Every Reputation up to this date has included a space set, and with one exception a ground set. Some had more space, some more ground. However, all of these sets have a very specific innate problem. By the time you get them, you don't need them.
To illustrate. The 8472 Counter Command set is specifically built for taking on the Undine, by including stuff as a higher Antiproton resistance and a 3 piece set bonus that takes out the fluidic bubble thingies. To get this set, one has to a) get his/her reputation to T5 (average player invest of 1225 marks) and b) get the set pieces (3000 marks and 20 injections). At this point the average player has played enough content to get 3225 marks and 20 injections (minus 750 marks and 5 injections from unlocking T5). Now, he has all the shineys to finally be completely geared towards taking down 8472. Except....... what does he earn by doing so? He got his reputation and his set to T5. Rewards-speaking, why ever play this content again on that character?
The point is that when you finally get the gear specified for taking on specific queues or battlezones, the rewards in there are not interesting anymore except for Dilithium and Experience, which you can earn everywhere these days. The innate problem with these sets is thus: you unlock them way too late to truly benefit from them.
TL;DR: Reputation sets are earned at the time the queues and battlezones those sets are for offer nothing specifically interesting anymore.
What are your thoughts on this? Discuss!
0
Comments
Plus, the metrics demand you keep getting the shines.
Though most shields, defelctors, etc are good and proper items for the right builds. Just look at the iconian space set, it's one of the few sets where all parts are pretty good and even the 4pc is worth it, especially if you get lucky and upgrade the core to UR with [AMP].
Or even some older sets like maco, borg or nukara, all are still being useful when used properly.
It's mostly rep weapons & clicky powers that become entirely pointless but also most of those weren't worth it to begin with.
Stuff like protonic polaron is already a waste to get even with the increased proc rate against voth, pretty much the same goes for the bio phasers & disruptors. Or the terrible thoron infused polaron & radiant ap which just have bad procs to begin with.
Now they put a big enemy down like the Iconians. Instead of one right path. You make different reps have boosts in different queues. So you have a space que with good payout want that tholian or borg set. So even new players will want to go back and do previous reps.
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
I'd recommend the Iconian set as 1st option than maybe 2nd borg.. but it all depends on your build.... doesn't really matter you need to upgrade anyway.
They're not for the most part. I use my Adapted Honor guard against everything and do just fine.
Try Iconian Rep ground armor sometime too.
These sets are NOT "designed" to fight "ONE" enemy type. they're good for EVERYTHING with a slight increase in usefulness against one particular type on occasion.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
Mk XIV Aegis set? Really?
Is it?
I am still using my MACO gear from 3 years ago. It still cuts it job the way I need it to. I have absolutely zero plans of replacing it.
However, MACO gear does have that tiny bit bonuss against Plasma Damage, the ground version comes with the Frequency Remodulator. These are both designed to combat the Borg. By the time you do get to own and use these sets, the Borg content does not offer any reward that is not offered elsewhere other than the marks and processors you simply don't need for anything else as dilithium conversion at this point.
THe point is not that Reputation sets are useless. The point is that they are designed to combat that one specific enemy which you spent weeks fighting just to get the sets in the first place. Like described above: Do x 100 times to do x more efficiently. At which point you really don't want to do x that much anymore.
I'm not proposing to remove reputation gear. I'm rather suggesting that future sets are changed to not be designed about fighting the one enemy you'll be avoiding for months to come.
Join the Deltas today!
The sad part is that we are now on our 8th reputation, and only now is this being discussed. It's been an issue since way back in the day when Infected, Cure, and Khitomer were the only STF's and they dropped random TRIBBLE, so you could wind up with three shields but no engines or deflector.
seriousdave also makes good points.
I don't buy this. Most of the time an active player will be "finished" with all the reps. They don't take that long to finish compared to how often new ones are released. Presumably these players are still fighting something, even if that something doesn't offer any reward that is not offered elsewhere.
Rep gear has certain thematic connections to the enemy they're designed against. Some more than others. If a particular piece of equipment is not effective for the purpose you need, then you shouldn't use it.
I find that this equipment is complimentary to my Sci captain and is effective against all enemy. I don't choose it because it's tailored for only 1. Arguing that it gives a measly bonus against 1 type of enemy isn't really making your point. None of the equipment is out-dated, nor in-effective, that's the benefit of upgrades in effect!
I think that the rewards given when you finish putting in the materials to begin the 20 hour countdown, should be better than what is given. I have received perhaps 90% of all the gear as ground based weapons. In my opinion, those do not apply to myself, as I tend to enjoy space combat. Perhaps the reputation system should ask us what kind of reward we would like, similar to when you turn in a mission. Select your gear, based upon your build, etc.
This is just my opinion of course. Hope I added some decent, constructive criticism.
I find the iconian rep set is actually the most effective Vs Tholians.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
That's true, I had some glorious Tholian Red Alerts. No weapon disable for you, spidery friend, and now die, muahahaaa !
I have mixed feelings on the deflector/engine/warpcore/shield sets, though. They seem less "mandatory" and generally you can skip several reps worth. For penny-pinchers, the solanae, kobali, and sol defense sets are probably going to be good enough. Most of my alts, even the level 60 ones, still use the solanae set.
Why do you need a matching warp core? Fleet warp cores are always awesome, but there's also the kobali warp core (comes with a really strong heal, can't recall if it's for shields or hull but it's really effective) and the temporal warp core from one of the iconian war missions. Both are definitely good just as stand-alones.
1) Iconian Shield -- 15% all energy resists, hot restart, removes 1 debuff every 10 seconds.
2) Iconian Deflector -- when upgraded to Ultra Rare, it gets the [SciCdr] mod. This cuts all sci BOFF skill cooldowns by 10%, so a sci ability that takes 1 minute to recharge now takes 54 seconds. Yes, it stacks with the Bioneural Gel Pack
3) Bio-Neural Gel Pack -- extra subsystem power, +24.8% shields at epic, cuts all BOFF cooldown skills by 7%
You may not need the above to defeat the Iconians, but it certainly gives you a decisive advantage vs. other player ships not sporting this gear.
This is kind of a hybrid idea between how the system used to work with the MACO and Borg Adapted tech sets (before Reputation systems were a thing), and the current system. You would in no way be guaranteed a set of the armors, or space set, but you would have a chance at getting any of them from the boxes instead of another Borg AP rifle your going to delete to get your EC back.
If you just intend to play stuff once and then never again, then yes, there's no point playing a mission a dozen times to collect gear that's intended to enhance your performance in those same missions.
Perhaps a solution, if you're going to argue it is needed which I personally don't think is true, would be to reorganise when you get what. For example, right now you get a ground weapon at T1, shield at T3 and Armour at T5. They could make it so that you get the full set, without bonuses, at T2 or 3, then at T4 the set bonuses, and at T5 the visuals/costume unlocks.
Well, given the Terran Set boosts flow caps the best of anything else, it won't ever leave my sci drain boat. I still use the Omega set on my tac/sci drain build. The sets are fine. Each one has its own purpose.
And I never thought I'd use the Iconian set, until I started running builds and powers that generated a lot of aggro.
While I think I might not ever use a set, sometimes I revisit it in some way or another-outside of its rep use.