[Tjienta]

I just noticed that you can get an 51,200 point upgrade token from a green Phoenix token for 4,000 dilithium (price per, if you buy per 10).

That actually seems quite good compared to crafted 12,800 point upgrade token, which you need 1,075 dilithium to apply to an item.

51,200 / 4,000 = 12.8 points / dilithium
12,800 / 1,075 = 11.9 points / dilithium.

So it seems better to spend dilithium on phoenix boxes than it is to craft upgrade tokens.

Am I missing something?

I need to do some more research:
* What other rewards are for crafting.
* And how quality upgrades work.
* And what happens when upgrading at max Mk with quality.

[darthnovawave]

Phoenix box upgrades are usually the way to go these days (assuming you don't have a pile of Ultimate Tech Upgrades). The other upgrade tokens came out before the phoenix box ones, and phoenix tokens used to be rare as the phoenix store used to be an occasional event, not a permanent fixture like it is now. Usually the best strategy is to save up upgrade tokens until an upgrade weekend comes along to maximize the cost efficiency.

As for the quality piece, once your gear hits Mk XV you can continue to spend upgrades (including Phoenix ones) to "level up" the gear further, but every time you fill the bar at this point it gives you a chance to upgrade the quality level. The percent chance to upgrade the quality level will continue to grow until you succeed, and you can continue to do this until the quality hits gold "Epic" quality (or "Ultra Rare" in the case of some kit modules).

As far as "rewards" for crafting, you can get accolades at lvl 5, 10, 15, and 20 for each R&D area. As you level, you will continue to unlock new crafting options until you hit lvl 15. A lot of the best consumables become unlocked this way, and certain craftable pieces like the PEP torpedoes, exotic particle field exciter console, and TR-116B rifles can be very competitive for end game, either for your own use or as a means to earn some money by working the Exchange.

[Sorotia]

Crafting upgrades are worthless pretty much...just like almost everything else from crafting these days.

[Taku]

Just use the Phoenix Upgrades. They're universal and cheap.
Save up 40k DIL, buy the 10-pack, turn everything into Phoenix Upgrades. You should get 12-15 upgrades per 10-pack.