NOTE: This guide does not rely on the RETRAIN TALENT functionality.

110 - INTRODUCTION – Some strategies in Star Traders: Frontiers only require a few key Contacts to be successful. For other builds, you’ll want to have a map filled with numerous Contacts spread throughout the galaxy. This guide will teach you some efficient strategies to unlock a LOT of Contacts in a very short period of time. Once the map is filled with friendly connections you can follow whatever playstyle your heart desires!

111 - UNLOCKS – This build requires two important unlocks:

Expert Prospector - Unlocks the Prospector Starting Contact. This Unlock requires that you Explore 50 times on Difficulty Hard or higher in less than 5 years. This is easy for new players to achieve – simply start a new game, complete a few missions to earn some cash, then repeatedly Explore until the Unlock is earned.

Hunt the Hunter – Unlocks the Shizari Huntress Starting Ship. This Unlock requires that you defeat the famed Bounty Hunter Zerod in ship battle twice on Difficulty Hard or higher. This is not necessarily easy to achieve for a new player. The Shizari is the ideal ship for this guide. However, you could alternatively run the Delga Megalift instead. The Delga is made available through the Hunter’s Bane unlock, which requires that you defeat the famed Bounty Hunter Zerod in ship battle once on Difficulty Normal or higher.

120 – THE GOAL – By the start of Year 4 (213.01) you have discovered 100 Contacts spread throughout the galaxy.

130 – STARTING TEMPLATE – You can pick any Captain type you want for this build. However, it’s recommended that you pick a Non-Combat Build for your Captain because you’ll only have Priority C/D available for Skills & Attributes.

A – SHIP – Shizari Huntress

B – CONTACTS

• #1 - Prospector – Offers Explorer recruits and can purchase Scientific Intel.
  
• #2 – Court Scientist – Offers Scientist and can purchase Scientific Intel.
  
• #3-#6 - <<Your Choice>> – Any Starting Contacts of your choice, preferrable something that aligns with your end-game goals.

C / D – SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

E – EXPERIENCE

• Useless – always an “E” priority for me.

140 – LAUNCHING THE GAME – Use the following settings when launching your game:

• CHANGE MAP – Use any Map of your choice.
  
• CHANGE FACTION – Pick any Faction of your choice. However, for this build it is very useful to have a Planet in the Starting Quadrant that has both an Orbital Station AND a Wild Zone on it. For Default Map v2 that includes:

• RYCHART – Ghogga Pass – Luinous (Danger 10)
  
• THULUN – Starvalley Fissure – N/A
  
• JAVAT – Dragon Disk – Goserk (Danger 6)
  
• DE VALTOS – Cthurian Maelstrom – Gould NX (Danger 10)
  
• ZENRIN – Sine Corridor – N/A
  
• ALTA MESA – Cadrino Chaos – Jennet (Danger 10), Melur (Danger 10)
  
• STEEL SONG – Hyperion Loop – N/A
  
• MOKLUMNUE – Briens Belt – Poncis (Danger 5)
  
• CADAR – Garrick Pillars – N/A

• CHANGE DIFFICULTY – Pick any difficulty of your choice. I typically play on HARD, because it allows for all Unlocks but is a bit more forgiving of minor mistakes than IMPOSSIBLE.
  
• Click “YES” for MANUALLY ASSIGN TALENTS.
  
• Skip the Intro if you want.
  
• Prepare your captain’s appearance however you want.

210 – STARTING STANDARD CREW – After starting the game, land on a planet and make the following changes to your Standard Crew:

• Dismiss 2x Gunners
  
• Dismiss 1x Pistoleer
  
• Dismiss 2x Soldiers
  
• Dismiss 1x Swordsman
  
• Dismiss 1x Wing Bomber
  
• Dismiss 1x Wing Leader
  
• Dismiss 1x Navigator
  
• Add 3x Crew Dogs
  
• Add 2x Gundeck Bosses (available at Military >6)
  
• Add 1x Pilot (available at Starport >4)

Here are the recommended Talents for your starting Standard Crew:

• 8x Crew Dogs – 8x Safety Protocols – SHIP OPS Skill Save.
  
• 9x E-Techs – 9x Hotwire – ELECTRONICS Skill Save.
  
• 2x Gundeck Bosses – 2x Snarling Judgment – INTIMIDATE Skill Save.
  
• 1x Mechanics – 1x Careful Testing – REPAIR Skill Save.
  
• 4x Navigators – 2x Read Charts - NAVIGATION Skill Save; 2x Exacting Design - TACTICS Skill Save;
  
• 6x Pilots – 3x Expert Maneuver - PILOT Skill Save; 3x Sure Landfall – Lands efficiently on a Zone.

220 – STARTING OFFICERS – Here are the recommended Jobs & Talents for your Starting Officers. NOTE: All of your Officers will be replaced in the near future.

1x Captain – << YOUR CHOICE >> (Non-Combat Captain Recommended)

1x Doctor – Doctor (1) / Scientist (1) / Explorer (5)

• Medical Staff (D1) – DOCTOR Skill Save.
  
• Sample Analysis (SC1) – Chance to generate Scientific Intel during Wild Zone landing.
  
• Unseen Traces (EX5) - Chance to discover Contact during Wild Zone landing.

1x Engineer – Engineer (1) / Scientist (1) / Explorer (5)

• Port Maintenance (EN1) – Repairs ship during landing.
  
• Sample Analysis (SC1) – Chance to generate Scientific Intel during Wild Zone landing.
  
• Unseen Traces (EX5) - Chance to discover Contact during Wild Zone landing.

1x Gunner – Gunner (1) / Scientist (1) / Explorer (5)

• Experimental Treatment (SC1) – DOCTOR Skill Save.
  
• Sample Analysis (SC1) – Chance to generate Scientific Intel during Wild Zone landing.
  
• Unseen Traces (EX5) - Chance to discover Contact during Wild Zone landing.

1x Navigator – Navigator (1) / Scientist (1) / Explorer (5)

• Experimental Treatment (SC1) – DOCTOR Skill Save.
  
• Sample Analysis (SC1) – Chance to generate Scientific Intel during Wild Zone landing.
  
• Unseen Traces (EX5) - Chance to discover Contact during Wild Zone landing.

1x Pilot – Pilot (1) / Scientist (1) / Explorer (5)

• Sure Landfall (P1) – Lands efficiently on a Zone.
  
• Sample Analysis (SC1) – Chance to generate Scientific Intel during Wild Zone landing.
  
• Unseen Traces (EX5) - Chance to discover Contact during Wild Zone landing.

1x Quartermaster – Quartermaster (1) / Scientist (1) / Explorer (5)

• Stern Leader (Q1) – COMMAND Skill Save.
  
• Sample Analysis (SC1) – Chance to generate Scientific Intel during Wild Zone landing.
  
• Unseen Traces (EX5) - Chance to discover Contact during Wild Zone landing.

230 – “AFTER LANDING” TALENTS – This build relies very heavily on two “After Landing” Talents, Sample Analysis and Unseen Traces. These talents have very long Cool Downs (18 Weeks and 13 Weeks, respectively). I recommend using the CREW > TALENT MANIFEST > AFTER LANDING menu to track the availability of these talents. Whenever you have >5 of these combined talents available, it’s worth making a few Wild Zone Landing Runs. Find a nearby Planet that has both an Orbital Station AND a Wild Zone on it, preferably a Wild Zone with a high Danger Rating (8+). Take turns repeatedly landing on the Wild Zone and the Orbital Station. Landing on the Wild Zone will have a chance of triggering Sample Analysis or Unseen Traces. Also, with landing skills like Sure Landfall, it will only take 1 turn and 1 fuel. Landing at the Orbital Station does not trigger any talents but it only takes 1 turn and 1 fuel. Repeat this process until you have <6 combined After Landing Talents available. Check your Talent Manifest frequently to determine when you should squeeze in a few additional landing runs.

310 – MAIN STORY MISSION – COMPELLING PASSENGER

• Deadline: 39 Weeks
  
• Route: 1 Stop
  
• Type: Planet Visit
  
• Reward: N/A
  
• This is the first mission assigned at the start of the game. It’s a simple one-way visit to the specified planet. Complete this mission as fast as possible.

320 – MAIN STORY MISSION – ARBITER ESCORT

• Deadline: 39 Weeks
  
• Route: 1 Stop
  
• Type: Passenger Transport* (Does not require an available Passenger Cabin)
  
• Reward: $10K
  
• New Contact: Calagan Faen
  
• Another easy mission. Although it’s a Passenger Transport Mission, it doesn’t require an open Passenger Cabin. Complete this mission as fast as possible before Week 20 (see below).

330 – “PROVE YOUR CHARTER” MISSIONS – For the first 18 weeks (210.03-210.21) your Starting Contacts will offer “Prove Your Charter” Missions. These are typically easy Planet Visit Missions in the starting Quadrant. Complete as many of these missions as you can before 210.21! They provide you with a bit of cash, build Faction Rep with your starting Faction, and don’t harm your Rep with the other Factions. I recommend prioritizing these missions in the following fashion:

• Data Cube Delivery – HIGH PRIORITY – Quick and easy. Accept as many of as possible.
  
• Passenger Delivery – MED PRIORITY – Buy additional Passenger Cabins as necessary.
  
• Commodity Delivery – LOW PRIORITY – Ignore these missions unless you can easily purchase/haul these goods in one trip (<25 units, available for sale in the Starting Quadrant).
  
• Multi-Quadrant Missions – NO PRIORITY – Jumping quadrants takes too much time; ignore these missions for now.

331 – MORALE BOOST vs REP BOOST – When you complete a mission you are typically give two choices:

• “Spice Hall/Beer” / Morale Boost – Takes 2-5 days; provides a low Rep gain
  
• “Official Palace Meeting” / Reputation Boost – Takes 5-10 days; provides a High Rep gain

In the early game I strongly recommend always selecting the “Spice Hall/Beer”/Morale Boost option. Because you can complete more missions in the same amount of time this option provides a similar amount of Contact Reputation but yields vastly more Cash and Contact Influence.

340 – REASONS TO RESTART THE GAME (!!!) – In the first 2-3 weeks of the game you might encounter two possible reasons to consider restarting the game:

• Bad Mission Selection – Sometimes, your Starting Contacts offer exclusively difficult Commodity Delivery and Multi-Quadrant Missions. Poor mission choices in the early game will significantly stunt your rapid progress. I recommend a restart.
  
• Unfavorable Conflicts – When you start the game your Starting Faction will already be engaged in two Conflicts, an Alliance Conflict and a Trade Ban Conflict. In the first 2-3 weeks several more Conflicts arise among random Faction pairs. If an unfavorable conflict appears involving your Starting Faction, you may want to restart the game. Unfavorable conflicts will make finding the right missions in the early game much more difficult. These Unfavorable Conflicts include Duel of Assassins, Trade Wars, Spy Wars, and Solar Wars.

350 – WRAPPING UP “PROVE YOUR CHARTER” – When the calendar hits 210.21 your Contacts will cease offering easy “Prove Your Charter” Mission. I recommend visiting every contact right before 210.21 and have them offer up as many “Prove Your Charter” Missions as possible. Even if you can’t immediately accept them, they’ll typically remain available under “Mission Offers” for a few more weeks. By doing this, you can keep running “Prove Your Charter” Missions through 210.29 and beyond.

360 – STATUS CHECK – END OF FIRST HALF YEAR (210.29) – By 210.29 you should have the following:

• Shizari Huntress with a few additional Passenger Cabins and no other upgrades.
  
• The full crew outlined above (levels 4-6).
  
• $100-150K in the bank.
  
• ~100 Faction Reputation with your starting Faction.
  
• 25-50 Personal Reputation with each of the four Contacts in your Starting Quadrant.
  
• Completed the Compelling Passenger and Arbiter Escort Main Story Missions.

410 – THE SECOND HALF OF YEAR ONE
Around 210.29 the “Prove Your Charter” Missions start to dry up. It’s time to start the next phase of the early game. To begin with, purchase the Rank 1 Edict from Calagan Faen for $1,000 and 6 Personal Rep. This will allow you to accept missions that require an Edict.

420 – MAIN STORY MISSION – AT FAEN COURT

• Deadline: 1 Year
  
• Route: Talk to Faen
  
• Type: N/A
  
• Reward: N/A
  
• After you deliver the Arbiter, Calagan Faen wants to talk with you. In the Contact Screen, click on the box labeled “We should discuss further work with the Prince” to complete this mission.

421 – MAIN STORY MISSION – ARBITER NEUTRALITY

• Deadline: 2 Years
  
• Route: 3 Stops
  
• Type: Passenger Transport; Spying (Optional)
  
• Reward: $30K
  
• The first step in this mission is to escort Arbiter Brokstrom to the home world of your Rival Faction. For the second step, you have two choices – either a simple Passenger Transport or a riskier Spying Run. I typically take the safe option. The final step is returning to Faen Court.

422 – MAIN STORY MISSION – DELAYED SETTLEMENT

• Deadline: 3 Years
  
• Route: 3 Stops
  
• Type: Visits; Negotiation
  
• Reward: ~$80K
  
• New Contact: Saere Vento
  
• The first step of this mission gives you a new contact, Saere Vento, who provides Warden Missions and high-level Navigator recruits.

430 – “ALLIANCE” MISSIONS – Like Military Missions, Warden Missions ignore Trade Bans but not Alliances, so they are great for generating early cash without incurring Faction Rep loss. These missions will also significantly boost your Starting Faction’s Conflict Score. Unfortunately, your Starting Conflicts will only last for ~1.5 years. Run as many “Alliance” Missions as possible until the Conflicts expire!

440 – UPGRADING YOUR NAVIGATORS – After the Alliance Missions run out, dismiss your current 4x Low-Level Navigators and replace them with 2x High-Level Navigators from Saere Vento. Be sure to teach each one Orderly Drop, Skip Off the Void, and a few Skill Saves.

450 – STATUS CHECK – END OF THE FIRST 1.5 YEARS (211.29) – By 211.29 you should have the following:

• Shizari Huntress with several additional Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells.
  
• The full crew outlined above (levels 5-7).
  
• $350-500K in the bank.
  
• 150-250 Faction Reputation with your starting Faction.
  
• High Personal Reputation + Influence with each of the four Contacts in your Starting Quadrant.
  
• Completed the At Faen Court, Arbiter Neutrality, and Delayed Settlement Main Story Missions.

510 – REPLACE YOUR OFFICERS – Travel to the Urban Zone where your Court Scientist resides. Hire 6x High-Level Scientists as CREW MEMBERS. Teach them the Sample Analysis talent. Find a nearby Planet that has both an Orbital Station AND a Wild Zone on it, preferably a Wild Zone with a high Danger Rating (8+). Take turns repeatedly landing on the Wild Zone and the Orbital Station, generating lots of Scientific intel from Sample Analysis. Repeat this process until you have <6 combined After Landing Talents available. Then, fire your current 6x Officers. Promote your 6x Scientists to Officers. Teach them the following Jobs/Talents:

6x Scientist – Scientist (X) / Explorer (5) / Pilot (1)

• Sample Analysis (SC1) – Chance to generate Scientific Intel during Wild Zone landing.
  
• Unseen Traces (EX5) - Chance to discover Contact during Wild Zone landing.
  
• Sure Landfall (P1) – Lands efficiently on a Zone.
  
• Additional Talent Points can be spend on various Skill Saves

You now have 12x After Landing Talents available, 6x Sample Analysis and 6 Unseen Traces. Take turns repeatedly landing on the Wild Zone and the Orbital Station until you have <6 combined After Landing Talents available.

520 – “UPGRADE” YOUR SHIP – Travel to the Urban Zone where your Prospector resides. Use as little time & money as possible replace components on your ship to reduce the Ship Ops burden to 30 or less. This will allow you to cut some Crew Dogs from your staff.

530 – REDUCE TO A SKELETON CREW – Cut your Crew aggressively to make as much room as possible for Explorer Recruits. I recommend the following:

• Dismiss 2x Crew Dogs
  
• Dismiss 9x E-Techs
  
• Dismiss 2x Gundeck Bosses
  
• Dismiss 1x Mechanic
  
• Dismiss 2x Pilots

Here’s what remains when you’re done:

• 6x Crew Dogs – Just enough to cover the Ship Ops requirement.
  
• 2x Navigators – Provides an efficient landing talent.
  
• 4x Pilots – Provides an efficient landing talent.

540 – HIRE EXPLORER – You now have room for 24x Explorers to join your crew. Hire as many as you can, using the sales of Scientific Intel to replace your Contacts Personal Rep when it gets depleted. Make sure every Explorer you recruit is at least Level 6 so they have access to the Unseen Traces Talent. After teaching every Explorer recruit Unseen Traces you’ll now have 30x copies of this talent (6x from Officers + 24x from Crew) as well as 6x copies of Sample Analysis (from Officers).

610 – WILD ZONE LANDINGS – Return to your favorite Planet that has both an Orbital Station AND a High-Danger Wild Zone. Take turns repeatedly landing on the Wild Zone and the Orbital Station repeatedly, taking breaks only to refuel and pay your crew. It’s possible that some of your crew members develop Traits that cause them to lose Morale during landing. Do not use the Spice Hall to heal their morale. Instead, simply let them abandon the crew and replace them with new hires.

Continue this process for a year. Every 13 weeks your landing talents should generate ~25 Contacts and ~45 Scientific Intel. After one year of Wild Zone Landing Runs you should have 100+ new Contacts. Repeat this process as many times as you wish, revealing as many Contacts as the map contains!

Here’s a full list of all the guides I’ve written for Star Traders: Frontiers so far. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Starting Quadrants with Three Starting Faction Planets
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3144777870

Millionaire Explorer Guide REVISITED https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3135971608

Marauding Pirate Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3125832745

RTG Smuggler Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3120120607

Zealot Guardian Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3112677227

Non-RTG Merchant Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3110793982

First Blood Commander Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3051041316

Weapon Scavenger Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3043945414

Relentless Bounty Hunter Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3032494871

Fearless Xeno Hunter Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3023912897

Prize Ship Patrol Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3021370224

Love Boat Diplomat Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3015590564

Mad Scientist Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2973898874

Devastating Shock Trooper Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2972421188

Max Contacts Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2971490805

Simple Spy Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2969465004

Deadly Assassin Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2965252564

Millionaire Explorer Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2960277415

Zette Faen Fast Start Guide https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2932475019