What makes it worse is that on top of the shield drain stack (that HE doesn't give you a temp immunity to for some reason) you can get gangbanged with multiple assimilation parties which are a TOTAL Clusterfark if you dont have TT available or it's on CD.
Looks like the Borg shield/set would be ideal to counter this, due to the built-in HE and shield regen when shields are low. Have you guys given it a try?
one of most funniest threads i have read on forum, from "tanks" that cannot "tank" tachyon beam, to wizards and their apprentices who will continue to stomp on borg NPCs.
OMG WTF ROFL
i'm sorry but this is just too much.
Cryptic, please put TT and APD on borg spheres, maybe some ionic turbulence as well.
one of most funniest threads i have read on forum, from "tanks" that cannot "tank" tachyon beam, to wizards and their apprentices who will continue to stomp on borg NPCs.
OMG WTF ROFL
i'm sorry but this is just too much.
Cryptic, please put TT and APD on borg spheres, maybe some ionic turbulence as well.
Agreed. NPCs should have access to a lot more abilities.
It makes a change from the extremely lazy and boring "Let's add two zeros to the hit points table and then go for lunch" approach that has been Cryptic's latest thing.
Agreed. NPCs should have access to a lot more abilities.
It makes a change from the extremely lazy and boring "Let's add two zeros to the hit points table and then go for lunch" approach that has been Cryptic's latest thing.
You should try elite patrol missions with borg in Delta Quadrant. Srsly check those spheres out.
Resist it? BS. The NPCs cheat, period. The fact that there's no drain -- it's just GONE, is also BS. You can't prepare for or recover from it. You just are defenseless. End of story.
On top of that, not EVERY SHIP should have tachyon beam. It's not a standard loadout. On top of THAT glaring BS-ness, you have 20+ ships firing it all at once while you only have 1 HE and maybe 2 shield heals if you're lucky.
This is a major "TRIBBLE you!" to the players. It was presented under the guise of making it more useful for players. Bullflop. It was a major middle finger when all is said and done.
You only have 2 shield heals? Really? I've always run with 4 minimum. Then again, being an engineer in an eng cruiser allows me to do that. Sounds like the latest strategy of 'melt it before it drops your shields' is gonna start being less appealing. Escorts are also gonna have to start relying on their cruiser teammates for those shield heals and buffs more. I can't say the game is any more balanced, but at least the role of cruisers is starting to come back into focus.
If I knew how to take video I could show how the spheres do absolutely nothing to my shields.
You are a best-case scenario. Not everyone runs a good drain build, especially in PvE. Are you able to counter their TB without using any drains?
This is how I see it:
Spheres are probably using TB I. Its values are very likely being affected by NPC tables. This is bumping their values up above of what a endgame Player using TB I would do.
Since Spheres are NPCs around the Minion/Lieutenant NPC class, I don't think it is right that they drain more shields than Players. (I think that's the case.)
Additionally, Virusdancer's build has 8 bars of Power Insulators, and it got drained in one-two seconds in most cases. Hitting HE->ST in sequence only lasted for a few seconds before shields were gone again and stayed down for most of the match.
Having at least 6 bars of PI, and using HE->ST->other shield heals in sequence should counter that drain from a NPC, at least keeping half shields up, in my opinion. Additionally, I think TB should be subject to accuracy, so defense can be used to counter it.
Me too. Granted my FT5-U Nova can withstand one or two shield drains from the spheres and their new and improved TB; she cannot, however, withstand seven spheres doing so.
Frankly, I don't accept that anything could withstand that.
(Except perhaps these so-called DPS Wizards - not sure anything could penetrate such overwhelming arrogance. )
The thing is, I've been using Tachyon Beam since they fixed the Deflector Doffs. I know what makes it work. You get your Aux low, it's junk. Since I can drain spheres to zero, they can't really hit me.
i just LOVE the new borgs , more changes like this should be made , and ppl might care about tanks , and healers , and other support build , or they might even buy rezistances consoles XD .
Here is the story of two PUGS today :
ISA - a guy in Seshar goes mad , owns in a few hits the first cube , rages to the transformer cubes goes mad again but ... 1 sec all shields down and a warp core breach ... guy rages and quit XD
Kitomer space ... me and a a guy with a command ship are going to one of the cubes , he engage , and all his shileds down , he dies , "OMGF , WTF just happend" emo rage quits XD . I could throw in a hazzard emitters , but i was busy dpsing the cube XD
It acts as a decoy, borg waste their TB, follow up with GW/ Spatial charges/jam sensors/subspace integration circuit etc.
It's not a direct counter to TB, but it helps get rid of the borg in one quick swoop.
This program, though reasonably normal at times, seems to have a strong affinity to classes belonging to the Cat 2.0 program. Questerius 2.7 will break down on occasion, resulting in garbage and nonsense messages whenever it occurs. Usually a hard reboot or pulling the plug solves the problem when that happens.
Hey! Look at it this way! If YOU are the one getting slammed with ALL the Tach Beam hits due to "MOAR BFAW PLZ," gaming that means the Borg blew their loads on you and not on the rest of the team!
Take it for the team! Recover from it, or get out of harm's way until your abilities to counter the issue are back! :cool:
Having at least 6 bars of PI, and using HE->ST->other shield heals in sequence should counter that drain from a NPC, at least keeping half shields up, in my opinion. Additionally, I think TB should be subject to accuracy, so defense can be used to counter it.
No. Science has never been subject to "Bonus Defense" and should never be. That would mean the reduction of fewer types of defenses, resists, things a player needs to worry about. Bonus Defense can already make a mockery of standard attacks. Making it do the same with Science abilities isn't making the game overall better by having "One Defense To Rule Them All."
Resists, proper counter actions need to have their place in the game also.
Add a drain boat with Tykens, Tachyon Beams stop being a problem. Low or no aux, crappy tachyon beam.
But! But! But Lucho! What does this have to do with my BFAWboat DPSeverything around me??? Why is this happening? Why is there a weakness in my build that I refuse to account for?
But! But! But Lucho! What does this have to do with my BFAWboat DPSeverything around me??? Why is this happening? Why is there a weakness in my build that I refuse to account for?
:cool:
TB isnt a weakness to FAWBoats, not to correctly build ones at least. There is only a single weakness a FAWBoat has, but as a pvper you should be well aware of the universal weakness of all energyweapon-based-ships.
Yup, sci captains playing pure sci in STFs are always frowned upon. I'd be perfectly fine if they did both of those.
What do you mean by pure sci? I have a D'Kyr that I run a mix of crowd control, exotic, and heals. Do my torps make it not pure sci? My arrays for subsystem targeting? -- no BFAW spam here. It pulls its weight and I've never once received a complaint about it.
No one whose opinion is worth listening to will complain about a good sci in a queued mission.
this is the best change to npc's since ... long time ... we need more like this , it actually adds logic to game . We will see healers and tanks in stfs , and other builds , beside the dps , ppl might even start using their skills and build their ships with some logic.
Bort, could you please take a look at how the NPC tables affect the NPC versions of the power?
With the recent changes to difficulty and HP/Shield pools, I guess the NPC tables are taking those increased amounts into account, resulting in a much stronger effect against players than probably intended.
Or, NPC TB seems to be taking other NPC's shield pools (much larger than players') when calculating the amount of shield drain to do.
I hope this makes sense. I was thinking that this could be related, in terms of functionality, to the last change to pets when they were using the NPC tables.
No one whose opinion is worth listening to will complain about a good sci in a queued mission.
That comes down how one what differentiate a decent sci from a good sci, eh?
A decent Sci can help the team without firing weapons, a good sci however knows how to make dps with his weapons without negatively impacting his sci-proficiency. Its like having a sci with 90% sciskill and <2k, or one with 90% sciskill and 10k (and those numbers are taking into account the limited tacskills a sci has, and of course doesnt include dope).
I would guess when he means pure sci, that he simple falls into the first category.
While a decent sci still contributes "enough", the question remains why not optimize it without loosing anything on the sci-side (which is a improvement 1+1>1+0 to make it simple).
My sincere apologies, i should have realized that this would be a culture shock to many on the forum.
This program, though reasonably normal at times, seems to have a strong affinity to classes belonging to the Cat 2.0 program. Questerius 2.7 will break down on occasion, resulting in garbage and nonsense messages whenever it occurs. Usually a hard reboot or pulling the plug solves the problem when that happens.
I know what you meant for the rest, but I'm in the dark with this. Can you elaborate?
This program, though reasonably normal at times, seems to have a strong affinity to classes belonging to the Cat 2.0 program. Questerius 2.7 will break down on occasion, resulting in garbage and nonsense messages whenever it occurs. Usually a hard reboot or pulling the plug solves the problem when that happens.
I know what you meant for the rest, but I'm in the dark with this. Can you elaborate?
Keel'el is the Fed Warp Core Engineer with the chance (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) to cleanse any negative effects on the use of an EPtX ability.
So with somebody DCE'ing their EPtX, they're cleansing negative effects every 15s. While the TB will continue applying, it leaves one some wiggle room for the use of the rest of their abilities - say using the HE more for the TB than using the HE to cleanse DoTs - say shifting some piecemeal shields with TT more than using it to cleanse Assimilation - etc, etc, etc.
For most folks it's not going to have that "when needed" thing going for it, because they'll likely be cycling their EPtX/Y to maintain both as much as possible if they're DCE'ing them - with an Eng trying to maintain the buff from EPS Manifold Efficiency that would be even more likely. But it's that cleanse every 15s if one can survive that kind of interval, allowing for a little more play in regard to the "when needed" with other abilities.
It's an expensive Lock Box DOFF, though, and it's definitely not going to be for everybody...lots of folks when they think WCE, they think the +Power one, yeah?
Just gets into the cleanse angle sort of thing...like the build I posted there:
Lack ET on the build, but not many NPCs drop out VM or anything like that. Would add ET in if I was doing the Tholian Red Alert or PvP, cause it can break those respective Web Mine holds/disables.
edit: Though, to be honest...did they ever fix Predictive actually to do it's clear one thing and if so, what exactly is it supposed to clear? And RPM...I've yet to find what it clears, so I wonder if that aspect is even working. They're just included there because if they were working - they're part of the build.
Comments
There's no way he could possibly know how many people have completed anything.
Of course it sounds wrong
Free Tibet!
STO Screenshot Archive
It almost negates shield-tanking, which is one of Engineering strong points.
STO Screenshot Archive
OMG WTF ROFL
i'm sorry but this is just too much.
Cryptic, please put TT and APD on borg spheres, maybe some ionic turbulence as well.
Super SpecialStar Trek Online Review
SpecialTemporal PUG 100K DPS Build
We are Travelers
If I knew how to take video I could show how the spheres do absolutely nothing to my shields.
Agreed. NPCs should have access to a lot more abilities.
It makes a change from the extremely lazy and boring "Let's add two zeros to the hit points table and then go for lunch" approach that has been Cryptic's latest thing.
Free Tibet!
You should try elite patrol missions with borg in Delta Quadrant. Srsly check those spheres out.
Super SpecialStar Trek Online Review
SpecialTemporal PUG 100K DPS Build
We are Travelers
I'll get into my Wells and dive in. I've got Hazard Emitters and I don't sit in one place hitting Beam Fire at Will so I should be ok
Free Tibet!
You only have 2 shield heals? Really? I've always run with 4 minimum. Then again, being an engineer in an eng cruiser allows me to do that. Sounds like the latest strategy of 'melt it before it drops your shields' is gonna start being less appealing. Escorts are also gonna have to start relying on their cruiser teammates for those shield heals and buffs more. I can't say the game is any more balanced, but at least the role of cruisers is starting to come back into focus.
Installing bandicam is super easy, please try it. I am really interested in seeing such a video.
You are a best-case scenario. Not everyone runs a good drain build, especially in PvE. Are you able to counter their TB without using any drains?
This is how I see it:
Spheres are probably using TB I. Its values are very likely being affected by NPC tables. This is bumping their values up above of what a endgame Player using TB I would do.
Since Spheres are NPCs around the Minion/Lieutenant NPC class, I don't think it is right that they drain more shields than Players. (I think that's the case.)
Additionally, Virusdancer's build has 8 bars of Power Insulators, and it got drained in one-two seconds in most cases. Hitting HE->ST in sequence only lasted for a few seconds before shields were gone again and stayed down for most of the match.
Having at least 6 bars of PI, and using HE->ST->other shield heals in sequence should counter that drain from a NPC, at least keeping half shields up, in my opinion. Additionally, I think TB should be subject to accuracy, so defense can be used to counter it.
STO Screenshot Archive
The thing is, I've been using Tachyon Beam since they fixed the Deflector Doffs. I know what makes it work. You get your Aux low, it's junk. Since I can drain spheres to zero, they can't really hit me.
Here is the story of two PUGS today :
ISA - a guy in Seshar goes mad , owns in a few hits the first cube , rages to the transformer cubes goes mad again but ... 1 sec all shields down and a warp core breach ... guy rages and quit XD
Kitomer space ... me and a a guy with a command ship are going to one of the cubes , he engage , and all his shileds down , he dies , "OMGF , WTF just happend" emo rage quits XD . I could throw in a hazzard emitters , but i was busy dpsing the cube XD
if your team mates wont cross heal you then your going to just have to run and heal up.
final option is to get next to anything that needs to get dpsed and explode on that ;-P
http://sto.gamepedia.com/Bio-Neural_Warhead
It acts as a decoy, borg waste their TB, follow up with GW/ Spatial charges/jam sensors/subspace integration circuit etc.
It's not a direct counter to TB, but it helps get rid of the borg in one quick swoop.
Take it for the team! Recover from it, or get out of harm's way until your abilities to counter the issue are back! :cool:
An example of someone adapting to the situation and overcoming the issue and not someone smashing their faces in the same, futile attempts as before.
No. Science has never been subject to "Bonus Defense" and should never be. That would mean the reduction of fewer types of defenses, resists, things a player needs to worry about. Bonus Defense can already make a mockery of standard attacks. Making it do the same with Science abilities isn't making the game overall better by having "One Defense To Rule Them All."
Resists, proper counter actions need to have their place in the game also.
But! But! But Lucho! What does this have to do with my BFAWboat DPSeverything around me??? Why is this happening? Why is there a weakness in my build that I refuse to account for?
:cool:
TB isnt a weakness to FAWBoats, not to correctly build ones at least. There is only a single weakness a FAWBoat has, but as a pvper you should be well aware of the universal weakness of all energyweapon-based-ships.
What do you mean by pure sci? I have a D'Kyr that I run a mix of crowd control, exotic, and heals. Do my torps make it not pure sci? My arrays for subsystem targeting? -- no BFAW spam here. It pulls its weight and I've never once received a complaint about it.
No one whose opinion is worth listening to will complain about a good sci in a queued mission.
With the recent changes to difficulty and HP/Shield pools, I guess the NPC tables are taking those increased amounts into account, resulting in a much stronger effect against players than probably intended.
Or, NPC TB seems to be taking other NPC's shield pools (much larger than players') when calculating the amount of shield drain to do.
I hope this makes sense. I was thinking that this could be related, in terms of functionality, to the last change to pets when they were using the NPC tables.
STO Screenshot Archive
That comes down how one what differentiate a decent sci from a good sci, eh?
A decent Sci can help the team without firing weapons, a good sci however knows how to make dps with his weapons without negatively impacting his sci-proficiency. Its like having a sci with 90% sciskill and <2k, or one with 90% sciskill and 10k (and those numbers are taking into account the limited tacskills a sci has, and of course doesnt include dope).
I would guess when he means pure sci, that he simple falls into the first category.
While a decent sci still contributes "enough", the question remains why not optimize it without loosing anything on the sci-side (which is a improvement 1+1>1+0 to make it simple).
My sincere apologies, i should have realized that this would be a culture shock to many on the forum.
What I'm trying to get at is that now you need a drain boat to control the spheres. Even easier for a drain boat with the fixed AA console.
Or maybe...
ST3 -> HE3
TSS2 -> ST2
HE1 -> PH1
ET3 -> EPtS3
EPtS1 -> ET1
Active Hull Hardening -> Advanced Hull Reinforcement
2pc Nukara -> 2pc Borg or 2pc Kobali
Maybe even FE/Rugan -> Keel'el.
I know what you meant for the rest, but I'm in the dark with this. Can you elaborate?
Keel'el is the Fed Warp Core Engineer with the chance (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) to cleanse any negative effects on the use of an EPtX ability.
So with somebody DCE'ing their EPtX, they're cleansing negative effects every 15s. While the TB will continue applying, it leaves one some wiggle room for the use of the rest of their abilities - say using the HE more for the TB than using the HE to cleanse DoTs - say shifting some piecemeal shields with TT more than using it to cleanse Assimilation - etc, etc, etc.
For most folks it's not going to have that "when needed" thing going for it, because they'll likely be cycling their EPtX/Y to maintain both as much as possible if they're DCE'ing them - with an Eng trying to maintain the buff from EPS Manifold Efficiency that would be even more likely. But it's that cleanse every 15s if one can survive that kind of interval, allowing for a little more play in regard to the "when needed" with other abilities.
It's an expensive Lock Box DOFF, though, and it's definitely not going to be for everybody...lots of folks when they think WCE, they think the +Power one, yeah?
Just gets into the cleanse angle sort of thing...like the build I posted there:
TT1 (Various Debuffs)
EPtW1 (Weapon Disables)
EPtS3 (Shield Disables)
ST1 (Various Debuffs)
HE2 (Hazards)
RPM2 (Various Debuffs)
Predictive Algorithms (Various Debuffs)
Boost Morale2 (All Debuffs/Control)
RMC (Subsystem Disables)
Keel'el (All Negative Effects)
Lack ET on the build, but not many NPCs drop out VM or anything like that. Would add ET in if I was doing the Tholian Red Alert or PvP, cause it can break those respective Web Mine holds/disables.
edit: Though, to be honest...did they ever fix Predictive actually to do it's clear one thing and if so, what exactly is it supposed to clear? And RPM...I've yet to find what it clears, so I wonder if that aspect is even working. They're just included there because if they were working - they're part of the build.