"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever." ~ Margaret Cho
It is extremely important to be in a team during a pvp match. While a premade team is often substantially more coordinated than a pug team, either will do for the purpose of this portion of the guide;
If you are going into a match alone, the first thing you need to do upon entering is group your team. If there is not a team going, right click everyone and invite them to your team. If there is a team already started, right click one of them and request to join them. nine times out of ten the other players will either accept the invite or accept you into the team. The other ten percent severely hurts the ability of the team to win.
Teaming has three purposes.
first it lets you know who is on your side; a quick scan can tell you what class of player each person is, what type of ship they are piloting, and what level they are (generally not important).
Second, any players in your team can be targetted using the f2-f5 keys (f1 is reserved for yourself). hitting the corresponding targetting with your left hand and clicking the appropriate heal with your mouse is substantially faster than clicking the ship and hitting the appropriate key command for the heal. Remember to hold the targetting key down while you click the heal otherwise the heal could hit another player unintentionally.
finally it gives you access to team chat, a vital form of communication that the enemy cannot read. Inside of teamchat you can talk to eachother, share tips, coordinate who to attack, and other vital features.
Additionally; If you are pugging up a group, TELL THEM THAT YOU ARE A HEALER. let them know to stay close to you, and that beyond 5km your abilities to heal them are greatly diminished (hazard emitters and extend shields are unable to operate beyond 5km). Chances are that the team will stay close. If you have a player that insists on staying out of range and keeps dying during combat, remind him that you are a healer but cannot work miracles - if he doesn't stay in range of your heals then he will likely die alot during the fight (players are often motivated by this, the ability to deal large amounts of damage while being nearly invulnerable is often sought after). Remind players to stay in range constantly if they start to seperate from eachother.
Part 9- tips and advice (feel free to contribute)
~Reaction times are important, most t5 dps characters are capable of condensing enough damage to kill a person in a very small time window, you need to be able to react in time to properly prevent the target from dying. If you have ever played an FPS, you would know that the person with better reflexes generally kills the other person. The same rule applies
~Don't focus 100% of your attention on the team health bar, Watch what opponents are doing. If a klink uncloaks on your team then you need to know who he's targetting, and fast. Staring at the health bar won't tell you that he just uncloaked
~It's a team job, Don't go alone! get a group of buddies before you go, send friend invites to players that you think did a good job and ask them if they want to go again. Get into a fleet that does pvp. Whatever you do, Make sure that your not the only serious person in a sea of clowns (skilled).
~As a healer, your job is not to keep everyone at top condition. Your job is to keep people alive long enough so that they can kill the opponents. based on the skill level of the opponents you cannot always guarentee a comfortable amount of time to work with. it is not important that you keep your entire team alive, it is however important that your team survives long enough to kill off the opponent. Remember that as long as your team scores 15 kills it does not matter if your opponents scored 14 kills or 0 kills, the outcome is still the same (you win!).
~Opponents will tell you who and when they will attack. this is a VERY difficult concept to understand. It involves experience, watching the opponents, and understanding who the priority targets that they may attack are.
Depending on the player, RSP can actually be a non-issue. The players who use RSP as a buffer against spike damage or cooldowns are the ones who need it stripped away, because they're using RSP as a delay to heal up against incoming damage. The folks who seem to use RSP stand-alone (and don't have self heals or aren't being healed by allies) can sometimes be killed via bleedthrough or kinetic attacks despite RSP, so removing/countering RSP isn't as big an issue for those cases.
Transfer Shield Strength is also not useless, or at least certainly more useful than Aux to Structural. It is true that Transfer Shield Strength, rank for rank, has a lower magnitude than Extend Shields. However, it uses the Deflector Field System, whereas Extend Shields uses the Shield System. Which means that both stack together due to independent system cooldowns. So this is a useful support ability, but I would really only recommend it for a pure support loadout on science vessels.
Cruisers aren't DPS ships, no matter what you do it will never compare to an escort in terms of burst damage. A good escort will always out-dps a good cruiser, even if he specs for DPS. A good cruiser, specced for healing, can out-dps a bad escort though.
Think the most important thing you missed here Is positioning! you ideally want your team / allies, between you and the Klingon's. if you sit at the front and think you can tank and heal you got it very wrong, and you will end up using heals on your self and unable to help the squishes stay alive to do their DPs.
positioning this way has quite a few advantages,
1) the Klingon's will make sure you are primary target if you sit at the front of a gang and you are a known healer. Snb/VM Will effectively take you out very quick if in this situation, even if these are no direct threat at the time they totally immobilize you at the time leaving very open for the incoming DPs 1 very easy kill for the klinks.
2) Being behind the gang and allies obviously means you don't get targeted strait off the bat, they have to cut their way through the team to get to you and even if they do its likely their timers are all up on their main ability's, lower DPs against you \0/ and the people you just kept alive with your heals are more then likely putting the hurt on them.
As a side note this works well in capture point objectives where the Klingon's will generally come from one direction! but if you got a general map like solar wind where the klinks can cloak up and get positioning you want to be in the middle of the gang! but its the same principle you just got less of a buffer.
Also try and keep you science team free for personal use I once made the mistake of using this for a quick shield heal on a team mate, A science BoP decloaked hit me with Snb/WM and kept me like that for over a minuet whilst my team got torn to pieces leaving me looking at 6 hostile Klingon's with all my timers still shot to hell and a 50% hull lets just say i didn't last long
Nice to see more player guides. Knowledge is power, and spreading knowledge makes more competitive players and a more fun game.
Two comments, however:
1) Aux to Structural is not useless, or at least not for the reasons you listed. It is less than efficient for hull repair, but its primary value is in (hull) damage resistance. It uses the AUX System cooldown, which tends not to be used very much (except by Emergency Power to <x> abilities), so it provides a good alternative to tying up the Crew or Hazard Systems. The real constraint here, when selecting loadouts, is that Aux to Structural is a self-only ability. In a PVP environment, group abilities tend to be more valuable.
2) Transfer Shield Strength is also not useless, or at least certainly more useful than Aux to Structural. It is true that Transfer Shield Strength, rank for rank, has a lower magnitude than Extend Shields. However, it uses the Deflector Field System, whereas Extend Shields uses the Shield System. Which means that both stack together due to independent system cooldowns. So this is a useful support ability, but I would really only recommend it for a pure support loadout on science vessels.
(EDIT: Thanks to my Fleet's dedicated Science healer for the input on Transfer Shield Strength. He tested it out and, thus far, he likes it for his pure support loadout.)
===
Oh, and a token screenshot to show the power of healing (despite the fact that the match was a loss):
2) Transfer Shield Strength is also not useless, or at least certainly more useful than Aux to Structural. It is true that Transfer Shield Strength, rank for rank, has a lower magnitude than Extend Shields. However, it uses the Deflector Field System, whereas Extend Shields uses the Shield System. Which means that both stack together due to independent system cooldowns. So this is a useful support ability, but I would really only recommend it for a pure support loadout on science vessels.
Back in the one or so games I played before deciding the ability was garbage, I also seem to remember it having a 10km range instead of the 5km on Extend Shields. I could be mistaken.
Tactically speaking, though, you could probably take a good CC ability in that slot and PREVENT more damage than you could ever heal with Transfer Shield Strength.
Back in the one or so games I played before deciding the ability was garbage, I also seem to remember it having a 10km range instead of the 5km on Extend Shields. I could be mistaken.
Tactically speaking, though, you could probably take a good CC ability in that slot and PREVENT more damage than you could ever heal with Transfer Shield Strength.
I'm not sure about the range needed to initiate. I'll ask about that.
I agree that a more versatile loadout is usually preferred. But, again, for a pure support loadout, this is a good choice. Especially given the upcoming shift in CC from 'hold' to subsystem warfare (i.e., VM).
I agree that a more versatile loadout is usually preferred. But, again, for a pure support loadout, this is a good choice. Especially given the upcoming shift in CC from 'hold' to subsystem warfare (i.e., VM).
Believe it or not, the VM change actually makes it MORE desirable for damage prevention. Old VM seldom worked on escorts, who could chain two ranks of Attack Pattern Omega to achieve permanent hold immunity. New VM is not affected by this, as it is not a hold. Since escorts put out the most damage by miles, being able to actually stop one, even for a few seconds, is huge.
Additionally, remember that aux will no longer improve maneuverability, so having to shift power to aux will be a greater sacrifice than it is now.
Well, this is now an argument over personal preference. Just saying that, Transfer Shield Strength is not a waste, as it can be used effectively when stacked with other heals + resists (such as Extend Shields).
Should it be buffed to be equivalent (or at least closer) to Extend Shields? Yes.
Is it preferred in all scenarios or loadouts? No.
Well, this is now an argument over personal preference. Just saying that, Transfer Shield Strength is not a waste, as it can be used effectively when stacked with other heals + resists (such as Extend Shields).
Should it be buffed to be equivalent (or at least closer) to Extend Shields? Yes.
Is it preferred in all scenarios or loadouts? No.
You might want to mention EPtS, RSF, RSP, and miracle worker since you mentioned aux to structural. After all sometimes you need to heal yourself and while your guide focuses on healing others, you might consider expanding on it. And from there you might also add the resistance buffs like aux to inertial dampners and polarize hull, since you do mention resistance buffing prominently. You might also want to mention the beneficial side effects of some powers, like how science team clears certain debuffs, how tactical team gives crew and clears boarding parties, etc.
Beyond that, EPtS is useful in conjunction with extend shields as it raises your shield power level which makes extend shields better, something I think you missed. Also, I believe transfer shield strength scales with aux which I don't think you mentioned (which would make EPtA mentionable).
You might also mention some of the drawbacks, namely how extend shields is a great heal other, but it pretty much gives you a bright neon sign that says "shoot me, I'm healing!" and doesn't let you RSP if needed. Personally I watch for that and immediately switch to those teamwork cruisers if I notice they have extended shields. Hazard emitters also can be noticeable, while the teams you can't really tell where they come from.
You might want to mention EPtS, RSF, RSP, and miracle worker since you mentioned aux to structural. After all sometimes you need to heal yourself and while your guide focuses on healing others, you might consider expanding on it. And from there you might also add the resistance buffs like aux to inertial dampners and polarize hull, since you do mention resistance buffing prominently. You might also want to mention the beneficial side effects of some powers, like how science team clears certain debuffs, how tactical team gives crew and clears boarding parties, etc.
Beyond that, EPtS is useful in conjunction with extend shields as it raises your shield power level which makes extend shields better, something I think you missed. Also, I believe transfer shield strength scales with aux which I don't think you mentioned (which would make EPtA mentionable).
You might also mention some of the drawbacks, namely how extend shields is a great heal other, but it pretty much gives you a bright neon sign that says "shoot me, I'm healing!" and doesn't let you RSP if needed. Personally I watch for that and immediately switch to those teamwork cruisers if I notice they have extended shields. Hazard emitters also can be noticeable, while the teams you can't really tell where they come from.
I editted out aux to structure, I was a little loopy when I wrote that part. I'm also a little hesistant to include portions on self defense, because I can see waves of "this is inferior to rsp stacking" if i actually include it.
I'll create an outline during my philosphy class and see what i can do though.
Well, this is now an argument over personal preference. Just saying that, Transfer Shield Strength is not a waste, as it can be used effectively when stacked with other heals + resists (such as Extend Shields).
Should it be buffed to be equivalent (or at least closer) to Extend Shields? Yes.
Is it preferred in all scenarios or loadouts? No.
I agree TSS is a good skill but currently it is broken, there is no burst shield healing that the skills says there should be. The short CD on it along with the long range and resist is a nice option. Not always the best skill but for a support build it works.
As to Faith and yor OP.
Good post hopefully it doesn't fall on deaf ears
The <or> skills are what I change out based on the situation. Cannon: Rapid Fire is what I use when the enemies are spamming FBP (I'm lazy, I use autofire, so sue me ) because it lets me attack them through their "shield". APB swiss cheeses hulls and cuts down resistances, which is one of the best ways to help dps ships. I'm not specced into sensors so I let other ships do the draining
If I can rely on my team to watch me as I watch them I will substitute out a copy of reverse shield polarity for extend shields, I rarely use more than one copy of reverse shield polarity but I would still like the security they can give.
Tractor beam is for when I can rely on my team to pop me out of a viral matrix hold with science team. It keeps BoP from escaping and holds escorts/raptors in place so that they cannot get into a firing arc easily. Worst case scenario they burn an APO and 20 seconds later they get jammed by a VM because they wasted it on a tractor beam
front secondary - 3x phaser cannons, 1x quantum torpedo
back secondary - 3x phaser turrets, 1x quantum torpedo
Consoles:
Engineering: 2x EPS regulator, 2x SIF generator
Science: 3x halon system (I got the grandfathered ones )
Tactical: 2x phaser relay
Deflector dish:
Positron Deflector Array [ast][em][hs] - This is the purple deflector available from doing the pvp daily quests.
~~~
synopsis:
Before the nerf to EPS regulators I used to run with 3 sif generators (ya, 17,550 heal and 59% resistance ET3's ftw). After the nerf I found that I could no longer maintain any dps with just one regulator so I swapped down to two. Other then that, My bar is very focused towards getting the optimum (read: max) healing power available.
note on the ensign level engineering skills. They all suck, EPTS just sucks the least because it boosts your shield power (read stronger extend shield), restores partial shield disables, and gives a small amount of regen/resistance
edit: 4 sif consoles and max investment into skillpoints makes my engineering team 3 heal for 18,900 and give a 63% damage resist. thats just a bit scary
Thanks guys. I really do appreciate all of these pointers. Once I start to get a better idea of some of these ins and outs maybe I can work on my clumsy execution a little better.
This guide is awesome, mabye capable of showing that there isn't only one dimension relevant in this game: damage.
Often i cover my face with my palm, reading that there are cruiser-builds regarding to max-dps, only fitting eps power transfer and stuff...or science vessels, fitted for single target disable (VM multiple ranks etc.). It is no
surprise that there is the feeling of "insanedpsshreddingeverythinginasinglesecond-thing". Support is important, very important.
Emergency Power to Shields I
Extend Shields I
Engineering Team III
Extend Shields III
Emergency Power to Shields I
Reverse Shield Polarity I
Engineering Team III
Hazard Emitters I
Hazard Emitters II
Science Team I
Fore: Quantum torp, tricobalt(for interrupting an enemy using extend shields(not the enemy being healed)), 2x disruptor turret
Rear: Quantum torp, 3x disruptor turret
Various batteries
EPS Flow Regulator Mk X
3x SIF Generator Mk X
3x Halon System Mk X
2x Disruptor Induction Coil Mk X
I've spent a lot of time refining this particular build, with many skill retrains and some quantity of A4 paper sheets.
The end result is a very useful support vessel for premade groups.
I can almost always have one extend shields running, and I can drop 17.5k hull repairs with the engineering teams. It's quite scary when combined with a 14k hazard emitter 2.
The science team I don't often use. It's there only for vain attempts at removing viral matrix from myself or my friends, out of habit. Sometimes I've used it to clear scramble sensors from myself if the situation allowed, so there would be no risk of accidentally healing an enemy because even when de-targeting everything it seems to have a tendency to pick a random target which can include myself. Though that is rare, most of the time I end up taking the risk instead in an attempt to bring a friend back to proper numbers of hull integrity.
In a PUG capture&hold map I just generated an end-result of about 240k damage and over 400k healing, the latter of which was spectacular considering most people there insisted on flying away from me.
Which is strange because I just had a shower prior, so I should smell just fine.
I also have some views to present on the pros and cons of hull and shield healing.
Such as, that the benefits of hull healing are, that even if your shield subsystem is disabled, your hull is still there. The hull repair abilities also heal for more than the corresponding shield repair abilities. With the high resistances provided by a cruiser specialized into engineering teams and such, the hull of any ship can became quite durable even without neutronium alloys. Engineering teams can also repair subsystems and improve power levels somewhat(+warp core training).
The cons of hull healing are that if you are truly at hull, then there is a fundamental risk that you get bursted down, and unlike shields, if your hull health gauge hits 0, then you are out of the battle for all intents and purposes until you respawn. And there are no massive-stream-of-heal abilities for hull, whereas there is Extend Shields for shields.
The pros of shield healing are that it's the first and foremost defense of every ship. If your shields go down, you're not necessarily dead yet. It's possible to bring a ship through a battle completely unscathed with effective shield healing. The flaws of it include at least that the shield subsystem can be drained or shield arcs disabled, which renders shield healing entirely futile, and abilities other than Extend Shields provide a quite limited amount of healing in comparison to their hull counterparts, like science team vs. engineering team. And science teams are often used for purposes ofter than healing, so they are not always available. Transfer shield strength is currently very underwhelming, too.
In effect, I believe healing is at it's apex of effectiveness when combined with a mix of both hull and shield repair abilities, to fill in the flaws of either, especially in the case of bleedthrough.
These are my opinions(or observations(or thoughts(or something))).
PS. I consider a "DPS Cruiser" to be heresy since they still cannot and will not compete with a properly fitted escort, while they sacrifice extremely valuable engineering ability slots for things that only benefit the person themselves, such as stacks of reverse shield polarity. The engineering console slots are also valuable. It would be a great pity if one fitted them with only EPS or plasma distribution manifolds.
Nice to see other people getting it. Cruisers aren't DPS ships, no matter what you do it will never compare to an escort in terms of burst damage. A good escort will always out-dps a good cruiser, even if he specs for DPS. A good cruiser, specced for healing, can out-dps a bad escort though.
I fly an assault cruiser, so my build is slightly more offensive than a star cruiser but I have out-healed star cruisers without problem on many occasions, even those from my fleet. Not just random pugs. I focus slightly more on debuffing enemies and healing teammates.
People often refer to cruisers as the "Tank Class" in PvP. There is no such thing in PvP. The tank class in PvP is whoever is currently being targeted. Cruisers make awesome healers, yet most people have failed to understand that.
The BIG downside for ur, seriously, amazing efforts to be a REAL teamplayer get u dead.
Why? Ur the only nobleman on the team, by healing others, u loose healcapacity urself.
It takes an average player 10 seconds to figure out, to switch targers to you.
It takes a good player, 6 seconds to figure out
It takes Wrath 3 seconds to notice, and kills u instantly.
So, I seriously have respect for what u do, but, unless others do the same for u, u save them, but u die if noticed.
A good premade will wait untill u pop RSP, counter it and blow u up while all ur other BO skills are timing out.
So kudos for ur playing style, its admirable, but I can not imagine ur very succesful in Pugs against skilled opponents..
Why? Ur the only nobleman on the team, by healing others, u loose healcapacity urself.
So, I seriously have respect for what u do, but, unless others do the same for u, u save them, but u die if noticed.
A good premade will wait untill u pop RSP, counter it and blow u up while all ur other BO skills are timing out.
So kudos for ur playing style, its admirable, but I can not imagine ur very succesful in Pugs against skilled opponents..
been playing as a healer in pugs as a fed, i have found it not to be too bad in maps like CP where you can get them to remain close and they share heals, if you're the first to throw out heals they will normally follow as they start to sence a win is possible, they feel someone has their back then, if the healer is hit first that trust will not show rigth away. if you heal someone else in a salvage map pug you are most definately on your own after that.
been playing as a healer in pugs as a fed, i have found it not to be too bad in maps like CP where you can get them to remain close and they share heals, if you're the first to throw out heals they will normally follow as they start to sence a win is possible, they feel someone has their back then, if the healer is hit first that trust will not show rigth away. if you heal someone else in a salvage map pug you are most definately on your own after that.
that is my experience, limited as it is i know
true, let me better my statement, it was aimed at Salvage maps, when in smaller groups, u can steer more towards cooperation, IF ur Pug teammates listen that is
Comments
It is extremely important to be in a team during a pvp match. While a premade team is often substantially more coordinated than a pug team, either will do for the purpose of this portion of the guide;
If you are going into a match alone, the first thing you need to do upon entering is group your team. If there is not a team going, right click everyone and invite them to your team. If there is a team already started, right click one of them and request to join them. nine times out of ten the other players will either accept the invite or accept you into the team. The other ten percent severely hurts the ability of the team to win.
Teaming has three purposes.
first it lets you know who is on your side; a quick scan can tell you what class of player each person is, what type of ship they are piloting, and what level they are (generally not important).
Second, any players in your team can be targetted using the f2-f5 keys (f1 is reserved for yourself). hitting the corresponding targetting with your left hand and clicking the appropriate heal with your mouse is substantially faster than clicking the ship and hitting the appropriate key command for the heal. Remember to hold the targetting key down while you click the heal otherwise the heal could hit another player unintentionally.
finally it gives you access to team chat, a vital form of communication that the enemy cannot read. Inside of teamchat you can talk to eachother, share tips, coordinate who to attack, and other vital features.
Additionally; If you are pugging up a group, TELL THEM THAT YOU ARE A HEALER. let them know to stay close to you, and that beyond 5km your abilities to heal them are greatly diminished (hazard emitters and extend shields are unable to operate beyond 5km). Chances are that the team will stay close. If you have a player that insists on staying out of range and keeps dying during combat, remind him that you are a healer but cannot work miracles - if he doesn't stay in range of your heals then he will likely die alot during the fight (players are often motivated by this, the ability to deal large amounts of damage while being nearly invulnerable is often sought after). Remind players to stay in range constantly if they start to seperate from eachother.
Part 9- tips and advice (feel free to contribute)
~Reaction times are important, most t5 dps characters are capable of condensing enough damage to kill a person in a very small time window, you need to be able to react in time to properly prevent the target from dying. If you have ever played an FPS, you would know that the person with better reflexes generally kills the other person. The same rule applies
~Don't focus 100% of your attention on the team health bar, Watch what opponents are doing. If a klink uncloaks on your team then you need to know who he's targetting, and fast. Staring at the health bar won't tell you that he just uncloaked
~It's a team job, Don't go alone! get a group of buddies before you go, send friend invites to players that you think did a good job and ask them if they want to go again. Get into a fleet that does pvp. Whatever you do, Make sure that your not the only serious person in a sea of clowns (skilled).
~As a healer, your job is not to keep everyone at top condition. Your job is to keep people alive long enough so that they can kill the opponents. based on the skill level of the opponents you cannot always guarentee a comfortable amount of time to work with. it is not important that you keep your entire team alive, it is however important that your team survives long enough to kill off the opponent. Remember that as long as your team scores 15 kills it does not matter if your opponents scored 14 kills or 0 kills, the outcome is still the same (you win!).
~Opponents will tell you who and when they will attack. this is a VERY difficult concept to understand. It involves experience, watching the opponents, and understanding who the priority targets that they may attack are.
positioning this way has quite a few advantages,
1) the Klingon's will make sure you are primary target if you sit at the front of a gang and you are a known healer. Snb/VM Will effectively take you out very quick if in this situation, even if these are no direct threat at the time they totally immobilize you at the time leaving very open for the incoming DPs 1 very easy kill for the klinks.
2) Being behind the gang and allies obviously means you don't get targeted strait off the bat, they have to cut their way through the team to get to you and even if they do its likely their timers are all up on their main ability's, lower DPs against you \0/ and the people you just kept alive with your heals are more then likely putting the hurt on them.
As a side note this works well in capture point objectives where the Klingon's will generally come from one direction! but if you got a general map like solar wind where the klinks can cloak up and get positioning you want to be in the middle of the gang! but its the same principle you just got less of a buffer.
Also try and keep you science team free for personal use I once made the mistake of using this for a quick shield heal on a team mate, A science BoP decloaked hit me with Snb/WM and kept me like that for over a minuet whilst my team got torn to pieces leaving me looking at 6 hostile Klingon's with all my timers still shot to hell and a 50% hull lets just say i didn't last long
this is what happens when you fail to to follow this advice;
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/9475/screenshot2010040221343.jpg
and this is what happens when you do;
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/9129/screenshot2010042001061.jpg
simplz
ARRRRGH
*beats Wrath to death with a stuffed merecat*
Good post Faith
Two comments, however:
1) Aux to Structural is not useless, or at least not for the reasons you listed. It is less than efficient for hull repair, but its primary value is in (hull) damage resistance. It uses the AUX System cooldown, which tends not to be used very much (except by Emergency Power to <x> abilities), so it provides a good alternative to tying up the Crew or Hazard Systems. The real constraint here, when selecting loadouts, is that Aux to Structural is a self-only ability. In a PVP environment, group abilities tend to be more valuable.
2) Transfer Shield Strength is also not useless, or at least certainly more useful than Aux to Structural. It is true that Transfer Shield Strength, rank for rank, has a lower magnitude than Extend Shields. However, it uses the Deflector Field System, whereas Extend Shields uses the Shield System. Which means that both stack together due to independent system cooldowns. So this is a useful support ability, but I would really only recommend it for a pure support loadout on science vessels.
(EDIT: Thanks to my Fleet's dedicated Science healer for the input on Transfer Shield Strength. He tested it out and, thus far, he likes it for his pure support loadout.)
===
Oh, and a token screenshot to show the power of healing (despite the fact that the match was a loss):
2-Fleet-member Space PvP: Capture-and-Hold (FvF) defeat results 16 April 2010
I am an Engineer, in a T5 star cruiser.
(I don't play Arena anymore without my Fleet, most of whom are on an extended break at the moment.)
Back in the one or so games I played before deciding the ability was garbage, I also seem to remember it having a 10km range instead of the 5km on Extend Shields. I could be mistaken.
Tactically speaking, though, you could probably take a good CC ability in that slot and PREVENT more damage than you could ever heal with Transfer Shield Strength.
I agree that a more versatile loadout is usually preferred. But, again, for a pure support loadout, this is a good choice. Especially given the upcoming shift in CC from 'hold' to subsystem warfare (i.e., VM).
Believe it or not, the VM change actually makes it MORE desirable for damage prevention. Old VM seldom worked on escorts, who could chain two ranks of Attack Pattern Omega to achieve permanent hold immunity. New VM is not affected by this, as it is not a hold. Since escorts put out the most damage by miles, being able to actually stop one, even for a few seconds, is huge.
Additionally, remember that aux will no longer improve maneuverability, so having to shift power to aux will be a greater sacrifice than it is now.
Should it be buffed to be equivalent (or at least closer) to Extend Shields? Yes.
Is it preferred in all scenarios or loadouts? No.
what dravis said ^^^
Beyond that, EPtS is useful in conjunction with extend shields as it raises your shield power level which makes extend shields better, something I think you missed. Also, I believe transfer shield strength scales with aux which I don't think you mentioned (which would make EPtA mentionable).
You might also mention some of the drawbacks, namely how extend shields is a great heal other, but it pretty much gives you a bright neon sign that says "shoot me, I'm healing!" and doesn't let you RSP if needed. Personally I watch for that and immediately switch to those teamwork cruisers if I notice they have extended shields. Hazard emitters also can be noticeable, while the teams you can't really tell where they come from.
whoops lol, I meant to say that I agree it should be buffed because it can't stand on its own. I'll edit the page
I editted out aux to structure, I was a little loopy when I wrote that part. I'm also a little hesistant to include portions on self defense, because I can see waves of "this is inferior to rsp stacking" if i actually include it.
I'll create an outline during my philosphy class and see what i can do though.
I agree TSS is a good skill but currently it is broken, there is no burst shield healing that the skills says there should be. The short CD on it along with the long range and resist is a nice option. Not always the best skill but for a support build it works.
As to Faith and yor OP.
Good post hopefully it doesn't fall on deaf ears
Star cruiser ship.
link to the skill set up. I run a very focused space healer build. The skills are on the left side, but in case you want an easy list
Tactical:
Torpedo High Yield 1
Attack Pattern Beta 1 <or> Cannon: Rapid Fire 1
Engineering:
Emergency Power to Shields 1
Reverse Shield Polarity 1
Engineering team 3
Extend shields 3
Emergency Power to Shields 1
Reverse Shield Polarity 1 <or> Extend Shields 1
Engineering team 3
Science:
Science team 1 <or> Tractor beam 1
Hazard Emitters 1
Hazard Emitters 2
Damage load out:
front primary- 3x phaser beam arrays, 1x quantum torpedo
back primary - 3x phaser beam arrays, 1x quantum torpedo
front secondary - 3x phaser cannons, 1x quantum torpedo
back secondary - 3x phaser turrets, 1x quantum torpedo
Consoles:
Engineering: 2x EPS regulator, 2x SIF generator
Science: 3x halon system (I got the grandfathered ones
Tactical: 2x phaser relay
Deflector dish:
Positron Deflector Array [ast][em][hs] - This is the purple deflector available from doing the pvp daily quests.
~~~
synopsis:
Before the nerf to EPS regulators I used to run with 3 sif generators (ya, 17,550 heal and 59% resistance ET3's ftw). After the nerf I found that I could no longer maintain any dps with just one regulator so I swapped down to two. Other then that, My bar is very focused towards getting the optimum (read: max) healing power available.
note on the ensign level engineering skills. They all suck, EPTS just sucks the least because it boosts your shield power (read stronger extend shield), restores partial shield disables, and gives a small amount of regen/resistance
edit: 4 sif consoles and max investment into skillpoints makes my engineering team 3 heal for 18,900 and give a 63% damage resist. thats just a bit scary
STICKY!
Except you have better quality gear (purple deflector). I should upgrade mine one of these days.
Often i cover my face with my palm, reading that there are cruiser-builds regarding to max-dps, only fitting eps power transfer and stuff...or science vessels, fitted for single target disable (VM multiple ranks etc.). It is no
surprise that there is the feeling of "insanedpsshreddingeverythinginasinglesecond-thing". Support is important, very important.
Edit: vote for sticky!
Torpedo: High Yield I
Attack Pattern Beta I
Emergency Power to Shields I
Extend Shields I
Engineering Team III
Extend Shields III
Emergency Power to Shields I
Reverse Shield Polarity I
Engineering Team III
Hazard Emitters I
Hazard Emitters II
Science Team I
Fore: Quantum torp, tricobalt(for interrupting an enemy using extend shields(not the enemy being healed)), 2x disruptor turret
Rear: Quantum torp, 3x disruptor turret
Various batteries
EPS Flow Regulator Mk X
3x SIF Generator Mk X
3x Halon System Mk X
2x Disruptor Induction Coil Mk X
I've spent a lot of time refining this particular build, with many skill retrains and some quantity of A4 paper sheets.
The end result is a very useful support vessel for premade groups.
I can almost always have one extend shields running, and I can drop 17.5k hull repairs with the engineering teams. It's quite scary when combined with a 14k hazard emitter 2.
The science team I don't often use. It's there only for vain attempts at removing viral matrix from myself or my friends, out of habit. Sometimes I've used it to clear scramble sensors from myself if the situation allowed, so there would be no risk of accidentally healing an enemy because even when de-targeting everything it seems to have a tendency to pick a random target which can include myself. Though that is rare, most of the time I end up taking the risk instead in an attempt to bring a friend back to proper numbers of hull integrity.
In a PUG capture&hold map I just generated an end-result of about 240k damage and over 400k healing, the latter of which was spectacular considering most people there insisted on flying away from me.
Which is strange because I just had a shower prior, so I should smell just fine.
I also have some views to present on the pros and cons of hull and shield healing.
Such as, that the benefits of hull healing are, that even if your shield subsystem is disabled, your hull is still there. The hull repair abilities also heal for more than the corresponding shield repair abilities. With the high resistances provided by a cruiser specialized into engineering teams and such, the hull of any ship can became quite durable even without neutronium alloys. Engineering teams can also repair subsystems and improve power levels somewhat(+warp core training).
The cons of hull healing are that if you are truly at hull, then there is a fundamental risk that you get bursted down, and unlike shields, if your hull health gauge hits 0, then you are out of the battle for all intents and purposes until you respawn. And there are no massive-stream-of-heal abilities for hull, whereas there is Extend Shields for shields.
The pros of shield healing are that it's the first and foremost defense of every ship. If your shields go down, you're not necessarily dead yet. It's possible to bring a ship through a battle completely unscathed with effective shield healing. The flaws of it include at least that the shield subsystem can be drained or shield arcs disabled, which renders shield healing entirely futile, and abilities other than Extend Shields provide a quite limited amount of healing in comparison to their hull counterparts, like science team vs. engineering team. And science teams are often used for purposes ofter than healing, so they are not always available. Transfer shield strength is currently very underwhelming, too.
In effect, I believe healing is at it's apex of effectiveness when combined with a mix of both hull and shield repair abilities, to fill in the flaws of either, especially in the case of bleedthrough.
These are my opinions(or observations(or thoughts(or something))).
PS. I consider a "DPS Cruiser" to be heresy since they still cannot and will not compete with a properly fitted escort, while they sacrifice extremely valuable engineering ability slots for things that only benefit the person themselves, such as stacks of reverse shield polarity. The engineering console slots are also valuable. It would be a great pity if one fitted them with only EPS or plasma distribution manifolds.
Nice to see other people getting it. Cruisers aren't DPS ships, no matter what you do it will never compare to an escort in terms of burst damage. A good escort will always out-dps a good cruiser, even if he specs for DPS. A good cruiser, specced for healing, can out-dps a bad escort though.
I fly an assault cruiser, so my build is slightly more offensive than a star cruiser but I have out-healed star cruisers without problem on many occasions, even those from my fleet. Not just random pugs. I focus slightly more on debuffing enemies and healing teammates.
People often refer to cruisers as the "Tank Class" in PvP. There is no such thing in PvP. The tank class in PvP is whoever is currently being targeted. Cruisers make awesome healers, yet most people have failed to understand that.
The more they heal, the better.
The BIG downside for ur, seriously, amazing efforts to be a REAL teamplayer get u dead.
Why? Ur the only nobleman on the team, by healing others, u loose healcapacity urself.
It takes an average player 10 seconds to figure out, to switch targers to you.
It takes a good player, 6 seconds to figure out
It takes Wrath 3 seconds to notice, and kills u instantly.
So, I seriously have respect for what u do, but, unless others do the same for u, u save them, but u die if noticed.
A good premade will wait untill u pop RSP, counter it and blow u up while all ur other BO skills are timing out.
So kudos for ur playing style, its admirable, but I can not imagine ur very succesful in Pugs against skilled opponents..
been playing as a healer in pugs as a fed, i have found it not to be too bad in maps like CP where you can get them to remain close and they share heals, if you're the first to throw out heals they will normally follow as they start to sence a win is possible, they feel someone has their back then, if the healer is hit first that trust will not show rigth away. if you heal someone else in a salvage map pug you are most definately on your own after that.
that is my experience, limited as it is i know
true, let me better my statement, it was aimed at Salvage maps, when in smaller groups, u can steer more towards cooperation, IF ur Pug teammates listen that is
also, its kind of creepy how similar all of the posted healbuilds ended up. Great minds think alike aye'?
bit full of urself aren't ya there faithborn?