With the upcoming return of the Phoenix Prize Pack Event, we are excited to unveil a number of changes and updates to both the prizes it will allow players to obtain, and the overall structure of the pack.
Firstly, new prizes are coming at every single prize tier! In addition to the first new Tier-6 Starship to grace this feature in quite some time, we’re excited to announce that the type of rewards being added here are no longer exclusive to those formerly seen as Event Rewards, but now also encompass former-Microtransactions, limited-time Giveaways, and more! By expanding into these reward categories, we are opening the door to more exciting additions in future updates!
As for the structural changes to the pack, we are making these with a keen eye fixed on our Dilithium Economy, and the Dilithium-Zen-Exchange by extension. The Phoenix Prize Pack’s position as one of our most effective long-term economic sinks is something we are striving to maintain and improve upon, and we hope players will be as welcoming to these changes, as they are bound to be about the new prize additions.
Without further ado, let us get into the details of what players can expect to see when this goes live on PC starting on May 5th, 2022!
IN WITH THE NEWHere are the new additions we will be making to the Phoenix Prize Pack Redemption Stores! The tier of many items in the boxes are changing, so please read on for more details on why these items are placed where they are.
Epic:Vulcan T’Pau Scout Ship [T6]
Ship Details can be found here:
https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star- ... ut-ship%21Ultra Rare:Holographic Leeta Tactical Officer (choice of DS9-era Dabo Outfit, or modern Mirror Admiral appearance)
Holographic Geordi La Forge Engineering Officer (FED only)
Very Rare:Costume Unlock: Kelvin Admiral Uniform (FED only)
Costume Unlock: Racing Uniforms (FED only)
23rd Century Advanced Environmental Suit (FED only)
Rare:Seleya Ceremonial Lirpa (now upgradeable with this update!)
Kri’stak Blade (now upgradeable with this update!)
“NX-“ Ship Registry Prefix Unlock
(Note: As with other existing Phoenix prizes, all of the above are character-only, not account-wide.)
INCREASED ODDSAlongside these new additions to the box, as well as additional evaluations we have made regarding the Phoenix Prize Pack’s economic impact and intended valuations, we will be increasing the odds of receiving all prize tiers above the lowest available. Thus, the act of opening a Phoenix Prize Pack should feel more rewarding and exciting.
PRIZE TIER CONSOLIDATIONWe have decided to retire all of the Tier-5 Starships currently available at the Ultra-Rare Prize Tier.
With only one exception, these starships all have already received updated variants at Tier-6 that are available in various places throughout the game, and should therefore have been retired some time ago. Their inclusion at such a high prize tier was also misleading toward less-established players, regarding their relative value to the modern era of starships.
We are interested in the possibility of making these ships available by other means at some point in time. We can’t promise anything right now, but never say never.
The removal of all prizes from this Tier leaves a gap. We will be addressing this gap by shifting all prize tiers below Ultra-Rare up by one category.
Very Rare (Purple) becomes Ultra-Rare (UV)
Rare (Blue) becomes Very Rare (Purple)
Uncommon (Green) becomes Rare (Blue)
Uncommon will no longer exist
We will be automatically replacing any existing Prize Tokens that players already possess with one from the next higher tier, with the exception of Ultra-Rare Tokens of which we will instead double your count. Thus, if you previously owned one or more Token at each Tier you will automatically now own a different assortment when you log in on or after maintenance completes on this feature’s release date, as shown in this conversion chart:
<insert chart here>
was
1 x epic prize token
1 x ultra rare prize token
1 x very rare prize token
1 x rare prize token
1 x uncommon prize token
became
1 x epic prize token
2 x ultra rare prize token
1 x ultra rare prize token
1 x very rare prize token
1 x rare prize token
OUT WITH THE OLDWe have removed the ability to re-purchase a Phoenix Prize Pack using the lowest-tier Tokens. The mere presence of this option skews the calculations regarding relative value enough to cause some wrinkled brows when crunching the numbers. In addition, making this change provides a further dilithium sink, now that Phoenix Prize Packs can only be purchased with Dilithium, except during events. We hope this will help improve the standing of the Dilithium Exchange.
Speaking of Phoenix Prize Pack events, there's one starting tomorrow on PC with these changes! Get a free pack every day to hunt through the new tiers! This event will last until May 12th at 10am PT.
A PARADIGM CHANGEPhoenix Tech Upgrades purchased from this date forward will experience a reduction in their effectiveness. A close look at their usage stats, as well as a game-wide examination of their economic impact, has led us to conclude that such an adjustment is not only needed, but also long overdue.
Existing versions of these Tech Upgrades that players have already purchased will not be altered, other than having their names changed to include the term “Classic” and their quality upgraded to Epic (Gold). Future purchases will yield a Phoenix Universal Tech Upgrade with the following change:
Tech Points contribution 38,400 (down from 51,200)
Research Points ratio unchanged (still “Standard”)
Still no Dilithium Cost to apply
Still usable on any/all Equipment types
Why?
The original effectiveness of Phoenix Upgrades stemmed from a calculation that assumed a price point of 4,500 Dilithium per application – the “Base” price of a Phoenix Prize Pack. However, with the odds of receiving higher-tier Prize Tokens which could be downgraded into multiple lower-tier Tokens, as well as the option to purchase another Phoenix Prize Pack using low-tier tokens, the actual price per application works out to be significantly lower than 3,000. With this calculating out as a difference of more than 33%, it rendered these Tech Upgrades the most efficient Tech Upgrade in the game by a margin that was much larger than intended.
The upcoming change will narrow this gap, but should not de-throne the Phoenix Tech Upgrade from its position as the best Tech Upgrade in the game. We want to maintain players’ motivation to engage with this Prize, while still lessening its influence as an economic powerhouse.
(Upgrade Weekend Events will continue to enhance the efficiency that a player experiences when using them.)
SAME FACES, NEW PLACESA few of the prizes currently available within the Phoenix Prize Pack Redemption Stores have shifted around, in order to increase parity within a few prize types.
Crystalline Shard (Vanity Pet) has moved down from Very-Rare to Rare
Young Nanov (Vanity Pet) has moved down from Ultra-Rare to Rare
Risa Mini-Powerboard - Elite (Future Flyer) has moved down from Ultra-Rare to Very-Rare
Red Matter Capacitor (Device) has moved down from Ultra-Rare to Very-Rare
Faction-Appropriate EMH Mk I Science Officer (Bridge Officer) has moved up from Very-Rare to Ultra-Rare
The option to purchase Experimental Ship Upgrade Tokens during the Phoenix Event will remain, but their availability and pricing structures have changed in order to account for the shifting of prize tiers, and the modifications made to prize odds. Players will now have the option of purchasing a single Experimental Ship Upgrade Token at the following price points:
5x Ultra-Rare Prize Tokens
20x Very-Rare Prize Tokens
100x Rare Prize Tokens
Reminder that you may purchase as many of these as you like while the Phoenix Event is active, but they will only be available for a Limited Time!
These changes are all for the health of the game, and we hope will lead to a more balanced economy as a whole. There will be a Ten Forward Weekly stream tonight at 4:30 PT where we discuss these changes, so please tune in if you have questions.
Jeremy “BorticusCryptic” Randall
Senior Systems Designer
Star Trek Online
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