Of the most iconic ships in Star Trek, it cannot be doubted that the D’deridex is queen. A fearsome beast, this Warbird’s reputation is well known to enemies and allies of the Star Empire.

It’s also one of the only Romulan ships ever to be seen in the series. This makes her a very special ship and has strongly influenced her position in the Fleet Operations Romulan techtree.

Being a faction that values cunning and the application of overwhelming power when appropriate, it is only fitting that the D’deridex and similar Warbirds should be made available early on to a Romulan player. However, such a technology tree design obviously means that powerful warships are available immediately, when there might not be strong resistance.

So how do you balance the power of a Warbird with the desire to encourage players to still pursue Staryard vessels?

The answer is a distinct Romulan synergy between Warbirds and Staryard vessels, mediated by a unique set of Warbird passives. Many Warbirds now carry a single unique passive. This passive helps to accentuate the Warbird’s role in the fleet and is limited to helping Staryard vessels.

For instance, since we brought up the glorious D’deridex, let’s reveal her passive: the Shield Inverter. An old homage to the Armada II ability, the D’deridex’s Shield Inverter passively drains the shields of nearby hostile vessels and distributes this shield energy equally to two friendly Staryard vessels.

Unlike the goody-two shoes Federation, always supporting their allies with their Synergies, the Romulans don't bother with such cloying displays of unwarranted goodwill. A true Romulan knows that the best way to maintain the way of life is to keep support within the Empire.

Alone, the D’deridex is an impressive warship, but escorting a wing of Raptors - excuse me, Seiya class - or other Staryard units, she can truly put her massive singularity and shield generators to good use. Sprinkling Warbirds in your Staryard fleet or Staryard vessels in your Warbird fleet thus will always passively boost your power. You can imagine how this might especially turn out in a team game, where each player focuses on a distinct component of the Romulan techtree...

'Till next time, into the shadows!