Using Stars

the Stars briefing:

  Earn and save your stars until you 1) Get 57 [Trophy Booster] stars in your bag, including any you have already bought or used, then 2) buy three or more Trophy Boosters from Hall of Trophies (during a sale is best) and finally, 3) click the stars to fill your Tower and Cathedral trophies and gain 120 permanent ranks. 
  While you gain and hoard your TB stars and VM, do your Bastions, earn your other Directive catch up prizes, gain rank and Elder God.

The deets

(This redundant version still needs editing.  AG)

 The game will give you 57 [Trophy Booster] stars maximum as directive prizes to fill the 60 Trophy slots in ToK and Cath. You have to buy three or more. If you pop all your TB stars first and buy the last three, they cost 42 000 VM in the Hall of Trophies. If you buy the first three to ten Boosters during the HoT sale they are 500 VM each. Prices go up the more Boosters you've applied.

  Timing matters.  If you buy TBs but fail to fill all 60 slots before the current invasion ends, you have to buy more at a high price in the next invasion to complete the slots. 

   Safest, cheapest way is slowest, too:  Click no stars til you have 57 in your bag.  Then buy three Trophy Boosters from your Hall of Trophies during a sale for 500 Victor Medals each, then finally, click the stars.

There are few shortcuts...

 You CAN buy Trophies Boosters 1000 not on sale up to ten, then the price goes up.  The sale happens every 8-9 weeks. A promo screen will advertise their "50% off" Trophy sale, as will your N-screen, Cath, ToK, and [Hall of Trophies]. Click thru any of them them to reach a purchase screen.

  Used  [Trophy Boosters] Stars show as little gold diamonds under your Might number in the five Tower of Knowledge and five Cathedral trophies. Your ten trophies have counterparts in your Hall of Trophies MIGHT section, showing the same numbers of gold diamonds. How many have you already put there?

 You can get up to 10 Trophy Stars at the cheapest price if you've popped none:  Any extras convert to 3 Million credits and 5000 KoE each, a nice bonus if you've VMs to spare. You can buy all the Boosters you want at any time, but they get more expensive the more you've used.

If you already used TB stars up to 7, you can still buy three at the low 500 VM sale price when you find and buy them for the three empty Trophies. If you've used more than 7, start hoarding stars and VM now.  You still can buy three at the lowest price you can on sale, then use the rest. Compute your VM cost of adding one star to each of your three least-filled trophies in HoT, then divide by two for the sale price. Start saving.

Each invasion start makes SF re-compute how many stars it will offer you to reach 57, counting all you have, used, or bought. Invasion end time shows in your K>Aelion>Invasion>More screen.  If you buy stars, but don't completely fill your Might Trophies by invasion end, you'll need to buy more next invasion to fill your 60 spots. 

If you already popped most or all your stars before you read this, do NOT be in a hurry to buy the might from the HoT.  You'll only be low 5 ranks, and you'll get catchup for them every season. Instead, spend your VM's on important things on sale ( see Denna's great newbie guide in the Discords). In a few invasions, you'll have the resources you need to jump OVER the catchup limits... including the VMS to buy your last few stars and hit max ranks

 To Do list

   When you are certain you can get all 57 Stars total by THIS invasion end,
 #1 Buy three or more +25 Might for three different trophies in the Hall of Trophies, best bought during the half-off sale every 8 or 9 weeks... 
 #2 double-click every Star in your bag (for about +2 Ranks each). 
 #3 Keep earning and clicking Stars from daily directives as they arrive.

   Timing relies on 1) when the HoT sale hits and 2) gathering the last of your 57 catch-up Stars before this invasion end.  A player can get 4 to 6 stars a week during their catch-up.  If you can do the math and really like your odds, go for it.  If not, play it safe and wait for the next invasion and sale.

 Even more of SkyForge will unlock for now because your catch-up is complete and your Rank is at the current Trial Rank.  It will stay above Trial Rank as you get new catch-up Science and Followers each invasion.

  While you wait, achieve your Junior God priorities and then your Elder God Priorities.