Hiya... again... I fly An Excelsior with an engineer at the helm and despite efforts of my own to refine my current build I've come back looking for ways to improve my ship and character builds for STFs although they are used for a little of everything.
So let's get down to business.
My shipWeapons
Fore: 1 Quantum torpedo launcher Mk XII [Borg], 1 Polarised tetryon beam array Mk XI, 1 Phased tetryon beam array Mk XI [Acc] [Dmg], 1 ADV Fleet tetryon beam array Mk XII [Dmg]x3 [Acc]
Aft: As Fore
Equipment
Full M.A.C.O set
Consoles
Eng: Monotanium Mk XI (Blue), 2x Neutronium Mk XI (Blue), Borg console
Sci: 2x Field generator Mk XI (Blue)
Tac: 3x Tetryon pulse gen Mk XI (Blue)
BOFF and character spec
here
I am working on another retrain token as I have made some skills redundant so I'm planning to retrain to something approaching
this
My current doff layout for space is:
2x Projectile officers (Purple), Matter-antimatter specialist (Green), Damage control engineer (Green), Technician (Blue)
So I hope you guys can give me some pointers as my unbuffed broadsides do about 300 damage per hit at 5km. The one thing I really can't afford to do is change my energy type so I'm afraid that's one thing that does have to stay.
Comments
other points:
no hazard emitters
3 different teams, should dump sci team for HE1
EPtS 3 perhaps trade out for DEM, RSP, AB or another EWP
i'd replace the phased tets with polarized, only 2 arrays not real good odds of getting the phaser proc vs 2 more arrays w/10% tetryon proc.
and on tet beam boats i tend to prefer faw over BO. single target it acts as crf piling up procs rapidly. though doesn't really matter as you're only going to be doing base tet damage anyway to shields.
on the tet boats i run (5), 500~700+ for the proc depending what else i might have shoved in the sci slots. and at least 6 ranks in flow capacitor skill
Donate Brains, zombies in Washington DC are starving.
Weapons are a bit strange, but since all of them are Tetryon damage type, it's perfectly fine.
No problem with consoles either.
Get yourself a Borg Engine and Deflector and replace the M.A.C.O. - it seems less shiney, but is a lot more powerful.
Most important first: Power Settings!
Weapons: TRIBBLE/100.
Shields: xx/50.
Engines: xx/25.
Auxilary: xx/25.
That's your combat setting.
Have a second setting with:
Weapons: xx/whatever is left
Shields: 125/xx (with EPtS up)
Engines: as much as needed to get to 24 Impulse Speed for maxed Defense.
Auxilary: 1xx/xx
That's your oh-TRIBBLE setting, and your heal-team setting.
Your skills are a mess though:
-Too many skills at 9 ranks in general. The last 3 ranks are far too expensive for the effect, and only worth it for a few select skills. Usually 6 ranks if fine, and 3 enough for the less important ones.
-Projectile weapons skill maxed (both builds) but no specialization (planned), and that on a beam-boat that's only using torps as opportunity-attacks. Try 6 ranks in projectile weapons, and 3 ranks in specialization, that's already overkill.
-Skills that really, really need points: Starship Maneuvers (6), Threat Control (6), Warp Core Efficiency (6), Auxilary Performance (6).
-Skill that you can drop points from: Driver Coils (3-6), Structural Integrity (3-6), Engine Performance (3 is enough with maxed Warp Core Potential), Impulse Thrusters (to 6), Hull Plating (to 6), Shield Performance (3-6).
BOffs are worse.
Suggestion:
LCdr Tac: TT, FAW (or AP:B), FAW (or AP:B)
Cmdr Eng: EPtW1, EPtS1, EWP1, Aux2SIF 3
Lt Eng: EPtW1, RSP1
Ens Eng: EPtS1
Lt Sci: HE1, HE2
Reasons:
-BO is horrible in PvE. Really horrible. If you don't use a Weapon Battery every time you use it, you're actually losing DPS. The only reason to use this skill is in PvP, and only in combination with a Battery (in which case it shines though).
- More than one kind of <foo> Team ability is useless, they lock each other out. The one you really want to use all the time is Tactical Team, at least in PvE. ET and ST have their use ... but again, that's only in PvP.
- EPtS cycling takes care of your shields, EPtW cycling takes care of your weapons, and Aux2SIF cycling takes care of repairing your hull.
- HE takes care of most debuffs you'll encounter in PvE, and especially those Plasma DoTs and Borg Shield Neutralizers. ES+TSS is, again, the PvP combo.
DOffs:
-Projectile DOffs are useless for a beam boat. You can just as well airlock them.
-the others aren't much better.
Suggestion:
Go with the standard of 2xConn (TT cooldown reduction) and 3xShield Distribution (instant shield heal when using Brace for Impact).
The Shield Distribution ones are optional, the Conn ones are not. You can use Warp Core Engineers instead of the Shield Distri-DOffs, or save up for three purple Damage Control DOffs to optimize BOff slots by saving EPtX abilities - though that's not really much gain on an Excelsior, you'd be stuck with an unused Ensign.
Keybinds:
Since you have to cycle a lot of abilities, you really need at least one bind to keep up that rotation.
Assuming you'd put all the BOff abilities suggested above in you #6 and #7 bar, in the same order as above, the command would look something like this:
/bind space "GenSendMessage HUD_Root FirePhasers $$ +power_exec Distribute_Shields $$ +TrayExecByTray 5 6 $$ +TrayExecByTray 5 9 $$ +TrayExecByTray 5 4 $$ +TrayExecByTray 5 7 $$ +TrayExecByTray 5 3 $$ +TrayExecByTray 5 0 $$ GenSendMessage HUD_Root FirePhasers"
This will make sure your TT, EPtW, EPtS and Aux2SIF are always active, your shields getting distributed, and your weapons firing. You only have to use your utility skills manually.
To adjust for a different HUD-layout: the numbers are #Bar/#Slot, with each one less than shown on the HUD. The skills from left to right are: Aux2SIF, EPtS #2, EPtS #1, EPtW #2, EPtW #1, TT, since it's actually executed backwards.
Got questions? Ask away. This thread exists to help you.
Well I admit when I last specced up I didn't really know what I was looking for, I knew that in a team environment tetryon would come in handy.
Well I find my sci team to be of more use than HE and I can hull heal my way through plasma procs and stuff (I also barely notice the turn debuff) I know everyone says don't run all three teams but I find all of them have a use that makes them worth having, if I had a universal ensign then I would take HE in a second mind you. You've also suggested I should lose my main shield heal with no suggestion of what to use in its place..
(I know this is going to sound pathetic and childish) with regard to the phased tets "but i paid so much for them" and as it happens I seem to get the phaser proc more than I do tetryon.
I can see that all your points are relevant but the problem I have with losing sci team is it costs me 1/5 of my team support capability, I am not willing to just give up my primary shield heal, I'm willing to move it my not lose it.
Ok, exactly how does one set up a keybind such as that?
Two ways:
Either type in excactly what I wrote above (that's why it's there
*while in game and in space, type in /bind_save_file MyBindFile.txt
*open that file with a text editor
*add the command, as in the previous post, but without the /bind
*then, when back in game and space, type in /bind_load_file MyBindFile.txt
STOWiki has a pretty decent guide on keybinds here
And be careful with your attitude: stop keeping defending your build, when we all agree that it's not even close to optimal. We're trying to give you advice on how to improve. Give it a try, and you'll see that it works, and works well. If you don't like it AFTERWARDS, then you can come back, tell us where you're still having problems, and we can go from there.
The whole package, as described in my lenghty post, is a dps/tank build.
All the heals it packs are there for one reason: to keep YOU alive, since YOU will be the one getting shot at. That means you don't need heals to keep your team alive anymore, nobody's shooting at them. At least in PvE.
That's what the build does. Deal enough damage to get aggro, and carry enough self-heals to survive it.
Copy&Paste into the chatbox, just as if you wanted to talk.
Any input starting with a "/" is excuted as a command, so it doesn't even matter which channel is active.
also, the DOFF that reduces the cooldown on EPtX could be usefull instead of a 3rd shield distribution (those are expensive btw)
also i may suggest a complete 3 single cannon+4 turret weapon setup, with rapid fire 1 or 2 and AP:B 1 or 2.
for stfs i use 2 photon tubes [borg] front +2 cannons, rest turrest since there aren't many shielded targets...and those that have shields do not replenish them.
http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/index.php?build=cruisernew_0
thats my idea...but very similar to the ones already suggested anyway. just with cannons. the skilltree is actually the one i use on my engi, on a sci oddy.
Did you use the code I posted above?
I ... ummm ... made a typo there. Replace "spacebar" by just "space", 'that should fix it, if you placed the abilities correctly. Sorry, 'will fix it in the previous post.
With shield distri DOffs, you don't need TSS, and when tanking against borg a second HE is more than helpful, even with the Borg set. And it's a second hull heal, with a damage resistance effect. It's not a bad choice.
Of course TSS or even Polarize Hull instead are good options, too, but after testing each of these, I'm favoring dual HE, especially for STFs.
YMMV though.
Single Damage Control DOffs are pretty pointless - they won't save you a BOff slot, and there's no downtime if you run dual copies, in fact you get a perfect rotation going, while a DOff proc can actually TRIBBLE that up and make the wrong EPtX trigger.
And yes, a cannon-setup works, nothing wrong with it, but it's not superior to beams, either - it just plays differently.
Beams are better at gaining aggro when mobs are all over the place, for cannons they need to be in nice groups. Beams also make it easier to run at full speed while firing.
On the other hand, for DPS purposes, cannons can get better DPS - if you're running CRF or can fire at tight groups with CSV. 'Takes practice to maneuver for that, though, and you need to think ahead.
Both are viable though.
Nice to hear, despite my typo.
There's little point in teaching keybinds to real beginners - while leveling, your abilities are in constant change, the content is easy enough without, and having to work through that keybinding business takes a bit of time, unless someone sets it up for you.
So it's usually treated as "don't worry about if for now, read up on it when you want to PvP or do ESTs" - and that's no longer Academy business.
On the other hand, once people post in shipyard, it's usually assumed they have done their homework and read up, so it's rarely discussed here, either.
Keybinds make a hell of a difference though.
I saw you mentioned ES + TSS
What does ES stand for? I'm suddenly interested in having it
ES was supposed to be ST which means Science Team.
You found another typo I missed.
Sometimes my brain is running a bit ahead of what I'm typing ...
Just so I know where I need to draw the line
anything PVE has to offer +1, especially with a engi captain.
Unfortunately not EVERYTHING, but close enough.
There are a couple of enemies in ESTFs that can currently one-shot anything. Gates, Cubes in CSE - 300k+ torpedo spreads,
Negh'vars - if Isometric Charge jumped to you after hitting two teammates, or if you try to tank three at once and slip on positioning (they can shoot 60k+ torps, too),
and in Starbase Defense it can be quite tough if you aggro everyone at once.
You can still be killed. But except for the one-shots, it's avoidable by learning when you need to run (or having a team that crossheals), and that's not really something that can be tought, you'll have to find out the hard way.
For practical purposes though, baudl pretty much has it right, no reason to shy away from anything.
Excel - R (RA version)
DPH 500 - 800, Crit 1000-1500
Tank 101k over 5 mins
Heal 200k
Excel (CMDR version)
DPH 500 - 900, Crit 100-1500
Tank 46907 over 5 mins
Heal 156k
All outgoing damage was to an Oddy with no shelds or buffs of any kind all incoming damage was to the configs shown here
I'm afraid I don't have the specs from the oddy at the time however I was using the following on both ships
100/75
95/75
50/25
40/25
The range was roughly 1.3km (give or take 0.005, shouldn't be noticeable anyway) so yeah... I'm properly confused
The best way to increase your damage is to level up a tac character for your cruiser you will get about a 100% increase in damage be sure to max out the attack patterns skill thats where most of the damage is at then select only a few weapon skils dump any remaining into attack patterns from your boffs
Also if your a space only person pick a alien so you can put all 4 passives into space skills
Put your engineer in a escort
Both characters will be happy I think you will be too :P
A Engineer in a cruiser was a frustrating team for me
I have a fully decked out engineer in gear acoladyes wealth ships and he is collecting dust
because the Tac and science characters can do anything he can do better and are more fun to play imo
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
You do about 2X maybe times the damage as a cruiser maybe more but less than a dedicated escort with your beams and your very confusing to other players who see 6 beams comming from your defiant and maybe 1 torp
so instead of spending all your time trying to line up cannons your watching shields and the battle using broadsides, you dont die like the other escorts because of your engineering skills and movement and battlefield awareness
Its fun try it
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
I did it made all the difference I'n that ship
The heavy engineering Boffs help you survive
The Tac skills give you maneuverability and
Damage
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse