That’s really key, hope for the future. Cryptic dug their heels in on the 11th bundle, and its permanent availability is a testament to poor sales of that. This bundle is actually worse than the 11th. So high hopes for next year’s bundle having something I might want. If the game lasts that long. There are definite signs of things worsening for the game, even by our rock bottom standards.

Been looking at the bundle for a bit now. Hot take: there’s absolutely nothing in there I want. I’m sure various traits and consoles in this could be a big boost to organized record DPS runs for channel members. But as far as making the carrying of elite random TFOs on my own? Nothing stands out. The four ships are mechanically poor compared to other alternatives, and the traits and consoles are laser focused on a support play style.

If the carrier was an FDC it’d be a must buy for me. As is, another MW 3/3 carrier? Hard pass, even though the pets look interesting for DPS support. It’s a shame, the model looks fantastic. Maybe they’ll do a Terran version that doesn’t suck.

IMO the only way they’ll sell this turd of a bundle is if the exclusive hangar pets are more OP than drone ships. And even then I’m not going to buy it.

Just 4 new c-store grade ships. The Lafayette has next to zero value, being an underwhelming, not nearly good enough to be mediocre partial spec 4/3/1 ship with filler grade trait and console. “Bundle selling” box ship is ancient, obsolete, and a lesser platform than the event ship we just got. Ugh.

This has enormous potential to be even more underwhelming than the 11th bundle. Also known as the bundle that killed my enthusiasm for STO, and stopped my spending. I expect filler. Lots and lots of filler. Maybe even something as extreme as a holo Locutus as a bundle exclusive. It’s not a good sign that we know nearly nothing of this bundle two days before it drops. There’s also zero time to incorporate any player feedback. Yeah, nearly certain I’ll be skipping this one.

I would have bought this when it was first released if the tommygun was account unlocked. But now I have more gear than I can use, especially with 4 piece sets like the Kuumaarke one, and borg now adapting to physical damage. The ship is decent, having 5 forward weapons and two specs (even though the secondary is only Lt.) Overall, in 2024 the value in the bundle doesn’t justify the big fat bundle price, even with an account tommygun. I’ll continue to give this one a pass, even at the 35% off it’ll be next bundle sale. With all seven trait slots filled with premium traits and most console slots filled with advanced consoles I can see spending even less than usual in the future. And that’s saying something, I only spent stipend and dilzen last year.

Very generous, and very needed. Anyone starting in 2024 will have missed out on just too many events and giveaways, getting 2 c-store traits, one lockbox trait and a bunch of lobi gear after a year of play should go a long way to catching new players up with the multi-year vets. I wonder how many new players just give up and move on after realizing just how much money they’d have to spend before they can meaningfully contribute to team play.

I have a lifetime on one account, and not on another. Bank and inventory space is nice, but I feel this game severely encourages “one main lots of pylons”, making the account wide bank space a bit less valuable than it seems. Can buy a TON of slots for the main with $200. The stipend was nice over the last 7 years, might be OK even for maintenance mode. I certainly wouldn’t spring for it today.

Give it time. Firing everyone on not yet generating revenue projects is low hanging fruit. Kael is in shock and mourning, I’m not expecting the best from reading between the lines.

Being moved to being run by DECA is an even worse sign. The future of the game looks dark indeed. From what I can see, DECA is hospice care for mostly dead mobile and browser games. Ah well, I got several years of entertainment from STO, works out to about to dinner and a movie a month.

Going to put this out there. Layoffs are like roaches, you rarely see just one. That’s why 30 Cryptic employees updated their resumes and set themselves as open for work on LinkedIn. Kael still has a job, but he knows he is not secure.

Legendary bundles typically go on sale about 2 weeks after the previous intro sale finished, so this is completely expected and not signaling anything.

But if we see Mudd bundles for 75% off including ships, yeah, THEN it’s obviously all about the immediate cash and screw the consequences. Or if the MW D7 and/or Atlas/Thrai/D9 appear in a bundle.

If there’s a positive side to the last few years of mandatory event grind it’s this – I generated insane amounts of dil to exchange for zen. Between that, the stipend, and glacial drip feed of content I don’t feel like I need to spend money, and haven’t since they pissed me off with the 11th anniv. bundle. Bought the 12th and 13th with in-game earned zen, and still have most of the zen I bought in anticipation of the 11th bundle. I hate gambling so that makes things even easier on me.

They had mentioned environmental and other art is the gating factor for content. This is very much moving the wrong direction.

Lorca or Stamets-Tilly?

Both! But the DECS 3-piece I believe is the absolute best-in-slot for new and under-dressed toons. For the absolutely naked I’d say the level 40 reward ship should be the Vo’Quv (or the level 61 Kar’Fi) with frigate pets. Until there’s some rep and fleet gear available the pets will do far more than energy weapons on an un-traited greenhorn using NPC drops for gear. Kar’Fi with the tilly 3-piece will easily hit average player performance with no traits and white MK XII weapons, no other gear required. I don’t know if the space ghosts get unlocked by the Kar’Fi, but if so we’re talking double average player DPS potential!

I also recommend brand new players splurge for the Gamma starter pack. The dread out of it may not be great, or even good, but for a brand new player it’s a complete game changer. The vanguard winmen, hangar, tankiness, JHV species unlock and down payment on the full pack – it’s quite the value for as little as 10 bucks when stacking sales. Solid foundation for a ‘baby steps’ progression toward a build.

I’m not a PvPer, but as I understand the big win is pilot seating (meta for PvP) combined with a 1.3 hull capacity. Splash of MW is nice as well. The meta has moved on, with the Hydra now edging out the legendary bugship which had edged out the Freedom.
I’m a bit shocked you don’t have the legendary crossfield from the 10th bundle. Or the crappy crossfield from the 13th. I haven’t even unboxed that second turd on any alt, but it is in there. Legendary one is fine for scitorp if leaning more heavily toward torp over sci.

That, disco D7, crossfit and mirror warship are about the only account wide ships I could see paying stupid amounts of money for. Luckily, for now their plan with these bundles is “3 ships that never sell and one that’s mildly desirable.” Easy to keep the old wallet closed even if there’s one item in there I want.

Couldn’t agree more. I think the PvP types do like the Freedom, but it does little for me. I’m slightly interested. Account wide Improved Photonic Officer is tempting, and I guess I could use a Vonph. But the rest of the bundle leaves me feeling “meh.” Maybe if they decide they want money and do the 75% off thing again.

My rules of thumb for effective, spend-free alts boil down to:

1. Get to Mk XV for as many weapons as possible, even if blue
2. Attack Pattern Beta
3. Highest firing mode possible running APB
4. Highest EP2W and PO that fit.
5. Emphasis on crit when it comes to gear.
6. Colony deflector and disco 3-piece ASAP
7. Hull HP if nothing else fits

The disco 3 piece can do more damage than average players just by itself, especially in the absence of top shelf traits. Everything else is just optimizing further. Obviously front weapon slots are more valuable than rear, tac slots are still king for poor new toons. MK XV for weapons is the best overall return on investment.

I don’t think RCS, neutronium and EPS are that useful unless they’re the disco rep Bellum drops. There is mission gear (like Martok or Beyond the Nexus) to stuff there instead.

And by “several” we mean about half, including heavy hitters we’re all familiar with. I suspect it’s just a reversal of work-from-home as a quiet layoff (about 70% of workers said they’d look for opportunities in the case of such reversal), but it could be worse.

This is definitely not a positive development in any event, and likely means we get even less content somehow.

I’d love a loot filter. It’s already tedious to click loot one piece at a time, doubly so when 3/4 of it is completely worthless loot boxes or single units of commodities. Just give me an option to never see the junk. I’d be willing to go with “never see any loot” because honestly, it’s extremely low value but lots of visual and UI interaction clutter.

Turns out it’s just a skin.

Yep, the cat reference was a cut-n-paste with no proofread from last year. Kael doing his job as always. This year is JUST summoning the sex ghost who will go all force lightning on stuff.

When this hits Mugg’s I’m definitely not buying it. Fairly bland ship, and of course the announcement is full of mistakes. Is it command? Is it temporal? Who knows! 4/3 weapons and a hanger is a small draw. But not enough for the e.g. Compiler to edge out the Verne or Dranuur scout ship. Too hideous for a gamble ship. I’d pick it up if it were c-store just to mess around with the console. It looks fun for scitorp without boosting pure EPG or pure torp higher. Trait is shield stuff again, at least partly. So unlikely to be meta (or very useful). Another extremely easy pass.

I’m once again underwhelmed. I have all the fluff, and the LBort is… The LScimitar, but worse. Much worse. I can’t see ever flying that ship. So at the end of the day it’s $84 (will likely be 78 in two weeks) for a slightly better account wide Inquiry, a new quad weapon with a gimmick and one decent enough looking account trait. Cannons will be great on a BO Intel or MW ship, for sure.

Thing is, I already have the Inquiry and… I don’t love it or fly it. Got it pretty cheap when it showed up in the lobi store. Even though I have it I prefer the LD7 and even the Lexington. Once the bundle goes on 35% off sale I may get it for my F2P account which I’ve neglected ever since the LScimitar. Definitely nothing here that’s a day 1 must buy for me, especially as I get the sneaking feeling a Terran Inquiry will be in the 15th bundle. Next!