The Dweller

EDFM // Engineering / Engineers

An independent starting Engineer based at Black Hide in Wyrd, providing Grade 5 Power Distributor engineering and modifications for beam, burst, and pulse lasers.

The Dweller

ENGINEER

Engineer type

Ship (core internal)

System

Wyrd

Body

Wyrd A 2

Facility

Black Hide

Specialties

Power Distributor, Pulse Laser, Beam Laser, Burst Laser

Maximum grade

Grade 5

ACCESS

Prerequisite

None — independent starting Engineer

Discovery

Professor Palin

Invitation

Sell commodities at 5 unique Black Markets

Unlock

Pay 500,000 CR

The Dweller is a ship Engineer based at Black Hide in the Wyrd system. He is one of the independent starting Engineers: no referral from Professor Palin or any other Engineer is required before a Commander can meet and unlock him.

The Dweller provides Grade 5 Power Distributor Engineering and also works on energy weapons, providing Pulse Laser Engineering through Grade 4 and Beam and Burst Laser Engineering through Grade 3.

Field note

The Dweller is a starting Engineer. Professor Palin is not part of his unlock path. The two belong to separate branches of the ship Engineer network.

Location

• System: Wyrd
• Facility: Black Hide
• Body: Wyrd A 2
• Engineer type: Ship Engineer
• Referral required: No
• System permit required: No

Black Hide is a surface Engineer base located on Wyrd A 2.

How to Discover The Dweller

The Dweller's whereabouts are public knowledge. He does not require a referral from another Engineer.

This makes him one of the independent entry points into the ship Engineering network.

How to Receive an Invitation

Sell commodities at at least 5 unique Black Markets.

A Black Market is a station service used to sell cargo that the local market will not accept through ordinary legal trade.

For The Dweller's requirement, the important part is that you use five separate Black Market contacts.

Important

Selling five units at a single Black Market does not satisfy the requirement. You must make qualifying sales at five different Black Markets.

The Black Markets do not need to be in five different star systems; what matters is that each sale is made through a distinct Black Market.

See Black Markets for how to locate Black Markets, obtain cargo they will accept, and make the required sales.

Field note

Older guides sometimes describe this requirement loosely as simply "using" five Black Markets. Current Engineer references specify selling commodities at five unique Black Markets.

How to Unlock The Dweller

Unlock requirements summary:

• Sell commodities at 5 unique Black Markets.

Important

The 500,000 CR unlock is a direct credit payment. You do not need to transport a commodity or Engineering material to complete the final unlock step.

Field note

Current Engineer data notes that station services may not become available immediately after The Dweller is unlocked. If the workshop or other expected services do not appear after completing the unlock, logging out and back in may make them available.

For the complete step-by-step process, see Unlocking The Dweller.

Increasing Engineer Reputation

Reputation with The Dweller can be increased by:

• crafting Engineering modifications at Black Hide; or
• selling commodities at Black Hide.

Higher Engineer reputation gives access to the higher grades The Dweller supports for each blueprint.

Reaching Grade 3 access and progressing at least one-third of the way toward Grade 4 also allows The Dweller to provide referrals to Lei Cheung and Marsha Hicks.

See Engineer Reputation for how ship Engineer reputation, grade access, blueprint progression, referrals, and alternative reputation methods work.

Tip

If you have ordinary commodities to sell after unlocking The Dweller, selling them at Black Hide can help increase your Engineer reputation without relying entirely on repeated Engineering rolls.

Engineer Unlock Chain

The Dweller is one of the independent starting points in the ship Engineer network.

After reaching Grade 3 access and progressing at least one-third of the way toward Grade 4, he can provide referrals to:

• Lei Cheung
• Marsha Hicks — Colonia

Lei Cheung subsequently leads to Ram Tah.

The branch is therefore:

The Dweller
├── Lei Cheung
│   └── Ram Tah
└── Marsha Hicks [Colonia]

Current Engineer data independently lists both Lei Cheung and Marsha Hicks as being discovered through The Dweller.

Field note

A referral does not automatically unlock the referred Engineer. Lei Cheung and Marsha Hicks each have additional meeting and unlock requirements of their own.

See Engineer Unlock Guide for the complete referral network.

Available Engineering

The Dweller's Engineering coverage is shown below. The listed grade is the highest grade he can apply to that module.

Module	Available blueprints	Maximum grade
Power Distributor	Balanced (Live only; compatible Merc modules) Charge Enhanced Engine Focused High Charge Capacity Shielded Support Focused (Live only; compatible Merc modules) System Focused Weapon Focused	Grade 5
Pulse Laser	Efficient Focused Lightweight Long Range Overcharged Plasma Conversion (Live only) Rapid Fire Short Range Sturdy	Grade 4
Beam Laser	Efficient Lightweight Long Range Overcharged Plasma Conversion (Live only) Short Range Sturdy	Grade 3
Burst Laser	Efficient Focused Lightweight Long Range Overcharged Plasma Conversion (Live only) Rapid Fire Short Range Sturdy	Grade 3

The Dweller's maximum-grade specialty is therefore the Power Distributor. His laser Engineering is useful during early and intermediate progression but stops below Grade 5.

Operations-era Engineering

Several blueprints now available through The Dweller were introduced with the Operations-era Engineering additions.

These additions are available in Live and are not part of the Legacy Engineering system.

Balanced Power Distributor

Balanced increases capacity and recharge across all three Power Distributor capacitors while reducing power draw, at the cost of increased mass and reduced integrity.

The Dweller can apply Balanced through Grade 5.

Important

Balanced can only be applied to compatible Merc modules.

Support Focused Power Distributor

Support Focused increases Engine and System capacity and recharge while reducing Weapon capacity and recharge.

The Dweller can apply Support Focused through Grade 5.

Important

Support Focused can only be applied to compatible Merc modules.

Plasma Conversion

The Operations update also introduced a Plasma Conversion blueprint for Beam, Burst, and Pulse Lasers.

The modification increases power draw and converts part of the weapon's normal thermal damage into plasma damage.

The Dweller can apply Plasma Conversion to:

• Pulse Lasers — through Grade 4
• Beam Lasers — through Grade 3
• Burst Lasers — through Grade 3

Plasma Conversion uses Merc Coin as part of its Engineering cost in addition to conventional Engineering materials.

Experimental Effects

Experimental Effects are separate from the main Engineering blueprint. A compatible module can normally have one Experimental Effect in addition to its blueprint modification.

The Dweller can apply Experimental Effects to every module type he engineers.

Power Distributor Experimental Effects

Available Power Distributor Experimental Effects include:

• Cluster Capacitors
• Double Braced
• Flow Control
• Stripped Down
• Super Conduits

Beam Laser Experimental Effects

Available Beam Laser Experimental Effects include:

• Concordant Sequence
• Double Braced
• Flow Control
• Oversized
• Regeneration Sequence
• Stripped Down
• Thermal Conduit
• Thermal Shock
• Thermal Vent

Burst Laser Experimental Effects

Available Burst Laser Experimental Effects include:

• Concordant Sequence
• Double Braced
• Flow Control
• Inertial Impact
• Multi-servos
• Oversized
• Phasing Sequence
• Scramble Spectrum
• Stripped Down
• Thermal Shock

Pulse Laser Experimental Effects

Available Pulse Laser Experimental Effects include:

• Concordant Sequence
• Double Braced
• Emissive Munitions
• Flow Control
• Multi-servos
• Oversized
• Phasing Sequence
• Scramble Spectrum
• Stripped Down
• Thermal Shock

See Experimental Effects for the effects, tradeoffs, and material costs of each option.

Field note

Experimental Effects cannot be applied through ordinary Remote Engineering. The module must be taken to an Engineer who works on that module.

Recommended Engineering

The Dweller's most broadly useful capability is his Grade 5 Power Distributor Engineering.

Tip

Common general-purpose choice: Charge Enhanced + Super Conduits

For many combat and general-purpose ships, Charge Enhanced combined with Super Conduits is a strong default combination.

Charge Enhanced prioritises faster recharge across the Systems, Engines, and Weapons capacitors at the cost of some maximum capacity. Super Conduits pushes the recharge rates farther while reducing capacitor capacity slightly more.

This is a recommendation rather than a universal rule. Builds that depend on unusually large individual capacitor reserves may benefit from a different blueprint or Experimental Effect.

Energy weapons

The Dweller also provides useful early access to Beam, Burst, and Pulse Laser Engineering.

His maximum grades are lower than the dedicated Grade 5 laser Engineers, but this still allows Commanders to begin modifying energy weapons and applying their Experimental Effects relatively early in the Engineer network.

Blueprint Pinning

After earning sufficient reputation with The Dweller, one of his blueprints can be pinned for use through Remote Engineering.

Tip

EDFM recommendation: Charge Enhanced Power Distributor is a strong general-purpose blueprint to pin at The Dweller.

The Dweller provides Charge Enhanced through Grade 5, and the blueprint is useful across a wide range of combat, exploration, trade, and multipurpose ships.

If Charge Enhanced is already pinned through another Grade 5 Power Distributor Engineer, The Dweller's pin can instead be used for another blueprint that better fits your fleet.

Blueprint pinning should reflect the modules and ships you actually use; there is no requirement to use the suggested pin.

Important

A pinned blueprint does not allow you to apply Experimental Effects remotely. Experimental Effects still require visiting an appropriate Engineer workshop.

What The Dweller Cannot Fully Engineer

The Dweller provides maximum-grade Power Distributor Engineering, but his laser Engineering stops below Grade 5.

His maximum grades are:

• Power Distributor: Grade 5
• Pulse Laser: Grade 4
• Beam Laser: Grade 3
• Burst Laser: Grade 3

For higher-grade laser Engineering:

• Broo Tarquin provides Grade 5 Beam, Burst, and Pulse Laser Engineering.
• Mel Brandon provides Grade 5 Beam, Burst, and Pulse Laser Engineering in Colonia.

For Power Distributors, Etienne Dorn also provides Grade 5 Engineering in Colonia.

The Dweller therefore remains one of the primary Engineers for maximum-grade Power Distributor work while also serving as an accessible early source of energy-weapon Engineering.

What Next?

Progressing The Dweller's reputation opens two additional Engineer paths.

Continue Engineering

• Shields and Sensors: Lei Cheung
• Colonia weapons and support modules: Marsha Hicks
• Grade 5 Beam, Burst, and Pulse Lasers: Broo Tarquin
• Another Grade 5 Power Distributor Engineer: Etienne Dorn
• See the whole network: Engineer Unlock Guide
• Learn about Engineer reputation: Engineer Reputation
• Learn about Black Markets: Black Markets
• Learn the system: Engineering

Sources

Engineering Navigation

Engineering Engineering Blueprints Experimental Effects Engineers Engineering Materials Engineer Unlock Guide