Relentless Bounty Hunter Guide

How to create an unstoppable bounty hunting squad in five years

SECTION 100 – Setup

110 - INTRODUCTION – Bounty Hunting can be a very lucrative profession in Star Traders Frontiers. A good Bounty Hunting Team requires a build that can handle Ship Combat, Crew Combat, Spying, Exploring, and other in game activities. Edict Missions can require multiple jumps and can result in serious Rep damage with the opposing faction. However, the payouts can be staggering. Its not uncommon to rake in $500K or more from a single Edict Mission, and by completing several of these missions at once you can quickly amass more money than you could ever dream of.

120 – THE GOAL – By the start of Year 6 (216.01) have a bounty hunter build capable of generating $1-2M per year in mission payments.

130 – STARTING TEMPLATE – Here’s how to set up your Starting Template:

A – ATTRIBUTES

• Strength = 14
  
• Quickness = 14 + 16 = 30
  
• Fortitude = 14 + 16 = 30
  
• Charisma = 14
  
• Wisdom = 14 + 16 = 30
  
• Resilience = 14 + 4 = 18

B – SKILLS

• Rifles +10
  
• Stealth +5

C – CONTACTS

• #1 - FDF Commander – Offers Military Officer recruits which are necessary for an “unhittable” ship. NOTE: You will need to complete the “Call of the Strong” to unlock this Starting Contact.
  
• #2 – Ex-Bounty Hunter – Offers Bounty Hunter recruits and Bounty Missions.
  
• #3 – Ex-Spy – Offers Spy recruits and Military Gear. NOTE: You will need to complete the “Covert Operative” to unlock this Starting Contact.
  
• #4 - <<Your Choice>> – Any Starting Contact of your choice.

D – SHIP

• Reach Vindex – Any $200K ship will do. If available, the Reach Vindex is the best option because it starts with a huge fuel tank and requires no upgrades other than Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells. Our goal is to switch out of this ship as quickly as possible. NOTE: You will need to complete the “Salvage Contractor” to unlock the Reach Vindex.

E – EXPERIENCE

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

140 – LAUNCHING THE GAME – Use the following setting when you launch your game:

• CHANGE MAP – For a Bounty Hunter build I STRONGLY recommend using a Custom-Built Small Map. Edict Missions tend to have LOTS of steps, many of which are hidden when you accept them, making it very difficult to efficiently complete numerous of missions in a short period of time. I recommend going to “Change Map”, selecting “Create New Map”, and creating a map with the minimum of 12 Quadrants and Maximum Density. Repeat this process a few times until you create a favorable map for your Starting Faction.
  
• CHANGE FACTION – Steel Song is the perfect Faction for Bounty Hunting. Their Faction-Specific Prisoner Cabins yield valuable intel when transporting prisoners and Steel Song starports grant a 1% discount per grade of Edict on Component Upgrades. Also, their recruits tend to have a high likely of learning Traits that increase Initiative, which is great for Combat Crews.
  
• 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.

141 – PERFECT STEEL SONG BOUNTY HUNTER MAP: st-v02-12-2-99475829

If you want an ideal map for a Steel Song Bounty Hunter build I urge you to select “Create New Map” and copy the Map Seed above into the “Enter a Seed” section. This map is perfect because:

• It’s small (12 Quadrants) with Maximum Density.
• Your starting Quadrant – Ikang Sector – only has a 4 Danger, improving your chances of passing Skill Checks in the early game.
• Your starting Quadrant also only has 3 Steel Song Zones clustered closely together, making for very efficient Prove Your Charter Mission running in the early game.
• For more details about this map, check out this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/StarTradersFrontiers/comments/15un1s6/great_small_map_for_a_steel_song_start/

SECTION 200 – Starting Crew & Officers

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

• Dismiss 2x Gunners
  
• Dismiss 1x Navigator
  
• Dismiss 1x Pistoleer
  
• Dismiss 2x Soldiers
  
• Dismiss 1x Swordsman
  
• Add 3x Crew Dogs
  
• Add 1x E-Tech (available at Lux Pop / High Tech / Orbital)
  
• Add 2x Gundeck Bosses (available at Military >6)
  
• Add 1x Mechanics (available at Starport >7)
  
• Add 2x Pilot (available at Starport >4)

Here are the recommended Talents for your Standard Crew:

5x Crew Dogs

• Crew Dogs provide Skill Saves and Rumors.
  
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 5x Safety Protocols – SHIP OPS Skill Save.
  
• Level 6 / Rank 5 – 5x Talk in the Hall – Learn Rumors when Spicing.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 5x Battle Damage Repair – Fixes ship after Ship Combat.

5x E-Techs

• E-Techs provide Skill Saves and New Contacts. They also provide one of the best Ship Talents in the game, Vigilant Scanners.
  
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 5x Hotwire – ELECTRONICS Skill Save.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 –5x Listening Post – New Contact when landing in Urban Zone.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 5x Vigilant Scanners – Buffs ship with +25% Accuracy & Defense.

2x Gundeck Bosses

• Gundeck Bosses provide a variety of useful Skill Saves.
  
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 2x Snarling Judgment – INTIMIDATE Skill Save.
  
• Level 6 / Rank 5 –2x Meticulous Checklist – REPAIR Skill Save.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 2x Thorough Service – SHIP OPS Skill Save.

2x Gunners

• Gunners provide Skill Saves and valuable Orbital Ops talents.
  
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 2x Bullseye Certainty – TACTICS Skill Save.
  
• Level 6 / Rank 5 –2x Boarding Assault – Boarding attempt from Range 3 or below.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 2x Twitchy Trigger – Remove Blockade Risk Card.

2x Mechanics

• Mechanics provide Skill Saves and discounted Component Upgrades.
  
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 3x Careful Testing – REPAIR Skill Save.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Greaser Reaction – SHIP OPS Skill Save.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Helpful Hands – Discounts Component Upgrade by 10% + Repair.

2x Navigators

• Navigators provide Skill Saves, Escape Talents, and reduced Hyper Warp costs.
  
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 2x Read Charts - NAVIGATION Skill Save.
  
• Level 6 / Rank 5 – 2x Efficient Route – Reduces Hyper Warp fuel cost by 4 + Navigation.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Distance Commission – Increase Mission payments for long distance Missions.

6x Pilots

• Pilots provide Skill Saves, Ship Combat boosts, and Spying card removal.
  
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 3x Expert Maneuver - PILOT Skill Save.
  
• Level 1 / Rank 1 – 3x Sure Landfall – Lands efficiently on a World.
  
• Level 6 / Rank 5 – 3x Expert Maneuver - PILOT Skill Save.
  
• Level 6 / Rank 5 – 3x Sure Landfall – Lands efficiently on a World.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Swift Sweep – When Spying, remove a Risk Card.
  
• Level 11 / Rank 8 – 3x Twitch Surge – Ship moves 1-2 range closer.

220 – STARTING OFFICERS – Here are the recommended Jobs & Talents for your Starting Officers.

1x Captain (SLOT 4) – Bounty Hunter (5) / Sniper (15) / Soldier (X)

Your Captain will be your primary damage dealer from Slot 4. Equip them with Stealth Armor and a Sniper Rifle. Raise them to Level 15 Sniper first, giving you access to Trick of the Eye. This On Initiative Talent will ensure you start every Combat Crew Battle in Stealth Mode. For your first attack, use Steadfast Aim to give yourself a significant Attack Buff while dealing serious damage to an enemy target. If you have a few Initiative left in the first round follow it up with One Shot, targeting the opponent’s toughest Combat Crew member. One Shot is nearly a guaranteed Critical Hit and will likely deal 200+ damage, instantly killing almost any opponent. This expensive attack will push you into “PENALTY” but who cares – your Captain just single-handedly killed 1-2 enemy crew members in the first round. In the second round your Captain will start with only 8 Initiative. Use One Shot again to kill another enemy. At this point, the battle is effectively over.

• Steadfast Aim (BH1) – Rifle Attack + Buff.
  
• Unfaltering Ire (BH5) – Debuff Talent.
  
• Bullet Trace (S1) – Rifle Attack + Debuff.
  
• Vanishing Act (S1) – Buff Talent.
  
• Dominant Eye (S1) – On Initiative (w/ Stealth).
  
• One Shot (S11) – Rifle Attack.
  
• Trick of the Eye (S15) – On Initiative.

1x Engineer – Engineer

• Port Maintenance (E1) – Upon landing, automatically repairs ship.
  
• Assisted Installation (E5) – Discounted Components.
  
• Hard Bargain (E8) – Discounted Ships.

1x Quartermaster and 1x Doctor – Doctor / Quartermaster / Diplomat

• Medical Staff (D1) – DOCTOR Skill Save.
  
• Stern Leader (QM1) – COMMAND Skill Save.
  
• Settlement (D1) – NEGOTIATE Skill Save.
  
• Adept Mediation (D5) – Reduces Rep loss from Negotiation Missions.

230 – STARTING CREW & OFFICERS STRATEGY – Your goal in the early game is to maximize Skill Saves, avoid ship combat, and generate money as quickly as possible. This build includes 2-3x Skill Saves for the most common events during ship travel.

SECTION 300 – “Prove Your Charter” Rush: The First Half Year (210.03 – 210.29)

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:

1) 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.

2) 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. As you’ll see in the SECTION 400 below, these Conflicts work well with your Starting Contacts. Additionally, 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.

Unfavorable Conflicts for your Starting Faction (Early Game)

• Duel of Assassins – Impacts both Diplomatic & Military Missions (Negative)
  
• Trade War – Impacts both Diplomatic & Military Missions (Negative)
  
• Spy War – Impacts both Diplomatic & Military Missions (Negative)
  
• Solar War – Impacts both Diplomatic & Military Missions (Negative)

Favorable Conflicts for your Starting Faction (Early Game)

• Trade Ban – Impacts only Diplomatic Missions (Negative)
  
• Alliance – Impacts both Diplomatic & Military Missions (Positive)
  
• Trade Alliance – Impacts both Diplomatic & Military Missions (Positive)

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:

• Reach Vindex 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.
  
• 20-40 Personal Reputation with each of the four Contacts in your Starting Quadrant.
  
• Completed the Compelling Passenger and Arbiter Escort Main Story Missions.

SECTION 400 – “Alliance” Mission Rush: The First Two Years (210.29 – 212.03)

410 – Starting 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. 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 – MISSIONS DURING THE FIRST TWO YEARS – Between year 210.29 and 212.03 you’ll focus on two types of Missions, A) Main Story Missions, and B) “Alliance” Missions.

430 – 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. Complete this mission around 210.29.

431 – 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. Having several Diplomats with the Adept Mediation talent can significantly reduce your Faction Rep loss here. The final step is returning to Faen Court. Complete this mission as quickly as possible after the Prove Your Charter Missions run out.

432 – MAIN STORY MISSION – DELAYED SETTLEMENT [HIGHLY RECOMMENDED]

• 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. Similar to Military Missions, Warden Missions ignore Trade Bans but not Alliances, so they are great for generating early cash without incurring Faction Rep loss. After completely a few missions for Saere it’s highly recommended that you dismiss your low-level Navigators and replace them with high-level Navigators. This will make available the Skip Off the Void talent as quickly as possible.

433 – MAIN STORY MISSION – PRIME PILGRIMAGE [HIGHLY RECOMMENDED]

• Deadline: 3 Years
  
• Route: 2 Stops
  
• Type: Visits; Negotiation
  
• Reward: ~$15K
  
• New Contact: Gaea Steel
  
• This simple mission will unlock the High Princess Contact Gaea Steel. High Prince/Princess Contacts are very valuable because they discount the purchase of a New Ship and because they allow for Edicts (Max Rank 9) and Military Ranks (Max Rank 21) to be increased to the Max Level. Edicts and Military Ranks are very important later in the game when you try to maximize the returns from your Bounty Missions.

440 – “ALLIANCE” MISSIONS – In addition to the Story Missions outlined above, load up on as many easy “Alliance” Missions as possible! These missions will not generate negative Faction Rep and will significantly boost your Starting Faction’s Conflict Score. Assuming your Starting Faction is only engaged in one “Alliance” Conflict and one “Trade Ban” Conflict, here are the missions your Contacts will offer:

Calagan Faen (Prince Missions) – Offers neither “Alliance” or “Trade Ban” Missions. Ignore non-story missions for now.
Gaea Steel (Prince Missions) – Offers both “Alliance” and “Trade Ban” Missions. Load up on Alliance Missions ONLY!
Saere Vento (Warden Missions) – Only offers “Alliance” Missions. Load up!
FDF Commander (Military Missions) – Only offers “Alliance” Missions. Load up!
Ex-Bounty Hunter (Bounty Missions) – Offers neither “Alliance” or “Trade Ban” Missions. Ignore for now.
Ex-Spy (Espionage Missions) – Only offers “Trade Ban” Missions. Ignore for now.
Other Starting Contacts (???) – Depends on what additional Starting Contacts you picked.

Unfortunately, your Starting Conflicts will only last for between 1.5-2 years. Run as many “Alliance” Missions as possible until the Conflicts expire!

450 – STATUS CHECK – END OF YEAR TWO (212.03) – By 212.03 you should have the following:

• Reach Vindex with several additional Passenger Cabins and Prison Cells.
  
• The full crew outlined above (levels 8-10).
  
• $600-800K in the bank.
  
• 200-250 Faction Reputation with your starting Faction.
  
• High Personal Reputation and Influence with each of the four Contacts in your Starting Quadrant.
  
• Completed the At Faen Court, Arbiter Neutrality, Delayed Settlement, & Prime Pilgrimage Main Story Missions.

SECTION 500 – Time to Build Your Ship! Year Three & Four (212.03 – 214.03)

510 – PICKING YOUR SHIP – Once you break the half Million Credit mark it’s time to build a solid mid-game ship. For the Bounty Hunter strategy, I recommend the Vengeance Class. This ship is inexpensive and accommodates 6 Officers and 36 Crew Members. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY SWITCH TO THE SHIP YOU PURCHASE. You’ll continued to complete missions with the Reach Vindex while your Mid-Game Ship is upgraded in the Dry Dock.

520 – MILITARY RANK – You’ll need at least Military Rank 1 with your Starting Faction to build a ship from one of their planets. At this point in the game I recommend purchasing Military Rank up to Rank 5 from Calagan Faen, who should have plenty of Personal Rep and Influence. Here are the benefits it provides:

• Rank 1 – $1K - +2% Mission Bonus, Unlocks Ship Purchases
  
• Rank 2 – $2K - +2% Mission Bonus, Combat Recruits get +1 Level
  
• Rank 3 – $3K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 4 – $4K - +2% Mission Bonus, Unlocks Factor-specific Ship Purchases
  
• Rank 5 – $5K - +2% Mission Bonus, Combat Recruits get +1 Level

530 – THE VENGEANCE CLASS – Once you have +$550K in the bank and a Level 8 Engineer with the Talent Hard Bargain then it’s time to buy a New Ship! If possible, go to a planet with 10 Starport and 10 Military, which maximizes the available Ship Component Upgrades available. Having a High Prince/Princess with the “Discount New Ships” benefit on the same planet is nice to have as well. Click on “New Ship” and scroll down to the Vengeance Class (Mass 6000). Let’s view the stats.

ASSUMPTION – You have an Engineer (Rank 8) / Mechanic (Rank 2) Officer with 12 + 4 Repair Skill and the talents “Assisted Installation” and “Hard Bargain”.

VENGEANCE CLASS

• Cost: $530K (before applying any discounts)
  
• Max Officers: 6
  
• Max Crew: 36
  
• Base Fuel: 45
  
• Small Components: 13
  
• Medium Components: 6
  
• Large Components: 5

540 – UPGRADING YOUR NEW SHIP – Remember, after buying the Vengeance Class DO NOT IMMEDIATELY SWITCH TO THIS SHIP. You’re going to complete all critical Component Upgrades before leaving Dry Dock. At this point in the game, you likely only have one character with a Component Cost Reduction Talent – your Engineer with Assisted Installation (Your Mechanics don’t get Helpful Hands until Level 11/Rank 8). Assisted Installation has a 3-week cooldown. As your money and travel schedule allows, stop by this planet every 3 weeks and add another Component Upgrade to the Queue. Click on “Dry Dock”, select “Customize”, select the Component you’d like to upgrade, click “Purchase”, then click “Queue”. This will allow the work to take place in the background while you run other Missions. DO NOT CLICK “IMMEDIATELY”. This will advance the clock to the point where the upgrade is complete.

550 – RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS – After purchasing your new ship, your goal is to get it fully upgraded and out of Dry Dock in ~1 year. Pump every dollar you earn from Missions into your new Ship Component upgrades. Here are my recommended early-game Ship Component Upgrades.

551 - LARGE COMPONENTS

Battle Prow 1 & Hull Plating 1 -> 2x Interrogation Wards [$295K / 3 Weeks Each]

• These faction-specific components allow you to transport 8x Prisoners at once and generate Intel every time you pick up a Prisoner. They are critical for a successful Bounty Hunter strategy.

552 - MEDIUM COMPONENTS

Barracks 4 -> Barracks 5 [$55K / 1.5 Weeks]

• Quarters for your Crew.

Torpedoes & Missiles -> 2x Officer Suites [$36K / 1 Week Each]

• Quarters for your Officers.

Deflector Array 1 -> Fuel Tank 4 [$102K / 2.5 Weeks]

• Effectively doubles your fuel capacity.

553 - SMALL COMPONENTS

Keep 1x Officer Cabin

MISC SMALL COMPONENTS -> 4x Firestorm Torpedoes [$15K / 1.5 Weeks each]

• A cheap and effective weapon for crippling the enemy ship from a distance.

MISC SMALL COMPONENTS -> 2x Passenger Cabins [$9K / 0.5 Weeks each]

• Passenger Cabins are cheap, quick, and can be replaced later with little regret.

MISC SMALL COMPONENTS -> 5x Defense Pattern Matrix 2 [$41K / 5.5 Weeks each]

• DPMs make your ship unhittable. DPM IIs are the best bargain for the early game.

Weapon Locker A1 -> Weapon Locker A6 [$344K/1 Week]

• You want the best weapons for Crew Combat. NOTE: the best way to fund this upgrade is to switch to the Vengeance Class when all of the above upgrades are complete then sell off your starting Reach Vindex!

SECTION 600 – Switching to the New Ship: Year Three & Four (212.03 – 214.03)

610 – WHAT TO DO WHILE UPDGRADING THE VENGEANCE CLASS – While your Vengeance Class is completing its upgrades in Year Three you have two goals, A) continue to generate cash from Missions, and B) avoid combat at all costs. In order to complete these goals you’ll need to say on good terms will all Factions. Dropping below -20 Rep with a Faction will put you in real danger and dropping below -40 Rep will likely lead to a game-ending Ship Battle. Fortunately, you can use Skip Off The Void on your high-level Navigators to avoid any disastrous ship combat situations.

620 – THE SWITCH – As soon as your ship is fully upgraded, switch to it! Your Officer Slots will increase from 4 to 6 and your Crew Slots will increase from 24 to 36. Feel free to sell off your starter ship to fund your Weapons Locker A6. Now it’s time to fill out your staff.

621 – MILITARY OFFICERS – First, make your ship unhittable by filling it with lots of Military Officers. They add a significant amount of Command and Tactics to your ship, increasing your ship defense, offense, and movement capabilities. Recruit one Military Officer, teach it Recruiter’s Eye, then recruit the next one. By recruiting them one at a time with the Recruiter’s Eye talent always available you maximize their Attributes and allow each recruit to start with one Trait revealed. For the rest of the Talent Points, there are lots of great choices – Expert Planning, Power Play, Militant Patrol, Commanding Sweep, Honorable Release, Overriding Discipline, Incite Victory, etc. Spread your Talent Points across a variety of these powerful abilities.

• Dismiss 2x Gundeck Bosses
  
• Add 9x Military Officers

622 – SPIES – Next, Recruit 4x Spies from your Ex-Spy Contact. Bounty Missions often involve spying and (unsurprising) Spy Crew Members have some of the best Talents in the game for supporting Spy Runs:

• 4x Scouring Search (S5) – Spying Risk Card -> Intel Records.
  
• 4x Unauthorized Access (S5) – After Boarding, steals up to 6 Intel Records.
  
• 4x Secrets Unbound (S11) – Landing in Urban Zone can generate Intel Records.
  
• 4x Cloak and Dagger (S11) – Spying Risk Card -> Mission Success.

623 – NON-COMBAT OFFICERS – You have room for 2x Non-Combat Officers on your Vengeance Class. I recommend picking Job Classes than can assist you with the Exploration Missions that often get assigned. For example, you could recruit two high-level Bounty Hunters, raise their Explorer Job to Rank 11, and put your remaining levels into the Scientist Job. Here are some talents I would recommend:

• 2x Sample Analysis (S1) – Landing in a Wild Zone can generate Scientific Intel.
  
• 2x Certain Knowledge (S8) - Remove Exploration Risk Card.
  
• 2x Laboratory Triage (S11) – Life Saving Talent.
  
• 2x Reduced Exposure (E5) – Remove Exploration Risk Card.
  
• 2x Driven Prospector (E11) – Exploration Risk Card -> Mission Success.

624 – COMBAT OFFICERS – You can pick any classes you want for your Slots 1/2/3 Combat Officers. Recently I’ve been testing out a build that has Military Officer / Pistoleer / Combat Medic with Heavy Armor in all three slots. This gives you tremendous capacity for healing and multiple Initiative-dropping attacks to complement your deadly backrow Sniper Rifle.

• Damning Aim (MO5) – Pistol Attack + Debuff.
  
• Tricky Gunplay (P5) – Pistol Attack + Debuff.
  
• First Aid (CM1) – DOCTOR Skill Save.
  
• Cleansing Purge (CM1) – Healing Talent.
  
• E-Suture (CM1) – Healing Talent.
  
• Flatline (CM8) – Healing Talent.
  
• Lifeline (CM8) – Healing Talent.

630 – STATUS CHECK – END OF YEAR FOUR (214.03) – By 214.03 you should have the following:

• Vengeance Class with all the upgraded Components outlined above.
  
• The full crew outlined above.
  
• High Personal Reputation and Influence with each of the four Contacts in your Starting Quadrant.
  
• Completed the At Faen Court, Arbiter Neutrality, Delayed Settlement, & Prime Pilgrimage Main Story Missions.

SECTION 700 – Year Five (214.03 – 215.03)

710 – POLITICAL CRUSADE – After talking with Calagan Faen and his family, he’ll assign seven more Main Story Missions for you to complete if you choose. The one you really care about is More Than Meets the Eye, which is part of Erik Faen’s Story Arc. NOTE: These missions will tank you Faction Rep with your opposing Faction. You need to be in your upgraded Vengeance Class with a solid Combat Crew before progressing onto these missions.

720 – MAIN STORY MISSION – MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

• Deadline: 3 Years
  
• Route: 1 Stop
  
• Type: Passenger Transport (2x)
  
• Reward: Variable Payment
  
• This is a simple passenger transport mission that requires 2x Passenger slots to complete.

730 – MAIN STORY MISSION – WITNESS PROTECTION

• Deadline: 3 Years
  
• Route: 2 Stops
  
• Type: Passenger Transport
  
• Reward: Variable Payment
  
• This is a simple passenger transport mission.

740 – MAIN STORY MISSION – UNDER GUARD

• Deadline: 3 Years
  
• Route: 2 Stops
  
• Type: Passenger Transport
  
• Reward: Variable Payment
  
• This is a simple passenger transport mission. Accepting this mission will lock you out of the Valencia and Zette Story Missions. NOTE: Completing this Mission will automatically trigger the end of the Highwind Case, resulting in a Duel of Assassins between your Starting Faction and your Rival Faction.

750 – MAIN STORY MISSION – BLOOD FOR BLOOD

• Deadline: 3 Years
  
• Route: 4 Stops
  
• Type: Spy, Blockade, Ship Combat
  
• Reward: Variable Payment
  
• Here’s your chance to kill Aerius Char and really anger your Rival Faction. This mission is easy as long as you have a solid Combat Ship like the Vengeance Class outlined above. When this mission is complete Erik Faen will become available as a Contact.

SECTION 800 – Year Six and Beyond (215.03+)

810 – MAXIMIZING YOUR EDICT MISSIONS – With the Erik Faen Storyline complete you now have plenty of great Contacts to offer up high-value Edict Missions. Before accepting any more missions I recommend you max out your Military Rank and your Edict Rank to ensure these Missions pay out as much as possible.

811 – MILITARY RANK – Increases the payment for most Faction missions by 2% per Military Rank. At the max rank of 21 this provides a 42% boost to mission payments. You can purchase Military Rank 21 from your High Princess Contact.

• Rank 1 – $1K - +2% Mission Bonus, Unlocks Ship Purchases
  
• Rank 2 – $2K - +2% Mission Bonus, Combat Recruits get +1 Level
  
• Rank 3 – $3K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 4 – $4K - +2% Mission Bonus, Unlocks Factor-specific Ship Purchases
  
• Rank 5 – $5K - +2% Mission Bonus, Combat Recruits get +1 Level, Solar/Trade War Prize Ships
  
• Rank 6 – $6K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 7 – $7K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 8 – $8K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 9 – $9K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 10 – $10K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 11 – $11K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 12 – $13K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 13 – $15K - +2% Mission Bonus, Combat Recruits get +1 Level
  
• Rank 14 – $18K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 15 – $21K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 16 – $24K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 17 – $27K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 18 – $30K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 19 – $33K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 20 – $36K - +2% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 21 – $45K - +2% Mission Bonus

812 – EDICT RANK – Increase the payment for Edict Missions substantially up to Rank 6. I don’t recommend going beyond Edict Rank 6 because it’s very expense with no significant benefit.

• Rank 1 – $1K - +25% Edict Mission Bonus, Spy War Prize Ships
  
• Rank 2 – $2.5K – Bounty Hunter/Sniper/Assassin Recruits get +1 Level
  
• Rank 3 – $5K - +5% Edict Mission Bonus, Avoid inspections
  
• Rank 4 – $10K - +10% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 5 – $20K - +10% Mission Bonus, Bounty Hunter/Sniper/Assassin Recruits get +1 Level
  
• Rank 6 – $40K - +10% Mission Bonus
  
• Rank 7 – $75K
  
• Rank 8 – $100K
  
• Rank 9 – $160K

820 – RUNNING EDICT MISSIONS – With the Dual of Assassins going on for the next few years your Starting Faction Contacts should offer LOTS of high paying missions against your Rival Faction. Due to the Edict Rank Bonus I recommend running as many Edict Missions as possible during this conflict. Here’s a list of possible Edict Missions you might see.

821 – EDICT MISSION – PRISONER EXCHANGE

• Route: 1 Stops
  
• Type: Prisoner Dropoff
  
• Reward: LOW

822 – EDICT MISSION – PRISON SHIPMENT

• Route: 2 Stops
  
• Type: Prisoner Pickup, Prisoner Dropoff
  
• Reward: LOW

823 – EDICT MISSION – URBAN TOMBSTONE

• Route: 2 Stops
  
• Type: Crew Combat
  
• Reward: LOW

824 – EDICT MISSION – URBAN CATCH

• Route: 3 Stops
  
• Type: Crew Combat, Prisoner Dropoff
  
• Reward: LOW

825 – EDICT MISSION – WILDERNESS TOMBSTONE

• Route: 4 Stops
  
• Type: Explorer, Crew Combat
  
• Reward: MEDIUM

826 – EDICT MISSION – WILDS BOLTHOLE

• Route: 5 Stops
  
• Type: Explorer, Crew Combat, Prisoner Dropoff
  
• Reward: HIGH

827 – EDICT MISSION – OUTLAW’S WEB

• Route: 3 Stops
  
• Type: Spy, Crew Combat, Prisoner Dropoff
  
• Reward: HIGH

830 – CASHING IN – You are now set up to run dozens of Edict Missions at once, piling on the cash as you go. Feel free to dump these funds into Equipment Upgrades and better Ships / Ship Components. I recommend always running missions for your Starting Faction (to take full advantage of your Military Ranks and Edicts) and preferentially selecting missions against your Rival Faction (to concentrate the Negative Rep in one faction).

Enjoy your bounty hunting adventure!

SECTION 000 - My Guides

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://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3144777870

Millionaire Explorer Guide REVISITED https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3135971608

Marauding Pirate Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3125832745

RTG Smuggler Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3120120607

Zealot Guardian Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3112677227

Non-RTG Merchant Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3110793982

First Blood Commander Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3051041316

Weapon Scavenger Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3043945414

Relentless Bounty Hunter Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3032494871

Fearless Xeno Hunter Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3023912897

Prize Ship Patrol Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3021370224

Love Boat Diplomat Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3015590564

Mad Scientist Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2973898874

Devastating Shock Trooper Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2972421188

Max Contacts Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2971490805

Simple Spy Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2969465004

Deadly Assassin Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2965252564

Millionaire Explorer Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2960277415

Zette Faen Fast Start Guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2932475019

[burnhj]

The Vengeance just gets you started. You can certainly upgrade to a more powerful ship once the cash starts to flow in!

[Loyal Viggo]

Thanks for the guide. Why do you suggest Vengeance, and not the Vengeance MK3? Did you ever upgrade?

[burnhj]

I the beginning of the game I have both my Starting Doctor and my Starting Quartermaster dual spec as Doctor/Quartermaster/Diplomat. This gives you great access to Skill Saves early on when you need it most!

[Der_Herbert]

Thanks for this great guide! I got one question.
"1x Quartermaster and 1x Doctor – Doctor / Quartermaster / Diplomat"
Does that mean I need one person that dual specs into quartermaster/doctor/diplomat?

[burnhj]

bakertrg, a few comments:

- I'm confused about your comment about RNG luck. Where does luck pay a role in the guides that I write?

- It is entirely up to you how easy or difficult you want your game to be. I write these guides to offer suggestions to players who want to be more successful with specific game strategies.

- If you want to ignore well recognized best practices - using game saving talents like "Skip Off the Void", selecting certain missions at different parts of the game, etc. - that's your choice. Some players enjoy implementing a strategy we're they can die at any moment. Others prefer to follow strategies that keep them alive and allow them to have long, successful playthroughs.

- Lastly, I'm a little confused why you're reading guides in the first place if you're not looking for ways to improve your gameplay. Everything I provide is a recommendation - use it if it makes your game experience better, or ignore it if if it makes your game experience worse.

[bakertrg]

all these guides that rely on maximizing RNG luck at every turn just break the game. These solutions are basically cheat codes. Small map with maximum missions ='s extra money/extra rep/faster travel time for the whole game. No bad faction conflicts... it's like playing on normal and saving the game before every combat. If there's no challenge you'll just get bored with the game.

even skip off the void navigators and never taking certain missions is a little too optimal.

In any event, passing out really favorable game seeds effectively lowers the games difficulty level by 3-4 notches. You're not playing on impossible if you take an optimal map that guarantees favorable trading runs, short mission times, huge amounts of early cash and easy access to 4-6 different high level recruit types from the early game.

You're basically choosing to play the monty haul version of an RPG instead of a game with difficult choices and tough, potentially game ending challenges to overcome.

[burnhj]

Test it out and see how it works. As a Bounty Hunter your not going to see a lot of ground battles against Xeno, until you get to the end game story quests.

[IKS]

The xeno, will unfortunately, eat the ground team alive!

[burnhj]

Yes, that map is crazy! I found myself occasionally completing 20-30 missions with just a few jumps.

[FloatingOrb]

thanks for the guides. Been a lot of fun trying them. This one with the map is a bit nuts, by year 10 i managed to get 4 mil thanks to some really lucky missions and honestly at that point I ran out of challenge lol.