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[Discussion] - Old returning player needs some help avoiding bad zen purchases

Started By:
Kariden, Fri 20 Nov, 2020 10:59 PM
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    #1
    I'm a old player coming back to STO after a LONG hiatus. My last days were before free to play was a thing and i remember the level cap was 50 or 55. I really like the game i'm coming back to. I bought the 23,000 zen on the black Friday sale and I don't understand what ships are good and bad and what to avoid. This isn't a flex post but I need some help and suggestions from the more experienced players and i figured this was a good place to post.

    Here some background on my current characters:

    65 Fed - Jem'hadar Tactical - Jem'hadar Vanguard Warship - Flying a polaron cannon build but most of the gear is mark XII and hasn't been upgraded. I have 38 phoenix upgrades plus some other odds and ends waiting for an upgrade weekend to go crazy.

    65 Fed - Alien tactical - Bajoran Interceptor (got it mainly for the console) - Working on making this guy a Phaser beam boat captain but he's only got MK XII gear from missions and random drops

    Other than the two ships i noted here i have no others unlocked. Right now my Jem'hadar character is my main but once he gets his reps maxed i may make a main change. I just don't like the way the JH characters are modeled and the warship is a bit off putting with the empty voids the bottom of the hull triggering my OCD. The JH seems like a good starting character to max reps and an easy grind to 65 to give my account a solid re-start.

    Things i know i need:
    - The EC cap increase from 15 million to 2 billion = 375 zen on sale
    - Lobi: some keys to open boxes but which pack and how many?
    - exchange some zen to dilithium while the exchange is low ~490 dil : 1 zen (i have 6100 dil to my account right now)
    - the 3 t6 gift coupons at 4500 zen and get 3 different ships. All of the T6 ships in the store look like they are 2250 zen while on sale so it looks like it would save me 2250 (750 * 3) zen if i wanted to unlock 3 ships. The real question is which ships should i get?

    Things i think i want:
    - EC: can any zen shop items be sold for alot of EC other than 10 mill a key?
    - New ship for the Fed alien - the Gagarin miracle worker battle cruiser at 2,250 zen (for the trait and for the discount on fleet modules to get the tier 6 variant) seems to be one of the most recommended beam boats. i've also heard i can get the vengeance (kelvin something) off the exchange for around 250 mill EC. would that be a better option?
    - Fleet modules or T6-X upgrade tokens
    - the legendary discovery captain bundle to give me a free lvl 65 alt? 9000 zen seems a lot to stock a new toon. It would be fun to have a space magic character but it looks expensive with the traits needed and i'm not sure the walker is the best science platform.
    - I havent tried carriers or hanger pets but they do intrigue me in the future but i do not need another button to click or another interface in the cluttered screen while i relearn some piloting skills.
    - KDF toon?
    - Bridge officers

    im all ears for some creative ideas i haven't thought of. There a lot in the store and i know im missing some good ideas and some good value.
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    #2
     –  Last edited by Solace; Sat 21 Nov, 2020 4:59 AM.
    Hey Kairden and welcome back to STO!

    Firstly I’d recommend picking up the T6 ship coupon pack from the items tab in the ZEN store. Its on sale right now, the pack will give 3 unbound T6 Ship Coupons 100% off. You can trade these boxes to other players if you wish but my advice would be to open them.

    The new Titan class science destroyer has the potential to be a great ship just released today and worth looking at for space wizardry leaning towards a science based torpedo bomber.

    However a great contender is the Gagarin Miracle Worker Battlecruiser, I cannot understate how great this ship is. Its got great seating and overall layout, it looks fantastic. A definite favourite of mine, would wholly recommend getting this ship. Great trait as well.

    The Kelvin Vengeance is from the Lobi store or off the exchange for around 250mil ec. Its a great ship and the devs did a great job with a recent makeover it got. Definitely worth considering.

    The 65 Discovery character boost has lots of goodies and a really neat 25th century walker class. The bundle has great value in that it provides some great boffs, Mk 14 equipment and a host of other little goodies for getting a head start on a new alt. Ifs a hefty investment but something to keep in mind.

    Personally I would save the zen on fleet modules because when you reach T6 in a given reputation you can claim a character bound fleet module from that reputation once for 100 marks of that rep.

    Instead I would pick up some experimental upgrade tokens. These can be sold on the exchange for roughly 40 million ec per token.

    One suggestion to keep a look out for in the zen store is the Legendary Starships Bundle that appears from time to time. It first came out during the 10th anniversary back in February. Its a pack of 10 legendary hero ships from all the series and movies, it includes 3 constitutions! However the bundle is VERY pricey when it shows in the store but worth the investment for the amount of ships and special equipment you can get. When I say pricey we’re talking about $200 worth of ZEN for it.

    If you need EC I’d suggest buying up some master keys and selling them, you’ll get for more bang for your buck selling keys on the exchange for a nice EC injection.

    Also a KDF toon is a great option as well since they have received a revamp this year for the Year of the Klingon. Lots of visual overhauls to Klingon characters, ships and a brand new tutorial.

    If you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer them! Smile
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    #3
    If you are into Science get the Somerville/Batlh. The trait allows any Intel or Science skill to go off to trigger shockwaves from your science anomalies. This is a great skill even outside of science I feel and I never leave home without it. Sadly, you missed the recent Summer Ship, in which you could get the latest Risian ship which also grants an electrical version of it.

    Considering your two mains are more tactical, I'd actually recommend the T6 Naerenda more so because the skill which grants a trait called History Will Remember, for every enemy (think they need to attack you) you gain a buff (dmg, health and something else) accordingly. Stays while you are in the same map. The ship is an upgrade of the Ambassador.

    If you use torpedoes, use command skills, team up a lot and/or use pets, Target That Explosion is a great skill that I recommend (Earhart/Sech). Ship is really nice as well. After using a Torpedo or Command skill, your next regular torpedo fire causes up to 6 people to fire a torpedo that does around 5k. 20k It is a LOT of fun on a command heavy skilled ship. Use Concentrate Firepower 3 (for torpedo a high yield every 2 seconds) and watch the torpedoes fly from your Earhart pets.

    If you go with the Legendary Bundle, you pretty much get so many goodies it isn't even funny. Special skins, access to some ships you can't otherwise, lots of traits, etc. It is costly though, so only get it if you know you'll use everything in it.

    Edit: I forgot to add, welcome back! Hope you have a lot of fun!