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How do I tactical captain w/ Multi-Vector Heavy Escort?

deisticbracedeisticbrace Member Posts: 10 Arc User
edited February 2014 in The Academy
Hey there! I play STO off and on for the past while now, but it's been brought to my attention that I'm not really pulling my weight when it comes to things like the alerts/fleet actions/ whatever you call them. What exactly should I be doing as a tactical captain using a multi-vector escort? How many dual heavy cannons on the fore are enough? Are beam arrays on the back a bad idea compared to turrets? Should I stop using that plasma torpedo with high yield if I can't stop blowing my own face off with it? And why are the Voth immune to everything?
Post edited by deisticbrace on

Comments

  • janus1975janus1975 Member Posts: 739 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    So just a few questions then!

    First, if you're serious, I suggest getting a combat log tracker. The one I use was developed by a STO player, it's free and called "STO-CombatLogTracker". The link's somewhere in the forums. Some players will busily tell you how terrible you are because their damage was higher than yours but won't mention the players better than they were; or you'll get bad advice based on "Sposedas" which people made up based on very little other than "X was good two years ago, therefore it's the only thing to use now".

    Another excellent resource is the STO Academy website www.stoacademy.com which has a library of other players' actual builds. It's helpful to see what other people have done for obvious reasons.

    With those two resources, you'll get a feel for what other people are doing, and how you're comparing in the field.

    Now that's out of the way...

    Builds are only part of the equation in STO. I could go into lots of detail but suffice to say, your traits, your skills tree, Reputation, your bridge officers' traits and skills, and duty officers on active duty will all affect how your ship performs. Take the exact same build and change these things and you'll have a vastly different performer.

    Then there's your own play style and what you want to do. For example, I love using Beam Overload so generally don't have ships without at least a Dual Beam Bank up front and a single Beam Array out back. Ships can work with a mix of beams and cannons so again, it depends on what you want to do. In my case, I have builds specially for strafing the Unimatrix, so why would I have 3 turrets on the back without a punchier beam? If I were going against smaller enemies, I would build very differently of course!

    Now a few specifics:

    Multi Vector is fun but each piece has lower hull strength while upping your damage. Very useful in short fights but might be better staying as one unit for prolonged battles.

    I'm a traditionalist so I always have at least one torpedo tube on a ship. A zippy little number can often do with just one but some people forego it completely.

    As a rule, the narrower the firing arc the higher the damage, so DHCs with 45-degree pump out more damage than a comparable Dual Beam Bank which has 90 degrees. As another rule, cannons (e.g. DHCs and turrets) put out more damage than beams, but drops off faster the futher away from the enemy you are, so this means generally trying to close to within 4km before it starts to pay off. Together, these mean that a properly constructed beam boat doing broadsides will do better than an all-turret build not behaving aggressively enough (or one with DHCs that can't keep their heavy cannons on target).

    Romulan and Omega Plasma torps are great... so long as you also have Hazard emitters to clean off the plasma all over your escort afterwards. Not a problem for distance, but as an escort constantly closing, it's a must. You can start your Hazard Emitters a second or two before the torpedo hits your target and not get affected (much) by the blast. My Reman in the T'Varo has two Haz Emitters 1 for this very reason (and he survives the Destabilized Plasma torp blowing up).

    The Voth are very powerful and need aggressive tactics that also need to include lots of survival-type actions. It provides a good challenge for those who have got their builds to perform well but are looking for that next challenge to tweak the design.

    Hope that helps!
  • shockwave85shockwave85 Member Posts: 1,040 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    The MVAE is fine. If you know the basics of surviving in an escort, and get some piloting skill, you can easily survive an entire STF while separated and never die. Your pet sections will die, but who cares about them. The thing with the MVAE is that it's got that nice Lt.Cdr Sci slot, which means you can run Grav Well. A typical Boff setup for the MVAE looks something like this:

    Cdr Tac: TT1, CSV1, CSV2, APO3
    Lt. Tac: TT1, TS2
    Ens. Tac: TS1
    Lt. Eng: EPTE1, EPTS2
    Lt. Cdr Sci: HE1, TSS2, GW1

    Tactical Team and Emergency to Shields are the fundamentals of escort survival. Having Doffs cut the CD on the Emergency Power abilities lets you have high uptime on EPTS with only one copy, so you can also fit EPTE to increase your Defense further and help you turn even more. Spam those constantly. Scatter Volley and Torp Spread deal AoE damage to everything unfortunate enough to be stuck in your Well, spam them too. Attack Pattern Omega is for getting out of tractors, opposing Grav Wells, as well as an additional damage boost if you need it.

    Doffs you need at least two purple Damage Control Engineers to cut the CD of the Emergency to X abilities. You also want at least one Doff to act on the Grav Well, either a Deflector Officer to cut its CD, or a Gravimetric Scientist to create aftershocks. Also consider Shield Distribution Officers that turn Brace For Impact into a damage absorbing shield heal. I currently have on mine:

    1x Gravimetric Scientist
    2x Shield Distribution
    2x Damage Control

    Get three Embassy Particle Gen sci consoles in your Sci slots for additional damage from your Well (Grav Well benefits from Tactical damage buffs, so this can be substantial). Make sure Particle Gens is at least 6 ranks in your skill tree as well, if not maxed. Fill your Tactical consoles with whatever boosts the energy weapon type you use (phaser, disruptor, whatever). Eng slots you can get Dil Mine RCS consoles (+Res), or use them for universal consoles like the Borg or Zero Point. Your Multi Vector console should probably go in one of those rather than take up a more useful Sci slot.

    3x Dual Heavy Cannons and 1 Torpedo front, 3x turrets rear. Advanced Fleet [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2 are good weapons all around. Romulan Plasma [Acc]x2 also works if that's easier for you to get. Torpedo I prefer the Omega over the Romulan Hyper when using spread because the Romulan ones just travel too slow. They're better if you're going to abuse the PWO Doff, but you don't have space for that. Omega doesn't need the PWOs, and creates some impressive torp spreads. Pair it with the Borg console for a set bonus that helps with weapon power drain. Kinetic Cutting Beam can be used to replace a rear turret, is useful against big targets with little (or no) shields like Borg Gateways and Tac Cubes.
    ssog-maco-sig.jpg
  • deisticbracedeisticbrace Member Posts: 10 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    Thanks for all the suggestions, and tips. I've slowly but surely been turning my boat around and making changes here and there and I'm definitely seeing an improvement. My MVAE is nothing but cannons and turrets at this point, save one tube at the front. Still using Dilithium store pieces for the moment for weapons, but I've seen a good increase in damage by switching up some of my Boff skills. I've still a long way to go to get the boffs and rep equipment I need, but I definitely feel like i'm having an easier time with it. Thanks again for the advice!
  • shockwave85shockwave85 Member Posts: 1,040 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    The reason I suggested a torpedo on the MVAE specifically is because without it the three Ensign Tactical powers become awkward. You've one each on the Cdr and Lt, then the actual Ens. The Cdr and Lt are enough to carry your two copies of Tactical Team, and you can't run a cannon skill in an Ens slot. Your choices are either a beam skill (probably Beam Overload with a Dual Beam Bank) or a torpedo skill (Spread is preferable on a PvE Gravity Well build). The DBB/Overload setup is mostly about getting epic spike damage for PvP. In PvE you benefit more from consistent DPS against largely unshielded/weakly shielded targets. A torpedo is just the thing for that. Voth are about the only enemy race that will be able to keep their shields up enough to give your torpedoes trouble.
    ssog-maco-sig.jpg
  • deisticbracedeisticbrace Member Posts: 10 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    Yeah, what's up with that anyway? They have times where they just go immune and it usually coincides when I decide to blow attack patterns.
  • lindalefflindaleff Member Posts: 3,734 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    With my own Fleet MVAE, I use 3 DHCs in fore and the Gravimetric Photon Torpedo. In aft, I use all Turrets. I use the full MACO set, so I also have a very high damage Heavy Graviton Beam that is easily just as powerful as any torpedo launcher, and it benefits from attack patterns.

    Double Cannon Scatter Volley, double Tactical Team, and the Ensign Tactical (Fleet version) is Torpedo Spread. Attack Patterns Alpha, Omega, and Delta. And be sure to use your Tactical Initiative! Very important!
    I completed a 2-man CSE, ISE, and KASE, Optionals included. And I soloed Winter Invasion.
    My Ship Builds: USS Conqueror, HMS Victorious, HMS Concord, ISS Queen Elizabeth, Black Widow III
    Click here to view my DeviantArt.
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