Star Trek Fleet Command’s new Halloween update adds 8 long-awaited characters

Star Trek Fleet Command is celebrating spooky season with the Nightmare Nexus event, adding new characters and adorable Halloween Tribbles.

Star Trek: Fleet Command is fast approaching its sixth anniversary, and while there’ll no doubt be some kind of in-game event to mark the milestone, you can enjoy the special Halloween celebration in the meantime. There’s no trick, but there are plenty of treats, as players can access a range of new missions and have the opportunity to unlock some amazing new characters.

Since 2018, Star Trek: Fleet Command has grown significantly, cementing itself as not only one of the best free PC games, but one of the best space games overall. When it started, the fleet you’d grow could only be filled with characters from the 2009 movie and its sequels, but since then, it’s expanded to include characters and content from every corner of the Star Trek Universe, and the new Nightmare Nexus adds a selection of nine new officer characters to be unlocked.

In keeping with the sinister Halloween atmosphere, you’ve got the Borg Queen from Star Trek: First Contact, along with Hugh, the Borg who was rescued by the TNG crew and stayed with them for a while, before later returning in Picard (with a variant available for his later Picard appearance). Speaking of which, you can also unlock the Mirror Universe’s version of Jean-Luc Picard who had previously only appeared in various pieces of expanded universe media.

Not all of the new characters are Halloween-based though – there are some iconic figures here, including Deep Space Nine’s Odo and Voyager’s Seven of Nine. Fan favorites like these are no doubt going to be highly sought-after additions to any fleet.

In order to unlock these officers, you’ll need Officer Shards, which you can get by collecting Candy Corn Tokens. These are tasty-looking sweets based on the iconic Star Fleet insignia and are there to tie in with the overall Halloween theme. These can be earned by completing limited-time events, like fighting Species 8472 or destroying Borg Probes and Gorn Hunters. There are seven Nightmare Nexus events in total which will be available at different times over the next few days.

The Nightmare Nexus event only runs until Monday, November 4, 2024. After this point, you may not get another opportunity to get them again. It might also be your only chance to see cute Tribbles wearing googly eyes and fake spider legs.

If you’ve never played Star Trek: Fleet Command, this is a great opportunity to jump in. Following the mold set by the best 4X games, the game sees you reinforcing your central base, while adding new ships to your armada. Issues and dilemmas will pop up around the quadrant, and you have to send your best crews out to fix things. Completing these missions will allow you to gather more resources, which in turn let you upgrade your ships and your home base while purchasing new vessels too. Eventually, as the title might suggest, you have a whole fleet at your command.

If you love games like that, check out our list of the best free Steam games for more recommendations. Our list of the best grand strategy games will also appeal to anyone who enjoys the more strategic aspect of Fleet Command.

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