Engineer the ship
Rank comes from kills, and kills come from a ship that outguns what it meets. Dirty Drives, a reinforced shield, and Overcharged weapons are the first three.
Guides // Ranks
Pilot Ranks
Combat, Trade, Exploration, and Exobiology — the four Pilots Federation ladders, and the Elite that opens Founders World.
What Pilot Ranks Are
OverviewThe Pilots Federation (Pilots Federation: The organization that oversees and represents the galaxy's independent pilots.) tracks four independent ladders — Combat, Trade, Exploration, and Exobiology. Each climbs nine named rungs to Elite; above Elite sit Elite I to V, pure prestige. You do not pick one — every ladder rises on its own as you do that work.
Each ladder climbs the same nine rungs to Elite, but on different work. Pick one to see its rungs, what each demands, and the ships that suit it.
Combat Ranks
Combat is the slowest of the four ladders. It climbs on ship kills only — on-foot kills feed Mercenary rank, which is a separate ladder.
Every ship you destroy is worth a share of a rank, and how big a share depends on the target's rank against your own. Killing upward pays; killing downward barely registers.
| Rank | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| Harmless | — |
| Mostly Harmless | — |
| Novice | — |
| Competent | Broo Tarquin |
| Expert | Petra Olmanova |
| Master | — |
| Dangerous | Lori Jameson |
| Deadly | — |
| Elite | Shinrarta Dezhra permit |
Important Tips
Know where the targets are
Mission boards for massacre and assassination work, systems at War or Civil War for Conflict Zones (Conflict Zone: Faction warfare in open space. Pick a side on arrival and get paid in combat bonds.), and a Hazardous RES (Resource Extraction Site: A spot in a planetary ring where miners work and pirates hunt them. Comes in four intensities.) once you can survive one.
Rank Experience Matrix
Your rank runs across the top, the target's down the side. Equal ranks score 1.00, and every rung the target sits above you adds another 0.25 — a target too far below you (—) is not worth chasing.
| Target ╲ You | Harmless | Mostly Harmless | Novice | Competent | Expert | Master | Dangerous | Deadly | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harmless | 1.00 | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.25 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mostly Harmless | 1.25 | 1.00 | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.25 | — | — | — | — |
| Novice | 1.50 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.25 | — | — | — |
| Competent | 1.75 | 1.50 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.25 | — | — |
| Expert | 2.00 | 1.75 | 1.50 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.25 | — |
| Master | 2.25 | 2.00 | 1.75 | 1.50 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.25 |
| Dangerous | 2.50 | 2.25 | 2.00 | 1.75 | 1.50 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 0.75 | 0.50 |
| Deadly | 2.75 | 2.50 | 2.25 | 2.00 | 1.75 | 1.50 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 0.75 |
| Elite | 3.00 | 2.75 | 2.50 | 2.25 | 2.00 | 1.75 | 1.50 | 1.25 | 1.00 |
Reading the Matrix
Punch up, not down
Killing above your rank pays the most. Once the build is engineered and the fights feel comfortable, hunt the Elite contacts — nothing else moves the bar as fast.
Claim the bounties too
Rank and credits come off the same kills. Dying costs you the unclaimed vouchers, but never the rank you already earned.
Recommended Combat Ships
| Ship | Class | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kestrel Mk II | Small | 13.8M CR | A small-pad firepower monster. Extremely agile with heavy firepower for its size, but unforgiving if you make mistakes. |
| Fer-de-Lance | Medium | 51.2M CR | A premier medium combat ship and one of the classic PvP duelists. Fast, agile, and built around concentrated firepower. |
| Python Mk II | Medium | 64.7M CR | A brutal medium combat platform with exceptional firepower. One of the best choices for serious PvE combat. |
| Federal Corvette | Large | 183.2M CR | The large-pad PvE combat benchmark. Enormous firepower, strong defenses, and excellent maneuverability for its size. Requires Rear Admiral rank with the Federation. |