The harder missions only require you to employ a basic strategy based on an understanding of the mission and makeup of the group. Each group member must know their role and be capable of fulfilling it. I don't think this is asking to much in a MMO game. Once you can do this it becomes shocking how easy these missions can be completed.
There is nothing wrong with a challenge, half the fun I had was running with groups and learning how to get all the optionals. The worst thing you can do is call for them to be nerfed when they are designed to be the hardest pve content in the game.
90% of ESTF losses are due to player error/incompetence. 10% are due to the Borg deciding to be particularly cruel and beaming lots of plasma torps into your warp core. Sufficed to say, there is no need for nerfs. At all.
It is said the best weapon is one that is never fired. I disagree. The best weapon is one you only have to fire... once.
STFs are pretty easy. Actually it's the easiest content you can play in elite mode. If you play romulan episodes in elite, the challenge is really greater. STFs have been dumbed down so many times that the borg collective is a complete joke.
Best ship to guard the kang is a Carrier
if you don't have a carrier a decent cruiser can do it
a Cannon armed escort is a poor choice
the trick is to HEAL the Kang and close protect it
absorbing fire and destroying attackers
if you are in a GOOD team very little will come at you anyway
It isn't my role to tell you how to play. That's your choice. Some carriers can indeed destroy waves very efficiently.
However, it is better to prevent damage than to mitigate it afterwards. Therefore an escort (raptor, raider, manoeuvrable DHC Vor'cha, ...) is a much better fit.
Whatever career in such a ship will blow the waves of BoPs in seconds and move fast to another line.
A well built one will handle even the raptor waves alone (not even talking about tacs in decent escorts, those with scatter 2/3 will vaporize even neghvar spawns).
That's also the answer to those who claim the Kang is weak; if CSE is well played, it's never even shot at. It could be a sheet of paper and it wouldn't matter.
TOIVA, Toi Vaxx, Toia Vix, Toveg, T'vritha, To Vrax: Bring in the Allegiance class. Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider. Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
find a good group to latch on to and even the hardest stf will seem like a cake walk. if you don't think you have the time to find and form a group for yourself, then you really do deserve the results that you get. one person can not win a stf by themselves. this is a team based effort. spend some time, find a great team and have fun. if not, you're going to end up more often than not spend more time trying to complete the mission with your rag tag team than it would if you had dedicated a little bit of time to find a proper team. but hey, to each their own.
Best ship to guard the kang is a Carrier
if you don't have a carrier a decent cruiser can do it
a Cannon armed escort is a poor choice
the trick is to HEAL the Kang and close protect it
absorbing fire and destroying attackers
Actually if you're at a point that you need to heal the Kang , you have already failed as a guard (and/or endangered the optional) .
In short , (while I can agree to disagree) , imho all of the above is rubbish .
...However, it is better to prevent damage than to mitigate it afterwards. ...That's also the answer to those who claim the Kang is weak; if CSE is well played, it's never even shot at. It could be a sheet of paper and it wouldn't matter.
Actually if you're at a point that you need to heal the Kang , you have already failed as a guard (and/or endangered the optional)...
I completely agree with both Toiva and Aelfwin1 here. In my CSE runs, the ones that flowed easiest and were most successful, were the ones where the Kang Guard delivered Heavy Offense from either an Escort or Carrier (though I have seen it done superbly by both Cruiser and Sci ships, too). With such a Guardian, the Kang is never even touched.
That being said, if you "only" have average players, who are determined and can follow direction, you can still make do. It doesn't have to be a highly-skilled and decked out team. Just yesterday I took friends through CSE, only half of us are regular STFers and have top-end gear/builds. The others... Gave the impression that they - Well, not so much (experience/gear). But they had heart, and more importantly, Paid Attention/Followed Direction(*). We had to throw some heals at Kang, and we didn't break any speed records, but we beat the Optional and Completed the whole mission successfully. It was a fun run!
(*) The majority of directions were explaining MRRMLL with a just a handful of lines of text in Lobby Chat prior to starting the Private Action. Everyone was on-board and paid attention. Good times.
Again, my point being is that "anyone" can beat these missions. But it does take some knowledge (which this thread has provided, really) and effort (you're on your own there :P).
For normals yes. But you can run normals in a ship with no consoles. For elites, no. You are focusing too much on energy damage defense, when the majority of damage in elites comes from torps. Also your builds aren't tank focused enough. Your oddy is just horrible, your Intrepid isn't focused, and your patrol escort is probably one of the only ones that doesn't need a complete overhaul.
For your oddy, please please PLEASE take those SIF generators off. Replace them with another neutronium and a monotanium. If you aren't concerned with dealing damage you can leave your sci consoles and your weapons as is.
Your intrepid should either run full beams or full cannons. None of this mix and match. And your science consoles should either be set to healing or set to damage output with your abilities.
Tbh, we can't give you ANY recommendations without knowing your full loadouts, including but not limited to your BOff layout, ALL of your consoles, exact weapons, shields/engines/deflectors, your DOffs, and the exact ship it's being used on.
This is not my load out it is some one elses and I was just asking why were you the only one to answer and tak it seriously.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Age StarTrek-Gamers Administrator
USS WARRIOR NCC 1720 Commanding Officer Star Trek Gamers
Im using mk XI assimilated set on my main char along with the assimilated module and cutting beam and a nice laser loadout onmy odyssy and I have no trouble with elite STF's.
My 2nd char has assimilated mk X gear on a warship with a pvp layout and is also now handling elite STF's with little or no trouble.
If you find your ship is decently equipped and yuour still dying all the time look at your bridge officer setup. Make sure its the most efficient for your ship.
I rarely die on STF's anymore with the exeption of thehive with the random ship blowig up 15k from the cannon whih shouldnt be possible and then a 2nd random blowup straight after as I am moving back to the cannon from the spawn spot and blowing u at 12k.....but apart fro that...handles fine...
Experience...knowledge...gear setup...BOFF setup.....check all these areas...if omething isnt right adjust it.
And in my opinion when I cn play elite STF's in assimilated MK X gear the difficulty really needs increasing.
Assimilated MK X should be a MINIMAL to keep you alive in the normal STF's.......
CSE is easy as hell, you just need a decent build (I think the base stf build should be one that can defend the kang, without any problem), and a team that is not full of people, who cant tell their ship's front from its aft.
HSE is a bit different. I cant say it is hard. it is harder than the other stfs, however the real problem is the way it was hardened. the enemies are just plain cheating, shooting oneshot kills every few seconds. most of these can be handled, but the rate they fire it, is just high enough, to make me complain about it (and high enough to make people cry about it being hard).
Some are more difficult than others, but all completable with a good group and a good strategy.
Cheers,
Brandon =/\=
Out of curiosity, how does the average player joining the PVE Queue ensure that they will:
A) Have a good group. Have a good strategy with the zero prep time the queue gives you.
If the design intent is that people create premade or even pugmade teams in channels beforehand - then why does the queue even exist or why does it allow Elite content?
Comments
His carrier is Sci and heavily armed of course
There is nothing wrong with a challenge, half the fun I had was running with groups and learning how to get all the optionals. The worst thing you can do is call for them to be nerfed when they are designed to be the hardest pve content in the game.
God, lvl 60 CW. 17k.
It isn't my role to tell you how to play. That's your choice. Some carriers can indeed destroy waves very efficiently.
However, it is better to prevent damage than to mitigate it afterwards. Therefore an escort (raptor, raider, manoeuvrable DHC Vor'cha, ...) is a much better fit.
Whatever career in such a ship will blow the waves of BoPs in seconds and move fast to another line.
A well built one will handle even the raptor waves alone (not even talking about tacs in decent escorts, those with scatter 2/3 will vaporize even neghvar spawns).
That's also the answer to those who claim the Kang is weak; if CSE is well played, it's never even shot at. It could be a sheet of paper and it wouldn't matter.
Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider.
Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
Don't make ARC mandatory! Keep it optional only!
Actually if you're at a point that you need to heal the Kang , you have already failed as a guard (and/or endangered the optional) .
In short , (while I can agree to disagree) , imho all of the above is rubbish .
That being said, if you "only" have average players, who are determined and can follow direction, you can still make do. It doesn't have to be a highly-skilled and decked out team. Just yesterday I took friends through CSE, only half of us are regular STFers and have top-end gear/builds. The others... Gave the impression that they - Well, not so much (experience/gear). But they had heart, and more importantly, Paid Attention/Followed Direction(*). We had to throw some heals at Kang, and we didn't break any speed records, but we beat the Optional and Completed the whole mission successfully. It was a fun run!
(*) The majority of directions were explaining MRRMLL with a just a handful of lines of text in Lobby Chat prior to starting the Private Action. Everyone was on-board and paid attention. Good times.
Again, my point being is that "anyone" can beat these missions. But it does take some knowledge (which this thread has provided, really) and effort (you're on your own there :P).
:cool:
Thanks for the Hive Guide. I'll keep those notes for our next trip there.
You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Playing STO since Feb 2010.
USS WARRIOR NCC 1720 Commanding Officer
Star Trek Gamers
Everyone else probably ignored it.
My 2nd char has assimilated mk X gear on a warship with a pvp layout and is also now handling elite STF's with little or no trouble.
If you find your ship is decently equipped and yuour still dying all the time look at your bridge officer setup. Make sure its the most efficient for your ship.
I rarely die on STF's anymore with the exeption of thehive with the random ship blowig up 15k from the cannon whih shouldnt be possible and then a 2nd random blowup straight after as I am moving back to the cannon from the spawn spot and blowing u at 12k.....but apart fro that...handles fine...
Experience...knowledge...gear setup...BOFF setup.....check all these areas...if omething isnt right adjust it.
And in my opinion when I cn play elite STF's in assimilated MK X gear the difficulty really needs increasing.
Assimilated MK X should be a MINIMAL to keep you alive in the normal STF's.......
HSE is a bit different. I cant say it is hard. it is harder than the other stfs, however the real problem is the way it was hardened. the enemies are just plain cheating, shooting oneshot kills every few seconds. most of these can be handled, but the rate they fire it, is just high enough, to make me complain about it (and high enough to make people cry about it being hard).
10k DPS Vesta threads: 1; 2
Right... :rolleyes:
Now, explain how you are meant to get the MkX kit when you can't do STFs because you keep dying?
Out of curiosity, how does the average player joining the PVE Queue ensure that they will:
A) Have a good group.
If the design intent is that people create premade or even pugmade teams in channels beforehand - then why does the queue even exist or why does it allow Elite content?