Ranks, Thresholds, Existing Crew, and New Crew
Travis S McClain
✭✭✭✭✭
UPDATED THROUGH "THE LONGEST DAY"
Because it keeps coming up, I decided to look into instances of events featuring one new crew and one existing crew, and whether they appeared as threshold or rank rewards. Here's what has happened to date.
Existing Crew in Thresholds, New Crew in Rank
New Crew in Thresholds, Existing Crew in Rank
Trends
Overall
As you can see, New in Threshold has an 8-event lead over New in Rank.
2018
All but two of the events in 2018 have followed the New in Thresholds schema.
Replays
In instances of replayed events, the trend very slightly favors New Crew in Thresholds (6) vs. Rank (4).
Mega-Events
The first six mega-events each stuck to one reward schema. "The Process of Assimilation", "Discovery: A New Anomaly", and "All We Become" followed New in Thresholds/Existing in Rank. "A Good Day to Lie", "Smoke & Mirrors", and "Ghosts of the Past" followed New in Rank/Existing in Threshold. The schema use in the first week is now a reliable indicator what schema will be used throughout the mega-event.
Speculation about Future Events
When I originally wrote this post, my speculation consisted of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. By now, though, we've had enough events following trends that it seems reasonable to speculate. New Crew in Thresholds seems to have become the default schema in 2018.
See later posts for analysis by event type and a list of all these events in chronological order.
Because it keeps coming up, I decided to look into instances of events featuring one new crew and one existing crew, and whether they appeared as threshold or rank rewards. Here's what has happened to date.
Existing Crew in Thresholds, New Crew in Rank
- "War Interrupted" (Rakal Troi, E; Trader Odo, N)
- "The Captain's Oath" (Captain Sulu, E; Captain John Harriman, N)
- "Gods and Masters" (Luther Sloan, E; Sybok, N)
- "The Big Sting" (Detective Dixon Hill, E; Anastasia Komananov, N)
- "Quadrilateral 2" (Rogue Harry Kim, E; Kurros, N)
- "A Good Day to Lie 2: When Giants Walk" (Liaison Torres, E; Ambassador K'Ehleyr, N)
- "A Good Day to Lie 3: The Heart of the Empire" (General Martok, E; Klingon Torres, N)
- "They Came from the Holodeck! 3" (Captain Proton Paris, E; The President of Earth, N)
- "Mind and Matter" (Bridge Officer Troi, E; Katra McCoy, N)
- "Homestead" (Vedek Bareil Antos, E; Lal, N)
- "Our Thoughts Combined" (Ambassador Sarek, E; Author Doctor, N)
- "The Akiritarian Job 2" (Rura Penthe Reed, E; Tactical Michael Burnham, N)
- "Smoke & Mirrors 1: Heavy Lies the Crown" (Mirror Empress Sato, E; Mirror Jadzia Dax, N)
- "Smoke & Mirrors 2: Imperial Decree" (Mirror Tucker, E; Mirror Vic Fontaine, N)
- "Smoke & Mirrors 3: Reflections" (Mirror Uhura, E; Mirror Mayweather, N)
- "Ghosts of the Past 2: The Honor of Andoria" (Commando Shran, E; Commander Thelin, N)
- "The Prime Directive 2" (Agent Harris, E; Anij, N)
New Crew in Thresholds, Existing Crew in Rank
- "Shore Leave" (Augment Riker, N; Romulan Kirk, E)
- "The Process of Assimilation 2: Experimental Design" (Assimilated Tuvok, N; Dr. Tolian Soran, E)
- "The Process of Assimilation 3: Contagion" (Icheb, N; Arik Soong, E)
- "The Trouble with Klingons 3" (Captain Klaa, N; 1701 Jadzia Dax, E)
- "Contingency Plan 2" (Kilana, N; Civil War Worf, E)
- "Discovery: A New Anomaly 1: Streak of Stardust" (First Officer Saru, N; Captain Janeway, E)
- "Discovery: A New Anomaly 2: First Impressions" (Reinforcements Stamets, N; Marla McGivers, E)
- "Discovery: A New Anomaly 3: Orion Belt" (Lt. Ash Tyler, N; Orion Slaver, E)
- "Discovery: A New Anomaly 4: A Logical Reaction (Sarek, N; Blood Oath Jadzia Dax, E)
- "Ghost in the Machine 2" (Ruk, N; Lore, E)
- "Fast as Light" (Buster Kincaid Kim, N; Duchamps, E)
- "The Daystrom Award" (Commander Chapel, N; Temporal Agent Seven, E)
- "Triple Threat 2" (Torchbearer Voq, N; Young Khan, E)
- "War Interrupted 2" (Bajoran Dukat, N; Rakal Troi, E)
- "Consolation Prize" (Victorian Pulaski, N; Dr. Hippocrates Noah, E)
- "The Galactic Series" (Nurse Faith Garland, N; Niners Rom, E)
- "Research Partners" (Mutated Paris, N; Mirror Phlox, E)
- "All We Become 1: Father of Logic" (Amanda Grayson, N; Katra McCoy, E)
- "All We Become 2: Breakthrough" (Vulcan Wedding T'Pol, N; Lieutenant Valeris, E)
- "All We Become 3: Fire with Fire" (Commander Keras, N; Romulan Kirk, E)
- "All We Become 4: Reunification" (Mintakan Troi, N; Commander Sela, E)
- "Rule 125 2" (Profitable Ishka, N; Pel, E; Klingon Quark, E Pack Only)
- "Reverie in Prime" (Alan-A-Dale, N; Vic Fontaine, E)
- "The Butchers of Beta Penthe (Tieran Possessed Kes, N; Ardra, E)
- "The Longest Day" (Xindi Prisoner Archer, N; Rogue Harry Kim, E)
Trends
Overall
As you can see, New in Threshold has an 8-event lead over New in Rank.
2018
All but two of the events in 2018 have followed the New in Thresholds schema.
Replays
In instances of replayed events, the trend very slightly favors New Crew in Thresholds (6) vs. Rank (4).
Mega-Events
The first six mega-events each stuck to one reward schema. "The Process of Assimilation", "Discovery: A New Anomaly", and "All We Become" followed New in Thresholds/Existing in Rank. "A Good Day to Lie", "Smoke & Mirrors", and "Ghosts of the Past" followed New in Rank/Existing in Threshold. The schema use in the first week is now a reliable indicator what schema will be used throughout the mega-event.
Speculation about Future Events
When I originally wrote this post, my speculation consisted of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. By now, though, we've had enough events following trends that it seems reasonable to speculate. New Crew in Thresholds seems to have become the default schema in 2018.
See later posts for analysis by event type and a list of all these events in chronological order.
Fleet Recruitment - 20 vacancies as of 17 July 2022 | My Timelines Wish List | Editable STT Trait Audit Spreadsheet
11
Comments
I do love how you break the information down and present it so clearly!
Check out our website to find out more:
https://wiki.tenforwardloungers.com/
There is also the fact that in a galaxy you can FF the threshold without opening a pack, whilst you can't do that in a faction, and you can get the best of both worlds in a hybrid.
I am one of the people who would almost always prefer the new crew to be threshold in Galaxies and ranked in faction for example, so I'm much more interested in that breakdown. (the same issue arises when we try to analyse the 9.99 pack on a Sunday/Monday, in Galaxies I would prefer it to be the ranked reward and in Factions the threshold.)
So it's less about DB being consistent week to week and more about are they consistent event type to event type.
Agreed. I hate getting a brand new 3/4 and have to work to get a new crew FF. I often end up with two unused characters.
In galaxies, it certainly is better to have the new crew as threshold, and this would work out much better for new players too.
Check out our website to find out more:
https://wiki.tenforwardloungers.com/
Existing Crew in Thresholds, New Crew in Rank - x16
1. "War Interrupted" (Rakal Troi, E; Trader Odo, N) FACTION
2. "The Captain's Oath" (Captain Sulu, E; Captain John Harriman, N) HYBRID
3. "Gods and Monsters" (Luther Sloan, E; Sybok, N) GALAXY
5. "The Big Sting" (Detective Dixon Hill, E; Anastasia Komananov, N) FACTION
6. "Quadrilateral 2" (Rogue Harry Kim, E; Kurros, N) EXPEDITION
7. "A Good Day to Lie 2: When Giants Walk" (Liaison Torres, E; Ambassador K'Ehleyr, N) FACTION
8. "A Good Day to Lie 3: The Heart of the Empire" (General Martok, E; Klingon Torres, N) HYBRID
9. "They Came from the Holodeck! 3" (Captain Proton Paris, E; The President of Earth, N) FACTION
10. "Mind and Matter" (Bridge Officer Troi, E; Katra McCoy, N) GALAXY
11. "Homestead" (Vedek Bareil Antos, E; Lal, N) FACTION
12. "Our Thoughts Combined" (Ambassador Sarek, E; Author Doctor, N) HYBRID
13. "The Akiritarian Job 2" (Rura Penthe Reed, E; Tactical Michael Burnham, N) FACTION
14. "Smoke & Mirrors 1: Heavy Lies the Crown" (Mirror Empress Sato, E; Mirror Jadzia Dax, N) GALAXY
15. "Smoke & Mirrors 2: Imperial Decree" (Mirror Tucker, E; Mirror Vic Fontaine, N) FACTION
16. "Smoke & Mirrors 3: Reflections" (Mirror Uhura, E; Mirror Mayweather, N) HYBRID
17. "Ghosts of the Past 2: The Honor of Andoria" (Commando Shran, E; Commander Thelin, N) FACTION
New Crew in Thresholds, Existing Crew in Rank - x15
1. "Shore Leave" (Augment Riker, N; Romulan Kirk, E) FACTION
2. "The Process of Assimilation 2: Experimental Design" (Assimilated Tuvok, N; Dr. Tolian Soran, E) FACTION
3. "The Process of Assimilation 3: Contagion" (Icheb, N; Arik Soong, E) HYBRID
4. "The Trouble with Klingons 3" (Captain Klaa, N; 1701 Jadzia Dax, E) FACTION
5. "Contingency Plan 2" (Kilana, N; Civil War Worf, E) GALAXY
6. "Discovery: A New Anomaly 1: Streak of Stardust" (First Officer Saru, N; Captain Janeway, E) HYBRID
7. "Discovery: A New Anomaly 2: First Impressions" (Reinforcements Stamets, N; Marla McGivers, E) HYBRID
8. "Discovery: A New Anomaly 3: Orion Belt" (Lt. Ash Tyler, N; Orion Slaver, E) GALAXY
9. "Discovery: A New Anomaly 4: A Logical Reaction (Sarek, N; Blood Oath Jadzia Dax, E) FACTION
10. "Ghost in the Machine 2" (Ruk, N; Lore, E) FACTION
11. "Fast as Light" (Buster Kincaid Kim, N; Duchamps, E) GALAXY
12. "The Daystrom Award" (Commander Chapel, N; Temporal Agent Seven, E) FACTION
13. "Triple Threat 2" (Torchbearer Voq, N; Young Khan, E) GALAXY
14. "War Interrupted 2" (Bajoran Dukat, N; Rakal Troi, E) FACTION
15. "Consolation Prize" (Victorian Pulaski, N; Dr. Hippocrates Noah, E) GALAXY
Factions:
8 Existing used as Threshold
7 Existing used as Ranked
Galaxies:
3 Existing used as Threshold
5 Existing used as Ranked
Hybrids:
4 Existing used as Threshold
3 Existing used as Ranked
Expeditions:
1 Existing used as Threshold
So, we still don’t have much of a pattern.
I think that’s just a result of most of these events being faction events.
15/31 are faction, as opposed to 8/31 are galaxies, 7/31 are hybrids, and 1/31 is an expedition.
When you have those kinds of numbers, you’re going to have one of them be majority faction.
It also occurred to me that looking at it chronologically may be helpful, so here are all the events featuring one new/one existing in their play order. To make it a little easier to read at a glance, I've bolded New Threshold, Existing Rank events.
The chronological trend has clearly skewed in favor of New in Threshold, Existing in Rank.
However, here in 2018, there has very clearly been a shift toward New in Threshold. Of the five such events so far, four of them--including the last three--have followed that schema. Whether that signals a paradigm shift remains to be seen, but it's certainly noticeable!
I presented the information that way to highlight that very point, @~peregrine~, though I read it as more of an appeal to established players. We collectively seem to get cranky about having to earn new crew from rank rewards. Plus, it gives those of us who already have the Existing Crew something to do during the event instead of having to wait until it's over. For the newcomers, they'll both be new-to-them anyway, after all, so there's really no compelling reason why they should have a preference in terms of the schema itself. (Obviously, each player will have a preference between the two crew members, of course.)
The flip side, of course, is that for established players who have an incompletely fused Existing Crew will often find it a slog to have to chase those stars they need from the rank table. And if we already have that Existing Crew fully fused, then it becomes a matter of whether to chase a top 1000 finish and go for the 5*, or to play Thresholds & Out and bail early. Sometimes it's a relief to bail early and resume regular game play. Sometimes it's disappointing to feel like there's so little to an event of interest.
For instance, I went into this current event, "The Galactic Series", with an immortalized Niners Rom. I was glad to see Nurse Faith Garland in the thresholds, because it meant I would be guaranteed to get her rather than have to wait until Monday and hope for the best. It also gave me someone to work on on Thursday and Friday.
However, since I have no use for any superfluous copies of Niners Rom, the event then became about whether to go for Martian Quark or bail on the event altogether. I decided to stick it out partly because I love DS9 and partly because I'm completely caught up on my crew and have no one to work on at present. Under other circumstances, though, I've often bailed when the Existing Crew was Rank.
Then there's the player side. If you don't have the Existing crew already, it has no meaningful difference. If, however, you do already have the Existing crew, then it's a mixed bag.
PROS
You have one Featured Crew already, and having the New Crew in the thresholds gives you the chance to have two throughout the event.
If you're not chasing the 5* Rank Reward, you have more flexibility for how much effort to put into the event. If your Existing Crew is immortalized, you can essentially bail whenever you're done with the thresholds. If your Existing Crew still needs stars, you can get by with cracking the top 2000 to get three stars to FF the 1/4 you had. If you need fewer stars, you can get by with an even lower rank.
CONS
If you have the Existing Crew but they need stars, it's irksome to have to play to the end and hope you get them from the Rank, whereas if they're in the Thresholds, you should be able to FF as you go. At the end of the event, this may also give you the flexibility to freeze this crew member to make room for the New Crew you get at the end from the Ranks.
All in all, I personally favor having the New Crew in the Thresholds. I still need stars on quite a few of my crew, but they're all FE so it's nice on Thursdays to have someone new to work on. But I realize most players don't have the luxury of being caught up on their crew, so I don't expect many to share my take on it.
I made a post when this week's threshold was revealed. I thought, why are they ruining a good trend. I was shocked when I saw so many people disagree. But, after reading through, I can understand. There are so many players, with different goals, in different stages of play. I'm on the outside looking in for those that just assume they will be top 1500 and get 4/4. I'm lucky if I crack top 3000. So I was happy with 3/4 in threshold and a "chance" of getting 1 or 2* existing to FF the crew I already had.
Top 1500 get 4/4
Top 2000 get 3/4 - Where Threshold would also get you 3/4
Top 3000 get 1/4
So, unless you are top 3000, you have no chance at getting "new" crew at all. That's about 97% of the player base below 3000 rank. ( using Arena as top 1% is roughly #1000 rank ).
This is the key reason why so many of us have pleaded the case for percentile-based rewards, a la the Arena.