Star Trek Online: The Continuing Languish Mission

[Berkut]

Hey, there is a new Cruiser class I can use!

And it is better than the starter cruiser! Sweet!

Wait...I have to pay additional cash to buy it? Seriously - in a pay for play game, there is content that you have to pay extra for, and which has a direct impact on gameplay???

[Barrister]

Hey, there is a new Cruiser class I can use!

And it is better than the starter cruiser! Sweet!

Wait...I have to pay additional cash to buy it? Seriously - in a pay for play game, there is content that you have to pay extra for, and which has a direct impact on gameplay???

Unless you've made it up to Tier 5, the purchasable ships are no better than what you get for free (and at Tier 5 you can earn those ships other ways).

Assuming you just hit Lt Cmdr, you now get a free Tier 2 ship.  Just buy it from the ship vendor in Earth Spacedock.

If you have not hit Lt Cmdr, and are still at lieutenant, the ships you can buy for cash are not appreciably more powerful than the starter cruiser.  It's just that things like the Constitution Class, NX class, or the Oberth class, look cooler than the generic little Miranda and have cosmetic differences (like the Connie's blue phasers).

[Berkut]

Uhhh....no.

The Consittution class has an extra engineering console, and 20% more hitpoints. That is most certainly "appreciably" better. It also has the auto-leveling weapons. It is quite a bit better, in fact.

[Barrister]

Uhhh....no.

The Consittution class has an extra engineering console, and 20% more hitpoints. That is most certainly "appreciably" better. It also has the auto-leveling weapons. It is quite a bit better, in fact.

You sure bout the extra console and hitpoints?  I mean, I have the Constitution class, so I haven't compared the two recently, but I only remember the auto-levelling weapons.

Now that being said, STO does flirt around the dges of the "nothing in the store gives an in-game advantage".  Several items to give a smallish advantage.  But I guess I'm not terribly offended at items that give a small advantage while levelling.  When a few (or several) hours will get you a more powerful ship no matter what, who really cares?

What is more offensive are things that give an advantage at max level - because then the effect doesn't get washed out in overall levelling.  Here, STO does have some ships purchasable from the online store - or who can be purchased by emblems that take a very long time to grind out.  There is an in-game way to get them, but it's very long...

[Berkut]

Yes, I am sure. The Constitution gets you 2/1/1 consoles as opposed to 1/1/1, 12000 hitpoints as opposed to 10000, and the auto leveling weapons.

[Barrister]

Yes, I am sure. The Constitution gets you 2/1/1 consoles as opposed to 1/1/1, 12000 hitpoints as opposed to 10000, and the auto leveling weapons.

Okay, I believe you.

All I can tell you is what I said - you're only in your T1 class ship for something like 10-12 hours of game play.

[Barrister]

So Berk - are you actually enjoying your second run through in this game?

You mostly come into this thread to rant - but then again it means you keep on playing.

I was playing again on the weekend, and finished up a quest, only to find I was ONE SKILL POINT away from hitting Rear Admiral (aka - one XP). 

[Berkut]

yes, actually I am...I started over though as an Engineering captain. I think I might like that better.

[Berkut]

But I am pissed that I have to fly around in this piece of crap ship when there is something better available! And don't blab at me about how it is only 10-12 hours!

That is NOT the point!

[Barrister]

But I am pissed that I have to fly around in this piece of crap ship when there is something better available! And don't blab at me about how it is only 10-12 hours!

That is NOT the point!

You're sure to get pwned in PvP because you're a cheapass.

[Berkut]

Speaking of being a cheap ass, send me a bunch of gold. Or pressed latinum, or whatever passes for it. Thanks!

[Barrister]

Speaking of being a cheap ass, send me a bunch of gold. Or pressed latinum, or whatever passes for it. Thanks!

I'd be happy to do it - but there's virtually nothing in STO you can spend it on.

More seriously - you can't actually send energy credits in the mail.  You can however send items which you can then turn around to sell on the exchange for credits.  If you're hard up I can see what I can do...

[Berkut]

Is crafting worth the trouble? Or at least close? Or at least not terrible?

Never mind, I am going to do it regardless, who am I kidding?

[Barrister]

Is crafting worth the trouble? Or at least close? Or at least not terrible?

Never mind, I am going to do it regardless, who am I kidding?

It was a disaster before in the first iteration of the game.

Now it's not bad.  The one major gripe is that you can ONLY craft at Memory Alpha.  Which is somewhat out of the way.

That being said... it's not bad.  You gather your craftables from anomalies (remember how I said I like getting anomalies) which you can come across as part of doing your regular questing.  You just have to search each zone with your sensors to find them.

The items you can make are useful - you can make level-appropriate green items, and you can choose the ones to make that you really want.  There's no equivalent to making stacks of some useless item just because it's the only thing that will give you a skill up.

Finally... by crafting you can make the Aegis set, which are tied (with the Borg Set) for the best ship items in the game.

Watch out though - the best crafting items require the use of rare trace particles.  If you want you can sell these for big bucks on the exchange.  Otherwise though I recommend saving them until you hit max level so you can make the Aegis set, as it requires a ton of them.

Anyways, like crafting anywhere it's optional.  You can skip it if you want.  But it's better than some games, and is probably better than WoW.

[Berkut]

I am maybe re-thinking an engineer. Tanking in the game (judging from reading guides) seems kind of boring.