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

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

A Combat Buffet 

(The U.S.S. Enterprise & U.S.S. Galactica wrap up a patrol in the Archer System.)

​You know I will fully admit to all of you right now, that once ‘Mirror of Discovery’ came to a close, I was a touch worried as to whether or not I would have that much to discuss with all of you when it comes to Star Trek Online. After all, I’m maxed out when it comes to leveling up, and every inch of the U.S.S. Galactica is armed and equipped with Mark XV gear and of course, I’m up to date on every single story and mission arc that’s available at the moment, and it would be lame to start replaying old missions on the regular just to have something to jot down on digital paper here, yet…here we are, with plenty more to discuss about this glorious game.
 
That’s due to the fact that the developers keep packing all kinds of goodies into this game with every single update, and with the latest patch I’m discovering all kinds of new delights to explore and all of them seem to revolve around combat. Because the first new thing that I noticed while I was out on patrol, was that some of the fights that used to be a breeze out there are now presenting quite the challenge. Case and point, the fact that some waves of enemies during these missions arrive earlier than they are supposed to, and they have quite the active strategy in mind when it comes to defeating the player, meaning I’ve had to be on my toes when it comes to shield and hull management, or they will be downright successful in beating down the Galactica, and really, all of this has made for a more entertaining combat experience and it doesn’t end with that little surprise.
 
Because I am noticing, the more I patrol, the more I keep getting an assist from the U.S.S. Enterprise and I won’t lie, seeing the NCC-1701-F warp into a system before receiving a hail that they’re here to watch our backs, makes me geek out pretty hard every single time it happens. Because, what Star Trek fan hasn’t dreamed about battling alongside Starfleet’s most famous vessel and there are some supremely cinematic moments that happen when she opens fire, the kind that still send chills down my spine, and all of these elements have re-energized my love of the patrol mission since it seems the unexpected is going to come to my way when I undertake them and I love that, it really does make these missions a blast once again. 
 
But truly, the new centerpiece of the game combat wise, are the changes that were made to the Endeavor missions. Gone are the days of doing a five-minute R&D mission or replaying a quick mission from the past. Those have all been replaced by TFO Missions that are about as challenging as they come. In fact, on several occasions now I’ve been served up a little humble pie in combat by some tough enemies that have slapped my ship around with little effort, but that has made the these TFO battles worthwhile in the end since it is lovely to have a challenge present itself on a regular basis, and these new, fiercer enemies definitely force one to ponder and strategize for a moment, rather than just jump into the fray with weapons blazing.
 
If anything, these new changes are really enriching the game, and they’ve definitely made me hungry to play because who doesn’t love a surprise here and there, and that’s what I keep running into and I really can’t get enough when all is said and done. I keep hitting up patrol runs on a regular basis now to see what twists and turns await me once we go to Red Alert, and quite frankly, I’m starting to find myself addicted to the challenges present in Task Force Operations, and I’m gobbling those missions up, and oddly enough, there’s a TFO coming up on console this weekend that would take care of another nerdy dream, and that’s precisely where we will pick up, next time. Until then.   

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