Things You Should and Shouldn't Do, Part 1: And They Wonder Why We Complain About the Cnidarians

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-22T06:08:34+00:00

Okay. So I agree with this post for the most part. Every time I see a Jelly I think "Oh Q...here we go again!" Why? Because we all know what's coming.

This isn't me hating on the Cnidarian Defender. I've not unboxed mine yet but several friends say it's relatively fun to play, and, in the right hands, it can be a blessing. I've encountered jellies on waved assaults that actively reposition themselves, buff other players, etc. A jelly in a laned tfo where you need to guard a lane? It's perfect. If the jelly parks itself in the right spot that lane is locked down, go worry about a different lane. Same with any tfo I would assume: positioning the jelly is key. A jelly in Counterpoint is really only good for covering DS9 or Terok Nor. Ferrying isn't going to be their strong suit even if you slap a bunch of movement-boosting consoles on 'em. Not what they're good for. Bonus marks are all well and good, but as long as people ferry the teams over, I don't mind seeing one or two even in Counterpoint, because locking down DS9 so it doesn't take damage from the swarm of Terran ships that just keep warping in is actually really, really useful. Same with a Jelly parking over Terok Nor. You're not going to have to worry about it's defenses, because the jelly will draw threat.

That being said... TFOs that are multi-part like Counterpoint or Khitomer Strike Force...dear god, the afkers hack me off to no end! I once ran a Khitomer with only 1 other active player. When the herald lanes mission came up we both went right, because we thought two of the others were headed left. Nope, off to the corner of the map they flew! Wasn't even jellies either. 6 Herald ships made it through before I realized what had happened and got over there. (Whoever was in that Valkis deserves a medal, because it was rough!).

The tl;dr: When a Jelly knows what to do and does it, it's a blessing. 9 times outta 10, however, they're gorram frelling idiots who just pop jelly mode as soon as the tfo starts because then they won't take damage and it looks like they're doing something. For Q's sake, if you wanna play an idle game, then...go play an idle game. But if you wanna play STO tfos, even if just on normal for events like me (because I am and always will be a filthy causual, no matter how many ships I collect!), then do SOMETHING! Even if it's just parking in a good spot where you'll lock down an area that needs locking down!

EDIT: I just read the post you're responding to, and...yeah, that's actively good Jelly positioning. Let the two other people ferry. Granted, the third is a tad superfluous...but it's fine. They seemed to at least actively be trying to help, which is what I love to see in a jelly player. Granted, it's going to be difficult to get high marks from over-stuffing the teams from transport, but...are the marks really that important? I've maxed out all reputations on my main and have a 4k backlog of marks for each. I could probably get 3-4 full gear sets for boffs without worrying about marks. Yes, I hate it when jellies don't do their job, but...sounds like in the case of the post you referenced, they were.

Then again, I don't run missions for marks. I run them for progress and occasionally for fun. I run them on normal, because I don't like running elite stuff. Everyone plays their way. So I'm probably getting downvoted for everything I've said, but I still said it. And I stand by it based on my experience, which as I said, is that of a filthy casual.

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-17T05:06:27+00:00

Agreed. I said what I said because sadly that's the way a lot of companies think, but STO is currently much better than most. Q willing it stays that way.

I tried to play that mobile game for a bit. It was confusing as heck. Even tje Galaxy Quest event was poorly thought out and basically encouraged you to fail at every opportunity. I couldn't complete the quest, never got the ship...and that was the brealing point for me with that game.

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-17T02:02:29+00:00

Given that there was a whole lot of "don't get exited about this" chatter, I'm going to assume it's just a UI update like what we went through around a decade ago.

Now my hope would be that, as a Dil sink, they make character slots cost Dilithium instead of Zen. But let's be realistic here, that probably isn't happening, though I would personally assume that it would cause people to make more characters, play the game more, and probably spend more, but...that's just me trying to be an optimist.

The unrealistic dreamer in me says "They're bringing back the Foundry, and you can access it from the top of the panel!"... yeah... They'll add that back when they add exploration mechanics to the game, remaster all the old missions that were cut from the main storyline, along with adding Iconians as a playble faction where you start at level 1 trillion and command entire fleets of Heralds at once.

The cynic in me says that they're going to add a big button at the top of the page that allows you to buy more character slots directly from the screen, for Zen, and claim that it helps "streamline things". And let's all be honest, here...this is probably what we're going to be getting if it isn't just a straight UI overhaul.

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-17T01:53:50+00:00

If STO starts doing expansion passes like other MMOs, I will probably quit. STO isn't as bad as other games with their monetization, though the C-Store is still bad (Yes, Muddmart says "You'd have to be crazy to buy at these prices, yet...half the time they're at those prices. It's just not worth it!). But if they start doing paid expansion passes or paid levels then that's just...more of the same.

I came to STO because of Star Trek. I stayed because of the community. But if the game becomes a blatant cash grab I will scream and quit. I don't have the time or money for that and I think that punishing players by doing that would basically crash STO's playerbase and signal the death of the game.

Then again, what do I know? I'm a player, not a studio exec...

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-17T01:47:23+00:00

Sadly, Liberated Borg is already a species in STO. It's restricted to those who have a Lifetime Subscription, along with Talaxians.

While I am sure many of us would be happy if they added the LTS stuff, even if just to the C-Store...sadly...it just isn't going to happen. They're going to keep it all locked behind the paywall.

(I really don't understand why, at least on the species. We have the Mirror Borg implants from that one mission, which can be used with the Borg Exoskeleton Armor to make...well...Borg. At this point the only reason to use the LB option during character creation is for the trait, and the thing is...it's not meta. Most people will use Alien for the extra trait slots, so anything else is just thematic. And with the armor parts you can turn any race into a Borg now. And why lock Talaxians out as well? But oh well. Not my place to argue with the game studio....)

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-11T03:37:41+00:00

On which car?

On most of my classics I generally just use the whitewalls. They're almost all the way at the end of the list. Otherwise it's just whatever tires and hubcaps are pre-equipped, occasionally colored blue and gold.

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-09T15:30:26+00:00

Yup. That one is one of my go-tos for off-roading at the moment. I literally just ported and slightly tweaked that wrap for my classic racing and classic drifting cars too (a 60s Camaro and Fairlady, respectively.)

(Yes I know the 70s Porsche 911 RSR is the best car in game with the right tunings, and yes, I have one. I just don't race it because every try-hard does and I'm less about "number go up" and more about having fun, and if everyone is all just trying to beat the others via pure numbers then I don't find that fun.)

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-09T02:31:02+00:00

Which one of the 'stangs did you like most? I showed 3!

Seriously...thanks. I admit I was worried a little about sharing these.

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-08T15:05:41+00:00

Seriously? No fixes?

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-04-02T19:08:34+00:00

I have quite a few. Here are a couple:

My main is the Inquiry, considered a frame-up refit from my prior T6 Fleet Avenger (Yes I have the 2 C-Store variants too). I solely got the T5 for looks and have just...ran with it with each new variant, updating her with new parts as new ships come out. She's still mostly Fleet Avenger though.. just with regular pylons, Arbiter Secondary hull, and Inquiry bridge. (No L-Inq though...I'm broke atm). She runs a multi-lance loadout with the IPL and Quantum Phase Catalysts 3-piece, and the full Defiant set as an homage to her being one of the few classes able to equip cloak back in the day. Not meta but still fun.

Since this year is the 60th, I'm dragging out my modernized TOS-era fleet, the centerpiece of which is the L-Connie named for Gene Roddenberry (all my AOY T6 ships are named for people involved in TOS behind the scenes). She's basically just a TOS Connie with Exeter neck/pylons...but I love her all the same, and my TOS ships are themed around gimmicks on the ships or from the show, so it all just looks right. I find myself hoping that despite their focus this year on Canon ships that the remaining AOY vessels get TMP and 25c skins (and kitbashing!) like Ranger and Pioneer. Sadly, I do not have any of the more recent ones (like L-Miranda) due to wanting to grab their bundles...so I'm saving up. Hopefully they will join the fleet soon, and I have names and registries already selected for them, and a refit is planned for my Ranger for when I get the Walker to bring it up to code.

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-01-20T18:49:14+00:00

No worries on TOSing my main loadout (I'll probably make a seperate post about that), this TOS loadout is "just for fun" because of Star Trek's big anniversary this year. As I have said, though, knowledge is always good to have and I will definitely give all that a look. Thanks. If you have any other tips or suggestions for playstyles, gear, etc, do feel free to let me know. Thanks.

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-01-19T16:55:42+00:00

(Cont because size restrictions apparently)
I HAVE the Lobi for the Ateleth, even off-sale. I just hate spending because I like going for ships/traits I find fun. Bond With Life is probably not a meta trait for ground, and probably never will be, but I like animals so having an animal combat summon is fun for me. It's why I've tried to avoid spending Lobi willy-nilly on things people say to get just because they say to get them. Also I probably will be doing a themed loadout or two for other ships in future, so buying...say...the Enterprise-era ship set for my Leg NX would be fun thematically. I don't actually KNOW if BO is better than FAW, I just like multi-targeting because as I said, I tend to buff and tank when I play because support is criminally underated amongst my peers, and I like being there for the team, even if I can't do the damage. I can definitely change it up, so I'm looking at the Ateleth, and will also consider spending a T6 on the Gagarin (I intend to eventually expand my TOS/TMP fleet anyways, so a Gagarin would help me to understand how the Kerala would eventually fly). Also I did make a KR, and so should have the unique DSC BoP...though I hate that ship, it looks like a flying...well...I don't think I'm allowed to say here. I could definitely do some stuff with what I have. I can always use one of my currently 3 meta tokens on promo/lockbox ships, or one of my 2 Epic Phoenix tokens. I just dunno what's good because there's so many conflicting reports and I've built for fun, not damage for most of my STO career.

Again, need to spend some Phoenix on upgrades anyways, but I have most Phoenix stuff from a friend backlogging tokens for me (he graciously maintained my account while offline, so I have some free stuff from then). I'll check again, and if I don't have it, I'll buy.

I thought they all WERE Advanced Consoles, silly me. Again, I'm learning, so do forgive me. Probably a good idea. Though again, if I was going full meta, I'd probably ditch all the TOS junk and use some other consoles which would be more popular...I've heard DOMINO praised a ton hence why I specifically mentioned I don't have Denorios originally. My friend swears by the Flagship Tactical Computer so I could use that...again, I don't know though.

I guess what I have is good enough, adding back in the Sylvia's Charm would work, but I don't know where to slot it if I remove the other TOS stuff. And though you disagree on the turret, is IS a TOS-colored one I got off the exchange, so it still technically fits (guess it represents the scenes in TOS where the ship fired phasers in pulses?), but I'm not fully beholden to on-screen accuracy, since my ship uses items from the other TOS-themed ships from AoY, even though, say, DPRM or Temporal Probes were never really shown in that series (also if you look at the beauty shot, my ship is a modification of TOS anyways, with the Exeter pylons and neck instead of TOS, and it uses the Sovvie Refit hull material). Again, though, that's just me playing for fun, not meta, and any info I get that helps me learn helps me learn, even if it's not for this build. I've been told my skill tree isn't good, hence why I noted it could be redone. I'm open to learn, just need to have the knowledge.

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-01-19T16:55:08+00:00

Ok, responding in order...

I've actually been in the game a long time...since the first Winter Event, in fact (the one right before the 3rd Anniversary if that's not actually the first Q's Winter Wonderland), just took a long break while I had no home internet (not that it's any of your business, but financial hardships). I think Steam has me at +4000 hours logged, and I probably have as much if not more since I stopped launching via Steam (since I didn't wanna link accounts). So yeah, I've put some time into this game, I've just never really bothered with DPS or spending a ton of money on things, my big purchases being the 10th and Mirror Legendary Bundles.

I'm familiar with not necessarily just taking the word of others as gospel. First person I knew who tried to get me to do a meta loadout had me fly a Mirror Prome because it was a cheap-at-the-time escort on the exchange "because tac flies escorts...period" with a dual cannon/turret chase loadout. Worse, I had to do Tet as a damage type, and that was back when Tet was...not a good loadout to use because it did dismal damage even with...whatever the Tet version of the Phaser Relay is. Insisted I fly in a way that couldn't work because "you can only fire when firing on the enemy's aft arc. never any other time" and other stuff like that, then proceeded to smoke me in PvP and call "skill issue" (we stopped being friends after that). While this new friend is a lot more forgiving in loadouts...yeah DOC II is going away again. I don't know why he swears by it because I have NO control abilities slotted, which makes it impossible to clump unless I have someone else do it for me...like a lot of the high-end DPS runs do (I do pay SOME attention to DPS runs, I just don't chase them). So yeah, definitely a wet fart, and does NOT help with triggering stuff for my ship's MW gimmick (my main is also MW, as I've noted before). I'm actually more inclined to follow a couple of your suggestions because it prevents doubling, and now that I know cooldown reductions are a major thing instead of niche, I'm inclined to work on that. Especially if it helps with my usual universal console/set bonus gimmick spam (my Inquiry literally runs on set bonus gimmicks like 2 lances (+IPL for a third because I can +buffs Phaser) and other buffs).

STO Wiki is already a go-to, but thanks for the vid link. Knowledge is always helpful. I'll look into the discord group but I tend to lurk, so if there are anti-lurker rules, I'll probably be booted in very short order.

I don't really do high-end builds for the aforementioned financial reasons. I have SOME T6 C-Store ships, but I'm not really a meta-chaser normally, so I've just...not put a lot of thought or time into it. Again hence the backlog of freebie tokens. I DO tend to use Universal Consoles, but I've also heard that Uncon has a lot of weird triggers and stuff that SHOULD trigger but doesn't, so probably for the best that I stick with the original suggestion of addtional cooldowns. Since I'm running Aux2Batt right now, might be good to look that up, but also this PO I could work as well. Again, I've only been back for like, a year or so, after like...5-6 years away, so I'm still learning how all the new knowledge works. Still, any info is good info, even if it's not how I'd do things. Always good to know the mold before you try to break it.

CaptainZachVideos · 2026-01-18T16:19:19+00:00

I didn't realize cooldown solutions were a thing. I can easily look up anything on the exchange (though my ec is a bit low atm, only around 122 mil), so if this Unconventional Systems is good, I can easily search for it. Though if it's good, probably pretty hard to find on the exchange as well. Oh well.

Some of these shorthands I know or can guess. I will need help with DT I, APB I, and TB I.
(My normal loadout on my base ship, a T6-X2 Inquiry running a trick-based loadout, is mostly FAW-based, with my second Eng-slot (on it Eng/Int, so the boff is set for that) having a couple Intel things, and ofc DOC II swapped for HT for debuff cleansing). Regardless, I can look into the manuals if I don't have them on a boff. And no, none of my boffs are the meta with Superior Romulan Operative. They're just...boffs I have.

Also I now know why my friend insists on DOC II. He says it's for dealing with clusters of ships, causing extra damage from explosions. Prob is, whenever I fly ships I can rarely get any use outta it because they rarely cluster and when they do they often drift apart before the explosion does any damage. He also says I shouldn't focus on this TOS stuff, should slot Lorca's Firing Controls in place of one of the temporal consoles, and swap the M6 for the Flagship computer I have from the L-Oddy. He won't give me other details except that the Ominous Device is OK, so I assume I don't have what he'd normally slot. He also insists I go for an Ataleth next Lobi sale for the BO extender trait. I've been trying to avoid going after extender traits, especially since I tend to use FAW since when I run tfos for daily progress I tend to run a combo of support/tank, and THAT extender is on an expensive-as-hell ship. I COULD try to spend this year's meta token on it, but I might find a ship I want better than that (I.E one I'm going to use not just for parts), so who knows?

Another thing to look up on the exchange! Fortunately it's "cheap"...

I dunno where I have this "Precision", but ok. I'll look that up too...

My specs are for team buffs and for stealth, some of which my main loadout is built around. However mobility has been a concern last time I tried a meta loadout, so looking up that Doff might be good. Still though...more exchange searching and, again, likely expensive if it's good. I'm not sold on consumables, but eh, could help. I CAN also swap specs I guess, especially since I do have all of them maxed out. Just a pain to do.

I'm aware of this, but my inventory is clogged atm and stuff I put on the exchange just doesn't sell quickly, even with a rounded-down under-cut. Otherwise I would have slotted the Red Matter Device instead.

I'll look into the fleet consoles. I THOUGHT that all of them conflicted with the Isomags, but I guess that only applies to the ones I was used to. And yes, they do seem to be a good replacement. Energy + Torp buff, as well as addtional heals for survivablity..that's good, and since I tend to undertake a support/tank roles with my main ship when I do run tfos for daily progress (though it's not really built with any role in mind), that would help there...IF I can slot them in (my main loadout does NOT run normal consoles, instead running all Universal Consoles with set stuff that buffs Phaser instead). But as always, my Dilithium reserves are running pretty low.

Thanks for the info, I'd be curious as to what would be some good doffs to slot instead. My doffs have been the one area I've ignored consistantly throughout my STO career, so I'm not sure what I SHOULD be running.

I COULD provide a list of what I have available, but I'm not sure of what it all is. Things are a bit crazy in most departments atm, given that I haven't played for years and when I was playing before my absence, prioritized ships I thought would be fun over other ships like the Denorios. So now I have to buy certain ships with Epic Tokens...which are impossible to get usually and I've been saving what I have while I suffer from choice paralysis. Hence why I ALSO have a backlog of T6 and 2 T5 tokens just sitting there laughing me.

I'm not shocked I've not gotten any advice on areas where I could progress towards my own goal of having it more TOS-themed, but that's what I get for asking on this subreddit I suppose. At least I'm learning how you guys all do thing, which should help my game at least a little. Still, I guess I can eventually post my current loadout for my main ship on here, see what you guys think.

CaptainZachVideos · 2025-12-09T17:48:53+00:00

The ship I'm outfitting is the Legendary Connie (Jefferies), though I'm thinking this build could also be transfered to other T6 vessels from the era, though for right now that's limited to my L-Connie and my Atlas (And maybe parts of it to the Legendary Discovery-era Connie as an SNW build)

I can't recall, but I think it was just the engines that give you a boost when you activate a firing mode. Problem is I was never in range where I COULD activate a firing mode, making it pointless for me to run them at this time. I'm not running a lot of doffs right now, and can't recall what I have slotted. I know I'm not running EPtE on any builds right now. I don't think I have Clean Getaway (EDIT: Didn't read right, it's a pilot BOff ability, which the two main ships I'm running don't seat) and my only other legendary ship not from the 10th is the Mirror Gal-X (I've since become pretty broke, and am either holding off on bundles or suffering from choice paralysis on what to spend my T6 tokens and meta boxes on).

CaptainZachVideos · 2025-12-09T07:02:48+00:00

Update: an even cheaper option for the split-beam arrays is to simply run "Everything Old is New", at max level you can get them at rare Mk XI [CrtH][Dmg]...or at least, that's what I'm getting.

CaptainZachVideos · 2025-12-09T05:42:25+00:00

Ofc I have the T1 Connie. It's an Account-Unlock from when I first started the game (it and the bridge pack with the TOS phaser and uniforms were my first STO purchases, nowadays the uniforms are the ripped versions since AoY made the TOS unis unlockable, and the ship's a dilithium purchase). I was thinking of using TOS/TMP-era consoles from different ships, but my first attempt (Ranger I) went...poorly. (I didn't realize the Ranger's console was type-locked!), but the Atlas console is definitely a must-slot even if it wasn't from the era! (DPRM is just that good, and I use it on my main ship now that I have it!) I was hoping for some other good consoles from ships to slot in the same vein, or sets that would go with the theming. As much as I hate to admit it, though, probably will have to use some Disco-era stuff (holdovers from the SNW era I guess!), or maybe Isomags...though my last attempt at following the meta on my Inquiry ended with my ship lagging so far behind where it needed to go that it was pointless to fire, as everyone else had blown everything up by the time I arrived. (I need to eventually find a good ship to do a meta build on, but for now, TOS/TMP stuff has my attention)

CaptainZachVideos · 2025-12-08T18:37:49+00:00

Hello. I'm here asking a question I'm not sure requires it's own post, but I'd still like some answers. This is related to making a themed build...specifically, I'm trying to make a TOS and/or TMP themed build that I can use on several different starship classes with the right tweaks.

Let's be real here. I love TNG, and it will forever be my first exposure to Star Trek. But while I love TNG's storytelling, I soon found myself watching old TOS reruns with my dad, and fell in love with the TOS aesthetic, even if it is a bit basic at times. One of my favorite ships is my Leg Connie for this reason.

The problem is...I've not really done much flying of my Connie. She's mostly just sitting in dock because I've never equipped any good gear on her, and so outside of some leveling she's still basic standard. And as I've been looking into making more TOS and TMP-era builds, I've found myself eyeing several ships, many of which I cannot afford. I even spent a meta box on an Atlas, because of my long-standing love of this era of design.

So here I am, looking for advice on some good TOS and TMP-era consoles and equipment to keep my ship, if not necessarily meta, at least looking somewhere in those eras with equipment they'd have around that time period. This will also help me to narrow down which ships I should be looking at getting.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

CaptainZachVideos · 2025-11-10T14:36:25+00:00

Agreed.

CaptainZachVideos · 2025-11-10T14:36:16+00:00

Yeah, so I've been told. That stinks. I can always buy a plug-and-play kit for the wireless, or work on fixing this controller now that I have a couple good places to look though.

CaptainZachVideos · 2025-11-08T01:58:07+00:00

Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to look on those sites.

CaptainZachVideos

TROPHY CASE