So basically i need to take out both my torp's and just go energy? I have an armitage now, and find im getting smoked with ease. I use all 3 elite omega pieces, so it seems like what someone has told me was wrong and i should have went with mako? I have 2 dual heavy anti protons fore, 1 dual beam fore, and turrets in back. I have all the proper consoles.
So basically i need to take out both my torp's and just go energy? I have an armitage now, and find im getting smoked with ease. I use all 3 elite omega pieces, so it seems like what someone has told me was wrong and i should have went with mako? I have 2 dual heavy anti protons fore, 1 dual beam fore, and turrets in back. I have all the proper consoles.
No one can agree which is better. Play with what you prefer. Try different configurations and see which you like more.
Omega set is more offensive oriented. MACO is more defensive oriented. I prefer the MACO shields and deflector. I use Advanced Fleet Hyper-Impulse engines.
In order for us to help you with what is wrong with your build, we need to know what your BOFF layout is and what your skill point distribution is. Also, what do you mean by "proper" consoles?
This is a repost of my build. It's change since the lat time I posted it. This post is in responce to a post on another thread. I told them I'd repost it here.
I recieved a purple XII Prefire Chamber from Childrens Toys.
I couldn't find the GOOD online ship builder online. It seems to be gone. I could find a couple cheapos and the skills builder but not the ship builder.
Sooo...
Rather than selling the Prefire Chamber for the 2.5 mill that it was worth, I replaced an APMR and low and behold......... I showed an immediate loss of 40 DPS in sector space.
Needless to say, I put the Mag Regulator back and sold the Prefire Chamber for peanuts.
Next time I'll follow my own advice that I'd written months ago in this thread.
Hi guys this is my current setup but i will be upgrading now I have the ZEN. Any advice on what to change in my setup?
USS Warspite: Patrol escort
(all weapons borg variant)
Fore.
XI DISRUPTER DHC - XII PLASMA DHC - XII TETRYON DHC - XII QUANTUM TORPEDO
Aft.
XI ANTI PROTON TURRET - XII PLASMA TURRET XI - POLARON TURRET
Assimilated deflector XI
Assimilated engines XI
Mako Sheilds XII
Eng.
X Plasma distribution manifold - XI SIF generator - Assimilated module
Sci.
Two XI emitter arrays
Tac.
Three XI prefire chambers - XI zero point quantum chamber
I also have the full Breen and jem'hadar sets - I like the breen engines but I don't want to lose the borg regeneration bonus. Is it worth losing it for better engines?
Maybe things have changed since I last played regularly, just started up again, but the stacking on the Pre-Fire Chambers was knocked down in the Season 1 release because of how broken they were if I recall correctly. Have they been de-nerfed since then? That wouldn't seem very wise considering there was no other reason to play anything but Escort because of how ridiculous they were then.
I think 2x is where you'd want to be IMO. I do remember the days of loading up with 4x and just tearing up the silly people trying to play Cruisers then though.
Fore Weapons; 3x AP DHC XII Borg, Quantum Torp XII Borg
Deflector; Jem'Hadar
Impulse; Jem'Hadar
Shields; Maco XII
Aft Weapons; 3x AP Turret XII Borg
Why AP weapons with the Jem'Hadar set? If you were running Polaron or Tetryon, that would make more sense (because of the Flow Capacitor buff). But, really, the engines are pretty bad.
I'd recommend the Omega deflector and impulse if you want more damage. Or, go with the MACO deflector (for more defense) and an Advanced Fleet Hyper-Impulse engine.
What's the reasoning behind running Hyper-Impulse Engines now? It used to be all about the Combat +Turn. Things have changed a bit, and some things just do not make sense anymore.
Why AP weapons with the Jem'Hadar set? If you were running Polaron or Tetryon, that would make more sense (because of the Flow Capacitor buff). But, really, the engines are pretty bad.
I'd recommend the Omega deflector and impulse if you want more damage. Or, go with the MACO deflector (for more defense) and an Advanced Fleet Hyper-Impulse engine.
Sorry, can't agree with you at all on that. Although I haven't tried the Advanced Fleet engines yet. I've tried every other set combination over and over. This one does the best. The only place I've seen where the engines really make any difference is in sector space and yes, the Jem'Hadar do lose out there.
Maybe things have changed since I last played regularly, just started up again, but the stacking on the Pre-Fire Chambers was knocked down in the Season 1 release because of how broken they were if I recall correctly.
I don't know about that I checked the wiki - no mention but if I have to focus on one type of weapon then I will change them for the variants anyway thx.
I don't know about that I checked the wiki but no mention but if I have to focus on one type of weapon then I will change them for the variants anyway thx.
prefire chamber is also much inferior to actual AP consoles...you are right now cutting your potential damage in half...also use as much energy type consoles as possible...forget the torp consoles if you are not atleast running 3 torp tubes.
forget the torp consoles if you are not atleast running 3 torp tubes.
I have torpedo spread mk 2 and 3 assigned to my bridge officers meaning I fire about 2 spreads every 30 seconds. Will losing the torp console affect the attack strength of this ability?
I don't know about that I checked the wiki but no mention but if I have to focus on one type of weapon then I will change them for the variants anyway thx.
I just looked at the way they work now. It doesn't "stack" the way it used to, but they still stack. Back when the game first came out the Pre-Fire Consoles worked on a pure percentage that would be calculated per console. In other words you as one console, and the total after that one adds it's bonus is the base total you would use for the next console. They changed it so that it's based off the initial base value before any buffs or bonuses now.
What I would do is go through and actually find the base values and claculate what the bonuses and buffs would give with the 3xPre-Fire and the 2xPre-Fire with two of "WHATEVER WEAPON TYPE BONUS CONSOLE" you use to find out which is better.
That depends on whether you are going Beam or not though. I stick to cannons myself, I prefer to just make things lose shields fast and run away as fast as possible on the cool downs with torps in their hulls.
What's the reasoning behind running Hyper-Impulse Engines now? It used to be all about the Combat +Turn. Things have changed a bit, and some things just do not make sense anymore.
Combat engines are the slowest engines. They are more efficient at 25 engine power, but most people have more power than that. I have 39/25 (I think this was what I tested it at, but it could have been lower because I had respec'ed at around the same time I ran this test), and I have compared the following engines (in terms of turn rate and impulse speed):
1) Omega Hyper-Impulse Engines - I had an Impulse Speed of ~24.8.
2) MACO Impulse Engines - Impulse Speed of ~24.5.
3) Jem'Hadar Combat Impulse Engines - Impulse speed of ~24.3.
Turn rate on the Omega Hyper-Impulse Engines are superior to the MACO and Jem'Hadar.
The turn rate on an Advanced Fleet Hyper-Impulse Engine [turn]x3 [spd] is greater than the Omega engines, while keeping the same Impulse speed as the MK XII Omega engines. It also has a Lesser Asycronous Warp Field, which is a similar ability as the MACO engine.
You can, of course, get the Advanced Fleet Combat Impulse Engine [turn]x3 [spd], but it won't be as fast as the Hyper-Impulse.
Most PvPers will tell you that Combat Impulse are the worst kind of engine to use in PvP. If it works in PvP, it'll work better in PvE (usually).
Sorry, can't agree with you at all on that. Although I haven't tried the Advanced Fleet engines yet. I've tried every other set combination over and over. This one does the best. The only place I've seen where the engines really make any difference is in sector space and yes, the Jem'Hadar do lose out there.
If you are obsessed with turn rate like I am, Combat Impulse engines are notably worse than Hyper-Impulse. Let alone speed (even at lower levels).
What about them is the best combination in your opinion? If you really want to keep the Jem'Hadar engines, the 2-set proc isn't really doing much for you (unless you were a drain build and had Polaron or Tetryon weapons, preferably the former, as the 2-set give you a bonus to Polaron damage ).
If you really want Combat engines, I'd say give the Advanced Fleet Combat Impulse Engines [turn]x3 [spd] a try then. I would bet that you'll find this a better improvement to the turn rate and impulse speed of your escort.
I don't know about that I checked the wiki - no mention but if I have to focus on one type of weapon then I will change them for the variants anyway thx.
A rare mk XI prefire chamber will give you ~18% damage increase off of the base damage of your weapon (before all modifiers).
A very rare mk XII prefire chamber will give you, I believe, a 20% damage increase off of the base damage of your weapon (before all modifiers).
A rare mk XI energy specific tactical console will give you ~26% damage increase off of the base damage of your weapon (before all modifiers).
A very rare mk XII energy specific tactical console will give you 30% damage increase off of the base damage of your weapon (before all modifiers).
Let's say you had very rare MK XII consoles. You're getting a 10% increase in damage per console if you stuck with energy specific tactical consoles. Most escorts have 4 tactical slots. That's a 40% increase. If you had a 5 tactical console ship, it would be 50%.
Let's say you had very rare MK XII consoles. You're getting a 10% increase in damage per console if you stuck with energy specific tactical consoles. Most escorts have 4 tactical slots. That's a 40% increase. If you had a 5 tactical console ship, it would be 50%.
I was already sold on changing the wepons setup. Its going to cost me about 70000 dilitium just to get all fleet upgrades so I will probably mix and match what i can find on the exchange until I get my new ship as its something I have been promising myself for a while.
Out of curiosity how good is the Armitage carrier? Should I take it over a Patrol/Tac escort?
Combat engines are the slowest engines. They are more efficient at 25 engine power, but most people have more power than that. I have 39/25 (I think this was what I tested it at, but it could have been lower because I had respec'ed at around the same time I ran this test), and I have compared the following engines (in terms of turn rate and impulse speed):
1) Omega Hyper-Impulse Engines - I had an Impulse Speed of ~24.8.
2) MACO Impulse Engines - Impulse Speed of ~24.5.
3) Jem'Hadar Combat Impulse Engines - Impulse speed of ~24.3.
Turn rate on the Omega Hyper-Impulse Engines are superior to the MACO and Jem'Hadar.
The turn rate on an Advanced Fleet Hyper-Impulse Engine [turn]x3 [spd] is greater than the Omega engines, while keeping the same Impulse speed as the MK XII Omega engines. It also has a Lesser Asycronous Warp Field, which is a similar ability as the MACO engine.
You can, of course, get the Advanced Fleet Combat Impulse Engine [turn]x3 [spd], but it won't be as fast as the Hyper-Impulse.
Most PvPers will tell you that Combat Impulse are the worst kind of engine to use in PvP. If it works in PvP, it'll work better in PvE (usually).
Interesting, the last time I played the Cap was at X Very Rare, so a lot of this is new to me considering how different the game is now. Thanks for the information. I have been trying to find a decent way to set my Tac Escort primarily to earn enough EC/Dil to get into the higher stuff.
Interesting, the last time I played the Cap was at X Very Rare, so a lot of this is new to me considering how different the game is now. Thanks for the information. I have been trying to find a decent way to set my Tac Escort primarily to earn enough EC/Dil to get into the higher stuff.
I was mistaken on my power levels, after thinking about it some more.
My engine power levels before were ~43/30 at the time that I tested it (before I respec'ed).
Ok with the zen sale I decided to get the TAC escort retrofit that allows me to upgrade to fleet variant with one fleet module and keep the cloaking device.
USS Jaguar - Defiant Retrofit
Fore.
Three XI DISRUPTER DHC very rare - XII QUANTUM TORPEDO borg very rare
Aft.
Three XI - DISRUPTER TURRET very rare
Assimilated deflector XI
Assimilated engines XI
Mako Sheilds XII
Eng.
Two X Neutronium Consoles uncommon - Cloaking Device
Sci.
XI Emitter Array rare - Assimilated module
Tac.
Three X Disruptor Induction Coils uncommon - XI Zero Point Quantum Chamber very rare
Bridge officers.
Tac.
Tac Team I - Cannon Rapid Fire II - Cannon Spread III - Omega attack III
Tac Team I - Torpedo Spread II - Torpedo Spread III
Tac Team I
Eng.
Emergency Power to Sheilds I - Reverse Shield Polarity I
Sci.
Science Team I - Feedback Pulse I
I also have the full Breen and jem'hadar sets
I went with disrupters due to cost as I save some dilithium I will update these or change them for anti protons. I haven't noticed much difference with damage delt yet but this may be because most of my rainbow weapons were mk XII otherwise Im pretty happy with this setup
That looks like a good start. There's a lot of people who like the maco xii shield combines with the Borg engines and deflector. If I didn't like the jem'hadar stuff I'd stck with the Borg.
Posting with my iPhone. Sorry about the short response.
I really like the Quad Cannons (feels more like the Defiant) and Dual Cannons have less weapon power drain so it can fly a bit more in a balanced vs attack. that's just me
I really like the Quad Cannons (feels more like the Defiant) and Dual Cannons have less weapon power drain so it can fly a bit more in a balanced vs attack. that's just me
True but the Quads drain your engine power, which in turn is dropping your defence.
Which will be OK if you are running STF's in premades where you have people keeping aggro from you, however if you are PUG'ing it the drop in defence when you pick up aggro can be a significant factor towards going kaboom.
Fleet Elite Phasers - or - Fleet Adv. Antiprotons?
Then:
3 x DHC - or - 2 x DHC + 1 DC/Quad?
If you play PvE only, the Fleet Advanced Antiprotons.
If you play PvP, none of the above.
As for the layout, I'd say the Quad cannons are on par with Mk XII weapons. If you already got it, you might as well us it. Save yourself some dilithium and fleet credits to buy other things.
True but the Quads drain your engine power, which in turn is dropping your defence.
Which will be OK if you are running STF's in premades where you have people keeping aggro from you, however if you are PUG'ing it the drop in defence when you pick up aggro can be a significant factor towards going kaboom.
It only drains your engine levels when you're firing. And you only need impulse 24 to get the maximum defense amount. I run 52/30, so it would drop my impulse speed below 24, but a lot of folks run their engine power level at a higher value, so it wouldn't be as bad.
I'm just curious about how effective others have found using tricobalt mines in place of one of the aft turret? I've found it to be a faster and more effective take down on cubes and larger targets, and increases overall power availability for energy weapons.
My Loadout:
Fleet Patrol Escort
3 DHC, 1 Quantum Torp
2 turrets, 1 mk xii [crtd]x3 tricobalt mine launcher
3 neutronium alloy, 1 mk xii plasma distribution manifold
2 field generators
3 relays and 1 TCD Infuser
Very good Post but still i am at a loss to explain why im not dealing much damage in my HEC while i know i dont have the best gear at the moment (Am working towards MACO MK XII) i have tried different load outs lately with different types of Torps ive tried single torps and dual torps (as i have noticed in Elite STF my best bet to cause damage is shred shields, (DHC & or DHC & DBB) then launch torps at the bare hull, it is my understanding thats how the mechanics of the game work, my problem is that none of my front Weapons shred the shields fast enough (with all different types of front weapons along with the associated optimized consoles) for me to launch my torps so i it takes me way too much time to destroy a sphere or a cube (Solo) and a quite often i get destroyed in the process here is my current build and this build seems to be the best ive come up with
Let me know your thoughts
THX
*****************************
Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
I know there are a few threads scattered about re the Andorian escorts, but perhaps it could/should be included in this one?
I am currently running a tac retro and Kumari scort without torps - just dhc up front and turrets with the cutting beam backside. It works well enough not to use in a pug..you'll need a tank OR a pocket healer and neither of those you'll find in a pug. Often.
Kumari is amazeballs in pve and like I said in a pvp pre made devastating in pvp. The tac retro is just an out and out pvp boat which kicks bug TRIBBLE :P
I don;t have issues with power levels using this build either
Comments
I have 4x Phaser DHC MK XII [crtd]x3, and love them.
Omega set is more offensive oriented. MACO is more defensive oriented. I prefer the MACO shields and deflector. I use Advanced Fleet Hyper-Impulse engines.
In order for us to help you with what is wrong with your build, we need to know what your BOFF layout is and what your skill point distribution is. Also, what do you mean by "proper" consoles?
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=262305
This is not an 'unkillable' build but it really dishes out some damage and has great tanking.
Speed and agility in battle are the key to an escorts survival.
Fleet Patrol Escort, Tactical Officer
Fore Weapons; 3x AP DHC XII Borg, Quantum Torp XII Borg
Deflector; Jem'Hadar
Impulse; Jem'Hadar
Shields; Maco XII
Aft Weapons; 3x AP Turret XII Borg
Devices; Subspace Field Modulator, Heavy Turret
Eng Consoles; Neutronium XII, Monotonium XII. Plasma Dist XII, Tachyokinetic
Sci Consoles; Assimilated Module, Point Defence
Tac Consoles; 4x Antiproton Mag.
Eng Universal Station; ET1
Com. Tac Station; Torp HY1, APD1, APO1, CRF3
Lt. Com. Tac Station; TT1, TS2, CSVII
Lt. Eng Station; EPS1, APSIF1
Lt. Sci. Station; ST1, HE2
All Bridge Officers have useful Space passives.
Space Skills (Tactical Officer)
SAP 9, SEW7, SM9, SEWS6
SWT9, SPW6, STS9
DC6, SI6, SEPS3, SEP6, SAR6
SSR6, SIT6, SHP9, SAP5
SHR9, SWCE9, SWCP9, SSP6, SWP6
SSE9, SSS9
Space Doffs
SDO, PWO, DCE, WCE, DLS
Thats enough for now.
I recieved a purple XII Prefire Chamber from Childrens Toys.
I couldn't find the GOOD online ship builder online. It seems to be gone. I could find a couple cheapos and the skills builder but not the ship builder.
Sooo...
Rather than selling the Prefire Chamber for the 2.5 mill that it was worth, I replaced an APMR and low and behold......... I showed an immediate loss of 40 DPS in sector space.
Needless to say, I put the Mag Regulator back and sold the Prefire Chamber for peanuts.
Next time I'll follow my own advice that I'd written months ago in this thread.
USS Warspite: Patrol escort
(all weapons borg variant)
Fore.
XI DISRUPTER DHC - XII PLASMA DHC - XII TETRYON DHC - XII QUANTUM TORPEDO
Aft.
XI ANTI PROTON TURRET - XII PLASMA TURRET XI - POLARON TURRET
Assimilated deflector XI
Assimilated engines XI
Mako Sheilds XII
Eng.
X Plasma distribution manifold - XI SIF generator - Assimilated module
Sci.
Two XI emitter arrays
Tac.
Three XI prefire chambers - XI zero point quantum chamber
I also have the full Breen and jem'hadar sets - I like the breen engines but I don't want to lose the borg regeneration bonus. Is it worth losing it for better engines?
Cheers
Maybe things have changed since I last played regularly, just started up again, but the stacking on the Pre-Fire Chambers was knocked down in the Season 1 release because of how broken they were if I recall correctly. Have they been de-nerfed since then? That wouldn't seem very wise considering there was no other reason to play anything but Escort because of how ridiculous they were then.
I think 2x is where you'd want to be IMO. I do remember the days of loading up with 4x and just tearing up the silly people trying to play Cruisers then though.
I'd recommend the Omega deflector and impulse if you want more damage. Or, go with the MACO deflector (for more defense) and an Advanced Fleet Hyper-Impulse engine.
You are going to do less damage than someone who is focused on one energy type. A lot less.
I'd recommend you pick a proc you like and focus on that.
What's the reasoning behind running Hyper-Impulse Engines now? It used to be all about the Combat +Turn. Things have changed a bit, and some things just do not make sense anymore.
Sorry, can't agree with you at all on that. Although I haven't tried the Advanced Fleet engines yet. I've tried every other set combination over and over. This one does the best. The only place I've seen where the engines really make any difference is in sector space and yes, the Jem'Hadar do lose out there.
Yes on that part. I wish people would get it through their thick skulls that Rainbow/Technicolor weapons are useless items.
I don't know about that
Did think of that but was trying for the jack of all trades model with regards to avoiding opponents defences - guess that doesn't work.:o
Will pobably set up for anti-proton seen as I battle the borg most.
prefire chamber is also much inferior to actual AP consoles...you are right now cutting your potential damage in half...also use as much energy type consoles as possible...forget the torp consoles if you are not atleast running 3 torp tubes.
I have torpedo spread mk 2 and 3 assigned to my bridge officers meaning I fire about 2 spreads every 30 seconds. Will losing the torp console affect the attack strength of this ability?
I just looked at the way they work now. It doesn't "stack" the way it used to, but they still stack. Back when the game first came out the Pre-Fire Consoles worked on a pure percentage that would be calculated per console. In other words you as one console, and the total after that one adds it's bonus is the base total you would use for the next console. They changed it so that it's based off the initial base value before any buffs or bonuses now.
What I would do is go through and actually find the base values and claculate what the bonuses and buffs would give with the 3xPre-Fire and the 2xPre-Fire with two of "WHATEVER WEAPON TYPE BONUS CONSOLE" you use to find out which is better.
That depends on whether you are going Beam or not though. I stick to cannons myself, I prefer to just make things lose shields fast and run away as fast as possible on the cool downs with torps in their hulls.
1) Omega Hyper-Impulse Engines - I had an Impulse Speed of ~24.8.
2) MACO Impulse Engines - Impulse Speed of ~24.5.
3) Jem'Hadar Combat Impulse Engines - Impulse speed of ~24.3.
Turn rate on the Omega Hyper-Impulse Engines are superior to the MACO and Jem'Hadar.
The turn rate on an Advanced Fleet Hyper-Impulse Engine [turn]x3 [spd] is greater than the Omega engines, while keeping the same Impulse speed as the MK XII Omega engines. It also has a Lesser Asycronous Warp Field, which is a similar ability as the MACO engine.
You can, of course, get the Advanced Fleet Combat Impulse Engine [turn]x3 [spd], but it won't be as fast as the Hyper-Impulse.
Most PvPers will tell you that Combat Impulse are the worst kind of engine to use in PvP. If it works in PvP, it'll work better in PvE (usually).
If you are obsessed with turn rate like I am, Combat Impulse engines are notably worse than Hyper-Impulse. Let alone speed (even at lower levels).
What about them is the best combination in your opinion? If you really want to keep the Jem'Hadar engines, the 2-set proc isn't really doing much for you (unless you were a drain build and had Polaron or Tetryon weapons, preferably the former, as the 2-set give you a bonus to Polaron damage ).
If you really want Combat engines, I'd say give the Advanced Fleet Combat Impulse Engines [turn]x3 [spd] a try then. I would bet that you'll find this a better improvement to the turn rate and impulse speed of your escort.
A rare mk XI prefire chamber will give you ~18% damage increase off of the base damage of your weapon (before all modifiers).
A very rare mk XII prefire chamber will give you, I believe, a 20% damage increase off of the base damage of your weapon (before all modifiers).
A rare mk XI energy specific tactical console will give you ~26% damage increase off of the base damage of your weapon (before all modifiers).
A very rare mk XII energy specific tactical console will give you 30% damage increase off of the base damage of your weapon (before all modifiers).
Let's say you had very rare MK XII consoles. You're getting a 10% increase in damage per console if you stuck with energy specific tactical consoles. Most escorts have 4 tactical slots. That's a 40% increase. If you had a 5 tactical console ship, it would be 50%.
I was already sold on changing the wepons setup. Its going to cost me about 70000 dilitium just to get all fleet upgrades so I will probably mix and match what i can find on the exchange until I get my new ship as its something I have been promising myself for a while.
Out of curiosity how good is the Armitage carrier? Should I take it over a Patrol/Tac escort?
Interesting, the last time I played the Cap was at X Very Rare, so a lot of this is new to me considering how different the game is now. Thanks for the information. I have been trying to find a decent way to set my Tac Escort primarily to earn enough EC/Dil to get into the higher stuff.
My engine power levels before were ~43/30 at the time that I tested it (before I respec'ed).
Got my Aux and Engine powers mixed up.
USS Jaguar - Defiant Retrofit
Fore.
Three XI DISRUPTER DHC very rare - XII QUANTUM TORPEDO borg very rare
Aft.
Three XI - DISRUPTER TURRET very rare
Assimilated deflector XI
Assimilated engines XI
Mako Sheilds XII
Eng.
Two X Neutronium Consoles uncommon - Cloaking Device
Sci.
XI Emitter Array rare - Assimilated module
Tac.
Three X Disruptor Induction Coils uncommon - XI Zero Point Quantum Chamber very rare
Bridge officers.
Tac.
Tac Team I - Cannon Rapid Fire II - Cannon Spread III - Omega attack III
Tac Team I - Torpedo Spread II - Torpedo Spread III
Tac Team I
Eng.
Emergency Power to Sheilds I - Reverse Shield Polarity I
Sci.
Science Team I - Feedback Pulse I
I also have the full Breen and jem'hadar sets
I went with disrupters due to cost as I save some dilithium I will update these or change them for anti protons. I haven't noticed much difference with damage delt yet but this may be because most of my rainbow weapons were mk XII otherwise Im pretty happy with this setup
Posting with my iPhone. Sorry about the short response.
I don't know about you but I went with this mod to the layout
Forward: 2x Dual Phaser Cannons 1x Phaser Quad Cannons, 1x Wide Angle Quantum Torpedo
Rear: 3x Phaser Turrent
I really like the Quad Cannons (feels more like the Defiant) and Dual Cannons have less weapon power drain so it can fly a bit more in a balanced vs attack. that's just me
What's the best option for a Fleet Defiant R:
Fleet Elite Phasers - or - Fleet Adv. Antiprotons?
Then:
3 x DHC - or - 2 x DHC + 1 DC/Quad?
True but the Quads drain your engine power, which in turn is dropping your defence.
Which will be OK if you are running STF's in premades where you have people keeping aggro from you, however if you are PUG'ing it the drop in defence when you pick up aggro can be a significant factor towards going kaboom.
U.S.S Banshee
Federation Fleet
If you play PvP, none of the above.
As for the layout, I'd say the Quad cannons are on par with Mk XII weapons. If you already got it, you might as well us it. Save yourself some dilithium and fleet credits to buy other things.
It only drains your engine levels when you're firing. And you only need impulse 24 to get the maximum defense amount. I run 52/30, so it would drop my impulse speed below 24, but a lot of folks run their engine power level at a higher value, so it wouldn't be as bad.
My Loadout:
Fleet Patrol Escort
3 DHC, 1 Quantum Torp
2 turrets, 1 mk xii [crtd]x3 tricobalt mine launcher
3 neutronium alloy, 1 mk xii plasma distribution manifold
2 field generators
3 relays and 1 TCD Infuser
Let me know your thoughts
THX
Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
I am currently running a tac retro and Kumari scort without torps - just dhc up front and turrets with the cutting beam backside. It works well enough not to use in a pug..you'll need a tank OR a pocket healer and neither of those you'll find in a pug. Often.
Kumari is amazeballs in pve and like I said in a pvp pre made devastating in pvp. The tac retro is just an out and out pvp boat which kicks bug TRIBBLE :P
I don;t have issues with power levels using this build either