Once you’ve loaded the game and chosen your server, the first thing you’ll see is your character selection screen. If you’ve created a Consular already, great! If not, click ‘Create Character’ and have fun customizing. Race and gender give no advantages or disadvantages in game, so pick whatever looks good to you. When you’re satisfied that you have the hottest looking Consular in the galaxy, you’ll be taken to the opening crawl of your story. Enjoy reading it—this is YOUR Star Wars saga!

A shuttle will fly you down to the surface of Tython, which is the origin planet for both Jedi classes. You’ll meet Master Yuon Par, who has taken you as her Padawan. You’ll also get instruction on how to move in game, find your quest log, locate taxis, and equip items. This is a good spot to click the ‘Options’ button on your top bar, and check out your preferences. If your game is running slowly, the graphics are usually the culprit. Turn shadows, anisotropy, and grass down or off. Lowering ‘ground clutter’ can help, too. Under ‘social’, check ‘allow access to same class stories’ if you plan on grouping a lot. This will let you join other JCs in their class stories. Note—only one of you will get credit if you’re grouped with someone who has the same class quest. There is a choice to auto-loot the area on right click—this is very handy. Add more hotbars, especially the bottom two. You’ll need them as you gain skills. I enabled all four bars and put the skills I used infrequently on the right bar. I set my left bar for crew member skills. There’s a tab at the bottom of the preference window for keybinds. Adjust them as you desire—there are a lot of options you can hotkey or rebind to keys you prefer. Click ‘apply’ to save all your options, and then ‘OK’ to close the window.

You’ll also notice tips on the right side of your screen from time to time–click those to open the tip windows and learn more. These are incredibly helpful, and you want to ignore these about as much as you want to be eaten by a Rancor.

People to See, Places to Go

Once you arrive at the Gnarls taxi stop, make sure to pick up the bind point. Get in the habit of unlocking all your bind points, which are usually located by the taxis and in cantinas. This gives you many more quick travel options. You’ll thank yourself later when you want to hop back somewhere to turn in quests.

You’ll find your first skill trainer and some merchants in this area as well. Visit the trainer as soon as possible after leveling up to get your new skills. You need all your Jedi powers to defeat those enemies!

Skills for Survival
The default hotkey for your skills is ‘p’. Most skills will be automatically added to your hotbars if you have an open space for them. Some are not, however. Also, passive skills do not need to be on your hotbars. They’re always active. The skills are unlocked on your bar by default, so you can move them around freely to suit your particular play style. Click the little padlock icon on the left side of the center skillbar to lock or unlock it.

I usually keep Force Wave in slot one, Project in two, Telekinesis in three, and my melee skills in four and five. Seeing items ripped out of the ground and thrown at your enemy is Very Cool, so I lean more towards using the Force skills. I have those hotkeyed on my number pad. If you prefer more of a melee style, move the lightsaber skills to slots two and three instead. The issue of mousing versus hotkeying the skills has caused many a debate and even a few nasty little flamewars. Do what works best for you and ignore the fruitcakes out there who tell you that you’re wrong for doing it that way.

Quests and Maps

Right near the Gnarls taxi, you’ll notice Master Relnex, who will have your first real quest for you. Quest givers have cut out gold triangles above their heads when they have quests to offer. The triangles will be filled in when you have a completed quest to turn into them. Why BioWare chose triangles, I don’t know. In any case, go find those students before the Flesh Raiders capture them!

Check your map periodically (default hotkey is ‘m’). This is a great way to find more quests and new areas to explore. Accept all the quests you can possibly find, including the bonus objectives that come from taking down your foes. All of those will give you experience points (XP) towards the next level and practice using the different combat and healing skills.

Tempting as it is to move your class storyline along, don’t rush through the Gnarls area. You receive XP for discovering Lore objects, unlocking new areas, and meeting new species. You’ll have your first dialogue option that offers Light Side (LS) or Dark Side (LS) points. You can role-play it the way you want, though there is currently a definite advantage to choosing one side or the other. Some gear is restricted to either LS or DS, and you have to earn a certain level of points to unlock those ranks. Your Jedi can turn to the DS, though it will be a challenging path to play. Dark Side Jedi do not turn into Sith and switch factions to the Empire, just as Light Side Sith do not switch factions to the Republic.

When you receive quest rewards, take the time to mouse over them to find out which attributes they boost. The main attribute for the JC is Willpower, with Endurance coming in a close second. Willpower raises the amount of Force power, while Endurance raises your hit points. Since you can only wear light armor, raising both is essential. Presence is useful for raising your companions’ hit points, but don’t worry about that one too much. At lower levels, you can also put points into Strength if you want to raise the amount of damage you do with your lightsaber. Gear with this stat may arguably useful for Jedi Shadows, but not for Sages, who need the extra Force points more than melee damage. At higher levels, Willpower is always going to be the better option, however. Don’t bother with Aim or Cunning.

After finishing up in the Gnarls area, you’ll be directed to the Jedi Temple. Take the time to explore the area in and around the temple thoroughly. You’ll find class trainers, several quests, a cantina, lore objects, and a variety of vendors, including one for your Tython commendations. Don’t bother buying armor at this stage—you’ll receive a number of armor pieces as quest rewards. The understudy’s foil is useful for killing the bad guys faster than your practice saber, but it’s not essential. Save up the commendations for the Consular robe that you can buy at the Specialty Vendor. That served me well through most of Coruscant, which is the planet you go to when you finish your work on Tython. Pick up a few medpacs and stims that boost your Endurance and Willpower. You can find these at Stim Vendors and Republic Medical Droids.

Health and Welfare

Make sure to use your Force Valor buff as often as it wears off. It lasts an hour. You can buff an entire party or even other players. If you buff other players who aren’t Consulars as you meet or pass them in game, you’ll find that some of them will stop to return the favor. Every bit helps!

What happens if your health drops during battle? Well, when your foes are lying at your feet, take a few moments to use your meditation skill. This will heal you and replenish your Force points. Always go into the battle with a full health bar whenever possible. What happens if your health bar drops to zero? You’ll have a screen pop up saying you were defeated. You will be presented with two options–revive where you’re at, or get revived at the nearest medcenter. If you’ve finished all your objectives and were ready to turn in your completed quests, or are in the middle of a huge mob that you have no hope of defeating, then being transported to the nearest medcenter might be more convenient. Otherwise, revive where you’re at. You’ll have 8 seconds of stealth to get to a safe spot to heal yourself and re-apply any buffs and stims. Then go finish off the bugger who defeated you and pick up those drops he so kindly left behind. Your armor takes damage during battle, but it takes a lot more damage if you are defeated. Make sure to repair your items at a vendor when you sell all those terrific drops you’ve picked up during your adventures.

Explore, Explore, Explore

Once you’re done with the Jedi Temple orientation, you will be directed to Kalikori Village to help the Pilgrims there and to solve some of the mysteries for your class quest chain. Following that, you’ll end up at the Forward Speeder Camp to foray into the ruins of Kaleth. Explore all the areas–you never know when you’ll find lore objects, new quests, security chests and crates, and the fabled datacrons. There are some gorgeous areas on Tython where you have a chance to stop and just simply enjoy.

Sometimes, you’ll receive a mission item when you accept a quest. That item will end up in your inventory (default hotkey ‘i’). Click the ‘mission’ tab. You can drag the item to your hotbar so that you don’t have to open your inventory every time you need to use it.

Enemies of the Republic are Everywhere

The enemies get tougher as you advance through the different zones, and you’ll see more challenging foes and even a few bosses. Generally, if the enemy has a name, it means BioWare cared enough about him to shower him with love, attention, and lots of hitpoints. You’ll have a better chance of surviving a boss encounter if you’re in a group or if you’re the same or higher level compared to the boss. Left-clicking on the boss will give you some of his stats so that you know what you’re up against.

Bosses often have better quality loot drops than the average enemy. Usually the drops will shine with a white light, but if you see green, blue, or especially purple, there’s something special there for you!

A gold shaft of light indicates a drop needed for a mission has fallen. Make sure to grab those up.

Dialogue Options Can Be a Lot of Fun

BioWare has done a terrific job of making the quests varied and fun. I had to laugh at the baby flesh raider quest and the subsequent dialogue choices when turning in the completed quest for the reward.

Heroic Quests

At the Forward Speeder Camp, you’ll also receive your first Heroic quest. Pay attention to the number of people it says you should have in your party before attempting it, usually 2+ or 4. You’ll need at least that many players, and companions don’t count. These aren’t called ‘heroic’ quests for nothing! These quests are also excellent spots for grouping up and earning social points. Don’t miss out on that.

Companions Join You on Your Adventures

Your first companion, Qyzen Fess, will join you on Tython. You’ll receive more companions over the course of the game. Once you have him in your party, your dialogue choices affect you in more complex ways. These choices many times give you not only LS/DS choices, but now also give affection points. If your companion likes the choice you’ve made, you’ll get rewarded with affection points. If he doesn’t like your choice, affection points will be subtracted. The codex entries in your log (default hotkey ‘l’) on your companions will tell you what they like and dislike, so make sure to read those if you’re planning on maximizing affection with them. Sometimes, your companions won’t like your LS or DS choices. This adds a new dimension to your conversation options.

Don’t forget to equip your companion with items, too, though the equipment he has when you first receive him should be sufficient on Tython. He can wear heavy armor, so give him the best you can find or buy. Despite the fact that his main attributes are Aim and Cunning (both ranged attributes), he comes only with a weapon proficiency in techstaff, which is a melee weapon. You can access your companion’s equipment in the character pane (default hotkey is ‘c’). You’ll see the companion tab right next to yours. You don’t have to worry about assigning attribute points or abilities to your companion. He automatically levels up when you do.

First Lightsaber!

Finally, the time will come for you to craft your own lightsaber. This class quest is the toughest on the planet except for maybe the heroic quest. Make sure you’ve reached at least level 8, and preferably higher. Remember to equip the lightsaber as soon as you craft it. You’ll need it! Once you’ve completed this quest, you’ll return to the Jedi Temple and learn some important news that will send you on even greater adventures across the galaxy.

By this time, you should be well past the ‘newbie’ stage and ready to tackle the advanced stuff. May the Force be with you!

Need more detailed Jedi Consular tricks and tactics? Check out this strategy guide here and learn the mistakes every new player makes!

Guide source: Torwars.

Exploration in STO is done through the star clusters: Delta Volanis, Arucanis Arm, Hromi Cluster, Khazan Cluster, Eridan Belt, Rolor Nebula, Betreka Nebula, Zenas Expance and B’tran Cluster; and by doing the exploration quests through various NPC’s, you will gain badges of exploration which you will in turn be able to trade in for gear at Earth Spacedock in the Serius Sector. This guide will list for you the NPC’s you can get the various Exploration quests from, in what sector and block you can find each exploration cluster, as well as where you can get the various equipment for your badges by vendor name and location.

BADGES OF EXPLORATION

As mentioned before, these are gained by doing the exploration quests first obtained from a To Boldly Go quest and there after from a specific NPC that only gives out Exploration quests, those NPC’s will be listed below as I detail each cluster. Badges of Exploration are a form of Vendor Currency that you will be spending to upgrade your ship’s gear and to outfit you and your ground crew.

The gear you can get with these badges isn’t all that different from what you can get by doing other content in the game, but exploration can be a very efficient way to outfit your ship, as your choice of gear isn’t limited by the NPC you got the quest from. You are only limited by the Number of Badges of Exploration that you have. So if you want to update your ships weapons first, by all means go for it; or if you think your ground crew needs better equipment first, that’s cool too, the choice is up to you.

THE QUEST

The quest itself is quite simple. To complete an exploration quest, simply fly around the cluster looking for anomalies named for the sector you are in, for instance, in the Hromi Sector, these are called Hromi Cluster Anomaly, and in the Delta Volanis Sector, they would be Delta Volanis Anomaly.

There are two types of anomalies, the first is a cache of sorts and will hold crafting supplies for Memory Alpha content (anomalous readings). The second type of anomaly will come up as (Explore Unknown System). These are the ones you want. Enter the instance, and complete the mini mission for a small reward, and you should see that your objectives have advanced by 1, reading 1/3.

Doing this two more times (for a total of three systems explored) will complete the quest. Currently, in Delta Volanis and the Arucanis arm, you have to Hail Grall to complete the quest, but once you reach Hromi, the quest will complete automatically without you having to do anything. Khazan will have you once again contacting the NPC to claim your badges.

DELTA VOLANIS CLUSTER:

• LOCATION: Sirius Sector Block in the Vulcan Sector, Once there, head WEST.
• OBTAINED FROM: Admiral Quinn at Lt. Grade 2 (To Boldly Go); Lt. Grall
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION: 1st order. 75 Badges for each quest turn in.
• Explore three (3) Unknown Systems.

ARUCANIS ARM:

• LOCATION: Regulus Sector Block in the Celes Sector. Once there head EAST.
• OBTAINED FROM: Admiral Quinn at Lt. Grade 7 (To Boldly Go); Lt. Grall
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION: 1st order. 75 Badges for each quest turn in.
• Explore three (3) Unknown Systems.

HROMI CLUSTER:

• LOCATION: Pi Canas Sector Block, any Sector. Once there head NORTH.
• OBTAINED FROM: Admiral Quinn at Lt.C Grade 2 (To Boldly Go); Lt. Grall
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION: 2nd Order. 75 Badges for each quest turn in.
• Explore Three (3) Unknown Systems.

KHAZAN CLUSTER

• LOCATION:Alpha Centari Sector Block; Vendor Sector, once there head EAST
• OBTAINED FROM: Lt. Anek at Lt.C Grade 8
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION: 2nd Order. 75 Badges per quest turn in.
• Explore Three (3) Unknown Systems.

AFEHIRR NEBULA

• LOCATION:Psi Velorum Sector Block, Mylasa Sector, Once there, Head EAST.
• OBTAINED FROM: Lt. Anek; Com. Grade 5
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION:3rd Order. 75 Badges per quest turn in.
• Explore Three (3) Unknown Systems.

ERIDAN BELT

• LOCATION:Iota Pavonis Sector Block, Z-6 and Tarod Sectors, once there, head NORTH.
• OBTAINED FROM: Lt. Anek Com. Grade 9
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION:3rd Order. 75 Badges per Quest turn in.
• Explore Three (3) Unknown Systems

ROLOR NEBULA

• LOCATION:Beta Ursa Sector Block, any sector, Once there head NORTH.
• OBTAINED FROM: Lt. Crom Hana (@ Cap. Grade 2
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION:4th Order. 75 Badges per Quest turn in. Explore Three (3) Unknown Systems

BETREKA NEBULA

• LOCATION:Alpha Trianguli Sector Block, any sector, once there head SOUTH.
• OBTAINED FROM: Lt. Crom Hana (@ Cap. Grade 5
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION:4th Order. 75 Badges per Quest turn in.
• Explore Three (3) Unknown Systems

ZENAS EXPANSE

• LOCATION:Zeta Andromedae Sector Block, Arawath and Vanden Sector, once there head WEST
• OBTAINED FROM: Lt. Crom Hana (@ Cap. Grade 9
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION:5th Order 75 Badges per Quest turn in.
• Explore Three (3) Unknown Systems

B’TRAN CLUSTER

• LOCATION: Gamma Orionis Sector Block, Mutara and Bellatrix Sectors, once there head SOUTH
• OBTAINED FROM: Lt. Karbo (@ RA Grade 5
• BADGE OF EXPLORATION:5th Order

MISSIONS

Investigate Base: Ground

In this mission you approach the asteroid base and beam to the base interior. Your goal is one of two things:

• Access computer terminals
• Kill all mobs on the map

While accessing computers, you may, or may not, be required to fight your way through, but are not required to kill all mobs on the map.

Aid The Planet: Space

Aid the planet is rather simple, fly up to the planet and find out what they need. Let’s say it’s shield generators as an example. Leave the system, go to either a starbase (Earth Spacedock for Volanis, Acronis and Hromi) or find a federation freighter nearby to purchase from. Take those supplies back to the cluster you were just in and hit the little button that pops up in the lower right of your screen which should put you right back in the system that’s requesting supplies. If this button doesn’t appear, fly around the cluster a little bit and it should pop up.

Approach Planet: Ground

Again, one of two things

• Scan Objects
• Kill all mobs

Scanning objects is the more common of the two, and just like in “Investigate Base”, you may or may not have to fight to access scan-able objects, but if it’s a scan mission, you will not be required to eliminate all mobs to proceed. Keep an eye on your mini map when doing these missions as you can see “Pathways” that connect to each other, patches of dirt that are lighter then the rest around it in the worst cases, and patchs of dirt surrounded by green grass in the best. As a general rule, scan-able objectives are always on those pathways. Keep in mind that if you are having difficulty finding one, you can always press “V” and scan the area for anomalies as this will also guide you to your objectives as well as any Anomalies in the area.

Pathways can be VERY difficult to discern, blending in occasionally to the point that you can’t see it very well on the mini map, but they are always there as is apparent when you run across the landscape. Also keep an eye out for structures such as buildings or housing, objectives are often near these as well.

Sometimes this leads into a variation of “Investigate Base” where you are beamed below the surface of the planet into a cave network. Don’t get too excited though, as from here it plays out just like “Investigate base”, hit consoles, kill mobs or sometimes both.

Investigate Anomalous Readings: Space

This one is very straight forward. Fly through space hitting the “V” (scanner) button every now and then to scan for anomalies and pick up all 5 in the area. Done, easy as pie and tasty as cake.

Secure the System: Space

Starts out the same as “Investigate the base”, where you fly up to an asteroid base. However, in this variation you remain in space. You must defeat 4 waves of ships, usually starting with a few small ships for the first wave, a medium for the 2nd and 3rd waves and the final wave is usually the “Boss” and will likely be some kind of battleship.

Another variation of this exists where you warp in to the new system and are warned by your tactical officer that an enemy ship has powered up their weapons and raised their shields. You are attacked right after closing this out, after which you must defeat five (5) squadrons of enemy ships in order to complete the mission. Mop ’em up and move on.

Yet another variant exists where you are hailed by a friendly civilization that is having a bit of political or religious trouble. Two factions on the planet have always been at peace but a third is shaking things up by supplying weapons to one of the two factions. You get to eliminate six (6) patrols of enemy ships.

Investigate Ship’s Fate : Space

Another easy quest. You must scan 6 ships for the local government of the system you entered for signs of damage belonging to the weapons of one group or another. Sometimes there are MOB’s in the area that you can fight, but if you can scan the ship without fighting them then you are not required to fight. Scan them and move on to the next system.

WHERE TO SPEND EXPLORATION BADGES

Once you have the badges needed for whatever gear you wish to buy, simply fly back to Earth Spacedock. Below I will list NPC Names and locations, what type of gear they have, and up to what MK level that gear is. I will also list the type and amount of badges needed for each gear type. Badges of Exploration will be referred to as BoE.

It should be noted that if you ever need to know how many badges of exploration you have, you can hit “U” and select your character. They are listed as the last item under “Progress” just to the left of your characters paper doll.

NPC’s

Ensign Tessmer: MK II-VI : KITS :

• MK II 113-BoE 1st Order : MK IV 118-BoE 2nd Order : MK VI 118-BoE 3rd Order
• Tessmer is located in the center of Earth Spacedock in a BLUE shirt to LEFT of the hallway that leads to the SHIPYARD and CLUB 47.

Lt. Yaris: MK VIII-X : KITS :

• MK VIII 110-BoE 4th Order : MK X 109-BoE 5th Order
• Yaris is located at the center of Earth Spacedock in a YELLOW shirt to the RIGHT of the hallway that leads to PERSONNEL and the SHIPYARD.

Ensign Paxad: MK II-VI : Ground Armor/Shields :

• MK II 38-BoE 1st Order : MK IV-40 BoE 2nd Order : MK VI 39-BoE 3rd Order
• Paxad is located in the center of Earth Spacedock in a YELLOW shirt to the LEFT of the hallway that leads to PERSONNEL and the SHIPYARD.

Lt. Cooquoa: MK VIII-X : Ground Armor/Shields :

• MK VIII 33-BoE 4th Order : MK X 30-BoE 5th Order
• Cooquoa is located at the center of Earth Spacedock in a RED shirt to the RIGHT of the hallway that leads to the EXCHANGE and the STATEROOM.

Ensign Velde: MK II-VI : Ground Weapons :

• MK II 32-BoE 1st Order : MK IV 30-BoE 2nd Order : MK VI 26-BoE 3rd Order :
• Velde is located at the center of Earth Spacedock in a RED shirt to the RIGHT of the hallway that leads to REQUISITIONS and EXCHANGE

Lt.C Arut: MK VIII – X : Ground Weapons:

• MK VIII 22-BoE 4th Order : MK X 20-BoE 5th Order.
• Arut is located at the center of Earth spacedock in a RED shirt to the LEFT of the hallway that leads to REQUISITIONS and EXCHANGE

Ensign Olesre: MK II-VI : Starship Weapons :

• MK II 77-BoE 1st Order : MK IV 70-BoE 2nd Order : MK VI 70-BoE 3rd Order
• Olesre is at Earth Spacedock. Go to the SHIPYARD and look for a ramp that goes up to a door with the sign SHIP REQUISITIONS above it. Olesre is in a RED shirt and is located straight ahead between the Tier 4 and Tier 3 Starship Database Consoles.

Commander Tafeng: MK VIII-X : Starship Weapons :

• MK VIII 62-BoE 4th Order : MK X 63-BoE 5th Order
• Tafeng is at Earth Spacedock. Go to the SHIPYARD and look for a ramp that goes up to a door with the sign SHIP REQUISITIONS above it. Tafeng is the first RED shirt on your left as you enter, in between the Tier 5 and Tier 4 starship Database Consoles.

Lt.C Ophlim: MK II-VI : Starship Consoles :

• MK I/II-77 BoE 1st Order : MK III/IV-77 BoE 2nd Order : MK VI 70-BoE 3rd Order
• Ophlim is at Earth Spacedock. Go to the SHIPYARD and look for a ramp that goes up to a door with the sign SHIP REQUISITIONS above it. As you enter look to your right. See the desk? Ophlim is to the LEFT of it in a BLUE shirt.

Lt. Yeniz: MK VIII-X : Starship Consoles :

• MK VIII 53-BoE 4th Order : MK X 43-BoE 5th Order
• Yeniz is at Earth Spacedock. Go to the SHIPYARD and look for a ramp that goes up to a door with the sign SHIP REQUISITIONS above it. Yeniz is in a YELLOW shirt off the the right-ish of the entrance, between the Tier 2 and Tier 1 Starship Database Consoles.

Lt. Jotun: MK II-VI : Starship Shields/Deflectors/Engines :

• MK II-229 BoE 1st Order: MK IV-236 BoE 2nd Order : MK VI 232-BoE 3rd Order
• Lt. Jotun is at Earth Spacedock. Go to the SHIPYARD and look for a ramp that goes up to a door with the sign SHIP REQUISITIONS above it. As you enter look to your right. See the desk? Jotun is in a YELLOW shirt to the RIGHT of the desk.

Lt.C Orjas: MK VIII-X : Starship Shields/Deflectors/Engines :

• MK VIII 232-BoE 4th Order : MK X 226-BoE 5th Order
• Orjas is at Earth Spacedock. Go to the SHIPYARD and look for a ramp that goes up to a door with the sign SHIP REQUISITIONS above it. As you enter, look DIRECTLY to your RIGHT. Orjas is in the BLUE shirt DIRECTLY to the RIGHT of the DOOR you entered from.

Source: forums.startrekonline.com