Crew unlocks at Level 2 in the full release. This is the current milestone in the official September 24, 2026 update, which moved crew earlier in career progression. The exact number of NPC posts and their individual commands are 待确认.
The confirmed unlock
The full-release change log lists Crew at Level 2 and Fast Travel at Level 1. Older early-access guidance that uses a later level should be checked against its publication date. The official notes support the unlock level, not a complete hiring walkthrough. Use the current in-game career prompt to see which crew action is available to your save.
Crew assignment
An earlier Rescue Update explicitly improved crew assignment and behavior. The full release later improved replication of crew and other onboard systems in multiplayer. These updates confirm that crew management is a supported system. They do not identify every role, wage or command for the current build.
Career progression around crew
The Career Update replaced EXP with harbour reputation and global progression. The full release later moved the Crew milestone to Level 2 and rebalanced the requirements for missions, harbours and player levels. This history is important if an early-access guide shows a different progression screen. Use the full-release update for the current milestone and the in-game UI for the next available action.
Crew availability also does not mean a ship automatically gains every possible upgrade or service. The August update separately allowed resource refills, repairs and equipment upgrades on inactive vessels. The game's official materials treat those as ship-management actions, not as a list of crew skills. A role-by-role crew comparison requires current in-game evidence.
Crew and inspections
The Immersion Update and Career Update expanded inspections to include crew and safety checks as part of patrol gameplay. This is a different use of the word “crew”: it can refer to the personnel being inspected aboard another vessel. Do not confuse an inspection objective with hiring or assigning your own crew. The exact inspection questions and outcomes vary by mission and remain 待确认 here.
NPC crew and human crew
The official game site advertises multiplayer with up to four players who share shipboard duties. That human co-op crew should not be confused with the Level 2 NPC crew unlock. A teammate can coordinate during a mission, while the career unlock refers to the game's crew system. Any specific overlap between those systems is 待确认.
Player-reported NPC roles
A December 2025 player discussion describes a mechanic maintaining engines while using filters or oil and a bridge officer following a charted track instead of fast travel. The author said both options were in the radial menu. This gives a concrete example of the crew question players were asking, but it predates the September 2026 full release. Current role names, consumable usage and limits still need direct confirmation.
The distinction also explains why an officer at a wheel in an old clip does not prove that every vessel can run unattended. The official updates confirm crew assignment changes, while the player report describes one observed behavior. Neither source gives a complete roster of tasks or a cost table. Treat any such list as 待确认 until captured from a current save.
Evidence
The official update log confirms the unlock and crew-system fixes. The official game site confirms the multiplayer crew size. Hiring costs, exact UI steps and role-by-role effects remain 待确认.