Oppinions and Suggestions for the Caitian Atrox

yliana1 · February 2013

Hello,

i am fairly new to STO,so please dont be too harsh! I know im a newb,and that is why im here to ask for Help

I played a SCI captain from 0 to 50 in purely SCI ships,i like the role of heal/debuff/CC general support.. From the Start i always had an eye on the Atrox,seeing as its a sci based carrier,and the thought of having a big ship with fighters/pets always had my interest.

I made the mistake of buying the Atrox rather blindly once i hit 50,and i ran into some trouble after the first runs with her. The biggest change probably was the loss of manouverability compared to my last ship the free lvl 40 sci one.

However i am willing to adapt and learn to play this slow Monstrum,but i do have a few Questions on that Matter :

#1 Is the Atrox a viable sci ship for most content? Or should i consider another ship?

#2 What is a good way to build a sci heavy carrier? Wich Gearset`s and weapons should i go for? (I am currently running 2 tetryon beams*the ones with 10% chance to do shield dmg and 1 Torpedo front,2 of those beams and 1 turret in the back slots for example) My other gear is just random drops/rewards. I`d love some suggestions on what to work for,so i dont spend weeks chasing after the wrong stuff

#3 Hangar Pets,i thought it might be a good idea having a selection of pets for each situation,but perhaps there are a few out there that i should go for before all others,any suggestions on what Pets to use?

#4 Bridge Officers,i currently run a very supportive/heal heavy setup + some CC, is there any abilitys that you would reccomend as a "Must Have"?

#5 Since i am fairly new,i havent run much STF`s or anything yet,the only grp stuff i did was the Mirror Events to level

I enjoyed healing and supporting,while throwing out some CC`s and a little bit of dmg when i had time.
On the Atrox,i feel like its alot harder to keep up with teammates,due to my slow speed/turnrate etc.. Wich probably means i have to change my Playstyle compared to a non carrier sci ship. Any suggestions/tipps would be most welcome here!

I know this is quite a Wall of Text,sorry for that! Any Help is much appreciated.

inputend21 · February 2013

As a sci captain,i find the atrox to be be good for all content.

As for hanger pets,this can be tough,i would recommend at least 1 wing of Danube class runabouts,they are amazing for CC with their tractor beams,the second pet can be situational,you can toss in another Danube for better CC,or a periguin(spelling?) for extra damage.

As for sets,this is kind of tough,the breen,and romulan sets are rather good on sci vessels,as with the adapted MACO you can get at tier V reputation,as it seems to be built for Carriers,as for weapons,would highly recommend turrets in the rear,so you can keep your nose pointed at them as much as possible,because that ship CANT turn worth a TRIBBLE lol.

Well that is my 2 cents.

More in depth guide,add me on STO @InputEnd and i can help you a little more

scbypwr · February 2013

Dump it and get another ship.

I wish I could get the zen back for this POS!

mal00 · February 2013

The atrox is a slow moving ship but its very tough and can do a lot of damage if flown right, although i fly the recluse now the isn't much difference in the way i fly the 2 (the recluse carrier is better thou), generally u want to drop to 1/4 impulse or less when ur at 11 clicks to maximise the time for firing front arc, to help with manueavring u may want to put in some engine batteries and deutrium surpluses. the purple rommie fighters are a must if u want more dps, while the shield regen pet is good for healing

u can also experiment with mines and tricos since the ship has low turnrate u can maximise damage on the first pass dropping mine as u fly past ur target (u may want to tractor beam the target so they cann't get away as the mine take a couple of seconds to activate)

u'll also need to learn how to power slide (plenty of youtube vidoes showing how to do it)

also u may want to pay attention to ur power levels with more power to aux (increase sci abilities and decrease fighter cooldown) and engines to take advantage of higher aux power u should use abilites such as grav wells, tractor beam and tractor beam repulsors for more damage

with low weapon power it best to use torps and mines

k668 · February 2013

Frankly, I've been flying an all-beam-array Atrox for quite a while on my Tac character, and I'm rather happy with the results. The setup might have some merit for a Sci as well:

- The wide firing arcs of beam arrays lend themselves well to the lousy maeuvrability. Essentially, you're out to deliver as many broadsides as possible on such a setup, which usually works well in PvE (not too sure about PvP though).

- You'd want to rig some tractor beam capability. Personally, I'm using the Borg tractor beam, but the Sci Boff slots sure provide a neat spot for it as well if you prefer a different set.

- I perfectly agree with the Danube runabouts. Combat pets that will randomly tractor hostiles are almost a must-have on a ship that turns like a dying cow. They're also tougher than fighters, which means they don't tend to blow themselves up in proximity to expoding vessels as easily as the stock Stalkers do. A healthy mix of runabouts and damage-dealing fighters seems like a reasonable approach.

Although many seem to hate this ship for its poor maneuvrability, your playing style and preferred maneuvers will eventually adapt. With the aforementioned setup, I usually engage hostiles by approaching them head-on, dumping appropriate deflector-based Sci tricks on them at a moderate distance, then come to a halt with them at my broadside (in closest possible proximity to maximise energy weapon damage). Usually takes them down in no time. Depending on how tough your primary target is, this is also the right time to tractor it to keep it well within the range of both firing arcs. For smaller targets, fire-at-will beam spamming is a very handy Tac Boff capability on this setup.

The Atrox' key strength is arguably its toughness. An appropriate setup will one way or another aim to make use of that. For example, a beam spammer that takes the beating while unleashing lots of little fighters can be a great asset on a PvE team.

EDIT: Don't forget to rig a purple Flight Deck Officer Doff.

yliana1 · February 2013

Thanks People! Some great info so far

blitzy4 · February 2013

I find it more depends on what you want to do with the science powers. There are plenty of ways and BO powers to make the Atrox turn well. I have two main weapons packages depending on what I want to do.

First package is a Missile launcher, single cannon, and beam array front, and mine launcher (fast firing one, like photon), beam array, and turret or beam array (your pick here). This is for the more healing science powers or non directional powers. It's the equiv of broadside cruiser, but the cannon does more damage then a beam array. The Tactical BO station would be Torpedo spread, and cannon rapid fire or beam fire at will.

The second package is a dual heavy cannon, a dual beam array, and a heavy hitting torpedo (again, your choice). Rear weapons, are a borg cutting beam (or turret), a beam array, and a mine launcher. This one works well with point and shoot science powers, and switching between power setups is very helpful (more aux for gravity well, etc; more weapons for shooty-shooty) I find an engineering turn buff BO helps this build but isn't essential.

My fighters are typically blue (purple now) stalker and Peregrine fighters. Danube runabouts on the side depending on what your team mates have.

unangbangkay · February 2013

As an Eng captain, when I opt to fly my catboat I go for builds that are heavily forward-facing, with park-and-shoot strategy while I rely on my pets for damage.

Fore:
Dual Beam Bank, Torp Launcher, Dual Heavy Cannon (Alternative 2x DHC + Beam Bank)

Rear:
3x Turrets (or 2x turrets and Kinetic Cutting Beam)

I switch a lot between full weapons and full aux power, based on cooldowns.

For pets right now I'm using purple Peregrines for max DPS, and use Gravity Well and Tyken's Rift to hold them down. Sometimes Danubes are good for holding enemies down during team play.

I have heard that the Purple Elite Scorpion Fighters from Romulan Rep tier 5 are god-tier, as well, so those are an option.

mandoknight89 · February 2013

blitzy4 wrote: »

The second package is a dual heavy cannon, a dual beam array, and a heavy hitting torpedo (again, your choice). Rear weapons, are a borg cutting beam (or turret), a beam array, and a mine launcher. This one works well with point and shoot science powers, and switching between power setups is very helpful (more aux for gravity well, etc; more weapons for shooty-shooty) I find an engineering turn buff BO helps this build but isn't essential.

The main reason this works is that, unlike with most ships, a carrier can avoid skirmishing for the most part, knock down its impulse to 25%, let the pets get in the middle, and fire from several kilometers away.

Until you find a fleet with Tier 5 Science, your best bet for DPS pets will be the Elite Scorpions. If you haven't gotten your New Romulus reputation that high yet, Peregrines make acceptable substitutes (especially Advanced Peregrines).

kimmym · February 2013

The Atrox is a fine ship, quite possibly the strongest Sci vessel on the Fed side.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g362/DarielaScc/UranyaAtroxISE-Copy_zps416bc38b.png

And that was before my last couple upgrades, I really need a newer parse.

Experimental Romulan Plasma Array, Romulan Hyper Torpedo Launcher, Omega Torpedo Launcher
Adapted Maco set, or 2pc adapted maco + maco shield. Either is a good choice.
KCB, 2xRomulan Plasma Turrets (I went with accx2, the old standby)

Deuterium Surplus, Auxiliary Battery, Red Matter Capacitor (Scorpions or maybe a Plasma turret here if you don't have a RMC), Sub Space Field Modulator.

Neutronium Hull Plate, Zero point Energy Conduit, Isometric Charge (Worth every penny, or you could put your asimulated module here.
Field generator, 3xromulan threat consoles, particle generator, +plasma damage. I went -threat, I'd rather a good eng cruiser tank for me, even tho I can pull it off in a pinch.
2xPlasma Projectile Consoles.

2x Elite Scorps

Tac Team 1, Attack Pattern:Beta 1
EP2S1, Aux2Batt1, Eng Team 3
Hazard Emitters 1, Tractor Beam Repulsors 1, Energy Siphon 2, Gravity Well 3
Transfer Shield Strength 1, Tachyon Beam 2, Viral Matrix 1

3xA2B Technician Doffs - reduces cooldown on boff abilities on use of Aux2Batt
Gravemetric Scientist - Chance to spawn aftershock gravity wells
Systems Engineer(? I always forget their name...) - Chance to spawn aftershock Viral Matrix

I'm not at the helm at the moment, but I have my ship power set partway between aux and weapon, and I use the energy siphon and A2B to keep my weapon power topped off as often as possible. As most of your damage comes from torps weapon power is not as important as it is elsewise, but it is still a concern so I start most fights with my ES as soon as possible and then fire off my A2B when the cooldown on ES has reached between 40 and 30 seconds. Then ES again as soon as I have some Aux power back from the A2B. That reduces the cooldowns on my skills a fair amount, and keeps my power levels as high over time as I can manage. Aux battery for emergencies when you need a quick heal after you had to A2B, RMC as a backup for that, or to be used in times where your ES/A2B cycle is either broken or you are holding back for a burst window or somesuch.

Romulan Reputation is pure win for an Atrox Pilot, work it as soon as you can. The Adapted Maco is another great addition, so I'd say work both.

rosebloome · February 2013

Atrox is one tough ship. Seriously.

If you work on your romulan rep and get the elite scorp hanger pets, you can boost your damage considerably with those right there.

Yuo can build this ship like a regular sci ship, however I'd recommend a balanced build with alot of self surv/sustainability and CC . Its not meant to turn on a time, although you can powerslide with it with practice.

With decent equipment, I managed to use this in a Elite khitomer accord stf. I ended up PARK tanking 2. Yes, 2 elite cubes while burning down probes that gate spawned.

For a carrier, it isn't bad. Technically recluse and jemmy dread are better carriers, but they're a pain in the rear end to get. I flew the Atrox since forever as an engineer captain. I honestly loved this ship.

yliana1 · February 2013

Been working on my build/gear and playstyle a fair bit since starting this topic.

Some nice insight from a few people here,and i must say i do enjoy flying her more then before

Ofc i am nowhere near high tier reputation rewards yet,so im missing alot of stuff,that you guys suggest here.

I have been mainly working on getting a decent setup of Bof Powers,and decent gear as to not be dead weight in STFs. And it seems that even tho people consider SCI and SCI ships less usefull cause the main focus is damage,i had a few people that were quite happy to have me in their grp,be it for some nice heals or the nice debuffs/cc that enable them to kill stuff faster.

Now,someone told me that rewards are based upon who does most dmg,and while i sure want better rewards,i do like the role a sci can play. I think there should be a reconsideration of how rewards are given out,cause now i know why everyone just says go fly an escort and go full dmg.

One thing i noticed,and it really shocked me : I am a flying mass destruction facility,really i barely ever go out of a longer fight without losing 1-2k crew depending on what i do..
Im not sure if People will want to fly as part of my crew anymore if news about that spread around.
Anything i can do against it? or should i just not bother about it since its only a slight impact on gameplay?

thratch1 · February 2013

yliana1 wrote: »

One thing i noticed,and it really shocked me : I am a flying mass destruction facility,really i barely ever go out of a longer fight without losing 1-2k crew depending on what i do..
Im not sure if People will want to fly as part of my crew anymore if news about that spread around.
Anything i can do against it? or should i just not bother about it since its only a slight impact on gameplay?

The crew mechanic in this game is ridiculous, and the way crew is lost is just insanely out of control.

On my Defiant, I easily drop to 0/50 crew within seconds despite having my shields up the whole time and rarely dropping below 90% health.

You can pretty much just ignore crew completely, and pretend like they're all fine.

kimmym · March 2013

The Adapted MACO and KHG 2 set gives you a boost to crew regeneration and resistance to crew loss. I do notice a difference in my crew after engagements, but not really a lot of benefit to be honest. It turns the gushing wound into a slow bleeder, but you still drain out eventually.

Fortunately crew doesn't seem to have a lot of impact on play, maybe because everybody is running with 0 crew anyway due to how quickly we lose them and how slowly they return.

organicmanfred · August 2013

Why does the Atrox and the Vo'Quv have only 4 boff slots?

The last post isn't older than 6 month by the way, so no necromanty here.

ltdata96 · August 2013

organicmanfred wrote: »

Why does the Atrox and the Vo'Quv have only 4 boff slots?

The last post isn't older than 6 month by the way, so no necromanty here.

Hmmm... I don't know, what i can say is that having the ltc slot instead of a lt/ensign is a great advantage of those two ships (IMO). So i can use both TSS3 and HE3 on my Atrox

dahminus · August 2013

Here's a simple healer control build for ya
http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=atroxhealerdahm_0

With only 2 tact boff slots a aux2bat build is preferred but since your so new. It may be too intimidating. This way, as long as the team is near you, they will stay alive.

Make sure to keep aux high

Oppinions and Suggestions for the Caitian Atrox

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