Crew

While you command your main ship, Crew Members can assist you by being assigned to stations on your ship or to command another ship in your fleet. They provide you assistance based on their **skills** and **bonuses**. Any crew member can be assigned to any station, but for some stations like **Pilot**, the **efficiency** of that station & the performance of the ship is determined in large part by the crew member's **skill**. Larger ships can't be effectively controlled without enough competent crew members in certain stations.

Crew members can be hired from stations or found in Escape Pods. Escape Pods appear randomly and may appear when salvaging. Some of the ones you find will be special **unique** named crew, which you can collect and then use for new runs in the future. These unique crew members give an additional special bonus.

Crew members earn **levels** through **experience**, and may also increase their **crew tier**, **skills**, and **bonuses** by earning **experience**.

### **Crew Tier / Rarity**

Each random crew member has an overall **crew tier / rarity** rating that has a chance to improve, called **evolving,** when they level up. Level 50 is regarded as the level limit for normal crew members, so their **crew tier** at level 50 is their final tier. **Unique** crew members will continue to increase in **crew tier**, but progression is very slow after level 50.

The **crew tier** is shown by the color of their name, e.g. Joe Smith is Qualified and John Doe is Advanced. Since all crew members can evolve naturally, the term "rarity" is a bit of a misnomer -- the tier they have when they are initially found is most subject to chance, with Qualified and Advanced being common and Expert or Master being more rare. Higher crew tier will lead to a small improvement to **efficiency** and **bonus** modifiers.

**Rarity colors** & **skill tier** names:

Apprentice -> Qualified -> Advanced -> Expert -> Master -> Legendary

### **Skills**

Each **skill** the crew member learns has it's own **skill tier** rating, which will increase as they gain experience until it matches their **crew tier**. Knowing a skill provides access to learning a **bonus** related to that skill, using **points**. It also provides **efficiency** for the related station. A second skill can't be learned until Advanced **crew tier**, and a third after Expert **crew tier**. If the crew member is assigned as a Fleet Captain, they will prioritize learning **Piloting** and **Gunnery**, otherwise the choice is random.

### **Bonuses**

Finally, each bonus within a **skill** has a **tier** rating as well. When earning experience, crew members will gain **points** they distribute to bonuses which will increase the **bonus tier**. The number of points they are able to get is based on the **skill tier**, which is itself limited by the **crew tier**. The way they distribute the points is governed by their **learning focus**.

### **Learning Focus**

Each crew member has one of the following Learning Focus types, which can't be changed:

* **Specialized**
	+ Can learn only 1 **skill** but gets a +1 to the max **skill tier** relative to their **crew tier** enabling it to potentially reach **Legendary+**
	+ Can learn only 1 **bonus** but gets a +1 to the **bonus tier** enabling it to start with **T1** at the Apprentice **skill tier** and potentially reach **T7** at **Legendary+** **skill tier**
* **Dedicated**
	+ Can only learn 1 skill but gets a +1 to the max **skill tier** relative to their **crew tier** enabling it to potentially reach **Legendary+**
	+ Can upgrade bonuses once per **skill tier**, randomly. At **Legendary+** **skill tier** this is 6 total points, which may lead to 6x**T1** bonuses, or 1x**T6** bonus, or some combination in between. e.g. 4x**T1** 2x**T2**.
		- It's suspected that there is a 50% chance to increase an existing bonus, and a 50% chance to learn a new one.
* **Balanced**
	+ Can learn up to 3 skills up to **Legendary**.
		- It is very unlikely, but possible, that they could "learn" the same skill twice.
	+ For each skill, they can upgrade bonuses within that skill 5 times, randomly. This may lead to 5x**T1** bonuses, or 1x**T5** bonus, or some combination in between. e.g. 3x**T1** 2x**T2**. Since they are able to learn 3 skills, this means they can potentially learn 15 bonuses total.
		- It's suspected that there is a 50% chance to increase an existing bonus, and a 50% chance to learn a new one.
* **Diversified**
	+ Can learn up to 3 skills up to **Legendary**.
		- It is very unlikely, but possible, that they could "learn" the same skill twice.
	+ For each skill, they will only learn bonuses at **T1** **bonus tier** level, starting with 1x**T1** at the Apprentice **skill tier** and up to 6x**T1** at **Legendary** **skill tier**. Since they are able to learn 3 skills, this means they can potentially learn 18x**T1** bonuses across those 3 skills total.

### Unique Named Crew

* There are currently 19 special named crew in the game, which you can collect and then use for new runs in the future. Special named crew will give a special bonus as stated in their description by the purple text. Below is the chart to see what bonusses they add.
* The only exception to a specialist with multiple skills are the unique crew members. There's one with two positive bonuses, and the Laious special that has a positive and two negative specializations.
* High Tinker Steve is a bit special as in he has negative bonuses. However these can become positive with a good training using for example the Master and Commander Skill.
* Ziggy is a strange one amongst the special crew, since this crew member can only be obtained by obtaining the Hephaestus Ship and thus by completing the ZiggyD Questline.

**As of Patch 1.3.5. some special named crew aren't done yet and are subject to change.**

WeaverSongNovacat FragmentSleepy Dragon ZarinthalJeanMiles ProwerThe Dread Pirate TiggerZiggy 'Danger' YggizGottcharRalo of the Sea's AgeMynor MynerBogan 'ET' BanditJohn Luck PickerdLadyHawkSplattercatThraknar: Red Skull PilotHigh Tinker SteveTim "The Insane"
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