test content
Logo
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
Engineering Boff abilities - which is more useful?
organicmanfred
Member Posts: 3,236 Arc User
Hi guys,
I read the descriptions but have a hard time "seeing" the difference or what comes more handy.
Shield Recharge
Reroute Power to shields
Shield Generator Fabrication
Medical Generator Fabrication
and
Equipment diagnostics
Quick fix
I don't see the forest through the trees, if you know what I mean. I have plenty of Boffs, so I don't mind to have a few offensive and defensive Engineering Boffs (some for turrets/drones, some for healing) but I don't know what abilities are more useful.
Thanks for any help.
I read the descriptions but have a hard time "seeing" the difference or what comes more handy.
Shield Recharge
Reroute Power to shields
Shield Generator Fabrication
Medical Generator Fabrication
and
Equipment diagnostics
Quick fix
I don't see the forest through the trees, if you know what I mean. I have plenty of Boffs, so I don't mind to have a few offensive and defensive Engineering Boffs (some for turrets/drones, some for healing) but I don't know what abilities are more useful.
Thanks for any help.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
For heals I usually take a sci with me ,far superior to engineers. Eng with shield recharge are just there for the shields and for damage. When entering endgame, I tend to go with 1 eng+1sci (Battlezone) or, if I am a tac 1tac+1sci. On tacs I go with 3 tacs+1sci in missions, and boy they slaughter the NPCs -though I have to admit, I dont see any point in going in missions on elite, as it doesnt give better rewards, at least not at the amount the mission takes longer.
On other chars I just take the first 4 BOs I got during playing (they only change when I buy a Rom or so), since on normal, missions are just easy peasy and in Elite I dont have boffs with me (since you cant bring them into the queues).
1 Engineering: Shield Recharge 1, Shield Generator 1, Turret 2, Support Drone 2
1 Engineering: Shield Recharge 1, Shield Recharge 2, Turret 2, Support Drone 2
1 Science/Command: Medical Tricorder 1, Medical Tricorder 2, Vascular Regenerator 2, Strategic Analysis 3
1 Tactical: Draw Fire & whatever Buffs/Debuffs
The fact that my captains are Engineers is important, because it means I use 3 Duty Officers which give me a chance to spawn two more turrets when we put down a turret, a chance to spawn 2 more support drones when we summon support drones, and a chance to spawn a shield/medical generator when we put down a medical/shield generator.
My Engineer then carries a the Plasma turret and Nanite Medical Generator (from reputations), as well as Seeker and Support drones.
This means I have a tank (Draw Fire), with three health heals (2 instant, 1 heal over time) and three shield heals keeping him upright.
It also means I have anywhere from 3-9 turrets, 1-2 Medical Generators, 1-2 Shield Generators, and 4-10 drones in any one fight.
I call it Lazy/Easy Mode.
Shield Recharge and Reroute Power to Shields are both shield heals but the former can be used on anyone. The latter can only be used on the character himself.
Shield Generator Fabrication drops a targetable item that emits an aura. Anyone near it gets a Shield Regen bonus.
Medical Generator Fabrication is the same way but it affects Health Regen.
There is also a DOFF that gives a chance for Shield/Medical Generator Fabrication to beam in a lower leveled opposite. I.e., if you beam in a Shield Generator, there's a chance a Medical one will beam down with it also.
Equipment Diagnostics brings heavy resists to whoever you use this on. It lasts a pretty good while but it also has a fairly long CD. There's also a DOFF to give you a chance of greatly increasing your weapons damage for the recipient of Equipment Diagnostics. A catch to effective Equipment Diagnostics is that it feeds off of Modification Specialist, at the top tier of ENG skillboxes.
Quick Fix? Think of it as a HP heal for Androids, Fabrications.
=====
Just to throw some ideas out, I go for this ENG BOFF layout"
Shield Recharge I, Chroniton Mines II, Turret Fabrication III, Reroute Power to Shields III
This gives the ENG BOFF the capability to be defensive yet bringing additional firepower to the table. He'll have Reroute Power to Shields to use only on himself. Shield Recharge is there but it can also be applied to a teammate. Chroniton Mines are there to punish rushing NPCs. The Turret Fabrication simply brings more guns to the fight. This is the most ENG ground BOFF layout I go for and it works well everywhere.
I never give them Medical/Shield Generator Fabrication. They never stay close to them.
If your captain is also an ENG, I usually go for points in Demolitions and Turrets and Drones skillboxes. Throw in a DOFF to give a chance in beaming in up to 2 more turrets when you use Turret Fabrication. I've gone into Voth BZ with my ENG captain, 3 ENG BOFFs, 1 SCI (for heals). Before the fight starts, I'd have the entire team drop mines and make turrets. If the DOFF proc works for more turrets works, you're looking anywhere from 4 to as much as 12 turrets (if everyone procs). Add in whatever weapons the team has. My ENG Captain could drop Cover Shield with a DOFF to give +resists to anyone nearby. I'd have layer after layer of mines. It makes very short work of any NPCs.
I have some rough weeks now, and I already had headache from two days of Ground Tac Boff customization.
When I wake up I will re-read all your posts and work on my Engi Ground Team.
Thanks again very very much. You are all awesome.
In my opinion Combat Supply > Quantum Mortar > everything else. I have had quantum mortars win fights after my entire team wiped dozens of times. In story missions they can also kill **** in other rooms far away often resulting in you just seeing dead bodies as you advance.
Spreading turrets and mortars around is a big help because they can sometimes agro thos AOE mega attacks saving your boffs and pug teamates, who lack the AI to run out of the red area....
Oh jeez, I had no idea they changed it. It used to be garbage, but I see it's actually something useful now. I'll have to take another look at my layouts.
But that's just me.
I run four deep to maximize ground toys.
1. Shield Recharge, Pha Sser turret 1, Med gen 1, and mortar 2
2. Shield Recharge, Pha Sser turret 1, Med gen 1, and mortar 2
3. Chroniton mines 1, shield gen 1, turret 2, mortar 2
4. Chroniton mines 1, shield gen 1, turret 2, mortar 2
I run mortar doff, turret doff, shield/med gen doff
all 4 boffs have min guns and i use a split beam.
it is pretty cool when i get 15 mortars down and 15 turrets.
Chroniton Mines 1, Shield Recharge 2, Quick Fix 3, Equipment Diagnostics 2
The mines to cover anything that might decide to run up close and try and attack, the Shield Recharge to help with healing. Quick Fix and ED are purely for the buffs AND you can get your BOFFs to use them on you. So using ED along with it's DOFF, with even two BOFFs using it and yourself, can potentially add a TON of raw damage to your ranged attacks. I'm talking damn nearly tac level damage if you get lucky enough(admittedly that is the biggest weakness as such).
It also means my BOFFs aren't being slowed down by constantly making turrets and mortars. I've ran builds like that in the past, but I just like having everyone staying caught up.
Thanks for all your replies. I see a lot of common patterns in your builds, and I have about 10 Boffs I can train and mix&match as I want them.
I was never a friend in Quantum Mortar, isn't it having problems agains moving targets? Or is the AoE so wide?
Just checked the Combat Supply patchnotes. Are the Boffs "intelligent" enough to be in range of that? It seems that they have problems to stay near Generator abilities what I have read in a post here.