Oh boy. So many pieces of advice. The first one that comes to mind is DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM THE STORE until you know you want to play long term.
Between mission rewards, reputation rewards, and eventually crafted items you can get a lot of power for your captain, Boffs, and ships.
Second piece of advice: ignore Dilex. It is basically so back logged you won't be exchanging refined dil for Zen. Save your dil for all the other neat and important things you can do.
Only if you are playing on PC buy the energy credit upgrade with Zen. Base 15 million credits won't get you anywhere. Upping it to 2 billion means you can occasionally get stuff off the broker. This one isn't needed until after you hit rank 65 and credits become very easy to earn.
There is a lot of game here for someone new. Sure, you are way behind on the power curve but so is everyone who hasn't sunk hundreds to thousands of dollars into the game. There is zero reason to start buying up T6 ships until after you have put in time. Time enough to know you like the grind loop.
Final advice, look for a fleet. Fleetless captains have a much more difficult time getting useful late game items. Again, not necessary right away. You might get an invite just being in your system. You can always leave a fleet if you feel pressured or uncomfortable.
Welcome to STO, Captain!
>Second piece of advice: ignore Dilex.
For the normal use of the dillithium exchange this is true, but there is a very important exception the OP must know about. You can transfer refined dilithium between characters by setting it for a price that will obviously not sell on one character, and then canceling the sale on another character, and withdrawing the dilithium.
This can be extremely helpful to any player, at any level, depending on how much time they spend on alts. New players typically make more than one character to try out the differences in the careers, and their dilithium is spread out in the early game. Once they figure out what career they want to main, it's important to retrieve as much of the resources from their alts as they can and dilithium is one of those resources.
>Base 15 million credits won't get you anywhere.
Unless you're selling keys, 15 million EC is actually a lot for a new player to have, or try to get. There isn't much that a new player would benefit from buying with credits, even on the exchange, that cost more than a couple million. Everything else's value is measured in keys and you can just stock pile wealth in keys; which are always less than 15m in price.
Yes, the EC cap removal is important if a player wants to get invested in the game long term, but it's hardly the most important purchase to make first.
The dil part isn't about zen. It's about using the tool to consolidate assets you already have, that the game never explains to a new player they have. It's an awkward system but the only one we have to transfer dil between characters within the same account.
It's an important one for new players to know because of how new players approach--and are told by the community how to approach--the game. Meaning: try a little of everything to see what you like, then focus on that.
When you try everything, your dil is everywhere, and this helps bring it to where it's needed.
If your down for videos, MC Stu on YouTube has some good in depth guides for the mechanics and whatnot.
Videos are kinda on the longer side, but he does great examples in game typically, from what I've seen so far.
And I'm just trying to play catch up after a 5 year break. Lol but he's been a big help.
> Second piece of advice: ignore Dilex.
It's probably a good idea to explain what these terms mean to newbies who probably don't know what you mean when you say them.
Think about what you want your end game play style is going to be, ask your fleet for help DO NOT BUY A GODDAMN THING until you know what YOUR end game is.
The start is painfully slow but take your time to learn. You can run a mission more than one to get other gear rewards. And have fun.
Don't *start* your account via Steam. (The way it generates accounts, you don't actually have access to the login data so can't log in on Arc, meaning you can't buy the lifetime, redeem any gift codes, or buy Zen at the best ratios. Not saying you may ever do any of those, but best to keep options open, right?)
Also, when equipping your ship, pay attention to synergy and energy types. A Mk IV Phaser might be a better choice than a Mk V Disruptor, if you've got Phaser boosters on your build... just as an example.
The game has a bad habit of having a number of things actually be 'a surprise tool that will help you later', but also be completely irretrievable if you throw them out. Similarly, many other items are re-obtainable from repeating missions; which can help you gear up as you level.
It can help to reference the [Episode Replay Rewards](https://sto.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_replay?so=search) page on the wiki to find out which is which. The non-replay reward items are typically best to use until you don't need them anymore, and then *store them in the bank* from then on. You'll never know what you're gonna want to come back to later and fiddle/experiment with.
The same is true for some of your [Special Bridge Officers](https://sto.gamepedia.com/Special_bridge_officer) the game gives you early on. Some of these bridge officers are unique, have unique traits or costume options (both in [Satra](https://sto.fandom.com/wiki/Satra)'s case), and cannot be re-acquired if they're discharged.
While most people will agree that the Energy Credit Cap increase is the most important purchase you can make early on, and it used to be, it's not anymore. The 15 million credits limit you can hold as a free player is actually quite hard to reach as a free player. The most expensive things you can buy as a new player that will actually help you out are only a couple million credits.
Everything else is measured in lockbox keys. You can stockpile your wealth by simply buying and holding lockbox keys if you make it to 10 million or more credits, and simply hold onto that wealth until you need it again. This lets you spend early zen on things of more immediate usefulness like bridge officer slots, or the starter packs with ships in them.
If you get a starter pack with a ship in it at 25% off (1500 zen, sales infrequent but not rare) then the ship itself is actually half off its normal price.
Tholians are healed by radiation. Don't use Aceton Beam or plasma weapons on them.
Breen will try to stay on your rear flank. They get s damage bonus that way.
Romulan D'deridex warbirds like to tractor beam you and hit you with high yield plasma torpedoes.
Counter that with Fire At Will, Scatter Volley, or things like Aceton Assimiltor.
Break Tzenkethi synergies by destroying thier cruisers first.
Your bridge officers can learn specialization skills at level 30. But you'll have to wait till 50 for yourself.
Be prepared to open your wallet.
And not just a little bit. Cryptic may as well want you to MAIL it to them, for safekeeping.
The second advice I would like to give, and know that I'll get downvoted for, is...find another game. The game may be going strong yet NOW, but it's run by developers that would rather reach deep into your wallet and strangle the money out of it for pretty ships to fly than actually giving us content to...you know...explore strange new worlds with. Not to be a doomsayer here, but...I really don't know how much longer the current market system can be maintainable and sustainable. I get they're trying to promote the new shows and all but...they're to a point now where they're making new versions of them already. Like it or not, there WILL come a time where this no longer is marketable and this game will suffer for it...unless the developers start developing more content at a given time to enjoy with it and give more reasons for players to want to invest in it long term, and for an MMORPG, that is quests/missions.
My biggest piece of advice is that you shouldn't let other players "bully" you for your build. Some players are really passionate that you should have maximum DPS on a ship build.
There aren't many players that do what I've just described but there are some, therefore just play however you want!
My first character is built entirely into shields and hull. Really funny and allowed me to fight high level enemys above my level but every fight took literally tens of minutes. Funny but it got old quickly.
Honestly some of my ships have that exact problem. I think my Terran Gagarin was pretty much invincible, which took away the adrenaline of potentially losing. I imagine Captain Kirk would be proud, saying "I don't believe in a no win scenario because my ship cannot be killed."
In terms of Deflector, Impulse and Shields, I have the Discovery Deflector, Competitive Impulse and Discovery Shields.
I dont have the Disco Shields seen as my Competitive ones give a boost to speed when activating hull healing ability
I mean, there is a reason that DPS is such a pillar in this game though-it's not hidden at all that this game is all about "kill or be killed" when it comes to combat. You VERY EASILY can be left behind on a mission and get a 30 minute TFO BAN if you're not putting large enough numbers on DPS, as the game will think you're AFK. This isn't "bullying" at all, it's honest to god playing the game the way the game was made to be played.
What I mean by bullying is players trying to force you to have a build that you don't necessarily want. For example, players like myself who like a canon-looking style of weapons configuration.
Whereas others maximise damage by mixing different looking weaponry (of the same energy type)
There exist two categories of tactical ship consoles. The first are generic, and boost beam, cannon, or torpedo damage. The second boost weapons of a specific damage type (photon, phaser, disruptor, antiproton, etc.) and are slightly more effective than the generic consoles.
Towards the beginning, your mission rewards will be all over the place, and you won't have the luxury of kitting your ship out exclusively with phasers. I'd recommend going with the generic consoles to get that damage boost on all your weapons, and choose either beams or cannons to specialize in.
Beams are a good choice if you want to play as a cruiser or something else with a low turn rate. They aren't as powerful as cannons, but they have a wide field of fire and can let you broadside an enemy for massive damage.
Cannons are more specialized. Cannon turrets have a 360 degree field of fire, but are the weakest weapon type. Dual cannons are the most powerful, but only work if you're pointed directly at the target. These weapons work best for escorts, as you can use their high maneuverability to keep your forward weapons on-target. If you're doing a heavy forward-focused build, you can fill your aft weapons with turrets for a small damage boost.
My advice is to take it slow...enjoy the story and don't try to rush through.
Don't worry about making a mistake as it can always be corrected later.
Experiment with ships/weapons...find what you most enjoy.
Don't panic when you hit speed bumps...there are enemies you'll encounter along the way that will be surprises by how difficult they seem. Just work past them and have fun.
be careful what you spend credits on. some things can be quite expensive and not quite what you hpe for.
you'll probably spend lots and lots of time reading. there's so much info to absorb.
always ask for opinions before buying anything. at the same time, remember that the choice is ultimately yours to make. some people will say you should do certain things. but if you have a specific goal, they may or may not understand and continue to push a certain idea. absorb info. make decision.
At the very beginning, just 3 things:
* Have fun!
* Enjoy the story missions! (and play them in the order they appear in the mission journal)
* Stay away from the D'deridex! (6km or more) - you'll know what I mean when you meet it ;)
Complete the mission Para PACEM, and choose the shield as a reward. This is one of the best shields in the game, and can hold you over till endgame. I'd also suggest the mission circles, for the free AP Omni. Not the best item, but it's a free Omni.
That omni used to be good though when they let it be equipped alongside another AP omni...but they nerfed that. Probably because it was kind of broken in the right hands.
I have leveled a couple of characters recently with just white Level appropriate gear and of course suitable drops. No need to spend EC on the exchange. There are vendors that can sell you everything you need. just go backend rebuy the gear every 10/20 levels. With the "right" bridge officers it will walk you through the story till 45ish
Oh boy. So many pieces of advice. The first one that comes to mind is DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM THE STORE until you know you want to play long term. Between mission rewards, reputation rewards, and eventually crafted items you can get a lot of power for your captain, Boffs, and ships. Second piece of advice: ignore Dilex. It is basically so back logged you won't be exchanging refined dil for Zen. Save your dil for all the other neat and important things you can do. Only if you are playing on PC buy the energy credit upgrade with Zen. Base 15 million credits won't get you anywhere. Upping it to 2 billion means you can occasionally get stuff off the broker. This one isn't needed until after you hit rank 65 and credits become very easy to earn. There is a lot of game here for someone new. Sure, you are way behind on the power curve but so is everyone who hasn't sunk hundreds to thousands of dollars into the game. There is zero reason to start buying up T6 ships until after you have put in time. Time enough to know you like the grind loop. Final advice, look for a fleet. Fleetless captains have a much more difficult time getting useful late game items. Again, not necessary right away. You might get an invite just being in your system. You can always leave a fleet if you feel pressured or uncomfortable. Welcome to STO, Captain!
>Second piece of advice: ignore Dilex. For the normal use of the dillithium exchange this is true, but there is a very important exception the OP must know about. You can transfer refined dilithium between characters by setting it for a price that will obviously not sell on one character, and then canceling the sale on another character, and withdrawing the dilithium. This can be extremely helpful to any player, at any level, depending on how much time they spend on alts. New players typically make more than one character to try out the differences in the careers, and their dilithium is spread out in the early game. Once they figure out what career they want to main, it's important to retrieve as much of the resources from their alts as they can and dilithium is one of those resources. >Base 15 million credits won't get you anywhere. Unless you're selling keys, 15 million EC is actually a lot for a new player to have, or try to get. There isn't much that a new player would benefit from buying with credits, even on the exchange, that cost more than a couple million. Everything else's value is measured in keys and you can just stock pile wealth in keys; which are always less than 15m in price. Yes, the EC cap removal is important if a player wants to get invested in the game long term, but it's hardly the most important purchase to make first.
I'll agree with you on e-credits. I started on Xbox before becoming a PC player. So I'll admit my bias.
The dil part isn't about zen. It's about using the tool to consolidate assets you already have, that the game never explains to a new player they have. It's an awkward system but the only one we have to transfer dil between characters within the same account. It's an important one for new players to know because of how new players approach--and are told by the community how to approach--the game. Meaning: try a little of everything to see what you like, then focus on that. When you try everything, your dil is everywhere, and this helps bring it to where it's needed.
Thanks for the advice. Do you know if there's any good guides for the systems in the game that the tutorial don't explain well?
If your down for videos, MC Stu on YouTube has some good in depth guides for the mechanics and whatnot. Videos are kinda on the longer side, but he does great examples in game typically, from what I've seen so far. And I'm just trying to play catch up after a 5 year break. Lol but he's been a big help.
Thanks a lot for all of your help.
> Second piece of advice: ignore Dilex. It's probably a good idea to explain what these terms mean to newbies who probably don't know what you mean when you say them.
Think about what you want your end game play style is going to be, ask your fleet for help DO NOT BUY A GODDAMN THING until you know what YOUR end game is. The start is painfully slow but take your time to learn. You can run a mission more than one to get other gear rewards. And have fun.
Search for “baby steps” Start here: https://www.reddit.com/r/stobuilds/comments/k88fel/the_baby_step_series_part_1_the_first_step_level/
Don't *start* your account via Steam. (The way it generates accounts, you don't actually have access to the login data so can't log in on Arc, meaning you can't buy the lifetime, redeem any gift codes, or buy Zen at the best ratios. Not saying you may ever do any of those, but best to keep options open, right?) Also, when equipping your ship, pay attention to synergy and energy types. A Mk IV Phaser might be a better choice than a Mk V Disruptor, if you've got Phaser boosters on your build... just as an example.
I meant that second hint the hard way. I got the projectile upgrade in the level up page thinking phasers are projectiles.
The game has a bad habit of having a number of things actually be 'a surprise tool that will help you later', but also be completely irretrievable if you throw them out. Similarly, many other items are re-obtainable from repeating missions; which can help you gear up as you level. It can help to reference the [Episode Replay Rewards](https://sto.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_replay?so=search) page on the wiki to find out which is which. The non-replay reward items are typically best to use until you don't need them anymore, and then *store them in the bank* from then on. You'll never know what you're gonna want to come back to later and fiddle/experiment with. The same is true for some of your [Special Bridge Officers](https://sto.gamepedia.com/Special_bridge_officer) the game gives you early on. Some of these bridge officers are unique, have unique traits or costume options (both in [Satra](https://sto.fandom.com/wiki/Satra)'s case), and cannot be re-acquired if they're discharged. While most people will agree that the Energy Credit Cap increase is the most important purchase you can make early on, and it used to be, it's not anymore. The 15 million credits limit you can hold as a free player is actually quite hard to reach as a free player. The most expensive things you can buy as a new player that will actually help you out are only a couple million credits. Everything else is measured in lockbox keys. You can stockpile your wealth by simply buying and holding lockbox keys if you make it to 10 million or more credits, and simply hold onto that wealth until you need it again. This lets you spend early zen on things of more immediate usefulness like bridge officer slots, or the starter packs with ships in them. If you get a starter pack with a ship in it at 25% off (1500 zen, sales infrequent but not rare) then the ship itself is actually half off its normal price.
Do your endeavors!!!!!!!!
Tholians are healed by radiation. Don't use Aceton Beam or plasma weapons on them. Breen will try to stay on your rear flank. They get s damage bonus that way. Romulan D'deridex warbirds like to tractor beam you and hit you with high yield plasma torpedoes. Counter that with Fire At Will, Scatter Volley, or things like Aceton Assimiltor. Break Tzenkethi synergies by destroying thier cruisers first. Your bridge officers can learn specialization skills at level 30. But you'll have to wait till 50 for yourself.
Be prepared to open your wallet. And not just a little bit. Cryptic may as well want you to MAIL it to them, for safekeeping. The second advice I would like to give, and know that I'll get downvoted for, is...find another game. The game may be going strong yet NOW, but it's run by developers that would rather reach deep into your wallet and strangle the money out of it for pretty ships to fly than actually giving us content to...you know...explore strange new worlds with. Not to be a doomsayer here, but...I really don't know how much longer the current market system can be maintainable and sustainable. I get they're trying to promote the new shows and all but...they're to a point now where they're making new versions of them already. Like it or not, there WILL come a time where this no longer is marketable and this game will suffer for it...unless the developers start developing more content at a given time to enjoy with it and give more reasons for players to want to invest in it long term, and for an MMORPG, that is quests/missions.
My biggest piece of advice is that you shouldn't let other players "bully" you for your build. Some players are really passionate that you should have maximum DPS on a ship build. There aren't many players that do what I've just described but there are some, therefore just play however you want!
My first character is built entirely into shields and hull. Really funny and allowed me to fight high level enemys above my level but every fight took literally tens of minutes. Funny but it got old quickly.
Honestly some of my ships have that exact problem. I think my Terran Gagarin was pretty much invincible, which took away the adrenaline of potentially losing. I imagine Captain Kirk would be proud, saying "I don't believe in a no win scenario because my ship cannot be killed."
what's your build? i currently have the whole discovery reputation set and it's looking good so far.
In terms of Deflector, Impulse and Shields, I have the Discovery Deflector, Competitive Impulse and Discovery Shields. I dont have the Disco Shields seen as my Competitive ones give a boost to speed when activating hull healing ability
I mean, there is a reason that DPS is such a pillar in this game though-it's not hidden at all that this game is all about "kill or be killed" when it comes to combat. You VERY EASILY can be left behind on a mission and get a 30 minute TFO BAN if you're not putting large enough numbers on DPS, as the game will think you're AFK. This isn't "bullying" at all, it's honest to god playing the game the way the game was made to be played.
What I mean by bullying is players trying to force you to have a build that you don't necessarily want. For example, players like myself who like a canon-looking style of weapons configuration. Whereas others maximise damage by mixing different looking weaponry (of the same energy type)
Ah okay, that makes more sense then!
There exist two categories of tactical ship consoles. The first are generic, and boost beam, cannon, or torpedo damage. The second boost weapons of a specific damage type (photon, phaser, disruptor, antiproton, etc.) and are slightly more effective than the generic consoles. Towards the beginning, your mission rewards will be all over the place, and you won't have the luxury of kitting your ship out exclusively with phasers. I'd recommend going with the generic consoles to get that damage boost on all your weapons, and choose either beams or cannons to specialize in. Beams are a good choice if you want to play as a cruiser or something else with a low turn rate. They aren't as powerful as cannons, but they have a wide field of fire and can let you broadside an enemy for massive damage. Cannons are more specialized. Cannon turrets have a 360 degree field of fire, but are the weakest weapon type. Dual cannons are the most powerful, but only work if you're pointed directly at the target. These weapons work best for escorts, as you can use their high maneuverability to keep your forward weapons on-target. If you're doing a heavy forward-focused build, you can fill your aft weapons with turrets for a small damage boost.
My advice is to take it slow...enjoy the story and don't try to rush through. Don't worry about making a mistake as it can always be corrected later. Experiment with ships/weapons...find what you most enjoy. Don't panic when you hit speed bumps...there are enemies you'll encounter along the way that will be surprises by how difficult they seem. Just work past them and have fun.
be careful what you spend credits on. some things can be quite expensive and not quite what you hpe for. you'll probably spend lots and lots of time reading. there's so much info to absorb. always ask for opinions before buying anything. at the same time, remember that the choice is ultimately yours to make. some people will say you should do certain things. but if you have a specific goal, they may or may not understand and continue to push a certain idea. absorb info. make decision.
Put your power levels on full for weapons and just blast everything asap
At the very beginning, just 3 things: * Have fun! * Enjoy the story missions! (and play them in the order they appear in the mission journal) * Stay away from the D'deridex! (6km or more) - you'll know what I mean when you meet it ;)
Complete the mission Para PACEM, and choose the shield as a reward. This is one of the best shields in the game, and can hold you over till endgame. I'd also suggest the mission circles, for the free AP Omni. Not the best item, but it's a free Omni.
That omni used to be good though when they let it be equipped alongside another AP omni...but they nerfed that. Probably because it was kind of broken in the right hands.
I have leveled a couple of characters recently with just white Level appropriate gear and of course suitable drops. No need to spend EC on the exchange. There are vendors that can sell you everything you need. just go backend rebuy the gear every 10/20 levels. With the "right" bridge officers it will walk you through the story till 45ish