Note: this article is under construction and the information may be incomplete.
Captains are a special type of crew member that provide unique bonuses to their ships, enable operations, and unlock the ability to use map commands with their captained ships.
Obtaining[ | ]
Tier 0, Tier 1, and Tier 2 Captains are commonly found at stations and can be hired like other standard crew members. Tier 3 Captains are not hired from stations and are instead recruited by completing the mission A Lost Friend, which is uncommonly offered by most stations.
The class of a Tier 1 or Tier 2 captain (primary class in the case of Tier 3) is influenced by the station the captain is hired from or mission is given from:
- Smuggler Hideouts provide Smuggler captains
- Military Outposts provide Commodore captains
- Trading Posts provide Merchant captains
- Mines provide Miner captains
- Scrapyards provide Scavenger captains
- Research Stations and Travel Hubs provide Explorer captains
- Casinos and Habitats provide Daredevil captains
- All other stations choose from classes at random
Captains can be moved to a "passenger" slot in the ship menu crew tab, where they will provide no bonuses but can also be freely transferred between ships. Captains obtained by an already-captained ship will automatically become passengers. Passenger and active captains can be swapped at any time the ship is available/controllable.
Tiers[ | ]
Captains are assigned a "Tier" rating upon creation that influences their class and perk selection as well as their salary. This tier does not change after hiring.
Captain Tier | Starting Class | Positive Perks | Neutral Perks | Negative Perks |
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Tier 0 | None | 0-1 | 1-2 | 0-2 |
Tier 1 | Primary | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-1 |
Tier 2 | Primary | 2-3 | 0-2 | 0 |
Tier 3 | Primary, Secondary | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0 |
Classes[ | ]
Captain Class | Description | Ship Bonuses | Command Bonuses |
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Commodore |
Because of their military training, Commodores have developed a sense for danger. This allows them to better anticipate (and avoid) attacks by pirates or other enemies. Their combat experience allows them to manage two additional armed turret slots when active on the ship you command. They also increase the number of slots for automatic targeting by four. The best way to find a commodore is to ask at a Military Outpost. Fresh from the academy and all that. |
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Daredevil |
Daredevils love a challenge and will find an opportunity to prove themselves everywhere. They often collect trophies in battles, and are happy to share their spoils, such as subsystems or turrets, with their allies. Their wild nature inspires gunners to shoot faster than usual. The fire rate on your ship increases by 10% while daredevils are active on the ship you command. Daredevils know how to live life. If you're looking for one, look around for Casinos and Habitats, as you'll usually meet them where there are a lot of people. |
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Explorer |
Explorers always keep their eyes open for unexplored sectors. When they pass interesting sectors while on an operation, they mark them for you. They can use the latest radar technology, and when active on the ship you command, they reveal sectors with hidden mass signatures (yellow blip) in a bigger radius. Explorers can often be found at Research Stations, where they actively participate in finding new and exiting things. If you want to hire one, you should look there as well. |
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Merchant |
No one knows the intricacies of the market better than a Merchant. Through their connections, they are able to handle a wider variety of goods than anyone else. This increases the number of goods they can move on procure and sell operations. They also carry licenses for dangerous and suspicious goods. If they are active on the ship you command, you will also benefit from their licenses. While Merchants can be found all over the galaxy, when in doubt try a Trading Post. There might be someone there who is looking for a new job. |
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Miner |
Miners are specialists when it comes to the extraction of resources. They can conduct longer mining operations than other captains. They are also more effective at mining resources, which is why they get higher yields from operations. If they are active on the ship you command, they will detect valuable asteroids from a distance and point them out to you. They can manage two additional unarmed turret slots. If you're looking to hire Miners check the Mines in the area. Most Miners tend to stick to them. |
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Scavenger |
Scavengers specialize in salvaging. They are able to conduct longer salvaging operations than other captains and they achieve higher yields when performing salvaging commands. If they are active on the ship you command, they will spot valuable wrecks from a distance and point them out to you. Captains with this specialization are often found at Scrapyards, where they earn their livelihood. |
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File:Scientist.png Scientist |
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Smuggler |
Smugglers are the best choice for shady deals. They can get rid of goods anywhere, which allows them to move more goods on procure and sell operations. They also have 'licenses' for all goods. If they are active on the ship you command, you will also benefit from their 'licenses'. Smugglers tend to stay away from the more righteous places. So if you want to find one, you should look for Smugglers' Markets and the like. |
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File:Hunter.png Xsotan Hunter |
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No class (Tier 0) |
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Bugs/notes:
- 2.2 beta adds Xsotan Hunter and Scientist classes. Xsotan Hunter attracts stronger xsotan (in the rifts), and Scientists increases the amount of research data you find in a rift. (Possibly they are exclusive to the 'Into the Rift' DLC ?)
- New buildings (Rift Research Centers) exist to accomodate the new captain classes.
Perks[ | ]
Captains are randomly assigned perks that impact their performance on map commands. The number of perks and distribution among positive, negative, and neutral categories is dependent on captain tier. Some perks cannot be assigned to captains with certain classes and some perks can't be assigned with an opposing perk--these are noted below.
Perk | Category | Not assigned for | Not assigned with | Effect |
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Educated | Positive |
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Humble | Positive |
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Reckless | Neutral |
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Connected | Positive |
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Navigator | Positive |
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Stealthy | Positive |
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Market Expert | Positive |
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Uneducated | Negative |
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Greedy | Negative |
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Careful | Neutral |
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Disoriented | Negative |
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Gambler | Negative |
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Addict | Negative |
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Intimidating | Positive |
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Arrogant | Negative |
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Cunning | Neutral |
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Harmless | Neutral |
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Noble | Neutral |
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Commoner | Neutral |
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Lucky | Positive |
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Unlucky | Negative |
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Uses[ | ]
Captains have three purposes on a ship.
- To unlock operations in the galactic map screen in which the captain is sent on a mission with results based on profession and level
- To allow better automation within sectors, such as patrolling and defending sectors, or salvaging them
- To give bonuses to the ship they captain, such as additional turret slots or damage output
Bugs/notes[ | ]
Many perk effects become "better" (bigger for positive effects, smaller for negative effects) as the captain levels. As examples (this is not exhaustive!)
- Disoriented slows Travel by 12.5% at level 0, scaling to 1% at level 5
- Market Expert reduces Restock time by 0% at level 0, scaling to 50% at level 5
- Reckless reduces Scout time by 10% at level 0, scaling to 35% at level 5
Careful and Reckless warrant special mention as the impact they have on ambush chance is *flat*. Unlike other ambush-chance-impacting perks, this means that a Reckless captain can never have a 0% ambush chance and a Careful captain can frequently obtain a much bigger reduction than other perks would give when the base chance was already low. Some modifiers to ambush chance (like safe mode's) will still guarantee a non-zero ambush chance no matter what perk impact is.
Leveling[ | ]
Captains have an "experience level" that influences the impact of their perks.
The starting level of a captain is chosen based on Tier: Tier 0 and 1 captains always begin at level 0; Tier 2 captains start at level 0 or level 1, and Tier 3 captains start at level 1 or level 2.
Captains gain experience by completing commands and the amount of experience is determined by the total time of the completed command, with each hour of duration giving 30 experience points. The Educated and Uneducated perks apply a 120% or 90% modifier to this gain, respectively. Experience gain does not "roll over" upon leveling up, meaning a captain that completes a 6h command (180 experience) but only needed 10 experience to reach the next level will only receive 10 experience.
The amount of experience needed to reach each level is fixed:
Level | XP required | Command time |
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1 | 50 | 1h, 40m |
2 | 100 | 3h, 20m |
3 | 150 | 5h |
4 | 200 | 6h, 40m |
5 | 250 | 8h, 20m |
Autopilot[ | ]
Without a captain, the only sector-wide autopilot command a player can issue to a ship is "refine." Having a captain on the ship allows the use of all other sector commands: mine, salvage, attack enemies, and patrol. All captains unlock all autopilot commands.
Non-sector-wide autopilot commands such as "mine this asteroid" or "escort this ship," as issued via strategy view, are available even without a captain.