(NOTE: An updated version of this post [as of 12/23/2021] can be found here: https://joeandsto.wordpress.com/2021/12/23/mudds-market-the-updated-review/ This post will stay around as a notably older reference for comparison.)

Hello, all, and welcome back to Joe and STO! Today, I want to try to shed some light on Mudd’s Market, the reason for its existence (personal opinion[s]), and what to look for when you’re perusing the store.

WHAT IS MUDD’S MARKET?

For the uninitiated, Mudd’s Market is a section of the Z-Store where old items that (mostly) aren’t available elsewhere go to be sold directly for Zen.

There’s no randomness to it (unlike the Phoenix Prize Box, which gives random quality Prize Tokens).

There’s no grind-to-get-it-free, either. (Unless you count converting Dilithium into Zen.)

A price is put up, you pay the Zen (bought and/or converted from Diltihium), and you have an account unlock of the thing you missed from a previous Event!

Normal prices for the items start high…for example, 4,000 Zen for a single Bridge Officer (normal Z-store pricing is 500 Zen) or 17,000 for the Fek’Ihri S’torr Warship (Winter Event 2018-2019 ship). Let’s put that into dollars (not counting Zen Charge Bonuses)…that’s $40 for a single BOFF or $160 for a single ship!

BUT…but…they disclaim in their own listings the following sentence:

“Only a sucker would buy this at full price…”

So if you want an item from Mudd’s Market (unless you’re really, really, REALLY desperate and can’t wait for a sale), you are best to wait for a sale.

WHAT’S A GOOD SALE TO LOOK FOR?

I feel I should go ahead and say something right here: The idea of “good value” or “good sale” is almost entirely dependent on the person who’s looking to buy something from Mudd’s Market.

Are items in here a good value if they’re below standard Z-Store/event buyout pricing? Based solely on that number, then yes. It would generally be cheaper to buy those things than if you were to buy them out previously, so go crazy (as long as you have the money and/or Zen for it already).

Are items in here a good value if they’re at standard Z-Store/event buyout pricing? Maybe, maybe not. What items have you been looking for? What are your account’s needs?

Are items in here a good value if they’re selling at “normal” pricing? I feel that’s less subjective and more objective at “no.” However, if you have the spare Zen/cash and really, really want something ASAP, Cryptic and the community can’t stop you. You have free will, you know. 😉

With the question of value out of the way, let’s get into the more of the meat of the post, eh?

WHY DOES IT EVEN EXIST?

This is going to be more personal opinions than facts, but I see two reasons:

  1. As more Lockbox/”loot box” legislation gets passed or discussed around the world and more companies go to a system where you pay directly after some exclusivity period for that Lockbox’s prize(s), Cryptic is using this as an experiment to do away with or change Lockbox/Phoenix Box methods of obtaining items/ships. You may pay more, but you’ll get it guaranteed.
  2. Cryptic can’t directly monetize Phoenix Prize Boxes because you can earn them via in-game methods (queue completions, Admiralty rewards, etc., all give Dilithium, which can be used on the Boxes). Putting event items/ships in this store gives them a potential direct revenue stream. Sure, you can grind out the Zen for a Gordie LaForge Bridge Officer…but how long will you have to wait for it to get back to 800 Zen?

WHEN WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO GET ITEMS FROM MUDD’S MARKET?

When Mudd’s Market first launched, all items were 75% off. Incidentally, this put almost every item down to what its normal Z-Store/Event Buyout price would have been. So ideally, any amount over 75% is a true discount and should be considered.

When does that happen? Your guess is as good as mine. Until the start of January 2020, sales were going up more often than not, but the items on sale were seemingly random and weren’t always the same discount. Since then, discounts usually happen when:

  1. The entire C-Store goes on sale (don’t be a sucker at this discount amount; 20% off 29,500 wouldn’t put the Mudd’s Stealing Time Choice Pack below $200).
  2. Mudd’s Market goes on sale itself, where we’ve seen discounts as low as 60% and as high as 85%.

So the question of “when” really comes down to “what discount” instead.

  • No discount (the super high prices discounts are based on): I’d personally say “no,” but it’s your game and interests. You do you!
  • Less than 75% off? If it’s worth it to you, go for it. The closer to 75%, the better, though. That’s generally the “roughly equal with the Z-Store/event buyouts” price on most items.
  • 75% off? It’s on par with or close enough to the Z-Store/Event Buyouts (give or take a few hundred Zen), so you’re not losing anything, really.
  • 80%+? That’s an actual discount, just don’t blow your own budget buying stuff just because it’s on sale.

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?

Of what’s in there store, here’s what I’d recommend and at what discount I’d start seriously considering buying them.

SHIPS

  1. Risian corvette [T6]
    1. Discount Level: 60%+ if you need to keep up with the meta, 80%+ if not.
    2. Reasons: Experimental Weapon is among the best right now; one of the fastest ships in the game; Fleet version is a full Pilot ship (complete with Pilot Maneuvers innate abilities) but there may be a bug preventing access to it.
  2. Fek’Ihri S’torr Warship [T6]
    1. Discount Level: 75%+
    2. Reasons: Looks great in motion, like an old-fashioned hotrod but in space; console is a nice pull toward your ship if you need to get enemies close to you.
  3. Fek’Ihri Fe’rang Dreadnought Carrier [T6] (NEWEST)
    1. Discount Level: 75%+
    2. Reason: Honestly, this is almost purely cosmetic. To me, it about could pass for an alien version of the I.S.S. Charon from Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 (from above the Mycelial Sun structure). Plus, it has some decent hangar pets that, at least at one time, were among the best in the game. Some patches to the pets and/or their interactions with abilities may have hurt that, but they’re still good hangar pets.
  4. All other ships
    1. Discount Level: 80%+
    2. Reasons: None of the included ships are “meta.” The Benthan cruiser has an interesting design but is ultimately outdated; the Vizier completes the Z-Store availability of Sovereign-class ship variants all being accessible from the Z-Store at some point (Fleet versions nothwithstanding); unfortunately, I never see the Vulcan T’Pau Scout Ship being used, nor do I notice the trait or console being used anywhere. The could about pass for the I.S.S. Charon from Discovery Season 1, so just on looks it may be not be a horrible one to pick up.

BUNDLES…I’ll come back to this, I promise!

SPACE ITEMS

NOTE: All items here come with 1 Ultimate Tech Upgrade each, which I tend to value at 2,000 Zen. Currently, all items in this section have an off-sale price of 8,000 Zen.

  1. Corrosive Plasma Weapon Pack
    1. Discount Level: 60%+
    2. Reason: These are account-wide, reclaimable Plasma space weapons, and I’m sure I’ve heard from at least one source they’re still good enough to consider grabbing this pack. The weapons you get will be Bound to Character or Bound to Account, but you can keep reclaiming it until you have what you need.
  2. Voth Power Subcore (+ Ultimate Tech upgrade) (NEWEST)
    1. Discount Level: 75%+
    2. Reason: A decent AoE for lower-level toons, especially if you find they’re having issues clearing out more difficult mobs. It also contributes to survivability by increasing shield hitpoints and resistance.
  3. Reiterative Structural Capacitor (+ Ultimate Tech Upgrade) (NEWEST)
    1. Discount Level: 75%+
    2. Reason: If you can’t get the Lukari Hokuun Science Vessel or a Dynamic Power Redistributor Module, this is an account-unlocked poor man’s version. It also passive helps Hull Capacity and Hull Restoration. I’d say it’s another good console for a newer toon or one still building up its end-game setup.
  4. Blinded by the Light Pack (Beacon of Kahless + Ultimate Tech Upgrade)
    1. Discount Level: 80%+
    2. Reason: A nice Beacon or Distress Call-style item when you need reinforcements, and it only has a 2-minute cooldown when using similar items (like the Nimbus Distress Call) ahead of it. However, justifying nearly a T6 Z-Store Starship’s worth of price on it is difficult. It also has a blinding visual effect meant to disable all foes within 12km for 8 seconds, but it has the unfortunate effect of needing you to look away from the screen or elsewhere around the map on use to keep from essentially blinding yourself for a few seconds.
  5. Black Ops Mine Launcher (Black Ops Mine Launcher + Ultimate Tech Upgrade)
    1. Discount Level: 85%+
    2. Reasons: A unique type of mine that serves a dual purpose, but it’s not a meta choice. I’d buy these only if they were at a discount compared to buying out the Event from which they came, but even at that it’s a steep ask. Why did I not do a 3-way tie with the final two options? It’s a new item, so I wanted to call it out directly.
  6. (TIE) Crystal Power Pack (Antiproton Matter Conversion DHC and Beam Array + Ultimate Tech Upgrade) AND Prior’s World Satellite of DOOM (Prior’s World Elite Defense Satellite + Ultimate Tech Upgrade)
    1. Discount Level: 85%+
    2. Reasons: The Crystal Power Pack only gives one special Antiproton Beam Array and one special DHC themed to an old Event, and you can only have one of each (or perhaps one among them) equipped at a time. The Prior’s World Satellite is a nice beginner’s addition to your build if you got it for free in its Event. I can’t really justify any price over 1,000 Zen for either of these.

GROUND ITEMS

NOTE: Personally, I wouldn’t pay over 2,000 Zen for a single thing listed except the TOS Holo BOFFs. Bearing that in mind, here are my rankings for importance and/or coolness.

  1. Crystal Barrier of Death Pack (Crystal Prism Universal Kit Module + Ultimate Tech Upgrade)
    1. Discount Percent: 75%+
    2. Reason: One of the best Kit Modules in the game, especially for Endeavors where you have to take out a certain number of an enemy type. Set 5 of these up and you have an AoE set of attacks that kind of act as threat generation, getting some of the heat off you.
  2. Evil Lorca’s Armor (Terran Guerrilla Combat Armor + Ultimate Tech Upgrade)
    1. Discount Percent: 75%+
    2. Reason: A reclaimable armor that, once you give one to a Bridge Officer, you can claim another until you have your BOFF team *and* yourself protected in better-than-normal Armor. Not an end-game item but a decent “heirloom” piece (meaning it can be used at lower levels and scales up with you to a certain point). Its special power makes you invulnerable for a period but after that will damage you per second until you eventually take the damage you should have taken.
  3. Procured Holo Enterprise Crew (TOS Holographic Bridge Crew)
    1. Discount Percent: 60%+
    2. Reason: At 60% off, this comes in at only 500 Zen more than buying 7 separate BOFFs. Previously only available at conventions, many older players have a free set and like having holographic recreations of characters fighting alongside them. Uhura has Technician and Leadership, helping boost your damage and hull regeneration a little bit until you can get to or afford Romulan SROs, Jem’Hadar Vanguards, a Kentari from the Fleet Colony, any BOFF that can have the Pirate trait, etc. Spock has Astrophysicist, which may be of help to Science builds.
  4. Dino with Freakin’ Laser Beams Attached to Its Head (Bio-Engineered Furiadon Combat Pet + Ultimate Tech Upgrade)
    1. Discount Percent: 75%+
    2. Reason: A decent combat pet, especially early in the game. It can melee with a bite move or do ranged attacks with the Antiproton Beams attached to it. Also, at the right price, who wouldn’t want a dinosaur fighting alongside them?
  5. It’s About Time Pack (Shard of Possibilities, Ophidian Cane, Breen BOFF, Reman BOFF) (NOTE: These are account unlocks, unlike their availability during the now-defunct Featured Episode re-run events.)
    1. Discount Percent: 60%+
    2. Reasons
      1. Shard of Possibilities: Consider this an extra Security Escort. It helps in instances where you’re outnumbered or just need to finish off a boss more quickly.
      2. Breen BOFF: Aside from having a Breen-only or Cold Damage-specific build in mind, to me the biggest redeeming quality is that it can turn into a training manual for Attack Pattern: Delta III. Tanks tend to need it for the Attack Pattern: Delta Prime starship trait.
      3. Reman BOFF and Ophidian Cane: The Reman BOFF can be decent on the ground, especially if you can use it early on as a replacement for one of your default crew. Otherwise, nothing here is spectacular and just adds a smidgen of value to what’s basically “Shard of Possibilities + 2 BOFFs + 1 ground item from Time’s Arrow in ‘The Next Generation’.”
  6. (TIE) Procured EMH BOFF AND Procured Leeta Holo BOFF
    1. Discount Percent: 80%+
    2. Reason: Available to both Federation and KDF players, these BOFFs are at least better than standard BOFFs for leveling. Neither has space traits, but Leeta does help Kit Performance on the ground and is a decent BOFF on her own on the ground. With the EMH BOFF, Federation players get the Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager while KDF players get an Orion-based NPC model with the same stats as the Doctor. While 80% still puts these higher than standard Z-Store BOFFs, that they were convention exclusives and unlock for all characters help to justify the slightly higher price.
  7. Procured Geordi La Forge Holo BOFF
    1. Discount Percent: 80%+
    2. Reason: The biggest reason to get Geordie is to have Geordie on your Away Team, basically. He has Veteran to help your ground damage and Leadership to help your hull regeneration. He’s only available to Federation characters, ranking him lower than the EMH and Leeta.
  8. Kelvin Timeline Admiral Uniform
    1. Discount Percent: 85%+
    2. Reason: Perhaps it’s my own bias showing, but no costume is worth over or near 1,000 Zen. However, I also am not one to dress up myself and BOFFs to specific eras or characters often. It was previously given away in 2016, so my main account has it because free is free.

BUNDLES…FOR REAL THIS TIME!

(NOTE: This was written when the “Stealing Time” Choice Pack was the available pack. As of the update to this article [3/20/2021], it’s the “Outta this Wormhole” Choice Pack. I cover the ships here and the value here.)

  1. Mudd’s Stealing Time Choice Pack
    1. Discount Percent: 60%+
    2. Reason: …Why should I give a new reason? Go read what I said about it here! Just substitute all mentions of “14,500 Zen” with “11,800 Zen.” This actually makes the bundle run about at-cost compared to previous cross-faction T6 Bundles. If you pick the Verne (and its variants) and the Klein (and its variants), that’s normally 12,000 Zen with standard 3-ship pack pricing! If you can convert enough Dilithium to get 800 Zen (at current rates, that’s 324,800 Zen, give or take), this costs $100 USD (the $100 tier of Zen purchases gives 10,000 base + 1,000 normal Zen Charge Bonus for 11,000, then add 800 Zen from your Dil-to-Zen conversion and that’s 11,800). This is the only paid item in Mudd’s Market that I’d highly recommend at the 60% discount and gets much better the higher the discount could go. Why?
      1. If you can get this for roughly $100, even the 10x Ultimate Tech Upgrades is a steal on its own as you’d normally need to buy ~$200 worth of Key Ring Bundles or deep-on-sale Mudd’s Market old event items to get those. That gives you 2 more options that all result in you getting at least 1 account-wide ship (the Epic Phoenix Token isn’t an account-wide ship unlock option).
      2. If you wanted an Amarie or Verne (Tier 6 Wells-class), just getting one of either of those would run you over $100 for the Verne (and only the Verne or its variants) or $200 for the Amarie (and only the Amarie).
  2. The Cryptic 20th Anniversary Pack (LIMITED TIME FREE OFFER, ENDS JULY 16th)
    1. Discount Rate: Uh…can you discount off “Free”?
    2. Reason: Uh…it’s FREE!? Even if you don’t like Vanity Shields, non-combat pets, titles, and/or Sniper Rifles, you may as well grab this so you’ll always have access to them. Also, in a patch earlier in the week, the Sniper Rifle went from being a one-time claim to account-wide and infinitely reclaimable (though only 1 of this pack’s Sniper Rifles can be in use at a time on each character). I will note that when this eventually ends up in Mudd’s Market as a purchasable item, I’ll recommend to not get it until/unless it hits 85%+ off. The Sniper Rifle is fantastic as it’s Mk XV and Epic, but you can only use one of it. The Vanity Shield is AMAZING! I wish I had time to post links to screenshots of it.
      1. A note on the Sniper Rifle: When you unpack it, it’s already up to Epic Rarity but at “Mark Infinity.” Be sure to right-click and hit “Upgrade” to get it to Mk XV.

MY MIND IS NOW CLEAR AS MUDD!

That’s all I’ve got for today and this week. I hope you’ve found this informative, and even if you don’t take advantage of this weekend’s 60% off sale on all platforms, stay tuned as I’m sure parts of the store will go on sale for deeper discounts. Just stay away from anything less than 60% (or on Mudd’s Stealing Time Choice Pack, below 50%).

Take care, enjoy all Mudd’s brought you, and have fun with House Divided content!

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  1. Pingback: The Black Friday 2020 STO Guide! – Joe and STO
  2. Pingback: Why Mudd’s Choice Packs Are a Steal…For Now (Ends 12/24 @ 1:00 PM Eastern) – Joe and STO

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