Star Trek Online Now Available Free To Play

Today is 17th of January, or 1701, which is the date that Cryptic decided to launch the new Free To Play version of Star Trek Online. If you have wanted to give the MMORPG a try (or wanted to return to the game), you can be begin your adventure today, for free. See below for more details and the new F2P launch trailer.

 

Star Trek Online now "Free To Play"

If you have been curious about the Star Trek Online massive multiplayer game, now is the time to check it out. Cryptic have transitioned the game to a new free to play model so you can launch your ship with no monthly subscription.

Every player in Star Trek Online is a captain with a ship. You choose a career path, you choose which missions to take, and you can even choose to play for the Klingon Empire. Gameplay takes place in space and on strange new worlds.

Star Trek Online also offers customization of your character, your ship, your crew, your uniform, and more. You can even build missions using the Foundry system.

You can spend your time in combat or exploring. And now you can do it all for free.

Here is the brand new launch trailer for Star Trek Online Free To Play…

And here is the new opening cutscene for the game…

If you have a PC (that meets the minimum specs) and you are ready to try Star Trek Online for free, sign up now.

How Free to play works

As of now there are two ways to play Star Trek Online. You can play with a free "Silver" account or with a "Gold" monthly subscription of $14.99. This Features Matrix from Cryptic shows the difference between the two accounts.

  Gold Members
$14.99 Monthly (or Lifetime)
Silver Players
Free
All Sectors and Missions Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
PVP Access Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
Fleet Actions Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
Events and Dailies Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
Feature Episode Series Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
Special Task Forces Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
Klingon Play Unlocked at Level 25 Unlocked at Level 25
Classes
(Tactical, Science, Engineer)
Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
Default Playable Species Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
Premium Playable Species Unlockable Unlockable
Join a Fleet (Guild) Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
Create a Fleet (Guild) Unlimited Access Limited
Energy Credit Storage Limit Limited Limited
Dilithium Refinement Cap 8k per day 8k per day
Character Slots 3 2
Additional Bridge Officer Slots +2 Additional Slots Per Rank +1 Additional Slot Per Rank
Max Free Inventory 72 42
Max Free Bank Inventory 108 48
Costume / Uniform Slots 3 Free 3 Free
Captain Retrain Token (Respec) 1 Free Per Rank
Veteran Rewards
Purchasable
Purchasable
Foundry Creator Access Unlimited Unlockable
Foundry Project Slots 8 Unlockable
Playable Foundry Content Unlimited Access Unlimited Access
Premium Ships Purchasable Purchasable
Veteran Rewards Automatic Not Available
Priority Login Free Not Available
In-Game Chat Unlimited Access Limited
In-Game Mail Unlimited Access Limited
Forums Unlimited Access Limited
Customer Service Unlimited Limited
In-Game Vivox Voice Chat No Advertisements Ad-supported
Monthly Stipend 400 Promotional Points Unavailable

More information on Free to Play at startrekonline.com/f2p.

 

POLL: Do you play STO, are you going to try out STO F2P?

[poll=684]

 

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In a nutshell:

1) You can play every single mission in the game for free

2) There are some cool items in the game store, but you dont actually need any of them to play.

3) You can now trade in game currency for game store points, so you have a way to earn the items in the game store without spending any real money.

Lightyears ahead from when it was released, Star Trek: Online is an excellent, fun and ever-improving game. Well worth AT LEAST a few hours of your time.

For the first time, I’m thinking about it.

Only if I can Captain the Constitution class starship and wear the TOS uniforms

Gonna try it

Just looked at downloading this, it wants to put some form of peer-to-peer file sharing software on your PC to download the full game.
As I have rules on my router to specifically block P2P software, I guess I won’t be getting this until a different release method is used.

#4 you can

It’s exciting times. Come join us!

Can you play it on an iMac?

1701 (today) also happens to be my birthday. I’ve always liked the coincidence. I must have been destined to be a Star Trek fan. :)

@ 4
The original CONNIE and TOS uniforms are available from the cryptic store.
but you have to pay for them.

Still seams like a shitty game.

started today again since my free trial. Does seem improved. Before there was no starfleet academy or even decks to walk on on your ship. Now there is. pointless perhaps, but gives it a more STAR Trek feel to walk the decks of your own ship.

Like it more than the first time so far. :)

Your “minimum specs” link isn’t a real hyperlink.

@11, no you dont. See my 3rd point in the first reply.

In a nutshell:

1) You can play every single mission in the game for free

2) In a few days you realize why the game is free.

#12 have you played it? No? Then don’t comment on it until you played it and you have no excuse not to now that its free.

@ 15
Thanks for the pointer :), I didn’t know that.
anyone know how many credits i need to spend for say 400 points?

# 16 I think every mission in the game is great.
At any rate this game is just really good Star Trek. Give it a shot people.

#18:

Last I looked an individual C-Store point was selling for around 300 Dilithium. So you’ll definitely have to do a bit of grinding.

On the other hand, for $6.25 you can just buy 500 points.

“Free to play”?

Hardly, I’d have to shell out for a PC to play this because Cryptic don’t accomidate those of us who can affford a high quality computer.

No thanks.

Wake me up when this is available for everyone.

I am tired of being discrimated against by companies like this because of my choice of products.

For those that arent aware, this game also has a user generated content system, which means you can create your own missions as well as play others:

http://www.startrekonline.com/foundry

Free players can play unlimited UGC missions, although they have to purchase slots to create them(which can be purchased with either real money or in game currency). You can purchase 4 mission slots for 10k dillithium(and you earn 1400 dillithium per daily mission).

@21: You are not being discriminated against. Software developers — and this is NOT a new phenomenon — make decisions based upon the cost to develop a Mac version versus the amount of revenue they’d earn.

Surely you were aware of this when you chose to go Mac.

Personally I like Macs, but I have a PC because there are a number of applications (beyond games like STO) that require Windows.

But if it makes you feel better to think this is Cryptic’s fault…go ahead.

Hey Anthony…the poll doesn’t seem to work, or at least work on Chrome. No matter which answer I pick, when I click Vote it says, “Please choose a valid poll answer.”

Also, if I try to view the results, nothing happens.

Just FYI.

Free is good.

I bought a MacBook Pro a year ago when my 5th PC crashed. I have not looked back and never will. I’m a Mac convert for life.

Too bad I can’t play this game, though. It looks cool.

#26 – Same here. I used to be a network admin… bought my first Mac a few years back, mostly because I was doing audio editing.

I’ll never go back to PCs. Pity… this does look kinda cool.

Check the Star Trek Online forums; a number of users have gotten STO running on Macs.

But keep in mind, it’s not officially supported, so tech support won’t give you any assistance.

Mac users : Try VirtualBox.org, install Windows with it OR try CrossOver Games which supports STO! :D

@21 and @26: There are simple programs that allow you to install and utilize windows on a Mac. The most common one that I know of is BootCamp. Feel free to try it if you wish to try this experience. I am not a fan of Mac’s and don’t imagine I ever will be but I would be glad to help a fellow trek fan out to get a good experience.

#26-27…couldn’t handle a car so they bought a Segway.

#24, same on Firefox.

What a fantastic trailer! I was going to go to bed, but now I’m logging onto STO!

MAC’s are for people that don’t know how to maintain a computer.

@ The_Grand_Nagus: It’s true that you can spend in-game dilithium to get C-Store Points and never have to spend any money out of pocket, but the exchange rate is absolutely horrid. Last I checked, it was at about 300 Dilithium for ONE C-Store Point.

If a ship costs 1600CP, that means you’ll have to amass 480,000 Dilithium to get it. You can only convert 8,000 raw ore a day. That means you’d have to play enough to get all 8,000 dilithium every day for TWO MONTHS so that you can buy enough points for a single ship out of the C-Store.

STO is a mediocre MMO. It should definitely be worth a try for all the hardcore Trek fans who come here since it’s free, but you’ll probably hit the level cap in a week or two and then have nothing to do.

Is it confirmed that you can’t play it for free on the Mac? I have a friend who said you probably can.

Can someone confirm this for me as I would like to try this game.

Yay! Mac versus PC fight!

Seriously though, it’s absurd. People deliberately chose to buy a ‘different’ computer, fulling aware that there are lots of applications not running on it (and vice versa), and that’s fine, to each their own. But don’t complain about it afterwards of try and put the blame on a developer; you made the choice yourselves. And as other people have said already: there are workarounds. Agreed with #34 by the way, if you maintain your computer you shouldn’t be able to “crash 5 of them.” You’re doing something wrong then.

And on a side note: can’t say I appreciate the typical Mac-snobbery of people like #21, but that’s the internet nowadays.

And on a more positive note (really, sorry, this Mac vs. PC thing really gets on my nerves each time I read it concerning gaming): downloading right now. Curious as to how the game plays these days.

Wow. Ok. I guess I am an idiot since I enjoy my Mac. Yeah, I crashed my PCs since I believe that when I spend a lot of money on something that I would not have to constantly fix it. And I used to work on cars and motorcycles a lot when I was a teenager. But now that I am 37, I don’t have the time to work on my car so I bought a Saturn and didn’t need to lift the hood since (other than changing filters/oil/plugs).

Whatever happened to IDIC?

While I’m bummed this game isn’t offered on Mac, and I appreciate those of you with the Windows work-around suggestions, I am not angry at the game-makers. I am fully aware of the number of things not offered on Mac when I bought it. I use Excel, Word, and Access a lot at work so I had to get the MS Office add-on.

31. Simon: Ouch. Really? How about we time who can change drum brakes the fastest. On a car, not a Segway.

34: Macs are for people who might not have the time to fix their computer often.

Guys, I am not saying that Macs are better than PCs. They each have their pros and cons. As someone said, to each their own. I use a PC at work but a Mac at home. But why all the hate directed towards those that enjoy their Macs? What did Apple ever do to you?

The hate, I suspect, isn’t directed at Macs or Mac users in general. Personally I like Macs, and I’d use one if I could.

The hate gets directed at nitwits like #21.

For all the Mac users who can’t play STO because it’s Windows only, have you considered using Apple’s “Boot Camp” functionality? Check it out here: http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

You’ll still need to purchase a license for Windows (which can be as cheap as $99 if you buy a non-transferable OEM license), but it’ll give you the ability to run Windows natively on your Apple machine, while also keeping your usual OS X intact.

Truly, one could say that this is… “The Best of Both Worlds”

(Cue the groans! ^_^)

I’ve seen other users mention using computer virtualization software like VirtualBox — I would recommend against that since you’ll usually see a performance hit and probably have a sub-optimal gaming experience.

Boot camp would be your best bet — I have many Mac-owning friends who use Boot Camp and Windows to play games while doing their daily productivity work in OS X.

How about on my iPad?? ;-)

#10- Happy Birthday!! That is an AWESOME date to have for your birthday!!

41: Thanks for the suggestion. I might try that.

“Best of Both Worlds.” Heh.

@34 MACS are for people that like to get things done and not have to worry about it getting a virus while using the calculator that comes with the OS.

See, its posts like #44 that get non-Mac users all worked up.

You like Macs? Cool. They’re great computers with a great OS. More power to you. Other people choose Windows (or Linux) for a variety of reasons, many of them good. Freedom of choice is awesome.

But why the need to take potshots? Are you that insecure about your decision? You shouldn’t be.

Yo. Coke vs Pepsi. Macs vs PCs. Roddenberry Trek vs Berman Trek vs Abrams Trek.

People are people so why should it be? You and I should along get so awfully?

“Best of Both Worlds”, hahahaha !!

Seems to me that when it come to the decision between PC or MAC, it’s a case of “To Boldy Go” or “Where Silence Has Lease”. Ok, you can start groaning now !! :D

I use a pc laptop, which can handle most mmo games without too many problems (lag, mostly), so it’ll be interesting to see if STO works ok !!

In terms of requirements…STO will run on reasonably old/crappy equipment.

My main gaming machine is an Asus gaming laptop, but it just got sent off for repair so I’m using my work laptop. It’s a mediocre Core2Duo with Intel HD graphics, but I can run STO without lag or crashing.

Mind you, I have most of the graphics turned down. It looks…not very good.

But I can play missions, run STFs, etc. just fine.

would it have been too much to ask to put it on a console? ps3 got DC Universe Online. This would have been a nice Xbox360/PC exclusive. Since it’s not, I’ll just have to wait for the game that’ll be released later this year in the Abrams’ alternate universe.

#49: I dunno; I’m not sure how well this game would’ve worked out on a console. DC Universe got it mostly because it was produced by Sony Online Entertainment.

Had Microsoft written STO, I’m sure we would’ve gotten an X-Box version.