I decided to start from scratch and build myself a sci-escort, aimed for PvP of course. My first true sciscort, I sometimes played with the idea, but never actually leveled a sci-toon as sciscort captain.
This is my little thread for documenting the evolution of my sciscort. I also hope for some criticism and some advises when I mess up with things.
I start from lt.cmdr and tier 1 escort - something I acquired yesterday. My plan with ships/items/money/advancement is:
1) Gain experience only through PvP/Ker'rat/Fleet Actions (no STFs and other PvE content)
2) Use only stuff that:
- I win in Fleet Actions,
- buy with EC
- buy with dillithium
- get from C-store ships
This means no crafting, no STF packs and so on.
3) Use all the ships I can get via C-Store (if I think it is worth it) or standard ships. No lock boxes or fleet ships (on VA level).
4) Use only DOFFs and BOFFs I can buy on SB1, recruit on Starfleet Academy or get from leveling up. No Exchange or C-Store officers.
Basic rules are set up and let start this game. It will go slowly as I play only few hours weekly and not at all at weekends, but I hope the ship and toon will be good enough to kick some behinds
Comments
Link to my build on Skill Planner
BOFF skills:
- ENG: shield resistance is WAAGH! And small heal is also not bad.
- SCI: I had to choose between Hazard Emmiters and Polarize Hull. Decided in favour of PH because it give both the immunity to tractor beams and very nice boost to resistance. With the low shields I have currently and the GTFO console of refited escort I decided that more resistace is better then some heal and lower resistance.
-TAC: High Yield Torpedo gives nice boost to the torp but I decided to get the I instead of II and get the Beam Target Shields II for the additional shield stripping. And cause I will use beams as primary weapons the Beam Overload II is a must. I'm thinking about changing it for the shield strip/hull blow configuration so the HYT II, BTS II but I still have to decide what is better - chance on shield disabling from BTS or the faster shield eating from the BO II. Need to test it in PvP - when I finally get into some fight.
Weapons:
- FRONT: 2 Phaser Beam Array Mk IV [Acc][Dmg], 1 Photon Torpedo [Acc]
- BACK: 1 Phaser Beam Array Mk II [Acc]
Why this way - I have also Dual Phaser Beam Arrays Mk II [Acc], but I thought that trying to use the manoeuvrability of the escort to keep myself out of the frontal arc/broadsides and use it to broadside my enemy. It's for try, it works in Fleet Actions, I still need to test it on PvP - but queues are sloooow those days.
And torpedo for the mercy blow when the shields are down. And I like torps.
Equipment:
- DEFLECTOR: Tachyon Deflector Array Mk IV [FlwC][Sen]
- SHIELDS: Shield Array Mk III [Pha]
- ENGINE: Combat Impulse Engine Mk II [Full][Spd]
Why this way? Engine and Shield - I won such over SB24 and never got anything better. Nor money for anything better - Exchange prices for low level blue/purple items are stupid.
Deflector was also won, but I decided to get Tachyon for bonuses it gives into Sensors and Flow Capacitors as I aim to create a shield-eater escort, and sensors are additional bonus. So I probably stay with Tachyon, only try to get Mk III or Mk IV if I could win it or accumulate enough money for Exchange.
Try this out and see how you might like it. I used to fly my SCI in an MVAM with a build very similar to Deadpool's with some pretty nice results. As far as gear goes, I can't help you there, but Phaser weapons (4 Dual Heavy Cannons & 3 Turrets) with as much ACC as you can get (or your weapon type of choice) and MACO shields w/ 3 piece Borg. And, yes, before anyone says anything about it...I KNOW I am wasting a Ensign slot with 3 Tac Teams, but with an all cannon build, this build worked for me, and I just didn't slot the 3rd TT. I suppose if the idea of wasted BO slots bugs you, you could switch out one of the rear turrets for a beam array and use a Target Subsystem 1 ability, but the all cannons & turrets/Rapid Fire build was successful, at least for me.
I'm in the middle of lt.cmdr road of my lovely toon and one I can tell for sure. No way to pull the 3x beam array escort for PvP. In PvE - usre, it's great killer as computer is stupid. In PvP against anyone who is using his brain at least partially - no way.
So I replaced forward beam arrays with two Phaser DBB Mk III [Acc][Dmg]x2 (I did not have EC for anything with [Acc]x2) and the killability of my ship jumped at least by 100%. I also replaced the torpedos - to quantums, but I doubt it was good idea. With the extensive use of Beam Target Shields the ability to shoot more torps in quick succession means there is bigger chance to catch the target with it's pants down. Quantum pack more punch, but I cannot use them as efficiently as photons.
Another thing in the build that changed are the shields (got Mk IV [Cap]) and that's it.
Beam sciscort is a hell to fly and easy pray cause it's not packing as much punch as cannon escort, but I think if I got my hands on some phaser with better [Acc] modifier I could turn it into great sniper ship - shooting from afar at shields and throwing torp or two into the hole before target could cross the distance and blow me up with his CRF.
Needs further checking.
Oh - and sciscort is kinda fun to fly. I started to pay more attention to what is going on and not to my counters on AP:A