Does "Mask Energy Signature" need a Buff?

incubusangel

Someone once said that the skill is essentially a poor man's cloaking device and after using on several story missions I'm inclined to agree. While a short 10-sec 30%-50% bonus to defense is nice it seems more than negated by the fact that you can't drop off sensors mid-fight, only making the bonus applicable at a time when the enemy technically isn't even supposed to know you're there. So far I personally think the skill needs an upgrade and that it one of two things:

1. A short bonus to damage, while remaining a pre-battle only skill (because regardless of whether you're bending light around yourself or trying to hide from radar, a sneak attack is a sneak attack)

or

2. The ability to use the skill mid-battle, while remaining defense only.

Ethierr way the skill would then need to share a cooldown with battle cloak if it doesn't already, that way klingons and tactical escorts can't stay 'ghosted' 24/7 all through a fight. What does everyone else think?

Unknown

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doffingcomrade

It's rendered useless by the fact that it is not really applicable in combat and there are no non-combat scenarios in which being stealthy serves a purpose. Although since it is not useful at all in combat, if you do successfully sneak up on someone, you can effectively use it for "free" without a boff power wasted by yanking the boff in question and replacing him with someone else as your means of turning it off.