Feedback on RSV Energy Drain Build

Comments

• hereticknight085 Member Posts: 3,783 Arc User

  January 2013 edited January 2013

  It's a pretty decent drain build. It's a little different from the one I run, but mine is more of a troll ship than anything else XD. But I would recommend you swap to either full cannons or full BAs so you don't have that ability mix-up. And then you can cycle two TTs for maximum defensive ability, since right now it looks like you have a 20 second window in which something can ruin your day. Would be much better if it were only 5 seconds methinks.
  
  Here's an unusual recommendation that my friend and I perfected, and it works quite well:
  
  Weapons:
  2x Dominion BA, 1x Chroniton Torp (me)/Hyper Plasma Torp (my friend) Fore
  3x Dominion BA (me), 2x Dominion BA, 1x Omega Torp (my friend) Rear
  
  I like the Chronitons because if I use ES and combine it with Chroniton proc, my target isn't going anywhere anytime soon. My friend uses the hyper plasma because he likes lighting things on fire. But the full BA setup is slightly weaker weapon power wise, but it's still very effective. I can usually average around 1100-1200 per hit with each BA, and that's with the mk XI freebie BAs and mk XI blue tac consoles. If I upgraded to real mk XII BAs (something I am considering doing) I could probably hit closer to 1250-1300.
  
  But that's just me. Your build's only weakness is that you need to be facing your target to do the most damage. Other than that, as drain builds go, it's decent.

  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.

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• igorvalentine Member Posts: 0 Arc User

  January 2013 edited January 2013

  Thanks, Heretic! I knew I could count on your response! You have answered a lot of my other forum questions. We seem to have a similar thought process/playstyle. As this is my first captain and I'm only a Rear Admiral Lower Half, any stats I posted are based off of Mk X. I hope this build will get better.
  
  As you are much more seasoned, could you tell me where the 20sec window is? I'm not able to see things like that yet.
  
  The three dbb do require me to face forward and I'm not that good of a pilot yet, lol. I have to work on that. I like the CRF1 and turrets to apply the polaron proc, which is about -52 power. I took BO1 for lack of a better option. I could drop it for another TT1.
  
  I'm trying to find a way to drain power while doing max dps for a sci.

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• jadensecura Member Posts: 660 Arc User

  January 2013 edited January 2013

  Mostly it looks good. The 2 problems I see are the gap in your EPtS and the fact that you're using two different weapon type abilities. It's very, very difficult to stay alive without continuous EPtS, its resistance is just insanely valuable, so I would either drop EPtW for a second EPtS or run the cooldown reduction doffs (damage control engineers). For weapons, you really need to pick boosting either your beams or your turrets, you'll get the most out of boosting your beams. Or you could go for single cannons instead of the DBBs, that will also get you more procs, but you lose subsystem targeting. Otherwise, nicely done.

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• hereticknight085 Member Posts: 3,783 Arc User

  January 2013 edited January 2013

  igorvalentine wrote: »

  Thanks, Heretic! I knew I could count on your response! You have answered a lot of my other forum questions. We seem to have a similar thought process/playstyle. As this is my first captain and I'm only a Rear Admiral Lower Half, any stats I posted are based off of Mk X. I hope this build will get better.
  
  As you are much more seasoned, could you tell me where the 20sec window is? I'm not able to see things like that yet.
  
  The three dbb do require me to face forward and I'm not that good of a pilot yet, lol. I have to work on that. I like the CRF1 and turrets to apply the polaron proc, which is about -52 power. I took BO1 for lack of a better option. I could drop it for another TT1.
  
  I'm trying to find a way to drain power while doing max dps for a sci.

  
  Wall of Text Alert!!
  
  That 20 second window is the downtime on your tactical team. A regular TT1 lasts 10 seconds and has a 30 second CD (provided you have it maxed out on your BOff). Those 10 20 seconds while it's not active and on CD is the window I was referring to. If you have two copies of TT1 or two very expensive DOffs you can do what is referred to as cycling tac teams, where you have TT almost constantly active. In other words, you activate it, it puts the other TT on a 15 second cd, lasts 10 seconds, then goes offline. Then you have 5 seconds while the other TT is still on cd during which you are vulnerable, then you hit that other TT, which protects you for another 10 seconds, then 5 seconds of downtime again while your first TT comes off CD, then so on and so forth.
  
  The 3 DBBs is a pretty common thing, but with your BOff slots available on the RSV, I personally would go again with the two TT1s and either an APB1 or BFAW2/CRF1 (depends on if you are running cannons or beams).
  
  IMO effectively using DBBs takes too much practice, and since I am lazy I just go with BAs (large firing arc, and if you have 5 of them hitting a target it's almost better than 3 DBBs, plus I started off as a cruiser captain, so broadsiding is second nature to me now).
  
  However maximizing DPS as a sci is not easy with a drain build. Max DPS sci's tend to run with gravity wells instead. Full torp boats are also somewhat commonplace (torps don't require weapons power for damage, and as a result you can have your power settings at 25/50/25/100 and not lose any damage from weapons while still maintaining full aux for your science abilities).
  
  One science build I have seen that my friend uses on a vesta and I always get a kick out of is as follows:
  
  Weapons:
  Hyper Plasma Torp, Omega Torp, Aux Phaser DHC Fore
  Romulan Experimental BA, Transphasic Cluster Torp, Tric Mine Launcher Rear
  
  Not entirely sure what he was going for when he did this, but his forward damage output is interestingly high, and he often swings around and uses his rear as a weapon too. He somehow does as much damage as a lot of competent DPS cruisers despite his somewhat... whacked build. Course he also craps out GW3s and TR2s like a madman.
  
  My build on my FRSV is a drain build as well, but it's sub-optimal atm. Still quite effective, but not as good as it could be.
  
  Weapons: 2x Dominion BA 1x Chroniton Torp Launcher Fore
  3x Dominion BA Aft
  
  Deflector, Shield, and Engines all Jem'Hadar mk XI.
  
  Tac Consoles: Polaron Phase Modulator x4
  Engineering Consoles: Neutronium Alloy x2
  Science Consoles: 4x Flow Capacitor
  
  Boff Abilities:
  Lt. Tac: TT1, APB1
  Ens Tac: TS1
  Lt. Engi: EPtS1, EPtW2
  Cmdr Sci: HE1, TB2, ES2, ES3
  LtCmdr Sci: HE1, TSS2, TR2
  
  DOffs:
  WCE x1
  DCE x2
  Conn Officer x2
  (all purple)
  
  Reasons Behind Build:
  I originally had this on a MURSV as an ESTF troll boat. But instead it turned out to be pretty effective, so I upped the ante and went with the Fleet version. I use the Dominion BAs because they synergize well with the Jem'hadar set (who would have guessed?), and have the 10% tetryon proc which has it's uses (yes yes, I know, not many), and the Polaron Proc (self explanatory), AND it was a free mission reward (yes I know it involves playing the same mission 5 times, but hey, who doesn't enjoy beating the snot out of the Jem'hadar fleet?).
  
  The Neutronium is just for basic survivability, the Flow Capacitors are to maximize my drains from both the Polaron proc and drain abilities.
  
  As for the BOffs? They were originally built for my cruiser, which is why they aren't completely sciencey (as the sci BOffs go). However their higher level abilities were still quite sciencey, and my officer came with an ES3, so I figured heck, let's go drain. And it works pretty well, since I have a 66% uptime on drains and with over 100 flow cap power (4 consoles) they are quite powerful. The TR is just to add insult to injury (and is actually quite powerful at 125 aux power, something easily done by being an engi XD), and combined with TB is quite cruel.
  
  As for DOffs? Again, cruiser setup. But those two Conn Officers are mostly to allow me to run just one copy of TT. The DCEs are for EPtX, and the WCE is self explanatory.
  
  As I said, far from optimal (due to mostly mk XI equipment), but the build works quite well together, and the ship performs decently in most end-game PvE content. I have tested it in a few duels, and it does very well, esp since the ship also comes with SST. Drains + SST are a rather nasty combination.
  
  However this build has a few major weaknesses, the largest to me being that it's a single target build for the most part. Almost no AoE abilities (other than TS1 and TR2). However if there is a single target boss class enemy (like Donatra, Tac Cube, Gateway, Queen, Unimatrix), this ship does very well against them.
  
  However if I were to optimize this build, I would change out the Dominion BAs for real polaron BAs, change the DOffs to things more conducive to deflector abilities, and probably add in that TR DOff as well. I would change out a few abilities on my Science BOffs (most likely give one of them a TR1 so I can cycles TR), and probably alter my engi BOff to a more hull heal as opposed to EPtX. I would leave my Tac BOffs the same though. And I would probably take off the Jem'hadar set and maybe put on a set that compliments science better, like the Reman/Romulan Set, or maybe the Borg Set.

  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.

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• igorvalentine Member Posts: 0 Arc User

  January 2013 edited January 2013

  jadensecura wrote: »

  Mostly it looks good. The 2 problems I see are the gap in your EPtS and the fact that you're using two different weapon type abilities. It's very, very difficult to stay alive without continuous EPtS, its resistance is just insanely valuable, so I would either drop EPtW for a second EPtS or run the cooldown reduction doffs (damage control engineers). For weapons, you really need to pick boosting either your beams or your turrets, you'll get the most out of boosting your beams. Or you could go for single cannons instead of the DBBs, that will also get you more procs, but you lose subsystem targeting. Otherwise, nicely done.

  
  Thanks, Jaden! I think i will take out one deflector officer and the tractor beam officer. In their place, I will try 2 damage control engineers and see how that turns out.
  
  Also, based on Heretic's feedback, I'm going to try 2 copies of TT1. Hopefully this will help with the shield taking damage. To get 2 copies of TT1 though, I have to drop ST2, which is nice for shields. I may pick up a second copy of TSS2. We'll see. I'm having a lot of fun thinking about all this. Thank you for your input!
  
  One more thing, I will trade in CRF1 for APB/APD and see how well that works.

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