Scientists and Strike Teams

On the Operations level of the Nexus, speak with the scientists you met previously. Professor Herik offers "Task - Comparatively Alien" (scan wildlife), Chief Lucan offers "Task - Hitting Rocks For Science" (scan minerals), and Doctor Aridana offers "Task - Missing Scientists" (requires leaving the Nexus).

Before leaving the Nexus, use the nearby console to initiate the prep phase for "Task - Hitting Rocks For Science" and "Task - Comparatively Alien".

North of Kandros, you'll find an Arms Merchant. You can sell any Salvage items you've collected here, but ignore the expensive weapons for now.

Return to Kandros and interact with the circular Strike Team Missions console.

Choose from a list of available missions. Missions are ranked Bronze, Silver, and Gold, affecting difficulty and rewards.

APEX missions are marked with a stylized chevron symbol and can be played by you in multiplayer.

Each mission has "Mission Traits" which can positively or negatively affect outcomes based on your Strike Teams' traits.

Assign Strike Teams to missions. After a set time, check the results. Success yields Reward Boxes, XP, Mission Funds (5 or 10), and potentially a positive trait. Failure may result in a negative trait for the team and some XP.

Higher-level Strike Teams have a better chance of success.

You can equip Strike Teams with gear purchased with Mission Funds to increase their Effectiveness. This gear is a permanent bonus but can be expensive early on.

Rewards include Credits (least valuable), Material Loot Boxes (for common/uncommon resources), Research Data Loot Boxes (valuable for upgrades), and Item Loot Boxes (rewarding weapons and materials).

Strike Team Missions take no in-game resources and the timer runs even when you're not playing, so it's beneficial to always have teams assigned if there's a reasonable chance of success.