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How badly do I need plasmonic leech?
sonnikku
Member Posts: 77 Arc User
And for that matter, how do I obtain it? Everyone seems to mention it constantly around here.
Post edited by sonnikku on
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- Judge Aaron Satie
It drains at least 15 from your enemies power levels.
Because it is a per shot passive activation, it has a cool perk of countering energy drain until max stacks.
It dropped from the tal shiar lock box, cost 1.2mil then, 5.5 mil now.
You notice an immediate effect and wish you had it on all your toons.
Needed? It is almost a need, the effect is pure awesomeness
My PvE/PvP hybrid skill tree
The Leech can be boosted with flow caps. Its base is actually just +8 per system with no flow caps, but even just pushing the cheap skill up to 6 gives you a total of +14.4 per system. Add consoles or certain deflectors and it can get even worse. And it works whenever you're shooting, and drains your enemies besides.
MACO shield has a lower max (12 I think?), can't be boosted, doesn't drain your enemies, and only works when you're being steadily shot at. However, it requires no skill investment to use, saves a console slot, and is a damn good shield regardless.
Really, its too bad you can't use them together.
Yeah, that wouldn't be god-awfully overpowered or anything.
What happens if you do equip both? Is one negated over the other, or both?
Member since early 2011
--->Ground Combat General Bugs Directory
Real join date: March 2012 / PvP Veteran since May 2012 (Ground and Space)
For us romulan players, that 'small power bonus' is a god send ^^;
Member since early 2011
I'm aware it used to stack, and it was nerfed for exactly the reason you said. I personally don't run plasmonic leech on my D'Deridex, but I'm also an engineer and have multiple ways of increasing power levels continuously. I have the console sitting in my character's bank and maybe someday I might work it into my build -- unfortunately it's difficult to replace one of my current 10 consoles with it.
My PvE/PvP hybrid skill tree
^^This.
If you have just one uni console, this should be it.
Engineers (even Romulan ones) get multiple ways to increase their power levels. EPS Power Transfer III and EPS Manifold Efficiency Trait which grants boosts to all power levels each time an "Emergency Power to..." or Battery is activated. I'm not saying plasmonic leech isn't useful, but it's less necessary when you have a build that maximizes power levels. For instance the doff that has a 5% chance to grant +20 shield power for 10 seconds each time you fire a weapon, combine with a singularity core that focuses on engines and aux, you can easily have maxed out power levels as a romulan engineer without needing plasmonic leech.
Its nice but it isn't +30. The formula for drain is [1+ (flow capacitors / 100)] * 8, so you'd need to get your flow caps up to 275 for a 30-point boost. Thats not to say the leech isn't still a large and useful boost, but lets not set unrealistic expectations.
Sacrificing ability slot, trait slot, DOFF slot(s) for a CHANCE of power increase, when you could just sacrifice a sci console slot with a 7m item that does the same thing, all the time. Dont see the point of doing ur way, even as an engineer. Flow cap is a low cost skill, so no harm spending some on it - for 8,16,20 or higher bonuses (well, there are very high flow cap builds around).
No one remember how pissed KDF were when it was made availiable to FED via lockbox? It was one of few advantages they had over FED, along with aceton.
It comes on the 1000 Zen Vandal Destroyer which is a Nausican Escort
If I ask you a question it is not an insult but a genuine attempt to understand why.
When I insult you I won't be discreet about it, I will be precise and to the point stupid.
I don't have room for flow capacitors in my skill tree, nor do I have room for plasmonic leech in my console slots. You don't have to see the point in doing it my way if you don't want to. I'm not saying my way is better or worse than using plasmonic leech. I'm just saying that it's another way to max out your power levels.
Which is my point. You can use Plasmonic Leech if you want to. But you can also use my methods of putting high power levels into play. Neither is worse than the other. Both are equally viable.
As for the KDF, I stopped paying attention to how pissed off they get a year or so ago. You can only cry wolf so many times before I just tune it out. At this point it's just whining.
Also, you don't get 30 points of power in each subsystem, as previously stated. Unless you have 275 points in Flow Capacitors. And Plasmonic Leech only works for as long as you have something with power to drain. You aren't draining anything from the Crystalline Entity, mines, destructable torps, or anything else that doesn't have any subsystems or power levels. Meaning your Plasmonic Leech is a brick in those scenarios.
You also have to hope your target is alive long enough to get the full effects from the Plasmonic Leech. You don't get it for free and it isn't permanent. The leech only lasts long enough as it's in contact with a target with power levels. If your target dies, is cloaked, breaks line of sight, etc., that energy goes bye-bye.
The plasmonic leech is a powerful piece of hardware, but (again, as previously stated before) let's not set unrealistic expectations for it.
Plasmonic leech gives you the power irrespective of the power drain. The power boost is s buff on you, that does is not linked in anyway to the power drain. As long as you are firing at something, you will gain stacks up to the cap.
Stacks last for 15 seconds and it refreshes every time you fire. If you are out of combat for longer then that, you most likely don't need the power anyway.
Every alternative you bring up for stacking power involves Ship Skills that cost more then 9 ranks of Flow Capacitors, or are more important then one console slot, such as Captain Type, Doff slots and Boff powers, and everything you mention is either cooldown based, Proc based, or more expensive skill wise.
Trying to downplay Plasmonic Leech by comparing it to things that have a higher opportunity cost, is disingenuous.
If you think 15 seconds is a long time in regards space combat, I have only one thing to say to that.
lol
Although I will cede that plasmonic leech grants power regardless of the power drain. I tested that in Crystalline Cataclysm a few minutes ago. I was under the impression it only granted a boost based on whether or not power was being drained to begin with, I was wrong.
However, I'm not wrong in saying that plasmonic leech is only one of multiple ways of getting high power levels, which was the original point. I wasn't trying to downplay the plasmonic leech, and said as much twice already.
Plasmonic IS OP. Fact. Like Red matter capacitor is, but isnt availiable to everyone.
I use one Superior Operative, and one Superior Infiltrator, and 3 Efficient bridge officers, which works in tandem with Efficient Captain.
Plasmonic leech is OP, and if I rolled a romulan tactical or science officer, I would most likely use a plasmonic leech in their ship builds.
But with EPS Manifold Efficiency, a Rechargable Shields Battery, and the doff that reduces battery cooldown times by half, combined with everything else I mentioned, it's not necessary for my engineer. However, if you're on a budget (and/or not an engineer), Plasmonic leech is certainly appealing.
I could be wrong but last I heard I think it goes by which ever procs first...
Klingons get them from a ship for 1000 zen, Feds get them from the exchange for about 6 Million EC. If spent 500 zen and purchased some keys and sold them you could easily afford it.
Yes you need to put money* down but how is it not available to everyone?
*Or farm Dilithium/EC in game.
If I ask you a question it is not an insult but a genuine attempt to understand why.
When I insult you I won't be discreet about it, I will be precise and to the point stupid.
They override each other every time one of them procs. Basically juggling between one or the other after proccing 1 stack. Making both useless.
I wish it was as cheap as everyone seems to think it is. 5 million? 6 million? ha, try 9 million atm.
It was dirt cheap when they did the Tal shiar lockbox thing and these were dropping like flies. I snagged 6 of them from between 1 - 1.5 million each (priced varied a lot even then). Now they have gone up to 8+ million. I wish I had bought another 6 and resold them now. Had the ECs back then but desperately need them now.
- Judge Aaron Satie
It's an awesome console that's becoming harder to get. I don't check the price every day.
Looks like it's cheaper for the Klingons again.
If I ask you a question it is not an insult but a genuine attempt to understand why.
When I insult you I won't be discreet about it, I will be precise and to the point stupid.
Klingons have to buy a ship to get it.
The break even point atm is at around 15 mil, I think, assuming a zen/dil exchange at 1/135 and contraband at 45k each. Might be off a bit, but not by a whole lot.