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Forums > Home› Star Trek Online General Discussion

Escorts

wendysue53wendysue53 Member Posts: 1,569 Arc User
in Star Trek Online General Discussion
no, I don't mean Orion Slave Girls....

Was referring to the Escort class of ships.

What's the best one of this type?

What's the best one of this type currently available?

trying to make a decision as to what to upgrade to from my Mirror Advanced Escort I've been piddling around space with.
«13

Comments

  • misterlozmisterloz Member Posts: 133 Arc User
    Well I have always had a soft spot for the T6 Tactical Escort aka the Valiant. Fast, packs a punch, and comes with the smooth classic lines of the Defiant.
  • alfred399alfred399 Member Posts: 181 Arc User
    The Pilot escorts are incredibly strong. Quick, hard hitting, 5 fore weapons, and pretty durable if the pilot manoeuvres are used properly.
  • alfred399alfred399 Member Posts: 181 Arc User
    null
    I'd second this too, the T6 Defiant is also a good ship
  • sirmaydaysirmayday Member Posts: 535 Arc User
    As long as you're looking at top-tier, the different escorts are more or less equally good, with different traits that support different playstyles. Pilot maneuvers and 5 forward weapons being as powerful as they are, the Pilot escorts might edge out most of the others, but truth is, I've had more fun in other types. Overall, the best one is the one that most compliments your playstyle.
  • officerbatman81officerbatman81 Member Posts: 2,761 Arc User
    +1 Defiant
    Especially if you have the full set and propper build, it can be a shredder.
  • rattler2rattler2 Member, Star Trek Online Moderator Posts: 58,521 Community Moderator
    Pilot Escorts are a bit more squishy, but have Pilot Maneuvers which enable them to literally dance around enemies and can even avoid some damage duing a Pilot Maneuver.
    If you want a decent escort with a HIGHLY desirable trait... Phantom Intel Escort. Reciprocity is useful on any ship. And while the Phaser Lance console is a nice bit of burst damage, the fact it is a console means you don't have to lock yourself to Phaser damage to get the most out of the Phantom like you would if you were flying the Galaxy-X with its built in Phaser Lance. Don't wanna run Phaser? Pull off the Lance console and use the slot for something else.
    db80k0m-89201ed8-eadb-45d3-830f-bb2f0d4c0fe7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ExOGQ4ZWM2LTUyZjQtNDdiMS05YTI1LTVlYmZkYmJkOGM3N1wvZGI4MGswbS04OTIwMWVkOC1lYWRiLTQ1ZDMtODMwZi1iYjJmMGQ0YzBmZTcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.8G-Pg35Qi8qxiKLjAofaKRH6fmNH3qAAEI628gW0eXc
    Yang Xiao Long wrote:
    I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something CRAZY happens again?!
    The nut who actually ground out many packs. The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
  • officerbatman81officerbatman81 Member Posts: 2,761 Arc User
    Look, ill tell you, i have a pilot escort, it is not the bomb diggity like everyone says. Kinda gimmicky. Squishy.
  • orion0029orion0029 Member Posts: 1,122 Bug Hunter
    I like the Heavy Escort Carrier Armitage/Alita. It may not have the raw speed and firepower potential of the Pilot Escorts or Defiant line. But she can take a hit better than your average escort, comes with a hangar for additional DPS/support (depending on which hangar you equip), all while maintaining the speed and firepower you'd expect from an escort.

    But mainly I like it because she's one HOT looking piece of machinery... :p
  • officerbatman81officerbatman81 Member Posts: 2,761 Arc User
    Well, you got me there. Trying to be less a spacebar hero as you say. Only learned recently that i should only push it once per target acquisition.

    Still squishy, still pilot Maneuvers gimmicky.
  • rattler2rattler2 Member, Star Trek Online Moderator Posts: 58,521 Community Moderator
    officerbatman81 wrote: »
    Well, you got me there. Trying to be less a spacebar hero as you say. Only learned recently that i should only push it once per target acquisition.

    Still squishy, still pilot Maneuvers gimmicky.

    I agree that the Pilot Escorts can be squishy and are a bit gimicky, but most specialist ships are. They sacrifice something in exchange for the specialist capabilities. I mean... the Phantom is also a bit gimicky as an Intel ship. On the other hand, built right and knowing how to use the gimick makes them pretty deadly. I spent a lot of time in the Phantom and the Engie and Tac Pilot Escorts. The full Pilot console set would synergize more with cannons than beams, but either way the ship can be solid with a decent build.
    db80k0m-89201ed8-eadb-45d3-830f-bb2f0d4c0fe7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ExOGQ4ZWM2LTUyZjQtNDdiMS05YTI1LTVlYmZkYmJkOGM3N1wvZGI4MGswbS04OTIwMWVkOC1lYWRiLTQ1ZDMtODMwZi1iYjJmMGQ0YzBmZTcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.8G-Pg35Qi8qxiKLjAofaKRH6fmNH3qAAEI628gW0eXc
    Yang Xiao Long wrote:
    I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something CRAZY happens again?!
    The nut who actually ground out many packs. The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
  • theotherscotty#9105 theotherscotty
    theotherscotty#9105
         Member Posts: 385 Arc User
    edited September 2016
    ^ Truth. I was just going to say something to that effect. Some ships are better suited to certain tasks than others, but really, any ship that's T5 or above should be able to handle everything in this game without too much of an issue. Hell, I was still using my T4 freebie Prometheus on endgame content until I got my Kelvin Connie. So you might as well just get whatever you like most and then build it up from there.
  • wendysue53wendysue53 Member Posts: 1,569 Arc User
    was aiming for the Escorts since I'm focused on cannons with my TOS toon. Just wondered what people thought about their best ones, since I keep running into Escorts I have dealt with before. There are a few good points here.
    thx, peeps. = ^.^ =
  • wendysue53wendysue53 Member Posts: 1,569 Arc User
    Now, if I could just squeeze all that power into a really good fighter... :)
  • e30erneste30ernest Member Posts: 1,794 Arc User
    No love for the Hestia? If you want to build for torpedoes, this is one of the best ships for that use IMO.

    TSC_Signature_Gen_4_-_Ernest_Small.png

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  • risian4risian4 Member Posts: 3,711 Arc User
    Kumari, or Xindi reptilian escort.

    I must add, I'm not really a pure escort fan. I prefer battlecruisers or destroyers: still highly maneuverable, but with some added resiliency and other interesting bonus features.
  • dumas13dumas13 Member Posts: 281 Arc User
    edited September 2016
    I have to second the Armitage/Alita escort carriers. I bought the cross-faction escort carrier pack last year and never regretted it. They're all solid ships with boff seating that allows for some interesting options, and the trait can help you get a little bit more out of any ship with a hanger slot.

    I wouldn't call them the best escorts around, but they're fun ships that have never let me down and seem a bit overlooked when escorts come up.
  • davefenestratordavefenestrator Member Posts: 10,643 Arc User
    For cannon scatter volley the T6 Defiant gets you the Withering Barrage trait.

    The Phantom gets you intel space magic and a phaser lance.

    The Vaadwaur Manasa has a 5:2 layout and a shield hardness trait. The Xindi Olean is a fun escort with Monkey Fighters for you Monday to Friday playin'
  • talientalien Member Posts: 712 Arc User
    The Phantom has an excellent trait that's useful on pretty much any ship, and the active sensor array comes in handy.

    The Hazari Destroyer is nice, but it's a lobi ship so you'd have to either have enough lobi to get it or buy it off the exchange.

    If you were around a couple years back and got the Plesh Brek from the winter event that's another good Escort type, and one of my favorites. It's technically a Raider so it has the Raider flanking and has all universal boff slots but it lacks a cloak, though It is less squishy than other Raiders.
  • thunderfoot#5163 thunderfoot
    thunderfoot#5163
         Member Posts: 4,545 Arc User
    There is no "one best ship". There is only the ship which looks to you like it would be the most fun to use.

    Which may not be an Escort at all. I did not think I would enjoy flying Tactical carriers when I first began doing so. The only reason I began doing so was the giveaway of the free Ar'kif back when. When I first started using it, I sucked really badly. But I began to have fun flying it. So I stuck it out and was rewarded by a fuller more enjoyable game experience. Which. Was. FUN! Having fun playing STO is something which is far too often overlooked when people ask for someone else to pick out their next ship for them.

    "Why does God need a starship?" To go out and play.
    A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
  • rattler2rattler2 Member, Star Trek Online Moderator Posts: 58,521 Community Moderator
    e30ernest wrote: »
    No love for the Hestia? If you want to build for torpedoes, this is one of the best ships for that use IMO.

    I think the Hestia would also be a good choice for a Plasma build. Never flown her myself so I don't know if Plasma damage consoles augment that AoE vent ability or not.
    db80k0m-89201ed8-eadb-45d3-830f-bb2f0d4c0fe7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ExOGQ4ZWM2LTUyZjQtNDdiMS05YTI1LTVlYmZkYmJkOGM3N1wvZGI4MGswbS04OTIwMWVkOC1lYWRiLTQ1ZDMtODMwZi1iYjJmMGQ0YzBmZTcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.8G-Pg35Qi8qxiKLjAofaKRH6fmNH3qAAEI628gW0eXc
    Yang Xiao Long wrote:
    I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something CRAZY happens again?!
    The nut who actually ground out many packs. The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
  • talonxvtalonxv Member Posts: 4,257 Arc User
    DEFIANT! Nuff said. Though the pilot ships have grown on me, if only they weren't so damn fugly.
    afMSv4g.jpg
    Star Trek Battles member. Want to roll with a good group of people regardless of fleets and not have to worry about DPS while doing STFs? Come join the channel and join in the fun!

    http://forum.arcgames.com/startrekonline/discussion/1145998/star-trek-battles-channel-got-canon/p1
  • nikeixnikeix Member Posts: 3,972 Arc User
    Love my Tal Shiar Adapted Escort. Gets the science-style sensors along with escort goodness, and the shrapnel missiles are violent.
  • potasssiumpotasssium Member Posts: 1,226 Arc User
    nikeix wrote: »
    Love my Tal Shiar Adapted Escort. Gets the science-style sensors along with escort goodness, and the shrapnel missiles are violent.

    Except that is a Destroyer. The middle spot between Battlecruisers and Escorts.

    That said I love the Adapted Destroyer as well, prefer Destroyers to Escorts, unless you include Raptors as Escorts, in which case I vote Mat'Ha.

    But for fed only, the Ajax, Icarus, Hestia, and Alita are all quite nice.
    Thanks for the Advanced Light Cruiser, Allied Escort Bundles, Jem-Hadar Light Battlecruiser, and Mek'leth
    New Content Wishlist
    T6 updates for the Kamarag & Vor'Cha
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  • jorantomalakjorantomalak Member Posts: 7,133 Arc User
    wendysue53 wrote: »
    no, I don't mean Orion Slave Girls....

    I lost interest in this thread after this lol
  • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 6,007 Arc User
    Defiant and Hestia for me with the Vorgon heavy escort as my third choice
    NMXb2ph.png
      "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
      -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
    • nikeixnikeix Member Posts: 3,972 Arc User
      potasssium wrote: »
      Except that is a Destroyer. The middle spot between Battlecruisers and Escorts.

      Interesting. How would you describe the differences between the three ship classes?
    • bloodyrizbloodyriz Member Posts: 1,756 Arc User
      wendysue53 wrote: »
      was aiming for the Escorts since I'm focused on cannons with my TOS toon. Just wondered what people thought about their best ones, since I keep running into Escorts I have dealt with before. There are a few good points here.
      thx, peeps. = ^.^ =

      If you have access to it, try out a cannon build on a Risian Corvette, makes a sweet gun boat. If you do not have access to this ship, please disregard.​​
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      We come in peace, SHOOT TO KILL!
    • wendysue53wendysue53 Member Posts: 1,569 Arc User
      Yeah, I WISH I had that one. I SHOULD have had that one. I PLANNED to have that one. Then I did something stupid and did something else. I've hit my head on the wall since.

      :'(
    • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 6,007 Arc User
      The Tholian Mesh Weaver at T5 and T5-U is a hard hitting little escort, a lot of fun in that tiny little escort
      NMXb2ph.png
        "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
        -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
      • iconiansiconians Member Posts: 6,987 Arc User
        Honestly, if you've flown one Escort you've flown them all. They all play pretty much the same.

        I personally like the T5-U Steamrunner the most.​​
        ExtxpTp.jpg
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