The Freighter in Distress Dynamic Mission (also referred to as FID) was introduced into the game with the release of Game Update 17 in August 2013. This mission, which is available in many different systems, centres around a freighter that has seen its Faster Than Light drive break down and it will take 10 minutes for its drive to be repaired and for the freighter to jump out of the system. Depending on the faction that the freighter belongs to you either have to:
Defend the freighter from attacking enemy NPC ships and players; or
Destroy the freighter.
The reason it is described as a dynamic mission is that depending on the number of players that are participating in each mission, the game will scale the number and type (e.g. Strikes, Escorts, and/or Lines) of the enemy NPC ships that players will face as well as how strong or weak the hull of the freighter is.
If you are looking for a Freighter in Distress mission to participate in, you should consult the sector map -
Sector Map (Colonial)
Sector Map (Colonial)
You will notice that there are icons in certain systems which denote the presence of a freighter in distress mission. These icons mean -
A Freighter in Distress Mission is in the system. The mission is unstarted and it is unknown whether it is to defend or destroy the freighter.
A Freighter In Distress Mission is in progress in the system. The freighter must be defended.
A Freighter In Distress Mission is in progress in the system. The freighter must be destroyed.
If you wish to participate in one of these missions, you should then head to the selected system.
It should be noted that in systems where the mission is shown as being in progress, you cannot tell via the sector map how long long is left for that mission.
System Map[]
Upon entering a star system where a FID is available, a message will appear on the middle right hand side of you game screen.
If the mission is unstarted, the message will appear as follows -
Colonial players
Cylon players
If the mission is in progress, and the object of the mission for the player is to defend the freighter, the message will appear as follows -
Defend FID (Colonial)
Defend FID (Cylon)
If the mission is in progress, and the object of the mission for the player is to destroy the freighter, the message will appear as follows -
Destroy FID (Colonial)
Destroy FID (Cylon)
As can be seen in the last two galleries, where the mission is in progress, the game message will show how many minutes are remaining for the mission and what percentage of the hull remains for the freighter.
If you are in a system that has a FID mission, if you look at the 2D system map, the mission will show up on the 2D map as shown following -
Freighter in distress (Colonial 2D system map)
Freighter in distress (Cylon 2D system map)
The point in the exact centre represents the freighter and the circle surrounding it represents a 360 degree sphere centred on the freighter, which extend 2,400 metres in radius from the freighter. Entering this sphere will means the game will consider you as participating in the mission. This is best shown in the following iamges taken from the 3D system map -
Freighter in Distress (top down view)
Freighter in Distress (side on view)
If the mission is unstarted, your entering within the 2,400 metre radius will commence the mission.
If the mission is in progress when you enter the 2,400 metre radius, the game will consider you as being a particpant and will adjust the difficulty or ease of the mission accordingly.
About Freighter in Distress Missions Generally and Types of Missions[]
Where a freighter in distress mission is unstarted in the system you are in, as described above, there will be a message on your game screen alerting you to that fact. The mission will start as soon as any ship (be it a player controlled ship or an NPC controlled ship) comes within 2,400 metres of the freighter.
Due to the starting requirement, you will now predominantly find the freighter located a few kilometres either above or below the "horizon" of the star system (the horizon being the default vertical level that things like platforms, NPCs, salvage canisters etc are placed). This was done deliberartely in 2014 as, originally, in certain systems (e.g. Calibaan), missions would be started accidentally by people inadvertantly entering within 2,400 metres of the freighter (as in Calibaan one of the original FID spawn points overlapped the Colonial FTL jump sector spawn point) or by NPCs entering within 2,400 metres of the freighter (again as in Calibaan where the other original FID spawn point intersected with the route of the Cylon Heavy freighter and its escorts). Consequently it is very likely that, if a FID is started and you can see no player on your screen within the FID radius when viewing the the system map (either the 2D or 3D version), there are enemy player/s at the FID.
Whilst FIDs can be done by individually by players from only one faction, due to the fact that started missions show up on the sector map, they are designed to enourage player v player combat. Thus you should be alert for the arrival of ships controlled by enemy players at any time during the mission. Remember, whilst the FID you are in may have one objective for you (e.g. defend the freighter and ensure its survival) for enemy players it will the exact opposite (i.e. destroy the freighter).
Additionally completing these missions count towards your Daily Assignments (see Regional Combat Patrol and RCP - Strategic Victory). As you have to complete the missions in specified systems to count towards your daily assignments, those that take place in the high threat star systems will more likely than not see high level players particpating or joining the mission at any time (from both Colonial and Cylon sides).
Besides enemy players who may turn up at any time during the mission to participate, enemy NPCs will spawn within the 2,400 metre radius from the freighter at regular intervals to attack the freighter. These waves will arrive near the freighter at the following approximate base times for a mission in a "hard" level system:
9 minutes 40 seconds;
7 minutes 30 seconds;
5 minutes 30 seconds;
3 minutes 30 seconds; and
1 minute 30 seconds.
The base times may become shorter between waves as more players join the mission.
The number of ships, type and class of ships in each wave (n.b. capital ships/carriers will not be included), and frequency of waves, will be determined for each wave based on the number of players participating in the mission immediately prior to the arrival of the wave. These ships may attack enemy players as well as the freighter.
As damage is made to the freighter, it's hull percentage will begin to fall.
It should be noted that there are friendly NPC ships at each FID, but their specifics will be outlined in the sections on Defend freighter Mission and Destroy Freighter Mission.
Missions will run for a maximum of 10 minutes or until the freighter is destroyed, whichever occurs first. If the freighter has not been destroyed by the end of the 10 minutes, its FTL drive will have been repaired and it will jump out of the system. Around 10 seconds after this any NPC ships whichg were present due to the FID will also jump out of the system even if they are mid-combat. The mission timer starts at 10 minutes and counts down towards zero.
Defend Freighter Mission[]
A Defend Freighter in Distress Mission (also referred to as a Protect Freighter in Distress Mission) sees the object of the mission being to prevent the destruction of a friendly freighter until its FTL drive is repaired. When the mission commences, the player/s will have 10 minutes in which they have to prevent enemy NPCs and enemy players from destroying the freighter. They will see a message like this appear on their game screen -
Colonial
Cylon
As this message shows up on screen, the freighter will appear along with 2-3 friendly strike ships (usually a combination of Vipers (normally Mark IIs, Mark IIIs and occasionally a Mark VII) and Raptors for Colonial Players; or a combination of Raiders or War Raiders, Heavy Raiders and occassionally a War Raider Mark II for Cylon Players) to protect the freighter. These NPCs will patrol the radius in a random pattern to try and help defend the freighter. Your objective is to defend the freighter from enemy attack.
At the 9 minute 40 second mark the first wave of enemy NPCs will spawn to attack the freighter (as outlined above). As it is a dynamic mission, the more friendly players that are inside the mission radius will see an increase in the number, class and level of the NPC ships that will arrive in each wave to attempt to destroy the freighter. Additionally, part of the scaling dynamic will make the hull of the freighter easier to damage (unless of course enemy players participate in the mission, as the more enemy players, the tougher for them the freighter hull will be).
Further, the scaling dynamic is effected by the class of ship players are flying. If all friendly players are in strike ships, the enemy waves will be composed of strike ships and may have one or two escort ships depending on the number and levels of the friendly players who are defending the freighter. If the player/s are in escort ships then the enemy waves will be composed of escort ships and some line ships depending on the number and levels of the friendly players who are defending the freighter. If player/s are in line ships then the enemy waves will be composed of line ships, strike ships and possibly also escort ships depending on the number and levels of the friendly players who are defending the freighter. This is important to note as players in line ships may have problems dealing with NPC strike ships due to the lower accuracy of their cannons.
Each wave of enemy NPC ships will have ships who's objective will be to attack a defending players whilst others will be tasked to attack the freighter. Thus you need to be mindful when dealing with NPC ships attacking you that you do not disregard those who have moved straight to attack the freighter. If you do, you may defeat the NPCs attacking you but find the freighter gets destroyed by the other NPCs.
Additionally you should be aware that each wave will arrive at the aproximate times listed earlier on this page. If you have not defeated one wave when the next wave is due, it will mean you have to destroy the ships remaining from the previous wave whilst also dealing with the ships from the new wave. You need to be aware of this or you may get swamped.
Also, the more players that arrive to defend the freighter will see the scaling mechanism applied making the hull of the freighter less damage resistant (i.e. easier to destroy).
Enemy players can arrive at any time to try and destroy the freighter. This may effect the times for the arrival of the next wave of enemy NPCs, but it will definitely effect the size and ship composition of that wave. Also the more enemy players who arrive will see the scaling mechanism applied making the hull of the freighter more damage resistant.
If at the end of the 10 minutes the freighter has not been destroyed (i.e. the Freighter's Hull is at 1% or higher) you will get a mission successful message as the freighter jumps out.
You will also get a message detailing what reward (if any) you will receive for having participated in the FID (see the section below for details). This award will range from Bronze to Platinum and is determined based on the amount of damage to enemy ships and the number and size of the ships you destroyed during the mission. It should be noted that to qualify for an award, you must have particpated in the FID for a minimum of 2 minutes. If you did not, it is highly unlikely you will receive an award.
Destroy Freighter Mission[]
A Destroy Freighter in Distress Mission (also referred to as an Exterminate Freighter Mission) the object of the mission being to destroy an enemy freighter before its FTL drive is repaired. When the mission commences, the player/s will have 10 minutes in which they have to fight off enemy NPCs and enemy players whilst attempting to destroy the freighter. They will see a message like this appear on their game screen -
Colonial
Cylon
When the mission commences, the first wave of defending NPC ships will appear almost straight away (and not at 9 minutes and 40 seconds). These NPC ships (and those in all succeeding waves) will be tasked with defending the freighter from attacking players and will move to do so as soon as they finish their FTL jump. If only one player is attacking the freighter, the majority (if not all) of the defending NPCs will move to attack the player. If there is more than one player, they may attack a number of players or concentrate on attacking one player - this appears to be random.
The composition of the first wave will depend on the size and type of ship being flown by the attacking player. Normally:
If the player is flying an escort ship, the first wave is usually comprised of an escort ship (usually an assault class); and
If the player is flying a line ship, the first wave is usually comprised of a line ship with some strike ships.
If there are two or more players at the start, the scaling dynamic will be applied to the initial wave and all waves. If they are flying different types of ships (e.g. there are 2 players, 1 is in an escort and 1 is in a line) then this will see the waves comprised of strikes, escorts and lines. If they are all of the one type (e.g. all are flying strikes) the composition of the waves will depend on the number of players and what level they are at, the more players and the higher the level the greater the likelihood the waves will be of all 3 classes, otherwise it will be just strikes with the odd escort.
Thus players will have to defend themselves from the attacking NPCs before they can concentrate on shooting at the freighter.
Additionally you should be aware that each wave will arrive at the aproximate times listed earlier on this page. If you have not defeated one wave when the next wave is due, it will mean you have to destroy the ships remaining from the previous wave whilst also dealing with the ships from the new wave. You need to be aware of this or you may get swamped and destroyed.
Further, the more players that arrive to attack the freighter will see the scaling dynamic effect the hull of the freighter making it more damage resistant.
Enemy players can arrive at any time to try and defend the freighter. This may effect the times for the arrival of the next wave of enemy NPCs, but it will definitely effect the size and ship composition of that wave. Also the more enemy players who arrive will see the scaling mechanism applied making the hull of the freighter less damage resistant.
If you destroy the freighter (i.e. reduce the freighter's hull to 0%) inside the 10minutes, you wil get a mission successful message.
If at the end of the 10 minutes the freighter has not been destroyed (i.e. the Freighter's Hull is at 1% or higher) you will get a mission failure message as the freighter jumps out.
You will also get a message detailing what reward (if any) you will receive for having participated in the FID (see the section below for details). This award will range from Bronze to Platinum and is determined based on the amount of damage done to the freighter and to enemy ships and the number and size of the ships you destroyed during the mission. It should be noted that to qualify for an award, you must have particpated in the FID for a minimum of 2 minutes. If you did not, it is highly unlikely you will receive an award.
NPC Ships Roles and Behaviour[]
NPC ships in a Freighter in Distress Dynamic Mission play differing roles and have differing behaviours depending on what type of ship they are. Below is a list of the ships, the name assigned to them during the mission and what their roles and behaviours are likely to be.
Colonial Ship Name
Cylon Ship Name
Ship's Role and Behaviour
Rookie Viper
Raider
This ship will engage in search and destroy activities. It is a standard enemy.
These ships will use flak and point defence weapons to attack enemy ships.
The above behaviours and roles are common whether the ships involved are part of a Defend FID or a Destroy FID.
Difficullty Levels[]
Participation in a FID can lead to rewards if certain levels of attainment are reached during a mission. These levels are determined by things such as: the amount of damage dealt to enemy ships; how many enemy ships a player destroys; the size and class of the ships a player destroys; how many buffs or de-buffs a players uses during the mission.
Additionally, the various star systems are sub-divided into three categories of Easy, Medium, and Hard in relation to the base difficulty of the Freighter In Distress Dynamic Mission. The rewards for particpating in a FID in a "hard" level system are greater than those in a medium level system which are again geater than those in an "easy" level system.
Easy level missions are intended for players Level 1 to 10.
Medium level missions are intended for players Level 11 to 20.
Hard level missions are intended for players Level 21 and over.
Following is a breakdown of difficulty levels for star systems:
It should be noted that paticpation in a FID can count towards your Regional Combat Patrol daily assignment provided you do so in a system that is either equal to or higher than your level. Players who particpate in a FID in a system which is either equal to or higher than their level as defined by the Easy, Medium and Hard levels listed above will be credited towards their daily assignment. Players who participate in a FID in a system which is lower than their level as defined by the Easty, Medium and Hard levels listed above will not be credited towards their daily assignment.
For example, a player who is Level 50 participating in a FID in an Easy or Medium level system will not be credited to their daily assignment for the FID, but if they particpate in one in a Hard level system they will credited towards their daily assignment.
It should be noted that experience points gained and reward levels attained (see following section) will not be effected by the player's experience levels.
Rewards[]
Besides experienced points gained from destroying enemy npcs/players, and those gained from completing daily assignments, players can receive rewards for participating in FIDs. Rewards received (if any) depend on players attaing certain award levels, namely: Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. The game determines what award level a player attains based on the following factors:
Length of time participating in the FID (this is especially important if it is a Defend mission, as you will need to particpate for at least 2 minutes to qualify for an award);
Number of enemy ships destroyed;
Class of enemy ships destroyed (the bigger the class (i.e. lines, escorts strikes), the greater the likelihood of the higher levels being attained);
Sucess of the mission (if it was a defend mission, the freighter survives. If it was a destroy mission, the freighter is destroyed). It should be noted you can still receive an award even if the mission is a failure; and
Number of times and types of electronic warfare used (i.e. What computer equipment, especially buffs and de-buffs, used).
It should be noted that if you are running a Booster which gives you increased loot, such as a Divine Inspiration, you will see the amount of cubits and tylium increased in accordance with the booster. However, any Unidentifed Objects given as part of the reward will not be effected by the booster, you will only receive one.
As mentioned earlier, it is possible to get a reward even if the mission is a failure. To do so, it often requires you to have particpated in the mision for 2 or more minutes, and to have destroyed a number of enemy ships or done significant damage to the freighter (as applicable). The reward levels given in these cases will be either Silver or Bronze only. To attain a Platinum Level or Gold Level reward, the mission must be successful.
Tips, Hints, Suggestions[]
Following are a number of tips or suggestions. Please feel free to add to them.
Do a FID in either a Strike Ship or an Escort Ship. The initial wave of enemy NPCs usually contains strike ships, and Line Ships cannons have a hard time hitting them due to their lower accuracy.
If you insist on doing a FID in a Line Ship, ensure your ship is set up to deal with enemy strike ships.
Always check your Dradis and do a visual sweep of the area. You never know when an enemy player will arrive - you don't want to get blind sided by an enemy player. This is even more important in case of Stealth Ships.
If other players are working with you at a FID, don't let them take on all the enemy NPCs alone. Remember, it is a team effort.
If you are under level 20, don't try to do a FID in the Hard level systems alone. As you will not have high levels skills or equipment you will more than likely get swamped by the enemy NPCs.
If your faction has an Outpost in the system an unstarted FID is in, do not start the FID and then abanadon it. An unsuccessful FID has a negative impact on Outpost progress by 15%, which can see the progress drop low enough that the outpost leaves the system.
