For most of the storyline missions, Uncommon level BOffs and DOffs are perfectly acceptable. They will get the job done. They are not hard to find. They are not outrageously expensive. They have traits which are just as useful at lower levels as the better quality ones.
Later on, you can swap them out one at a time for better quality ones without breaking the bank. By then, you'll have a better feel for what you want out of your character. So your choices will be more informed and more effective.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
For most of the storyline missions, Uncommon level BOffs and DOffs are perfectly acceptable. They will get the job done. They are not hard to find. They are not outrageously expensive. They have traits which are just as useful at lower levels as the better quality ones.
Later on, you can swap them out one at a time for better quality ones without breaking the bank. By then, you'll have a better feel for what you want out of your character. So your choices will be more informed and more effective.
If you had said 'go blue', I would have agreed with you - there are hundreds of boffs that cost less than 100 energy credits on the exchange. That's essentially free - and for that reason, they're worth getting. Most purple boffs are under about 5000 EC - whilst hard to afford as a Lieutenant, they are easily affordable as a Commander, or Captain.
Doffs, otoh, vary quite a bit more and I agree, greens can be handy and will generally get the job done - the tens of millions of EC the top purple quality doffs are worth on the exchange are prolly not worth it unless you're min/maxing to the nth degree, and have the time to play STO long enough to farm EC instead of going outside and enjoying the sunshine...
As already mentioned, & I always suggest this whether in-game, online, or in person if discussing STO & even if a free-to-play player.
If someone is beginning, it is well worth subscribing for 1 month, via physical game, or just subscribing if you are going to play & level to 50-60.
The benefits you acquire while leveling make a significant difference compared to playing strictly for free.
It's an exceptional value.
Sadly most, if not all, of those subscription perks are not retroactive so you must be subscribed as leveling from start to 50-60.
Years ago when I began as a free-to-play player & almost level 10 another Lifetimer suggested that to me so I erased that character, subscribed while still having doubt & have been grateful for that sound-advice ever since.
About a year later during a sale I bought the Lifetime subscription though, but for a free player the boon is worth the $10-$15 cost.
If you had said 'go blue', I would have agreed with you - there are hundreds of boffs that cost less than 100 energy credits on the exchange. That's essentially free - and for that reason, they're worth getting. Most purple boffs are under about 5000 EC - whilst hard to afford as a Lieutenant, they are easily affordable as a Commander, or Captain.
Doffs, otoh, vary quite a bit more and I agree, greens can be handy and will generally get the job done - the tens of millions of EC the top purple quality doffs are worth on the exchange are prolly not worth it unless you're min/maxing to the nth degree, and have the time to play STO long enough to farm EC instead of going outside and enjoying the sunshine...
I stand behind what I wrote previously. I strongly recommend a new player, with access to only new player resources, not spend either Dil or EC on BOffs or DOffs higher than Green until they at least get to level 30. To me this is the point where differences in Quality levels begin to become beneficial.
Blue Quality BOffs are about a a dime a dozen on the Exchange. But where in level progressionn does a new player get use the Exchange? All of the initial Romulan BOffs acquired from playing the story, except for Tovan, are Green. I kept them on my initial Rom char until I got to about level 50. Mostly because I was lazy but they worked out fine.
DOffs which are issues or Requisitioned by the player from the various academy officers who issue them are usually White in Quality. There usually are not enough to completely fill out that first one hundred slots as well. Since by the time the player gets to this point, they've got some EC and Dil banked, they ought to be thinking about filling that crew roster. Green Quality DOffs are significantly more available on the Exchange due to numbers and price points. My first KDF char had an all Green DOff roster until last year when I finally spent some EC on at least getting the Ground Support DOffs which were better than Green. This was the char I first got serious about DOff Missions on as well. Most of the time my Success chance on a DOff Mission was around 75-80%. That's plenty good enough to keep a small but steady stream of Dil flowing into the coffers.
I am leveling a Delta Recruit Andorian SCI right now. He just made lvl 50 last night. So now I have a reason to take one of my Vestas out of mothballs. All of the gear, BOffs, and DOffs I have used on him were Green up to this point. I may acquire some Blue or better BOffs and DOffs today as I play him but not having them has not significantly altered the quality of fun I have had with him.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
the only thing I don't agree with is to dismiss all the boffs . Since the DR-event there's quite decent ones at very start for Romulans for example ( one has either gravity well II or even III if I recall correctly ) . Obviously you don't hang to them indefinitely but they do just fine at the start .
Well, to be fair the post does state that it will cost money to replace them. I looked for and bought new Bridge Officers as I played (Started a new character this weekend and had only had one played to level 18 back when schematics were still a thing). So, I didn't mis read the post and just discharge them right away.
In any case, it's good advice.
I am just close enough to being a completionist that I fly all over the system getting resources before beaming down to a planet in an episode and then grab them all again when I leave. I also take about 2 times longer to do ground missions because I am spending time chasing a blue line. I don't know, I enjoy it I guess, the constant action spaced by the travel time would seem too disparate if I didn't have this kind of lazy activity bridging the two.
What strikes me is that I no longer get hourly activity pop ups, did they abandon that completely? Not that I ever wanted to run around the academy again gathering up little glowing balls, but some of the events were fun.
Anyway, just about to the Temporal Ambassador, but dang having to destroy that asteroid in the past...the galaxy would be toast if I was there for real in that pita Klingon ship lol I can't guarantee that I never died before having to fly that loser ship, but I don't think so. Doesn't make me want to play a Klingon, I can tell you that. (Maybe I was in my own ship, I honestly now can't remember, anyway, I died 3 times).
Up way too late on Friday night, I bought the stupidly expensive packs on Steam and the Lifetime sub, because, well, I don't have kids I guess and I make questionable decisions when I am that tired lol
In any case, the game is fun, the story is engaging. I do kind of wish the missions and whatnot were fully voiced (heresy), because some times I am too tired to read but not tired enough to go to bed.
I also bought the Enterprise from the Z store because shopping the god awful exchange for weapons was a pain.
I haven't logged onto my old character for long enough to see what happened to the crafting experience (not a ton) that I had accrued under that old system. I guess it's nice to know I can get all those schematics out of my account bank.
My first character was tactical and only flew escorts, I must say this character in a science vessel, even the super fugly level 20 one is having an easier time of it.
If you are making your first character, just play through the story. I don't think I've ever played a game that fed you almost all the gear you needed just through mission rewards as well as this one does. Yep, it's not the best gear, but with loots and the very odd purchase you can totally get by.
Yes the hourly events were removed and replaced with week long events. It remains a controversial decision even a year later. Some people enjoy it, some people are really upset about it and want the hourly's back.
Yes the hourly events were removed and replaced with week long events. It remains a controversial decision even a year later. Some people enjoy it, some people are really upset about it and want the hourly's back.
Is there an event on right now, I mean other than the summer event? I haven't noticed it, but for some reason I kind of miss the hourly events as they seemed to guide me around a bit more, and now I wonder if I am missing things, not that I need other things, the Story guides you along and I feel like doing anything else would over level you. Even pretty strictly staying to the story, and doing a couple of duty officer assignments I will be level 22 when I get that ship.
As already mentioned, & I always suggest this whether in-game, online, or in person if discussing STO & even if a free-to-play player.
If someone is beginning, it is well worth subscribing for 1 month, via physical game, or just subscribing if you are going to play & level to 50-60.
The benefits you acquire while leveling make a significant difference compared to playing strictly for free.
It's an exceptional value.
Sadly most, if not all, of those subscription perks are not retroactive so you must be subscribed as leveling from start to 50-60.
Years ago when I began as a free-to-play player & almost level 10 another Lifetimer suggested that to me so I erased that character, subscribed while still having doubt & have been grateful for that sound-advice ever since.
About a year later during a sale I bought the Lifetime subscription though, but for a free player the boon is worth the $10-$15 cost.
This is good advice.
For some reason, I dont seem to be able to edit my post anymore - has it fallen victim to the Arc move over?
Around Level 50, players suddenly find themselves struggling to compete in comparison to other players, and the enemies start to get tougher rather suddenly (particularly in the Delta Quadrant). I recommend excellent advice like seaofsorrows' post regarding how to equip your free Tier 5 ship so that it is still effective but quite cheaply, or tbonecrackerjack's advice on how to max out the performance of your ships without spending Zen or tens of millions of EC.
Great guide thank you very much. This has set me up nicely.
I just have one question though. My captain skill points, can I get Some recommendations on where to spend them.
Currently I have 2 toons a tac romulan and a new enginering starfleet.
Great guide thank you very much. This has set me up nicely.
I just have one question though. My captain skill points, can I get Some recommendations on where to spend them.
Currently I have 2 toons a tac romulan and a new enginering starfleet.
Any help is appreciated
Hi, welcome to STO .
I'd like to be able to help, but captain skill points is a matter of hot debate and very particular to the exact 'build' you're trying to achieve. There are other places around that goes into details, but I'll give some general points below. If you are aware of the economic concept 'opportunity cost' that'll help you understand the skill point system.
There is a shortage of skill points - you will not accrue enough to max out every power. In addition, you are limited to a maximum of 300k in Space and 100k in Ground - so even if you wanted to put 200k in ground for a pimped out ground character, you cant.
Lower-level skills (such as Lt) cost much less than higher level skills (like Admiral) and so you need to be choosy - particularly with the high-end powers.
The first three points of each skill give a higher return than the next three points, which give a higher return than the next three. For instance, the first point you put into the skill 'Starship Attack Patters' gives you 18 skill points; the fourth will give you 10; and the 7th will give you 5 - but all three cost the same. For this reason, it is not uncommon for people to leave the 94-99 box unmarked as the return to skillpoints is relatively low, instead opting to spend it elsewhere.
What you chose to invest heavily on is really a matter for you. Some skills are good to have for everyone (eg, Starship Weapons Training, Starship Shield Emitters, Starship Shield Systems, Weapons Proficiency, Personal Shield Generator) and some are pretty bad for virtually every build (eg, Starship Stealth).
Generally, I would suggest players pick powers that will be versatile or used a lot by what you intend to build. For instance, if you're a Tactical profession character flying an escort, you'll want a lot of points in energy weapons, attack patterns, starship maneuvers, starship impulse engines, and so on, but not many/any points in high-end Science powers such as Starship Subspace Decompiler as your ship isn't carrying high-end Science powers. However, if you're a tactical captain in a science ship, this might be different.
Be aware of how skill points benefit your ship's power levels (eg, Starship Engine, Shield, Auxilary and Weapon Performance skills) as they are expensive but useful. Separately Starship Warp Core Efficiency only works if you're power levels are below 75 - if you're creating a high power level build then you might elect to not put any skill points here (despite being handy at low levels) to preserve those points for Starship Warp Core Potential which gives a flat bonus.
If you're creating a specialised Science build in particular, be very careful with your skill points - they are both critical to making your science build work and they tend not to be particularly helpful as 'general' powers, so absolutely read up about what you're doing before you go and do it. Still, many players think that 'pure' Science builds are both the best and most fun in the game, so it can be rewarding.
Great guide thank you very much. This has set me up nicely.
I just have one question though. My captain skill points, can I get Some recommendations on where to spend them.
Currently I have 2 toons a tac romulan and a new enginering starfleet.
Any help is appreciated
Hi, welcome to STO .
I'd like to be able to help, but captain skill points is a matter of hot debate and very particular to the exact 'build' you're trying to achieve. There are other places around that goes into details, but I'll give some general points below. If you are aware of the economic concept 'opportunity cost' that'll help you understand the skill point system.
There is a shortage of skill points - you will not accrue enough to max out every power. In addition, you are limited to a maximum of 300k in Space and 100k in Ground - so even if you wanted to put 200k in ground for a pimped out ground character, you cant.
Lower-level skills (such as Lt) cost much less than higher level skills (like Admiral) and so you need to be choosy - particularly with the high-end powers.
The first three points of each skill give a higher return than the next three points, which give a higher return than the next three. For instance, the first point you put into the skill 'Starship Attack Patters' gives you 18 skill points; the fourth will give you 10; and the 7th will give you 5 - but all three cost the same. For this reason, it is not uncommon for people to leave the 94-99 box unmarked as the return to skillpoints is relatively low, instead opting to spend it elsewhere.
What you chose to invest heavily on is really a matter for you. Some skills are good to have for everyone (eg, Starship Weapons Training, Starship Shield Emitters, Starship Shield Systems, Weapons Proficiency, Personal Shield Generator) and some are pretty bad for virtually every build (eg, Starship Stealth).
Generally, I would suggest players pick powers that will be versatile or used a lot by what you intend to build. For instance, if you're a Tactical profession character flying an escort, you'll want a lot of points in energy weapons, attack patterns, starship maneuvers, starship impulse engines, and so on, but not many/any points in high-end Science powers such as Starship Subspace Decompiler as your ship isn't carrying high-end Science powers. However, if you're a tactical captain in a science ship, this might be different.
Be aware of how skill points benefit your ship's power levels (eg, Starship Engine, Shield, Auxilary and Weapon Performance skills) as they are expensive but useful. Separately Starship Warp Core Efficiency only works if you're power levels are below 75 - if you're creating a high power level build then you might elect to not put any skill points here (despite being handy at low levels) to preserve those points for Starship Warp Core Potential which gives a flat bonus.
If you're creating a specialised Science build in particular, be very careful with your skill points - they are both critical to making your science build work and they tend not to be particularly helpful as 'general' powers, so absolutely read up about what you're doing before you go and do it. Still, many players think that 'pure' Science builds are both the best and most fun in the game, so it can be rewarding.
Anyway, I hope these general points help you...
This is very helpful, thank you.
Being a Romulan I have been playing in a Warbird Heavy Cruiser and have kinda got used to the beam attack strategy. Any build suggestions for that?
Being a Romulan I have been playing in a Warbird Heavy Cruiser and have kinda got used to the beam attack strategy. Any build suggestions for that?
Rightio, well in general terms you'll want anything that boosts your directed energy weapons, weapons critial chance and severity, shield strength and resilience, hull strength and resilience and - given you're a tactical officer - things like attack patterns, manouverability and so on.
There are more experienced Romulan players who will be able to suggest particular builds (Romulan Tactical, particularly KDF aligned romulans, are very prominent in the highest damage per second tables). Start researching their builds and suggested skill points and pick something that looks like fun to you.
Your engineering character might be interested in spending points in boosting power levels (as weapons, shields, engines and turning, bridge officer powers etc are all based off the various power levels of your ship - more is better), threat generation* and so on to support your role as the fleet's tank.
*Threat generation attempts to make enemies (particularly the AI) shoot at you rather than your teammates; it comes with a small boost to hull resilience. When you attack and do damage, you create threat, and therefore in order to peel fire away from your tactical/escort teammates you'll need a higher base level of threat which that skill point supports. However, the game is reaching the point where those guys do so much damage it doesnt matter how much threat you pump out; unless your damage output is about as high. Still, in the story missions the enemy is going to be shooting at you anyway so consider it free hull resilience!
The meta of the game favors beams right now. I'd suggest Upgrading Tactical Consoles past Mk XII first. The weapons themselves can wait a bit. Take a look at the other Conosles your build runs as well. Place them in the Upgrade Window and really read the differences between a Mk XII and a Mk XIII. I also suggest taking the time to flight test any Universal Consoles which seem to be beneficial at first glance. I have a couple fo Romulan ships where replacing a Universal Console with something more specific to the effect I was trying for was very much more helpful in terms of how effective my ship was.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
Sweet thanks for your help guys. Should get me off to a good start. Have seen a few good builds on Reddit that i like the look of and can understand
Still need to suss out the upgrading part but again another good suggestion and an area I'll be looking into
This game is convoluted but not complex. There are plenty of good builds and good advice out there for you to choose from. But if you copy someone else's build without understanding why they put that console on the ship, then you will not be able to utilize a copied build to maximum effectiveness. The key to understanding is reading and using the ship setup.
Don't take anyone's word for something. Especially mine, since I'm not as knowledgeable about this game as some people.
Go and find out for yourself.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
This game is convoluted but not complex. There are plenty of good builds and good advice out there for you to choose from. But if you copy someone else's build without understanding why they put that console on the ship, then you will not be able to utilize a copied build to maximum effectiveness. The key to understanding is reading and using the ship setup.
Don't take anyone's word for something. Especially mine, since I'm not as knowledgeable about this game as some people.
Go and find out for yourself.
Haha yeah it's gonna be some time before I get most of the better consoles so as I play I will see where my short falls are. at the moment it is power i'm lacking. have got a nice console that has helped me stay alive better, and am in a helpful fleet so am getting great advice from them as well. I will get there
Don't forget the value of copying a character to Tribble before testing something. So many of people's issues could be avoided if they just used Tribble to test instead of Holodeck...
So, I kind of went overboard and started writing guides on other aspects of the game and tried linking them all together. Primarily because I've totally reached the maximum word limit in the first post of this thread (I've got sick of spending 20 mins looking for where I can delete a word and so save the thread again...)
So, I've now created a series of guides in this Forum for new players. As always, if anyone has any suggestions for improvements post away in the relevant thread, and I'll continue to credit you.
Comments
For most of the storyline missions, Uncommon level BOffs and DOffs are perfectly acceptable. They will get the job done. They are not hard to find. They are not outrageously expensive. They have traits which are just as useful at lower levels as the better quality ones.
Later on, you can swap them out one at a time for better quality ones without breaking the bank. By then, you'll have a better feel for what you want out of your character. So your choices will be more informed and more effective.
If you had said 'go blue', I would have agreed with you - there are hundreds of boffs that cost less than 100 energy credits on the exchange. That's essentially free - and for that reason, they're worth getting. Most purple boffs are under about 5000 EC - whilst hard to afford as a Lieutenant, they are easily affordable as a Commander, or Captain.
Doffs, otoh, vary quite a bit more and I agree, greens can be handy and will generally get the job done - the tens of millions of EC the top purple quality doffs are worth on the exchange are prolly not worth it unless you're min/maxing to the nth degree, and have the time to play STO long enough to farm EC instead of going outside and enjoying the sunshine...
If someone is beginning, it is well worth subscribing for 1 month, via physical game, or just subscribing if you are going to play & level to 50-60.
The benefits you acquire while leveling make a significant difference compared to playing strictly for free.
It's an exceptional value.
Sadly most, if not all, of those subscription perks are not retroactive so you must be subscribed as leveling from start to 50-60.
Years ago when I began as a free-to-play player & almost level 10 another Lifetimer suggested that to me so I erased that character, subscribed while still having doubt & have been grateful for that sound-advice ever since.
About a year later during a sale I bought the Lifetime subscription though, but for a free player the boon is worth the $10-$15 cost.
I stand behind what I wrote previously. I strongly recommend a new player, with access to only new player resources, not spend either Dil or EC on BOffs or DOffs higher than Green until they at least get to level 30. To me this is the point where differences in Quality levels begin to become beneficial.
Blue Quality BOffs are about a a dime a dozen on the Exchange. But where in level progressionn does a new player get use the Exchange? All of the initial Romulan BOffs acquired from playing the story, except for Tovan, are Green. I kept them on my initial Rom char until I got to about level 50. Mostly because I was lazy but they worked out fine.
DOffs which are issues or Requisitioned by the player from the various academy officers who issue them are usually White in Quality. There usually are not enough to completely fill out that first one hundred slots as well. Since by the time the player gets to this point, they've got some EC and Dil banked, they ought to be thinking about filling that crew roster. Green Quality DOffs are significantly more available on the Exchange due to numbers and price points. My first KDF char had an all Green DOff roster until last year when I finally spent some EC on at least getting the Ground Support DOffs which were better than Green. This was the char I first got serious about DOff Missions on as well. Most of the time my Success chance on a DOff Mission was around 75-80%. That's plenty good enough to keep a small but steady stream of Dil flowing into the coffers.
I am leveling a Delta Recruit Andorian SCI right now. He just made lvl 50 last night. So now I have a reason to take one of my Vestas out of mothballs. All of the gear, BOffs, and DOffs I have used on him were Green up to this point. I may acquire some Blue or better BOffs and DOffs today as I play him but not having them has not significantly altered the quality of fun I have had with him.
Well, to be fair the post does state that it will cost money to replace them. I looked for and bought new Bridge Officers as I played (Started a new character this weekend and had only had one played to level 18 back when schematics were still a thing). So, I didn't mis read the post and just discharge them right away.
In any case, it's good advice.
I am just close enough to being a completionist that I fly all over the system getting resources before beaming down to a planet in an episode and then grab them all again when I leave. I also take about 2 times longer to do ground missions because I am spending time chasing a blue line. I don't know, I enjoy it I guess, the constant action spaced by the travel time would seem too disparate if I didn't have this kind of lazy activity bridging the two.
What strikes me is that I no longer get hourly activity pop ups, did they abandon that completely? Not that I ever wanted to run around the academy again gathering up little glowing balls, but some of the events were fun.
Anyway, just about to the Temporal Ambassador, but dang having to destroy that asteroid in the past...the galaxy would be toast if I was there for real in that pita Klingon ship lol I can't guarantee that I never died before having to fly that loser ship, but I don't think so. Doesn't make me want to play a Klingon, I can tell you that. (Maybe I was in my own ship, I honestly now can't remember, anyway, I died 3 times).
Up way too late on Friday night, I bought the stupidly expensive packs on Steam and the Lifetime sub, because, well, I don't have kids I guess and I make questionable decisions when I am that tired lol
In any case, the game is fun, the story is engaging. I do kind of wish the missions and whatnot were fully voiced (heresy), because some times I am too tired to read but not tired enough to go to bed.
I also bought the Enterprise from the Z store because shopping the god awful exchange for weapons was a pain.
I haven't logged onto my old character for long enough to see what happened to the crafting experience (not a ton) that I had accrued under that old system. I guess it's nice to know I can get all those schematics out of my account bank.
My first character was tactical and only flew escorts, I must say this character in a science vessel, even the super fugly level 20 one is having an easier time of it.
If you are making your first character, just play through the story. I don't think I've ever played a game that fed you almost all the gear you needed just through mission rewards as well as this one does. Yep, it's not the best gear, but with loots and the very odd purchase you can totally get by.
Is there an event on right now, I mean other than the summer event? I haven't noticed it, but for some reason I kind of miss the hourly events as they seemed to guide me around a bit more, and now I wonder if I am missing things, not that I need other things, the Story guides you along and I feel like doing anything else would over level you. Even pretty strictly staying to the story, and doing a couple of duty officer assignments I will be level 22 when I get that ship.
This is good advice.
For some reason, I dont seem to be able to edit my post anymore - has it fallen victim to the Arc move over?
I have just updated the first post with a link to tbonecrackerjack's first instalment of a series on optimising mirror universe ships to do real damage but without spending Zen (or tens of millions of EC). Link in this forum here: http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline#/discussion/1211169/mirror-universe-mini-series
Many thanks to tbonecrackerjack, and I look forward to seeing more of your videos!
Best,
UN.
I just have one question though. My captain skill points, can I get Some recommendations on where to spend them.
Currently I have 2 toons a tac romulan and a new enginering starfleet.
Any help is appreciated
Hi, welcome to STO
I'd like to be able to help, but captain skill points is a matter of hot debate and very particular to the exact 'build' you're trying to achieve. There are other places around that goes into details, but I'll give some general points below. If you are aware of the economic concept 'opportunity cost' that'll help you understand the skill point system.
Anyway, I hope these general points help you...
This is very helpful, thank you.
Being a Romulan I have been playing in a Warbird Heavy Cruiser and have kinda got used to the beam attack strategy. Any build suggestions for that?
Rightio, well in general terms you'll want anything that boosts your directed energy weapons, weapons critial chance and severity, shield strength and resilience, hull strength and resilience and - given you're a tactical officer - things like attack patterns, manouverability and so on.
There are more experienced Romulan players who will be able to suggest particular builds (Romulan Tactical, particularly KDF aligned romulans, are very prominent in the highest damage per second tables). Start researching their builds and suggested skill points and pick something that looks like fun to you.
Your engineering character might be interested in spending points in boosting power levels (as weapons, shields, engines and turning, bridge officer powers etc are all based off the various power levels of your ship - more is better), threat generation* and so on to support your role as the fleet's tank.
*Threat generation attempts to make enemies (particularly the AI) shoot at you rather than your teammates; it comes with a small boost to hull resilience. When you attack and do damage, you create threat, and therefore in order to peel fire away from your tactical/escort teammates you'll need a higher base level of threat which that skill point supports. However, the game is reaching the point where those guys do so much damage it doesnt matter how much threat you pump out; unless your damage output is about as high. Still, in the story missions the enemy is going to be shooting at you anyway so consider it free hull resilience!
Still need to suss out the upgrading part but again another good suggestion and an area I'll be looking into
Don't take anyone's word for something. Especially mine, since I'm not as knowledgeable about this game as some people.
Go and find out for yourself.
http://www.arcgames.com/en/my/character/copy/sto
So, I've now created a series of guides in this Forum for new players. As always, if anyone has any suggestions for improvements post away in the relevant thread, and I'll continue to credit you.
Oh, and yes I did write the Skill Points thread the night before the new skill point system was announced.