In a continued effort to improve the play experience for everyone in PvP content, Star Trek Online will be receiving a new Player Potential System. To calculate the potential of a player, things such as their character’s equipment and specializations are considered for Ground and Space evaluations. Once this is calculated, it can be used as an approximation of player power. This is then adjusted by a modifier that is generated as you play competitive Ground or Space matches. The more competitive matches you play, the more accurate your Player Potential will be.

Up until now, the matchmaking system would be unaware of relative skill between players, and a match could end up being consistently one-sided. With this new system in place, the matchmaking system will look at the Player Potentials of each player or team eligible for the match and then determine how best to balance the match given this new information. This results in a fairer and more enjoyable experience overall for classic PvP and the new Competitive PvE.

There is a lot of variability to the initial matches a player might have while the system attempts to place them. As a result of this, the system won’t lock down a Player Potential calculation until a certain number of matches have been completed. From that point, this calculation will adjust itself to help match you against more competitive opponents as you win or lose. Facing tough opponents and winning will net a larger swing in the system than against opponents that you’re expected to win against. Conversely, losing against an opponent who you aren’t expected to win against won’t have a punishing effect on your player potential.

It’s important to note that the system is intelligent enough to know if you don’t belong where you are currently ranked. Losing a lot, or winning a lot in quick succession will cause your Player Potential to drastically change, as the system becomes less confident in your current position. This results in being able to place you where you will have the most competitive experience, faster.

It should be known that this system will not be directly exposed to the player. We will continue to monitor it to assure it is as accurate as possible and providing the quality of life improvements we seek. If any major changes do occur, we will have the ability to reset Player Potential to allow someone to start fresh with the new additions.



This system was designed from the ground up (to space) to improve the quality of the player experience. We want you to be matched with players where you can expect to compete at your skill level and have fun. Should you be matched against an exceptionally skilled player, you won’t be penalized severely if you come up short – and you’ll be rewarded if you come out on top! We look forward to seeing the new system in action, and we’ll see you in the game!



Matthew Campbell

Systems Designer

Star Trek Online

