Season 7

This episode opens with the crew’s trademark humor, launching Season 7 with casual banter about production life, winter weather, and behind-the-scenes filming. The relaxed tone quickly transitions into sponsor reads and community engagement before moving into the night’s core purpose: breaking down the Orion Arc launch.
The first major pivot occurs with live breaking news regarding Patch 87.1 maintenance, setting the stage for technical concerns that dominate much of the show. From there, the hosts outline the arc’s key systems — Orion hostiles, the Challenge Track, and event structure — before shifting sharply into widespread player-reported lag.
A significant portion of the episode dissects performance failures affecting scoring, notifications, and client responsiveness. The crew explores possible technical causes, including push communication breakdowns between client and server systems, and debates whether backend optimization work may have triggered the instability.
Mid-show, the conversation briefly detours into Star Trek lore — notably Avery Brooks and Deep Space Nine character storytelling — before returning to gameplay analysis. This tonal shift gives listeners a mix of franchise discussion alongside live-service game critique.
The back half focuses heavily on Orion hostile scaling, progression difficulty, and how different ops brackets are handling the new content. Strategy discussions expand into Challenge Track design, compensation expectations, and server region disparities in performance impact.
In the final stretch, attention turns to late-game systems like Sweeps mechanics and long-term efficiency optimization. The hosts close by evaluating the arc’s design potential versus its troubled technical launch, leaving the audience with cautious optimism once stability issues are resolved.
 
00:58 – Cold open, show intro, Season 7 welcome04:00 – Shop day stories, filming, and snowstorm chaos09:30 – Sponsor segment + Ghost Energy discussion15:00 – AI assistants, automation humor, and chat banter20:26 – Breaking news: Patch 87.1 maintenance announced25:30 – Early arc reactions + system rollout impressions29:30 – Global lag begins — first major complaints33:00 – Client/server communication failures explained38:00 – Recurring bugs vs new bugs discussion01:00:00 – Star Trek discussion tangent (Avery Brooks / DS9 context01:30:07 – Orion hostiles deep dive begins01:45:00 – Difficulty scaling + G6–G7 balancing talk02:00:00 – Challenge Track progression pacing02:18:00 – Compensation expectations + fairness debate02:35:00 – Server region performance comparisons02:50:00 – Long-term arc systems + economy impact03:06:00 – Sweeps mechanic strategy + late-game optimization 03:15:30 – Challenge Track mastery + efficiency meta03:22:00 – Final thoughts + show close

00:01 – Welcome to Arcfall Eve, live show kickoff, hosts settle in07:45 – Arcfall timing confusion, maintenance expectations, missing teaser discussion15:30 – Travel chaos, snowed-in stories, real-life logistics before content week23:10 – February arc expectations and “January-level difficulty” framing30:55 – Early speculation: dailies pressure and player preparedness concerns38:40 – Resource bottlenecks introduced: Sigma Tritanium vs parts46:25 – Generator debate begins: usefulness, vault caps, and misconceptions54:10 – Escalating disagreement on generators, storage, and production logic01:02:00 – Transition to deeper systems talk and market/building implications01:09:45 – New buildings, empty pads, and unspoken February mechanics01:17:30 – Critical release humor and emotional damage expectations01:25:15 – What won’t save you this arc: packs, shortcuts, and prep myths01:33:00 – Player behavior patterns and how Scopely designs friction01:40:45 – Long-term progression philosophy vs short-term efficiency01:48:30 – Battle simulator tease and future discussion planning01:56:10 – Community reactions, chat engagement, and live clarifications02:03:45 – Wrapping February expectations and content scheduling02:11:20 – Final thoughts on Arcfall Eve and readiness mindset02:18:30 – Show close, upcoming streams, and sign-off

00:01 – Cold open, welcomes, server shout-outs, and setting the tone for the Jan Arc wrap-up07:15 – Introduction of guest MJ Hat and overview of the Rebirth / V’ger arc discussion goals14:10 – Early Challenge Track impressions and ops-level difficulty spikes21:45 – Community innovation, officer “debuff list” mechanics, and unintended solutions28:55 – MJ Hat’s personal arc: streaming growth, new baby, and community support36:10 – Dailies as the true progression barometer and ops-level readiness discussion43:25 – Mid-ops vs high-ops experience and how progression speed has changed over time01:00:40 – Call-ins begin: player sentiment on Challenge Track pacing and difficulty01:09:30 – Excelsior value debate: utility, sourcing, and long-term relevance01:18:45 – V’ger hostiles, Apex Barrier mechanics, and ops 68–70 danger zone01:28:20 – Research, artifacts, and overlooked systems impacting survivability01:37:55 – PvE vs PvP priorities, territory warfare, and armada culture01:47:10 – Community benchmarks vs FOMO and Scopely’s progression signaling01:56:30 – Mid-game acceleration, passes, and whether the “mid-ops problem” is fixed02:05:45 – Additional call-ins and regional server perspectives02:15:10 – What Rebirth got right: experimentation, challenge, and engagement02:24:35 – What missed the mark: clarity, scaling, and communication gaps02:33:20 – Final community ratings and improvement recommendations02:42:15 – Closing thoughts, future arc expectations, and sign-off

00:01 – Cold open, weather check-in, community roll call, and show setup05:30 – Griffin’s absence, early banter, and server chatter10:45 – Veil raid story, resource losses, and “for the kids” war humor16:30 – Early arc framing and what tonight’s wrap-up will (and won’t) cover22:00 – Snowstorm stories, real-life chaos, and delayed show context28:30 – Official transition into arc wrap-up discussion00:34:15 – Challenge Track overview and first impressions00:40:10 – Critiques of Challenge Track perfection requirements00:46:00 – Historical comparisons: Silence, Freebooters, Zindi, and Separatists00:52:30 – Difficulty expectations vs modern player tolerance01:00:45 – Officer performance discussion and shard value01:10:20 – Ship utility talk, Excelsior expectations vs reality01:20:10 – Event pacing, timers, and missed-day penalties01:30:00 – Monetization discussion and “battle pass fatigue” debate01:40:30 – Community feedback trends and survey planning01:50:15 – Arc highlights: what worked and what didn’t02:00:30 – Server disparity, ops scaling, and accessibility concerns02:10:45 – Lessons learned from the arc and Scopely design signals02:22:30 – Forward-looking speculation and upcoming system hints02:35:00 – Final thoughts, community appreciation, and show close-out

00:01 – Cold open, welcome back, Season 7 kickoff, and server shout-outs06:45 – Technical chaos, camera setup banter, and live-stream realities13:30 – Sponsor spots, giveaways, and community appreciation20:05 – Cheesecake giveaways, shipping stories, and community reactions27:10 – Arc timing clarification and “final weekend” discussion33:00 – Starfleet Academy talk, Trek fandom reactions, and internet discourse39:20 – Transition to STFC focus and interim schedule discussion46:10 – January progress check: what players focused on this arc52:40 – Prep mindset for Galactic Rush and future content pacing01:00:30 – How January choices impact February efficiency01:07:45 – Spending styles: whales vs grinders vs planners01:15:20 – Community goal-setting across ops levels01:23:10 – What “finishing a loop” really means in modern STFC01:31:40 – Alliance tournaments, repair tokens, and resource drains01:39:15 – Player burnout, pacing issues, and expectation management01:47:05 – Interim events as a strategic reset window01:55:30 – Trust, communication, and Scopely’s recent improvements02:03:50 – Community feedback, long-term planning, and realism checks02:12:40 – Final thoughts on preparation, flexibility, and adaptation02:21:10 – Wrap-up, reminders, shout-outs, and sign-off

00:45 – Welcome to Talking in Cars and kickoff of the January 2026 ARC01:20 – Overview of Arc 86: V’Ger Rebirth and the Excelsior launch02:10 – Introduction to the new Challenge Track system03:00 – Easy vs. Hard daily tasks and how early milestones work04:15 – Hostile rotations, crewing considerations, and daily cadence05:30 – Weekly schedule breakdown for Gorn, Hurok, and Silent hostiles06:45 – Crew restrictions and the Strange New Worlds apex barrier penalty08:05 – Recommended crewing strategies for G7 and sub-G7 players09:30 – Free-to-play accessibility and milestones 1–510:45 – Unlocking the Excelsior and tier-based daily mechanics12:00 – Massive damage scaling and the new PvE damage meta13:30 – Elite Challenge Credits and Excelsior progression loop15:25 – Legendary milestone requirements and near-perfect participation17:05 – Launch-week catch-up mechanics and gifted challenge points19:10 – Challenge Track vs. Battle Pass clarification21:10 – Rewards overview: faction credits, Forbidden Tech, and banners23:30 – Sigma faction credits value and refinery math25:40 – Cost-to-value discussion of the $20 legendary unlock28:20 – Free-to-play ship sourcing timeline and long-term value32:40 – Officer spotlight: Uhura and Sulu roles and effectiveness36:30 – Prototype Forbidden Tech overview and sourcing paths40:00 – Critical analysis of Prototype Forbidden Tech value45:15 – Mid-ops experience changes and alliance considerations47:40 – Final Q&A, reminders, and show wrap-up

00:01 – Show open, tech chaos, Griffin camera issues, and welcome to Arc Fall Eve05:30 – IRL streaming setup talk, Starlink mounts, redundancy planning, and Hawaii prep10:19 – Arc preview kickoff: leaks, mid-ops focus, and January expectations13:42 – Mid-ops arc breakdown by ops brackets (20–50) and ship focus overview17:00 – Arc timing concerns: Tuesday start, weekly cycles, and point adjustments
00:21:41 – USS Excelsior reveal video begins and historical context00:23:10 – Excelsior’s decloaking ability explained and comparisons to Voyager00:26:00 – Galaxy-wide “Enhance” ability discussion and deployed ship mechanics00:29:20 – New dailies preview: silent hostiles, rotations, and difficulty balance00:32:18 – Free-to-play Excelsior sourcing path explained through daily challenges
00:35:26 – Challenge refinery breakdown: blueprints, titles, and forbidden tech00:38:57 – Prototype tech discussion and community skepticism on value00:41:24 – Excelsior research tree overview and combat buff implications00:44:30 – G7 efficiency nodes and why they matter more than prototype tech
01:02:10 – Event structure concerns, clarity issues, and alliance communication needs01:18:40 – Mid-arc expectations, playtest shortcomings, and live ops realities01:33:15 – Community Q&A: deployment limits, PvP implications, and daily flow01:52:00 – Long-term Excelsior value, arc pacing, and progression philosophy02:09:30 – Final thoughts, reminders, next-day follow-ups, and show wrap-up

00:01 – Cold open, show start, server sound-off, introductions04:10 – Why revisit the Vengeance now: adoption rates and shifting player access08:05 – Vengeance Is Mine event explained: rotating content and spend scoring12:05 – Strategic spend timing: syncing G6/G7 upgrades with heroic SMS16:30 – Blueprint grind reality: milestone math and long-term timelines20:10 – Outpost Plunder as an alternate sourcing path24:05 – Plunder cooldown mechanics and bulk-purchase optimization28:05 – Parts sourcing overview: Cold Directive and Arena combat events32:10 – Efficiency research, Dauntless synergy, refits, and real cost math36:10 – When Vengeance becomes viable vs maxed G6 epics40:40 – Power curve discussion: G6 → G7 transition and design intent44:05 – Ops progression realities: do you need Vengeance to reach 73?47:05 – Outposts and elite outposts: why ship count now matters more50:05 – Project Dreadnought, refit currencies, and leaderboard pressure53:35 – Monetization vs grind paths: accessibility and fairness debate56:30 – Crewing overview: most common G7 and Breen crews01:00:30 – Early-tier Vengeance crew alternatives and survivability trade-offs01:04:30 – Comparative performance: Vengeance vs Cube, Crenshaw, Relativity01:08:30 – Practical sourcing advice for low-spend and free-to-play players01:12:30 – Strategic ship planning: avoiding redundant G6 builds01:16:30 – Elite outpost punching strategies with mixed fleets01:20:30 – Long-term value outlook: efficiencies, future sourcing, and balance01:24:30 – Is Vengeance skippable, delayed, or inevitable? Framing the decision01:28:30 – Final audience Q&A, clarifications, and wrap-up discussion