Here at the Federation News Service, we realize that you - the player - are a busy person. You may have kids, a job, a cat (or seven) or a busy school schedule. Every so often, there is a piece of STO news or a forum post that you may not catch that we feel is important. We at FNS would like to help you with that. Here are some pieces of news from the last few weeks we have found particularly interesting. These articles and posts could contain anything; gameplay mechanics, cosmetics changes, and everything in between.
Every few weeks we try to select a few items that we feel every player should know. There may be more or less depending on the information available. These items could come from the Star Trek Online official forums, a developer interview from another news outlet, or a player. In addition to a link to the source, we will provide our opinions on the topic as to why we think it matters to you.
With the release of Delta Rising, we will not be getting much in terms of new content for the next few weeks. Instead, we've decided to feature some exciting guides about a new endgame queue, the exchange, a design blog about the Vaadwaur, and information about the Experience point changes. Enjoy!
STO FORUM - EP Speaks on Exploit
With the launch of Delta Rising, players have been doing their best to get to level 60 as fast as possible. Some players took advantage of an exploit to gain experience from the Romulan Patrol missions in Tau Dewa, resulting in Cryptic shutting down access to the maps until the the next patch. This caused outrage among players in the community. Utterly confused as to the reasoning behind this shutdown, it took Cryptic two days to produce the above announcement. Players might find this important to consider moving forward - seeing how Cryptic responded to this situation, a change in their procedure moving forward would not be unforeseen nor unwarranted.
ARC NEWS - The Vaadwaur Threat, Building the Vaadwaur, Designing the Vaadwaur
One of the more focused-on enemies returning for Delta Rising is the Vaadwaur. Featured heavily in the Voyager episode “Dragon’s Teeth”, the Vaadwaur are a nearly-extinct race that was almost entirely eradicated from the Delta Quadrant in the 15th Century, but have recently begun to re-appear in the Delta Quadrant as a hostile force. Though Vaadwaur technology is over 900 years out-of-date, they have not been overlooked as a potentially dangerous foe in the new frontier, having discovered a way to quickly and efficiently bring their relics up to speed.
Vaadwaur combat tactics were designed by Cryptic to resemble modern combat. Vaadwaur weaponry is typically more concussive than other species, with both ground troops and starships preferring to fire powerful and deliberate hits with lots of knockback. The Vaadwaur were also programmed with more advanced combat techniques, with ground troops capable of flanking, and starships that attempt strafing runs and rely on mobility. Their weaponry is also unique, with an arsenal of holding mines, cloak-disabling torpedoes and cannon barrages.
REDDIT - Guide for Borg Disconnected
With every new piece of end-game content players get their hands on, sure enough they will encounter fellow players who do not know how to run it. Linked above is a straightforward guide by Reddit user LowLifeCat, who outlines the basic objectives players need to tackle in order to get the most out of the new mission - Borg: Disconnected.
REDDIT - The Exchange and You: A Beginner’s Guide
It's a pain to start making something out of nothing in the Exchange. This guide by Reddit user pitchblackdrgn outlines everything a player needs to know about the exchange. The way in which the information is presented is easy to access and presents players with a step-by-step guide in getting started.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LEVEL-UP CONTROVERSY?
LET US KNOW BELOW!
WRITTEN BY FLICKY
EDITED BY McCLINTOCK - UFP.MCCLINTOCK@HACARI.COM
