There are several types of Missions in Star Trek Online; Episodic Missions focusing on the main story, found missions acquired in sector space and queued missions. The latter two focus on either ground or space combat, but episodic tend to make use of both.
List of All Missions
- See: List of missions
Episodic Missions
Episodic missions tell the story of Star Trek in 2409 and 2410.
Episodic missions are those which form part of the main storyline of Star Trek Online which are acquired through the Mission Journal. Missions are grouped in arcs focusing on particular stories, such as the Klingon War or The Delta Quadrant. There are however missions within those arcs that do not tie directly into the overarching story. The mission arcs were previously referred to as Episodes, however the term "Feature Episode" is now prevalent for an new individual mission.
Episodes and missions follow a very similar structure to most other MMORPGs. They are received from a non-player character (NPC), added to your assignments, and then carried out by the player. The player then contacts the original NPC that gave the mission (optimally via the "Hail Starfleet" button) to receive their reward(s). Some content objectives are automatically given to the player upon entering a certain area, such as Starbase 24, or engaging an enemy signal content in sector space. Total mission length tends to be between 15 minutes to an hour.
Rewards for completing episodes and missions are typically skill points and expertise. Some missions also award Energy Credits as well as Dilithium. Sometimes they give the player extra rewards, which includes (but is not limited to): a new bridge officer, a piece of armor or a new starship item like a Deflector Array or Cannon. These rewards are reduced on replay (Note: not all missions are replayable).
Feature/d Episodes
The 2800 Featured episode series
- Main article: Feature episode
In August 2010 the concept of a "Feature Episode" was introduced whereby a specific arc, starting with Breen Invasion, would be available for a short time with special rewards. There were four of these Feature Episodes composed of 4 to 5 missions each. In 2012 they were added to the main episode run with normal missions, but special rewards were available on them during re-run events. The last of these re-runs was in 2014.
Starting in 2013, the name of "Featured Episode" begun to be associated with a specific, single story mission released as an event. This started with “Temporal Ambassador” during the 3 Year Anniversary Event. Unlike regular episodes, when these missions are released they are available to players of nearly all levels. They also have special rewards which are staged to encourage replaying at least once a week for about three to four weeks. After that, the Featured Episode joins the regular mission lineup.
Found Missions
A deep space encounter node as it appears in sector space
Found Missions are missions which are not acquired from a Mission giver; instead, they are typically acquired by interacting with an object in the environment, which then begins the mission and assigns objectives.
Patrol Missions
Patrols are a type of Found Mission which can be acquired by approaching a System in Sector Space. If a patrol is available for that system, an option to enter the system and begin the patrol will appear.
Deep Space Encounters
Deep Space Encounters are a type of Found Mission which can be found in Sector Space. They appear as a red swirling vortex in sector space; the player acquires the mission by flying to the vortex and entering the encounter.
Diplomacy Missions
Diplomacy Missions are a type of Found Mission characterized by a lack of combat; instead, they involve solving problems peacefully, and award Diplomatic CXP upon completion.
Open Missions
Missions are present in Battlezones
Open Missions are frequently found in Adventure Zones. It is not necessary to contact a Mission giver or interact with an object to acquire an Open Mission; they operate on a timer and become available at regular intervals. All nearby players may participate in and complete Open Missions.
Deep Space Incursions
Deep Space Incursions are a type of Open Mission which can be found in Sector Space. When a Deep Space Incursion is available, a "Red Alert: Distress Call" button will appear. The player acquires the mission by clicking the button and entering the encounter.
Queued Missions
A PvE queue ground mission
PvE Missions
Queued player versus environment missions are multiplayer missions acquired through the PvE Queue. They involve either a team of players against NPC forces, or two groups of players competing against each other in challenges.
PvP Missions
PvP Missions are player versus player missions acquired through the PvP Queue on maps with players directly competing against each other in combat.
Foundry Missions
- Main: The Foundry
Foundry missions are player-made missions on PC which can cover a wide variety of functions, but are intended for story content. They are accessible in Sector space and from the Foundry tab in the journal.