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Federation science vs engineer space strategy?

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited August 2010 in PvP Gameplay
When dueling my friend who is an engineer, I cannot find a strategy to beat his damage mitigation. There is no combination of power setting debuffs that allow me to put his shields offline, which is where I get the most damage in when doing PVE. For all of my other attempts at breaking through his shields, he just keeps buffing them up when they get low.. and when I finally do break through he just repairs his hull with engineering team and miracle worker while his shield abilities recharge.

I've managed some small victories such as overwhelming one side and getting some damage or a tri-cobalt in. But most of the time it's just luck where some of his more important abilities are down. But it's no better odds than my science/escort build.

I've been pouring over all of the skills and have tested many, many rebuilds and respecs on test as well as made a very substantial investment in ship equipment. I also procured the best weapons from stocked exploration badges when transferring to test.

Is there a strategy for a federation science officer/science ship take down a engineer/cruiser with reasonable success? I'm at a loss.

We are both Vice Admirals, if that makes any difference.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited August 2010
    its a hard call i love my engineers for the fact that i can keep my ships intact (escort & bop)
    i like my sci officers in escorts & bops due to the fact they hit like a brick in the face.
    & if enemy do pop rsp to save there skins SNB them.
    What i would suggest if i were you now is speak to a friend or fleet member who has a tactical officer
    & get them to train your tac BO in the better skills.

    Like my fed engineer i pass my tactical BO`s to my friend who trained 2 officers in CRF 3 + THY 3 for the commander slot.
    Ltcomm slot has 2nd THY 3 .

    BO layout

    Commander tac : tact team 1 CRF 2 THY 3 CRF 3
    Lt comm tac : BFW 1 APB 1 THY 3
    ensign engineer: EPS
    Lt engineer : eng team 1 RSP 1
    Lt SCI : sci team 1 HE 2

    not done this with my sci officer yet but my engineer averages about 700-900k damage on a typical cap & hold map.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited August 2010
    I'm still leveling up my klingon science officer but the bird of prey combos as a science seem so fun :D

    Can do some serious WTH just happened layouts.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited August 2010
    For your science ship, I'd try to get him to use a lot of buffs. Tractor Beam him in a Gravity well and Target his shield subsystems, this will let you focus on one shield grid with failing power and gives him a LOT to deal with at once. I'd be panicking if my hull was failing, shields were failing and I was stuck (I have the strict mind of an Escort pilot so take that with salt, Cruiser pilots are probably a bit more... "oh, I'll live" kind of guys.). He'll probably pop off some hull heals, maybe a shield heal and RSP. Nuke him and then use sensor scan on him.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited August 2010
    Sci Ships can be good shield destroyers. Charged Partical Burst can remove a good bit of shield in one quick burst. Tachyon beam III can be very good at full aux.

    Trying to remove his shield with beams will probaly be frustrating in a sci ship. However low weapon power beams still have the same effect with Target Subsystems shields.

    Perhaps you should try CPB III - Tacyon III - Gravity Well I - Tractor I (and the rest heals)
    A Quantum Torp... and HY 1 and Target Shields II... then you can roll TSS II and TSS I... use tachyon and cpb... hopefully landing a HY 1 Quantum Salvo into one facing while he is tractored in a well. :)

    I would suggest running Torp Consuls... as your beams are never really going to do a ton of damage... use them for the preasure between your real sci shield stripping powers.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited August 2010
    I would suggest to go with what Husanak said - it's a strategy I try to use myself.

    However, be aware of a very specific thing - a Cruiser and a Science ship, if both captained reasonably, could hammer on each other for the time being without ever having a winner; Each other's healing capabilities tend to overcome the damage, especially if the Science vessel uses its shields wisely :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited August 2010
    You might also try switching to Polaron beams. The power drain will really hinder him.

    You could also try dropping some heals for additional offense... Oo
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited August 2010
    You're never going to whittle down a decent cruiser, 1 on 1, especially not in a science ship. My advice? Forget it entirely. A decent cruiser can out damage and out heal any science ship.

    But if you insist on it, the only real way you are going to knock out an eng/cruiser is by putting out enough burst damage to kill them before they can heal. And the only way a science ship can do that is with tricobalts.

    You'd have to be extremely lucky to get a tricobalt to knock them out on its own, but it might be possible with sensor scan and attack pattern debuffs. But you need it to hit an unshielded facing which any decent cruiser won't have for very long. A mine is better because it gives you a long window for a follow up torpedo strike during the stun, but its much riskier.

    What you would have to do is drain their shield facing, possibly with tachyon beam, lay the mine, then finish off their shield facing with CPB and hit them with photonic shockwave at the same time to stun them while the mine finishes arming itself so that they can't target and kill it. Throw in sensor scan and attack pattern beta or delta in there somewhere to debuff them so that when the mine hits, they get hit hard. You still probably won't kill them with the mine alone so you'll need a high yield torpedo strike during the stun on the dead shield facing. Having photonic fleet up during this would be a big help too.

    But if they don't get killed in that combination, you'll never kill them. Its really unlikely you can even get their shields down too, especially with cruisers able to use the +35% console easily. Even without, all they have to do is hit EPTS or TSS before you CPB/stun and its a wasted effort.
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