It depends on when you left. I stopped playing around issue...7? 8? Shortly after Romulans were released as a faction. I started again with some friends this last month. There has been a TON of new stories and new voice actors brought in, and the grind / TFO system feels a bit more fun than it used to, and the admiralty thing is pretty cool. Now, I can definitely foresee that I will eventually get tired of the grind, again, but in the meantime, playing through all the new content is fun and exciting. The game is free, so ultimately "worth it" is up to you and how you value your time. I would say yes, unless you like PvP, because apparently that's completely dead (which is too bad, since I loved GPvP when I played years ago).
' ...it won't take you long to finish the (STO) content.'
I always sigh when I see this written by someone.
I've purchased games where I've spent ~$90+ ... to blow through in 2-3 days of marathon gaming. Did I have fun doing it - hell yes. Do I regret paying $90 to access the content - well that depends on the title.
If you are a returning player, or even entirely new to Star Trek Online, let's keep in mind it is free entertainment. It doesn't cost you a penny, pfenning, groat or even a farthing.
So for free we have:
~49 TFOs, most with varying levels of difficulty to try out (from normal, advance, elite) including a random TFO option.
~93 mission episodes, on the Fed side alone (all playable as SP and most as MP)
Other optional missions
12 Reputations, each with 6 levels and different ground, space, consumables equipment to build/try out.
Random sector encounters
Space System Patrols (50?)
New Romulus ground missions
Space and Ground battle zones
Crafting System
Endeavor System
Accolade chasing
Annual Anniversary and Seasonal Events
Random Special Events
Near endless Space Barbie opportunities combining race, class, appearance, clothing, ships, weapons
Vanity equipment
Free stuff, just for visiting the C-store or trying ARC.
Learning new things about the background of the Star Trek multiverse
Trying out (hundreds?) of iconic ships and weapons
I'm sure I missed lots of other things ...
But let's be honest about this list. If you are playing through ALL of this content in a few days (highly improbable) or even over the course of several years (like me), you probably got your money's worth and more.
I purchased Star Trek Online for $0 and probably played 20% of the content in my first year. Why so little in such a long time? Well STO has a habit of distracting you from things you thought were important. There is also so much "in-game stuff" to collect (for the hoarders among you), I figure it would probably take me 10 years to acquire all the ships and unique weapons currently in-game.
Do I have fun doing it all - hell yes. Do I regret paying $0 to access the content - hell no! Have I spent real money on game stuff - hell yes. Do I regret spending that money - hell no!
One other key thing you need when playing Star Trek Online is the ability to accept change - I'm being serious about this. The game content is constantly changing and content will come and go as the game system is updated, content is revised and the developers decide to make things a priority that you may not agree with. Odds are very high that things in the game from five years ago have changed - and I like that. Further, whether you personally like it or not, the game will most likely include elements of every Trek series - and I like that.
Lastly you need a sense of humor.
Humor. It is a difficult concept. It is not logical.
The game is not Cannon Star Trek Online and will includes things that are shamelessly illogical - like Klingon ice fishing, Nanov tagging and, finally, the long awaited ability of tribble tossing.
Should you try it? The answer from my perspective is obviously yes.
I will even offer a 'money-back' guarantee and will gladly refund your purchase price of $0.00 + 297% Ferenginar Value Added Tax, if you try it and dislike it.
However, refunds require you to play through the mission Quark's Lucky Seven, sending me a photo of you performing the Mokbara while wearing your Festive Gorn winter sweater and Klingon fishing gauntlet with your Risan sandcastle built in the background. Then, and only then, if you still don't like STO you can apply for a refund and gain the accolade "Nobody's Perfect".
You need to think of Star Trek Online as a marathon, not a sprint. Senlac t'Karveth Sometimes the Universe allows for the making of unexpected memories. Philippa Georgiou No matter your shame, gather your strength. Find a way to help those in need. Sarek of Vulcan
Now, I can definitely foresee that I will eventually get tired of the grind, again, but in the meantime, playing through all the new content is fun and exciting).
The Foundry was a way of finding new horizons for authors and players tiring of the grind but I want to note that there are still a bunch of other sub-communities that can help find creative inspiration. Writers, screenshot artists, RP'ers, and character artists for example. The game still is a creative platform and there are ways of avoiding burnout by shifting energy to related activities (if such appeal to one.) These help augment what's still here in STO and allow for natural breaks and outlets before one completely succumbs to the fatigue and frustration of the grind. (Kael's also eager to highlight community creations on the Ten Forward weekly livestream and there's a new creative subforum too in Ten Forward.)
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
I'd say yes and no. Depending on when you left. If you're from older days of STO the grind has increased significantly and while some parts of it are account friendly some aren't. There's a huge amount of reps and marks and if you left before T6 ships were a thing you probably don't have a competitive ship to do endgame content in and may need to drop some money for either an upgrade token or for a new ship entirely. They're running events so often now there's almost always something to do but a lot of content tends to feel underwhelming and there are good story missions but they recently started pumping out very few story missions with lackluster characters and events going on for the sake of discovery. I've been around since launch and the game is pretty decent right now but it feels like the direction is sometimes all over the place with how they handle stuff like mediocre events and the removal of several story missions while they work on revamping them when you could have left them in until the revamp making a couple of the story lines absolutely terrible due to lacking content.
Plus one of the more interesting diversions the foundry is being removed and while I never enjoyed the klingon content from it, I did play many foundry series on my federation and romulan toons and am sad to see it go. The foundry was pretty integral for some to avoid getting too bored from the constant focus on the grind the game seems to have since people could make interesting story.
RP can help fix that gap but well with fleets like NoP and Dental harrassing even normal rpers for trying to have fun with the game in their own way its not as reliable a way to mess around.
I'd say give it a chance at the very least, you'll figure it out on your own very quickly if you will enjoy the game enough to keep playing more than a few minutes at a time. I myself am starting to burn out already and have been playing a lot less lately because of it just logging in to do some daily stuff then back out.
Comments
I always sigh when I see this written by someone.
I've purchased games where I've spent ~$90+ ... to blow through in 2-3 days of marathon gaming. Did I have fun doing it - hell yes. Do I regret paying $90 to access the content - well that depends on the title.
If you are a returning player, or even entirely new to Star Trek Online, let's keep in mind it is free entertainment. It doesn't cost you a penny, pfenning, groat or even a farthing.
So for free we have:
~49 TFOs, most with varying levels of difficulty to try out (from normal, advance, elite) including a random TFO option.
~93 mission episodes, on the Fed side alone (all playable as SP and most as MP)
Other optional missions
12 Reputations, each with 6 levels and different ground, space, consumables equipment to build/try out.
Random sector encounters
Space System Patrols (50?)
New Romulus ground missions
Space and Ground battle zones
Crafting System
Endeavor System
Accolade chasing
Annual Anniversary and Seasonal Events
Random Special Events
Near endless Space Barbie opportunities combining race, class, appearance, clothing, ships, weapons
Vanity equipment
Free stuff, just for visiting the C-store or trying ARC.
Learning new things about the background of the Star Trek multiverse
Trying out (hundreds?) of iconic ships and weapons
I'm sure I missed lots of other things ...
But let's be honest about this list. If you are playing through ALL of this content in a few days (highly improbable) or even over the course of several years (like me), you probably got your money's worth and more.
I purchased Star Trek Online for $0 and probably played 20% of the content in my first year. Why so little in such a long time? Well STO has a habit of distracting you from things you thought were important. There is also so much "in-game stuff" to collect (for the hoarders among you), I figure it would probably take me 10 years to acquire all the ships and unique weapons currently in-game.
Do I have fun doing it all - hell yes. Do I regret paying $0 to access the content - hell no! Have I spent real money on game stuff - hell yes. Do I regret spending that money - hell no!
One other key thing you need when playing Star Trek Online is the ability to accept change - I'm being serious about this. The game content is constantly changing and content will come and go as the game system is updated, content is revised and the developers decide to make things a priority that you may not agree with. Odds are very high that things in the game from five years ago have changed - and I like that. Further, whether you personally like it or not, the game will most likely include elements of every Trek series - and I like that.
Lastly you need a sense of humor.
Humor. It is a difficult concept. It is not logical.
The game is not Cannon Star Trek Online and will includes things that are shamelessly illogical - like Klingon ice fishing, Nanov tagging and, finally, the long awaited ability of tribble tossing.
Should you try it? The answer from my perspective is obviously yes.
I will even offer a 'money-back' guarantee and will gladly refund your purchase price of $0.00 + 297% Ferenginar Value Added Tax, if you try it and dislike it.
However, refunds require you to play through the mission Quark's Lucky Seven, sending me a photo of you performing the Mokbara while wearing your Festive Gorn winter sweater and Klingon fishing gauntlet with your Risan sandcastle built in the background. Then, and only then, if you still don't like STO you can apply for a refund and gain the accolade "Nobody's Perfect".
Sometimes the Universe allows for the making of unexpected memories. Philippa Georgiou
No matter your shame, gather your strength. Find a way to help those in need. Sarek of Vulcan
The Foundry was a way of finding new horizons for authors and players tiring of the grind but I want to note that there are still a bunch of other sub-communities that can help find creative inspiration. Writers, screenshot artists, RP'ers, and character artists for example. The game still is a creative platform and there are ways of avoiding burnout by shifting energy to related activities (if such appeal to one.) These help augment what's still here in STO and allow for natural breaks and outlets before one completely succumbs to the fatigue and frustration of the grind. (Kael's also eager to highlight community creations on the Ten Forward weekly livestream and there's a new creative subforum too in Ten Forward.)
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
Plus one of the more interesting diversions the foundry is being removed and while I never enjoyed the klingon content from it, I did play many foundry series on my federation and romulan toons and am sad to see it go. The foundry was pretty integral for some to avoid getting too bored from the constant focus on the grind the game seems to have since people could make interesting story.
RP can help fix that gap but well with fleets like NoP and Dental harrassing even normal rpers for trying to have fun with the game in their own way its not as reliable a way to mess around.
I'd say give it a chance at the very least, you'll figure it out on your own very quickly if you will enjoy the game enough to keep playing more than a few minutes at a time. I myself am starting to burn out already and have been playing a lot less lately because of it just logging in to do some daily stuff then back out.