veisa |
| 48 | 120 | Aralen, Ballion, Kiina, Nuva, Teranth, Urhaasi, Veisa |
| 49 | 120 | Aralen, Ballion, Kiina, Teranth, Urhaasi, Veisa |
| 50 | 135 | Aralen, Kiina, Teranth, Urhaasi |
| 51 | 160 | Aralen, Kiina, Teranth |
Rewards and what it drops
The Romulan Trader is mainly a reputation and materials target. Every kill shifts faction standing and, depending on the level, hands over raw resources or survey-ship parts. Hitting it lowers your Romulan reputation while raising your Federation and Klingon standing, so it suits players grinding those two factions rather than anyone protecting their Romulan rep. Ship XP also scales with level, climbing from around 103 at level 20 to about 2,929 at level 51, which makes the higher spawns useful for leveling a ship.
| Drop | What it is |
|---|---|
| Federation Points | Federation reputation, raised by each kill |
| Klingon Points | Klingon reputation, raised by each kill |
| Romulan Points | Romulan reputation, which drops when you attack this ship |
| Tritanium | A common raw material for building and upgrading (levels 20–39) |
| Dilithium | A core resource used for research and upgrades (levels 20–39) |
| 4★ Broken Survey Parts | Materials for building and upgrading 4-star Survey ships (levels 39–51) |
Romulan Trader stats
Stats stay consistent because there is only the Survey variant, but they 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 | 16,502,556 | 10,429,392 | 9,017,383 | 3,284,294 | 3,494,875 | 2,929 |
Romulan Trader firing pattern
The Romulan Trader carries a single energy weapon, and it is light. At the low end of its range it fires one shot of roughly 2,376 to 2,904 damage every round, with a 10% chance to crit for 1.5 times damage. There is nothing here worth timing repairs around; the incoming damage stays low enough that a properly matched warship shrugs it off. The numbers climb with level, but the weapon count and cadence stay the same.
| Weapon type | Count | Damage per shot | Fires | Crit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1 | 2,376–2,904 | Every round | 10% (1.5x) |
The Romulans in Star Trek
The Romulans split from Vulcan society in the distant past, rejecting the Vulcan turn toward pure logic in favor of passion and ambition. From their twin homeworlds of Romulus and Remus they built the Romulan Star Empire, a power defined by its intelligence service, the Tal Shiar, and by cloaking technology that let their warbirds strike unseen. Romulans rarely trust outsiders and prize cunning over open confrontation. In Star Trek Fleet Command their territory sits between Federation and Klingon space, and ships like this trader stand in for the civilian and logistics side of an empire that is usually better known for its warbirds.
Is the Romulan Trader worth grinding?
Yes, if you want Federation or Klingon reputation and do not mind losing Romulan standing. It is one of the easier hostiles for its level because the Survey hull barely fights, and the 4-star Broken Survey Parts at the top of its range help anyone building Survey ships. Match the warp of the level you can handle, bring a warship, and farm it in batches. Skip it if you are trying to keep your Romulan reputation high.