Using APB grants you a power.
Lets call this "Power A"
Power A is a buff that lasts for 10 seconds.
What Power A actually does is change your damage output so that anything your weapons fire hits gets a second power - "Power B" - placed upon it.
Power B is a debuff that lasts for 5 seconds.
Assuming you keep shooting at the same target, you will continually refresh Power B until Power A runs out.
Therefore for the first 10 seconds after using APB you'll be buffed up with Power A, and continually inflicting Power B's debuff with your weapons fire. At the end of those ten seconds your last shot will have refreshed Power B so that it lasts for a further five seconds.
10 seconds + 5 seconds = 15 seconds
(actually, I believe it might be slightly longer than that due to the time it takes a weapons cycle to finish, but basically it'll be in the region of 15-16 seconds)
Secondly, the enemies only get the debuff if they shoot at whoever you've buffed. If they're shooting at someone else (or disabled) then it's useless. If you're a glass cannon then you generally DON'T want things to shoot at you so you'd usually be putting APD (if you have it) on whoever's tanking. [Note: Not all Escorts are fragile: Mine Tanks Tac Cubes]
Finally, the Resistance buff is nice in theory, but if you're already slotting a few endgame armor consoles then sadly it'll be hit hit very hard by diminishing returns. Good Cruiser Tanks will be slotting 3-4 of them, so they'll hardly notice it. And even as an Escort you can generally slot 1-2 Neutronium/Monotanium armor consoles.
APB is up more often and is a guaranteed (not "possible") debuff.
And (speaking from personal experience) the extra resistance is largely superfluous in STFs.
Ok great point I guess I overlooked that point after playing this game since launch I'm still learning things thanks for the info
I am as well. I had initially overlooked the strategy of using Attack Patterns as opposed to raw damage. I'm having some luck especially in STF's witht he attack pattern delta and Beta. It really helps in the STF's for taking down the larger targets i.e. Donatra, the gate, the tactical cube, and the assimilated Klingon battleship at the end of the cure. It's also good to have for when the cubes spawn like 3 neghvars and 2 raptors in the cure and using scatter volley. it adds the debuff to all of the ships.
Over the past couple weeks, I've been going with the Attack Pattern setup and I'm liking it. It's not quite as useful in single-player, however for STF's, the APB3 is huge. It's debuffing the damage resistance of an object, but with everyone firing at it, it has the same effect as a team-wide attack buff as increasing damage or decreasing an enemies resistance has the same effect.
Consoles. There is a little bit of preference here, but after 2 years, I think I finally got this down... Obviously you want the highest level of each console... Two things that are a must for STF's are the Electroceramic Hull Plating and Monotanium Hull Armor. Two Neutronium consoles will have the same effect, but are typically more expensive and rare.
The only two types of damage you will receive in STF's (space and ground!) are plasma and kinetic. Kinetic is from grenades and torpedoes. Plasma is from their energy weapons. You don't need any other armor; you don't need something that gives s small bonus to 4 types of energy weapons. You only need those two consoles. (or like I said, 2x Neutronium consoles for the same bonuses, but they tend to be more expensive)
consoles
Tac Consoles - 3x Energy Type Consoles, 1x torpedo type console.
i.e. 3x Antiproton mag regulators, 1x Zero Point Quantum Chamber
You're actually wrong on this, Neutronium Consoles, Blue Mk XI (scaled to your level of course) are completely and 100% freefrom this mission right here.
I would also argue against going antiproton as THOSE are some very expensive consoles and can drain a wallet really fast.
Nice guide, though I admit to doing the beam array thing in back because it's canon on the Defiant.
I also enjoy a DBB up front for being able to do Target Shields 3 which is super effective against cubes and Donatra and such but you're right, way less effective against structures.
Please make this update. Thanks.
Delta Rising is the best expansion ever and the players love it! No, seriously! ...Why are you laughing so hard?
You can have Tac team, AP:B, and CRF, at-least a 70% uptime on all of them. Delta can be good, but it's situationally oriented. Don't forget that Tac Team also clears it, so in PvP it's probably not worth wasting a cmdr level tac position.
I prefer phaser,antiproton and tetryon for energy weapons.I go with photon,q torps,harpang and tricobalt.
I disagree full about your use of engines and shields assimulated borg engine or omega and shields a good regerative not covariant that is for science and resilant is for engineers.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Age StarTrek-Gamers Administrator
USS WARRIOR NCC 1720 Commanding Officer Star Trek Gamers
right now for my front i have:
1 quad cannon
1 HDC anti-proton
1 dual anti proton
1 quantum
rear:
3 anti-proton turrets
maco shields
borg engine
bord deflector
subspace field modulator
subspace jumper
emergency force fields
assimilated console
enhanced plasma manifold
point defense system
impulse compacitance cell
trans warp computer
defense turret
tac commander : tac team 1, attack pattern beta 1, torp spread 3, cannon scatter volly 3
tac lt: high yeild torp 1, cannon rapid fire 1
tac ensign: torp spread 1
eng lt: emergency power to shields 1, reverse shield polarity 1
science lt-commander: transfer power to shields 1, hazard emmiters 2, photonic officeers 2
i dropped the polarized hull as most tractor beams were used on me while i was already facing them and i found the impulse burst and evasive maneuvers could get me out of most bad situations that involved them. the photonic officer reduces my cool down on abilities.
I've not tried adding a second torp launcher yet but now that i've read about it may give it a go here and see what happens.
@sirisfox: Swap Scatter Volley 3 down to 1 and put either Rapid Fire or Beta up to 3 (preferably beta).
I don't know if it was mentioned in this thread in detail yet, but Beta 3 is hands down the single most damaging ability in the majority of STFs because it acts as a multiplier on all damage, instead of just adding damage.
What I mean is this, if you use an ability that increases your damage by 30% it typically only increases the 'base' damage and gets added to the bonus damage from your consoles, skills, etc.
But beta, beautiful beta, applies a resist debuff that pushes borg into a negative resistance, effectively multiplying the final damage dealt to them by roughly 40% for rank 3. And it effects your entire team.
So if your base damage is 100, and you add say 50% to that with skills and another 50% with an ability like CRF it jumps up to 200. Then you pop your tac abilities which apply to the end getting a bonus say 50% upping you to 300. Then APB bumps that up by 40% to 420 for you and your entire team! Did I mention it stacks, and stacks with sensor scan and fire on my mark? Cause it does. Check damage logs you'll see silly things like you dealt 2,400(1,500) damage to annoying borg structure.
*disclaimer: last time I tested CRF it worked as a + but its been awhile.
I don't know if it was mentioned in this thread in detail yet, but Beta 3 is hands down the single most damaging ability in the majority of STFs because it acts as a multiplier on all damage, instead of just adding damage.
Posts #42 through to #62...?
What I mean is this, if you use an ability that increases your damage by 30% it typically only increases the 'base' damage and gets added to the bonus damage from your consoles, skills, etc.
But beta, beautiful beta, applies a resist debuff that pushes borg into a negative resistance, effectively multiplying the final damage dealt to them by roughly 40% for rank 3. And it effects your entire team.
So if your base damage is 100, and you add say 50% to that with skills and another 50% with an ability like CRF it jumps up to 200. Then you pop your tac abilities which apply to the end getting a bonus say 50% upping you to 300. Then APB bumps that up by 40% to 420 for you and your entire team! Did I mention it stacks, and stacks with sensor scan and fire on my mark? Cause it does. Check damage logs you'll see silly things like you dealt 2,400(1,500) damage to annoying borg structure.
*disclaimer: last time I tested CRF it worked as a + but its been awhile.
The different stacking is to do with damage calculation mechanics.
There are basically two different types of buffs that can increase your damage output:
1. Things that buff your raw damage - like Tac Consoles, increasing your weapons power, and even skill boosts (like the short buff you get from from EPTW, or via DOFF assignments), These buffs all add up together, rather than multiply each other. Attack Pattern Omega and Attack Pattern Alpha are also examples of this.
This mechanic is (with fictitious numbers): 100% Base damage + 64% from Consoles + 100% from Weapons Power = 264% damage. +50% from APO3 would bring this to (264+50) = 314% damage. APA3 granting another buff of 50% would bring this to (314+50) = 364% damage.
2. Things that affect your damage output by other means - this can be due to decreasing your time between weapon firings (examples include Projectile Weapon DOFFs, CRF, the MACO 2-piece set bonus, etc) or due to a different mechanic such as resistance debuffs (Attack Pattern Beta or Attack Pattern Delta, Sensor Scan, Fire on My Mark, Disruptor Proc, etc). These buffs don't add up together, but instead multiply with each other.
This mechanic is (again, ficticious numbers): 100% Base damage + 64% from consoles + 100% from Weapons Power = 264% damage. +40% damage from CRF2, would bring this to (264*1.4) = 369.6% damage. APB3 granting another buff of 50%, would bring this to (369.6*1.5) = 554.4% damage.
Given the choice between an additive buff (1) and a multiplicative buff (2)... all else being equal, multiplicative ones are always better.
(There's certainly arguments to be made regarding buffs stacking/not stacking from different sources, or hull-damage-only buffs versus shield-and-hull-damage buffs, or AoE damage versus Single Target damage, or Spike Damage versus Sustained damage, or buffs that affect multiple damage types or that affect damage sources other than yourself etc... but the above is still a good point to grasp!!) :P
Updated a bit as of 12/28/12. I found it to be relevant with the influx of new players. Thyings have changed quite a bit with the new ship sets and new hybrid weapon types, but I don't feel it applies to STF's (except for some of the supplementary ship sets) The borg weapons still seem to be the best available for STF's.
CRF3 is the biggest buff to your own DPS you can get. But AP:Beta3 is the biggest damage resistance debuff you can get. APB3 is generally better, except when your target can get rid of it (i.e. another player in PVP, just by using Tac Team).
I'm personally quite fond of this setup for PVE:
TT1/CRF1/APO1/APB3
TT1/CSV1
TS1
But you can get a little more out of it:
TT1/CRF1/APO1/APB3
THY1/CSV1
TS1
(this second one requires 2x Blue Conn Officer DOFFs for Tac Team cooldown reduction; or better yet, 3x Purple Technicians and a copy of Aux2Bat1 in an engineering BOFF slot in order to get the cooldowns of everything reduced...)
After reading maelwy5 post i used his build on my defiant, but i added APD2, what do you all think ?
TT1/CRF1/APO1/APB3
THY1/CSV1/APD2
TS1
@maelwy5, please can you post your skill plan so i can see where you have spend you points please as i see you are good at sto
Your OP about Poloron. I have a JEM Bug. With Full Jem set and 4 Poloron DHC's and 3 Turretts and 6 ranks in Flow Cap and it Rocks in STF's. Nothing can stop it or even slow it down. With Specs in Flow cap and the Jem set Poloron does work in SFT's very very well. I have tried Omega XII and Maco XII and Borg XII and Reman XII on the Jem Bug with Disruptor and Antiproton and Phaser and Tet and Plasma loadouts, (yes I have all the weps in XII purple and all 5 tac consoles in XII purple) and on that ship Poloron preforms the best hands down. So for you new players that read the OP and think that Poloron is worthless. Its not. Not at all
Your OP about Poloron. I have a JEM Bug. With Full Jem set and 4 Poloron DHC's and 3 Turretts and 6 ranks in Flow Cap and it Rocks in STF's. Nothing can stop it or even slow it down. With Specs in Flow cap and the Jem set Poloron does work in SFT's very very well. I have tried Omega XII and Maco XII and Borg XII and Reman XII on the Jem Bug with Disruptor and Antiproton and Phaser and Tet and Plasma loadouts, (yes I have all the weps in XII purple and all 5 tac consoles in XII purple) and on that ship Poloron preforms the best hands down. So for you new players that read the OP and think that Poloron is worthless. Its not. Not at all
Define "work". Subsystems can't be drained on the gates, generators, and other non-ship objects. That renders the proc useless (and we all know, the only thing that separates the weapons now, is their proc). So for the 10-15 seconds your fighting a sphere or probe, how much is a small energy drain going to effect them? How do you know if your energy drain is even working? There is no indicator.
You also mention the bonus to polaron weapons using the jem'hadar set. The Jem'Hadar set is not optimal for STF's. The shields really are horrible (low cap and regen for a resilient shield especially when compared to the MACO shield), and the deflectors give no useable bonuses, with the exception of some science officers with builds not focused on Grav Well/Tykens. If you're a tac, you want to focus on defensive bonuses from your deflector. This includes "SIF, Shds and EM" Because of this, you will want a Positron deflector which gives bonuses in those specific areas.
There are however other energy types that have procs that effect everything as they are damage based. i.e. Disruptor, plasma and AntiProton.
Your OP about Poloron. I have a JEM Bug. With Full Jem set and 4 Poloron DHC's and 3 Turretts and 6 ranks in Flow Cap and it Rocks in STF's. Nothing can stop it or even slow it down. With Specs in Flow cap and the Jem set Poloron does work in SFT's very very well. I have tried Omega XII and Maco XII and Borg XII and Reman XII on the Jem Bug with Disruptor and Antiproton and Phaser and Tet and Plasma loadouts, (yes I have all the weps in XII purple and all 5 tac consoles in XII purple) and on that ship Poloron preforms the best hands down. So for you new players that read the OP and think that Poloron is worthless. Its not. Not at all
After reading maelwy5 post i used his build on my defiant, but i added APD2, what do you all think ?
TT1/CRF1/APO1/APB3
THY1/CSV1/APD2
TS1
@maelwy5, please can you post your skill plan so i can see where you have spend you points please as i see you are good at sto
thank you
Some people prefer to go heavy on the attack patterns. I tend to go a bit lighter on them. I like having strong AOE damage as in STF's, you will commonly come up against a group of ships (especially if you have a sci teammate who knows what theyre doing and gravity wells ships together). This is why I use CSV3 and TS3. Torp Spread III is a very powerful skill, which is why it's hard to find on Boff's and the ones on the exchange tend to go for 500K-1M EC. (The Jem'Hadar Boff comes with Torp Spread III though so you can get it for free)
I attached the build that I use for my Defiant below . (I personally prefer the Patrol Escort to the defiant though for some added survivability)
Please note that there are some skills that are must-haves for STF's as well as some equipment. The first two are most important.
Tactical Team 1 - This give s tactical buff, balances you shields to where you are taking damage and also clears borg bording parties (when your screen flashes red and everything goes on cooldown). This is why people will often use this twice, especially if they have a 3rd ensign tactical slot like on the defiant.
Hazard Emitters - This Gives a large hull heal over time, removes plasma fires on your hull, and stops the borg shield neutralizer (when you notice your shields constantly diminishing to nothing)
Polarize Hull - This gives you a small defensive buff and frees you from borg tractor beams.
You will also want to use Electroceramic Hull Plating for a +35 resistance to plasma weapons (Borg use plasma weapons). This should be coupled with a Monotanium (+35 kinetic resistance) or Neutronium (+17.5 kinetic/+17.5 all energy type resistance) console to add kinetic resistance.
If you don't want to use two slots for Tactical Team 1, you can get a "Conn officer" doff that reduces the cooldown on tactical team as well as gives an offensive buff.
In regards to weapons, there is a lot of back and forth over whether dual-cannons or dual-heavy cannons are best to use, both sides appear to have valid points. I may have to say it comes down to preference until some solid proof is shown otherwise
I use the following setup (All MK XII Purple Borg) AntiProton
2x Dual Cannons, 1 DHC, 1 Quantum Torp
3x turrets
MK XII MACO Set
Sci - Borg Assimilated Universal Console / Field Generator +17.5% shield cap
Eng - Electroceramic / monotanium
Tac - 3x Antiproton / 1 Quantum
Device- Red Matter Capacitor / Subspace Modulator.
The Kinetic Cutting Beam and Omega torp can be substituted in as well to take advantage of the additional set bonus
Your OP about Poloron. I have a JEM Bug. With Full Jem set and 4 Poloron DHC's and 3 Turretts and 6 ranks in Flow Cap and it Rocks in STF's. Nothing can stop it or even slow it down. With Specs in Flow cap and the Jem set Poloron does work in SFT's very very well. I have tried Omega XII and Maco XII and Borg XII and Reman XII on the Jem Bug with Disruptor and Antiproton and Phaser and Tet and Plasma loadouts, (yes I have all the weps in XII purple and all 5 tac consoles in XII purple) and on that ship Poloron preforms the best hands down. So for you new players that read the OP and think that Poloron is worthless. Its not. Not at all
I see your here to measure your TRIBBLE and your wallet
If you load up polaron a with the jemhadar set and check your base damage on your weapons then load up either phaser or disruptor being fed or klink you will find the the various small bonuses you've built up through levelling your character give you a bigger damage boost than the Jem 7.6% plus the stats on the jem set are herrendous I find it highly amusing how you have all the gear but no idea
----=====This is my opinion you don't have to listen and no one else has to read them these "OPINIONS" are based on my exploits and my learning other people will have their opinions and that's fine just don't knock my way of doing things thanks=====---- :cool:
Your OP about Poloron. I have a JEM Bug. With Full Jem set and 4 Poloron DHC's and 3 Turretts and 6 ranks in Flow Cap and it Rocks in STF's. Nothing can stop it or even slow it down. With Specs in Flow cap and the Jem set Poloron does work in SFT's very very well. I have tried Omega XII and Maco XII and Borg XII and Reman XII on the Jem Bug with Disruptor and Antiproton and Phaser and Tet and Plasma loadouts, (yes I have all the weps in XII purple and all 5 tac consoles in XII purple) and on that ship Poloron preforms the best hands down. So for you new players that read the OP and think that Poloron is worthless. Its not. Not at all
I see your here to measure your TRIBBLE and your wallet
If you load up polaron a with the jemhadar set and check your base damage on your weapons then load up either phaser or disruptor being fed or klink you will find the the various small bonuses you've built up through levelling your character give you a bigger damage boost than the Jem 7.6% plus the stats on the jem set are herrendous I find it highly amusing how you have all the gear but no idea
If you read his whole post, didn't he do... exactly that? Now I'm confused. Red claims he tested the various sets & energy types and found that putting polarons on his Bug seems to work better. I'm not sure I'm seeing the size of his genitals nor his wallet on display here. Just that for players like him, for whatever reason, going all Polaron seems to be of value.
You also mentioned "phaser or disruptor" and "being fed or kling". So being FED gives you a bonus to phasers? KDF for disruptors? Wouldn't "various small bonuses you've built up through levelling your character give you a bigger damage boost" also apply equally to the non-Polaron weapons he tested with?
Maybe when you're trying to argue to reason, drop the vitriol or at least try to be reasonably calm and polite. But if you're just arguing to persuade, then I apologize for interfering. @redsnake721? What they don't know, can't hurt you. Even better if they think you're wrong, right? Mission accomplished. Now stop slumming and get back in the game.
xgorillapx, let me ask you something if you don't mind:
In theory, could you modify this build for use with an Engineer, and if so, how would you recommend doing it? I'm running your build on a Tac officer right now, and it is pretty good, but I'm looking to do something similar in the DPS department for my Eng. You seem to know your stuff, so I was hoping you might give me some points.
By the way, "This won't work on an engineer, period," is an acceptable answer. I'm just looking for decent DPS Eng builds but I've never played one before!
Some people prefer to go heavy on the attack patterns. I tend to go a bit lighter on them. I like having strong AOE damage as in STF's, you will commonly come up against a group of ships (especially if you have a sci teammate who knows what theyre doing and gravity wells ships together). This is why I use CSV3 and TS3. Torp Spread III is a very powerful skill, which is why it's hard to find on Boff's and the ones on the exchange tend to go for 500K-1M EC. (The Jem'Hadar Boff comes with Torp Spread III though so you can get it for free)
I attached the build that I use for my Defiant below . (I personally prefer the Patrol Escort to the defiant though for some added survivability)
Please note that there are some skills that are must-haves for STF's as well as some equipment. The first two are most important.
Tactical Team 1 - This give s tactical buff, balances you shields to where you are taking damage and also clears borg bording parties (when your screen flashes red and everything goes on cooldown). This is why people will often use this twice, especially if they have a 3rd ensign tactical slot like on the defiant.
Hazard Emitters - This Gives a large hull heal over time, removes plasma fires on your hull, and stops the borg shield neutralizer (when you notice your shields constantly diminishing to nothing)
Polarize Hull - This gives you a small defensive buff and frees you from borg tractor beams.
You will also want to use Electroceramic Hull Plating for a +35 resistance to plasma weapons (Borg use plasma weapons). This should be coupled with a Monotanium (+35 kinetic resistance) or Neutronium (+17.5 kinetic/+17.5 all energy type resistance) console to add kinetic resistance.
If you don't want to use two slots for Tactical Team 1, you can get a "Conn officer" doff that reduces the cooldown on tactical team as well as gives an offensive buff.
In regards to weapons, there is a lot of back and forth over whether dual-cannons or dual-heavy cannons are best to use, both sides appear to have valid points. I may have to say it comes down to preference until some solid proof is shown otherwise
I use the following setup (All MK XII Purple Borg) AntiProton
2x Dual Cannons, 1 DHC, 1 Quantum Torp
3x turrets
MK XII MACO Set
Sci - Borg Assimilated Universal Console / Field Generator +17.5% shield cap
Eng - Electroceramic / monotanium
Tac - 3x Antiproton / 1 Quantum
Device- Red Matter Capacitor / Subspace Modulator.
The Kinetic Cutting Beam and Omega torp can be substituted in as well to take advantage of the additional set bonus
I hope this can help someone.
xgorillapx is there any way to make this work on a Multi-Vector Advanced Escort ?
Whats the best weapon and used by a few people? I just looted a bunch of Polarised Distrupter Cannons Very Rare's and pondering if they are any good (from loot boxes).
xgorillapx, let me ask you something if you don't mind:
In theory, could you modify this build for use with an Engineer, and if so, how would you recommend doing it? I'm running your build on a Tac officer right now, and it is pretty good, but I'm looking to do something similar in the DPS department for my Eng. You seem to know your stuff, so I was hoping you might give me some points.
By the way, "This won't work on an engineer, period," is an acceptable answer. I'm just looking for decent DPS Eng builds but I've never played one before!
I'd be happy to help anyone I can. (sorry it took a while to respond, I didn't know this had become more active as of late.)
In regards to applying this to a cruiser, a cruiser would be setup somewhat differently considering its slow turn rate. In such a case, dual cannons may not be appropriate as their firingt arc is only 45 degrees. You will spend far less time in that 45-[degree sweet spot then say an escort would. I would be happy to put together something with my recommendations though.
In regards to the MVAM setup, it's definitely possible, with only a couple minor adjustments. I do personally prefer the patrol escort however, but everyone has their preferences.I will put together a couple builds for these and post the responses shortly. I will admit however that I am not as experienced with cruisers as I am with escorts, but I can put together an effective build for specific use.
Also keep in mind that a PvP build may be ineffective in an STF and vice-versa. The builds that I am recommending on here are for STF's as I am far more experienced with those than I am with PvP.
Whats the best weapon and used by a few people? I just looted a bunch of Polarised Distrupter Cannons Very Rare's and pondering if they are any good (from loot boxes).
Yes I like the polarized disruptors. They are good weapons considering their dual-proc. I'm a fan of the dual-[proc weapons in general i.e. tetryon/polaron, phaser/tetryon, disruptor/polaron, plasma/disruptor,etc.
As for STF's I would have to say the most effective energy weapon type would likely be the plasma/disruptor hybrid because both procs will apply to all targets. Where as the tetryon, polaron and phaser procs don't apply to things such as gates and are often very infeffective against cubes. (tetryon may be an exception against cubes, but once its shields are down, the proc no longer helps)
I personally have a polarized tetryon weapon set for most of my characters for non-STF use. I will switch to the romulan disruptor/plasma hybrids once I am able to acquire a full set of them.
I came up with this for the MVAE. This build isn't strictly DPS. This includes some survivability in there, which I'm assuming is a large part of someone deciding to use an advanced escort. As this escort does give up damage for some healing.
Front Weapons - 2 DC's/1 DHC/1 Quantum Torpedo
Rear Weapons - 3x Turrets
(Swap out quantum and turret if you have the Omega Torp/Kinetic Cutting beam to get bonuses from set)
Also if you have the omega torp, I would switch out the APB1 for HY2 due to the massive damage done by HY omega torps.
Does anyone know if there is a palce to create an entire ship build, perhaps an extended version of that STO acadamy has. Something that includes Boff slots, weapons setup, etc.?
Comments
Ok great point I guess I overlooked that point after playing this game since launch I'm still learning things thanks for the info
You're actually wrong on this, Neutronium Consoles, Blue Mk XI (scaled to your level of course) are completely and 100% free from this mission right here.
I would also argue against going antiproton as THOSE are some very expensive consoles and can drain a wallet really fast.
Nice guide, though I admit to doing the beam array thing in back because it's canon on the Defiant.
I also enjoy a DBB up front for being able to do Target Shields 3 which is super effective against cubes and Donatra and such but you're right, way less effective against structures.
Please make this update. Thanks.
I disagree full about your use of engines and shields assimulated borg engine or omega and shields a good regerative not covariant that is for science and resilant is for engineers.
USS WARRIOR NCC 1720 Commanding Officer
Star Trek Gamers
right now for my front i have:
1 quad cannon
1 HDC anti-proton
1 dual anti proton
1 quantum
rear:
3 anti-proton turrets
maco shields
borg engine
bord deflector
subspace field modulator
subspace jumper
emergency force fields
assimilated console
enhanced plasma manifold
point defense system
impulse compacitance cell
trans warp computer
defense turret
tac commander : tac team 1, attack pattern beta 1, torp spread 3, cannon scatter volly 3
tac lt: high yeild torp 1, cannon rapid fire 1
tac ensign: torp spread 1
eng lt: emergency power to shields 1, reverse shield polarity 1
science lt-commander: transfer power to shields 1, hazard emmiters 2, photonic officeers 2
i dropped the polarized hull as most tractor beams were used on me while i was already facing them and i found the impulse burst and evasive maneuvers could get me out of most bad situations that involved them. the photonic officer reduces my cool down on abilities.
I've not tried adding a second torp launcher yet but now that i've read about it may give it a go here and see what happens.
also input/critique would be welcomed
I don't know if it was mentioned in this thread in detail yet, but Beta 3 is hands down the single most damaging ability in the majority of STFs because it acts as a multiplier on all damage, instead of just adding damage.
What I mean is this, if you use an ability that increases your damage by 30% it typically only increases the 'base' damage and gets added to the bonus damage from your consoles, skills, etc.
But beta, beautiful beta, applies a resist debuff that pushes borg into a negative resistance, effectively multiplying the final damage dealt to them by roughly 40% for rank 3. And it effects your entire team.
So if your base damage is 100, and you add say 50% to that with skills and another 50% with an ability like CRF it jumps up to 200. Then you pop your tac abilities which apply to the end getting a bonus say 50% upping you to 300. Then APB bumps that up by 40% to 420 for you and your entire team! Did I mention it stacks, and stacks with sensor scan and fire on my mark? Cause it does. Check damage logs you'll see silly things like you dealt 2,400(1,500) damage to annoying borg structure.
*disclaimer: last time I tested CRF it worked as a + but its been awhile.
Posts #42 through to #62...?
The different stacking is to do with damage calculation mechanics.
There are basically two different types of buffs that can increase your damage output:
1. Things that buff your raw damage - like Tac Consoles, increasing your weapons power, and even skill boosts (like the short buff you get from from EPTW, or via DOFF assignments), These buffs all add up together, rather than multiply each other. Attack Pattern Omega and Attack Pattern Alpha are also examples of this.
This mechanic is (with fictitious numbers): 100% Base damage + 64% from Consoles + 100% from Weapons Power = 264% damage. +50% from APO3 would bring this to (264+50) = 314% damage. APA3 granting another buff of 50% would bring this to (314+50) = 364% damage.
2. Things that affect your damage output by other means - this can be due to decreasing your time between weapon firings (examples include Projectile Weapon DOFFs, CRF, the MACO 2-piece set bonus, etc) or due to a different mechanic such as resistance debuffs (Attack Pattern Beta or Attack Pattern Delta, Sensor Scan, Fire on My Mark, Disruptor Proc, etc). These buffs don't add up together, but instead multiply with each other.
This mechanic is (again, ficticious numbers): 100% Base damage + 64% from consoles + 100% from Weapons Power = 264% damage. +40% damage from CRF2, would bring this to (264*1.4) = 369.6% damage. APB3 granting another buff of 50%, would bring this to (369.6*1.5) = 554.4% damage.
Given the choice between an additive buff (1) and a multiplicative buff (2)... all else being equal, multiplicative ones are always better.
(There's certainly arguments to be made regarding buffs stacking/not stacking from different sources, or hull-damage-only buffs versus shield-and-hull-damage buffs, or AoE damage versus Single Target damage, or Spike Damage versus Sustained damage, or buffs that affect multiple damage types or that affect damage sources other than yourself etc... but the above is still a good point to grasp!!) :P
After reading maelwy5 post i used his build on my defiant, but i added APD2, what do you all think ?
TT1/CRF1/APO1/APB3
THY1/CSV1/APD2
TS1
@maelwy5, please can you post your skill plan so i can see where you have spend you points please as i see you are good at sto
thank you
Define "work". Subsystems can't be drained on the gates, generators, and other non-ship objects. That renders the proc useless (and we all know, the only thing that separates the weapons now, is their proc). So for the 10-15 seconds your fighting a sphere or probe, how much is a small energy drain going to effect them? How do you know if your energy drain is even working? There is no indicator.
You also mention the bonus to polaron weapons using the jem'hadar set. The Jem'Hadar set is not optimal for STF's. The shields really are horrible (low cap and regen for a resilient shield especially when compared to the MACO shield), and the deflectors give no useable bonuses, with the exception of some science officers with builds not focused on Grav Well/Tykens. If you're a tac, you want to focus on defensive bonuses from your deflector. This includes "SIF, Shds and EM" Because of this, you will want a Positron deflector which gives bonuses in those specific areas.
There are however other energy types that have procs that effect everything as they are damage based. i.e. Disruptor, plasma and AntiProton.
tac team 1 torp spread 2 can rapid fire 2
transefer shield stregth 1
emergancy to shields 1 rsp 1
hazzard emitors 1 tractor beam repulsers 1
never underestimate the power of attack pattern omega.....ever
Some people prefer to go heavy on the attack patterns. I tend to go a bit lighter on them. I like having strong AOE damage as in STF's, you will commonly come up against a group of ships (especially if you have a sci teammate who knows what theyre doing and gravity wells ships together). This is why I use CSV3 and TS3. Torp Spread III is a very powerful skill, which is why it's hard to find on Boff's and the ones on the exchange tend to go for 500K-1M EC. (The Jem'Hadar Boff comes with Torp Spread III though so you can get it for free)
I attached the build that I use for my Defiant below . (I personally prefer the Patrol Escort to the defiant though for some added survivability)
Please note that there are some skills that are must-haves for STF's as well as some equipment. The first two are most important.
Tactical Team 1 - This give s tactical buff, balances you shields to where you are taking damage and also clears borg bording parties (when your screen flashes red and everything goes on cooldown). This is why people will often use this twice, especially if they have a 3rd ensign tactical slot like on the defiant.
Hazard Emitters - This Gives a large hull heal over time, removes plasma fires on your hull, and stops the borg shield neutralizer (when you notice your shields constantly diminishing to nothing)
Polarize Hull - This gives you a small defensive buff and frees you from borg tractor beams.
You will also want to use Electroceramic Hull Plating for a +35 resistance to plasma weapons (Borg use plasma weapons). This should be coupled with a Monotanium (+35 kinetic resistance) or Neutronium (+17.5 kinetic/+17.5 all energy type resistance) console to add kinetic resistance.
If you don't want to use two slots for Tactical Team 1, you can get a "Conn officer" doff that reduces the cooldown on tactical team as well as gives an offensive buff.
In regards to weapons, there is a lot of back and forth over whether dual-cannons or dual-heavy cannons are best to use, both sides appear to have valid points. I may have to say it comes down to preference until some solid proof is shown otherwise
I use the following setup (All MK XII Purple Borg) AntiProton
2x Dual Cannons, 1 DHC, 1 Quantum Torp
3x turrets
MK XII MACO Set
Sci - Borg Assimilated Universal Console / Field Generator +17.5% shield cap
Eng - Electroceramic / monotanium
Tac - 3x Antiproton / 1 Quantum
Device- Red Matter Capacitor / Subspace Modulator.
The Kinetic Cutting Beam and Omega torp can be substituted in as well to take advantage of the additional set bonus
I hope this can help someone.
I see your here to measure your TRIBBLE and your wallet
If you load up polaron a with the jemhadar set and check your base damage on your weapons then load up either phaser or disruptor being fed or klink you will find the the various small bonuses you've built up through levelling your character give you a bigger damage boost than the Jem 7.6% plus the stats on the jem set are herrendous I find it highly amusing how you have all the gear but no idea
Just picked one up,seems ok.
If you read his whole post, didn't he do... exactly that? Now I'm confused. Red claims he tested the various sets & energy types and found that putting polarons on his Bug seems to work better. I'm not sure I'm seeing the size of his genitals nor his wallet on display here. Just that for players like him, for whatever reason, going all Polaron seems to be of value.
You also mentioned "phaser or disruptor" and "being fed or kling". So being FED gives you a bonus to phasers? KDF for disruptors? Wouldn't "various small bonuses you've built up through levelling your character give you a bigger damage boost" also apply equally to the non-Polaron weapons he tested with?
Maybe when you're trying to argue to reason, drop the vitriol or at least try to be reasonably calm and polite. But if you're just arguing to persuade, then I apologize for interfering.
@redsnake721? What they don't know, can't hurt you. Even better if they think you're wrong, right? Mission accomplished. Now stop slumming and get back in the game.
In theory, could you modify this build for use with an Engineer, and if so, how would you recommend doing it? I'm running your build on a Tac officer right now, and it is pretty good, but I'm looking to do something similar in the DPS department for my Eng. You seem to know your stuff, so I was hoping you might give me some points.
By the way, "This won't work on an engineer, period," is an acceptable answer. I'm just looking for decent DPS Eng builds but I've never played one before!
xgorillapx is there any way to make this work on a Multi-Vector Advanced Escort ?
thank you for your help
Element Zero Gaming
www.ez-guild.com
Element Zero Gaming
www.ez-guild.com
the best weapon is your mind. use it to read this thread and get some tips.
and u only even have to read the OP to get your answer so it's not asking much out of a thread is it.
I'd be happy to help anyone I can. (sorry it took a while to respond, I didn't know this had become more active as of late.)
In regards to applying this to a cruiser, a cruiser would be setup somewhat differently considering its slow turn rate. In such a case, dual cannons may not be appropriate as their firingt arc is only 45 degrees. You will spend far less time in that 45-[degree sweet spot then say an escort would. I would be happy to put together something with my recommendations though.
In regards to the MVAM setup, it's definitely possible, with only a couple minor adjustments. I do personally prefer the patrol escort however, but everyone has their preferences.I will put together a couple builds for these and post the responses shortly. I will admit however that I am not as experienced with cruisers as I am with escorts, but I can put together an effective build for specific use.
Also keep in mind that a PvP build may be ineffective in an STF and vice-versa. The builds that I am recommending on here are for STF's as I am far more experienced with those than I am with PvP.
Yes I like the polarized disruptors. They are good weapons considering their dual-proc. I'm a fan of the dual-[proc weapons in general i.e. tetryon/polaron, phaser/tetryon, disruptor/polaron, plasma/disruptor,etc.
As for STF's I would have to say the most effective energy weapon type would likely be the plasma/disruptor hybrid because both procs will apply to all targets. Where as the tetryon, polaron and phaser procs don't apply to things such as gates and are often very infeffective against cubes. (tetryon may be an exception against cubes, but once its shields are down, the proc no longer helps)
I personally have a polarized tetryon weapon set for most of my characters for non-STF use. I will switch to the romulan disruptor/plasma hybrids once I am able to acquire a full set of them.
http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/index.php?build=GorillaPMVAESTF_2596
Front Weapons - 2 DC's/1 DHC/1 Quantum Torpedo
Rear Weapons - 3x Turrets
(Swap out quantum and turret if you have the Omega Torp/Kinetic Cutting beam to get bonuses from set)
Also if you have the omega torp, I would switch out the APB1 for HY2 due to the massive damage done by HY omega torps.
im a member of stoacademy, sorry we dont but I will ask around.