Exhibit A: Sometimes when you kill an NPC ship you get loot (given your not on a team with the Round Robin loot setting) and EVERYTIME you kill an NPC ship you earn BO skill points and player skill points.

Exhibit B: VAs and RAs seem to enjoy using these Sirius Sector Block DSEs to "test out" new ships.

Exhibit C: New players end up fighting in these same DSEs at the start of the game

Exhibit D: The RA/VAs could get a better test of their ships in the Beta Ursae, Alpha Trianguli, Zeta Andromedae and Gamma Orionis Sector Blocks than in the Sirius Sector Block. I happen to test my VA toon's ships in those sectors (mainly Gamma cos I like blowin' up borg )

Exhibit E: (Wow I have a lot of points) I am rollin' numerous Lt. toons at present (and I expect I'm not the only one) and I don't really appreciate VAs swooping in and nicking the loot and XP from a BoP squadron that I'd nearly killed.

I submit to you, Cryptic, that it is NOT fun to take part in a DSE as a low lvl player, start blastin' klinks, and then having a VA swoop in and finish em' off before you even get a single kill. I beseech thee, please either block higher lvls from the Sirius DSEs (and any others that they've already passed, save the Borg) or give them a seperate DSE instance, similar to how the Fleet actions worked before Season 4. Or you can push all DSE participants into a team with automatic lvl scaling up so everyone plays at the same level, you'd also have to set up the DSEs to scale to that level like in the Remastered and Featured Episodes. (To save alot of VA flak the second idea would be the best way short of doing nothing. Shortly followed by my third suggestion.)

Questions and comments welcome, so long as it's constructive. Let's get this thread, and issue (assuming it can ACTUALLY be sorted), addressed by the Devs.

Thank you to SuricataFX for that lvl scaling idea.

Isn't the loot determined by whoever attacked the enemy first? (don't know; that's why I'm asking)

How strange. Other people were playing in a MMO.

Supposedly DSE's are being worked on and redesigned as part of the Borg Invasion events, which I hope is very soon.

I'll be working on those DSE accolades soon. the pain. the horror.

I think you've missed my point. I was saying I don't appreciate players that don't have ANY chance of losing at all (such as VAs) swooping in right in front of me and robbing the rewards. I have no problem with LTs or LTCs using these DSEs cos they at least have a chance of dying, VAs don't.

To be honest. I always though players in DSE's should of all been made a set level (using Cryptics buddy system) so that all mobs are the same value to all players (regardless of level), that way all players of all levels can play together. MMO's should find ways to integrate all players to work together, not segregate them so they can't.

A level sync would have been nice, but it would have to be downward. I also question whether or not Cryptic could handle that kind of massive change to the system without too many problems. I might just be easier to create an instance for each tier specifically, as needed.

Or what if access to the DSE was tied to the ship you were in, kind of like those missions that require you to use a shuttle? If you want in on the tier 2 instance, go back and get your tier 2 ship. Even if you discharged one, they are cheap and easy to get back. It would be easier than a level syncing system too.

Actually, I think this makes the most sense.