Can I command NPCs?

At certain ranks faction NPCs follow your pings.

Raise your Merit rank. Recruit (10,000 Merits) commands 1 NPC; Sergeant 2, Commander 3, Praetor 4, Exarch 5, Imperator no limit.
Hold left click for the ping wheel and ping. The nearest willing NPCs follow your newest order, which replaces the last; if none accept, your current order stays.
An order lasts until it runs out, or until you leave, switch faction or lose your ship.

Good to know

You can take over another player's NPCs only if you outrank them.
If your rank drops, NPCs above your new limit are released.

Dev-confirmedBeta 1 (wipe 1)Sign in to report as outdated

Sources (4)

Speaker	Tier	Said on
phyzixteacher	Developer	2 Oct 2026

Paraphrased from the Citadel Discord. Developers and official documents are named; other players by trust tier. Last verified 2 Oct 2026 for Beta 1 (wipe 1).

Also drawn from

Answer: What are the merit ranks and what do they unlock?: NPC capacity per title: Recruit 1 (10,000), Sergeant 2, Commander 3, Praetor 4, Exarch 5, Imperator all
Citadel Wiki: Merits: Nearest willing NPCs follow your new order, replacing the last; if none accept the current order stays; orders end on expiry, leaving, faction change or ship loss
Citadel Wiki: Merits: You must outrank another player to command their NPCs; NPCs above a lowered limit are released

Collected from the Citadel Discord and added on 3 Oct 2026.