Upgrade R&D Department to Level 2 is one of the very first station missions in Star Trek Fleet Command. It asks you to take the R&D Department from level 1 to level 2, straight after building it. It needs only warp 1 to start and finish, and the game lists a recommended level of 1. The reward is 30 Tritanium, and completing it unlocks Upgrade R&D Department to Level 3. The payout is tiny, but the upgrade takes minutes and turns on the R&D Department’s research speed bonus.
Upgrade R&D Department to Level 2 objectives
The story line explains that the R&D Department unlocks additional upgrades for the Shipyard and Ships. There is one objective and no choice split:
- Upgrade R&D Department to Level 2.
No system is named, no hostile is listed and nothing is donated. The mission clears as soon as the R&D Department reaches level 2.
Where and what warp
Warp 1 to start and warp 1 to complete, with no pickup system. The whole mission happens on your station.
The recommended level is listed as 1, and the only thing the mission needs is the upgrade itself.
What R&D Department 2 costs
In current game data, level 2 costs 200 Parsteel and takes 4 minutes to build. It requires Operations 4 and Academy 2.
The Academy requirement follows the R&D Department level for level early on: level 1 needs Academy 1, level 2 needs Academy 2, and so on. If the upgrade will not start, check the Academy first.
Upgrade R&D Department to Level 2 rewards
The mission pays 30 Tritanium. Completing it also unlocks the Level 3 mission, Upgrade R&D Department to Level 3.
The first R&D missions compared
| Mission | Reward | Level cost and build time |
|---|---|---|
| Construct the R&D Department | 25 Tritanium | 100 Parsteel, 3m |
| Upgrade R&D Department to Level 2 | 30 Tritanium | 200 Parsteel, 4m |
| Upgrade R&D Department to Level 4 | 50 Tritanium, 1 1 Minute Repair Speed Up | 500 Parsteel, 13m |
| Upgrade R&D Department to Level 5 | 110 Tritanium, 1 1 Minute Repair Speed Up | 800 Parsteel, 22m |
The rewards stay small through the first few levels, and the first repair speed up appears at Level 4. The build times also stay short, so the whole run from construction to level 5 fits into a single session.
Why the early R&D levels matter
The game describes the R&D Department as the place where new ships, buildings and supporting technologies are unlocked. Its Research Speed Bonus starts at level 2, at 3%, and reaches 6% at level 5.
The Shipyard also depends on it. In current game data, the Shipyard unlocks at Operations 5 and R&D Department 4, so these first R&D missions lead directly into your first Shipyard missions.
Tips
Queue the next level straight away. Each early R&D level takes only a few minutes, and each mission unlocks the next as soon as it completes.
Keep Parsteel flowing. Every early R&D level is paid in Parsteel alone, from 100 at construction up to 800 at level 5.
