Skip to main content

So, why track the Exchange rate?

Not everyone is into crazy Z:D currency exchange shenanigans, and its easy to understand why. I can be boring, it’s a slow process, and you really have no control over it. However, if you buy Zen at all, and have any left over, its worth looking at. Why?
The Dilithium Store.

Because you can buy items ranging from Ground Weapons to Ship Weapons to Fighters, the Exchange rate can make things more or less expensive. When the Z:D exchange rate is high, your Zen offers you more value as you’re buying more Dilithium per point. Conversely, if the Z:D rate is low, you’ll have to spend more Zen to get enough Dilithium for your goodies. Regardless if you’re using a monthly stipend or the leftover points from a Zen card, you can save some Zen by keeping an eye on things.

For instance, the Stalker Advanced Fighter costs 30,250 Refined Dilithium.
  • At 1:153, it would cost 198 Zen.
  • At 1:165, it would cost 184 Zen, a savings of 14 Zen.
If you wanted to get 6 Vice Admiral’s Tetryon Cannon Mk XI [Acc][CrtD][Dmg], that would run you 135,720 Refined Dilithium.
  • At 1:153, it would cost 882 Zen.
  • At 1:165, it would cost 823 Zen, a savings of 59 Zen.
So, sometimes a little patience can help! So far, it seems if the exchange is going to dip down, it’s the weekends. As such, if you want to buy Dilithium, you’re likely better off not buying at that time (better to buy Zen).

If you ever want to get really crazy, using a Spreadsheet can help you easily see what your buying power is. For instance, in Excel:

  1 2 3
a Item Price (insert exchange rate)
b [Tetryon Cannon Mk X [Acc][CrtH]]

15,125

 =ROUNDUP(C2/$A$3,0)
c [Tetryon Turret Mk X [Acc][CrtH]]

15,125

 98

=ROUNDUP(C2/$A$3,0) is a wonderful thing. ROUNDUP tells Excel to round the results up. $A$3 is the cell where you’ll put the exchange rate value (153, 155, 165, 200, whatever). The ,0 after that tells ROUNDUP to round up to the nearest whole number (no decimals). So, from my spreadsheet...

[Tetryon Cannon Mk X [Acc][CrtH]] 15,125 98
[Tetryon Turret Mk X [Acc][CrtH]] 15,125 98

And there you go! An easy way to see what your relative buying power is, a way to see how the Exchange rate can be useful to you, and to translate Dilithium prices into Zen prices!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

[STO] PVP as War, PVP as Sport.

In the middle of last year, I read a little on a thread about "Combat as Sport versus Combat as War." It was referencing a very long opinion post for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (currently in development). Intriguing as it was, though, is was concerning a tabletop role-playing game. Could it offer anything worth noting about Star Trek Online's PVP? I think so.
10 comments
Read more

[STO] Master Keys without spending a dime.

Cryptic/PWE just unveiled the latest lockbox for Star Trek Online: the Temporal Lock Box . Its time-travel themed, with all sorts of neat ships, consoles, etc., both to be won on random chance and via Lobi. You should really take a look - they're very cool looking . Now, given that Master Keys cost $1.25 each (well, less if you buy 10-packs), you might be hesitant to go after them. You might also be leery of the whole lockbox scheme. And, that's understandable. Goodness knows Pavlovian responses aren't limited to just dogs! So, how to play without paying...?
Post a Comment
Read more

The difficulty of cooperative games.

Sunday afternoons I normally find my self at Paul and Mandy's house. They're a wonderful couple with a wonderful family - gracious and hospitable. The time is often spent playing games of various types - word, card, personality, trivia, etc. We've played Moods, Wizard, Pit, Title Recall, Shout it Out and more, enjoying ourselves the whole time. Its not uncommon for the house to have eight or more people there, visiting, and enjoying each other's company. Much to their credit, as well as the folks who come, its often laid back and everyone is a good sport about winning, losing, and generally just playing. But one thing I was wondering, however, is "are there many cooperative games?" As is, the games we play are typically competitive in nature. The rules set up a system for that competition that everyone has to abide by and goes from there. There is really only one winner, be it an individual or a particular team. Now, that is good, and enjoyable, but "in t...
5 comments
Read more