test content
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc

Ship, build, and gear questions

greycobaltgreycobalt Member Posts: 18 Arc User
edited May 2014 in The Academy
I have a few questions that are somewhat unrelated, but I figured I'd combine them here and not spam the forum. :p

First, I just finished catching up on the Dyson missions, and loved being able to fly the Dyson destroyer. Is the one on the C-Store actually as powerful as the mission one, or is that just ramped up to make you feel awesome? Seemed pretty OP to me.

Second, is there any set way to tell what's the "best" out there right now in terms of ship or ground equipment? On my ship, I'm still using the Borg set from YEARS ago, and I feel like I should assume there's something better out there by now. Is the Solanae set better/worse/as good? Any suggestions? I've heard it depends on my build, which leads me into my next question.

Is there any build that's just obviously better than others? I need to respec, since I haven't in probably 2 years, and I don't know what to spec in. Preferably, I prefer a canon-esque (as in series-faithful, not phaser cannons :p) look, with phaser arrays and/or cannons, but I really have no idea where to begin. The same goes for my bridge officers, as I have no real way of knowing which ability they should be using, or what rank of that ability they should be using. I'm probably the longest-playing noob in this game. ;)

If it's important, my character is a Liberated Borg Tactical Officer, and I'm flying the Tactical Vesta-class cruiser, with all of the Vesta-class consoles equipped.

Thanks in advance for any help!
Post edited by greycobalt on

Comments

  • maelwy5maelwy5 Member Posts: 593 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    greycobalt wrote: »
    Is there any build that's just obviously better than others?

    [snipped]

    If it's important, my character is a Liberated Borg Tactical Officer, and I'm flying the Tactical Vesta-class cruiser, with all of the Vesta-class consoles equipped.

    The Vesta is a very good ship. The Dual Heavy Aux Cannons are brilliant, and you can dismiss and reclaim the Vesta a few times to get multiple copies of them.

    I assume by "Canon-esque" you mean you want at least one torpedo and to use Phaser and Photon/Quantum weaponry? The Vesta is actually a pretty good platform for this due to the Aux DHCs being Phaser typed and Torps not relying on Weapon Power (the Vesta can just run at 125 Aux instead of relying on weapons power due to the Aux DHCs)... Maybe using something like 2x Aux DHC Fore plus a Gravimetric Photon Launcher; and a few other misc weapons aft (Phaser Turrets? The Kinetic Cutting Beam which is phaser-coloured? Possibly a Beam Array to use Beam:Target Subsystem abilities?) - Technically the Nukara Web Mine layer is a very good Aft option here as it scales off Aux... but it's not exactly a Canon starfleet weapon.

    The Adapted MACO Deflector 2-piece set is going to be a good investment: it grants you +Aux power and +Torp damage. At present the highest DPS option is an 8472 Deflector plus an AMACO Shield/Engine. For the Warp Core, it's always going to be an Elite Fleet [AMP] core.

    For your Hangar bay, the Elite Scorpions will be the highest DPS pet... but other stuff like Runabouts might be a bit more "Canon friendly"... :)
    [ <<<--- @Maelwys --->>> ]
  • decroniadecronia Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    I would say the rewards from "Sphere Of Influence" as one area to "break" canon. They work together and the omni beam can be used with TSS with turrets in the other two slots. This is a good stop gap if you aren't at the level in the fleet to buy the elite wc.

    On hangar pets it is situational. The elite scorps are great for DPs but go down quickly if there is any FAW. I carry the Runabouts for such areas as they have a higher survivability in such places, like the Voth in the Sphere daily mission.
  • greycobaltgreycobalt Member Posts: 18 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    I'll have to try out the Aux build sometime. I've been running full power to weapons...forever basically. Cannons sound like it could be fun though! I'll have to check about getting the Nukara and MACO gear, I'm severely limited on my marks sadly.

    I don't care about the entire ship being canon, I just don't want a rainbow spraying out of my emitters every time I shoot something, and I know there's different abilities for mines/torpedoes/etc. so mixing too many can get inefficient.

    In regards to DPS, I sadly solo 98% of my gametime, so is DPS the best route to go? Would any of the set bonuses help out on soloing some of the harder stuff? I've somehow been able to manage a few of the Sphere quests that recommended a group of 3 or more on my own, but just barely.

    As for my hangar, the second I saw I could get the Elite Delta Flyers from my fleet, it was done. It's my favorite. ;) The sad thing is, it took a good week and a half to get the fleet credits for just those, so getting anything else out of the fleet is going to be difficult. It's not even the marks! I have hundreds, but the fleet is so large that I never have an opportunity to use the marks for credits.

    Thanks for your input, I appreciate it!
  • maelwy5maelwy5 Member Posts: 593 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    greycobalt wrote: »
    I don't care about the entire ship being canon, I just don't want a rainbow spraying out of my emitters every time I shoot something, and I know there's different abilities for mines/torpedoes/etc. so mixing too many can get inefficient.

    In regards to DPS, I sadly solo 98% of my gametime, so is DPS the best route to go? Would any of the set bonuses help out on soloing some of the harder stuff? I've somehow been able to manage a few of the Sphere quests that recommended a group of 3 or more on my own, but just barely.

    I usually try to strive for a bit of a balance between AoE/ST DPS and survivability.

    In PvE AoE damage abilities tend to win out - Torpedo Spreads, Cannon Scatter Volleys etc. But it can help to keep a Single Target ability or two for tough bosses. An example is the Undine Special Task Forces - for Dreadnoughts or Planet Killers, you'll want Single Target abilities... for the standard swarms of minion vessels, you'll want AoE and CC abilities.

    I'd probably aim for something like this build. (Dropping DPB1 for CSV1 if desired, and note that EPTW and EPTS can be chained repeatedly via DOFFS, and Tac Team's recharge can be reduced in the same way) :)
    [ <<<--- @Maelwys --->>> ]
  • decroniadecronia Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    greycobalt wrote: »
    I'll have to try out the Aux build sometime. I've been running full power to weapons...forever basically. Cannons sound like it could be fun though! I'll have to check about getting the Nukara and MACO gear, I'm severely limited on my marks sadly.

    I don't care about the entire ship being canon, I just don't want a rainbow spraying out of my emitters every time I shoot something, and I know there's different abilities for mines/torpedoes/etc. so mixing too many can get inefficient.

    In regards to DPS, I sadly solo 98% of my gametime, so is DPS the best route to go? Would any of the set bonuses help out on soloing some of the harder stuff? I've somehow been able to manage a few of the Sphere quests that recommended a group of 3 or more on my own, but just barely.

    As for my hangar, the second I saw I could get the Elite Delta Flyers from my fleet, it was done. It's my favorite. ;) The sad thing is, it took a good week and a half to get the fleet credits for just those, so getting anything else out of the fleet is going to be difficult. It's not even the marks! I have hundreds, but the fleet is so large that I never have an opportunity to use the marks for credits.

    Thanks for your input, I appreciate it!

    If you're flying any of the Vesta line ships then you should, some will say must, run at full aux power. The DHCs damage is determined by your aux power not weapon power.

    In PvE, if I am grouped or not, I will go with Mael, AoE can be vicious. I have a GWIII sci BOFF, and the DOFF for extra ones at random. Fire it off and a torp spread, you can take out pretty much all the weaker enemies. If you're not facing the NPCs without FAW skill then the Romulan rep torp is a beast for this tactic.

    Do you know the person in charge of the fleet or is there a fleet forum? If so find out if you can do the leave and donate thing. This is where you leave the fleet and join a smaller fleet that tend to need marks, donate your marks and get your credits, leave that fleet and then you return to your fleet at the same rank and purchasing permissions.

    A few of the large fleets do this as the projects requiring marks tend to get filled fast.
  • greycobaltgreycobalt Member Posts: 18 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    Yeah, they have a forum. I'll check with them.

    I'm going to get my cannons and start running at Aux and see how that goes. For my rear weapons, any recommendations that won't be impacted by the Aux power?

    Forgive me, my noob self doesn't know the abbreviations either. I had to look up that GW meant Gravity Well. :p I've already been having a fun time firing off Gravity Well III and using Fire At Will with Torpedo Spread III.

    CSV? I'm drawing a blank here. Is Tactical Team actually good? I've been using it but I haven't noticed either way. I definitely need to reslot my Doffs, because I don't think there's any rhyme or reason to the ones that are in there now.

    Again, I appreciate the input. Going to be fun to try it all.
  • lilchibiclarililchibiclari Member Posts: 1,193 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    CSV is Cannon Scatter Volley, which allows your cannons and turrets to shoot at multiple targets within a 45 degree cone centered on your current target (assuming that the target is within their firing arc).

    Tactical Team's biggest value is that it cleanses tactical debuffs and rapidly redistributes your shields towards whichever facing gets hit while it is active, which can be a lifesaver at times. If you have more than one Ensign-level Tactical power available, then you definitely want to have it.
  • greycobaltgreycobalt Member Posts: 18 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    I went to buy the Doffs you suggested, and they're insanely expensive (as are the ship parts). :( I'll be saving up a while for those.
  • decroniadecronia Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    http://sto.gamepedia.com/Duty_officer/Special

    These are a list of freebee DOFFs, check them out as they tend to cover different departments. Clicking on each one will take you to a page about it. Only a couple have their type listed, for example Ten of Ten is listed as a technician as that is a popular DOFF to have in a number of builds.

    I appologise it tends to be automatic for me to use abbreviations.

    On rear weapons I would, as I said earlier, go for the omni beam from the "Sphere of Influence" mission, as it works with Target Subsytem (TSx) that is innate on sci ships. If you don't have the credits for an elite core yet, or the right tier of the mine, then get the one from that mission too, it is a good stand in and it is a two piece set. The Kinetic Cutting Beam (KCB) does not work with TSS.

    Other than that I would say phaser turrets if you using the relevant consoles. Even the Undine biomolecular phaser turrets if you get them in the rep reward box, with its' additional radiation damage.

    You have an ensign uni slot on the Vesta so I would stick the tac team in that one. an example of one of the debuffs that tac team clears is the assimilate ship one form the Borg.
  • maelwy5maelwy5 Member Posts: 593 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    decronia wrote: »
    I appologise it tends to be automatic for me to use abbreviations.

    On rear weapons I would, as I said earlier, go for the omni beam from the "Sphere of Influence" mission, as it works with Target Subsytem (TSS) that is innate on sci ships. If you don't have the credits for an elite core yet, or the right tier of the mine, then get the one from that mission too, it is a good stand in and it is a two piece set. The Kinetic Cutting Beam (KCB) does not work with TSS.

    Abbreviations are in the eye of the beholder sometimes.
    Every time I see you use "TSS" I think of "Transfer Shield Strength"... :P

    (Officially it's "Target X Subsystem" where X is Shields/Weapons/Engines/Auxiliary... but this is usually referred to by the umbrella term "Beam Target Subsystem") ;)

    If you're having trouble affording DOFFs, try repeating a few of the Assignment Chain missions. They give a Purple Duty Officer on a Critical Success, and as Decronia mentions Ten of Ten is a VERY popular one.
    [ <<<--- @Maelwys --->>> ]
  • decroniadecronia Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    maelwy5 wrote: »
    Abbreviations are in the eye of the beholder sometimes.
    Every time I see you use "TSS" I think of "Transfer Shield Strength"... :P

    (Officially it's "Target X Subsystem" where X is Shields/Weapons/Engines/Auxiliary... but this is usually referred to by the umbrella term "Beam Target Subsystem") ;)

    If you're having trouble affording DOFFs, try repeating a few of the Assignment Chain missions. They give a Purple Duty Officer on a Critical Success, and as Decronia mentions Ten of Ten is a VERY popular one.

    Exactly which is why I appologised. I'll need to go back and edit TSS is transfer shield strength to me too, TSx is for target subsytems, to me anyway. My only excuse is I was still on my first cuppa of the day :P
  • razar2380razar2380 Member Posts: 1,187 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    I don't have the Vests yet, however I do have a few friends that have it. They have mentioned that if you run with max Aux power, and secondary shields and engines power, then the weapons on the back will not be as effective as when you run full weapon power.

    For that reason, they told me that they don't pot more than the turrets, and Kinetic Cutting beam on the back. The turrets don't do much damage anyway, and as a cannon build their biggest help is that they will harass the shield facings till the dual heavy cannons come off cool down.

    The Cutting beam will help a lot with the direct hull damage while shields are down. Therefore, when the shield facing is down, they sometimes pop a weapons battery at that point if they are fighting an enemy with high hull strength, like a dreadnought, or cube.

    I have seen them go into elite STFs, and hold their own, even need to help out some of the other players that might be falling behind, or die quickly because they can't tank as good.

    To answer a few of your other questions:

    1- Yes, the Dyson Sci/Dest is more powerful at times than the thing is after you get it. The reason for that is because of Tuvok's skills that can be used. It is a combination of many skills all in one. However, when you are firing without any skills activated in the featured episode, it has no better DPS than the on you can get.

    As to whether or not it is worth buying, I would say no. Keep in mind though that I don't have a science toon yet, but even players that have science toons have told me that aside from Klingons, there are much better science focused ships in the C-Store. The one I have is the free one from the anniversary grind, and I played around with it, but it is only good to play around with.

    2- For the space set, I am using the Solanae set for all of my characters. (Keep in mind that if you didn't get the Sci/Dest from the anniversary grind, the only other way to get the warp core is from the ship in the Lobi store. NOT recommended. Fleet cores are a better deal). The other sets from the rep systems can also give good set bonuses. As to which one will work best for you, and your build, I recommend doing a little research.

    If you get a space set (or any gear you have options to choose from), you have two main things to consider. Do you want one that will support your strengths, or one that will make up for your weaknesses? For me, I have all the DPS I need for my tac, and science characters. Therefore, I went with the Solanae set to give better survivability. My skill tree was already setup to tank with an escort, and so high DPS. However, with this set, I can tank even longer with the high DPS I have.

    With a little research, you can find a set that will support whichever you choose to look for.

    As far as ground gear, personally I use the M.A.C.O. set from the Task Force Omega rep system. This set is good enough to use in any ground missions that doesn't require an environmental suit, and it also has the Integral Frequency Remodulator. This is different from the demodulator in the replicator. The one in the replicator will take 5 seconds to do it's thing, and your character cannot shoot during this time. However, with all 3 pieces of the ground set, the integral one will work instantly, and only takes about 15 seconds to cool down. This means you can pop it, and keep shooting.

    Some of the other sets might work better for your play style, however I personally like a set that is universal, and will allow me to go from ground mission to ground mission without switching.

    3- About doing a respec, everyone plays differently. There are different builds that others have that work great for them. However, just like the gear you can get, this is not a guarantee it will work for you. This is another point where you will need to look at what your weaknesses, and strengths are. Then, decide whether you want to support the strengths, or weaknesses.

    There are also builds out there that are generic builds. They spread their points out among all of the skills in the skill tree, and don't have a real focus. This will allow them to go to any ship type they want, and be effective in any role they want that captain to play. For example, a tactical captain in a science focused ship, and with enough points in science skills in the skill tree that will make that's ships exotic damage better.

    There are some that will tell you that it is pointless to add points into the red part of the skill. It will only give you 15 points. That is true that you will only get 15 points, and if it is the only skill you did it in, they would be correct. However, if you were to max the rank of multiple skills that support each other, then you will see the benefits from all of the 15 increased points make a total difference.

    For example, if you only max one skill in your skill tree that will increase your defense (like shields), then you will never see the difference, and the skill points are wasted. However, if you max out all of the skills that will effect the effectiveness of that defense, then the difference can be seen. This is something to keep in mind when you respec. After deciding where you want to focus, you might not need to max some of them, but then there might be some that are worth it.

    You can always try to respec on the Tribble server, and try it out. Though about the only thing you might be able to do there are solo missions, because till they add something new, you will have a hard time finding enough players there to queue for PVE/STFs.

    Last, I would like to mention that I don't know about all of the consoles for the Vesta, however it may be an option to loose one, or two so that you can add ones that will help in areas you might need the help. For example, I use the Scimitar on my Rommies. I only have two of the three consoles, because I don't use the Thalaron pulse due to the fact that I can put out more DPS in the time it takes to charge and fire, than it does. Also, since I don't ever put points into starship stealth, the enemy can see me when I use cloaked barrage most of the time.

    Therefore, I only use the two consoles that benefit my play style, and dropped the other one. Depending on your play style, you might be able to do the same with the Vesta. Again, I recommend doing a little research, and see if all of them can be used at the same time, and if you will actually benefit from them all.

    I do wish you the best on setting up the ship, and that you have fun with it. I hope you have fun, and happy gaming.
    Leader of Elite Guardian Academy.Would you like to learn how to run a fleet? Would you like to know how to do ship builds (true budget as well as high end)?The join the Academy today!
  • maelwy5maelwy5 Member Posts: 593 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    razar2380 wrote: »
    I don't have the Vests yet, however I do have a few friends that have it. They have mentioned that if you run with max Aux power, and secondary shields and engines power, then the weapons on the back will not be as effective as when you run full weapon power.

    For that reason, they told me that they don't pot more than the turrets, and Kinetic Cutting beam on the back. The turrets don't do much damage anyway, and as a cannon build their biggest help is that they will harass the shield facings till the dual heavy cannons come off cool down.

    The Kinetic Cutting Beam still works off Weapons Power; however the Nukara Web mines scale off Aux power and are great to put in an aft Vesta slot.

    It's possible to hit high weapons power in the Vesta as well as high aux power (particularly if you run a copy of EPTW - the +Damage from EPTW will affect your Aux-based weapons, and the +Weapon Power will help anything else) in which case you can use whatever you like in the aft slots. However the "ideal" rear slotting for a Vesta is technically a Nukara Web Launcher, the 8472 Counter-Command Ordnance Heavy Phaser Turret (to get the Phaser Damage set bonus) and some form of Beam Array to be able to use Beam Target Subsystem commands (you can even get away with using the Omni Directional Antiproton Beam here!!) :P

    3- About doing a respec

    What investing Space Skillpoints does
    What investing Ground Skillpoints does

    You usually never want to go over 6 points in any Ground Skill. For Space Skills it can make sense to occasionally because of the sheer amount of skillpoints you get to spend- Flow Capacitors, Energy Efficiency/Performance and Hull/Shield Capacity come to mind a being good investments :)
    [ <<<--- @Maelwys --->>> ]
  • razar2380razar2380 Member Posts: 1,187 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    maelwy5 wrote: »
    The Kinetic Cutting Beam still works off Weapons Power; however the Nukara Web mines scale off Aux power and are great to put in an aft Vesta slot.

    It's possible to hit high weapons power in the Vesta as well as high aux power (particularly if you run a copy of EPTW - the +Damage from EPTW will affect your Aux-based weapons, and the +Weapon Power will help anything else) in which case you can use whatever you like in the aft slots. However the "ideal" rear slotting for a Vesta is technically a Nukara Web Launcher, the 8472 Counter-Command Ordnance Heavy Phaser Turret (to get the Phaser Damage set bonus) and some form of Beam Array to be able to use Beam Target Subsystem commands (you can even get away with using the Omni Directional Antiproton Beam here!!) :P

    I haven't used the Nukara Web launcher. Does it have a 360 degree fire arc? Or is it like the other mine launchers? I am curious because I am personally wanting to use a mine launcher, however since all of them I have seen so far will only fire behind me, they don't work for my play style. However, if there was one that could be put on the back, and fire to the front, I would love that.

    I have been using a forward facing build with either all dual beam banks, or a combination of dual beam banks and dual heavy cannons. I have high tanking for escorts, so I don't need to do strafing runs. This has made the mine launchers I have seen, so far, useless for my play style. I just use weapons on the back that will keep dealing damage in front of me.

    I just tried to look it up on the STO wiki, but I can't find the Nukara Web Launcher on it, so I can read the stats. (Though, the STO wiki doesn't always work right with my tablet. Lol.)

    Also, I didn't know the Emergency Power to Weapons will work with the Aux weapons DPS also. I was thinking about getting the Kumari for my Fed toons. However, now that I know this, I might make the change to the Vesta bundle. My tactical captain will not be able to do as much spike DPS with it, however he will be able to tank even better than he does in his Breen Raider. The more I find out about this ship, the more I like it. Lol.

    Thanks for the info maelwy5, this is helping me also. Lol.
    Leader of Elite Guardian Academy.Would you like to learn how to run a fleet? Would you like to know how to do ship builds (true budget as well as high end)?The join the Academy today!
  • maelwy5maelwy5 Member Posts: 593 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    razar2380 wrote: »
    I haven't used the Nukara Web launcher. Does it have a 360 degree fire arc? Or is it like the other mine launchers? I am curious because I am personally wanting to use a mine launcher, however since all of them I have seen so far will only fire behind me, they don't work for my play style. However, if there was one that could be put on the back, and fire to the front, I would love that.

    Mines technically deploy behind you; but because they home in on hostile targets they can usually hit something that's sitting in front of you providing it's close enough to you when you deploy them (target acquisition distance is around 2.5-3 km normally, and this can be doubled with the "Hot Pursuit" trait). I used to use this Tactic with Tric mines back in the day.

    I haven't used them in a while but I don't think the Nukara Webmines are an exception to this.

    [Edit: Looks like this is correct and the default targeting distance for Nukara Mines is about 2.5km. That should work nicely with Aux DHCs since Cannon DPS is best when you're less than 2km from your target]
    Also, I didn't know the Emergency Power to Weapons will work with the Aux weapons DPS also.

    The Weapons Power it grants doesn't do anything for Aux Weapons... but the +Damage buff it grants does :)
    [ <<<--- @Maelwys --->>> ]
  • razar2380razar2380 Member Posts: 1,187 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    Awesome. I have been using the Undine turrets and cutting beam on the back of my ships. (Fed and Klink eng, and tac use Breen Raider. My Rommies have the Scimitar). I will try this to see if I can get more DPS with it than with my turrets. So far, I am running only DBB on the front with FAW 3, and popping BO 2 sometimes to get a high hit when deeded.

    I don't need to get so close to the enemy like this, but if doing so will make up for dropping my turret to increase DPS, then I will run with that. One last thing, if you don't mind. I know that some torps will share a cool down sometimes. I was wondering if the mines were the same. If I can loose the Undine turrets all together, I would love to do that.

    Since they don't do the extra damage when they crit, they are pretty much not helping my build much. I don't want to get fleet AP turret because they are really not worth the price.

    Thanks again for the advice and info.
    Leader of Elite Guardian Academy.Would you like to learn how to run a fleet? Would you like to know how to do ship builds (true budget as well as high end)?The join the Academy today!
  • maelwy5maelwy5 Member Posts: 593 Arc User
    edited May 2014
    razar2380 wrote: »
    One last thing, if you don't mind. I know that some torps will share a cool down sometimes. I was wondering if the mines were the same. If I can loose the Undine turrets all together, I would love to do that.

    If memory serves The Torpedo Global Cooldown is 2 seconds.

    I'm not sure offhand if there's a global cooldown for different types of mines - I know there's a shared cooldown for the same type (example: Tricobalt Mines) - but sadly you can only slot one copy of the Nukara Webmine Launcher at a time anyway - it's flagged as "unique" :(

    I'd still recommend trying to put the 8472 Turret in there just for the set bonus. It's an easy way to pick up an additional 7.5% Extra "bonus" (after-other-buffs) Phaser damage- and even on a Vesta, getting that bonus applied to your Aux DHCs is well worth the tradeoff in DPS from the Turret itself :)
    [ <<<--- @Maelwys --->>> ]
Sign In or Register to comment.