ENG T'Varo Torp. Boat Build

tucker84

Jolan tru! Hello!
(I am not a native English speaker, also not a native Rihannsu speaker.)

I made a romulan character last year when LoR came out, maxed it, than deleted it, because i was not very interested. I just didn't like the looks of their ships or something... I don't know but they were strangers for me. I was a bit disappointed with the new "faction". Wanted to be Tal Shiar...

But a few months ago i gave them (romulans, remans) another chance and started a new romulan character, leveled it to 50 in a week or so. But the same thing happened as last time, except i didn't delete it. I will never delete a character of mine again.

I always look for something different in a new character. Different experience from my other characters. That is why i got very very excited when i accidentally bumped into the Enhanced Battle Cloak somewhere - maybe it was in the ship requisitions menu - yeah, i was looking at the Fleet Mogai, and Fleet Ar'Kif, and saw the Fleet T'Varo's description. So I hit the Romulan Flotilla topic, and bought the Legacy of Romulus Starter Bundle next morning. Thanks for the tip Sonnikku! I would never- ever have checked that part of the store for romulan content... (Originally I just wanted to buy the fleet version of the T'Varo.)

Would you be so kind to give me advice how to build a Fleet T'Varo torpedo boat, for my romulan (fed) engineer character?

I've read the Thanks fo the T'Varo! topic many times, and made notes. I also checked out the STO Academy builds on Fleet T'Varo for TAC/ ENG/ SCI careers.

Let's see the ship!

4 Fore Weapon Slots
3 Rear Weapon Slots

2 Device Slots

4 Tactical Console Slots
3 Engineering Console Slots
3 Science Console Slots

BOFF layout:

Cmdr. Tactical Station
Ens. Tactical Station

Lt. Engineering Station

Lt. Science Station

Lt. Cmdr. Universal Station

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I have so many questions! I do not even know where to start...

1. Which space set (Deflector Array, Impulse Engines, Shield Array) should i use?

The Romulan- Reman Advanced Prototype set gives a 2 set bonus that enhances plasma projectile speed and defense.

The Adapted MACO set gives a 2 set bonus that adds +25% torpedo damage.

And the Breen Absolute Zero set 2 set bonus boosts transphasic torpedo damage with 30%.

I think i have to choose from these, but i am not sure which one should i go with.

I was thinking that no matter which one i will go with, i will only use its deflector and the engines maybe, and for the Shield Array i just take the Reman Advanced Prototype. It looks cool, and makes sense for a RR character.


2. Consoles? For engineering consoles i read that it is the Monotanium Alloy which is probably the best option... My shield will be offline because of the EBC anyway. So it makes kinda sense.

For tactical consoles- well first of all it will depend on the space set i choose. Transphasic or plasma damage enhancement. I've also read about these Fleet consoles the Advanced Tactical Vulnerability Consoles. Maybe i should get those? The Mk XII Vulnerability Locater which gives + Critical Chance, and also a damage boost to the type of projectile/ mine i want.

Science consoles? No idea, but i will need some space for Universal Consoles i think. What do you think? I made some research and here are some of the consoles that might come in handy.

a: Zero-Point Energy Conduit - gives a 2 set bonus with the Romulan Hypes- Plasma Torpedo Launcher - +7.6% Plasma Damage, +15.2 Starship Electro-Plasma System

b: Assimilated Module?

c: Rule 62 Multipurpose Combat Console - +11.4% Mine and Torpedo Damage

d: Plasma Destabilizer - it is almost a must on this ship, isn't it? (Maybe with the Singularity Stabilizer as a 2 set?)


3. Weapons? Well, it of course depends on the space set, but i just write down a few i came up with.

Breen Transphasic Cluster Torpedo (won't put other torps on cd, and it has a big hit i think - i like it)
Romulan Hyper- Plasma Torpedo Launcher
Hargh'Peng Torpedo Launcher
Gravimetric Photon Torpedo Launcher (maybe with a Gravity Well and Torpedo Spread/ High Yield it could be nasty as i have read on the forums)

Should I use only torpedos in all of the weapon slots? Or some mines, other weapon types as well? Is it worth to use mines?


4. Bridge Officer Stations? Tactical Team, Torpedo Spread, High Yield, Engineering Team, Auxiliary Power to Structural Integrity Field, Hazard Emitters, Polarize Hull the ones that pop my mind. Any suggestions? And i am not sure about the use of the universal station. I mean tac, eng, sci?

I am planning to buy romulan/ reman boffs with the Operative/ Superior Operative, Infiltraitor/ Superior Infiltraitor traits as well. I read that these traits give a defense boost, and enhance the cloaking abilities.

5. I also heard that some traits might be worth acquiring for my character. For example i bought the Intimidating Strikes which says 10% chance to confuse targets hit by a torpedo, or Hot Pursuit - double the mine tracking distance.

Thanks for the help in advance! And thanks for the T'Varo!

catliketyping

1.) Space Set. To start with, go with the Breen until you can get the KHG/Assimilated MACO for the +25% damage. Transphasic torpedos aren't great, but shields are very strong now, so the extra penetration is good. Many have been successful with Transphasic, and I like the setup myself. I can do elite STFs with my Transphasic setup, and sometimes I still do steal aggro from others using Transphasics... so they aren't a total waste of time. The biggest problem for me is that they are SLOW to reload, and Rapid Fire Transphasics are extra weak. Sometimes, I really hate running Transphasics.

I'm experimenting with the Reman set now on my new Romulan lvl 50. The fact that it doesn't add to damage makes it sub-optimal in my opinion. However, you've got the destabilized plasma torpedo console in the T'varo kit, so there's that. Plasma probably isn't totally worthless

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2.) The science console slots are nice for the Universal consoles on a Tac-oriented ship, or even a more Science-heavy T'varo. Torpedos are the main weapon. You can probably use the singularity jump to approximate a Grav Well... my plan (experimenting right now) is to lay mines & jump. Your thinking is fine here.

The Borg Assimilated console is effectively a graviton bonus console anyway, so this is almost always a Sci slot for me.

Rule 62 is slotted in Science on my B'rel because I need the Engineering slots for survival... however, since I don't have the Rule 62 on my T'varo, I put both T'varo Universal Consoles into the Sci right now.

Other Tactical Consoles to consider:
Warhead Yield Chamber. This provides a bonus to ALL torpedo types. When I get bored, I run Warhead Yield Chambers and fit EVERYTHING onto my B'rel.

Right now, I run: Plasma, Quantum, Transphasic, Hargh'peng in the front... with Quantum & Chroniton torpedos aft. (When Klingon Raiders get flanking, then the Chronitons will really get put to use.) All of my torpedos are purple Mk XI or Mk XII (i.e. the best of torpedos from each of my individual torpedo type setups). I also have a Mk XII Tricobalt that I will use on occasion.

With my Duty Officers, my Hargh'Peng is almost always off of cooldown, and I am able to use whatever weapon when I need it. Transphasic & Plasma for enemies with shields... Quantums for unshielded... Chroniton for a little crowd control... Hargh'peng for everybody.

It is, as we say in MURICA, my Swiss Army Knife configuration. You do sacrifice top-end damage, though. However, it is a fun setup because you are forced to think a little bit more. You will always be able to feel effective, even if a single torpedo type might be more effective in the right circumstance.

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3.) On the B'rel Bird of Prey, you have a 4/2 weapon configuration. I never mounted mines because I needed both Aft slots for torpedos. It is hard to trigger Projectile Weapon Duty Officers while firing only one torpedo at a time.

With the T'varo's 4/3, I'm definitely mounting a Mine. Also, since specific weapon-type consoles (such as the Ambiplasma Envelope) add to both Torpedo AND Mine damage, why not experiment to see if Mines will work for you?

When you consider the fact that Singularity powers give you effectively another Bridge Officer seat, running one or two Mine skills in the Lt. Commander universal slot isn't a total waste of time. I can still quasi-Grav Well with my Singularity Jump.

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4.) Right now, I run Commander Tac & Lt. Commander Tac in my T'varo. This allows me the use of Mine abilities. If it turns out to be a waste, then that slot will be a Science slot.

Skills in my T'varo (right now)...
Commander Tac: Torpedo Spread 1 & 2, Attack Pattern Omega 1, APO 3
Lt. Commander Tac: Torpedo High Yield 1, Dispersal Pattern Beta 1, Torpedo HY 3
Ensign Tac: Tactical Team 1 (could be a torpedo skill, but whatever. I don't have a free BOFF slot right now, and I have a Sup. Romulan Operative with Tac Team 1 there.)

Lt. Eng: It should be Eng Team 1 (for instant hull heal), Aux to SIF 1
Lt. Sci: It should be Hazard Emitters 1, Scramble Sensors 1

Right now (due to lack of BOFF slots), I have shield skills in Engineering & Sci, plus Haz Emitters (Sci) and Engineering Team (Eng). The shield skills are still useful for those areas where you do get decloaked, or when you want to decloak deliberately for the extra Romulan bonus... just not as useful as other skills in a pure Torpedo Boat setup.

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5.) Never bought those traits, so I cannot comment.

dreadcall

I prefer Transphasic cluster + gravimetric torp + hyper plasma + a regular photon/quantum. Hyper plasma is very good at triggering the torpedo doffs just not quite good enough without a thrid low cooldown torp.

For tactical consoles, you can just go rainbow with the spire consoles, the +torp damage ones are much closer in effectivenes to the type specific ones than the non-spire versions, and all 3 of your important torps are separate damage types.

You definetly want the 2 piece t'varo set and and probably the 2 piece adapted maco.

Depending on playstile, you may want to look into the tethered quantum mines. They're pretty good with hot pursuit.

As for bridge officers, it's important to get high ranks of torp spread (Rank 3 twice the amount of torps at each target compared to rank 1, and hits more targets). The rest can be flexible and be built to your prference. AFAIK most people prefer to use the universal for sci for gravity well, and i would agree with that. There's also some optional shield draing possibility but it's pretty weak for pve unless you sacrifice a lot for it and does pretty much nothing against most players.

catliketyping

The thing with Universal Lt. Com Sci is that you're giving up APO1 or a Torpedo HY/Spread 3 for that, and trading low level Sci for Torpedo buff skills.

Grav Well is good, but everyone carries it & you're also giving up all the other Tac slots (i.e. more torpedo skills) beneath the Grav Well slot. Is it really worth it when you can jump & drop a Singularity to get you most of the way to a Grav Well? It's something you have to experiment with on your own.

I have a B'rel for a science ship, anyway.

noblet

A few things to keep in mind:

General torp dmg tac consoles do not boost transphasic cluster dmg. It is boosted by transphasic dmg consoles and mine dmg consoles. Keep it in mind when building mixed type torp boats.

For transphasics, the 2x rapid reload is only there to trigger doff, so you have sustained fire of a torp every second, the 2x clusters are the real deals. 80% shield penetration of mines, critting at the same time, as opposed to 40% for torps.

For plasma torp boats, consider romulan prototype set, which massively increases projectile speed and hitpoints, in addition to other benefits such as bonus to attack pattern and shield that increase in max cap as you take dmg.

For transphasic torp boats, use breen set.

For all other torp boats, honor guard is best. The torp dmg bonus is awesome, although its other bonuses are pretty much useless.

ovinspace

I recently got the starter pack and experimented with torp boating with a sci and a tac rom, so like the OP I didn't have top end gear just exchange stuff. few observations:

Damage was low, in order to carry your weight in a team I'd go with some science abilities.

Torp abilities have a shared cooldown so loading up with 4 is of no/minimal extra benefit

TS3 and DPB3 are much better than the level 2 equivalent.

TS3 rarely has the 5 targets you want

Learn how to use mines well with DPB3, timing the mines was the thing I found toughest

Trics can disable an opponent, so if you don't go grav well an alternative is a combo of photonic shockwave, normal torp TS3 + other torps, tric torp, normal torps, tric mines, normal torps - even better if everyone else pounds the target

Collect critH like crazy in order to get spikes

If you really grow to like torp boating respec the capt's skills, the high end torp skill can add 2% critH and 25% CritD, also invest in defense, your favoured sci and general engineering, ignoring weapon power and energy weapon skills

tucker84

Hello!

Thanks for the replies! For now i will go with the Breen set, and start testing stuff. I need a week or so to finish the reputations, so no Adapted MACO until then.

I am collecting dilithium to get fleet credits for the T3 Spire consoles. The Vulnerability Locators.

Yes, i will respec my skills as well.

I managed to get BOFFs with Basic Operative, Basic Infiltraitor, Superior Infiltrator, Superior Operative traits.

I've got the Romulan Hyper- Plasma Torpedo Launcher, and the Zero-Point Energy Conduit from the reputation.
Today I have gathered the resources to get the Gravimetric Photon Torpedo Launcher, and i acquired another Breen Transphasic Cluster Torpedo. So i have two of those now.

Is the Bio- Neural Warhead any good on a torpedo boat? I've seen it on STO Academy - T'Varo torp. builds.

Also i would like to clarify a few things.

1. When a ship is cloaked, it won't gather singularity power. Right? Then how can i use a singularity jump? Am i not suppose to be cloaked with the T'Varo torpedo boat tactics most of the time?

2. I have a romulan Projectile Weapons doff with the ability to "gather singularity power when causing damage with torpedo", or something like that. So, will this work while i am cloaked? Does it worth a place on the active space duty roster? Or i should just go with 3 "reduce torp. recharge" doffs?
Any other doff recommendations, for a torpedo boat?

3. You mentioned the Tethered Quantum mines. I've read that they cease to operate when i am cloaked. Then how they are any good on a T'Varo? I am a little confused about this stuff.

+1. I would like to ask about cooldowns. The Breen Transphasic Cluster has 45 sec recharge. If i have two of them, and i discharge one, then what will happen? When can i shoot with the other?

+2. Beside the Breen Transphasic Cluster, are there any other "torpedoes", that won't trigger a cool down on other torpedo launchers?

Thanks again for the help!

ovinspace

Also new hirogen space trait gives mines a long targetting range, dunno what the exchange price for this is.

Eng is the least useful career for a torp boat capt.

tucker84

The trait you are talking about is the Hot Pursuit. It isn't very expensive. I have it.

I hope that there will be a career respec option in the future. I do not have the energy to start a new character right now.
Maybe the Miracle Worker will come in handy on the T'Varo, and I also have Grace Under Fire. Who knows. I am only playing PvE, so i hope that the ENG class will be enough.

rerednaw

Singularity power increases while under Red Alert. Cloaking is fine.

If you like decloaking Aphas, then Subtrefuge is a useful BOff trait. But overall Superior Romulan Operative is more optimal.

I don't use the buffet torpedo spread, I tend to stick with one type as I run with transphasic compressors and the Breen Space Set. Use the Dyson Deflector for accuracy. I will upgrade once I get access to fleet. Plus I like the idea of firing through shields.

I run with one Transphasic Cluster forward, one aft. Firing all forward ordnance as you close, then the aft weapons when you fly by. Firing one does not trigger 45 second cooldown on the other.

I go with 3 torp cooldown officers. All so far are from story rewards. Law, and blue from the Dominion arc, and I forget the third blue. That's 5/4/4 second reduction which ticks pretty often. I find I can fire the Destabilized Torp about every minute or so. And the cluster torps cycle about every 20 seconds.

Remember, the Destabilized Torp drops all cooldowns by 15 seconds...time it right and you can spam Torp Spread back to back.

No answer on the mines, I have not used them sorry.

tucker84

Hello!

Thanks for your comment! Today i retrained my character, put together the ship, and took the first test flight, in a normal Infected Space. I made a transphasic build. Would like to hear your opinions!

Weapons:
Fore: 1x Transphasic Cluster, 1x Very Rare Advanced Fleet MK XII Transphasic, 1x Gravimetric Photon Torpedo, 1x Romulan Hyper- Plasma Torpedo

Aft: 2x Very Rare Advanced Fleet MK XII Transphasic, 1x Transphasic Cluster

Set:
Breen Absolut Zero, but I will try out the Solanae Deflector as you advised. -> CHANGED the deflector to Adapted MACO
Solanae Singularity Warp Core

Devices:
Subspace Field Modulator
Prototype Ablative Jevonite Hardpoints

Consoles:
TAC: 4x Vulnerability Locator - Transphasic

These are not permanent - so i don't really know what to use- or not to:

ENG: 1x Neutronium Alloy MK XI -> CHANGED to Tachyokinetic Converter

Universal: Rule 62, Assimilated Module, Zero Point Energy- Conduit, Plasma Destabilizer, Singularity Stabilizer

(I was in a dilemma to use only 3 universals (R62, Plasma Destab., Sing. Stab.) in the SCI or ENG slots. If in ENG then put 3x SCI Stealth Modules MK XII in. If in SCI, then put 3x Fleet Enhanced Neutronium Alloy in.
But i was thinking i did spend a lot of points in my skills on those topics, like structural and stealth skills, so why not just try to get more projectile dmg, and Critical Chance. That is why i am thinking to switch my last Neutronium Alloy to the Tachyokinetic Converter for more Crit Chance, and Graviton Gen.. which can come in handy with the Grav. Well as well.
If in elite PvE for example the Borg gets to this little ship- imho it won't matter much- i mean the plus alloy consoles. My only option if i am discovered is to run like hell, use MES, and get my cloak back on ASAP.) What do you think?
- SOLVED -

BOFFs:
TAC CMDR: HY I, APB I, TS III, APD III
TAC ENS: TS I

LT ENG: ENG Team I, Aux2SIF I

LT CMDR SCI: HE I, TR I, GW I
LT SCI: JS I, PH I


DOFFs:
3x VR Projectile Weapons Off. - recharge time on torps.
1x VR Gravimetric Scientist - recharge time on exotic abilities
1x VR Technician - Aux Power buff while cloaked

(I will buy +1 active space doff slot and would like to fill it with a VR Deflector Officer - reduce time on deflector abilities.)

I retrained my traits as well, did put in the Intimidating Strikes extra trait (10% chance to confuse target hit by a torpedo.).

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I have a question. I got boffs with traits like subterfuge, superior operative, superior infiltrator. Are these traits active on all of my boffs, or just the ones who are in the boff slots of my actual ship?
- SOLVED -
Just the ones in the boff slots of the actual vessel.

Thanks in advance!

P.S.: Sometimes i cannot activate the Mask Energy Signature, and i do not know why. Usually when i need it the most. Someone shooting at me for example... Can someone explain?
- SOLVED -
It just won't work when you are in RED ALERT. Useless for me. I will use Jam Sensors to escape, if knocked out of cloak, and under too much pressure.

kingsidecastle

Here is my disgustingly overpowered godmode T'Varo build. Its so ridiculous I dont even play it all of the time because it removes all challenge from the game. Expect to get first place in Crystalline Catastrophe every single time.

The Hirogen Lockbox traits Hot pursuit and Intimidating Strikes are a great benefit to this build. As a result of Hot Pursuit, the massive minefield that is always spawning hits everything in sight which allows you to ignore ships that might be attacking you that are not your target. Also, flying in reverse will ensure your target will become swarmed with your mines.

Decloaked, Alpha'd, destabalized plasma torps regularly hit for over 100k. Additionally, if used in conjunction with gravity well and the gravimetric rifts spawned by the Graviton torps, you will create a field of death almost unprecedented in STO

The deflector doff not only reduces the cooldown of TR and GW, but also the destabalized torp