I'm thinking about starting a Klingon captain to be a carrier pilot (since my idea of starting a Fed carrier pilot got delayed due to distractions) and I had a few questions.
1. Which character class is the best for a carrier? My first instinct is for Tactical since AP:Alpha seems useful for dealing with the anemic turn rate of the carrier while Fire on my mark is a good way to boost the damage dealt by carrier pets. On the other hand Engineer would be a good way to increase the survivability of the carrier itself (through RSF and Miracle Worker) but the lack of any support for the pets makes me somewhat skeptical. Finally Science, obviously Sensor scan is a nice way to buff pet damage and of course it's going to have a bit more synergy in terms of skill point utilization.
2. Are the Bird of Prey pets worth using compared to simple fighters?
3. Are torpedoes worth using? Obviously I plan to use beams or turrets for my main energy weapons, but I'm wondering if it's worth sticking some torpedoes on as well or if the slow turn rate makes it to hard to bring them to bear.
I fly a sci in an Atrox as a torp boat on my Fed. On my KDF I'm a tac with a VQ and a Kar'Fi.
I prefer Sci in a carrier.
BoPs are a thing of beauty.
Torps are good if you can aim them. It takes learning. Beams are horrible right now. I recommend one for the target subsystems, but for DPS your better off with anything else, even accounting for turn rate. If your new to slow ships I recommend single cannons, then narrow it down to torps or DBBs as you acclimate to the handling and learn some tricks.
Romulan weapons set gives you a weak BO with a DoT component and one hell of a debuff, helps make up for the lack of tac boff slots. Nadeon Detonator can be used the same way with a torp, but unless you invest in the doffs to lower the cooldown it is kinda long. That said, with 3 purple doffs the cooldown is only 45 seconds, and photonic shockwave is not a bad "Oh my I'm too big to get out of the way of that, shoo!!!" for plasma torps and mines and the like... an option anyway I toy with a lot.
I once again match my character. Behold the power of PINK!
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
1. For a Vo'Quv I'd recommend and Engineer or Science char, as APA doesn't do all that much when the ship's base turn rate is so low. Engineer to keep it alive, and Science for subnuc, sensor sweap, and being skilled into Science Skills, which the Vo'Quv is heavy on in BOff slots. The Kar'fi carrier has much more synergy with Tac captains, with it's higher turn and more aggressive layout (4 fore, 3 aft weapons, 3 Tac consoles, 5 total Tac BOff abilities). My first char KDF side I went Tac with a Vo'Quv which was OK, but moving to a Kar'fi was a breath of fresh air when I got it.
2. It varies based on how the AI is handling things in a given patch. They used to do pretty well, not sure about currently.
3. They can be, if you get good doing 'extreme turn backing' (hitting Evasive, and throwing it into reverse) it should be no trouble. If KDF had [arc] torps I recommend those for the Vo'Quv, but there's only the Ferengi Missles from the Lobi store this side.
I'm thinking about starting a Klingon captain to be a carrier pilot (since my idea of starting a Fed carrier pilot got delayed due to distractions) and I had a few questions.
1. Which character class is the best for a carrier? My first instinct is for Tactical since AP:Alpha seems useful for dealing with the anemic turn rate of the carrier while Fire on my mark is a good way to boost the damage dealt by carrier pets. On the other hand Engineer would be a good way to increase the survivability of the carrier itself (through RSF and Miracle Worker) but the lack of any support for the pets makes me somewhat skeptical. Finally Science, obviously Sensor scan is a nice way to buff pet damage and of course it's going to have a bit more synergy in terms of skill point utilization.
2. Are the Bird of Prey pets worth using compared to simple fighters?
3. Are torpedoes worth using? Obviously I plan to use beams or turrets for my main energy weapons, but I'm wondering if it's worth sticking some torpedoes on as well or if the slow turn rate makes it to hard to bring them to bear.
Thinking from mostly a PVP point of view.
1. Engineer or Science. Honestly, if all you want is fun, do whatever you want. But for min/maxing, Eng./Sci captains are ideal to the Carriers. Between the two, Engineers mostly for the all-around survivability boost and system power boost. Sci will have things like Sensor Scan and SubNuc, but those are front arc abilities. If the fighting is all around you while in a carrier, which WILL happen because you will be targetted alot, getting a good lead on someone to your front is a problem. It makes Sci captains on a carrier, a major science ship, only a situationally good prospect.
2. Haven't tried the Advance BOPs recently on my carriers.
3. Torps on a carrier outside the Kar'Fi is another situational thing. With things turning all around you, there's a bunch of times that my Torps aren't useful. Then again, you will find yourself in a position with some distance and the fighting to your front/aft arc. You will miss the prospect of doing a HYT/TS into the fray. In short, this is up to you. Sometimes you will not miss the torp, sometimes you will wish you had it.
As far as Attack Patterns go, IMO, a good all around ability for a Carrier user is Attack Pattern Delta in both PVP and PVE.
For both PVP and PVE, the idea is that you're simply going to get shot at alot. Most especially in PVP since you are a big, uncloakable target that spews pets that can hinder the opposing team's efforts. You WILL be tested in your ship's survivablity first, almost all the time. Pop in APD and whoever shoots at you gets a really nasty damage resist debuff, while you receive a resistance buff. The debuff is only 5 seconds long, which I think can be cleared by a TT application. But every time you are attacked, APD debuff is applied. This will work wonders for your pets and everyone else allied to your team. Not to mention, among the Attack Patterns, it has 45 second cooldown compared to APO's 60.
The other big boost with APD is that it can be applied to yourself or a teammate in dire need. It's also not limited by your arc. But I stress the importance in the debuff applied to any and all who attack the APD protected targets. If everyone is attacking that person, they ALL get the debuff. Unlike APO or APB where only one specific target or whoever is targetted is going to suffer.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. For what it's worth I decided to go Engineer simply because I find Engineers a lot more enjoyable than Science for ground combat.
Comments
I prefer Sci in a carrier.
BoPs are a thing of beauty.
Torps are good if you can aim them. It takes learning. Beams are horrible right now. I recommend one for the target subsystems, but for DPS your better off with anything else, even accounting for turn rate. If your new to slow ships I recommend single cannons, then narrow it down to torps or DBBs as you acclimate to the handling and learn some tricks.
Romulan weapons set gives you a weak BO with a DoT component and one hell of a debuff, helps make up for the lack of tac boff slots. Nadeon Detonator can be used the same way with a torp, but unless you invest in the doffs to lower the cooldown it is kinda long. That said, with 3 purple doffs the cooldown is only 45 seconds, and photonic shockwave is not a bad "Oh my I'm too big to get out of the way of that, shoo!!!" for plasma torps and mines and the like... an option anyway I toy with a lot.
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
2. It varies based on how the AI is handling things in a given patch. They used to do pretty well, not sure about currently.
3. They can be, if you get good doing 'extreme turn backing' (hitting Evasive, and throwing it into reverse) it should be no trouble. If KDF had [arc] torps I recommend those for the Vo'Quv, but there's only the Ferengi Missles from the Lobi store this side.
Thinking from mostly a PVP point of view.
1. Engineer or Science. Honestly, if all you want is fun, do whatever you want. But for min/maxing, Eng./Sci captains are ideal to the Carriers. Between the two, Engineers mostly for the all-around survivability boost and system power boost. Sci will have things like Sensor Scan and SubNuc, but those are front arc abilities. If the fighting is all around you while in a carrier, which WILL happen because you will be targetted alot, getting a good lead on someone to your front is a problem. It makes Sci captains on a carrier, a major science ship, only a situationally good prospect.
2. Haven't tried the Advance BOPs recently on my carriers.
3. Torps on a carrier outside the Kar'Fi is another situational thing. With things turning all around you, there's a bunch of times that my Torps aren't useful. Then again, you will find yourself in a position with some distance and the fighting to your front/aft arc. You will miss the prospect of doing a HYT/TS into the fray. In short, this is up to you. Sometimes you will not miss the torp, sometimes you will wish you had it.
As far as Attack Patterns go, IMO, a good all around ability for a Carrier user is Attack Pattern Delta in both PVP and PVE.
For both PVP and PVE, the idea is that you're simply going to get shot at alot. Most especially in PVP since you are a big, uncloakable target that spews pets that can hinder the opposing team's efforts. You WILL be tested in your ship's survivablity first, almost all the time. Pop in APD and whoever shoots at you gets a really nasty damage resist debuff, while you receive a resistance buff. The debuff is only 5 seconds long, which I think can be cleared by a TT application. But every time you are attacked, APD debuff is applied. This will work wonders for your pets and everyone else allied to your team. Not to mention, among the Attack Patterns, it has 45 second cooldown compared to APO's 60.
The other big boost with APD is that it can be applied to yourself or a teammate in dire need. It's also not limited by your arc. But I stress the importance in the debuff applied to any and all who attack the APD protected targets. If everyone is attacking that person, they ALL get the debuff. Unlike APO or APB where only one specific target or whoever is targetted is going to suffer.