Merits

Early accessCitadel is still in development. Numbers and rules on this page can change between patches. Last checked October 2026.

Merits are the score a captain earns for a faction. They set your rank, the faction quartermaster takes them as payment, and the faction with the highest Merit total wins the Faction war.

Earning Merits

For	You earn
Killing a rival faction NPC ship	0.6 × the ship's build rating
Killing a rival faction player ship	2 × the ship's build rating
The final blow	20% of the points
Assisted damage and repairs	80% of the points, shared. Repairs count half.
Depositing resources at the faction depot	1 × the resource value
Towing and processing a relic fragment	12,000 Merits, shared by contribution

Losing Merits

For	You lose
Damaging a friendly ship	2 × the HP value
Killing a friendly ship	2 × the build rating of the ship and its cargo
Losing a faction starter ship	25% of the ship's build rating

Belonging to the same faction does not stop friendly fire. It only makes it expensive.

Ranks

Your Merit total sets your title, and your title sets how many of your faction's NPC ships you can command at once.

Title	Merits	NPCs you can command
Slug	0	0
Recruit	10,000	1
Legionary	25,000	1
Sergeant	50,000	2
Knight	100,000	2
Commander	200,000	3
Praetor	400,000	4
Exarch	800,000	5
Imperator	2,000,000	No limit

Commanding NPCs

• The nearest willing NPCs follow your new order, replacing your last one. If none accept, your current order stays.
• You can always redirect your own NPCs. You must outrank another player to take command of theirs.
• If your rank drops, NPCs above your new limit are released.
• Orders end when they expire, or when you leave, change faction or lose your ship.

Faction-issued ships

Your faction-issued starter ship wears your faction's livery. Losing one costs Merits and sends you home to your faction's hub.