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Beginner's Guide
S31
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I want to write a guide for beginners. Why? Because from time to time there are new players in our fleets who are struggling with the game.
There isn't a proper Beginner's Guide which I could link them and then say to them please read this.
This is just a Guide you can play this game whatever you want.
Part 1 - Prioritizing your crew development
Some of us tried to develop 1/4 star or 1/5 star when we were new players and that is a big mistake and waste of resources. Even the fully fused super rare crew is a nightmare to train and equip when you are a new player and it doesn't provide anything useful at that stage.
Instead, learn at our mistakes and try to develop your 2* star crew and then 3* star crew.
Ignore every 4* or 5* at the beginning of your game. Why?
Because the most important thing for any new players are cadet missions and 2* are 3* crew are essential for them. That's where you will get the most of your chrons, some rare equipment, boosters and some training.
The recommended 2* crew for cadet missions are:
Command: Sito Dax/Ensing Ro Laren (and Archer for clearing all nodes)
Security: Worf and Kira/Tasha Yar
Dip: Leeta for clearing all nodes and Sato. Later Festive Dax could pass all mission
Med: Crusher/Phlox or Kes/Tom Paris
Eng: Seska/Naomi Wildman
Science: Ensing Melora/Festive Dax/T'Pol (Seven in Blue for clearing all nodes)
The recommended 3* crew for cadet missions are
Command: Savik
Security: Odo/Third Remata/Garak and Private S.Money for clearing all nodes. For passing missions Ezri Dax
Diplomacy: Senator Cretak/Lwaxana Troi
Med: Deanna Troi/Temporal Shift Kes
Eng: Maquis Torres
Science: Savik/T'Pol
When you can pass all cadet missions on epic then it's time for you to start developing your super rare or legendary crew
There isn't a proper Beginner's Guide which I could link them and then say to them please read this.
This is just a Guide you can play this game whatever you want.
Part 1 - Prioritizing your crew development
Some of us tried to develop 1/4 star or 1/5 star when we were new players and that is a big mistake and waste of resources. Even the fully fused super rare crew is a nightmare to train and equip when you are a new player and it doesn't provide anything useful at that stage.
Instead, learn at our mistakes and try to develop your 2* star crew and then 3* star crew.
Ignore every 4* or 5* at the beginning of your game. Why?
Because the most important thing for any new players are cadet missions and 2* are 3* crew are essential for them. That's where you will get the most of your chrons, some rare equipment, boosters and some training.
The recommended 2* crew for cadet missions are:
Command: Sito Dax/Ensing Ro Laren (and Archer for clearing all nodes)
Security: Worf and Kira/Tasha Yar
Dip: Leeta for clearing all nodes and Sato. Later Festive Dax could pass all mission
Med: Crusher/Phlox or Kes/Tom Paris
Eng: Seska/Naomi Wildman
Science: Ensing Melora/Festive Dax/T'Pol (Seven in Blue for clearing all nodes)
The recommended 3* crew for cadet missions are
Command: Savik
Security: Odo/Third Remata/Garak and Private S.Money for clearing all nodes. For passing missions Ezri Dax
Diplomacy: Senator Cretak/Lwaxana Troi
Med: Deanna Troi/Temporal Shift Kes
Eng: Maquis Torres
Science: Savik/T'Pol
When you can pass all cadet missions on epic then it's time for you to start developing your super rare or legendary crew
4
Comments
Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.
~ Data, ST:TNG "Haven"
I never had Lwxana and Cretak clears all nodes but I've put her as an alternative.
Sure you can refine this with the likes of Mara or Saavik, Lwaxana (and criting nodes) later game but if we are talking about helping absolute newbs (who will struggle to complete successfully challenges) then you have to think what will be best for them from the get-go.
This also means Wesley and Seven in Blue as well as Data are very useful early on on campaign missions.
On a side note regarding weekday challenges it might worth just focusing on a set of greens that will yield more trainers on Tuesday's Epic missions - might save a bit of honor splurging.
For COM, I think Lursa is the best, for MED, Selar is by far the best. Without a starbase upgrade, Deanna and Kes are possible fails. SCI is tricky because it's paired with ENG a lot. Lefler is best, but she's not alien and doesn't have ENG, so I go with the Holodeck 3 Brahms and Ensign Mendon combo. They can both clear all nodes with both SCI and ENG.
If anyone is interested you can find a direct link to my complete cadet lineup here.
~Captain Picard ST:TNG Chain of Command
Link to my list of helpful spreadsheets, websites, threads, and help for all players!
ST:TNG Crew Addition Wish List:
Mariachi Q - Déjà Q Quote - But I feel like celebrating! - Thank You!
H.M.S. Pinafore Data - Insurrection Quote - And his fist be ever ready for a knockdown blow. - Thank You!
Rascal Picard/Guinan - Rascals Quote - I want to see my father!
Kivas Fajo - The Most Toys Quote - What a marvelous contradiction. A military pacifist!
Batai - The Inner Light Quote - This tree is our symbol. Our affirmation of life.
Irumodic Syndrome Picard - All Good Things Quote - You said it was earl grey. I'd swear it was darjeeling. - Thank You!
B-4 - Nemesis Quote - Why do you have a shiny head? - Thank You!
Zero G Worf - First Contact Quote - Assimilate this!
Lwaxana only slightly beats Vedic Winn. Their stats are almost the same. Winn crits everything, too, and she was far easier for me to get. I didn't get a single copy of L. Troi until I had been playing 2 months; I had Winn on day 1.
Savik passes all command and science except one.
Most important thing is to focus on a hand full of crew at a time and to develop them to 100 as fast as possible. Splitting resources and having several crew at 70 - 80 feels easier but slows you down eventually.
Cut down the 2* to the essentials dad, sito, worf, seska or Naomi, crusher/phlox. No need to crit epic just need to be able to reach it.
3* the same . Less is more. Also important for 3*: do not start to equip unless you are sure to keep the crew or have it FF.
Then after a handful of basic 2* and 3* start to focus on 4* (you want to keep) ASAP. Everything else: Airlock, it comes back eventually.
First of all, it all depends on what crew the players gets through the course of the game. Second, crew should not be developed with the intention of keeping them active, since it will take time just to progress along the normal-elite-epic levels of challenges and standard missions (and crew slots are limited).
What a player needs is a good succession plan, or depth chart. For instance, if you're levelling a 2* SCI female/alien, who do you have ready to fill that slot(s) once she's ready to be frozen? As crew are completed, you need to ensure that all skills and variations (ie: Starfleet, female, alien) are covered with crew in the pipeline.
This approach will enable a player to progress their crew as they progress through the missions, as they also start working on the achievements and collections right from the start (wish they had been around when I started), which is a great source of dilithium, honor, credits, etc...
I found myself leveling teams of crew at a time, and I continually mapped out who my next crew team would consist of. Once I figured it out, I found it to be a pretty efficient approach, especially as my crew kept filling up with more non-fused/unlevelled 3* and 4* characters.
2) Once you have the crew, do voyages constantly for equipment, crew and chrons. A new player hitting the two hour mark should get 60 about chrons every voyage.
3) Join a Fleet. Get up to 570 honour and 100 chrons a day.
I agree with this. I would go one step further, after a couple of weeks a new player should be able to do reasonably well in galaxy events. They should be able to get 3/4 or 4/4 of the 4* threshold crew, plus some nice gear for it. Concentrate on that crew member.
If a player starts just before a mega, consider concentrating on the recurring 5*. They will probably hit a wall, but it will be a strong crew member.
I started a VIP0 account about a week ago, and I received I.S.S. Enterprise schematics twice so far, so I was able to build that ship today. Already I've been able to 3* multiple missions I couldn't before with my starter ship as well as make it to my first dilemma. Having good crew is important, but at least one good ship is essential.
Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.
~ Data, ST:TNG "Haven"
So true. There is no end game win here. It’s all about how you enjoy it so focus on how to play that best allows you to enjoy yourself
Yeah this is gonna get nowhere. My best advice to people is to play for awhile, and see what works best for you. Use the sticky posts in the "The Bridge" and "Ready Room" to help you along. When in doubt, ask @Data1001 for assistance. Even if you don't agree with his method, his response is at least guaranteed to be amusing and pure entertainment.
~Captain Picard ST:TNG Chain of Command
Link to my list of helpful spreadsheets, websites, threads, and help for all players!
ST:TNG Crew Addition Wish List:
Mariachi Q - Déjà Q Quote - But I feel like celebrating! - Thank You!
H.M.S. Pinafore Data - Insurrection Quote - And his fist be ever ready for a knockdown blow. - Thank You!
Rascal Picard/Guinan - Rascals Quote - I want to see my father!
Kivas Fajo - The Most Toys Quote - What a marvelous contradiction. A military pacifist!
Batai - The Inner Light Quote - This tree is our symbol. Our affirmation of life.
Irumodic Syndrome Picard - All Good Things Quote - You said it was earl grey. I'd swear it was darjeeling. - Thank You!
B-4 - Nemesis Quote - Why do you have a shiny head? - Thank You!
Zero G Worf - First Contact Quote - Assimilate this!
Data is the best contributor here. He will help you out if you’ve been here for years or days. Truly a good guy
Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.
~ Data, ST:TNG "Haven"
The government rests, your honor.
~Captain Picard ST:TNG Chain of Command
Link to my list of helpful spreadsheets, websites, threads, and help for all players!
ST:TNG Crew Addition Wish List:
Mariachi Q - Déjà Q Quote - But I feel like celebrating! - Thank You!
H.M.S. Pinafore Data - Insurrection Quote - And his fist be ever ready for a knockdown blow. - Thank You!
Rascal Picard/Guinan - Rascals Quote - I want to see my father!
Kivas Fajo - The Most Toys Quote - What a marvelous contradiction. A military pacifist!
Batai - The Inner Light Quote - This tree is our symbol. Our affirmation of life.
Irumodic Syndrome Picard - All Good Things Quote - You said it was earl grey. I'd swear it was darjeeling. - Thank You!
B-4 - Nemesis Quote - Why do you have a shiny head? - Thank You!
Zero G Worf - First Contact Quote - Assimilate this!
Been playing the game for a few days now. I'm level 9 Captain so still haven't unlocked cadet missions etc. Got 2 shuttles I send out.
I am currently struggling with Episode 2 to get the rare rewards and even get a successful result and can only get to the 1 hour mark with Voyages. I'm not sure which crew are worth spending time with and which are not. I've replayed some missions to get the rewards for crew.
I managed to get schematics for the Suurok Class Combat Cruiser (2*) today so now using that for voyages but still around the 1 hour mark.
Do I ignore all the 1 star crew and focus on 2* for now until they're levelled and then 3* or ?? If a box lights up for equipping I've just been equipping the items, without focusing on what's best unfortunately.
Can anyone advise? Thanks very much!
3* but all level 1
Ensign Crusher
Hugh
Keevan
Commando Crusher
Security Chief Tuvok
Expedition Shran
2*
Enterprise D Picard 1 star
Seven in Blue 2 stars
CMO Crusher 1 star
Ensign Pazlar 1 star
Lt Commander Data 1 star
Recovering Spock 1 star
Security Chief Worf 2 star
Section 31 Reed 2 star
Lt Naomi Wildman 1 star
Security Chief Worf 1 star
Telek R'Mor 1 star
1*
Bartender Quark
Ensign Tuvok
Teenager Nog
Commander Spock
Maquis Chakotay
Lt Sulu
Will Riker
Botanist Keiko
Part of your question depends on how many crew slots you have. What I mean is, if you're able to immortalize 1* crew, you can unlock rewards such as dilithium via the personal achievements. However, if you are tight for space and/or want to focus on missions (both episodes and daily challenges), you'd be better to focus on a few key 2* and 3*, then worry about the 1* later on (probably do 2* first, since they are easier and cover 5 of 7 days).
For the 2* and 3* crew, it's all about covering each skill with the fewest number of crew possible, to minimize the amount of levelling required at any given time. It's also good to have a succession plan, so once you immortalize (and potentially freeze in the vault to free up crew slots) a particular skill, you have another crew member to level up and take their place.
Looking at your 2* crew, I'd focus on the following:
- Pazlar (covers SCI and some CMD all 5 days)
- Wildman (covers ENG and some DIP all 5 days)
- Worf (covers SEC and some CMD for 4 days)
- Crusher (covers MED for 4 days)
Persis is a good crew to get (covers SEC on the day Worf doesn't), and can be selected as a reward when you clear Episode 1.
As a general suggestion, make the STT wiki your friend. It was highly valuable for me during my first several months. Between the wiki and these forums, there is a lot of insight to help with crew prioritizing and planning for missions (and everything else you'll encounter as you level up).
Since you're so early in the game, for 3* crew you might want to just level up enough crew to even complete just 1 mission each day, so you at least get some equipment and the daily rewards. This is a game that favors a methodical approach, rather than a quick and scattered approach, IMO.
I am copying what I posted on a different thread:
"I also advise dumping all your gray, 1* crew; as needed. Don't dump them at once if any are being used, but don't add anything to them unless they are REALLY high level; then you can immortalize them for the dilithium. But seriously, they are not worth it. Once you get going, you can easily get them all again and immortalize them.
Different people have different preferences for the green, 2* crew. Here are 9 to keep for a well-rounded crew that can handle ANY cadet mission. (They cannot crit every mission, for that you'll need a few others, but that will come in time.) Many here will tell you that you can do with fewer cadet crew; and you can. But at the start, I suggest a full compliment. Festive Jadzia Dax, Lt Naomi Wildman, Ensign Sato, Dr Phlox, CMO Crusher, Cadet Sito Jaxa, Gaia Odo, First Maje Haron (or Worf), and Lt Tasha Yar. Focus on them and spend no resources on others until you have them (or a crew similar). Any other 2* can be immortalized and frozen or just plain gotten rid of until you are ready to have space and resources for them.
The same basic info applies to the 3* crew, but there are more combinations that work and they are not as easy to fully fuse. You can do cadet missions with fewer, but for a well rounded crew who can pass everything focus on the female aliens. I use Doctor Selar, Lieutenant Saavik, Maquis Takeover Torres, Lwaxana Troi (almost identical to Vedek Winn Adami who I used for the first 3 months), and Sniper Ezri Dax (Private Money and whatever male alien security you like work just as well; and I used that combination for 5 months).
Keep any 4 or 5 * crew you get from events.
****SAVE ALL your premium portal pulls for now. You don't have space for them until you can level up your needed cadets and dump/freeze the others.
It is a slow process, but works."
I would add this time that you should focus on one or two crew st a time.
For you, specifically, I would add that the 3* Crusher/Hugh combo on my 2 star Maquis ship got me very far in the arena. I eventually froze them since they are males and not the best for cadet crew.
Save premium pulls, but focus on as many 4 and 5 star crew as you get from events.
Remember that the process may seem slow, but before you know it, you'll be breezing through it all.
Good luck.
Thanks very much. I have been working through the wiki and will work my way through it.
I will try and work on those crew you suggested.
I think I chose Worf for the end of Episode 1 so guess I missed that one.
I'm slightly unclear why I don't have space for premium portal pulls? When do I save them for?
And to clarify do you mean the ones you get for logging in every day?
Thanks very much
Crew space is limited. If you fill it with 4 and 5 star crew before you are ready to equip and fuse them, you won't have space for the lower crew. And remember that in a very short time you will get one or two crew each week from events, even if you can't do well in the event and only get them at 1/4. Those crew add up very quickly and unless you pay a lot for crew spots, you won't have any left.
Build up your cadets and those you get from events. Once you have a solid foundation, you will be able to open lots of pulls. I have not yet had to get rid of a 4* crew except for duplicate crew. I have immortalized all 1*, 2*, and 3* crew.
These are my suggestions.
Thanks! It seems fine at the start when I have 25/70 but not been able to do any events yet so didn't realise you got so many crew from them.
For the rare crew (potential for up to three stars) -- none of those are outstanding, although I remember Commando Crusher being helpful for me as an early player. What you really want are female aliens at that level of rarity. The ones I still use every day: Lt. Saavik, Deanna Troi, Maquis Torres, Lwaxana Troi, Expedition Vash/Commander Kang. Some folks also really like using the Duras Sisters -- Lursa and B'Etor. Depending on if you can make a dent in this weekend's event, you might be able to win a copy of Lwaxana.
Captain Level: 95
VIP Level: 12
Unique Crew Immortalized: 525
Collections Completed: Vulcan, Ferengi, Borg, Romulan, Cardassian, Uncommon, Rare, Veteran, Common, Engineered, Physician, Innovator, Inspiring, Diplomat, Jury Rigger, Gauntlet Legends
First, I agree with the limited crew slots, 1* crew are OUT. You can always go back later and get them 1 or 2 at a time when you have resources to level them quickly to vault.
I got the HMS Bounty Schems almost immediately when I hit Captain level 10, and enough so with Dabo & portal pulls to get it to level 5 quickly. That takes care of about 3/4 space battles in the Episodes right there.
I have a bunch of 4* crew already, but only 1 immortal and the rest at various stages. I am at a crossroads to start dumping the lower level ones to make room for other better or more productive crew (whether 5* or 2*/3*). I was lucky enough to have started it when I did, so I have 85 crew slots courtesy of the freebies given by DB. Still never enough...
With Voyages and randomly participating in Events about once a month, crew decisions get harder and more frequent.
Advice to newbies: Stick to a plan, even if you have to airlock 4* & 5* crew when you get them, as time goes on you can get them back when you are able to.
I strongly recommend saving all dilithium for shuttles until you have 4. I managed that before I bought a monthly card after 3 months. I suggest the next saving dilithium for crew spots.
I would highly recommend this. I was talking to some new fleetmates and suggested even doing a single monthly card (3,000 dilithium):
- 3rd shuttle (750 dilithium)
- 15 extra crew slots (2,100 dilithium), after using credits to get 10 extra slots (for 95 total slots)
- 150 dil to extend a voyage or two, or stockpile as you await various achievement awards
If you can afford a second monthly card, spend the 2,500 dilithium to get the 4th shuttle!
1) Play Dabo every day, it will get you a 5* ship in a couple of weeks.
2) Concentrate on three 2* Star Fleet crew. they will help you earn chronitons on Mon/Wed/Fri.
Do the daily cadet challenges every day, that will earn you 50 chrons for 5 attempts. You do not need to win, just finish, so just throw the crew you need at them. You will need another 3* female for the weekend.
3) Ignore this weekends event, it is not worth bothering about, and will be a waste of time.
4) Next weekend (2 August) is the start of a mega event, and first week is a galaxy event. Once this starts, concentrate on the galaxy rewards, There will be a 5* crew member, aim to get him then bail out. This will be your strongest crew member for a long time. Even if you don't level him much, he will be good. There will be more copies of him for the next three weeks so you can 4/5 him.
5) Telek R'Mor, is not worth the effort at your stage, if you need space, airlock him.
6) Do not airlock Security Chief Tuvok, 3* Neelix, or either of the 3* Duras sisters.