Help decide both 5* and 4* Citation priority
Muldorian
✭✭
in Ready Room
Thank you all for checking in! Long-time lurker, not much of a poster here. I'm posting in part because I'm close enough to level 100 in this campaign to know I have it locked in. I have a lot of crew that could use the help, so I wanted to give you a chance to weigh in on prioritizing my options.
Personal Rules:
Lets start off with the Legendary. Here are the cards I have in my to-do list. While I like to pick citations in a vacuum to what I own, I will post below my key 5/5 everyday use LEGs to compare and help guide this discussion.
Priority to finish: (Name -Citation - Level) {Collection count}
To help whittle this down, here are my key 5/5 FF/FE that I use regularly (voyage or otherwise)
Then, for the SR citation, there are too many to list, so I'll provide my own short-list of citation targets. Voyage use is the priority before anything else, but feel free to make the case in your comments!
Options for 4* Citation: Name (Citation Level, Level){Collection Count}
Personal Rules:
- I use the Big Book of Behold rather religiously when I use honor citations (with exception to ENG/MED while it is weaker)
- In my early play, I was the textbook definition of "Spread Leveling", so I have a lot of crew unfinished
- I'm a huge fan of extending voyage length, this is my first priority in a card, regardless of stat type.
- If a crew member is in a collection, I try REALLY HARD not to get rid of them, even vanity, because who knows what's in the future, and finishing them off "later" when I own them "now" seems tricky given the ever-more-diluted portals
- I keep a document on my PC with my SR and LEG cards, ranked by big book, with their level, citation level, and if they are in collections. This is the info I will reference below.
Lets start off with the Legendary. Here are the cards I have in my to-do list. While I like to pick citations in a vacuum to what I own, I will post below my key 5/5 everyday use LEGs to compare and help guide this discussion.
Priority to finish: (Name -Citation - Level) {Collection count}
- Locutus of Borg (1/5)[50]{3}
- High Roller Sisko [50] (4/5)
- The Caretaker (4/5)[100]{1}
- Defensive Phlox (1/5)[100]{1}
- Borg Queen (1/5)[80]{1}
- RAF Miles O'Brien (2/5)[70]{2}
- Determined Janeway (4/5)[100]{2}
- Q as “God” (4/5)[70]{0}
- Zhian'tara Odo (1/5)[80]{0}
- Etana Jol (3/5)[100]{0}
To help whittle this down, here are my key 5/5 FF/FE that I use regularly (voyage or otherwise)
- First Officer Burnham (5/5)[100]{0}
- Mirror Jean-Luc Picard (5/5)[100]{1}
- Surak (5/5)[100]{2}
- Prisoner Katrina Cornwell (5/5)[100]{1}
- Bell Riots Bashir (5/5)[100]{2}
- Ahdar Ru'afo (5/5)[100]{0}
- Kol of House Kor (5/5)[100]{0}
Then, for the SR citation, there are too many to list, so I'll provide my own short-list of citation targets. Voyage use is the priority before anything else, but feel free to make the case in your comments!
Options for 4* Citation: Name (Citation Level, Level){Collection Count}
- Captive Bashir (3/4,60){2}
- Torchbearer Voq (3/4,100){1}
- Assimilated Tuvok (3/4,99){2}
- Keyla Detmer (3/4,100){1}
- Jodmos (Sisko) (3/4,60){2}
- Desert T’Pol (3/4,80){1}
- Grand Proxy Neelix (3/4,90){1}
- Grathon Tolar (3/4,80){0}
- Ambassador Shras (3/4,70){1}
- Doc Crusher (3/4,70){2}
- Test Pilot Archer (3/4,70){1}
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Comments
Then I’d go with Q as “God”, High Roller Sisko, Borg Queen (she’s still good for CMD), Odo and Janeway
From SR probably Bashir, Jodmos and Tuvok
For the 3/4, I’d go Captive Bashir>Jodmos>Detmer. Those are the three that didn’t make the last update that have good stats.
At this point, I would not prioritize voyage ability for your super rares. You have enough (fused) golds that the few 4* who would be making voyages should be phased out over the next couple months. Collections will also add to your voyage power and thaw-able crew will yield benefit over a longer period.
Jodmos is a target to level for this week's event and perhaps cite for double collections and a great shuttle base for events. You only have one FF CMD/DIP/SEC which is sort of rare so there's a chance Jodmos voyages for you too.
Captive Bashir is the other 'easy' choice here - MED/SEC (Medic Paris, Mirror Phlox) were the last super rares to get voyage run for me and he also has nice event and collection value.
As for a 4*, really anyone not currently in the portal pool should be at the top of the list. Those in the pool (example: Shras, Voq) could appear in your first voyage or community/threshold 10-pull after using a citation and then you’ll not feel so great. I agree that Jodmos should probably be the first to work on, since he is going to be a solid bonus crew in the next event.
I agree with the three right above, but don't agree with the Locutus cite, just wait for him to drop ... I know the drop rate is excruciating but still.
As an outsider ... RAF O'Brien was the first 5* I used citations on that was not a mega-event crew ... he's an old card but really reliable and I still use him constantly.
Some advice going forward ... I would try to cite a mega event 5* in week 1, so your Qod should be a 5/5 ideally already, I mean, we just finished that mega event. So start saving up to make sure you have 50k for the first weekend of October.
4*s
Yes ... only cite crew that are not currently in the portal.
The other "rule" I have is crew that are in collections.
So, as an example, I've cited Fierce Guinan (3 times - just to get her off my roster), Borg Troi (she wasn't in the portal at that time) and with this campaign Jodmos (completing the Inspiring collection).
For the Locutus citation, I have been playing this game for almost 2 years now. (I joined a bit before the infamous Mirror mega debacle) I just got my first copy of him, from gauntlet a few weeks ago. Given his card rating (Tier 1 BB), and given the stat jump in finishing 4/5 (the cards previously suggested), at what point would you cite someone like Locutus if he just isn't dropping for months(years)? 3 of the 4 stars on caretaker were gauntlet surprises, I cited the 4th to boost ENG before this recent flurry of skill redistribution on nice cards.
@Dirk Gunderson You are correct. My top combined DIP cards are Prisoner Cornwell and Bell Riots Bashir, both have DIP as their 2nd skillset, not first. My top DIP first combo cards without taking voyage into consideration are:
- Mintakan Troi (4/4,100){1}
- Undercover Sulu (1/5)[100]{0}
- Chancellor Gowron [1/5](100) <-- BB not excited about, but a great gauntlet card
- Vulcan Wedding T'Pol (4/4,100){1}
- Dancing Chekov (1/5)[99]{0}
- Tourist Quark (4/4,100){1}
- Bajoran Dukat (4/4,100){3} <-2 skiller
- Sarek (4/4,100){1}
- Alan-A-Dale (La Forge) (4/4,100){2}
- Celebratory Ash Tyler (4/4,100){0}
While lacking in a super card, all of these and then some have 1000+ dip points, many of the 3 skills run voyages with me when their skill sets align.@Automaton_2000 a pleasure to get your feedback! I hit 8 hours on every skill combo now (barely, on MED/ENG). Being able to be confident in hitting that mark helps my play as I voyage during work so I can't babysit the game between dilemmas. I do keep a roster list of "great" voyages so I can reuse the lineup next time around. My best non-refill to date is ~9hr 27 min on a CMD/SEC voyage. Even then, some SRs are joining the club. This is the roster I used:
- Ahdar Ru'afo (5/5)[100]{0}
- Mirror Jean-Luc Picard (5/5)[100]{1}
- Thrax (4/5)[100]{2}
- Kol of House Kor (5/5)[100]{0}
- Admiral Owen Paris (4/4,100){0}
- First Officer Burnham (5/5)[100]{0}
- Determined Janeway (4/5)[100]{2}
- North Star Archer (4/4,100){1}
- Surak (5/5)[100]{2}
- Commander Ellen Landry (4/4,100){0}
- Bell Riots Bashir (5/5)[100]{2}
- Prisoner Katrina Cornwell (5/5)[100]{1}
So, down to 3 Super-Rares, with two unfinished 4/5. A couple of those may have had bonus traits, I didn't mark that down, but I'll take the result! I didn't have Thrax in my initial posting because BB isn't so high on him, and there are so many cards ahead of him in long term use that needs work (the ones I posted.On the flip side, my worst voyage is MED/ENG which just loses out to ENG/MED (Due to my few ENG primary Legendaries) Here is my latest lineup for MED/ENG, which netted an 8hr 14-minute voyage. My hope is to get feedback on SR/LEG that would supplant these. Power creep in the SR pool over time should yield a power creep on these voyages.
To your point, only 4 SR used on this, but an hour less in voyage time. The two 1/5 combined with starbase/collection bonuses probably supplanted solid 4/4s in my lineup.
Sorry if this is a lot of info, but as always I appreciate the feedback from everyone!
I'm also cool with citing up Locutus. Some players get lucky and have exclusives drop in bunches, but most don't. Considering how unique/great he is in many areas which require all five stars (triple collections, fast arena activation, event eligibility, voyage score), I'd say go for it and if you get a 6th copy, hang onto him to slowly build another great voyager and requisition shuttle piece. You might not often bring along two in the gauntlet since his 65% trait set is ENG featured, but he also gets SEC: Brutal, Villain, Duelist (45%) and so there are chances for a copy to find some value there too.
1. Forget DIP ... really.
My top DIP (base) is Cornwell and I only have 2 DIP-main 5* crew immortalised (Bartender Guinan and Minuet) ... I've also frozen all my DIP-main 4*s ... there's just no need for them ... Mintaken Troi will be handy, but the rest ... we get so many decent DIP crew as 1/5s (L'Rell, Z. Odo, Prof Sato, etc.) ...
--> Tip: Get Quinn and a second copy through AD-warp(!!!) and you've have a good DIP base 5* for free basically ... you could cite him up but I'd not bother, 2/5 is good enough.
--> Tip2: Get Z. Odo to 100 asap ... he'd be #2 on that list right away as a 1/5. And where's your Mambo Picard?!?! ... even as a 1/5 he's great for voyages.
If you must cite a DIP crew then wait for someone unique like Stranded Quark or Gloria or Humbled Archer (all in portal now) or ... there really are a lot.
2. I think you should re-evaluate some of your 4*s and I think you'll find that you can probably freeze up quite a few to give you some crew space (if you are lacking and always working to get crew levelled and frozen) ...
As an example ... I have hit 10 hrs regularly in CMD/DIP (other are CMD/SEC and ENG/SCI) with 7 of the crew being mega-event 5*s the others are RAF O'Brien, Prince Bashir, Bartender Guinan (all immortal) and L'Rell (or KG Paris) and Science Officer Spock as a 1/5. If I can hit 10 hrs with 1/5s then why bother keeping similar 4*s around? One day I might get a second star of one of those 1/5s and I can maybe make it a few minutes longer, I'll never improve an immortalised 4* (unless I sub them out).
I gave you some examples above where 5* crew (or generally better 4* crew) would be better. I'd be hesitant to keep anyone around that is not Tier 1 4* material.
What I would do : Ditch some of those poor performers of 4*s to give breathing room of a couple of extra crew slots ... then start working on FEing key 1/5s ... your "spread levelling" should become focused levelling ... Then, once those are done complete the 4*s that can get off the crew list asap ... you'll see a marked improvement in all game aspects within no time ... e.g. Z. Odo will take shuttle duty no problem on a daily basis (and current event!) and Mambo Picard will be a voyage regular for sure for the next little while. High Roller Sisko is a no-brainer for SEC shuttles (the current event!)
Then you can focus on citing up critical unique crew as advised by many above (Qod, Janeway).