STFC Automated Defenses: How They Work & Are They Worth It? (2026)

“This new ability will be available in the store and from the Bajoran faction. This ability can be applied to G3 and G4 Faction Surveyors and requires a new currency, Orb Splinters. When the  Automated Defenses ability is active, the survey will have drastically increased combat power while on a mining node.”

Star Trek Fleet Command: Patch notes (11 Oct 2022)

Updated April 2026

If you’ve played Star Trek Fleet Command long enough, you already know one painful truth: Your mining ships are floating treasure chests with paper armor.

You send them out full of hope, check back later, and find them destroyed by someone who apparently took your resources personally.

That’s where Automated Defenses comes in.

If you’re wondering what Orb Splinters are for: they are used to activate Automated Defenses. The answer is Automated Defenses.

This upgrade gives certain survey ships a major combat boost while they’re actively mining, making them far less attractive targets and sometimes strong enough to win fights they would normally lose badly. Don’t try putting them on your Envoy, though.

But is it actually worth spending resources on in 2026?

Let’s break it down.

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What Is ‘Automated Defenses’ in STFC?

Automated Defenses is a ship ability that can be unlocked for eligible faction survey ships (Antares, Hydra, K’Vort, B’Chor, Valkis, Vorta Vor) in Star Trek Fleet Command.

Activating the Automated Defenses (which are ironically, not automated) stops your ship’s officers abilities completely, but gives your ship a 5000% damage boost, 3 extra attacks per round, and stops the attacking ship from taking any actions for 8 rounds of combat.

In simple terms:

• Your miner becomes harder to kill
• Opportunistic attackers may skip you
• Some weaker raiders may lose outright
• You can mine with a little more peace of mind

It does not make miners invincible. Strong warships can still destroy them.

But it changes you from “easy target” to “might be annoying.”

That could be the difference between waking up with a repair bill or some extra resources.

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How Do You Unlock Automated Defenses?

Once you have the Bajoran faction unlocked, you can unlock the ability by purchasing shards in the faction store. Each ship’s ability requires 120 shards, and shards cost either 165 Bajoran Credits or 200 Diplomacy Tokens (depending on whether you’re buying for a G4 or G5 ship). So an unlock for one ship will cost either 19,800 Bajoran Credits or 24,000 Diplomacy Tokens.

The upgrade then requires Orb Splinters to use, a special currency tied in the Bajoran faction store.

Once enough Orb Splinters are collected, the ability can be used on qualifying ships.

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Are Orb Splinters Used For Anything Else?

Nope.

Orb Splinters can be a smart use of Bajoran Credits if:

• Your miners are attacked often
• You are in an alliance that is regularly at war
• You mine in contested systems
• You leave ships out unattended regularly
• You rely heavily on G3/G4 faction surveyors

It may be a lower priority if:

• You rarely get hit
• You actively monitor miners
• You’re still progressing ships that matter more
• You don’t mine enough for the benefit to add up
• You have anything else immediate to buy from the Bajorans

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Are Automated Defenses Worth It in 2026?

Short answer: Kind of (for the right player.)

If you’re a regular miner in active systems, this upgrade can save resources, time, and frustration.

Even when it doesn’t win fights, it can discourage casual attackers looking for easy prey.

That alone has value – time is money, friend!

Worth It If You:

• Mine daily
• Get zeroed often
• Play semi-idle
• Need safer overnight mining

Probably Skip for Now If You:

• Barely use faction miners
• Are focused on combat ships first
• Play on a quiet server
• Still have bigger bottlenecks elsewhere

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My Honest Take

Automated Defenses is one of those upgrades that seems boring until it starts saving you repeatedly.

It won’t transform your account.

It won’t win wars.

But it can quietly improve your day-to-day quality of life in a game built around attrition, timers, and interruptions.

There you go! Give your G3 and G4 miners a fighting chance and maximize their survival. At last you can mine without fear!

If mining is a major part of your routine in STFC, Automated Defenses is worth serious consideration in 2026.

If you rarely mine, or rarely get attacked? Skip it.

As with most things in Star Trek Fleet Command, the best upgrade is the one that solves the problem you actually have.

And if your problem is dead miners?

This one was made for you.