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Forums > Home› Feedback› Builds, Powers, and Game Mechanics

The Vestactical

potencethe1stpotencethe1st Member Posts: 257 Arc User
edited March 2014 in Builds, Powers, and Game Mechanics
Tonight I got a Vesta. I love being able to complete the Tour using Borg engines and the 2pc Vesta console set for permanent slipstream- 25 warp with 0 driver coils. This thing is crazy flexible too.

I fly it in a non conventional yet conventional way. Are there better ships to do what I want (grav well for a 4th wep, hanger and system analysis for 5th console)? Probably. Didn't care, I wanted a tactically oriented Vesta that ran aux2bat- and it's got fantastic results. Hit 17k tonight in a group where one player ran 3k and another 4k (elite infected conduit or ISE). Most of the other stuff I did topped 10k. Solo it was about the same as my fleet assault cruiser, but its burst wasn't as high as my fleet tac escort.

Thankfully none of the content even calls for the level of Dps this boat can put out so its more fun for me to be able to heal a bunch, pewpew, and do some control than it is maximizing my Dps at the cost of defense. (I like carrying pugs)

The timing of GW is during a specific window where aux isn't drained from the a2b penalty- that window has 100+ aux to help boost GW damage.

http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/?build=vestacticalX_0

I'm willing to take any all criticism! It really seems like this boat has it all- CC, tanking, DPS. I can swap out some consoles for more tankiness. Also I've considered running EPtS instead of EPtA for the extra shield resist but so far haven't seen a need for it. The extra aux helps a lot though during GW, and with power settings like they are I have 25% of the time with all systems over 90. Also EPtA seems to let me keep aux around 30 at times even with a2b running so my HE and hangar pets etc still function.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • meimeitoomeimeitoo Member Posts: 12,594 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    I'm really loving this build! :) Loadout is as good as it can get, methinks.

    Boff-seating, maybe there's a few small things I'd have done differently. Probably RSP2, instead of ET3 (but then again, I'm an Engineer, so I can double-tap MW3 when needed). And maybe have slotted a TSS3, instead of ST2, as I foresee some shield issues on this build.

    I love the idea of EPtA, though: an A2B build that gives aux back too. :)
    3lsZz0w.jpg
  • potencethe1stpotencethe1st Member Posts: 257 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    Thanks for the feedback!! For shield heals yes it's a bit light and I was wondering if it was going to be a problem. A single sci team 3 (2 copies though with a2b) and since I don't have a tachyo yet I'm using a flow caps -thr with the shield proc. it's been more than enough so far, and with 2x engi team and HE, as well as Borg 2pc anything that made it through barely scratched. Ate a HY Borg torp and flew away with shields regenning and 70+ hull. :)

    In pvp I'd use a diff setup with more shield heals for sure, but TT + ST3 has been quite good with dual a2b. :)
  • projectfrontierprojectfrontier Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    potencethe1st wrote: »
    Tonight I got a Vesta. I love being able to complete the Tour using Borg engines and the 2pc Vesta console set for permanent slipstream- 25 warp with 0 driver coils. This thing is crazy flexible too.

    I fly it in a non conventional yet conventional way. Are there better ships to do what I want (grav well for a 4th wep, hanger and system analysis for 5th console)? Probably. Didn't care, I wanted a tactically oriented Vesta that ran aux2bat- and it's got fantastic results. Hit 17k tonight in a group where one player ran 3k and another 4k (elite infected conduit or ISE). Most of the other stuff I did topped 10k. Solo it was about the same as my fleet assault cruiser, but its burst wasn't as high as my fleet tac escort.

    Thankfully none of the content even calls for the level of Dps this boat can put out so its more fun for me to be able to heal a bunch, pewpew, and do some control than it is maximizing my Dps at the cost of defense. (I like carrying pugs)

    The timing of GW is during a specific window where aux isn't drained from the a2b penalty- that window has 100+ aux to help boost GW damage.

    http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/?build=vestacticalX_0

    I'm willing to take any all criticism! It really seems like this boat has it all- CC, tanking, DPS. I can swap out some consoles for more tankiness. Also I've considered running EPtS instead of EPtA for the extra shield resist but so far haven't seen a need for it. The extra aux helps a lot though during GW, and with power settings like they are I have 25% of the time with all systems over 90. Also EPtA seems to let me keep aux around 30 at times even with a2b running so my HE and hangar pets etc still function.

    I've seen a lot of Vesta-A2B builds since the ship came out. The Dyson-Proton may work better as a Tractor-Mine, EPtS instead of EPtA, and if you are running weapon power high maybe EPtE over EPtW.
    Proposals for using in-game features to improve: (1) the "Phaser Lance" (and other underrepresented/missing "big guns"); && (2) separation systems on all ships that have them; && (3) training boffs in captain only powers by using boffs as pack-mules; OR to add functionality like: (4) "Away Teams Of Space Ships";
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • potencethe1stpotencethe1st Member Posts: 257 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    Yeh I was considering using the grav torp instead of the proton beam...

    On using EPtE and EptS instead of wep/aux, I'll try it out tonight. I like EPtA since it lets me maintain 30+ aux a lot of the time a2b is running.

    I really wish I could run APO instead of APB. Would let me drop polarize hull for another shield heal and not need EPtE for speed. Ah we'll, c'est la vie.
  • coffeemikecoffeemike Member Posts: 942 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    I use the tac Vesta as well but my AP beam build is a bit different with the Gravametric Torpedo.

    Check it out below.
    ~My current ship and build~
  • lucho80lucho80 Member Posts: 6,600 Bug Hunter
    edited March 2014
    Nice build, sadly it just highlights the problem in this game, same old cookie cutter a2b builds and everyone in the forums giving them a high 5. The worst part is having GW3 available, and since low part gen skill is good enough to amplify the DPS, it works great. A sci ship turned into a DPS machine.
  • projectfrontierprojectfrontier Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    potencethe1st wrote: »
    Yeh I was considering using the grav torp instead of the proton beam...

    On using EPtE and EptS instead of wep/aux, I'll try it out tonight. I like EPtA since it lets me maintain 30+ aux a lot of the time a2b is running.

    I really wish I could run APO instead of APB. Would let me drop polarize hull for another shield heal and not need EPtE for speed. Ah we'll, c'est la vie.

    That is probably why APO1 is LTC, so (most) cruisers would not be able to use it.
    Proposals for using in-game features to improve: (1) the "Phaser Lance" (and other underrepresented/missing "big guns"); && (2) separation systems on all ships that have them; && (3) training boffs in captain only powers by using boffs as pack-mules; OR to add functionality like: (4) "Away Teams Of Space Ships";
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • kadamskadams Member Posts: 204 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    An aux2bat Vesta.....

    ~shakes head~
  • potencethe1stpotencethe1st Member Posts: 257 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    What's wrong with it? I've built to explicitly not need tons of aux to maintain grav well, and fly it as the tactical hybrid that it is. A2B let's me double my effective abilities, so I have multiple heals and patterns and Dps boosting abilities. I can heal my teammates and control the mobs for 20 seconds out of every 30. I don't *need* to run a2b constantly either but if I were running the aux cannons I'd certainly do a different build. Again, I made this build to put out damage but not as much as an escort or cruiser, made it to be more tanky than my escort, and it can throw out grav wells for my teammates or heal their hulls and shields. I don't need drain, I don't need placate- i get those from reps and console. Maybe if I were to plan on pvp my approach would be different.


    What's so bad about a tactical vesta running a2B? "Cause science, that's why" is not a good enough reason for me. I'm playing a tactical captain and want to blow stuff while tossing out grav wells and having pets. Know any other ships that can fit the bill that aren't lock box alien monstrosities?
  • kadamskadams Member Posts: 204 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    It's like you're taking a wizard, robes and long beard and staff and pointy, floppy hat with stars and moons and all. Except you then toss aside the staff and replace it with a big sword and a shield and you're hitting things with it instead of using magic. Like a wizard should be.

    And what's worse? It actually works.

    So it's not really your fault, because Cryptic has let this become an acceptable thing.

    And yet, you're still the one running around as a wizard hitting things in the face with a sword.

    Does that explain my thoughts well enough?
  • shockwave85shockwave85 Member Posts: 1,040 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    The problem is that you're sacrificing two beam arrays compared to a cruiser and only gaining a GW that has to be timed carefully to avoid being starved for Aux. That's kind of a waste of the ship's highest level (Commander) Boff seat. A2B builds work best on cruisers and escorts because their highest level powers (APO, DEM, etc) don't depend on Aux. They only use Aux generally to heal, easily covered by popping an Aux battery.

    An aggressive Vesta build is one that maximizes that Commander Sci Boff seat to deal damage via GW3. You run Aux cannons, and get yourself a couple Deflector Officers to cut the GW cooldown, and now you have yourself some good DPS and a ship that's unique in the game. No other ship can simultaneously pound a target with DHCs at full power while also throwing out max Aux GW3 on high uptime. Since Tac captain powers buff exotic damage (like from the Well), your Tac captain should be quite happy with that.
    ssog-maco-sig.jpg
  • kadamskadams Member Posts: 204 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    I'll expand on my thoughts, actually. I linked it to one of my most knowledgeable friends. She runs a R'morr-type temporal science ship with tetryon (single) cannons and scattervolley. She ignores borg cubes, murderizes pretty much everything in her path, and would probably rule in PvP if she didn't have issues with real people shooting at her.

    10:51 PM - <redacted>: cookie cutter builds
    10:51 PM - <redacted>: unimpressive
    10:51 PM - <redacted>: :p
    10:51 PM - <redacted>: and.. no hull resistances
    10:52 PM - <redacted>: it would insta-explode against 3 borg spheres
    10:52 PM - <redacted>: good luck with that

    10:57 PM - <redacted>: so
    10:57 PM - <redacted>: its got.. no engineering hull stability.. no shield support
    10:57 PM - <redacted>: no shield recovery
    10:57 PM - <redacted>: poor all around dps coverage
    10:57 PM - <redacted>: lower then need be manuverability
    10:57 PM - <redacted>: and fighter pets to make donatra cloak

    Butbutbut who needs a hull when you have the deeps? eh, eh?

    Oh wait. Dead players don't do deeps.

    That's right. It's as simple as that - you can't kill anything when you're dead. BUBUTBUT Eng team, hazard emitters and science team... Are all somewhat effective heals. but you need resistances and regen. No regeneration, no resistances (neutroniums!), no shield boosters.

    Dump the experimental proton weapon (it doesn't get boosted by AP consoles; replace it with an AP turret) and the dyson console, and one of the other unis. Replace them with two fleet neutronium alloys. Dump a third and replace it with an emitter array amplifier (Cap is useless without regen because your shields will be depleted and not come back).
  • coffeemikecoffeemike Member Posts: 942 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    Yeah I tried an Aux2Bat build on the Vesta and hated it... I went back to my tried & true build.
    ~My current ship and build~
  • potencethe1stpotencethe1st Member Posts: 257 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    coffeemike wrote: »
    I use the tac Vesta as well but my AP beam build is a bit different with the Gravametric Torpedo.

    Check it out below.

    Going to have to try it with a torp eventually but that will require a respec. ;)
  • potencethe1stpotencethe1st Member Posts: 257 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    kadams wrote: »

    That's right. It's as simple as that - you can't kill anything when you're dead. BUBUTBUT Eng team, hazard emitters and science team... Are all somewhat effective heals. but you need resistances and regen. No regeneration, no resistances (neutroniums!), no shield boosters.

    Dump the experimental proton weapon (it doesn't get boosted by AP consoles; replace it with an AP turret) and the dyson console, and one of the other unis. Replace them with two fleet neutronium alloys. Dump a third and replace it with an emitter array amplifier (Cap is useless without regen because your shields will be depleted and not come back).

    I've got some adv fleet neutroniums with +hull I can toss on her. Then some regen to go on top like you suggest. Would you recommend a different hull/shield heal spread than sci/engi 3?

    I built this thing using the gear from my fleet assault cruiser (which doesn't use a ton of unis) and my fleet tactical escort. I'm open to suggestions but haven't maxed my reps yet for a bunch of the mk12 gear (all at around 80 with max dyson) due to an extensive break I took last year. I'm kind of sealed in with AP right now since getting those tac consoles emptied my dil but do have adv fleet 4 DBB and 7 Arrays with a few of the traditional engi/sci consoles and a turret.
  • doffingcomradedoffingcomrade Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    kadams wrote: »
    It's like you're taking a wizard, robes and long beard and staff and pointy, floppy hat with stars and moons and all. Except you then toss aside the staff and replace it with a big sword and a shield and you're hitting things with it instead of using magic. Like a wizard should be.
    Weak argument. Very weak argument. Who's our archetypal wizard with the beard, robes, and floppy hat? Gandalf. What did he do in a fight? HIT THINGS WITH A SWORD.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • legendarylycan#5411 legendarylycan
    legendarylycan#5411
         Member Posts: 37,284 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    doffingcomrade wrote: »
    Weak argument. Very weak argument. Who's our archetypal wizard with the beard, robes, and floppy hat? Gandalf. What did he do in a fight? HIT THINGS WITH A SWORD.
    merlin has been around long before gandalf was ever thought of...and he never used a sword
    Like special weapons from other Star Trek games? Wondering if they can be replicated in STO even a little bit? Check this out: https://forum.arcgames.com/startrekonline/discussion/1262277/a-mostly-comprehensive-guide-to-star-trek-videogame-special-weapons-and-their-sto-equivalents

    #LegalizeAwoo

    A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
    An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
    A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
    A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"

    "It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
    "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
    Passion and Serenity are one.
    I gain power by understanding both.
    In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
    I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
    The Force is united within me.
  • shockwave85shockwave85 Member Posts: 1,040 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    doffingcomrade wrote: »
    Weak argument. Very weak argument. Who's our archetypal wizard with the beard, robes, and floppy hat? Gandalf. What did he do in a fight? HIT THINGS WITH A SWORD.

    Gandalf is op, pls nerf
    ssog-maco-sig.jpg
  • kadamskadams Member Posts: 204 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    doffingcomrade wrote: »
    Weak argument. Very weak argument. Who's our archetypal wizard with the beard, robes, and floppy hat? Gandalf. What did he do in a fight? HIT THINGS WITH A SWORD.

    But you're not Gandalf, now are you?

    Some people are badass enough to pull it off. Are you? likely not.
  • potencethe1stpotencethe1st Member Posts: 257 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    I'm breaking up traditional stereotypes. Always gonna be haters. Yeh I'm a wizard with a sword, deal. :)


    I made a few tweaks. Dropped EPtA for EptS and changed power levels, and was totally not needed at all. Also have boffs to swap out for TBR and doff to make it pull instead. Pretty fun and doesn't require aux for damage at all. Tried with the neutroniums but nothing I did (CSE ISE KASE) last night breached my shields so it was a Dps loss for nothing. I'll keep em around if do NWS.

    Don't be jelly of the wizard with a sword. I was top Dps in two of those runs last night while providing heals, tanking, and controlling.
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