NEWS

Series 2 FINALE – Night of the Comet
* Slingshot = WIN!!!
* Grouping fell apart (dialogues, drinks, combat scaling)
* Ground combat felt dogpiley
* Section 31 did NOT do their homework (attacked by Feds and KDF)
* Puzzles — Cryptic hasn’t found the sweet spot
* Final Combat mini-rant
* Every new episode is still a big win

Season 3 lands on Tribble! Patch notes

• KDF crafting… the only way to start it right now is if you’re low level. The new “Sorties” are the only way to currently get harvestables, and they scale with your level. (So LtGs are getting top-level harvestables, even though they can’t use ‘em)
• Sector Space upgrade… more than we’d seen previously. And options! So many options!
• Mission Replay available via your Captain’s Ready Room.
  • Engine reward added to “S’harien’s Swords” but patch notes say they’re not working.
  • Type 1 hand phaser added to “Past Imperfect”
• Complete FONT overhaul.  Comments?  (Testing only, not included in S3)
• Contact UI Upgraded – THANK GOD (and no more blinking!)
• ESD/Qonos vendor updates (huge list, might wanna keep it handy)

Missing:
No Foundry =(
No click to aim?
No sitting in chairs?
No naussican ship?
No new Gorn customization?

Preview Video for upcoming C-Store items:  https://www.startrekonline.com/videos
KDF ships in motion
Enterprise NX in motion
NX is “intended to be a starter Escort”
* Can equip cannons
* Has an extra Tac console (like how the Connie has +eng console)
* Grappler Hook ability (like a tractor beam, kinda)
First Look at the All Good Things “Future” uniform
(the rest we’ve seen, some is already available)

COMING SOON:
November Engineering Report on Monday 11/15
“The Next Enterprise” contest ramping up in December
More Fed ships:  Oberth, Ambassador, Vesta, Andorian

MATH:

Today we will once more confront the Silicon Avatar itself.  Friend of Lore, and foe of all other life – the sinister snowflake, the carbon crusher, the devouring diamond – Crystalline Entity.

I will not be discussing tactics. Except in specific cases where your equipment and abilities are dictated by them. Because THAT is what I will be covering – how to equip your ship, and which boffs to bring to the fight.

CRYSTALLINE ABILITIES:

1) RATE OF REGENERATION
At VA, it has 2.5million hitpoints and regenerates 1% hitpoints per second.
In order to overcome this, you will need a total of 25,000 sustained DPS, AFTER factoring in the Entity’s significant damage resistance.

2) SHARD SPAWNING
Fragments (no size indicator) deal damage directly to your hull.  Shields are irrelevant.
Large Fragments will busticate into 3 Small Fragments upon impact with ANYTHING. (phase 3 only)
Small Fragments will rush back to daddy and heal him for 1% of his hitpoints EACH.
** This means that a single collision with a Large Fragment can heal the entity for more than 75,000 damage.

RE-EQUIP

1)  NO KINETICS

This isn’t 100% confirmed, but common knowledge indicates that kinetic weaponry of any type appears to cause the spawning of additional shards.  So don’t use ‘em.

This is especially important in the case of MINES, HY Plasma and TRICOBALTS because they can and WILL be targeted by Large Fragments in Phase 3, causing widespread panic and pandemonium in the form of a swarm of Small Fragments that will pop the Entity’s hitpoints back to max in no time flat.

2)  ENERGY TYPES

Bad = Phasers, Polarons and Tetryons
The CE has no subsystems and no shields.  So the aforementioned energy types will render no benefit beyond their base damage.

Good = Disruptors and Plasma
The distruptor debuff will make the CE take additional damage from EVERYONE firing upon it.
Plasma will burn the sucker. Nuff said.

Neutral = Antiproton
No additional benefits, but usually have really nice innate bonuses.  Plus they’re pretty.

3)  BOFF ABILITY SELECTION

TACTICAL =
Nothing that relies upon torps or mines (see note about Kinetics).
No subsystem targeting.
Best to use buffs that increase DPS of you and your teammates.
Beam Overload, Tactical Team and Attack Patterns are your best bet

ENGINEERS =
No boarding parties!  They can be targeted by fragments just like mines and such.
Shield heals will only be useful in Phase 1 so might not be best to bring along.
Focus on hull heals, and dps increases.
Eject Warp Plasma could come in handy if you are planning to kite fragments, but beware that if it manages to destroy a Fragment it may result in healing the Entity.

SCIENCE =
Nothing that deals AOE and/or Kinetic damage. This includes: Tyken’s Rift, Gravity Well, Repulsor Beams, Photonic Shockwave.
Charged Particle Burst only deals shield damage = worthless.
Shield Heals again are only useful in Phase 1, so concentrate on Hull heals.
Energy Siphon will not effect the Entity, but will result in a slight boost to your energy levels resulting in an increase in DPS output.
Scramble Sensors occasionally confuses fragments into not following nearby targets.  It is unreliable however the 360-degree targetting arc allows you to fire it while circling the Entity.

CAPTAIN ABILITIES:
Science captains MUST spam the Sensor Scan button. The DPS increase an absolute necessity.
Tac captains MUST keep Fire on my Mark active on the CE at all times.
ALL Captains WILL NOT use the following abilities:
– Ramming Speed
– Self Destruct
– Photonic Fleet and/or Fleet Support
Reasons: Each of these run an extremely high risk of colliding with Large Fragments which will heal the entity, as mentioned previously.

SUMMARY:

Escorts and Cruisers far outstrip the capabilities of Science Vessels for this encounter, due to the limited number of science boff abilities that are actually beneficial against the Entity, and the lower overall DPS of Science Ships.

It’s IMPERATIVE that you DO NOT DIE.  Every time you die, that big bad hunk of shiny benefits.  It’s not just a matter of pride – he will heal himself and the rest of the team will lose out on your DPS.

Until we figure out a way to hook up Klingon Opera to our Deflector Dish to bust out a harmonic resonance, the best advice I can offer you all is to read, understand, and share your knowledge.  There is no single encounter in STO that is more misunderstood or incorrectly referenced, than the fight against the Crystalline Entity.  It is up to each of us to learn its tricks, and tell others how to learn them as well.  Because knowing… is half the battle.

ThomasTheCat gets bought out.  https://forums.startrekonline.com/showpost.php?p=2781838&postcount=311

    * I’ve never before seen or heard of a game developer buying the works of a fan.  New trend?  Bad idea?

Black Market Exchange launches (out of game item auctions)    https://blackmarketexchange.blogspot.com/

    * Forum:  https://bmebulletinboard.freephpbb3.com/index.php

    * Only going to work if many people participate.  It looks sparse now, but if everyone that sees this sticks around, it could turn into a great community tool.  Give it a chance!

Galaxy X coming to the C-Store  https://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=164479

        * Sets a poor precedent.  This has a tangible impact on game play (Phaser Lance, Cloak) and can be purchased via RL cash.

        * It was nice of them to release this information before too many people bought extra copies via Steam (big sale going on right now).

        * They are giving a $50 C-Store credit to anyone that received this before 6/24, as they assume this was all people buying multiple copies of the game.

                — Not a good distinction.  You can’t use a date to determine purchases, how about checking CC# on the accounts instead?

        * Interesting to note:  Only 50 people have earned a Galaxy-X via referrals, despite the forums erupting in rage from every angle.

        * Go see for yourself, pics included!

Complete list of Accolades:  https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArevmnGYK2p1dFluSkM2aDNmaG9HdUt4VnVNaVIxbVE&hl=en#gid=1

        * Assembled by Cinos

        * Includes what they are for, how to get them, rewards, etc.

        * Most thorough list I’ve so far seen, but still a work in progress! (missing some title reward details)

Hailing Frequency:  https://hailingfrequency.com/boards/latest-star-trek-gaming-news/hailing-frequency-special-june-2010-interview-with-craig-zinkevich!/

ZAM’s Q&A:  https://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22624

        * Interview took place in early June, some info is dated.

        * Zinc: “Putting Episodes dealing directly with your Bridge Crew is one of my dreams that I’d like to see in ship interiors eventually.”

Spacial Anomaly?  Emitters?  Deflectors?  Deflector FIELD?  Deflector DISH?

The amount of strange terminology is enough to give even the most math-brained players a headache.  But I’m here to try and clarify the situation for you, and help YOU get the most out of your Deflector Dish equipment slot.

Selecting the right dish is a 3 step process:

It might be best to have something to write on, for this step.  It’s worth noting up front that Deflector Dish boosts ONLY affect Science abilities.  What you need to do is go through each of your Science Bridge Officer skills, and take note of whatever skills have an effect on those abilities.  You have two methods to do this —

At this step, it may become apparent that you’ve spread yourself too thin, and you’ll want to retrain your boff abilities.  I did when making THIS segment, so I know it can happen!

Here’s my example list of my science boff abilities:

Deflectors come in an array of types, each with uniform stat boosts, as follows:

Based on this info, it looks like my best choice is going to be a Deflector Dish.  That will boost two of my skills:  Def, Sen

Now I’d like to find out if I can obtain a dish that also includes boosts to my other top skills.  Using the following list, you can search the exchange for the suffix that will benefit your skills the most.

In my particular case, I know that I’m looking for the following item:  “Deflector Array Mk X [Spa] [SenP]“

A quick trip the Exchange, and BOOM… wait, whu?  Aww bummer, must’ve chosen a rare combo.  Maybe you’ll have better luck?  Make sure to try your search with the stat boosts in different orders.  Just in case.

If you can’t find the precise Dish you need on the Exchange, make sure to check vendors for other options.

“Star Trek is about more than just the Captain — the crew matters too. But right now in STO, they are little more than equipment. Send us your ideas to flesh them out into more iconic Star Trek characters.”

Chris’ Response:  

Live on Tribble NOW, so go try ’em out.

To get started on the Respec process talk to the SKILL TRAINER at the center of Earth Spacedock.  Or if you’d prefer to avoid the crowds, you can also do it on DS9.

Klingons can do it near the battle ring at Q’onos

Everyone will get ONE FREE Respec when the system launches on the 25th.

You also are given one free with each promotion (LT to LTC, eg)

NOTE:  Free Respecs DO NOT STACK.  You can only have one free token at a time.

Merit Costs are as follows:

LT = 500

LTC = 

COM = 6,000

CAP = 12,000

RA = 20,000

HOW TO DO IT:

Works just like the Skill Window.

Arrows to add/remove points from a skill.

    You have to remove points from high-end skills first, then you can do lower ranks.

    Available / Spent counters update on-the-fly.

Use the “Clear All” button to start over from scratch.

Use the “Reset” button to get back to where you started before opening the retraining UI.

NOTE:  You don’t have to spend all of your points from this interface.  But you DO have to spend enough to be at your current rank.

I cannot recommend the STO Skill Builder enough.  There is no better tool on the ‘net:  https://sto-builder.binarybit.ch

You can watch Season 2 Episode 4 for a complete guide to using it:  https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/?p=1672

SPEND, SPEND, SPEND

With a free respec at each rank, you can go for more “immediate” benefits as you level up, including ship type and weapon type changes.  Go nuts!  Try stuff out!

    If you’re already an Admiral, spend with care and plan ahead.

PLAN AHEAD

Use the character skill builder!  Examine your skills with care, take notes, and invest in what will benefit you most!

DON’T NEGLECT YOUR GROUND SKILLS

So far, both of the high-end STF zones have a large Ground Combat component.  Don’t be a detriment to your team — invest in your skills, and focus on a role/kit that you enjoy playing.

WEAPON TYPES:  BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Prepare to get MATHED, kiddies:

    I’m going to go on record as encouraging you all to focus on either Phaser or Disruptor energy weapons, and Photon or Quantum projectiles.  The other weapon types simply cost too many SPs per bonus point, an d the secondary bonuses are no better.  Some could actually argue that they are WORSE.

100sp        200sp          300sp       400sp         500sp     = per rank of bonus

900           1800           2700         3600          4500       = to max bonus

+2per        +1.666        +1.926      +1.444        +1.155    = per 100sp

As you can see, the Commander rank skills are the only ones worth investing in.  LT and LTC are worthwhile because they stack, but COMM/CAPT/RA do not stack.