New STO Expansion: Delta Rising
thanks got it.... :silly: :silly:
New STO Expansion: Delta Rising
DilenXichetSTO
Unknown Person
New STO Expansion: Delta Rising
Here's some info about a couple more Delta Quadrant species we'll be running into:
[attachment=2470]briefing2.jpg[/attachment]
First encountered by the crew of U.S.S. Voyager in 2374, the Benthans are a species with advanced warp capabilities from Benthos. Little is known about their culture, and for some time even the Benthans’ appearance was in doubt, because this first contact also involved a conflict with a shapechanging identity thief on the run from justice.
The Benthans’ enforcement arm, the Benthan Guard, is fanatically dedicated to the rule of law, and its members see themselves as a force for order in the Delta Quadrant. It is in this capacity that you are most likely to encounter Benthans. According to Voyager’s logs, no Benthan civilian ships have ever been sighted, and it is possible that the Benthans strictly restrict all interactions with alien species, although it is unclear whether this is an attempt to protect the population from negative outside influences or to control their movements.
[attachment=2471]Briefing3.jpg[/attachment]
Do not, however, assume their guarded civilization makes them backward. Benthan Guard ships can be a match for Alpha Quadrant technology, and cooperating with them when possible may be a far safer course of action than opposing them. As far as we know, the Benthans dedication to law does not spill into tyranny.
[attachment=2472]Briefing4.jpg[/attachment]
The fierce Hazari roam the Delta Quadrant singularly or in small groups. Unlike the Hirogen, who pride themselves on taking trophies, the Hazari find honor in completing contracts. Once they make a deal, they will complete it, no matter the difficulty. If for some reason a Hazari bounty hunter cannot fulfill a promise, he will take on another task for the contract holder free of charge.
In the past, the Hazari have taken contracts from all comers, concerning themselves with the act of completing a contract, without regard to the politics of who was requesting their services or what the requested task was. This has put them into conflict with many of the powers of the Delta Quadrant. In particular, the Benthan Guard keeps a close watch on Hazari actions, and will actively pursue any Hazari who commit illegal acts.
[attachment=2473]briefing5.jpg[/attachment]
The Borg identify the Hazari as Species 4228. Information provided by Seven of Nine indicated that assimilated Hazari make excellent tactical drones, and that the Collective would go out of its way to acquire new Hazari drones.
If possible, Hazari ships team up when in combat, with one ship reinforcing the shields of the other. This makes their defenses almost impenetrable, but is also a weakness that can be exploited by a skilled tactical officer.
[attachment=2470]briefing2.jpg[/attachment]
First encountered by the crew of U.S.S. Voyager in 2374, the Benthans are a species with advanced warp capabilities from Benthos. Little is known about their culture, and for some time even the Benthans’ appearance was in doubt, because this first contact also involved a conflict with a shapechanging identity thief on the run from justice.
The Benthans’ enforcement arm, the Benthan Guard, is fanatically dedicated to the rule of law, and its members see themselves as a force for order in the Delta Quadrant. It is in this capacity that you are most likely to encounter Benthans. According to Voyager’s logs, no Benthan civilian ships have ever been sighted, and it is possible that the Benthans strictly restrict all interactions with alien species, although it is unclear whether this is an attempt to protect the population from negative outside influences or to control their movements.
[attachment=2471]Briefing3.jpg[/attachment]
Do not, however, assume their guarded civilization makes them backward. Benthan Guard ships can be a match for Alpha Quadrant technology, and cooperating with them when possible may be a far safer course of action than opposing them. As far as we know, the Benthans dedication to law does not spill into tyranny.
[attachment=2472]Briefing4.jpg[/attachment]
The fierce Hazari roam the Delta Quadrant singularly or in small groups. Unlike the Hirogen, who pride themselves on taking trophies, the Hazari find honor in completing contracts. Once they make a deal, they will complete it, no matter the difficulty. If for some reason a Hazari bounty hunter cannot fulfill a promise, he will take on another task for the contract holder free of charge.
In the past, the Hazari have taken contracts from all comers, concerning themselves with the act of completing a contract, without regard to the politics of who was requesting their services or what the requested task was. This has put them into conflict with many of the powers of the Delta Quadrant. In particular, the Benthan Guard keeps a close watch on Hazari actions, and will actively pursue any Hazari who commit illegal acts.
[attachment=2473]briefing5.jpg[/attachment]
The Borg identify the Hazari as Species 4228. Information provided by Seven of Nine indicated that assimilated Hazari make excellent tactical drones, and that the Collective would go out of its way to acquire new Hazari drones.
If possible, Hazari ships team up when in combat, with one ship reinforcing the shields of the other. This makes their defenses almost impenetrable, but is also a weakness that can be exploited by a skilled tactical officer.
Unknown Person
New STO Expansion: Delta Rising
And also they've posted a blog about the T5 to T6 ship transitions:
[attachment=2474]upgrades1A.jpg[/attachment]
When we first discussed increasing the level cap, one of the questions we first asked ourselves was “What happens to Tier 5 ships?”
Players have been invested in this tier of ships for 4 years and we wanted to avoid devaluing the time and money spent in obtaining them.
We wanted a fair solution instead of requiring players to absolutely need to obtain or purchase a whole new suite of starships for a new tier of content as we have in the past.
We’ve approached starships very differently for the level 50 to 60 band.
First, we will allow players to upgrade most Tier 5 starships they own to a “T5-U” version.
This upgraded starship receives many of the perks of a Tier 6 starships minus a few bells and whistles.
More on the specifics of this later.
Second, all existing content, all new story content, patrols and most queues will not require a Tier 6 or Upgraded Tier 5 starship.
Only the most challenging new level 60 content will strongly benefit from using an upgraded Tier 5 starship or a Tier 6 starship, however it will not strictly require it.
[attachment=2475]upgrades2.jpg[/attachment]
Upgrading a Tier 5 ship is easy.
First, you must be level 50 and at a starship selector NPC on a ground map.
When browsing your starships you’ll notice that qualifying Tier 5 ships will now have an upgrade button on the starship’s inventory screen.
Pressing this button will prompt you to pay a Zen cost (or possibly require an item with a Zen cost).
This cost will be significantly lower than if you were to purchase a Tier 6 ship from the Zen Store.
Completing this purchase will then immediately upgrade your ship and transfer any items on the T5 ship to the new upgraded ship.
It should be noted that some ships will be free to upgrade.
This includes things like many event reputation ships (like the Breen and Risian ships), all lockbox ships, all lobi store ships, and duty officer promotion ships like the Jem’Hadar Attack Ship and Voth Bulwark Dreadnought Cruiser.
SHIP UPGRADING PROCESS
As mentioned above, upgraded Tier 5 ships (or T5-Us) will offer many of the same benefits provided by Tier 6 starships minus a few bells and whistles.
T5-Us will feature a sizeable number of additional hit points that will increase as your captain levels up, an additional console slot, and four Starship Mastery levels.
As mentioned in the Tier 6 Starships blog, the Starship Mastery system represents your captain and crew mastering the starship and discovering its full capabilities over time.
All upgraded Tier 5 ships have the ability to become more powerful as the captain gains Skill Points.
This allows the starship to effectively “Level Up”.
T5-U starships start at level 0 and progress to level 4 as the captain plays the game normally.
At each level (up to the max level of 4), the starship gains a new passive ability that provides a sizeable boost to a stat like damage resistance, critical hit chance, or hit points.
These passive abilities are specific to the ship that has unlocked them, and each starship within a given category shares the same package of passive abilities.
SHIP UPGRADE PERKS
As you can see, upgraded Tier 5 ships share many of the benefits of a Tier 6 starship with a few exceptions.
Below is a table that outlines precisely which benefits T5-U and T6 ships receive.
[attachment=2476]Upgrades3.jpg[/attachment]
*Upgraded Tier 5 starships and Tier 6 starships both have four passive abilities.
The fifth Starship Mastery level on Tier 6 ships unlocks the starship’s trait.
**All Tier 6 ships launching with Delta Rising will come with a Specialist Bridge Officer seat.
However, it should be noted that future Tier 6 ships may not always come with one.
A notable benefit of upgrading a Tier 5 ship is that the upgrade is available across your entire account.
Example: If I upgrade my Avenger Battlecruiser on my Starfleet tactical captain, I can upgrade an Avenger Battlecruiser from T5 to T5-U on any character that also owns this ship for free.
UPGRADABLE SHIPS
The vast majority of existing Tier 5 starships can be upgraded to T5-U granting the benefits mentioned above.
You can find an exhaustive list of all upgradeable ships here.
Our current plan is to release as many of the ships above as possible when Delta Rising launches.
Any ships on this list that aren’t available by launch will be rolled out in future updates until the entire list shown in the link above is available.
Qi&A
Q: How much Zen will it cost to upgrade my starship?
A: We have not finalized the cost, but it is likely to be somewhere between $5 and $10.
Q: Which ships will be free to upgrade?
A: All Lockbox and Lobi starships, 1000 Day Veteran Destroyers,
Duty Officer promotional starships, and the Dyson, Breen and Risian event starships will all qualify for a free T5-U upgrade.
Q: So, if I pay for an upgrade on a starship, that upgraded starship will be available to all my characters that can fly that ship?
A: Correct!
You only need to pay the upgrade fee once.
Q: What actions give skill points to increase my Starship Mastery level?
A: Only defeating enemy starships will yield skill points for your Starship Mastery.
Q: Will there be any story content that requires a T5-U or T6 starship?
A: Absolutely not.
Our goal here is to allow players to play through all of the game’s story content without requiring the purchase of a starship.
Owning one of these top notch ships will certainly give you an edge, but story content isn’t designed to require these ships.
Q: Are the passive abilities between T5-U and T6 ships of the same ship category the same?
Or are the abilities found on the T6 ships better?
A: Starship Mastery passive abilities are identical between T5-U and T6 starships.
The only difference between these ships in Starship Mastery is that T6 ships have a Starship Trait that can be unlocked at Level 5 whereas T5-U ships’ Starship Mastery progression ends at Level 4 and they don’t have a Starship Trait to be unlocked.
[attachment=2474]upgrades1A.jpg[/attachment]
When we first discussed increasing the level cap, one of the questions we first asked ourselves was “What happens to Tier 5 ships?”
Players have been invested in this tier of ships for 4 years and we wanted to avoid devaluing the time and money spent in obtaining them.
We wanted a fair solution instead of requiring players to absolutely need to obtain or purchase a whole new suite of starships for a new tier of content as we have in the past.
We’ve approached starships very differently for the level 50 to 60 band.
First, we will allow players to upgrade most Tier 5 starships they own to a “T5-U” version.
This upgraded starship receives many of the perks of a Tier 6 starships minus a few bells and whistles.
More on the specifics of this later.
Second, all existing content, all new story content, patrols and most queues will not require a Tier 6 or Upgraded Tier 5 starship.
Only the most challenging new level 60 content will strongly benefit from using an upgraded Tier 5 starship or a Tier 6 starship, however it will not strictly require it.
[attachment=2475]upgrades2.jpg[/attachment]
Upgrading a Tier 5 ship is easy.
First, you must be level 50 and at a starship selector NPC on a ground map.
When browsing your starships you’ll notice that qualifying Tier 5 ships will now have an upgrade button on the starship’s inventory screen.
Pressing this button will prompt you to pay a Zen cost (or possibly require an item with a Zen cost).
This cost will be significantly lower than if you were to purchase a Tier 6 ship from the Zen Store.
Completing this purchase will then immediately upgrade your ship and transfer any items on the T5 ship to the new upgraded ship.
It should be noted that some ships will be free to upgrade.
This includes things like many event reputation ships (like the Breen and Risian ships), all lockbox ships, all lobi store ships, and duty officer promotion ships like the Jem’Hadar Attack Ship and Voth Bulwark Dreadnought Cruiser.
SHIP UPGRADING PROCESS
As mentioned above, upgraded Tier 5 ships (or T5-Us) will offer many of the same benefits provided by Tier 6 starships minus a few bells and whistles.
T5-Us will feature a sizeable number of additional hit points that will increase as your captain levels up, an additional console slot, and four Starship Mastery levels.
As mentioned in the Tier 6 Starships blog, the Starship Mastery system represents your captain and crew mastering the starship and discovering its full capabilities over time.
All upgraded Tier 5 ships have the ability to become more powerful as the captain gains Skill Points.
This allows the starship to effectively “Level Up”.
T5-U starships start at level 0 and progress to level 4 as the captain plays the game normally.
At each level (up to the max level of 4), the starship gains a new passive ability that provides a sizeable boost to a stat like damage resistance, critical hit chance, or hit points.
These passive abilities are specific to the ship that has unlocked them, and each starship within a given category shares the same package of passive abilities.
SHIP UPGRADE PERKS
As you can see, upgraded Tier 5 ships share many of the benefits of a Tier 6 starship with a few exceptions.
Below is a table that outlines precisely which benefits T5-U and T6 ships receive.
[attachment=2476]Upgrades3.jpg[/attachment]
*Upgraded Tier 5 starships and Tier 6 starships both have four passive abilities.
The fifth Starship Mastery level on Tier 6 ships unlocks the starship’s trait.
**All Tier 6 ships launching with Delta Rising will come with a Specialist Bridge Officer seat.
However, it should be noted that future Tier 6 ships may not always come with one.
A notable benefit of upgrading a Tier 5 ship is that the upgrade is available across your entire account.
Example: If I upgrade my Avenger Battlecruiser on my Starfleet tactical captain, I can upgrade an Avenger Battlecruiser from T5 to T5-U on any character that also owns this ship for free.
UPGRADABLE SHIPS
The vast majority of existing Tier 5 starships can be upgraded to T5-U granting the benefits mentioned above.
You can find an exhaustive list of all upgradeable ships here.
Our current plan is to release as many of the ships above as possible when Delta Rising launches.
Any ships on this list that aren’t available by launch will be rolled out in future updates until the entire list shown in the link above is available.
Qi&A
Q: How much Zen will it cost to upgrade my starship?
A: We have not finalized the cost, but it is likely to be somewhere between $5 and $10.
Q: Which ships will be free to upgrade?
A: All Lockbox and Lobi starships, 1000 Day Veteran Destroyers,
Duty Officer promotional starships, and the Dyson, Breen and Risian event starships will all qualify for a free T5-U upgrade.
Q: So, if I pay for an upgrade on a starship, that upgraded starship will be available to all my characters that can fly that ship?
A: Correct!
You only need to pay the upgrade fee once.
Q: What actions give skill points to increase my Starship Mastery level?
A: Only defeating enemy starships will yield skill points for your Starship Mastery.
Q: Will there be any story content that requires a T5-U or T6 starship?
A: Absolutely not.
Our goal here is to allow players to play through all of the game’s story content without requiring the purchase of a starship.
Owning one of these top notch ships will certainly give you an edge, but story content isn’t designed to require these ships.
Q: Are the passive abilities between T5-U and T6 ships of the same ship category the same?
Or are the abilities found on the T6 ships better?
A: Starship Mastery passive abilities are identical between T5-U and T6 starships.
The only difference between these ships in Starship Mastery is that T6 ships have a Starship Trait that can be unlocked at Level 5 whereas T5-U ships’ Starship Mastery progression ends at Level 4 and they don’t have a Starship Trait to be unlocked.
Unknown Person
New STO Expansion: Delta Rising
Captain level species briefing has been unlocked.
[attachment=2480]dblog1.jpg[/attachment]
The Delta Quadrant has opened to us, and great battles draw near. Let us remember the words of Kahless:
Know your enemy, and you will know how to defeat him.
You are a warrior of the Klingon Empire! Knowledge is your sharpest weapon. If you want to bring honor to your families and your Empire, heed my words and savor them like the finest bloodwine. But if you want to barge ahead like a mindless beast, then report to the targ pits where you will be of some use!
These are ways of the Cooperative and the Octanti. Learn them well. Ignorance is death.
[attachment=2481]dblog2.jpg[/attachment]
The Borg Cooperative is a group of former Borg drones who have joined together for mutual protection and society.
According to the logs of U.S.S. Voyager, in 2368 a Borg cube traveling through an area of the Delta Quadrant known as the Nekrit Expanse was disabled and disconnected from the Collective by a severe electrokinetic storm. Their collective consciousness collapsed, and the drones regained their identities.
Transporting to a nearby planet, the survivors of the cube began rebuilding their lives. They removed most of their cybernetic appendages and slowly re-acclimated to living as individuals. However, without the unifying force of the Borg hive mind, the many different species that had been on the cube struggled to form a society.
The planet became a warzone. One group of a few hundred drones formed a cooperative, finding a way to use their neural processors to form a miniaturized form of the Borg’s collective consciousness. Eventually, with the (unwilling) assistance of Commander Chakotay from Voyager, this group was able to extend this collective to all of the remaining drones on the planet, becoming the Cooperative as it is known today.
[attachment=2482]dblog3.png[/attachment]
Admiral Tuvok, who now commands Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, informs us that the Cooperative still exists, and that it has taken on the task of liberating other drones from the Collective.
The Collective has gained allies in other groups of liberated Borg in the region, but conflicts between these groups may cause problems. While the Cooperative wishes to add more drones to its collective consciousness but allow them to retain a sense of identity, other liberated Borg wish to be completely free of any of the trappings of their former Borg life, including the hive mind.
At this time, the Cooperative should pose little tactical threat to the Klingon Defense Force. Their numbers are few, and they are completely focused on rescuing other drones from the Borg. While the Cooperative maintains a distinct technological advantage over other groups in the region, they are inexperienced fighters and do not have the tactical acumen of our warriors. Given time and direction, however, they could be molded into a weapon.
We must take care that they do not become a weapon used against us.
[attachment=2483]dblog4.jpg[/attachment]
Designated as Species 6339 by the Borg, the Octanti are a dying race.
Originating from a planet in Grid 124, Octant 22-theta, the Octanti first encountered the Borg in 2371.
In the next four years, the Borg assimilated more than 11 billion Octanti.
A handful of survivors managed to escape the devastation in the remains of the Octanti fleet. These exceptionally well-armed warships were all that kept the Octanti alive, and all the Octanti thirsted for revenge.
The Octanti developed a synthetic pathogen designed to attack the vinculum of a Borg cube, infecting volunteers from their own population with it and sending them out to be assimilated and spread the infection. The virus was designed to bring chaos to the ordered hive mind of the Borg, destroying the cube where the infected Octanti were. The destruction of a cube would alert other Borg vessels, who would investigate and bring the affected vinculum aboard their ships for study. In this way, the pathogen could contaminate the entire Collective.
Obviously, the Octanti have not been able to infect the entire Collective, or else the Borg would not continue to be a thorn in our sides. However, their dogged pursuit of the Borg is noteworthy. Although their numbers continue to dwindle, the Octanti remain committed to their quest, attacking Borg vessels wherever they find them. They make no distinction between Borg who are part of the Collective and former drones who have been liberated from it, seeing all as a threat to be eliminated.
If an alliance is possible, the Octanti’s extensive research into how to destroy Borg would be quite valuable to the Empire. Take care, however, when getting between them and their quarry.
A wounded animal is a dangerous one, and the Octanti’s wounds are deep.
[attachment=2484]dblog5.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=2480]dblog1.jpg[/attachment]
The Delta Quadrant has opened to us, and great battles draw near. Let us remember the words of Kahless:
Know your enemy, and you will know how to defeat him.
You are a warrior of the Klingon Empire! Knowledge is your sharpest weapon. If you want to bring honor to your families and your Empire, heed my words and savor them like the finest bloodwine. But if you want to barge ahead like a mindless beast, then report to the targ pits where you will be of some use!
These are ways of the Cooperative and the Octanti. Learn them well. Ignorance is death.
[attachment=2481]dblog2.jpg[/attachment]
The Borg Cooperative is a group of former Borg drones who have joined together for mutual protection and society.
According to the logs of U.S.S. Voyager, in 2368 a Borg cube traveling through an area of the Delta Quadrant known as the Nekrit Expanse was disabled and disconnected from the Collective by a severe electrokinetic storm. Their collective consciousness collapsed, and the drones regained their identities.
Transporting to a nearby planet, the survivors of the cube began rebuilding their lives. They removed most of their cybernetic appendages and slowly re-acclimated to living as individuals. However, without the unifying force of the Borg hive mind, the many different species that had been on the cube struggled to form a society.
The planet became a warzone. One group of a few hundred drones formed a cooperative, finding a way to use their neural processors to form a miniaturized form of the Borg’s collective consciousness. Eventually, with the (unwilling) assistance of Commander Chakotay from Voyager, this group was able to extend this collective to all of the remaining drones on the planet, becoming the Cooperative as it is known today.
[attachment=2482]dblog3.png[/attachment]
Admiral Tuvok, who now commands Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, informs us that the Cooperative still exists, and that it has taken on the task of liberating other drones from the Collective.
The Collective has gained allies in other groups of liberated Borg in the region, but conflicts between these groups may cause problems. While the Cooperative wishes to add more drones to its collective consciousness but allow them to retain a sense of identity, other liberated Borg wish to be completely free of any of the trappings of their former Borg life, including the hive mind.
At this time, the Cooperative should pose little tactical threat to the Klingon Defense Force. Their numbers are few, and they are completely focused on rescuing other drones from the Borg. While the Cooperative maintains a distinct technological advantage over other groups in the region, they are inexperienced fighters and do not have the tactical acumen of our warriors. Given time and direction, however, they could be molded into a weapon.
We must take care that they do not become a weapon used against us.
[attachment=2483]dblog4.jpg[/attachment]
Designated as Species 6339 by the Borg, the Octanti are a dying race.
Originating from a planet in Grid 124, Octant 22-theta, the Octanti first encountered the Borg in 2371.
In the next four years, the Borg assimilated more than 11 billion Octanti.
A handful of survivors managed to escape the devastation in the remains of the Octanti fleet. These exceptionally well-armed warships were all that kept the Octanti alive, and all the Octanti thirsted for revenge.
The Octanti developed a synthetic pathogen designed to attack the vinculum of a Borg cube, infecting volunteers from their own population with it and sending them out to be assimilated and spread the infection. The virus was designed to bring chaos to the ordered hive mind of the Borg, destroying the cube where the infected Octanti were. The destruction of a cube would alert other Borg vessels, who would investigate and bring the affected vinculum aboard their ships for study. In this way, the pathogen could contaminate the entire Collective.
Obviously, the Octanti have not been able to infect the entire Collective, or else the Borg would not continue to be a thorn in our sides. However, their dogged pursuit of the Borg is noteworthy. Although their numbers continue to dwindle, the Octanti remain committed to their quest, attacking Borg vessels wherever they find them. They make no distinction between Borg who are part of the Collective and former drones who have been liberated from it, seeing all as a threat to be eliminated.
If an alliance is possible, the Octanti’s extensive research into how to destroy Borg would be quite valuable to the Empire. Take care, however, when getting between them and their quarry.
A wounded animal is a dangerous one, and the Octanti’s wounds are deep.
[attachment=2484]dblog5.jpg[/attachment]
DilenXichetSTO
New STO Expansion: Delta Rising
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
FuriousToast
New STO Expansion: Delta Rising
Tacofangs (twitter @Tumerboy) has just posted the attached image showing the updated MSD on Voyagers bridge![attachment=2492]IMG_20140905_183737.jpg[/attachment]
He also said that they haven't built the player version and doesn't see why this can't be used with the words 'Intrepid Class' replacing 74656.
He also said that they haven't built the player version and doesn't see why this can't be used with the words 'Intrepid Class' replacing 74656.
Ereiid
New STO Expansion: Delta Rising
Lawl - I was totally just harassing him about it on the forums.
And by "harassing", of course I mean "lovingly imploring".
And by "harassing", of course I mean "lovingly imploring".