Design engineer
In brief:Design engineer — an Xterium senator-advisor: gives fleet cargo capacity +100% at maximum, upgrades up to 50 levels for achievement points, unlocks at 15 achievement points.
(data current as of 2026-05-22, game version 2.12.7)
Description
Design engineer
Advisor bonuses
Bonuses and price per level
| Level | Fleet cargo capacity | Fleet slots | Bonus reward for parts in Hostile sector | Hire per day (DM) | Ach. points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +2% | +0 | +0% | 7 | 1 |
| 8 | +16% | +0 | +0% | 55 | 2 |
| 15 | +30% | +2 | +0% | 135 | 4 |
| 22 | +44% | +3 | +0% | 370 | 5 |
| 29 | +58% | +4 | +0% | 800 | 6 |
| 36 | +72% | +6 | +1% | 1 400 | 8 |
| 43 | +86% | +7 | +8% | 2 100 | 9 |
| 50 | +100% | +8 | +15% | 3 000 | 10 |
All advisor bonuses are shown by reference level. Upgrading an advisor is done for achievement points; dark matter is a separate daily fee for hiring at the current level.
What else strengthens these bonuses
Alliance Skills 2
Permanent alliance skills. Leveled up by the alliance using shared points and applied to all members.
Research 1
The empire's permanent research. Leveled up in the Laboratory and Technopolis, giving a global bonus to production, construction, or combat.
Cost of a full upgrade
278achievement points totalUpgrading an advisor is done for achievement points (dark matter is not charged for the upgrade). Dark matter is a separate hire fee: how much the advisor costs per day while activated.
Hire price per day (dark matter) by level
Achievement points per level
Access
A senator unlocks once you have accumulated the required number of achievement points (not player level). After that, they are hired and upgraded for dark matter in the Senate; each level also costs a little achievement points. The higher the advisor’s level, the stronger the bonus.
