There are three obtainable ranks for characters at Astraeus Institute: Cadet, Trainer, and Captain. Each of these ranks has specific responsibilities and permissions around the Institute, and the method of progressing from one rank to the next gets more difficult as you progress. There are benefits both roleplay-based and growth-based for when your character hits these rank milestones, but note that these benefits will definitely be earned. Additionally, characters of all ranks will be grouped up by fours - three in a mixture of Cadets and Trainers, led by one Captain - to form a squad. A description for all ranks and squads will be found below.

CADET: In most cases, this is the fresh-faced group of the Institute. In some other cases, these are the people who just haven't shown enough growth to be promoted. Cadets are constantly being harshly evaluated by both Trainers and Captains to measure their strengths and weaknesses. Once their weaknesses have been established, they will be put in situations where they must face those weaknesses and grow, or they will never make progress. Cadets have it hard, because there are no breaks, but their responsibility is also the simplest: survive what the superior officers throw at you, follow orders, grow. Once a Cadet has been constantly evaluated and their progress has been confirmed, they will be put through the gauntlet in another Trainer Mission that will serve as their evaluation for promotion. Cadets are restricted from accessing most private locations on campus aside from their own dormitories.

TRAINER: The Cadets who've run the gauntlet successfully make it to Trainer status. Here, they take on extra responsibility and are under much more pressure, but they are far more trusted by their peers and receive benefits to show their progress. Trainers have better dorms and access to better equipment, as well as clearance to access some places that were previously restricted. For additional responsibility, now Trainers can run one-on-one Trainer Missions with Cadets to help them grow, as well as submit their own requests for other types of missions. A Trainer must show serious levels of growth before they can be considered for a Captain position. Once they have been considered for the promotion, they will run a high-stakes test: with three cadets from separate squads and themselves as acting Captain, the Trainer will have to complete a mission successfully, with no assistance from their superiors.

CAPTAIN: As high as most can get within the Institute, Captains are essentially the top dogs, sans the Director. They have the most responsibility out of the three ranks: managing a squad and missions, handling debriefs, training cadets, and more; but they also get a great deal of benefits: unrestricted access to the Institute, the best living spaces on campus, and unrivaled equipment not even the military has seen yet. There's no higher rank to reach once you've become a Captain, but this does not mean that they can become complacent: A Captain not performing at the expected level can and will be demoted, and the road to reaching the position a second time will feel near impossible.

SQUADS: A collection of four, a Captain leading a three in a mixture of Trainers and Cadets. Squads will spend great amounts of time together both in and out of missions, with training schedules set by the Captain and heavy expectations set forth by the Director of the Institute. It's not expected that all members of squads like each other, but it is expected that they learn to work together, for the work they will do is incredible important. Those who refuse to grow in their squads will be punished severely, while those who excel and raise the bar will reap the rewards. On Ayndr, squads function differently, being only a collection of three to five people of any rank to accomplish whatever the Director requires.