The USS Athena is a G6 Epic Explorer ship designed for players Ops Level 61+. Its progression and usefulness extend all the way to Ops Level 80.

The ship is focused on:

  • Combat against Venari Ral hostiles

  • Support gameplay through Active Abilities

  • Academy progression and Duo Wave Defense

  • Unlocking exclusive research and refinery boosts

What is the USS Athena primarily used for?

The USS Athena has several major functions.

Combat Specialist

The Athena is highly effective against:

  • Venari Ral (VENRA) faction hostiles

  • Academy Training Drones

  • Academy Combat Drones

Support Ship

The Athena includes Active Abilities that can support:

  • Your own ships

  • Allied ships

Owning the USS Athena unlocks the USS Athena Starships Research Tree.

This tree includes:

  • Academy-specific progression

  • Combat bonuses

  • Officer cost efficiency

  • General progression boosts

It boosts multiple bundles (including Resources and Materials) in the Refinery and, through its combat abilities, serves as the key towards acquiring substantially higher amounts of Science and Command Credits. 

The USS Athena also significantly increases how often players can participate in Duo Wave Defenses.

Active and Passive Abilities

Active Ability: Amplify

  • Increases Apex Barrier and grants unique Wave Defense bonuses for each Simulation Hack Research Node completed in the USS Athena’s section of the Starships Research Tree. The ability can be used on your own or allied ships.

  • Simulation Hack Research effects range include substantially increasing Critical Damage, Isolytic Damage, Weapon Damage, Apex Shred, Hull Repair and Apex Barrier.

Active Ability: Regenerate

  • Regenerates the percentage of USS Athena’s max Hull Health (by a maximum of 25%). This ability scales with the Regeneration Boost Research Node in the USS Athena’s Starships Research Tree.

Passive Abilities:

  • Athena’s Fury:

    • Increases the USS Athena’s Weapon Damage by 11,000,000% against Venari Ral (VENRA) faction hostiles

  • Athena’s Revenge:

    • Increases the USS Athena’s Critical Mitigation by 310,000 against Venari Ral (VENRA) faction hostiles

  • Athena’s Valor:

    • Increases the USS Athena’s Apex Barrier by 10,000,000 against Venari Ral (VENRA) faction hostiles

  • Athena’s Solace:

    • The USS Athena is not affected by the Programmable Matter ability on Venari Ral (VENRA) faction hostiles

  • Athena’s Wrath:

    • Increases the USS Athena’s Apex Barrier by 15,000,000 in Wave Defense against Academy Drone Hostiles.

USS Athena Tier Benefits

Examples include:

  • USS Athena Research Tree access

  • Amplify Active Ability & Regenerate Active Ability

  • +1 roll to Sigma Resource Refineries

  • Additional 2x and 3x rolls for:

    • G6 Material Refinery

    • G7 Material Refinery

  • Improved Engineering Credits → Simulation Codes refinery

    • Deidamia

    • Chancellor Ake in the Academy Officers refinery

  • Tier-up rewards:

    • Resources

    • Materials

    • Simulation Codes

  • Player Titles

  • Increased Research Dust refinery rewards

  • Longer Amplify duration

  • Increased combat bonuses versus Academy Drones in Wave Defense

  • +100% Remote Campus Refinery increase

How does the USS Athena improve Duo Wave Defense?

Without the USS Athena:

  • Players can start Duo Wave Defense every 7 days

With the USS Athena:

  • Tier 1 allows starts every 2 days

  • Tier 4 allows starts daily

As the USS Athena gets stronger and research is unlocked, players also gain:

  • Increased Research Dust rewards

  • Longer Amplify duration

  • Reduced Amplify cooldowns

  • Increased:

    • Apex Barrier

    • Weapon Damage
       against Academy Drones

  • Additional Tier-Up rewards:

    • Resources

    • Materials

    • Simulation Codes

Amplify cooldown reductions occur via Research at Tier 3 and Tier 8. Also, via Research, the following Remote Campus Refinery bonuses unlock:

  • Tier 2: +50%

  • Tier 6: +100%

What Player Titles can be unlocked?

Tier 1: Nice Aft

Tier 6: Commandante

Tier 9: Venari Ral Nemesis

Why might your Athena be struggling against Venari Ral hostiles?

Possible reasons include:

  • Low ship tier

  • Incomplete Athena Research Tree progression

  • Underdeveloped Academy progression systems

The ship is designed to scale heavily through upgrades and research.