The U.S.S. Dauntless is an Epic grade 4 Interceptor from the Independent faction, and it unlocks once your Shipyard reaches level 45. It is built to farm hostiles on its own: its Seek and Destroy ability hunts nearby non-Armada targets automatically while passive buffs raise its damage and loot. If you want a ship that grinds while you handle other things, the Dauntless is a strong pick.
How to get the U.S.S. Dauntless
The Dauntless needs 200 blueprints and a Shipyard at level 45 before you can build it. The build cost is 100,550 4★ Common Refined Gas, 258,010,000,000 Tritanium, 52,000,000 Dilithium, and 178,750 4★ Common Refined Crystal, and construction takes 77 days and 12 hours. Those figures put it firmly in late-game territory, so line up your refining and resource stockpiles well before you start the build.
U.S.S. Dauntless ability
The Dauntless carries a set of passive abilities that are always active. Active Sweep raises its base damage against non-Armada hostiles while Seek and Destroy is running, scaling from 145,000% at level 1 to 1,200,000% at level 75. Active Apex Barrier adds a flat 40,000 Apex Barrier against those same targets during Seek and Destroy. Aft Expansion increases loot dropped from hostiles and Outposts, growing from 3% at level 1 to 225% at level 75, and Aggregation Plunder adds a flat 200% to Reclaimed Loot from Aggregation hostiles. The plain read: the more you level the ship, the harder it hits hostiles and the more it brings home.
U.S.S. Dauntless active ability
Seek and Destroy is the ability that defines this ship. You activate it, and the Dauntless automatically hunts non-Armada hostiles until the duration ends or you switch it off, always going for the nearest target first. It ignores revenge hostiles, and it cannot run during Wave Defense or Arena. Leveling the ship and its research raises the weapon damage, critical damage, isolytic damage, Apex Barrier, and loot you earn while it is active. That is what makes the Dauntless a hands-off grinder: set it loose in a system and it clears targets without your input.
Stats and tiers
These are base values from the current game data; research, buffs and officers raise them in play.
| Tier | Warp (speed / range) | Impulse | Cargo (protected) | Shield HP | Hull HP | Health (displayed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 / 150 | 110 | 500,000 (30,000) | 113,990 | 149,815 | 131,902.5 |
| 8 | 7.75 / 210 | 110 | 1,450,000 (100,000) | 482,908 | 566,497 | 524,702.5 |
| 15 | 9.5 / 1,000 | 110 | 3,000,000 (270,000) | 3,587,972 | 3,800,979 | 3,694,475.5 |
Weapons and firing pattern
Warm-up is the round a weapon first fires; cool-down is how many rounds pass between shots after that. The values below are at max tier 15.
| Weapon | Type | Shots | Warm-up | Cool-down | Damage | Crit chance | Crit damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kinetic | 2 | 1 | 2 | 169,572–202,783 | 10% | 150% |
| 2 | Kinetic | 2 | 1 | 2 | 169,572–202,783 | 10% | 150% |
| 3 | Energy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 43,889–52,931 | 10% | 150% |
| 4 | Energy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 43,889–52,931 | 10% | 150% |
The two kinetic weapons carry the bulk of the Dauntless’s punch, while the energy pair fires more often for smaller hits.
Crew slots and officer bonus
| Ship level | Officer slots |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 20 | 3 |
| 30 | 4 |
| 40 | 5 |
| 45 | 6 |
| 55 | 7 |
The Dauntless also boosts the attack, defense and health stats of the officers you crew on it. The bonus is identical for all three stats and steps up as your officer power on the ship climbs.
| Amount | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 1,500 | 50% |
| 3,000 | 100% |
| 4,875 | 150% |
| 6,750 | 200% |
| 9,000 | 250% |
| 12,000 | 300% |
| 16,500 | 350% |
| 22,500 | 400% |
| 30,000 | 450% |
| 45,000 | 500% |
U.S.S. Dauntless refits
The Dauntless has one refit you can unlock with ship shards.
| Refit | What it does |
|---|---|
| Star Racer | Costs 120 shards to unlock. Increases the base positive Federation, Romulan and Klingon reputation points gained from defeating hostiles with the Dauntless by 300%, and increases the daily Dauntless System Scans you receive by 100. |
Crew for the U.S.S. Dauntless
Because the Dauntless earns its keep by grinding non-Armada hostiles, the crew that suits it best raises weapon and critical damage and adds anything that speeds up kills or increases loot. Since the ship hunts on its own with Seek and Destroy, officers that reward sustained hostile combat get the most out of it. For current officer picks, check our Officer Tier List, and remember that the best crews shift as the meta changes.
The U.S.S. Dauntless in Star Trek
The Dauntless comes from the Voyager episode “Hope and Fear,” where it appears as a fake Starfleet ship built by an alien named Arturis to lure Voyager’s crew into a trap. Arturis blamed Captain Janeway for a decision that left his species open to Borg assimilation, and the ship’s quantum slipstream drive was the bait he engineered to strand the crew far from home. In the game’s telling, Starfleet recovers and studies the design, then turns it into a real vessel, keeping the slipstream drive that makes the Dauntless one of the fastest ships in the fleet and adding the automated targeting system that drives its in-game role.
Is the U.S.S. Dauntless worth it?
For a grade 4 Epic, the Dauntless does something no other ship at its level does: it farms hostiles without you steering it. If you spend a lot of time grinding for loot, faction reputation, and materials, the passive kills and loot bonuses make it a real time-saver. The build cost and 77-day timer are steep, so it rewards players who are already deep enough to feed it. Active grinders and anyone building toward Aggregation content should chase it.