As for the other things, STO Mastery contains the following:

• Ship guide
• Professions guide
• Missions / Leveling guide
• Skills & abilities guide
• Bridge Officers guide
• Equipment guide

… and more. The content mentioned is just the most interesting part, but there is plenty of more info about kits, combat strategies, accolades and many other subjects. In short, as far as all-in-one strategy guides go Star Trek Online Mastery is the best guide out there, and considering the competition it’s the most detailed Star Trek guide and a bargain.

I highly recommend you to get STO Mastery today as it will definitely help you understand much of the game.

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.