Update 93: the Ops 39 wall is now a research gate
- Building Operations 40 now needs Ascend Keys. You get them from the Rapid Ascension node in the Ascension Research Tree.
- Rapid Ascension needs an Ascension Commission Approval and the rest of the tree finished. The Approval is a gift at level 39 once your server is eligible.
- The tree runs on Ascension Particles from Elite FKR hostiles in Grade 4 systems. Work all three factions to go faster.
- Elite Assassins destroy any ship that is not from one of the other two factions. Check your ship before you fight.
Ops means your Operations level. FKR means the three main factions: Federation, Klingon and Romulan. To build Operations 40, you now need Ascend Keys. You get Ascend Keys by researching Rapid Ascension in the Ascension Research Tree. Rapid Ascension needs an Ascension Commission Approval. It arrives in a gift bundle at level 39 once your server is eligible. You must also finish the other research in the Ascension tree. You cannot just stockpile resources at Ops 39 any more. Players already at Ops 40 or higher get the Approval in the Gift section until Update 95. After that, the research is the only way.
The Grade 4 part of the tree uses the same currency as the Grade 3 part: Ascension Particles. You earn them by exchanging loot from the Elite FKR hostiles that Update 93.1 added to Grade 4 systems. Work more than one faction to go faster. If you defeat all three Elite hostile types, you earn rewards in the Federation, Klingon and Romulan stores at once.
Each Elite Assassin can only be fought with a ship from one of the other two factions. A Federation target needs a Klingon or Romulan ship. A Klingon target needs a Federation or Romulan ship. A Romulan target needs a Federation or Klingon ship. Any other ship is lethally struck at the start of combat. This includes ships of the same faction as the target. Specialty ships such as the U.S.S. Reliant, U.S.S. Voyager and U.S.S. Franklin do not count as Federation ships, so they are destroyed too. They also have Isolytic damage, Apex Barrier and high critical damage. Bring a combat crew.
FULL DETAIL — 4 MORE SECTIONS
Elite Assassins sit in existing faction systems from level 40 to 50. Federation, in ascending order: Goesting, Luoman, Rua Ri, Almango, Kri, Enten, Voda, Ertalwu, New Reykjavik, Caelum, Gamma Sedra. Klingon: Zlim'kach, Mehg Torr, Klopp, T'ong, Somraw, nuHmey veQ, Erzon'Uk, Annalu, Muhg, Nalla, Inoss. Romulan: Yvnys, Ortexa, Corvidae, Esto, Stelama, Nuva, Yina, Elvros, Kiina, Jorda, Teranth. Beating them pays increased faction reputation, a Faction Elite Intel chest, Grade 4 broken ship parts, and progress on your faction daily goal.
Station and research timers were cut across Grades 3, 4 and 5. This does not change Sigma timers. It shortens the upgrade loop that most mid-game progress is built on, so it helps even if you are nowhere near Ops 40. Most building upgrades now take one to two weeks at most. Operations upgrades are still the longest. Update 93.1 also added Latinum conversion for U.S.S. Franklin-A, U.S.S. Titan-A and Feesha unique ship parts, which gives you a way out when a single part is blocking a ship.
The Elite Track of the Battle Pass now gives a full Epic unlock of the featured officer. Previously that took the more expensive Mythic Track, and the Elite Track only gave a partial unlock. Which officer you are offered depends on your Operations level: Ops 20 to 50 get Borg Hugh, Ops 51 to 60 get Gwen DeMarco, and Ops 61 to 80 get SNW Black Ops M'Benga.
During Infinite Incursions, a successful raid on your station now puts you into a Raided state for 20 minutes after the most recent qualifying raid. While you are Raided, popups are suppressed so you can act without the game interrupting you, and the Shield button is given stronger colours to push you towards shielding. Further raids refresh the timer, the state survives closing and reopening the game, and it clears itself when the timer runs out. Systems caught up in an Incursion are now marked on the Galaxy Map, and the Shield button is highlighted if you are sitting unshielded.