This past weekends connection issues proved to be frustrating for many players (not me*), and while Cryptic was clearly the recipient of the issue and not the cause, the team stepped up again and extended the Crystalline Entity Event Until September 7th.
This is very good news.
First off it’s a chance to finish off existing projects, which for some players is two separate rewards. While I don’t personally vouch for Antiproton Torpedo, the Crystalline Spike is actually turning out to be a handy mob control device. Bug Hunt Elite just got a little easier.
The other bit of good news was confirmation that the event currency, the shard fragments will not be retired anytime soon. Borticus confirmed that little gem last week:
We have no plans to change or retire the Crystalline Shards. https://t.co/TwxY8auQhQ
— Jeremy Randall (@BorticusCryptic) August 27, 2015
So the real question is – do you stock up now for the next event, or cash them in? The payout of turning in one shard at a time is still very healthy, and quite frankly the fastest way to generate dillithium currently in the game. For me the items from events like this have been a ‘nice to have’, and frankly they can be a lot of fun with whatever the current season is throwing our way. Mirror Zefram Cochrane’s shotgun is a recent stand-out item I still use. Different event sure, but the principle is the same. And yeah – I still have a few Multidimensional Transporters thingamabobs in my inventory.
For my 11 alts, I’m stocking up for the next event. This is an opportunity too good to miss.
Lastly, one other piece of really good news is that the current promotion bonus – the ability to win a Annorax Class Starship – will remain as part of any pack purchased between now and the end of the promotion. That’s right, the chance to win remains intact after the promotion is over. Salami_Inferno confirmed that earlier today:
@STOReddit @zeroniusrex they will maintain promotion status once the promotion ends.
— Salami_Inferno (STO) (@Salami_Inferno) September 1, 2015
This is a break from previous promotions where the ‘free ship’ opportunity ended with the event. I can see the resale value on the Delta Duty Officer packs (still inside the promotion box) carry a significant resale price for at least the next few months, and likely through the release of future variants of the Annorax Dreadnought. Ok. OK. I’ve caught flack recently by suggesting there would be more coming, and no I don’t have any inside information. But given the recent variants for the Sheshar and the Jem Strike Ship, it’s hard not to see this ship – currently one of the most prized ships in the game – make a return with an Intel (or other) variant soon.
Not Me*
I didn’t have a chance to play this weekend when we got hit by a rare summer storm that knocked out the power for 500,000 residents in my area. Normally outages are dealt with in hours, but we got a lesson in preparedness – or in my case the lack thereof – with an outage lasting two days. We came through a little worse for wear, but safe and healthy. Some of my neighbors had a rougher time. My point – if you have not already done so – set up an emergency plan for your family. Simple things like credit cards and telephone access which I took for granted became a seriously unnecessary added stress. i plan to plan better for next time. A little cash, and some emergency rechargers for the phone is a great place to start.
