Okay, the new stuff is now my regular stuff. It makes me LOL to see the Crits go up, I admit. I think I'd still be doing more damage with my Breen/Transphasic, but there's still the "WTF IS THAT" factor when you see it work.
Flanking... so on ISE, instead of hitting the cubes on the Left/Right head on, I go full Impulse to the rear and FLANK. I could do this with the initial cube, but that would probably put me in Gateway range, and that does not appeal to me. Plus, the first cube dies in seconds, so whatever.
When there's a non-Scimitar PUG, then flanking the left/right Cubes is kind of fun. You're actually contributing.
Also, TS2/3 on the Undine rep Enhanced Biometric? Each detonation makes a BIG TRIBBLE green flash when it hits a big Cube. So it's a big ol' fireworks show
I hit the Tac Cube for a Flank Crit of 22,704 (19,106) with the standard Bio-Molecular Torpedo. Just a single shot, unbuffed (I don't use APO because my B'rel is a Science B'rel). If I used APO, I would do a lot more damage.
That was preceeded by a Flank TS3 with the Enhanced Bio-Moleculars... the hits were 6,997 (5,892)... 6,440 (5,423)... 6,287 (5,298)... 6,014 (5,069)... 6,180 (5,212)... 5,622 (5,429)... 6,280 (5,782). I think that's all of them, with the one spread. Now, with the Transphasic, you'd follow up with a 100K hit on the Breen Cluster, and it's good night Irene. However, that's not shabby with a spread that makes big green flashes on the screen when each torpedo detonates.
It's amusing, anyway. Didn't die once after I put my Kinetic resist Eng console back on.
Beta Thoridar (Elite, Tau Dewa Patrol) took about the same amount of time... which is to say, "Not much at all". I alternated between Gravimetric & Enhanced Biomolecular torpedo spreads, along with the occasionaly HY Enhanced Biomolecular. It shredded the Klingons, including Raptors & even the Battle Cruisers (Vor'cha & Negh'var).
Carraya system (Elite)... also pretty easy. I got decloaked once, and they blew me up in seconds. Otherwise, it was simple. Just have to stand off a bit further from Mogai The T'varos are as weak as BoPs, so it was very easy. D'deridex are worse off than Vor'cha. At least I feel slightly threatened by Vor'cha on Elite.
Japori system (Elite)... did they nerf the Nausicaans? They seemed harder before. Maybe it's just flanking. And I'm timing my shots so that things happen all at once on a shield facing. It's great when mines arrive just as the HY Enhanced Bio or Torpedo Spread slams into the target. All of a sudden, you're hitting a couple times for 25-30 thousand per shot on a TS.
I wonder if something is either messed up with the Enhanced Biomolecular torpedos, or what. It's too easy. It's blowing up shields, not just punching through like Transphasics.
Regarding ISE... the initial Cube is good to flank. The Gateway & the other things are not active at the start, so you can go full impulse to the back & fire away without the Gateway sending fire up your backside.
Especially with Cubes, it's easy to take advantage of the new Flank rules. Why not take advantage?
While out of town, i switched over to my Fleet BoPs. Mainly used my Hoh'sus, but switching over to Norgh.
(I use an 8in tablet to play STO on the road. It doesnt exactly run the game really well, but i can manage the Undine spamspace with it. However, i prefer having shields on with the tablet, so no B'rel)
This gives me full Dyson weapon rep set (photon crit), 3 piece Undine weapon rep set (will be 4 piece when i rep up for heavy turret), the 2 piece KHG bonus, and i will get the Undine warp core when i rep up.
It is pretty darn powerful. I have seen more and more people slotting similar (the dyson experimental weapon plus the biomolecular torpedo spam gives it away). The bio torps are devastating. They have replaced the grav as my forward torpedo for sure.
I'm still working my way to getting the gear to make the switch from a transphasic set to photon set. The only thing I have left is the rep gear, which is just taking time to get the marks accumulated. Great input from everyone! Thank you!
I'm using the Multi-Energy Relay on a Dyson ship (Secondary Deflector) with Bio Molec. and Grav photons along with the EPW.
Neither the Undine console nor the Exp. Bio Molec. Torp make "photons" viable in my opinion, at least for Sci's.
The old wisdom of knocking shields down or doing enough shield bypassing damage to make torps viable still applies.
Photons could be more viable on 5 tact console ship or in the hands of a Tact.
Well, on my B'rel (KDF Sci, with Commander Sci BOFF), I can do Tau Dewa Patrols on Elite difficulty. I did the Assimilation on Elite a few times (which has some Borg & some Undine, so not all Undine).
I can do Empire Defense on Elite just to prove it to myself (since there are "allies" in Tau Dewa Patrol, even if I'm vaporizing things before the allies get to the balls of enemies), but I don't think it will make a ton of difference.
Of course, the B'rel is a very different experience than a Dyson ship.
Granted, a B'rel can do things that a Dyson ship can't... but I had no problems doing Empire Defense vs. Fed and vs. Borg (didn't bother with the others). This is Elite difficulty since the others are a waste of time/too easy.
Borg Cubes are easy to solo, maybe the easiest of all. Flank + the OP Enhanced Bio Torp spreads (which are clearly broken right now)... maybe I don't vaporize them, but this is not a tac B'rel that I am using. Commander seat is a Science BOFF. I just happen to be able to do some spike damage.
Maybe the Armitage-class Escort, with some Sci ship right next to it, presented the biggest challenge... and even so, between EBC & real flanking (i.e. hitting the sides, not the rear where it can shoot torpedos back at me), it's pretty easy to batter down the shields & smash what's left. My Grav Wells ate up whatever fighters came out.
Borg Spheres are always a pain for me because they seem to use a lot of normal torpedos (not as easy to kill/avoid like the Borg Cube's slow heavy plasmas). Now that I know how to look at the arrow on the target indicator to know which side I'm facing, it's easier to shred a Sphere on Elite than it used to be.
Not worth mentioning Mirandas & Borg Probes. Those are worthless enemies to attack because there's no challenge.
There's no challenge anyway. Even on Elite, these are easy opponents to wipe out. The new Enhanced Biomolecular is broken/OP, although Gravimetric spreads into a GW have also been quite good.
No Typhoons spawned when I did Federation. Next time I can try to hunt down a Typhoon, but you just hit the sides & not the fore/aft in order to avoid their massive Quantum spreads. They are not difficult if you're not in a hurry. And if I can knock down shields on a Borg Cube, it shouldn't be too different against a Starfleet Typhoon.
Comments
I'm using KHG engines & shields for the boost.
The Undine deflector actually has some projectile weapon skill buff & a +5% accuracy buff.
I do like the KHG deflector, though. It's a better all-around deflector, but the Undine one is also pretty decent.
IKS Korrasami (Fleet B'rel Bird of Prey Retrofit T5-U)
Flanking... so on ISE, instead of hitting the cubes on the Left/Right head on, I go full Impulse to the rear and FLANK. I could do this with the initial cube, but that would probably put me in Gateway range, and that does not appeal to me. Plus, the first cube dies in seconds, so whatever.
When there's a non-Scimitar PUG, then flanking the left/right Cubes is kind of fun. You're actually contributing.
Also, TS2/3 on the Undine rep Enhanced Biometric? Each detonation makes a BIG TRIBBLE green flash when it hits a big Cube. So it's a big ol' fireworks show
I hit the Tac Cube for a Flank Crit of 22,704 (19,106) with the standard Bio-Molecular Torpedo. Just a single shot, unbuffed (I don't use APO because my B'rel is a Science B'rel). If I used APO, I would do a lot more damage.
That was preceeded by a Flank TS3 with the Enhanced Bio-Moleculars... the hits were 6,997 (5,892)... 6,440 (5,423)... 6,287 (5,298)... 6,014 (5,069)... 6,180 (5,212)... 5,622 (5,429)... 6,280 (5,782). I think that's all of them, with the one spread. Now, with the Transphasic, you'd follow up with a 100K hit on the Breen Cluster, and it's good night Irene. However, that's not shabby with a spread that makes big green flashes on the screen when each torpedo detonates.
It's amusing, anyway. Didn't die once after I put my Kinetic resist Eng console back on.
IKS Korrasami (Fleet B'rel Bird of Prey Retrofit T5-U)
Carraya system (Elite)... also pretty easy. I got decloaked once, and they blew me up in seconds. Otherwise, it was simple. Just have to stand off a bit further from Mogai
Japori system (Elite)... did they nerf the Nausicaans? They seemed harder before. Maybe it's just flanking. And I'm timing my shots so that things happen all at once on a shield facing. It's great when mines arrive just as the HY Enhanced Bio or Torpedo Spread slams into the target. All of a sudden, you're hitting a couple times for 25-30 thousand per shot on a TS.
I wonder if something is either messed up with the Enhanced Biomolecular torpedos, or what. It's too easy. It's blowing up shields, not just punching through like Transphasics.
IKS Korrasami (Fleet B'rel Bird of Prey Retrofit T5-U)
Especially with Cubes, it's easy to take advantage of the new Flank rules. Why not take advantage?
IKS Korrasami (Fleet B'rel Bird of Prey Retrofit T5-U)
(I use an 8in tablet to play STO on the road. It doesnt exactly run the game really well, but i can manage the Undine spamspace with it. However, i prefer having shields on with the tablet, so no B'rel)
Fore:
2x Nanite Disruptor DHC, Experimental Proton weapon, Enhanced biometric torpedo
Aft:
Nanite Disruptor turret, gravimetric torpedo
Undine deflector, KHG 2 piece
Undine turn console, damage resist console, rule 62
Borg console, gravimetric console, dyson rep console
Disruptor consoles plus undine rep console
3x DOFF with penetration on beam overload
...
This gives me full Dyson weapon rep set (photon crit), 3 piece Undine weapon rep set (will be 4 piece when i rep up for heavy turret), the 2 piece KHG bonus, and i will get the Undine warp core when i rep up.
It is pretty darn powerful. I have seen more and more people slotting similar (the dyson experimental weapon plus the biomolecular torpedo spam gives it away). The bio torps are devastating. They have replaced the grav as my forward torpedo for sure.
IKS Korrasami (Fleet B'rel Bird of Prey Retrofit T5-U)
The answer is NO: Hargh'peng & the Counter-Command Multi-Conduit Energy Relay
Had a feeling that wouldn't get use of the buff. Hargh'peng is a really old item: From STO's release.
And as such, since it wasn't part of the gear specifically designed for that set from the ground up, it didn't get the buff from it.
Does around 10k dps average in estfs, which I consider okay.
Neither the Undine console nor the Exp. Bio Molec. Torp make "photons" viable in my opinion, at least for Sci's.
The old wisdom of knocking shields down or doing enough shield bypassing damage to make torps viable still applies.
Photons could be more viable on 5 tact console ship or in the hands of a Tact.
Well, on my B'rel (KDF Sci, with Commander Sci BOFF), I can do Tau Dewa Patrols on Elite difficulty. I did the Assimilation on Elite a few times (which has some Borg & some Undine, so not all Undine).
I can do Empire Defense on Elite just to prove it to myself (since there are "allies" in Tau Dewa Patrol, even if I'm vaporizing things before the allies get to the balls of enemies), but I don't think it will make a ton of difference.
Of course, the B'rel is a very different experience than a Dyson ship.
IKS Korrasami (Fleet B'rel Bird of Prey Retrofit T5-U)
Borg Cubes are easy to solo, maybe the easiest of all. Flank + the OP Enhanced Bio Torp spreads (which are clearly broken right now)... maybe I don't vaporize them, but this is not a tac B'rel that I am using. Commander seat is a Science BOFF. I just happen to be able to do some spike damage.
Maybe the Armitage-class Escort, with some Sci ship right next to it, presented the biggest challenge... and even so, between EBC & real flanking (i.e. hitting the sides, not the rear where it can shoot torpedos back at me), it's pretty easy to batter down the shields & smash what's left. My Grav Wells ate up whatever fighters came out.
Borg Spheres are always a pain for me because they seem to use a lot of normal torpedos (not as easy to kill/avoid like the Borg Cube's slow heavy plasmas). Now that I know how to look at the arrow on the target indicator to know which side I'm facing, it's easier to shred a Sphere on Elite than it used to be.
Not worth mentioning Mirandas & Borg Probes. Those are worthless enemies to attack because there's no challenge.
There's no challenge anyway. Even on Elite, these are easy opponents to wipe out. The new Enhanced Biomolecular is broken/OP, although Gravimetric spreads into a GW have also been quite good.
No Typhoons spawned when I did Federation. Next time I can try to hunt down a Typhoon, but you just hit the sides & not the fore/aft in order to avoid their massive Quantum spreads. They are not difficult if you're not in a hurry. And if I can knock down shields on a Borg Cube, it shouldn't be too different against a Starfleet Typhoon.
IKS Korrasami (Fleet B'rel Bird of Prey Retrofit T5-U)