How to beat the Credit Crunch?

FEwe2

So maybe I've been a bit too liberal with my replicator use recently, but I've finally arrived at the point in the game where my biggest bottleneck is Federation Credits.

As soon as I get them they seem to get spent. I currently have three cards I'm working on all stuck because I just need the credits to build their current round of items.

So what are the best tips and tactics for increasing the daily influx of credits? I'm trying to get all the dailies done, participating in the Gauntlet and Arena for rewards etc. Not sure if there's a tactic I'm missing.

Hunter247

If you have saved crons then dropping a supply kit and burning through them will help. As would avoiding using the replicator for a while until you have built up a supply.

You can also buy them for DIL if you have any.

Ironagedave

Sometimes I replicate those hard to come by faction items or chroniton inneficient items.

0* poisoned drinks, encoded communiques, gagh, holoprograms, medical and science experiments - some of these like gagh or communiques the missions are deceptive chroniton eaters and the others help top up in addition to what I farm in cadet missions.
There are also some 2* green items like science experiments, encoded communiques, tactical alerts. I see it as a cheaper alternative to the faction store for both merits and credits, once I am safely over 1 million in credits I will treat myself to a gold item.

Golden rule though is work down the item tree build what you can then replicate the item that is holding up the works in the build tree.

RaraRacing

The only real solution is not to replicate items or to keep them to a max. 3* item that has components that are ONLY really available through shuttles (think 2* Encryptions, 1* Sec. Reports, Klingon stuff like Warnog etc., stuff Ironagedave mentions) ... it is a bit of a waste to replicate low drop rate components/items (other than maybe Compression Rifles).
e.g. I'll replicate a 3* Champagne that is part of a 4* Diplomatic Protocol ... the Champagne needs 2 0* Holoprograms.

- I keep my replicator uses to 2 a day (max, often less) even though my fleet starbase allows me to use quite a few more and basically have patience in levelling ... also max 4* gear.
- I try not to level the same type of crew at the same because they'll all need the same stuff (e.g. Mirror crew or Klingons only, or crew with MED trait).
- I only level 2-3 crew at the same time, the rest are all level 1. When I get them to 100, I make sure to finish off their items first before starting someone new. Focus.

All this means I can get 1 crew FE each day if I try ... e.g. Today I finished Mirror Archer and Apollo (he had some rough items in his last set) and have moved Miral Torres from 1 to 60, I've also got Changeling Bashir as a long-term project at 70. I used both my replicator uses for today on Apollo's last items, the rest was all with Chrons from Voyages/Gauntlet/levelling up/cadet missions etc.

I don't spend money on the game so am by far what you might call an advanced player ... what helped me out most for credits was completing collections and I try to stay around 2 million credits, if a replicator use causes me to dip under that I will not do it and just wait.

Hunter247

Ironagedave wrote: »

Golden rule though is work down the item tree build what you can then replicate the item that is holding up the works in the build tree.

Very true, it might take longer to level up a char if you use all your daily uses of the replicator on a component for a single item but it costs a lot less credits to do so.

Marko Ramius

Over the time that I have been playing, I've managed to amass over 5 million credits. I've heard several people talk about the credit bottleneck, and I've been there. This was my method for getting past the credit issue.

First, like @RaraRacing said, try to limit your replications to 3* items or less. This will significantly decrease your credit usage. Also, as other people have mentioned, try to replicate the less expensive faction only items that hold up the works. Often replicating one of these will allow you to complete a 3 or 4* item.

Second, play the gauntlet and complete the daily missions. Many of these offer decent amounts of credits for doing the stuff you do all the time.

Third, try to level crew members that are part of collections. The collections offer substantial credit rewards for reaching certain levels.

Lastly, on Saturdays, complete the last EPIC mission on the cadet challenges. This challenge offers 77,500 credits per run (lately I've been getting 78,500). I know this isn't math class, but that adds up to 465,000 credits.

Not that I need to mention this, but don't buy anything that costs credits aside from the cost of leveling crew (faction store items, basic crew and shuttle boost pulls). These things should help you to make some credits and keep your head above water. However, just remember that once you get past the credit bottleneck, there will be another one waiting for you.

Ishmael Marx

Best advice has already been mentioned above. One trick you might try - if avoiding use of the replicator is just too hard to do - is use all your replicator uses when you wake up, and use them on things like 0* med experiments, or 0* holoprograms, etc. Very cheap to make, but you'll eventually need lots of them so might as well stock up. There are days that I replicate 7 med experiments in a row, just 'cause I can. Just go through whatever unfinished crew you have, find a relatively rare 0* item, and replicate away. If you can resist, don't build anything for that crew either, and do it again the next day, and the next day, and the next. You'll soon have lots of the hard to find item, and lots of credits again.

12345678 of 123456789

Everyone else has hit the vital points, so I'll offer a possible supplemental strategy.

For Arena, if you have the ships and crew to do it placing in 11-25 nets 8K credits, 2-10 is 10k credits, and #1 gets you 15k credits.

On a good day I can probably get around 100k credits from Arena. Saves it from being a completely useless part of the game IMO.