Tips and Tricks Guide for: Kobayashi Maru

baddmoonrizin

Welcome Captains!

This is the Star Trek Online Tips and Tricks Guide for: Kobayashi Maru

The purpose of this thread series is to provide a central repository for seeking and offering advice, tactics, builds, etc., for Task Force Operations, Events, and missions in-game.

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Share your experiences here!

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baddmoonrizin

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baddmoonrizin

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baddmoonrizin

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where2r1

The Kobayashi Maru scenario was an infamous no-win scenario that was part of the curriculum for command-track cadets at Starfleet Academy in the 23rd century. It was primarily used to assess a cadet's discipline, character and command capabilities when facing an impossible situation, as there is no (legitimate) strategy that will result in a successful outcome.

This is not a thread for complaints......it is for tips and tricks....
Talk about your team's successes!!

How did you do?

Make sure to mention:

1.) What Round did the team get to?
2.) What tactics and abilities were useful? What did not work?

Let's not get stuck in "Kamikaze Maru" business, or one hit kill torpedoes.......
there is plenty of threads that cover that...pass along what works for the next time.

baddmoonrizin

I literally made an entire section in Player Guides for this stuff.

rattler2

baddmoonrizin wrote: »

I literally made an entire section in Player Guides for this stuff.

Its brand new. Give it time and some advertising.

Speaking of advertising...
CALLING ALL VETERAN PLAYERS!
https://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline#/categories/player-guides
Yo wisdom be requested.

where2r1

reyan01 wrote: »

1) What Round did the team get to?
7, but to be honest had lost the will to live by that point anyway.

2.) What tactics and abilities were useful? What did not work?
Healing the Maru didn't work.

Sorry - difficult to say much positive about such a terrible mission. I was glad when the Vaaduwar gave Captain Jenkins the death he so clearly wanted.

I get it, reyan....this queue has issues. I have already read the complaints, I do not know why Cryptic made the Kobayashi Maru wander the way that it does. Most likely because it was the easiest thing to do.

As for heals...yeah, heals have problems. And it seems they don't want just one person doing them. ????


BUT....don't you want to hear from the all the people who do this queue and are not complaining? Don't you want to hear they CAN get past Level 3?

And aren't you the least bit curious what the successful teams are doing to get there????

Rattler and Badmoonrizin.....you are more than welcome to leave your success stories.

(As I mentioned before, I am a solo player, I don't do these team or group queues, I have tried them but lost interest.)

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warpangel

Non-percentage heals are drops in the ocean as with all HP sponge NPCs. The lukari console easily heals it.

But I don't even want to get past level 3, which is where the event token is unlocked. Got better things to do than pointlessly shoot endlessly respawning enemies that give no XP, for nothing more than a few extra peanuts worth of same old, same old.

postagepaid

With how tiny the flat heals are compared to how much of a hammering the ship takes due to the iffy design of the scenario most folk seem to have settled on the make it to 3 and consider anything higher to be a bonus/miracle.

Maybe if there was a few options for % based heals it might be more enjoyable. As it stands, being shafted out of a run through no fault of the team is just bad design.

Grav welling enemies to be out of range of the maru works, until the muppet decides to join in the core breach party.

where2r1

azrael605 wrote: »

Everything worked for me. The only thing that was even a small issue was the Doomsday Machine showing up a few times, and that just required careful flying and aggroing it away from the Maru.

Azrael...were you doing Pugs? Or did you team with a friend or two?

I am hearing you did Tactical, mostly? Did your team mates handle healing Maru?
Or was everyone doing it all?

Doomsday Machine??? LOL! They expect you to kill it off for one of the rounds? NOW, that is interesting.

And, yes, I agree part of taking that thing out has to do with watching it, avoiding the blast and it means paying attention to flight. I never tried kiting it away from Kobayashi Maru, though.

How do you manage that? Does it follow you when you shoot it? Or do you use tractor or click that "threatening stance"? I think in the solo missions it is preset to follow a specific track.

postagepaid

As long as only one person aggro's the doomsday cone it can simply be aimed away, ideally the ship and pilot are nimble enough to avoid the blast(s). The issues with it come when someone has fire at will running and gets too close.

Once the other ships in the wave go down the round ends and it will go away without needing killed.

where2r1

warpangel wrote: »

Non-percentage heals are drops in the ocean as with all HP sponge NPCs. The lukari console easily heals it.

But I don't even want to get past level 3, which is where the event token is unlocked. Got better things to do than pointlessly shoot endlessly respawning enemies that give no XP, for nothing more than a few extra peanuts worth of same old, same old.

What is the HP on that Kobayashi Maru character?
Well...everything I am finding on Google was from 2017....so I guess that does not help me much.

I remember trying the Protomatter Field Projector before. Though I don't carry it around since I never see a need for that much healing at once....I am all about small increments, over and over, than one big giant whomp!

It is a console from an Anniversary Event ship that is in the Phoenix Prize pack (epic token).
https://sto.gamepedia.com/Lukari_Ho'kuun_Science_Vessel
https://sto.gamepedia.com/Alliance_Multi-Mission_Systems_Set#Console_-_Universal_-_Protomatter_Field_Projector


There isn't extra rewards for getting past Level 3? Well, couldn't see me going for it, either.
I totally lack self motivation....when it comes to a video game.


And I gotta go make dinner...so....thanks for the reports.

Edit: boiling water for the pasta....so....does SOMPEK give you more rewards for getting past Level 3?

where2r1

Engineers and "Tanking". I know that means a player takes all the aggro to take the focus off others on the team. They have to be able to survive the attacks, hence carry heals to shore everything up. How does tanking work in a queue like this??? Do you follow the Kobayashi Maru? Or do you follow the team and try to keep everyone out of trouble?

And Science and "Crowd Control"...read a lot of complaints about Gravity Well and this queue, as Kobayashi Maru tends to run toward warp core breaches...and how convenient that Gravity Well is for it. Do Science characters trade out different abilities for this mission? Do you go look for more shield healing stuff?


Do you think the way the the Devs redesigned Kobayashi Maru was to make it more interesting for Engineers who Tank, and Science to try something other than Gravity Well????


And I am off to scrub the pots and pans...then into the game, myself. I still need to fix everyone's ground trays after WW. And go do "Home" on someone with that "Collective Nightmares" new Kit Module and hit the Hur'q with it and see what they turn into. Heee heee heee!

sarah2774

where2r1 wrote: »

Engineers and "Tanking". I know that means a player takes all the aggro to take the focus off others on the team. They have to be able to survive the attacks, hence carry heals to shore everything up. How does tanking work in a queue like this??? Do you follow the Kobayashi Maru? Or do you follow the team and try to keep everyone out of trouble?

And Science and "Crowd Control"...read a lot of complaints about Gravity Well and this queue, as Kobayashi Maru tends to run toward warp core breaches...and how convenient that Gravity Well is for it. Do Science characters trade out different abilities for this mission? Do you go look for more shield healing stuff?

It does not matter when the Kobayashi Maru can die in a few second.

Engineer, you start tanking then the maru decides to fly out of range and get itself killed. You are unable to move to follow the maru as there are enemy attacking.
Science, you place a GW to draw the enemy away, so you can kill the enemy. Then maru decides to fly into the warp core breaches.

Follow the Maru at all times and heal when it needs. Done 7 rounds, 2 that failed was due to not reaching the maru in time to heal. I played 5 rounds on a fed toon. The 2 replacement round was on a romulan toon with enhance battle cloak so I can disengage the enemy and follow maru to heal.

In pug's most of the players are unable to follow the maru and heal it. Given time players can kill the enemies.

There is a 100% way to achieve the token but I would not share it here. The developers may take that ability away then there is no way to do a successful pug run.

To make it fair, Make the maru immune to warp core breach, Cannot use full impulse if the enemy is around and when the maru hp drop's 75%, 50%, 25% make the maru placate all enemies at every stage for at least 30 seconds to let the player's react.

Currently the TFO system match strong players with weak players, so it impossible to make it far in pug's.

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grendelthewise

I didn't make it to level two. This was a total pug run. Disgraceful how people can't make to level two. Some jack a.s came into the TFO with a Oberth. Seriously

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sarah2774

azrael605 wrote: »

This weekend I ran with my KDF Jem Sci. Using the Vanguard Dread, Polaron beam arrays and a fore and aft torp, still using starter hanger pets. I have the Lukari console equipped, my gear is MK XII VR with only a few exceptions being UR and 2 clickie epic consoles.

I exclusively play pugs, though I could avail myself of various channels to form a team I actually like the random quality of pugs and not knowing if I'm going to have to work harder to cover someone else who isn't doing their job. Many of the TFOs I could frankly solo if it let me so "pugtards" become an added random difficulty boost that even the devs can't nerf.

That why i like pug's the element of random. MK XII VR gear is quite hard for solo. Most that solo use MK XV gear in advance TFOs.

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where2r1

monodoso wrote: »

I didn't make it to level two. This was a total pug run. Disgraceful how people can't make to level two. Some jack a.s came into the TFO with a Oberth. Seriously

What level was that player? I had to look it up, it is a Tier 1 ship.

I was doing the Binary Stars Event with one Level 35 and 3 Level 65 players...and my AoD character isn't level 20, yet. (I don't play with that character at all...just wanted to see the tutorial)

where2r1

sarah2774 wrote: »

That why i like pug's the element of random. MK XII VR gear is quite hard for solo. Most that solo use MK XV gear in advance TFOs.

And are you doing the Tactical?
How do you manage when things start going south in a pug?

Do you make changes to your configuration to accommodate any and all possibilities beforehand?
Or do the Science and Engineer, crowd control and tanks just switch ships and characters to ones that DPS?

Does anyone bring a friend who specifically does Science or Engineer??? At all?

(I am reading from the bottom of the thread and going backwards...so sorry if I don't get to yours tonight....it is getting late....)

where2r1

coldnapalm wrote: »

Kill things.

No really.

If they are dead, they can't hurt anyone. At least for the first few rounds, you can nuke any group in seconds.

Do you Pug? Or just run with friends who are online at the mo'?
What round do you usually make it up to? Or do you stop once Level 3 is over, as warpangel mentioned?

Addition: is Tactical the only thing you do? The DPS stuff?
What do you do if a Tank was present, or if a Science guy was around?

Is there any adjustment you need to make?

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where2r1

Azreal and Sarah (your first post) bit too long for me.... I will have to get back to read yours, in the morning.

This cold won't go away...and with the ear infection my ear is ringing...I better get my TRIBBLE to bed.

sarah2774

where2r1 wrote: »

And are you doing the Tactical?
How do you manage when things start going south in a pug?

Do you make changes to your configuration to accommodate any and all possibilities beforehand?
Or do the Science and Engineer, crowd control and tanks just switch ships and characters to ones that DPS?

Does anyone bring a friend who specifically does Science or Engineer??? At all?

Tactical you just need to have high enough DPS and survivability.

When you start to miss some optional objectives, you have to study the map to see where is the weakness. You need to know the TFO's you are playing. Just give some friendly advise to other players on what is not being achieved, at the same time buck up those weakness. Eg, Tzen TFO you need to just shoot the proto trops, others you need to crowd control, other you need to close rift to slow down the ships spawning and sometimes to heal stuff.

It's not possible to configure to all possibilities. You just need to make sure you have enough killing power and survivability without using 50% of your abilities. That means do not do advance or elite TFO with MK XII gear and lousy skill and trait set up. Make sure you have the appropriate gear. Otherwise you just be dying a lot. Too much killing power can make the game boring unless you are one of those DPS chaser. Sometimes just for fun i try to kill as fast as possible. Support (Heal and other ships) is important just in case you need the extra help. So have 3 extra support clickies on standby.

It does not matter if it's science, engineer or tactical. Some ship works better but any ship can do the job. You could use an engineer for crowd control and science for tank but it not efficient. So it better to use a ship and playstyle that you are comfortable with. It not efficient to have a ship with 2 different playstyle. For me, one character one playstyle. I will then find the best ship, abilities and skill for that playstyle.

So far there is no TFO that need a class specifically. It can be done by any class. Some TFO is easier with certain class but it not essential. It's probably more fun to bring a friend, but due to that every one is busy at a different time probably not.

P.s. I rather you get some sleep that rushing to answer. Health is more important after all it just a game.

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protoneous

Might have been a coincidence but every time I played a carrier with decent pets (fleet Kar'Fi & Fer'Jai Frigates or similar) set to defend the suicidal little ship things seemed to go better. Maybe it was the gravity wells?

coldnapalm wrote: »

Kill things.

No really.

If they are dead, they can't hurt anyone. At least for the first few rounds, you can nuke any group in seconds.

Yes this works well but...

Funny thing is though I was taking mainly junior toons through it for the marks at first (and sometimes ending up with no marks or token) then later decided to use senior toons who didn't need the marks just for the token.

My neighbours were probably wondering what all the expletives were about. You tell them you fly a starship and they give you strange looks.

postagepaid

A single oberth captain wouldn't have caused the first round failure all by their self.

Certainly wouldn't have helped much but.

What were the other 4 ships doing, what type of round was it and where did the maru wander off to?

warpangel

where2r1 wrote: »

warpangel wrote: »

Non-percentage heals are drops in the ocean as with all HP sponge NPCs. The lukari console easily heals it.

But I don't even want to get past level 3, which is where the event token is unlocked. Got better things to do than pointlessly shoot endlessly respawning enemies that give no XP, for nothing more than a few extra peanuts worth of same old, same old.

What is the HP on that Kobayashi Maru character?

Over 600,000 IIRC. Not that much for NPC health, some of them have millions, but still far more than player heals put out.

There isn't extra rewards for getting past Level 3? Well, couldn't see me going for it, either.
I totally lack self motivation....when it comes to a video game.

Some dil & marks, like everything. Easier to get elsewhere.

Edit: boiling water for the pasta....so....does SOMPEK give you more rewards for getting past Level 3?

Sompek's token is on level 4, but anyway. Yeah, it has accolades up to 100, so at least for some people there is reason to try for high levels...once.