Star Trek Online Experimental Weapons: Slots & Upgrades

What Are Experimental Weapons, and Which Ships Can Use Them?

Star Trek Online experimental weapons occupy a dedicated equipment slot on select starships. They add another weapon to eligible ships, but their interactions with firing modes differ from those of standard armaments. Check your ship’s slot layout before choosing equipment or investing in upgrades.

Previously called Heavy or Heavy Escort Weapons, these items require an Experimental Weapon slot. Most starships do not have one.

The qualifying ship groups are:

• Tier 5, Tier 5-U, and Tier 6 Raiders.
• Other Tier 5, Tier 5-U, and Tier 6 starships with a Tactical Commander station, seven standard weapons, and no more than one Hangar Bay.

For that second group, the requirements apply together. A Tactical Commander station alone does not qualify a ship. Eligible ships come with a basic experimental weapon that can be upgraded.

Official page: Star Trek Online (playstartrekonline.com)

How to Claim the Free Experimental Weapon

The Experimental Hyperexcited Ion Stream Projector is the default option. It deals Electrical damage, and players with access to a ship that has an Experimental Weapon slot can reclaim it for 0 Dilithium.

To claim it:

1. Open the Dilithium Store.
2. Select the Reclaim tab.
3. Claim the Experimental Hyperexcited Ion Stream Projector.

Use this reclaim option when you need the stock weapon for an eligible ship. Its default status does not prevent upgrades: it can use the same supported upgrade categories as other experimental weapons.

How Firing Modes Affect Experimental Weapons

Experimental weapons generally do not receive the weapon firing modes or enhancements that affect standard starship weapons. This includes most relevant enhancements granted by bridge officer abilities and specific consoles.

That distinction matters when fitting an escort or raider. Your regular weapons and experimental slot do not necessarily benefit from the same combat abilities.

Check the experimental weapon’s own effects before choosing bridge officer abilities or consoles around it. Avoid assuming that a firing-mode enhancement applies simply because the item’s name includes “Laser,” “Launchers,” or another familiar weapon term.

Experimental Weapon Examples and Their Associated Ships

These weapons span several damage types, including Electrical, Kinetic, Physical, Radiation, and Plasma. The following examples pair named weapons with their associated ships.

Image: Steam / Cryptic Studios

Experimental weapon	Associated ship	Damage type
Experimental Dual Warhead Launchers	Miradorn Theta Heavy Raider	Kinetic
Field-Distortion Overcharge Pulse	Jem'Hadar Vanguard Heavy Raider	Electrical
Rapid Pulse Ablating Mining Laser	Hur'q Vridyat Ravager Strike Wing Escort	Kinetic
Experimental Kinetic Feedback Matrix	Deimos Pilot Destroyer	Kinetic
Experimental Carbon Scorcher	Dhailkhina Command Strike Wing Warbird	Physical
Graviton Dissonance Flechette Projector	Cabot Command Light Escort	Kinetic
Rotor Rockets	Courier Pilot Raider	Kinetic

Other examples include the Agonized Subatomic Disintegrator, which deals Physical damage, and the Alliance Hypercannon, which deals Radiation and Plasma damage.

Use the damage column to identify each weapon’s damage type. Check each weapon’s firing-mode interactions separately from its damage type: matching damage types alone do not guarantee matching enhancements.

How to Upgrade Experimental Weapons

Experimental weapons accept Beam Weapons Tech Upgrades, Cannon Weapons Tech Upgrades, and Universal Tech Upgrades. You can use these supported categories even when the weapon’s name sounds unlike a conventional beam or cannon.

Successful quality improvements add the following modifiers:

Quality reached	Added modifier	Effect
Ultra Rare	[CrtX]	+2% Critical Chance and +10% Critical Severity
Epic	[Ac/Dm]	+10 Accuracy Rating and +X Damage

The Ultra Rare modifier combines critical chance and critical severity. The Epic modifier adds accuracy and damage; its damage component is expressed as +X Damage, rather than a single fixed value.

Choose the weapon you intend to equip before committing upgrade resources. Start by confirming the Experimental Weapon slot, then select a supported Tech Upgrade for that item.