What's wrong with this? Do you have a moral objection to being able to complete endgame content by yourself? I have a lot of friends who do raiding in WoW, and getting together a ton of reasonable players is the hardest part, I'm told.

I often find a similar issue in STO- getting a good solid group of players together is often tricky. Making things require highly coordinated teams of players who know each other well often closes off that content from casual players.

I don't think that's necessarily true. If the high end gear is 'elite', then it seems fair that it should require something 'elite' to get it. On the other hand, I don't think that 'elite' should mean 'bonecrushingly impossible unless you and your four best friends are all strategic geniuses".

This is, after all, still a game.

Why would you need a prestige set with insignificantly superior stats (Mk XI is very close) to play easy content?

I am not talking about closing ANY content to anyone... what I object to is making things easier (nerfing to the lowest common demoninator) detracts from what it means to be Elite. If Ned the New Guy wants to attempt the mission on Elite, thats his perogitive... and should (rightfully) get his behind handed to him... and a new audio clip of the Borg laughing. Edit(2): Why should a casual player consider themselves Elite anyway? Elite should take dedication, practice, and a lot of fail before it can be achieved.

The issue I have is that if it CAN be completed by two (and those who do so should (justifiably) brag about their accomplishment ... but then it is not elite.. Difficult, yes... Advanced... Perhaps... but not Elite. If the NORMAL mission says it should only be attempted by 5 players... I expect the Elite version to put all 5 players through the wringer trying to complete it with Optionals to boot.

Edit: I'll say it again... If you call yourself Elite, or believe yourself to be Elite... then you should welcome, embrace, and herald difficulty. Not whine, and QQ that its too hard... if its too hard, go back to normal and have fun.

I want the top tier of everything... I'm a completionist... But beyond that... I like the look of the Mk XII M.A.C.O. ground set for instance, I shouldnt be barred from getting it because it requires a team of 5 with a fool proof strategy...

You are taking this game way to seriously. Why cant I have fun on Elite? Is that not allowed? You make it soud as if having fun on the elite difficulty is a bad thing. And yet I currently do have fun playing KASE, and ISE, and even CSE. I have less fun on the ground... but thats because its the ground, and I just dislike it.

Definitely agree here! Perhaps leave infected space elite as is so those coming into elites for the first time can get used to it, and the rest for a nice challenge like the Onslaught!

You can absolutely have fun... and so should I be allowed, and frankjly the current "Elite" STF's aren't fun for me... too easy... I get enjoyment from a challenge, and a sense of accomplishment in doing something that not every Ricky Redshirt in the Rainbow Warrior can do.

Then I'll stand behind you getting your own difficulty (Ultra or whatever you wish to call it.) with no reward outside of what you get on elite, perhaps maybe you just get more than what you would on Elite... but there should be nothing exclusive to the new difficulty.

I want to get the Mk XII sets, and I need to do elites to get the neural processors to do the projects (as I understand it.) So I shouldnt be kept from it through a difficulty gap that I dont want to deal with.

I can understand why you want the gear. It is a nice tempting prize and the ground visuals are worth it.

but they were originally introduced as a trophy to show you beat the hardest content in the game.

It kinda sucked that there was such a great random factor in getting it and they changed that now.

But they retain their trophy status by being only available through the hardest content in game (and hard is relative here).

if everyone can do it without putting in teh effort to overcome the difficulty they are just another costume and don't need to be linked to that kind of content in the first place. then they could have just put the stuff into the C-Store...

Let them make that gear available at an Advanced level then. As I have already said, the current difficulty for the Elite STF, as they exist today, is not elite.

I am fine with no additional sets/equipment (they way I see it, the best equipped ships with the best weapons in game today should find it difficult to complete an Elite... and a down right achievement to get the optional. I'd settle for an Accolade (similar to NWS), and maybe an additional costume option on the existing MK XII Maco/Omega/KHG gear. As nothing more than a badge of honor.

As others have stated, the MK XII Borg Gear is MARGINALLY better than the MK XI... I don't want the Elite to be something to grind for a 1% increase in some blah gear... I want it to be something to Aspire to... Something to be proud of...

They have made the Maco/Omega/Honor Guard sets more accessible (and I'm fine with that, as it wasn't a display of skill to achieve them... it was a display of luck). I want to be able to show something that is a display of skill and ability.

Yeah an accolade or something very special (it doesn't have to be great or useful, it just has to be unique) could be nice for an additionnal difficulty level. And considering the time it took to create from scratch a brand new stf i'm pretty sure an additional level wouldn't require much work.

I'd go for a significant accolade (maco supreme commander or maco hero) and a medal.

Yes, i'm stupid, but I'd like that.