Careers in STO
INTRODUCTION
In Star Trek Online there are three careers to choose from: Engineering, Tactical, and Science. It's important to understand that none of them is better than the other. They each have different sets of abilities which can help in a variety of situations. Click on the images to learn more about those careers then keep reading below.
Engineering Captains
The main purpose of Engineering officers is to cause damage and survive in order to draw enemy attention away from allies. Below are a list of abilities for Engineering Captains. You can get more information about them by visiting the Player Abilities page.
| GROUND ABILITIES | SPACE ABILITIES |
| Reroute Power to Shields | Rotate Shield Frequency |
| Cover Shield | EPS Power Transfer |
| Support Drone | Nadion Inversion |
| Orbital Strike | Miracle Worker |
| Engineering Proficiency | Engineering Fleet |
Science Captains
The main purpose of Science officers is to heal and support allies, while also weakening enemies in space and on the ground. Below are a list of abilities for Science Captains. You can get more information about them by visiting the Player Abilities page.
| GROUND ABILITIES | SPACE ABILITIES |
| Tricorder Scan | Sensor Scan |
| Neural Neutralizer | Subnucleonic Beam |
| Dampening Field | Scattering Field |
| Nanoprobe Infestation | Photonic Fleet |
| Scientific Aptitude | Science Fleet |
Tactical Captains
The main purpose of Tactical officers is to cause damage in space and on the ground. Below are a list of abilities for Tactical Captains. You can get more information about them by visiting the Player Abilities page.
| GROUND ABILITIES | SPACE ABILITIES |
| Target Optics | Attack Pattern Alpha |
| Fire on my Mark | Fire on my Mark |
| Tactical Initiative | Tactical Initiative |
| Security Escort | Go Down Fighting |
| Strik Team | Tactical Fleet |
CHOOSING A CAREER
So now that you have a basic understanding of each career, how do you decide? I decided to go with an engineer since I love technology. As Spock would say, it was the logical choice. Perhaps you can make your decision in a similar way based on what you like. You can also choose the same career as a Star Trek character that you liked, for example Worf is tactical.
If you're playing with a group of friends, see what they are choosing and perhaps pick something they haven't chosen. A well balanced team is always great to have in STO. If you're playing with 2 other friends, each of you can pick a different career. If it's more than 2, you can divide it as evenly as possible.
Don't forget, you can create multiple characters and try out each career. Even though I knew I wanted to be an engineer I still created characters with the other careers to get a feel for them.
If all else fails, use the famous rhyme:
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
Catch a Ferengi by the toe
If he hollars take his gold
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe