It's a badge of honor to get a handfull of weapons aimed at me. It means I'm hitting hard.
No, It doesn't, it means you bit off way more then you can chew, and you can't hit hard when your warp core goes critical.
I've played with both Volley, rapid fire, High yield, and Spread.
They all pack the same heat. The only difference is you can pack the same heat on multiple targets.
Great if you're by yourself doing a mission somewhere or in normal STFs where you can probably get away with it.
In elites where even one sphere can eat all your shields before it's gone, however, you don't want to pull 3 of them AND the cube.
I't's also why we have a means of escape like APO.
APO only escapes tractor beams and throws (in my opinion) more useful patterns (Beta) into cooldown.
APO does nothing to save you from the magic bullet from the Cubes or Tac Cubes that do 41,000 shield -piercing, non-crit damage (enough to tear your escort apart, I have about 39,000 myself. I've only seen cruisers with more than that, in fact I see nothing BUT cruisers in my STFs. but I digress).
APO does nothing if you drew the attention of 3 spheres because you went on a volley rampage, especially if their tractor beams are staggered ever so slightly.
I had a group the other day with 5 Escorts, ALL using scatter volley and torpedo spread.
It was in Infected Elite, and after we took out the first generator (damn fast too) we had the pile of Elite Spheres to kill.
They ALL were killed at almost the same time, like 6 in one spot. You can't do that if everyone is using single-target skills.
That's great for you but I think you just mentioned a exception to the rule there.
Your team was ALL damage, and you were able to carpet-bomb them to death.
Good. Great. How often are you going to see a STF like that normally, unless you premade one like that?
I'm not convinced SV and Spread is better because the die happened to fall your way and you got 5 escorts that all had AoE and all launched them at the same time in one particular STF.
scatter/spread is the better over all dps, but will get you a lot of attention that you won't be able to handle without assistance. STF's are always about teamwork. Cruisers should be paying attention to their escorts.
scatter/spread is the better over all dps, but will get you a lot of attention that you won't be able to handle without assistance. STF's are always about teamwork. Cruisers should be paying attention to their escorts.
Well Said. But how often do you recieve a heal from Cruisers? I've seen 2 or 3 heals in STF's, usually when I don't need them. More often than not cruisers aren't all that helpful in STF's because of poor setups. When I see one or two additional escorts in there with scatter volley and torpedo spread I know it will be a quick win. It's nice to see your targets health just melt away. It's even better to see two of your targets health just melt away at the same time. Even if the other escort captain is unexperianced it's still nice to see them in there.
Like I've said before, CSV and TS are the cat's meow in STF. Don't leave home without them. And ALL THROUGH this thread APO has been highly recommended. If you don't know how to use these skills then stick with what you know.
I posted a Normal STF guide earlier. Here is an Elite STF guide.
In elites where even one sphere can eat all your shields before it's gone, however, you don't want to pull 3 of them AND the cube.
Its obvious what your problem is, you don't have a very good defensive setup on your escort.
I can tank TWO Elite spheres no problem in Elite. I can even tank the normal cubes, and survive the Tactical cube as long as any Cruiser can.
APO only escapes tractor beams and throws (in my opinion) more useful patterns (Beta) into cooldown.
APO gives you a defensive buff AND a speed buff, that increase in speed increases your evasive stats which means if you are getting hammered it can help keep you alive.
APO does nothing to save you from the magic bullet from the Cubes or Tac Cubes that do 41,000 shield -piercing, non-crit damage (enough to tear your escort apart, I have about 39,000 myself. I've only seen cruisers with more than that, in fact I see nothing BUT cruisers in my STFs. but I digress).
If you combine APO with Brace for Impact and the Subspace Field Modulator and maybe a shield buff in there too, you WILL survive a hit from one of the torpedoes. I do it all the time.
That's great for you but I think you just mentioned a exception to the rule there.
Your team was ALL damage, and you were able to carpet-bomb them to death.
Good. Great. How often are you going to see a STF like that normally, unless you premade one like that?
I'm not convinced SV and Spread is better because the die happened to fall your way and you got 5 escorts that all had AoE and all launched them at the same time in one particular STF.
You need harder proof then that.
90% of the time I'm in a group with just 1 or 2 other escorts. That was indeed the exception, but shows the potential of using Scatter Volley and Torpedo spread.
If you are indeed so concerned about "agro" then you need to learn how to use these skills. Where you are facing and when you fire determines what you will hit. If you are aiming at 3 or 4 targets that fire back, you may or may not get their attention.
But if you aim at 1 target that fires back, and 2 stationary targets (like generators) you won't be getting all that agro.
And no, what they target IS NOT RANDOM! So you can aim properly and hit what you want to hit.
I for one don't enter Elite STF's without at least 1 or 2 other fleetmates (excluding Infected Space Elite, which generally turns out pretty good no matter who is on the team as long as I have my Escort) so if all you do is PUG runs in an Escort, then you need to focus on improving your defense and not being so cowardly.
Transfer shield I
Hazard II
Emergency power shields I
Reverse Shield Polarity I
The spare expense I could make has been expended already.
Unless you can suggest me something that replaces Gravity Well I that makes the loss of utility worth it, I don't know what the hell you want from me.
I've used MACO shields other then Omega to no avail, mostly due to them being "balanced out"
APO gives you a defensive buff AND a speed buff, that increase in speed increases your evasive stats which means if you are getting hammered it can help keep you alive.
Oh I know, I've used it. But the change is so small even at 3, whilst Attack pattern Beta makes a BIG difference on damage going out.
What would you deem more appropriate for a Commander slot: A tiny survivability boost or a BIG team damage boost?
If you combine APO with Brace for Impact and the Subspace Field Modulator and maybe a shield buff in there too, you WILL survive a hit from one of the torpedoes. I do it all the time.
You're going to have to blow them once it looks at you, since that particular attack is not visible. Then you have to hope it did use it and not a few seconds after your cooldowns are on them.
And no, what they target IS NOT RANDOM!
Now you're just trying to make me look like some newb. Only FAW works like that.
(excluding Infected Space Elite, which generally turns out pretty good no matter who is on the team as long as I have my Escort)
I want your PUGs, all of mine don't know what "leave generators at 10%" means.
so if all you do is PUG runs in an Escort, then you need to focus on improving your defense and not being so cowardly.
I'm a coward not going in guns blazing to get destroyed seconds later because my teammates don't play as a team, gotcha.
I can't tell you to stop posting, but that would probably be your best option at this point.
I'm a coward not going in guns blazing to get destroyed seconds later because my teammates don't play as a team, gotcha.
If you can't survive for a few seconds, then yes, you are doing something horribly wrong.
1. Stay the heck away from the gates on Elite. If you have to tank a gate and something else, you will die no matter what you fly. Stay 10km+ out of range of them at all times until you have to kill them.
2. When taking on multiple Elite targets, like say a pack of Spheres, try and stay out of range of the full group unless you have a good group. PIck 2 or 3 to stay in range of and stay out of range of the rest.
3. For the tac cubes, Carrier or Donatra, focus fire on one shield facing, and don't use your defensive skills until you are being targeted (keep Tac team going constantly though, in fact ALWAYS keep tac team going, both of them). Save RSP for when your shields are dropping and you don't have other shield heals left.
4. Use the 3-piece Borg set with the shields of your choice. MACO MK XI or MK XII are still the best for fighting the borg, and combined with the Borg 3-piece set keeps you alive for quite awhile.
5. Your skill points don't matter as much as how you use your Escort. I'm just as successful with my non-tac officers, not-specced-for-escort Captains using Escorts as I am with my Tac/Escort main character.
I can't tell you to stop posting, but that would probably be your best option at this point.
Hey, I'm not the guy throwing insults calling people "cowards" for not adhering to your method 100% and questioning suggestions.
I'm sorry but what you're saying and what I'm seeing are saying 2 different things.
I hardly see ANY escorts in my elites, even the tacs are using cruisers, despite what you claim. How is your suggestion of CSV going to help me when I'm the only one with cannons 90% of the time?
THAT'S what I'm on about. When the planets align and you get some like-minded guys in your group, yeah it can TRIBBLE. The rest of the time it seems too much of a bother to, you're just going to have to guard yourself instead of doing your ship's job: damage.
and if Escorts are forced to tank the Borg, what's Carriers supposed to do with their massive hull amounts? Its Cryptic's fault and we shouldn't be forced to build as a ghetto-tank to fix that.
But of course that has nothing to do with this, its just something I had up there.
P.S: I don't have a problem VS one Sphere, there's where you're wrong. Its when 3+ are on me due to AoE that's the problem. That's what I'm on about as well..
I notice people are STILL recommending TS and CSV, is this a PvP thing or something? Only way I can imagine that they're feasible.
TS and CSV hit just as hard as HY or CRF, except it invites you to get your *** kicked in STFs. Its not a good idea to attract attention there with your fancy AoE skills, lest you LIKE watching yourself explode.
That entire post is an insult.
I'm sorry but what you're saying and what I'm seeing are saying 2 different things.
I hardly see ANY escorts in my elites, even the tacs are using cruisers, despite what you claim. How is your suggestion of CSV going to help me when I'm the only one with cannons 90% of the time?
THAT'S what I'm on about. When the planets align and you get some like-minded guys in your group, yeah it can TRIBBLE. The rest of the time it seems too much of a bother to, you're just going to have to guard yourself instead of doing your ship's job: damage.
How about this... Don't play elites without friends and you won't have any problems.
When I PUG an elite, I end up carrying the team most of the time. Doing the most damage, tanking everything, barking out orders, all of the above.
But In general, PUGing an Elite isn't fun, so why even do it?
[/quote]and if Escorts are forced to tank the Borg, what's Carriers supposed to do with their massive hull amounts? Its Cryptic's fault and we shouldn't be forced to build as a ghetto-tank to fix that.[/quote]
This isn't WoW. Everyone has to tank at some point. Even more so in a PUG group.
If you can't handle that, STOP DOING IT!
P.S: I don't have a problem VS one Sphere, there's where you're wrong. Its when 3+ are on me due to AoE that's the problem. That's what I'm on about as well..
Then BACK UP so you don't have to tank 3+ at a time. How hard is that to understand?
After a Khitomer Space Normal that lasted nearly an hour thanks to three Instant Admiral Noobes who didn't seem to have their chat screens on or didn't know how to read, I though I'd take a break and use the keyboard that works rather than the laptop with a bad space key to type away at something.
I've been experamenting with the DOFF officer stacking. I've been putting three Projectile Officers in then taking two out (leaving just one) and trying STF's over and over. I've found that there really is a big difference in the speed at which things cool down INCLUDING the cannons with three Projectile Officers over just one. With three I have nearly a steady stream on CSV 2 and 3 and a very fast turn around on the torpedos. I know not everyone has the same setup or skills as me but there still should be a noticable difference.
Give it a try!
I might try 4 as soon as I get another Purple PO DOFF.
After a Khitomer Space Normal that lasted nearly an hour thanks to three Instant Admiral Noobes who didn't seem to have their chat screens on or didn't know how to read, I though I'd take a break and use the keyboard that works rather than the laptop with a bad space key to type away at something.
I've been experamenting with the DOFF officer stacking. I've been putting three Projectile Officers in then taking two out (leaving just one) and trying STF's over and over. I've found that there really is a big difference in the speed at which things cool down INCLUDING the cannons with three Projectile Officers over just one. With three I have nearly a steady stream on CSV 2 and 3 and a very fast turn around on the torpedos. I know not everyone has the same setup or skills as me but there still should be a noticable difference.
Give it a try!
I might try 4 as soon as I get another Purple PO DOFF.
I was running multiple PO myself at one time, I found on some occasions it actually cooled down instantly (for quantums, at or over 8 seconds)
Until I can use Purple PO and find that officer they patched in that affects Tac Team (I think they said Maintainance only effects Engineering Team now), I'm gonna use those to fill the empty slot.
I did run into that scenario you related to me, however. It was me, 2 escorts, 2 carriers and we all had spread (I had hybrid AoE actually: Scatter Volley, HY, Torpedo Spread) on Infected.
Worked quite well, we were able to manage to burst down the transformer plus make short work of the Nanites.
BUT, I saw whenever nanites came out one of our escorts was dead and the other at half health (usually me) due to the volume of spheres, and someone almost botched optional by sending a torpedo spread at a generator that was about to die.
Then the tac cube came up and gave us a bit of trouble with its insta-gib attack, which someone told me it "transports" the attack through your shields (which would explain why it hit me for 51k through a full shield).
I don't think any escort in the game can take that hit.
So I guess I owe you an apology but we're both half-right so I leave this for noobs looking for help:
When my team screws up and destroys one of the gates early in elite Khitomer, I will use CSV to aggro the spheres and try to damage the probes.
However, I will usually only tank in the beginning until my shield buffs run out. Then I will switch to maximum speed and use CRF to take out the probes/spheres one at a time while keeping my defense high.
I see the value in both skills depending on the situation. I see some people use CSV on the Scimitar in Khitomer even though there are no tractor probes or mines deployed. Doesn't that do 85% of the damage you would do with no buffs?
I fly a Tactical Escort Retrofit, and my hull is over 41k. Shields are at 10k per side.
When my team screws up and destroys one of the gates early in elite Khitomer, I will use CSV to aggro the spheres and try to damage the probes.
However, I will usually only tank in the beginning until my shield buffs run out. Then I will switch to maximum speed and use CRF to take out the probes/spheres one at a time while keeping my defense high.
I see the value in both skills depending on the situation. I see some people use CSV on the Scimitar in Khitomer even though there are no tractor probes or mines deployed. Doesn't that do 85% of the damage you would do with no buffs?
I fly a Tactical Escort Retrofit, and my hull is over 41k. Shields are at 10k per side.
I fly a MVAE, I think the Tac escort retros have more hull points then they do.
Still, a Tac magic bullet will still kill it in 1 shot. It seems like nothing lessens its damage, not even Brace for Impact (or the damage is too damn high that the kinetic resistance won't save you)
I fly a MVAE, I think the Tac escort retros have more hull points then they do.
Still, a Tac magic bullet will still kill it in 1 shot. It seems like nothing lessens its damage, not even Brace for Impact (or the damage is too damn high that the kinetic resistance won't save you)
Yeah, the tactical cubes have 1 hit me many times. It goes right through the shields. I had 100% shields on all sides after all my buffs. Next thing I know, I'm dead. Didn't even see a heavy torpedo.
As for the hull amount, I believe both have 30,000 base hull, no? I put some points into the hull skills.
Then I will switch to maximum speed and use CRF to take out the probes/spheres one at a time while keeping my defense high.
I like to take guard in Khitimar. I can park 10.1K outside of the gate and pick off probes all day long with CSV.
In Cure some people like to park outside the range of the cube and try to kill the nodes. I did too but suddenly discovered I could do more damage by keeping moving close in. It works for me anyhow.
Infected normal is a little different. I can set 9.0K outside the gate and pick off the nanite spheres and probes but recently I found that I can zip arround, kill three nodes and be back to the gate just as the nanites spawn. It works for me anyhow.
I don't worry about the regular spheres until the generator is dead. Ususlly there are 3 or 4 others who worry more about the spheres than anything else including the nanites.
Back when we were doing the RA's I found that I could hug the boss at full impulse and had a much lower chance of getting shot at than if I was a K or so away. I also did conciderably more damage. I tried this on the STF's. If there is a gate or generator right up against the unit and fire away. They will be dead in seconds. On the tac cubes do the same thing. Under full impulse keep the nose right up against the wall of the cube and try to stay in one spot of close to it. I've not been killed doing this and I seldom get hit with a tractor.
It's just something that works for me. It might not be for everyone. The above is for normal Pugs and Cure Elite. Haven't tried it in the other elites.
What's your opinion about using 7 beams vs cannons and turrets? I farmed the Plasma-Disruptor hybrid dual heavy cannons and beam arrays from that klingon episode (the one with the Paris kid from Voyager, last Klingon).
Plasma-Disruptor hybrid dual heavy cannon MK XI does 331 dps (451 upgraded)
Plasma-Disruptor hybrid beam array MK XI does 228 dps (311 upgraded)
Highest Turret DPS I've seen is 137, so I'll round up to 140.
(Upgraded meaning with weapon energy at 125, 4 disruptor +26 tac consoles, skills, etc)
Doing the math, I get 1804 DPS with cannons, add turrets and it's 2364 front DPS.
With beams, using all 7 which I manage to do, I do 2177 dps.
With cannons, I do 187 dps more if I have my target lined up properly. And that's my problem. Most of the time, I am fighting the controls or how I think I'm placed and don't line up properly. I don't do a steady 2364 with cannons. At least 1/4 of the time, I'm trying to get back into position or have to turn around completely cause while I think I'm facing the target, i'm actually above and behind him or something.
With the beams, I can keep a constant bead on the target. Sure with cannons, when I line up, I can tear through it, but with beams, I can focus on doing things other than "aiming" such as checking my shields, making sure my abilities aren't waiting for me to click, and so on. I find the difference of 187 dps (let's say 200) is worth it because I can target things better and work as a whole ship rather than just a couple cannons.
Am I doing this wrong?
What this game needs is a "keep ship n sights" type of feature, so you don't have to turn into a dog-fight pilot.
Back when we were doing the RA's I found that I could hug the boss at full impulse and had a much lower chance of getting shot at than if I was a K or so away. I also did conciderably more damage. I tried this on the STF's. If there is a gate or generator right up against the unit and fire away. They will be dead in seconds. On the tac cubes do the same thing. Under full impulse keep the nose right up against the wall of the cube and try to stay in one spot of close to it. I've not been killed doing this and I seldom get hit with a tractor.
I usually don't move away from spheres unless my shields are down and I have no buffs. This happens much sooner on Elite than Normal.
I also scrape the hull of cubes and fire at point blank with Rapid Fire. I slide back and forth across the hull. The only times I'll run is when I have no shields, stuck in a tractor beam, or the cube just blew up.
Doing the math, I get 1804 DPS with cannons, add turrets and it's 2364 front DPS.
With beams, using all 7 which I manage to do, I do 2177 dps.
How are you getting these numbers? From your combat log? Or are you just adding up the DPS of each type of weapon? If so, where are you doing this? On the ground or in sector space? Or are you checking this in combat space or orbiting space (and hovering over the icons to fire each weapon?).
If I look at my inventory in sector or ground space (I suppose sector and orbiting space), my DPS per cannon is 360 DPS (I think). Add that together, and it's 1440. My cannons are 140 DPS each, which comes out to 420 DPS. Total comes out to 1860 DPS. How are you getting 2364? I have mk XII borg DHCs at the fore, and mk X borg turrets at the aft. If this is how you are adding up your DPS, I don't understand how you are doing more DPS than I am, when I have 4x energy mag consoles at +26% each.
If you hover over your weapon fire icons in combat or orbiting space (and you have your weapon subsystem power levels at 125), the amount of DPS is much higher because it calculates all of your modifiers (subsystem and skills). Each of my cannons are over 1,200 DPS, and each of my turrets are over 400 DPS.
<snip>
With the beams, I can keep a constant bead on the target. Sure with cannons, when I line up, I can tear through it, but with beams, I can focus on doing things other than "aiming" such as checking my shields, making sure my abilities aren't waiting for me to click, and so on. I find the difference of 187 dps (let's say 200) is worth it because I can target things better and work as a whole ship rather than just a couple cannons.
Am I doing this wrong?
You're flying too fast. Seriously, match speeds/slow down as much as possible and just gun them down. In a head to head fight, nothing pumps out the frontal damage like a dual (heavy) cannon escort with full turrets. Just reinforce the frontal shields, use any defensive CDs you have like EPtS and just tear them a new one. Better yet, get behind and you'll only need a few seconds to rip off the shields and cut through the hull. Grab a tractor beam in your ensign science slot if it troubles you that much...
It's only in very dangerous situations (you'll know them when you get to them) that you'll want to be zipping around with max speed to keep your defense value up
Shook, the second DPS you list, you say it's cannons, did you mean turrets? I'm using 4 disruptor tactical consoles giving +26 each. (I just bought my 4th after posting the previous post, it was a 22, so my numbers are slightly higher now.) Here's my number listings:
Cannons and turrents total 1702, just beams total 1596. Difference is 106.
In space (orbiting earth space dock), hoving over the inventory icon:
Cannons 455 DPS
Beam 314 DPS
Turret 190 DPS
Cannons and turrents total 2390, just beams total 2198. Difference is 192.
In space (orbiting earth space dock), hovering over the fire icon:
Cannons 1424 DPS
Beam 982 DPS
Turret 624 DPS
Cannons and turrents total 7598, just beams total 6874. Difference is 724.
In the first 2 cases, the number difference isn't that high. In the third case, the difference is rather large. The main question I guess I have is which set of numbers is the "Real" numbers?
Even then, if it's straight DPS without any interruption, then obviously cannons and turrents win. The problem is all that time you spend dog-fighting. That's my particular problem, Mysteana. I feel I go more damage over all by not having to move around and point my ship in the right direction. If I'm fighting stationary targets like structures, then fine. But most of the time I'm fighting 2 or 3 ships that are moving and firing back. Those few seconds I spend turning to face the 2nd target and possibly even having to move into a better position are wasteful. With beams, I don't have to do that.
Well, that's pretty much the trade offs with the cannons. You exchange a higher difficulty in lining up the firing arcs for much more boom.
The damage numbers listed in the ship weapons panel and by extension, the Skills window ('P') accounts for all modifiers including power settings so they would be more accurate than the inventory screen. Keep in mind that power does play a big role when the weapons start firing, and beams typically draw more overall power than cannons.
By all means, use beams if that is how you maximise your damage potential. That's far more preferable than sticking doggedly to cannons because that's the best theoretical damage if you're unable to make use of it. All we can do is offer advice, but if you are unable to devote enough focus to lining up the attack paths, well, that's just how it goes. Better to do well and stay alive than overextend and end up dead. Beam escorts are still capable of strong damage because of the massive number of tactical slots and the tactical boff powers available to those ships.
Thanks, Mysteana. I appreciate the input, it's specifically why I posted.
I just did a test run in Cure. The first two borg cube structures, I used cannons and turrents (and BOFF and such layout to support cannons). It was a struggle, and I died a lot. I barely did anything to help my team in my opinion. For the third and the boss, I switched to beams (and appropriate layout). It went much better. I never died, and even managed to layout out some heavy DPS to the structures and the support ships.
I just feel "wrong" though, cause everyone else says to go for cannons.
Meh, do what you want and whatever you're comfortable with. So long as you bring the damage, don't suicide into stupid things or TRIBBLE up the overall strategy for everyone, no one really has a right to complain. Oh yeah, one more thing: don't use rainbow weapons.
Beam escorts are just a rather rare breed, that's all. Some people prefer to keep beam escorts buried, but I'm of the opinion that if that's how the player does well that's just how it is. I'm planning on grabbing a fleet escort ship and turning it into a heavy torpedo boat in a similar vein to Zahalu's build because a fleet escort looks more like a heavy bomber than an advanced escort.
Yeah, the tactical cubes have 1 hit me many times. It goes right through the shields. I had 100% shields on all sides after all my buffs. Next thing I know, I'm dead. Didn't even see a heavy torpedo.
As for the hull amount, I believe both have 30,000 base hull, no? I put some points into the hull skills.
Yeah I edited that but for some reason it didn't take.
Did you put more then 6 into structural integrity? I only have 6 in which would explain the difference.
that's far more preferable than sticking doggedly to cannons because that's the best theoretical damage if you're unable to make use of it. All we can do is offer advice, but if you are unable to devote enough focus to lining up the attack paths, well, that's just how it goes.
well its not like beams are bad.
If you're full-on dedicated to JUST damage, yeah I can see how cannons would be the go-to.
But if you want to do other things like shut down/weaken a target's shield, you'll need a beam for that. That's why I have BTS: Shield I, and a dual bank up front and a bank in the back.
Not only can I guarantee considerable hits from every angle thanks to my beams and turrets, but I can make shields weak or shut them down too.
About cannons though: Why is it both the Dual and the Dual Heavy Cannons carry the same DPS at the same Mark? Firing speed?
Shook, the second DPS you list, you say it's cannons, did you mean turrets? I'm using 4 disruptor tactical consoles giving +26 each. (I just bought my 4th after posting the previous post, it was a 22, so my numbers are slightly higher now.) Here's my number listings:
Cannons and turrents total 1702, just beams total 1596. Difference is 106.
In space (orbiting earth space dock), hoving over the inventory icon:
Cannons 455 DPS
Beam 314 DPS
Turret 190 DPS
Cannons and turrents total 2390, just beams total 2198. Difference is 192.
In space (orbiting earth space dock), hovering over the fire icon:
Cannons 1424 DPS
Beam 982 DPS
Turret 624 DPS
Cannons and turrents total 7598, just beams total 6874. Difference is 724.
In the first 2 cases, the number difference isn't that high. In the third case, the difference is rather large. The main question I guess I have is which set of numbers is the "Real" numbers?
Even then, if it's straight DPS without any interruption, then obviously cannons and turrents win. The problem is all that time you spend dog-fighting. That's my particular problem, Mysteana. I feel I go more damage over all by not having to move around and point my ship in the right direction. If I'm fighting stationary targets like structures, then fine. But most of the time I'm fighting 2 or 3 ships that are moving and firing back. Those few seconds I spend turning to face the 2nd target and possibly even having to move into a better position are wasteful. With beams, I don't have to do that.
What's everyone's feelings on this?
1) Yes, I meant turrets when I was talking about the 140 DPS. What mk and procs do your disruptors have? [DMG]? I have mk XII borg AP DHCs, and yet your DPS is combat space is 200 more than mine. I have all energy weapon skills maxed and my system power level is at 125.
2) As was stated before me, the skill/attack icon would be relatively more accurate. It factors in your skills and subsystem levels. That said, the amount you actually do is probably a lot less, do to shields, buffs, and energy type resistances. Distance also plays a factor.
3) Looking at your total, it does seem like 724 isn't that much of a difference. If your style is to fly at full speed, then broadsiding with your beams may be a better fit for you, as you will always be firing the majority of your weapons at your target, giving you a larger DPS over time. If you like to finish things quickly, the cannons/turrets are the way to go (and don't mind slowing down to keep your target in your fore). One thing you could try, is go nose down in the back of your target. You'll still maintain your defense %, but will come to a stop, because you're stuck on your target. Also, you're point blank, which has no distance penalty.
Yeah I edited that but for some reason it didn't take.
Did you put more then 6 into structural integrity? I only have 6 in which would explain the difference.
<snip>
About cannons though: Why is it both the Dual and the Dual Heavy Cannons carry the same DPS at the same Mark? Firing speed?
1) Yes, I maxed out Structural Integrity.
2) Yes, Dual Cannons shoot 4 bolts. DHCs shoot 2 bolts. So, per bolt, DHCs do more damage, where as DCs make up for the difference by shooting twice as many bolts.
Meh, do what you want and whatever you're comfortable with. So long as you bring the damage, don't suicide into stupid things or TRIBBLE up the overall strategy for everyone, no one really has a right to complain.
Yes, dying in elite is very bad, as you start stacking damage to your ship which adds up and reduces your overall effectiveness.
It's why I always have Abandon Ship available. If you initiate auto-self destruct when things are looking grim, you do not receive any damage penalties to your ship.
Or using Evasive Maneuvers to get out of the Borg's range and heal your shield and hulls.
I just did a test run in Cure. The first two borg cube structures, I used cannons and turrents (and BOFF and such layout to support cannons). It was a struggle, and I died a lot. I barely did anything to help my team in my opinion. For the third and the boss, I switched to beams (and appropriate layout). It went much better. I never died, and even managed to layout out some heavy DPS to the structures and the support ships. /
Out of curiosity, were you paired with any other escorts? If so, that's probably why you died less. They other escorts were gaining aggro, as their attack runs were probably out damaging you. That's the trade off in STF. You do more damage, and in doing so, make your self the bigger threat and become the primary target.
What's your opinion about using 7 beams vs cannons and turrets?
With the beams, I can keep a constant bead on the target. Sure with cannons, when I line up, I can tear through it, but with beams, I can focus on doing things other than "aiming" such as checking my shields, making sure my abilities aren't waiting for me to click, and so on. I find the difference of 187 dps (let's say 200) is worth it because I can target things better and work as a whole ship rather than just a couple cannons.
Am I doing this wrong?
What this game needs is a "keep ship n sights" type of feature, so you don't have to turn into a dog-fight pilot.
I included the 7-beam setup in the list of builds for a reason, it works. Cannons WILL do more damage, but the beam setup is quite effective and you get to keep flying at full impulse to increase your survivability because you are broadsiding the whole time.
I like switching to the beat setup everyone once in awhile, and its a great PVP setup for Kerrat too especially if you throw in a Feedback pulse.
In the first 2 cases, the number difference isn't that high. In the third case, the difference is rather large. The main question I guess I have is which set of numbers is the "Real" numbers?
Even then, if it's straight DPS without any interruption, then obviously cannons and turrents win. The problem is all that time you spend dog-fighting. That's my particular problem, Mysteana. I feel I go more damage over all by not having to move around and point my ship in the right direction. If I'm fighting stationary targets like structures, then fine. But most of the time I'm fighting 2 or 3 ships that are moving and firing back. Those few seconds I spend turning to face the 2nd target and possibly even having to move into a better position are wasteful. With beams, I don't have to do that.
What's everyone's feelings on this?
Going by feeling doesn't work unfortunately.
If you're very dedicated you can parse your combat logs.
The few seconds you spend turning aren't as important as the 10 seconds you spend facing the target with CSV or CRF active. Much less the times when you can park and shoot.
Flying around in circle patterns against multiple opponents also means you'll have a harder time downing a particular shield facing to start damaging the hull. Cannons do this with ease.
Play how you're comfortable playing, but just do keep in mind that what you are feeling is exactly that - a feeling.
1) Yes, I meant turrets when I was talking about the 140 DPS. What mk and procs do your disruptors have? [DMG]? I have mk XII borg AP DHCs, and yet your DPS is combat space is 200 more than mine. I have all energy weapon skills maxed and my system power level is at 125..
I have to agree with you. The numbers aren't adding up. Then with the numbers stated he says he's not doing all that well. He's 200+ above me on DPS and my ship is a killer. I couldn't get any more DPS even with total rebuild. If he installed beams and they did better than his cannons then something is very wrong.
What's your opinion about using 7 beams vs cannons and turrets? I farmed the Plasma-Disruptor hybrid dual heavy cannons and beam arrays from that klingon episode (the one with the Paris kid from Voyager, last Klingon).
On my BoP, I average over 5k dps(6k in cure) using 3 Plasma-Disruptor hybrid DHCs in STF. I use the Bioneural Warhead for a torp, which is listed on it's own in parsing.
Comments
No, It doesn't, it means you bit off way more then you can chew, and you can't hit hard when your warp core goes critical.
I've played with both Volley, rapid fire, High yield, and Spread.
They all pack the same heat. The only difference is you can pack the same heat on multiple targets.
Great if you're by yourself doing a mission somewhere or in normal STFs where you can probably get away with it.
In elites where even one sphere can eat all your shields before it's gone, however, you don't want to pull 3 of them AND the cube.
APO only escapes tractor beams and throws (in my opinion) more useful patterns (Beta) into cooldown.
APO does nothing to save you from the magic bullet from the Cubes or Tac Cubes that do 41,000 shield -piercing, non-crit damage (enough to tear your escort apart, I have about 39,000 myself. I've only seen cruisers with more than that, in fact I see nothing BUT cruisers in my STFs. but I digress).
APO does nothing if you drew the attention of 3 spheres because you went on a volley rampage, especially if their tractor beams are staggered ever so slightly.
That's great for you but I think you just mentioned a exception to the rule there.
Your team was ALL damage, and you were able to carpet-bomb them to death.
Good. Great. How often are you going to see a STF like that normally, unless you premade one like that?
I'm not convinced SV and Spread is better because the die happened to fall your way and you got 5 escorts that all had AoE and all launched them at the same time in one particular STF.
You need harder proof then that.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=255981
Enjoy.
Well Said. But how often do you recieve a heal from Cruisers? I've seen 2 or 3 heals in STF's, usually when I don't need them. More often than not cruisers aren't all that helpful in STF's because of poor setups. When I see one or two additional escorts in there with scatter volley and torpedo spread I know it will be a quick win. It's nice to see your targets health just melt away. It's even better to see two of your targets health just melt away at the same time. Even if the other escort captain is unexperianced it's still nice to see them in there.
Like I've said before, CSV and TS are the cat's meow in STF. Don't leave home without them. And ALL THROUGH this thread APO has been highly recommended. If you don't know how to use these skills then stick with what you know.
I posted a Normal STF guide earlier. Here is an Elite STF guide.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=250898
I can tank TWO Elite spheres no problem in Elite. I can even tank the normal cubes, and survive the Tactical cube as long as any Cruiser can.
APO gives you a defensive buff AND a speed buff, that increase in speed increases your evasive stats which means if you are getting hammered it can help keep you alive.
If you combine APO with Brace for Impact and the Subspace Field Modulator and maybe a shield buff in there too, you WILL survive a hit from one of the torpedoes. I do it all the time.
90% of the time I'm in a group with just 1 or 2 other escorts. That was indeed the exception, but shows the potential of using Scatter Volley and Torpedo spread.
If you are indeed so concerned about "agro" then you need to learn how to use these skills. Where you are facing and when you fire determines what you will hit. If you are aiming at 3 or 4 targets that fire back, you may or may not get their attention.
But if you aim at 1 target that fires back, and 2 stationary targets (like generators) you won't be getting all that agro.
And no, what they target IS NOT RANDOM! So you can aim properly and hit what you want to hit.
I for one don't enter Elite STF's without at least 1 or 2 other fleetmates (excluding Infected Space Elite, which generally turns out pretty good no matter who is on the team as long as I have my Escort) so if all you do is PUG runs in an Escort, then you need to focus on improving your defense and not being so cowardly.
I can't get anymore without making HUGE sacrifices in something else (bar for Gravity Well I on my Science)
Hull Integ - 6
Hull Repair - 9
Shield Performance - 9
Hull Plating - 6
Reinforcement - 6
Shield Emitter - 9
Shield systems - 9
Transfer shield I
Hazard II
Emergency power shields I
Reverse Shield Polarity I
The spare expense I could make has been expended already.
Unless you can suggest me something that replaces Gravity Well I that makes the loss of utility worth it, I don't know what the hell you want from me.
I've used MACO shields other then Omega to no avail, mostly due to them being "balanced out"
Oh I know, I've used it. But the change is so small even at 3, whilst Attack pattern Beta makes a BIG difference on damage going out.
What would you deem more appropriate for a Commander slot: A tiny survivability boost or a BIG team damage boost?
You're going to have to blow them once it looks at you, since that particular attack is not visible. Then you have to hope it did use it and not a few seconds after your cooldowns are on them.
Now you're just trying to make me look like some newb. Only FAW works like that.
I want your PUGs, all of mine don't know what "leave generators at 10%" means.
I'm a coward not going in guns blazing to get destroyed seconds later because my teammates don't play as a team, gotcha.
1. Stay the heck away from the gates on Elite. If you have to tank a gate and something else, you will die no matter what you fly. Stay 10km+ out of range of them at all times until you have to kill them.
2. When taking on multiple Elite targets, like say a pack of Spheres, try and stay out of range of the full group unless you have a good group. PIck 2 or 3 to stay in range of and stay out of range of the rest.
3. For the tac cubes, Carrier or Donatra, focus fire on one shield facing, and don't use your defensive skills until you are being targeted (keep Tac team going constantly though, in fact ALWAYS keep tac team going, both of them). Save RSP for when your shields are dropping and you don't have other shield heals left.
4. Use the 3-piece Borg set with the shields of your choice. MACO MK XI or MK XII are still the best for fighting the borg, and combined with the Borg 3-piece set keeps you alive for quite awhile.
5. Your skill points don't matter as much as how you use your Escort. I'm just as successful with my non-tac officers, not-specced-for-escort Captains using Escorts as I am with my Tac/Escort main character.
Hey, I'm not the guy throwing insults calling people "cowards" for not adhering to your method 100% and questioning suggestions.
I'm sorry but what you're saying and what I'm seeing are saying 2 different things.
I hardly see ANY escorts in my elites, even the tacs are using cruisers, despite what you claim. How is your suggestion of CSV going to help me when I'm the only one with cannons 90% of the time?
THAT'S what I'm on about. When the planets align and you get some like-minded guys in your group, yeah it can TRIBBLE. The rest of the time it seems too much of a bother to, you're just going to have to guard yourself instead of doing your ship's job: damage.
and if Escorts are forced to tank the Borg, what's Carriers supposed to do with their massive hull amounts? Its Cryptic's fault and we shouldn't be forced to build as a ghetto-tank to fix that.
But of course that has nothing to do with this, its just something I had up there.
P.S: I don't have a problem VS one Sphere, there's where you're wrong. Its when 3+ are on me due to AoE that's the problem. That's what I'm on about as well..
When I PUG an elite, I end up carrying the team most of the time. Doing the most damage, tanking everything, barking out orders, all of the above.
But In general, PUGing an Elite isn't fun, so why even do it?
[/quote]and if Escorts are forced to tank the Borg, what's Carriers supposed to do with their massive hull amounts? Its Cryptic's fault and we shouldn't be forced to build as a ghetto-tank to fix that.[/quote]
This isn't WoW. Everyone has to tank at some point. Even more so in a PUG group.
If you can't handle that, STOP DOING IT!
Then BACK UP so you don't have to tank 3+ at a time. How hard is that to understand?
I've been experamenting with the DOFF officer stacking. I've been putting three Projectile Officers in then taking two out (leaving just one) and trying STF's over and over. I've found that there really is a big difference in the speed at which things cool down INCLUDING the cannons with three Projectile Officers over just one. With three I have nearly a steady stream on CSV 2 and 3 and a very fast turn around on the torpedos. I know not everyone has the same setup or skills as me but there still should be a noticable difference.
Give it a try!
I might try 4 as soon as I get another Purple PO DOFF.
I was running multiple PO myself at one time, I found on some occasions it actually cooled down instantly (for quantums, at or over 8 seconds)
Until I can use Purple PO and find that officer they patched in that affects Tac Team (I think they said Maintainance only effects Engineering Team now), I'm gonna use those to fill the empty slot.
that's nice.
I did run into that scenario you related to me, however. It was me, 2 escorts, 2 carriers and we all had spread (I had hybrid AoE actually: Scatter Volley, HY, Torpedo Spread) on Infected.
Worked quite well, we were able to manage to burst down the transformer plus make short work of the Nanites.
BUT, I saw whenever nanites came out one of our escorts was dead and the other at half health (usually me) due to the volume of spheres, and someone almost botched optional by sending a torpedo spread at a generator that was about to die.
Then the tac cube came up and gave us a bit of trouble with its insta-gib attack, which someone told me it "transports" the attack through your shields (which would explain why it hit me for 51k through a full shield).
I don't think any escort in the game can take that hit.
So I guess I owe you an apology but we're both half-right so I leave this for noobs looking for help:
AoE's good, but BE CAREFUL.
However, I will usually only tank in the beginning until my shield buffs run out. Then I will switch to maximum speed and use CRF to take out the probes/spheres one at a time while keeping my defense high.
I see the value in both skills depending on the situation. I see some people use CSV on the Scimitar in Khitomer even though there are no tractor probes or mines deployed. Doesn't that do 85% of the damage you would do with no buffs?
I fly a Tactical Escort Retrofit, and my hull is over 41k. Shields are at 10k per side.
I fly a MVAE, I think the Tac escort retros have more hull points then they do.
Still, a Tac magic bullet will still kill it in 1 shot. It seems like nothing lessens its damage, not even Brace for Impact (or the damage is too damn high that the kinetic resistance won't save you)
Yeah, the tactical cubes have 1 hit me many times. It goes right through the shields. I had 100% shields on all sides after all my buffs. Next thing I know, I'm dead. Didn't even see a heavy torpedo.
As for the hull amount, I believe both have 30,000 base hull, no? I put some points into the hull skills.
I like to take guard in Khitimar. I can park 10.1K outside of the gate and pick off probes all day long with CSV.
In Cure some people like to park outside the range of the cube and try to kill the nodes. I did too but suddenly discovered I could do more damage by keeping moving close in. It works for me anyhow.
Infected normal is a little different. I can set 9.0K outside the gate and pick off the nanite spheres and probes but recently I found that I can zip arround, kill three nodes and be back to the gate just as the nanites spawn. It works for me anyhow.
I don't worry about the regular spheres until the generator is dead. Ususlly there are 3 or 4 others who worry more about the spheres than anything else including the nanites.
Back when we were doing the RA's I found that I could hug the boss at full impulse and had a much lower chance of getting shot at than if I was a K or so away. I also did conciderably more damage. I tried this on the STF's. If there is a gate or generator right up against the unit and fire away. They will be dead in seconds. On the tac cubes do the same thing. Under full impulse keep the nose right up against the wall of the cube and try to stay in one spot of close to it. I've not been killed doing this and I seldom get hit with a tractor.
It's just something that works for me. It might not be for everyone. The above is for normal Pugs and Cure Elite. Haven't tried it in the other elites.
Plasma-Disruptor hybrid dual heavy cannon MK XI does 331 dps (451 upgraded)
Plasma-Disruptor hybrid beam array MK XI does 228 dps (311 upgraded)
Highest Turret DPS I've seen is 137, so I'll round up to 140.
(Upgraded meaning with weapon energy at 125, 4 disruptor +26 tac consoles, skills, etc)
Doing the math, I get 1804 DPS with cannons, add turrets and it's 2364 front DPS.
With beams, using all 7 which I manage to do, I do 2177 dps.
With cannons, I do 187 dps more if I have my target lined up properly. And that's my problem. Most of the time, I am fighting the controls or how I think I'm placed and don't line up properly. I don't do a steady 2364 with cannons. At least 1/4 of the time, I'm trying to get back into position or have to turn around completely cause while I think I'm facing the target, i'm actually above and behind him or something.
With the beams, I can keep a constant bead on the target. Sure with cannons, when I line up, I can tear through it, but with beams, I can focus on doing things other than "aiming" such as checking my shields, making sure my abilities aren't waiting for me to click, and so on. I find the difference of 187 dps (let's say 200) is worth it because I can target things better and work as a whole ship rather than just a couple cannons.
Am I doing this wrong?
What this game needs is a "keep ship n sights" type of feature, so you don't have to turn into a dog-fight pilot.
I also scrape the hull of cubes and fire at point blank with Rapid Fire. I slide back and forth across the hull. The only times I'll run is when I have no shields, stuck in a tractor beam, or the cube just blew up.
How are you getting these numbers? From your combat log? Or are you just adding up the DPS of each type of weapon? If so, where are you doing this? On the ground or in sector space? Or are you checking this in combat space or orbiting space (and hovering over the icons to fire each weapon?).
If I look at my inventory in sector or ground space (I suppose sector and orbiting space), my DPS per cannon is 360 DPS (I think). Add that together, and it's 1440. My cannons are 140 DPS each, which comes out to 420 DPS. Total comes out to 1860 DPS. How are you getting 2364? I have mk XII borg DHCs at the fore, and mk X borg turrets at the aft. If this is how you are adding up your DPS, I don't understand how you are doing more DPS than I am, when I have 4x energy mag consoles at +26% each.
If you hover over your weapon fire icons in combat or orbiting space (and you have your weapon subsystem power levels at 125), the amount of DPS is much higher because it calculates all of your modifiers (subsystem and skills). Each of my cannons are over 1,200 DPS, and each of my turrets are over 400 DPS.
You're flying too fast. Seriously, match speeds/slow down as much as possible and just gun them down. In a head to head fight, nothing pumps out the frontal damage like a dual (heavy) cannon escort with full turrets. Just reinforce the frontal shields, use any defensive CDs you have like EPtS and just tear them a new one. Better yet, get behind and you'll only need a few seconds to rip off the shields and cut through the hull. Grab a tractor beam in your ensign science slot if it troubles you that much...
It's only in very dangerous situations (you'll know them when you get to them) that you'll want to be zipping around with max speed to keep your defense value up
On ground:
Cannons 331 DPS
Beams 228 DPS
Turret 126 DPS
Cannons and turrents total 1702, just beams total 1596. Difference is 106.
In space (orbiting earth space dock), hoving over the inventory icon:
Cannons 455 DPS
Beam 314 DPS
Turret 190 DPS
Cannons and turrents total 2390, just beams total 2198. Difference is 192.
In space (orbiting earth space dock), hovering over the fire icon:
Cannons 1424 DPS
Beam 982 DPS
Turret 624 DPS
Cannons and turrents total 7598, just beams total 6874. Difference is 724.
In the first 2 cases, the number difference isn't that high. In the third case, the difference is rather large. The main question I guess I have is which set of numbers is the "Real" numbers?
Even then, if it's straight DPS without any interruption, then obviously cannons and turrents win. The problem is all that time you spend dog-fighting. That's my particular problem, Mysteana. I feel I go more damage over all by not having to move around and point my ship in the right direction. If I'm fighting stationary targets like structures, then fine. But most of the time I'm fighting 2 or 3 ships that are moving and firing back. Those few seconds I spend turning to face the 2nd target and possibly even having to move into a better position are wasteful. With beams, I don't have to do that.
What's everyone's feelings on this?
The damage numbers listed in the ship weapons panel and by extension, the Skills window ('P') accounts for all modifiers including power settings so they would be more accurate than the inventory screen. Keep in mind that power does play a big role when the weapons start firing, and beams typically draw more overall power than cannons.
By all means, use beams if that is how you maximise your damage potential. That's far more preferable than sticking doggedly to cannons because that's the best theoretical damage if you're unable to make use of it. All we can do is offer advice, but if you are unable to devote enough focus to lining up the attack paths, well, that's just how it goes. Better to do well and stay alive than overextend and end up dead. Beam escorts are still capable of strong damage because of the massive number of tactical slots and the tactical boff powers available to those ships.
I just did a test run in Cure. The first two borg cube structures, I used cannons and turrents (and BOFF and such layout to support cannons). It was a struggle, and I died a lot. I barely did anything to help my team in my opinion. For the third and the boss, I switched to beams (and appropriate layout). It went much better. I never died, and even managed to layout out some heavy DPS to the structures and the support ships.
I just feel "wrong" though, cause everyone else says to go for cannons.
Beam escorts are just a rather rare breed, that's all. Some people prefer to keep beam escorts buried, but I'm of the opinion that if that's how the player does well that's just how it is. I'm planning on grabbing a fleet escort ship and turning it into a heavy torpedo boat in a similar vein to Zahalu's build because a fleet escort looks more like a heavy bomber than an advanced escort.
Yeah I edited that but for some reason it didn't take.
Did you put more then 6 into structural integrity? I only have 6 in which would explain the difference.
well its not like beams are bad.
If you're full-on dedicated to JUST damage, yeah I can see how cannons would be the go-to.
But if you want to do other things like shut down/weaken a target's shield, you'll need a beam for that. That's why I have BTS: Shield I, and a dual bank up front and a bank in the back.
Not only can I guarantee considerable hits from every angle thanks to my beams and turrets, but I can make shields weak or shut them down too.
About cannons though: Why is it both the Dual and the Dual Heavy Cannons carry the same DPS at the same Mark? Firing speed?
2) As was stated before me, the skill/attack icon would be relatively more accurate. It factors in your skills and subsystem levels. That said, the amount you actually do is probably a lot less, do to shields, buffs, and energy type resistances. Distance also plays a factor.
3) Looking at your total, it does seem like 724 isn't that much of a difference. If your style is to fly at full speed, then broadsiding with your beams may be a better fit for you, as you will always be firing the majority of your weapons at your target, giving you a larger DPS over time. If you like to finish things quickly, the cannons/turrets are the way to go (and don't mind slowing down to keep your target in your fore). One thing you could try, is go nose down in the back of your target. You'll still maintain your defense %, but will come to a stop, because you're stuck on your target. Also, you're point blank, which has no distance penalty.
1) Yes, I maxed out Structural Integrity.
2) Yes, Dual Cannons shoot 4 bolts. DHCs shoot 2 bolts. So, per bolt, DHCs do more damage, where as DCs make up for the difference by shooting twice as many bolts.
Yes, dying in elite is very bad, as you start stacking damage to your ship which adds up and reduces your overall effectiveness.
It's why I always have Abandon Ship available. If you initiate auto-self destruct when things are looking grim, you do not receive any damage penalties to your ship.
Or using Evasive Maneuvers to get out of the Borg's range and heal your shield and hulls.
Out of curiosity, were you paired with any other escorts? If so, that's probably why you died less. They other escorts were gaining aggro, as their attack runs were probably out damaging you. That's the trade off in STF. You do more damage, and in doing so, make your self the bigger threat and become the primary target.
I like switching to the beat setup everyone once in awhile, and its a great PVP setup for Kerrat too especially if you throw in a Feedback pulse. The "real" numbers are in your combat log.
Going by feeling doesn't work unfortunately.
If you're very dedicated you can parse your combat logs.
The few seconds you spend turning aren't as important as the 10 seconds you spend facing the target with CSV or CRF active. Much less the times when you can park and shoot.
Flying around in circle patterns against multiple opponents also means you'll have a harder time downing a particular shield facing to start damaging the hull. Cannons do this with ease.
Play how you're comfortable playing, but just do keep in mind that what you are feeling is exactly that - a feeling.
I have to agree with you. The numbers aren't adding up. Then with the numbers stated he says he's not doing all that well. He's 200+ above me on DPS and my ship is a killer. I couldn't get any more DPS even with total rebuild. If he installed beams and they did better than his cannons then something is very wrong.
On my BoP, I average over 5k dps(6k in cure) using 3 Plasma-Disruptor hybrid DHCs in STF. I use the Bioneural Warhead for a torp, which is listed on it's own in parsing.