I don't think TBR is useless, it's saved my team's neck in several stf situations (like those pesky probes going through the gate at Khitomer).
However, I do find it incredibly annoying when it's used wrong, or has bad timing.
Say I just activated my CSV II on my Guramba, and Im laying into a group of spheres and just overall wrecking them... And then out of nowhere someone opens up with a TBR and they all get shoved back... out of range of my cannons. -.-' There goes my full use of the 10 second countdown on the scatter volley lol
Actually, most Lt.Comm sci abilities are TRIBBLE. Photonic shockwave/Viral matrix 1/Charged particle burst/Tyken's rift/Photonic officer. All very "meh"
TBR's have an unconventional use in using them as a battering ram against fixed targets, like a cube or a transformer. Since you can't actually repulse them (Cube has too much mass, the rest are fixed objects), you end up doing obscene amounts of damage, especially if you have the embassy consoles on a sci ship to boost your power.
From the universal skills everyone get: Abandon Ship is the worst. By the time your hull is low enough to even be able to use the skill most players will be in panic mode, using every healing/defense boosting ability/item they have trying to survive. And even if the decided they wanted to use Abandon Ship A: It take to long to activate, and B: chances are even with the kamakazie AI nothing will be near you to be damaged by it.
For skills a player can waste a Boff slot on: Boarding Party gets my vote. Your in a combat situtation, you've given the order to lauch shuttles filled with special trained troops to board a hostile enemy ship and what do you get? Well first off you get a buggy skill that may or may not actually lauch shuttles when try to use it. And even if you do the shuttles are being piloted by sight seeing tour bus drivers, who just slowly cruise along at half impulse. On top of that if the target gets destroyed before they get to it, they will just sit at the targets last location and do nothing. At least high yield torpedos know to change to a new target and keep going. If they somehow manage to make it to a live target it is then time to play the RNG lottery and hope their abilities activate.
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I don't think TBR is useless, it's saved my team's neck in several stf situations (like those pesky probes going through the gate at Khitomer).
However, I do find it incredibly annoying when it's used wrong, or has bad timing.
Say I just activated my CSV II on my Guramba, and Im laying into a group of spheres and just overall wrecking them... And then out of nowhere someone opens up with a TBR and they all get shoved back... out of range of my cannons. -.-' There goes my full use of the 10 second countdown on the scatter volley lol
Edit: Oh yeah, even lower damage if the shields are up.
For skills a player can waste a Boff slot on: Boarding Party gets my vote. Your in a combat situtation, you've given the order to lauch shuttles filled with special trained troops to board a hostile enemy ship and what do you get? Well first off you get a buggy skill that may or may not actually lauch shuttles when try to use it. And even if you do the shuttles are being piloted by sight seeing tour bus drivers, who just slowly cruise along at half impulse. On top of that if the target gets destroyed before they get to it, they will just sit at the targets last location and do nothing. At least high yield torpedos know to change to a new target and keep going. If they somehow manage to make it to a live target it is then time to play the RNG lottery and hope their abilities activate.
Whats wrong with Gravitic Anchor being applied on the Gate? Have you read the effects?
Both -25 Kinetic Damage resistance for 10 sec and -50% Defense for 10 sec doesn't seem that useless to me.
However, abandon ship is by far the most useless ability.