Update 91 Feature Highlight: The U.S.S. Athena

Arriving with Update 91 Starfleet Academy Part 2 is a brand-new ship: the U.S.S. Athena.

The U.S.S. Athena is more than a starship, it is a working campus, a diplomatic powerhouse, and a symbol of the Federation’s future. For the first time since the Burn, that future is beginning to look hopeful once again.

Designed for Ops 61+ Commanders, the U.S.S. Athena introduces powerful combat support tools, Academy Space progression systems, and major long-term value tied to Duo Wave Defense and the Venari Ral conflict.

Watch the full video here.

The U.S.S. Athena Features

Unlocks an exclusive U.S.S. Athena Research Tree with Academy Space bonuses, combat boosts, and officer cost reductions
Improves Refinery rewards tied to resources, materials, and Academy progression
Counters the Venari Ral Hostile Programmable Matter Ability
Allows players to compete in Duo Wave Defense Waves 5-8
Designed to perform strongly against Academy Drones in Wave Defense
Has the ability to self-heal and buff all ships in Wave Defense encounters
Increases Science and Command Credit gains
Increases the number of Duo Wave Defense runs players can complete each week
Allows players to eventually complete one Duo Wave Defense run per day

Active Abilities

The U.S.S. Athena features two powerful Active Abilities, Amplify and Regenerate, both focused on support and survivability:

Amplify

Amplify Increases Apex Barrier and grants unique Wave Defense bonuses for each Simulation Hack Research Node completed in the USS Athena’s section of the Starships Research Tree. The ability can be used on your own and allied ships, and applies to all player ships in Wave Defense.

Simulation Hack bonuses include:

Hull Repair
Critical Damage
Weapon Damage
Isolytic Damage
Apex Shred
Apex Barrier
And more

Regenerate

Regenerate restores a percentage of the U.S.S. Athena’s maximum Hull Health. You can increase its effectiveness through the U.S.S. Athena Research Tree.

Passive Abilities

The USS Athena also features several powerful passive abilities designed specifically for combat against Venari Ral hostiles.

Athena’s Fury

Increases the USS Athena’s Weapon Damage by 11,000,000% against Venari Ral (VENRA) faction hostiles

Athena’s Revenge

Increases the USS Athena’s Critical Mitigation by 310,000 against Venari Ral (VENRA) faction hostiles

Athena’s Valor

Increases the USS Athena’s Apex Barrier by 10,000,000 against Venari Ral (VENRA) faction hostiles

Athena’s Solace

Prevents the USS Athena from being affected by the Programmable Matter ability used by Venari Ral (VENRA) faction hostiles

Athena’s Wrath:

Increases the USS Athena’s Apex Barrier by 15,000,000 in Wave Defense against Academy Drone Hostiles.

These abilities make the U.S.S. Athena one of the strongest ships available for Academy Space and extended Duo Wave Defense runs.

U.S.S. Athena Progression & Tier Ups

The USS Athena features 15 total tiers, with each tier unlocking stronger refinery rewards and access to more Research Nodes within the Athena Research Tree.

As players continue upgrading the ship, the Athena improves Academy Space progression and resource generation.

Tier 1

Tier 1 unlocks several major progression systems for the USS Athena, including:

Access to the USS Athena Starships Research Tree
Amplify Active Ability
Regenerate Active Ability
+1 Roll added to all Sigma Resource Refineries
Additional 3x and 6x rolls added to G6 and G7 Material Refineries
Improved Simulation Code generation, allowing a Duo Wave Defense start every 2 days
Deidamia and Chancellor Ake added to the Academy Officers Refinery
Athena Tier-Up Reward Bundle
Player Title: Nice Aft

Tier 3

Tier 3 improves Academy Refinery progression and Venari Ral rewards:

Increased Athena Data Modules per refinery chest
Increased Athena Ship Parts per refinery chest
Increased Science Credits gained from Pledges of the Venari exchanges
Athena Tier-Up Reward Bundle

Tier 4

Tier 4 further improves Duo Wave Defense progression:

Simulation Code generation improved to allow 1 Duo Wave Defense run every day

Tier 5

Tier 5 offers additional Academy Refinery improvements:

Increased Athena Data Modules per refinery chest
Increased Athena Ship Parts per refinery chest
Increased Science Credits from Venari exchanges
Athena Tier-Up Reward Bundle

Tier 6

Unlocks the player title:

Commandante

Tier 7

Tier 7 continues Athena progression rewards:

Increased Athena Data Modules per refinery chest
Increased Athena Ship Parts per refinery chest
Increased Science Credits from Venari exchanges
Athena Tier-Up Reward Bundle

Tier 9

Tier 9 is a progression milestone:

Increased Athena Data Modules per refinery chest
Increased Athena Ship Parts per refinery chest
Increased Science Credits from Venari exchanges
Athena Tier-Up Reward Bundle
Player Title: Venari Ral Nemesis

Tier 11

Tier 11 offers further refinery and progression improvements:

Increased Athena Data Modules per refinery chest
Increased Athena Ship Parts per refinery chest
Increased Science Credits from Venari exchanges
Athena Tier-Up Reward Bundle

Tier 13

Tier 13 gives late-game Athena progression bonuses:

Increased Athena Data Modules per refinery chest
Increased Athena Ship Parts per refinery chest
Increased Science Credits from Venari exchanges
Athena Tier-Up Reward Bundle

Tier 15

Tier 15 rewards maximum Athena progression rewards:

Increased Athena Data Modules per refinery chest
Increased Athena Ship Parts per refinery chest
Increased Science Credits from Venari exchanges
Athena Tier-Up Reward Bundle

The U.S.S. Athena Research Tree

Once the USS Athena is unlocked, Commanders gain access to an exclusive Research Tree focused on Academy Space progression, Duo Wave Defense support, ship performance, and long-term G6 efficiencies.

USS Athena Upgrades

The Research Tree includes several upgrades that directly improve the Athena itself, including:

Athena Warp Range
Increases the USS Athena’s Warp Range
Athena Impulse Speed
Increases the USS Athena’s Impulse Speed by up to 12 (Max Value)
Athena Cooldown Efficiency
Reduces the cooldown of Amplify by 600% (Max Value)
Regeneration Boost
Increases the amount of Hull Health restored by Regenerate in Wave Defense 25% (Max Value)
Academy Upgrade Efficiency
Increases Class Honors gained from refining Science Credits by 100% (Max Value)

These upgrades help transform the Athena into one of the strongest support ships available for Academy Space and Duo Wave Defense.

Simulation Hack Research

The Athena Research Tree also includes Simulation Hack nodes tied directly to the Amplify ability.

When ships are affected by Amplify during Wave Defense, these Research Nodes grant powerful bonuses including:

Simulation Hack – Critical Damage
250% increased Critical Damage (Max Value)
Simulation Hack – Hull Repair
25% increased Hull Repair (Max Value)
Simulation Hack – Isolytic Damage
200% increased Isolytic Damage (Max Value)
Simulation Hack – Apex Shred
140% increased Apex Shred (Max Value)
Simulation Hack – Apex Barrier
3,500 increased Apex Barrier(Max Value)

Progression & Efficiency Research

Beyond Wave Defense support, the Athena Research Tree introduces several progression-focused Research Nodes designed to improve long-term account growth.

These include:

Cost reductions for Symbiosis Officers
Cost reductions for Retaliation Squad Officers
Cost reductions for Mirror Universe Officers
Cost reductions for Galaxy Quest Officers
Cost reductions for Strange New Worlds Officers

Additional upgrades include:

G6+ Progression Research

Additional Research Nodes provide long-term progression benefits for G6+ gameplay:

G6+ Isolytic Defense
300% increased Isolytic Defense against Hostiles (Max Value)
G6+ Isolytic Damage
180% increased Isolytic Damage against Hostiles (Max Value)
Construction Speed Boost
350% increased Construction Speed for Station Modules (Max Value)
Research Speed Boost
700% increased Research Speed (Max Value)

Academy Refinery Expansion

Update 91 also expands the Academy Refinery with new progression bundles and U.S.S. Athena support systems.

Venari Ral hostiles have invaded Academy Space and now drop Pledges of the Venari, which players can exchange for Science Credits in the Academy Refinery.

Science Credits can then be used to acquire:

U.S.S. Athena Parts
U.S.S. Athena Data Modules
Adaptive Repair Alloy
Enhanced Independent Archive Schematics

Update 91 also introduces bundles to the Academy Refinery:

U.S.S. Athena Blueprint sourcing through Engineering Credits
Improved refinery rewards as the U.S.S. Athena tiers up
Free Tier-Up reward bundles
Exclusive player titles

Programmable Matter Refit

Alongside the Starfleet Academy Part 2 arc is the Programmable Matter Refit for the U.S.S. Athena which increases Isolytic Damage by 25% against Venari Ral hostiles at the start of combat.

This Refit also grants an additional pull of U.S.S. Athena Parts and Data Modules in the Academy Refinery.

The Future of Academy Space

The U.S.S. Athena is the key to mastering Academy Space and conquering Duo Wave Defense. With unmatched support abilities, powerful combat bonuses, and massive long-term value, the U.S.S. Athena stands as one of the Federation’s greatest technological achievements since the Burn.

LLAP

The STFC Team