Guide to Ship Customization in Star Trek Online: The Light Cruiser

Guide to Ship Customization in Star Trek Online: The Light Cruiser
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One of the coolest aspects of Star Trek Online is the ability to customize your ship to your own personal tastes. Players aren’t stuck flying around in identical vessels, the myriad customization options allow for individual expression while still maintaining that signature Star Trek feel.

The first ship most players (those who aren’t getting the Gamestop pre-order Constitution-Class bonus, anyway) find themselves in is the Light Cruiser. This ship, most famously represented by the U.S.S. Reliant, which is captured by Khan in Star Trek II, has a surprisingly large amount of customization options.

How to Customize Your Ship

Players receive one free customization session upon being promoted to Lieutenant, with further customizations incurring a price dependent on the severity of the changes.

To customize your ship, you first need to find Malcom Sissel at Earth Spacedock. He can be found in the shipyard, working on a console opposite the ship selection computer.

Speak to him to open the customization window.

Basic Customization

Miranda Class

You can use the pitch and yaw controls to move the view of your ship, or just left click and drag your ship into the optimal viewing position. You can also zoom the view in and out to get a better feel for how your ship looks at various distances.

There are three basic variations of Light Cruiser, the Miranda, Centaur, and ShiKahr designs.

Of these, the Miranda is the most recognizable, as it looks identical to the U.S.S. Reliant.

The Centaur has a sleek-looking design, with a far more modern feel than the Miranda.

Centaur Class

The ShiKahr, however, appears to be all business, it is definitely the most imposing of the designs, with a reinforced saucer section and heavy-duty looking nacelles.

The basic editor also gives you the option to configure the window design of your ship, with four options for shapes ranging from standard squares to triangular and an oddly-shaped configuration.

You also have the option to change the material from which your ship is constructed, altering the basic coloration of your vessel.

Below the material selection menu is the option to configure the coloration of your vessel. You can’t change

ShiKahr Class

patterns in the basic editor, but you can adjust the two base colors of your ship to your liking.

For those looking for a more personalized Star Trek Online ship design, check out our section on advanced customization on page two.

Advanced Customization

Light Cruiser Custom Design

Those looking to create the most unique-looking ship possible in Star Trek Online will most likely head straight for the advanced customization options. Press the “Advanced” button at the bottom right corner to open up another window with further, more detailed options.

Those who choose advanced customization are free to mix and match the saucers, nacelles, struts, and pylons of all three designs to their liking. Advanced editing also allows you to customize the pattern on each of your ship’s components.

Feel free to combine the saucer section from the Miranda with the ShiKahr struts and the struts and pylons of the Centaur design, or any other combination that appeals to you. You have total freedom in advanced customization.

Customized Light Cruiser

The ShiKahr saucer is my personal favorite of the Federation Light Cruiser designs, with its reinforced fore and aft sections and handle-shaped holes through the main decks.

Customized Light Cruiser

There are also thirteen separate options for paint patterns, each available on individual components. Paint all ship components with the same pattern for a uniform look, or mix and match to find the design which best suits your personal taste.

Don’t forget that you can still change the paint colors by clicking on the boxes on the left side of the screen, just as in the basic configuration.

If this is your first customization, then the price in the bottom middle of the screen will remain at zero. If you have previously customized, however, you can watch the price increase the more options you change. You can always change things back to stay in budget, however, or reset the whole process and start over.

Finalize your Changes

Once you’ve customized your ship to your liking, press the “purchase” button to confirm your changes. You’ll be asked to confirm your changes, press “Ok” to continue.

Afterward, you’ll find yourself once again standing next to Malcom Sissel in spacedock. Beam out and take your newly-customized ship for a spin.

This post is part of the series: Star Trek Online Guide to Ships

Whether you’re looking for information on tier 2, 3, 4, or 5 ships in Star Trek Online, our complete guide has got you covered. Check out full ship stats, and see which ships are available at Lt. Commander, Commander, Captain, and Admiral Ranks.

  1. Ultimate Guide to Ships in Star Trek Online
  2. Guide to Ships in Star Trek Online: The Tier 1 Light Cruiser
  3. Guide to Ships in Star Trek Online: Tier 2 Vessels
  4. Guide to Ships in Star Trek Online: Tier 3 Vessels
  5. Guide to Ships in Star Trek Online: Tier 4 Vessels
  6. Complete Guide to Tier 5 Vessels in Star Trek: Online
  7. Star Trek Online Ship Customization Guide: Light Cruiser