So another month, and here we are with Discovery Part 2. We’ll have new missions, new storylines, new officers, and a new Discovery summoning ability.
Three More Officers for the Discovery
So we’ve got three new officers. Tilly, Georgiou and Stamets. They’re all in the Discovery crew.
We’ve got epic Phillipa Georgiou – a rare Federation burning officer. Rare Paul Stamets, who’s going to give you increased efficiency when jumping your Discovery, and defense. And uncommon Tilly will be an interesting officer to use on defense.
Brand New Techs for Your Discovery
So the flashy piece that you’re probably excited about is the ability to tow your ships (or “summon”) them across the galaxy. But it’s not quite that simple. Unless you spend some money, you’re not going to be summoning your ships right away.
The major holdup for most players will be the need for Spore Drive Components in order to complete these researches.
You’re going to need to complete a good bit of other research first. You’re going to need at an R&D department of at least level 30, and fully researched Cultivated Mycelium Jump Efficiency (10 levels) and USS Discovery Impulse speed (3 levels) in order to research summoning.
So here are the prerequisites first.
Jump Efficiency
Probably the least sexy of any of the new techs, this one’s going to make it cheaper for you to jump. Combining this with the new Stamets officer, you’re going to be able to jump a lot more.
USS Discovery Impulse Speed
So for most of the Chaotic Space events, I was using my Pan crew to get as many level 25 hostiles with my Discovery as I could. This tech may change that strategy, as the Pike crew becomes a better option if you don’t need to speed up your Disco. At level one, you’ll get a bonus of 6, level two, a bonus of 13, and at level three, a bonus of
Discovery Summoning Technology
This is the game-changer (and I hate that phrase.) It’s going to be big. You’re going to be able to use your Discovery to pull your other ships instantly across the galaxy.
And probably the biggest question that you’ll have (and one my seven-year-old son had,) can you tow them further than their warp range?
The answer to that one is a resounding yes! So if you’re Disco has a warp range of 40, and you want to tow your D’Vor to go mine raw Latinum in Suliban, you can.
Another question you might have, is “Does the Discovery need to be at a certain level” in order to tow other ships? The answer is no, no it does not. Your level one Disco, right out of the box, will be able to tow ships.
USS Discovery Warp Range
So the complaint I think I heard the most about the Discovery was its lack of warp range. A maxed Discovery only had a warp range of 30. This research changes that in a big, big way.
Here’s a chart of the research levels. It also takes some 3* common gas, and at higher levels 4* common gas. It also costs some dilithium. But these amounts will vary by your research.
| Level | Spore Drive Components | Ops Level Required | Warp Range Boost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55 | 31 | 5 |
| 2 | 110 | 33 | 10 |
| 3 | 165 | 35 | 15 |
| 4 | 220 | 37 | 20 |
| 5 | 275 | 39 | 30 |
| 6 | 605 | 41 | 42 |
| 7 | 710 | 43 | 70 |
| 8 | 875 | 45 | 95 |
| 9 | 1095 | 47 | 120 |
| 10 | 1370 | 49 | 145 |
The big limiters here are going to be your ops levels, and Spore Drive Components.
Lastly, keep in mind that you’ll still be able to add Cadet Scotty to the mix on your Discovery, and increase your towing range by as much as +5.
Battle Pass Changes
You’re going to see changes to the Battle Pass this month. I’ll go into more depth about this when the Battle Pass is released, but the short version is that you’ll see some more rewards, and you’ll have more flexibility in how you get them.
Headline Apologies
I took way too long coming up with a headline for this article. Summoning isn’t the catchiest phrase. I thought witchcraft for a while. And then I settled on Sting. Because who doesn’t like Sting?
Ten Summoners Tales was one of the first CDs I owned when I was a kid. Got it at Strawberries. It’s not his best, but it’s very listenable.
And Seven Days off that album is an extremely underrated song.
Coming Soon
There’s an awful lot to cover on the events for Discovery Arc 2. I’ll be doing a story on some of the upcoming events tomorrow, but suffice to say, they’re different, numerous, and varied – and I think you’re going to find them rewarding.
Stay tuned. And LLAP.