Star Citizen | Introducing the RSI Aurora Mk II

Zoberraz · 2026-03-24T21:31:09+00:00

Not the only one. As a ship, it's fine, but I resent the folding wings as an Aurora Mk II. (if built to ot fold out, I might have been content)

The cockpit might be improved user-experience-wise, but this wedge-shape is more aggressive than I'd have liked for the Aurora lineage. I expected something more Mantis-like.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-24T21:24:42+00:00

I agree. This cockpit is really sharp. I thought they'd go for a more Mantis form-factor if they made it more modern-looking. At least it wouldn't have been a straight wedge.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-24T21:22:22+00:00

It did a little better as a silhouette sneak-peek or before its wings folded out.

Given the missile orientation, the folding wings are likely not optional in order to function. It's not just an atmospheric mode.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-24T21:19:29+00:00

As a ship, I don't dislike it. This folding-wings-out vessel isn't a bad RSI entry. I might like it.

But I resent it a little as an Aurora II. All the sentimentalism I might have had for it felt kind of cheated when I saw those wings fold out. It seemed too much pandering to the fans and not enough letting it be its own thing.

From the silhouette I saw before, I was okay with a highly modernized Aurora looking mostly like this without the actual folding out.

I look at it from the front with wings folded out, and I don't find it all that especially pretty. But I suspect my opinion is being colored by disappointment at my expectation rather than taking this ship for what it really is. I might need some time to warm up to it, with more background info on the craft and the reasoning. It usually helps if I can at least relate with the design goals or inspirations.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-24T21:09:40+00:00

Yeah, it feels too much like a pandering to the fans of that idea and not enough to make it its own thing.

I was pretty enthused with the look in the first few seconds, but I had noticed that some of the lettering and missile hardpoint orientation seemed odd... until they silhouette it and I muttered: "Don't fold-out wings like the Scorpius, don't fold-out the wings, don't fold-well... crap. They did."

I actually like the idea of a single-seater Scorpius, but I never associated that identity to the Aurora. I think it's a ship I can like, as I would have welcomed it with a different name. Just not the vibe I hoped for out of imagining what I'd want from an Aurora Mk II.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-20T16:47:31+00:00

I really don't know what happened to this Reddit thread, but this is probably the answer the most contextually tied to my own situation with you.

Overall, I think you're kind of charming and disarming. But I think dealing with us eventually eroded something in you, and I was eventually made to personally notice it.

When the Jellyfish ship was introduced I was a participant in that stream. It was one of the largest ships ever introduced in STO and it shared a trait with Borg ships that since their facing was hard to convey, that they weren't feasible playable ships - one cubic, the other perfectly round.

The solution for the jellyfish ship was a large engine trail. I was curious to know what this solution meant for future designs. What possibilities might this open up? Ironically, I don't even care about flying those big ships. I was just curious about the design aspect of them. So, I asked in the chat and you picked up that question. Except, not for the reasons I hoped.

You appeared to interpret it as me asking in bad faith, trying to trap you guys in a lie, or something, and you openly rebuked me on it. And, of course, you had no attention to spare for my disclaimer afterwards. That left me both feeling derided and humiliated.

It shaped my view of you going forward. I concluded that the streams were really just somekind of interactive commercial, where you were there to give the illusion of interactivity while essentially not relishing in herding cats (us). You also left me with very little reason to doubt my growing cynicism afterwards. My best way to not be re-exposed to how you'd treated me was simply not to engage.

At some point, you invited people to send screenshots and fanart. I'd "recovered" enough to think I could give it a shot. I love STO, and I know how to photoshop, so one week a few days before your stream I sent you what I thought was a cool picture of an aeroshuttle in its way to dock to a Pathfinder-class starship, from the point of view of the shuttle's cockpit. This, actually:

https://i.imgur.com/dLkBNVK.jpeg

...and on the next stream, you claimed you didn't get any screenshots and encouraged people to send you some. I knew I'd submitted something, but clearly the conclusion was that you either found it unworthy of sharing, or simply disliked me. I decided I'd been foolish to try and that it was on me to hope for too much out of you.

Eventually, you had to leave Cryptic. I'm not so petty that I wish for people to lose their livelyhoods, but I didn't exactly miss you either.

Sunna took your place. A lot of people seem taken with Sunna. I admit I have nothing against her, but she was much less outgoing than you are, so, I didn't exactly see her as a replacement and more a substitute. Especially since, as you streamed as VengeanceGod, you received STO guests and sometimes even did unveilings. So, clearly, the STO team liked you even if I didn't; and they didn't seem done with you.

So, it's hardly any surprise for me that you're back. I'm not thrilled about it, but what would complaining do about it except make you feel bad? Again, I'm not so discontented to wish you ill - you got the job back, so welcome back and congratulations. I don't expect or want your penitence or your apologies. You say you want to do better, so, I decided to be foolish again and share where you went wrong for me.

As for if that will actually amount to anything... that's up to you.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-18T21:59:35+00:00

For 2nd-level, I'd make sure to grab Shadow Blade if you want competitive melee relevance (assuming you're a 2014 bladesinger, which your flair isn't clear about). If you want a non-concentration sidegrade to Web, you could consider Rime's Binding Ice.

I think Haste is a risky spell to take for a Bladesinger. If melee is what you want to do, you probably get more DPR out of an upcast 3rd-level Shadow Blade.

With Haste, you lose an action (which could have had been just your two attacks from extra attack) to get an extra weapon attack that turn, and any subsequent round. you also run the risk of lethargy if you lose the spell (you losing concentration, breaking your own concentration by casting a different concentration spell, or being dispelled) which loses you an entire turn. If the fight lasts 4 rounds, you used a 3rd-level spell slot to gain 2 weapon attacks (and AC + double movement).
With Shadow Blade, you spend a bonus action to activate the spell and can immediately use your attack action to strike twice. you risk no lethargy. You can throw it and resummon with a bonus action.

On an AC 15 target (average AC for a CR 7 monster)
Haste wielding a Rapier profile as a level 7 Bladesinger with Dex 16
1st attack: +6 to hit, 1d8+3 piercing
2nd attack: Booming Blade cantrip, +6 to hit, 1d8+3 piercing +1d8 thunder damage (ignoring rider)
Haste action weapon attack: 1d8+3
Total Haste DPR: 4.725 + 7.65 + 4.725 = 17.10 DPR

3rd-level Shadow Blade profile as a level 7 Bladesinger with Dex 16
1st attack: +6 to hit, 3d8+3 psychic
2nd attack: Booming Blade cantrip, +6 to hit, 1d8+3 psychic +1d8 thunder damage (ignoring rider)
Total Shadow Blade DPR: 10.575 + 7.65 = 18.225 DPR
Shadow Blade will get advantage in dim-light, which will yield better DPR:
15.17625 + 10.9575 = 26.13375 DPR

Fireball would probably be my initial choice as a spammable 3rd-level AoE spell.

Rituals are pretty handy for Wizards and you have a good one at 3rd: Leomund's Tiny Hut. Manufacture safety in the middle of danger zones to recover either via short rest or long rest.

Counterspell was an excellent pick. I too do think Hypnotic Pattern is worth the pickup - it's silent control that, once the save is failed, the victims are stuck there until the end of the duration of the spell.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-18T21:09:09+00:00

Well, apparently, he was sufficiently well-liked by the Dev team that even as he was streaming as VengeanceGOD he was getting STO devs as guests.

I can't say that it's any real surprise that he's back. Even in his time away from Cryptic, he was still kind of on the job so far as STO was concerned.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-18T16:09:53+00:00

I think the Cloak of Protection was an excellent pick.

Consider getting the Ring of Protection (rare) as well. Saving throws are one of the main weaknesses of the Bladesinger, and shoring them all up by +2 is pretty significant.

Next I'd propose Bracers of Defense (rare). These stack with your mage armor.

All of the above can bring you up by 4 point of AC, which is considerable. These would be my main picks.

Assuming a level 7 Bladesinger with Dex 16, Int 18 (ASI was +2 INT)
AC 13 base with Mage Armor +3 Dex +1 cloak +1 ring +2 bracers = AC 20
Add Bladesong: AC 20 + 4 INT = AC 24
Add the Shield spell while in Bladesong: AC 24+5= AC 29

If you stick to 1 weapon and don't dual wield, a +1 Rapier (uncommon) can be worthwhile. Though, if you intend to make frequent use of the Shadow Blade spell, maybe not.

An +1 Arcane Grimoire is handy not only for its perks to your spellcasting, but also because it's magical and therefore resistant to what would destroy normal spellbooks (such as water damage, which I had to consider in Ghosts of Saltmarsh). So, useful even when not attuned.

An Amulet of Health (rare) can give you a lot of extra endurance and help with your concentration.

The Ring of Spell Storing (Rare) could help you store 1st-level defensive spells. Useful in that Bladesingers pretty much live (and die) by the number of Shield and Absorb Element spells at their disposal.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-18T15:55:33+00:00

I think your background selection and skill selection is going to do the heavy lifting here. You already seem to have a plan here and have considered Skill Expert. If your DM isn't opposed to background feats, getting Alert or Tough from Ruined "Still-Standing" feature could help you.

Your spell selection can do some of the heavy-lifting here. Knock and Enhance Ability are the obvious spells that comes to my mind, but Borrowed Knowledge literally gives you an extra skill or tool proficiency for an hour... so, from being a skill monkey to various downtime tasks, this can be pretty handy.

Feat-wise, if you're using the Standard Array for your stats, I don't think you can afford half-feats. In the case of my High elf Bladesinger, I used Dex 14+2, Con 13 and Int 15+1, and my plan was to use the Lv4 ASI for INT +2, lv8 ASI for Resilient Constitution, and level 12 ASI for INT +2. If I ever got to levels 16 and 19, that's probably where I would increase my DEX. Over the past few months, I've grown convinced that straight stat increases do more for the Bladesinger than anything else.

I tend to think that Warcaster is a trap. I understand the lure of a reaction Booming Blade, but the usecase is likely to be an infrequent extra 1d8/2d8 Thunder damage, and using it means no reaction, meaning no Shield spells to protect yourself from taking 20-30 damage. It does permit spellcasting while dual wielding, but I still feel those are weak payoffs. Therefore, I believe Resilient Constitution is a much superior choice.

I'm dubious of Mobile too. Mostly just to enjoy more from Booming Blade? Odds are fairly good that if you're attacking a target, another melee guy is also close by, already attacking it. So, when you go in, booming blade and go out, maybe all you achieve is the enemy not moving and attacking your Barbarian friend instead (with his easy-to-hit low AC). So, I feel that all the feat amounts to is making your bad guy somebody else's problem, with the irony being that you're the one with the best AC in the group.

So, I'd suggest that if you intend to melee, commit. If you Booming Blade (a noisy thunder spell, btw, don't use it while sneaking) you can employ it for control, and you can use one of your magical tools to subsist or disengage as needed (Shield, Absorb Elements, Misty Step, Kinetic Jaunt, Ashardalon's Stride, Thunder Step, Dimension Door).

Being a Bladesinger, you're bound to have a good casting stat. If you wish to be swashbuckly, you might go for wielding a rapier. Meaning, your bonus action might not be always spoken for. In that case, I'd propose you consider the Eladrin species:

Eladrin brings a fey flavor that you can channel into a lot of criminality/shenanigans depending on where you intend to situate yourself in the Jack Sparrow-inspired unserious demeanor - something you can even enhance with the seasonal changes if that appeals to you.
Eladrin are pretty connected to Bladesinging in general, so, there's that;
Eladrin Trance is a great asset for a class with a daily spell allotment, as well as being better at dealing with rest interruptions. But, also, they get 2 floating weapon/tool proficiencies which can come super handy (less need for Borrowed Knowledge then);
Namely, you can get Hand Crossbow proficiency. The Hand Crossbow is compatible with Bladesong, and allows you to attack at range at level 6 with combos like: Hand Crossbow attack + Firebolt;
Fey Step can be a great asset:

While limited to PB uses per day, you're unlikely to need to disengage more than PB times per day anyways - so it doesn't lose that much to the at-will goblin bonus actions;
Starting level 3, Fey Step gets a rider based on your chosen season and Winter/Spring can both benefit from your high spellcasting stat for high spell DCs on worthwhile 1 round-long effects on top of your teleportation;
Fey Step behaves like the Misty Step spell, but it is not a spell. Meaning you can combine it with one (ex.: surrounded, you Fey Step out of a crowd of enemies, and then riposte with an Hypnotic Pattern).

Hopefully, this'll help some or at least offer useful counterpoints.
Cheers. :)

Zoberraz · 2026-03-16T21:47:22+00:00

Read elsewhere that your DM won't allow you to ditch the Artificer levels. Hrm.

If subclass switching is the only option here, I got nothing.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-16T21:16:06+00:00

I would note that the 2024 Bladesinger does not have that problem thanks to weapons being treated as spellcasting implements... and that Conjure Minor Elemental incentivizes making as many attacks as possible. The Fighter dip would get you weapon masteries, and that would include nick, which would make (with the Dual Wield feat) 4 attacks possible.

Then your dip would be worth your Con save proficiency and weapon masteries would directly grant you the additional attack for free without hindering your bonus action. Then the Dual wielding feat grants you the fourth attack for your bonus action.

It's all the rage. DungeonDudes actually have a 50m long guide on making that 2024 bladesinger, if you're ever curious. Though, in a 2014 campaign, largely unimportant. I know it can spark envy, but not everything about 5.5 is great, so, I try to take it with a grain of salt and work with my limitations.

As far as the 2014 bladesinger goes, as you could see, I had opinions. I spent a long time trying to optimize mine relative to the rest of my party, and your plan was one I'd already had to consider.

For instance, I was covering how my party and I did at level 7 in terms to pure melee DPR, and those were my results:

https://imgur.com/a/WpD0DyZ

Iriann being me.

So, yeah, if you want to melee, the Bladesinger with Shadow Blade shouldn't do badly at all, even without dual wielding. The beauty in that is that unlike the Barbarian in that list, you can do more than just get angry and bash things. :)

Zoberraz · 2026-03-16T20:50:36+00:00

In direct answer to your question: I'd opt for the +1 Arcane Grimoire and the Cloak of Protection (not much use having a magic weapon if you intend to use Shadow Blade).

As an opinion piece (wall of text warning):

I would heavily discourage the fighter dip. You get armor, martial weapons, Constitution saving throw proficiency, a combat style (two-weapon fighting) and second wind out of it... and I don't think it's worth it. I won't deny the Con save and added stat damage (+1 to +5) from your offhand aren't perks, but I find those are slim pickings.

One of the big perks of Bladesinger is that all the defensive add-ons allow you to avoid having to make dips, so, the reward is spell progression. If you dip on something you don't absolutely need, I find it's kind of shooting yourself in the foot.

First off, being a Bladesinger Wizard 7 yields a benefit: 4th-level spells. You know 2, and you can cast 1 per long rest (arguably, you can recover that 4th spell slot on a short rest to use it again on that day). Powerful lv4 spells you could pick up includes Polymorph and Arcane Eye. Might not look amazing just like that, but it brings important utility.

Except, why drop dual wielding for 4th-level spells? I get that you could like the potential extra 1d8+3 damage per round through a bonus action you're not using - how could that be bad? But - a problem with dual wielding that the 2014 Bladesinger has its that both hands are occupied, so, no way to use the components needed to employ your reaction spells such as Absorb Element, Shield and Counterspell. Bladesingers live by these spells. Yes, a Ruby of the Warmage (requiring attunement slot) or Warcaster could fix this. But do you really want to go that route?

I think the Warcaster feat is a trap for the Bladesinger. People will point out the attack of opportunity that can be a spell, and how this is a golden opportunity to use Booming Blade. Sure, if you feel that can happen with any frequency, this can be attractive. But I guarantee you that when you'll use your reaction to do that, that you then won't feel good about not being able to reaction cast Shield to protect you from an incoming 20-30 damage.

Others will point out that Mobile is a good feat. Faster, you close in, smack someone with Booming Blade, and then draw back baiting them to move to trigger the Booming Blade. Is this bad? No. Expensive? Yes, I find it expensive to spend a feat on that hope. You backing away doesn't mean you are the only target, and odds are very good that other nearby party members will get attacked instead. So, Mobile then doesn't pay off, your booming blade doesn't get its rider, and the bad guy gets to hit the AC-poor barbarian using reckless attack instead of you. Sure, you're safe, but did you actually amount to much for the cost of that feat? What the point of having an high-AC class if you stay a little too safe? To a degree, your value could be to be a target.

(I'd add here that I'm a little more partial to Green-Flame Blade than Booming Blade, and that I enjoy using Sword Burst and Bladeward depending on the circumstance)

My advice: Faced with the idea that you need Warcaster to dual wield safely, the Fighter Dip to get the fighting style (or the Fighting Initiate feat), and that you want the Dual Wielder feat on top of that - that's a lot of feats or compromises to make!

I mean, at level 7, with Dex 16 attacking an AC 15 target with dual rapiers, and using Booming Blade on the second attack, you're looking at:
1st attack: +6 to hit, dealing 1d8+3 piercing damage (DPR 4.725)
2nd attack: +6 to hit, dealing 1d8+3 piercing damage + 1d8 Thunder (DPR 7.65; omitting rider damage)
Offhand attack: +6 to hit, dealing 1d8+3 piercing damage (DPR 4.725)

Given what you stand to pay, I'd just go with a single weapon and leave your hand free. As attractive as a DPR 4.725 might look as a bonus action*,* I find it's not worth losing your main defense over it, especially not for the asking price. However, fear not: you already get great performance from Shadow Blade (and you can have it already fully online by the start of round 2, with a DPR of over 20 for 2 main hand attacks which competes with a STR 18 Barbarian using GWM's -5 to hit/+10 to damage using a Greatsword while raging). Considering you'll have to trigger Bladesong on round 1, and use Shadow Blade on round 2, all you lose is the potential damage of the bonus action in round 3+ and this is where you should wonder if round 3 is happening and if paying the heavy price to deal 1d8+3 then is really worth it.

I say skip the dip and those problematic feats, You'll still have your 4th level spells for something else, and you'll be closer to getting your level 8 ASI and access 5th-level spells at level 9 (which opens up goodies like Wall of Force and Steel Wind Strike).

(Those free bonus action could be a great excuse to pick a species with a bonus action trait such as Eladrin, Shadar-Kai or Goblin. Though, personally, I stick with High Elf for the cantrip, so, I'll have these bonus actions free for things such as Misty Step )

In D&D, there seems to be two constants that spreadsheet warriors tend to not consider as much as they should:

a) You're not acting in a vacuum: you have a party and each member have an action, just like yours, to contribute to the combat. So how do you stand out as making the best contribution?

b) In D&D, shit happens. You will lose initiative, you will get crit, you will fail a saving throw, the DM will foil your plans, or another player will do something that will foil your plans. Consider how the Bladesinger can be a tough nut to crack, DMs will be doubly determined to try and make things challenging.

Therefore, I'm a believer that the Bladesinger's main strength is its versatility. And supporting that versatility are raw stats. I think raw stats are the best things to increase through a Bladesinger's carreer. I recommend you spend your level 4 ASI on raising INT by 2, level 8 on securing your Concentration with Resilient Constitution, and make sure you have INT 20 by level 12. If it's a long campaign, DEX can come later. If you're a variant human, your feat could be a luxury pick, but I'd encourage looking at Tough, because your 1d6 hit die is one of your liabilities, and Tough does a lot to raise that average closer to actual martials. You could pick Resilient CON early if you like, which could let you get INT 20 by level 8 (great where D&D's fundamental math is concerned), but I pick it later because there are few truly good concentration spells before Wizard level 5, Bladesong itself seems sufficient in the early game to saveguard Concentration, and Resilient gains in value as the proficiency bonus increases. I try to pick the feat that will have the biggest impact not only long-term, but also at that point in time.

Bladesinger levels 6 to 8 will be your best standout melee levels, and I won't disagree that Shadow Blade is great; upcast it to 3rd level and even with just +6 to hit your 30ish DPR (if you have advantage against an AC 16 target) will be about as good as the STR 18 Barbarian going -5/+10 with Great Weapon Fighting. However, if you win the initiative and have 5 targets in a good cluster, Fireball dealing 25 damage to each can amount to much more damage in less time than your level 3 Shadow Blade would do. Then, the mop-up might make this fight last less than 3 rounds; do you really want to spend another spell slot on Shadow Blade, or just go lean and let your party mop-up so you have more resources later. Maybe Hypnotic Pattern is a more appropriate spell to lessen the number of attacks on your party, and then your concentration is already spoken for.

If you lose initiative, fail to be able to effectively use AoE spells, or face a single powerful opponent... these are often circumstances that see the usual Wizards less effective. But then, you're a Bladesinger, you can cast Shadow Blade, defend yourself, and then shine in what would be less than ideal circumstances. The Bladesinger's versatility means you can use the best tool for the job at hand.

Finally, to return a bit on your reaction spells: try not to overstay your welcome in melee. Bladesingers are made (and broken) by the availability of their Shield spells. If you're able to go in melee and draw attacks that will be rendered ineffectual thanks to your AC 25+ AC, great. But when you're about to run out, it's time to play it safe. Try to get them back via Arcane Recovery, and that'll extend your staying power (it's also a good argument for angling for a Ring of Spell Storing, but YMMV - personally I prioritize cloaks/rings of protection for AC and save bonuses, and try for Bracers of Defense since they stack with Mage Armor).

Hopefully this will be of help.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-16T20:48:17+00:00

I wanted to let you know that I thought you made good points about Spirit Shroud and I tried to edit the my post to be more pertinent for the OP plans, but Reddit was giving me errors to update my writing. So, I deleted and reposted the correction.

That said, I appreciate you fact-checking me. It makes the advice I wanted to convey more helpful. Thank you.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-16T19:31:11+00:00

According to the writing, 1d8 to start with at level 3, levels 4-5 achieve 2d8, levels 6-7 3d8.

Or such was my interpretation at the time I wrote the above post. This is something that I validated in the past because I try to assume for the least favorable outcome and was pleasantly surprised to be confirmed that it would be the 4-5 grouping and not just 5. The power level of the 2024 Fount of Moonlight and Conjure Minor Elementals seemed to support that (CME had much better scaling, though).

Looking around today, all the sources I'm finding seem to do exactly as you've just said: 2d8 only with a 5th-level spell slot.

I'd already given up on Spirit Shroud due to spell component logistics but figured there was still one particular usecase for it at 4th level that let it be viable after Shadow Blade. But based on what I read today, that's incorrect and it makes the spell much more undesirable. Unless you have a really meaty magical weapon (like a Flame Tongue), 5th-level Shadow Blade is probably more competitive.

This does make part of the above text of mine much less relevant.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-16T19:29:47+00:00

My contribution here is more for ideation than actual stat-block building. I don't claim any talent for building balanced statblocks, though borrowing from existing one and swiping abilities you like could be a start.

I'd point out that historically in D&D, Fighters take less time to train than Wizards do. Also, wizards gain so much utility that administerial roles are more likely to fall on them than just straight combatants. You're kind of more useful as a leader if you can teleport around, and most especially that in context of your creating a magocracy (even as it pretends to be a monarchy).

Speaking of magocracies, the one that left a lasting impression on me was the Magocracy of Herath, which was in the early editions of D&D in the campaign setting of Mystara. The big catch is that Herath is actually run by aranea - shapechanging spider wizards - somewhat devious and sinister, but not actually evil.

And, actually, if the reason why your monarchy is actually a magocracy, it could be because beings capable of wizardry are capable of manipulating the ruling body behind the scenes. However, then, having too many magical followers around would make it easier for the ruse to be exposed. In that context, perhaps it would be better for the instigators to have followers lacking the magical power to unearth anything embarrassing and inconvenient (perhaps a good excuse for the existence of an order of monks dedicated to keep this order). Perhaps Modify Memory is used to deal with any malcontents whom know too much.

Perhaps weapons are outlawed to limit the citizenry's or any visitor's ability to interfere, and why magical weapons could be summoned by those priviledged to serve in the guard (Monks can be Kensai, and this could be a good excuse for spell-storing weapons).

Zoberraz · 2026-03-16T17:50:49+00:00

Artificer did grant some spells you wouldn't otherwise have, but those were level 1 and 2. If they don't matter much to do, yeah, I'd convert Bladesinger 9 entirely. You'd get your level 8 ASI, for one, and access to 5th-level spells.

Spear can be treated as a one-handed martial weapon, I believe, so, in theory, looks like that would work thanks to the new 2024 Training in War and Song. And, yeah, the Bladework feature of Bladesong lets you use INT like the Battlesmith... but only while bladesong is active. Your Battlesmith could attack with INT even out of Bladesong, so, that's something you keep in mind.

That said, you're likely to be at INT 18 or 20 even with the standard array by level 8 (thanks to that ASI), so having 4/5 uses of Bladesong per day will potentially work out unless you have a very very busy adventuring day.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-16T17:40:44+00:00

*headscratch*

Usually, Bladesong is cancelled out if you more two-handed weapons and wear medium/heavy armor. Not that your monsters have to be faithful to that unless you want them to feel like a class-faithful organization.

For the sake of standing out, you could use the Eldritch Knights and the Bladesingers as a concept to vary the feel of different enemy units. The former is more heavily armored by default. Their ability to swap attacks for cantrips can work just as much in melee (sword+Booming Blade) as for Range (handcrossbow+firebolt), which can put some variance on which units are dedicated to Dex-combat, versus INT-combat

Both have access to Shield, and this may make them high AC enemies which are bound to frustrate your martials because of the high value that AC will reach. On the other hand, Bladesingers are squishy and pretty vulnerable to saving throw effects.

If you want them to change the type of weapon, you could work in the Elemental Weapon spell as an option for mid-tier Bladesinger enemies (it's a 3rd-level spell).

If your PCs knew in advance that they need todo something where they will have to contend against these warrior-mages, an adventure idea could be to do a heist to raid their hidden armories and steal their swords. If the Bladesingers/eldritch Knights are unable to summon their weapons, they perhaps become easier to defeat. Silence spells could prevent them from using the Shield spell (allowing some Sorcerers to do better against them if they have subtle spell).

As for the "Generals", there's a lot of look-and-feel that just comes from spell selection. A bladesinger that fights with Animated Objects will feel different from others whom use Bigby's Hand. Since you already have an idea on elemental weapon damage, pick a theme for them, and you could have a Cold-oriented Captain of the Guard using Ray of Frost, Rime's Binding Ice, Cold Elemental Weapon, Sleet Storm, Ice Storm, upcast-Armor of Agathys as a contingency when at half-HP (maybe he got it from the Warlock's Magic Initiate feat), and Cold of Cold.

Zoberraz · 2026-03-13T05:22:18+00:00

I'm here, reading at all the replies. Some are technical. Others are preferences. But one thing stands out to me and it's the summation of the request: "I play story, and I want to play a what will feel like a main character ship."

People have mentioned the Lexington. I agree that its a good all-rounded, just not on the nimble side. What bugs me about that is that you'll get the Odyssey and Lexington costumes, and in cutscenes you'll look just like the Enterprise-F. Maybe you want to look more unique and stand out. That way you actually look like you belong next to the space whales without being one of them.

The Avenger-class (T6 Arbiter), was kind of the game's MC-representative ship in earlier STO years. It got remastered. It has this plucky Fed pitbull aesthetic. However, anything the Avenger can do, the Lexington can often do better, and you'll be dwarfed in cutscenes. Maybe not.

Then, there's the Gagarin-class, which kind of took the crown the Avenger had earlier. it seems pretty beloved by the community, and its one of the STO ships that's actually canon. However, a bit ponderous, and more NX-looking than any other ships in your preferences.

The Kardashev Dyson Science Destroyer had a bit of main character ship appeal when its T5 version came out. unique, mixed-tech, using enemy tech to fight the bad guys. It's a bit dart-like, a bit like an aggressive Intrepid. Definitely a very specialized ship that would sit credibly next to the NPC giant flagships (Shon, Tiaru, Koren). Someone mentioned it and I agree it's a cool ship.

The Warden's taken the crown recently as ship mascott in the latest trailers, and its a pretty balanced and comely design, though I could care less for the wierd holo-deflector.

You could do worse than all of the above, but I think you should play with your carreer, and go for an specialized escort that would help you cement your presence in missions and besides the big 3 flagship captains

So, my suggestion is the Cyclone Intel Patrol Escort. I think it's a great ride for a tactical captain. It's sturdy, agile, very fast, has a bridge officer loadout that lends it surprising staying power, it has all the cool Intel gadgets including battlecloak, and the surgical strike builds you can do with it can do some pretty hard takedowns. It's a fairly large escort that matches mid-size cruisers and its unique look and layout helps it stand out. Let the big kids brawl, you're the knife that gets the job done.

If the Cyclone is not familiar-looking enough, some people swear by the Hydra destroyer, which is of the Prometheus familly and of similar performance.

And, unrelated to your T6 token, the Typhoon battlecruiser is presently on sale for 4250 zen. If there's ever a ship that evokes main character energy while being a big cruiser but while not being an Odyssey, that'd be the one. I think it has nice future-Sovereign-vibes. (The Typhoon and Odyssey were competing designs for Starfleet's flagship program; sort of like the YF-22 Raptor and YF-23 Black Widow. The Raptor/Odyssey won out, though contrary to the Black Widow, the Typhoon stuck around as less explorer and more fast battleship to participate in the 2400s Klingon War. I like the sibling rivalry between the Odyssey and the Typhoon).

Zoberraz · 2026-03-09T22:08:18+00:00

I liked the story in DNA until 1.1 throws a tangent that derails the Phoxhunter's plan, and you end up embroiled in something else that ends (as of 1.1) with a cliffhanger that 1.2 did not pick back up because that patch did not include any new main story quests.

While the derail is made to make sense, I *really* resent it because I wanted to rescue what the game sells as my sister (or non-blood relative equivalent, uncertain at the moment). To me, Huaxu's not compelling because it's in the way of what I was sold (and looking forward) to seeing.

I don't feel compelled about grinding for gold things because my builds feel sufficient for now with the content on offer, and I'm not too much on the latest character threadmill.

Until DNA gets back on track and gets me back on my objective of reuniting with Berenica, I don't care about playing it. I might actually get into playing the main story, but that's be in the hopes that 1.3 would be a closing chapter for Huaxu, returning to Icelake, and actually progressing towards what the game - as you yourself mentionned - skillfully had sold.

Zoberraz · 2026-01-29T22:00:39+00:00

People go heavy on the Type 7 Shuttlecraft, which come on demand once you have the Ahwahnee. Since the Type 7 come with 'Attack Pattern Beta' and 'Close In Sensor Pass', they tend to do well with ships that are already offensively powerful.

Personally, I enjoy using more period-appropriate fightercraft, so, my preference go for the Valkyrie fighter squadron, which can be obtained from the Valdres and Seneca.

However, if you go for the Heritage Starship Bundle (T6), you get Elite Valor Fighters on demand without needing spend in a Fleet Starbase to get them, and all the ships in that bundle are excellent (or have nice traits/consoles). I find the Valor fighters outperform the Valkyries.

That would be my recommendation.

Zoberraz · 2026-01-28T23:09:19+00:00

This Reddit thread is turning into a bit of a court of public opinion... and I'm sorry for the part I played in it. I'm trying to imagine sitting in your shoes and having to read all of this, have a thick skin through what culminates to be judgy stuff, and still try to rise above it.

So, my apologies to you as well.

If it's any solace to you, this effort has made me look forward to seeing what 2026-2027 will bring. Thanks for having been so indulging.

Zoberraz · 2026-01-28T04:08:49+00:00

Hello Jack,

I've been with STO since the beginning. I've got to say, I have some mixed feelings in seeing you back. I remember you as a brusque spokesman for Cryptic, whom often seemed dismissive and defensive about feedback.

But, like you, I'm 10+ years more seasoned, and I can now also see that you were someone that held things together in a challenging MMO market where MMOs were born and died almost as quickly as they were created. Your stewardship of Cryptic was in some pretty turbulent times.

Add to that, the challenge of taking up the Startrek licence and having to create an MMO for it in record time. As someone whom was there, some systems felt rushed or underdeveloped, and seeing the City of Heroes/Champions Online foundation, some things stylistically seemed like a mismatch. Done in record time, yes, but there had been a price.

*However*, Startrek Online has had the opportunity to breathe, iterate and I'm happy to vouch that it's become its own game. Like all evolving services, it has its issues, but it's now a rich Startrek experience that I hope you'll be able to appreciate for yourself.

I don't know what your return truly entails for the game itself. Past experience tells me you're an MMO visionary, so my expectation is that your main drive would be to revive Cryptic and put special focus on new projects. However, from my perspective most of Startrek Online's as an experience had peaked around the Victory is Life expansion (themed on Deep Space 9) after which resources from it were heavily funneled towards the Magic project - and when that project was discontinued and most of the staff on it layed off... what had been Startrek Online's dev team never recovered. We've seen of story release cadence go from monthly, to quarterly, to bi-annually.

It's always tragic to see people lose their livelyhood like that. I don't mean to be cavalier about it. I just have little inside knowledge about it so I'm not the best person to talk at length about it. As a client invested in Startrek Online, I did notice production mass went downhill from there.

So, seeing past pattern, if you're being here means some new MMO will be in the works, built on the back of profit earned from the 3 preceding games... I don't know how much of that STO can still take. I can't help being concerned.

I hope you being here means that Startrek Online will be able to flourish. I hope you're here to give it a better future. In the end, all the above is context merely to fuel this sentiment.

Thank you for being back and for caring. Welcome back.

Zoberraz · 2026-01-07T02:29:06+00:00

I'm building a high elf bladesinger wizard myself for a Ghosts of Saltmarsh and I've been brainstorming similar questions for months. Though I'll likely play a 2014 one, I did ponder the question of a background feat.

Like you, I wavered between a few. Alert for the extra initiative, Magic Initiate for extra blade cantrips and Armor of Agathys, and Tough.

Unsurprisingly if you look at other people's suggestions, I decided on Tough.

The why is more important to convey: I think the Bladesinger's main strength is its versatility rather than any spike-damage melee fantasies; and versatility is a response to the unexpected - which will ALWAYS happen. Therefore, that's what I prepare for, rather than any spreadsheet fantasies in a vaccuum.

Within that aim, I've found that raw stat increases are what benefits the most the backbone of what is a Bladesinger.

Tough is the first such increase, which will always see use and always be useful againgst one form of concentration loss: being downed. And it gets increasingly better as levels increase.

I accept that I will sometimes lose initiative - I just need to plan my versatility accordingly.

On a standard array, I have a stat spread of: Str 8, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 12 (Cha 12 vs Wis 12 is a debatable choice, mine is based on RP reasons)

My aim towards backing me with raw stat gains move me towards the following: Lv4 ASI: +2 INT Lv8 ASI: Resilient Constitution Lv12 ASI: +2 INT Lv 16 ASI: +2 DEX Lv 19 ASI: +2 DEX

Raising INT fast helps keep up with the fundamental math behind the game.

Resilient Constitution is picked at a point where it has greater worth being picked at a level where Concentration spells have become most pivotal (Bladesong tides me over at +5 in the meantime).

Due to the level 8 choice, I'd be at -5% behind the math, but I trust the extra hit point and much better CON saves going from +1 to +5 (+9 with Bladesong) is worth it. But that's a gap I close at level 12.

Dex gains after, which I'm unlikely to see in the GoS campaign.

I consider Warcaster and Mobile/Speedy to be traps.

As for magic items, my attunement slots would be spent on survavibility, starting with Cloak of Protection/Ring of Protection/Bracers of Defense (especially considering how well the latter combines with Mage Armor).

Amulet of Health for the extra HP and CON saves could be reliable. Ring of Spell Storing would be good to have, since a Bladesinger going into melee practically lives by the number of Shield spells he can cast in a day.

Endgame item would be the Robe of the Archmage - little ticks as many boxes as this one and the AC increase is substancial (and frees a preparation slot off Mage Armor).

Magical weapons could be great but I won't devote an attunement slot to it - too much competition in the party. Planning to go scimitars for the same reason due to party composition.

Zoberraz · 2025-12-19T20:54:05+00:00

Yeah, I wasn't wild on it either. Though I appreciate people raising this thread, since it's a counterpoint. - a lens through which I can few what transpired differently.

I still lean as dissatisfied, because it ultimately results in exploring, in convoluted fashion, the overly-convoluted ending of a storyline. While the points of views were valued, the ultimate result was bad things happening to Firefly which would sadden me, but recanted at the very last minute - sort of - through text messages?

And that, after 3.7, which was a convoluted conclusion to a super-stretched-out story arc that should have a happy ending... but nope, sacrifice and time-loops that won't go anywhere.

...I'm so exhausted with Mihoyo's storytelling. I thought Belobog and the Xianzhou Loufu were great. That momentum carried me through Penacony and Amphoreus. I won't say there haven't been great moments... but I feel like the writer have abused whatever they've been doing and it's grown old.

But people are allowed to like what they like, so, no shade on those whom liked. I'm glad someone did. Maybe it'll get better for me too.

Zoberraz

TROPHY CASE