I have the Tactical Escort Retro. I dunno from the layout to the look of the ship it never "Grabbed" me. Just not a fan.
Whereas the Patrol Escort, both in looks and Boff Layout I love. Even though I paid money for the Defiant I fly the Patrol Escort all the time. My fav escort, where now I want the fleet version.
I don't have a Jem'hadar ship, so its hard to comment on it. I have found the Defiant - R to be an excellent ship for a tac character, the alpha strike and forward damage ability on the ship is great. I have found it a little lacking in its ability to stay alive, but if you fly it with an eng cap, its a lot easier, but you pass up a lot of damage potential. the bridge officer and doff boosts are key on a defiant class. I'm trying very hard to build my private fleet to get a fleet version of the defiant to see how that will fair. I may not even throw a tac console into the 5th tac slot, I may just go with a universal console, I have to wait to see with it.
To each their own. If you were to pick 'the best' based on the Escort-type's strengths then the one with the most firepower and maneauverability would win. That could mean the Jem'Hadar bug or the Defiant.
However, each downside has it's upside too. For example, I'm a defensive player at heart so being able to run Emergency Power to Shields 3 on my Armitage works great for me. I wouldn't be able to play the Defiant quite as effectively because it doesn't suit me as well.
I will have to say, for a cash store ship the Armitage would be my favourite due to the LTC Engineer and fighters that open a lot more possiblities to an escort vessel.
However the patrol escort is my daily driver because it's free and its awesome. It's a lot tankier than most escort pilots give it credit for (but of course, no good escort jockey would sit still in the enemy's firing arcs and wait to be slaughtered as I see all too often in ESTFs).
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
However the patrol escort is my daily driver because it's free and its awesome. It's a lot tankier than most escort pilots give it credit for (but of course, no good escort jockey would sit still in the enemy's firing arcs and wait to be slaughtered as I see all too often in ESTFs).
No good escort pilot would be a good escort pilot? Sense, you make none.
But yes, you're probably very tanky when you spend half the time with DHCs pointed away from the target and it ignores you completely.
No good escort pilot would be a good escort pilot? Sense, you make none.
But yes, you're probably very tanky when you spend half the time with DHCs pointed away from the target and it ignores you completely.
Elementary school level translation:
1) Escorts are generally spoken of as squishy
2) The fault lies in the pilots choosing the wrong moment to stop and shoot in the hope of causing more damage to the enemy, attract aggro, and are unable to manage said aggro
3) The Patrol Escort is my favourite as its additional engineering power comes in handy at all times, and by observation the Armitage can perform the PE's role in PvP and is even more survivable making it the perfect choice for pilots who have not perfected their strafing or shoot and scoot positioning. A wider margin of error provided to the pilot by use of powerful self-heals, or adding new capability makes for increased combat potential.
4) Target fixtated pilots who fail to manage a balance between dealing outgoing and managing incoming damage are dead pilots. So you learn to disengage temporarily for a few seconds, come in on another vector and devastate the target fully buffed. I believe everyone contributing to this thread knows exactly what tactical positioning is all about.
So I think we are all on the same page after all
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
im fairly new to high level tac spec having been more interested in my engineer and sci officer but i have noticed the following:
Fleet escort:
My 2c:
as a gunboat the fleet escort seems sluggish and fails to function as described unless geared out with a decent turn rate console HOWEVER when the consoles are properly set out this ship can be devastating as a torp boat a gun boat (with cannons) or even a spider destroyer (beam boat) but as a conventional Escort it kinda sucks.
Note:
unlike smaller more manoeuvrable ships the fleet escort is designed to be more of an off tank and DPS but only in a specific role. choose how you want to play based on the three DPS variables and stick to "Stand and shoot" attacks and gear your Boff's skills to take maximum advantage of its ability to take a hit and still dish it out.
MVAE:
My 2c:
The multi vector advanced escort offers massive potential for any escort player in that it is equipped to deal significant damage from a non specific combative position...
...or to put it another way its designed to be all things in a DPS situation. set this ship up with a dual beam and a pair of heavy cannons with a decent torp up front mines in the back end and a pair of high level turrets and then spam your space bar until the cows come home this ship can pump out damage like nobody's business and is a nearly perfect "conventional" dps dealing ship.
Note:
Sadly this ship is a jack of all trades, why sadly you say? well its this simply you can do everything to an acceptable degree or you can do one thing right, the MVAE is the former. It is an acceptable DPS, it is an acceptable PVP and PVE ship and it is reasonable at what it does but sadly lacks the single focus of others. Splitting the ship may seem like a good idea to deal more DPS but sadly the AI is lacking and no singular section can match the raw grunt of a ship and her captain balancing skills and power. Now if you could switch between sections after one gets destroyed that would make this the survivors choice of combative vessel in PVP and PVE but as it is splitting is more trouble than its worth, a gimmick at best.
Tactical escort retrofit:
My 2c:
It's the Defiant...no really do i have to say more? incredibly manoeuvrable little glass cannon with a cloaking device and the single most devastating Tac Boff layout in the game (IMHO) geared for turning and speed with a decent weapon choice this can be the ultimate gun boat. As a torp boat she feels wasted and as a spider slayer she seems underwhelming but load her for bear and break out the turrets with rapid fire 1-2 & 3 in your tac slots, toss in Alpha or Omega to turn or survive and you have a creature of mass devastation that any fleet would want.
Note:
She is a glass cannon in ever possible description and although many would be tempted to lose the cloak in favor of more weapon power i found that the ability to keep out of trouble until you are needed rather than going in guns blazing then turning tail and running for the hills offered more opportunity to deal damage than spamming my cool downs dieing and then waiting for a respawn.
A tough little ship she may be....but not when you have the borg or Klingons zeroing in on you with Mk XII's
My favorite so far has been my Defiant. I have a Dervish-class patrol escort now and I don't really care for it (or any of the other patrol or advanced escorts). But it carries more firepower than the Defiant so... yeah.
At the moment I'm trying to buy enough zen (via dilithium exchange) to get the tactical escort retrofit from the zen store. The look of the Defiant that I like so much with the extra rear weapons slot I keep the ugly Dervish for.
My favorite so far has been my Defiant. I have a Dervish-class patrol escort now and I don't really care for it (or any of the other patrol or advanced escorts). But it carries more firepower than the Defiant so... yeah.
At the moment I'm trying to buy enough zen (via dilithium exchange) to get the tactical escort retrofit from the zen store. The look of the Defiant that I like so much with the extra rear weapons slot I keep the ugly Dervish for.
You won't go wrong with the Tactical Escort Retrofit. I loooooove the Defiant's cloaking console.
I love how damaging the Defiant Retrofit can be, as well as the Armitage with it's hangar bays. However, I play with my Defiant more than the Armitage.
^(^.^)^
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im fairly new to high level tac spec having been more interested in my engineer and sci officer but i have noticed the following:
Fleet escort:
My 2c:
as a gunboat the fleet escort seems sluggish and fails to function as described unless geared out with a decent turn rate console HOWEVER when the consoles are properly set out this ship can be devastating as a torp boat a gun boat (with cannons) or even a spider destroyer (beam boat) but as a conventional Escort it kinda sucks.
Note:
unlike smaller more manoeuvrable ships the fleet escort is designed to be more of an off tank and DPS but only in a specific role. choose how you want to play based on the three DPS variables and stick to "Stand and shoot" attacks and gear your Boff's skills to take maximum advantage of its ability to take a hit and still dish it out.
And with that, I stop reading. You are bad. It's okay, probably 85% of STO players are bad. But considering a 'concentional' escort's job is to do damage, and the highest damage fit right now is all cannons and the defiant has a wasted slot with all cannons, and anything but the AE or the PE have sub-optimal Boff setups with all cannons, you are just simply wrong. The Patrol and Advanced escorts are the. best. escorts. outside of fleet ships. Period. I choose patrol over advanced because it has that extra engi slot, which I really like over the extra sci slot. But seriously man, sucks as a conventional escort? Just go home now.
And with that, I stop reading. You are bad. It's okay, probably 85% of STO players are bad. But considering a 'concentional' escort's job is to do damage, and the highest damage fit right now is all cannons and the defiant has a wasted slot with all cannons, and anything but the AE or the PE have sub-optimal Boff setups with all cannons, you are just simply wrong. The Patrol and Advanced escorts are the. best. escorts. outside of fleet ships. Period. I choose patrol over advanced because it has that extra engi slot, which I really like over the extra sci slot. But seriously man, sucks as a conventional escort? Just go home now.
I have to agree with this statement. In PvP, I keep getting shredded by Patrol Escorts and Bugs. Until reading this thread though, I was under the impression that running 3 DHCs and 1 set of torps up front was the best DPS loadout. I'll have to go play with running all DHCs. On another note though, the MVAE shouldnt be overlooked because of its gimmicky console. It CAN be removed, which I did, and flying the thing with a science captain has worked well (PvE, I havent tried it in PvP). TSS2 and HE3 give me more survivability than my engineering options. Even with minimal power to Aux, I'm still recovering about 700 HP per tick. Far more if I pop a battery. I would go on about it, but I still have more to learn about the capabilities of the ship. The versatility is welcome though. Dont discount it just because it isnt pumping out the most pure DPS.
I have to agree with this statement. In PvP, I keep getting shredded by Patrol Escorts and Bugs. Until reading this thread though, I was under the impression that running 3 DHCs and 1 set of torps up front was the best DPS loadout. I'll have to go play with running all DHCs. On another note though, the MVAE shouldnt be overlooked because of its gimmicky console. It CAN be removed, which I did, and flying the thing with a science captain has worked well (PvE, I havent tried it in PvP). TSS2 and HE3 give me more survivability than my engineering options. Even with minimal power to Aux, I'm still recovering about 700 HP per tick. Far more if I pop a battery. I would go on about it, but I still have more to learn about the capabilities of the ship. The versatility is welcome though. Dont discount it just because it isnt pumping out the most pure DPS.
The secret has been discovered. :eek: No Bug Ship at least I will be getting Red Matter Capacitor Soon.
And with that, I stop reading. You are bad. It's okay, probably 85% of STO players are bad. But considering a 'concentional' escort's job is to do damage, and the highest damage fit right now is all cannons and the defiant has a wasted slot with all cannons, and anything but the AE or the PE have sub-optimal Boff setups with all cannons, you are just simply wrong. The Patrol and Advanced escorts are the. best. escorts. outside of fleet ships. Period. I choose patrol over advanced because it has that extra engi slot, which I really like over the extra sci slot. But seriously man, sucks as a conventional escort? Just go home now.
Ok you missed the point totally
a CONVENTIONAL BUILD is the gear and weapon setup you get "out of the box" and upgrading them in the same layout and style eg:
*Torps
*Beams
*Cannons
No specialization, no specific setup, no direct combat impact based on weapon skills or captains play preference.
In this and ONLY this setup the fleet escort is underwhelming, under-powered and underutilized as an escort and can be matched by almost any other ship in its tier in terms of DPS while remaining squishy.
The fleet escort comes into its own due to the extra eng slot and th simple ability to load cannons and make full use of turrets.
As i specifically stated the fleet escort as a Gunboat with a nice torp to deliver a killing blow is devastating as a DPS but she does require a turn rate console to take full advantage of her ability to "nose on" DPS.
And with that, I stop reading. You are bad. It's okay, probably 85% of STO players are bad.
THIS is simply rube and has no place anywhere in a game based on star trek. it is this quasi elitist poorly though through simplistic idiocy that gives MMO community's a bad name.
The simple fact that you failed to read that this was AN OPINION and only that yet decided to continue to pass comment shows a distinct lack of maturity in that you failed to take into account that an opinion other than yours may well be valid and that this is a very compacted and rudimentary explanation of the various escorts based on personal experience under my own personal play style eg: Run and gun PVP and crowd control burst DPS in SFT's where the ability to be pretty much everywhere at once with very high speed and turn rates is a must.
In that respect the Fleet escort's used by our fleet tend to be geared to gain a ranged position behind the tanks just within the range of the target and then power on the DPS while smaller faster ships keep probes and nanite spheres etc out of the action.
If i had decide to place my full spec, weapons, playstyle and STF action role then you could have called me on whatever you wanted but as it stands I and im now pretty much sure "85%" of STO players are insulted at your amateurish "internet toughguy"elitism.
STO has avoided this kind of thing out of respect for the spirit of the franchise and had you simply omitted the quoted text i would have found no real issue with your statment and this entire post could have been avoided.
Quad Cannons are worse than Borg XII same with Advanced Fleet Weapons thats a fact (STFs and PVP)(Borg XII are better than Advanced Fleet Aswell).
I tend to agree that the defiant is not as good cause of the wasted slot for all canons.
The Defiant lost its niche when the Patrol and Advanced escorts got their turn rate and HP buffed while the Defiant got nothing. Before you would make due with the 3rd tac because you out turned the PE and AE, but now why would you run a Defiant unless you wanted a Cannon/Torp build or are enamored with the cloak?
That Cryptic feels the unneeded buff for the AE and PE makes the escorts all more or less equal simply highlights how out of touch they are concerning the relative importance of different ship's capabilities to players that actually KNOW how to play. But then we know they balance things without taking into consideration anything beyond what the average casual player is likely to ever build or notice.
As far as the Quads, all they need to do is make then ACC x 2, DMG x 2. But aren't the Galor weapons all ACCx2, DMG x2 ? We can't have anything you can simply get be better than anything related to a lockbox can we? So they keep the Quads as Dam x 4, missing a lot but looking cool...
I don't even know why we worry about such things anymore. STO barely feels like a game these days, it feels more more like a Lockbox sales floor.
To respond to the original poster's question. For PVE play I'd say the Armitage is the best escort with it being in the top three for PVP losing first place to the Jem'Hadar.
The lt. com. engineer allows for a lot of survivability and the hanger can be tuned to whatever you need. Advanced Peregrine fighters bring 6 quantum torpedo's for shooting stationary objects in STF's and can wipe out other pets when set to intercept mode. Advanced Runabouts bring 4 tractor beams and 4 Chroniton torpedoes to the party if control is needed for probes and forcing people to use their AP:Omegas and polarize hulls at a sub optimal time. It only takes one successful tractor beam flooring someones defense for a good team to kill your typical escort or sci ship. Even if they survive being held for a few second most if not all of their self heals are now on cool down.
For PVP, the damn bug is the most OP ship in the game, out damaging other escorts and out surviving cruisers and sci ships thanks to too thick shields, excessive hull and high defense. The "funny" thing is a jem'hadar focused on surviving while doing a little damage is the best tank for PVP, most experienced players won't even shoot at a cruiser if they have any other options, unless the cruiser pilot obviously sucks.
I'd give the Defiant the number two PVP slot, it has the option of a cloak which actually enables surprise alpha strikes and can almost match the build of a patrol escort. What it might lose in a slug fest buy missing an ensign engineer and 1000 hull, the thicker shield and tactical advantage of the cloak would seem to even out.
On a more personal note I agree with Skyranger1414's sentiment that the Advanced and Patrol escorts needed no buff. Escorts seriously outshine the other ship classes for PVE content as is.
The Defiant really doesn't need a buff (at least, not measured against other Fedscorts). Its console layout is fairly good, it has one of the best turn rates, a solid inertia rating, and the cloak (some people don't care for it but personally IDK why you'd give up 15% free damage for some weak sauce console).
I'm not really sure where this impression that the Defiant is underpowered is coming from, to be honest?
People don't like having an ensign tac officer instead of an ensign engineer or sci officer.
After the last buffs the Patrol has more hull but thinner shields with more crew the same turn rate and an ensign engineer. All things considered the Patrol is the beefier tougher ship, but that's not what escorts are SUPPOSE to be and I think the tactical advantage of the cloak makes the defiant a hair better as well as a "true" high powered glass cannon.
In short the defiant is not the "ringer" stat wise it should be according to canon compared to other Fed escorts.
Like I said in my previous post, I consider a defiant with a good pilot more dangerous than a patrol escort with that same pilot for PVP. In PVE the patrol might actually be better then the Defiant with it's extra heal, but not the Armitage.
well really the defiant r is a tough little ship but i have found the cloak and lack of a third rear weapon a deal breaker thats why i pick the free dervish followed by the armitage.
the jem'hadar attack ship is the best ship in the game. i know most ppl dont have one, but if it ever comes back to the c store get it.
now with a 5th tac console its way better then any fleetship. it has great hull and way better turn rate then the defiant r and BoP. this ship is one bad mother.
i heard some ppl say its not a escort its a destroyer. i say tomato tomato same thing. if u think this ship is not real cause it came out of a box your a hater, because it is in the game and u dont have one does not mean its not real so dont hate.
theres no debate about it the jem'hader attack ship is the bast escort thats way was very super hard to get. i got lucky and only paid $40, i heard some ppl paid up to $500 for it. some paid millons of EC for it. so cryptic rewarded us with a set to go with it shortly after.
Best ship/weapon/equipment?
This concept is mostly discarded in most MP games nowadays.
For example, if you ask in star trek online for THE best tanker ship, the answer will be "Advanced Obelisk carrier". Stat wise it indeed is THE ship that can take the most beating, but it's hopelessly outgunned by pretty much every other decent endgame ship unless you have elite swarmers. Great for hull heal support though. But don't bring it into pvp
Best damage dealer?
3 set Kumari.
It has THE greatest damage output of all ships in the game, but it can't really take much damage. Add 5 of the new fleet tac consoles AND advanced fleet andorian phasers and you got a phaser damage ship with the damage procs of AP in addition to that (5 fleet tac consoles are enough to give the andorian phasers critical damage on par with equivalent AP weaponry)
BUT:
Glass cannon.
Putting on some GOOD shields and stuff like that is a must.
Best tactical- oriented carrier?
Jem dread with Bug pets (you need the bug ship for the bug pets), it can kick TRIBBLE even without the shini bug pets and putting the obelisk 2 piece set and elite swarmers on it sounds like a fun idea. Too bad you can't put the advanced obelisk universal console onto it
Best BOP?
No idea, never seriously played a Klink.
Just take some decent fleet BOP that needs a high fleet starbase shipyard tier and remember to stick to hit'n run (cloak-->decloak-->shoot-->cloak-->repeat)
Best fed escort?
Well, Fleet defiant kicks TRIBBLE if you know how to alpha and have the cloak console
Fleet avenger with cloak is a fun alternative too
Chimera heavy destroyer might look cruiser-ish, but is actually an escort.
Fleet chimera is VERY badass, but you need lifetime subscription to get one
Best overall escort and best brawler is Jemhadar attack ship.
Best PVE DPS escort is the Tac Kumari
Best spike damage escort is Fleet Dhelan and Fleet Hafeh, followed by fleet defiant.
Most survivable escort is Fleet Mogai with the Valdore console.
*shoots yeswecant in the foot for necroing a 16-month-old thread*
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
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Prometheus class because it is shaped like a big TRIBBLE. Equip the borg deflector on it to pose a serious double threat to unsuspecting ships. (they're all female and are refereed to as such)
By the numbers, I'd say the Jem'Hadar Attack Ship. Dedicated to Damage, decent Eng (and thus survivability), a turn rate that can compete with BoPs, decent console, decent Boff layout, flexible setup...yeah. They start at Half a Billion EC's on the Exchange though, so you might be better off in a Fleet Defiant or MVAE.
Comments
Whereas the Patrol Escort, both in looks and Boff Layout I love. Even though I paid money for the Defiant I fly the Patrol Escort all the time. My fav escort, where now I want the fleet version.
However, each downside has it's upside too. For example, I'm a defensive player at heart so being able to run Emergency Power to Shields 3 on my Armitage works great for me. I wouldn't be able to play the Defiant quite as effectively because it doesn't suit me as well.
So in the end, they're all great.
However the patrol escort is my daily driver because it's free and its awesome. It's a lot tankier than most escort pilots give it credit for (but of course, no good escort jockey would sit still in the enemy's firing arcs and wait to be slaughtered as I see all too often in ESTFs).
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No good escort pilot would be a good escort pilot? Sense, you make none.
But yes, you're probably very tanky when you spend half the time with DHCs pointed away from the target and it ignores you completely.
Elementary school level translation:
1) Escorts are generally spoken of as squishy
2) The fault lies in the pilots choosing the wrong moment to stop and shoot in the hope of causing more damage to the enemy, attract aggro, and are unable to manage said aggro
3) The Patrol Escort is my favourite as its additional engineering power comes in handy at all times, and by observation the Armitage can perform the PE's role in PvP and is even more survivable making it the perfect choice for pilots who have not perfected their strafing or shoot and scoot positioning. A wider margin of error provided to the pilot by use of powerful self-heals, or adding new capability makes for increased combat potential.
4) Target fixtated pilots who fail to manage a balance between dealing outgoing and managing incoming damage are dead pilots. So you learn to disengage temporarily for a few seconds, come in on another vector and devastate the target fully buffed. I believe everyone contributing to this thread knows exactly what tactical positioning is all about.
So I think we are all on the same page after all
My Youtube Channel
Fleet escort:
My 2c:
as a gunboat the fleet escort seems sluggish and fails to function as described unless geared out with a decent turn rate console HOWEVER when the consoles are properly set out this ship can be devastating as a torp boat a gun boat (with cannons) or even a spider destroyer (beam boat) but as a conventional Escort it kinda sucks.
Note:
unlike smaller more manoeuvrable ships the fleet escort is designed to be more of an off tank and DPS but only in a specific role. choose how you want to play based on the three DPS variables and stick to "Stand and shoot" attacks and gear your Boff's skills to take maximum advantage of its ability to take a hit and still dish it out.
MVAE:
My 2c:
The multi vector advanced escort offers massive potential for any escort player in that it is equipped to deal significant damage from a non specific combative position...
...or to put it another way its designed to be all things in a DPS situation. set this ship up with a dual beam and a pair of heavy cannons with a decent torp up front mines in the back end and a pair of high level turrets and then spam your space bar until the cows come home this ship can pump out damage like nobody's business and is a nearly perfect "conventional" dps dealing ship.
Note:
Sadly this ship is a jack of all trades, why sadly you say? well its this simply you can do everything to an acceptable degree or you can do one thing right, the MVAE is the former. It is an acceptable DPS, it is an acceptable PVP and PVE ship and it is reasonable at what it does but sadly lacks the single focus of others. Splitting the ship may seem like a good idea to deal more DPS but sadly the AI is lacking and no singular section can match the raw grunt of a ship and her captain balancing skills and power. Now if you could switch between sections after one gets destroyed that would make this the survivors choice of combative vessel in PVP and PVE but as it is splitting is more trouble than its worth, a gimmick at best.
Tactical escort retrofit:
My 2c:
It's the Defiant...no really do i have to say more? incredibly manoeuvrable little glass cannon with a cloaking device and the single most devastating Tac Boff layout in the game (IMHO) geared for turning and speed with a decent weapon choice this can be the ultimate gun boat. As a torp boat she feels wasted and as a spider slayer she seems underwhelming but load her for bear and break out the turrets with rapid fire 1-2 & 3 in your tac slots, toss in Alpha or Omega to turn or survive and you have a creature of mass devastation that any fleet would want.
Note:
She is a glass cannon in ever possible description and although many would be tempted to lose the cloak in favor of more weapon power i found that the ability to keep out of trouble until you are needed rather than going in guns blazing then turning tail and running for the hills offered more opportunity to deal damage than spamming my cool downs dieing and then waiting for a respawn.
A tough little ship she may be....but not when you have the borg or Klingons zeroing in on you with Mk XII's
there ismy opinion on the subject anyway
This is a very down-to-earth basic review of the respective Escorts. A refreshing read
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At the moment I'm trying to buy enough zen (via dilithium exchange) to get the tactical escort retrofit from the zen store. The look of the Defiant that I like so much with the extra rear weapons slot I keep the ugly Dervish for.
You won't go wrong with the Tactical Escort Retrofit. I loooooove the Defiant's cloaking console.
I love how damaging the Defiant Retrofit can be, as well as the Armitage with it's hangar bays. However, I play with my Defiant more than the Armitage.
^(^.^)^
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And with that, I stop reading. You are bad. It's okay, probably 85% of STO players are bad. But considering a 'concentional' escort's job is to do damage, and the highest damage fit right now is all cannons and the defiant has a wasted slot with all cannons, and anything but the AE or the PE have sub-optimal Boff setups with all cannons, you are just simply wrong. The Patrol and Advanced escorts are the. best. escorts. outside of fleet ships. Period. I choose patrol over advanced because it has that extra engi slot, which I really like over the extra sci slot. But seriously man, sucks as a conventional escort? Just go home now.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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I have to agree with this statement. In PvP, I keep getting shredded by Patrol Escorts and Bugs. Until reading this thread though, I was under the impression that running 3 DHCs and 1 set of torps up front was the best DPS loadout. I'll have to go play with running all DHCs. On another note though, the MVAE shouldnt be overlooked because of its gimmicky console. It CAN be removed, which I did, and flying the thing with a science captain has worked well (PvE, I havent tried it in PvP). TSS2 and HE3 give me more survivability than my engineering options. Even with minimal power to Aux, I'm still recovering about 700 HP per tick. Far more if I pop a battery. I would go on about it, but I still have more to learn about the capabilities of the ship. The versatility is welcome though. Dont discount it just because it isnt pumping out the most pure DPS.
The secret has been discovered. :eek:
Ok you missed the point totally
a CONVENTIONAL BUILD is the gear and weapon setup you get "out of the box" and upgrading them in the same layout and style eg:
*Torps
*Beams
*Cannons
No specialization, no specific setup, no direct combat impact based on weapon skills or captains play preference.
In this and ONLY this setup the fleet escort is underwhelming, under-powered and underutilized as an escort and can be matched by almost any other ship in its tier in terms of DPS while remaining squishy.
The fleet escort comes into its own due to the extra eng slot and th simple ability to load cannons and make full use of turrets.
As i specifically stated the fleet escort as a Gunboat with a nice torp to deliver a killing blow is devastating as a DPS but she does require a turn rate console to take full advantage of her ability to "nose on" DPS.
as for this...
THIS is simply rube and has no place anywhere in a game based on star trek. it is this quasi elitist poorly though through simplistic idiocy that gives MMO community's a bad name.
The simple fact that you failed to read that this was AN OPINION and only that yet decided to continue to pass comment shows a distinct lack of maturity in that you failed to take into account that an opinion other than yours may well be valid and that this is a very compacted and rudimentary explanation of the various escorts based on personal experience under my own personal play style eg: Run and gun PVP and crowd control burst DPS in SFT's where the ability to be pretty much everywhere at once with very high speed and turn rates is a must.
In that respect the Fleet escort's used by our fleet tend to be geared to gain a ranged position behind the tanks just within the range of the target and then power on the DPS while smaller faster ships keep probes and nanite spheres etc out of the action.
If i had decide to place my full spec, weapons, playstyle and STF action role then you could have called me on whatever you wanted but as it stands I and im now pretty much sure "85%" of STO players are insulted at your amateurish "internet toughguy"elitism.
STO has avoided this kind of thing out of respect for the spirit of the franchise and had you simply omitted the quoted text i would have found no real issue with your statment and this entire post could have been avoided.
I tend to agree that the defiant is not as good cause of the wasted slot for all canons.
The Defiant lost its niche when the Patrol and Advanced escorts got their turn rate and HP buffed while the Defiant got nothing. Before you would make due with the 3rd tac because you out turned the PE and AE, but now why would you run a Defiant unless you wanted a Cannon/Torp build or are enamored with the cloak?
That Cryptic feels the unneeded buff for the AE and PE makes the escorts all more or less equal simply highlights how out of touch they are concerning the relative importance of different ship's capabilities to players that actually KNOW how to play. But then we know they balance things without taking into consideration anything beyond what the average casual player is likely to ever build or notice.
As far as the Quads, all they need to do is make then ACC x 2, DMG x 2. But aren't the Galor weapons all ACCx2, DMG x2 ? We can't have anything you can simply get be better than anything related to a lockbox can we? So they keep the Quads as Dam x 4, missing a lot but looking cool...
I don't even know why we worry about such things anymore. STO barely feels like a game these days, it feels more more like a Lockbox sales floor.
The lt. com. engineer allows for a lot of survivability and the hanger can be tuned to whatever you need. Advanced Peregrine fighters bring 6 quantum torpedo's for shooting stationary objects in STF's and can wipe out other pets when set to intercept mode. Advanced Runabouts bring 4 tractor beams and 4 Chroniton torpedoes to the party if control is needed for probes and forcing people to use their AP:Omegas and polarize hulls at a sub optimal time. It only takes one successful tractor beam flooring someones defense for a good team to kill your typical escort or sci ship. Even if they survive being held for a few second most if not all of their self heals are now on cool down.
For PVP, the damn bug is the most OP ship in the game, out damaging other escorts and out surviving cruisers and sci ships thanks to too thick shields, excessive hull and high defense. The "funny" thing is a jem'hadar focused on surviving while doing a little damage is the best tank for PVP, most experienced players won't even shoot at a cruiser if they have any other options, unless the cruiser pilot obviously sucks.
I'd give the Defiant the number two PVP slot, it has the option of a cloak which actually enables surprise alpha strikes and can almost match the build of a patrol escort. What it might lose in a slug fest buy missing an ensign engineer and 1000 hull, the thicker shield and tactical advantage of the cloak would seem to even out.
On a more personal note I agree with Skyranger1414's sentiment that the Advanced and Patrol escorts needed no buff. Escorts seriously outshine the other ship classes for PVE content as is.
For the team, I would give the Defiant a nod. Solo I prefer the patrol escort. A pug? It depends, but I would take the patrol escort as well.
But I think the fact that they are so close means that the defiant needs a buff.
-Jeff
I'm not really sure where this impression that the Defiant is underpowered is coming from, to be honest?
vids and guides and stuff
[9:52] [Zone #11] Neal@trapper1532: im a omega force shadow oprative and a maoc elite camander and here i am taking water samples
After the last buffs the Patrol has more hull but thinner shields with more crew the same turn rate and an ensign engineer. All things considered the Patrol is the beefier tougher ship, but that's not what escorts are SUPPOSE to be and I think the tactical advantage of the cloak makes the defiant a hair better as well as a "true" high powered glass cannon.
In short the defiant is not the "ringer" stat wise it should be according to canon compared to other Fed escorts.
Like I said in my previous post, I consider a defiant with a good pilot more dangerous than a patrol escort with that same pilot for PVP. In PVE the patrol might actually be better then the Defiant with it's extra heal, but not the Armitage.
now with a 5th tac console its way better then any fleetship. it has great hull and way better turn rate then the defiant r and BoP. this ship is one bad mother.
i heard some ppl say its not a escort its a destroyer. i say tomato tomato same thing. if u think this ship is not real cause it came out of a box your a hater, because it is in the game and u dont have one does not mean its not real so dont hate.
theres no debate about it the jem'hader attack ship is the bast escort thats way was very super hard to get. i got lucky and only paid $40, i heard some ppl paid up to $500 for it. some paid millons of EC for it. so cryptic rewarded us with a set to go with it shortly after.
This concept is mostly discarded in most MP games nowadays.
For example, if you ask in star trek online for THE best tanker ship, the answer will be "Advanced Obelisk carrier". Stat wise it indeed is THE ship that can take the most beating, but it's hopelessly outgunned by pretty much every other decent endgame ship unless you have elite swarmers. Great for hull heal support though. But don't bring it into pvp
Best damage dealer?
3 set Kumari.
It has THE greatest damage output of all ships in the game, but it can't really take much damage. Add 5 of the new fleet tac consoles AND advanced fleet andorian phasers and you got a phaser damage ship with the damage procs of AP in addition to that (5 fleet tac consoles are enough to give the andorian phasers critical damage on par with equivalent AP weaponry)
BUT:
Glass cannon.
Putting on some GOOD shields and stuff like that is a must.
Best tactical- oriented carrier?
Jem dread with Bug pets (you need the bug ship for the bug pets), it can kick TRIBBLE even without the shini bug pets and putting the obelisk 2 piece set and elite swarmers on it sounds like a fun idea. Too bad you can't put the advanced obelisk universal console onto it
Best BOP?
No idea, never seriously played a Klink.
Just take some decent fleet BOP that needs a high fleet starbase shipyard tier and remember to stick to hit'n run (cloak-->decloak-->shoot-->cloak-->repeat)
Best fed escort?
Well, Fleet defiant kicks TRIBBLE if you know how to alpha and have the cloak console
Fleet avenger with cloak is a fun alternative too
Chimera heavy destroyer might look cruiser-ish, but is actually an escort.
Fleet chimera is VERY badass, but you need lifetime subscription to get one
Best PVE DPS escort is the Tac Kumari
Best spike damage escort is Fleet Dhelan and Fleet Hafeh, followed by fleet defiant.
Most survivable escort is Fleet Mogai with the Valdore console.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
Arise thread long since dead...