There are a great many reasons as to why Star Trek Online is such a magnificent game to play. For the stories are powerful and engrossing, the combat is a blast to take part in and of course, by signing up you’re taking part in a universe/franchise that’s captivated so many for over fifty years. But, while all of those reasons are awesome and important, there’s one last element of this game that makes it an utter blast to play, and that’s the user’s ability to get their hands on whatever starship they wish to fly, allowing for nerdy dreams to come true when the player gets to take their new Galaxy Glass vessel out for a spin, or the player gets the chance to instill fear into the hearts of their enemies when they take command of a ship that can lay waste to entire fleets with the mere press of a button. 
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But, let’s be honest, the number of starships present in this game can be a bit daunting at times because there are so many to choose from. In fact, it doesn’t matter which faction you chose, there are six tiers of ships with multiple variants to take out into the galaxy so really, which is the best one to choose in order to make your spacefaring experience worthwhile? Well unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a solid answer for that because every ship has its strengths and its weaknesses. Instead, I think it’s best we look at some key features that will help you succeed in this game, based upon what you’re looking to accomplish when you log on. Because everyone has their own idea of what they want out of STO, and for some, that involves becoming a true master of interstellar combat.

Which in that case, you’re going to want a starship that is quick and nimble, but also powerful which means there are a few key elements to look out for. First and foremost, it needs to have solid weapons capabilities, so the more slots available to load up your beams and torpedoes of choice is a good thing, because that helps to make the ship a predator in its own right. But at the same time, it also needs to have solid speed and handling, so look for a ship that boasts a wonderful turn rate and can handle a strong impulse engine. But most importantly, look for one that also features a strong hull. Which isn’t always easy when you’re looking at lighter ships, but there are faster vessels out there that can take a beating when their shields go down and that’s supremely helpful in the heat of combat.

However, if you’re not concerned about quick strike capability and you want an alien species to stare at your ship with their jaw on the deck, fleet starships and capital ships in the higher tiers are the ones that are worth your while. Because these monsters can handle all kinds of punishment thanks to their massive hull rating, and they have plenty of weapons to boot, they’re just slow and methodical in combat and that’s not a bad thing either since there’s something to be said about being able to just fire at will and monitor the battle from afar. But personally, I’m a big fan of ships that offer balance and that’s why I’ve stuck with the Odyssey Class for so long. Because while it might not be the fastest ship in the fleet, it’s quick enough to make a difference in combat, and its weapons systems will still punish lighter class vessels as they try to pull an end around on me and most importantly, they take quite a beating.

But in the end, while it is important to pick a ship that meets your combat needs, one cannot forget that the big key to this game is having as much fun as possible. So, if you’ve always wondered what it would be like to fly a Defiant Class starship and test her mettle in combat, do it, why not? Or if you’re like me and always wanted to fly the ships you’ve seen in the various shows, then enjoy the wonder of the Constitution Class, for there’s no shame in geeking out. The bottom line is, just do a little studying when it comes to ship stats and abilities, because that allows for you to make an informed decision on what ships will offer you precisely what you want and trust me, you’ll know when you’ve found the right one because everything feels fluid when that perfect ship arrives, and last but certainly not least, always be sure to follow the late Admiral McCoy’s advice when the time comes to take that shiny new vessel out for a spin. 

Sometimes a new idea when it comes to creative writing can be a tad overwhelming. Especially when the topic at hand encompasses so many ideas and details and well, I won’t lie, this whole notion of me offering up tips and tricks when it comes to Star Trek Online, kind of gave me pause. Because I don’t consider myself to be an expert in the slightest when it comes to the game, hell I basically learned on the fly when I first started playing, and it took me a freakin’ year to even remotely dive into how to upgrade one’s gear and improve one’s ship, so what the heck would I know about helping others who are just starting out in this game?
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But I digress, because everyone has their specialty, and any advice one can offer in a game this sweeping is never a bad thing, and as it turns out, I do have my own niche in this game, and that would be starship combat. Because I really do enjoy the finer points of battling it out with other starships, and while the Galactica may sometimes have a sickbay full of officers when a battle is done, and while I may not have the kinds of weapons that rip an opponent to shreds in a matter of seconds (seriously though, what’s the fun in that?), she gets the job done time and time again, and I am proud to say I rarely lose when I go toe to toe with a battleship or a group of ships and that’s thanks in large part to my weapons and shields loadout.

So, that’s the kind of advice I’m going to offer up today, starting with what kind of shields are worth your while. Now in STO, there are basically four types of shields to choose from. There’s the standard shield array, which is what comes with any vessel in Starfleet, but one can switch it up to either Covariant Shields, Regenerative or Resilient emitters as the game rolls on and really, I cannot say that there is a ‘best one’ since they all bring something special to the table. Covariant for example, can handle the most damage before starting to buckle, but their regeneration rate takes forever, and Regenerative shields definitely bounce back quickly but don’t have the strength of some of their counterparts. So, if your ship has a great hull rating and you’re okay with it taking a beating, Covariant might come in handy, since it will delay hull damage for a bit, and if you’re flying something small and powerful, Regenerative might be the way to go since that can allow for you to hit and run and take minimal damage.

Personally, I’m a big fan of the Resilient shield series, and that’s what I have loaded up on the Galactica, simply because this particular shield only allows for a 5% damage bleedthrough when it takes a hit, as opposed to the standard 10% and that comes in super handy during combat, since you are taking a little less damage and that’s critical in the middle of a big fight because a little bit of shields can be what keeps your ship in one piece. Case and point, the other day I was wrapping up an Endeavor Mission that required me to drop 30 Voth ships and well, since I was playing in the middle of the day, when no one is on, I had to take on a dozen frigates and cruisers by myself, and while I took a beating, I pulled it off, because those shields held, with a little help from my chief engineer of course. And, those shields helped keep me in the fight during the new Peril Over Pahvo TFO (pictured above) since they held long enough to get me through an initial wave of Klingon ships.

But, while shields are important, what you hit your enemy with is equally as important because who cares about shields if you cannot do damage on your own and well, this is definitely a tough decision for any player, because let’s be honest, there are a billion energy weapons to choose from in this game. So, we won’t go over every single one because no one has that kind of time, but I will offer up some advice on what to look for energy weapons wise and basically, keep a close eye on what kind of damage these weapons inflict, and go with the strongest. As to whether or not it should be beam or pulse or anything in between, well that is up to you. Because beam weapons, while effective, take a little longer to damage an enemy whereas say, a Mark VX pulse phaser system would punish shields. Personally, I prefer beam because they allow for better coverage and versatility, and they definitely punish shields and hulls when you master how to use them during combat, and they absolutely serve as a wonderful setup to a torpedo finishing move.

Speaking of torpedoes, those are also essential to combat since they do the most kinetic damage when it comes to ship to ship combat and really, the two most powerful ones that I’ve seen are Quantum Torpedoes and Plasma Torpedoes. Tri Cobalt seems to do some serious damage as well, but personally, I’m not a fan of how long they take to deploy. So, I tend to stick with the Quantum variety since they load quickly and do some serious damage when a ship’s shields are down and when used in combination with the Anti Proton beams the Galactica is equipped with, I’ve seen ships blow to pieces before they get within five kilometers of my vessel. If anything, the key here, is to have fun with the weapons present in the game since you’ll get your hands on just about all of them as you traverse the stars. So, try them out, see what you think, and if you don’t like them, no worries, just change your loadout and sell them on the marketplace and really, I hope this offers some kind of help to those of you starting out, or offers new insight to veterans who haven’t dug in yet and now that we’ve talked about weapons, we will move onto ships come next week. Until then. 

It’s funny how sometimes a single moment can suddenly remind you of the bigger picture, and while that’s a broad and philosophical statement that tends to apply to greater concepts in life, it’s something that also has weight when it comes to video games. Because from time to time, a single moment in a grand and sweeping game can remind you that you’re part of something bigger, like say a United Federation of Planets if you will, and that hint should clue you into the fact that I had that exact epiphany the other day while I was playing Star Trek Online and this lovely moment came about in the most unexpected way imaginable.
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Because the particular run I was on seemed pretty run of the mill by my standards. I was doing my standard patrol route, picking up dilithium and energy credits as I went along and as the Galactica was making its way toward the final stops on my route, I noticed a Deep Space Encounter had just popped up and felt the need to join it and well, that’s when that moment arrived. Because I warped into this combat zone with a junior player, one who was clearly a Lieutenant Commander since they were flying a Constitution Class starship and well, they clearly needed a hand with combat, so I handled the tough stuff while they held their own and while that sounds pretty innocuous, what happened after these Klingon Rebels were defeated is what gave me pause.

Because this junior officer shot me a message, letting me know they thought my weapons load-out was pretty cool, and I thanked them and offered up some tips and that’s when the solid reminder hit me. Every single warp signature I see in this game, and every ship I encounter has a person sitting in the captain’s chair, and while that seems silly to realize now, let’s be honest, we all get lost in our games and our own personal adventures sometimes, and we forget about the vast community we are a part of. And well, getting the opportunity to play Admiral in a unique way made me realize, that now is as good a time as any to give back to the community and digital galaxy that’s been so good to me, by offering up some tips to players who are starting out or looking to enhance their experience, so let’s kick off this Star Trek themed improvement blog with a quick look at how to get the most out of your Starfleet vessel.

Now obviously, the easiest way to get a stronger ship with better weapons and gear, is to level up, er…get promoted, because every new rank brings forth new ships with better goodies beneath their digital hood. But there will come a point when your toys will no longer improve upon their own, which is about the time you hit level 50. Because at that point, Mark XII is the game provided cap out point, which means if you want more oomph to your phaser banks, and torpedoes that collapse shields, it’s up to you to upgrade everything to Mark XV, and that means, you need to buckle up and prepare for some serious work because you’re going to need a lot of energy credits and dilithium and thankfully, the game has ways of providing you with what you need.

Because patrols are a wonderful way to earn both dilithium and energy credits, because combat yields items that you can sell on the marketplace, which will allow you to buy tech upgrades and the more you gather up of those, and the more dilithium you have, the faster you bring your gear to an elite level and honestly, since I started a couple of years ago, that’s how I ground it out. With days upon days of patrols and long hours of combat to get what I needed, but thankfully, there are wonderful new options for players looking to soup up their ships. For the Endeavor System offers up untold riches when it comes to energy credits and at times, some ridiculous dilithium hauls, to the point where I’ve actually received more of that precious crystal than I can refine in a single day and working that system, alongside the tips I just offered should help any player beef up their vessel.

But that begs a bigger question, what exactly should you be filling your ship up with? Well, that’s entirely up to the player. Me personally, I wanted the Galactica to be a predator, so I armed her with Anti-Proton Beams all around and Quantum Torpedoes and my console load-outs are filled with items that help to keep the shields and the hull stronger than usual, and they also add a boost to the weapons systems and really, that’s the beauty of this game. You can truly make the ship your own and enjoy a variety of load-outs and gear, so toy with what intrigues you and stick what works for you in combat because there’s no wrong way to arm a ship, what matters more is that your vessel and your crew make it back to Earth Spacedock in one piece.

However, while all that may sound daunting and exhausting since that’s quite the list for how to level your ship up, don’t forget to have fun while you do this, and remember that every mission you take on reflects your rank difficulty wise. So if you’re not ready to traverse the galaxy and battle flotillas of ships, just have fun with the stories, and let the mission tree guide you to new gear and new ships and new weapons, just make sure you study your new load-outs to start getting an idea for the future when you’re ready for the grind and well, that’s really all I have for you today when it comes to building a better vessel, and I’ll continue to try to offer up some useful tips for my fellow officers as we all patiently await the new story arc, ‘Rise of Discovery’. Until next time. 

The longer I’ve played the wondrous MMO/RPG that is Star Trek Online, the more I’ve heard a particular word associated with it, and any other game in that vein and that word is; grind. Because there seems to be quite the consensus that these games will wear you down the more that you dig into them, and for the first time ever, I honestly was wondering if there was truth and gravity to this particular word since the new Personal Endeavor System seemingly would add a heck of a workload to my nerdy Admiral’s plate. Because every single day would bring a variety of new missions, and there was a remote chance that it could potentially overwhelm me or worse, outright bore me.
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But, instead, I’ve come to realize, that the PES has done the opposite of my concerns. Rather than making me feel as though I’ve got impossible tasks in front of me or making me think I can find other and better ways to fill my time, I’m straight up addicted to the proverbial ‘grind’. I honestly cannot wait to log on and see what tasks await me, and if I’m not interested in them well, I feel the need to head out on patrol instead and get a little combat practice in, because who doesn’t like dominating a fight or taking on a flotilla of ships with Anti-Proton beams blazing? But the wonder of the grind goes far beyond merely getting the opportunity to just blow stuff up, this new Personal Endeavor is finding new ways to challenge me.

Because those goals quickly get under your skin. Sure, at first blasting down thirty Borg ships sounds like a daunting task, until you’re in the thick of a Borg themed TFO, and you’ve suddenly brought down twenty and just like that, you’re outright determined to finish the job and achieve that respective goal and by ‘you’, I mean me, because that’s precisely what I was working on right before writing this article, and there was no way in hell that I was going to miss a goal when a few more minutes of play would finish the job. And what’s equally more impressive about this system, is that it goes beyond a mere psychological game of ‘challenge accepted’, I’m also discovering that the Personal Endeavor System motivates you think to outside of the box.

Because now, I ponder upon how to properly prioritize my missions in order to maximize my time and to get a better idea of how I pull that off, let’s examine how I handled the Endeavor set of missions that the game laid out for me before I started jotting down this blog. For I was supposed to defeat 10 Commanders or Captains, drop 5 Tzenkethi ships, deal 10,000 in Phaser damage and destroy the aforementioned 30 Borg ships and I was able to pull most of that off by technically making two trips on the map. A quick jaunt to New Romulus and its combat laden Mountain Pass helped me bring down the commanders in question, while also handling the Phaser goal with ease, and a hop, skip and a jump to the ‘northwest’ corner of the Alpha Quadrant allowed for the Tzenkethi to feel my wrath and since TFO’s can be entered from anywhere in space, two Borg missions helped handle that goal for me and just like that, the list was clear and I was able to Transwarp back to Earth Spacedock for a cup of joe while I poured over my rewards for an hour’s work.

But the bottom line, is that I am loving the game like never before. I can’t get enough of these challenges, and it’s fun to either pick and choose a quick mission to go on or settle in to finish the whole lot and well, I may legitimately have a problem at this point. Because as soon as I’m done with my daily life stuffs, I’m logging on to take the Galactica out for another spin. Which means at this point, the only thing that can likely break me away are new missions, but ‘Rise of Discovery’ won’t be here for some time, which means…it’s back to the most wonderful grind ever, to stock up on riches untold since this system hands out credits and crystals like they’re candy and well, I simply couldn’t be happier to have a new system in the game that is keeping everything fresh and fun and on that note, if you’ll excuse me, I think I hear my Xbox calling, so…I’m off to the bridge to see what’s out there. Until next time. 

​Video game sequels often times have it easy. With advanced graphics over their predecessors, along with new features and fun additions to an old formula, it's easy for these types of games to succeed and satisfy fans everywhere in the process. But sometimes, the company behind the game feels the need to challenge their audience a little bit more.

From time to time a powerful and intricate story is introduced that sets up a grand and sweeping epic. The kind where plot threads need to be resolved, or old scores need to be settled and then the powers that be are faced with quite a challenge. Not only do they have to deliver a far more advanced game than the original, but one that manages to tie everything together neatly and satisfy the audience, as was attempted with Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. 

Those who played the original were treated to an incredible gaming experience where the city of Sin was under siege from a terrorist attack, eventually revealing the fact that (SPOILERS) one of their own team was behind it all in an effort to bring down Rainbow in epic fashion. How or why, we didn't quite know, that was to be saved for the sequel and in the story department, Vegas 2 absolutely delivers. In fact, this game serves as both prequel and sequel story wise, taking us deep into the motivations of our traitor Gabriel Nowak to better understand his wild actions, but alas the glamour and glitz of the game ends there.

While the graphics have definitely improved a great deal in this sequel, and while it's awesome to battle it out in parts of Las Vegas that are rarely covered when it comes to this city, the gameplay is merely okay at best. Some of the new A.I. advancements for your teammates don't quite work as they are supposed to, leaving you high and dry during an attack and at times the levels simply drag on for too long and one can feel a touch bored staying in the same location, simply waiting for the next wave of bad guys to arrive so you can mow them down with impunity.  

If anything, Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is an imperfect follow up at best. While it is strong in its storytelling, it lacks greatly in the gameplay department and that's just a shame. Because the original was a powerhouse adventure that kept the action flowing and its ability to surprise you with its visuals and its gameplay allowed for it stand out on its own. Sadly, there's little of that to be found here and really, the sole reason to play this one is to see the story through to its completion. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible game, it's just missing the awe and wonder of the first...but it is nice to get some answers, and battle it out in Vegas, one last time...