I purchased mine in in early 2010 and have no regrets. If the ships, unlocks and perks are attractive to you, I'd wait for the LTS sale and snap it up, I wouldn't buy it otherwise though, the Zen stipend essentially means a free ship every 6 months if you are able to save that long, and all of the other perks are far from game breaking awesomeness or "must have".
I bought my LTS just after the game went live - so its more than paid for itself now.
As for buying it today... it's hard to say - you can unlock a lot of stuff without a LTS so its main bonus is the stipend; but its not a very large amount given the price of a LTS and the time it would take to 'pay' itself off.
Me, I plan on getting the lifetime sub as soon as it hits a sale and I have the money. You, depends on what you want to do. Despite the naysayers, this game is six years running and still going. It's quite strong at the moment. Now, the Lifetime Sub needs some upgrades, but if I already have the sub when those upgrades arrive, I won't be sad at all. These sorts of polls should never be an indicator of whether or not you should. There's a handful of actual details you should consider:
1.) Will buying it break your bank, be it on sale or not? -If you answer no, don't do it.
2.)How often do you play the game? -If you answer "hardly ever", don't do it.
3.)What do you consider the best benefit? -If you answer either the titles or the costumes, don't do it.
4.)Did you just get into the game or have you been here for a while? -If you answer "just got into the game", give it about six months to a year and then try this again.
I am a Life-time Subscriber and I don't regret the choice.
Do I think the Life-time should be improved with more perks? Yes
Do I regret paying for Life-time? No, I still spend so much time in STO today that is still pays off.
I also bought Legacy of Romulus, but I skipped Delta Rising.
Yep I think it could be improved, but I also think it was definitely worth it. Between the stipend and other freebies I've recieved since purchase in 2012, Ive gotten my $200 worth easy, and I do recommend waiting for the sale . I bought Delta Rising pack shortly after DR went live. Spent half cash and half dilithium(Dil exchange was at around 90dil/1zen at that time so wasn't too bad grinding it out).
I always divide the lifetime benefits in three categories:
1. Exclusive things that make little difference in actual game content.
Stuff like uniforms, pets, titles etc. that can be nice to have if you are really interested in it, but that are next to useless during missions.
2. Exclusive things that can be useful or provide an unique experience during gameplay.
If you don't have many ships for certain factions, the Veteran ships can be useful. Special playable species can be worth it.
3. Useful things that are not exclusive.
The majority of the Veteran rewards. Extra boff, inventory, bank and ship slots can be useful, but since they're not exclusive their usefulness depends on how many characters you have. If you only have one or two and don't plan on making more, it'll be much wiser to just grind or buy some extra services for these characters. If you plan on creating many toons or remain active for a long time, these benefits could make a real difference.
So, to summarise, the usefulness of 1 depends on what you consider important in the game. For 2, it depends on how many other things you have and if species are that important to you. For 3, it depends on how active you are going to be, for how long and on how many characters.
The lifetime membership package would have been worth it if you made the investment several years ago, but I don't believe it's worth the investment anymore. It's probably been said already (though I haven't read the entire topic) but if you're considering it, wait for the sale.
Obviously, determining whether a LTS is 'worthwhile' depends entirely on you and I think the key variable is whether you plan on playing STO much longer. Still, I strongly advise you to wait until it goes on sale for US$199 rather than the normal US$299 - this happens about twice a year.
Nevertheless, there is an objective way at establishing a rough order of magnitude value for the LTS, which is through working out how much Zen it would take to purchase everything that an LTS provides. My summary, which is based on a few assumptions, is outlined below - but a LTS is worth about 34,900 Zen.
Obviously, I note that the counterfactual case - what would a player buy for the same dollars if left to their own devices and not subject to exclusivities - is almost certainly different, the "real value" of this headline Zen figure is almost certainly lower (unless people really like the Veteran Combadge etc).
Zen per unit prices and relevant assumptions
Ships
T5 Ships - 2500 Zen - Veteran Ships are x3 if running one Fed/Rom/KDF character.
T6 Ships - 3000 Zen - Veteran Ships are x3 if running one Fed/Rom/KDF character.
Shuttles - 500 Zen - Veteran Shuttles are x3 if running one Fed/Rom/KDF character.
Services and Items
Playable Race - 600 Zen - Assumed Liberated Borg as one Race, though technically there is Human, Klingon and Romulan.
Respec Token (1) - 500 Zen
Ship Slot (2) - 500 Zen
Character Slot (2) - 625 Zen
Drydock Slots (5) - 400 Zen
Ship Upgrade Token - 700 Zen
Energy Credit Cap - 500 Zen - IIRC part of Vet rewards, but I might have bought it beforehand
Account Bank (10 Slots) - 1000 Zen - Same assumption as EC Cap above
Costume Slot (2) - 250 Zen
Personnel
Bridge Officer - 500 Zen
Ground Pet - 350 Zen (noting that some are 300 Zen, others like Hortas are 400)
Appearance
Uniform Items - 500 Zen each (noting that some of these items arent a full uniform eg Combadge, so could be cheaper)
Ship Skin - Assumed 250 Zen as no direct comparison exists
EV Suit - Assumed 250 Zen as no direct comparison exists
Firework - Assumed 100 Zen as no direct comparison exists
Unquantifiable Items - Assumed to be zero Zen
Team Skill Point Boost (5 per cent)
Captain's Table
Dilithium Refinement DOFF NPC
Titles
500 Zen per month Stipend
Zen Value of LTS Items - Total 34,875 Zen Ships
T5 Veteran Ships - 7500 Zen
T6 Veteran Ships - 9000 Zen
Veteran Shuttles - 1500 Zen
Vice Admiral T5 Free Ship - 2500 Zen
Services and Items
Playable Race (Lib Borg and Talaxian) - 1200 Zen
Respec Token (4) - 2000 Zen
Respec Token - Level Up (Lt Commander-Admiral) (6) - 3000 Zen
Ship Slot (3) - 750 Zen
Character Slot (2) - 625 Zen
Drydock Slots (5) - 400 Zen
Ship Upgrade Token - 700 Zen
Energy Credit Cap - 500 Zen
Account Bank (10 Slots) - 1000 Zen
Costume Slot (2) - 250 Zen
Personnel
Android Bridge Officer - 500 Zen
Mugato Ground Pet - 350 Zen
Appearance
Uniform Items (5) - 2500 Zen - including Combadge, but Oddy/Bort assumed as one costume
Ship Skin - Assumed 250 Zen as no direct comparison exists
EV Suit - Assumed 250 Zen as no direct comparison exists
Firework - Assumed 100 Zen as no direct comparison exists
Unquantifiable Items - Assumed to be zero Zen
Team Skill Point Boost (5 per cent)
Captain's Table
Dilithium Refinement DOFF NPC
Titles
500 Zen per month Stipend
Also, that 500 Zen Stipend, which I have left as unquantifiable as it depends on how long you continue to play STO for, is hugely valuable. It will repay for the entire LTS in 5 years (3.3 years if LTS bought on sale) with all other rewards being zero Zen. Obviously, an 11 year old game is unlikely to still be particularly active or fun, but each month that you have it essentially reduces the overall cost of the LTS assuming that you keep playing.
I didnt immediately buy the LTS when I started playing, and I encourage people to consider playing for at least 6 months first to see if you're going to hang around. Did I regret buying my LTS? Yes, I did experience quite a bit of post-purchase dissonance. But since then, the T6 Vet Ships have been released (which are actually kinda good!) and that Stipend just keeps rolling in as it is needed... Overall, I've benefited from mine.
Otherwise, I broadly agree with the voices of the other players who have posted.
no, you can have both active on the roster....if you couldn't, i would've come here bit*hing up a storm long ago when i started collecting A-S-S cards
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
The T6 are nice tac ships too - Lt. Cdr science for Grav Well fun, reasonably sturdy & nimble, 5 tac consoles even without getting the Fleet version, good trait for builds with a torp. I'd list the value as 6,000 not 9,000 though based on normal 3-ship bundle prices.
for me yes because i was going to subscribe to support the game anyways for as long as it exists. So it was a huge savings to buy the lifetime.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: "We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then - before you can blink an eye - suddenly it threatens to start all over again."
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
personally if I didn't have LTS already I would definitely buy one at the next sale, the ships and other rewards more then make up for the cost even before you factor in the monthly stipend, having said that I play sto every day and have done since I first signed up and I will keep on playing sto daily until they pull the plug.
if I was a seldom user like yourself only coming back to the game "when I am bored" then I don't think it would be worth the expense.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
For me, 3 years ago yes,
Now no, full of bugs, unreliable servers & to much grind.
Wait, how is that different from 3 years ago?
Well, it got more content. Better looking maps. More detailed ship models. Considerable Qualify of Life improvements. But other than that, what did Cryptic ever do for us?
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Comments
Message me in-game (@tm706) for help
1st Alpha Quadrant Fleet
As for buying it today... it's hard to say - you can unlock a lot of stuff without a LTS so its main bonus is the stipend; but its not a very large amount given the price of a LTS and the time it would take to 'pay' itself off.
1.) Will buying it break your bank, be it on sale or not?
-If you answer no, don't do it.
2.)How often do you play the game?
-If you answer "hardly ever", don't do it.
3.)What do you consider the best benefit?
-If you answer either the titles or the costumes, don't do it.
4.)Did you just get into the game or have you been here for a while?
-If you answer "just got into the game", give it about six months to a year and then try this again.
Hope that was helpful, friend!
Yep I think it could be improved, but I also think it was definitely worth it. Between the stipend and other freebies I've recieved since purchase in 2012, Ive gotten my $200 worth easy, and I do recommend waiting for the sale . I bought Delta Rising pack shortly after DR went live. Spent half cash and half dilithium(Dil exchange was at around 90dil/1zen at that time so wasn't too bad grinding it out).
1. Exclusive things that make little difference in actual game content.
Stuff like uniforms, pets, titles etc. that can be nice to have if you are really interested in it, but that are next to useless during missions.
2. Exclusive things that can be useful or provide an unique experience during gameplay.
If you don't have many ships for certain factions, the Veteran ships can be useful. Special playable species can be worth it.
3. Useful things that are not exclusive.
The majority of the Veteran rewards. Extra boff, inventory, bank and ship slots can be useful, but since they're not exclusive their usefulness depends on how many characters you have. If you only have one or two and don't plan on making more, it'll be much wiser to just grind or buy some extra services for these characters. If you plan on creating many toons or remain active for a long time, these benefits could make a real difference.
So, to summarise, the usefulness of 1 depends on what you consider important in the game. For 2, it depends on how many other things you have and if species are that important to you. For 3, it depends on how active you are going to be, for how long and on how many characters.
Save your money for newer and better games that may have learned from the mistakes of this one instead of being locked into those errors.
Nevertheless, there is an objective way at establishing a rough order of magnitude value for the LTS, which is through working out how much Zen it would take to purchase everything that an LTS provides. My summary, which is based on a few assumptions, is outlined below - but a LTS is worth about 34,900 Zen.
Obviously, I note that the counterfactual case - what would a player buy for the same dollars if left to their own devices and not subject to exclusivities - is almost certainly different, the "real value" of this headline Zen figure is almost certainly lower (unless people really like the Veteran Combadge etc).
Zen per unit prices and relevant assumptions
- T5 Ships - 2500 Zen - Veteran Ships are x3 if running one Fed/Rom/KDF character.
- T6 Ships - 3000 Zen - Veteran Ships are x3 if running one Fed/Rom/KDF character.
- Shuttles - 500 Zen - Veteran Shuttles are x3 if running one Fed/Rom/KDF character.
Services and Items- Playable Race - 600 Zen - Assumed Liberated Borg as one Race, though technically there is Human, Klingon and Romulan.
- Respec Token (1) - 500 Zen
- Ship Slot (2) - 500 Zen
- Character Slot (2) - 625 Zen
- Drydock Slots (5) - 400 Zen
- Ship Upgrade Token - 700 Zen
- Energy Credit Cap - 500 Zen - IIRC part of Vet rewards, but I might have bought it beforehand
- Account Bank (10 Slots) - 1000 Zen - Same assumption as EC Cap above
- Costume Slot (2) - 250 Zen
Personnel- Bridge Officer - 500 Zen
- Ground Pet - 350 Zen (noting that some are 300 Zen, others like Hortas are 400)
Appearance- Uniform Items - 500 Zen each (noting that some of these items arent a full uniform eg Combadge, so could be cheaper)
- Ship Skin - Assumed 250 Zen as no direct comparison exists
- EV Suit - Assumed 250 Zen as no direct comparison exists
- Firework - Assumed 100 Zen as no direct comparison exists
Unquantifiable Items - Assumed to be zero ZenZen Value of LTS Items - Total 34,875 Zen
Ships
- T5 Veteran Ships - 7500 Zen
- T6 Veteran Ships - 9000 Zen
- Veteran Shuttles - 1500 Zen
- Vice Admiral T5 Free Ship - 2500 Zen
Services and Items- Playable Race (Lib Borg and Talaxian) - 1200 Zen
- Respec Token (4) - 2000 Zen
- Respec Token - Level Up (Lt Commander-Admiral) (6) - 3000 Zen
- Ship Slot (3) - 750 Zen
- Character Slot (2) - 625 Zen
- Drydock Slots (5) - 400 Zen
- Ship Upgrade Token - 700 Zen
- Energy Credit Cap - 500 Zen
- Account Bank (10 Slots) - 1000 Zen
- Costume Slot (2) - 250 Zen
Personnel- Android Bridge Officer - 500 Zen
- Mugato Ground Pet - 350 Zen
Appearance- Uniform Items (5) - 2500 Zen - including Combadge, but Oddy/Bort assumed as one costume
- Ship Skin - Assumed 250 Zen as no direct comparison exists
- EV Suit - Assumed 250 Zen as no direct comparison exists
- Firework - Assumed 100 Zen as no direct comparison exists
Unquantifiable Items - Assumed to be zero ZenAlso, that 500 Zen Stipend, which I have left as unquantifiable as it depends on how long you continue to play STO for, is hugely valuable. It will repay for the entire LTS in 5 years (3.3 years if LTS bought on sale) with all other rewards being zero Zen. Obviously, an 11 year old game is unlikely to still be particularly active or fun, but each month that you have it essentially reduces the overall cost of the LTS assuming that you keep playing.
I didnt immediately buy the LTS when I started playing, and I encourage people to consider playing for at least 6 months first to see if you're going to hang around. Did I regret buying my LTS? Yes, I did experience quite a bit of post-purchase dissonance. But since then, the T6 Vet Ships have been released (which are actually kinda good!) and that Stipend just keeps rolling in as it is needed... Overall, I've benefited from mine.
Otherwise, I broadly agree with the voices of the other players who have posted.
When did this get implemented, and how do I claim my new shiny?
You have to dismiss your T5 Veteran Ship (assuming you took it) to get a new token, then the new version of it is a T6 (eg, the Manticore).
Ahhh! That's great news, thank you
I don't think you need to dismiss the Tier 5 ship to get the Tier 6 one. Just go the ship requisition guy.
Not that it really matters - the Tier 5 console is replaced by the Tier 6 console (slightly better benefit, no set bonuses.
https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/9359773-star-trek-online:-new-t6-veteran-destroyers
EDIT: Oh, I guess I should test the Veteran destroyer on Tribble, to see how the skill bonuses are translated?
Very happy to be corrected, but I thought one could only have a single vet ship active on a character at a time.
(you could drydock one instead of dismissing it, I suppose)
Edit: Oh, I should include the 5 extra dry dock slots for LTS - CBA ATM, but I'll get around to it eventually.
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
My character Tsin'xing
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
if I was a seldom user like yourself only coming back to the game "when I am bored" then I don't think it would be worth the expense.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
Now no, full of bugs, unreliable servers & to much grind.
Wait, how is that different from 3 years ago?