this all would work on your standerd MVAM, only its a bit more fragile and is without the 5th tac console. that 5th tac console adds some to base damage, makeing your final total damage higher. tac buffs multiply by the final damage, so mostly only when you have lots of stacked tac buffs do you feel a difference between 4 and 5 tac consoles.
Weapon
3 DHC, 1 quantum, 3 turrets
Stations
TT1, CRF1, CRF2, APO3
TT1, HY2
HY1
EPtX1, EPtS2
TSS1, HE2, ___
Equipment
omega deflector
omega engine
maco/fleet elite resistant
Consoles
turn, MVAM
3x fleet shield heal flow cap/particle gen
5 weapon energy
Doffs
2 EPtX cooldown damage control doffs, 2 shield distribution doffs, 1 free slot for what you put in your sci LTC station.
not only does this ship have huge damage potential like a bug, it also can have a nasty sci trick of some kind. ive used every good sci skill in that spot and they all add significantly to the ships threat. i'll go over them now
TSS3- you could go heavily defensive, and use TSS3, HE2, and PH1 for maximum survivability, this is a stupidly hard to kill escort if you go down this path, and you still hit just as hard with weapons as ever. you may want to use EPtA1 with this, it will boost heals between aux batts. stick ether a 3rd damage control or shield distribution doff in your free spot.
FBP2- you would use the particle gen consoles here, and an aux batt. with all that particle specing, and tac buffs, no one would dare keep shooting, unless they want to kill themselves. this is perfect for alpha strikes you can see coming, combine this with a counter alpha, and kill them before your torps can even impact them. you may want to use EPtA1 with this, it will boost the damage of FBP and heals between aux batts. stick ether a 3rd damage control or shield distribution doff in your free spot.
TBR2- beat their hull directly for thousands of damage per pulse with this skill. combine it with APO and other tac buffs for best results. you would use the particle gen consoles here, and maybe EPtE1 with this. the more aux you have, the farther they will be pushed away, on this ship you primarily want it for damage though. there is a doff that disables engines with this, ether use it in the free spot or a 3rd damage control or shield distribution doff in your free spot.
CBP2- use the flow cap consoles with this. this may seem an odd choice given PI resistance, but combined with cannon fire it can help kill a sliver of shield facing that would otherwise have prevented your torps from hitting hull. it also quickly identifies players with a bad spec, someone with not enough insulators will be devastated by your Tet glider and CPBs. this is also a delightful weapon to bring to FvK, if you can chase down running bops, they are so screwed, this skill will decloak them. annoying brel harassing your team? blast them with this and get the easiest kill there is. you may want to use EPtA1 with this, it will boost CPB damage and heals between aux batts. stick ether a 3rd damage control or shield distribution doff in your free spot, or use the CPB placate doff.
PSW1- if anything, this is useful for breaking extend shields on your target. it can also if pulled off right, prevent someone from using TT in time and saving themselves from incoming torps.for the stun to even be half decent though, you need fully speced out decompilers. running the shockwave torp console with this will also get you the most out of decomp specing. there was a doff that lowers PSW cooldown, that did also effected the PWS torp console, but sadly no longer. theres a new PSW doff though, that creates aftershock PSW on everything your PSW hits, this can be devastating for several reasons. first, it can disrupt ALL ES on the field, and if it hits sapm and mine fields, fling enemies 15 clicks away. or actually kill carriers, hit with 8 or more shock waves from their pets.
VM1- best for last proboly. no console boosts this, so stack flow caps again. this can be a spendy skill to use, decompilers is a tier 5 skill and expensive to max out for useing this. even with human doffs being very common, this is still one of your most lethal options. taking away the ability to move, shoot or heal for even a couple of seconds wile you shoot them is devastatingly effective. any of the EPtX1 skills will work fine with this, you might want EPtW to overcap, so your cannons are firieng at the highest energy level they can fire at. use the free doff slot for a VM doff, so they can be hit with additional offlines.
if your feeling lucky, you can slot 2 of these offensive skills at once, like FBP2 and TBR1. you lose a hull or shield heal though. doing that might be better suited for the breen ship, you could have the universal for sci.
the MVAM console greatly increases your turn rate and speed, with any of the 3, but especially the beta section. you can match a bug turn for turn with the beta section, you just have less raw hitpoints, and are down a copy of APO. make sure to use that LTC sci skill to compensate. with resistance being the thing that keeps you alive the most, loseing some hitpoints is not a big deal, your just as resistant as before. if you get killed and cant separate to another section right away, remove the console and replace it with another turn console, until you die again. unseperated, a ship with 16 base turn needs 2 turn consoles to keep up and be effective in a dog fight. not many ships can be this dangerous in so many ways, i would take this over a fleet defiant any day.
There's some changes from it like a relatively weaker aft with 1 Turret and stronger frontal barrage with 4 DHC's and 1 Rom Torp. It's certainly squishier due to only having 1 EPTS.
I do also plan to switch the MACO Resilient shield to a Elite Fleet Resist version once our fleet gets to Tier 4. But I am still debating whether to keep the 2 pc Borg or get a Elite Fleet Hyper-Impulse [Spd]x3 later on.
As for weapons Phased Tet DHC/Turrets [Acc]x2 was out of my price range so I had to settle for [CritH]x2's instead. I might switch them over to the new Adv. Fleet Tetryon [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2's but I do like having the Phaser proc.
Doffs are: 3 Shield Distribution and 1 TT Conn Doff and 1 Evasive maneuver Doff.
This ship, is the Old, RA level Advanced Escort. It's for people that don't have that initial Ferrari Budget that many of the older hands pvpers have. I will have the Ideal Gear, along with it's present gear listed, (same with Doffs) this ship is surprisingly still competitive even after 3 years. The position of two powers have changed and that's all since I made this ship way back in the day, plus the addition of Doffs and gear sets. Presently I have 0 Rep grinded.
Azn Rep Grind: (Ideal) Rommy T2:Crit Chance T4: I suspect the placate is going to get changed. I'd go Secondary Shielding, especially with all the plas torps in pvp right now.
Borg/Omega: T2 If you do alot of pugging the hull repair nanites. T4: Graviton Amplifier.
Advanced Escort.
Weapons: AccX2 CrtD XI Tetryon Dual Heavy Cannons X3 (want to upgrade to XIIs), XI CrtDX2 CrtH Quantum Torpedo.
3 AccX2 CrtD Tetryon Turrets. XI
Deflector: Borg
Engine: Borg
Shield: Maco Mk X (will be replaced with the Elite Fleet Shield once my guild unlocks it)
Consoles:
Eng: 1 MVAM Console. (optional. If you bought the mvam already might as well use it's console. If not then replace this with an Ablative Hull, or even better the + to crit chance Rommy Console. Honestly once I get there I'm probably going to drop the MVAM console entirely. The bug is -still- quicker, as is the defiant and bops even in MVAM beta command might as well crit them harder) 1 Borg.
Sci: Flow Cap or Particle Generator, 2 Field Generators
Tac 4 Tetryon Pulse Generators XI blues. (you know what the ideal is. XII purple)
DOFFS: 2 Energy weapon specialists. (cannon attack type) 2 Shield Distribution officers (right now all of these are Blue on my ship) 1 Torpedo officer purple.
Ideal Doffs: 2 Energy Weapon Specialists (purple), 2 Attack Pattern Doffs (purple), 1 Shield Distribution officer (purple)
Variant 2 Doffs. 2 Energy weapon Specialists, (cannons again) 2 SDOs, and Tractor Beam Officer, for Tractor beam repulsors. This gives your TBR a potent Engine Power Drain attack.
Between Tac Initiative, and the Cannon doffs you'd be amazed at just how many CRFs you can pump down range. My average up time for CRF2, is only 5 seconds off from perfect chaining, and as often as not, I can perfect chain it. This also lets me run HY2 which is by far the most effective of the HYs in the game. HY1 does not give you enough torpedoes to use effectively, and they can miss. HY3 has a far far too high opportunity cost, for a minimal gain in damage and an even smaller gain in Effective Damage.
If I ever get the Attack Pattern Doffs, this gives me perfect cycling of APO3s and APD2s 100 percent of the time barring the odd sub nuke. APD2 fits -perfectly- between the shared CD of APO as well. So presently you can fit it in for either yourself or a team mate, between the Shared CD when Tac Initiative is up.
Even premade v premade I've found people can live through the quad DHC setup because at the end of the day the damage is still coming in piecemeal. It's much harder for a healer to have the Twitch necessary to help someone survive 3 6k Torpedoes (average damage. Realistically one of those is going to crit for 15k or more if they are fired properly).
I like this build. I am running something very similar on my tac (mirror patrol) and on my sci. I only wish that TB2 was viable. It just doesn't seem to help much. But I want my tac escort todo something special. She has the astrophysicist trait for that reason but with science abilities the way they are now I am not sure which way to go.
Drunk on your MVAM build why not photonic shock wave for a shield interrupt?
thats really the only use for PSW1. might as well jus use the shock wave torp console instead if you want that effect, the build uses a torp afterall. i haven't given it a too serious look, i should see if i can get it to stun well enough to help torps get through
There's some changes from it like a relatively weaker aft with 1 Turret and stronger frontal barrage with 4 DHC's and 1 Rom Torp. It's certainly squishier due to only having 1 EPTS.
I do also plan to switch the MACO Resilient shield to a Elite Fleet Resist version once our fleet gets to Tier 4. But I am still debating whether to keep the 2 pc Borg or get a Elite Fleet Hyper-Impulse [Spd]x3 later on.
As for weapons Phased Tet DHC/Turrets [Acc]x2 was out of my price range so I had to settle for [CritH]x2's instead. I might switch them over to the new Adv. Fleet Tetryon [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2's but I do like having the Phaser proc.
Doffs are: 3 Shield Distribution and 1 TT Conn Doff and 1 Evasive maneuver Doff.
Any comments would be welcome.
i have a hard time recommending the 5 tac console ship. the rom torp is a dot spamer, not a spike weapon, you would be much better off with a HY omega, or good old quantums to go with that 4 cannon spike. id stick the universal consoles in the sci slots and load turn consoles in the eng, base 16 turn with no turn consoles will get owned in a dog fight.
i also wouldn't use tet weapons unless you also use tet glider, and have room for at least 2 flow console. if it were me, id use the sci version, slot 4 flow console, 2 turn consoles, and use 4 tet DHCs with 1 quantum. all those crit boosting consoles, useless toys vs turning better and more shield damgeing, and crit only seems to heal the shields of everyone who didn't take the placate passive.
'll drop someones shields with a single cycle of cannon alpha strike, see them take hull damage, and as soon as their shield are breached that proc all but completely fixes them, closing the hole i made for the torps. it happens really fast, if you fire a cycle and see hull damage, but their shields aren't all that damaged, but they have noticeable hull damage that couldn't just be bleed, you just triggered the heal proc. crit chance is the enemy now. my weapon mods of choice currently are the fleet acc2dam2 or acc2crtD.
Thank you very much for pointing that out. I totally forgot about the ESS proc. Frigging ugh.
Anyways thanks it's relatively easy to implement the changes you recommend. Sadly the Tet Purples are bound. I'd have switch them with the Phased Pol on my Sci but too late now so I'm stuck to using tets on this toon.
Any thoughts on using the FAE with a science toon? I was thinking Phasers + Viral Matrix + some sort of punchy torpedo? Or plasma (need to dig deep into the reputation systems to get the most out of plasma though, which turns me off a bit).
lol DDIS, you didnt have to put my build in raw, you could have deleted me asking for help and just put the build in.
the TOC actually links to your single post, its not me re posting a build and linking that. i cant edit it, but you can as you wish, for as long as this thread exists.
Thank you very much for pointing that out. I totally forgot about the ESS proc. Frigging ugh.
Anyways thanks it's relatively easy to implement the changes you recommend. Sadly the Tet Purples are bound. I'd have switch them with the Phased Pol on my Sci but too late now so I'm stuck to using tets on this toon.
if you really have purple mkXII tac consoles, by all means stick with tets. nothing else will deal as much damage for you.
Any thoughts on using the FAE with a science toon? I was thinking Phasers + Viral Matrix + some sort of punchy torpedo? Or plasma (need to dig deep into the reputation systems to get the most out of plasma though, which turns me off a bit).
FAE? fleet advanced escort? the fleet MVAM? for a sci, i would recommend the same build i just posted. sci cap debuffs plus cannon and torp spike will be what gets you kills. with to tac captain buffs, you need to hit as hard as posible, and thats the way to do it. when all their shield resistance is gone your non tac buffed shots should be as strong, or stronger then a tac shooting at an un nuked target.
it took a wile, but i finnaly got one. i am not a fan of pets and spam, so ive always been a bit put off by it. the ship itself though, being another more off beat escort, is extreamly awesome when you play to its strengths. of all the escorts, this is proboly on average the least well flown by the player base, don't let that fool you though, this is an extreamly solid ship. like other escorts with 3 ENS tac, this is not a 4 cannon ship, but THY1 is an extreamly good skill, it has the highest per hit torp damage, especially for crit
Weapons
3 DHC, 1 quantum/photon, 3 turrets
Stations
TT1, CRF1, CRF2, APO3
THY1, THY2
TT1
EPtE1, AtD1, EPtS3
TSS1, HE2
Equipment
omega deflector
omega engine
maco/fleet elite resistant
Consoles
2 turn, photon point defense
2, or 3 with fleet flowcap -th, shield heal proc
4 energy type damage
Doffs
2/3 EPtX cooldown damage control doffs, 2/3 shield distribution doffs, OR 3 +10 defense in recall mode flight deck doffs
this ship with the LTC eng has a ton of flexibility and potential. listed is my preferred standard layout. the akira like other escorts can dart around with the best of them with high engine power. EPtS3 with the right fleet elite shield will give you resistance levels in the mid 60% range. actual shield hitpoints start being pretty irreverent then, especially when backed up by shield repair drones. wile you dont have APO3 up, you can use AtD to help turn on a dime and continue to dog fight very well. the torp console is incredibly helpful during an alpha strike, it will fire 6 photons that the tool tip says deals about 2k damage each, to up to 8 targets. but all that really maters is the 6 heading to your target, along with 2 or 3 of you HY torps, you can deliver a brutal stream of kinetic damage to hull when well timed with an alpha strike. this has been the key to getting me a ton of kills.
theres several other ways to use that LTC eng too, hers a few variations
these focus a bit more on defense. try picking up the AtS doff, it can add a heal over time with AtS, very nice. people love the orange diaper, personally i don't on escorts, your not flying them right if you arent trying to avoid heavy damage rather then tanking. your other shield countermeasures should keep you covered with good pioleting
perfect for pugmades! support your team with almost no sacrifice to your own survivability. this is part of why this ship can be so great, escort movement and firepower with more defensive and support options
heres a bit more heavy offense or control. DEM with CRF is a beautiful thing, every shot will deal a bit more hull damage, this is devastating to sci ships and bops. every little bit helps when your trying to drop facings and deliver torps, killing that hull is the goal. you could drop the torps and use BO instead with the DEM doff. preload BO, and fire off 2 back to back in that 8 second window.
theres EWP too, an awesome zone control, DOT, and hold ability. you could use particle gens and plasma weapons with the plasma tac consoles to further buff EWP's damage too
for hanger pets, i just don't like them, but i do use them. i use the shield repair drones, at least they arent effecting my opponents at all. but, they are making me significantly tankier wile alive. if i was truly honorable, id use type 8 shuttles lol. there are of course the runabouts to spam holds and chrono pocs, deltas could potentially aid in your glider shield striping, and the fighters could add to the torpedo spam. keeping these pets on recall with the right flight deck doff will boast your defense score by up to 30. pure hax really, its all part of the power of this mostly overlooked by the pros ship.
I definitely can attest to the effectiveness of Drunks Armitage/Akira build. He pretty much dominated several C&H with it. All I'd see was a bunch of Reinforced Shield Repair Units drifting in and then the pain started.
In the right hands I'd say it's absolutely a killer.
I think it's time I wrote up my sci oddy pug healer; it's time we got some more healboats in the queues! This is a little different from Mav's sci oddy build; it focuses entirely on healing, almost to the detriment of everything else :P
Doffs: 2xShield Distribution Officers, 3xDamage Control Engineers (AtSIF variant)
Alternate: 3xShield Distribution Officers, 2x your choice. Nurses can be helpful.
Consoles: Engineering: 4x Neutronium Mk XI Science: Field Generator Mk XI, 3xEmitter Array Mk XI Tactical: Assimilated Module, Photonic Displacer
Power Settings:
25/65/25/85 (Nominal)
46/96/46/115 (With no buffs)
46/115/46/115 (With EPtS1)
56/125/56/125 (With EPtS1 + MACO boost)
Disclaimer: You will not do any damage in this setup. Your only job and the only thing you will be capable of doing is to try and save the puggers that have been blessed with you. If you do manage to score a kill, proclaim it far and wide in OPvP!
WARNING: Incoming wall 'o text!
This build pretty much stems from the observation that, due to the Engineer's built-in self heal abilities, the Engineer is naturally fit for the role of pug healer: sending out a lot of heals while expecting none in return. And that's exactly what this build does: be the (mostly?) invincible bastion of support, propping your team up and giving them a fighting chance in the arena.
Some key features:
1) Double Tactical Team
As a pug healer, you'll need to cover for silly puggers who don't know how to balance their shields. Oftentimes, your teammates have shields, but they can't use them effectively. That's what the double Tactical Team is for; you'll sending them out almost constantly to allies that are being focused to do their shield redistribution for them. This will make your shield heals far more effective, and help keep them alive.
Use TT whenever you or your wards need it; two copies ensures that you'll almost always have one to throw around.
2) AtSIF + HE, not ET
Given that you're going to be throwing TTs around as soon as they're available, you don't have much flexibility to run other team abilities. Hence, ET and ST (covered later) are less attractive, so much so that I've removed ET from my build entirely. Don't worry, you still have plenty of hull heals. At high aux power, your AtSIF3 is almost as powerful as an ET3 while also providing strong resistance for 10s; the damage control doffs can nearly double the total hull heals that AtSIF3 provide, if they proc. HE provides large hull healing over time, while also clearing DoTs and freeing teammates from warp plasma and Theta.
Toss AtSIFs around liberally to patch up holes and boosts resists in preparation for an incoming alpha, or to save an ally from imminent destruction; use the HE's for people who aren't in immediate danger and/or need DoTs cleared.
If you feel like you absolutely need an ET3, then swap the AtSIF1 for an ExS1, and swap the ExS2 for an ET3.
3) 2xEPtS1
You'll be cycling 2xEPtS1 for the strong shield resist bonus and extra power that it gives, as well as to keep your shields topped off when you're not under fire so that you won't need to waste team heals on yourself. Plus, it'll keep your shield power up, boosting the effectiveness of ExS.
Cycle EPtS to always keep it active. Unless you're under focused fire, you won't need another shield heal for yourself.
4) 2xTSS + ExS, but only ST1
Again, your TT cycle makes relying on ST for shield heals unattractive. However, you'll still need to carry ST1 in order to clear SNB debuffs on yourself or your allies. Instead of ST, you'll be cycling TSS as your major source of shield heals, and you have ExS in order to support a teammate under focused fire.
Stagger your EPtS and TSS activations (activate EPtS, 15s later throw a TSS, then 15s later activate the second EPtS, then 15s later use the other TSS). This will allow you to easily switch to an efficient self-heal cycle if you are focused. Use ExS to support allies who are being focused, or to keep shields strong on your secondary heal target.
Other Notes:
With these abilities, you should be able to keep your pug teammates alive under most conditions. Also, you'll be able to use almost all of these abilities on yourself if you do come under fire. Neutronium armor will increase the time you'll survive until you can use your heals on yourself, giving you added peace of mind. (If you're feeling particularly secure in your own survivability, you can swap the armor out for SIF generators.) You won't generally need to activate BFI or use RSF under most circumstances; you can keep those in reserve for emergencies -- or SNBs, as described below.
In addition, note that all of the resist skills have been maxed out. (Even Sensors!) This is so that you'll almost never have to waste a clear on yourself; for the most part, you can just sit still and tank any debuff thrown at you. (Grabbing an all-human bridge crew will be definitely helpful for keeping your subsystems up.) Combined with your massive self-healing ability, you won't need to carry many of the standard escape abilities (PH, AtID, PSW, etc.), allowing you to focus even more on healing yourself and your allies.
Surviving SNBs:
In pugs, you can't rely on heals from others, especially in the critical moments right after you've been SNB'ed. That's why this build is also set up for strong resilience, which will hopefully allow you to survive multiple SNBs without any backup.
First of all, note that the build has two copies of most healing abilities. I've found that this means that, even if you're SNB'ed in the middle of my heal cycle, you'll get at least one copy of EPtS, TSS, and HE that remains on the expected same-copy cooldown. (i.e. you'll have a shield heal in 15s or less, an HE within 30s, and perhaps an AtSIF sooner.) This means that you won't be dead in the water when an SNB hits; you just need to survive until these heals come off of cooldown.
Because you aren't using ST for your primary shield heals, you'll probably have it available when the 1st SNB hits. Hit it as soon as it comes off cooldown to bring your abilities back up to speed. Unfortunately, you likely won't have it available for the 2nd or following SNBs; the stealth abilities will be useful here to escape and wait out the cooldown delays.
Your major challenge will be to survive until your heals become available. This means activating one or more emergency heals to keep yourself going for a few moments. I've set up my build with four "oh TRIBBLE!" buttons; hopefully you won't need to activate more than one for each SNB, and they'll recharge before you're next SNB'ed.
1. BFI + RSF:
This is your primary go-to button, and the main reason why Engineer is one of the best classes to play the pug healer. BFI will usually instantly refill your shields, and RSF will keep the shields up. Your main challenge will be to distribute your shields fast enough so that no facing goes down.
2. MW + Eng Fleet:
This is your backup button, again courtesy of the Engineer class. Hopefully your enemies have blown most of their attack buffs by the time you have to hit this; this combo will give you a few extra seconds that could allow you to hit more of your heals if you have them.
3. Evasive Maneuvers + Engines Battery + Photonic Displacement:
If you don't feel like you can tank the incoming damage (or if ST is on extended cooldown), use this combo to run away. You can usually escape most tractor beams with EM + Eng battery to run out to 5km, and use Photonic Displacement to hide and wait out the remaining cooldowns on your heals. Remember that APB, FOMM, APD debuff, and Sensor Scan will keep you visible; run far enough away from pursuers so that they lose track of you.
4. Deuterium Surplus/Ramming Speed + Quantum Singularity Manipulation:
If you've hit all your other emergency buttons, this is your final hope. QSM has an incredibly long cooldown, but it'll provide a (almost?) perfect cloak. Make your getaway, and hope that you'll have heals by the time it wears off.
Usually these four emergency buttons help me survive one or two SNBs in a row. With luck, three SNBs are survivable by judicious use of Photonic Displacement; if you're hit with 4 chained SNBs, pop everything and pray that the RNG deems your life worth preserving.
Using your weapons:
Let me repeat this again: you will NOT do any significant damage in this setup. See those turrets? See the rainbow loadout? That should give you an idea of exactly how important DPS is to this build. :P
Your weapons will be useful primarily for dealing with mine and heavy torpedo spam. Set your weapons to autofire, allow targeting of NPCs, set your HUD options so that your weapons fire without having an enemy targeted, and that should cover most of what you'll be doing. If you're good at micromanaging, you can experiment with manually selecting mines/torpedoes/pets, but it's not anywhere close to a major focus of this build.
Concluding Thoughts:
Hopefully this write-up has detailed the main points of building a pug healboat, as well as some helpful ability combos that will allow you to survive with little to no outside assistance. Remember, this build is focused solely on healing your teammates, with particular focus on supporting pug teams. If you're planning on doing DPS or control, this isn't the build for you; however, if giving pugs a chance at surviving and needlessly prolonging matches while being an (almost) unbreakable tub is your idea of fun, this'll be perfect for you!
tl;dr: This build:
Heals? Yes!
Survivablity? Definitely!
Damage? Control? Blasphemy!
Annoying to go up against? Possibly.
Satisfying to do right? Incredibly.
I hope people find this build helpful! I look forward to hearing comments/suggestions if people have any!
I think it's time I wrote up my sci oddy pug healer; it's time we got some more healboats in the queues! This is a little different from Mav's sci oddy build; it focuses entirely on healing, almost to the detriment of everything else :P
........
I hope people find this build helpful! I look forward to hearing comments/suggestions if people have any!
You can also check my corsair build. it has the same boff setup, but instead of 2x TT1, 1x ST3 with lab doffs making it 2x ST3. Everybody runs TT, so better use ST. Doing that, makes your LT tac free for other things, like BFAW to clear spam (preventing damage is also "healing"). I use also 2x TB1 to slow escorts as means of crowd control.
ah, the classic shield stripper. had any luck with it? its pretty difficult to get shield striping to do a whole lot anymore. with TB doffs and tach mines, it might just work better then people give it credit for. try TB3 maybe, the doff drains more with higher grades of TB. i'll add to TOC
I think it's time I wrote up my sci oddy pug healer; it's time we got some more healboats in the queues! This is a little different from Mav's sci oddy build; it focuses entirely on healing, almost to the detriment of everything else :P
oh good! renims heal hax in print! proboly the best eng pug healer that still loges on anymore, if you want to be a good healer follow this advice
You can also check my corsair build. it has the same boff setup, but instead of 2x TT1, 1x ST3 with lab doffs making it 2x ST3. Everybody runs TT, so better use ST. Doing that, makes your LT tac free for other things, like BFAW to clear spam (preventing damage is also "healing"). I use also 2x TB1 to slow escorts as means of crowd control.
lol, its practically a meme at this point to suggest renim role a kdf and get a fleet corsair
ah, the classic shield stripper. had any luck with it? its pretty difficult to get shield striping to do a whole lot anymore. with TB doffs and tach mines, it might just work better then people give it credit for. try TB3 maybe, the doff drains more with higher grades of TB. i'll add to TOC
It's actually pretty fun to fly, and it strips off shields quite decently too. Switching tachyons for tractors is a good idea, gonna add that in as an Alt option.
Hey guys, a quick question for you all... I have a 2nd Science character that I use for fun and as a way to try interesting things. She acquired a JHEC recently. Would the double A2B build used for the Vet Destroyers work, or should I stick to being a Sci in my RSV?
Hey guys, a quick question for you all... I have a 2nd Science character that I use for fun and as a way to try interesting things. She acquired a JHEC recently. Would the double A2B build used for the Vet Destroyers work, or should I stick to being a Sci in my RSV?
Edit: Forgot about my DOffs; 3x Technician, 2x BFI (Purples)
Tim
It's not that putting your Sci guy in the JHEC is a problem, it's more that putting your Sci guy in a JHEC and tanking the usefulness of your main damage multiplier (Sensor Scan) and one of your main panic buttons (Scattering Field) is probably not a great idea. YMMV, I suppose, but it just seems to me that putting Aux2Bat on a carrier with a Sci Captain all together loses more than it gains in capability.
If you feel Keel'el's effect is well designed, please, for your own safety, be very careful around shallow pools of water.
Hey guys, a quick question for you all... I have a 2nd Science character that I use for fun and as a way to try interesting things. She acquired a JHEC recently. Would the double A2B build used for the Vet Destroyers work, or should I stick to being a Sci in my RSV?
It's not that putting your Sci guy in the JHEC is a problem, it's more that putting your Sci guy in a JHEC and tanking the usefulness of your main damage multiplier (Sensor Scan) and one of your main panic buttons (Scattering Field) is probably not a great idea. YMMV, I suppose, but it just seems to me that putting Aux2Bat on a carrier with a Sci Captain all together loses more than it gains in capability.
You can do it, and do it well, potentially. A2B, pets, and Super Scans (125 aux Sensor Scans) all require micromanagement, so putting all 3 on 1 build is going to be demanding.
My personal opinion is that 2 purple technicians are enough. Shorter abilities like CRF will be a few seconds short of horizontal but the longer ones like RSP and DEM will get the same benefit from 2 purple tech doffs as they do from 3.
In the place of that 3rd tech doff slot a quartermaster battery cd doff. Blues are cheap after the last run on the doff pack and I think purple would be overkill anyway. This is going to give you the aux batt when you need it for SS and SF.
On your build in general, I've dropped EPTA on my double A2B builds, especially with a battery doff. EPTE or EPTW is up to you. Also I start with DEM (and Marion) and only switch RSP in if I can't stay alive.
_______________ CommanderDonatra@Capt.Sisko: ahhh is it supposed to do that? Norvo Tigan@dontdrunkimshoot: hell ya, maybe
You can do it, and do it well, potentially. A2B, pets, and Super Scans (125 aux Sensor Scans) all require micromanagement, so putting all 3 on 1 build is going to be demanding.
My personal opinion is that 2 purple technicians are enough. Shorter abilities like CRF will be a few seconds short of horizontal but the longer ones like RSP and DEM will get the same benefit from 2 purple tech doffs as they do from 3.
In the place of that 3rd tech doff slot a quartermaster battery cd doff. Blues are cheap after the last run on the doff pack and I think purple would be overkill anyway. This is going to give you the aux batt when you need it for SS and SF.
On your build in general, I've dropped EPTA on my double A2B builds, especially with a battery doff. EPTE or EPTW is up to you. Also I start with DEM (and Marion) and only switch RSP in if I can't stay alive.
Ah cool, thanks RR! Was kinda hoping you'd give me some hints in the new and exciting world of A2B (I have read your post on it, which is where I got the thought for it).
Grim, I agree, it will take a lot of micromanagment to ensure that I'm getting everything done right. My main thought is that using Scattering Field and/or Sensor Scan before I hit A2B would be the way forward. If my aux is low at that point, then I can just slam in an aux battery to give it a temporary boost. As it is, the 'slosh' from the systems back to Aux is usually enough that I don't get an awkward 'Aux Offline' moment. I'm not the best with it at the moment (she's currently swanning about in her sci ship as I seem to be Pugging with no scis recently) but I'm hoping to use my Fleeties to practise on and make her better.
Thanks for the input guys! Now if I could just work out where my Bug build is failing me...
I don't know what it is, but I just seem to be failing with it at times, and seem to have a lower damage output compared to a few team mates. DOffs: 1x Hamlet, 2x Attack Pattern, 2x EPtX reduction (all purples)
Any suggestions as to where to improve for the full min/max potential?
I don't know what it is, but I just seem to be failing with it at times, and seem to have a lower damage output compared to a few team mates. DOffs: 1x Hamlet, 2x Attack Pattern, 2x EPtX reduction (all purples)
Any suggestions as to where to improve for the full min/max potential?
Tim
well, your station setup is as if you don't have any of the doffs you mentioned equipped at all. with 2 attack pattern, you just need APO3 and an APD, proboly version 1. with damage control doffs you only need 1 copy of EPtS, and for an escort a copy of EPtE1. you got EPtS doubled up too, like you have for APO. also, you got a torp equipped, but you don't have a single copy of THY. i guess before i go from here, tell me if your going to use a torp or not
well, your station setup is as if you don't have any of the doffs you mentioned equipped at all. with 2 attack pattern, you just need APO3 and an APD, proboly version 1. with damage control doffs you only need 1 copy of EPtS, and for an escort a copy of EPtE1. you got EPtS doubled up too, like you have for APO. also, you got a torp equipped, but you don't have a single copy of THY. i guess before i go from here, tell me if your going to use a torp or not
Gagh, obvious things that I'd kept on because I was too worried about taking them off... Fail on my part as I should take the training wheels off now. :rolleyes:
Anyway, took your immediate advice and took off the 2nd APO, put on THY2 (upped a CRF to CRF2), and replaced a copy of EPtS with EPtE.
In answer to your question, yes I intend to run a torp up front for that extra spike damage.
I am curious, how important is it for an escort to have points in Starship Hull Plating? Currently I have a build that has insulators/dampeners/sensors, but I was wondering whether it would be more useful to spec Hull Plating instead of Sensors/dampeners. It is a Sci Kumari by the way, I cant really afford to put armor consoles on it instead of RCS...
I currently fly a build that has DEM3, cannons and beam w/BOff and is fairly fun for shooting in PvP but in light of the current Tribble EPTx changes I'm curiuos about how to choose some traits and would appreciate seome input or ideas.
Should I support the DEM combo part of the build and choose?
RSE T4 20% placate
Borg T4 2.5%/ 5% passive proc for kinetic damage
or support the shield health and choose?
RSE T4 20% crit based self shield heal
Borg T4 Passive constant buffed shield regen rate.
WHich is more important for the changes possibly comming? Support damage or shield health? The build is average lets say on both in combat.
Comments
- Red Lantern@Blurrachi
thats a good idea, i like its station setup, i'll have to wip one up at some point.
finally? this threads been around for quite a wile. predates the idea of boot camp by quite a lot as well.
Borticus Explains: Stealth vs. Perception!
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showpost.php?p=8504891&postcount=5
the fleet MVAM
this all would work on your standerd MVAM, only its a bit more fragile and is without the 5th tac console. that 5th tac console adds some to base damage, makeing your final total damage higher. tac buffs multiply by the final damage, so mostly only when you have lots of stacked tac buffs do you feel a difference between 4 and 5 tac consoles.
Weapon
3 DHC, 1 quantum, 3 turrets
Stations
TT1, CRF1, CRF2, APO3
TT1, HY2
HY1
EPtX1, EPtS2
TSS1, HE2, ___
Equipment
omega deflector
omega engine
maco/fleet elite resistant
Consoles
turn, MVAM
3x fleet shield heal flow cap/particle gen
5 weapon energy
Doffs
2 EPtX cooldown damage control doffs, 2 shield distribution doffs, 1 free slot for what you put in your sci LTC station.
not only does this ship have huge damage potential like a bug, it also can have a nasty sci trick of some kind. ive used every good sci skill in that spot and they all add significantly to the ships threat. i'll go over them now
TSS3- you could go heavily defensive, and use TSS3, HE2, and PH1 for maximum survivability, this is a stupidly hard to kill escort if you go down this path, and you still hit just as hard with weapons as ever. you may want to use EPtA1 with this, it will boost heals between aux batts. stick ether a 3rd damage control or shield distribution doff in your free spot.
FBP2- you would use the particle gen consoles here, and an aux batt. with all that particle specing, and tac buffs, no one would dare keep shooting, unless they want to kill themselves. this is perfect for alpha strikes you can see coming, combine this with a counter alpha, and kill them before your torps can even impact them. you may want to use EPtA1 with this, it will boost the damage of FBP and heals between aux batts. stick ether a 3rd damage control or shield distribution doff in your free spot.
TBR2- beat their hull directly for thousands of damage per pulse with this skill. combine it with APO and other tac buffs for best results. you would use the particle gen consoles here, and maybe EPtE1 with this. the more aux you have, the farther they will be pushed away, on this ship you primarily want it for damage though. there is a doff that disables engines with this, ether use it in the free spot or a 3rd damage control or shield distribution doff in your free spot.
CBP2- use the flow cap consoles with this. this may seem an odd choice given PI resistance, but combined with cannon fire it can help kill a sliver of shield facing that would otherwise have prevented your torps from hitting hull. it also quickly identifies players with a bad spec, someone with not enough insulators will be devastated by your Tet glider and CPBs. this is also a delightful weapon to bring to FvK, if you can chase down running bops, they are so screwed, this skill will decloak them. annoying brel harassing your team? blast them with this and get the easiest kill there is. you may want to use EPtA1 with this, it will boost CPB damage and heals between aux batts. stick ether a 3rd damage control or shield distribution doff in your free spot, or use the CPB placate doff.
PSW1- if anything, this is useful for breaking extend shields on your target. it can also if pulled off right, prevent someone from using TT in time and saving themselves from incoming torps.for the stun to even be half decent though, you need fully speced out decompilers. running the shockwave torp console with this will also get you the most out of decomp specing. there was a doff that lowers PSW cooldown, that did also effected the PWS torp console, but sadly no longer. theres a new PSW doff though, that creates aftershock PSW on everything your PSW hits, this can be devastating for several reasons. first, it can disrupt ALL ES on the field, and if it hits sapm and mine fields, fling enemies 15 clicks away. or actually kill carriers, hit with 8 or more shock waves from their pets.
VM1- best for last proboly. no console boosts this, so stack flow caps again. this can be a spendy skill to use, decompilers is a tier 5 skill and expensive to max out for useing this. even with human doffs being very common, this is still one of your most lethal options. taking away the ability to move, shoot or heal for even a couple of seconds wile you shoot them is devastatingly effective. any of the EPtX1 skills will work fine with this, you might want EPtW to overcap, so your cannons are firieng at the highest energy level they can fire at. use the free doff slot for a VM doff, so they can be hit with additional offlines.
if your feeling lucky, you can slot 2 of these offensive skills at once, like FBP2 and TBR1. you lose a hull or shield heal though. doing that might be better suited for the breen ship, you could have the universal for sci.
the MVAM console greatly increases your turn rate and speed, with any of the 3, but especially the beta section. you can match a bug turn for turn with the beta section, you just have less raw hitpoints, and are down a copy of APO. make sure to use that LTC sci skill to compensate. with resistance being the thing that keeps you alive the most, loseing some hitpoints is not a big deal, your just as resistant as before. if you get killed and cant separate to another section right away, remove the console and replace it with another turn console, until you die again. unseperated, a ship with 16 base turn needs 2 turn consoles to keep up and be effective in a dog fight. not many ships can be this dangerous in so many ways, i would take this over a fleet defiant any day.
http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/?build=RaikaT_0
There's some changes from it like a relatively weaker aft with 1 Turret and stronger frontal barrage with 4 DHC's and 1 Rom Torp. It's certainly squishier due to only having 1 EPTS.
I do also plan to switch the MACO Resilient shield to a Elite Fleet Resist version once our fleet gets to Tier 4. But I am still debating whether to keep the 2 pc Borg or get a Elite Fleet Hyper-Impulse [Spd]x3 later on.
As for weapons Phased Tet DHC/Turrets [Acc]x2 was out of my price range so I had to settle for [CritH]x2's instead. I might switch them over to the new Adv. Fleet Tetryon [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2's but I do like having the Phaser proc.
Doffs are: 3 Shield Distribution and 1 TT Conn Doff and 1 Evasive maneuver Doff.
Any comments would be welcome.
I like this build. I am running something very similar on my tac (mirror patrol) and on my sci. I only wish that TB2 was viable. It just doesn't seem to help much. But I want my tac escort todo something special. She has the astrophysicist trait for that reason but with science abilities the way they are now I am not sure which way to go.
thats really the only use for PSW1. might as well jus use the shock wave torp console instead if you want that effect, the build uses a torp afterall. i haven't given it a too serious look, i should see if i can get it to stun well enough to help torps get through
i have a hard time recommending the 5 tac console ship. the rom torp is a dot spamer, not a spike weapon, you would be much better off with a HY omega, or good old quantums to go with that 4 cannon spike. id stick the universal consoles in the sci slots and load turn consoles in the eng, base 16 turn with no turn consoles will get owned in a dog fight.
i also wouldn't use tet weapons unless you also use tet glider, and have room for at least 2 flow console. if it were me, id use the sci version, slot 4 flow console, 2 turn consoles, and use 4 tet DHCs with 1 quantum. all those crit boosting consoles, useless toys vs turning better and more shield damgeing, and crit only seems to heal the shields of everyone who didn't take the placate passive.
'll drop someones shields with a single cycle of cannon alpha strike, see them take hull damage, and as soon as their shield are breached that proc all but completely fixes them, closing the hole i made for the torps. it happens really fast, if you fire a cycle and see hull damage, but their shields aren't all that damaged, but they have noticeable hull damage that couldn't just be bleed, you just triggered the heal proc. crit chance is the enemy now. my weapon mods of choice currently are the fleet acc2dam2 or acc2crtD.
Anyways thanks it's relatively easy to implement the changes you recommend. Sadly the Tet Purples are bound. I'd have switch them with the Phased Pol on my Sci but too late now so I'm stuck to using tets on this toon.
the TOC actually links to your single post, its not me re posting a build and linking that. i cant edit it, but you can as you wish, for as long as this thread exists.
if you really have purple mkXII tac consoles, by all means stick with tets. nothing else will deal as much damage for you.
FAE? fleet advanced escort? the fleet MVAM? for a sci, i would recommend the same build i just posted. sci cap debuffs plus cannon and torp spike will be what gets you kills. with to tac captain buffs, you need to hit as hard as posible, and thats the way to do it. when all their shield resistance is gone your non tac buffed shots should be as strong, or stronger then a tac shooting at an un nuked target.
it took a wile, but i finnaly got one. i am not a fan of pets and spam, so ive always been a bit put off by it. the ship itself though, being another more off beat escort, is extreamly awesome when you play to its strengths. of all the escorts, this is proboly on average the least well flown by the player base, don't let that fool you though, this is an extreamly solid ship. like other escorts with 3 ENS tac, this is not a 4 cannon ship, but THY1 is an extreamly good skill, it has the highest per hit torp damage, especially for crit
Weapons
3 DHC, 1 quantum/photon, 3 turrets
Stations
TT1, CRF1, CRF2, APO3
THY1, THY2
TT1
EPtE1, AtD1, EPtS3
TSS1, HE2
Equipment
omega deflector
omega engine
maco/fleet elite resistant
Consoles
2 turn, photon point defense
2, or 3 with fleet flowcap -th, shield heal proc
4 energy type damage
Doffs
2/3 EPtX cooldown damage control doffs, 2/3 shield distribution doffs, OR 3 +10 defense in recall mode flight deck doffs
this ship with the LTC eng has a ton of flexibility and potential. listed is my preferred standard layout. the akira like other escorts can dart around with the best of them with high engine power. EPtS3 with the right fleet elite shield will give you resistance levels in the mid 60% range. actual shield hitpoints start being pretty irreverent then, especially when backed up by shield repair drones. wile you dont have APO3 up, you can use AtD to help turn on a dime and continue to dog fight very well. the torp console is incredibly helpful during an alpha strike, it will fire 6 photons that the tool tip says deals about 2k damage each, to up to 8 targets. but all that really maters is the 6 heading to your target, along with 2 or 3 of you HY torps, you can deliver a brutal stream of kinetic damage to hull when well timed with an alpha strike. this has been the key to getting me a ton of kills.
theres several other ways to use that LTC eng too, hers a few variations
EPtE1, AtS1, EPtS3
HE1, TSS2
or
EPtE1, RSP1, EPtS3
HE1, TSS2
these focus a bit more on defense. try picking up the AtS doff, it can add a heal over time with AtS, very nice. people love the orange diaper, personally i don't on escorts, your not flying them right if you arent trying to avoid heavy damage rather then tanking. your other shield countermeasures should keep you covered with good pioleting
EPtE1, ES1, EPtS3
TSS1, HE2
or
EPtE1, EPtS2, ET3
HE1, TSS2
perfect for pugmades! support your team with almost no sacrifice to your own survivability. this is part of why this ship can be so great, escort movement and firepower with more defensive and support options
EPtE1, EPtS2, DEM2
TSS1, HE2
or
EPtE1, EPtS2, EWP1
TSS1, HE2
heres a bit more heavy offense or control. DEM with CRF is a beautiful thing, every shot will deal a bit more hull damage, this is devastating to sci ships and bops. every little bit helps when your trying to drop facings and deliver torps, killing that hull is the goal. you could drop the torps and use BO instead with the DEM doff. preload BO, and fire off 2 back to back in that 8 second window.
theres EWP too, an awesome zone control, DOT, and hold ability. you could use particle gens and plasma weapons with the plasma tac consoles to further buff EWP's damage too
for hanger pets, i just don't like them, but i do use them. i use the shield repair drones, at least they arent effecting my opponents at all. but, they are making me significantly tankier wile alive. if i was truly honorable, id use type 8 shuttles lol. there are of course the runabouts to spam holds and chrono pocs, deltas could potentially aid in your glider shield striping, and the fighters could add to the torpedo spam. keeping these pets on recall with the right flight deck doff will boast your defense score by up to 30. pure hax really, its all part of the power of this mostly overlooked by the pros ship.
In the right hands I'd say it's absolutely a killer.
Fleet Recon Sci
Fore: 3x Quantum Torps [Acc]x2 [CrtH]
Aft: 1x Phased Tetryon Beam [Acc]x2, 1x Quantum Torp [Acc]x2 [CrtH], 1x Tachyon Mines
Adapted MACO Deflector
Adapted MACO Engines
MACO Shields
Neutronium, Rule 62 Console
4x Flow Capacitors
3x Quantum Zero Point, 1x Warhead Yield
TT1, Dispersal Beta 1
TT1
EptS1, EptS2
TB1, TSS2, Tachyon3, CPB3
PH1, HE2, Tachyon3
Doffs : 3x Torps (recharge), 1x Tachyon Beam Doff (Turn rate debuff), 1x Tractor Beam Doff (drain shields)
Alt sci boff layout:
TSS1, TSS2, Tractor3, CPB3
PH1, HE2, Tractor 3
Alt doff layout:
3x Torp (recharge), 1x Tractor Beam doff (drain shields) , 1x _________
Here's the link, where you can also see skill point distribution: http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=engscioddypughealer_0. The important stuff's below.
Captain class: Engineer
Ship: Odyssey Science Cruiser
Bridge Officer Abilities:
TT1, TT2
EPtS1, AtSIF1 / ExS1, ExS2, AtSIF3
EPtS1
ST1, TSS2, TSS3
HE1, HE2
Shields: MACO
Deflector: Borg
Engines: Borg
Doffs: 2xShield Distribution Officers, 3xDamage Control Engineers (AtSIF variant)
Alternate: 3xShield Distribution Officers, 2x your choice. Nurses can be helpful.
Consoles:
Engineering: 4x Neutronium Mk XI
Science: Field Generator Mk XI, 3xEmitter Array Mk XI
Tactical: Assimilated Module, Photonic Displacer
Power Settings:
25/65/25/85 (Nominal)
46/96/46/115 (With no buffs)
46/115/46/115 (With EPtS1)
56/125/56/125 (With EPtS1 + MACO boost)
Disclaimer: You will not do any damage in this setup. Your only job and the only thing you will be capable of doing is to try and save the puggers that have been blessed with you. If you do manage to score a kill, proclaim it far and wide in OPvP!
WARNING: Incoming wall 'o text!
This build pretty much stems from the observation that, due to the Engineer's built-in self heal abilities, the Engineer is naturally fit for the role of pug healer: sending out a lot of heals while expecting none in return. And that's exactly what this build does: be the (mostly?) invincible bastion of support, propping your team up and giving them a fighting chance in the arena.
Some key features:
1) Double Tactical Team
As a pug healer, you'll need to cover for silly puggers who don't know how to balance their shields. Oftentimes, your teammates have shields, but they can't use them effectively. That's what the double Tactical Team is for; you'll sending them out almost constantly to allies that are being focused to do their shield redistribution for them. This will make your shield heals far more effective, and help keep them alive.
Use TT whenever you or your wards need it; two copies ensures that you'll almost always have one to throw around.
2) AtSIF + HE, not ET
Given that you're going to be throwing TTs around as soon as they're available, you don't have much flexibility to run other team abilities. Hence, ET and ST (covered later) are less attractive, so much so that I've removed ET from my build entirely. Don't worry, you still have plenty of hull heals. At high aux power, your AtSIF3 is almost as powerful as an ET3 while also providing strong resistance for 10s; the damage control doffs can nearly double the total hull heals that AtSIF3 provide, if they proc. HE provides large hull healing over time, while also clearing DoTs and freeing teammates from warp plasma and Theta.
Toss AtSIFs around liberally to patch up holes and boosts resists in preparation for an incoming alpha, or to save an ally from imminent destruction; use the HE's for people who aren't in immediate danger and/or need DoTs cleared.
If you feel like you absolutely need an ET3, then swap the AtSIF1 for an ExS1, and swap the ExS2 for an ET3.
3) 2xEPtS1
You'll be cycling 2xEPtS1 for the strong shield resist bonus and extra power that it gives, as well as to keep your shields topped off when you're not under fire so that you won't need to waste team heals on yourself. Plus, it'll keep your shield power up, boosting the effectiveness of ExS.
Cycle EPtS to always keep it active. Unless you're under focused fire, you won't need another shield heal for yourself.
4) 2xTSS + ExS, but only ST1
Again, your TT cycle makes relying on ST for shield heals unattractive. However, you'll still need to carry ST1 in order to clear SNB debuffs on yourself or your allies. Instead of ST, you'll be cycling TSS as your major source of shield heals, and you have ExS in order to support a teammate under focused fire.
Stagger your EPtS and TSS activations (activate EPtS, 15s later throw a TSS, then 15s later activate the second EPtS, then 15s later use the other TSS). This will allow you to easily switch to an efficient self-heal cycle if you are focused. Use ExS to support allies who are being focused, or to keep shields strong on your secondary heal target.
Other Notes:
With these abilities, you should be able to keep your pug teammates alive under most conditions. Also, you'll be able to use almost all of these abilities on yourself if you do come under fire. Neutronium armor will increase the time you'll survive until you can use your heals on yourself, giving you added peace of mind. (If you're feeling particularly secure in your own survivability, you can swap the armor out for SIF generators.) You won't generally need to activate BFI or use RSF under most circumstances; you can keep those in reserve for emergencies -- or SNBs, as described below.
In addition, note that all of the resist skills have been maxed out. (Even Sensors!) This is so that you'll almost never have to waste a clear on yourself; for the most part, you can just sit still and tank any debuff thrown at you. (Grabbing an all-human bridge crew will be definitely helpful for keeping your subsystems up.) Combined with your massive self-healing ability, you won't need to carry many of the standard escape abilities (PH, AtID, PSW, etc.), allowing you to focus even more on healing yourself and your allies.
Surviving SNBs:
In pugs, you can't rely on heals from others, especially in the critical moments right after you've been SNB'ed. That's why this build is also set up for strong resilience, which will hopefully allow you to survive multiple SNBs without any backup.
First of all, note that the build has two copies of most healing abilities. I've found that this means that, even if you're SNB'ed in the middle of my heal cycle, you'll get at least one copy of EPtS, TSS, and HE that remains on the expected same-copy cooldown. (i.e. you'll have a shield heal in 15s or less, an HE within 30s, and perhaps an AtSIF sooner.) This means that you won't be dead in the water when an SNB hits; you just need to survive until these heals come off of cooldown.
Because you aren't using ST for your primary shield heals, you'll probably have it available when the 1st SNB hits. Hit it as soon as it comes off cooldown to bring your abilities back up to speed. Unfortunately, you likely won't have it available for the 2nd or following SNBs; the stealth abilities will be useful here to escape and wait out the cooldown delays.
Your major challenge will be to survive until your heals become available. This means activating one or more emergency heals to keep yourself going for a few moments. I've set up my build with four "oh TRIBBLE!" buttons; hopefully you won't need to activate more than one for each SNB, and they'll recharge before you're next SNB'ed.
1. BFI + RSF:
This is your primary go-to button, and the main reason why Engineer is one of the best classes to play the pug healer. BFI will usually instantly refill your shields, and RSF will keep the shields up. Your main challenge will be to distribute your shields fast enough so that no facing goes down.
2. MW + Eng Fleet:
This is your backup button, again courtesy of the Engineer class. Hopefully your enemies have blown most of their attack buffs by the time you have to hit this; this combo will give you a few extra seconds that could allow you to hit more of your heals if you have them.
3. Evasive Maneuvers + Engines Battery + Photonic Displacement:
If you don't feel like you can tank the incoming damage (or if ST is on extended cooldown), use this combo to run away. You can usually escape most tractor beams with EM + Eng battery to run out to 5km, and use Photonic Displacement to hide and wait out the remaining cooldowns on your heals. Remember that APB, FOMM, APD debuff, and Sensor Scan will keep you visible; run far enough away from pursuers so that they lose track of you.
4. Deuterium Surplus/Ramming Speed + Quantum Singularity Manipulation:
If you've hit all your other emergency buttons, this is your final hope. QSM has an incredibly long cooldown, but it'll provide a (almost?) perfect cloak. Make your getaway, and hope that you'll have heals by the time it wears off.
Usually these four emergency buttons help me survive one or two SNBs in a row. With luck, three SNBs are survivable by judicious use of Photonic Displacement; if you're hit with 4 chained SNBs, pop everything and pray that the RNG deems your life worth preserving.
Using your weapons:
Let me repeat this again: you will NOT do any significant damage in this setup. See those turrets? See the rainbow loadout? That should give you an idea of exactly how important DPS is to this build. :P
Your weapons will be useful primarily for dealing with mine and heavy torpedo spam. Set your weapons to autofire, allow targeting of NPCs, set your HUD options so that your weapons fire without having an enemy targeted, and that should cover most of what you'll be doing. If you're good at micromanaging, you can experiment with manually selecting mines/torpedoes/pets, but it's not anywhere close to a major focus of this build.
Concluding Thoughts:
Hopefully this write-up has detailed the main points of building a pug healboat, as well as some helpful ability combos that will allow you to survive with little to no outside assistance. Remember, this build is focused solely on healing your teammates, with particular focus on supporting pug teams. If you're planning on doing DPS or control, this isn't the build for you; however, if giving pugs a chance at surviving and needlessly prolonging matches while being an (almost) unbreakable tub is your idea of fun, this'll be perfect for you!
tl;dr: This build:
I hope people find this build helpful! I look forward to hearing comments/suggestions if people have any!
You can also check my corsair build. it has the same boff setup, but instead of 2x TT1, 1x ST3 with lab doffs making it 2x ST3. Everybody runs TT, so better use ST. Doing that, makes your LT tac free for other things, like BFAW to clear spam (preventing damage is also "healing"). I use also 2x TB1 to slow escorts as means of crowd control.
@rudiefix Feds: Rudiefix / Thron / Opa
@rudiefix KDFs: Lill / Xifeidur / Dehr / Ugly
@rudiefix Roms (KDF alligned): Chicita
ah, the classic shield stripper. had any luck with it? its pretty difficult to get shield striping to do a whole lot anymore. with TB doffs and tach mines, it might just work better then people give it credit for. try TB3 maybe, the doff drains more with higher grades of TB. i'll add to TOC
oh good! renims heal hax in print! proboly the best eng pug healer that still loges on anymore, if you want to be a good healer follow this advice
lol, its practically a meme at this point to suggest renim role a kdf and get a fleet corsair
It's actually pretty fun to fly, and it strips off shields quite decently too. Switching tachyons for tractors is a good idea, gonna add that in as an Alt option.
Here's what I'm thinking as a build:
Skill Planner
Edit: Forgot about my DOffs; 3x Technician, 2x BFI (Purples)
Tim
It's not that putting your Sci guy in the JHEC is a problem, it's more that putting your Sci guy in a JHEC and tanking the usefulness of your main damage multiplier (Sensor Scan) and one of your main panic buttons (Scattering Field) is probably not a great idea. YMMV, I suppose, but it just seems to me that putting Aux2Bat on a carrier with a Sci Captain all together loses more than it gains in capability.
My personal opinion is that 2 purple technicians are enough. Shorter abilities like CRF will be a few seconds short of horizontal but the longer ones like RSP and DEM will get the same benefit from 2 purple tech doffs as they do from 3.
In the place of that 3rd tech doff slot a quartermaster battery cd doff. Blues are cheap after the last run on the doff pack and I think purple would be overkill anyway. This is going to give you the aux batt when you need it for SS and SF.
On your build in general, I've dropped EPTA on my double A2B builds, especially with a battery doff. EPTE or EPTW is up to you. Also I start with DEM (and Marion) and only switch RSP in if I can't stay alive.
CommanderDonatra@Capt.Sisko: ahhh is it supposed to do that?
Norvo Tigan@dontdrunkimshoot: hell ya, maybe
Ah cool, thanks RR!
Grim, I agree, it will take a lot of micromanagment to ensure that I'm getting everything done right. My main thought is that using Scattering Field and/or Sensor Scan before I hit A2B would be the way forward. If my aux is low at that point, then I can just slam in an aux battery to give it a temporary boost. As it is, the 'slosh' from the systems back to Aux is usually enough that I don't get an awkward 'Aux Offline' moment. I'm not the best with it at the moment (she's currently swanning about in her sci ship as I seem to be Pugging with no scis recently) but I'm hoping to use my Fleeties to practise on and make her better.
Thanks for the input guys! Now if I could just work out where my Bug build is failing me...
The build in question: My main character
I don't know what it is, but I just seem to be failing with it at times, and seem to have a lower damage output compared to a few team mates. DOffs: 1x Hamlet, 2x Attack Pattern, 2x EPtX reduction (all purples)
Any suggestions as to where to improve for the full min/max potential?
Tim
well, your station setup is as if you don't have any of the doffs you mentioned equipped at all. with 2 attack pattern, you just need APO3 and an APD, proboly version 1. with damage control doffs you only need 1 copy of EPtS, and for an escort a copy of EPtE1. you got EPtS doubled up too, like you have for APO. also, you got a torp equipped, but you don't have a single copy of THY. i guess before i go from here, tell me if your going to use a torp or not
Gagh, obvious things that I'd kept on because I was too worried about taking them off... Fail on my part as I should take the training wheels off now. :rolleyes:
Anyway, took your immediate advice and took off the 2nd APO, put on THY2 (upped a CRF to CRF2), and replaced a copy of EPtS with EPtE.
In answer to your question, yes I intend to run a torp up front for that extra spike damage.
Tim
Should I support the DEM combo part of the build and choose?
RSE T4 20% placate
Borg T4 2.5%/ 5% passive proc for kinetic damage
or support the shield health and choose?
RSE T4 20% crit based self shield heal
Borg T4 Passive constant buffed shield regen rate.
WHich is more important for the changes possibly comming? Support damage or shield health? The build is average lets say on both in combat.
Thought?
R.I.P