Let Me Go - or - how to escape tractor beams? (closed, necro)

celticfistcoh · February 2013

I could use collective wisdom on how to deal with tractor beams. Zooming along in cuiser *ha* and enemy ship gets close and wham see that green trail from borg cube to my ship. I hit polarize hull and evasive action and pull free if those skills are ready. I would like to get a better understanding of how to more effectively deal or in some cases apply tractor beams effectively.

1) Limited range - I believe tractor beams have a range of 5-6km. So keeping your distance could be effective .. never get too close for them to catch you!

2) Polarize hull - science boff - grants resistance to tractor beam grabs but it does not set you fully free (wording of power needs to be changed). You might gain some small movement but without massive output from engines your still moving at crawl. Evasive action and polarize hull have let me squirm out from many tractor beams but when I had three tractor beams stacked on me it only gave me minimum movement. (Would an engine battery or Auxiliary to Dampers help with dealing with tractor beams?)

3) Attack Pattern Omega - not tried it but in reading it allows escapes or defense against tractor beams.

Besides the above method and blowing up the tractor beamer .. are there any other ways of dealing with tractor beams? thanks in advance

grouchyotaku · February 2013

celticfistcoh wrote: »

...
Besides the above method and blowing up the tractor beamer .. are there any other ways of dealing with tractor beams? thanks in advance

The Anti-Matter Spread Console will cause the target to abort a Tractor Beam attack, upon a successful sensor jam...

vinru821 · February 2013

well edited because I was a dummy lol

The new Dominion power, attack pattern gamma is like an attack pattern omega too.

I am sure there are more ways but I cannot think of them atm. I am sure the PVP people know.

radkip · February 2013

Jam Sensors seemed to work for me when the game launched, but I haven't slotted that ability since I got a commander level ship (and attack pattern omega), so I couldn't tell you if that still works.

redricky · February 2013

vinru821 wrote: »

Pretty sure, emergency power to Aux works too

Gives you immunity to tractor beams and teleportation, as well as a turn rate and flight speed boost.

I think it boosts one more thing but I forget what it is at the moment.

This is most definitely incorrect. EPTA does none of the above.

Placating the target breaks TB. Jam Sensors, Rep passive, etc.

lordmalak1 · February 2013

APO most definitely still works but wonder if APO breaks gravatic anchor as well.

Anyone ?

generator88 · February 2013

vinru821 wrote: »

Pretty sure, emergency power to Aux works too

Gives you immunity to tractor beams and teleportation, as well as a turn rate and flight speed boost.

I think it boosts one more thing but I forget what it is at the moment.

The new Dominion power, attack pattern gamma is like an attack pattern omega too.

I am sure there are more ways but I cannot think of them atm. I am sure the PVP people know.

You may be thinking of Aux to Inertial Dampeners, which helps, but I don't think actually breaks a tractor beam.

celticfistcoh · February 2013

grouchyotaku wrote: »

The Anti-Matter Spread Console will cause the target to abort a Tractor Beam attack, upon a successful sensor jam...

Does the anti-matter spread have a chance to miss or is auto-hit?

vinru821 · February 2013

generator88 wrote: »

You may be thinking of Aux to Inertial Dampeners, which helps, but I don't think actually breaks a tractor beam.

oh yes! you are right!

Ill go check the info on it. sorry!

f9thaceshigh · February 2013

celticfistcoh wrote: »

Does the anti-matter spread have a chance to miss or is auto-hit?

it's an AOE and hits every enemy target within 5 km.

I also use that Romulan rep cloaking power, Quantum Singularity Manipulation or whatever it is.

blevok · February 2013

i find that attack pattern omega works best out of any power or ability that i've used for escaping tractor beams.

as for using the tractor beam against the enemy, it can definitely be useful. if you have a tractor beam doff on active space duty, and some points in the skill that affects tractor beam, you can drain a decent amount of the enemies shield power. what you do from there depends on your career. i'm tactical in a DPScort, so my attack goes like this: i activate cannon rapid fire and torpedo high yield, along with attack pattern alpha, attack pattern omega, tactical team, and a weapons battery, then activate the tractor beam and open up with all the cannons. this will take down the shields, then i hit em with the torpedos and cutting beam. then hit cannon scatter volley, torpedo spread, tactical team, and open up with everything all at once. you should also throw in whatever team buffs and resistance debuffs that you have whenever they're available. this attack turns any ship in a story mission to dust in like 20 seconds or less. in elite stf's, i can take down a cube by myself in a few minutes. its all about taking down their shield as quick as possible, then pounding the hell out of their hull while you're at max dps with powers and abilities.

kempeth · February 2013

radkip wrote: »

Jam Sensors seemed to work for me when the game launched, but I haven't slotted that ability since I got a commander level ship (and attack pattern omega), so I couldn't tell you if that still works.

I have this ability on one of my officers and it works like a charm. Though often I use the ability more because it's there than because I need to get out of the tractor beam with my cruiser.

smokeybacon90 · February 2013

Other options are hitting Evasive Maneuvers and getting beyond 5km, or using any placate ability on the enemy. Against tractor spam, like that often seen in Starbase 24 and Mirror Incursion, Polarize Hull is the best solution.

waarder · February 2013

colonelmarik wrote: »

For me, the real problem with tractors is that they've been turned into unstoppable death rays, especially to shuttles. Tractor beams should not be doing damage. That's not their purpose.

As far as escaping them, Polarize Hull is the best universally available skill. With every race in the game spamming the damn things these days, it's basically a required skill for your science officer.

Who says its not? if your engines are running they do damage. You want to go one way, the tractor keeps you in place, the hull stress damages your ship......

coupaholic · February 2013

Polarize hull and evasive manoeuvres is my counter to tractor beams, seems to work well enough in most cases.

dma1986 · February 2013

I run APO and Polarize hull.

I think Photonic Shockwave will knock a tractor beam off you as well (by disabling it at the source, rather than negating it on your end), but I'm not sure.

red01999 · February 2013

colonelmarik wrote: »

It's not designed for that. There was only one time in all of Star Trek that a ship used a tractor beam in combat (the Defiant used it on a Vor'cha), and it did not do damage to the tractored ship, nor did it even STOP it. It only slowed the ship's manueverability.

In fact, the only time we've EVER seen a tractor beam do any damage was when the original Enterprise tractored Captain Christopher's 1960s fighter plane. The plane was too flimsy for the tractor.

I think the Borg would disagree with you, considering how it was used in Best of Both Worlds.

bubblygumsworth · February 2013

Barrel rolls - They'll save your life

robeasom · February 2013

Who says that a Borg tractor beam does not give damage (As it seems to do in some STF's) At the end of the day if you try and break a tractor beam you will get stress on your hull.

I personally use Polarise hull, APO and if none of them are available Envasive manuveurs seems to work ok allowing me to stay alive long enough to fight back once the the beam is gone

yorktown1997 · January 2014

I just reroute engine and weapons power to the shields and ride it out. Then I transfer most of that power to weapons and try to knock it out.

thunderfoot · January 2014

I have noticed in STFs and a few other places whenever an NPC tractors me, if I use Eject Warp Plasma, the Borg will let go immediately most of the time.

dahminus · January 2014

Kind of a necro but...
Epte
Aux2inerial dampeners
That's dilithium overdrive device consumablr
Engine batteries when a few maintenance doffs on active
Ap omega
Tractor beam repulsers
I think subspace jump works
Anything that placate the target
Polarized hull
Skill points into inertial dampeners

grylak · January 2014

Polarise hull plating and jam sensors work every time for me. Though I only keep one slotted per ship. But they are useful to have.

I'll have to remember that eject warp plasma trick as well to knock them out.

fovrel · January 2014

I looked it up in the wiki and it looks like there are two debuffs, a one that decreases your speed, a snare and one that decreases your turn rate. The latter one is very strong. There is a Romulan patrol mission, Tau Dewa daily, with those fighters that disable your capabillity to turn.

The speed debuff is dependable on the targets ship size. A large ship, small debuff, small ship larger debuff. If you are flying a big ship, just fly away or crank up the speed.

The damage is dependent on the aux level of the tractoring ship. Doing damage with tractor beams is a in my view a no go for a combat ships that relies on weapon damage.

I do not like snares and roots in general. If they work good, they are probably over powered, if they are balanced with counter measurements, they are useless. Besides, we have ranged combat, as long as my target is in range, I can fire at it.

BTW, polarize hull is on all my ships. As soon as I have a science officer, it is polarize hull and hazzard emitters. These are must have abillities in my view.

howiebabey82 · January 2014

ive used it on my fleet deridex and falchion cloak and i get away and no i don't keep my shields up while cloaking i don't use that console i swapped it in favour of fleet armour console but im weird

kimmym · January 2014

Meh, outside of PvP, anymore I don't bother with a dedicated tractor break, and instead just turtle up and try to get tractored pointy end in hehe.

Viral Matrix has a good chance of taking Aux offline, and that drops tractors.

For that matter, target aux and the like would have the same effect. As would enough power drain to take aux offline. And the MACO 3pc.

Anti matter spread seems to work on things that aren't borg, but it is sporadic at best... maybe I miss them some times... hell I don't know but sometimes it works. Oddly, I've never noticed scramble sensors doing it... maybe it does and I never noticed...

Photonic shockwave seems to work on anything non-borg.

Getting out of 5k will make you immune to the effect, but will not end it. You need to get out of 10k for that. Tractor Beam Repulsors will push them out of range.

Best defense, stay out of 5k and never get tractored in the first place, or be tough enough to giggle when they hit you.

PvP... all bets are off... I really like Omega...

Let Me Go - or - how to escape tractor beams? (closed, necro)

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