The Admiral’s Log: My Journey Through ‘Star Trek Online’ – Part XL

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

#SelfCare

Hello again, dear reader. It’s been a hot light year since we’ve settled in to discuss the wonder of Star Trek Online and there’s good reason for that. Because on one hand, there’s not a lot of new stuff happening within the game right now, and on the other hand, sometimes other commitments and assignments put your game time on back burner. But, it’s hailing frequencies open once again and the time has to come to talk about this lovely game once more because I have some burning topics and tips to discuss with all of you, and I’ve actually managed to uncover some places that I’ve never explored in detail before. So, on that note, let’s dive into some tips today, the kind that revolve around a little bit of self-care.
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Because your captain is important in this game, because… whatever gender or species you set your captain up as, is you, and you need to be at your best to command your vessel and this is something we need to go over, because I have neglected my own on screen persona, by not doing much when it comes to upgrades that are available for my character. And well, recently when I finally had some spare time and a boatload of cash and dilithium, I figured that maybe it was time to spend a little bit of my earnings and see what happens when you improve your character and let me tell you now, I am a fool for not doing this sooner. For time and time again, I had my 25th Century rump handed to me on a platter when it comes to ground missions, and that all changed with a little dedication.

Which brings us to the tips in question, specifically, how does one upgrade their captain and turn them into a resilient fighter? Well first and foremost, you need to get your hands on some quality personal shields and some body armor, and once you’ve found some that offer up great resistance to weapons, you buy them and upgrade them to Mark XV, and by getting both of these items to cap out, you’ll hang longer in a firefight. In fact, you’ll straight up be able to go toe to toe when exchanging phaser blows and that, brings us to your weapons. Because much like the loadout on your vessel, you’ll find that there are a myriad of guns to choose from and well, once again, you want your hands on the ones that inflict the most damage and once you’ve upgraded those items to Mark XV, you’ll be damn near unstoppable.

Case and point, I’m a huge fan of Antiproton everything, and I managed to get my hands on an Antiproton beam gun that can actually drop a bad guy in two sustained shots. And being a Starfleet officer through and through, I also have my hands on a Mark XV Hand Phaser just because, it’s kind of cool to do some serious damage with a simple phaser in your hand. But of course, this begets the question, outside of my addiction to Antiproton beams, what other weapons out there can help me save the galaxy in swift and brutal fashion? Well the answer to that question is, whichever weapons you like. Because only you will know what feels right in your digital hands and what responds at a pace you prefer.

So, if anything, just buy up a bunch of guns, take them out to Nimbus III and test them in the desert. Which might sound crazy, and excessive, but it’s the only way to know what you like, and the good news is that unlike ship weapons, ground weapons tend to come cheap for lower Mark weapons, and whatever you don’t like, you can re-sell in the marketplace. Plus, don’t forget to have a little fun with your uniform as well. It’s all about making your captain your own and this is your chance to wear a uniform to your liking and that’s something I see often and admire in game, because folks get creative. But if you’re a duty guy like me, just find the right fit for your role. Which is why you’ll notice I changed my gear up because it didn’t seem right to wear Fleet Admiral black when I’m often in the field, so here is this lovely captain/admiral hybrid that gives me the best of both worlds. The bottom line is, let your nerdy flag fly, and have fun, because that’s really what this game is all about. Until next time. 

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