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Star Trek Online ships veteran rewards to Romulans
Star Trek Online's veteran reward program is expanding to compensate for the influx of Romulans into the mix. Starting today, Cryptic Studios has added several new Romulan-themed rewards for players who have subscribed for a good amount of time. The rewards start at 200 days and go up to 1,000 days. At the lower end are snappy uniforms and a zippy little small craft, while the senior veterans are looking at an exclusive material option to change the skin of their ship. At the top of the reward tier is the powerful Daeinos-class heavy warbird. This ship comes with the option to switch between regenerative and tactical modes, offering a flexible approach to battles. The Romulan veteran rewards will roll out on July 25th, and lifetime subscribers will receive all of them regardless of the date on which they purchased the pass.
One Shots: March beneath the raptor's wings
Man, it's downright shadowy underneath the raptor's wings! Reader Draxos is kicking off our player screenshot exhibition this week with an interestingly lit picture from Star Trek Online's new expansion. "This picture is of my new Romulan character inside a Romulan space station that was having a few ... issues," Draxos wrote in. "When the lights suddenly go out in a space station, you become thankful for the brightness outside the window because then at least there is some chance of seeing what may now be lurking within the darkness. Although you could say that my Reman crew members are the true ones to be fearful of in the dark." Couldn't you use the Borg's head as a flashlight? That's what I would do. Join us for more shadowy flights into dangerous worlds of characters who do not exist in today's One Shots!
Captain's Log: STO's Legacy of Romulus launches
Last week Star Trek Online's much anticipated expansion, the Legacy of Romulus, went live after months of veritable hype. The launch was not without its problems, and some of those problems are still being ironed out. In spite of all the server issues, I finally got to jump into the game and begin my first Romulan character and take my Vice Admiral character to the new adventure zone on Nimbus III to take a look around. Take a leap past the jump to see what's new in the Star Trek Online universe.
Star Trek Online Legacy of Romulus launch-day roundup
With today's launch of Star Trek Online's first expansion, Legacy of Romulus, players can boldly go where no one has gone before. (Not to mention it gives us a reason to use that iconic phrase!) From new species and ships to more Klingon content, this next chapter in the STO saga expands the universe for players to explore. Want to captain a new ship as a Romulan or a Reman? Can do. How about adventure in a new zone? Yup. Or maybe just revel in the bounty of new rewards? Go for it. If, however, you're stuck in spacedock and unable to head out yet, you can check out the changes awaiting you in the guides, videos, news briefs, and galleries below.
It's a ship in a box in Star Trek Online
Just because you're playing a Romulan in Star Trek Online's first expansion doesn't mean every other Romulan is your friend. Empress Sela's Tal Shiar are a huge threat not just to the nascent Romulan Republic but to all sentient life throughout the galaxy, epitomized with their insectoid ships that fuse Romulan, Borg, and Elachi technology together. Needless to say, these ships are never good to see on the horizon. Unless you happen to open one in a lockbox, anyhow. Yes, the newest lockbox in the game will give players a chance to earn the strange ships of the Tal Shiar, giving all captains a chance to fly some of the strangest ships yet seen in the game. The ships perform similarly to Romulan crafts with their built-in cloaks, but they exchange some of the active Romulan cloaking power for tactical weapons like Shrapnel Torpedoes. For more details on what awaits in the upcoming lockboxes, take a look at the full rundown of potential prizes.
Star Trek Online fulfills its promise to Klingon players
Klingon Defense Force players who have been crying out for years for a significant update to their unfinished faction will have their prayers answered when Star Trek Online's Legacy of Romulus expansion releases next week. Cryptic posted a blog telling these gamers that they have not been forgotten but will be vindicated with a complete experience from level 1 to 50. "It was always promised that if Star Trek Online was ever going to add a third faction, we would make sure that Klingons would get expanded content first (or at the same time). With Legacy of Romulus adding Romulans as a playable faction, it was a matter of honor that the Klingons get their own content from level 1 to 50," Cryptic wrote. The devs give slight spoilers to the new, reworked, and revised content that Klingons will be experiencing, such as how players will get their first starship and what iconic locations they'll be visiting (hint: a certain prison planet from Star Trek VI will come into play). The studio is also adding a pair of new KDF ships to the store when the expansion hits.
Combine your consoles and get new ships in Star Trek Online's expansion
If you've already purchased the very expensive Legacy Pack for Star Trek Online's first expansion, there's good news to be had -- you just got more for your $125 investment. For one thing, you've got access to a new ship, the Haakona Advanced Warbird, an assault craft capable of separating into two units for maximum versatility. For another, you've got a set of uniforms based off of the Romulan outfits from the original series, if you want to really hit that "legacy" button as hard as you can. Whether or not this entices you to drop some additional money, the latest development blog on the official site details the bonuses for slotting Romulan refit consoles together in Legacy of Romulus. These include buffs to turn rate, energy weapons, and defensive systems based on speed. The net result is that owners of both refit and retrofit versions of these vessels can access a new playstyle for the class, a new trick to surprise opponents of the Romulans. Which is apropos. %Gallery-28615%
Making friends and recruiting officers in Star Trek Online's expansion
When Star Trek Online rolls out its Legacy of Romulus expansion on May 21st, you'll be playing a Romulan (or Reman) captain on a Romulan ship. But you will be allying with either the Klingons or the Federation, and so you might worry that you'll be surrounded by distinctly non-Romulan officers. Never fear, as the latest development blog makes it very clear that Romulan characters will be able to access a unique pool of Duty Officers and Bridge Officers unavailable to the other factions. While Klingon or Federation characters may occasionally earn a Reman or Romulan Duty Officer, these are rare recruits that can only be obtained after exceptional effort. Actual Romulans will be able to recruit new officers of these races with unique traits simply by visiting New Romulus. They will also have access to recruitment from their allied factions, ensuring that the ship may have a mix of races while still remaining Romulan at its core.
Star Trek Online goes behind the scenes with Denise Crosby
When Star Trek Online launches its first expansion, Legacy of Romulus, players will find themselves facing off against the formidable Empress Sela right from the start. The return of Sela also marks the return of veteran actress Denise Crosby to the game, and the community team behind STO had a chance to speak with Crosby about returning to the franchise and to the same characters she portrayed years ago on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Crosby mentions that while she enjoyed the chance to reprise the role of Tasha Yar (a character she jokingly says simply refuses to die), revisiting Sela is a chance to dive deeper into a character who was not fully realized during her first appearances. Sela's life is the Empire, and she feels that any means necessary to restore the power and prestige of her people is more than justified. Click past the break to see the full video and learn a little bit more about the face of the Romulan Empire in the expansion.
Star Trek Online outlines the fine details of Romulan ship progression
The Romulan faction in Star Trek Online's upcoming expansion does not play like mirrors of the Federation or the Klingons. The race's ships are less diverse in some ways, but its cloaking devices that allow for stealth even in combat make it clear that this is a race about subtle manipulation and careful subterfuge. A new development blog outlines the fine points of ship progression including refit ships, retrofit ships, and small craft for the faction. In addition to the cloaking devices, all Romulan ships feature a powerful Singularity Core that allows access to a different tier of special abilities for each ship. As with other factions, refits and retrofits of lower-tier ships can be purchased from the game's cash shop, complete with new customizable skins and new consoles for these variants. Players interested in seeing the full details should take a look at the development blog and get ready to remind the galaxy why the phrase "warbird decloaking" is never a sign things are going well.
New reputation in Star Trek Online takes the fight to the Tholians
Nukara Prime is not a pleasant place in Star Trek Online. It's covered in Tholians, for starters, and it's got all of the charming amenities of a warzone. Then it gets even worse when you realize it's a Class Y or "Demon" planet, and you don't get a nickname like "Demon" for being ideal beachfront property. So naturally players will be expected to head there when Legacy of Romulus launches in May, and they'll have plenty of extra incentive with the new Nukara Strikeforce reputation. The new reputation will work much like other reputations in the game, giving players a variety of new ground and space item sets to earn in exchange for Nukara Marks. Players can also look forward to existing endgame activities involving Tholians to start giving out Nukara Marks, and they'll have the opportunity to exchange old rewards for large piles of marks as well. So your bridge crew probably won't be happy that shore leave is on Nukara Prime, but your captain will have plenty of new rewards to pick up.
Star Trek Online offers a crash course on Empress Sela
If you plan on playing Star Trek Online, you're going to have to deal with Empress Sela no matter your faction of choice. She is the head and the will of the Romulan Star Empire, mastermind of secret alliances and conspiracies aimed at keeping the Romulans as unapproachable and dangerous as they were before the death of their homeworld. But who is she? If you're not up to date on all the details, the latest lore entry from the official site brings you up to speed on the origins of the Empress and her motivations. The daughter of a Romulan admiral and a time-traveling Enterprise crew member from an alternate reality, Sela tried many times to take power, only to end up in exile before the nova that destroyed Romulus. Undaunted, the loss of her homeworld gave Sela a new means to seize control, ultimately rising to be the new Empress and a staunch enemy of the Romulan Republic. Get the full rundown in the official entry and start getting ready, because all factions -- Klingon, Federation, and Romulan Republic -- will have to deal with her before long.
Star Trek Online sets the stage for Romulan expansion
A little confused as to how the Romulans fit into Star Trek Online now that their homeworlds have gone kablooey? Cryptic Lead Content Designer Scott Shicoff wrote a new dev blog to explain the setup for this May's Legacy of Romulus and how players fit into the scheme of things. According to Shicoff, following the supernova that destoyed the Romulan homeworlds, the population split into three factions. The Tal Shiar is a dangerous sect led by Empress Sela that has no problems aligning itself with bad seeds. The Romulan Republic is a more peaceful group that seeks reunification and the end of xenophobia. And the final are survivors -- the players -- who are scattered everywhere and have yet to align with either of the two other factions. Read up on the three factions over at Star Trek Online!
Star Trek Online's Romulan expansion prompts special Ask Cryptic
Do you have a burning question about Star Trek Online: Legacy of Romulus? Get in line behind pretty much every single STO player, pal. But while your specific query may not reach the ears of top admirals, Executive Producer Daniel Stahl created a special edition of Ask Cryptic devoted to answering the most common questions out there. So what's included with the Romulan faction? Stahl says that there are three races (one free, one unlockable or purchasable, and one for subscribers only), adding, "The Romulan Republic was created from the ground up as a complete new faction. They have their own backstory, their own exclusive missions and episode series, exclusive costumes, faction-exclusive social hub, unique playable species, a full ship progression line from level 1 to 50, unique HUD UI, and more." While Romulans will be an independent faction, Stahl explained that these captains will choose to ally with either the Federation or Klingons for the purposes of storylines, PvP, and starbases.
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's Romulan legacy
I don't think many Star Trek Online players really believed it was possible. To be honest, I'm not sure many of us yet believe, but late last week the powers that be over at Cryptic Studios and Perfect World Entertainment let the countdown clock on the teaser page expire to reveal the first ever expansion that Star Trek Online has seen. The Legacy of Romulus is scheduled to be released on May 21st, 2013 and contains what appears to be a mountain of new content. Best of all, the new expansion is absolutely free to all players. Let's get to the overview, shall we?
Captain's Log: Our Star Trek Online year in review plus a look ahead
As I took the time to really go over the past 12 months in Star Trek Online, I began to realize just how much the game had changed between this time last year and now. While some people will never be pleased, I can't say I'm one of those people. I'm utterly delighted by most of the changes in the game and am looking forward to the expansion of the reputation system into 2013. With that said, however, there are improvements that Star Trek Online still needs if it wants to quell some of the harshest (and sometimes deserved) critiques. Join me as I finish up my year in review and then touch on some of Executive Producer Daniel Stahl's answers to player questions in this month's Ask Cryptic post.
A sightseeing tour of the Imperious Task Force in CoX
When City of Heroes Issue 12: Midnight Hour came out, it brought with it a new co-operative Task Force that many players thought was the best yet. Its popularity hasn't waned at all; there are still groups running it at all hours of the day. We were pretty impressed, too. So we've visited Cimerora, signed up for the Task Force, and documented the result. A word of warning first, though. This gallery is heavy on the spoilers. Most Task Forces don't contain twists or surprises: this one does. The Imperious TF contains one jaw-dropping reveal in particular, and we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for anyone planning to run the Task Force themselves. If you're not planning to do so any time soon, or you aren't a CoX player, or you don't care about spoilers, then by all means continue! Get thee unto Cimerora >> %Gallery-30665%
Unlockable Nictus Sword sneaks into CoX
'Forged a million years ago, black blade!' sang Blue Oyster Cult far too many years ago. They were, of course, rocking out over Elric of Melnibone's famous soul-drinking weapon, Stormbringer. Since the patch of June 17th, something not all that dissimilar to the moaning sword has now turned up in City of Heroes as a new broadsword option, without any announcement in the patch notes.The Nictus Sword, as you can clearly see, manages to be both dark and shiny. A Nictus, for those who have yet to encounter them, is a form of evil Kheldian, a disembodied quasi-vampiric energy being.
