Story point
Story points are a player-exclusive quasi-resource used for various purposes in the game.
The player gains story points with XP, with 4 points gained over the course of reaching the next level.
At maximum level (15), the player will also continue gaining story points at the same rate.
The number available is shown on the Character Screen along with Skills & Skill Points.
Uses
| Using story points enables you to take actions that are in some way exceptional.
The range of effects includes making permanent modifications to ships, improving the effect of skills, officer customisaztion, and getting out dialog options that are not otherwise available, such as disengaging unscathed from a battle you do not want. You will gain 4 story points over the course of each level. In addition, you will continue to gain story points after reaching maximum level |
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–In-Game Tooltip | ||
Campaign Encounters
Story Points can be spent to change the outcome of the events that occur during the campaign.
These typically cost 1 SP 100% XP and include but are not limited to:
- Escaping a pursuing fleet.
- Make emergency repair before engaging a fleet.
- Forcing an escaping fleet into a fight.
- Convincing a patrol fleet to let you go over having your Transponder off.
- Convincing a patrol fleet to not scan your cargo for contrabond commodities.
- Increase the pay of a transport mission.
- Various interactions during Story Missions.
These can also be used for other things such as:
- Reducing the reputation impact of a raid. ~ 1 SP 50% XP
- Adding a second stable point to a system. ~ 2 SP 0% XP
- Bribing an expedition from a major faction, whether a Territorial Expedition or a Hegemony Inspection. ~ 1 SP 0% XP
Ships
Story points can be spent to enhance a ship's Hullmod by turning it into an S-Mod.
The bonus XP depends on ship size:
The remaining XP spent for S-Modding a ship can be fully regained as Bonus EXP by scuttling the ship, e.g. scuttling a Capital-size hull with 3 S-mods will give 300% Bonus EXP.
Some derelict ships aren't able to be retrieved normally, instead, a 1 SP can be spent to retrieve the ship if a player chooses to, though these will never give 100% bonus EXP.
The returned bonus EXP seems to be determined on a variety of factors such as Hull Size, Deployment Cost, and so on, and ranges from a Kite requiring 1 SP 90% XP to Capital Warships requiring 1 SP 0% XP.
Officers
The Officers in the fleet can be Mentored for 1 SP 100% XP, Retrained for 1 SP 100% XP, or have their skills made Elite for 1 SP 0% XP per skill.
Mercenary Officers which do not count toward your maximum officer limit can be hired for 1 SP 100% XP on a temporary contract.
Contacts
Up to five Contacts can be developed at once normally, but additional contacts can be developed for 1 SP 0% XP.
Alternatively a developed contact can be suspended instead of deleted for 1 SP 100% XP which doesn't function or count to the limit but can be reactivated at any time.
Colony Buildings
Any Industry or Structure in a Colony can be improved for 2 SP 0% XP in a way specific to that structure, for every structure.
Multiple improvements can be made to the same Colony but the cost doubles each time.
Bonus XP
| Some uses of story points grant bonus experience, which doubles your experience gain until it's used up.
The less long-term or impactful the use, the more bonus experience it grants. 100% bonus experience means "enough to earn an extra story point", eventually compensating for the use of the story point entirely. Some of the bonus experience is granted immediately, while the remainder is gained on reaching the maximum level. |
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Some SP uses provide bonus XP and this amount is displayed as part of the dialog option, e.g. 1 SP 100% XP means the action costs 1 SP and provides a 100% XP bonus.
A 100% bonus is equal to the amount of XP needed to gain 1 SP, i.e. 1/4th of a level-up bar (taking into account the existing pool of bonus XP). Bonus XP is consumed to double the player's XP gain; i.e. 1 bonus XP is converted to normal XP for each normal XP gained.
When the player is at max level, bonus XP quadruples the XP gain instead.
