“We seek perfection, and we achieve it through assimilation. You will return to the Collective and add your knowledge and experience to our own. Surrender unconditionally, Number One.”
The surviving members of the Enterprise-E, alongside allied forces, cross the rift to end the Borg Queen’s reign with a neurolytic pathogen, only to find she has been replaced by Locutus of Borg. With the pathogen no longer an option, they must find a way to free the drones from the Collective without destroying them.
At the same time, a massive rift unleashes continuous waves of Borg into their universe, putting everything at risk. As the threat grows, a united front rises to challenge the hive mind in a final battle between control and free will.
Watch the full video here.
What’s in Update 89: First Contact Part 2
- A new Ship: The Borg Sphere
- New Borg Hostiles
- 2 New Refits
- New Maverick Tasks
- New Prototype Forbidden Tech and Chaos Tech
- A New Officer
- New Artifacts
- New missions
- A new Battle Pass and a new Mid-Ops Battle Pass
- And more!
Quality of Life Improvements
Mission Improvements
As part of ongoing mid-ops improvements, a number of older missions have been revisited to streamline objectives, improve the overall player experience, and remove particularly problematic missions. These updates apply to planetary missions, typically one-off side quests
170 missions across the G3 and G4 range have been updated, with changes including:
- Reduced mining requirements
- Lower donation requirements
Players who currently have these missions active will:
- See them automatically completed
- Receive all associated rewards immediately
Faction Reputation has been removed from affected missions to:
- Prevent unintended impacts on reputation tiers
- Avoid disruptions to systems like revenge hostile farming and Faction Store visibility
Stay tuned because more mission updates are planned for G5 and G6 in the coming months.
Research Search Tab
A new search function has been added to the Research tab, making it easier than ever to find exactly what you’re looking for. Players can now quickly locate specific research nodes without having to scroll through entire trees, helping streamline progression and save time.
First Contact Part 2– Missions (Ops 55+)
Core Missions:
Contact Restored 1-8
With everything ready to destroy the invading Collective, the remnants of the Enterprise-E crew travel to the alternate universe to plant a neurolytic pathogen in the heart of the Borg Queen. However, when they find out that Locutus of Borg has taken over her place, and the hope of restoring their world sparks anew, they must devise a new plan to stop the invasion.
Building Missions:
Ripples Parts 1-3
Vulcan Professor T’lir asks the Commander to find her student, now an acolyte of the Vulcan Isolationist Movement. But little does she know that her protégé can go to such extremes as rewriting the Vulcan past…
Side Missions:
Borg Sphere Intro Mission – Sphere of Influence Parts 1-5
The Mavericks are struggling in a fight against the Conqueror Borg, and the Sphere might be their only way to victory. (Missions unlock in the Gift Section after acquiring the Borg Sphere.)
The Borg Sphere
Once an overlooked scouting vessel and lesser counterpart to the Borg Cube, the Sphere was rebuilt by the Borg Queen, stolen by FCM Data, and now stands centuries later as a vital weapon against the Borg Collective, resisting their expansion and hive mind dominance.
Designed for Ops 55+ Commanders, the Borg Sphere is a G5 Battleship built to take on the deadly new Conqueror Borg Suppressors and Obliterators and earn Epic Maverick Credits to spend in the Maverick Faction Store on new rewards.
It becomes even more powerful with the addition of the Prototype Tech, Borg Operating Table, and Chaos Tech, Interplexing Beacon, which further enhance its performance against these new Borg Hostiles.
As a cornerstone of Maverick Faction progression, the Borg Sphere accelerates this phase of the Maverick loop. Unlocking it grants Commanders access to a broad set of new Maverick Faction rewards, tasks, and increased progression including:
- Borg Sphere Ship Parts to upgrade and strengthen your vessel
- 3 New Epic Artifacts
- Choice of G5–G7 Ship Parts available via Epic Maverick Credits
- 2 Free Refits that add additional abilities to the Borg Sphere
- New Solo and Alliance Tasks
- Maverick Exclusive Periphery Intel to unlock Prime Nodes in the Maverick Research Tree
- Maverick Periphery Intel for Maverick Research Nodes
- Exotic Spirits Shipments to upgrade the Warp Dive Bar
- Exclusive Missions Content tied to the Borg Sphere
- Prototype Tech & Chaos Tech Materials for advanced upgrades for the Borg Sphere
Borg Sphere Tasks
Unlocking the ship grants a new set of Borg Sphere Tasks with additional sources of Maverick Credits and Maverick Renown so Commanders can get their Maverick Faction Rewards faster. These new tasks also award new Epic credits which unlock some exclusive rewards as well!
The Borg Sphere’s extra set of tasks are:
- Conqueror Borg Hostile Hunt (Solo)
- Which includes five tasks, each requiring a higher-tier Borg Sphere
- Higher-level hostiles count toward lower-tier tasks, enabling stacked progression
- Conqueror Borg Tasks (Alliance)
- Allows all members to contribute by completing their own Solo tasks
Hostile Hunt Tasks
For the Borg Sphere’s extra set of tasks, players need to tackle two new strong hostiles: the Conqueror Borg Suppressor and Conqueror Borg Obliterator. Pay attention to the hostile’s abilities in order to optimize your strategy.
Commanders who complete Maverick Faction Task milestones from Update 88 can exchange Maverick Credits for Borg Sphere blueprints in the Maverick Faction Store.
A Note About Maverick Research
Additionally, the Deeds of the Mavericks (which reduces the milestone points required for completing solo Tasks) and Glory of the Mavericks (which increases Maverick Renown earned from solo Tasks) research nodes will also apply to the new Borg Conqueror tasks.
Borg Sphere Abilities
The Borg Sphere comes equipped with three always-on passive abilities that are focused against Conqueror Borg Suppressors and Obliterators:
- Omicron Particle Charge: Increases damage against Conqueror Borg Suppressors and Obliterators
- Apex Dispersion Field: Increases Apex Barrier against Conqueror Borg Suppressors and Obliterators
- Quantum Nullification Pulse: Disables the Conqueror Borg Suppressor’s Quantum Resonance Beam and Conqueror Borg Obliterator’s Hyperthermic Resonance Beam abilities.
These abilities are essential for countering the devastating tactics of Conqueror Borg enemies.
Borg Sphere Refits
Two refits that unlock additional ship abilities and are available for free in the Maverick Faction Store as you tier up your Borg Sphere.
Transwarp Drive (Tier 4)
- Instantly warp to other systems using Transwarp Manifolds
- Unlocks a daily chest of Transwarp Manifolds in the Maverick Faction
Assimilation Protocol (Tier 5)
- Applies the Assimilate state to enemy players at the start of combat for two rounds
New Borg Hostiles
The Conqueror Borg Suppressor and Conqueror Borg Obliterator arrive with First Contact Part 2, as two powerful interdimensional Borg drones equipped with devastating abilities.
Conqueror Borg Suppressor
Abilities
- Evolutionary Assimilation (scales by grade):
- G5: Increased Apex Barrier
- G6: Increased Apex Barrier and Critical Damage
- G7: Increased Apex Barrier, Critical Damage and Critical Chance
- Quantum Resonance Beam: instantly destroys any non–Borg Sphere ship
Conqueror Borg Obliterator
Abilities
- Evolutionary Assimilation (scales by grade):
- G5: Increased Apex Barrier
- G6: Increased Apex Barrier and Critical Damage
- G7: Increased Apex Barrier, Critical Damage and Critical Chance
- Hyperthermic Resonance Beam: instantly destroys any ship that isn’t the Borg Sphere and also has an 80% chance to instantly annihilate your Borg Sphere with Hyperthermic Decay
Defeating Conqueror Borg Suppressors completes new Borg Sphere tasks, awarding Maverick Renown, Maverick Credits, and new Epic Maverick Credits, which can be used in the Maverick Faction Store.
Crew Restrictions
An important note about crewing:
The Collective has identified three Captains as particularly dangerous and used their biodata to block their deployment. As a result, these three officers will not have any effect against the Conqueror Borg Suppressors and Obliterators.
- Kathryn Janeway
- Enterprise-E Picard
- Christopher Pike
New Prototype Forbidden Tech & Chaos Tech
Update 89 introduces new Prototype Forbidden Tech and Chaos Tech, designed to augment the Borg Sphere’s performance against Borg Conqueror Suppressors and Borg Conqueror Obliterators, as well as counter the deadly weaponry of these new Borg hostiles.
Borg Operating Table (Prototype Forbidden Tech)
- Improves the Borg Sphere’s Warp Speed
- Increases Apex Shred against Borg Conqueror Suppressors and Borg Conqueror Obliterators
- Increases Critical Damage against Borg Conqueror Suppressors and Borg Conqueror Obliterators
- Reduces Critical Damage received from Borg Conqueror Suppressors and Borg Conqueror Obliterators
The Borg Operating Table becomes especially valuable when facing G6+ Suppressors and Obliterators.
Interplexing Beacon (Chaos Tech)
- Increases Hyperthermic Stabilizer to counter the Borg Conqueror Obliterator’s Hyperthermic Resonance Beam.
- Decreases Critical Hit Chance of Borg Conqueror Suppressors and Borg Conqueror Obliterators
- Decreases Shield Mitigation of Borg Conqueror Suppressors and Borg Conqueror Obliterators
Upgrade Materials
- Materials for both the Borg Operating Table, and Interplexing Beacon can be acquired in the Maverick Faction Store
For a deeper look at the Borg Sphere, check out the Feature Highlight Blog and Video that we posted last week.
New Officer
Mara Dalen
Raised on the dangerous fringes of colony life, Mara chose to stand up and protect her people when no one else would. By uniting others and driving out those who preyed on the vulnerable, she became a symbol of resistance and an integral member of the Maverick Faction.
Officer Ability: Right to Protest
- Increases Isolytic Defense against Group Armadas
- 100% / 200% / 400% / 650% / 1000%
Below Deck Ability: Defy Defeat
- On round start, repair X% of Shield damage taken in the previous round of combat against all Armadas
- 5% / 7% / 10% / 12% / 20%
For more information about Mara Dalen and the FCM Armada Crew Synergy, check out the blog we posted last week.
Additional Content
New Epic Artifacts
Three new Epic Artifacts are available through the Maverick Faction Store after the Borg Sphere is Unlocked:
- Exo-suit Helmet
- Increases Isolytic Defense (500% at level 12)
- Interplexion Transducer
- Increases base Cost Efficiency of Black Market Schematics for research nodes (40% at level 12)
- Cochrane’s Telescope
- Increases Apex Barrier against Hostiles for G7 Ships (15,000 at level 12)
Battle Passes & Event Updates
First Contact Battle Pass Part 2 (Ops 51+)
The First Contact Part Two Battle Pass for Commanders ops 55+ includes shards of the new epic officer Mara Dalen, Maverick faction credits, Exotic Spirits shipments to upgrade the Warp Dive bar, prototype forbidden tech upgrade materials, material choice rewards and more!
Ops 51-54 players will receive Challenge Credits, Officer Depot Tokens, and other rewards in their Battle Pass.
Event Updates
Zefram Cochrane Special SMS and SLB (Ops 55+)
On Day one and Day Two of the new Arc, we will be running a special SMS and SLB that together will be offering shards of Epic Officer Zefram Cochrane.
Commanders should keep an eye out for:
- Zefram Special: Borg Sphere Upgrade (Heroic) – SMS
- Zefram Special: Borg Sphere Upgrade – SLB
U.S.S. Vengeance and Aphelion Events (Ops 71+)
We will be updating the schedule for the U.S.S. Vengeance and Aphelion Events:
New Scheduling*:
- Weeks 1 & 3, Tue–Wed
- Vengeance Is Mine (Heroic) – SMS
- Schematics Salvage – RLB
- Weeks 1 & 3, Thur–Fri
- Project Dreadnought – RLB
- Project Dreadnought – RLB
- Weeks 2 & 4, Tue–Wed
- Aphelion Engineering (Heroic) – SMS
- Aphelion Archive Extraction – RLB
- Weeks 2 & 4, Thur–Fri
- Aphelion Advancement (Heroic) – SMS
*Events are subject to change.
Mid-Ops Events (Ops 20-50)
Causality: Fracture point
Janeway, Picard, and The Doctor are still missing as temporal disturbances reappear across multiple galaxies. The patterns are familiar, but the instability is increasing, and a recurring temporal signature has been detected within the chaos. The Federation believes it can be contained, and Commanders must repair the fractured timeline by completing events in the Main Timeline bucket each day of the arc. Cause and effect are no longer guaranteed.
The ship’s focus will be
- Ops 20–29: U.S.S. Discovery
- Ops 30–39: U.S.S. Voyager
- Ops 40–50: U.S.S. Relativity
Community Corner
Over on the official STFC Discord, we’re running an event of epic proportions to celebrate First Contact!
A Borg-controlled alternate timeline has breached the Sol Sector, turning First Contact into an active invasion. Commanders can earn event currency by participating in in-game missions and daily events, then spend vouchers to secure Relics and progress through reward tiers. Post a screenshot on the official Discord to unlock restricted channels, access advanced intel drops, and collect Status Report drops on First Contact Day.
Join the STFC Discord and join the resistance.
Head over to the STFC Official Discord for more details and updates about all the Intel Drops.
For more info about First Contact Day head on over to the First Contact Day page.
Active Duty Recall Program
This First Contact Day, rally former allies back to the frontier with the Active Duty Recall Program!
Invite Level 20+ Commanders who have been inactive for 30+ days using your personal share link, and when they return on mobile to begin their comeback journey, you’ll earn points and Unity Coins to spend on powerful rewards.
Reunite your fleet and claim your share of the glory!
For more information about the Active Duty Recall Program check out the blog that will be live at 9AM PDT.
Bug Fixes
Chests
- Fixed an issue where, after opening a chest, the game could become stuck on the Chest Summary screen, preventing further progress and requiring a restart to recover.
Maverick Faction
- Fixed an issue where FKR Reputation bundles could be missing from the Maverick Faction Store due to Ops level.
- Addressed an issue where the “Maverick Exclusive Periphery Intel” description did not mention the Maverick Faction Store as a source.
Missions
- Resolved an issue with the mission Swinging for the Fences Part 1 where placeholder text appeared incorrectly in the mission dialogue.
Ships
- Addressed an issue where the cooldown time of the Mantis’ active ship ability, “Venomous Puncture,” did not appear on the ASA icon, and the icon was not greyed out.
- Resolved an issue where “Instant” Repair Button has no function when pressed while in Star System View.
Officers
- Resolved an issue where FCM Data’s Officer Ability and Captain Maneuver art was swapped and appearing on the wrong ability.
Artifacts
- Fixed an issue where the Kir’shara artifact caused the hostile queue to drop when the ship had near-zero HHP.
Independent Archives
- Fixed an issue where, after unlocking the “Independent Archives” building and navigating to Ship Archives, the Meridian Archive displayed “Retrieving”.
- Resolved an issue in the Independent Archives where the Mantis Mastery Daily Claim bundle could not be claimed due to incorrect segmentation.
Exocomps
- Resolved an issue where, after claiming the Challenge Exocomp slot from a bundle, the “Challenge Exocomp” slot did not appear on the consumable slot screen.
Armadas
- Resolved an issue where Conqueror Borg Solo Armada chest was not appearing inside the battle report reward section
LLAP
The STFC Team
