Post by William Carson on May 24, 2012 12:34:05 GMT -8
This section is from the work done by Latinumbar for the STO forums.
forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=246186
This guide is not intended to go into detailed strategies and tactics. For more advanced strategies, there are other more in-depth guides please see the other thread in this forum - STF Elite Tactical Report by Naldoran.
***STF Basics***
What are STFs?
"Special Task Force" (STF) missions are the end game 5-man team missions in STO. They involve the Borg, and are broken into 6 missions: "Infected" space and ground, "Cure" space and ground, "Khitomer Accord" space and ground. If you are new, I recommend starting out with the Space missions, Infected being the easiest (least likely to fail). Space missions take an average of 15-30 minutes to complete depending on the team. Ground missions take an average of 25-35 minutes to complete depending on the team.
Why do I want to run STFs?
They are part of the content in STO. As someone who is always looking for new content, it's an obvious thing to try out. They actually can be quite fun (at least the first several times you run them). Also, you can get some decent gear and gear sets by running them. (More on this later). Also, depending on the gear that you get, there are also Costume unlocks available. And, of course, there are accolades and title unlocks as well. And don't forget, you get dilithium too.
How do I get the missions?
STF's are no longer stand alone missions. Instead, they are accessed through the que system. You have to be at least level 44. Click the PVE que icon under your minimap, select the mission you want to play, and 'join' the que. It requires 5 people to start. You can also form a private instance if you have 4 other friends. Both Fed and Klingon can join the que, and in contrast to most other missions in the game, cross-faction teaming IS allowed. WARNING: If this is your first time running an STF, please DO NOT que up for Elite versions of them. You are sure to get some grief if you enter an elite version, and you don't go prepared knowing what to do. Elite STFs are not the same as regular missions set on elite difficulty. They require a high level of teamwork to complete, and are more than just beefed up borg. Do yourself (and the others on your team) a favor and run the normal versions a few times first to get a feel for what's involved.
What's the 'Objective'?
For each STF, there is a primary objective and an Optional objective. Completing the primary is what gets you your reward. The optional objective is usually timed, having to complete a certain task within a certain time limit for success. Successful completion of the optional objective will get you a chance at additional rewards. Details about the objectives for each STF is found below.
Remodulation
A word about borg adaptation and remodulating your weapons on ground missions. Like in the shows, borg on STF ground missions will adapt to your weapon type after you shoot at them a certain number of times (can be as little as 4 shots). Once they have adapted, you will only deal 1 damage with each shot. When this happens, there will be an icon next to your avatar indicating that they have adapted. Also, if you keep shooting at them, the word "ADAPTED" can be seen above their head in green font. They will adapt to the energy type that you are using (phaser, polaron, tetryon, etc), so if you switch to a different weapon with a different energy type, you can continue to damage them. So it's helpful to have a weapon with a different energy type on switch.
Eventually, the borg will adapt to your other weapon as well, and this is when you will have to remodulate. First make sure that your remodulator is equipped in one of your device slots, and that it appears in your power tray. When the borg have adapted to both your weapons, hit the remodulate button. It will take ~5 seconds to do this. While you are remodulating, you cannot sprint, shoot, or use any kit powers, so make sure you find some cover if you are forced to remodulate during combat. Remodulating will get rid of the borg adaptation on both your weapons.
A few things to keep in mind.
The borg adapt on a 'per shot' basis. The more shots your weapon fires, the sooner they will adapt.
Tip: As a general rule, don't use dual pistols or mini-guns against the borg.(Recent changes have made this slightly less of a problem, but these weapons are still frowned upon by experienced players)
The borg adaptation occurs for each person separately. Even if everyone is using phasers, each player has his/her own phaser adaptation.
Every shot 'counts' as a shot no matter which borg you shoot (they are a collective, after all). Shooting the same borg 5 times counts the same as shooting 5 different borg 1 time each.
The shot count carries over from each encounter. So if you fired 3 shots in the last encounter, you are 3 shots closer to adaptation for the next group of borg you fight. Therefore, it's a good idea to remodulate in-between each group of borg you fight to reset your internal 'adaptation counter', even if they haven't adapted yet.
The word "ADAPTED" only appears for the person who is adapted to. If you see it, it means the borg have adapted to your current weapon. You will not be able to see it for your team mates. The only way to tell if your team mate has been adapted to is to look at the buff/debuff icons next to his/her avatar. If you see the icon in between combat, it may be worth a gentle /tell to remind them to remodulate.
A word about gear.
For Normal difficulty missions (which is what this guide is about), gear is not critically important. Uncommon mark X gear or better will suffice. Of course, the better the weapons, the faster the mission will go. All the space missions are fairly heavily dependent on DPS, so the more ships using cannons, the faster the missions will go. A nice guide for building an escort for STFs can be found here.
For ground missions, make ABSOLUTELY sure you bring a remodulator with you, and equip it. Not bringing one is a SURE FIRE way of getting <facepalms> from your team mates, and also probably a few 'choice' comments and complaints as well. This is easily preventable if you replicate one (for free) from your ship replicator. Also, bring a stack of Large Hypos. And make sure you have a good kit. There is absolutely NO reason NOT to have at least at a minimum a rare Mark IX kit. They are available from a vendor at DS9 for energy credits (No dilithium needed). I actually recommend getting all of them for your class, and keep them handy to switch in/out.
Rewards/Loot.
STF rewards do not work like standard missions where you hail your contact and collect your reward. Instead, at the end of the mission, each person gets a bag of loot. (Don't forget to collect it). There is an additional bag of loot which is shared if you complete the optional objectives. There is a chance that each borg will drop a piece of loot as well. All these borg drops are subject to the need/greed system. Proper etiquette dictates that you choose "greed" for most things, and "need" only if you actually are going to use the item. Wanting something so you can sell it on the exchange is not really a legitimate "need".
There are 4 special gear sets (per faction) that can be obtained from these STFs, plus the old 'legacy' borg set. Each set contains 3 pieces, and give special bonuses if all 3 are equipped. There is also purple mark XI gear (non-set) which can be obtained. The weapons on these have [Borg] modifiers on them which have a chance on doing extra damage to the borg. The gear sets are as follows:
M.A.C.O. Space set (Fed only)
M.A.C.O. Ground set (Fed only)
Honor Guard Space set (KDF only)
Honor Guard Ground set (KDF only)
Omega Force Space Set (Both Fed and KDF)
Omega Force Ground Set (Both Fed and KDF)
Each of these sets come in Mark X (recruit), XI (veteran), and XII (elite) versions. Mark X and Mark XI can be obtained via using EDC (more on that below) or as a rare drop from particular missions. Mark XII can only be obtained by a rare drop.
The above loot drops as follows, with the following tech getting turned in for one of the above items. Players have a chance reward of the Mark X or XI when doing normal STF's, Mark XI and Mark XII for elite STF's.
Infected Space - Shield Tech
Khitomer Accord Space - Deflector Tech
Cure Space - Engine Tech
Infected Ground - PSG Tech
Khitomer Accord Ground - Armor Tech
Cure Ground - Weapon Tech
In addition, there are title and costume unlocks with obtaining some of these sets:
Omega Force
Omega Force Initiate - Title Unlock - Play any STF segment ground or space once.
Omega Force Recruit - Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark X Omega Ground Gear.
Omega Force Veteran - Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XI Omega Ground Gear.
Omega Force Operative -Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XII Omega Ground Gear.
M.A.C.O.
M.A.C.O. Initiate - Title Only - Play any STF segment ground or space once.
M.A.C.O. Recruit - Title Only - Collect all three pieces Mark X M.A.C.O. Ground Gear.
M.A.C.O. Veteran - Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XI M.A.C.O. Ground Gear.
M.A.C.O. Commando -Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XII M.A.C.O. Ground Gear.
M.A.C.O. Team Specialist - Title Only - All Optional Objectives on "Normal" difficulty once on every STF Segment.
M.A.C.O. Team Commander - Title Only - All Optional Objectives on "Elite" difficulty once on every STF Segment.
Honor Guard
Honor Guard Initiate - Title Only - Play any STF segment ground or space once.
Honor Guard Recruit - Title Only - Collect all three pieces Mark X Honor Guard Ground Gear.
Honor Guard Veteran - Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XI Honor Guard Ground Gear.
Honor Guard Elite -Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XII Honor Guard Ground Gear.
Honor Guard Specialist - Title Only - All Optional Objectives on "Normal" difficulty once on every STF Segment.
Honor Guard Commander - Title Only - All Optional Objectives on "Elite" difficulty once on every STF Segment.
Also, you must have the full set - personal shield, armor, and weapon - to unlock the costume, and the set must be the same mark level (so 2 mark XI pieces with 1 mark X piece will not unlock anything). Once you unlock the costume, you can get it at any tailor.
www.stowiki.org/Set
What the heck are these EDC thingys?
All STFs award at least 1 "Encrypted Data Chip" (EDC) in your loot bag for normal STF's, 2 for Elite STF's. This is the main 'currency' for the STF gear. You can trade these in at DS9. At first glance, the system seems overly complicated. But the reason for the system is to maximize flexibility in getting the gear you actually want, as opposed to a random drop system where you may get a random loot that isn't what you were looking/hoping for. It allows you to work towards your goal of getting the gear you want. Once you get used to it, you will find that it's not that hard to understand.
forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=246186
This guide is not intended to go into detailed strategies and tactics. For more advanced strategies, there are other more in-depth guides please see the other thread in this forum - STF Elite Tactical Report by Naldoran.
***STF Basics***
What are STFs?
"Special Task Force" (STF) missions are the end game 5-man team missions in STO. They involve the Borg, and are broken into 6 missions: "Infected" space and ground, "Cure" space and ground, "Khitomer Accord" space and ground. If you are new, I recommend starting out with the Space missions, Infected being the easiest (least likely to fail). Space missions take an average of 15-30 minutes to complete depending on the team. Ground missions take an average of 25-35 minutes to complete depending on the team.
Why do I want to run STFs?
They are part of the content in STO. As someone who is always looking for new content, it's an obvious thing to try out. They actually can be quite fun (at least the first several times you run them). Also, you can get some decent gear and gear sets by running them. (More on this later). Also, depending on the gear that you get, there are also Costume unlocks available. And, of course, there are accolades and title unlocks as well. And don't forget, you get dilithium too.
How do I get the missions?
STF's are no longer stand alone missions. Instead, they are accessed through the que system. You have to be at least level 44. Click the PVE que icon under your minimap, select the mission you want to play, and 'join' the que. It requires 5 people to start. You can also form a private instance if you have 4 other friends. Both Fed and Klingon can join the que, and in contrast to most other missions in the game, cross-faction teaming IS allowed. WARNING: If this is your first time running an STF, please DO NOT que up for Elite versions of them. You are sure to get some grief if you enter an elite version, and you don't go prepared knowing what to do. Elite STFs are not the same as regular missions set on elite difficulty. They require a high level of teamwork to complete, and are more than just beefed up borg. Do yourself (and the others on your team) a favor and run the normal versions a few times first to get a feel for what's involved.
What's the 'Objective'?
For each STF, there is a primary objective and an Optional objective. Completing the primary is what gets you your reward. The optional objective is usually timed, having to complete a certain task within a certain time limit for success. Successful completion of the optional objective will get you a chance at additional rewards. Details about the objectives for each STF is found below.
Remodulation
A word about borg adaptation and remodulating your weapons on ground missions. Like in the shows, borg on STF ground missions will adapt to your weapon type after you shoot at them a certain number of times (can be as little as 4 shots). Once they have adapted, you will only deal 1 damage with each shot. When this happens, there will be an icon next to your avatar indicating that they have adapted. Also, if you keep shooting at them, the word "ADAPTED" can be seen above their head in green font. They will adapt to the energy type that you are using (phaser, polaron, tetryon, etc), so if you switch to a different weapon with a different energy type, you can continue to damage them. So it's helpful to have a weapon with a different energy type on switch.
Eventually, the borg will adapt to your other weapon as well, and this is when you will have to remodulate. First make sure that your remodulator is equipped in one of your device slots, and that it appears in your power tray. When the borg have adapted to both your weapons, hit the remodulate button. It will take ~5 seconds to do this. While you are remodulating, you cannot sprint, shoot, or use any kit powers, so make sure you find some cover if you are forced to remodulate during combat. Remodulating will get rid of the borg adaptation on both your weapons.
A few things to keep in mind.
The borg adapt on a 'per shot' basis. The more shots your weapon fires, the sooner they will adapt.
Tip: As a general rule, don't use dual pistols or mini-guns against the borg.(Recent changes have made this slightly less of a problem, but these weapons are still frowned upon by experienced players)
The borg adaptation occurs for each person separately. Even if everyone is using phasers, each player has his/her own phaser adaptation.
Every shot 'counts' as a shot no matter which borg you shoot (they are a collective, after all). Shooting the same borg 5 times counts the same as shooting 5 different borg 1 time each.
The shot count carries over from each encounter. So if you fired 3 shots in the last encounter, you are 3 shots closer to adaptation for the next group of borg you fight. Therefore, it's a good idea to remodulate in-between each group of borg you fight to reset your internal 'adaptation counter', even if they haven't adapted yet.
The word "ADAPTED" only appears for the person who is adapted to. If you see it, it means the borg have adapted to your current weapon. You will not be able to see it for your team mates. The only way to tell if your team mate has been adapted to is to look at the buff/debuff icons next to his/her avatar. If you see the icon in between combat, it may be worth a gentle /tell to remind them to remodulate.
A word about gear.
For Normal difficulty missions (which is what this guide is about), gear is not critically important. Uncommon mark X gear or better will suffice. Of course, the better the weapons, the faster the mission will go. All the space missions are fairly heavily dependent on DPS, so the more ships using cannons, the faster the missions will go. A nice guide for building an escort for STFs can be found here.
For ground missions, make ABSOLUTELY sure you bring a remodulator with you, and equip it. Not bringing one is a SURE FIRE way of getting <facepalms> from your team mates, and also probably a few 'choice' comments and complaints as well. This is easily preventable if you replicate one (for free) from your ship replicator. Also, bring a stack of Large Hypos. And make sure you have a good kit. There is absolutely NO reason NOT to have at least at a minimum a rare Mark IX kit. They are available from a vendor at DS9 for energy credits (No dilithium needed). I actually recommend getting all of them for your class, and keep them handy to switch in/out.
Rewards/Loot.
STF rewards do not work like standard missions where you hail your contact and collect your reward. Instead, at the end of the mission, each person gets a bag of loot. (Don't forget to collect it). There is an additional bag of loot which is shared if you complete the optional objectives. There is a chance that each borg will drop a piece of loot as well. All these borg drops are subject to the need/greed system. Proper etiquette dictates that you choose "greed" for most things, and "need" only if you actually are going to use the item. Wanting something so you can sell it on the exchange is not really a legitimate "need".
There are 4 special gear sets (per faction) that can be obtained from these STFs, plus the old 'legacy' borg set. Each set contains 3 pieces, and give special bonuses if all 3 are equipped. There is also purple mark XI gear (non-set) which can be obtained. The weapons on these have [Borg] modifiers on them which have a chance on doing extra damage to the borg. The gear sets are as follows:
M.A.C.O. Space set (Fed only)
M.A.C.O. Ground set (Fed only)
Honor Guard Space set (KDF only)
Honor Guard Ground set (KDF only)
Omega Force Space Set (Both Fed and KDF)
Omega Force Ground Set (Both Fed and KDF)
Each of these sets come in Mark X (recruit), XI (veteran), and XII (elite) versions. Mark X and Mark XI can be obtained via using EDC (more on that below) or as a rare drop from particular missions. Mark XII can only be obtained by a rare drop.
The above loot drops as follows, with the following tech getting turned in for one of the above items. Players have a chance reward of the Mark X or XI when doing normal STF's, Mark XI and Mark XII for elite STF's.
Infected Space - Shield Tech
Khitomer Accord Space - Deflector Tech
Cure Space - Engine Tech
Infected Ground - PSG Tech
Khitomer Accord Ground - Armor Tech
Cure Ground - Weapon Tech
In addition, there are title and costume unlocks with obtaining some of these sets:
Omega Force
Omega Force Initiate - Title Unlock - Play any STF segment ground or space once.
Omega Force Recruit - Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark X Omega Ground Gear.
Omega Force Veteran - Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XI Omega Ground Gear.
Omega Force Operative -Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XII Omega Ground Gear.
M.A.C.O.
M.A.C.O. Initiate - Title Only - Play any STF segment ground or space once.
M.A.C.O. Recruit - Title Only - Collect all three pieces Mark X M.A.C.O. Ground Gear.
M.A.C.O. Veteran - Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XI M.A.C.O. Ground Gear.
M.A.C.O. Commando -Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XII M.A.C.O. Ground Gear.
M.A.C.O. Team Specialist - Title Only - All Optional Objectives on "Normal" difficulty once on every STF Segment.
M.A.C.O. Team Commander - Title Only - All Optional Objectives on "Elite" difficulty once on every STF Segment.
Honor Guard
Honor Guard Initiate - Title Only - Play any STF segment ground or space once.
Honor Guard Recruit - Title Only - Collect all three pieces Mark X Honor Guard Ground Gear.
Honor Guard Veteran - Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XI Honor Guard Ground Gear.
Honor Guard Elite -Title / Costume Unlock - Collect all three pieces Mark XII Honor Guard Ground Gear.
Honor Guard Specialist - Title Only - All Optional Objectives on "Normal" difficulty once on every STF Segment.
Honor Guard Commander - Title Only - All Optional Objectives on "Elite" difficulty once on every STF Segment.
Also, you must have the full set - personal shield, armor, and weapon - to unlock the costume, and the set must be the same mark level (so 2 mark XI pieces with 1 mark X piece will not unlock anything). Once you unlock the costume, you can get it at any tailor.
www.stowiki.org/Set
What the heck are these EDC thingys?
All STFs award at least 1 "Encrypted Data Chip" (EDC) in your loot bag for normal STF's, 2 for Elite STF's. This is the main 'currency' for the STF gear. You can trade these in at DS9. At first glance, the system seems overly complicated. But the reason for the system is to maximize flexibility in getting the gear you actually want, as opposed to a random drop system where you may get a random loot that isn't what you were looking/hoping for. It allows you to work towards your goal of getting the gear you want. Once you get used to it, you will find that it's not that hard to understand.