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{{Article header|eyebrow=EDFM // Engineering|deck=A high-level roadmap of how Engineers connect to each other — who unlocks whom, and where the independent starting points are.}}
{{Article header|eyebrow=EDFM // Engineering|deck=A high-level roadmap showing how Engineers connect to one another, which Engineers can be approached independently, and which referrals lead deeper into each Engineering network.}}
{{Article status|status=Needs review|mode=Both|version=Current roster as documented by Inara and a community unlock-chain guide, checked 2026-08-07; no specific game patch number independently confirmed|reviewed=2026-08-07|reviewer=Desk research from community sources, not yet confirmed by direct in-game testing — see Sources|source_quality=Chain relationships drawn primarily from one comprehensive community guide (Wanderer's Toolbox); the well-corroborated core-bubble relationships are marked Confirmed below, the rest are marked Reported and single-sourced|uncertainty=Several branches, especially all Colonia relationships and anything marked "reported," rely on a single community source and have not been independently corroborated this pass}}


This page is a roadmap, not a duplicate of every Engineer's own walkthrough — for the full discovery/invitation/unlock steps and blueprint list for any Engineer named below, follow the link to their own article. See [[Engineers]] for the browsable directory with locations and specialties, or [[Unlocking Broo Tarquin]] for a worked example of a standalone step-by-step unlock guide.
{{Article status|status=Needs review|mode=Both|version=Current Engineer roster and discovery/referral relationships checked 2026-08-12|reviewed=2026-08-12|reviewer=Desk verification against the current Inara Engineer database, with core ship-engineer relationships cross-checked against New Pilots Initiative material|source_quality=Current community databases and guides. No complete current Frontier-published Engineer unlock tree was located during this review.|uncertainty=The Engineer relationships below are documented by current community databases. Exact meeting and unlock requirements belong on each Engineer's article and may still require direct in-game verification. Inara currently notes unresolved variation in the Federal combat-bond amounts required by Juri Ishmaak and Colonel Bris Dekker.}}


Two important distinctions run through this whole page:
This page is a roadmap of the '''Engineer referral network'''. It is not intended to duplicate every Engineer's individual unlock procedure.
* '''Confirmed''' relationships have been checked directly against that Engineer's own page (usually cross-referenced with a direct Inara fetch). '''Reported''' relationships come from a single community chain guide<ref name="wanderer-chain">[https://wanderer-toolbox.com/guides/engineering-unlock/ Engineering Unlock Guide], Wanderer's Toolbox, accessed 2026-08-07 — primary source for the branch structure below.</ref> and have not been independently corroborated this pass — treat them as a strong lead, not a certainty.
 
* Ship Engineering and Odyssey Engineering are entirely separate systems with separate Engineers — their roadmaps are kept in separate sections below rather than merged into one tree.
For the exact discovery, meeting, invitation, permit, donation, rank, or material requirements for an Engineer, follow the link to that Engineer's article.
 
See [[Engineers]] for the complete browsable directory of Engineers, their locations, and their specialties. For an example of a full step-by-step unlock procedure, see [[Unlocking Broo Tarquin]].
 
{{Field note|An Engineer appearing beneath another Engineer does '''not''' mean that referral is the only requirement. Many Engineers also require a rank, faction reputation, permit, travel distance, activity milestone, commodity donation, material donation, or another condition before they can actually be unlocked.}}
 
== How Engineer referrals work ==
 
Some Engineers are available without first working with another Engineer. These are the '''starting Engineers''' for their respective referral branches.
 
Other Engineers are discovered through referrals.
 
For ship Engineers, a referral is generally provided after progressing far enough with the previous Engineer — commonly described as reaching Grade 3 access and making some progress toward Grade 4.
 
Odyssey Engineers use a similar referral concept, but often require a specific '''referral task''' to be completed before the next Engineer is introduced.
 
{{Important|'''Ship Engineering and Odyssey Engineering are separate systems.'''
 
Ship Engineers modify ship modules. Odyssey Engineers modify suits and handheld weapons. Progress with one network does not replace progression through the other.}}


== Ship Engineer Unlock Paths ==
== Ship Engineer Unlock Paths ==


=== Starting Engineers ===
There are five independent starting points in the current ship-Engineer network:
These Engineers have no prerequisite Engineer — each is reachable as soon as you meet their own invitation requirement (rank, reputation, etc. — see their own page):
* '''[[Felicity Farseer]]''' — Frame Shift Drives and core internals. The most common first Engineer for new commanders, and the root of the largest branch below.
* '''[[Liz Ryder]]'''  — missile, mine, and armour specialist. Root of the branch leading to [[Hera Tani]] and [[Broo Tarquin]].
* '''[[Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn]]''' — cannon and rail gun specialist.
* '''[[Zacariah Nemo]]''' — fragment cannon specialist; community guides describe him as a dead end with no further Engineer reachable through him.
* '''[[Lori Jameson]]''' — scanner and utility specialist; also reported as a dead end.
* '''[[The Dweller]]'''


=== The Felicity Farseer branch ===
* [[Felicity Farseer]]
* [[Felicity Farseer]]
** [[Elvira Martuuk]]
* [[Elvira Martuuk]]
*** [[Marco Qwent]]  
* [[Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn]]
**** [[Professor Palin]]
* [[The Dweller]]
**** [[Chloe Sedesi]] — Witch Head Nebula, parallel to Professor Palin, same unlock commodity
* [[Liz Ryder]]
** [[Mel Brandon]] (Colonia)
 
** [[Juri Ishmaak]]  
Each begins its own referral branch.
*** [[The Sarge]]
 
*** [[Colonel Bris Dekker]]
=== Felicity Farseer branch ===
 
* '''[[Felicity Farseer]]''' — starting Engineer
  ** [[Juri Ishmaak]]
  *** [[Colonel Bris Dekker]]
  *** [[The Sarge]]
 
Felicity Farseer does '''not''' lead to Elvira Martuuk. They are separate starting Engineers.
 
Juri Ishmaak is the Engineer referred by Felicity after sufficient reputation has been earned with her. Juri can then refer the Commander to both Colonel Bris Dekker and The Sarge.
 
{{Field note|Current Inara data notes unresolved variation in the exact value of Federal combat bonds requested by [[Juri Ishmaak]] and [[Colonel Bris Dekker]]. Their individual pages should retain that uncertainty rather than treating one value as universally confirmed.}}
 
=== Elvira Martuuk branch ===
 
* '''[[Elvira Martuuk]]''' — starting Engineer
  ** [[Zacariah Nemo]]
  ** [[Marco Qwent]]
  *** [[Chloe Sedesi]]
  *** [[Lori Jameson]]
  *** [[Professor Palin]]
  ** [[Mel Brandon]] — Colonia
 
Elvira Martuuk is one of the largest referral hubs in the ship Engineering network.


=== The Liz Ryder branch ===
After sufficient progress with Elvira, she can introduce:
* [[Liz Ryder]]
 
** [[Hera Tani]]
* [[Zacariah Nemo]];
*** [[Broo Tarquin]]
* [[Marco Qwent]]; and
*** [[Tiana Fortune]]
* [[Mel Brandon]] in the Colonia region.
** [[Etienne Dorn]] (Colonia)
 
Marco Qwent then forms another branch of his own, providing access to:
 
* [[Chloe Sedesi]];
* [[Lori Jameson]]; and
* [[Professor Palin]].
 
{{Field note|The Colonia Engineers still have their own local meeting and unlock requirements. Being referred to a Colonia Engineer does not mean that Engineer is immediately unlocked.}}
 
=== Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn branch ===
 
* '''[[Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn]]''' — starting Engineer
  ** [[Selene Jean]]
  *** [[Bill Turner]]
  *** [[Didi Vatermann]]
  ** [[Petra Olmanova]] — Colonia
 
After progressing with Tod McQuinn, the Commander can be introduced to both [[Selene Jean]] and the Colonia Engineer [[Petra Olmanova]].
 
Selene Jean then leads to:


=== The Tod McQuinn branch ===
* [[Bill Turner]]; and
* [[Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn]]
* [[Didi Vatermann]].
** [[Selene Jean]]
*** [[Bill Turner]]
*** [[Didi Vatermann]]
** [[Petra Olmanova]] (Colonia)


=== The Dweller branch ===
=== The Dweller branch ===
* '''[[The Dweller]]''' — starting Engineer
  ** [[Lei Cheung]]
  *** [[Ram Tah]]
  ** [[Marsha Hicks]] — Colonia
Progress with The Dweller can lead to:
* [[Lei Cheung]]; and
* the Colonia Engineer [[Marsha Hicks]].
Lei Cheung subsequently introduces [[Ram Tah]].
=== Liz Ryder branch ===
* '''[[Liz Ryder]]''' — starting Engineer
  ** [[Hera Tani]]
  *** [[Broo Tarquin]]
  *** [[Tiana Fortune]]
  ** [[Etienne Dorn]] — Colonia
Progress with Liz Ryder leads to both:
* [[Hera Tani]]; and
* the Colonia Engineer [[Etienne Dorn]].
Hera Tani then provides the referrals leading to:
* [[Broo Tarquin]]; and
* [[Tiana Fortune]].
== Ship Engineer tree at a glance ==
<pre>
Felicity Farseer
└── Juri Ishmaak
    ├── Colonel Bris Dekker
    └── The Sarge
Elvira Martuuk
├── Zacariah Nemo
├── Marco Qwent
│  ├── Chloe Sedesi
│  ├── Lori Jameson
│  └── Professor Palin
└── Mel Brandon [Colonia]
Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn
├── Selene Jean
│  ├── Bill Turner
│  └── Didi Vatermann
└── Petra Olmanova [Colonia]
The Dweller
├── Lei Cheung
│  └── Ram Tah
└── Marsha Hicks [Colonia]
Liz Ryder
├── Hera Tani
│  ├── Broo Tarquin
│  └── Tiana Fortune
└── Etienne Dorn [Colonia]
</pre>
{{What next|title=Need the actual unlock requirements?|
The tree above only shows '''who introduces whom'''.
Each Engineer may have additional requirements before they can be met or unlocked. Follow the Engineer's name to their own article for the complete procedure, including ranks, permits, reputation, commodities, materials, travel requirements, and other prerequisites.
}}
== Odyssey Engineer Unlock Paths ==
Odyssey Engineering has its own referral network for [[Suits]] and [[Handheld Weapons]].
Unlike the previous draft of this page, the current referral relationships for the Odyssey Engineers are documented well enough to map the major branches.
=== Hero Ferrari branch ===
* '''[[Hero Ferrari]]''' — starting Engineer
  ** [[Wellington Beck]]
  *** [[Uma Laszlo]]
Hero Ferrari is available without a prerequisite Engineer.
After unlocking Hero and completing her referral requirement, the Commander can be introduced to [[Wellington Beck]].
Wellington Beck can subsequently refer the Commander to [[Uma Laszlo]] after his own referral conditions are satisfied.
=== Jude Navarro branch ===
* '''[[Jude Navarro]]''' — starting Engineer
  ** [[Terra Velasquez]]
  *** [[Oden Geiger]]
Jude Navarro is an independent starting Engineer.
Completing Jude's referral requirement leads to [[Terra Velasquez]], who can then refer the Commander to [[Oden Geiger]].
=== Domino Green branch ===
* '''[[Domino Green]]''' — starting Engineer
  ** [[Kit Fowler]]
  *** [[Yarden Bond]]
Domino Green is another independent starting Engineer.
Her referral leads to [[Kit Fowler]], whose own referral progression leads to [[Yarden Bond]].
=== Colonia Odyssey Engineers ===
The Colonia Odyssey network works differently from the three linear Bubble branches.
The independent Colonia Engineers are:
* '''[[Eleanor Bresa]]'''
* '''[[Rosa Dayette]]'''
* '''[[Baltanos]]'''
All three contribute toward access to:
* [[Yi Shen]]
Yi Shen is not simply the next Engineer in one of those three branches. Current Engineer data lists him as being discovered through '''Baltanos, Eleanor Bresa, and Rosa Dayette''', with the Commander required to complete the referral tasks associated with all three.
The relationship is therefore better represented as:
<pre>
Eleanor Bresa ─┐
Rosa Dayette ──┼──► Yi Shen
Baltanos ──────┘
</pre>
rather than as a normal one-to-one chain.
== Odyssey Engineer tree at a glance ==
<pre>
Hero Ferrari
└── Wellington Beck
    └── Uma Laszlo
Jude Navarro
└── Terra Velasquez
    └── Oden Geiger
Domino Green
└── Kit Fowler
    └── Yarden Bond
Eleanor Bresa ─┐
Rosa Dayette ──┼── Yi Shen
Baltanos ──────┘
  [Colonia]
</pre>
== Starting Engineers at a glance ==
=== Ship Engineering ===
* [[Felicity Farseer]]
* [[Elvira Martuuk]]
* [[Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn]]
* [[The Dweller]]
* [[The Dweller]]
** [[Lei Cheung]]
* [[Liz Ryder]]
*** [[Ram Tah]]
** [[Marsha Hicks]] (Colonia)


=== Unconnected ===
=== Odyssey Engineering — Bubble ===
* [[Zacariah Nemo]] — no confirmed prerequisite, no Engineer reported as reachable through him.
* [[Lori Jameson]] — no confirmed prerequisite, no Engineer reported as reachable through her.


== Odyssey Engineer Unlock Paths ==
* [[Hero Ferrari]]
Chain data for Odyssey Engineers is far thinner than for the ship roster — only the relationship below has been found in the sources checked this pass. The other 10 Odyssey Engineers are documented in [[Engineers]] with confirmed location and specialty, but their prerequisite relationships (if any) have not yet been researched.
* [[Jude Navarro]]
* [[Domino Green]]
 
=== Odyssey Engineering — Colonia ===
 
* [[Eleanor Bresa]]
* [[Rosa Dayette]]
* [[Baltanos]]


* '''[[Jude Navarro]]''' (starting Engineer, no referral needed)
== Notes ==
* '''[[Domino Green]]''' (starting Engineer, no referral needed)
** [[Kit Fowler]] (Reported)


Not yet researched for chain position: [[Hero Ferrari]], [[Wellington Beck]], [[Terra Velasquez]], [[Uma Laszlo]], [[Yarden Bond]], [[Oden Geiger]], [[Baltanos]], [[Rosa Dayette]], [[Eleanor Bresa]], [[Yi Shen]].
* '''Starting Engineer''' on this page means that no prerequisite Engineer referral is required. It does not mean the Engineer has no unlock requirements.
* A referral does not automatically grant workshop access. The referred Engineer may still have separate meeting and unlock requirements.
* Colonia Engineers generally require travel to the Colonia region as well as their own local requirements.
* This page intentionally does not list every commodity, material, permit, rank, or reputation requirement. Those details belong on the individual Engineer pages so they can be maintained in one place.
* The current Engineer roster separates ship-module Engineering from Odyssey personal-equipment Engineering.


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
<references />
<references />
<ref name="inara-engineers">Inara, ''Engineers'' database, current roster and unlock/discovery requirements, accessed 2026-08-12.</ref> <ref name="newp-engineers">New Pilots Initiative, ''Engineer Highlight'', used as a secondary cross-check for core ship-Engineer referral relationships, accessed 2026-08-12.</ref>


{{Engineering nav}}
{{Engineering nav}}

Revision as of 03:27, 13 August 2026

EDFM // Engineering / Engineers

A high-level roadmap showing how Engineers connect to one another, which Engineers can be approached independently, and which referrals lead deeper into each Engineering network.

Needs review

Some information in this article still needs to be checked for accuracy.

Uncertain: The Engineer relationships below are documented by current community databases. Exact meeting and unlock requirements belong on each Engineer's article and may still require direct in-game verification. Inara currently notes unresolved variation in the Federal combat-bond amounts required by Juri Ishmaak and Colonel Bris Dekker.

Status
Needs review
Last reviewed
2026-08-12
Reviewer
Desk verification against the current Inara Engineer database, with core ship-engineer relationships cross-checked against New Pilots Initiative material
Game mode
Both
Version coverage
Current Engineer roster and discovery/referral relationships checked 2026-08-12
Source quality
Current community databases and guides. No complete current Frontier-published Engineer unlock tree was located during this review.
Known uncertainty
The Engineer relationships below are documented by current community databases. Exact meeting and unlock requirements belong on each Engineer's article and may still require direct in-game verification. Inara currently notes unresolved variation in the Federal combat-bond amounts required by Juri Ishmaak and Colonel Bris Dekker.

This page is a roadmap of the Engineer referral network. It is not intended to duplicate every Engineer's individual unlock procedure.

For the exact discovery, meeting, invitation, permit, donation, rank, or material requirements for an Engineer, follow the link to that Engineer's article.

See Engineers for the complete browsable directory of Engineers, their locations, and their specialties. For an example of a full step-by-step unlock procedure, see Unlocking Broo Tarquin.

Field note

An Engineer appearing beneath another Engineer does not mean that referral is the only requirement. Many Engineers also require a rank, faction reputation, permit, travel distance, activity milestone, commodity donation, material donation, or another condition before they can actually be unlocked.

How Engineer referrals work

Some Engineers are available without first working with another Engineer. These are the starting Engineers for their respective referral branches.

Other Engineers are discovered through referrals.

For ship Engineers, a referral is generally provided after progressing far enough with the previous Engineer — commonly described as reaching Grade 3 access and making some progress toward Grade 4.

Odyssey Engineers use a similar referral concept, but often require a specific referral task to be completed before the next Engineer is introduced.

Important

Ship Engineering and Odyssey Engineering are separate systems.

Ship Engineers modify ship modules. Odyssey Engineers modify suits and handheld weapons. Progress with one network does not replace progression through the other.

Ship Engineer Unlock Paths

There are five independent starting points in the current ship-Engineer network:

Each begins its own referral branch.

Felicity Farseer branch

 ** Juri Ishmaak
 *** Colonel Bris Dekker
 *** The Sarge

Felicity Farseer does not lead to Elvira Martuuk. They are separate starting Engineers.

Juri Ishmaak is the Engineer referred by Felicity after sufficient reputation has been earned with her. Juri can then refer the Commander to both Colonel Bris Dekker and The Sarge.

Field note

Current Inara data notes unresolved variation in the exact value of Federal combat bonds requested by Juri Ishmaak and Colonel Bris Dekker. Their individual pages should retain that uncertainty rather than treating one value as universally confirmed.

Elvira Martuuk branch

 ** Zacariah Nemo
 ** Marco Qwent
 *** Chloe Sedesi
 *** Lori Jameson
 *** Professor Palin
 ** Mel Brandon — Colonia

Elvira Martuuk is one of the largest referral hubs in the ship Engineering network.

After sufficient progress with Elvira, she can introduce:

Marco Qwent then forms another branch of his own, providing access to:

Field note

The Colonia Engineers still have their own local meeting and unlock requirements. Being referred to a Colonia Engineer does not mean that Engineer is immediately unlocked.

Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn branch

 ** Selene Jean
 *** Bill Turner
 *** Didi Vatermann
 ** Petra Olmanova — Colonia

After progressing with Tod McQuinn, the Commander can be introduced to both Selene Jean and the Colonia Engineer Petra Olmanova.

Selene Jean then leads to:

The Dweller branch

 ** Lei Cheung
 *** Ram Tah
 ** Marsha Hicks — Colonia

Progress with The Dweller can lead to:

Lei Cheung subsequently introduces Ram Tah.

Liz Ryder branch

 ** Hera Tani
 *** Broo Tarquin
 *** Tiana Fortune
 ** Etienne Dorn — Colonia

Progress with Liz Ryder leads to both:

Hera Tani then provides the referrals leading to:

Ship Engineer tree at a glance

Felicity Farseer
└── Juri Ishmaak
    ├── Colonel Bris Dekker
    └── The Sarge

Elvira Martuuk
├── Zacariah Nemo
├── Marco Qwent
│   ├── Chloe Sedesi
│   ├── Lori Jameson
│   └── Professor Palin
└── Mel Brandon [Colonia]

Tod "The Blaster" McQuinn
├── Selene Jean
│   ├── Bill Turner
│   └── Didi Vatermann
└── Petra Olmanova [Colonia]

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

Liz Ryder
├── Hera Tani
│   ├── Broo Tarquin
│   └── Tiana Fortune
└── Etienne Dorn [Colonia]

Odyssey Engineer Unlock Paths

Odyssey Engineering has its own referral network for Suits and Handheld Weapons.

Unlike the previous draft of this page, the current referral relationships for the Odyssey Engineers are documented well enough to map the major branches.

Hero Ferrari branch

 ** Wellington Beck
 *** Uma Laszlo

Hero Ferrari is available without a prerequisite Engineer.

After unlocking Hero and completing her referral requirement, the Commander can be introduced to Wellington Beck.

Wellington Beck can subsequently refer the Commander to Uma Laszlo after his own referral conditions are satisfied.

Jude Navarro branch

 ** Terra Velasquez
 *** Oden Geiger

Jude Navarro is an independent starting Engineer.

Completing Jude's referral requirement leads to Terra Velasquez, who can then refer the Commander to Oden Geiger.

Domino Green branch

 ** Kit Fowler
 *** Yarden Bond

Domino Green is another independent starting Engineer.

Her referral leads to Kit Fowler, whose own referral progression leads to Yarden Bond.

Colonia Odyssey Engineers

The Colonia Odyssey network works differently from the three linear Bubble branches.

The independent Colonia Engineers are:

All three contribute toward access to:

Yi Shen is not simply the next Engineer in one of those three branches. Current Engineer data lists him as being discovered through Baltanos, Eleanor Bresa, and Rosa Dayette, with the Commander required to complete the referral tasks associated with all three.

The relationship is therefore better represented as: 

Eleanor Bresa ─┐
Rosa Dayette ──┼──► Yi Shen
Baltanos ──────┘

rather than as a normal one-to-one chain.

Odyssey Engineer tree at a glance

Hero Ferrari
└── Wellington Beck
    └── Uma Laszlo

Jude Navarro
└── Terra Velasquez
    └── Oden Geiger

Domino Green
└── Kit Fowler
    └── Yarden Bond

Eleanor Bresa ─┐
Rosa Dayette ──┼── Yi Shen
Baltanos ──────┘
   [Colonia]

Starting Engineers at a glance

Ship Engineering

Odyssey Engineering — Bubble

Odyssey Engineering — Colonia

Notes

  • Starting Engineer on this page means that no prerequisite Engineer referral is required. It does not mean the Engineer has no unlock requirements.
  • A referral does not automatically grant workshop access. The referred Engineer may still have separate meeting and unlock requirements.
  • Colonia Engineers generally require travel to the Colonia region as well as their own local requirements.
  • This page intentionally does not list every commodity, material, permit, rank, or reputation requirement. Those details belong on the individual Engineer pages so they can be maintained in one place.
  • The current Engineer roster separates ship-module Engineering from Odyssey personal-equipment Engineering.

Sources


[1] [2]

Engineering Navigation
Engineering Engineering Blueprints Experimental Effects Engineers Engineering Materials Engineer Unlock Guide
  1. ↑ Inara, Engineers database, current roster and unlock/discovery requirements, accessed 2026-08-12.
  2. ↑ New Pilots Initiative, Engineer Highlight, used as a secondary cross-check for core ship-Engineer referral relationships, accessed 2026-08-12.
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