For the most part I'm not seeing what the stat differences are between ships besides hull strength and consoles. Smaller ships show same turn rate, smaller obviously faster due to size..... In fact the cruiser vessel has more gun placements, more hull integrity, but my escort has 3 tactical consoles for damage.......
Anyway trying to see what the major differences are
0
Comments
- Tacships let you slot 2 x tac team, attack pattern x, Beam FAW / Cannon SV / Cannon RF, including the level III version
- Cruisers let you slot 2 x Emergency Power, and a level III engineering or specialist power
- Science ships and science carriers let you slot Grav Well III (damage + hold) or Tyken's III (drain)
- Some non-science ships include a Lt. Commander science or universal so you can at least slot Tyken's II or Grav Well I but many do not.
The number of consoles makes a big difference, some ships have as little as 1 science or 2 tac consoles, making those ships weaker at beam/cannon damage or space magic.
Besides turn rate, consoles and weapon layout (3, 4 or 5 forward weapons, 1-3 rear) there is also the ship mastery traits, the misc. ship powers like Sensor Scan, Gather Intel, cruiser commands, cloak / battle cloak / enhanced battle cloak.
But you do get a taste of the playstyle associated with those ships.
normal text = me speaking as fellow formite
colored text = mod mode
I'd say this just about covers it, but to simplify for a beginner:
Different ships will allow you to blend various attributes together. For example there are some cruisers that allow you to equip dual heavy cannons, more tactical powers, 5/3 weapon configuration, different console combinations ect. Roles in STO are not firmly set, so feel free to try different approaches.
You (still the OP) will also notice that some ships come with additional special abilities (such as hangar space, cloaking devices, special consoles, and specialization powers) but you can worry about those later.
I'd say the key thing to focus on now is just getting a feel for how you want to play. Then try to find a ship which favors that playstyle. Fast, slow, special powers, whatever floats your boat. Alternatively, you can just go with what you think looks cool and work on equipping it right as a secondary problem (more often than not that's what I tend to do.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
The biggest piece of advice I can give is not to worry too much about things until you get to at least level 50 since that's when the game starts to open up alot more. Far as some of the major differences I'll give a brief overview for you.
Cruiser: larger ships that typically have the strongest hull capacity in game. tend to have more engineering based powers than traditional other types of ships, though this isn't always the case. Typically have 8 weapons in either the 4/4 or 5/3 layout. Can be heavily engineering focused, or even heavily tactical focused in the case of the Scimitar and similar cruisers. console layout favors engineering with usually 4 or 5 engineering consoles. can have a focus in engineering, tactical, or even science, though typically doesn't have the sensor analysis ability that science ships have. typically deal damage through beams and sometimes torpedoes.
Escorts: smaller ships that have less hull than cruisers and are typically more tactically focused vs their cruiser and sci ship brethren. escorts can have a variety of weapon layouts such as 4/3, 5/2, 4/2, as a few examples. escorts typically specialize more in hit and run tactics vs cruisers that typically stay and fight. escorts also have excellent maneuverability and can dart around alot faster than most ships. typically have 4 or 5 tactical consoles. can deal damage effectively with beams, cannons, and torps.
Science ships: science ships typically have more hull than escorts but less than most cruisers. very science focused with very little tactical or engineering abilities. science ships typically have a 3/3 weapons layout and do more of their damage through their science abilities. a few ships like the annorax have a 4/3 layout. typically have at least 4 or 5 science consoles. can deal damage through beams and torps typically. although they may be able to load cannons they typically only deal damage through their science powers.
Battlecruisers: technically a sub-type of cruiser. battlecruisers usually have more hull than escorts but slightly less than cruisers. Battlecruisers also are typically larger than an escort but smaller than a cruiser. typically have a balance of engineering and tactical potential in the ones that I've seen. can have a 5/3 or 4/4 layout usually. due to their unique composition they typically have the durability and strength of a cruiser, but power and maneuverability closer to an escort. I suppose best described as a cruiser/escort hybrid. can have wide range of console layouts.
that's just a few examples some of the possibilities you'll run into. There is also no set in stone best ship, energy type, or weapon. If someone tells you otherwise they're lying. There however certain weapons and energy types that lend more advantages to certain builds than others but that's it. You could make a drain build work with antiproton but it wouldn't be nearly as effective as using polarons. Hope that gives you some info to work with.
Star Trek Online volunteer Community Moderator