Feedback on planned Science setup

kiloace

Right now, I'm leveling my Alien Science char (currently at Captain) and I'm looking to get some feedback on a setup I constructed with the skill planner (what I'm looking at for when I hit VA). I'll be piloting 2 main ships: the Fleet Science Vessel Retrofit and the Fleet LRSV Retrofit.

The build I'm looking for is mainly focused on Healing/Offensive Support. I want my setup to be good at draining/damaging the enemy as well as supporting myself/my team with repair and buffs. I also put priority on skilling up shield hit points, hull hit points, and damage resistances.

Here is my LRSV Build: http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/index.php?build=LRSV_0

Here is my FSV Build: http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/index.php?build=FSV_0

As far as the skill tree, I tried to keep them basically the same. The main difference will be in Boffs.

I'll probably go with the classic Starfleet Phasers. 2 Fore Beams, 2 Aft Beams, Quantum torpedoes.

Some Specific Questions:

> Which is better: Aux to Structural I or Engineering Team II?

The Eng Team is what I have been using but Aux to Structural doesn't share cooldown with other teams, and comes with a damage resistance as well.

> For skilling, what should I prioritize? I hear "6" is the magic number between effect and price. Should I try to spread my skill points out more or focus on levelling major ones?

> For Boff powers, I see a lot of people run several copies of one power. Would it be better for me to do that or have a more wide variety of tricks to use?

'Preciate it.

mandoknight89

I'd recommend putting 3s in each of your subsystem performance ratings, especially replacing that 7/0 Weapons/Aux with a more balanced 4/3, so you get the most extra power for your skill points.

ruinsfate

Wouldn't polarise hull 1 be better than mask energy signature?

woodwhity

If you want to heal, you should take all you points from Starship Weapon Performance and boost your Starship Auxiliary Performance. The more auxiliary, the more heal. I would also recommend to drop the Starship Energy Weapons and Starship Energy Weapons Specialization to zero and boost your projectiles a bit. Then boost your Starship Warp Core Potential and Starship Warp Core Efficiency a bit. Shield Systems could be stronger skilled, but I think this might work out, event though the Defence Bonus with your Plating and Reincforcements are negligible. Drop your Shields and you are dead. The Tachyon beam ist also pretty useless -aside maybe against probes. Maybe a Energy Siphon would be better, even though you havent skilled flow generators. But with this you can drop almost every Subsystem on low class ships.

kiloace

ruinsfate wrote: »

Wouldn't polarise hull 1 be better than mask energy signature?

Yeah. I actually tried out this power (I've never used it before). Completely useless. Its like a worse non-battle cloak. I also thought it applied to friendlies, but I'll definitely be changing it.

I think I'm going to swap Science Team I into that slot and get something better for lieutenant, like Tractor Beam Repulsors.

woodwhity wrote: »

If you want to heal, you should take all you points from Starship Weapon Performance and boost your Starship Auxiliary Performance. The more auxiliary, the more heal. I would also recommend to drop the Starship Energy Weapons and Starship Energy Weapons Specialization to zero and boost your projectiles a bit. Then boost your Starship Warp Core Potential and Starship Warp Core Efficiency a bit. Shield Systems could be stronger skilled, but I think this might work out, event though the Defence Bonus with your Plating and Reincforcements are negligible. Drop your Shields and you are dead. The Tachyon beam ist also pretty useless -aside maybe against probes. Maybe a Energy Siphon would be better, even though you havent skilled flow generators. But with this you can drop almost every Subsystem on low class ships.

Well, I'm looking for a balance between healing and offensive support, so I figured I'd try to spec my weapon power and stuff to make sure I can deal damage, and then I threw some into the Science abilities to match my skill choice.

You're right though, and I think I will tweak it a little. If the Damage resistances truly aren't worth it, I think I'll take away from them and spec more into Aux, and tweak my layout as well.

I appreciate the feedback from everyone guys. Thanks.

kiloace

Anyone else have any tips?:)

darthvicious666

Here's my drain build, as far as equipment and abilities go:

Fleet Recon Sci Vessel

3x Advanced Fleet Polaron Cannon (Acc) fore
2x Advanced Fleet Polaron Turret (Acc) aft
Kinetic Cutting Beam aft
Jem Hadar Deflector and Engines
Omega Mk XII Shields

Eng Consoles: Assimilated, Zero Point
Sci: 3x Mk XII Flow Capacitor (purple), Field Generator Mk XI (blue)
Tac: 4x Mk XII Polaron energy damage something-or-other (blue)

Devices I use RMC, SSFM, Peregrine Fighters

2x TacTeam 1, CRF 1
EPtW 1, EPtS 2
Tractor 1, TSS 1, PH 2, TBR 1, 2x HE 3, ES 3

I have 3x purple Damage Control Engineers to run both Emergency Powers with almost 100% uptime, and plan on running 2x purple Deflector Officers once they get fixed to affect ES cooldown, to give me increased uptime on that also.

I can post my skill build later if you like, but most of it should be obvious.

quiscustodiet

kiloace wrote: »

> Which is better: Aux to Structural I or Engineering Team II?

ASIF is one of the most useful/powerful Skills out there. Much better than Eng Team.

> For skilling, what should I prioritize? I hear "6" is the magic number between effect and price. Should I try to spread my skill points out more or focus on levelling major ones?

I tend to max relevant Skills and ignore pointless ones or ones directed at other Ship types; but some advocate spreading out as much as possible.
What's the point of alts if you don't specialise them in different Skills?

At the very least, I'd remove those ranks in Stealth and Driver Coils; they're useless.
Choose a type of Weapons and focus on it; don't Skill both Energy & Projectiles: either you go the Torpedo boat route and your points in Energy only help your Turrets or you go the DBB boat route and your points in Projectile don't do anything for you.

Maxing Flow Capacitors is highly advised in a SV, especially with Omega*2.

> For Boff powers, I see a lot of people run several copies of one power. Would it be better for me to do that or have a more wide variety of tricks to use?

Maximise uptime. As for which tricks to use, try them out and you'll get a better idea than anyone could give you. Just remember Mask Energy Signature is useless.

kiloace

quiscustodiet wrote: »

ASIF is one of the most useful/powerful Skills out there. Much better than Eng Team.

Got it.

It'll help that I fly a Science vessel with high aux power, too.

I tend to max relevant Skills and ignore pointless ones or ones directed at other Ship types; but some advocate spreading out as much as possible.
What's the point of alts if you don't specialise them in different Skills?

Same here. But at the same time I wanna be prepared for anything, especailly running around doing STFs and PvE and all that.

At the very least, I'd remove those ranks in Stealth and Driver Coils; they're useless.

Stealth absolutely, especially now that I got rid of the useless MES. Driver Coil I might not be able to without falling below minimum points spent, so I'll have to see...

Choose a type of Weapons and focus on it; don't Skill both Energy & Projectiles: either you go the Torpedo boat route and your points in Energy only help your Turrets or you go the DBB boat route and your points in Projectile don't do anything for you.

Is Broadsiding and 1 launcher fore and aft not an effective strategy anymore?

Anyways...that's a hard choice, because critical torpedo damage is great and quick, especially in STFs, but energy weapons will be what are dealing damage most of the time...hmm...

Maxing Flow Capacitors is highly advised in a SV, especially with Omega*2.

Tried it on my primary char actually. I fly a cruiser. Unbelievable difference. Only problem is, I have less skill points to work with in my Science vessel because now I have extra skills for my Boff powers to deal with.

Maximise uptime. As for which tricks to use, try them out and you'll get a better idea than anyone could give you. Just remember Mask Energy Signature is useless.

Okay.

maicake716

kiloace wrote: »

Anyone else have any tips?:)

heres a selection of vesta builds that can be adapted to any science ship-
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=488821


and heres the science BO layout in action in pvp-

http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=489861

kiloace

Nice vids, and thank you for the tips!

red01999

I agree with the posters that recommended using Aux to SIF - preferably the highest level you can put in there.

I use cruisers most of the time and that's always the Commander level ability I put in there. The best thing about it is that you can cycle it constantly with its 15 second cooldown, so you are getting a fairly regular hull repair and resistance buff.

Considering the aux power emphasis on most science builds, and what frail armor most science ships have, I would imagine that rotating this skill consistently would increase survivability by a LOT, as it's using one of your most noteworthy strengths to provide a good patch to one of your weaknesses with little cost.

It is worth noting however that Aux to SIF is inferior in terms of burst healing, but if you're using another Team power, chances are you're not going to get much mileage out of ET anyway. ET CAN be fairly solid on cruisers if you can part with your Team powers for long enough to make it count (particularly if repairing a damaged teammate), but I wouldn't put it on a non-cruiser, as it's a waste of a BOff power that could be used for something more useful. This in itself, however, is partially mitigated by the fact that Aux 2 SIF can repair and buff teammates as well.

darthvicious666

I switched my build around to accommodate Aux2SIF 1 due to the need for another hull heal. Even 2 copies of HE isn't enough sometimes, especially when shields go down.

Not going back.