A summary of Powerplay Activities based on the Pilots Handbook and info panels in the Galaxy map. See also @Ian Doncaster 's Activities Reference Card, part of his Powerplay tool suite, which has extra details on the Activities.
Update, 2025-06-12:
See the link for whys and wherefores.
Activities presumed affected are marked: (✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025), but I haven't tested. Please let me know if I presumed incorrectly!
Note: (after April 30th Trailblazers Update)
Activities are grouped according to the Power controlling the system they affect ('target system'). Usually the activities will take place in the target system. Sometimes there are additional requirements, noted alongside the activity.
There are three main types of target system:
All the activities listed below should earn merits for all pledged players when done in the right system type as shown. (modulo bugs and documentation errors)
Additionally, Powers favour particular activities and will award bonus merits (50% has been suggested) according to their 'Power Ethos'. Those Powers are indicated alongside their Ethos activities as follows:
Other abbreviations:
ACTIVITIES
Acquisition - in Acquisition System (AS)
Reinforcement - in Reinforcement System (RS)
Notes and queries:
Update, 2025-06-12:
See the link for whys and wherefores.
Activities presumed affected are marked: (✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025), but I haven't tested. Please let me know if I presumed incorrectly!
Note: (after April 30th Trailblazers Update)
- Merits are restored for the rares trading activity.
- The Escape pods activity is gone. (They can appear in assignments and will complete by collecting and handing in in reinforcement systems without awarding merits apart from for completing the assignment. Also still mentioned in the Powerplay Pilots handbook activites section.) Other activities replace as Ethos activities them, marked † where this occurs.
- Some divergence from previous information here are apparent, marked ‡. These could be errors in previous versions of this post or undocumented changes in the deployed version, and will be clarified where possible (see comment for details.)
- Exploration and exobiology merits were buffed, details likely to appear in the exploration merits thread.
- Merits were nerfed somewhat in reinforcement systems and increased slightly for undermining and acquisition.
Activities are grouped according to the Power controlling the system they affect ('target system'). Usually the activities will take place in the target system. Sometimes there are additional requirements, noted alongside the activity.
There are three main types of target system:
- Acquisition - the target is currently not controlled by any Power, and close enough to one of your Power's fortified or stronghold systems that your activity can help your Power to gain control (20LY for Fortified, 30LY for Stronghold.)
- This will be abbreviated as AS (Acquisition System).
- Reinforcement - the target is currently controlled by your Power. Your activity can progress it from Exploited to Fortified to Stronghold and resist attempts of other Powers to weaken and control it.
- Abbreviated as RS (Reinforcement System).
- Undermining - the target is currently controlled by an enemy Power. Your activity can weaken the enemy Power's control. If the system is weakened to a lower control level, enemy control of nearby systems might be lost.
- Abbreviated as US (Undermine System).
All the activities listed below should earn merits for all pledged players when done in the right system type as shown. (modulo bugs and documentation errors)
Additionally, Powers favour particular activities and will award bonus merits (50% has been suggested) according to their 'Power Ethos'. Those Powers are indicated alongside their Ethos activities as follows:
- A: Aisling Duval
- ALD: A. Lavigny-Duval
- D: Archon Delaine
- DP: Denton Patreus
- EM: Edmund Mahon
- FW: Felicia Winters
- JA: Jerome Archer
- LYR: Li Yong-Rui
- NK: Nakato Kaine
- PA: Pranav Antal
- YG: Yuri Grom
- ZT: Zemina Torval
Other abbreviations:
- CS: Controlled system - any system controlled by your Power
- Supporting system: a Fortified or Stronghold system where the (AS or Exploited RS) Target system is inside its control range (20LY for Fortified, 30LY for Stronghold).
- PC: Power Contact - Contact for your Power via the contacts section in port menu
- Enemy: vessel or personnel aligned with a different Power to you
- Ody: the activity is an Odyssey (on-foot) task, done at Odyssey settlements
- BUG?: likely bugged in some way, and more information is needed
ACTIVITIES
Acquisition - in Acquisition System (AS)
- Bounty hunting - collect bounty vouchers in AS, merits awarded on kill (ALD YG DP JA)
- Holoscreen Hacking - at ports in AS (A ALD NK JA LYR FW)
- Power Kills - kill Enemies in AS
- Retrieve specific goods - (Ody) retrieve from Power containers at settlements, return to Supporting System (D)
- Scan datalinks - at Megaships in AS (YG PA JA)
- Sell for large profits - buy commodities in Supporting System and sell in AS with at least 40% profit ( ALD† EM DP LYR ZT) (see notes)
- Sell mined resources - sell mined goods in AS, must be mined in Supporting System. (EM FW† NK ZT) (see notes)
- Sell rare goods - sell rarities in AS, but not bought in AS (EM A DP LYR PA†)
Transfer Power classified data- (Ody) Download this data type from settlements in AS, deliver to Supporting System (YG JA D)(✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025)Transfer Power association and political data- (Ody) Download from settlements in AS, deliver to Supporting System (A†ALDLYR D)(✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025)Transfer Power research and Industrial data- (Ody) Download from settlements in AS, deliver to Supporting System (EMYGPADPZT)(✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025)- Transport Powerplay commodities - from PC in Supporting System to PC in AS (ALL THE POWERS) (see Powerplay commodity types)
- Upload Powerplay malware - (Ody) obtain Injection Malware from PC in Supporting System and upload to settlement data port in AS (D)
- Complete aid and humanitarian missions - Do Support missions(?) in AS (NK FW)
- Flood markets with low value goods - sell commodities at below 500 credits per ton in AS
- Scan ships and wakes - Scan ships and low wakes with built-in scanner, high wakes with Wake Scanner, in AS (YG†)
Reinforcement - in Reinforcement System (RS)
- Bounty Hunting - Collect bounty vouchers in RS, merits awarded on kill (ALD YG DP JA)
- Complete aid and humanitarian missions - do Support missions in RS (EM A‡ PA NK FW)
- Hand in biological research samples - turn in exobiology data to Vista Genomics in RS ( EM‡ PA LYR) (see notes)
- Hand in cartography data - Sell exploration data in RS via Universal Cartographics (EM A PA NK LYR ZT)) (see notes)
- Hand in salvage - collect salvage and hand in to PC in same RS (EM YG PA DP JA D FW ZT NK†)
- Holoscreen hacking - revert hacked holos at RS ports (A DP JA)
- Power Kills - kill Enemies in RS (ALD YG DP JA D)
- Reboot mission completion - Do reboot missions in RS
- Scan Datalinks - at megaships in RS (see notes below) (ALD D ZT)
- Scan ships and wakes - Scan ships and low wakes with built-in scanner, high wakes with Wake Scanner, in RS (ALD YG PA DP NK JA D FW)
- Sell for large profits - trade commodities making at least 40% profit in RS (buy from any system) (EM A LYR ZT)
- Sell mined resources - mine and sell mined goods in RS, must be mined in same RS (ZT EM FW) (see notes)
- Sell rare goods - Sell rarities in RS, but not bought in RS (LYR D)
Transfer Power classified data- (Ody) Download this data type from settlements, return to PC in same RS (NK)(✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025)Transfer Power association and political data- (Ody) Download from settlements, return to PC in same RS (YG LYR)(✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025)- Transport Powerplay commodities - from PC in Stronghold system (but not the RS) to PC in RS (ALL THE POWERS) (see Powerplay commodity types)
- Commit crimes - do crime in US (
YG JA‡) (LYR D) (see notes) - Complete aid and humanitarian missions - do Support missions in US (EM FW† NK)
- Flood markets with low value goods - sell commodities at below 500 credits per ton in US (A ZT
LYR‡ ) (must be traded where sold - see notes) - Hand in salvage - collect salvage in US, hand in to PC in RS; merits awarded on hand-in (PA FW NK† A† EM†) (see notes)
- Holoscreen hacking - Hack holo ads at ports in US (
A‡ ALD JA LYR) - Power Kills - kill Enemies in US (ALD YG DP JA
D‡) - Retrieve specific goods - (Ody) return Powerplay goods from Power containers in US settlements to a PC in CS (D)
- Scan datalinks - at Megaships in US (YG DP JA FW)
- Sell mined resources - sell goods mined in US in same US (see notes)
-
Tranfer Power classified data - (Ody) Download from settlements in US, return to PC in CS (ALD DP FWYG)(✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025) Transfer Power association and political data - (Ody) Download from settlements in US, return to PC in CS (EM A PA NK LYR ZT)(✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025)-
Transfer Power research and Industrial data - (Ody) Download from settlements in US, return to PC in CS (ALD PA NK LYR ZTEM‡)(✽✽✽ disabled 12 Jun 2025) - Transport Powerplay commodities - from PC in a Stronghold System to PC in US (ALL THE POWERS) (see Powerplay commodity types)
- Upload Powerplay malware - (Ody) obtain Tracker Malware from PC, upload to settlement data port in US (
YG‡ PA DP JA D ZT)
Vulnerabilities - each power is weak to up to two additional undermining activities in systems they control or (it seems) when in conflict with them for acquisition, as follows:
- A - holoscreen hacking, transfer Power association and political data
- ALD - commit crimes, scan datalinks
- D - bounty hunting, Power kills
- DP - commit crimes, scan datalinks
- FW - retrieve specific goods, flood markets with cheap goods
- EM - flood markets with cheap goods, holoscreen hacking
- JA - commit crimes, retrieve specific goods
- LYR - upload Powerplay malware, flood markets with cheap goods
- NK - holoscreen hacking, flood markets with cheap goods
- PA - transfer Power classified data, flood markets with cheap goods
- YG - commit crimes, upload Powerplay malware
- ZT - retrieve specific goods, sell mined resources
Note: The activity may already be an Undermine activity for your Power. Occasionally, in this case, the activity is shown twice in "local activities" in the powerplay info panel for the system.
At Stronghold carriers - additional undermine activities are listed in "local activities" for all Powers at enemy Stronghold carriers (apart from at Power capitals)
- Destroy carrier objects
- Kill power ships around carrier
- Shutdown carrier defences
- Disable carrier defences
- Disable carrier generators
- Hack carrier datalinks
- Hack carrier cargo bays
- See also (or instead!) the spreadsheet from @Ceres_O7 via a comment here. H/T for the "vulnerabilities" !
- Sell for large profits - Acquisition: the requirement to buy commodities in Supporting System is undocumented, see comment here
- Flood markets with low value goods - "the commodity must be traded by the station (demand or supply)" according to one reputable source
- Sell mined resources - The requirements for sourcing (mine in Supporting System for Acquisition, mine in same US/RS for Undermining/Reinforcement) are not documented, Thanks to @Zombi3, @DemiserofD and @Ian Doncaster for info on this.
- Removed from Powerplay as of 30/4/2025:
Collect Escape Podsfor undermine systems claims to reward merits on scooping the pods, but this is not the case, even before suspension of merits for escape pods. This might be an in-game bug or a documentation error. - Scan datalinks appears as a favoured activity for ALD, D and ZT for reinforcement systems in right-hand panel in gal map even though it isn't listed as a reinforcement activity in the handbook
- Commit crimes more information is needed on exactly what illegal actions will be rewarded with merits and when. Murder counts, crimes against property less so, it seems.
- Hand in biological research samples - Players reported this is not earning merits. However, threshold to earn merits seems to be quite high and merits are not displayed when handing in, you need to check Powerplay UI to see gains. See the thread starting to collate merit rewards for exobiology and exploration. Merits were buffed 30/4/2025
- Hand in cartography data - Players reported this was not providing merits. Merits were buffed 30/4/2025. See also the exploration merits thread.
- Hand in salvage - Thanks to @Ashnak for details on salvage activity in Undermining Systems
- There will be some mistakes, I'll fix if you let me know.
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