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Returning to STO
sike3004
Member Posts: 26 Arc User
So hello. After more the 10 month i am returning to Star trek online. I am curious what is the state of game now...Any new info on what is going on.. thnx 
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You will have the standard replies from the 'haters' and the 'white nights' alike, you'll have a varied contrast of opinions and in the end you'll really learn little from asking.
The bottom line is, everyone views the 'state of the game' in different terms and the best way to determine the truth in your opinion is to just log on and play. It costs you nothing to boot it up and give it a shot, but you're best off drawing your own conclusion. Please understand, I'm not trying to be difficult or discourage your seeking of information, just trying to get you the best possible answer that's as free of bias as possible.
As for specific questions on changes, if there is something you wish to know, please feel free to ask. If you need any help with selecting a Ship, build advice, questions on where to find gear, etc. this forum is a very good place to have those questions answered.
I hope you find the game to your enjoyment and choose to return on a permanent basis. Welcome back.
And regarding that ship, i do remember that i had like all beam arrays, defensive core, eng consoles, some fleet romulan consoles, that console which drain power each time you shoot and enemy ship.. But that was long time ago, around 1 year ago
If you enjoy yourself and decide to explore the Tier 6 option, here are some options to look at that make a natural upgrade path to the Assault Cruiser. Tier 6 ships come with a unique 'Starship Trait.' As you fly the ship you will effectively 'level up' with the ship and after reaching the fifth tier you will unlock a Ship Trait. This trait is slotted as a captain ability and you take it with you even when flying other ships. You can upgrade Tier 5 ships as well so that they can 'level' but Tier 5 ships do not get access to a ship trait.
1. Presidio Command Cruiser:This is what I went with myself, versitile ship with a very useful star ship trait. Also available in a 3 pack with an Engineering and Science variant. This ship is fleet level and does not require any further upgrade.
2. Guardian Class Cruiser:Classic 'jack of all trades' style cruiser, very balanced. Feels like a hybrid of the Ambassador and Galaxy Class. Has a pretty useful Trait for survivability.
3. Andromeda Class Cruiser:The Tier 6 version of the Galaxy Class. Beautiful skin, versatile layout, and has access to the classic Galaxy appearance which has been beautifully redone. Nice ship, but doesn't come with the best Trait.
4. Resolute Class Cruiser:The Tier 6 version of the beloved Excelsior Class. Comes with access to Excelsior skins as well as it's Tier 6 unique skin which can make for some pretty nice looks. Very agile cruiser suitable to most roles. Comes with a lackluster offensive trait.
5. Eclipse Intel Cruiser: The offensive powerhouse of the bunch. Has access to powerful intel abilities and at fleet level especially can pack quite a punch while also being able to take a substantial beating. It's as ugly as it gets, doesn't follow any sort of Star Trek design but statistically is one of the most powerful ships in the game. Comes with a strong defensive oriented ship trait.
Right now, it's just something to think about as you get back into the game, again.. don't feel pressured to make an immediate upgrade, it's not required for story line content. The Fleet Assault Cruiser is still plenty capable for finishing story content. Some of the newer story missions also give out some pretty nice rewards.
We got a new Sector Space, there are now only 3 maps (Alpha, Beta and Delta Quadrant), so you have a lot less loading screens and can fully utiliize your Quantum Slipstream.
There are occassionally a few scannable objects to be found there that earn you R&D Materials.
There are also new Deep Space Enemy Groups. They are a bit rarer than they used to, and have been changed a bit. You fight waves of enemies, the size of the wave depends on the number of players in the instance. At the end, you get skill points, dilithium and crafting materials. And if there were enough players, another phase with a larger group of enemies starts that also grants rewards at the end.
Specializations
I am assuming you didn't miss the Delta Rising level cap increase and the new specialization concept, so I just add the new additions.
There is now the Command Specialization and the Pilot specialization is now a fully fledged Specialization.
Ships
For the Command and Pilot specializatino, there have been new ships with a specialitation-specific special ability:
The Command Cruisers and the Pilot Escorts. The latter are definitely utlra-fun.
Lots of them have been added, lots of them lower tier ships finally getting a Tier 6 version. Lots of them have also been released in cross-faction packs. Ships incude (using the lower tier variant names) the Galaxy, Neg'Var, D'Deridex; Excelsior; Avenger, Mogh, Mogai; Akira, Ar'Kif and Qin.
If you are a Star Trek Veteran, the veteran ship finally has a Tier 6 variant, too.
On top of that, a few lockboxes and promos with ships.
Special Events
A while back we had the Delta Recruitment Event. Anyone that started a new character at that time unlocked special rewards for that character like bonus Dilithium Ore and Marks and new Traits, and also (lesser, but still not meaningless) rewards for all characters on the account.
Also, players could contribute to a community goal to earn bonus rewards.
Cool event, but you missed.
Hopefully, Cryptic will re-use the event or at least the event mechanics at some point.
Story
The Delta Quadrant story was continued and finally lead to an open Iconian war. You won't see much of this on the sector space map, but the story missions tell the story of the war, and the website has the "Tales of War" blogs that tell the war from an in-universe perspective (from different people.).
Without wanting to spoil too much: We have found out what happened to the Krenim. And we're also in deep trouble and considering desperate measures.
Now that you mention it:
Fleets
There is a new Fleet Holding, a Research Facility. When developed, it grants access to a few new toys, among some pretty interesting looking new science consoles.
Also, fleets can now join an "Armada", which is basically an alliance of fleets. Being part of the Armada can grant various small ongoing rewards (bonus skill points, dilithium discounts), and allows supporting other fleets in their fleet projects.
Crafting & Upgrading
A few new crafting recipes have been added, nothing major. Some are unlocked automatically as they were released, some are missions rewards.
Upgrading itself no longer takes time. (Making upgrade kits of course still does.)
Powers & Mechanics
Many powers are changed under the hood to deal with server performance issues that was based on their (inefficient) implementation. This should generally be invisible.
Aside from all the new specialization powers, each career has gotten about two new powers. Some are in lockboxes, some are mission rewards.