The Unofficial Star Trek Online Federation Guide

The Unofficial Star Trek Online Federation Guide
IMPORTANT
The Short Version
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Table of Contents
Important.......................................................2
Ensign Bridge Officer Skills.................40
The short version.......................................2
Lieutenant Bridge Officer Skills...........43
The long version........................................2
Lt. Commander Bridge Officer Skills....48
Introduction...................................................5
Commander Bridge Officer Skills.........52
Character Creation.........................................6 Weapons and Equipment.............................55
Captains....................................................6 Ship Weapons..........................................55
Career Paths.........................................6
Beam Weapons...................................56
Tactical Officer.................................6
Projectile Weapons..............................56
Science Officer..................................6 Ship Equipment.......................................56
Engineering Officer...........................7
Shields................................................57
Species Bonuses...................................7
Deflector Dishes..................................57
Additional Starting Traits......................9
Impulse Engines..................................58
Bridge Officers.........................................10
Consoles.............................................58
Acquiring Bridge Officers....................11
Devices...............................................58
Strategies for Selecting Bridge Officers
Commodities.......................................58
............................................................11 Ground Weapons.....................................59
Starting Ship............................................12 Ground Equipment..................................59
Ships............................................................13
Personal Shields..................................60
Cruisers...................................................14
Armor..................................................60
Cruiser Stats.......................................14
Kits......................................................60
Escorts.....................................................15
Devices...............................................61
Escort Stats.........................................15 Banks......................................................61
Science Vessels.......................................16 Leveling and Advancement..........................63
Science Vessel Stats...........................16 Grades vs. Ranks.....................................63
Combat Overview........................................18 Skill Point Spending Strategy...................64
Space Combat.........................................18
Retraining (Respecs)...........................65
Basics..................................................18 Training and Promoting Bridge Officers...65
Redirecting Shield Power....................19 Missions.......................................................67
Subsystem Settings............................20 Storyline Episodes...................................67
Beams vs. Torpedoes..........................21
Tutorial Mission Walkthrough..............67
Ground Combat.......................................21
Episode Walkthroughs.........................70
Basics..................................................22
Stranded in Space..........................70
Bridge Officer Commands...................23
Diplomatic Orders...........................70
Flanking..............................................24
Hide and Seek................................71
Expose and Exploit..............................24
Stop the Signal...............................73
Pausing...............................................25
Neutral Zone Diplomacy.................73
Kit Selection........................................25
The Kuvah'Magh.............................74
Skills............................................................26
War is Good for Business................74
Starfleet Skills.........................................26
To Boldly Go...................................75
Starfleet Lieutenant Skills...................27
Treasure Trading System................76
Starfleet Lt. Commander Skills............28
Secret Orders.................................76
Starfleet Commander Skills.................29
Task Force Hippocrates..................77
Starfleet Captain Skills........................31
City on the Edge of Never...............78
Starfleet Admiral Skills........................32 Exploration Missions................................80
Engineering Skills....................................33 Patrol Missions.........................................81
Science Officer Skills...............................36 PvP and FvF Zones..................................81
Tactical Officer Skills...............................38 War Zones (Competitive PvE)..................82
Bridge Officer Skills.................................39 Federation Economics..................................83

Energy Credits.........................................83
Exchanges...........................................83
Replicators..........................................84
Starfleet Merits........................................84
Badges of Exploration..............................85
Anomalous Data (Crafting)......................86

Commander
Romaine's
Upgrade
Formulas.............................................87
The C-Store.............................................89
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Federation! In the world of Star Trek Online, all players start here.
Why is that? Some people are attracted to Federation characters for role-playing (RP)
reasons, inspired by the numerous television shows, movies and novels. They want to create
captains that follow in the footsteps of Kirk, Picard and Janeway.
There's an even simpler reason, though: the Federation is the only playable faction for
STO newcomers. A little bit of advancement is required to unlock Klingon characters, and
other potential playable factions like the Romulans and Cardassians remain on the drawing
board for the time being.
Fortunately, the Federation offers a little bit of something for everyone. Fed characters
enjoy a wealth of Player-versus-Enemy (PvE) content organized into Seasons and
Episodes, as well as the chance to explore previously uncharted worlds. There are also
opportunities to serve on the front lines of the conflict with the Klingons in consensual
Player-versus-Player (PvP) zones.
Read on for information and tips on how to get the most out of every aspect of your STO
Federation experience.
CHARACTER
CREATION
reasons: it has a direct bearing on the

captain's abilities in away team (groundbased) situations and determines the types
of kits the captain can use.
Tactical Officer
nlike many other MMOs, STO
If you want to play your captain as the
avatars consist of more than
first person into a firefight, this is the way
just a single person or creature.
to go. Tactical Officer is the most direct
A captain can't go it alone, so your
combat-based career and the most intuitive
Federation
for STO newcomers.
avatar
also
includes
bridge
officers and one of numerous different

types of starships.
The special abilities for Tactical Officers

focus on either dealing damage directly,
aiding the stealth capabilities of the away
Captains
team or providing group combat buffs.

Tactical kits generally provide additional
Following real life naval tradition, your
attack options, either by offering secondary
main character is referred to as a captain
ranged
regardless of his or rank within Starfleet.
attacks.
attacks
or
beefing
up
melee
The gender, name and appearance of your
Science Officer
captain are all completely customizable at

the start of the game. Other decisions
involving
your
captain
are
more
This
is
the
most
direct
Federation
than
equivalent to the buff/debuff classes from
cosmetic and require some more thought
other popular MMOs. Science Officers learn
as to your desired play style.
abilities that affect combat by putting

enemies at a disadvantage (especially via
holds or resistance debuffs) or by aiding
Career Paths
fellow away team members.
STO allows for a lot more flexibility than

many other MMOs in terms of progression
and the roles each player can play in
combat. However, the captain's career path
decision is still an important one for two

Healing is also an important ability for
Humans get the usual jack-of-all-
Science Officers, though it doesn't define
trades role in the STO universe.
them like it does in some other games.
They get a 15% bonus to ship repair
Though this can be a tricky path for
and a 5% team bonus to Exploit
beginners, it doesn't take too much time to
attacks, a special kind of attack that
see the value and power Science provides.
takes advantage of a weakened foe.
Engineering Officer
Specializing in the technology of the STO

universe,
Engineering
Officers
are
Andorians have heightened senses

that are helpful in combat. They
the
receive 20% bonuses to spotting
support people for the Federation. A key
enemies using Stealth and 10%
ability learned early on is the power to
bonuses to personal Exploit attacks.
recharge the personal shields of away team

members,
which
greatly
increases
the
chances of surviving ground combat.
Bajorans make good Science or

Engineering officers thanks to their
special abilities.
Along with 5%
That shield-boosting quality also allows
bonuses to healing or damage using
Engineers to fill the tank role familiar to
kits, they get a 10% bonus from
players of other MMOs. Kits used in this
heals used on them and speedier
path can bring turrets, drones and mines
regeneration of health.
into play, tilting battlefield conditions in the

player's favor.
Benzites have natural armor that

make them effective tanks. That
armor gives them built-in damage
Species Bonuses
Many
Federation
players
have
resistance to energy and physical

RP
attacks as well as radiation and toxic
motivations for choosing the species of
damage.
their captains thanks to TV and the movies.

But there are game-based reasons for
Betazoids have mental powers not
choosing carefully here, as every species
found
in
has several innate abilities.
empathy
other
reduces
species.
Their
aggro
and
increases regeneration for the whole

away team, and their telepathy has
several small beneficial effects.
Bolians get one of the least useful
allowing
bonuses. They have corrosive blood
combinations for advanced players.
that can deal damage to enemies
On the cosmetic side, aliens also
but
have
only
under
very
specific
circumstances and 20% damage
Saurians are reptilians with innate

resistances to fire, plasma and toxic
Damage-over-TIme
(DoT)
effects.
They also share the same Stealth

detection and Exploit bonuses with
Andorians.
Trill characters get an increased

metabolism as their only species
ability. This grants them increased
health
regeneration
and
some
resistance to radiation and toxic

damage.
Vulcans
whose
are
logical
well-known
minds
give
race
them
resistances to Psionic attacks and

Confuse or Placate effects. They're
also tough hand-to-hand combatants
thanks to a 10% melee damage
bonus.
Aliens are a catch-all category that

allows players to create a unique
species that hasn't officially joined
the Federation. Aliens can choose all
four
of
their
special
very
much
appearance options.
resistance to toxic attacks.
for
abilities,
specialized
larger
set
of
Additional Starting Traits
Peak Health
+10% Toxic DR
and max hit
points
Physical Strength
+10% Physical
melee damage
Resilient
+5% Energy and

Physical DR
Soldier
+5% Energy
damage, +10
Critical hit
severity
Stubborn
+40% Run Speed

resistance, +20%
Hold resistance,
+50% Placate
resistance
Sturdy
+10% Physical
and Kinetic DR
and Knockback
resistance
Sure Footed
+40% Root
resistance, +12%
Knockback
resistance
Telekinesis
Extra attack
doing15 Physical
damage and 30
ft. Knockback
Telepathic
+20 Stealth
detection, +1.5%
Expose chance, 1
sec. Expose
duration
On top of the species bonuses, captains

get to pick from a pool of additional starting
traits that grant extra bonuses. These traits
come in both ground-based and spacebased categories:
Ground Trait
Bonuses
Acute Senses
+20% Stealth
detection, +10%
Exploit damage
Aggressive
+5% to all
Damage, +5%
Threat Generation
(aggro)
Cold Blooded
+10% Plasma and

+25% Fire
damage
resistance(DR)
Covert
+10% Stealth
strength
Creative
+5% to kit
healing or
damage
Lucky
+3% Critical hit

chance
Mental Discipline
+15% Psionic DR,

+20% resistance
to Confuse and
Placate
Natural
Immunities
+33% Radiation
and Toxic DR

Bridge Officers come in the same three
Space Trait
Bonuses
Accuracy
+0.1 to hit w/
space weapons
weaknesses when it comes to ground
+10 Starship
Operations skill
training
is where they really shine, granting ships
Astrophysicist
Efficient
Elusive
Techie
Warp Theorist
flavors as captains, and their strengths and

combat are pretty much the same. In space
extra powers they wouldn't otherwise have.
+5 to all Starship
subsystems
Tactical Bridge Officers enhance

the damage done by ship weapons,
with individual powers focused on
+0.1 Defense to
space weapons
beam weapons or torpedoes. They

also have Attack Patterns that can
+10 Starship
Engineering skill
training
increase turning speed, erase status

effects like Holds and grant other
abilities for short periods of time.
+10 Starship
Warp Core skill
training
Science
Bridge
Officers
bring
their buff/debuff game to space

battles.
Common
powers
include
Captains can select a number of traits
tractor beams to induce Holds, other
equal to four minus the number of species
beams to reduce enemy shields and
traits. For example, Humans have two
holoprojectors to Confuse opposing
species traits and can pick two additional,
ships.
while Aliens have no species traits and can

pick four from the tables above.
Engineering Bridge Officers are

experts at rerouting power between
a
Bridge Officers
ship's
subsystems.
The
Emergency Power to Shields and

Emergency
What good would a Federation captain

be without a competent crew to assist him
or her? Bridge officers help grant additional
abilities to starships during space combat
and fill out the remainder of the five-person
Away Teams for ground-based missions.
10
abilities
Power
are
general boosts.
to
extremely
Weapons
useful
Acquiring Bridge Officers
path, it only makes sense that you would

want Bridge Officers with Science and
When you roll a new STO Federation

captain, you start with no Bridge Officers.
Engineering abilities to ensure your team is

well-rounded.
You'll gain the first one by the end of the

tutorial mission and have a chance to add
several others fairly early on.
There's another good reason to seek out

at least one Bridge Officer of each type as
soon as possible, and that's in order to
As your captain progresses in rank and
have all of the consoles on your ship
gains access to larger ships, the amount of
properly manned. Our starting ship (about
Bridge Officers you can have at one time
which you'll learn more in the next section)
will increase as well. New additions to your
has one Enginering, one Science and one
crew can come as grade rewards or mission
Tactical console. Manning each console
rewards, including some special missions
with the corresponding type of Bridge
that will allow you access to Bridge Officers
Officer will allow you to have access to
that can't be obtained through any other
three special abilities in space combat
methods.
situations.
Starfleet merits can also be used to
As your captain progresses in rank and
requisition Bridge Officer candidates at the
gains access to new types of ships, you'll
Earth
discover that each category of ship has a
Spacedock
or
other
Starbases
throughout Federation space.
different mix of console types. That will

become a main consideration going forward
in terms of how many of each type of
Strategies for Selecting

Bridge Officers
Bridge Officer you want around.

Don't forget that Bridge Officers also
Since all types of abilities are useful in
make up the bulk of your away team in
STO, it's easy to see why you would want to
ground-based missions. You can choose
choose Bridge Officers to compliment your
Officers that aren't assigned to consoles on
captain's talents. For instance, if you chose
your ship to the away team and can change
Tactical Officer for your captain's career
the
make-up
of
the
team
in-between
missions, but it's still a good idea to have a

variety of options at your disposal.
11
Starting Ship
Here again, the right Bridge Officers can

truly maximize your away team's abilities. If
your captain is a Tactical Officer, he can do
more of the damage-dealing himself and
Throughout
your
Federation
career,
could use the support of several Science or
you'll have the chance to operate several
Engineering
and/or
different types and classes of starships. But
captain's
at the beginning of the game, all captains
career path is Science, you may find having
start out with the same ship, a Light
multiple Tactical Bridge Officers on your
Cruiser.
defense.
away
types
for
Conversely,
team
ensures
healing
if
your
that
you
aren't
outgunned.
You
will
be
able
to
change
the
appearance of your starting ship at no

charge thanks to a reward at the end of the
It's also important to note that no two
tutorial mission, but achieving the rank of
Bridge Officers are alike, even if they have
Lt. Commander is the only way to be able
the
to fly new ships on missions.
same
each
have
on
their
Your Light Cruiser has two forward
species, just like your captain, and they
weapons slots and one aft (rear), along with
have access to different ground and space
one of each type of console (Engineering,
abilities as well.
Science and Tactical). The mix of weapons
different
specialty.
bonuses
They
depending
and equipment is always the same when

As you encounter situations where you
you first begin your Starfleet career, but
have the option to take on new Bridge
you'll very quickly be able to swap some of
Officers, it pays to spend a few moments to
it out for improved gear found as drops left
examine their inherent abilities. Though
behind by defeated enemies or as rewards
they can be trained to learn the specific
for completed missions.
abilities you's like them to have, it's often

possible to find the ones you want just by
chance.
12
SHIPS
As you may have discovered with your

starting ship, each type of ship actually has
three classes for example, the Light
Cruiser category encompasses the Miranda,
hat would a good Starfleet
ShiKahr and Centaur classes and you're
captain
free to choose from any of the three when
be
starship?
without
Though
his
every
you
select
new
ship.
However
the
Fed player starts with an identical Light
differences between the classes are strictly
Cruiser, as soon as you achieve the rank of
cosmetic and don't affect gameplay.
Lieutenant Commander, you'll have some

choices to make as to what kind of ship
you'd like to command.
One final note on choosing ships: it may

seem like there is an obvious choice to
make for your ship type based on your
Ships fall into three basic categories:
career path. At first glance, Escorts seem
Cruisers, Escorts and Science Vessels. Each
right for Tactical Officers, Cruisers for
category
Engineers and Science Vessels for Science
has
weaknesses,
its
own
allowing
for
strengths
a
and
variety
of
Officers.
different play styles. Ships are also divided

into five tiers which correspond to the
minimum rank you need to use each one.
There's some logic in that thinking,

because players who choose to be Tactical
Officers, for instance, probably are apt to
One nice thing about STO is that it
think offense first in both ground and space
doesn't make you commit to one type of
battles. But you may find that a different
ship for the rest of your Fed career.
You
type of ship works better for you based on
could potentially switch up the category of
how you like to play in space, and thanks to
ship you select every time you achieve a
the varied abilities your Bridge Officers
new rank (you can also buy a new ship if
bring to the table, there's really no penalty
you rack up enough energy credits), though
for thinking outside the box here. Don't be
you will likely find that doing so may not be
afraid to go against the grain.
the most efficient use of the skill points

you've earned. Still, the option is there.
13
Cruisers
Classes:
Cheyenne,
Stargazer
and
Dakota
Crew: 500
Versatility is the main advantage a
Weapon Slots: 3 front, 3 rear
cruiser brings into play. They carry large
Device Slots: 4
crews, allowing for rapid repair of hull
Tactical Stations: 1 Lieutenant
damage and easy use of abilities that focus
Engineering Stations: 1 Lt. Commander,
on boarding parties or engineering teams.
1 Ensign
Science Stations: 1 Lieutenant
Cruisers also have the most power to

distribute
Fittingly,
among
they
their
have
subsystems.
more
Console Upgrades: 1 Tactical, 1 Science,

3 Engineering
Engineering
console stations than other ships.
Tier 4: Exploration Cruiser

Classes: Galaxy, Celestial and Envoy
Because of their large size, cruisers give

up
something
in
speed
Crew: 1,000
and
maneuverability.
Device Slots: 4
Engineering Stations: 1 Commander, 1
Cruiser Stats
Lieutenant
Tier 2: Cruiser
Classes:
Constitution,
Excalibur
and
Vesper

3 Engineering
Crew: 400
Tier 5: Assault Cruiser
Device Slots: 4
Classes: Sovereign, Noble and Majestic
Tactical Stations: 1 Ensign
Crew: 800
Engineering
Stations:
Ensign,
Lieutenant
Device Slots: 4
Science Stations: 1 Ensign
Tactical Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1 Ensign
2 Engineering
Lieutenant Commander
Tier 3: Heavy Cruiser
14
Escort Stats

4 Engineering
Tier 2: Escort
Tier 5: Star Cruiser
Classes:
Avenger,
Classes: Saber, Rapier and Ushaan

Vanguard
and
Crew: 50
Emissary
Crew: 1,000
Device Slots: 2
Device Slots: 4
Engineering Stations: 1 Ensign
Science Stations: 1 Ensign
Lt. Commander
1 Engineering
Science Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1 Ensign

Tier 3: Heavy Escort
4 Engineering
Classes: Akira, Oslo and Zephyr

Crew: 100
Escorts
Though
the
Federation
Device Slots: 2
Tactical Stations: 1 Lt. Commander, 1
has
always
Ensign
maintained that it doesn't have ships built
Engineering Stations: 1 Lieutenant
specifically for war, Escorts are pretty good
at it. They tend to be small but mighty,
packing plenty of firepower including
1 Engineering
cannons, which other ships can't use and

marrying it with superior straight-line and
Tier 4: Tactical Escort
turning speed.
Classes: Defiant, Vigilant and Gallant

Crew: 50
On the minus side, their small crews
mean that hull repairs are slow and they
Device Slots: 4
aren't the best with boarding party abilities.
Tactical
Their shields are also relatively weak,
Lieutenant
Stations:
Commander,
meaning a good defense is usually a really
good offense.
15
Science Vessels

2 Engineering
Tier 5: Advanced Escort
Classes:
Prometheus,
Intended to be the showcase for the

Phoenix
and
Cerberus
most
advanced
Federation
technology,
Science Vessels boast the most powerful
Crew: 150
shields and sensors of any ships. The
former is self-explanatory, while the latter
Device Slots: 2
pays off with an edge for any abilities that
Tactical Stations: 1 Commander, 1 Lt.
rely on deflector dishes or arrays.
Commander
Science Vessels aren't intended to be
primary front-line combat ships, so their
hulls can't stand up to as much damage as
3 Engineering
Cruisers or Escorts. They do have an

inherent ability to detect cloaked ships,
Tier 5: Fleet Escort
which is extremely beneficial when going
Classes: Hermes, Gryphon and Dervish
up against the Klingons.
Crew: 200
Science Vessel Stats
Device Slots: 2
Tactical Stations: 1 Commander, 1 Lt.
Tier 2: Science Vessel
Commander
Classes: Nova, Aurora and Quasar
Engineering Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1
Crew: 100
Ensign
Device Slots: 3
Tactical Stations: 1 Ensign
2 Engineering
Engineering Stations: 1 Ensign

1 Engineering
Tier 3: Research Science Vessel
Classes: Olympic, Hope and Horizon
16

Crew: 400
Tier 5: Deep Space Science Vessel
Device Slots: 3
Classes: Trident, Oracle and Destiny
Crew: 500
Science Stations: 1 Lt. Commander, 1
Device Slots: 3
Ensign

1 Engineering
Engineering Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1

Ensign
Science Stations: 1 Commander, 1 Lt.
Tier 4: Long Range Science Vessel

Classes:
Intrepid,
Cochrane
Commander
and
Discovery

3 Engineering
Crew: 200
Device Slots: 3
Science
Stations:
Commander,
Lieutenant
2 Engineering
Tier 5: Reconnaissance Science Vessel
Classes: Luna, Sol and Polaris
Crew: 350
Device Slots: 3
Science Stations: 1 Commander, 1 Lt.
Commander
2 Engineering
17
COMBAT
OVERVIEW
ven
and the least time exposing your weak

points.
However the battles do unfold in real
time, often leaving you little time to think
once you're in the thick of the action.
mission is one of exploration,
Having a plan before engaging the enemy
scientific
is always a smart idea.
things
the
weapons and shields facing your enemy
Federation's
peacekeeping,
though
spending the most time with your strongest
discovery
never
stay
and
too
Basics
friendly in the STO universe for long. When

the shooting starts, it helps to know how to
win battles in space or on land.
Except
in
some
very
rare
mission-
specific situations, your goal in any space

battle will be to reduce the hull hit points of
Space Combat
the enemy ship or ships to zero before

yours does the same. Your current hull
status is represented by the ship icon at the
Battles between large starships are a
bottom center of the screen, while the ship
staple of STO's source material and a major
you are targeting has a similar icon at the
focus of the game. It's a rare mission that
top of the screen. Hull damage is slowly
doesn't involve even one encounter with an
repaired by your ship's crew as long as it is
enemy ship, and it's not uncommon to face
not taking damage.
wave after wave of opponents in some

cases.
Anyone who knows the STO universe

knows that shields are important to space
The space combat system is similar to
combat. Though some damage can slip
that of EVE Online in that it doesn't rely on
through to the hull even when shields are
reflexes and who has the fastest trigger
at full power, eliminating the shields allows
finger. It's more about positioning and
all the damage from weapons to apply
utilizing your ship's resources effectively,
directly to the hull.
18

Shields have separate hit points for the
fires all of your beam weapons that can
front, back and both sides of every ship,
currently hit your target, while pressing
and are displayed in both numeric and color
control-spacebar does the same for torpedo
bar form around the ship icons. The game
weapons.
will give you an audible cue when either

your facing shield or your opponent's is
completely down.
In order to keep your ship facing the

correct direction for shield and weapon
purposes, you'll want to be moving while
When it comes to ship weapons, firing
you fight. In combat situations, full impulse
arcs are the key. Every weapon has a
power is disabled, but your throttle still
specific arc
works the same way it does while flying in
within
which
in can
fire,
meaning keeping your ship facing so that
non-combat areas.
your current target is in the maximum

number of firing arcs simultaneously is a
key part of space combat.
Remember that turning speed is more

important than straight-line speed when it
comes to space battles. That means captain
Sometimes this leads to some counter-
and Bridge Officer abilities to increase
intuitive situations; for example, a ship with
turning speed are always helpful, and since
phasers with 210-degree firing arcs in the
turning in tight spaces isn't always possible
front and back can bring them both to bear
while running flat out, it often pays to ease
if one of its sides is facing the enemy. In
off the throttle just a bit in a fight.
general,
more
powerful
weapons
have
Redirecting Shield Power
smaller firing arcs, the better to help

balance them out.
One of the favorite tactics from Trek TV

Though all of you ship weapons are
shows and movies is not only viable in STO
automatically mapped to different number
but absolutely essential in some cases: re-
keys, it can sometimes be difficult to keep
routing your shield power in one particular
track of your weapons' firing arcs in the
direction. This is done by clicking on the
heat of battle. Fortunately, there are two
corresponding arrow on your ship icon at
helpful shortcuts: pressing the spacebar
the bottom of the screen.
19

Clicking
on
the
forward
arrow,
for
does this automatically when you use full
example, will take power from the side and
impulse power in non-combat situations,
rear shields to boost the forward shield.
routing much of the power to the engines to
Obviously, this weakens the other three
greatly increase speed.
sides, but that may not matter if an enemy

is pounding you from one direction.
The icons above the subsystems can

switch you quickly between four subsystem
Forcing
power
to
one
shield
is
settings. From left to right, they are:
temporary measure, but it can be very

helpful when you are faced with a single
enemy
and
want
to
keep
your
most
Attack Takes power from Engines

and
Auxiliary
to
boost
weapons
powerful weapons within their firing arcs.
while keeping Shields at normal
It's not as desirable when fending off
levels. This is a good scheme when
multiple attackers, as you need to worry
fighting a single powerful enemy
about
ship, especially if that ship is slower
taking
simultaneous
hits
from
multiple directions.
than
yours
and
the
loss
in
maneuverability won't hurt you.
Subsystem Settings
Defense The opposite of Attack,

this
setting
increases
power
to
Shields at the expense of Engines

Your ship has four subsystems which are
and
Auxiliary
while
keeping
represented by small icons on the bottom
Weapons unchanged. A good use for
of the screen between your shield and
this
weapons controls. From top to bottom, they
speedy but weak enemies, where
are
and
you wouldn't be able to keep up with
Auxiliary (things like sensors and deflector
them anyway and can simply shrug
dishes).
off incoming fire while you attack.
Weapons,
Shields,
Engines
The default setting evenly distributes the
setting
is
against
multiple
Speed Though it doesn't quite get

you
to
full
impulse
setting
subsystems.
decreasing Weapons and Shields,
it's
possible
to
while
change that distribution, taking power from
leaving
some areas to boost another. Your ship
you're in over your head and decide
20
Auxiliary
Engines
this
power from your ship's core to all four

However,
increases
levels,
untouched.
If
discretion would be the better part
Let's use your starting ship as an
of valor, this setting may allow you
example. It has phasers mounted in front
to outrun your foes and escape
and back with very wide firing arcs, along
combat altogether.
with a photon torpedo launcher in the front
Balanced This is the default setting
with a narrow firing arc. While your enemy's
with power evenly divided.
shields are still fairly strong, facing it with

your left or right side is best, as both
The settings can be changed at any

time, though it does take a few seconds for
phasers will be able to target and wear

down the shields.
the power to flow from one scheme to

another.
Once the enemy's facing shields are low

or down, it makes sense to turn the nose of
your ship around, where one phaser can
Beams vs. Torpedoes
still strike and the photon torpedoes can hit

for big hull damage.
During the tutorial mission, you'll learn

that beam weapons (like phasers and
disruptors)
are
more
effective
There are exceptions, of course, and
against
sometimes especially fast hostile ships will
shields while torpedoes (most famously
force you to simply throw whatever you can
photon torpedoes, basically the missiles of
at them while they buzz around. But in
the STO universe) do more damage directly
general, using beams against shields and
to a ship's hull. This is an important enough
torpedoes against the hull is the way to go.
concept that it's worth reinforcing here.
Ground Combat
Most of the time, you'll want to use your

beam
weapons
to
wear
down
your
opponents' shields and use torpedoes only

after
the
shields
are
considerably
Not every dispute in the STO universe
weakened or down completely. Torpedo
can be settled out in space. There are many
launchers have longer recharge times and
times your crew will have to get up close
smaller firing arcs compared to beam
and
weapons, so you don't want to waste
enemies, either on the surfaces of distant
them in less than optimal circumstances.
planets or after beaming aboard ships or

bases.
21
personal
with
the
Federation's

On the defensive side, double-tapping
Your captain won't fight alone, however,
any of the movement keys will make your
but as part of a five-person away team.
captain dive and roll in that direction. This
Except in missions where you are teaming
is a useful trick for getting out of tight
with other human-controlled captains, most
situations, like when you have enemies
often the team will be comprised of your
surrounding you, and briefly increases your
Bridge Officers.
chances of avoiding attacks. Note that the

dive move has a recharge time of several
During ground battles you control only
seconds.
your captain, but the other members of

your team will follow any orders you issue
The
to them and use their special abilities on
represents
command.
captain. The top bar shows the strength of

your
in
the
personal
damage
Basics
icon
until
the
upper-left
current
shield
it
status
which
reaches
corner
of
our
absorbs
zero
and
regenerates when you avoid taking any

damage for a specific amount of time and
After playing the tutorial mission, you'll

already
know
the
basics
of
the bottom bar displays your health. Similar
moving,
icons for the other members of your away
targeting and attacking using the keyboard.
team are arranged on the left side of the
The keys you'll use most often are the W, A,
screen.
S and D keys to move your captain and the

number keys to use your attacks and other
abilities.
The goal of ground battles is simple:

reduce your enemies to zero health before
they do the same to your away team. If
Also important is the C key, which will
your captain is reduced to zero health, you
allow your captain to aim his or her
will be unconscious and unable to continue
weapon. This increases the damage done
to fight. One of your Bridge Officers may be
by
able to revive you once they dispatch any
attacks
at
the
expense
of
slower
movement; pressing C again returns your
nearby foes.
captain to a normal movement state.
22

Conversely, your captain can revive
Still,
you
will
eventually
encounter
other unconscious members of the away
tougher foes and desire some more control
team
Cardiopulmonary
over your Bridge Officers. STO gives you
Resuscitation ability that all players know. If
that control by allowing you to issue
your entire away team is wiped (everyone
individual or group orders using the icons
is unconscious), you will have to start over
by the status bars on the left side of the
from the nearest respawn point.
screen.
using
the
The group commands run across the top

STO ground combat isn't as complex as
it is in some other MMOs, but there are
of the Officer status bars. From left to right,

they are:
subtleties and tactics to learn in order to

win battles against the tougher enemies
you'll run into during your Starfleet career.
Passive
Mode
Officers
not
attacked
by
to
This
tells
attack,
enemies.
your
even
They
if
will
continue to use heals and buffs.
Bridge Officer Commands
Attack
Mode
This
tells
crew
members to use attacks and special

The Bridge Officers who make up the
abilities as they see fit. Your Officers
bulk of your away team (or the generic

Security officers you have early in the
default to this mode.
Group Target Clicking this icon will
game) are capable combatants. In their
tell all of your Officers to target the
default state, they will follow your captain
same
around, taking his or her lead on when to
currently targeting. This is a very
start fighting. They will use their special
effective tactic when fighting boss-
ground abilities fairly intelligently and can
level enemies, as it focuses the
defeat many common enemies without
firepower of your entire away team
special instructions.
on one foe.
character
your
captain
is
Rally Point This sets a point to

which all of your Bridge Officers will
travel. It's handy for gathering the
members of your away team if they
23

get spread out during a battle, but
When fighting a particularly stubborn
as STO ground combat tends to take
enemy or mob, gaining flanking position
place in relatively small areas, it's
can be a big help. This simply means
not as crucial as you may think.
attacking from the sides or rear of your foe,

which allows your attacks to do extra
The final icon, Leave Team, allows you to
damage.
exit a group in cooperative missions where

you are teamed with other player-controlled
You can't order your Bridge Officers to
captains and is not applicable in situations
take flanking positions, so this tactic can be
where you are leading your own away
carried
team.
captain. When you see enemies engaged
out
most
effectively
by
your
with your Bridge Officers, you'll often have

Specific commands can be given to
individual away team members using the
opportunities to move around and dish out

flanking damage yourself.
icons to the left of their status bars. These

include Passive Mode, Active Mode and
Rally Point.
Note that your enemies can also take

advantage of flanking, but STO gives you
both visual and audio warnings to let you
Finally, the icons to the right of your
know when this is happening.
Bridge Officers can be used to activate their

ground abilities. As noted above, in Active
Expose and Exploit
Mode the Officers will use their abilities on

their
own
pretty
Both special abilities and the secondary
intelligently but there will still be plenty of
attacks of certain weapons can create the
times you will want a specific ability used at
Expose effect, which puts the target into a
exactly
vulnerable
the
and
right
generally
time.
Bridge
Officer
state
for
several
seconds.
abilities have visible recharge timers just
Though some STO players have expressed
like your captain's abilities so you can see
some displeasure at the lack of logic behind
when they are available.
why certain attacks work this way, it

shouldn't stop you from using them to your
advantage.
Flanking
24

Exploit attacks do extra damage once a
You get a total of 45 seconds of pause
target is Exposed. These are also available
time during each ground instance, so be
to you through the secondary attack modes
sure to use the time wisely. Commands can
of various ground weapons.
be issued to your Bridge Officers while the

mission is paused, making it a useful way to
The best way to use Expose and Exploit

together is to make sure your Bridge
make sure your attack plan is in order

before taking on a boss or a large mob.
Officers are equipped with weapons or

abilities that can Expose targets. Used in
Kit Selection
tandem with the group Target command

will almost ensure that sturdier boss-type
enemies will be left vulnerable at some
point during a fight.
One final way to give your away team

more options in ground combat situations is
to swap the kit your captain is wearing.
If your captain is armed with an Exploit-
Though kits will be covered in more detail
enabled weapon, you can hit the vulnerable
in the section on Weapons and Equipment,
targets yourself for extra damage. The icon
you should already know that every kit
on a weapon's Exploit attack will flash when
grants the wearer a different special ability,
your current target is Exposed, so you'll
and you can replace your captain's kit with
always know the right time to strike.
another one in your inventory at any time.

If you find your away team is continually
Pausing
getting wiped at the same spot on a ground

mission and you've tried everything else,
If the heat of battle gets to be too much
try looking through your available kits to
and you find yourself overwhelmed, you
see if there is an attack or ability that might
can use the Pause Zone button on the right
help.
side of the screen to get a brief respite.

There isn't an in-game explanation for why
you can stop time, but the Federation has
some pretty cool technology, so try not to
worry about it too much!
25
SKILLS
TO is a skill-based game. That's not unusual for an MMO, but since your
Federation captain doesn't have any attributes things you may see in other
games like strength, agility, intelligence and the like skills truly are the
foundation upon which your character is built.

The career path you chose at the beginning of the game affects the skills available to
you, but not as much as you might think. That's because the majority of skills are available
to anyone, and only a small percentage of the overall number of skills is restricted by
career.
The STO skill system also has an interesting twist in that it doesn't rely on prerequisites.
Though a new selection of skills is opened up every time your captain advances in rank, all
of them are available regardless of the previous skills you've chosen to invest in.
The result is a lot of flexibility in the way you decide to build your character. Very
specialized builds are possible and make sense for certain space-based skills as you
progress. But more general builds, spreading Skill Points around a broader selection of skills,
are also viable.
Starfleet Skills
These skills are able to be learned by any captain, regardless of career path. Most of
them are related to improving the performance of your ship, but some of the ones that can
be trained early in the game give general bonuses to your Bridge Officers.
26
Starfleet Lieutenant Skills

Skill Name
Cost Per Level
Effect
Engineering Team Leader
100 pts.
Boosts Modification
Training and Maintenance
Training skills of
Engineering Bridge
Officers
Science Team Leader
100 pts.
Boosts Scientific Theory

and Scientific Practice
skills of Science Bridge
Officers
Starship Attack Vectors
100 pts.
Boosts accuracy of space

attacks and abilities that
use starship attack
vectors
Starship Command
100 pts.
Boosts hull strength,

turning speed and engine
speed of any starship
Starship Energy Weapons

Training
100 pts.
Boosts energy beam and

cannon damage and skills
that modify any energy
weapons
Starship Engineering
Training
100 pts.
Boosts starship system

performance abilities
Starship Operations
Training
100 pts.
Boosts starship sensor,

deflector and emitter
abilities
Starship Projectile
Weapons Training
100 pts.
Boosts torpedo and mine

damage and skills that
modify both kinds of
weapons
Starship Warp Core

Training
100 pts.
Boosts power levels of

starship systems and
27
power management
abilities
Tactical Team Leader
100 pts.
Boosts Assault Training

and Close Combat
Training skills of Tactical
Bridge Officers
Starfleet Lt. Commander Skills

Skill
Cost Per Level
Effect
Cruiser Captain
200 pts.

speed of any type of
Cruiser
Escort Captain
200 pts.

Escort
Science Vessel Captain
200 pts.

Science Vessel
Starship Auxiliary Systems

Maintenance
200 pts.
Boosts starship auxiliary

system abilities
Starship Beam Weapons
200 pts.
Boosts damage of any

starship beam weapon
and abilities that modify
beam weapons
Starship Cannon Weapons
200 pts.
Boosts damage of any

starship cannon weapon
and abilities that modify
cannon weapons
Starship Deflectors
200 pts.
Boosts starship deflector

abilities
Starship Emitters
200 pts.
Boosts starship emitter
28
abilities
Starship Engine
Maintenance
200 pts.
Boosts starship engine

system abilities
Starship Mines
200 pts.
Boosts damage of starship

mine weapons and abilities
that modify mine weapons
Starship Sensors
200 pts.
Boosts starship sensor

abilities
Starship Shield
Maintenance
200 pts.
Boosts starship shield

system abilities
Starship Torpedo
Weapons
200 pts.
Boosts torpedo weapons

damage as well as abilities
that modify torpedo
weapons
Starship Weapons System

Maintenance
200 pts.
Boosts starship weapons

system abilities
Starfleet Commander Skills

Skill
Cost Per Level
Effect
Heavy Cruiser Captain
300 pts.

speed of a Heavy Cruiser
Heavy Escort Captain
300 pts.

speed of a Heavy Escort
Research Science Vessel

Captain
300 pts.

speed of a Research
Science Vessel
29

Efficiency
300 pts.

power abilities
Starship Deflector Dish
300 pts.

dish abilities
Starship Disruptor
Weapons
300 pts.
Boosts damage of
disruptor ship weapons
Starship Energy Weapon

Efficiency
300 pts.
Boosts starship weapon

power abilities
Starship Engine Efficiency
300 pts.

abilities
Starship Phaser Weapons
300 pts.
Boosts damage of phaser

ship weapons
Starship Photon Projectiles
300 pts.
Boosts starship photon

projectiles damage
Starship Quantum
Projectiles
300 pts.
Boosts starship quantum

projectiles damage
Starship Sensor Array
300 pts.

array abilities
Starship Shield Efficiency
300 pts.

power abilities
Starship Tractor Beam
300 pts.
Boosts starship tractor

beam abilities
30
Starfleet Captain Skills

Skill
Cost Per Level
Effect
Exploration Cruiser
Captain
400 pts.

speed of an Exploration
Cruiser
Long Range Science

Vessel Captain
400 pts.

speed of a Long Range
Science Vessel
Starship Deflector Field
400 pts.

field abilities
Starship Engine
Performance
400 pts.

functionality abilities
Starship Hazard System
400 pts.
Boosts starship hazard

system abilities
Starship Plasma Energy

Weapons
400 pts.
Boosts damage of plasma

energy ship weapons
Starship Plasma
Projectiles
400 pts.
Boosts damage of plasma

projectile ship weapons
Starship Sensor Probes
400 pts.

probes abilities
Starship Shield
Performance
400 pts.

Starship Subsystem
Repair
400 pts.
Boosts starship subsystem

repair speed and related
abilities
Starship Tetryon Weapons
400 pts.
Boosts damage of tetryon

ship weapons
Starship Transphasic
Projectiles
400 pts.
Boosts damage of
transphasic projectile ship
weapons
31
Tactical Escort Captain
400 pts.

speed of a Tactical Escort
Starfleet Admiral Skills

Skill
Cost Per Level
Effect
Advanced Escort Captain
500 pts.

speed of an Advanced
Escort
Assault Cruiser Captain
500 pts.

speed of an Assault
Cruiser
Astrometrics
500 pts.
Boosts starship
astrometrics abilities
Deep Space Science

Vessel Captain
500 pts.

speed of a Deep Space
Science Vessel
Fleet Escort Captain
500 pts.

speed of a Fleet Escort
Photonic Theory
500 pts.
Boosts starship photonic

theory abilities
Reconnaissance Science
Vessel Captain
500 pts.

speed of a
Reconnaissance Science
Vessel
Spatial Anomaly
500 pts.
Boosts starship spatial

anomaly abilities
Star Cruiser Captain
500 pts.
32

speed of a Star Cruiser
Starship Antiproton
Weapons
500 pts.
Boosts damage of
antiproton ship weapons

Performance
500 pts.

systems abilities
Starship Chroniton
Projectiles
500 pts.
Boosts damage of
chroniton projectile ship
weapons
Starship Hull Repair
500 pts.
Boosts hull repair speed

and related abilities
Starship Polaron Weapons
500 pts.
Boosts damage of polaron

ship weapons
Starship Tricobalt
Projectiles
500 pts.
Boosts damage of
tricobalt projectile ship
weapons
Starship Weapons System

Performance
500 pts.
Boosts starship weapon

Engineering Skills
Engineers help out their teammates in ground combat scenarios in two ways. First and
foremost, they have access to a number of defensive buffs that can improve shields and
armor. They also can create devices that can impact the battlefield in both offensive
(turrets) and defensive (fortifications) ways. These skills modify all of those abilities.
Skill
Cost Per Level
Effect
Armor Engineering
(Admiral)
500 pts.
Boosts armor engineering

abilities like Equipment
Diagnostics and Fuse
Armor
33
Combat Engineer (Lt.

Commander)
200 pts.
Boosts explosives, field

fortifications and field
logistics abilities
Drones (Admiral)
500 pts.
Boosts drones abilities

like Support Drone
Fabrication and Seeker
Drone Fabrication
Explosives (Commander)
300 pts.
Boosts explosives abilities

like Chroniton Mine
Barrier and Transphasic
Bomb
Fabrication Engineer (Lt.

Commander)
200 pts.
Boosts ground generators,

turrets and drones
abilities
Field Fortifications
(Captain)
400 pts.
Boosts field fortification

abilities like Cover Shield
and Force Field Dome
Field Logistics (Admiral)
500 pts.
Boosts field logistics

abilities
Firearms Engineering
(Captain)
400 pts.
Boosts firearms
engineering abilities like
Quick Fix and Weapons
Malfunction
Generators (Commander)
300 pts.
Boosts ground generator

abilities
Maintenance Training
(Lieutenant)
100 pts.
Boosts ally buffs and

equipment fabrication
abilities
Modification Training
(Lieutenant)
100 pts.
Boosts enemy damage

and debuff and protect
ally abilities
Personal Shields
Engineering (Commander)
300 pts.
Boosts personal shield

engineering abilities like
Reroute Power to Shields
and Shield Recharge
34
Technician (Lt.
Commander)
200 pts.
Boosts personal shields,

firearms and armor
engineering abilities
Turrets (Captain)
400 pts.
Boosts turrets abilities like

Phaser Turret Fabrication
and Quantum Mortar
Fabrication
35
Science Officer Skills

Like the buff/debuff classes in other MMOs, Science Officers may take the most creativity
to play effectively. That doesn't mean that their path-specific skills are weak, though. Along
with always helpful healing abilities, Science skills include powerful ways to help control
enemies through holds and status effects. The following skills aid Science-related abilities in
various ways.
Skill
Cost Per Level
Effect
Doctor (Lt. Commander)
200 pts.
Boosts ground abilities

that Cure, Heal or buff
allies
Exogeology (Captain)
400 pts.
Boosts ground exogeology

abilities like Gravimetric
Shift and Thermal Vent
Molecular Chemistry
(Admiral)
500 pts.
Boosts molecular
chemistry abilities like
Biofilter Sweep and Triage
Nanite Treatments
(Admiral)
500 pts.
Boosts ground nanite

treatment abilities like
Nanite Health Monitor and
Nanoprobe Infestation
Physiology (Commander)
300 pts.
Boosts ground physiology

abilities like Medical
Tricorder and Vascular
Regenerator
Psychology (Captain)
400 pts.
Boosts ground psychology

abilities like Neural
Neutralizer and
Hypospray-Melorazine
Quantum Mechanics
(Admiral)
500 pts.
Boosts ground quantum

mechanic abilities like
Tachyon Harmonic and
Dampening Field
36
Radiology (Captain)
400 pts.
Boosts ground radiology

abilities like Hyperonic
Radiation and Sonic Pulse
Researcher (Lt.
Commander)
200 pts.
Boosts ground science

abilities that damage or
control enemies
Scientific Practice
(Lieutenant)
100 pts.

abilities that Heal, Cure or
buff allies
Scientific Theory
(Lieutenant)
100 pts.

control enemies
Scientist (Lt. Commander)
200 pts.

debuff enemies
Toxicology (Commander)
300 pts.
Boosts ground toxicology

abilities like HyposprayDylovene and Anesthizine
Gas
Xenobiology
(Commander)
300 pts.
Boosts ground
xenobiology abilities like
Tricorder Scan and Stasis
Field
37
Tactical Officer Skills

Since Tactical Officer is the career path most focused on direct damage-dealing, it's only
fitting that their unique skills help out in that regard. Captains who spend points improving
these skills help themselves and/or their Bridge Officers become better at eliminating foes
with both ranged and melee attacks, as well as improving their stealth and aggro-controlling
capabilities.
Skill
Cost Per Level
Effect
Advanced Warfare
(Admiral)
500 pts.
Boosts ground advanced

warfare abilities like
Target Optics and Motion
Accelerator
Assault Training
(Lieutenant)
100 pts.
Boosts damage from

rifles, assault weapons
and grenades and
improves ranged combat
abilities
Close Combat Training

(Lieutenant)
100 pts.
Boosts damage from

pistols and martial arts
attacks and improves
close combat abilities
Close Protection (Admiral)
500 pts.
Boosts ground close

protection abilities like
Security Escort and
Overwatch
Firearms (Commander)
300 pts.
Boosts rifle, pistol and

assault weapon damage
Grenades (Commander)
300 pts.
Boosts grenade damage

Martial Arts (Commander)
300 pts.
Boosts martial arts

damage and related
abilities
38
Security (Lt. Commander)
200 pts.
Boosts pistol damage and

firearms, threat control
and close protection
abilities
Soldier (Lt. Commander)
200 pts.
Boosts rifle and grenade

damage and grenades,
tactics and squad
command abilities
Special Forces (Lt.

Commander)
200 pts.
Boosts assault weapons

damage and martial arts,
stealth and advanced
warfare abilities
Squad Command
(Admiral)
500 pts.
Boosts squad command

abilities like Rally Cry and
Tactical Initiative
Stealth (Captain)
400 pts.
Boosts stealth abilities

like Stealth Module and
Ambush
Tactics (Captain)
400 pts.
Boosts tactics abilities like

Fire on my Mark and
Smoke Grenade
Threat Control (Captain)
400 pts.
Boosts threat control

abilities like Smoke
Grenade and Draw Fire
Bridge Officer Skills

Your Bridge Officers bring a whole different set of skills into play. You can even say they
affect the game more directly, because while your captain's skills grant bonuses to actions
you or someone else perform, the Officer's skills add whole new abilities to your repertoire
on the ground and in space.
39

Officers begin with just a single ground skill and a single space skill, both of which can be
improved by spending Bridge Officer Skill Points on them. If you choose to promote them,
they gain access to an additional space and ground skill with each new rank, maxing out at
four of each once they reach the rank of Commander.
You'll know as soon as you welcome a new Bridge Officer into your crew what skills they
will gain as they level up, but he or she can be trained to learn a new skill by visiting the
proper trainer or by maxing out certain skills of your own that allow you to do the training
yourself. Bridge Officers can only learn the skills specific to their career paths.
The following is a complete list of Bridge Officer skills by rank:
Ensign Bridge Officer Skills

Skill
Career
Beam Fire at Will I
Tactical
Improves next beam array

attack
Beam Overload I
Tactical

attack
Draw Fire I
Tactical
Increases threat
generation, buffs allies'
DR
Emergency Power to
Auxiliary I
Engineering
Temporarily increases
Auxiliary subsystem
power
Emergency Power to
Engines I
Engineering
power to impulse engines
Emergency Power to
Shields I
Engineering
power to shields
Emergency Power to
Weapons I
Engineering
power to weapons
Engineering Team I
Engineering
Repairs hull damage and
40
subsystems, buffs
engineering skill for own
ship or ally
Focus Fire I
Tactical
Debuffs damage
resistance of target
Gravimetric Shift I
Science
Holds target and nearby

enemies
Hazard Emitters I
Science
Removes fire or radiation

hazards from ship, heals
some hull damage over
time
Hypospray Dylovene I
Science
Removes toxin effects,

buffs physical damage
and DR on self or ally
Jam Sensors I
Science
Prevents enemy from

targeting you
Leg Sweep I
Tactical
Melee attack that can

knockback multiple
enemies
Mask Energy Signature I
Science
Lessens the chances of

enemy ships detecting
you
Medical Tricorder I
Science
Heals self or ally
Mine Barrier I
Tactical
Deploys five chroniton

mines that deal kinetic
damage
Photon Grenade I
Tactical
Ranged attack that does

kinetic damage and
knockback
Polarize Hull I
Science
Buffs energy DR, breaks

tractor beams
Quick Fix I
Engineering
Removes mechanical
debuffs, buffs ranged
41
damage on self or ally

Science Team I
Science
Repairs shield damage,

buffs science and
removes holds on own
ship or ally
Shield Recharge I
Engineering
Restores personal shield

energy to self or ally
Tachyon Beam I
Science
Drains target ship's

shields
Tachyon Harmonic I
Science
Cone AoE attack that

damages personal shields
and destroys forcefields
Tactical Team I
Tactical
Grants tactical buff,

removes crew and tactical
debuffs for own ship or
ally
Torpedo: High Yield I
Tactical
Boosts damage of next

torpedo attack
Torpedo: Spread I
Tactical
Turns next torpedo attack

into AoE attack
Tractor Beam I
Science
Slows and prevents

cloaking for target ship
Transfer Shield Strength I
Science
Boosts shields of ally ship
Weapons Malfunction I
Engineering
Prevents target from firing

ground weapons
42
Lieutenant Bridge Officer Skills

Skill
Career
Effect
Attack Pattern Beta I
Tactical
Debuffs target ship's DR

when attacked
Attack Pattern Delta I
Tactical
Debuffs DR of any ship

that attacks targeted ally
Auxiliary to Battery I
Engineering
Converts auxiliary power

into battery that can be
used later
Auxiliary to Dampeners I
Engineering
Redirects auxiliary power

to buff kinetic DR
Auxiliary to Structural I
Engineering

to heal hull damage and
buff DR
Beam Fire at Will II
Tactical

attack
Beam Overload II
Tactical

attack but temporarily
takes beam weapons
offline
Beam Target Auxiliary II
Tactical
Targets Auxiliary
subsystems of enemy ship
with next beam array
attack
Beam Target Engines II
Tactical
Targets Engines
attack
Beam Target Shields II
Tactical
Targets Shields
attack
Beam Target Weapons II
Tactical
Targets Weapons
43

attack
Boarding Party I
Engineering
Damages crew and

subsystems of target ship
Cannon: Rapid Fire I
Tactical
Boosts next cannon attack
Cannon: Scatter Volley I
Tactical
Turns next cannon attack

into cone AoE attack
Charged Particle Burst I
Science
Disables cloaks, damages

shields of nearby enemy
ships
Directed Energy
Modulation I
Engineering
Increases shield
penetration of own ship's
energy weapons
Dispersal Pattern Alpha I
Tactical
Improves next mine

attack
Dispersal Pattern Beta I
Tactical
Improves next mine

attack
Draw Fire II
Tactical
Increases threat
generation, buffs allies'
DR
Emergency Power to
Auxiliary II
Engineering
Auxiliary subsystem
power
Emergency Power to
Engines II
Engineering
power to impulse engines
Emergency Power to
Shields II
Engineering
power to shields
Emergency Power to
Weapons II
Engineering
power to weapons
Energy Siphon I
Science
Decreases target ship's

power to all systems,
44
increases own ship's

power to all systems
Engineering Team II
Engineering
Repairs hull damage and

subsystems, buffs
engineering skill for own
ship or ally
Extend Shields I
Engineering
Regenerates shields and

buffs DR of ally ship
Feedback Pulse I
Science
Damages enemy ships

that hit you with energy
weapons
Focus Fire II
Tactical
Debuffs damage
resistance of target
Gravimetric Shift II
Science
Holds target and nearby

enemies
Hazard Emitters II
Science
Removes fire or radiation

hazards from ship, heals
some hull damage over
time
Hypospray Dylovene II
Science

Jam Sensors II
Science

Leg Sweep II
Tactical
Melee attack that can

knockback multiple
enemies
Lunge I
Tactical
Melee attack with chance

to knock down
Mask Energy Signature II
Science
Lessens the chances of

enemy ships detecting
you
45
Medical Tricorder II
Science
Heals self or ally
Mine Barrier II
Engineering
Deploys five chroniton

mines that deal kinetic
damage
Phaser Turret Fabrication I
Engineering
Creates one or two beam

weapon turrets
Photon Grenade II
Tactical
Ranged attack that does

kinetic damage and
knockback
Photonic Officer I
Science
Reduces recharge time of

Bridge Officer abilities
Polarize Hull II
Science
Buffs energy DR, breaks

tractor beams
Quick Fix II
Engineering
Removes mechanical
debuffs, buffs ranged
damage on self or ally
Reroute Power to Shields I
Engineering
Heals personal shield

energy, buffs DR
Reverse Shield Polarity I
Engineering
Converts incoming energy

weapon damage into
shield strength
Science Team II
Science
Repairs shield damage,

buffs science and
removes holds on own
ship or ally
Scramble Sensors I
Science
Confuses target ship and

nearby enemies
Shield Generator I
Engineering
Creates fixed position

generator that recharges
nearby allies' personal
shields
Shield Recharge II
Engineering
Restores personal shield

energy to self or ally
46
Smoke Grenade I
Tactical
Attack that reduces

enemy perception and
boosts allies' stealth
Sonic Pulse I
Science
Damages and slows

nearby enemies with high
chance of knockback
Stasis Field I
Science
Holds target
Suppressing Fire I
Tactical
Slows and debuffs

damage of any enemy
you damage with firearms
Tachyon Beam II
Science
Drains target ship's

shields
Tachyon Harmonic II
Science

Tactical Team II
Tactical

Target Optics I
Tactical
Buffs damage, perception,

crit chance and crit
severity for self, has
chance to Expose enemies
Torpedo: High Yield II
Tactical
Boosts damage of next

torpedo attack
Torpedo: Spread II
Tactical
Turns next torpedo attack

into AoE attack
Tractor Beam II
Science
Slows and prevents

cloaking for target ship
Tractor Beam Repulsors I
Science
Pushes up to three enemy

ships away from own ship
Transfer Shield Strength II
Science
Boosts shields of ally ship
Tricorder Scan I
Science
Increases user's
47
perception, debuffs DR
and stealth of all enemies
in radius
Tyken's Rift I
Science
Drains power, causes

damage to all ships near
target ship
Vascular Regenerator I
Science
Heals and removes

bleeding debuffs from
target
Weapons Malfunction II
Engineering
Prevents target from firing

ground weapons
Lt. Commander Bridge Officer Skills

Skill
Career
Effect
Aceton Field I
Engineering
Debuffs target's energy

damage, causes radiation
damage
Attack Pattern Beta II
Tactical
Debuffs target ship's DR

when attacked
Attack Pattern Delta II
Tactical
Debuffs DR of any ship

that attacks targeted ally
Attack Pattern Omega I
Tactical
Buffs damage and turn

rate, prevents holds and
slows on own ship
Auxiliary to Battery II
Engineering
Converts auxiliary power

into battery that can be
used later
Auxiliary to Dampeners II
Engineering

to buff kinetic DR
Auxiliary to Structural II
Engineering

to heal hull damage and
buff DR
48
Boarding Party II
Engineering
Damages crew and

subsystems of target ship
Cannon: Rapid Fire II
Tactical
Boosts next cannon attack
Cannon: Scatter Volley II
Tactical
Turns next cannon attack

into cone AoE attack
Charged Particle Burst II
Science
Disables cloaks, damages

shields of nearby enemy
ships
Cover Shield I
Engineering

forcefield that blocks line
of sight
Directed Energy
Modulation II
Engineering
Increases shield
penetration of own ship's
energy weapons
Dispersal Pattern Alpha II
Tactical
Improves next mine

attack
Dispersal Pattern Beta II
Tactical
Improves next mine

attack
Eject Warp Plasma I
Engineering
Creates AoE plasma field

that slows and causes fire
DoT to enemy ships and
reveals cloaked ships
Energy Siphon II
Science
Decreases target ship's

power to all systems,
increases own ship's
power to all systems
Equipment Diagnostics I
Engineering
Removes mechanical
debuffs and buffs DR of
target
Extend Shields II
Engineering
Regenerates shields and

buffs DR of ally ship
Fire on my Mark I
Tactical
Debuffs stealth and DR of

target
49
Gravity Well I
Science
Draws nearby ships

toward target and inflicts
kinetic damage
Hyperonic Radiation I
Science
Does radiation DoT to

target and nearby
enemies
Hypospray Melorazine I
Science
Removes mental debuffs

and buffs energy DR of
self or ally
Lunge II
Tactical
Melee attack with chance

to knock down
Medical Generator
Fabrication I
Engineering

generator that heals
nearby allies
Neural Neutralizer I
Science
Placates nearby enemies
Overwatch I
Tactical
Buffs allies' DR, debuffs

enemies' DR and gives
chance to Expose
Phaser Turret Fabrication

II
Engineering
Creates one or two beam

weapon turrets
Photonic Officer II
Science
Reduces recharge time of

Bridge Officer abilities
Photonic Shock Wave I
Science
Knocks back and deals

kinetic damage to nearby
enemy ships
Plasma Grenade I
Tactical
AoE attack that deals

kinetic damage and
plasma DoT
Quantum Mortar
Fabrication I
Engineering

weapons system that
launches projectiles
Reroute Power to Shields

II
Engineering
Heals personal shield

energy, buffs DR
50
Reverse Shield Polarity II
Engineering
Converts incoming energy

weapon damage into
shield strength
Scramble Sensors II
Science
Confuses target ship and

nearby enemies
Shield Generator II
Engineering

generator that recharges
nearby allies' personal
shields
Smoke Grenade II
Tactical
Attack that reduces

enemy perception and
boosts allies' stealth
Sonic Pulse II
Science
Damages and slows

nearby enemies with high
chance of knockback
Stasis Field II
Science
Holds target
Stealth Module I
Tactical
Creates personal cloak

that prevents enemies at
range from detecting you
Suppressing Fire II
Tactical
Slows and debuffs

damage of any enemy
you damage with firearms
Target Optics II
Tactical
Buffs damage, perception,

crit chance and crit
severity for self, has
chance to Expose enemies
Tractor Beam Repulsors II
Science
Pushes up to three enemy

ships away from own ship
Tricorder Scan II
Science
Increases user's
perception, debuffs DR
and stealth of all enemies
in radius
Tyken's Rift II
Science
Drains power, causes

damage to all ships near
51
target ship
Vascular Regenerator II
Science
Heals and removes

bleeding debuffs from
target
Viral Matrix I
Science
Launches probe that holds

target ship
Commander Bridge Officer Skills

Skill
Career
Effect
Aceton Field II
Engineering
Debuffs target's energy

damage, causes radiation
damage
Ambush I
Tactical
Grants large damage buff

for next attack
Anesthizine Gas I
Science
Holds target, reduces

speed and damage upon
expiration
Attack Pattern Omega II
Tactical
Buffs damage and turn

rate, prevents holds and
slows on own ship
Combat Supply I
Engineering
Grants temporary hypo to

self and allies with chance
of power cell and shield
charge as well
Cover Shield II
Engineering

forcefield that blocks line
of sight
Dampening Field I
Science
AoE effect that debuffs

energy DR
Eject Warp Plasma II
Engineering
Creates AoE plasma field

that slows and causes fire
DoT to enemy ships and
52
reveals cloaked ships

Equipment Diagnostics II
Engineering
Removes mechanical
debuffs and buffs DR of
target
Fire on my Mark II
Tactical
Debuffs stealth and DR of

target
Fuse Armor I
Engineering
Gradually slows then

holds target
Gravity Well II
Science
Draws nearby ships

toward target and inflicts
kinetic damage
Hyperonic Radiation II
Science
Does radiation DoT to

target and nearby
enemies
Hypospray Melorazine II
Science
Removes mental debuffs

and buffs energy DR of
self or ally
Medical Generator
Fabrication II
Engineering

nearby allies
Motion Accelerator I
Tactical
Grants speed buff to self

and immunity to holds
and slows
Nanite Health Monitor I
Science
Heals up to three nearby

allies
Neural Neutralizer II
Science

nearby allies
Overwatch II
Tactical
Buffs allies' DR, debuffs

enemies' DR and gives
chance to Expose
Photonic Shock Wave II
Science
Knocks back and deals

kinetic damage to nearby
53
enemy ships
Plasma Grenade II
Tactical
AoE attack that deals

kinetic damage and
plasma DoT
Quantum Mortar
Fabrication II
Engineering

weapons system that
launches projectiles
Stealth Module II
Tactical
Creates personal cloak

that prevents enemies at
range from detecting you
Stun Grenade I
Tactical
AoE attack that does

kinetic damage and holds
targets
Support Drone Fabrication

I
Engineering
Creates one or two mobile

weapons platforms
54
WEAPONS
AND
EQUIPMENT
more details), by finding it as random drops

for defeating enemies and by earning it as
a
reward
for
completing
missions
or
succeeding in PvP instances.
Ship Weapons
As explained in the Ships chapter, every
haracters in the Trek TV shows
different type of ship has a specific number
and movies tend to travel
of slots in the front and back for mounting
pretty light. It's not uncommon
weapons. You have complete control over
to see Federation crew members face
what mix of weapons you'd like to use (with
danger with only a phaser pistol and a
some restrictions), and swapping them is as
tricorder in hand.
simple as dragging a new one from your

inventory window into the proper slot in
Not so in STO, where the ongoing
your ship's Status window.
conflict with the Klingons and the likelihood

of combat on just about every mission
Hovering your cursor over the icon of an
require you to be a bit more properly
equipped weapon will show you its stats.
equipped. With that in mind, you won't
Doing the same for a weapon in your
want to go charging into battle without the
inventory
will
proper weapons and gear.
equipped
weapons
compare
it
its
stats
could
with
replace,
allowing you to know exactly what the gain

That goes for your ship too. There are a
or loss would be for making the switch.
number of different ways you can upgrade

and customize your vessel to help you
when things get hairy.
Ship weapons are divided into 10 levels

starting at Mk. I and running to Mk. X,
based on their relative power. They are
Gear for your ship and your captain can
restricted by rank at every other level, so
be acquired in three ways: by buying it with
that you need to be a Lt. Commander to
Energy Credits or Badges of Exploration
use Mk. III weapons, a Commander to use
(see the Federation Economy chapter for
Mk. V weapons, and so on.
55

There are also three levels of rarity
Turret 360 degrees
(Common, Uncommon and Rare) for ship

weapons that reflect how difficult it is to
acquire
them.
Generally
speaking,
Projectile Weapons
weapon that is identical to another one

except for rarity will have a bonus to
Projectiles are fired by launchers and
accuracy, damage or critical hit chance or
include both direct fire (torpedoes) and
some other characteristic that makes it
indirect fire (mines) varieties. They pack
superior to its more common counterpart.
more punch against exposed hulls than

shields. Photon torpedoes are the most
famous, but torpedoes and mines also
Beam Weapons
come in quantum, plasma (which can do

DoT), chroniton and transphasic varieties.
Starship
beam
weapons
do
energy
damage and are more effective against
Torpedo launchers have a 90-degree
shields than hulls. The best known type is
firing arc, while mine launchers simply
phasers,
includes
deploy the mines into space where they
disruptors, plasma beams, polaron beams
attack ships that fly too close. Mines are
and
useful for damaging a group of enemy ships
but
tetryon
the
family
beams,
all
also
of
which
are
affected by different higher level skills.
with a single attack.
There are also different configurations of
Ship Equipment
beam weapons based on their firing arcs.

The general rule is that the more restrictive
the arc, the higher the damage per second
(DPS). Not all types of beams come in every
For simplicity's sake, this term is used
configuration, but they break down by arc
here to represent everything on your ship
like this:
that isn't a weapon. This includes things

like your ship's shields, deflector dish and
Dual cannons 45 degrees (Escorts
engines.
only
Bank 90 degrees
Cannon 180 degrees (Escorts only)
Array 250 degrees
56

Equipment is restricted by rank just like
Regenerative Have a 25 percent
weapons and is acquired via the same
faster regeneration rate than normal
methods. It also comes in the same three
shields but the lowest capacity of
levels of rarity.
any type
Ships can equip only one set of shields
Shields
at a time.
Certainly the most vital equipment on
Deflector Dishes
any ship, the shields protect the hull from

damage
and
regenerate
automatically
when they take no damage for a certain
A ship's deflector array is part of the
period of time Shields have two important
Auxiliary subsystem and grants bonuses to
characteristics:
Space
capacity,
which
is
the
abilities
and
that
utilize
Emitters.
Sensors,
amount of damage they can take before
Deflectors
standard
failing completely, and bleedthrough, which
deflector spreads its effects evenly among
is the amount of damage from each attack
all three areas, but Mk. II specialized dishes
that bypasses the shields and goes directly
can be equipped that focus on just one
to the hull.
area:
Along with the normal Mk. I to Mk. X
Graviton Focus on Deflectors
progression, there are three special types
Tachyon Focus on Sensors
of shields that have their own special
Positron Focus on Emitters
properties:
At
Resilient
are
also
bleedthrough of normal shields but
for how to spread their bonuses. Like
have
shields, a ship has only one deflector slot.
levels
and
regenerate slightly less quickly
there
subcategories that grant even more options
capacity
half
ranks,
the
lower
Have
higher
Covariant Have almost 30 percent

more
capacity
but
the
slowet
regeneration rate
57
Impulse Engines
As you increase in rank, you'll find that

you can acquire a greater variety of
consoles of each type. The number of
Improved engines increase both the
console slots varies by the type of ship.
speed and turning rate of your ship. They
Escorts tend to have more Tactical slots,
come in normal versions and the following
Science Vessels have more Science slots
two varieties:
and Cruisers favor more Engineering slots.

However, every Federation ship has at least
Combat Efficient with low power

levels
to engines,
making
one slot of each type.
them
useful for ships that often use the
Devices
Attack or Defense subsystem power

configurations
Hyper Efficient with high power to
Devices are other items that can be
engines, so they are a boon to ships
equipped on your ship but aren't part of
that often use the Speed subsystem
your ship's subsytems. The most commonly
power configuration
found devices are Batteries, which give

temporary boosts to the power levels of
Every ship has a single engine slot.
specific ship subsystems. Batteries are very

common drops from defeated enemy ships.
Consoles
The number of device slots varies by

ship type as detailed in the Ships chapter.
Console modifications come in Tactical,

Engineering and Science flavors and usually
Commodities
grant a variety of bonuses that work in

conjunction with skills and abilities of the
same careers. Other consoles grant more
Commodities are items that don't fit
general boosts; for example, increasing the
neatly into any of the previous categories.
regeneration rate of your ship's shields.
They
are
needed
for
some
kinds
of
exploration missions when you encounter

civilizations with less technology than the
Federation that ask you for assistance.
58

These civilizations will ask for a certain
Your captain can equip two weapons at a
quantity of one of several different types of
time and switch between them at any time
commodities, and all you have to do to
by clicking on the Switch Weapons icon at
meet the mission requirements is to deliver
the left side of the command bar at the
those items. Commodities can be found as
bottom of the screen. Bridge Officers can
drops from defeated ships and can also be
carry only one weapon at any given time.
purchased for energy credits from brokers

and merchants.
Ground weapons follow the Mk. I through

Mk X category system like their space
Ground Weapons
counterparts and are similarly restricted by

rank.
However,
Bridge
Officers
aren't
limited in exactly the same way, and they

Your Federation captain may start the
game with just a standard phaser, but you'll
can use any weapon that would be usable

by your captain at the time.
have access to a wide variety of handheld

weapons over the course of your career.
Ground Equipment
Listing them all is outside the scope of this

guide (the STO devs claim there are
thousands), but the types of weapons
include pistols, dual pistols, rifles and
assault weapons.
Along with weapons, your captain and

Bridge Officers can be outfitted with a
number of extras that can enhance their
Every ground weapon has two attack
ability
to
survive
in
ground
combat
modes. The primary mode does standard
missions. Some equipment like personal
damage and has a quicker recharge time,
shields and armor are restricted by your
while the secondary mode recharges more
captain's rank, while other gear can be
slowly but does either greater damage to a
used by anyone.
single target (like with a sniper rifle) or

produces an AoE attack that can damage
multiple enemies. The secondary modes
also often produce either Expose conditions
or extra Exploit damage as described in the
Combat Overview chapter.
59
Personal Shields
Energy Dampening Offers extra

energy DR in exchange for zero
physical DR
Every captain and Bridge Officer can
Polyalloy
Weave
Offers
extra
(and should) be equipped with a personal
physical and kinetic DR in exchange
shield that prevents damage from reaching
for less energy DR
a character's body. Shields will regenerate
Recoil Compensating Offers extra
on their own when undamaged for several
critical hit damage in exchange for
seconds, but there are also a number of
less DR all around
skills and abilities that can boost shield
health instantly.
Integrated Targeting Offers an

increased chance of a critical hit in
exchange for less DR all around
Unlike ship shields, personal shields are

uni-directional. Each captain and Bridge
Kits
Officer can equip just one personal shield at

a time.
Kits allow your captain to use extra

abilities or powers similar to the ones
Armor
utilized by your Bridge Officers. The big

difference is that Bridge Officers are limited
For extra protection in ground combat
to the skills they inherently know, while kits
situations, captains and Bridge Officers can
allow you to swap abilities for your captain
also
grants
simply by dragging a new kit onto the slot
resistances to physical, energy and kinetic
on your Status screen. This can be done at
damage. Armor can be dragged onto the
any time, even in the middle of a ground
Body slot on a character's status screen.
mission.
wear
body
armor
that
Armor can be found in standard forms
Some kits can provide abilities that can't
and the following variations, all of which
be duplicated by Bridge Officer powers or
divide their protective abilities in slightly
grant multiple abilities. For example, the
different ways or offer bonus effects:
Basic
Grenades
Tactical
kit
gives
the
wearer both the Smoke Grenade I and

Photon Grenade I abilities.
60

Only captains can equip kits, and they
Whether it's weapons, kits or other gear,
are restricted by career path: Tactical
your captain can only carry so much stuff.
Officers can only use Tactical kits, etc.
This is especially true since ship and ground

items all count the same against your
inventory, and because you will want to
Devices
keep some things on hand to outfit your

Bridge Officers as well.
Every captain and Bridge Officer has

several Device slots that can hold several
You will gain extra inventory slots as
pieces of miscellaneous equipment and be
rewards for advancement, but even those
mapped to number keys just like weapons.
only go so far. Fortunately, STO provides
Fans of other MMOs will recognize these
you even more extra storage in the form of
slots as useful places to keep healing items,
banks.
some of which can be used in combat

(hypos) and others which can only be used
Every
captain
automatically
has
when out of combat (a wide variety of foods
personal bank that can be accessed from
and beverages).
special terminals in various locations. Two

important ones for Federation characters
Other devices can give temporary boosts
are at Earth Spacedock (located between
to shield or ground weapons power. Similar
the
Exchange
devices can often be stacked in the same
Memory Alpha.
and
Stateroom)
and
at
inventory slot, so 10 small hypos only need

to take up one slot.
If you belong to a fleet, you can also

utilize the fleet's bank. STO fleets are self-
Ground devices are commonly found as
policing, so the officer's should set rules on
drops from defeated enemies, and cheaper
what kind of withdrawals can be made from
ones can be created using the replicator on
the fleet bank.
your ship.
Items can be swapped to and from either
kind of bank simply by dragging them
Banks
between
the
inventory
or
screens.
61
bank
ship
window
or
and
character
your
Status
62
LEVELING
AND
ADVANCEMEN
T
Grades Vs. Ranks

STO doesn't have a simple level system
(like one where your character is Level 1 or
Level 48, for instance), but a two-tiered
system of grades and ranks. Each rank has
10 grades within it, and you must progress
through all 10 before you are promoted to
the next rank.
s with any MMO, some of the
Thus, while one character who is a
main aims of STO are advancing
Lieutenant 2 and another is Lieutenant 9,
your character in power, title and
the latter one is much closer to the next
status. For your Starfleet captain, this
rank than the former. In order, the ranks
means literal advancement as you move up
are Ensign (for the Tutorial Mission only),
the chain of command.
Lieutenant, Lt. Commander, Captain and

Admiral.
The skill-based nature of STO means you

can't level up without accumulating Skill
Advancing by one grade earns you an
Points. You also have to spend those points
increase in combat effectiveness. However
on improving your captain's skills, as you
a promotion to the next rank gains you a
won't be allowed to move to the next level
number of larger benefits, including access
until you do.
to the next tier of ships, a new set of skills

and the ability to promote Bridge Officers to
On the Federation side, it's easiest to

gain
Skill
Points
by
accepting
and
completing missions. As you'll see in the
their next ranks. Many kinds of restricted

weapons and equipments are also unlocked
by advancing in rank.
next chapter, there are some opportunities

for grinding, but the low amounts of Skill
The double status bar at the top of the
Points you receive for defeating enemies in
screen keeps track of your progress in both
combat and the non-replayable nature of
your current grade and your current rank.
most content limits grinding compared to
The top bar fills up constantly as you earn
some other games.
Skill Points with each division representing
63

the next grade, and the bottom bar is
As you will discover early on, skills tend
divided into 10 segments that fill in when
to be broader at lower ranks and get more
you earn a new grade, with the unfilled
specific as you advance. Weapons and
ones representing the number of grades
abilities can gain bonuses from both types
left until the next rank.
of skills, so many of them end up working

together in logical ways.
Skill Point Spending

Strategy
For example, let's say your ship is armed

with dual disruptor captains and your
captain is a Tactical Officer. The disruptor
cannons gain a bonus from each level you
take in Starship Energy Weapons Training,
Only the total number of Skill Points
a skill you have available as a Lieutenant.
spent matters in terms of leveling up your

captain. But since STO is completely skill-
Those same cannons get bonus damage
based, having a strategy in mind when
from
the
Starship
Beam
Weapons
Lt.
spending them is important.
Commander skill (because disruptors are

beam weapons) and the Starship Disruptor
The skill system is a lot more flexible
Weapons Commander skill. If you plan on
than in some other MMOs, allowing more
having the disruptors equipped for the long
room for broader character builds and less
haul, it makes sense to put points into all
pigeon-holing
three skills to gain the maximum benefit.
into
specific
roles.
This
doesn't mean that the traditional MMO roles

are completely absent (like direct damage,
This idea works in reverse as well. If
tank, healer, etc.), just that you shouldn't
you've leveled up all of the various Starship
feel like you are being funneled into one
Energy Weapons skills, you may not even
direction.
think twice about swapping Mk. III disruptor

cannons for Mk. IV phaser cannons. But if
That being said, there are some things
you've gone the route we just discussed
to keep in mind when planning out how to
and specialized in disruptors, you may not
spend your Skill Points:
want to give them up for phasers and give

up the stacked bonuses.
Skills stack
64
Consider your Bridge Officers
Retraining (Respecs)
When you are new to STO, it might seem

obvious to put points into Tactical Team
Leader if your captain is a Tactical Officer.
However, that skill affects the abilities of all
Find that you've backed yourself into an
away team Tactical Officers, and if you are
unwanted corner with the way you've spent
handling the Tactical powers yourself, you
your Skill Points? STO allows for some
may have more Engineering and/or Science
opportunities
Officers in your crew and want to put those
generally as respec) your captain and
points into skills related to those areas.
spend the points you've earned all over
to
Retrain
(also
known
from scratch.
Of course you always have the option of
swapping your away team members around
One way you can access a respec at any
to fit your skills instead of vice versa, but
time is to buy one from the C-Store. You'll
don't forget that your skills affect more
find more information on this option in the
than just your captain.
Federation Economics chapter.
Ship selection
Training And
Promoting Bridge
Officers
One of the great aspects of STO is the

option to fly any type of ship available to
your rank, and the freedom to switch
categories (say, from Cruiser to Escort) as
you advance.
To take full advantage of that freedom,
though, you will have to remember to put
Your Bridge Officers can also improve
Skill Points into multiple ship skills to avoid
their skills via their own pool of Skill Points.
losing too much effectiveness by changing
One pool of points is shared by all of the
ships. Conversely, if you find you love flying
Bridge Officers under your command, so
Escorts and will be doing that for your
you have to decide which Officers to train
entire career, you'll want to max out the
and which skills to level up.
Escort Captain skill and then put points into

the
class-specific
Escort
skills
as
you
advance.
65

The
strategy
here
is
pretty
straightforward: if you find yourself tapping

certain Bridge Officer abilities more than
others, level those skills up first. If you see
a power that will be gained only after a
Bridge Officer has been promoted, make
sure you are spending points on him or her
in order to get to the next rank as soon as
possible.
As a final note, make sure you aren't
wasting Bridge Officer points on skills that
will eventually be lost thanks to that officer
being retrained. Training a new skill means
an old one is replaced, and you won't get
the Bridge Officer Skill Points back that
you've spent.
66
MISSIONS
Last but not least are PvP zones where

Federation captains can put their skills to
the test against Klingon players in both
space and ground engagements. The STO
A
both
development
team
versus
parlance,
Federation in a soon-to-be released update
primary
the
game's
means
for
storyline
are
the
advancing
and
(FvF)
zones
Faction
lso called Episodes in the STO

missions
Faction
promising
for
the
as well.
your
characters. One of the true strong points
Storyline Episodes
about playing the Federation faction is the

variety of mission content.
The vast majority of missions involve
STO doesn't waste any time getting you
PvE scenarios that weave together into an
into
the
storyline
for
the
Federation,
overarching plot. Currently, Episodes are
thrusting you into the conflict that is
divided into three Seasons one each
engulfing the Alpha Quadrant during the
focusing on the Klingons, the Romulans and
game's opening movie and continuing the
the Borg and completing them all will
drama during the tutorial mission. From
allow captains to advance to the maximum
there, episodes that propel the plot forward
possible rank.
are readily available for even the lowestranking captains.
True to the game's source material,

there
are
also
exploration
missions
Tutorial Mission Walkthrough
available to Federation players that involve

traveling
to
uncharted
worlds,
with
number of different possibilities for what
The tutorial mission is actually made up
may be found upon arrival. Patrol missions
of three separate parts that introduce you
require you to travel to a particular region
to the basic concepts of space and ground
of space and clear out any enemies you
movement, both kinds of combat and other
may find there.
important
aspects
of
STO
like
Bridge
Officers and kits. Once you complete the
67

tutorial, you'll have earned enough Skill
Points
to
graduate
from
Ensign
Use your phaser to target and destroy
to
six Borg devices hanging on the walls, plus
Lieutenant, acquired your first ship and
Borg drones if necessary. Avoid fire and
begun to assemble a crew.
explosions if possible. Continue down the
The tutorial begins with practice on
hallway and take the Turbolift to Deck 3.
moving your captain and getting used to

the
ground
interface.
Once
you're
Battle the Borg that you find in the
comfortable, take the Turbolift on the North
hallway, but don't loiter too long or the
wall and head for the bridge.
drones will respawn in greater numbers. Go

down the ramp to Main Engineering and
Talk to the captain and use one of the
help the personnel you find who are under
consoles in front of you to hail another
siege by numerous drones, but don't sweat
Federation ship in distress. Then use the
it too much as you can leave to the East
Turbolift in the SE corner to travel to the
whenever you want.
transporter bay, talk to the Security Chief

and beam over to the U.S.S. Khitomer.
In the transporter room, you'll talk to all

three types of Bridge Officer candidates
Speak
to
the
Emergency
Medical
and pick the first one you'd like to join your
Hologram and scan any of the patients
crew. You'll also receive 300 Skill Points and
lying on the tables in sick bay. Talk to the
36 Bridge Officer Points (which you can and
EMH again, then go South down a hallway
should spend right away), plus 33 Starfleet
to find Lt. Thelis.
merits.
He'll ask you to use a nearby console to
Part 2 of the tutorial begins when you
store the patterns of attacking Borg. Go
beam back to your ship and learn to fly it.
through a door on the East wall an beam
Get close enough to four damaged ships to
some of the pesky Borg outside the ship.
beam off the survivors, then fly to the
The Turbolift on the South wall will take you
U.S.S. Seacole and beam the survivors
to Deck 2, where you'll experience ground
over.
combat for the first time.

Rendezvous with the U.S.S. Renown to
have your ship's damaged weapons and
shields repaired. That will allow you to
destroy four Borg probes that won't fight
68

back, then warp to another zone to destroy
Beam back to your ship and fly to any of
four more that will. The rewards for Part 2
the Federation rally points on your map,
are the same as for Part 1 except for not
where you will aid other ships in destroying
getting another Bridge Officer.
a Borg sphere and a Borg cube. The cube

packs a bit of a punch, but concentrating
The tutorial continues with your away

team beaming down to the Vega colony.
fire on the same side as your allies should

end the battle in short order.
Talk first to Commander Kelly and then to

Ensign Bynarez, who will allow you to open
After collecting another round of Skill
a crate containing a better gun than your
Points and merits, you'll warp to Earth
standard phaser and your first kit.
Spacedock for the first time. This is a

central location during low level Episodes
Rescue four colonists by defeating the

Borg
drones
menacing
them
by
the
buildings on the perimeter of the mission
where you'll find a Shipyard, a Personnel

area,
the
Stateroom
where
promotion
ceremonies are held, and more.
map. You will see other captains in this

area, though you'll all be pursuing the same
goals individually.
Take the Turbolift directly in front of you

to the Admiral's Office and talk tot Admiral
Quinn. He'll give you a final set of Skill
Head for one of the big green Borg
Points
(enough
to
on the way. Turrets protect the four corners
Starfleet merits, along with a choice of Mk. I
of each device, but they can be dispatched
consoles
fairly easily.
modification you can use at the tailor in the
ship
Points
to
Lieutenant),
your
Officer
you
devices, expecting to meet some resistance
for
Bridge
promote
and
and
free
Shipyard to customize your Light Cruiser at

Interact with a projector on any corner to
no charge.
disable the force field. A Heavy Tactical

Drone will activate in response, but you and
After you look around Earthdock, you
your Bridge Officer should be able to handle
can return to the Admiral's Office to get
him.
by
your first Season 1 Episode from Quinn. Be
interacting with the console in the middle of
sure to also speak to Commander Sulu,
the device.
who's on the opposite end of the office, as
Shut
down
the
Borg
array
doing so will unlock a number of patrol

missions.
69
Episode Walkthroughs
first leak, the second is in a room to the

North and the last is in a room to the South.
Groups of Orion thugs will attack you near
The
following
pages
will
walk
you
each console.
through episodes from the Klingon season.

Completing all of them will take you all the
With the leaks gone, you can go all the
way from Lieutenant to Lt. Commander and
way to the end of the hallway to speak to
even through a few grades of your new
Captain Brott. She'll ask you to save her
rank.
officers while she attends to the ship's

damaged warp core, so you'll have to battle
Stranded in Space
back
to
the
room
you
started
from,
encountering several groups of Orions on

Giver: Admiral Quinn
the way.
Where: S.S. Azura, Sirius Sector Block

Rewards: 312 Skill Points, 78 Bridge
You'll beam back to your ship to fend off
Officer Points, 126 Starfleet Merits, Choice
final
wave
of
Orion
attackers.
The
of Bridge Officer candidates
Marauder Battleship will be the toughest

enemy you've encountered to this point,
Talk to Malcolm Sissel in the Earthdock

Shipyard, who will give you the coordinates
but staying away from its front firing arc

should lessen the challenge.
of a ship in distress. Beam to your ship and

enter sector space, where you'll find that
the S.S. Azura has its own listing.
Fly near the Azura and beam Captain

Brott aboard to get more of the backstory.
Diplomatic Orders
Upon arrival, you'll discover four Orion

ships are ganging up on the Azura. Destroy
the ships and scan the Azura, revealing that
it needs some more personal assistance.
Where: Earth Spacedock, then P'Jem

System, Sirius Sector Block
Once aboard the Azura, you'll need to
shut down three plasma leaks (which will
Officer Skill Points, 105 Starfleet Merits,
hurt you if you get too close) in order to aid
Choice of Mk. I uncommon ship shields
the crew. The first console is right by the
70

Starfleet wants you to escort Vulcan
Follow the Undine down the steps to the
Ambassador Sokkoth to the P'Jem System
south, fighting through several Klingon
to return a collection of priceless artifacts.
squads on the way. Scan the area at the
Both Klingon and Orion forces would like to
bottom of the hill to discover that the
get their hands on the goods.
Undine has already beamed back to his

ship.
You'll find Sokkoth in the Stateroom on

Earth
Spacedock
in
the
Sol
System,
Beam back to your own ship and prepare
meditating on the left side of the aisle. Talk
to engage the Undine Dreadnought. It's a
to him briefly, then beam to your ship and
battle you can't win his ship is simply too
enter sector space on a course for the
tough for you at this point but all you
P'Jem System.
need to do is survive for two minutes until

reinforcements
arrive.
The
Undine
Upon arrival, Klingons will hail you,
torpedoes can be targeted by your beam
claiming Sokkoth is an Undine shapeshifter.
weapons and detonated before they reach
Defeat two squadrons of three Birds of Prey
your ship.
each to clear a path to beam down to the

planet surface.
Five Starfleet vessels will arrive when

the timer reaches zero, and together you'll
The monks on the planet are under siege
make short work of the Dreadnought. Scan
by Klingon ground forces. Fight your way to
the debris and accept the thanks of Captain
the abbey, located at the top of the hill
Thelin of the U.S.S. Kirk, who foreshadows
simply stay on the main path. Most of the
further meetings down the road.
Klingons will be basic Warriors, with a few
Hide and Seek
shielded officers thrown in.

At the abbey, prepare to be ambushed
by
several
squads
of
Klingons.
You'll
discover that the accusations were correct
Where: Lackey System, Sirius Sector

Block
and that Sokkoth has been replaced by an
Undine. Engage him in contact briefly; he'll
Officer Points, 84 Starfleet Merits, Choice of
run when his health is low.
Mk. I kits
71

Starfleet wants you to follow up on some
information
gleaned
from
coded
by another Draguas Cruiser. Defeat it and

fly
within
transporter
range
to
beam
transmission sent by the Undine concerning
charges over that will blow up the jamming
the Paulson Nebula. Fly through sector
station.
space to the Lackey System, where you will

find the U.S.S. Valor under attack by two
Return to the mine and defeat one last
Gorn Vishap Frigates. Defeat the attackers
Cruiser, then beam up the decalithium.
and hail the Valor.
Your engines will now be ready for the

Paulson Nebula, which is your next stop.
The Valor is disabled but can be repaired

with the help of dilithium crystals you can
The
Nebula
plays
havoc
with
your
beam up from small mines on four nearby
sensors, so you need to scan five suspicious
asteroids. Simply fly close to the mines to
objects to find what Starfleet is seeking.
gather the crystals, but watch out for a
The first one is right in front of your starting
Draguas Cruiser.
position, and the others are roughly in a

line on the left side of the mission zone.
Fly back to the Valor and help it defeat

another Cruiser. Beam the crystals over and
Several Gorn ships will need to be defeated

or avoided.
learn more about the Paulson Nebula,

which was once used by the Enterprise-D to
hide from the Borg.
An enormous asteroid is the final object,

but it's surrounded by gravitic mines that
will fly toward your ship and explode if you
You'll need decalithium crystals to make
get too close. Fly very slowly and pick the
your engines strong enough to fly through
off from maximum phaser range. A Klingon
the Nebula, so you warp to Lackey III. The
K'Tinga Battle Cruiser is also hiding inside
mine there is protected by three Vishap
the mine field.
Frigates.
When you have a clear path, fly close to
Fly close to the decalithium mine to
discover
something
is
jamming
the asteroid and scan it to find a Klingon
your
listening post. Beam down with your away
transporter signal. The jamming station is
team and follow the only path to reach a
behind and under the mine, and is guarded
computer in the final room. Several teams

of Klingons will try to stop you.
72

After
downloading
data
from
the
Finally able to beam down to the Klingon
computer, you will have to defend it for
base, several enemy infantry teams will
several minutes as two teams of Klingons
await the locations to plant six spatial
beam in to ambush you. Fight them off and
charges. In the base's final room, Starfleet
return to sector space to receive your
will ask you to download data from a
rewards.
computer. That will trigger an ambush by

the Undine, who is a tough foe but will
Stop the Signal
transport away when he is low on health.
Back in space, you'll find yourself under
Where: Bomari System, Sirius Sector

Block
attack
from
several
Klingon
Raptors.
Repelling that attack will actually cause the
Klingons to team up with you for the final
battle,
which
Bridge Officer Candidates or Mk. II ship
Dreadnought.
is
against
the
Undine
weapons
Neutral Zone Diplomacy

After destroying a Klingon listening post
in the previous mission, Starfleet finds out
there is a second post. They want you to
Where: Deepspace K7, Eridani Sector
find it and destroy it.
Block
The first task is to scan a repeater on an
Officer Points, 21 Starfleet Merits
asteroid to determine the location of the
This is a simple information-gathering
Klingon base. There are enemy ships in the
mission that will introduce you to two new
area, but with careful flying, you should be
contacts, allowing you to access new types
able to fly close enough to scan it without
of missions. Quinn asks you to fly to
engaging in battle.
Deepspace K7, located in the Neutral Zone,

to talk to Commander Wildman about the
After warping to Bomari II, you'll have to
front line of the war with the Klingons.
find and destroy four transporter disruptors.

They are guarded by Klingon Birds of Prey,
close enough that you'll have to fight them.
73

Wildman will give you an overview and
several buildings inside the mission area.
ask you to speak to Commander Makza and
You'll encounter armed groups near all of
Captain Calhoun, who will open up PvP and
the charges, but Paris will assist in battle to
competitive PvE content.
give you an extra phaser.
The Kuvah'Magh
With the charges gone, you'll be able to

enter the embassy, which is the largest
building.
Where: Regulus System, Regulus Sector
Klingons to rescue four Starfleet diplomats,
Block
You'll
have
to
defeat
more
the last of whom is guarded by a boss in
the embassy's final room.

Mk. II kits
The battle is over on the ground, but

you'll have to fend off an attack from two
Klingon ships once you beam back to your
This mission introduces you to Miral
own vessel. Once they are out of the way.
Paris, a Starfleet officer of partial Klingon
Klingon Ambassador Kas will fill you in a bit
heritage who is believed by some to be the
more on the renegade B'vat, and he'll
savior of the species. Your orders are to
actually help you defeat B'vat's ship in the
provide security for a meeting to discuss
final space battle... but that's not the last
Paris.
you'll see of him.
group
of
five
Orion
ships
War is Good for Business
are
blockading the meeting site. Destroying all

of them will allow you to beam down to the
planet surface of Regulus IV.
Where: Celes Nebula, Regulus Sector

Block
Your away team will meet with Paris,
who doesn't necessarily believe the Klingon
prophecy but will do anything to help if it
Mk. II kits
means peace. A faction of the Klingons isn't

so kind, planting spatial charges outside of
74

Your first order of business is to assist
forcing you to give chase. Three Nausicaan
the U.S.S. ShiKahr, which is stranded within
ships will intercept, and only by defeating
a nebula that will slow you down by
them will you finally be able to scan the
preventing the use of full impulse power.
Nandi.
You'll have to scan three anomalies located

on
asteroids
within
the
nebula,
The kemocite has been moved to a
encountering syphon freighters along the
hidden base, meaning one last away team
way. These ships will launch power syphons
segment. Seven batches of kemocite are
that will drain power from your ship; they
hidden in the base's various rooms, and the
can be targeted but your best bet is just to
Ferengi captain responsible for all of the
destroy the freighters themselves.
drama awaits behind a locked door in the

final room.
Once the anomalies are scanned, you'll

fly close to the ShiKahr to beam out some
The overrides for the locked door are
scientists, then warp to Starbase 114. After
located in rooms on the west and east of
beaming the scientists down, the base will
the final room. The Ferengi shouldn't be too
ask for your assistance locating missing
much trouble for your full away team.
kemocite, which can be used to make
To Boldly Go
explosives.
Your away team will have to scan four
cargo bays (one in each direction from the

central hub) for traces of the kemocite.
Where: Arucanis Arm (adjacent to the

Regulus Sector Block)
There are no enemies, so this is an easy

task.

Officer Points, 21 Starfleet Merits, Badge of
Exploration (1st Order)
You'll find that the kemocite has already

been taken off the base, so you'll beam
Quinn introduces you to Lt. Grall, who
back to your ship to scan nearby freighters
wants you to fulfill Starfleet's mandate for
by flying close to them (within about 3 km).
seeking out new civilizations by exploring
The offending ship, the Nandi, will run,
three uncharted systems in the Arucanis

Arm. The unknown worlds could have
ground or space encounters or simply
require you to scan anomalies.
75

Beaming down to the station, you'll meet
Completing
encounter
Qaris, a shady Ferengi nightclub owner.
where you encounter hostile forces will give
He's not feeling too cooperative, so you'll
you one batch of the rewards (Skill Points,
have to scan various objects around his
Bridge Officer Points and Merits), and you'll
club to point out safety violations to use as
get
leverage. Expect an ambush from some
final
each
batch
system
and
the
Badge
of
Exploration after finishing all three. Lt. Grall
upset (and well-armed) bar patrons.
will stay on your contact list, providing

opportunities
for
more
exploration
missions.
Qaris will tell you about the involvement

of
the
Klingons
and
direct
you
to
Maintenance Corridor 3. You'll have to fight
Treasure Trading System
off an attack from the crew of the smuggler

freighter to proceed to Cargo Bay 6, where
a battle with the Klingons await.
Where: Argelius System, Regulus Sector

Block
To save a captive named Marta, you'll
defeat some Klingon guards and a boss
named Captain Urthog. He'll give you the
Mk. II Deflector Arrays
key to free Marta and a second prisoner.
This mission starts near a space station
The Klingons will take a shot at revenge
having trouble with smugglers. You'll need
once you beam back to your ship, but only
to fly close enough to various freighters to
with a single ship.
scan them and identify the troublemakers,
Secret Orders
which will show up as enemies once

scanned. You'll have to fight and disable
them, which should be pretty easy.

Where: Briar Patch, Regulus Sector Block
Mk. III kits
76

Quinn puts you on the path of some
captured scientists who have been strong-
Beaming back to your ship will set up
armed into helping the Klingons develop
one final battle with another Klingon vessel.
superweapons.
They are in a heavily
Task Force Hippocrates
fortified base, requiring you to destroy 10

turrets just to approach it.

Caution is needed because the turrets
are surrounded by pockets of metron gas,
Where:
Xarantine
System,
Pi
Canus
Sector Block
which will detonate and cause significant
hull damage if weapons are fired within 4
km and the pockets are everywhere.
Mk. III armors
Slow, careful flying can put you in position
A distress call from the S.S. Boyce
to fire at one turret at a time without
mobilizes you to fend off an attack from
blowing yourself up.
several Gorn ships. Afterward, you'll be

asked to fly close enough to activate
Several Klingon ships and a few more
several power satellites (which are laid out
turrets await closer to the base. You should
more or less in a straight line from the
be able to fly slowly enough to avoid
Boyce), which may require you to fight off
engaging them all at once.
more nearby enemy ships.
After beaming to the station, make your
Warping close to a nearby planet, you'll
way through the base and battle several
be asked to escort the medical vessel T'Pau
Klingon patrols to rescue the two scientists.
to get close enough to beam to the surface.
You'll also need to plant charges to destroy
Simply stay close enough to the T'Pau to
the superweapons, which are easy to spot
help it repel three separate assaults from
because they look like giant missiles.
the Gorn.
Starfleet will ask you to download data
With the path clear, you'll beam down to
from a computer core in the final room
the planet surface yourself. Defeat enemies
before making your way back through the
near the medical facility to allow the other
map to your starting point. Several groups
Starfleet personnel to do their jobs.
of Klingons will spawn on your return

journey.
77

Return to your ship and warp to the
Klingon boarding parties have beaten
Trimble system. You'll be asked to locate
you there, and you need to defeat some of
the U.S.S. Eagle and approach it, then
the
defeat several Klingon ships menacing it.
enemies you have seen to this point.
toughest
groups
of
ground-based
Remember that you can direct your away

Since the Klingons have already boarded
team's fire on a single target if necessary,
the Eagle, you'll have to lead your away
and don't hesitate to use the pause feature
team onboard to rescue it. A Klingon
to regroup and issue individual commands.
Captain
and
Eventually you will find the ship's captain,
though he'll be tougher than most ground
who informs you that Paris has already
enemies you've faced thus far, he shouldn't
been captured.
is
leading
the
attackers,
need any special tactics to defeat.

Beam back to your ship to give chase.
City on the Edge of Never
The kidnappers' ship has three Birds of Prey

as escorts. Defeating them allows you to
warp to sector space, where you must
Where: Hromi Sector, Pi Canus Sector
travel to the Gateway System which
Block
happily is just a short distance away.

Officer Points, 207 Starfleet Merits, Choice
In the Gateway System, the Klingons
of Rare Mk. III ground weapons; also
have
another 231 Skill Points, 135 Bridge Officer
Defeat three more Birds of Prey and one
Points
larger ship to be able to beam down to the
and
155
Starfleet
Merits
for
completing all parts of the mission
set
up
welcoming
committee.
surface of the nearby planet.
This is a lengthy Episode that follows up
B'Vat has taken Paris ahead and left
on some previous storyline threads and
eight patrols to slow down your pursuit. The
features appearances from some true sci-fi
path is simple to follow and the enemies
icons. It begins when you are asked to
are mostly Warriors, which should be no
defend the U.S.S. Kirk, where Miral Paris is
problem for you or your Bridge Officers. A
stationed, from a Klingon attack. Defeating
Klingon Officer is the last foe before you
four enemy ships allows you to beam
find the portal to the Guardian of Forever, a
aboard the Kirk.
character who should be familiar to anyone

who's a fan of the STO source material.
78
Speak to the Guardian, who will open up
Doing enough damage to the younger
a portal that will return you to your ship...
B'Vat will get him to talk, fingering his
but in the year 2270. Upon arriving in the
future self as the real villain and wishing
past, you will help the U.S.S. Enterprise
you luck in defeating him. He'll beam out,
(yes, that Enterprise) fight off B'Vat's ship,
and you can use the console behind him to
the Worvig, and two D7 Battlecruisers.
deactivate the force field in the main
Damaging the Worvig sufficiently will cause
hallway.
B'Vat to warp away, and Spock will thank

you for your assistance.
Not far from there you will encounter

Master B'Vat, who is surprisingly easy to
Warp away to follow the Worvig, who
beat considering his large role in the story
has another D7 to help slow you down.
thus far. Defeat him and use the console to
B'Vat will activate his cloaking device, but
free Paris.
Paris' communicator leaves a trail you can

follow.
Beam back to your ship and destroy the

Worvig. It's abandoned now, so simply lock
That trail will lead you into an ambush
all weapons on it and fire until it explodes.
by yet another D7 and set up a tough
One final warp will return you to the
battle. If you can, ignore the D7 and focus
Gateway System.
your fire on the Worvig, because damaging

its hull to a certain point will allow you to
One final space battle awaits, but Spock
progress the mission whether its escort ship
and the Enterprise will return the favor from
is destroyed or not.
earlier and come to your aid. A portal will

open up nearby that will return you to the
Once you beam aboard the Worvig,
present. Talk to the Guardian one last time,
you'll detect Paris' signal coming from the
then hail Starfleet to receive your rewards.
mess hall. Fight your way down the main
Admiral Quinn will warn you about a visit
hallway until you find the path blocked by a
from
force field. There's a second path to the
Investigations thanks to your jaunt through
east guarded by B'Vats personal guards.
time.
Beat both of them to find a much younger

B'Vat the one from that time waiting for
you.
79
the
Department
of
Temporal
Exploration
Missions
Abandoned
base
Starfleet
outpost has either been willingly or

unwillingly
abandoned,
and
you
have to examine it and report on

your findings. This usually requires
Since the storyline episodes are not

replayable,
they
aren't
much
use
downloading
for
grinding. What you can do to earn some
data
from
several
computer terminals.
Anomaly collection The system is
more Skill Points and advance some extra
devoid of friendly or enemy contacts
grades is to grind the exploration missions.
but does contain anomalous data.

Simply
Exploration missions call on you to travel

to
unmapped
star
systems
in
anomalies
certain
and
and
resulting
clusters and explore them to see what you

can find. A Starfleet contact will ask you to
flying
items
scanning
the
collecting
will
the
satisfy
the
mission requirements.
Commodities
missions
Not
explore three systems in a specific cluster
favorite of many Fed players, these
and offer Skill Points, Bridge Officer Skill
missions
Points and Badges of Exploration for doing
civilization who requests tangible aid
so.
from Starfleet. Delivering the right
involve
contact
with
kind and quantity of commodity will

The map for an unexplored cluster looks
complete the mission, though this
much like sector space and is navigated in
often requires you to make a trip to
the same way. Flying close to the contact
points will allow you to scan them, which
some of your hard-earned energy
will either reveal anomalies that you can
credits.
collect or an unknown system.
commodity
Distress
call
broker
and
Either
spend
Starfleet
personnel or aliens friendly to the

STO does a nice job varying the types of
Federation are under attack. If it's a
unknown systems you come across, but
ship in distress, you'll have to fight a
they can be broken down into several
space battle, and if it's a base, you'll
different mission types:
have to beam an away team down

to
defeat
encounter.
80
any
enemies
you
Patrol Missions
PvP And FvF Zones
With the Federation engaged in a war
PvP play isn't a focus of the Fed side, but
with the Klingons and threats appearing on
there are opportunities for it. At this time,
several other fronts, someone needs to
all PVP zones are consensual instanced
keep the peace in friendly space. Patrol
locations, though the STO devs have stated
missions are given to you by Starfleet
they are considering persistent PvP maps
contacts (initially Commander Akira Sulu at
for future expansions.
Earth Spacedock) who ask you to travel to

certain sector blocks to render whatever
assistance may be necessary.
The first set of PvP zones most Fed

players will come across are located in the
Neutral Zone, which is disputed territory
Regular patrol missions require you to
between Federation and Klingon space. The
travel to several systems in the same
closest entry point to the starting zone is
sector. Once there, you'll receive further
the Eta Eridani Sector Block.
instructions from Starfleet, and from there

the scenarios play out much like storyline
episodes or exploration missions.
PvP systems are marked on the sector

map as Hostile Engagement or Space
Assault
Defense missions have you dealing with
zones.
Entering
one
of
those
systems will bring up the queue menu,
the wandering enemy signal contacts you'll
which
shows
come across in sector space. The contacts
scenarios
can be approached and entered just like
scenarios has a range of ranks and grades
star systems, and once inside, you'll team
that
with other Fed captains to engage in space
example, Lt. Commander 1 to Commander
battles. These missions reset every so often
0), and if you aren't in that range, you
and have timers to tell you when the next
won't even have the option to enter the
reset will occur.
zone.
are
you
available.
allowed
the
different
Every
to
grouping
participate
PvP
of
(for
Pure PvP scenarios are marked as FvK

and
require
minimum
number
of
Federation and Klingon players to begin.

There are also Fed-only scenarios marked
81
War Zones
(Competitive PvE)
as FvF that simply need a total number of

Fed
captains
to
start.
The
in-game
explanation for these scenarios is that they

are Starfleet wargames.
The current number of players in each
Systems marked as War Zones offer
queue is displayed next to the minimum
competitive PvE play. Though you'll find
number required, with Fed players in blue
Klingon captains inside and be able to fight
and Klingon players in red. Queues you are
them,
currently in are marked with a yellow
defeating computer-controlled enemies that
square.
will be opposing both factions.
the
mission
objectives
involve
Once the minimum number of players is
Unlike PvP zones, War Zones have no
queued up, a menu will pop up that shows
queues and you never know how many
the map being used and the number of
other players you'll find inside. They reset
players on each side. Hit the Engage button
several minutes after completion, and a
to enter, as you will time out after about a
timer tells you how long it will be until the
minute.
reset takes place.
After entering the scenario, Starfleet

personnel will tell you about the objectives.
One player will usually invite the others on
their side to join a team in order to enable a
chat channel during the battle.
82
FEDERATION
ECONOMICS
That means you'll have to build up your

bank account by selling things, which isn't
as bad as it sounds since you will come
across many more items of all kinds than
you will ever be able to hold or use. This is
he Federation has no need for
especially true for kits, which are specific to
money, what with replicators that
one career path (if your captain is a Tactical
can create anything a being might
Officer, he won't be able to use an
need. But that doesn't mean there's no in-
Engineering kit), and ground weapons,
game economy in STO.
which you'll soon have in abundance after

completing some missions.
Far from it, in fact. As a Fed player, you'll

find that there is a multi-tiered system for
Every item has a value, which you can
acquiring gear and other resources that can
think of as its retail price. As in most MMOs,
be a little confusing for new players. As you
you'll usually have to pay the full price in
progress through the game, you'll learn
energy credits to buy the item, but you
that all of the following ways of obtaining
won't receive full value when selling it.
items have their uses for making your

captain, crew and ship the best they can
be.
Along
with
physical
goods,
energy
credits can also be used to customize your

ship or the clothing worn by your captain
and bridge officers by visiting tailors on
Energy Credits
various starbases.
Exchanges
Energy credits are the main form of

currency in the STO universe, usable in all
kinds of places to purchase weapons,
Your Federation characters can buy gear
equipment and even new starships, if you
directly from other human players and sell
have enough of them. The interesting part
to them as well thanks to the exchange
is that you start with none, nor do you earn
consoles you'll find on starbases. Just about
any by completing missions or find them as
anything you can think of or want in STO is
drops when defeating enemies.
probably for sale at some time.
83

The prices for using the replicator are no
The exchange has a search function and
worse than you'll find anywhere else for
drop-down menus so you can quickly find
these staples. You can also sell items for
exactly what you want. Be prepared to pay
credits using the replicator, but since you'll
a pretty penny for the good stuff, though,
only get about 20 percent of their values if
as supply and demand control prices here.
you do, this should be avoided.
On the flip side, if you find yourself in
Starfleet Merits
possession of some rare gear that you can't

use or don't want, the exchange is your
best bet for getting all the energy credits
you deserve from a sale especially since
In contrast to energy credits, you will
you can name your own selling price when
receive
Starfleet
Merits
for
completing
you post the item. You're much better off
missions. Think of them in a similar way to
attempting this route than selling high end
the favor systems in other MMOs, as they
weapons or equipment to the in-game
reflect your personal level of goodwill with
merchants.
the higher ups of the Federation.

The main use of Merits is for obtaining
Replicators
and training Bridge Officer candidates.

Randomly finding the Officer with the exact
If you find yourself in need of commonly
race and set of skills you want is possible,
used items in a pinch, you don't even need
but why leave it to chance when you can
to track down a wandering merchant ship
simply visit a requisitions officer (at Earth
or head to a starbase to go shopping. The
Spacedock, for one) and pick the one you
replicator on your ship can create food and
want?
beverages (for non-combat healing), as well

as small hypos, shield charges and power
cells.
You can also spend merits to get a

Bridge Officer who's already part of your
crew to train a new ability, replacing one
they already have. This is useful if said
84

Officer's set of skills is good except in one
Since
the
storyline
missions
aren't
area, and it's faster than spending time to
currently replayable, exploration missions
train and level up a replacement from
are the only PvE method of grinding for
scratch.
your Federation character. And since you

don't earn energy credits for doing them,
Finally, you need Merits to promote

Bridge Officers to the next rank. This can be
Badges
of
Exploration
are
nice
consolation prize.
done at any time from the Officer's status

screen provided he or she has earned
You can use the Badges to requisition
enough skill points and you have enough
ship weapons and consoles, including some
Merits.
that are difficult to find in other ways and

would cost tons of energy credits even if
It costs 300 Starfleet Merits to promote a
you did. Better gear can be obtained from
Bridge Officer from Ensign to Lieutenant,
completing missions in more challenging
600 to promote from Lieutenant to Lt.
areas of unexplored space, as listed below:
Commander, and so on.
Mk.
II
gear
needs
Badges
of
Exploration, 1st Order, earned by
Badges Of
Exploration
exploring
systems
in
the
Delta
Volanis Cluster or Arucanis Arm
Mk.
IV
gear
Exploration, 2
exploring
Just about everyone knows that one of

the Federation's purposes is to explore
needs
nd
Badges
of
Order, earned by
systems
in
the
Hromi
Cluster or Khazon Cluster
Mk.
VI
gear
needs
Badges
of
strange new worlds... to seek out new life,
Exploration, 3
new civilizations. STO gives you a reason
exploring systems in the Afehirr
for doing just that thanks to Badges of
Nebula or Eridan Belt
Exploration.
Mk.
VIII
rd
gear
Order, earned by
needs
Badges
of
Exploration, 4th Order, earned by

exploring
systems
in
Nebula or Betreka Nebula
85
the
Rolor
Mk.
gear
needs
Badges
Anomalous Data
(Crafting)
of
Exploration, 5th Order, earned by

exploring
systems
in
the
Zenas
Expanse
The second level of the Shipyard at
Though STO doesn't have a full crafting
Earth Spacedock has a convenient place to
system that allows players to create items
trade in your Badges by talking to the
like some other MMOs, it does have a
following Starfleet personnel:
limited method for improving existing gear

thanks to anomalous data.
Who
What
Ensign Olesre
Mk. II, IV and VI

ship weapons
space or on the ground, you can scan for
Commander
Tafeng
Mk. VIII and X

ship weapons
Flying or walking close to these anomalies
Lt. Commander
Phlim
Mk. II, IV and VI

consoles
Lieutenant Yeniz
Mk. VIII and X

consoles
Lieutenant Jotun
Mk. II, IV and VI

shields, deflector
arrays and
engines
In just about every mission, whether in

and locate anomalies of various kinds.
allows them to be scanned in further detail
and added to your inventory.
As you learn in an early storyline
mission,
the
Federation
scientists
at
Memory Alpha are eagerly seeking out all
Lt. Commander
Orjas
Mk. VIII and X

shields, deflector
arrays and
engines
kinds of anomalous data to help them with

their work. In practical terms, you can
exchange the different anomalies you find
according to specific recipes or formulas to
help
you
upgrade
your
weapons
or
equipment.
Your first contact at Memory Alpha will
be Commander Jenna Romaine, who is
located in the center of the facility's large
central room. She can get you started with
the following upgrades:
86
Commander Romaine's Upgrade Formulas

Item
Formula
Special Bonus
Large Hypo
Alien Artifact x2, Radiation Sample x2,

Mineral Sample x2, Medium Hypo x1
None
Large Power Cell
Alien Artifact x2, Radiation Sample x2,

Mineral Sample x2, Medium Shield Charge
x1
None
Personal Shield
Mk. II
Radiation Sample x5, Alien Artifact x5,

Mineral Sample x5, Antimatter Sample x2,
Biological Sample x2, Unknown Alloy x2,
Personal Shield Mk. II x1
Increased shield
hit points
Personal Shield
Mk. II
Unknown Alloy x6, Antimatter Sample x6,

Biological Sample x6, Radiation Sample x1,
Alien Artifact x1, Mineral Sample x1,
Personal Shield Mk. II x1
+310 percent
shield
regeneration
Disruptor Bolt
Dual Pistol
Sweep Mk. II

Alien Artifact x1, Mineral Sample x1,
Disruptor Dual Pistols Mk. II x1
Chance of bonus
Physical DoT
Phaser Beam
Pistol Wide
Beam Mk. II

Phaser Wide Beam Pistol Mk. II x1
Chance of
knockback
Phaser Beam
Array Mk. II

Phaser Beam Array Mk. II x1
+ 0.1 accuracy
Phaser Beam
Array Mk. II

+20 critical
severity
Phaser Beam
Array Mk. II

+2% critical
chance
87

Photon Torpedo
Launcher Mk. II

Alien Artifact x5, Mineral Sample x5, Photon
Torpedo Launcher Mk. II x1
+0.1 accuracy
Photon Torpedo
Launcher Mk. II
Unknown Alloy x7, Alien Artifact x7,

Antimatter Sample x7, Radiation Sample x7,
Biological Sample x7, Mineral Sample x7,
Photon Torpedo Launcher Mk. II x1
+20 critical
severity
Photon Torpedo
Launcher Mk. II

Alien Artifact x1, Mineral Sample x1, Photon
Torpedo Launcher Mk. II x1
+2% critical
chance
Engineering Kit
Basic Explosives
Mk. II

Engineering Kit Chroniton Mine Barrier
Standard Issue x1
Grants both
Transphasic
Bomb I and
Chroniton Mine
Barrier I abilities
Science Kit
Medic Mk. II

Science Kit Medical Tricorder Standard
Issue x1
Grants both
Vascular
Regenerator I
and Medical
Tricorder I
abilities
Tactical Kit
Basic Grenades
Mk. II

Alien Artifact x5, Mineral Sample x5, Tactical
Kit Photon Grenade Standard Issue x1
Grants both
Smoke Grenade
I and Photon
Grenade I
abilities
88

Other
The C-Store
items
are
more
for
flavor
purposes, like bridge pieces, ship costumes

(which change the exterior look of your
ship) and character emotes. Read the
For some unique in-game items and add-
descriptions carefully: some items are only
ons, you may have to spend some real life
for one specific captain while others can be
currency. In STO, that means a visit to the
used by all of your characters or all who
C-Store.
have achieved a certain rank.
The C-Store is accessible by clicking on
The STO developers will also place free
the down arrow icon near your mini map in
items in the C-Store as loyalty rewards, so
the upper-right corner of the screen and
make sure you check back from time to
selecting it from the drop-down menu.
time to see what's new. For example, two
Inside, you'll find a variety of goodies that
months after the game first went live, a
can be purchased via microtransactions
free costume piece, character title and
using
emote were given away to thank the
Cryptic
Points,
which
can
be
purchased in bundles from the Cryptic or
players.
STO websites.
The price varies by bundle so that you
get more points per dollar by buying more
at one time. In all cases, though, Cryptic
Points will run you less than two cents per
point.
There's no point in listing the items in
the C-Store because the selection is always
changing. Popular purchases include extra
playable races, extra character slots and
the ability to Retrain (or respec) your
captain, changing up his or her build by
spending all skill points over from the
beginning.
89

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