After getting access to Dark Space in level 38, the next big step is, you’ve probably guessed by now, level 39. By the time you get to operations level 39, you’ll have spent literally billions in Parsteel. And sadly, you’ll need to spend a lot more once you get there. So here’s a brief preview with some things I’ve discovered that will hopefully edify and enlighten you on your way to level 39. You can use these to decide for yourself whether it’s worth rushing to get there.
And, since it’s my blog, any reference to 39 is an excuse to pay tribute to the late, great Jack Benny. Born Benjamin Kubelski in 1894, he was one of the great comedians of the 20th century, and he’s influenced just about every comedian since, whether they know it or not. (And we share a birthday, so there’s that.)
Jack’s long-time running joke was that he was always 39 years old.
Fifth Dock at Level 39!
Probably the most obvious difference about level 39, and the one you’ve probably noticed since you got your fourth dock at level 28, is that you’ll be able to build your fifth dock. You can now use five ships, and I’m sure you’ll find something creative to do with that fifth ship.
You’ll need to complete a research in the station tree, Fleet Commander 4.
To actually build your dock, you’re going to need about 6 million in parsteel and… (get this!) 3000 uncommon 2-star crystal. So, if you’re going to be hitting level 39 in the next month or so, it would be a pretty good idea to start mining and refining 2-star crystal. Or, if you’re not that patient, you can get 2-star crystal in the monthly packs
Six-Player Armadas!
Another perk you’ll get at level 39 is the ability to upgrade your Armada Control Center, and to launch six-person armadas!
Jack Benny Break
4-star Refining at Level 39 (Kinda)
It’s very exciting to see that Grade 4 material refining opens up at level 39.
It’s not quite so exciting to know that it’s only for common G4 materials.
4-star ship parts at Level 39
If you’ve been grinding out hostiles in systems like Ursva in Klingon space, or Groombridge 34 in Federation space, you’ll likely have received a bunch of these Grade 4 ship parts. So you can start refining parts for your ISS Jellyfish if you’ve got it, or any of the other G-4 ships that you’ll be building (eventually.)
Upgrades Get Really, Really Expensive in Resources
That’s the bad news. Upgrading your station is going to cost you an enormous amount of parsteel. So you’ll see that this one drydock is going to cost me three-quarters of a billion in parteel.
The good news is (which you’ve probably noticed already), is that it doesn’t cost any materials at all. No uncommon crystal, no rare crystals… nothing. On the way to level 39, these platforms will cost you a lot of uncommon crystal, and the defense platforms will cost you boatloads of uncommon gas.
And at 39, nothing at all.
To give you an idea, I pulled a bunch of figures from the great LCARs channel on Discord.
| Level 39 Upgrades | Parsteel | Tritanium | Dilithium | UC Crystal | UC Ore | UC Gas | Rare Crystal | Rare Gas |
| Academy (Required) | 1,973,700,000 | 230 | ||||||
| R&D (Required) | 789,480,000 | 5,805,000 | 200 | |||||
| Foundry | 657,900,000 | 29,025,000 | 360 | |||||
| Engine Tech Lab | 526,320,000 | 9,675,000 | ||||||
| Science Lab | 657,900,000 | 5,805,000 | 360 | |||||
| Defense Technologies | 657,900,000 | 77,400,000 | ||||||
| Shipyard (Required) | 1,184,220,000 | 19,350,00 | 200 | |||||
| Astronautics Studio (Required) | 921,060,000 | 38,700,000 | 360 | |||||
| Defense Platform A | 1,315,800,000 | 38,700,000 | 3,870,000 | |||||
| Armada Control Center | 328,950,000 | 193,500,000 | 19,350,000 | |||||
| Refinery | 657,900,000 | 11,610,000 | 230 |
Keep in mind that these are the raw figures, with no research factored in. In order to do that, you’ll need to throw the numbers into the LCARS Research Cost and Time Buff Calculator. You’ll need to make a new copy for yourself to use it.
But you can see that the amount of uncommon materials is miniscule compared to the previous levels. You’ll need some rare, but by the time you get to level 39, you’ve likely got a bunch of that saved up anyway.
The Path to Level 40
Once you get to level 39, a new event will pop up immediately. It’s an extremely simple event. With either your Augur, D4, Enterprise, or ISS Jellyfish, you’re going to need to defeat an epic armada. Fortunately, I had enough epic directives to run one right away.
Looking into the Future
Once you get to level 39, a lot of things pop up in your game that you can’t use yet. Think of it as a look into the future. You’ll see a tech tree open up.
And you’ll see all the Grade-4 ships appear in your ship construction menu. Other than the Jellyfish, you won’t be able to build any of them until level 41, but you’ll get of a look down the road.
I know, you’re jealous of my Newton and Hydra blueprints.
And finishing with Jack
Lastly, here’s Jack with Mel Blanc, (who everyone on the planet should know was the “Man of a Thousand Voice” and the voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Barney Rubble, and hundreds of others.)
Watch as Jack tries to keep a straight face.
And with that, have a great day my friends.