STAR TREK FLEET COMMAND is more than just a mobile game. It’s a thriving community of players who have expanded the game world with their own rules, politics, culture, and terminology.
To succeed, you must become knowledgeable of this added layer of gameplay. With mastery, comes your opportunity to contribute your own additions and make your mark throughout the galaxy.
RoE is a self-imposed code of conduct — devised for players by players — in an effort to improve gameplay for all. The primary aim of RoE is to make player interaction more orderly and less chaotic with respect to warring, mining, raiding, and generally co-existing.
The cornerstone principle of RoE is known as “Fair Play.” Griefing, bullying, trolling, hogging up resources, or otherwise depriving other players from their own reasonable access and opportunity to enjoy the game all constitute violations of "Fair Play" and are therefore adamantly discouraged by RoE. The goal is for exchanges to be as harmonious and civil as possible, even in conflict.
The term "Rules of Engagement" is a bit of a misnomer in that there is no official list of "Rules" that spans all of the game servers. Rather, the leading alliances of each game server has their own adaptations of RoE to serve their distinct interests and goals. That said, there are some core concepts, that are fairly universal game-wide which we will detail herein. These basic universal fundamentals of "RoE" are known as "Base RoE."
Most of the player lingo you will encounter in STFC (and subsequently in this guide) is related in some form or another to the continual evolution of RoE so get yourself up to speed on the RoE that rules the land on the server where you game. If you're a member of an alliance, that's the best place to ask. If you're solo, ask in-game on Galaxy Chat.
Be warned! There are certain groups and individuals on every server who openly choose to defy RoE. Perhaps you might even be one of them. The important thing to remember is that RoE is an honor agreement between players NOT official game rules.
Every starship has two distinct cargo holds that are filled to capacity in order:
Raiding attackers are out in force, keen to take your hard-earned resources away from you. So, be on alert! Stealing resources from other players is not only legal and legitimate gameplay, it’s actually encouraged and rewarded by official game rules.
If your ship is only carrying resources in your first Protected Cargo hold and your second cargo hold is totally empty, your ship is said to be “UPC” or “Under Protected Cargo.”
Since an attacker cannot possibly take any of your cargo away from you when your ship is UPC, this is generally regarded under RoE as an “Act of War.” WARNING: There are special conditions under which RoE permits the attack of a UPC ship. The two most common of these conditions are "Illegal Ship" and “Zero Node.”
Some game servers use the term UPL rather than UPC for Under Protected cargo Limit. UPC and UPL are interchangeable terms.
Once your Protected Cargo hold is full, no matter how much or how little more is in your second cargo hold, your ship is said to be “OPC” or “Over Protected Cargo.”
If your ship is OPC, be on alert. You are carrying prized goods that other players would love to get their hands on. In almost all circumstances, hitting an OPC ship is not only valid gameplay, it's encouraged, both by official game rules and by RoE. Everything beyond your Protected Cargo is up for grabs so, the more you’re holding OPC, the more attractive a target you will be. Get yourself to the safety of your home station with that precious cargo ASAP.
Some game servers use the term OPL rather than OPC for Over Protected cargo Limit. OPC and OPL are interchangeable terms.
If you are raided OPC, don’t embarrass yourself.
Defend or escape. Don’t whine. This is a war game.
PRO TIP: Click on any ship to show a pre-attack battle assessment. Look at the REWARDS box at the top of the dialog box that appears. This reports what you'd gain from that attack if you succeed in battle. If the REWARDS box includes mining resources (chests don't count), you can be sure the target ship is OPC. If, on the other hand, there are no resources shown in that box, that means the player is still UPC... for now.
Remember: Under most circumstances, attacking a valid ship on an active node that is UPC is a direct violation of RoE. Such an act may spark a galactic conflict.
NOTE Never go OPC again. Mine with confidence, always well within your Protected Cargo Limit with our exclusive calculator power tool, CargoCalc.
Without RoE, anyone could just come up and hit you arbitrarily, for any reason or no reason at all. RoE seeks to bring some balance and order to things, but RoE is not designed to prevent conflict. It is designed to facilitate orderly conflict.
All ships that comprise the Combat Triangle – Battleship, Explorer, and Interceptor – regardless of faction are ALL classified as Warships:
Battleship beats Explorer. Explorer beats Interceptor, Interceptor beats Battleship.
BEATS EXPLORER
These majestic ships come with immense firepower forming the backbone of every noble fleet. Only INTERCEPTORS manage to effectively penetrate their thick hulls.
Attack: SHIELD PIERCE
Defense: ARMOR
BEATS INTERCEPTOR
The pathfinders of the galaxy with the strongest Warp Engines, EXPLORERS should not be underestimated in combat either. Agile weapon tracking systems and high energy shields are only outmatched by BATTLESHIPS.
BEATS BATTLESHIP
Lightning fast fighter vessels steered by only the most skilled pilots. Equipped with high impact weapons and effective impulse engines, INTERCEPTORS only have to watch out for EXPLORERS.
Attack: ARMOR PIERCE
Defense: DODGE
WARNING: Under Base RoE, no warship has protection ...ever. It’s simple really. Whatever you're doing, if you’re doing it in a warship, prepare for battle.
Mining of resources must NEVER be performed using a warship. The only valid class of starship for mining is a Survey Ship (also known as a Mining Ship or Surveyor). It’s useful to know that Surveyors also mine faster and hold more protected cargo so you should resist the urge to EVER mine with a warship.
If for some unknownable reason you get it into your head that it’s okay to mine with a warship, prepare to be fired upon. It's an Illegal Ship and it’s totally valid under RoE to attack you even if your ship is UPC.
When mining, the "space rock" your surveyor ship parks on to obtain resources is known as a "Node." Every node reports exactly how many units of that node's resources remains available. The node counts down as resource is extracted until it reaches zero.
At that point, it is your responsibility to either reset the node (fly away from the node then quickly return when the node resets and no longer shows zero resources) or to move on, either to another available node or back to your home station.
If you leave your ship on a node that has reached zero without resetting the node and without leaving, you are essentially depriving EVERYONE from mining that node and obtaining resources. The node is now a Zero Node (or Z-Node) and you're responsible.
Some players will give you a courtesy warning that you are zero-node before they blast you but RoE does not automatically afford you that warning. There are players who see it as their duty to clear zero-nodes throughout the galaxy. It matters not if you are UPC. No one likes the idea of a perfectly good node going to waste like that.
If you need a node and find someone asleep at the helm on a zero-node, RoE grants you not only full permission but it's blessing to blow that ship away to smithereens. But be sure the node reads zero and be reasonable in allowing the ship to reset. Many petty disputes have been sparked when one or more parties don't have their facts straight. If you attack a ship for zero-node, you are advised to take a screenshot just before you initiate attack just in case you find yourself having to defend your honor down the line.
Since resetting a node entails flying away from it for just a moment before getting back on the node again, some sneaky souls have devised a method of flying in and parking under a node that is already occupied. That way, at the time of reset, they are closer to the node than anyone else and they pounce to steal it. This shifty maneuver happens most when nodes are busy with traffic and a particular resource is in high demand.
Node-Ninjas are considered hostile by most alliances. RoE may or may not include Node-Ninja (aka Ninja-Node) as an offense on your server but don’t do it either way. It’s creepy anti-social behavior sneaking up on strangers like that and you should be ashamed of yourself.
If you're interested in a node that is presently occupied and it is about to reach the reset point, the appropriate thing to do is to park your ship near enough to the node that anyone can plainly see that you intend to be next.
If the current occupant of the node intends to reset and resume mining that node, they will usually message you to that effect so you can move on. Think of mining nodes like the stalls in a public restroom. Wait nearby for your turn. Don't hide behind the toilet waiting to strike like some kind of freak.
In your travels throughout the galaxy, you have surely encountered terminology that is unfamiliar. This handy glossary will get you up to speed on all the key inside lingo...
AC — Short for Alliance Chat.
Actian Hostile — Special class of PvE hostile in level 33 to 49 systems that grants upgrades and temporary buffs to the Mantis battlecruiser. Defeat Actian Chrysalis and Actian Apex hostiles to collect Actian Venom which can be refined in the Mantis Refinery into ship upgrades and research to increase Mantis battle effectiveness.
ALB — Short for Alliance Leaderboard. As seen in the Events panel.
AMS — Short for Alliance Milestone. As seen in the Events panel.
Auto-Bubble — Slang for the Automatic 10-minute Peace Shield that activates by default when an unshielded station is first attacked or "cracked." See Peace Shield.
Away Team — A Team of Officers you select to send on special Missions to earn Rewards and Refits. Assigned Officers can not be in ships for the duration of each Mission. New Assignments to choose from appear in the Away Teams panel every 12 hours. Use the Rewards earned through Assignments in the Away Teams Research Tree. Requires constructon and leveling up of the Shuttle Bay Station Building.
Axionic Chip — Currency used to buy and upgrade Exocomp Consumables in the Consumables Store. Axionic Chips can also be obtained in a Daily Chest (amount varies based on Exocomp Factory tier level) or won as a reward for completing Exocomp-related Events and Daily Goals.
Axionic Servo — Currency used to level up the Exocomp Factory Station Building in order to access and unlock different grades and types of Exocomp Consumables.
BDA — Short for Below Deck Ability. Officers with Below Deck Abilities buff your ship and/or crew in various ways when placed in the bottom row of your ship crew slots.
Black Fleet Memorial Forge — Specialized level 34+ material used to upgrade the Sarcophagus, an Epic Battleship used to protect Capture Nodes during Territory CaptureTakeover events. Requires Sarcophagus Territory Service. Uncommon unlocks at player level 34. Rare unlocks at level 37. Epic at level 41.
Bluestacks — Emulation software that enables you to play Star Trek Fleet Command and other Android mobile games on Mac and PC in fullscreen with full keyboard and mouse control. Native Mac. and PC. versions of the STFC client are also available directly from SCOPELY. See Bluestacks.
Bubble — Slang for a Peace Shield. See Peace Shield.
Capture Nodes — During a Takeover event, each ship in the system scores 1 point per minute for its Alliance but each ship occupying a Capture Node scores 3 extra points per minute (for a total of 4 points per minute). During the final phase of a Takeover (known as Overdrive), the rate of scoring is tripled.
Cease Fire Shield — Variant of a Peace Shield. Activated automatically, at no cost, following a maintenance window or server shutdown. Protects your station from attack for the period specified. Cease Fire Shields are distinctively golden in color and run concurrently (no added time) to any active standard Peace Shield.
Combat Triangle — The "Rock, Paper, Scissors" of space combat. See Lawful Attack.
Consumables — Short for Exocomp Consumables. Powerful Temporary Boosts to Galaxy (activates when player Goes out of Dock), Station (activates when player Starts the Consumable, i.e. builds, repairs, or completes research), or Combat (activates when player engages in Combat). Requires construction and leveling up of the Exocomp Factory station building. Temporary Boost effect lasts for one hour or more after activation, depending on the type, grade, and rarity of the Consumable used. An activated Consumable may be manually deactivated by the player at any time but will otherwise deactivate automatically when boost time expires. See Exocomp Factory.
Coords — Short for Coordinates. Used with in-game mapping system to specify the location of a station, a ship, an ally, an enemy target, or any other point of interest.
CoW — Short for Crucible of War and pronounced as "cow" — a recurring game event that tends to run as a filler between monthly content arcs.
Crystal — Mined Graded Material used primarily to upgrade Interceptors. See Warships.
Dilithium — A crystalline mineral mined or raided ungraded Resource primarily used to build ships and upgrade station buildings.
Diplomacy Panel — An in-game tool used by your alliance to keep track of and denote your diplomatic stance towards other alliances and their member players:
Each symbol represents a different diplomatic status: Allied, Friendly, Civil, Neutral, Caution, Unfriendly, and Enemy. Each level (except for Neutral) shows the associated symbol in-game. We have developed a Diplomatic Spectrum (see above) to better illustrate the gradient from friend to foe.
Discord — Social Media app with extended game discussion. Many Alliances require Discord for resolving conflicts and diplomatic incidents. See Official Scopely Discord.
Drop Tags — Slang for quitting and leaving an Alliance. Players wishing to return to the same alliance they left after dropping tags from it are subject to an 8-hour cooldown waiting period before they may rejoin.
Exocomp — Utility robots that process and upgrade Exocomp Consumables.
Exocomp Factory — Station Building that unlocks at Player Level 16+ with an Exocomp Factory Key enabling players to use and upgrade Exocomp Consumables. As you tier up the Exocomp Factory building using Axionic Servos, new types of Consumables are unlocked: Galaxy Exocomp at Level 1+, Station Exocomp at Level 5+, Combat Exocomp at Level 15+, Multi-Purpose Exocomp at Level 35+.
Faction — The galactic superpowers are divided into Factions: The Federation, The Klingon Empire, The Romulan Star Empire, The Augments, Rogue, Bajoran, and Ex-Borg. Align yourself with or against the Faction(s) of your choosing to build Reputation and unlock Faction Store items.
Faction Lock — Once a player has achieved 10 million Reputation Points with a given Faction, that player's standing with that Faction can no longer be diminished.
Fair Play — The cornerstone principle of RoE. See Rules of Engagement.
FKR — Short of Federation, Klingon, Romulan — the three major Factions. See Faction.
Floater — A ship of any class not on any Node or Station that is not moving for an extended period such that it appears abandoned by its Commander. Many Alliances regard Floaters as space junk and are only too happy to clear the way.
Fog of War — Military term for uncertainty in situational awareness. High warp range systems such as Deep Space and Origin Sector are affected by Fog of War. Such zones can ONLY be observed directly, with a ship or base actually in-system.
Gas — Mined Graded Material used primarily to upgrade Explorers. See Warships.
GC — Short for Galaxy Chat. Global chat channel to ALL players on your Server.
HHP — Short for Hull Health Points. Hull Health is your ship's last line of defense. Even if severely weakened in battle, your ship will remain intact so long as Hull Health is above zero. Once it's depleted, your ship will be destroyed. See SHP.
Hive — A cluster or grouping of home stations by allied players (usually members of the same alliance) seeking shared protection at a shared location. A hive can be as small as a single planet or large enough to occupy an entire system. The benefits and drawbacks of hiving together are hotly disputed.
Illegal Ship — Use of a non-mining starship in a mining zone. See Lawful Attack.
Incursion — A 24-hour recurring game event that pits paired servers against each other in a battle for dominance. Servers are matched one-to-one, based on server age and population. Players may relocate their bases to the server they’re invading for the duration of the incursion but all Peace Shields on Level 20+ systems are temporarily suppressed.
ISO — Short for Isogen. See Isogen.
Isogen — Mined graded Material used and refined primarily to access Origin Sector and to engage in Territory Capture.
Iso-Emulsion — Refined Material used in Territory Research and for purchases in the Territory Store. Must be refined from Raw Isogen. Iso-Emulsion can be further refined into Iso-Resin.
Iso-Resin — Used to complete so-called "Iso-Charged" aspects of the Territory Research tree. Iso-Resin can be refined from Iso-Emulsion in the Territory Refinery. Earn more yield per refine pull by upgrading the Meridian speciality surveyor ship.
KOS — Kill On Sight. This dubious designation declares its recipient as a public enemy. Once you've been marked KOS by an Alliance, all members are authorized to attack you the moment you're in target range, regardless of RoE, with or without provocation.
Latinum — The most valuable unit of exchange in the galaxy. Used to purchase Resources, Store Items, and to speed up job timers.
LCARS — Library Computer Access and Retrieval System. A free player-developed Discord server, named in honor of the STAR TREK ship computer system, that operated public terminals used to query a STAR TREK FLEET COMMAND knowledge base. LCARS ceased operations on 7th of July 2021.
LLAP — Short for Live Long And Prosper. A friendly and popular Vulcan salutation.
Mantis — Rare G4 Battleship for Level 33+ players. The Mantis is a highly versatile support ship in both PvE and PvP scenarios. Fight Actian Hostiles in PvE to gain temporary buffs or use its Venomous Puncture ability to debuff enemy ships during multi-ship PvP engagements.
Materials — Materials such as Crystal, Gas, Isogen, Ore, and Ship Parts used to upgrade Station Buildings, Ships, and Research.
Mats — Slang for Materials. See Materials.
Mudd Space — Slang for Eclipse Sector. In reference to Harcourt Fenton Mudd, notorious con-man, smuggler, scoundrel, swindler, and reprobate.
NAP — Non-Aggressive Pact. A mutual covenant between distinct non-warring Alliances wherein the parties agree not to attack one another. In some but not all cases, the parties also agree to defend and protect one another against common enemies.
Node — A mining location (different from a Capture Node) where a Survey class ship is permitted to park for an extended period expressly to extract Resources or Materials. See Illegal Ship.
Node-Ninja — A hostile act whereby a mining Node is stolen out of turn by lying in wait. See Lawful Attack.
NooB — Slang for a new inexperienced player, derived from the term "newbie."
OMW — Short for On My Way. Used when communicating to other players that you are sending a ship to a requested destination, as when defending a raid, taking over a node, or joining an Armada.
OPC — Over Protected Cargo. See Protected Cargo.
OPCL — Over Protected Cargo Limit. Same as OPC. See Protected Cargo.
OPL — Over Protected Limit. Same as OPC. See Protected Cargo.
Ore — Mined Material used primarily to upgrade Battleships. See Warships.
Origin Sector — Special region of deep space, also known as Territory Space, designated for Territory Capture. There is no PvP target banding between player levels within Origin Sector.
Overdrive — The final phase of a Takeover event in which all point values scored going forward are tripled. Overdrive duration is equal to one-third the total duration of the entire Takeover. 10 minutes for 30 minute Takeover, 15 minutes for a 45 minute Takeover, 20 minutes for a 1 hour Takeover.
Parsteel — Mined or raided ungraded Resource with immense tensile strength, primarily used to upgrade station buildings, start research, and construct ships.
PC — Short for Protected Cargo. See Protected Cargo.
PD — Short for Power Destroyed.
Peace Shield — Protects your home station against enemy attack and raiding of Resources. While active, you, in turn, cannot attack other players without first deactivating your Peace Shield. See Bubble.
Pew Pew — Silly slang for PvP combat involving multiple combatants. Imitative term (pronounced pyo͞o-pyo͞o) for the sci-fi sound effect for laser weapons fire.
PM — Short for Private Message.
Projectiles — A type of Ship Refit. See Refits.
PvE — Player vs. Environment. Describes combat of one player versus non-player characters built into the game such as mission hostiles. Armadas are generally regarded as a form of group PvE.
PvP — Player vs. Player. Describes combat of one player versus another player. See Rules of Engagement.
PvP Target — Player vs. Player Target. Each player level has its own limited range or banding from minimum to maximum power level that a given player may attack. Admiral inworlder offers a free interactive tool to determine your own PvP target range. See PVPTARGET.COM.
Refits — Refits allow you to personalize your ship's look and, in some cases, also boost ship power. Ship Skin Refits (change the cosmetic appearance of your ship) and Projectiles (change your ship's weapon fire animations projected during combat). Some Refits are purely cosmetic. Others also boost your ship's capabilities. Some Refits can only be activated for specific ships. Refits unlock at Player Level 15+.
Reputation Lock — Faction Reputation Lock. See Faction Lock.
RevDeuce — YouTuber, gamer, and influencer offering timely advice, opinions, and entertainment to the STAR TREK FLEET COMMAND player community. See RevDeuce on YouTube.
RL — Short for Real Life or Regular Life. Refers to those people, places, and things that you see around you on those rare occasions you look up from your screen.
Rodinium Particles — Specialized particles used in Galaxy Research. Earned by completing Faction Allegiance Daily Goals, claiming weekly Faction bundles, or purchase in the store. Available only at Level 40+.
RoE — Rules of Engagement. Pronounced as "row." See Rules of Engagement.
RoE Officer — Alliance officer with designated authority in the enforcement and diplomacy of RoE-related matters with other Alliances. See Rules of Engagement.
RSS — Slang for Resources, such as Parsteel, Tritanium, Dilithium, etc. Used primarily as an abbreviation in text chat, particularly in reference to raiding.
Scopely — Official game developers and operators of STAR TREK FLEET COMMAND.
Service — See Territory Service.
"Shield or Share" — Expression of warning to players who fail to use their Peace Shield to protect their station. Use your Peace Shield or prepare to share your resources.
Ship Skins — A type of Ship Refit. See Refits.
SHP — Short for Shield Health Points. Your ship's Shield protects its Hull which, in turn, protects your ship from being destroyed. So long as Shield Health remains, damage to the Hull is reduced. Shields regenerate when not in Combat. See HHP.
SLB — Short for Solo Leaderboard. As seen in the Events panel.
SMS — Short for Solo Milestone. As seen in the Events panel.
SPA — Short for Survey Protection Act. A key aspect of Rules of Engagement establishing specific protections for Survey class ships. See Protected Cargo.
SS — Short for Screen Shot.
STFC — Short for STAR TREK FLEET COMMAND.
Subspace Relay — Special station building (unlocks at player level 25+) used in connection with Infinite Incursion events. Buffs defense platform damage, warp speed, and ship hull health. See incursion.
Tag — The 4-letter or shorter abbreviated name that identifies members of an Alliance.
Takeover — Every Zone in Origin Space has an automatically recurring weekly event called a Takeover in which possession of that Zone is up for grabs. Each Alliance that joins a Takeover scores points by having ships present in the systems comprising the Zone in play. Point values quadruple for ships on Capture Nodes.
TC — Short for Territory Capture. See Territory Capture.
TS — Short for Territory Space. See Origin Sector.
Territory Capture — The star systems within Origin Sector are grouped into territorial Zones. Alliances fight to control each Zone during a Takeover to gain Alliance-wide access to each Zone’s own features and player enhancements.
Territory Service — A key advantage to capturing territory in Origin Sector, Services boost, enhance, or unlock abilities for all members of the Alliance that owns the associated zone. Services remain active until the end of the next Takeover.
Trit — Slang for Tritanium. See Tritanium.
Tritanium — Mined or raided ungraded Resource many times harder than diamonds, primarily used to build ship hulls and bulkheads.
UltimatDJz — STAR TREK FLEET COMMAND player community YouTuber, podcaster, and content creator. Host of twice-weekly talk show, Talking Trek. See UltimatDJz on YouTube.
UPC — Under Protected Cargo. See Protected Cargo.
UPCL — Under Protected Cargo Limit. Same as UPC. See Protected Cargo.
UPL — Under Protected Limit. Same as UPC. See Protected Cargo.
Venomous Puncture — Special support ability of the Mantis battlecruiser. Debuffs a rival ship when two other ships are entering battle. Use during Incursion battles to aid your allies. Requires Condensed Venom, which can be claimed in the Refinery, earned by completing Mantis-related Daily Goals, or purchased in the Store.
V'Ger — A massive and powerful self-evolved sentient space entity, established in STAR TREK: The Motion Picture (also known in canon as "The Intruder"), that absorbs and assimilates anyone and anything that dares to approach.
Warships — All Non-Survey ships designated for Combat. See Warships.
Zero-Node — See Zero-Node.
Zone — See Territory Capture.
Z-Node — Same as Zero-Node. See Zero-Node.
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