Star Citizen Referral Rewards Ladder

Q: How many referrals to get a Gladius in Star Citizen?

42 recruits unlocks the Aegis Gladius + Dunlevy paint in the current ladder (post-July 2, 2025). On the legacy ladder (still accessible to pre-July-2025 recruiters), the Gladius was unlocked at 10 recruits. The threshold increase from 10 to 42 was part of the program overhaul.

19 tiers · 1 recruit → Idris-M at 1,042

Most Star Citizen referral pages stop at "the new player gets 50,000 UEC." That's only half the program. The other half — the referrer ladder — is where it gets interesting. Roberts Space Industries completely overhauled the rewards on July 2, 2025. Here is every current tier, what was on the legacy ladder, and the rules that decide whether a recruit actually counts.

STAR-JTV7-FXLR

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New player side: 50,000 UEC for free at signup. Referrer side: armor → Gladius → Freelancer MAX → Idris-M.

Enlist Now — Code Auto-Applied →

✓ Verified against RSI Comm-Link ✓ Post-July 2025 ladder ✓ Legacy tiers included

The complete current ladder (post-July 2, 2025)

19 tiers, no named ranks — RSI uses recruit-count milestones only. Lower tiers are FPS gear and hangar decorations. From 42 recruits, you start earning flyable ships. The very top is the Idris-M capital ship, one of the most valuable pledges in Star Citizen.

Recruits	Reward	Type
1	CDS "GCD-Army" Medium Armor Set	FPS armor
2	VOLT Quartz "GCD-Army" SMG	FPS weapon
3	Gladius Dunlevy Ship Model	Hangar decor
4	Mirai Pulse + "GCD-Army" Paint	Vehicle + paint
5	VOLT Parallax "GCD-Army" Assault Rifle	FPS weapon
6	Archibald Hurston Figurine	Hangar decor
7	ArcCorp Cog Sphere Replica	Hangar decor
8	Stormwal Sculpture Replica	Hangar decor
9	Wally's Bar Hologram Replica	Hangar decor
10	Big Benny's "Classic" Vending Machine	Hangar decor
15	Spirit of the Starman Statue	Hangar decor
25	Enemy of the Empire Statue	Hangar decor
42	Aegis Gladius + "Dunlevy" Paint	Ship
50	MISC R.A.P.T.O.R.	Ship (in dev)
75	Tumbril Storm + "GCD-Army" Paint	Ground vehicle
100	Freelancer MAX + "Big Brands" Paint Pack	Ship
200	Esperia Stinger	Ship
500	Captured Vanduul Scythe	Ship
1042	Idris-M	Capital ship

Source: RSI Comm-Link "Introducing the New Referral Program" (transmission/20643) and the official RSI Referral Program page. Verified against community trackers screfer.com and citizen-logbook.com.

What changed on July 2, 2025

The program before the overhaul looked very different. CIG called it "a full revamp from the ground up." Progress counters were reset, but previously earned rewards were permanently kept. Here is what shifted.

Element	Before July 2, 2025	After July 2, 2025
New player UEC bonus	5,000 UEC	50,000 UEC (10x)
Gladius unlock	10 recruits	42 recruits
Top-tier ship	Javelin at 2,017 recruits	Idris-M at 1,042 recruits
Low tiers (1–10)	Sparse, mostly empty	Dense — armor, weapons, decor each tier
Grace period	Code at signup only	24 hours after account creation
Leaderboard	Basic	Weekly / Monthly / Yearly / All-Time
UI	Static	Animated milestones, progress tracking

The legacy ladder (for pre-July 2025 recruiters)

If you had at least one qualifying recruit before July 2, 2025, the legacy ladder is still accessible in Account Settings → Referral Program. New recruits earned after the overhaul count toward both the legacy ladder AND the current ladder simultaneously — RSI gave existing recruiters credit on both tracks.

Legacy threshold	Reward
5	Tumbril PTV (ground vehicle)
10	Aegis Gladius (fighter ship)
75	MISC Razor
100	Esperia Vanduul Blade
200	Esperia Glaive
500	Anvil Hurricane + RSI Terrapin
2017	UEEN Javelin destroyer (top legacy tier)

The "2,017" top-tier threshold appears to be a callback to the April–August 2017 referral contest. RSI never confirmed it publicly.

What counts as a successful referral

A new account becomes a Recruit (granting one Recruitment Point) only when all five conditions are met. Direct from the RSI Referral Program FAQ, last updated November 24, 2025.

Rule	Detail
1. Code at signup or within 24h	Must be entered during account creation OR within 24 hours after. The 24-hour grace period is new (July 2025).
2. Must buy a Game Package	A starter pack or equivalent pledge that includes Star Citizen game access.
3. Minimum $40 USD ex-VAT spend	Measured against the USD ex-VAT price, not the VAT-inclusive total. All current starter packs ($45+) clear this.
4. Real payment method only	Store credit does NOT count toward the $40 threshold.
5. Not a gift	Receiving a gifted $40+ pledge does NOT count.

Once linked, the code cannot be changed

Referral code linkage is permanent and irrevocable. The only workaround: if your account has zero completed pledges, you can request account closure from RSI support, which frees the handle and email to re-register with a different code.

Anti-abuse — why self-referral is risky

RSI explicitly monitors for self-referral patterns. Industrial-scale farming has historically resulted in account bans.

⚠ What gets flagged

RSI's anti-abuse signals include matching IP address, payment method, billing details, and account-creation patterns. Creating multiple accounts on the same hardware to self-award Recruitment Points is treated as program abuse.

One historical enforcement event resulted in over 600 accounts suspended for referral-related fraud and multi-account farming. Recruitment Points earned through self-referral can be revoked retroactively, even years later.

The Argo MOLE that occasionally appears on referral spam sites as a tier reward is not on either ladder — it was a one-time Foundation Festival 2020 event bonus and has not returned.

Frequently asked questions

What do you get for one Star Citizen referral?

The first tier of the post-July-2025 referral ladder grants the referrer a CDS "GCD-Army" Medium Armor Set after one qualifying recruit. The new player receives 50,000 UEC of in-game currency for using a referral code at signup. Use STAR-JTV7-FXLR to claim that bonus.

How many referrals to get a Gladius in Star Citizen?

42 recruits unlock the Aegis Gladius + Dunlevy paint in the current ladder (post-July 2, 2025). On the legacy ladder (still accessible to pre-July-2025 recruiters), the Gladius was unlocked at 10 recruits. The threshold increase from 10 to 42 was part of the program overhaul.

What is the top tier of the Star Citizen referral ladder?

1,042 recruits unlocks the Idris-M capital ship — one of the most valuable pledges in Star Citizen. Below that: 500 recruits for the Captured Vanduul Scythe, 200 for the Esperia Stinger, 100 for the Freelancer MAX with Big Brands paint pack.

Do you get the Argo MOLE from referrals?

No. The Argo MOLE is not a permanent ladder reward in either the current or legacy program. It appeared once as a limited-time event bonus during Foundation Festival 2020 and has not returned as a tier reward. Any site listing the MOLE as a tier reward is outdated.

What is the Star Citizen legacy referral ladder?

The legacy ladder is the pre-July-2025 referral reward structure. It remains accessible to any player who had at least one qualifying recruit before July 2, 2025. New recruits earned after that date count toward both the legacy and the current ladder simultaneously for these players.

What counts as a qualifying Star Citizen referral?

A successful referral requires the new account to: (1) enter the referral code at signup or within 24 hours of account creation, (2) purchase a Game Package, (3) spend at least $40 USD ex-VAT, (4) pay with a real payment method. Store credit and gifted pledges do not count toward the $40 threshold.

Can I refer myself in Star Citizen?

No. RSI actively monitors for self-referral patterns based on IP address, payment method, and other signals. Industrial-scale self-referral has historically resulted in account bans — over 600 accounts were suspended in one referral-related enforcement action. The referral program is intended for genuinely separate accounts.

What's the new player bonus for using a referral code?

50,000 UEC of in-game starting currency. This was 5,000 UEC before July 2, 2025 — RSI multiplied the bonus by 10 as part of the program overhaul. The 50,000 UEC is permanent UEC (not aUEC), survives all alpha wipes, and is enough to buy a full FPS loadout. Use code STAR-JTV7-FXLR at signup to claim it.

Where do I find my own Star Citizen referral code?

After you create an RSI account and purchase a Game Package, your personal referral code appears under Account Settings → Referral Program at robertsspaceindustries.com. It follows the same STAR-XXXX-XXXX format. You can then share that code to start working up your own ladder.

Can I change my referral code after signing up?

No. Once a referral code is linked to your account, it cannot be changed. The only workaround: if your account has zero completed pledges, you can request account closure from RSI support, which frees the handle and email to re-register with a different code.

The new player side

If you are signing up: this page is about the referrer ladder, which is the long game. For the immediate 50,000 UEC bonus and the one-minute walkthrough, see the main guide.

← How to claim 50,000 UEC at signup