I've got a problem...

[Astrostars2025]

So back when I first started playing the game in November of 2020, I fell in love with it. I decided that since I was a TOS fan, my character would be built around TOS themed equipment (weapons, uniform, aesthetics, etc.). However, I have sadly seem to have run into a major problem. Ever since I started the "Cardassian Struggle" story arc (I think I was about level 30 at this point) I started dying more and the game was getting less fun, but still playable. Now I want to pull my hair out because every time I have a ground battle, I loose my personal shields in like 2 seconds, then my health in 1. When I played the mission "The measure of Morality" earlier this year, a single blast from a Romulan NPC's disruptor would tear right through my shields, and I would be dead in 2 hits. I have been leveling up my equipment and have the proper specs according to my ships weapons and my characters powers. My personal shield is a Na'kuhl Temporal Operative shield at level XII, my weapons are a starfleet TOS advanced fleet federation level XII and my armor is Nutronium laced Combat armor Mk XII. Currently my character is level 65.

[D'Harhan]

You said you Levelled your Equipment, but did you Level your Character?

Follow a Guide like this: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt4ORwlLMaLyBo3q3MqdwbQ

[That Crazy Squirrel]

Mk XII equipment won't cut it for level 65. (Unless you don't mind blowing up every 10 seconds and waiting 20 to respawn).

You'll need to upgrade all your stuff to at least Mk XIV, this is where the grind on this game is hidden cos the game doesn't drop equipment of tier higher than XII (on purpose).

Also, something the game doesn't notify you about, after reaching... I think level 61, you get one last ticket to buy a free ship at the ship yard.

[NavFamG]

While I can see why you'd want to stick with TOS, the basic fact is the 'more modern equipment' is better than that old '23c stuff'.

I like a lot of the TOS stuff too, but the numbers just don't stack up well against the main games time line.

[cap-boulanger]

I would start by doing some upgrading... the Na'kuhl shield is actually pretty good, but the scaling from levels 12-15 are pretty significant on equipment.

Also the kit frame you are using and the ground skills your captain is trained in can have a big impact (both can add points to shields or to health).

[Astrostars2025]

Originally posted by Orgunis:

Mk XII equipment won't cut it for level 65. (Unless you don't mind blowing up every 10 seconds and waiting 20 to respawn).

You'll need to upgrade all your stuff to at least Mk XIV, this is where the grind on this game is hidden cos the game doesn't drop equipment of tier higher than XII (on purpose).

Also, something the game doesn't notify you about, after reaching... I think level 61, you get one last ticket to buy a free ship at the ship yard.

Originally posted by cap-boulanger:

I would start by doing some upgrading... the Na'kuhl shield is actually pretty good, but the scaling from levels 12-15 are pretty significant on equipment.

Also the kit frame you are using and the ground skills your captain is trained in can have a big impact (both can add points to shields or to health).

Thank you guys so much. So from the input you guys gave, it seems to be a lack of upgrading my equipment. I'd better get on that then!

[Jaq]

Originally posted by Orgunis:

Mk XII equipment won't cut it for level 65. (Unless you don't mind blowing up every 10 seconds and waiting 20 to respawn).

You'll need to upgrade all your stuff to at least Mk XIV, this is where the grind on this game is hidden cos the game doesn't drop equipment of tier higher than XII (on purpose).

I've still barely upgraded anything above Mk XII other than tactical consoles, have played every episode except the newest one, and never struggled with any of them other than a handful that had a short learning curve (wish there were more). And I haven't paid attention to the meta in years, so I'm not using optimal stuff.

That said, I'm not up to the task of writing a massive strategy guide either, and recommending a gear upgrade is far simpler. But if you don't want to spend the currency on that, don't presume it's the only way. You can definitely do it with Mk12 gear. This game just gives players bad tactical habits by being braindead and repetitive, especially early on. It doesn't really teach or encourage you to play better. You pretty much just have to be awake to beat the first few arcs.

[That Crazy Squirrel]

Originally posted by Jaq:

But if you don't want to spend the currency on that, don't presume it's the only way.

I'm not saying it's the only way but sitting on a pile of credits/dilithium and never using them won't help either. Specially now that the developers apparently dumped on the Dilithium-to-Zen side of the exchange.

[cap-boulanger]

Originally posted by Jaq:

Originally posted by Orgunis:

Mk XII equipment won't cut it for level 65. (Unless you don't mind blowing up every 10 seconds and waiting 20 to respawn).

You'll need to upgrade all your stuff to at least Mk XIV, this is where the grind on this game is hidden cos the game doesn't drop equipment of tier higher than XII (on purpose).

I've still barely upgraded anything above Mk XII other than tactical consoles, have played every episode except the newest one, and never struggled with any of them other than a handful that had a short learning curve (wish there were more). And I haven't paid attention to the meta in years, so I'm not using optimal stuff.

That said, I'm not up to the task of writing a massive strategy guide either, and recommending a gear upgrade is far simpler. But if you don't want to spend the currency on that, don't presume it's the only way. You can definitely do it with Mk12 gear. This game just gives players bad tactical habits by being braindead and repetitive, especially early on. It doesn't really teach or encourage you to play better. You pretty much just have to be awake to beat the first few arcs.

In this case the player was talking mainly about GROUND combat, and the individual items he mentioned are actually decent to above average ones. Upgrading was the most effective thing I could suggest.

Space builds are a totally different, and far more complicated, beast, and I would have given precisely the opposite suggestion for that. For space, you want to make sure your build makes sense before you upgrade, so you're not upgrading stuff and then trashing it.