New Antiproton Policy?

buddha1369

When will antiproton weapons start dropping as loot? They are the only standard weapon that doesn't and can only be acquired through the fleet store or crafting (not sure if the Omega store still exists), making them the hardest to get and on the exchange the most expensive by far.

CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG PLEASE, but I thought (through impressions from other players mostly) that antiprotons were limited to crafting and the old STF store because they were special endgame DSP weapons. With the removal of the STF store and Rep+Fleet weapons they are no longer endgame specials.

So can they start dropping like all the other weapon types? Is there a good reason they don't?

marshalericdavid

I am guessing because they want people to spend a lot to get them.

southernskies

Antiproton does drop (I get the occasional item), but they are so ultra-rare its not worth hunting for them unless they're more prevalent in specific missions (haven't bother tracking drop locations).

tc10b

Anti proton is no better a weapon type than any other, there is no need to hunt them unless you really like red weapons or you've already got the tactical consoles for the build.

You can do just as much DPS with Disruptor, Phaser or Tetryon it depends more on your skills than your weapon type.

timezarg

tc10b wrote: »

Anti proton is no better a weapon type than any other, there is no need to hunt them unless you really like red weapons or you've already got the tactical consoles for the build.

You can do just as much DPS with Disruptor, Phaser or Tetryon it depends more on your skills than your weapon type.

This is an oversimplification and you should feel bad for posting it.

The BASE damage, minus the effects of the procs, is the same. That is true. To ignore the procs, though, is stupid. Pure and simple.

Each weapon type has its uses. In the case of Antiproton, it's useful if you're running a build that focuses on boosting critical-hit chance and damage (which would probably be a good portion of escort builds).

Tetryon will not match AP and Disruptor when it comes to hurting the hullpoints. Its benefits are restricted to the shields. Phaser is rarely useful in PvE because the disable effects don't last long, and don't really change the outcome of the fighting. It's useful in PvP, however.

These differences matter if you actually care about getting anything along the lines of top performance out of what you've got. If you're in a cruiser, especially, you SHOULD care. . .since cruisers presumably 'have trouble' when it comes to DPSing.

smokeybacon90

But the other 5 types all have their own niche builds just as AP does. Then why should AP be so hard to find?

timezarg

smokeybacon90 wrote: »

But the other 5 types all have their own niche builds just as AP does. Then why should AP be so hard to find?

Oh, I agree, it shouldn't be so rare anymore. It's an outdated policy, I think. They should make them a bit more available, though I'd hate to see a preponderance of common/uncommon Anti-protons sitting on the Exchange not getting bought.

tc10b

It may be an oversimplification, but it's still true.

The anti proton "proc" is increased CritD. So in order to get the most out of it, you need to be getting Critical Hits.

If you're getting critical hits often, as a tac in an escort with cannons, it's might be worth it, but you're talking about an increase in your crit chance on something that is already doing the most amount of damage anyway so you won't really notice it.

If you're not getting criticals often, as an engineer in a cruiser, the proc is completely useless like the tetryon proc on unshielded targets.

Critical hits shouldn't be relied upon to boost your DPS, like winning the lottery shouldn't be relied upon for putting food on your table.

tc10b

smokeybacon90 wrote: »

But the other 5 types all have their own niche builds just as AP does. Then why should AP be so hard to find?

If anything it's easier to get hold of if you're in a fleet. The only reason it's not seen around so more I think is because people aren't using the "Borg" versions that you used to be able to get from the Omega store. Mk XII stuff is hard to find regardless of what it is.