“Have we truly been exiled from this undiscovered country? Perhaps it is so—for Hamlet it meant not the future, but the afterlife. Gre’thor. Dishonorable death.”
Following the historic peace accords signed at Camp Khitomer, the Federation and the Klingons are no longer at war. However, tensions rise when the launch of the Enterprise-B ends in tragedy with the loss of Captain Kirk. Soon after, the U.S.S. Excelsior is attacked by Romulan and Klingon forces within a vast, mysterious nebula. Some believe this is no nebula at all, but the return of V’ger. Now, the Excelsior, the Enterprise-B, and familiar faces such as Sulu, Spock, Scotty, McCoy, and Uhura must uncover the truth, and determine what V’ger wants—before peace is shattered.
Watch the official Patch Notes here.
What’s in Update 86 – The Original Series: V’ger Rebirth
- A New Ship: The U.S.S. Excelsior
- New Hostile Types: The V’ger and Replicants
- New Daily Challenges and Challenge Track
- A New Refinery
- New Missions
- New Officers
- A New Research Tree
- A New Battle Pass and New Mid Ops Battle Pass
Quality of Life Updates
Alliance Applications
With the new Alliance Applications feature, Alliances now have more control over who joins their ranks, while Commanders looking for a new home have a clearer way to apply.
Alliances have a new privacy option to go along with Public and Private:
- Application – Commanders must apply before joining.
When an Alliance is set to Application, interested players will see an Apply option directly on the Alliance’s public profile.
Applying to an Alliance
Commanders applying to an Alliance can include a custom text message with their application. This allows players to introduce themselves, share their playstyle, or explain why they’re a good fit for the Alliance.
Managing Applications
All applications are managed through a dedicated Alliance Applications screen, where Commodores and Admirals can quickly review, accept, or reject incoming requests. This ensures Alliances maintain control over recruitment while keeping the process simple and transparent.
Whether you’re leading an Alliance or searching for one that matches your goals, Alliance Applications make it easier than ever to find the right crew.
Deeplink Improvements
We’ve made improvements to deeplinks across the game to ensure players are taken to the correct destinations when navigating between screens, buildings, stores, rewards and more. These updates are part of our ongoing efforts to streamline navigation when accessing key content throughout the game.
For a full list of areas where deeplinks have been improved, check out the Bug Fixes and Improvements section.
V’ger Rebirth – Missions (Ops 51+)
Core Missions:
Signal to Noise Parts 1-8
An anonymous tip off sends Commanders into dangerous territory that leads you to recover a message from Captain Sulu – the U.S.S. Excelsior is under attack from Romulans and Klingons.
Side Missions:
Starship Oh My! Parts 1-3
Commanders find the wreck of the Excelsior, but is it real?
(Note: The U.S.S. Excelsior will be needed to complete the Side mission series.)
New Feature: Daily Challenges (Ops 51+)
The new Daily Challenge Loop introduces a rotating set of daily goals designed to test core strength, strategy, and combat against V’ger hostiles.
Each day, Commanders will face three challenge modes, Easy, Hard, and U.S.S. Excelsior, with rotating daily challenges featuring Replicated Hurak, Gorn, and Silent hostiles.
Easy Challenges (100 points each)
Accessible daily tasks that teach core combat mechanics, such as dealing damage against rotating V’ger variants.
Hard Challenges (175 points each)
Combat-focused goals requiring the defeat of V’ger hostiles at your Ops level, encouraging optimal crew setups and strategic use of Ship Tech.
U.S.S. Excelsior Challenges (100 points each)
Tasks exclusive to owners of the U.S.S. Excelsior, requiring the defeat of Excelsior-specific hostiles: V’ger Fighters.
Heroic V’ger Bounty Challenge (350 points each)
One weekly challenge can be unlocked via an in store purchase. Completing it rewards 350 Challenge Points, enough to reach the next milestone. Completion of this challenge is required to finish the final milestone of the track.
V’ger Challenge Track
The V’ger Challenge Track is a new meta progression system tied to Daily Challenges. Completing Easy, Hard, and U.S.S. Excelsior tasks earn Challenge Points used to climb weekly milestones. Progress resets each week, rewarding consistent participation.
Progression:
- Milestones 1-2: requires completion of 7 Easy challenges weekly.
- Milestones 3-5: Requires completion of 7 Easy and Hard challenges weekly.
- Milestones 6-7: Requires completion of 7 Easy, Hard and U.S.S. Excelsior challenges weekly.
- Milestone 8: Requires completion of 7 Easy, Hard and U.S.S. Excelsior and x1 Heroic V’ger Bounty challenge weekly.
Milestones require a mix of Easy, Hard, or U.S.S. Excelsior challenges to reach milestones. For example, seven Easy Daily Challenges, or four hard Daily Challenges, will earn enough Challenge Points to reach Milestone 2. The key is to earn the required amount of Challenge Points through any combination of challenges.
Challenge Track Milestone Rewards:
- TMP Nyota Uhura shards
- FKR Credit Choice Tokens (Exchanged in the Challenge refinery)
- Challenge Credits (Exchanged in the Refinery currency)
- Common Outpost Control Cores
- 7 day Exocomps (Increase Isolytic Damage 75% for G7, 50% for G5/G6)
- New Title Tokens (Exchanged in the Challenge refinery for new Player Titles)
New Hostiles: The V’ger & Replicants(Ops 51+)
The V’ger entity has scanned and vaporized ships across the quadrant, storing their crews and vessels in a massive archive. It is now replicating those ships in large numbers and deploying them against all major factions in an apparent effort to destabilize the galaxy.
V’ger hostiles, Hurak, Gorn, and Silent, appear only on specific days tied to Daily Challenges. If a challenge features Gorn, for example, only V’ger Gorn hostiles will spawn in the new V’ger systems.
Weekly Challenge Schedule
- V’ger Hurak Hostiles: Mondays and Fridays
- V’ger Gorn Hunters: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays
- V’ger Silent Hostiles: Wednesdays and Saturdays
- V’ger Fighters: Available seven days a week.
Replicant Hurak Hostiles
V’ger Hurak hostiles’ primary ability increases Isolytic Damage, Isolytic Defense, Apex Barrier, and Apex Shred at the start of combat. Their secondary ability grants additional Isolytic Damage and Apex Barrier each round when their Hull drops below 50%.
Replicant Gorn Hunters:
V’ger Gorn Hunters’ primary ability activates at the start of combat, granting increased Accuracy, Isolytic Damage, Armor Piercing, and Shield Piercing. Their secondary ability reduces their target’s Shield Mitigation each round, increases their own Isolytic Defense, and allows them to take only Isolytic Damage. Like regular Gorn Hunters, these hostiles are also immune to targeting by the Borg Cube Cutting Beam and GS-31 Gravitational Blast.
Replicant Silent Hostiles
V’ger Silent hostiles’ primary ability activates at the start of combat, granting increased Critical Hit Chance, Critical Damage, and Apex Shred. Their secondary ability states that their Critical Damage can’t be reduced below 90% and that they restore Hull Health for two rounds when their HHP drops below 15%.
V’ger Fighter Hostiles
V’ger Fighter Hostiles, which are revealed by the U.S.S. Excelsior’s Decloaking Deflector ability, increase Isolytic Defense through their primary ability and gain additional Apex Barrier through their secondary ability at the start of combat.
Important Note:
The V’ger entity has archived intel that allows it to defend against specific threats. So If SNW officers Pike, Pelia, Sam Kirk, James Kirk, or T’Pring are present on your ship, Replicant hostiles gain a massive amount of Apex Barrier. Use caution when assigning these officers. (SNW officers work as usual against V’ger Fighter Hostiles.)
Challenge Refinery (Ops 51+)
The Challenge Refinery houses exclusive rewards tied to engaging with the challenges’ daily goals and unlocking the new ship, the U.S.S. Excelsior. The Refinery currency includes Challenge Credits and FKR Credit Choice Tokens (Regular/Sigma). Currency is earned via the new Daily Challenges and the Challenge Track.
The Challenge Refinery Includes:
- U.S.S. Excelsior blueprints
- Specialty Ship Efficiency Exchange:
- Reliant
- Serene Squall
- GS-31
- Vengeance
- FKR Credit Exchange: (Regular/Sigma)
- New Prototype Forbidden Tech M-5 Multitronic Unit Shards
- New Prototype Forbidden Tech Stasis Field Generator Shards
- New Player Titles
- V’ger’s Insider (complete 26 Weekly V’ger Challenge Tracks)
- V’ger’s Voyager (complete 52 Weekly V’ger Challenge Tracks)
U.S.S. Excelsior Additions to the Challenge Refinery
Unlocking the U.S.S. Excelsior grants access to a strongbox with the following rewards in the Challenge Refinery:
- U.S.S. Excelsior Parts
- U.S.S. Excelsior Experimental Research
- U.S.S. Excelsior Energy Containment
- Challenge Credits
- Prototype Tech Shards
- V’ger Particles for G7 efficiency nodes
In addition, Commanders receive one-time, tier-specific gifts that award extra Excelsior Parts, Challenge Credits, Prototype Tech Shards, and Prototype Tech upgrade materials, including Rare Protomatter and Rare Tier-Up Catalysts.
New Ship – U.S.S. Excelsior (Ops 51+)
The U.S.S. Excelsior earned its legacy after a refit and reassignment under Captain Hikaru Sulu. The ship proved pivotal during the Klingon crisis following the explosion of Praxis. It helped secure peace with the Klingon Empire by assisting the Enterprise at the Battle of Khitomer and defeating General Chang.
The U.S.S. Excelsior is a G5 Epic Battleship built for Active Support, featuring two abilities: Decloaking Deflector and Enhance. The ship also features exclusive planetary missions tied to its storyline, with blueprints available in the Challenge Refinery on day one.
Active Ship Ability: Decloaking Deflector
Decloaking Deflector locates and reveals hidden V’ger Fighters, which can then be defeated to complete U.S.S. Excelsior Daily Challenges and Challenge Track milestones, earning rewards and Challenge Credits that can be used in the Challenge Refinery.
Active Ship Ability: Enhance
Enhance, the U.S.S. Excelsior’s second active ability, provides a galaxy-wide buff that improves the combat performance of all deployed player-owned ships and scales with upgrades in its dedicated research tree. While active, Enhance boosts Isolytic Damage and Defense against V’ger challenge hostiles, grants Apex Shred and Apex Barrier bonuses in PvE encounters against hostiles and Armadas, and enhances PvP combat with additional Apex Shred, Apex Barrier, and Critical Damage Reduction (excluding station combat).
U.S.S. Excelsior Research Tree
The U.S.S. Excelsior research tree increases the ship’s warp range, hull health, shield health, and impulse speed. It also boosts damage and Isolytic Defense against V’ger hostiles when a ship is buffed by its Enhance ability. The research further improves the Enhance buff by increasing Apex Shred, Apex Barrier, Isolytic Defense, and weapon damage in PvE. Additionally, it strengthens the Excelsior’s ship buff in PvP by increasing Apex Barrier, Critical Damage Reduction, and Isolytic Mitigation.
For more information about the U.S.S. Excelsior, its research tree, and additions to the Challenge Refinery, check out the preview blog we posted last week.
New Officers (Ops 51+)
Epic TMP Nyota Uhura
A communications expert known for decoding everything from ancient NASA transmissions to whale song, and even aiding communication with the V’ger entity. Recently promoted to Captain, she continues to rise, with her most impactful work still ahead of her.
Officer Ability: Message from Starfleet,
- At the start of battle vs non-Armada or Outpost Hostiles, has a X% chance to apply Hull Breach for 2 rounds.
- 50% / 60% / 70% / 80% / 90%
Below Deck Ability: Be Careful What you Wish For
- Increases your ship’s Isolytic Cascade Damage by X% when fighting non-Armada or Outpost Hostiles.
- 10% / 20% / 30% / 40% / 50%
Epic TMP Hikaru Sulu
Once the helmsman of the U.S.S. Enterprise and now Captain of the U.S.S. Excelsior, Sulu continues to serve the Federation with steady leadership and experience. Most recently, he supported Captain Kirk in stopping General Chang at the Battle of Khitomer.
Captain’s Maneuver: Master of this Vessel
- Increases Apex Barrier by 2000 for 10 rounds against non-Armada and Outpost Hostiles. (Works against Hostiles of level 81 and under.)
- TMP Crew Synergy Max Bonus: 3000 Apex Barrier
Officer Ability: Don’t Call me Tiny
- On round start, increase the player’s ship’s critical chance by X% for 4 rounds, if any state is applied to a non-Armada or Outpost Hostile.
- 2% / 4% / 6% / 8% / 10%
Additional Content
Prototype Tech
Update 86 introduces three new Prototype Tech that enhances outpost-focused combat and PvE performance, boosting Critical Hit Chance, damage, mitigation, Shield Health, Isolytic Damage, and Apex Barrier against Outposts, Retaliation Attackers, and non-Armada hostiles.
M-5 Multitronic Unit
- Increases Critical Hit Chance against Outposts.
- Increases all Mitigation stats against Outposts and Outpost Retaliation Attackers.
- Increases Base Damage against Borg Outpost Retaliation Attackers.
- Increases Apex Barrier against Borg Outposts and Borg Outpost Retaliation Attackers. Does not apply when Tal is assigned to the bridge.
Stasis Field Generator
- Increases Critical Hit Chance against Outposts.
- Increases all Mitigation stats against Outposts and Outpost Retaliation Attackers.
- Increases Base Damage against Cardassian Outpost Retaliation Attackers.
- Increases Apex Barrier against Cardassian Outposts and Cardassian Outpost Retaliation Attackers. (Does not apply when Tal is assigned to the bridge).
Transwarp Computer
- Increases base Damage in PvE while installed on a G5+ FKR ship.
- Increases SHP while installed on a G5+ FKR ship.
- Increases Apex Barrier against non-Armada PvE hostiles while installed on a G5+ FKR ship. Does not apply when Tal is assigned to the bridge.
- Increases Isolytic Damage in PvE while installed on a G5+ FKR ship.
Battle Passes
V’ger Rebirth Battlepass (Ops 51+)
The V’ger Rebirth Battle Pass includes TMP Hikaru Sulu shards, V’ger Challenge Credits, Excelsior Parts, and Excelsior Experimental Research. This Battle Pass also introduces brand-new Choice Credit Tokens, which Commanders can trade in for the FKR Faction Credit of their choice.
Note: Excelsior and Vengeance events, along with in-store packs, will be available at event reset (9AM PST) with the new arc launch.
Mid-Ops Events (Ops 20-50)
Resonance
Update 86 brings the Borg threat back into focus for our Mid-Ops players. To the galaxy’s dismay, the Collective has discovered the natural resonance of the Mycelial Network. Commanders Ops 20–50 will face the Borg in a series of events tuned to their Operations level and available ships, allowing them to confront this threat at their own pace.
Featured ships by Ops bracket:
- Ops 20–24: U.S.S. Discovery
- Ops 25–34: Vi’dar
- Ops 35–41: Vi’dar Talios
- Ops 42–50: S.S. Revenant
Rewards are tailored based on which of these ships you own and how far you’ve progressed with them. If you already own the featured ship for your bracket, you’ll earn parts appropriate to its tier. If not, you’ll receive schematics or data cores that can be exchanged in the Event Store for blueprints or parts.
Keep an eye on our official channels for a promo code to kick-start your journey.
Community Corner
On the official STFC Discord, Community Managers Simpauly and Obsidian Hamster are hosting Stellar Silhouettes, a fast-paced guessing event where players race to identify silhouettes, partial images, or visual hints of STFC officers, ships, or even buildings.
Commanders will face pulse-pounding rounds against other Commanders. Some rounds include special instructions, such as in-game spelling or numbered order, making timing and accuracy especially important.
Swing by the official Discord this month to join the Stellar Silhouettes event, where winners can choose a pack of their choice from the store (excluding New, Limited-Time, and Weekly Offer packs), with five total winners selected.
Head over to the STFC Official Discord for full details
Bug Fixes & Improvements
Officers
- Fixed an issue where more officer shards appeared in rewards than what was shown on the Officer screen.
Outposts
- Fixed an issue where an Outpost could be initiated from a ship already participating in a Wave Defense, causing Elite Solo Outpost Strike Directives to be deducted even though the ship could not join the Outpost.
Faction Stores
- Resolved an issue where the “Bundle no longer exists” popup appeared when returning from the FKR Faction Store after being redirected due to insufficient FKR Recruit Tokens.
Alliance Tournaments
- Fixed an issue where on the Alliance Tournaments screen the Alliance Tournaments leaderboard failed to load on mobile devices.
- Addressed an issue where players were not able to see how many credits they have left in the Alliance Tournaments Store in the top right corner.
- Fixed an issue where the client incorrectly displayed a promotion, demotion, or unchanged popup at the end of Alliance Tournaments, even when the player’s league result did not change.
Away Teams
- Fixed an issue where the “Upgrade Operations to level 8” message appeared when opening the Away Teams tab, even if the module was already built.
Chat
- Addressed an issue where searching for certain emojis in the chat input field caused them to display incorrectly, either overlapping with text or appearing as raw sprite strings.
Missions
- Resolved an issue where Khan’s Champions missions failed to reappear in the Augment Faction Store after completion and reward collection.
Leaderboards
- Addressed an issue where the Resource Raided leaderboard values appeared misaligned on the leaderboard selection screen when the values were high.
HUD
- Resolved an issue where zooming in or out in System View or Galaxy View using the PC client did not work as expected, causing the camera to remain locked at the same zoom level.
Arena
- Addressed an issue where players could become stuck on the loading screen when entering or leaving the Arena, often at 99%.
Store
- Resolved an issue where the screen could become temporarily unresponsive when using the slider to purchase slightly less than the maximum available amount.
Fleet Commanders
- Addressed an issue where the Recruit button on the Fleet Commander Sisko screen redirected players to the Officer Store instead of the Fleet Commander section of the store.
Deeplink Improvements
Fleet Commander Recruitment Navigation
- Previously, when attempting to recruit Fleet Commander shards from within the Fleet Commander screen, players were redirected to the Recruit page. This flow has now been improved so that players are redirected directly to the Store.
- Fleet Commander Skill Points now direct players to the Refinery when available, making it clearer where they can be earned. In addition, Spock and Kirk are available earlier and can be obtained through a mission or gift.
Building the Command Center
- When attempting to build the Command Center without sufficient resources, players were previously directed to the Store. This has been improved so players are now redirected to the Gift section to claim the mission Legends of Cosmo. If the mission has already been unlocked, players will instead be redirected directly to the Mission section, providing clearer guidance on how to progress.
Building the Court of Q
- When attempting to build the Court of Q after reaching level 19 and lacking the required material, players were previously directed to the Store. This has been improved so players are now redirected to the Gift section, where the relevant pack is located, along with updated button text to better reflect this behavior.
Building the War Room
- After reaching level 20, the War Room building becomes available and previously, selecting this players to the Store, but now directs the player to the relevant pack and mission located in the Gift section.
Exocomp Material Store Redirect
- After reaching level 16, the Exocomp building becomes available and requires a specific material to progress. Previously, selecting this material opened a Store pop-up that did not lead to the correct location, as the relevant pack was located in the Gift section. This deeplink has now been fixed, ensuring players are directed to the correct Store section when searching for required Exocomp materials.
Faction Recruit Token Navigation Update
- Federation, Romulan, and Klingon Recruit Tokens unlock at level 20 and are not purchasable from the Store. Previously, selecting these tokens could direct players to the Store, which caused confusion. This navigation has been updated so players are now directed to the appropriate Faction locations instead. The button has also been updated to display “Factions” rather than “Store”, making it clearer where these tokens can be earned.
Event Store
- When attempting to purchase Event Store items without sufficient resources, players are now redirected to the Event page instead of the Store.
Consumables/Excomps
- When attempting to acquire Exocomp Packs without sufficient resources, players were previously directed to the Store. This has been improved so players are now directed to the free Axionic Chip claim when available, or to a pack containing Axionic Chips if the free claim is not available.
Forbidden Tech Refinery
- Fixed a deeplink issue where attempting to purchase Fusion Rods in the Refinery without enough Refinery Credits now correctly redirects players to Daily Goals instead of the Store.
Important Note
We identified an issue that may affect chest rewards immediately after maintenance; a hotfix will be applied soon.
Live Long and Prosper,
-The Star Trek Fleet Command Team
