Star Trek Online launched on 2 February 2010 and has been free to play since 2011, which means the game a new captain meets in 2026 is sixteen years of accumulated systems rather than the one Cryptic shipped. The level cap has sat at 65 since the Victory is Life expansion, there are over 160 story episodes, and the newest expansion, Undiscovered, arrived on PC on 7 July 2026 and on consoles on 29 July. Almost every mission alternates between starship combat in space and a ground away team, so a build that only works in one half will stall.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Earth Spacedock | Split space and ground combat basics | Engineering captain | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Deep Space Nine | Bridge Officer seating and ship builds mastery | Engineering captain | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Qo'noS First City | Reputation projects across six tiers + gear | Tactical captain or Engineering captain | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | New Romulus Command | Build optimization | Tactical captain | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Deep Space Encounters | Min-max | Tactical captain or Jem'Hadar Vanguard captain | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Earth Spacedock)
The Federation social hub and the place most new captains do their first vendor, requisition and Duty Officer business. Ship requisition, the exchange and mission contacts all sit here.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 65, used throughout Key Rewards: Ship requisitions, the exchange, Duty Officer assignments and tailor access
What to Do in Earth Spacedock
- Learn Split space and ground combat. Missions cut between starship fights and away team sections, and the two use separate gear, separate skills and separate traits. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Engineering captain as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Pick one energy type and run every weapon on the ship in it. Tactical consoles boost a single energy type, so a phaser and disruptor mix means half your consoles are dead weight regardless of the numbers on the items.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Disruptor cannons or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Split space and ground combat fundamentals
- Engineering captain selected and functional
- Earth Spacedock main content cleared
- Ready for Deep Space Nine
Phase 2: Early Game (Deep Space Nine)
The Gamma Quadrant staging hub and the front door for the Dominion storyline. The Jem'Hadar Vanguard start puts you here early.
Level/Difficulty: Mid game through level 65 Key Rewards: Gamma Task Force reputation projects, Dominion story episodes and Alpha Quadrant travel
What to Do in Deep Space Nine
- Work on Bridge Officer seating and ship builds. Your ship's Bridge Officer seats decide which abilities you can slot, and the seat layout matters more than the hull. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Disruptor cannons if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Do not start upgrading gear until you know you are keeping it. Upgrade materials are the real currency sink in this game, and pouring Tech Upgrades into a mission reward beam you replace at 65 is thousands of dilithium gone.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Qo'noS First City.
- Consider whether Tactical captain might suit your playstyle better than Engineering captain.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Bridge Officer seating and ship builds integrated into gameplay
- Disruptor cannons acquired
- Deep Space Nine fully cleared
- Ready for Qo'noS First City
Phase 3: Mid Game (Qo'noS First City)
The Klingon Defense Force capital and hub. Klingon captains handle requisition and mission contacts here rather than at Earth Spacedock.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 65 for Klingon aligned captains Key Rewards: Klingon ship requisitions, faction episodes and honour based story arcs
What to Do in Qo'noS First City
- Master Reputation projects across six tiers. Reputations open at level 50 and run on daily project submissions rather than skill. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Phaser beam arrays. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Slot both a primary and a secondary specialization as soon as you have points. Primary enables all learned abilities in that tree, secondary only tiers 1 and 2, so put your deepest tree in the primary slot.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Primary and secondary Captain Specializations for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Reputation projects across six tiers mastered
- Phaser beam arrays acquired or in progress
- Qo'noS First City fully cleared
- Ready for New Romulus Command
Phase 4: Late Game (New Romulus Command)
The Romulan Republic base built out during the Legacy of Romulus era. It anchors the Romulan reputation and the Republic's own storyline.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 30 to 65 Key Rewards: Romulan reputation gear, Republic episodes and allied faction choice content
What to Do in New Romulus Command
- Finalize your build. You should be running Tactical captain or Engineering captain with optimized gear.
- Phaser beam arrays should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Open reputation projects the day you hit level 50 and submit them daily. Reputations run on a real time schedule, not on effort, so a captain who starts on day one finishes weeks ahead of one who starts at full gear.
- Gear upgrades to Mark XV and Epic optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Deep Space Encounters.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Phaser beam arrays upgraded to max
- New Romulus Command fully cleared
- Ready for Deep Space Encounters
Phase 5: Endgame (Deep Space Encounters)
The roaming procedural mission system across the Alpha, Beta and Delta Quadrants, overhauled in the Undiscovered expansion on 7 July 2026. Enter one from the sector map and fight whatever is there.
Level/Difficulty: Scales with level, best value at 65 Key Rewards: Marks for reputation, dilithium and a repeatable source of endgame currency
What to Do in Deep Space Encounters
- Deep Space Encounters tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Build your away team gear alongside your ship. Ground combat is roughly half of the episode content, and a Mark XV kit frame with matching modules changes away missions from a slog into a formality.
- The endgame loop: run Deep Space Encounters, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Jem'Hadar Vanguard captain for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Gear upgrades to Mark XV and Epic mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Deep Space Encounters fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Mixing energy types across a ship, which wastes most of the tactical console slots.
- Ignoring ground gear until an away mission wall stops progress cold.
- Upgrading levelling gear to Mark XV instead of saving materials for endgame equipment.
- Leaving reputation projects unstarted past level 50 and losing weeks of passive progress.
- Buying a hull for its looks without reading the Bridge Officer seat layout.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Pick one energy type and run every weapon on the ship in it. Tactical consoles boost a single energy type, so a phaser and disruptor mix means half your consoles are dead weight regardless of the numbers on the items.
- Do not start upgrading gear until you know you are keeping it. Upgrade materials are the real currency sink in this game, and pouring Tech Upgrades into a mission reward beam you replace at 65 is thousands of dilithium gone.
- Slot both a primary and a secondary specialization as soon as you have points. Primary enables all learned abilities in that tree, secondary only tiers 1 and 2, so put your deepest tree in the primary slot.
- Open reputation projects the day you hit level 50 and submit them daily. Reputations run on a real time schedule, not on effort, so a captain who starts on day one finishes weeks ahead of one who starts at full gear.
- Build your away team gear alongside your ship. Ground combat is roughly half of the episode content, and a Mark XV kit frame with matching modules changes away missions from a slog into a formality.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Star Trek Online Guides
- Star Trek Online Star Trek Online Overview
- Star Trek Online Best Builds
- Star Trek Online Tier List
- Star Trek Online Beginner's Guide
- Star Trek Online Tips & Tricks
- Star Trek Online Weapons Guide
- Star Trek Online Combat Guide
- Star Trek Online Boss Guide
- Star Trek Online Maps & Locations
- Star Trek Online Crafting Guide
- Star Trek Online Classes & Characters
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