It is true that the pay segments aren’t required in any way shape or form, unlike some other similar games.

Yeah, once the yearly event started including the option of either two T6 C-store ships (which will unlock those normally RL-Money-Only ship traits that are so much fun) OR a single T6 Lockbox ship (as long as it’s been out for a year) making those high-end ridiculous min-maxed builds (that aren’t even necessary to play the game’s hardest content) became a very real possibility without spending a dime.

Add in every event giving bunches of bonus dilithium after you complete it and the fact that they got rid of the bots and you can even trade dilithium for zen in a reasonable amount of time. People were buying the 10th anniversary bundle left and right without spending any money last christmas when it went on sale.

It takes more planning in advance than just using Attack Pattern: Credit Card, but it’s totally doable.