STO First Admiral Raid - "Infection"

From my other blog: Deflector Shields.

Star Trek Online (STO) just last week added their first of several to come called "Special Task Force" (STF) Raids for Admirals at endgame. First up is "Infection". Starfleet has lost all contact with Starbase 82 located in the Sibiran System. The Borg has now taken control of the Sibiran System and Starbase 82 while Infecting and assimilating everyone that's resisting them there. You are tasked with investigating reason for loss communications.

Due to the time I heard it took to complete the entire raid I put it off till the weekend since I wanted to have enough time to see the whole thing. In the Gamma Orionis zone I almost though I was playing WoW with all the LFG Tac/Sci/Eng for Infection, LFG Fed Tac/Cruiser/Escort/Science for Infection. Or even better yet "LFG for Infection have all Epic Gear, must have Experience" and LFG for Infection must have X Kit gear, Experience and must have Vent. Until that raid was added you didn't see any zone chat like that at all. But did remind me somewhat of another game I play...... WoW.

Not many Admirals was on in my Fleet at the Admiral lvl at the time so just went and PuG it. It actually took me a while to get into a PuG group but eventually did and we had a 5 man team of 2 Cruiser, 2 Escort, 1 Science Vessel. As far as Admiral Officer makeup I can't for sure remember exactly. But I think we had 2 Science Officers, 2 Tactical and 1 Engineer. Myself being a Tactical Officer (Rear Admiral 5).

The Raid started off having a Space phase where you had to try and destroy a large Transwarp Conduit that the Borg uses to Transwarp to the Star System and while at it engaging many Borg Spheres and several Borg Tactical Cubes. The space fight was really awesome. But engaging the Borg was not easy as I can't remember just how many time I lost my Star Cruiser. Shields against the Borg just doesn't seem to work! You will lose then instantly! Having Engineering Team and other ship Hull repair and regen ability really helps for hull repairs to be able to sustain damage and not loose your ship.

Overall the space part was fun and you also picked up a lot of green gear as well. At times it can get really annoying to try to loot gear while trying desperately to survive a Tactical Cube and all you can do fast is just hit greed on gear whatever it may be. I remember a Blue gear dropped and barely even had time to see what it was and one person only needed it the team leader. But I'm sure it was usable by everyone. That Phase lasted about 10-15 mins or so of the Raid then you had to beam down to Starbase 82.

The ground phase was immediate with some resistance of space station crew putting up resistance to the Borg and having to beat the Borg back. And I mean they were ALLOT of Borg Drones: Tactical Borg, Heavy Tactical Drones, Medical Drones. Though we didn't wipe as a 5 man team we died ALLOT! More deaths than I can remember doing anything in STO up to Admiral lvl. As a matter of fact I probably died more in that raid than I did in all of STO leveling together. If you had to count how many times we each died that in itself was just FUTILE!

There were Borg Drones Everywhere! They can be in front of you advancing as well as materialize right behind you to flank you. It was nuts! We figured out eventually that we needed to find and take out the Interlink Distribution Nodes that keep resupplying new Borg Drones. That helped allot, but trying to find them wasn't as easy either as the Interlink Distribution Nodes were well hidden from plain view and you almost probably aggro the Borg Drones before you can spot the Interlink Distribution Nodes.

So our PuG ground phase kinda went like this: We advance, retreat, advance hallways, kill Interlink Nodes, advance, retreat, lots of death in between, but as long as everyone don't die and one person still alive it's not a wipe. Lots of and retreating taking corridors of the Starbase but when we couldn't find the Interlink Nodes we got too over run with Borg Drones and had to do a lot of retreating due to just too many Borg Drones that keep spawning. Borg Drones even had resistance to certain weapon damage or adapted and used shields which I fount totally amusing.

Key was finding the well hidden Interlink Distribution Nodes and take them out quick and fast, that's if you can spot the Nodes before you aggro the Borg Drones. I can tell you on my first Raid here we really died allot, that was no joke! Currently there is no Death Penalty in STO, but soon their will be. If there was one in-game it would be rough depending on the penalty. If this was a WoW repair bill it would be brutal on your gold chest.


We only made it to through maybe up to the first half of retaking the Starbase as in the map above where it shows the red dots for the Borg Drones in the next section. One guy the group leader who formed the group kept asking how long it's going to take. I couldn't help but start laughing based on our current progress and knowing how raids go. But on very the next death of the group leader bailed! Not too soon after that other person in the group of remaining 4 quit. Why do people always quit a group like that as a excuse? His was had to go help a friend lvl. Lamest excuse I hear all the time even in WoW. Just quit and say I don't have any more guts to continue. Now that I can respect for someone quitting. But don't give a lame ass excuse.

We were left with just 3 in group including the one person that was there before who kinda knew what to do and the one finding all the Interlink Distribution Nodes. We figured with lots of common sense there was no way we were going to advance with just 3 people in group. The 3 of us just kinda chatted briefly before the 2 of them left. We were at it for about two hours or so at this point in the Infection Raid.


There is something about quitting that I just can't take that other people find easier to do. I fight, I learn and I adapt. That's what I do once I figure out something. But anyway at a certain point resistance can be futile too with any PuG group. So I just kinda stuck around on Starbase 82 alone just checking thing out to see if I can learn something for the next time I'm there for a raid and that I know something to my advantage. Figured out you can use the Star Map with the area map of base to spot all the Borg location as well spot the Interlink Distribution Nodes. Once you have a rough idea where and how many of the Nodes there are it's easier to look for them in that vicinity as they are well hidden from plain view. They spawn ALLOT of Borg Drones so take them out fast. Which is good to know on your next visit to Starbase 82 on the Infection Raid.

But that's how my first Raid went in STO as a Admiral. It was fun, we got our ass kicked good. We didn't make it to the end. We had a few quitters that killed any further progress but it was still fun. Balanced raid Borg Drones vs us? I can't say it really even was. It was like fighting overwhelming force.

For a game that's overwhelming easy to level up from Ensign to Rear Admiral its finally good to get a fairly good amount of difficulty that's everyone playing the game has been asking for. Not allot of endgame as yet, but this one delivers allot of ass kicking. "Infection" Raid is for the most part mostly Ground Combat and the most difficult. It just takes good coordination I would say. But with the "Cure" Raid coming in next 2 weeks we may have a little bit to keep Admirals busy at the end of the game.

What's new in WoW these days? Haven't kept up with too many of the changes I see being posted and other people writing about scanning my RSS Feeder.

Star Trek Online: A New Blog, New World & New Mission

Tactical Officer. Current rank Lieutenant Commander Galo.

My second command and new teir 2 ship a Vesper Class Cruiser. U.S.S Ardent. I got one named U.S.S Defender too.

Space the Final Frontier, exploring space in search of Adventure, New Missions and Exploration.

Yes I'm currently playing Star Trek Online (STO). And I started a new Blog as well to chart course in a New World in Interstellar Space.

Shields Up.

Update 02/12/10 - Update Blog Link to new name and url link to: Deflector Shields.

Star Trek Online: Exploring New Worlds

It's been a very long time since I played another game besides WoW since I started playing WoW years ago. I'm open minded enough that I'm not afraid to try my hand at adventuring at something new. From journeys and chronicles of adventures in mythical lands In need of a change I look up to the heavens always wondering about exploring brave new worlds in deep space. With the recent launch of Star Trek Online I decided to try the game as well.

So with open mind pick up Star Trek Online (STO) over the past weekend and so far have found the game enjoyable so far despite a few problems here and there. I'm actually enjoying the game quite a bit overall. And I'm glad it's not WoW nor do I expect it to be either like some people do. I've made it to Lieutenant 10 or LT10. I'm over half a level away from making my promotion it to Lt Cmdr Galo and current Captain of the USS Ardent my starting game light cruiser. I can't wait to make Lt Cmdr at which point I get a shiny brand new command ship a Escort ship as a Tactical Officer.

I'll be starting a new Blog on Wordpress "Shields Up" to chronicle making way around Star Trek universe as Captain of the USS Ardent. I didn't link the blog since I'm mobile blogging and haven't had time to set up the new blog as yet either. Been more fun exploring sector space on patrol and nailing Birds of Prey and other enemy vessels breaking through Shields with my Photon Beams and Torpedoes which is more fun than starting a new blog. But hopefully will get it up soon. Hopefully I can figure out how exactly to take screenshots by then as well.

WoW Vacation

Not feeling the urge to log on to do anything or that I have to log on and play WoW either at this point. So not motivated to log on and do anything.

And I don't think I'll be missing much to do either.

Taking a long WoW vacation while its early and there is plenty of time to do other things for a while. And while I'm at it maybe play other things that's new and fun for a change.

In other news bought me a new Mac Pro laptop earlier today, to somewhat upgrade my Mac G5 desktop I've been using a few years now which still works fine. I guess wont be putting WoW on it for a while either.

Anyway taking a long WoW Vacation.

Not Really Motivated

Not much to talk about this week. Since I've barely logged in and played WoW much all week and from the weekend, not that much to really feel motivated to talk about or passionate to spend several hours writing and constant correction even writing about something.

I don't have any goals either at the moment to feel driven to accomplish and though I can maybe think of many too long to list, I'm just not feeling motivated and motivated to make any. I like to play and do whatever motivates me to do so and to my own internal beats.

Often its a struggle with some form of balance in having a life and playing WoW. Its good to have a job, its good to be employed. But some days I'm just so damn tired after work and that feels like all the time that is. I'm up at 4am in the morning for my long commute and have to be at work by 6am. I don't get home till by 8pm usually. Its the same when that flips and work at nights. Its quite often physically draining and mentally spent.

Last thing on my mind on those days thinking about sitting on my PC and trying to write something interesting to update my blog is not that close to mind. Logging into WoW and dealing with all else that comes with logging in and dealing with guildies and their constant drama is not something I want to have to deal with when I really want to unwind and get a little peace of mind or be left alone. So I don't feel that motivated to want to log on at such times.

But day by day I fall behind on my 2 daily Frost of Emblem that I can gain from Heroics daily or even the weekly quest. I'm ever so slowly getting falling months behind on that since I'm slowly not feeling internally motivated to log on daily to do so.

I'm just feeling tired from work life and the daily grind of going through life and being damn tired and feeling too tired to do some other things while needing to do other things or besides WoWing.

Many a times I've thought about logging in to play after a long day at work. But a few mins on the couch to slowly unwind and before you know it a complete new day or too late and never even made it to playing WoW let along Blogging. So I slowly fall months behind on things and on my Frost Emblems and day by day it feels even less motivating to even try and catch up. The reality of things is i'll continue to fall behind and thats not motivating to me.

A bit hard to be that motivated at time. Just the reality of life for one guy playing WoW. So goes my Life and Times. Life keeps happening to you while doing everything else, even while trying to enjoy playing WoW whenever that is.

We all have some form of real lives or complex lives each of us all and that has real impact on how much or how we even play the game itself.