Help me out with some ground kit questions...

rodentmaster

I have some questions and Stowiki.org has failed me on them.

This is all in regards to PvE. Be it ESTFs or Defera Invasion zone, or Colony Invasion, or any number of situations with boffs and while solo.

What kit skills can clear borg assimilation nanites? Biofilter sweep? Vascular regenerator? Or what?

What clears the borg shield neutralizer? In space it's Hazard Emitters. What can do it on the ground?

Are grenades worth it on a tac, or are battle cries the way to go? Grenades seem to go where an NPC "was" and then explode after the NPC has moved. Does damage still apply to them even after they have moved, or by walking away do they avoid most of it? Is the hit count at the start of the throw and the rest is just animation sequence, or is it counted on impact with the ground?

What's the best ENG kit module to use against a boss-fight? Like the gorn at Defera Invasion Probe? Or like what's-her-name in the basement of Starbase 82 (IGE) that got replaced with Manus? What will shut them down the most? On paper, fuse armor seems pretty lame. Weapons malfunction seems rather short-lived. What kit skills can make these big bad bosses more tame and/or easier to kill?

As for kits:


I've got my favorites, and I've got my interests, and I'm mixing and matching kit modules, but I'm still trying to find a good solution.

For example on my sci: I used to like electro-gravitic field with the doff that could cause a mini black hole and suck people in (small % chance). However the hold is so weak any damage breaks it and the proc for the black hole too low that it never helped. So it was never useful to use on a target I wanted dead, and I removed it from my kit. I am in love with endothermic, even though the damage is pathetically weak on it. I want to be able to heal also. I think tachyon harmonic is very useful at times for bringing shields down and softening targets. So, in the end i'm running nanite health monitor, tachyon harmonic, endothermic, and have a couple of others to play with. I put med tricorder on there because I have a doff that grants perfect shields for a few seconds every time I trigger med tric, so I trigger it nonstop. I also put on the Counter Command rep sonic pulse, though this is much more limited that most offensve setups.

I have been thinking of changing out my modules. I love NHM, I don't think I'll trade that. I want endothermic but could be convinced to swap it out. I think bare minimum for offense if I only have ONE offensive skill it would be tachyon harmonic.

So make some suggestions. I'm open to ideas!

For my ENG example, I'm running embassy plasma flamethrower turrets, a quantum mortar, shield gen, health gen. I have other kits and other options. I've been debating going for a much more offensive setup and less build-stuff setup. I carried 2-3 kits before the kit revamp to swap out as needed. I'm not totally stuck in my ways, but it would be a new experience. I was thinking maybe of combining mines, bomb, quick fix, shield recharge, and maybe weapons malfunction. I'd love to keep the plasma turrets (because... awesome!) but could be convinced otherwise.

Thoughts?


And finally I have a couple of TACs that I'm mixing and matching stuff on. One has motion accelerator and uses it with a batleth. Both have stealth module for sneaking around enemies to avoid fights as needed. I'd like to keep that if possible. I tried lunge for a while but I'm not sure it's the best option. For my tactical stuff, I've been using battle strategies, rally cry, overwatch, and ambush (in various combination) along with bio-molecular photon grenade. Again, I'm not totally sold on anything except the super-practical and time-saving stealth module. I'd like to keep that.

Make me some suggestions!

woodwhity

rodentmaster wrote: »

I have some questions and Stowiki.org has failed me on them.

This is all in regards to PvE. Be it ESTFs or Defera Invasion zone, or Colony Invasion, or any number of situations with boffs and while solo.

What kit skills can clear borg assimilation nanites? Biofilter sweep? Vascular regenerator? Or what?
From what I experienced Nanite health monitor, Psionic Command Aura and Doffed Overwatched (a certain adviser)

What clears the borg shield neutralizer? In space it's Hazard Emitters. What can do it on the ground?

Are grenades worth it on a tac, or are battle cries the way to go? Grenades seem to go where an NPC "was" and then explode after the NPC has moved. Does damage still apply to them even after they have moved, or by walking away do they avoid most of it? Is the hit count at the start of the throw and the rest is just animation sequence, or is it counted on impact with the ground?

it seems like the dmg is calculated when it its the ground, that said, a grenade is very worthwhile, capable of instant-killing a whole mob. but you should have abilities like psionic command aura, rally cry, motion accel, motivation and/or ambush with you, buffing your team and you.

What's the best ENG kit module to use against a boss-fight? Like the gorn at Defera Invasion Probe? Or like what's-her-name in the basement of Starbase 82 (IGE) that got replaced with Manus? What will shut them down the most? On paper, fuse armor seems pretty lame. Weapons malfunction seems rather short-lived. What kit skills can make these big bad bosses more tame and/or easier to kill?

Bombs and mines, everything else (mortars aside) doesnt really bother them.

As for kits:


I've got my favorites, and I've got my interests, and I'm mixing and matching kit modules, but I'm still trying to find a good solution.

For example on my sci: I used to like electro-gravitic field with the doff that could cause a mini black hole and suck people in (small % chance). However the hold is so weak any damage breaks it and the proc for the black hole too low that it never helped. So it was never useful to use on a target I wanted dead, and I removed it from my kit. I am in love with endothermic, even though the damage is pathetically weak on it. I want to be able to heal also. I think tachyon harmonic is very useful at times for bringing shields down and softening targets. So, in the end i'm running nanite health monitor, tachyon harmonic, endothermic, and have a couple of others to play with. I put med tricorder on there because I have a doff that grants perfect shields for a few seconds every time I trigger med tric, so I trigger it nonstop. I also put on the Counter Command rep sonic pulse, though this is much more limited that most offensve setups.
i wonder about your skilltree, because exothermic being weak and the pull very low and broken on attack isnt what i experience.
I play with endothermic, electro-gravitic (3 doffs, procs very often), tachyon harmonic, sonic pulse from undine-rep and whatsitsname radiotion. out of them, i would only switch radioten with a heal-skill, though its usually not needed, even in elite stfs (too much passive heals floating around if decently skilled and geared).
I also use a pulsewave, so the way it goes is: electro graviric, tricorder scan, tachyon, endothemich and arcwave setting. that usually takes care even with heavy tactical drones, but if it happens to still stand i finish it with sonic pulse and switch to khg-weapon for the grenade.
Sonic pulse can also be used to get a mob in position if doffs dont trigger, so its quite versatile.

As for perfect shields: Those are always granted for 4sec when a Sci uses any heal and has "Medical Vanguard" as a trait slotted. It simply means 0 bleedthrough, hence sound more then it really is. The more interesting part of medical vanguard is shieldheal for hp-heal.


I have been thinking of changing out my modules. I love NHM, I don't think I'll trade that. I want endothermic but could be convinced to swap it out. I think bare minimum for offense if I only have ONE offensive skill it would be tachyon harmonic.

So make some suggestions. I'm open to ideas!

For my ENG example, I'm running embassy plasma flamethrower turrets, a quantum mortar, shield gen, health gen. I have other kits and other options. I've been debating going for a much more offensive setup and less build-stuff setup. I carried 2-3 kits before the kit revamp to swap out as needed. I'm not totally stuck in my ways, but it would be a new experience. I was thinking maybe of combining mines, bomb, quick fix, shield recharge, and maybe weapons malfunction. I'd love to keep the plasma turrets (because... awesome!) but could be convinced otherwise.
bombs and mines. if those arent in your bag, you make the strongest groundclass to the weakest. mortas and flamethrower, with doffs, and a fifth what you like, i use fuse armor to hold bigger targets, but a second minefield from undine boxes aint bad too
Go offense with your engineer, fight at the very front. gets the job done much faster.

Thoughts?


And finally I have a couple of TACs that I'm mixing and matching stuff on. One has motion accelerator and uses it with a batleth. Both have stealth module for sneaking around enemies to avoid fights as needed. I'd like to keep that if possible. I tried lunge for a while but I'm not sure it's the best option. For my tactical stuff, I've been using battle strategies, rally cry, overwatch, and ambush (in various combination) along with bio-molecular photon grenade. Again, I'm not totally sold on anything except the super-practical and time-saving stealth module. I'd like to keep that.

buff your team. If you use close combat weapons, i would rather use sweeping strikes for aoe-killing, though most fast-ground-players would use lunge over it, or only use a close combat weapon, so they have more support abilities.. a grenade is a must, since you can hit a whole mob out of existence. best ist embassy-plasma-grenade.
Stealth modul is one of the moduls that actually regarded as near-garbage in pve, but awesome for pvp. If i recall correctly, you cant run with it, so usually just busting through enemies is simply faster then going cloaked around them.
depending on group i would go with rally cry+motion accel+plasma grenade+psionic command aura+motivation or swap one for ambush (in a weaker group). If you really think stealth modul is a must, then switch that for a support ability, but normally its really just faster to either run through or kill them in the process.

Make me some suggestions!

So to make it simply: Make the tac mainly a buffer, the sci a debuffer (with cc) and the engineer a hardcore-damagedealer. That way they rock best, and contemplate themselves best. In good groups, only cge will take a bit more then 10minutes to complete, if all go with that recommendation. The cards on ground are vastly different to space.

rodentmaster

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

You have some good points. I will definitely try some of them. I wasn't really even thinking of some (like psionic command or doffed overwatch).

For the mines, I don't think you can load 2 of them. I don't have those embassy mines just yet, but I have several other rep/embassy ones and when I loaded them I had to remove the item they were an improvement on. For my tac, the biomolecular photon grenade couldn't be slotted until I removed the normal photon grenade. The plasma turret on my eng couldn't be run side-by-side with my normal turret, and so on.

So here's what I'm thinking after reading that:

ENG: mines, bomb, flamethrower turrets, weapons malfunction, and nanite health generator. With a little practice I may swap out turrets for fuse armor or maybe quick fix for DPS boost.

SCI: NHM, Tachy Harm, Exotherm, Undine sonic pulse, and med tric.I like the second heal because more often than not NHM's long cooldown leaves me wanting something fast. Even without perfect shields it's still a low-cooldown heal skill that I can throw around without worry. Or would you suggest I double up Triage with NHM, maybe?

TAC: Bio-M Phot Gren, rally cry (+doff?), Ambush, overwatch+doff, and battle strategies.
I will look into psionic command, but it may be too expensive. I will also look at biotech siphon since I use KHG pulsewave and a melee weapon as my secondary.

woodwhity

rodentmaster wrote: »

For the mines, I don't think you can load 2 of them.

You cant load the same type of mines twice, but there are two different types ingame: The usual chroniton ones and the Active Immunity minefield from undine lockbox (which is actually a fabrication, which makes it a bit weird).

rodentmaster wrote: »

ENG: mines, bomb, flamethrower turrets, weapons malfunction, and nanite health generator. With a little practice I may swap out turrets for fuse armor or maybe quick fix for DPS boost.

I would swap the healt gen out for something else actually.

SCI: NHM, Tachy Harm, Exotherm, Undine sonic pulse, and med tric.I like the second heal because more often than not NHM's long cooldown leaves me wanting something fast. Even without perfect shields it's still a low-cooldown heal skill that I can throw around without worry. Or would you suggest I double up Triage with NHM, maybe?

Well, I am not really a good adviser on heal skills, but would try the new automated xy hypo from undine boxes. If you die, you are revived with 50% hp, and if you dont die you get a CD Reduction on your skills. Seems like a win-win for me. Triage and Med tric are also good heals, but thats it, you only need them in certain situations.

cmdrscarlet

You know, I've tried the Xindi Sci kit with [Armor] and can swear it makes a difference.

rodentmaster

Well I dropped a LOAD of ec's and got psionic command. 3.3M on exchange (blech).


Scarlett: I pay careful attention to the modifiers on kits. They make a difference. I found a tactical with grenade proficiency x2 or some such. If it had contained the right slot configuration I would have kept it. I avoid all the [threat] mods and I avoid [psionic] -- not because it's bad but because IMO I can get better kit options like [armor] and whatnot that help me more in the long run.

shadowwraith77

rodentmaster wrote: »

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

You have some good points. I will definitely try some of them. I wasn't really even thinking of some (like psionic command or doffed overwatch).

For the mines, I don't think you can load 2 of them. I don't have those embassy mines just yet, but I have several other rep/embassy ones and when I loaded them I had to remove the item they were an improvement on. For my tac, the biomolecular photon grenade couldn't be slotted until I removed the normal photon grenade. The plasma turret on my eng couldn't be run side-by-side with my normal turret, and so on.

So here's what I'm thinking after reading that:

ENG: mines, bomb, flamethrower turrets, weapons malfunction, and nanite health generator. With a little practice I may swap out turrets for fuse armor or maybe quick fix for DPS boost.

SCI: NHM, Tachy Harm, Exotherm, Undine sonic pulse, and med tric.I like the second heal because more often than not NHM's long cooldown leaves me wanting something fast. Even without perfect shields it's still a low-cooldown heal skill that I can throw around without worry. Or would you suggest I double up Triage with NHM, maybe?

TAC: Bio-M Phot Gren, rally cry (+doff?), Ambush, overwatch+doff, and battle strategies.
I will look into psionic command, but it may be too expensive. I will also look at biotech siphon since I use KHG pulsewave and a melee weapon as my secondary.

http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=qutarisground_5460

My preferred Tac ground build, it rocks Borg big time from a distance.

It requires you to use the CC Tac kit.

rodentmaster

I've started using a different setup on my ENG lately. Tested it out in Defera Invasion zone last night.

incubation mines, chroniton mines (white mkX), bomb (green mkXI), nanite health gen, and plasma flamethrower turret.

You can indeed use both mines together, though the cooldown triggered on the second is only some 5 seconds less than the cooldown of the initial mines you just used. It doesn't seem to give you faster deploy times much. It DOES, however, double the mines you can place if you have a team that allows you to set up.

Mine was rushing the gun a bit last night and I didn't get to deploy them as best I could have.

I did find one other small hiccup: My previous setup was devoting most of my time and attention to building turrets and mortars and healing generators... I had NO skill point at all in Demolitions!! D'oh!!! It was still pretty awesome, but I most definitely need to respec this toon.

I might still ditch the white mkX chroniton mines for weapon malfunction or fuse armor if I stumble across one of those.