the unofficial star trek online federation guide

The Unofficial Star Trek Online Federation Guide

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Table of ContentsImportant.......................................................2

The short version.......................................2The long version........................................2

Introduction...................................................5Character Creation.........................................6

Captains....................................................6Career Paths.........................................6

Tactical Officer.................................6Science Officer..................................6Engineering Officer...........................7

Species Bonuses...................................7Additional Starting Traits......................9

Bridge Officers.........................................10Acquiring Bridge Officers....................11Strategies for Selecting Bridge Officers............................................................11

Starting Ship............................................12Ships............................................................13

Cruisers...................................................14Cruiser Stats.......................................14

Escorts.....................................................15Escort Stats.........................................15

Science Vessels.......................................16Science Vessel Stats...........................16

Combat Overview........................................18Space Combat.........................................18

Basics..................................................18Redirecting Shield Power....................19Subsystem Settings............................20Beams vs. Torpedoes..........................21

Ground Combat.......................................21Basics..................................................22Bridge Officer Commands...................23Flanking..............................................24Expose and Exploit..............................24Pausing...............................................25Kit Selection........................................25

Skills............................................................26Starfleet Skills.........................................26

Starfleet Lieutenant Skills...................27Starfleet Lt. Commander Skills............28Starfleet Commander Skills.................29Starfleet Captain Skills........................31Starfleet Admiral Skills........................32

Engineering Skills....................................33Science Officer Skills...............................36Tactical Officer Skills...............................38Bridge Officer Skills.................................39

Ensign Bridge Officer Skills.................40Lieutenant Bridge Officer Skills...........43Lt. Commander Bridge Officer Skills....48Commander Bridge Officer Skills.........52

Weapons and Equipment.............................55Ship Weapons..........................................55

Beam Weapons...................................56Projectile Weapons..............................56

Ship Equipment.......................................56Shields................................................57Deflector Dishes..................................57Impulse Engines..................................58Consoles.............................................58Devices...............................................58Commodities.......................................58

Ground Weapons.....................................59Ground Equipment..................................59

Personal Shields..................................60Armor..................................................60Kits......................................................60Devices...............................................61

Banks......................................................61Leveling and Advancement..........................63

Grades vs. Ranks.....................................63Skill Point Spending Strategy...................64

Retraining (Respecs)...........................65Training and Promoting Bridge Officers...65

Missions.......................................................67Storyline Episodes...................................67

Tutorial Mission Walkthrough..............67Episode Walkthroughs.........................70

Stranded in Space..........................70Diplomatic Orders...........................70Hide and Seek................................71Stop the Signal...............................73Neutral Zone Diplomacy.................73The Kuvah'Magh.............................74War is Good for Business................74To Boldly Go...................................75Treasure Trading System................76Secret Orders.................................76Task Force Hippocrates..................77City on the Edge of Never...............78

Exploration Missions................................80Patrol Missions.........................................81PvP and FvF Zones..................................81War Zones (Competitive PvE)..................82

Federation Economics..................................83

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Energy Credits.........................................83Exchanges...........................................83Replicators..........................................84

Starfleet Merits........................................84Badges of Exploration..............................85

Anomalous Data (Crafting)......................86Commander Romaine's Upgrade Formulas.............................................87

The C-Store.............................................89

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INTRODUCTIONWelcome 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.

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CHARACTER CREATION

nlike many other MMOs, STO avatars consist of more than just a single person or creature.

A captain can't go it alone, so your Federation avatar also includes bridge officers and one of numerous different types of starships.

UCaptains

Following real life naval tradition, your main character is referred to as a captain regardless of his or rank within Starfleet. The gender, name and appearance of your captain are all completely customizable at the start of the game. Other decisions involving your captain are more than cosmetic and require some more thought as to your desired play style.

Career PathsSTO 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

reasons: it has a direct bearing on the captain's abilities in away team (ground-based) situations and determines the types of kits the captain can use.

Tactical Off icerIf you want to play your captain as the

first person into a firefight, this is the way to go. Tactical Officer is the most direct combat-based career and the most intuitive for STO newcomers.

The special abilities for Tactical Officers focus on either dealing damage directly, aiding the stealth capabilities of the away team or providing group combat buffs. Tactical kits generally provide additional attack options, either by offering secondary ranged attacks or beefing up melee attacks.

Science OfficerThis is the most direct Federation

equivalent to the buff/debuff classes from other popular MMOs. Science Officers learn abilities that affect combat by putting enemies at a disadvantage (especially via holds or resistance debuffs) or by aiding fellow away team members.

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Healing is also an important ability for Science Officers, though it doesn't define them like it does in some other games. Though this can be a tricky path for beginners, it doesn't take too much time to see the value and power Science provides.

Engineering OfficerSpecializing in the technology of the STO

universe, Engineering Officers are the support people for the Federation. A key ability learned early on is the power to recharge the personal shields of away team members, which greatly increases the chances of surviving ground combat.

That shield-boosting quality also allows Engineers to fill the tank role familiar to players of other MMOs. Kits used in this path can bring turrets, drones and mines into play, tilting battlefield conditions in the player's favor.

Species BonusesMany Federation players have RP

motivations for choosing the species of their captains thanks to TV and the movies. But there are game-based reasons for choosing carefully here, as every species has several innate abilities.

Humans get the usual jack-of-all-trades role in the STO universe. They get a 15% bonus to ship repair and a 5% team bonus to Exploit attacks, a special kind of attack that takes advantage of a weakened foe.

Andorians have heightened senses that are helpful in combat. They receive 20% bonuses to spotting enemies using Stealth and 10% bonuses to personal Exploit attacks.

Bajorans make good Science or Engineering officers thanks to their special abilities. Along with 5% bonuses to healing or damage using kits, they get a 10% bonus from heals used on them and speedier regeneration of health.

Benzites have natural armor that make them effective tanks. That armor gives them built-in damage resistance to energy and physical attacks as well as radiation and toxic damage.

Betazoids have mental powers not found in other species. Their empathy reduces aggro and increases regeneration for the whole away team, and their telepathy has several small beneficial effects.

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Bolians get one of the least useful bonuses. They have corrosive blood that can deal damage to enemies but only under very specific circumstances and 20% damage resistance to toxic attacks.

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 are a well-known race whose logical minds give 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 abilities,

allowing for very specialized combinations for advanced players. On the cosmetic side, aliens also have a much larger set of appearance options.

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Additional Starting TraitsOn 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 space-based 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

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

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Space Trait Bonuses

Accuracy +0.1 to hit w/ space weapons

Astrophysicist +10 Starship Operations skill

training

Efficient +5 to all Starship subsystems

Elusive +0.1 Defense to space weapons

Techie +10 Starship Engineering skill

training

Warp Theorist +10 Starship Warp Core skill

training

Captains can select a number of traits equal to four minus the number of species traits. For example, Humans have two species traits and can pick two additional, while Aliens have no species traits and can pick four from the tables above.

Bridge OfficersWhat 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.

Bridge Officers come in the same three flavors as captains, and their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to ground combat are pretty much the same. In space is where they really shine, granting ships extra powers they wouldn't otherwise have.

Tactical Bridge Officers enhance the damage done by ship weapons, with individual powers focused on beam weapons or torpedoes. They also have Attack Patterns that can increase turning speed, erase status effects like Holds and grant other abilities for short periods of time.

Science Bridge Officers bring their buff/debuff game to space battles. Common powers include tractor beams to induce Holds, other beams to reduce enemy shields and holoprojectors to Confuse opposing ships.

Engineering Bridge Officers are experts at rerouting power between a ship's subsystems. The Emergency Power to Shields and Emergency Power to Weapons abilities are extremely useful general boosts.

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Acquiring Bridge Officers

When you roll a new STO Federation captain, you start with no Bridge Officers. You'll gain the first one by the end of the tutorial mission and have a chance to add several others fairly early on.

As your captain progresses in rank and gains access to larger ships, the amount of Bridge Officers you can have at one time will increase as well. New additions to your crew can come as grade rewards or mission rewards, including some special missions that will allow you access to Bridge Officers that can't be obtained through any other methods.

Starfleet merits can also be used to requisition Bridge Officer candidates at the Earth Spacedock or other Starbases throughout Federation space.

Strategies for Selecting Bridge Officers

Since all types of abilities are useful in STO, it's easy to see why you would want to choose Bridge Officers to compliment your captain's talents. For instance, if you chose Tactical Officer for your captain's career

path, it only makes sense that you would want Bridge Officers with Science and Engineering abilities to ensure your team is well-rounded.

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 have all of the consoles on your ship properly manned. Our starting ship (about which you'll learn more in the next section) has one Enginering, one Science and one Tactical console. Manning each console with the corresponding type of Bridge Officer will allow you to have access to three special abilities in space combat situations.

As your captain progresses in rank and gains access to new types of ships, you'll discover that each category of ship has a different mix of console types. That will become a main consideration going forward in terms of how many of each type of Bridge Officer you want around.

Don't forget that Bridge Officers also make up the bulk of your away team in ground-based missions. You can choose Officers that aren't assigned to consoles on your ship to the away team and can change 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.

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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 could use the support of several Science or Engineering types for healing and/or defense. Conversely, if your captain's career path is Science, you may find having multiple Tactical Bridge Officers on your away team ensures that you aren't outgunned.

It's also important to note that no two Bridge Officers are alike, even if they have the same specialty. They each have different bonuses depending on their species, just like your captain, and they have access to different ground and space abilities as well.

As you encounter situations where you have the option to take on new Bridge Officers, it pays to spend a few moments to examine their inherent abilities. Though they can be trained to learn the specific abilities you's like them to have, it's often possible to find the ones you want just by chance.

Starting ShipThroughout your Federation career,

you'll have the chance to operate several different types and classes of starships. But at the beginning of the game, all captains start out with the same ship, a Light Cruiser.

You will be able to change the appearance of your starting ship at no charge thanks to a reward at the end of the tutorial mission, but achieving the rank of Lt. Commander is the only way to be able to fly new ships on missions.

Your Light Cruiser has two forward weapons slots and one aft (rear), along with one of each type of console (Engineering, Science and Tactical). The mix of weapons and equipment is always the same when you first begin your Starfleet career, but you'll very quickly be able to swap some of it out for improved gear found as drops left behind by defeated enemies or as rewards for completed missions.

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SHIPShat would a good Starfleet captain be without his starship? Though every

Fed player starts with an identical Light Cruiser, as soon as you achieve the rank of Lieutenant Commander, you'll have some choices to make as to what kind of ship you'd like to command.

WShips fall into three basic categories:

Cruisers, Escorts and Science Vessels. Each category has its own strengths and weaknesses, allowing for a variety of different play styles. Ships are also divided into five tiers which correspond to the minimum rank you need to use each one.

One nice thing about STO is that it doesn't make you commit to one type of ship for the rest of your Fed career. You could potentially switch up the category of ship you select every time you achieve a new rank (you can also buy a new ship if you rack up enough energy credits), though you will likely find that doing so may not be the most efficient use of the skill points you've earned. Still, the option is there.

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, ShiKahr and Centaur classes and you're free to choose from any of the three when you select a new ship. However the differences between the classes are strictly cosmetic and don't affect gameplay.

One final note on choosing ships: it may seem like there is an obvious choice to make for your ship type based on your career path. At first glance, Escorts seem right for Tactical Officers, Cruisers for Engineers and Science Vessels for Science Officers.

There's some logic in that thinking, because players who choose to be Tactical Officers, for instance, probably are apt to think offense first in both ground and space battles. But you may find that a different type of ship works better for you based on how you like to play in space, and thanks to the varied abilities your Bridge Officers bring to the table, there's really no penalty for thinking outside the box here. Don't be afraid to go against the grain.

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CruisersVersatility is the main advantage a

cruiser brings into play. They carry large crews, allowing for rapid repair of hull damage and easy use of abilities that focus on boarding parties or engineering teams.

Cruisers also have the most power to distribute among their subsystems. Fittingly, they have more Engineering console stations than other ships.

Because of their large size, cruisers give up something in speed and maneuverability.

Cruiser StatsTier 2: CruiserClasses: Constitution, Excalibur and

VesperCrew: 400Weapon Slots: 2 front, 2 rearDevice Slots: 4Tactical Stations: 1 EnsignEngineering Stations: 1 Ensign, 1

LieutenantScience Stations: 1 EnsignConsole Upgrades: 1 Tactical, 1 Science,

2 Engineering

Tier 3: Heavy Cruiser

Classes: Cheyenne, Stargazer and Dakota

Crew: 500Weapon Slots: 3 front, 3 rearDevice Slots: 4Tactical Stations: 1 LieutenantEngineering Stations: 1 Lt. Commander,

1 EnsignScience Stations: 1 LieutenantConsole Upgrades: 1 Tactical, 1 Science,

3 Engineering

Tier 4: Exploration CruiserClasses: Galaxy, Celestial and EnvoyCrew: 1,000Weapon Slots: 4 front, 3 rearDevice Slots: 4Tactical Stations: 1 LieutenantEngineering Stations: 1 Commander, 1

LieutenantScience Stations: 1 LieutenantConsole Upgrades: 2 Tactical, 2 Science,

3 Engineering

Tier 5: Assault CruiserClasses: Sovereign, Noble and MajesticCrew: 800Weapon Slots: 4 front, 4 rearDevice Slots: 4Tactical Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1 EnsignEngineering Stations: 1 Commander, 1

Lieutenant CommanderScience Stations: 1 Lieutenant

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Console Upgrades: 3 Tactical, 2 Science, 4 Engineering

Tier 5: Star CruiserClasses: Avenger, Vanguard and

EmissaryCrew: 1,000Weapon Slots: 4 front, 4 rearDevice Slots: 4Tactical Stations: 1 LieutenantEngineering Stations: 1 Commander, 1

Lt. CommanderScience Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1 EnsignConsole Upgrades: 2 Tactical, 3 Science,

4 Engineering

EscortsThough the Federation has always

maintained that it doesn't have ships built specifically for war, Escorts are pretty good at it. They tend to be small but mighty, packing plenty of firepower including cannons, which other ships can't use and marrying it with superior straight-line and turning speed.

On the minus side, their small crews mean that hull repairs are slow and they aren't the best with boarding party abilities. Their shields are also relatively weak, meaning a good defense is usually a really good offense.

Escort Stats

Tier 2: EscortClasses: Saber, Rapier and UshaanCrew: 50Weapon Slots: 3 front, 1 rearDevice Slots: 2Tactical Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1 EnsignEngineering Stations: 1 EnsignScience Stations: 1 EnsignConsole Upgrades: 2 Tactical, 1 Science,

1 Engineering

Tier 3: Heavy EscortClasses: Akira, Oslo and ZephyrCrew: 100Weapon Slots: 3 front, 2 rearDevice Slots: 2Tactical Stations: 1 Lt. Commander, 1

EnsignEngineering Stations: 1 LieutenantScience Stations: 1 LieutenantConsole Upgrades: 3 Tactical, 1 Science,

1 Engineering

Tier 4: Tactical EscortClasses: Defiant, Vigilant and GallantCrew: 50Weapon Slots: 4 front, 2 rearDevice Slots: 4Tactical Stations: 1 Commander, 1

LieutenantEngineering Stations: 1 LieutenantScience Stations: 1 Lieutenant

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Console Upgrades: 3 Tactical, 2 Science, 2 Engineering

Tier 5: Advanced EscortClasses: Prometheus, Phoenix and

CerberusCrew: 150Weapon Slots: 4 front, 3 rearDevice Slots: 2Tactical Stations: 1 Commander, 1 Lt.

CommanderEngineering Stations: 1 LieutenantScience Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1 EnsignConsole Upgrades: 4 Tactical, 2 Science,

3 Engineering

Tier 5: Fleet EscortClasses: Hermes, Gryphon and DervishCrew: 200Weapon Slots: 4 front, 3 rearDevice Slots: 2Tactical Stations: 1 Commander, 1 Lt.

CommanderEngineering Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1

EnsignScience Stations: 1 LieutenantConsole Upgrades: 4 Tactical, 3 Science,

2 Engineering

Science VesselsIntended to be the showcase for the

most advanced Federation technology, Science Vessels boast the most powerful shields and sensors of any ships. The former is self-explanatory, while the latter pays off with an edge for any abilities that rely on deflector dishes or arrays.

Science Vessels aren't intended to be primary front-line combat ships, so their hulls can't stand up to as much damage as Cruisers or Escorts. They do have an inherent ability to detect cloaked ships, which is extremely beneficial when going up against the Klingons.

Science Vessel StatsTier 2: Science VesselClasses: Nova, Aurora and QuasarCrew: 100Weapon Slots: 2 front, 2 rearDevice Slots: 3Tactical Stations: 1 EnsignEngineering Stations: 1 EnsignScience Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1 EnsignConsole Upgrades: 1 Tactical, 2 Science,

1 Engineering

Tier 3: Research Science VesselClasses: Olympic, Hope and Horizon

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Crew: 400Weapon Slots: 3 front, 2 rearDevice Slots: 3Tactical Stations: 1 LieutenantEngineering Stations: 1 LieutenantScience Stations: 1 Lt. Commander, 1

EnsignConsole Upgrades: 1 Tactical, 3 Science,

1 Engineering

Tier 4: Long Range Science VesselClasses: Intrepid, Cochrane and

DiscoveryCrew: 200Weapon Slots: 3 front, 3 rearDevice Slots: 3Tactical Stations: 1 LieutenantEngineering Stations: 1 LieutenantScience Stations: 1 Commander, 1

LieutenantConsole Upgrades: 2 Tactical, 3 Science,

2 Engineering

Tier 5: Reconnaissance Science VesselClasses: Luna, Sol and PolarisCrew: 350Weapon Slots: 3 front, 3 rearDevice Slots: 3Tactical Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1 EnsignEngineering Stations: 1 LieutenantScience Stations: 1 Commander, 1 Lt.

CommanderConsole Upgrades: 3 Tactical, 4 Science,

2 Engineering

Tier 5: Deep Space Science VesselClasses: Trident, Oracle and DestinyCrew: 500Weapon Slots: 3 front, 3 rearDevice Slots: 3Tactical Stations: 1 LieutenantEngineering Stations: 1 Lieutenant, 1

EnsignScience Stations: 1 Commander, 1 Lt.

CommanderConsole Upgrades: 2 Tactical, 4 Science,

3 Engineering

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COMBAT OVERVIEW

ven though the Federation's mission is one of exploration, scientific discovery and

peacekeeping, things never stay too friendly in the STO universe for long. When the shooting starts, it helps to know how to win battles in space or on land.

ESpace Combat

Battles between large starships are a staple of STO's source material and a major focus of the game. It's a rare mission that doesn't involve even one encounter with an enemy ship, and it's not uncommon to face wave after wave of opponents in some cases.

The space combat system is similar to that of EVE Online in that it doesn't rely on reflexes and who has the fastest trigger finger. It's more about positioning and utilizing your ship's resources effectively,

spending the most time with your strongest weapons and shields facing your enemy 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. Having a plan before engaging the enemy is always a smart idea.

Basics

Except in some very rare mission-specific situations, your goal in any space battle will be to reduce the hull hit points of the enemy ship or ships to zero before yours does the same. Your current hull status is represented by the ship icon at the bottom center of the screen, while the ship you are targeting has a similar icon at the top of the screen. Hull damage is slowly repaired by your ship's crew as long as it is not taking damage.

Anyone who knows the STO universe knows that shields are important to space combat. Though some damage can slip through to the hull even when shields are at full power, eliminating the shields allows all the damage from weapons to apply directly to the hull.

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Shields have separate hit points for the front, back and both sides of every ship, and are displayed in both numeric and color bar form around the ship icons. The game will give you an audible cue when either your facing shield or your opponent's is completely down.

When it comes to ship weapons, firing arcs are the key. Every weapon has a specific arc within which in can fire, meaning keeping your ship facing so that your current target is in the maximum number of firing arcs simultaneously is a key part of space combat.

Sometimes this leads to some counter-intuitive situations; for example, a ship with phasers with 210-degree firing arcs in the front and back can bring them both to bear if one of its sides is facing the enemy. In general, more powerful weapons have smaller firing arcs, the better to help balance them out.

Though all of you ship weapons are automatically mapped to different number keys, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of your weapons' firing arcs in the heat of battle. Fortunately, there are two helpful shortcuts: pressing the spacebar

fires all of your beam weapons that can currently hit your target, while pressing control-spacebar does the same for torpedo weapons.

In order to keep your ship facing the correct direction for shield and weapon purposes, you'll want to be moving while you fight. In combat situations, full impulse power is disabled, but your throttle still works the same way it does while flying in non-combat areas.

Remember that turning speed is more important than straight-line speed when it comes to space battles. That means captain and Bridge Officer abilities to increase turning speed are always helpful, and since turning in tight spaces isn't always possible while running flat out, it often pays to ease off the throttle just a bit in a fight.

Redirecting Shield Power

One of the favorite tactics from Trek TV shows and movies is not only viable in STO but absolutely essential in some cases: re-routing your shield power in one particular direction. This is done by clicking on the corresponding arrow on your ship icon at the bottom of the screen.

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Clicking on the forward arrow, for example, will take power from the side and rear shields to boost the forward shield. Obviously, this weakens the other three sides, but that may not matter if an enemy is pounding you from one direction.

Forcing power to one shield is a temporary measure, but it can be very helpful when you are faced with a single enemy and want to keep your most powerful weapons within their firing arcs. It's not as desirable when fending off multiple attackers, as you need to worry about taking simultaneous hits from multiple directions.

Subsystem Settings

Your ship has four subsystems which are represented by small icons on the bottom of the screen between your shield and weapons controls. From top to bottom, they are Weapons, Shields, Engines and Auxiliary (things like sensors and deflector dishes).

The default setting evenly distributes the power from your ship's core to all four subsystems. However, it's possible to change that distribution, taking power from some areas to boost another. Your ship

does this automatically when you use full impulse power in non-combat situations, routing much of the power to the engines to greatly increase speed.

The icons above the subsystems can switch you quickly between four subsystem settings. From left to right, they are:

Attack Takes power from Engines and Auxiliary to boost weapons while keeping Shields at normal levels. This is a good scheme when fighting a single powerful enemy ship, especially if that ship is slower than yours and the loss in maneuverability won't hurt you.

Defense The opposite of Attack, this setting increases power to Shields at the expense of Engines and Auxiliary while keeping Weapons unchanged. A good use for this setting is against multiple speedy but weak enemies, where you wouldn't be able to keep up with them anyway and can simply shrug off incoming fire while you attack.

Speed Though it doesn't quite get you to full impulse levels, this setting increases Engines while decreasing Weapons and Shields, leaving Auxiliary untouched. If you're in over your head and decide

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discretion would be the better part of valor, this setting may allow you to outrun your foes and escape combat altogether.

Balanced This is the default setting with power evenly divided.

The settings can be changed at any time, though it does take a few seconds for the power to flow from one scheme to another.

Beams vs. Torpedoes

During the tutorial mission, you'll learn that beam weapons (like phasers and disruptors) are more effective against shields while torpedoes (most famously photon torpedoes, basically the missiles of the STO universe) do more damage directly to a ship's hull. This is an important enough concept that it's worth reinforcing here.

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 weakened or down completely. Torpedo launchers have longer recharge times and smaller firing arcs compared to beam weapons, so you don't want to waste them in less than optimal circumstances.

Let's use your starting ship as an example. It has phasers mounted in front and back with very wide firing arcs, along with a photon torpedo launcher in the front with a narrow firing arc. While your enemy's shields are still fairly strong, facing it with your left or right side is best, as both phasers will be able to target and wear down the shields.

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 still strike and the photon torpedoes can hit for big hull damage.

There are exceptions, of course, and sometimes especially fast hostile ships will force you to simply throw whatever you can at them while they buzz around. But in general, using beams against shields and torpedoes against the hull is the way to go.

Ground Combat

Not every dispute in the STO universe can be settled out in space. There are many times your crew will have to get up close and personal with the Federation's enemies, either on the surfaces of distant planets or after beaming aboard ships or bases.

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Your captain won't fight alone, however, but as part of a five-person away team. Except in missions where you are teaming with other human-controlled captains, most often the team will be comprised of your Bridge Officers.

During ground battles you control only your captain, but the other members of your team will follow any orders you issue to them and use their special abilities on command.

Basics

After playing the tutorial mission, you'll already know the basics of moving, targeting and attacking using the keyboard. The keys you'll use most often are the W, A, S and D keys to move your captain and the number keys to use your attacks and other abilities.

Also important is the C key, which will allow your captain to aim his or her weapon. This increases the damage done by attacks at the expense of slower movement; pressing C again returns your captain to a normal movement state.

On the defensive side, double-tapping any of the movement keys will make your captain dive and roll in that direction. This is a useful trick for getting out of tight situations, like when you have enemies surrounding you, and briefly increases your chances of avoiding attacks. Note that the dive move has a recharge time of several seconds.

The icon in the upper-left corner represents the current status of our captain. The top bar shows the strength of your personal shield which absorbs damage until it reaches zero and regenerates when you avoid taking any damage for a specific amount of time and the bottom bar displays your health. Similar icons for the other members of your away team are arranged on the left side of the screen.

The goal of ground battles is simple: reduce your enemies to zero health before they do the same to your away team. If your captain is reduced to zero health, you will be unconscious and unable to continue to fight. One of your Bridge Officers may be able to revive you once they dispatch any nearby foes.

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Conversely, your captain can revive other unconscious members of the away team using the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ability that all players know. If your entire away team is wiped (everyone is unconscious), you will have to start over from the nearest respawn point.

STO ground combat isn't as complex as it is in some other MMOs, but there are subtleties and tactics to learn in order to win battles against the tougher enemies you'll run into during your Starfleet career.

Bridge Officer Commands

The Bridge Officers who make up the bulk of your away team (or the generic Security officers you have early in the game) are capable combatants. In their default state, they will follow your captain around, taking his or her lead on when to start fighting. They will use their special ground abilities fairly intelligently and can defeat many common enemies without special instructions.

Still, you will eventually encounter tougher foes and desire some more control over your Bridge Officers. STO gives you that control by allowing you to issue individual or group orders using the icons by the status bars on the left side of the screen.

The group commands run across the top of the Officer status bars. From left to right, they are:

Passive Mode This tells your Officers not to attack, even if attacked by enemies. They will continue to use heals and buffs.

Attack Mode This tells crew members to use attacks and special abilities as they see fit. Your Officers default to this mode.

Group Target Clicking this icon will tell all of your Officers to target the same character your captain is currently targeting. This is a very effective tactic when fighting boss-level enemies, as it focuses the firepower of your entire away team on one foe.

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

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get spread out during a battle, but as STO ground combat tends to take place in relatively small areas, it's not as crucial as you may think.

The final icon, Leave Team, allows you to exit a group in cooperative missions where you are teamed with other player-controlled captains and is not applicable in situations where you are leading your own away team.

Specific commands can be given to individual away team members using the icons to the left of their status bars. These include Passive Mode, Active Mode and Rally Point.

Finally, the icons to the right of your Bridge Officers can be used to activate their ground abilities. As noted above, in Active Mode the Officers will use their abilities on their own and generally pretty intelligently but there will still be plenty of times you will want a specific ability used at exactly the right time. Bridge Officer abilities have visible recharge timers just like your captain's abilities so you can see when they are available.

Flanking

When fighting a particularly stubborn enemy or mob, gaining flanking position can be a big help. This simply means attacking from the sides or rear of your foe, which allows your attacks to do extra damage.

You can't order your Bridge Officers to take flanking positions, so this tactic can be carried out most effectively by your captain. When you see enemies engaged with your Bridge Officers, you'll often have opportunities to move around and dish out flanking damage yourself.

Note that your enemies can also take advantage of flanking, but STO gives you both visual and audio warnings to let you know when this is happening.

Expose and ExploitBoth special abilities and the secondary

attacks of certain weapons can create the Expose effect, which puts the target into a vulnerable state for several seconds. Though some STO players have expressed some displeasure at the lack of logic behind why certain attacks work this way, it shouldn't stop you from using them to your advantage.

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Exploit attacks do extra damage once a target is Exposed. These are also available to you through the secondary attack modes of various ground weapons.

The best way to use Expose and Exploit together is to make sure your Bridge Officers are equipped with weapons or abilities that can Expose targets. Used in tandem with the group Target command will almost ensure that sturdier boss-type enemies will be left vulnerable at some point during a fight.

If your captain is armed with an Exploit-enabled weapon, you can hit the vulnerable targets yourself for extra damage. The icon on a weapon's Exploit attack will flash when your current target is Exposed, so you'll always know the right time to strike.

Pausing

If the heat of battle gets to be too much and you find yourself overwhelmed, you can use the Pause Zone button on the right 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!

You get a total of 45 seconds of pause time during each ground instance, so be sure to use the time wisely. Commands can be issued to your Bridge Officers while the mission is paused, making it a useful way to make sure your attack plan is in order before taking on a boss or a large mob.

Kit Selection

One final way to give your away team more options in ground combat situations is to swap the kit your captain is wearing. Though kits will be covered in more detail in the section on Weapons and Equipment, you should already know that every kit grants the wearer a different special ability, and you can replace your captain's kit with another one in your inventory at any time.

If you find your away team is continually getting wiped at the same spot on a ground mission and you've tried everything else, try looking through your available kits to see if there is an attack or ability that might help.

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SKILLSTO 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.

SThe 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 SkillsThese 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.

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Starfleet Lieutenant SkillsSkill 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

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power management abilities

Tactical Team Leader 100 pts. Boosts Assault Training and Close Combat

Training skills of Tactical Bridge Officers

Starfleet Lt. Commander SkillsSkill Cost Per Level Effect

Cruiser Captain 200 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine

speed of any type of Cruiser

Escort Captain 200 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine

speed of any type of Escort

Science Vessel Captain 200 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine

speed of any type of 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

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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. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine speed of a Heavy Cruiser

Heavy Escort Captain 300 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine speed of a Heavy Escort

Research Science Vessel Captain

300 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine

speed of a Research Science Vessel

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Starship Auxiliary Systems Efficiency

300 pts. Boosts starship auxiliary power abilities

Starship Deflector Dish 300 pts. Boosts starship deflector 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. Boosts starship engine 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. Boosts starship sensor array abilities

Starship Shield Efficiency 300 pts. Boosts starship shield power abilities

Starship Tractor Beam 300 pts. Boosts starship tractor beam abilities

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Starfleet Captain SkillsSkill Cost Per Level Effect

Exploration Cruiser Captain

400 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine speed of an Exploration

Cruiser

Long Range Science Vessel Captain


speed of a Long Range Science Vessel

Starship Deflector Field 400 pts. Boosts starship deflector field abilities

Starship Engine Performance

400 pts. Boosts starship engine 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. Boosts starship sensor probes abilities

Starship Shield Performance

400 pts. Boosts starship shield functionality abilities

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

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Tactical Escort Captain 400 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine speed of a Tactical Escort

Starfleet Admiral SkillsSkill Cost Per Level Effect

Advanced Escort Captain 500 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine

speed of an Advanced Escort

Assault Cruiser Captain 500 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine

speed of an Assault Cruiser

Astrometrics 500 pts. Boosts starship astrometrics abilities

Deep Space Science Vessel Captain


speed of a Deep Space Science Vessel

Fleet Escort Captain 500 pts. Boosts hull strength, turning speed and engine

speed of a Fleet Escort

Photonic Theory 500 pts. Boosts starship photonic theory abilities

Reconnaissance Science Vessel Captain


speed of a Reconnaissance Science

Vessel

Spatial Anomaly 500 pts. Boosts starship spatial anomaly abilities

Star Cruiser Captain 500 pts. Boosts hull strength,

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turning speed and engine speed of a Star Cruiser

Starship Antiproton Weapons

500 pts. Boosts damage of antiproton ship weapons

Starship Auxiliary Systems Performance

500 pts. Boosts starship auxiliary 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 functionality abilities

Engineering SkillsEngineers 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.


Armor Engineering (Admiral)

500 pts. Boosts armor engineering abilities like Equipment Diagnostics and Fuse

Armor

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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

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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

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Science Officer SkillsLike 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.


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

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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. Boosts ground science abilities that Heal, Cure or

buff allies

Scientific Theory (Lieutenant)

100 pts. Boosts ground science abilities that damage or

control enemies

Scientist (Lt. Commander) 200 pts. Boosts ground science abilities that damage or

debuff enemies

Toxicology (Commander) 300 pts. Boosts ground toxicology abilities like Hypospray-

Dylovene and Anesthizine Gas

Xenobiology (Commander)

300 pts. Boosts ground xenobiology abilities like Tricorder Scan and Stasis

Field

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Tactical Officer SkillsSince 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.


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

and related abilities

Grenades (Commander) 300 pts. Boosts grenade damage and related abilities

Martial Arts (Commander) 300 pts. Boosts martial arts damage and related

abilities

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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 SkillsYour 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.

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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 SkillsSkill Career

Beam Fire at Will I Tactical Improves next beam array attack

Beam Overload I Tactical Improves next beam array 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 Temporarily increases power to impulse engines

Emergency Power to Shields I

Engineering Temporarily increases power to shields

Emergency Power to Weapons I

Engineering Temporarily increases power to weapons

Engineering Team I Engineering Repairs hull damage and

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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

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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

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Lieutenant Bridge Officer SkillsSkill 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 Redirects auxiliary power to heal hull damage and

buff DR

Beam Fire at Will II Tactical Improves next beam array attack

Beam Overload II Tactical Improves next beam array 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 subsystems of enemy ship


Beam Target Shields II Tactical Targets Shields subsystems of enemy ship


Beam Target Weapons II Tactical Targets Weapons

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subsystems of enemy ship with next beam array

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 Temporarily increases Auxiliary subsystem

power

Emergency Power to Engines II

Engineering Temporarily increases power to impulse engines

Emergency Power to Shields II

Engineering Temporarily increases power to shields

Emergency Power to Weapons II

Engineering Temporarily increases power to weapons

Energy Siphon I Science Decreases target ship's power to all systems,

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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 Removes toxin effects, buffs physical damage and DR on self or ally

Jam Sensors II Science Removes toxin effects, buffs physical damage and DR on self or ally

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

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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

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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 Cone AoE attack that damages personal shields and destroys forcefields

Tactical Team II Tactical Cone AoE attack that damages personal shields and destroys forcefields

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

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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 SkillsSkill 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 Redirects auxiliary power to buff kinetic DR

Auxiliary to Structural II Engineering Redirects auxiliary power to heal hull damage and

buff DR

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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 Creates fixed position 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

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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 Creates fixed position 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 Creates fixed position weapons system that launches projectiles

Reroute Power to Shields II

Engineering Heals personal shield energy, buffs DR

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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 Creates fixed position 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

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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 SkillsSkill 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 Creates fixed position 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

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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 Creates fixed position generator that heals

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 Creates fixed position generator that heals

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

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enemy ships

Plasma Grenade II Tactical AoE attack that deals kinetic damage and

plasma DoT

Quantum Mortar Fabrication II

Engineering Creates fixed position 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

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WEAPONS AND

EQUIPMENTharacters in the Trek TV shows and movies tend to travel pretty light. It's not uncommon

to see Federation crew members face danger with only a phaser pistol and a tricorder in hand.

CNot so in STO, where the ongoing

conflict with the Klingons and the likelihood of combat on just about every mission require you to be a bit more properly equipped. With that in mind, you won't want to go charging into battle without the proper weapons and gear.

That goes for your ship too. There are a number of different ways you can upgrade and customize your vessel to help you when things get hairy.

Gear for your ship and your captain can be acquired in three ways: by buying it with Energy Credits or Badges of Exploration (see the Federation Economy chapter for

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 different type of ship has a specific number of slots in the front and back for mounting weapons. You have complete control over what mix of weapons you'd like to use (with some restrictions), and swapping them is as simple as dragging a new one from your inventory window into the proper slot in your ship's Status window.

Hovering your cursor over the icon of an equipped weapon will show you its stats. Doing the same for a weapon in your inventory will compare its stats with equipped weapons it could replace, allowing you to know exactly what the gain or loss would be for making the switch.

Ship weapons are divided into 10 levels starting at Mk. I and running to Mk. X, based on their relative power. They are restricted by rank at every other level, so that you need to be a Lt. Commander to use Mk. III weapons, a Commander to use Mk. V weapons, and so on.

55


There are also three levels of rarity (Common, Uncommon and Rare) for ship weapons that reflect how difficult it is to acquire them. Generally speaking, a weapon that is identical to another one except for rarity will have a bonus to accuracy, damage or critical hit chance or some other characteristic that makes it superior to its more common counterpart.

Beam Weapons

Starship beam weapons do energy damage and are more effective against shields than hulls. The best known type is phasers, but the family also includes disruptors, plasma beams, polaron beams and tetryon beams, all of which are affected by different higher level skills.

There are also different configurations of 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 configuration, but they break down by arc like this:

Dual cannons 45 degrees (Escorts only

Bank 90 degrees Cannon 180 degrees (Escorts only) Array 250 degrees

Turret 360 degrees

Projectile Weapons

Projectiles are fired by launchers and include both direct fire (torpedoes) and indirect fire (mines) varieties. They pack more punch against exposed hulls than shields. Photon torpedoes are the most famous, but torpedoes and mines also come in quantum, plasma (which can do DoT), chroniton and transphasic varieties.

Torpedo launchers have a 90-degree firing arc, while mine launchers simply deploy the mines into space where they attack ships that fly too close. Mines are useful for damaging a group of enemy ships with a single attack.

Ship Equipment

For simplicity's sake, this term is used here to represent everything on your ship that isn't a weapon. This includes things like your ship's shields, deflector dish and engines.

56


Equipment is restricted by rank just like weapons and is acquired via the same methods. It also comes in the same three levels of rarity.

Shields

Certainly the most vital equipment on any ship, the shields protect the hull from damage and regenerate automatically when they take no damage for a certain period of time Shields have two important characteristics: capacity, which is the amount of damage they can take before failing completely, and bleedthrough, which is the amount of damage from each attack that bypasses the shields and goes directly to the hull.

Along with the normal Mk. I to Mk. X progression, there are three special types of shields that have their own special properties:

Resilient Have half the bleedthrough of normal shields but have lower capacity levels and regenerate slightly less quickly

Covariant Have almost 30 percent more capacity but the slowet regeneration rate

Regenerative Have a 25 percent faster regeneration rate than normal shields but the lowest capacity of any type

Ships can equip only one set of shields at a time.

Deflector Dishes

A ship's deflector array is part of the Auxiliary subsystem and grants bonuses to Space abilities that utilize Sensors, Deflectors and Emitters. A standard deflector spreads its effects evenly among all three areas, but Mk. II specialized dishes can be equipped that focus on just one area:

Graviton Focus on Deflectors Tachyon Focus on Sensors Positron Focus on Emitters

At higher ranks, there are also subcategories that grant even more options for how to spread their bonuses. Like shields, a ship has only one deflector slot.

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Impulse Engines

Improved engines increase both the speed and turning rate of your ship. They come in normal versions and the following two varieties:

Combat Efficient with low power levels to engines, making them useful for ships that often use the Attack or Defense subsystem power configurations

Hyper Efficient with high power to engines, so they are a boon to ships that often use the Speed subsystem power configuration

Every ship has a single engine slot.

Consoles

Console modifications come in Tactical, Engineering and Science flavors and usually grant a variety of bonuses that work in conjunction with skills and abilities of the same careers. Other consoles grant more general boosts; for example, increasing the regeneration rate of your ship's shields.

As you increase in rank, you'll find that you can acquire a greater variety of consoles of each

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