In STO there are several ranks:

• Ensign (only during the tutorial)
• Lieutenant
• Lieutenant Commander
• Commander
• Captain
• Admiral

Each of these ranks also has ten so-called sub-ranks. You must attain all these sub-ranks to achieve the main ranks, which roughly means there are 50 levels in STO.

By doing missions (and some other ways like PvP) you gain skill points and based on how many you have you gain levels/ranks, so there’s no experience points either. Skill points can also be gained by doing Genesis missions (random exploration mission) as well as a number of PvE diplomacy missions.

You should use skill points for new skills and skill ranks as soon as you get them, as they improve your ground and space combat performance greatly for both you and your bridge officers.

There’s a lot of different questions and confusion lately about how leveling works in Star Trek Online so hopefully this post will clarify a few things for you. If you’re looking for a leveling guide, click here.

You can activate your beta key here, and proceed to download the game client from various sources — torrent included. Don’t forget to check system requirements for STO before you buy the game so there aren’t any surprises.

Customers who pre-purchase the game will also have access to headstart after the open beta ends, meaning you will be able to play the game four days before the official launch on February 2nd.

• Map of the universe
• Star Trek Online T-shirt
• 5 art postcards
• Collectors box
• Code for in-game DS9 uniform

In a recent news item posted on the official site which for the most part talks about Klingon gameplay, there’s a list of different available PvP scenarios players can engage in:

• Challenges allow two teams to square off in a private instance created for them on-the-fly.
• Arena maps are team-vs.-team matchups in instances, played either by teams that challenge one another, or by randomly-assigned teams created via a global queue system.
• Scenarios feature objective-oriented gameplay like Assault and Area Control. The Assault scenario is straightforward: Move forces from your area to the opponents’, inflicting more casualties than you suffer. The Area Control scenario is more subtle: Capture key objectives and hold them longer than your opponents to win the day.
• War Zone maps are static maps that are always open for players to join. Both factions may enter this may enter this map, which has Open Mission-style PvE objectives to achieve, with the twist that members of opposing factions can hinder each other’s progress via PvP.

Despite my initial thoughts that Klingons will be played the same as Federation, it appears Cryptic has other things in mind. You can read the full article here, but if you’re too lazy here’s a short summary:

• You won’t be able to create a Klingon character right away: you can unlock them after you’re finished with the first sector of Federation content, which takes about five hours of gameplay. The Klingon character will however start at the same rank as the Fed character with which you unlocked
• Klingons won’t have they access to as much PvE content as Federation and will have to advance through PvP
• You can have the same skills and professions as with federation characters
• Klingons have different ships, and gain them in a slightly different way. Their ships are typically more maneuverable than Federation ships and have more forward-facing weapons. And of course, most of Klingon ships look way better
• The last fact for today, Klingon bridge officers are not restricted by class which means you can put a Science officer at a Tactical station without any drawbacks

The release date is drawing closer and closer (Feb 2) and there was a lot of various news regarding Star Trek Online in the last few days. There’s bound to be a lot more in the days ahead so don’t forget to subscribe via email or RSS to receive new updates!

Pre-Order Bonuses (Retailer-Dependant)
GameStop customers receive the ability to command the exclusive and always classic USS Enterprise from Star Trek The Original Series.

Best Buy is offering their customers a fun in-game pet.  As a Federation Captain, players own a famed Tribble of Star Trek lore that will accompany them on their travels into the final frontier.  As a Klingon commander, players control the boar-like Targ, a beast found on the Klingon home world of Qo’noS.

Amazon is offering an exclusive “Liberated Borg” Bridge Officer. This bridge officer, who comes with unique nanotechnology augmentations, assists in missions and gains experience as the player does.

With the Wal-Mart Bonus Skill Points package, receive addition skill points that enable players to improve their characters quickly.

Target customers who pre-order Star Trek Online receive a unique ground weapon – a TR-116.  This rare projectile weapon is used in dampening fields and other challenging environments; it is also modified with a micro-transporter which beams the fired projectiles to targets at close range so that a user can fire without a direct line of site.

Direct2Drive customers receive an exclusive Multi-Spatial Personal Shield. This advanced personal shield system is based on Borg technology, which constantly regenerates itself and the health of its wearer.

STEAM is offering customers Chromodynamic Armor.  This armor is based on technology brought back from the Delta Quadrant by U.S.S. Voyager improves the damage and critical hits of energy weapons.

System Requirements

• OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz or AMD Athlon X2 3800+
• Memory: 1GB RAM
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 / ATI Radeon X1800 / Intel HD Graphics
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
• DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher
• HDD: 8GB Free Disk Space
• Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required
• Disc: 6X DVD-ROM

Recommended System Configuration:

• OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
• CPU: Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2 5600+
• Memory: 2GB RAM+
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3850+
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
• DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher
• HDD: 8GB Free Disk Space
• Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required
• Disc: 6X DVD-ROM

Ranks will be gained by completing missions and and finishing episodes which in turn provide you with skill points. Here’s a list of ranks:

• Ensign (this is the rank you play in the Tutorial – you are rapidly promoted within the first couple hours of gameplay)
• Lieutenant
• Lieutenant Commander
• Commander
• Captain
• Admiral

The skills available early in the game provide blanket bonuses to items and abilities you use, while more refined skills will provide more specific bonuses to items and abilities. If you want to advance a rank, you will have to spend a certain number of skills for the promotion. There’s also several other ways to further customize your character such as Kits, Bridge officers, space skills etc. You can find out a bit more about player progression here.

Overall, in Star Trek Online there’s plenty of ways to advance your character and it’s crucial to plan your progression as soon as you start the game. That’s why guides are an important and often much-needed asset to every player and I recommend buying one. You will learn about the game more than you think and it will help you progress through the ranks a lot faster.

The game’s story is set after the events seen in TV series, but that doesn’t mean there’s no action or excitement. There’s always new discoveries to be made in the universe, and Star Trek Online will now enable you to immerse into the story like never before.

Players can choose to be either a Federation starship captain or a bloodthirsty Klingon warrior. There is no right or wrong choice, both offer rewarding gameplay and have their own unique way of doing things. In STO, everyone’s a captain of their own vessel and can explore the galaxy, find new life forms and go where no player has gone before (well, almost).

The best part of Star Trek is that you can completely customize your ship as you see fit, not only technical capabilities but also the looks, which will make almost every ship unique.

There are many unique features in STO, as well as other fun elements found in other MMO games which will undoubtedly make this one of the best games released in the last few years.