The Romulan Transport is a Survey-class hostile that patrols Romulan space between levels 35 and 41. It only spawns as a Survey ship, so it barely fights back, which makes it one of the easier faction targets to farm. It drops Tritanium and Dilithium at every level, adds 4★ Broken Survey Parts at the top of its range, and hands out Federation and Klingon reputation points. Bring almost any warship, and an Interceptor clears it in a hurry.
How to beat the Romulan Transport
The Romulan Transport only appears as a Survey ship, and Survey hulls are built to run and mine rather than fight. That means almost any combat ship overpowers it. An Interceptor is the simplest pick for fast resource runs, but an Explorer or Battleship handles it just as easily. Survey hostiles sit outside the usual Interceptor, Battleship, and Explorer counter triangle, so no hull is the wrong choice against one; pick whatever you fly fastest. Because the target is so weak there is nothing to swap between levels: the ship that clears a level 35 spawn clears a level 41 one, only slower as the transport’s hull grows.
For crew, put a captain that boosts weapon damage against hostiles in the captain seat, then fill the other two seats with officers that add raw damage or mitigation. An early cadet lineup (Cadet Kirk as captain with Cadet Spock and Cadet Uhura) still works here because the transport hits so lightly, though it will be slow once you reach the higher levels. For current best picks, check 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 Transport
The Romulan Transport clusters in Romulan space and sits at a low warp range of 31 to 38, so it is reachable well before the late game. The lowest levels hide in just one or two systems, while levels 37 and up spread across most of the region. The warp requirement actually drops from 38 to 31 as you climb, so the higher-level spawns are no harder to reach than the low ones. With nearly twenty systems carrying it at levels 37 and up, you can almost always find one close to your base once you are inside Romulan territory.
| Level | Warp | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | 38 | Altanea |
| 36 | 38 | Altanea, D’Deridex, Eden, Romii, Stagnimea |
| 37–40 | 31 | Alatum, Altanea, Belak, Boraka, Calder, Chaltok, Cheron, D’Deridex, Devrom, Eden, Garadius, Glintara, Iota Pavonis, Khazara, Romii, Stagnimea, Terminimurus, Timore, Yadalla |
| 41 | 31 | Alatum, Altanea, Belak, Boraka, Calder, Chaltok, Cheron, Devrom, Garadius, Glintara, Iota Pavonis, Khazara, Terminimurus, Timore, Yadalla |
Rewards and what it drops
The Romulan Transport pays out raw materials plus faction reputation. Because it flies under a Romulan flag, destroying it lowers your Romulan reputation while raising Federation and Klingon standing, which makes it a tool for reputation grinding as much as a resource run. Ship XP climbs steeply with level, from 330 at level 35 to 1,625 at level 41, so higher spawns level your ship faster. Tritanium is the drop you will use most, since nearly every early and mid game upgrade asks for it.
| Drop | What it is |
|---|---|
| Tritanium | A common refined material used in most ship and building upgrades. |
| Dilithium | The premium currency spent on research, ship tiers, and speed-ups. |
| 4★ Broken Survey Parts | A level 40-41 drop; parts used to build and upgrade 4-star survey ships. |
| Federation Points | Federation reputation, which rises when you destroy this Romulan ship. |
| Klingon Points | Klingon reputation, which also rises from killing it. |
| Romulan Points | Romulan reputation; this target subtracts from it, so grinding it costs Romulan standing. |
Romulan Transport stats
Stats vary little by hull because there is only the Survey variant, but they climb steeply with level, so the jump from 35 to 41 is large.
| Level | Total strength | Hull HP | Shield HP | Attack | Defense | Ship XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 737,085 | 184,770 | 184,770 | 170,895 | 381,420 | 330 |
| 38 | 1,374,583 | 350,660 | 350,660 | 314,183 | 709,740 | 383 |
| 41 | 4,783,726 | 2,500,408 | 2,056,113 | 1,158,050 | 1,347,415 | 1,625 |
Romulan Transport firing pattern
The transport carries a single energy weapon that fires every round for modest damage, fitting a ship built to haul cargo rather than trade blows. There is no heavy volley to time your repairs or mitigation around, so you can focus on your own damage and end the fight quickly.
| Weapon type | Count | Damage per shot | Fires | Crit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1 | 109,864-134,279 | Every round | 10% (1.5x) |
The Romulans in Star Trek
The Romulans descend from Vulcans who rejected Surak’s teachings of pure logic and left their homeworld to settle Romulus and Remus. There they built the Romulan Star Empire, a guarded and expansionist power ruled by a Senate and watched over by the Tal Shiar, its secret police. Romulan culture prizes cunning, loyalty to the state, and raw military strength, and their warbirds were among the first ships in Star Trek to field a practical cloaking device. For much of the era their empire was one of the Federation’s most dangerous rivals, feared as much for its spies as for its guns.
Is the Romulan Transport worth grinding?
For a Survey target it is worth a look. It hands over steady Tritanium and Dilithium, adds 4★ Broken Survey Parts at levels 40 and 41, and feeds decent ship XP, all while barely shooting back. The catch is reputation: every kill trades Romulan standing for Federation and Klingon points, so grind it only when you want to push your rep in that direction. Match your warp to the system (31 to 38) and bring any warship you like.