Mission Types

Contacts are individual characters with their own goals, Traits, and preferences for legality, violence, and how they go about running their own corner of the quadrant. Contact's mission preferences are organized into categories as described in Contact Services. Therefore, a Court Assassin Contact will generically give Missions like a Saboteur, however this is modified by the current goal that the Court Assassins is pursing, as well as the landscape of Rumors, Conflicts, and the Contact's Traits. From one Court Assassin to the next, you may find very different patterns of behavior. While most Prison Wardens keep their Missions legal, a Corrupt Warden is likely to play below the line of legality.

Bounty Missions
Bounty Hunters are willing to work both within the legal and illegal realm -- whatever it takes to capture or kill the target. Bounty Hunters embrace violence and prefer assassination or forceful capture to ensure success. Often, a Bounty Hunter will require a captured target to be transported to a prison.

Bounty Hunter Missions often require an Edict with their Faction. Out of respect for their Faction's authority, Bounty Hunter Missions include a +2% payment increase per Military Rank a Captain holds within their Faction.

Bounty Hunters ignore Alliances, Trade Alliances and Trade Ban Conflicts.

Commercial Missions
Commercial missions focus on the movement of large quantities of valuable cargo. Arranging transport or delivery to back fill for trade arrangements that are falling behind or to prepare for a large scale project. The most lucrative Commercial missions will require trade permits to procure the resources, but the deliveries do not require permits. Commercial missions are averse to violence.

Commercial Missions never require either Military Rank or Edict with their Faction. Out of respect for their Faction's authority, Commercial Missions include a +2% payment increase per Military Rank a Captain holds within their Faction.

Commercial Missions ignore Duel of Assassin and Solar War Conflicts.

Diplomatic Missions
Diplomats keep their work legal and prefer to become involved in negotiation between the Factions and individual Contacts. Diplomats often work to help move both people and packages that are relevant to on-going legal cases or to a specific negotiation. Diplomats are averse to violence.

Diplomatic Missions may require Military Rank or Edict with their Faction. Out of respect for their Faction's authority, Diplomatic Missions include a +2% payment increase per Military Rank a Captain holds within their Faction.

Diplomatic Missions do not ignore any Conflicts.

Doctor Missions
Chaesin Doctors keep their work legal and focus all of their efforts on exploring and surveying the untouched wildernesses of the galaxy. Their work and research revolves around the act of gathering, studying and synthesizing medical cures and compounds from natural life of all kinds. Chaesin Doctors focus primarily on Exploring wild zones for rare flora and fauna as well as other types of more exotic lifeforms. Chaesin Doctors at times may be involved in moving packages and cargo to prepare for larger exploration expeditions. By nature, Chaesin Doctors are averse to violence against the others.

Doctor Missions never require either Military Rank or Edict with their Faction.

Doctors ignore Duel of Assassin and Solar War Conflicts.

Explorer Missions
Explorers work both above and below the line of legality -- whatever it takes to find the untouched wilderness, ancient artifacts or the next stunning discovery. Beyond Exploring wild zones, Explorer Missions will involve moving packages and cargo as well as smuggling at times to move exploration discoveries that are unsavory to the forces of law. While Explorers are averse to violence against the Factions, they will engage in Missions involving violence against any indie parties if needed as well as hunting down Xeno.

Explorer Missions never require either Military Rank or Edict with their Faction.

Explorers ignore Duel of Assassin and Solar War Conflicts.

Merchant Missions
Merchants keep their work legal and prefer to move people, packages and cargo. Merchant Missions may also involve negotiating economic contracts or resolving contract disputes. Merchants are averse to violence.

Merchant Missions never require either Military Rank or Edict with their Faction. Out of respect for their Faction's authority, Merchant Missions include a +2% payment increase per Military Rank a Captain holds within their Faction.

Merchants ignore Duel of Assassin and Solar War Conflicts.

Military Missions
Faction Military commanders and officers keep their work legal and prefer missions that harm their enemies militarily. Military Missions will defend systems with Patrol, harm systems with Blockade, and move military personal and prisoners of war between worlds. Military agents are not averse to violence and assign both capture and kill missions.

Faction Military Missions will often require Military Rank with their Faction. Out of respect for their Faction's authority, Military Missions include a +2% payment increase per Military Rank a Captain holds within their Faction.

Faction Military commanders ignore Trade Ban Conflicts.

Prince Missions
Princes prefer missions that are legal but will, at times, work below the line of legality. They seek to both support their allies and undermine their enemies in a variety of ways. Prince Missions will often involve moving dignitaries between worlds, Blockading enemy worlds or Patrolling friendly worlds. As the diplomatic head of their systems, Princes are always involved in negotiations on different levels and are rarely far from an on-going legal case.

Prince Missions will often require either Military Rank or Edict with their Faction. Out of respect for their Faction's authority, Prince Missions include a +2% payment increase per Military Rank a Captain holds within their Faction.

Sabotage Missions
Saboteurs prefer illegal missions that injure or harm their enemies in a wide variety of ways. Saboteurs are not averse to violence and are willing to engage in hostile missions of all sorts, including Spying, Blockading, capture or kill missions.

Sabotage Missions never require either Military Rank or Edict with their Faction.

Sabotage Missions ignore Alliance and Trade Alliance Conflicts.

Smuggler Missions
Smugglers prefer illegal missions that involve the movement of people, packages or cargo. When it comes to moving cargo, they will prefer the use of Stashes as a safe place to hide illegal goods. Smugglers are averse to violence but may be willing to wet their hands in the case of the right Conflicts or Rumors.

Smuggler Missions never require either Military Rank or Edict with their Faction.

Smugglers ignore Alliances, Trade Alliances and Solar War Conflicts.

Spy Missions
Spies prefer illegal missions that focus on intelligence gathering through Spying. Spy Missions will also involve moving people, packages or prisoners but almost always in secret. Spies are violence averse, preferring to work in the cover of the shadows.

Spy Missions never require either Military Rank or Edict with their Faction. Out of respect for their Faction's authority, Spy Missions include a +2% payment increase per Military Rank a Captain holds within their Faction.

Spies ignore Alliance and Trade Alliance Conflicts.

Warden Missions
Wardens keep their work legal and prefer missions that involve moving prisoners, carrying out ransom exchanges, and capturing criminals who are on the loose. Wardens are not averse to violence, but do prefer to avoid using lethal force in their work as prisoners are their trade.

Warden Missions often require an Edict with their Faction. Out of respect for their Faction's authority, Warden Missions include a +2% payment increase per Military Rank a Captain holds within their Faction.

Wardens ignore Trade Alliances, Trade Ban and Trade War Conflicts.

Story Missions
Story Missions follow the central story of Star Traders Frontiers and are available to all Captains in all games during their given Era. Though part of the core story, they are still an entirely optional part of the game and are not necessary for moving the Eras of the story forward. They can be picked up in each era regardless of earlier decisions. Some story missions follow a more prescribed arc, with each mission being scripted. Others follow a looser system where X number of certain regular mission types are required. There are also Story Vignettes which are mostly unrelated to the central story and do not automatically appear for all captains. Follow the link to the Story Missions page for detail on missions that are tied to the main storyline.

Story Vignettes
Story Vignettes are events that will occur when a player lands in certain zones, when the right conditions are met (era, faction etc.). Some of them are very short and will be resolved immediately in that zone, other Vignettes will include multiple missions and could take years to accomplish. They are not related to the central story missions and are entirely optional, however they often provide unique rewards above the level of regular missions. Follow the link to the Story Vignettes page for details/spoilers on missions with which you might become involved.