test content
  • Games
  • Social
  • Arc News
  • Support
  • Zen
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
Forums > Home› The Academy

Scientific Advice

irishxpirishxp Member Posts: 72 Arc User
edited September 2013 in The Academy
Hello fellow trekkers! :)

Even though I brought a second character to 50, I still feel a complete noob!
Maybe that's because I play solo, I don't know: it's still funny 'cause I always seem to stumble into new thing :D

Enough chatter! What I wanted to ask you my friends is this:
when the new season launches (I know there's a lot of time but I have many things to do with my other captains) I would like to create a new character, a science captain flying a science ship.
I heard they are a little underperforming but I don't care that much, I still would like to play with all those strange abilities :D

Have you got any advice on what are considered most useful skills, or what are considered most useful ships?

Thanks in advance! :)
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • drowrulesupremedrowrulesupreme Member Posts: 692 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    irishxp wrote: »
    Hello fellow trekkers! :)

    Even though I brought a second character to 50, I still feel a complete noob!
    Maybe that's because I play solo, I don't know: it's still funny 'cause I always seem to stumble into new thing :D

    Enough chatter! What I wanted to ask you my friends is this:
    when the new season launches (I know there's a lot of time but I have many things to do with my other captains) I would like to create a new character, a science captain flying a science ship.
    I heard they are a little underperforming but I don't care that much, I still would like to play with all those strange abilities :D

    Have you got any advice on what are considered most useful skills, or what are considered most useful ships?

    Thanks in advance! :)

    You're in good company, I often find myself solo, even with a fleet to fall back on.

    As for Science Captains, yes some of the skills have been hit so hard with a nerf-bat that they are barely worth it but with some forward planning you can make a great ship.

    I have one science captain in an escort fed-side (alright, it's the Breen Chel Grett but it's close enough) and the lack of tactical boosting captain skills is IMO made up for with the ability to sub-nuke and summon a photonic fleet (great for solo players, even if it's only for a few seconds breather).

    Another Sci captain (again, fed-side) I planned from the beginning to be something different. I found a thread about a shield-stripping Intrepid Retrofit/Refit and modified it for the free Research Science Vessel (Luna Class). It revolves around torpedos (so low weapons power), tractor beams, tachyon beams, Charged Particle Burst (CPB) (so high auxiliary power) and mines. I keep one beam array up front (phaser is good for chance at shutting down a subsytem but tetryon is okay to hit shields a bit more and its a beam array not dual beam bank so I get better ARC coverage) for using the Subsytem Targetting (I often aim for shields but any will do if shields is on cooldown) and run 2 quantums up front with a Harghpeng in the rear. Also in rear is tractor beam mines and quantum mines.

    Basically my second build is very much "sit still whilst I pummel your shields and follow up with torpedoes".

    The key is to use DOFFS which boost shield stripping of tractor beam, reduce speed with tachyon beam and boost CPB. I also use the Jem'Hadar set for the Anti-Proton Sweep (another shield weakener).
    I'm sure others will say they have better builds but I've found mine to be fun, fast and very survivable.

    I'll try to dig up the link for you to check it out.

    http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/index.php?build=torpluna_2865

    Your other option, if money is no object, is to buy the VESTA. AUX cannons up front means you can set weapon power low, boost aux and get the best of both worlds.
    "...we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than the things that divide us.”
    Jo Cox 22.6.1974 - 16.6.2016

  • sander233sander233 Member Posts: 3,992 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    The most useful skills you can add to your sci captains skill tree (besides all the usual tac weapons skills) are flow capacitors (great for draining your enemy's shields and power levels) particle generators (for "exotic" damage) and graviton generators (for holding the enemy down so he can't get away.)

    And remember, a sci captain is not just limited to a sci ship. Using sensor scan (an innate sci captain ability you get early on) to debuff your enemy's damage resistance lets you do scary, scary things in an escort.
    16d89073-5444-45ad-9053-45434ac9498f.png~original

    ...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
    - Anne Bredon
  • the1tiggletthe1tigglet Member Posts: 1,421 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    I'd also like to point out that if you're doing elite STFs typically items with resist work well stacking shield buffs don't make a difference.

    stacking part gen or any of the other consoles doesn't work well either so a mixture is good.

    I'd also suggest using a beam overload for your tac skill for beams and it never hurts to have the doffs that give perception accuracy when using tactical team or the doff that causes all attacks against a target you just used beam overload one to bypass shields by 30%.
  • shockwave85shockwave85 Member Posts: 1,040 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    Everybody should be specced into Flow Caps, even a Tac. What it does for Plasmonic Leech or even Polaron weapons is easily worth the 6-9k point investment.

    Sci consoles stack just as well as Tac consoles. I have a Prometheus with 3x Fleet Particle Gen consoles. Including the 9 points I specced into Particle Gens on my skill tree, the Grav Wells or TBRs I throw out contribute substantially to the damage I do. Helps that I'm a Tac captain and Tac buffs affect Sci skills, but even so. Flying Crystalline Entity with the TBRs of death is much lulz. Good luck getting your shards back, big guy. :)

    Science in general just takes more planning. Tac and Eng are easy, stack up damage and stack up heal/resist respectively. Sci you have to have a more specific plan. Drain build? Crowd control? Team healer? Exotic damage? What role(s) do you want to focus on? Plan your skill tree, Boff powers, Doffs and ship consoles around that. Don't try to do too much, pick 1-2 things you want to do and excel at them.
    ssog-maco-sig.jpg
  • irishxpirishxp Member Posts: 72 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    I would like to say thank you, to everyone, for you precious and much needed advices :)

    To add a bit of info, making some points a little more clear, in no particular order:
    I want to play fed side, not only because I like it but also because during these giveaway days I got 2 science ships.
    I think i'm going to like that torpedo boat build, I could go that way too but I'm not sure, I want to toy with all those exotic effects.
    I know I'm not limited to sci ships but I really would like to use one, to get access to high ranking sci boff slot :)
    Not even mentioning I'm trying to fit my engi on an escort and my tac on a cruiser!
    Maybe in time i'll put my hands on a Vesta, i really like that ship (aesthetic-wise)!
    As about the role I would like to focus on, I really don't know, to do somehing different I could focus on Crowd Control or Exotic Damage :)
  • shockwave85shockwave85 Member Posts: 1,040 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    CC and Exotic Damage is a good pairing since your CC skills also mostly do exotic damage (Tractor Beam, Tractor Beam Repulsors, Gravity Well). Speccing into both Graviton Generators and Particle Generators would allow you to hold a target and deal it damage with the same skill. Do be aware there's a quirk with Grav Well that graviton generators only affect its hold strength very slightly. To make up for it, they also impact the range at which the Well can hold a ship.
    ssog-maco-sig.jpg
  • irishxpirishxp Member Posts: 72 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    This new toon is really getting form in my mind :D
    I can't wait for the new season to launch so I can start :P
    (I know I could start earlier, but as I said I want to wait the new season :D )
  • eurialoeurialo Member Posts: 667 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    irishxp wrote: »
    Hello fellow trekkers! :)
    I heard they are a little underperforming but I don't care that much, I still would like to play with all those strange abilities :D

    who said that?
    If you look at spike damage only then yes sci captain are underperforming, but the game is not only spike damage based... both pve and pvp.

    Have you got any advice on what are considered most useful skills, or what are considered most useful ships?

    Thanks in advance! :)


    well I have both fed and kdf sci/sci captain and have a lot of fun both when I play pve and pvp.
    IMHO the best science ship is the temporal science vessel because of the universal stations, so you can have several different boff layout depending how you want to specialize your toon/ship...

    However how to specialize your ship depend on what you play: if you flay a escort, then dps is your way and usually you have a few choices, but if you fly a sci vessel then you have more choices: you can be a pure debuffer, a healer and someway also a tank and you can choose several abilities. For pve I think GW, TBR and TB are good abilities and you can use torpedos to have a good dps. For pvp usually a sci/sci captain is involved in healing and/or debuffing so dps is less important.

    Good science abilities? GW, TBR, TB, ES, VM... depending what you play and what you like (I like disabling, draing energy, holding and stopping...).
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

    Playing STO spamming FAW is like playing chess using always the computer's suggested moves
  • irishxpirishxp Member Posts: 72 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    Thank you too for your insights!
    As I said, I'm thinking of control and\or exotic damage abilities but even drain is tempting.
    What I think I understood is to not dabble with everything, but to focus :D

    I took a look to the temporal vessel, seems very nice. I even like it's streamlined design :)
    How can I get one?
  • johnstewardjohnsteward Member Posts: 1,073 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    Go vesta

    Best sci ships on fed side.

    Temporal ships come from lobi store/temporal lock boxes or the exchange.
  • irishxpirishxp Member Posts: 72 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    I suppose it doesn't just cost 100 lobi crystals :D

    Well, money for money, they both can wait :)

    Considering I'm a lifer, does the VA ticket grants me a nice ship?
  • eurialoeurialo Member Posts: 667 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    irishxp wrote: »
    Thank you too for your insights!
    As I said, I'm thinking of control and\or exotic damage abilities but even drain is tempting.
    What I think I understood is to not dabble with everything, but to focus :D

    yes, you have to focus... sci abilities usually depend on 2 or more skill, so you need to focus in order to have a strong build. The optimal is choosing a few abilities and use them well instead of having very different abilities and being ineffective using them.
    Ex. GW and TBR use the same 2 skill, they are very usefull in pwe and save a lot of skill point to spend. Adding ES is very cheap because you only need flow capacitor (wich is usefull with plasmonich leach and subsystem targeting)...
    Moreover several sci abilities have a long CD, so aving a pair of them can be a must.

    I took a look to the temporal vessel, seems very nice. I even like it's streamlined design :)
    How can I get one?

    the best way is buying it at the exchange, I think actually it is about 120 millions EC.
    However I know the vesta is a very good ship, but I do not have it. My favorite is the temporal vessel, it's not a hybrid carrier, has a better turn rate, a bit more hull a better shield modifier and 3 eng consoles are better than 2 when you need more resistance to hull directed damage.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

    Playing STO spamming FAW is like playing chess using always the computer's suggested moves
  • irishxpirishxp Member Posts: 72 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    What does ES mean? Extend Shields? :)
  • eurialoeurialo Member Posts: 667 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    irishxp wrote: »
    What does ES mean? Extend Shields? :)

    Energy siphon
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

    Playing STO spamming FAW is like playing chess using always the computer's suggested moves
  • irishxpirishxp Member Posts: 72 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    Ahh ok, now I get it :)
    Thanks!
Sign In or Register to comment.