Star Trek Online at Ten Ton Hammer

So you think you have what it takes to survive in Klingon space, either as a hired mercenary or a full member of the Empire? Ha! This isn't a place for the weak. Go back to your pacifist-ridden Starfleet. The Klingon Empire has a long history of strife and warfare and there's a reason our warriors are feared and respected throughout the galaxy. It's not because we’ve lost either. You'd better have a spine of pure duranium and be prepared to not back down from any challenge. Still want to test your might, whelp? So be it. I guess you'll find out if today really is a good day to die, eh?

Before any player can create a character for the Klingon faction in Star Trek Online, they have to complete one of two tasks. The long way to go about it is to play your Federation character until you reach level six (since that's the level all Klingon-faction characters begin). Pretty simple, no? For those players are in a hurry though, you can complete a set of quests given by various members of Starfleet to unlock your Klingon character slot earlier (full guide coming soon). The last quest in this line cannot be received unless you are level four so don't worry if it seems you get stuck before then.

As a quick note to hopefully alleviate any concerns over character slots (or a lack thereof) lingering from open beta, the Klingon character slot you unlock is in *addition* to your Federation slots. This means that if you can currently make two Federation characters, then you'll still be able to do so after unlocking your Klingon character. There has been some confusion on this matter and I keep seeing the issue pop up so let's hope this finally puts it to rest.


Unlike the Federation side of things, you're not thrown into space right away. In fact, you have to earn the right to even get a ship and the crew to run it. How do you do that, you might ask? By fighting for it, of course! How else are Klingons and their allies supposed to prove their worth? You'll need to speak with Sparring Master B’Elotja in the arena to get things started. Once you've chosen an opponent (and there are plenty to choose from), it's a fight to the death. Fight well and B’Elotja will have you fight three more opponents just to make sure your initial success wasn't a stroke of luck. She'll have you spend your available skill points (3,100 of them) first before she'll allow you to fight these last three.

There are a few things you should know about these fights before you get started. At the time of this writing, mechanics within the arena are a little flaky. In fact, it's actually the only place in the game (so far) that I've continued to have bizarre issues crop up since Star Trek Online officially went live last week. The biggest issue is that despite the way the window text is written, when you challenge an enemy, they will start attacking immediately, even before you offer your challenge. This of course assumes that they attack at all.

Sometimes, you'll need to challenge someone else instead. But be prepared to face an attack from the first person you challenged once you're in the middle of your battle with the second. I'd say a bug like this is far beyond annoying, but even though it needs to be fixed, I'm able to shrug it off as just "adding to the Klingon" experience. You challenged a Nausicaan. Did you really expect him to fight honorably?


Speaking of Nausicaans, if you want to get through this trial not only quickly, but with all your limbs intact as well, Nausicaans make great targets. They stay at range and do a decent amount of damage, but nothing you can't handle. If you want to really test yourself though, go ahead and challenge the absolute beast of a Gorn standing at the edge of the ring. Trust me, you'll know exactly who I'm talking about once you see him. Let's just say I eventually admitted I was a coward after my third death and left him alone after that.

Once you finish off the requisite three targets, you'll have finally earned the right to have a crew. They'll still need some time to get the ship ready before you can leave. No worries, since this is the perfect time to get your bearings of Qo’nos. You'll be given a quest to speak to various Klingons that can be easily found within the Great Hall. The quickest method is to simply look at your map and go anywhere you see a big circle. If you want a more authentic experience, just explore the rooms and halls around you to find who you’re looking for. Once you speak to the final person on your list (the order of objectives doesn’t matter), you'll be level seven with your ship and crew ready to receive you so beam up to your ship and let's get going.

The first place you'll be sent to is the Kahless Expanse (though just as it is on the Federation side, you don't have to follow any particular course of action). This area is very similar to the Delta Volanis Cluster in that you will be scanning various anomalies. Rather than searching for unknown systems or mysterious artifacts, you're hunting for Federation ships. These ships are all NPC's, so the battles within are relatively easy.


This is a good place to get the feel of your ship and its capabilities. It may seem a bit boring in here, but take the time to learn how your new ship maneuvers because you definitely have different strengths in your new vessel than you did in your initial Federation ship. The good news is that the development team recently gave the starter Bird-of-Prey a nice boost, so enjoy your time in it.
 
After you've gotten the hang of your freshly bloodied Bird-of-Prey, it's time to head out into the Qu’vat Sector and start getting into some PvP battles. Whether you're looking for ground or space combat, there's plenty to choose from. Personally, I had to check out the space house battles this week. While I really wish the teams I kept getting put into weren't up against entire teams three and four levels higher than we were, I still had a lot of fun. Against those odds, a win wasn't really in the Cardassian tea leaves, but when we got a kill on one of our opponents it was an occasion worth celebrating with a round of Romulan Ale. I'm not generally a PvP player so my view of what is or isn't fun in a PvP match may differ from that of a true PvP enthusiast. I'd be interested to hear others take on the matter.

There you have it, whelp. You will either live or die by the strength of your arms, the support of your crew, and the wit of your near-empty skull. Fight well for the Klingon Empire and a statue of yourself may one day be erected within The Great Hall of Qo’nos as you look upon the worthy from Sto’Vo’Kor. Die without honor however, and your soul will toil and slave on the Barge of the Dead until you reach Gre'Thor where you will be tormented for eternity.