I just want a general direction. getting into this game finally took awhile and since getting into it i'm hooked.
i know of all the dil missions and daylies and about the new rom zone. What gear should i grind out if i want to participate in high level instances and events?
My main suggestion is have a read of http://www.stoacademy.com/walkthrough/stf/ , so you know what to expect in the STFs. Also, get lots of practice in normal STFs before jumping into elite.
I second the suggestion to have some fun in normal STF's until you have a high sense of confidence about how they are played. This more important than gear when starting out.
The STOAcademy link above is a great starting point in terms of understanding the mechanics of the missions and the more popular tactics.
Gear Ideas
There are many different schools of thought on this. Existing weapons and systems will work fine for both normals and elite STF's. Try to go with one flavor of energy, and focus on improving your consoles to support it. Some stand out items at Tier 3 and 4 are worth developing. The Omega Torpedo is quite nice, as is it's Romulan counterpart. As part of their sets, the new torpedoes are quite devastating and will raise your overall dps substantially. IMO most of the X level stuff (blue rare) isn't worth the development costs.
As for weapons, buy fleet versions if possible. I have never regretted using them over the older 'borg' versions.
As for shields/engines/deflector sets, the basic borg set is a great place to start. There are many threads dedicated to mix and matching MACO, OMEGA and borg stuff to produce interesting effects.
At the end of the day though - build something you like to play with at the moment. You're going to change your mind a few times and try out different systems.
A word of caution about public pugs. You will from time to time fail the mission (Cure Space failure is common) for a variety of reasons. From players ignoring plans - or worse not talking about them at the start - to just having a 'bad day' you will become frustrated. All of us have at one point or another. There are countless threads about posting your worse experience.
The normal pugs are there for that purpose. They are for a lack of a better description a plce to work out tactics, learn the basics and test ship designs.
When you are ready to try an elite, you can get a better 'class' of player through setting up your own games through channels dedicated to them. These channels have their own personalities - which you can get a better sense of by reading STF Communication Basics (Channels & Codes). Knowing where to find a good team is really half the battle.
I second the suggestion to have some fun in normal STF's until you have a high sense of confidence about how they are played. This more important than gear when starting out.
The STOAcademy link above is a great starting point in terms of understanding the mechanics of the missions and the more popular tactics.
Gear Ideas
There are many different schools of thought on this. Existing weapons and systems will work fine for both normals and elite STF's. Try to go with one flavor of energy, and focus on improving your consoles to support it. Some stand out items at Tier 3 and 4 are worth developing. The Omega Torpedo is quite nice, as is it's Romulan counterpart. As part of their sets, the new torpedoes are quite devastating and will raise your overall dps substantially. IMO most of the X level stuff (blue rare) isn't worth the development costs.
As for weapons, buy fleet versions if possible. I have never regretted using them over the older 'borg' versions.
Admiral Thrax
you mention to go with one kind of weapon and expand on it.
question to you is I've notice the power variance on a lot of weapons. Phaser, poloron, disrupter etc.. which one is better.
i much like the look of poloron weapons and i've picked out a pretty awesome poloron rifle to ground missions. got it when i was rear admiral.
but my question is, is there one type of energy type that is stronger than the rest at Vice admiral level? or are they all just the same and it comes down to preference.
If you haven't already find a fleet filled with good people.
They can help you learn the insides and outs of STFs and help you with the harder ones. It much better then rolling with a group of strangers who may not be the strongest players.
Also start on the Romulan and Omega Reputation teirs. Level 1 and 2 are pretty easy to complete and the passive rewards a very nice to have.
but my question is, is there one type of energy type that is stronger than the rest at Vice admiral level? or are they all just the same and it comes down to preference.
EDIT: this post is about SPACE weaponry
for ground, buy a nice MK XI, XII from the exchange and stay with it till you can afford an Omega reputation set.
not really, albeit some will swear "their" type is the best
also, the 2,5% chance to proc is higher when using cannons, but not too high, so if you just stick with ONE weapon type of your choice you should be fine.
in STF's, one gets to see ALL kind of weapons, there is no consensus on the best type.
then, there are starter sets you can get for free - the DS9 FE set has some +dmg on Polaron weapons, so that is what i do when i have a new toon.
But i do not like the proc, so after i get my Omega/KHG/MACO set i go other dmg type, usually Disruptors.
Phasers are TOO EXPENSIVE on the exchange.
Plasma is nice, but all the Omega/KHG/MACO sets have resistence to plasma built in, so if you going to PVP, forget it.
Tetryons are good for shield stripping, but do lower DMG to hull.
I'd advise you to get hybrid plasma-disruptor beams or dual heavy cannons from "past imperfect" for your first stfs. It's a disruptor weapon, and it should be fine until you can affort Mk XII purple stuff. You can also use the efficient impulse engines you get in this mission. Take any [pla] shield you want (covariant if possible) for STFs. Beams (and not dual ones!) for a cruiser, cannons + turrets in the back for an escort ship, and beams or dual beam banks for a science ship, depending on your base turnrate.
Don't mix energy types, it doesn't work. To get a good insight on boff powers, i'd advise you to tell us what ship you're flying and what's your class.
For ground missions... Do NOT use the jem'hadar set. I know, it's a purple one but it sucks hard in pve. Give it to a brdge officer you hate instead. If you intend to play ground STFs, a [pla] shield is mandatory unless you enjoy the experience of death. Also get a decent pulsewave, there are many missions giving a free one, especially in the cardassian and romulan fronts. It'll be the best possible weapon in many situations, where you have to fight at close range in small rooms.
You will see many people sniping in elite ground instances. Do not imitate them, they are all wrong, unless you enjoy pain and playing infected ground elite as your first ground stf. :cool:.
I just want a general direction. getting into this game finally took awhile and since getting into it i'm hooked.
I know of all the dilithium missions and dailies and about the new rom zone.
First things first:
Are you Silver or Gold?
If you are a Silver player, think getting your economics in order - which means focusing on expanding both your player EC cap & storage space, both which requires Zen.
REASON:
More EC cap & Storage means greater capital, which in turn will position you to acquire the more lucrative gear.
Second:
You will most likely be heading for STFs, its the end game Grind - My recommendation - Take the advice from poster ddesjardins regarding preparations for STFs.
Third:
I'd advise you to get hybrid plasma-disruptor beams or dual heavy cannons from "past imperfect" for your first stfs. It's a disruptor weapon, and it should be fine until you can affort Mk XII purple stuff. You can also use the efficient impulse engines you get in this mission. Take any [pla] shield you want (covariant if possible) for STFs. Beams (and not dual ones!) for a cruiser, cannons + turrets in the back for an escort ship, and beams or dual beam banks for a science ship, depending on your base turnrate.
Don't mix energy types, it doesn't work.
Poster diogene0 has given great advice here, do what he says - and yes, forgetabout using the Jem'Hadar Ground set, its horrible.
What gear should i grind out if i want to participate in high level instances and events?
any suggestions of other paths to take?
AS poster diogene0 recommended, many missions offer good decent gear at no cost, just rerun missions. However; with that being said do not ignore teh Exchange - plenty of rare and very rare ground equipment for dirt cheap.
Here is another small trick or so - head to the Otha system over at Eta Eridani - run the PvP scenerio, which most of the time you'll be by yourself, complete the objectives, and you'll get a decent Very rare Ground equipment. I believe you can only do this once or twice before it stops giving you a decent reward.
but my question is, is there one type of energy type that is stronger than the rest at Vice admiral level? or are they all just the same and it comes down to preference.
not really, albeit some will swear "their" type is the best
you can decide what you do after reading this: http://www.stowiki.org/Damage_type
Plasma is nice, but all the Omega/KHG/MACO sets have resistence to plasma built in, so if you going to PVP, forget it.....
Not to fully contradict fellow Poster duaths1, but I must say stay away from Plasma weaponry at all cost when it comes down to STFs and PvP.
There is an upside in using Plasma weaponry, theoretically the Plasma fire damage stack. They were once my favorites due to stack damage. Now it is unknown if the Plasma fire stack anymore.
The downside however; is too high. Plasma weaponry is usually highly countered due to the Borg, an error in Cryptic's part because the Borg, based off lore, in actuality do not use Plasma weaponry. The ones from STO do.
Not to fully contradict fellow Poster duaths1, but I must say stay away from Plasma weaponry at all cost when it comes down to STFs and PvP.
There is an upside in using Plasma weaponry, theoretically the Plasma fire damage stack. They were once my favorites due to stack damage. Now it is unknown if the Plasma fire stack anymore.
you do not contradict me in any way cause in my post i was talking about SPACE weaponry ( i know i didn't mention it).
i tend to change my ground weapons a lot cause i want the accolades from various dmg types.. (good i do have MK XI (borg) weapons of every kind in my bank from before S7)
one more thing i would like to tell about Plasma:
- stay away from Plasma ENERGY weapons, on the othere hand, plasma PROJECTILE weapons are very nice, have high DPS and they tend to proc a lot.
now we do have 3 Plasma Torpedos with different/unshared cooldowns:
- omega
- romulan
- the normal one, which shares cooldown with the old (Borg) plasma torpedo
if you are trying to build a torpedo boat, it is a great combination! add some plasma mines to the aft and all the nice plasma consoles.. (and some tricobalt, or bioneural torp.. )
....................................
STO Borg - there were discussions about changing the Borg dmg type + the STF sets resistance to the special (Borg plasma) type, but nothing has been done yet.
so as far as SPACE plasma energy weapons go (turrets, cannons, beams) : nice color, but stay away from them..
(actually very sad, cause i've been aiming at using space plasma weapons from the launch.. you remember - you had to skill weapons after type? and plasma was the T5 if my memories are correct)
the ground Plasma T5 MK XII from the Romulan reputation weapons rock, however!
plus, the Romulan BOFF's from T3 Embassy will give + crit and +ground plasma dmg,
so that is what i am going after
I just want a general direction. getting into this game finally took awhile and since getting into it i'm hooked.
i know of all the dil missions and daylies and about the new rom zone. What gear should i grind out if i want to participate in high level instances and events?
any suggestions of other paths to take?
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but unless you like extreme grinding or just doing PvPs there aint much to do when you hit level 50. Enjoy the experience/missions that took you there to that level.... probably a better way to look at it. Or to say you probably seen the best of the game and be ready to see the ugly side...not much content after L50 unless you want to grind senseless...most peeps just get tired and move on to other MMOs and check back once in awhile for new content...;)
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but unless you like extreme grinding or just doing PvPs there aint much to do when you hit level 50. Enjoy the experience/missions that took you there to that level.... probably a better way to look at it. Or to say you probably seen the best of the game and be ready to see the ugly side...not much content after L50 unless you want to grind senseless...most peeps just get tired and move on to other MMOs and check back once in awhile for new content...;)
is that not how all mmo's are?
in any mmo i've played from the most popular WOW to even sandbox games like Eve-online and b2p games like TSW and GW2.
essentially at the end of the leveling experience it all boils down to repeating the same content over and over again. same instances same raids same everything.
i'm not one of those players who believes there is a mystical game with infinite amounts of content and thousands of hours of unique game play. that game is not doable nor will it ever be created. even in sandbox games it still boils down to grinding. be it for resources or territory.
i've already seen a lot of repetitive parts in STO and honestly its a grind i don't mind doing. Also the foundry in STO gives unique player made missions that are unique in every way.
point is the trick. if you want to call it a trick is find a game you can enjoy and stick with it. jumping from mmo to mmo gets old fast and you find yourself with nothing to play because each time you come across the same brick wall. CONTENT GENERATION.
Comments
I second the suggestion to have some fun in normal STF's until you have a high sense of confidence about how they are played. This more important than gear when starting out.
The STOAcademy link above is a great starting point in terms of understanding the mechanics of the missions and the more popular tactics.
Gear Ideas
There are many different schools of thought on this. Existing weapons and systems will work fine for both normals and elite STF's. Try to go with one flavor of energy, and focus on improving your consoles to support it. Some stand out items at Tier 3 and 4 are worth developing. The Omega Torpedo is quite nice, as is it's Romulan counterpart. As part of their sets, the new torpedoes are quite devastating and will raise your overall dps substantially. IMO most of the X level stuff (blue rare) isn't worth the development costs.
As for weapons, buy fleet versions if possible. I have never regretted using them over the older 'borg' versions.
As for shields/engines/deflector sets, the basic borg set is a great place to start. There are many threads dedicated to mix and matching MACO, OMEGA and borg stuff to produce interesting effects.
At the end of the day though - build something you like to play with at the moment. You're going to change your mind a few times and try out different systems.
A word of caution about public pugs. You will from time to time fail the mission (Cure Space failure is common) for a variety of reasons. From players ignoring plans - or worse not talking about them at the start - to just having a 'bad day' you will become frustrated. All of us have at one point or another. There are countless threads about posting your worse experience.
The normal pugs are there for that purpose. They are for a lack of a better description a plce to work out tactics, learn the basics and test ship designs.
When you are ready to try an elite, you can get a better 'class' of player through setting up your own games through channels dedicated to them. These channels have their own personalities - which you can get a better sense of by reading STF Communication Basics (Channels & Codes). Knowing where to find a good team is really half the battle.
Good Luck - maybe we'll run a few with you soon.
Admiral Thrax
you mention to go with one kind of weapon and expand on it.
question to you is I've notice the power variance on a lot of weapons. Phaser, poloron, disrupter etc.. which one is better.
i much like the look of poloron weapons and i've picked out a pretty awesome poloron rifle to ground missions. got it when i was rear admiral.
but my question is, is there one type of energy type that is stronger than the rest at Vice admiral level? or are they all just the same and it comes down to preference.
They can help you learn the insides and outs of STFs and help you with the harder ones. It much better then rolling with a group of strangers who may not be the strongest players.
Also start on the Romulan and Omega Reputation teirs. Level 1 and 2 are pretty easy to complete and the passive rewards a very nice to have.
EDIT: this post is about SPACE weaponry
for ground, buy a nice MK XI, XII from the exchange and stay with it till you can afford an Omega reputation set.
not really, albeit some will swear "their" type is the best
you can decide what you do after reading this: http://www.stowiki.org/Damage_type
also, the 2,5% chance to proc is higher when using cannons, but not too high, so if you just stick with ONE weapon type of your choice you should be fine.
in STF's, one gets to see ALL kind of weapons, there is no consensus on the best type.
then, there are starter sets you can get for free - the DS9 FE set has some +dmg on Polaron weapons, so that is what i do when i have a new toon.
But i do not like the proc, so after i get my Omega/KHG/MACO set i go other dmg type, usually Disruptors.
Phasers are TOO EXPENSIVE on the exchange.
Plasma is nice, but all the Omega/KHG/MACO sets have resistence to plasma built in, so if you going to PVP, forget it.
Tetryons are good for shield stripping, but do lower DMG to hull.
Anti Protons have no proc, just hit harder.
hope this helped
Don't mix energy types, it doesn't work. To get a good insight on boff powers, i'd advise you to tell us what ship you're flying and what's your class.
For ground missions... Do NOT use the jem'hadar set. I know, it's a purple one but it sucks hard in pve. Give it to a brdge officer you hate instead. If you intend to play ground STFs, a [pla] shield is mandatory unless you enjoy the experience of death. Also get a decent pulsewave, there are many missions giving a free one, especially in the cardassian and romulan fronts. It'll be the best possible weapon in many situations, where you have to fight at close range in small rooms.
You will see many people sniping in elite ground instances. Do not imitate them, they are all wrong, unless you enjoy pain and playing infected ground elite as your first ground stf. :cool:.
God, lvl 60 CW. 17k.
First things first:
Are you Silver or Gold?
If you are a Silver player, think getting your economics in order - which means focusing on expanding both your player EC cap & storage space, both which requires Zen.
REASON:
More EC cap & Storage means greater capital, which in turn will position you to acquire the more lucrative gear.
Second:
You will most likely be heading for STFs, its the end game Grind - My recommendation - Take the advice from poster ddesjardins regarding preparations for STFs.
Third:
Poster diogene0 has given great advice here, do what he says - and yes, forgetabout using the Jem'Hadar Ground set, its horrible.
AS poster diogene0 recommended, many missions offer good decent gear at no cost, just rerun missions. However; with that being said do not ignore teh Exchange - plenty of rare and very rare ground equipment for dirt cheap.
Here is another small trick or so - head to the Otha system over at Eta Eridani - run the PvP scenerio, which most of the time you'll be by yourself, complete the objectives, and you'll get a decent Very rare Ground equipment. I believe you can only do this once or twice before it stops giving you a decent reward.
Not to fully contradict fellow Poster duaths1, but I must say stay away from Plasma weaponry at all cost when it comes down to STFs and PvP.
There is an upside in using Plasma weaponry, theoretically the Plasma fire damage stack. They were once my favorites due to stack damage. Now it is unknown if the Plasma fire stack anymore.
The downside however; is too high. Plasma weaponry is usually highly countered due to the Borg, an error in Cryptic's part because the Borg, based off lore, in actuality do not use Plasma weaponry. The ones from STO do.
you do not contradict me in any way cause in my post i was talking about SPACE weaponry ( i know i didn't mention it).
i tend to change my ground weapons a lot cause i want the accolades from various dmg types.. (good i do have MK XI (borg) weapons of every kind in my bank from before S7)
one more thing i would like to tell about Plasma:
- stay away from Plasma ENERGY weapons, on the othere hand, plasma PROJECTILE weapons are very nice, have high DPS and they tend to proc a lot.
now we do have 3 Plasma Torpedos with different/unshared cooldowns:
- omega
- romulan
- the normal one, which shares cooldown with the old (Borg) plasma torpedo
if you are trying to build a torpedo boat, it is a great combination! add some plasma mines to the aft and all the nice plasma consoles.. (and some tricobalt, or bioneural torp.. )
....................................
STO Borg - there were discussions about changing the Borg dmg type + the STF sets resistance to the special (Borg plasma) type, but nothing has been done yet.
so as far as SPACE plasma energy weapons go (turrets, cannons, beams) : nice color, but stay away from them..
(actually very sad, cause i've been aiming at using space plasma weapons from the launch.. you remember - you had to skill weapons after type?
the ground Plasma T5 MK XII from the Romulan reputation weapons rock, however!
plus, the Romulan BOFF's from T3 Embassy will give + crit and +ground plasma dmg,
so that is what i am going after
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but unless you like extreme grinding or just doing PvPs there aint much to do when you hit level 50. Enjoy the experience/missions that took you there to that level.... probably a better way to look at it. Or to say you probably seen the best of the game and be ready to see the ugly side...not much content after L50 unless you want to grind senseless...most peeps just get tired and move on to other MMOs and check back once in awhile for new content...;)
is that not how all mmo's are?
in any mmo i've played from the most popular WOW to even sandbox games like Eve-online and b2p games like TSW and GW2.
essentially at the end of the leveling experience it all boils down to repeating the same content over and over again. same instances same raids same everything.
i'm not one of those players who believes there is a mystical game with infinite amounts of content and thousands of hours of unique game play. that game is not doable nor will it ever be created. even in sandbox games it still boils down to grinding. be it for resources or territory.
i've already seen a lot of repetitive parts in STO and honestly its a grind i don't mind doing. Also the foundry in STO gives unique player made missions that are unique in every way.
point is the trick. if you want to call it a trick is find a game you can enjoy and stick with it. jumping from mmo to mmo gets old fast and you find yourself with nothing to play because each time you come across the same brick wall. CONTENT GENERATION.
Thanks everybody though for the suggestions