Ferasans

The fierce Ferasans have joined the Klingon Defense Force!

Starting this Thursday (May 17, 2012), around 10AM PDT, the KDF's new Ferasan playable species and Bridge Officers will be available for sale in the C-Store.

A felinoid species that originated on the planet Ferasa, Ferasans are closely related to Caitians. Ferasans are bipedal, have tails that assist their balance, extended maxillary canine teeth and large eyes with excellent night vision. Their skin is covered with a soft fur coat, and their felinoid ears can pick up frequencies that most humanoids are unable to detect. Some Ferasans have telepathic abilities.

Ferasan Playable Species (480 Cryptic Points)

Unlocking this option allows you to create Klingon Empire Ferasan characters with the following characteristics:

• Predatory Instincts: 75 percent bonus to Jump Height, +5 bonus to Stealth Perception, 5 percent bonus to Melee Damage, 10 percent bonus to Exploit Damage
• Three traits of the player's choice

As a bonus, unlocking Ferasans also unlocks new cosmetic options for any Federation Caitian character on your account (if you have unlocked Caitians)!

Note: This playable species is only available as a Klingon Defense Force character. Purchase of this option unlocks Ferasans for every character slot on an account. You must qualify for Klingon play to make a Ferasan character.

Klingon Empire Ferasan Bridge Officer Requisition (400 Cryptic Points)

All Ferasan Bridge Officers have the following traits:

• Predatory Instincts: bonus to Jump Height, Stealth and Perception, Melee Damage and Exploit Damage

• Telepathic: Bonus to Perception and extends duration of Expose

• Pounce (Ferasan Tactical Officers only): Lunge power

To claim your Ferasan Bridge Officer, visit a Requisition Officer on Qo'noS.

Note: These Bridge Officers are only available to Klingon Defense Force characters. Ferasan Bridge Officer Requisitions are tradable. To gain additional Ferasan Bridge Officers, you must acquire another Ferasan Bridge Officer Requisition Form. There are male and female options for Tactical, Science and Engineering officers. These officers are not Unique, so you may have multiple Ferasans on your crew.

If you discard, sell, trade or use a Ferasan Bridge Officer for training, you WILL NOT be able to claim a free replacement from the C-Store.

In this brand-new edition of Ask Cryptic, Executive Producer Dan Stahl delivers answers to player submitted questions. But, before we share the answers, a quick note from Dan himself: 

Greetings Everyone – 

Thank you for posting submitting your questions. For those who might not be aware, all of these questions come from posts made by forums users at forums.startrekonline.com. Every month, questions are selected by myself by starting at the beginning of the thread and random selecting a variety of questions, even if they’ve been asked before (from my perspective, nearly all these questions have been asked before, but since players come and go, it doesn’t hurt to answer a question someone new may have asked, even if it has been asked before.)

If you would like to submit new questions, please be on the lookout for the "ASK CRYPTIC – SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION” Thread which shows up in the STO Federation News Network forum at the end of each month.

Now on to 31 questions… one for each day in May…

For the entire month of May, rotating each week, the Feature Episode Series are once again offering their special, unique rewards* for completion! Don't miss your chance to (re)play the Feature Episodes and earn limited-time rewards. Read more to learn about which series will be featured each week.

Check out our Feature Episode Guide to learn more about this special content.

May 3 - May 9: Spectres (The Devidians)

• Special Reward: Ophidian Cane*
• Minimum level required to accept missions: 11 (Fed) 25 (KDF)
• How to Play: Use your Mission Journal (Press J or click the Hail button next to your minimap) to hail and transwarp to the different episodes; for Federation Officers, use the Klingon War tab, and for Klingon Officers, use the Federation War tab.
• Episodes in this series: Skirmish, Spin the Wheel, What Lies Beneath, Everything Old is New, and Night of the Comet

May 10 - May 16: Cloaked Intentions (The Romulans and Remans)

• Special Reward: Reman Bridge Officer*
• Minimum level required to accept missions: 34 (Fed) 36 (KDF)
• How to Play: Use your Mission Journal (Press J or click the Hail button next to your minimap) to hail and transwarp to the different episodes; for Federation and Klingon Officers, use the Romulan Mystery tab.
• Episodes in this series: The Vault, Mine Enemy, Frozen, Coliseum, Cutting the Cord, and Darkness Before the Dawn

May 17 - May 23: The 2800 (The Dominion)

• Special Reward: Shard of Possibilities*
• Minimum level required to accept missions: 45 (Fed) 41 (KDF)
• How to Play: Use your Mission Journal (Press J or click the Hail button next to your minimap) to hail and transwarp to the different episodes; for Federation Officers, use the Cardassian Struggle tab and for Klingon Officers, use the Dominion Domination tab.
• Episodes in this series: Second Wave, Of Bajor, Operation Gamma, Facility 4028, and Boldly They Rode

May 24 - May 30: Cold War (The Breen)

• Special Reward: Breen Bridge Officer*
• Minimum level required to accept missions: 48 (Fed) 46 (KDF)
• How to Play: Use your Mission Journal (Press J or click the Hail button next to your minimap) to hail and transwarp to the different episodes; for Federation and Klingon Officers, use the Breen Invasion tab.
• Episodes in this series: Cold Call, Out in the Cold, Cold Comfort, Cold Case and Cold Storage

*The limited-time rewards are unique and each character may only have one of each of them.

This is a great opportunity for you to get the limited-time, unique rewards for your characters that did not have a chance to earn them yet. For players whose characters already have all the rewards, you will still want to re-play each of the series -- all players will be able to find hidden, surprise rewards that have been added to each episode.

As always, thank you for your continued support. We'll see you in-game!

Carrier Command

The advent of the new Caitian Atrox Carrier provides Starfleet captains with the opportunity to command their own flight decks of fighters – and Klingon officers have long been organizing fighter wings with their Vo’Quv and Kar’fi carriers. Controlling fighter wings requires tactical acumen beyond just command of a starship. While a carrier can perform all of the functions of a heavy starship, its offensive power comes from its support and combat craft.

To send your fighters into battle, your carrier hashangars that serve as launch bays and fighter maintenance facilities. Your launch bay shows up on your ship’s overhead display just like a weapon or device slot. You can place any legal fighter craft into your hangar, which will then give you the power to launch those types of fighters. Clicking on the appropriate power from your power tray will launch fighters from that hangar.

Depending on your ship, certain fighters may not be available to you – for instance, only the Klingon Vo’Quv can carry Bird-of-Prey frigates as its support craft. You can purchase different types of support craft from the shipyard, and your shipyard also has a vendor who sells advanced support craft for Refined Dilithium.

All true carriers come with a set of carrier commands. You can activate a carrier command just like any other power – it will appear over your weapon power tray, or you can select the powers from your power list and add them to your power tray. Each carrier command sets your subordinate craft to perform a specific function.

When you click on a carrier command, you toggle that command into effect. Your flight crews scramble to direct fighter operations and keep your support vessels following those orders for as long as you leave the command toggled on. If you launch new fighters, they’ll pick up the commands from your conning tower as well and join the fray accordingly. Clicking to a different command will automatically toggle off the old command and toggle on the new one, which will remain in effect until you issue a different order, unselect the command, or change to a new area.

The available carrier commands include:

• Attack – In this mode, your fighters attack your selected target. Fighters will engage any target you select up to 12 km away; it’s possible for your carrier to remain just outside of combat distance and send fighters to engage an enemy. If you don’t have a selected target, or you’re not in combat, your fighters will form up in front of your ship as you travel. Once your team enters combat, the fighters will continue to engage enemies, but will preferentially attack your selected target. If you change targets, your fighters will change targets as well, although it may take a few seconds for a fighter to disengage from an existing dogfight!
• Escort – In this mode, your fighters follow an ally that you select. When that ally is attacked, the fighters enter combat. If you select a different ally, your fighters will move to that ally instead. Once you’ve set fighters to escort mode and given them a friend to escort, you can enter combat and engage enemies, and the fighters will remain in defense of your ally.
• Intercept – Use intercept mode when you’re engaging other enemy carriers or enemies with heavy torpedoes or mines. Your fighters will attack enemies at will, but will preferentially engage torpedoes, mines, and small craft. You can use your fighters to clear out minefields or to pre-emptively destroy volleys of heavy torpedoes from Romulans or Borg.
• Recall – To bring your fighters back from the fray, issue the recall command. Your support craft will return and follow your vessel in formation. Fighters under a Recall order will not engage in combat, but enemies might still chase them back to you! You can also issue a Recall command to force your fighters to stop attacking, then choose a new target and change to a different command order if you want to send your fighters in a new direction.

Finally, don’t neglect the value of duty officers on your carrier. Special officers called Flight Deck Officers can grant active powers that improve your fighter functionality or allow you to launch fighters more quickly. Flight Deck Officers are a very valuable addition to any carrier, and the higher the officer’s quality, the bigger the bonus!

Caitian Atrox Carrier

Starting this Thursday (May 3, 2012), around 10AM PDT, the new Caitian Atrox Carrier will be available for sale in the C-Store for 2,000 C-Store points. 

To deal with the increasing threat of the Klingons and the tactical advantage they have with their carrier ships, the Federation has called upon their member worlds for assistance. 

In response, the Caitians made their fierce Atrox Carrier available to Starfleet. A true carrier, the Atrox has been updated by the Caitians and the Starfleet Corps of Engineers with modifications that give it some of the abilities of a science vessel, including subsystem targeting and bonuses to Shield and Auxiliary power. These abilities allow the Atrox to support its fighters as well as other ships in its fleet. 

The Atrox comes standard with two hangar bays, each stocked with Caitian Stalker Fighters. These stealth fighters can mask their energy signature and are equipped with Tetryon Pulse Cannons and a Thoron Device. Caitian Stalker Fighters can be launched from any Flight Deck Cruiser or Carrier.

Caitian Atrox Carrier:

• Minimum Rank: Vice Admiral (level 50)
• Weapons: 3 Fore, 3 Aft
• Bridge Officers: 1 Lieutenant Tactical, 1 Lieutenant Commander Engineering, 1 Lieutenant Commander Science, 1 Commander Science
• Consoles: 2 Tactical, 3 Engineering, 4 Science
• Devices: 4
• Crew: 3,000
• Turn Rate: 5 degrees per second
• Impulse Modifier: 0.15
• Hull Strength: 40,500
• Shield Modifier: 1.2
• +5 Power to Shields
• +10 Power to Auxiliary
• Subsystem Targeting
• 2 Hangar Bays
• Caitian Stalker Fighters

To those junior officers who work tirelessly in cramped Jefferies Tubes, perish namelessly on away missions, or provide the endless streams of reports and analysis necessary for a starship to function – this weekend is dedicated to you!

For this special weekend event, running from around 10am PDT Friday, April 27, through around 10am PDT Monday, April 30, the following will be available:

• Speak with your duty officer contact in the academies – Lieutenant Ferra for Starfleet officers, and Lieutenant S’stas for KDF officers – to receive up to a 50% bonus to all duty officer assignment Commendation Experience Points (CXP) for the weekend. You need only speak to him once to have the bonus for the remainder of the event. The bonus varies slightly depending on the duration of the assignment.
• Receive a FREE* special Purple quality duty officer with a unique active roster power by speaking with your duty officer contact. For Starfleet officers, this is a new engineering Exocomp duty officer; for KDF officers, it is a Reman duty officer. *This is not available if you already claimed it the last time we ran the event.
• Duty officer packs** opened during the event will each have a FREE additional Green quality or better duty officerinside. This only applies to C-Store purchased packs, not to those awarded during rank-up, from recruitment assignments or Lock Boxes. Also, it applies only to packs opened during the event, even if they are purchased prior to the event. **The packs included in this offer are: Gamma Quadrant Duty Officer Cadre, Klingon Empire Duty Officer Pack and Federation Duty Officer Pack.

Remember, additional reserve roster duty officer slots (in increments of 25 and 100) are available from the C-Store, for up to a maximum of 400 reserve roster spaces.

Have fun, and try not to send too many duty officers to Sickbay!

by StarbaseUGC

Space…The Final Frontier… For many, these words were the beginning of a journey of imagination, introspection and adventure. When it was announced that Star Trek was going to be coming to the world as a Massively Multiplayer Online game, it was only natural it would attract the interest of fans around the world. Within a year of the games launch, the developers added a feature that gives ANY player of the game a voice rarely available in most online games – the ability to make their own content.

AN OVERVIEW

Greetings varied beings reading this! In Star Trek Online, I go by the "handle” Castmodean, and I represent a collective of authors and enthusiasts associated with the fansite StarbaseUGC.com. The "UGC” in the site name stands for User Generated Content, and that is what I would like to talk with you about today.

Want to investigate a distress call from Terra Nova, a planet off limits since the days of Captain Archer? Work with Starfleet Intelligence to extract a deep, covert operative from within the Orion Syndicate? Investigate why the Borg are attacking a specific colony and what one of its residents has to do with it? Or, perhaps as a warrior of the Klingon Empire, you are ordered to stop a Gorn rebellion or asked to investigate an intelligence report about a Starfleet Admiral which has been replaced by a shape-shifting alien. All of the previous examples are already available in-game to play now – but, best of all, they were created by players just like you using a special toolset called the Foundry.

When using the Foundry, you are no longer "just a player” in the world of STO – you have the opportunity to forge your own strange new worlds, new life and new civilizations. You can author a story for your friends to enjoy and others around the globe to discover. You can create a mission that has no combat, or you can create battles the likes of which have not been seen since the Battle of Sector 001. Perhaps you want to go a step further and create a series of missions, with a villain to rival Khan Noonien Singh himself who dogs the player’s steps and sows conflict and villainy. You, the author, can do all this and more within the Foundry. Oh, and let’s not forget that STO is a Free to Play game, so anyone can jump in and play, and with a little effort create missions. Please visit this page to visit STO’s Foundry hub, complete with videos, a FAQ, and more!

PLAYING MISSIONS

So, curious about what others have done with the tool? Perhaps even you just want to play something outside the normal mission chain in the game? You can do this! Let’s start by introducing you to how you can find those missions already created by authors. Foundry missions can be accessed through the Mission Journal; this can be accessed by either the default keyboard command, the letter "J”, or through the Delta shield icon (the combadge logo) located on the mini-map. On the "Available” tab of the journal, there are two additional tabs, "Community Authored” and "Review Content.”

Let’s touch on the latter first, as any new Foundry content starts its life listed under "Review Content”. In order to be visible in the "Community Authored” section, authors are required to obtain five reviews from other players. All missions pass through this tab when they are first published, so this is where you can find the freshest ideas players have created, or where your artistic steps into the Star Trek universe will first be displayed for all to see.

Above, I mentioned five examples of missions created using the Foundry. As an example, let’s choose the one regarding the Borg – it is a mission by RachelGarrett called "The Longing”. If you click on the "Community Authored” tab, a list of missions will populate the screen, along with a small arrow near the top of the screen. When you click on this arrow, a search box appears. If you know a specific mission you want to play, you can find it by typing the author’s name, mission title, or 

project code here. Alternatively, you can also just scroll through the list of missions and choose one that looks interesting. Double clicking the mission in the window will bring up the mission specifics which usually tell you where the mission begins and what your goals are. From there you will accept the mission and travel to the destination specified and live the adventure!

After playing any of these missions, you can help the author gain greater recognition by leaving a review of their work. When you complete the mission, a box will appear that allows you to leave a brief feedback on your experiences, as well as rate the mission using a 5-star scale. Did you find a mission that blew your socks off (assuming your species is capable of wearing socks)? Wish there was some way to thank the author other than giving a 5-star rating? Well, you can! Cryptic recently added the ability to "tip” authors a quantity of Dilithium (an in-game ‘currency’ used to purchase various items including spaces to create more Foundry missions, more on that later) as a "thank you”.

Overwhelmed? It certainly can be daunting trying to explore all the myriad missions created by players, but there are resources to help you navigate these trials. One of the first places you can consult is the STO forums themselves. Under the "The Foundry for Star Trek Online banner”, there is a Mission Database forum. Contained within are postings and discussions by other players of missions available to play – additionally, you can discuss various aspects of the Foundry and ask advice as you take your steps into the larger world of user generated content. You can also visit StarbaseUGC.com where we feature reviews and author previews of missions.

CREATING MISSIONS

Now that you have had a taste of what can be done, you might be thinking, "how can I do this?” the answer is simple. Gold Members (lifetime and monthly subscribers) start with 8 slots to use immediately and Free to Play players (Silver Players) can use some of their in-game Dilithium (10,000 to be exact) to buy "project slots” that will open up mission authoring. This link contains much of the information a player needs to get started using the Foundry, with a basic overview that will allow you to take this:

…to this:

Want more in depth walkthroughs of mission creation? You can visit STO’s Foundry Tutorial section here – it contains a collection of videos tutorial that will get you started on your Foundry quest. You can also come and visit us at StarbaseUGC.com where we have links to many of the videos, as well as other written tutorials and a chat room where live help can often be found to your questions. Lastly, make sure to review the Foundry Terms of Service before you start creating missions – it has important information about the "dos” and "don’ts” regarding UGC for STO.

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you in the Foundry!

General Rebellion – CaptPFDennis (Klingon)
Mind Games – Bazag (Klingon)
The Longing – RachelGarrett (Federation)
The Syndicate Extraction – Galactrix (Federation)
Return to Terra Nova – Kirkfat (Federation)

Vault Shuttle Event

Greetings Captains,

Control of the Vault has once again fallen into the hands of the Romulans. Obisek, leader of the Reman Resistance, is sending his ships to draw off the bulk of the Romulan fleet. While the Remans battle in space, Obisek will lead a small force in shuttles to infiltrate the Vault and reclaim the station for his people.

But the Romulans will not abandon their prize so easily. The battle will be difficult. Can you take control of the Vault before time runs out to assure victory and independence for the Remans, or will Romulan oppression continue?

The Vault Shuttle Event is a queued event for Federation Vice Admirals and KDF Lieutenant Generals. Players must be in a small craft (shuttle, fighter or runabout) to help Obisek regain control of the Vault. Inside, they will face waves of Romulan fighters, entrenched turret batteries, Birds-of-Prey and other Romulan surprises.

During the event, you will need to protect Obisek's ship as he works to override the command codes and hack into Romulan control systems. But this isn't a one-man job – players will need to work together to help Obisek with tasks that arise as he initializes the override sequence. Listen for his instructions during this fast-paced, timed event.

In exchange for your help, the Remans are offering Datalogs that contain encrypted information about Romulan and Reman technology. You can use these Reman Datalogs in special Duty Officer Assignments available from your ship's Intelligence officer to earn special gear for your vessel, including a set of Very Rare Mk XII ship equipment!

The Vault Shuttle Event will be live on Holodeck after maintenance on Thursday, April 19. So jump into your shuttle and check the Mission Journal for available times. It's time to join the resistance!

Hearts and Minds

Sometimes exploration of new ideas and new technologies leads to dark places. In Star Trek, we’ve seen many a cautionary tale about omniscient supercomputers, time travel, genetic manipulation, and telepathic oppression. The pursuit of knowledge isn’t always safe or pretty.

Hearts and Minds is a new mini-mission that explores the consequences of some unconventional research gone awry. This mission is a "story in one act,” so you can easily finish it in a quick play session, and it’s easy to complete it with any additional characters that you may have on your account – which is handy, because the mission offers some special unique rewards.

Since Hearts and Minds is a horror story, it will only be around for Friday the 13th, whenever that may fall on the calendar – and perhaps another sufficiently horrifying day that we might choose! Fortunately for the squeamish, Hearts and Minds is creepy, but not graphically gruesome.

After all, what you can imagine is sometimes more horrific than anything you can be shown.

Hearts and Minds takes place in the Donatu sector of the Eta Eridani sector block, at a lunar research station in the Donatu system. Both Starfleet (level 5+) and KDF officers (level 21+) can accept this mission. Hail Franklin Drake (Starfleet officers) or K’Men (Klingon officers) to undertake this mission. It will be available this time from around 6pm PDT on Thursday, April 12, until around 6am PDT on Saturday, April 14.

Due to a miscalculation on the Ferengi Futures Exchange in early 2409, Urata Manufacturing found itself with an excess of inventory and mounting debt. Desperate to stabilize cash flow, the company attempted to liquidize some of its remaining assets through quiet sales. When this didn't work, the leaders of the company cooked the books, shoving most of their remaining debt onto a little-known subsidiary that specialized in military ships. Then they spun that company, Sluga Military Technology, off as an independent manufacturer.

Burdened with Urata Manufacturing's old debts, Sluga seemed doomed to failure. Its stock price dropped so low that it was delisted off of the exchange. Most of the staff abandoned the company. Liquidators were expected any day. That's when the president of the company had a revelation.

Half of the quadrant is at war, but the Ferengi Alliance is neutral. It isn't buying more ships for its military. So why not find a way to get these ships to people who need them? As the Rules of Acquisition say, war is good for business!

Armed with a unstoppable attitude and a few convenient loopholes in Ferengi law, Sluga Military Technology has teamed up Lobi Crystal Consortium (a wholly owned subsidiary of Quark Enterprises) to put new D'Kora Marauders in the hands of ship captains on the front lines.

Fully loaded and ready for battle, these D'Kora Marauders feature everything a Ferengi captain could want, from a Dabo table and onboard Bank, Mail, and Exchange access to the Battle Module 3000, a powerful piece of technology that gives the ship the ability to fire an EMP Burst that will drain power from pursuing enemy ships. But that's not all! When fully engaged, the Battle Module 3000 will transform the D'Kora Marauder, opening several ports and conduits and improving the ship's weapons and engines. The EMP Burst is disabled, but a Swarm Missile System is revealed. After all, "the bigger the smile, the sharper the knife"!

About the D'Kora Marauder:

• Hull Strength: 36,000
• Shield Modifier: 1.05
• Crew: 450
• Weapons: 4 Fore, 4 Aft
• Device Slots: 4
• Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Ensign Tactical, 1 Lieutenant Commander Tactical, 1 Lieutenant Engineering, 1 Commander Engineering , 1 Lieutenant Science
• Console Modifications: 3 Tactical, 3 Engineering, 3 Science
• Base Turn Rate: 8 degrees per second
• Impulse Modifier: 0.15
• +5 Power to All Subsystems
• +50 Starship Hull Plating and Armor Reinforcements when in Defensive Mode
• Onboard Dabo Table
• Onboard access to the Bank, Mail, Exchange
• Ferengi Trade DOff contact
• Can equip Cannons
• Console - Universal - Battle Module 3000 (EMP Pulse; Battle Mode: Swarm Missiles, +30 Energy and Projectile Weapons Training)

Ferengi Na’Far

Ferengi Na'Far Shuttles provide profit-seekers an economic and stylish way to zip between investment opportunities at warp speed, without the overhead and crew costs of a full-size vessel. Although not equipped to stand toe-to-toe with most ships of the line, this stalwart vessel can hold its own against shuttles and fighters with ease. Fast and tough, it has bonus Hull Plating and Armor Reinforcements, bonus power to Engines, and is equipped with standard phaser defenses. It comes with a station for Ensign Universal Bridge Officer station.

In addition to its standard capabilities, Ferengi Shuttles come equipped with a Metaphasic Shield Array. Activating your Metaphasic Shield reroutes energy from all systems into shields, allowing the Na'Far shuttle to be extremely resistant to incoming damage while also converting a portion of that damage into additional shield power. Although the Metaphasic Shield only lasts a short amount of time, sometimes a few seconds is all you need to live to haggle another day!

All Na'Far equipment, including the Metaphasic Shield Array, can only can be used on small craft.

• Hull Strength: 6,000 (increases as you level)
• Shield Modifier: 0.5
• Crew: 8
• Weapons: 2 Fore
• Device Slots: 1
• Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Ensign Universal
• Console Modifications: 1 Tactical, 1 Engineering, 1 Science
• Base Turn Rate: 23 degrees per second
• Impulse Modifier: 0.25
• +5 Engine Power
• +50 Starship Hull Plating and Armor Reinforcements
• Phaser Bank with 360-degree fire that increases in effectiveness as you level
• Photon Torpedo Launcher that increases in effectiveness as you level
• Metaphasic Shield Array

Season 5 News Dev Blog Index

Greetings!

Are you a ship captain in need of something a little special? An explorer searching the stars for adventure, or maybe a warrior on a path to glory? Maybe just a fan of holonovels looking for something new?

Lobi Crystal Consortium (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quark Enterprises) is proud to announce the release of the Ferengi Lock Box! Even before you open one, you'll be amazed at the quality of this fine item. LCC spared no expense in putting together a quality product – even the collectable packaging is trimmed with 0.0047 percent pure Latinum. You will be proud to give the Ferengi Lock Box to your friends and loved ones – in fact, we encourage it!

And when you open a Ferengi Lock Box, well, that's when the real excitement begins! Every box contains something extremely valuable. We've partnered with Sluga Military Technology to add top-quality hardware, imported gemstones from the Volnar Colony – even acquired the licenses for some very talented holograms, and some items never seen before outside of Ferenginar!

So start collecting Ferengi Lock Boxes tomorrow. And remember what we say at the Lobi Crystal Consortium: a deal's a deal, and all sales are final!

Starting tomorrow, Ferengi Lock Boxes will drop in-game in addition to your standard loot drops.

Open a Ferengi Lock Box to receive items ranging from a rare Ferengi ship to Lobi Crystals. The Ferengi Lock Box will contain one of the following tradable items:

• Ferengi D’Kora Marauder Class Starship. A separate Dev Blog will be posted tomorrow and will give more details on this ship!
• Cross-Faction Starship Console. Federation players will receive the Vent Theta Radiation Console (normally only available with the Scourge Destroyer) and Klingon Empire players will receive the Photonic Displacement Console(normally only available with the Rhode Island Refit).
• Ferengi Gambling Device that modifies probability for the user, giving the player a chance to gain a 10 percent boost to critical hit and critical severity as well as additional avoidance when used during away team missions. Potential users of this device should be aware that there’s always a chance you will not win!
• Ferengi Duty Officer Pack with 3 random Ferengi Duty Officers. These Ferengi have access to Traits and Specializations not previously available to their Species and are guaranteed to be Uncommon (green) quality or better. Opening this pack also grants you the opportunity to win one or more of four Ultra-Rare, Unique duty officers not available anywhere else!
• Large Commendation XP Boost which grants a 20 percent bonus to Commendation XP for up to 10,000 CXP before it is fully consumed.
• Commendation XP Boost which grants a 20 percent bonus to Commendation XP for up to 2,000 CXP before it is fully consumed.
• Skill Point Boost which grants a 20 percent bonus to Skill Points for up to 1,000 SP before it is fully consumed.
• Consumable Fighter Pets. Federation players will receive Peregrine Fighter Combat Pets, and Klingon Empire players will receive To'Duj Fighter Combat Pets. Each consumable will launch 3 fighters per charge that persist for up to 10 minutes (unless they are destroyed before that), and will come with 10 charges.
• Consumable Combat Pet. Federation players will receive a Combat Dilithium Horta and Klingon Empire players will receive a Combat Mugato Pet. Each of these consumable items will summon combat-ready pets for up to 60 seconds (unless they are killed before that), and will come with 10 charges.
• Holographic Combat Drone Pet modeled after the drones seen in use at Facility 4028. Each of these consumable items will summon a combat-ready pet for up to 60 seconds (unless they are killed before that), and will come with 10 charges.
• Holonovel Code Fragment. Using this item will prompt the player to start a new Duty Officer Assignment. The assignment will randomly reward one of 19 possible photonic duty officers themed to the assignment. All of these duty officers are Uncommon (green) or better quality.
• Random Rare or Very Rare Space Deflector or Ground Armor. The item awarded is at the appropriate level for the character that opens the box.
• Stack of double bonus consumables that improve two stats in combat, instead of just one. For example, a Shield and Auxiliary Battery. There are eight different consumables (four space and four ground) available.
• Lobi Crystals that will be accepted as currency at a vendor that sells new specialty items.

To increase the already amazing value of the Ferengi Lock Box, the Lobi Crystal Consortium (still a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quark Enterprises) will be opening an outpost on Drozana Station to accept Lobi Crystals in exchange for new, unique items not available anywhere else! This fully-stocked retail outlet will feature both functional and cosmetic items. Our first shipment of inventory includes items ranging from a Ferengi Shuttle Pod to non-combat pets, but we will be working with our suppliers to get regular updates of merchandise you won't want to miss!

Items currently available at the Lobi Crystal Consortium:

• Ferengi Shuttle Pod. A separate Dev Blog will be posted tomorrow and will give more details on this shuttle!
• Ferengi Themed Space Set Items. This three-piece set contains two new weapons and a new universal console, allowing the new set to be used with any existing set without losing any bonuses. Each item is purchased individually and can be equipped simultaneously to grant additional commerce-themed bonuses.
• Photonic Tactical Bridge Officer. The Federation version of this bridge officer uses a variant of the Photonic Guard uniform in Facility 4028, while the Klingon Empire version is a female officer with an equivalent uniform. Each Bridge Officer has a special Trait that passively summons a Photonic Combat Drone to aid them in ground combat.
• Ferengi Jackets. These stylish off-duty costume pieces have standard and extravagant styles for male and female Starfleet characters. And because Ferengi designers know that females should show a little skin, there are open-jacket variants available for female characters.
• Themed Skirts. Federation and Klingon Empire female characters will look exceptionally classy in these new skirts. The skirts are Ferengi-styled for Federation female officers and Klingon-themed for KDF female officers.
• Jewelry. Both Federation and Klingon female characters will be able to class up their appearance with several new jewelry options.
• Jackal Mastiff Puppies. There are several color variants of this adorable non-combat pet. Collect them all or trade with friends to get the whole set!
• Holographic Drone Companion. A non-combat holographic drone companion modeled after those seen in Facility 4028. Unlike the combat version of this pet, the non-combat version is not consumed on use.
• Peregrine/To'Duj Fighter Pet. A faction-appropriate non-combat fighter pet. Unlike the combat version of this pet, the non-combat version is not consumed on use.

All items that can be awarded by the Ferengi Lock Box can be traded or sold on the Exchange to other players. So if you get something you don’t want or need, trade it for Energy Credits or something you do want. Also, the boxes themselves can be traded or auctioned if you don’t want to open them. Most items in the Lobi Crystal Consortium Store are tradable, but the Lobi Crystals themselves cannot be traded or sold on the Exchange.

To open one of the Lock Boxes, a character will need an item called a Master Key. Master Keys can be purchased in the C-Store for 100 CP, or in a 10-pack for 900 CP. If you attempt to open a Lock Box without a Master Key, you will get a message explaining that you need one. If you have more than one Master Key, only one key will be consumed each time you open a Lock Box.

While playing, be on the lookout for special Gold Ferengi Lock Boxes! These boxes have significantly higher odds of rewarding the more desirable items, though they cannot be traded.

Make sure to take a look at our full FAQ tomorrow.

We are happy to announce a bonus ZEN and Cryptic Points promotion that will earn you an extra 15% on your purchase!

Between Friday, April 6 at 3:00 PM (PDT) and Sunday, April 8 at 11:55 PM (PDT), whenever you purchase ZEN or Cryptic Points, you will be credited with 15% additional ZEN or Cryptic Points!

Please note that this bonus sale does not combine with any other promotional coupons, and it is only available through the following payment options:

• PayPal
• Moneybookers
• ClickandBuy
• Google Checkout (*In US only. Not eligible for bonus 300 ZEN or CP on large purchases.)
• Steam

Remember, this sale ends on Monday! Carpe diem - seize your chance before it's gone!

First Contact Sale

First Contact Day Celebration

"Live long and prosper.” – Solkar

"Thanks.” – Zefram Cochrane

April 5th sees the celebration of First Contact Day – a day so important to the formation and identity of the Federation that it has its own movie! Zefram Cochrane’s legendary warp flight opened the door to communication between Humans and Vulcans, and that uneasy alliance eventually created the diplomatic ties that brought Andorians and Tellarites to the table as well. Not long thereafter, the United Federation of Planets was born, and in the succeeding centuries, hundreds of other spacefaring species joined the idealism of that organization.

Star Trek Online celebrates First Contact Day with a special event running from April 5th, 10 AM PST to April 9th, 10 AM PST. During this event, you’ll be able to visit one of the Advanced Starship Design Bureau research facilities at Utopia Planitia, in orbit over Mars. While there, have a chat with some of the bridge officers of the Enterprise-F, which is home for a bit of testing and system recalibration. After you meet the crew, pick up your own replica of the Phoenix, humanity’s first warp-capable ship, as a deployable non-combat space craft. Once the event ends, the Enterprise will be warping off to new missions, so make sure you visit before she leaves.

The new Utopia Planitia research facility is also joining our list of Foundry maps, so you’ll be able to include it in your user-created missions!

First Contact Day takes place in the Vulcan sector of the Sirius Sector Block, at the Sol system. Hail Commander Winters to accept the First Contact Day mission that will reward you with your Phoenix non-combat pet. First Contact Day is for Federation characters only – but KDF characters will be busy with their new mission, Alpha!

Alpha

Qapla', Warriors!

Great news from the House of Cryptic has arrived today. Starting this Thursday, April 5, Klingon warriors will have access to a new episode titled "Alpha.” This KDF-only mission has been designed for level-34 Captains and takes place in Romulan space in the Orith system.

Located in the Hyralan Sector of the Psi Velorum Sector Block, the Orith system is dominated by Orith Prime, a large hydrogen-helium gas giant with significant amounts of chlorine and sulfur in its atmosphere. In close orbit with Orith Prime is Orith II, a small M-Class planet covered in jungles and thick vegetation. Empire scientists say that the atmosphere on Orith II is not hazardous, although they speculate that the influence of the gas giant has led to unusual aberrations in the planet's ecosystem.

Intelligence reports indicate that Nausicaan pirates have taken up residence in clusters of asteroids drawn into orbit by Orith Prime's massive gravity well. Captains in the region are advised to use caution when exploring the region.

"Alpha” contains brand-new environments where adventure, encounters and challenges will be found around every corner – there are hidden areas to discover on the map, so take your time to explore thoroughly while on Orith II’s surface.

This new episode also features voiceover and new rewards. Players who complete "Alpha" will be able to choose one of the following rewards:

• Hirogen Tetryon Blast Rifle: A ground weapon with a fairly fast and strong bolt for its primary fire, but its secondary power is a small-radius explosion.
• Klingon Intelligence Stealth Utility Armor: A set of physical enhancement utility armor that provides a bonus to all stealth and perception powers. Equip it to enhance your personal cloak or Shroud or to increase your ability to see enemies using stealth technology.

Also, Alpha features variations on how the story unfolds, but there is no right or wrong answer – the choices you make during the episode will allow you to play your KDF character as a ruthless pragmatist or an honorable warrior.

Today is a good day to die, warriors! Glory to the Empire!

We’ll see you in-game this Thursday for the release of "Alpha.”

[Hailing frequencies open]

Greetings Klingon warriors!

This is your week for glorious battle! New Allies! New Adventures! 

"Klingon Awareness Week" was launched last year by STO player Powerhelm. The event was a remarkable success, with volunteers championing events -- and players helping other players (and battling one another in relentless PvP and PvE actions, too!)

With that same desire to draw attention again to the Klingon faction, "Klingon Awareness Week #2" (KAW #2) was announced.

Whether you are new to Klingon play within STO, or a hardened veteran of glorious battles, you are going to be surrounded by member of the most glorious faction! The Klingon Faction!

Play* as one (or more) of these races:

• Klingon
• Gorn
• Joined Trill (Past C-Store purchase)
• Lethean
• Liberated Borg Klingon (Lifetime subscribers only)
• Nausicaan
• Orion
• Alien (Create your own Species!)

KLINGON AWARENESS WEEK #2 (KAW #2)

April 1-7, 2012
A STO Community Event, BY the Fans, FOR the Fans!

Learn more about this event via these Star Trek Online Forum links:
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=259710
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=263679