It is difficult to stay up to date with the Prime Nodes in STFC, but luckily, you can use the Prime Research list to keep track of them.
You can discover legendary Star Trek characters, storylines, ships and locations in this explorative video game, Star Trek Fleet Command (STFC).
As you progress in the game, you will unlock Research nodes, which allow you to advance your station and fleet.
In addition to normal nodes, players can unlock Prime Nodes, which provide your fleet with additional bonuses.
STFC: Prime Research List
There are more than 20 Prime Nodes to unlock in several Research Trees. Therefore, it can be difficult to keep track of them.
Fortunately, you can use the following Prime Research List to stay up to date:
Prime name | Research tree | Minimum OPS Level | Free Unlock OPS | Unlock Method |
Prime Damage | Combat | 4 | 4 | Diil |
Prime Hulls | Combat | 9 | 20 | G3 Uncommon |
Prime Shields | Combat | 9 | 20 | G3 Uncommon |
Prime Defenses | Combat | 19 | 34 | Scrap 26 ships |
Prime Resources | Station | 5 | 5 | Dill |
Prime Build Speed | Station | 12 | 20 | G3 resources |
Prime Research Speed | Station | 12 | 20 | G3 |
Prime Repair Costs | Station | 19 | 34 | Scrapping Ships |
Prime Officers | Galaxy | 20 | 23 | Scrapping Ships |
Prime Daily Faction Event | Galaxy | 23 | 34 | Scrapping |
Prime Cloaked Racketeer | Galaxy | 26 | 26 | Event Stores |
Prime Enhanced Analysis | Galaxy | 41 | 41 | Multiphasic gifts |
Prime Stella Cargo | Outlaw | 31 | 51 | G5 Rare |
Prime Latinum Refining | Starships | 28 | 40 | Loyalty Chests |
Vinculum Scrapper | Starships | 35 | 35 | Holodeck mission |
Community Rankings
In 2022, some STFC players submitted their Prime Research Tier List to a third-party website, which then created a combined tier list for Prime Nodes:
Tier | Prime Nodes |
SS |
|
S |
|
A |
|
B |
|
C |
|
D | |
F |
|
It is noteworthy that this tier list is outdated, as it was made in 2022. We therefore recommend that you use the list with caution.
When can you unlock the Research Trees?
It is crucial that you check your Research Trees regularly, as the Trees unlock at different levels.
For instance, the Galaxy Tree only becomes available once your R&D Department reaches level 20, while the Combat Tree becomes available at base level 5.
When you have unlocked a Research Tree, you should research different nodes regularly to boost your fleet and station.
Prime Research nodes effects
For every Prime Research node that you activate, you will receive a unique effect, which makes it quite difficult to decide which node to activate.
For example, Prime Augment Favor improves outputs from augment reputation bundles in the faction store while Prime Defenses increase base Shield Deflection, Armor and Dodge for all ships by 100 percent.

We recommend that you carefully consider your gameplay, your objectives and whether you are willing to spend real money in STFC or not before deciding which Prime Node to activate.