Star Trek Online Season 6 ‘Under Siege’ now live

Star Trek Online Season 6: Under Siege, the latest update to Perfect World Entertainment's free to play MMO, is now live, introducing a ton of new features – the most notable being the addition of the Fleet Advancement System.

Today's update allows Fleet members to construct, level-up, and defend their own Starbase. Accompanying this major feature are new Fleet events and additional end-game content.

"Our primary focus with Season 6 is to have fleets become a more central and fundamental part of the Star Trek Online experience," said Star Trek Online Executive Producer Dan Stahl. "Fleets may now work to improve their Starbase category, unlocking additional functionality and increasing the size and grandeur of the Starbase itself."

Check out the trailer above for a quick look at the new features being introduced in Star Trek Online Season 6: Under Siege and read below for a more in-depth description:

Fleet (Guild) Advancement System
Fleets construct their own Fleet Holdings with Starbases. Fleet Officers assign specific Fleet Projects for members to carry out in order to build their Starbase and master three specialization tracks: Military, Engineering, and Science.

Fleets can also improve Starbase specialization through five tiers of design, unlocking new Fleet Projects to earn more Fleet experience points and rewards. Functionality items to Starbases include Transwarp gates that allow for rapid access to different sectors.

Fleet Starbase Defense Missions
New missions and events that call upon Fleets to defend their Starbases include a five-man Starbase Alert, two five-man Fleet Sorties, and a 20-man Fleet Action. Some of these will be available at all ranks, while others will only be available to Vice Admirals (Federation Faction) and Lieutenant Generals (Klingon Faction).

Foundry Updates
New features to the Foundry, Star Trek Online's popular user-content creation tool, include an improved user interface, which makes it easier for players to identify items prior to map placement.

Players will also be able to find additional items such as vivid backdrops, as well as new ground and space maps in the content library.

Fleet Rewards
Unlock the new Starbase Exterior and Interior options as your Fleet advances in the aggregate Starbase track. In the other tracks, stores that sell ultra-rare Fleet Rewards, such as new high-end gear, starships, costumes, materials and various tactical assets, can be unlocked.

Fleet UI Redesign
Expect a new Fleet Home Page and Fleet Holdings Page, which has been created to provide information on Fleet Status, Projects and Contribution Leaderboards.

New Max-Level Content
New missions, events, challenges, and end-game content designed specifically for max level players are also included in Season 6: Under Siege. Try "No Win Scenario", the five-man space challenge, or "Colony Rescue", the five-man ground challenge.