What's the best way to earn zen?

[ThexLoneWolf]

Update; An error has been observed in this discussion. As of May 29, 2018, the monthly subscription has been replaced with the Elite Starter Pack and is no longer available from Cryptic's website. I apologize in advance for any misunderstandings. Special thanks to =(eGO)= ImperatorPavel for catching this!

So I've been thinking about buying zen recently so I can buy a crapton of ships off the c-store, when a thought occured to me; what's the best way to earn Zen in Star Trek;Online?

Before we begin, I just want to say that I will not be considering microtransactions, as not only would they be the clear winner here, but come on, who likes talking about those after the Battlefront II fiasco? (Yes, I'll keep bringing that particular horse's dead and rotting corpse up wherever it's even remotely relavent and keep beating it until there's nothing but a pile of ground meat left.) That being said, MTX are in the garbage.

So what's the best way to earn zen, the dilithium exchange, monthly subscriptions, or a lifetime subscription? Let's start with the dilihium exchange. So, let's assume I need 10,000 zen, and assuming an average exchange rate of 275 dilithium to one zen, dividing by 8,000 dilithium earned in a single day, dividing by 30 days in a month, we earn the required ammount of zen in just over 11 months. It gets even better if your fleet has a level three mine, as you can refine 500 more dilithium each day. But let's face it, realistically, when are you ever going to have the time to consistently grind 8500 dilithium each day for eleven months? I certainly can't think of when I'll have that much time on my hands. I can typically only grind for about half my target number before the boredom drives me away, but there's still two options left to consider.

So, how about monthly or lifetime subscriptions? Well, the base cost of monthly is 20 dollars per month, and you get 500 zen each month for your trouble. Lifetime subscription gives you the same 500 zen each month, but it's 300 dollars! More than 12 times what monthly is! So, is Monthly subscription best? Not exactly. While it's true that monthly costs less than lifetime, you're forgetting the key word here; monthly. That means you're paying the same 20 dollars each month for the same reward, and eventually that's going to start piling up. After two months, it'll cost you 40 dollars. After three months, 60. After five months, 100 dollars. If you haven't noticed a pattern already, please see a psychiatrist. After fifteen months, it'll cost you 300 dollars. So, that settles it, it's a tie between monthly subscription and lifetime subscription. If you're planning on paying monthly for fifteen months or more, just go ahead and buy lifetime, not only is it cheaper in the long run, but you get far more bang for your buck.

So, do you disagree with me? Do you think the dilithium exchange is the best way to earn zen? What method do you turn to when you just absolutely need something off the c-store? Please be sure to let me know!

[ImperatorPavel]

Wasn't the monthly sub removed and replaced with the Elite Starter Pack?

[ThexLoneWolf]

Originally posted by =(eGO)= ImperatorPavel:

Wasn't the monthly sub removed and replaced with the Elite Starter Pack?

Don't know about that. I'm fairly sure it wasn't.

[ImperatorPavel]

Originally posted by ThexLoneWolf:

Originally posted by =(eGO)= ImperatorPavel:

Wasn't the monthly sub removed and replaced with the Elite Starter Pack?

Don't know about that. I'm fairly sure it wasn't.

https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/10883424-the-elite-starter-pack

It was removed.

[Jaq]

Flip fast food burgers for 1 hour, earn about $10 minimum wage in the non-slave states, convert to 1000 zen. 10 hours to completion.

Not immersive enough? Glue an Exothermic Induction Field icon to the button which operates the grill, 3D print a phaser handle for your spatula, and add streaks of purple food coloring to the patties so that they resemble dilithium mining mini-games. Ain't any more mindless or tedious than grinding the same old STO tasks and missions you've completed hundreds of times before, and it's over much sooner. You want to work for $10 per hour or $0.25 per hour in-game?

Seriously, if you want that crap, just buy it. What are you even going to use it for? Are you going to grind dilithium for a million hours, finally buy your new shiny ships and gear, and then use it to play the exact same missions you're sick of grinding? I mean, you're not going to play some other, less rewards-efficient mission. That'd just set you back for the next thing you want to buy. Don't get caught up in that cycle.

And it takes 5 years to earn your lifetime subscription back in monthly Zen. Just spend the $100 now if you think it's worth $100. They'd need to add something like bridge-view space combat for me to consider spending that much.

[necaradan666]

The problem with bridge view space combat is that's not how the game works. They'd have to rebuild STO from the ground up.. obviously impossible, so that'll never happen.

[Jaq]

Originally posted by necaradan666:

The problem with bridge view space combat is that's not how the game works. They'd have to rebuild STO from the ground up.. obviously impossible, so that'll never happen.

I don't want to hijack OP's thread, but they're already capable of doing a half-assed version of this. Take a flying vehicle from Champions Online (same game engine), enclose it around the player character, limit camera movement to within the confines, and voila, you have a shuttle with bridge view. Starships are just a matter of scale. Now, moving around the ship while the ship is moving would be a new trick they haven't done before with this engine, but as long as you stay in your captain's chair this is nothing they haven't already been doing.

One of the big reasons it's unlikely they'll ever do something like this though is they've got a built up playerbase accustomed to exterior view, and there are only tactical disadvantages to interior view. Its value is purely immersive. So the power gamers would probably throw a fit. If there's one universal truth about video game RPG players, it's that they can't handle going backwards in capability.

I am hopeful though that one day we might get a one-off episode involving shuttle combat using ground characters in a shuttle cockpit. In a special episode they could slow down both the "ship" and the enemies to accomodate the limited forward view. I don't think that's crazily ambitious, and would be a good test project for working out the feasibility of an episode in which space combat is conducted from a starship bridge.

[Mr. Fibble]

If you had a sub before the change I believe you can maintain it.

What I do on my f2p account is base my zen buying around the phoenix box coming along as thats when the exchange drops in favour of those who buy rather than those who're addicted to upgrading gear which is the only valid reason to actually buy the phoenix brand gamble box.

Does take patience but between the previous phoenix and the current one I'd made enough dil in game to easily recoup the zen I'd spent on the elite starter pack. It can also be a small gamble as you're trying to predict a month of more in advance what the price will drop to but one phoenix arrives the dil is still there if you want to cancel offers and make new ones. Just wait until the weekend before changing things as thats when the price tends to be at its lowest.

Similar approach with my LTS account.

I'd definitely wait and see what they're going to do with VIP status before taking the plunge into an LTS, definitely wait for a sale on them.

My suspicions are that they're maybe going to introduce a LTS perk pack similar to the version on consoles and have a sub system bought for zen similar to the setup on neverwinter. Perk pack might not happen as that would remove the actual LTS from peoples radars since the only thing left would be the stipend.

[ThexLoneWolf]

Originally posted by JaQMarius:

Flip fast food burgers for 1 hour, earn about $10 minimum wage in the non-slave states, convert to 1000 zen. 10 hours to completion.

Not immersive enough? Glue an Exothermic Induction Field icon to the button which operates the grill, 3D print a phaser handle for your spatula, and add streaks of purple food coloring to the patties so that they resemble dilithium mining mini-games. Ain't any more mindless or tedious than grinding the same old STO tasks and missions you've completed hundreds of times before, and it's over much sooner. You want to work for $10 per hour or $0.25 per hour in-game?

Seriously, if you want that crap, just buy it. What are you even going to use it for? Are you going to grind dilithium for a million hours, finally buy your new shiny ships and gear, and then use it to play the exact same missions you're sick of grinding? I mean, you're not going to play some other, less rewards-efficient mission. That'd just set you back for the next thing you want to buy. Don't get caught up in that cycle.

And it takes 5 years to earn your lifetime subscription back in monthly Zen. Just spend the $100 now if you think it's worth $100. They'd need to add something like bridge-view space combat for me to consider spending that much.

What you're suggesting here is using microtransactions, which I specifically stated in the post would not be considered. To quote myself directly; "who likes talking about those after the Battlefront II fiasco?" What I intended to imply was that Cryptic/Perfect World should have removed the MTX outright and gave players the ability to buy zen with energy credits after the Battlefront II controversy was in full swing. It also had the secondary intention of preventing a flame war in the comments so people wouldn't think I actually liked MTX, which I don't, but obviously, your comment has caused that whole paragraph to fail miserably in that regard.

[Mr. Fibble]

Why should they give the option to buy with ec when the game already has the option to buy with dilithium?

The debacle over the star wars game was more to do with lootboxes and progression in a buy to play game. STO is slightly different being a f2p title.

Any legislation that does actually come into effect will likely not alter the option to buy zen with cash but more likely force devs to publish the drop rates for each prize within a lootbox with a very slim chance of having to put some meaningless gambling warning in to save the children.

[The Arkady]

Originally posted by ThexLoneWolf:

your comment has caused that whole paragraph to fail miserably in that regard.

Actually, what caused the paragraph to fail is that it stems from a completely, utterly absurd attitude:

"I would totally spend $15 on a sub getting me 500 Zen, but will never ever do a hideously evil MTX for $15 to get me 1,500 Zen because of some dross pseudo-argument involving a crusade against Battlefdront II and my utter unwillingness to comprehend premium currency direct purchase a priori is a completely seperate question from lootboxes."

In fact, one might wonder if you were trolling.

[ThexLoneWolf]

Originally posted by The Arkady:

Originally posted by ThexLoneWolf:

your comment has caused that whole paragraph to fail miserably in that regard.

Actually, what caused the paragraph to fail is that it stems from a completely, utterly absurd attitude:

"I would totally spend $15 on a sub getting me 500 Zen, but will never ever do a hideously evil MTX for $15 to get me 1,500 Zen because of some dross pseudo-argument involving a crusade against Battlefdront II and my utter unwillingness to comprehend premium currency direct purchase a priori is a completely seperate question from lootboxes."

In fact, one might wonder if you were trolling.

Clearly, you have more money than you know what to do with. Not surprising, if you work at EA, ****.

[The Arkady]

I take that for yes, you are an idiot troll with a moronic agenda. Thanks for clearing that up.

[🎀Hara🎀]

best way i know is to use alts. go through the dyson sphere ground zone to earn dilithium fast and then use your alts to turn the dilithium to zen