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lazy man's STO

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited March 2010 in The Academy
I'm a really casual gamer, and I only play STO for a couple of hours a week.

Any tips to level up quickly and easily?
Post edited by Unknown User on

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  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    People were actually complaining that its too easy to level up :p All I can suggest is keep doing the missions and you should reach the max level sooner then you think. There really is no quicker way around it.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    *hahaha*

    Fair enough.
    Cheers for that!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I'm the same way; have a wife, couple of kids and only get an hour or so late at night to play.

    One easy tip is to maximize your gametime by limiting the amount of TRIBBLE around in starbases. I try to do quite a bit of outfitting on the exchange when I get a new ship. I train bridge officers in new skills at this time too. I also think that solo is a bit quicker. That way you don't spend as much time chasing down teammates or waiting on people. Does anyone know is you can get more skill points through teaming with advanced captains?

    I usually do the following starting at the new promotion level (lt. 1 or ltc1 or commander 1 etc):

    I do the system patrol missions until I'm fighting guys about 3-4 levels higher than me. Then I do storyline missions. Since I'm a few levels above the storyline missions they tend to go more quickly in ground combat. Toward the upper levels of my class (ltc 7 or 8) I find the highest sector defense missions in the 'old area'. So if I'm at Commander level 8 I'm probably wrapping up the romulan systems and may even be doing stuff near DS9. Since DS9 defend missions are a little tough at this point, I'll find the highest sector defense missions in romulan space and grind those. By now you should be clearing house and getting 300 or 400 skill points per mission.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I'm a really casual gamer, and I only play STO for a couple of hours a week.

    Any tips to level up quickly and easily?

    i dont know if it's the same as wow as my own understanding is still limited, but in that game yopu could do "quest's" in this case missions that were a few levels higher than you. That would make them harder but the reard would be greater and you would level quicker..at least for a while. As I said though uncertain if that applies to this game but in know for sure on of our pals in these forums qill soon be able to provide the answer to that one ;)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I'm the same way; have a wife, couple of kids and only get an hour or so late at night to play.

    One easy tip is to maximize your gametime by limiting the amount of TRIBBLE around in starbases. I try to do quite a bit of outfitting on the exchange when I get a new ship. I train bridge officers in new skills at this time too. I also think that solo is a bit quicker. That way you don't spend as much time chasing down teammates or waiting on people. Does anyone know is you can get more skill points through teaming with advanced captains?

    I usually do the following starting at the new promotion level (lt. 1 or ltc1 or commander 1 etc):

    I do the system patrol missions until I'm fighting guys about 3-4 levels higher than me. Then I do storyline missions. Since I'm a few levels above the storyline missions they tend to go more quickly in ground combat. Toward the upper levels of my class (ltc 7 or 8) I find the highest sector defense missions in the 'old area'. So if I'm at Commander level 8 I'm probably wrapping up the romulan systems and may even be doing stuff near DS9. Since DS9 defend missions are a little tough at this point, I'll find the highest sector defense missions in romulan space and grind those. By now you should be clearing house and getting 300 or 400 skill points per mission.

    I like the sound of that. I'll put it to the missus, and hope she allows me a bit more trek time.

    A man's gotta explore the universe! Virtual or not!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I like the sound of that. I'll put it to the missus, and hope she allows me a bit more trek time.

    A man's gotta explore the universe! Virtual or not!

    I've lost that battle so I just wait for her to go to sleep! I usually get a new ship every two weeks or so. Nights like last night really kill me though; three hours to play and the server was down the whole time.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I've lost that battle so I just wait for her to go to sleep! I usually get a new ship every two weeks or so. Nights like last night really kill me though; three hours to play and the server was down the whole time.

    ouch, i feel that
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I've lost that battle so I just wait for her to go to sleep! I usually get a new ship every two weeks or so. Nights like last night really kill me though; three hours to play and the server was down the whole time.

    Yeah, we've all had those nights before. Really demotivates playing an MMO.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Plan ahead, always take the cluster mission at your level (they cooldown on these start when getting them, 30 min till you can take them again).

    Do Story mission, try to do the cluster stuff between story mission aka on the way, if you have a few mission make a "path" to safe time if you really that limited in your play time. Park your ship in a cluster, so you can do a few quick missions if you have time, remember to have the cluster mission in your log so you can do them two times after another if you have more time.

    Sell stuff which is under a certain ammount (100 credits for example) at the replicator to save travel time. Don`t travel to much between mission and the starbase, plan ahead what you want to do on your next mission.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    If you're looking to maximize your XP gain, you need to take a look at what level you are at first. The LT's and LTC's don't earn a tremendous amount of XP from missions and side quests (patrols, explores and defends), until you start hitting the Romulan Front. Typical mission XP for a Romulan mission is around 300 (+/- 15 - 20) XP. Since those mission are also a bit more difficult, the "in-mission" XP gain is a smidge higher. You're probably looking at +7 XP per frigate, +10 per Escort and roughly +12 XP per battleship destroyed. Ground combat is usually lower, since the mob's are more in numbers; however, you can still bring in some XP. So after a typical mission you're probably winding up with close to 400 - 425 XP per mission.

    Since you married folk (I've felt you're pain - been there, done that) can only play for an hour or so, the missions may not be the best use of your time since some missions could take up to 45 minutes. That's taking your time, reading the boxes, travel to and from the system and any other regular TRIBBLE around.

    Now. A good way to maximize your XP gain is simply by running patrols, explores or defends. Patrol missions can give you up to 175XP in most cases (I've seen higher, but it's not often so we'll stick with that). Howver ... that's 175 per patrol, which is tpyically 3 runs. So -

    Patrol "X" System for 150 XP (we'll use that). - 3 mission run series.
    Run #1 - 150
    Run # 2 - 150
    Run # 3 - 150
    PLUS ... XP gained in each of those legs killing ships and mobs. That could be a total of 100 XP for the three instances. So that patrol now gave you 550 XP. And if you are quick about it and don't mess around with scanning resources (unless it's a mission objective) you can probably get two patrols runs in by the time an hour is up. 1000 - 1100 XP in one hour.

    Defend missions will also give you a nice boost. Typical Romulan defend is roughly 350 XP, plus the XP gained for killing the ships in the DSE. Trick there is to maximize your XP gain. Don't mess around with the little ships since they don't give much XP - stick to the Battleships, Escorts and whatnot. It'll take longer, but if you're running with others it shouldn't take more than 10 - 15 minutes per instance. Hitting all the big ships should give you 45 - 50 XP per instance, and since you have to run 3 of them - that's 135 - 150 XP on top of the 350 XP mission reward.

    Explores are similar to the patrols.

    You just need to figure out where the most XP is earned and stick there. Sure hitting the missions will give you the story line and some neat gear, but there's better ways to earn your ranks. Cutting out useless trips to the Sol Station and resource gathering shaves some time off for those that have RL responsibilities.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I completely agree with the post above especially re: the patrols. The poster is also spot on about the defend the sector missions. They really don't start to pay off until romulan space. Don't forget that after you kill your 10 groups you can hit 'm' and change your instance rather than waiting for the 5 minute timer. Every one in awhile you will change into an instance with 10 d'deridex battleships on top of you though. I just added the mission content in there because you really don't want to get too far behind in it.

    On that topic, a short rant. When the little one was down for a nap I logged in and did the Romulan mission at Rator III where you rescue the fed hostages. After spending 30 minutes completing every objective, the mission wouldn't complete because it wouldn't let me free one last hostage. I found the guy but the interact button won't pop up. Looks like I'll be spending another hour going through that one.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Yeah, that happened to me. I found the hostage down at the bottom of the hill. I'd missed him on the way up. It's confusing. The one you have to speak to isn't included in the 6 listed. It's a bit misleading. Here's a good tip. If you have vacation time. Take a day out when you know the wife and kiddies won't be home. I did it all of last week. Spring Break for me to play STO. Back to work and reality tomorrow.

    Goodnight all.;)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Why rush to the end? It's not like you get a gold watch, or a mahogany and bronze plaque to put on your wall, or anything. You just....get to the end. There really isn't that much to do at the end, unlike some games which have a lively and vibrant PvP experience as end game. Honestly? Just sit back, take your time, and enjoy yourself. That's what games are for, after all. And in this game, it really is the journey that counts, not the destination.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I hear you Kamui but I'm not blazing through the game or anything. Even doing the things described I'm still only getting a new ship every two weeks. I'm quite content with that pace. I have a Captain in a Sci Ship and a Commander in an Escort. Next build is Cruiser then Klingon.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    For most battles up to Lt. Commander 5 (Romulans), I employed what I call the "Grizwold" defense.

    Grizwold Defense:

    Setup: Set Spacebar keybind to fire all weapons.

    Use:
    1. Engage an enemy ship.
    2. Turn the volume down so that firing is barely audible.
    3. Press and Hold A or D.
    4. Press Spacebar rapidly.
    5. If you hear Majel Roddenberry say "_____ shield is failing", switch from A to D or D to A, and keep pressing Spacebar rapidly.
    6. Watch TV.
    7. If you blow up, reengage and repeat from Step 3.

    Great for: the "four-step" combat missions in Genesis areas (kill a ship, kill two more groups of ships, kill a big ship, then leave), Deep Space Encounters at -1 to -4 of your level, plot missions that don't involve away teams. (Grizwold defense doesn't work on foot. Don't try it.)

    I call it Grizwold from "European Vacation" when the family is stuck in the Turnabout: "Hey look kids! Big Ben! Parliament!"

    Past Lt. Comm. 5, the ships get a lot more aggressive ("typed"-damage such as polaron and tetryon beams/torps, tractor beams, whatnot), so I would recommend paying attention from that point forward.

    As for mission recommendations:

    -- Unless you are piloting a Cruiser, if you're soloing, go after DSE's in Defend Missions for areas that you've "passed up" (If you're in Iota Pavonis, consider running in Alpha Centauri or Psi Velorum instead of your 'current' area.)

    -- Don't bother with "Resource" Genesis missions unless you've already got the 10 items needed in-hand or in the bank (it will draw them out when you accept the mission, even if they're in the bank). Drop the mission if you already got it unless you don't mind leaving the zone you're in and spending money to get a little bit of XP. It may be faster for you to just pick another anomaly and go fighting instead. If you lose the provisions and drop the mission, it's no real "loss" -- these only exist for this purpose and crafting use, plus most don't fetch a worthwhile price in the Exchange anyway. (Federation Freighters sell them in Sector Space for pocket change.)

    -- Ground Mission objectives can be sped through if the pace is excruciating: read the requirements carefully, and if you are lucky, meeting only the objectives will be easier than fighting everything. "Ghost Ship" has a ground mission asking for you to destroy three Devidian Portals surrounded by transparent "visitors". These things drain your HP for life, give off 1 measly SP per kill, and worse of all are very slow to kill. Fortunately, you regen the health faster than they can drain it, so you're in no real danger. For this mission, you can ignore the fighting (press Esc to lose your target), and seek out the portals and fire only on them. Once all three are down, run out of the fight again and wait for your "red alert" status to relax, then beam out. (Your BOFF's will be fine.) Try this in other ground missions when you're pressed for time and need to move along.

    -- Also, when scanning items near enemy groups, see if you can find an item outlying a field of enemies, and take a "creative" approach... swing wide and approach carefully to avoid aggro from the group, approach the item without letting enemies flank you and scan it on the outside of the group. (If this is a ground mission, set your BOFF's to a rally point away from the group, but at your back in case the baddies aggro you... then break the rally point and your reinforcements will come.) If you're really lucky, they won't even know you were there. And even if they aggro you, if you're quick enough, you can complete the scan before they hit you successfully. And if it's the last scan in a series for your objective (and the last objective), you may be able to finish the objective without firing a shot and warp/beam out. Sure, you'll lose the SP from the fights, but if you're short on time, a mission complete bonus is quicker and more abundant than waiting out another 10-15 minutes of fighting you may not actually have in RL.

    Be creative!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I agree with the majority here.

    Stick to space combat mission for maximizing experience.
    The most xp for time are the Deep Space Encounter Mission (once you get to Romulan Space.)
    Use the Map (M) key to change instance map once you get through one set of 10 battle groups.

    The Patrol Sector <X> missions are next best.

    Do a few of the storyline missions that offer BLUE upgrades:
    =================================================
    The super Mark IV efficient impulse engine.
    The Personal Covariant Shields.

    I'm still using those two items at Admiral.

    The parts of the game to avoid:
    =========================
    Memory Alpha. Do the first mission, go ahead and buy 5 Mark II phaser banks to unlock the next tier...and never come back.

    Flying back to a starbase to sell. Use the replicator. You take a credit hit, but credit falls from the sky in this game. Exception: if your inventory is getting full and you are about to get a Grade promotion, then by all means go ahead and sell at the starbase since you always have to report back for your new ship.

    Exploration. These zones are usually out of the way (travel time) and you have to find a mission as several of the mission points are of course, resource data points. Not to mention since the mission are random you don't know if you are going to get a space combat mission, a slow ground combat mission, or the
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I will add one thing to this: I did a lot of PvP while leveling. Is it efficient? Probably not, but I found it fun, and each match is fairly fast, so if you only have time to jump in the game for a short while it can be a good option. Try it out when you get up to level 7,8,9 of each rank. (At low levels in each rank you will be overmatched.)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    If you're looking to get paid, i.e. Energy Credits -> definitely PvP. You'll get a better return on your time EC wise than just running missions and trying to sell whatever loot (batteries) you get.
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