Hello, theres a lot of people like Deflector Overcharge, but theres a lot of others that think losing Subnucleonic Beam is taking away what it means to be a science captain. SNB is useful for Elite queue bosses and other difficult enemies and PvP. Enemies will be getting stronger after the patch, so SNB will be more useful. Deflector Overcharge is like APA but for science and will be especially good for sci-sci exotic. If the "healer" role becomes a thing again after the nerf to damage and suitability, then DO could be useful on a sci-cruiser healer.
Personally, I think that Scattering Field is the less useful ability and I would be fine if that became a BOFF ability. Science captains could still get the sci buffs from DO, and keep SNB without having to give up a science BOFF slot (and use escorts).
Science Captains: Which abilities to keep and which to drop 46 votes
Science captain abilities should stay as they are on holodeck
Subnucleonic Beam should be replaced with Deflector Overcharge
Scattering Field should be replaced with Deflector Overcharge
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Comments
Personally, I'd prefer to have Subnucleonic Beam recieve a PvE specific buff (like applying a considerable shield hardness and weapon damage debuff to NPCs) over replacing it completely. If the replacement is inevitable by now, I would recommend tweaking Deflector Overcharge so that it is more useful for non-science abilities. Buffing also hull healing and also applying an accuracy bonus or adding some kind of (shield or energy) drain effect to outgoing attacks perhaps.
I would rather see them introduce a system that we can choose from several career specific abilities of our career, and slot them based on what we want for our captain. So in this instance a science captain would have four or five career specific abilities (their three on live and two new ones), and that captain could like we do with boffs trade our these abilities to focus their build towards what is needed for the scenario you are doing at that time. This could be done overall for all three of the careers honestly, and allow all three to have choices for defensive, offensive, and supportive playstyles.
Having choices is a good idea too. Cryptic could add more abilities like they do with BOFFs and Traits.
Honestly, what should be swapped out for Deflector Overcharge is Science Fleet's effect. It does so little compared to Tactical. Scattering Field may only affect energy weapons, but that's most of what's tossed our way, and it's both longer lasting and more powerful a defensive buff.
The real Science Fleet power has the word "photonic" in it anyways.
David
*** Aktiv since 03.06.10 ***
Yeah I dont post often, let alone make polls, but Ill keep that in mind for next time. Looking at these results, it looks like the tribble changes are in "second place", but really the aggregate 75% of the vote is against those changes. I suppose it would look clearer if there was only 2 options.
The point of giving everybody a subnucleonic beam is to make pvp more balanced. The argument that Attack pattern Alpha plus SNB is the OP combination is very one sided because the other team may also have SNB. The point is to time it right, which increases the potential of team work in this process.
What I will hope for though is some kind of immunity lockout because 50 seconds of consecutive SNB is going to make pvp worse...
The end result is that both sides combine Attack Pattern Alpha and SNB, and if you don't play a tactical captain with a Lt.Cmdr Science ship, you're making your team weaker. Or at least that's what some of us believe/fear.
Currently, having only SNB without APA is not neccessarily "safe", since you might nuke the enemies buffs away, but then no one has the firepower to capitalize on that.
Really sub nuc and apa combo is nothing to be afraid of with the right pvp setup, which will always be full of counter abilities.