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Cruiser Build Thread
hereticknight085
Member Posts: 3,783 Arc User
I have noticed over the past... ah who am I kidding, ever since I joined the game, people have always been complaining about cruisers not doing enough damage. I have also seen claims from multiple players that their cruisers CAN do insane damage.
So I figured instead of having them constantly berating each other in an endless online pissing contest on the forums, why not have a thread where players can post up their builds, so that people can test them out and see for themselves whether or not a build works.
Now for the pointless part:
THREAD RULES:
1) Post up the FULL build. As in ship, equipment, consoles, BOffs, DOffs (this includes, but is not limited to mk level, rarity, weapon modifiers, deflector/shield/engine modifiers, etc).
Note: Skill trees are optional.
2) Explain the build. Give players a general idea behind the build, how it's designed to work, and basic pointers on how to use it (in case someone decides to try it out)
3) DO NOT FLAME OTHER BUILDS. If you disagree with a build, you are entitled to that opinion. But please do not openly attack someone's build.
Enjoy!
So I figured instead of having them constantly berating each other in an endless online pissing contest on the forums, why not have a thread where players can post up their builds, so that people can test them out and see for themselves whether or not a build works.
Now for the pointless part:
THREAD RULES:
1) Post up the FULL build. As in ship, equipment, consoles, BOffs, DOffs (this includes, but is not limited to mk level, rarity, weapon modifiers, deflector/shield/engine modifiers, etc).
Note: Skill trees are optional.
2) Explain the build. Give players a general idea behind the build, how it's designed to work, and basic pointers on how to use it (in case someone decides to try it out)
3) DO NOT FLAME OTHER BUILDS. If you disagree with a build, you are entitled to that opinion. But please do not openly attack someone's build.
Enjoy!
It is said the best weapon is one that is never fired. I disagree. The best weapon is one you only have to fire... once. 
Post edited by hereticknight085 on
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Comments
Fore Weapons:
2x Advanced Fleet Antiproton Beam Array [Dmg]x3 [Acc]
Romulan Hyper-Plasma Torpedo
Omega Hyper-Plasma Torpedo
Aft Weapons:
4x Advanced Fleet Antiproton Beam Array [Dmg]x3 [Acc]
Adapted MACO Mk 12 full set
Consoles:
4x Neutronium Alloy Mk XI, 1x Chevron Separation
1x Assimilated Module, 1x Field Generator Mk XI, 1x Mk X threat-scaling console
2x Antiproton Mag Regulator Mk XI
As for bridge officer layout I run Dragon, works amazingly well for tanking as well as dealing some not inconsiderable damage (over 4k DPS usually) The 2 fore torpedoes allow me to pull off a 6 beam broadside while still having some very good forward firepower if I so choose to use the ship that way (and saucer separation only bolsters the effectiveness of that)
Ship: Fleet Advanced Heavy Cruiser Retrofit
Set: Adapted MACO
Fore weapons:
2X Romulan Plasma Beam Arrays DMG X 2
Experimental Romulan Plasma Beam Array
Romulan Hyper Plasma Torpedo
Aft weapons:
2X Romulan Plasma Beam Arrays DMG X 2
Kinetic Cutting Beam
Omega Plasma Torpedo
Devices:
Subspace Field Modulator
Red Matter Capacitor
Scorpion Fighters
Heavy Polaron Satellite <
I have them all and swap them out on mood
Consoles:
Assimilated Module
Zero Point Energy Conduit
Enhanced Plasma Manifold
Impulse Capacitance Cell
2X Emitter Array -th pla Science Consoles
4X Plasma Infuser Tactical consoles
Doff:
TT cooldown
ET cooldown
ST cooldown
2X Chance to reduce Torpedo cooldown
BOs:
Lt Commander Tac: Faw1, TT2, APO1
Commander Eng: ET1, APID1, EPW3, DEM3 (NEVER use/need APID)
Lt. Eng: EPS1, ET2 <
90% of the time use on friendlies
Ensign Eng: EPW1 <
never use
LT Sci: HE1, TSS2/TBR1 depending on the mission
Setup:
I don't use this in PvP. I switched out from all Antiproton to this setup recently. On average All my Beams sit at about 1K DPS before boosts(not counting plasma burn). The torpedoes are sitting at 4K DPS. I am having a good time in this ship. I rarely loose crew or shields and the ship recovers quickly from damage. I have zero problems tanking in it and with the Impulse Capacitor Cell I can break contact or race to the aid of others when needed. Also works great when I am sitting in the Center of Donatra's special attack.
Eisaak
Please re-read rule #1. Others cannot test your build or use it for themselves if they don't know your BOff layout. Also, can you be more specific with your consoles, since it's only semi obvious where they go. Newer players might not know where to put them.
Betazoid Engineer with this skill setup, I know I wasted a few points and need to refine it but I'll get round to that soon.
As for the ship herself...
Weapons
Fore: Quantum Torpedo Launcher Mk XI [Acc] [CrtD] [CrtH], Advanced Fleet Tetryon Beam Array Mk XII [Dmg]x3 [Acc], Tetryon Beam Array Mk XII [Acc] [CrtH]x2], Phased Tetryon Beam Array Mk XI [Acc] [Dmg]
Aft: As fore
Equipment
Deflector: M.A.C.O. Graviton Deflector Array Mk XII
Engines: M.A.C.O. Impulse Engines Mk XII
Shields: M.A.C.O. Resilient Shield Array Mk XII
Consoles
Engineering: Console - Engineering - Neutronium Alloy Mk XI (Blue), Console - Engineering - Neutronium Alloy Mk XI (Blue), Console - Engineering - SIF Generator Mk XI (Blue), Console - Universal - Assimilated Module
Science: Console - Science - Field Generator Mk XI (Blue), Console - Science - Emitter Array Mk XI (Blue)
Tactical: Console - Tactical - Tetryon Pulse Generator Mk XI (Purple)x4
Boffs (All Human, Purple)
LTC Tac: Tactical team 1, Beam array: Fire at Will 2, Attack pattern: Beta 2
CMDR Eng: Emergency power to Weapons 1, Extend Shields 1, Auxiliary power to Structural integrity field 2, Eject warp plasma 3
Lt Eng: Emergency power to Shields 1, Reverse shield polarity 1
Ens Eng: Engineering team 1
LT Sci: Hazard emitters 1, Transfer shield strength 2
Doffs (All purple)
3x Damage control Engineer, 1x Warp-core engineer, 1x Undecided
This Ship (Fleet Excelsior) is designed to be a Jack of all trades ship laying down fair damage (can out-DPS some escorts) and she can tank if the need should arise while simultaneously keeping the escorts alive (provided they have EPtS 1 up themselves)
Fore Weapons:
3x Spiral Wave Disruptors [Acc]x2, [Dmg]x2
Kinetic Cutting Beam
Aft Weapons:
4x Spiral Wave Disruptors [Acc]x2, [Dmg]x2
Deflector/Engines/Shields:
Assimilated Deflector Array
Assimilated Subtranswarp Engines Mk XII
Assimilated Regenerative Shield Array Mk XII
Devices:
Subspace Field Modulator
Weapon Battery
Rechargeable Shield Battery
Engine Battery
Engineering Consoles:
Very Rare Neutronium Alloy Mk XII
Zero Point Energy Conduit
Assimilated Module
Tachyokinetic Convertor
Science Consoles:
2x Very Rare Field Generators Mk XII
Tactical Consoles:
4x Very Rare Disruptor Induction Coil Mk XII
Doffs:
3x Conn-Attack Pattern Variant (Zemok Jenro)
2x Energy Weapons Officer-Beam Recharge Varient
BOffs:
Lt Eng: Emergency Power to Shields I, Emergency Power to Weapons II
Cmd Eng: Emergency Power to Shields I, Emergency Power to Weapons II, Auxiliary to Structural Integrety Field II, Auxiliary to Structural Integrety Field III
Lt Sci: Hazard Emitters I, Transfer Shield Strength II
Ens Tac: Tactical Team I
LtC Tac: Tactical Team I, Beam Array: Fire at Will II, Attack Pattern Beta II
Notes: The main purpose of this build is DPS/Tank for PVE and Elite STFs. I use the Kinetic Cutting Beam instead of a Torpedo Launcher, as my turn rate is about 11.6 and the 360 degree firing arc renders it moot; and the DPS results I got with it surpassed using a Torpedo. With this build I have received DPS results in ISE ranging from 7144 to 8279 (average of about 7700). With Attack Pattern Beta II I can constantly debuff my target or (with Fire at Will II) targets. I have tried this setup replacing the Spiral Wave Disruptors with the Experimental Romulan Plasma Beam Array and six Mk XII Romulan Plasma Beam Array [Acc], [CrtH]; and got similar DPS results. I chain Auxiliary to Structural Intergrity Field, so it is constantly running. I am also able to heal my teammates with this: hit teammate with Hazard Emitter, Transfer Shield Strength, and then Auxiliary to Structural once or twice depending on his damage. While it is untested as of yet, Attack Pattern Beta II can be replaced with Attack Pattern Omega I or Attack Pattern Delta II for PVP purposes.
Most of the descriptions are in notes
Completed Starbase, Embassy, Mine, Spire and No Win Scenario
Nothing to do anymore.
http://dtfleet.com/
Visit our Youtube channel
Assault Refit
Fore: 3 x Mk XI Very Rare Disruptor Cannons 3x[acc], 1x Borg Cutting Beam 3x[dmg]
Aft: 4 x Mk XI Uncommon Disruptor Turret [acc]
Borg Mk XI set for Deflector, Shield, and Engines.
Engineering: 1x Rare Mk XI Neutronium Alloy, 1x Zero-Point, 1x Assimilated, 1x Rare Mk XI SIF Generator
Science: 1x Very Rare Mk XI Shield Emitter Array, 1x Rare Mk XI Shield Emitter Amplifier
Tactical: 3x Rare Mk XI Disruptor Coil
Tactical: TT1, CRF1, CRF2
Tactical: TT1
Engineering: EptW 1, Aux 2 Bat 1, DEM 2, Eject WP 3
Engineering: ET1, RSP 1
Universal: EptS 1, Aux 2 Bat 1
3x Rare Technicians, 1x Rare Shield Distribution Officer, 1x Rare
One of the major points of this build is to explore how the concept of "sustained damage" may actaully be made feasible.
Use of 3x[acc] modifiers in fore weapons may be excessive, and probably ought to be replaced with either a CritD or Dmg). I've settled on having my Cutting Beam fore instead of aft in order to balance out my aft-facing firepower. For the purposes of PvP, I believe that it is important for any cruiser to be able to maintain a high degree of damage in all directions. It's inevitable that you will be outmaneuvered by an escort, and putting too much emphasis into your forward arc means that when you do get outflanked, your sustained dps will go down by more than half. If I ever get the motivation to finish off the storyline, I'll probably replace one of the rear turrets with a Breen Transphasic.
As a matter of curiosity, I've experimented with using a very rare biofunction monitor replacing the shield emitter amplifier and have occasionally noticed some degree of improved survivability. I'm not really sure why, although I think I'd get better overall survivability if I move one of my universals down to science and slap on another Neutronium instead. I'll also occasionally take out the SIF Generator in favour of a Very Rare Mk XI Monotanium, if I find that I'm getting badly hammered by projectiles of any sort. Since Borg regenerative isn't a very strong shield, I don't see any point in getting a Field Generator. In the future however, I will probably drop the Aux 2 Batt and Borg set in favour of the M.A.C.O. one and a conventional Emergency power/DC engineer build.
Eject Warp Plasma is a fairly recent change that I've implemented. I use it not only to snare ships, but also to clear pets and as a pseudo-defensive measure against projectiles. Since I've decided on a cannon/turret focus, I've settled on using DEM as a means to boost effective damage. The potential behind using this in conjunction with Warp Plasma makes me wonder whether or not I should somehow raise my Particle Generator skill, although I fear this may bite into my requisite 3-level investment into Inertial Dampeners and Power Insulators (both of which I believe to be absolutely necessary for any cruiser). Although some may argue that I should have EptW 3 in place of DEM, the duration of the damage boost is too short to be effectively used with cannons that have CRF continuously applied to them and is best suited for beam weapons using Beam Overload or Beam Fire At Will.
Note the lack of a science station. I've figured that since I'm using Aux 2 Batt, I won't have enough Auxiliary power to make effective use of Science abilities, especially in terms of on-demand use.
It's not a super-competitive build so much as a gradual experiment, but it seems to be workable in Elite STFs, and half-decent in most PvP actions, provided I'm not facing a well-coordinated team. Where this truly shines is in SB24: if I replace the CRF skills with CSV, I can easily get at least third place, sometimes second place but never first.
front:
3x Fleet Antiproton Dual Beam Banks [3xDmg, Acc]
1x Fleet Quantum Torpedo Launcher [3xDmg, CrtD]
aft:
3x Fleet Antiproton Beam Array [3xDmg, Acc]
1x Fleet Quantum Torpedo Launcher [3xDmg, CrtD]
shield: Elite Fleet Regenerative Shield [Adaptive, resiststype:B]
deflector: Omega Deflector Mk 12
engines: Omega Engines Mk12
consoles: (most of the them very rare Mk12)
engineering:
Ablative Hull Plating , Chevron Separation*, Aquarius Escort*, Assimilated Console, RCS Accelerator
science:
Field Generator, Work Bees*
tactical
3x Antiproton Mag Regulator
*= Odyssey pack
bridge officer stations:
Engineering Cmd:
Engineering Team l, Reverse Shield Polarity ll, Emergency Power to Shields lll, Auxilliary Power to Structural Integrity lll
Universal Lt. Cmd (tactical):
Tactical Team l, Attack Pattern Beta l, Fire at Will lll
Tactical Lt.:
Beam Overload l, Torpedo Spread ll
Science Lt:
Polarize Hull l, Transfer Shield Strength ll
Universal Ens. (engineering):
Emergency Power to Weapons l
Duty officers (all very rare]
Conn Officer (decrease of tactical team cooldown, bonus on attack pattern)
Energy Weapon officer (50% chance to decrease cooldown of all beam weapon abilities)
2x Damage Control Engineer (30% chance to decrease cooldown on emergency power to x)
1x Warp Core Engineer (20% chance to add +25 all power levels on use of emergency power to x)
This build deviates from the standard wisdom of letting a cruiser broadside and instead is build around the idea of very heavy frontal firepower. Dual Beam Banks stacked up with Emergency Power to Weapons, spreading the Attack Pattern Beta debuff will take the shields of multiple enemies very quickly and then of course there is the Torpedo Spread to hammer your targets afterwards.
One of the biggest downsides is the amount of aggro it draws in STFs and the smaller firing arcs require very careful maneuvering. often having to reduce speed to half impulse or less. I am also using two pieces of the Omega set for the Tetryon Glider passive effect (it adds a bit of tetryon damage to all beam attacks, for taking shields down quickly)
Fleet Excelsior.
Engineering captain.
Power levels : 75-75-25-25 Due to skills, its usually more like 100-100-40-40.
o for 50-100-25-25 for tanking ( or maybe 25-100-25-50) .
Engine-Shield-Deflector : Borg Set Mark XI (though I think Maco or Honour guard would work too)
Front : Romulan Prototype Plasma beam array, Romulan Hyper plasma torpedo , Two fleet advanced Plasma beam arrays OR Dual beam banks.
Dual beam banks if you plan to use the Hyper plasma a lot, or Beam arrays if you do more broadsiding.
Disregard this if you have the Regent Wide angle torpedo, that way go all beam arrays for a beastly broadside.
Rear: Omega torpedo launcher, Cutting beam, Two fleet advanced plasma beam arrays.
Consoles : Blue Mark XI mostly, expect for uniques.
Eng: 2 Electroceramic armor, 1 Ablative armor , Assimilated module.
Sci : Shield emitter amplifier, Field generator
Tactical : 2 Plasma infuser, 1 ambiplasma envelope, 1 Romulan zero point energy conduit.
Consumables: Shield battery, weapons battery, engine/Aux battery, Subspace modulator.
Bridge officer powers:
Tactical team 1, Spread torpedoes 2, Beam fire at will 3.
Hazard emitters 1, Polarize hull 2
Emergency power to Auxiliary 1, Emergency power to Weapons 1 ,Emergency power to shields 1, Reversed shield polarity 1 , Auxiliary to battery 1, Auxiliary to Structural 2, Aceton beam 3
(Replacing Emergency power to Auxiliary with a second EPtS and Aux to battery with another reverse shield polarity may suit your style better for tanking)
Skills:
Tactical :
Starship weapons training 9 , Starship energy weapons 9, starship projectile weapons 9, starship manuevers 9, starship targeting 9, Starship threat control 9, starship energy weapon specialisation 3, starship projectile weapon specialisation 3.
Engineering:
Starship hull repair 9, Structural integrity 9 ,Subsystem repair 3, Warp Core efficiency 9, Warp core potential 9, Impulse thrusters 3, Electro plasma systems 6, Hull plating 6, shield performance 6 , armor reinforcements 6, weapon performance 6.
Science:
Shield emitters 9, Shield systems 9, Power insulators 6, Inertial dampeners 3
Ground : Not sure if needed, I'll add.
Weapons proficiency 9, demolitions 6, PS generator 9 , generators 3 turrets and drones 3, willpower 3 , combat armor 6.
- 3 fore and aft polaron beam arrays
- 1 Tractor Beam mine launcher
- 1 Hargh'Peng torpedo
- Matching consoles that increase the beam array damage of the Polaron weps (don't recall their name currently.)
- A Positron Deflector
The fact cruisers turn rate sucks is a real issue. I wish it were halved somehow.
Btw, I'm looking for active longterm players like myself to build a fleet with me. It's made quite a stir in zone chat the past week. Check it out on the Starbase One section, thread title is: STO Talent Search. Maybe some of you might be interested. Thanks.
My ship is an Odyssey Tactical, my gear being
Fore: 2x Phaser beam arrays, 1x Phaser dual beam bank, 1x Wide Angle Quantum torpedo
Aft: 3x Phaser Beam arrays, 1x Borg Cutting Beam
Deflector: Positron Mk XII
Impulse and Shields are the Jem Hadar set Mk XI due to me not having anything else yet.
Engineering: Assimilated Console, Neutronium Armor, Chevron Sep, Aquarius escort
Science: Zero Point Energy Conduit, Work Bees, Field Generator
Tactical: 3x Phaser Relays
Boff layout:
Universal Lt Comm: Tactical Team 1, Fire at Will 2, Attack Pattern Beta 2
Universal Ensign: Emergency Power to Weapons 1
Lt. Tactical: Tactical Team 1, Attack Pattern Beta 1
Commander Engineers: Emergency Power to Weapons 1, Emergency Power to Shields 2, Emergency Power to Shields 3, Auxiliary to Structural Integrity Field 3
Lt. Science: Hazard Emitters 1, Transfer Shield Strength 2
My skill tree looks like this http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=meli_0
Fleet Support Cruiser Retrofit
When I saw the Lt Universal Bridge Officer on the Fleet Support Cruiser Retrofit my first thought was to stick a tac in there and make the ship as dps focused as possible. I didn't want to lose the innate tankyness of the cruiser and I think I have struck a fairly good balance between damage and survivability.
Weapons
Fore: 3xFleet Advanced Phaser Arrays Mk XII, Wide Angle Quantum Torpedo Launcher
Aft: 3xFleet Advanced Phaser Arrays MK XII, Kinetic Cutting Beam
Equipment
Deflector: Adapted M.A.C.O. Deflector Array Mk XII
Engines: Adapted M.A.C.O. Impulse Engines Mk XII
Shields: M.A.C.O. Resilient Shield Array Mk XII
I generally use the Borg Assimilated set for the hull and shield healing proc as well as the tractor beam, but since I am specked into torpedoes I wanted to test out the bonus damage from the Adapted M.A.C.O set.
Consoles
Engineering: Assimilated Module, Zero Point Conduit, Tachyokinetic Console, Point Defense
Science: 2xField Generator Mk XII, Rule 62 Console
Tactical: 3xPhaser Relay MK XII
You will probably notice the lack of resistance consoles. Frankly, I find them to be completely useless. I specked 6 points into resistance and kinetic resistance respectively and that along with the 66% up-time of Auxiliary Power to Structural Integrity Field 3 have enough resistance and heal to counter bleed through. So Engineering is basically my dumping ground for all the toys.
Bridge Officers
Lt Tac: Tactical Team 1, Attack Pattern: Beta 1 (Romulan)
Lt Universal (Tac): Beam: Fire at Will 1, Torpedo: Spread 2 (Romulan)
Ens Tac: Torpedo: Spread 1 (Romulan)
Cmd Eng: Emergency Power to Weapons 1, Emergency Power to Shields 2, Eject Warp Plasma 1/Reverse Shield Polarity 2, Auxiliary Power to Structural Integrity Field 3 (Human)
LtCmd Sci: Hazard emitters 1, Transfer Shield Strength 2, Gravity Well 1 (Human)
Duty Officers
2xCon Officers (Tactical Team Cool down)
3xDamage Control Engineers (Reduce Recharge time of Emergency Power to Subsystem)
This was my attempt at making the Fleet Support Cruiser tactically oriented and I think I succeeded. The Uni as a tac gave me access to a couple more skills allowing more flexibility in combat. My excelsior build lacks fire at will so I had no way of dealing with spam other then my Torpedo Spread which is somewhat less reliable. Fire at will is also great in a team environment since It allows me to spread Attack Pattern: Beta 1 on all enemies in range and pull aggro off of the more squishy team mates. I've managed to maintain a decent level of tanking. Particularly if you replace Eject Warp Plasma 1 with Reverse Shield Polarity 2. I tend to keep Eject Warp Plasma as it combines well with Gravity Well and I'd rather be a little more offensive and toss caution to the wind. You basically have a lot of offense with no real downside (other then it costs a lot for the duty officers to pull it off). The romulan bridge officers (while also expensive) stack their critical chance and critical severity. Currently, un-buffed at 14.9% chance to crit, 81.8% crit severity. Attack Pattern: Alpha alone gets this up to 19.9% and 131.4%.
I can also get decent burst damage by using the point defense system along with my tactical buffs. I often use it on borg cubes to dispatch them in about 10-20 seconds. In KASE for instance when you pop out a cube just fly up to it activate all your buffs and when you get to within 4 km or so use point defense and watch the ship die. Not only are your beam arrays and torpedoes doing massive damage, but that in combination with point defense is devastating.
skills
http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/?build=testvoriz_0
and rep system passives (only listing space)
romulan: precision, emergency secondary shielding, quantum singularity manipulation
omega: omega weapons training, superior shield repair
weapon
6 mk Xii advance fleet phases with dmgx3 and acc
1 MKxii advance fleet quantum torpedo rear with dmgx3 and acc
1 wide angle quantum front for broad side DPS
defector mk xi assimilated
engine mk xi assimilated subtranswarp
sheild mk xi maco
all of these where obtained before the rep system i am switching over to mk xii of the obove
consoles
eng 3 mk xi blue nuetronium 1 mkxi purple monotainium
sci 1 mk xi blue field gen 1 mk xi ultra rare emitter array with Huh and -th. reason for the -th i bought the wrong one but i still get aggro form every thing in most pug STFs any way this just allows me to get a way and heal or get a way and heal some one else so i am not so focused on just healing my own ship. it also has a proc that gives you some hull regen similar to the borg 2 piece. if you are not in a feet a feild emitter would work as well as it gives a bonus to your shield regen rate
tac 3 mkxi purple phaser relays
boffs
lt tac: TT1, APB1
ensign tac: BO1 could also use FAW i prefer focus fire DPS
Com Eng: EPTS1, EPT2, EPTS3, Aux2SIF3
LT eng: ET1, RSP2
lt. com sci: TSS1, HE2, grav well1 most team heal abilities with grav well. grav well can be used if some one pops a gen early i then can fly off and grav well the nanite probes giving them time to hopefully kill the transformer. also a lot of team heals to keep the others up or my self
devices sub space feild modulator big resist bonus good for when every one is shooting at you, with weapon, sheild, and aux bat. like to pop aux bat before healing or using grav wel
doffs
3 rare shield distribution doffs, i rare projectile weapons doff, and 1 rare warp core engineer
i am also using the exact same set up on my Dreadnought Cruiser but replace grav well with aceton beam
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showpost.php?p=7201291&postcount=1
Sci Ody (Tac will do more DPS, but I fly my Ody when I don't want to stop at port to change ships, and the Sci ody is the better hybrid, IMO. Adjust to taste)
Tac Team 1, Scatter Volley 1
Torp spread 2, Attack Pattern Beta 1, Beam Overload 3
Ep2S1, Aux2batt1, Aux2bat2, Directed Energy Modulation 3
Ep2W1
Transfer shield strength 1, hazard emitters 2
Expermental romulan beam, 2x plasma single cannons, romulan torpedo
KCB, 3xplasma turrets. For my plasma weapons I prefer Romulan Plasma [Acc]x2
Omega set. Optionally you can replace the shields with MACO.
3x Oddy consoles, assimilated module
zero point energy conduit, 3x romulan threat reducing consoles, flow capacitor, +plasma damage. Flowcap for your omega 2pc. In this build you aren't going to get DPS out of any other sci console.
2x plasma energy console
3xtechnician doffs (lowers cooldown on A2B)
2 free - I prefer torp doffs.
There really is no finesse to this build. Saucer sep for weapon power and maneuverability. Use the Aquarius if you die or need to be a bit more tanky so you don't want to sep. Bind all of your skills to the space bar save the science ones for healing yourself. The A2B will give you near constant uptime on everything. Use your rommie 3pc for burst. Do tons of damage and wonder why people TRIBBLE on the Ody as you swap out all your gear to be an uber tank the next match and then as a pretty potent ghetto sci ship for the one after that...
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
3x polarized disruptor cannon mk xi and wide angle quantum fore.
4x disruptor turret mk xi aft.
jem'dar resilient shields mk xi
aegis deflector
fleet advanced hyper engines mk xii [turn]x3 [spd]
2x neutronium mk xi, rcs mk xii common, tachyokinetic console
2x +threat flow capacitor console 1 plasma and 1 hull
3x disruptor induction coils mk xi rare
4 human boffs plus one alien
tac ensign : tac team
tac ltc: torp spread, cannon volley, ap omega
eng com: epw1, eng team2, auxtobat2, aux to sif
eng lt: eps1, auxtb1
sci lt: he1, tss2
3 tech doffs.
2 evasive doffs or 2 projectile doffs. Still testing.
It's a work in progress and used only in pve. still making changes to it. Thinking of changing aux to sif for dem.
I stay usually 1-3 km from target.
I have fun with it in ras and stfs. Haven't parsed it yet.
That said, after weapon power, the largest factor of doing good damage is maintaining firing arcs and dictating range to target. Otherwise known as tactical mobility. Shooting from short range equals more hits and more damage. And obviously only weapons that are firing are doing damage. This is pretty much why whale cruisers are a waste of time if you're looking to do some real damage. Ships like D'kora, Galor, and Vor'cha can get in close to the target and rip them up. The Excelsior is a little slower but workable. Once you go below a base turn rate of 8 (which is every end-game Fed cruiser except the Excelsior), you just don't have the practical agility anymore. My opinion of course, but that's the way it feels to me and I've flown a great number of cruisers.
So yeah. Cruisers pilots wanting to do damage. Don't use too many beams and don't fly whales. Battle cruisers have far more destructive potential and can be made very survivable.
Guys... NO. WRONG BLOODY THREAD FOR THIS.
This is a BUILD thread. So you post up BUILDS. NOT balance commentary...
Odyssey Tactical Cruiser
Weapons:
Fore: Phaser Beam Array mk XII [acc] [crtd] [crth]x3, Wide Angle Quantum Torpedo Launcher
Aft: Phaser Beam Array mk XII [acc] [crtd] [crth]x3, Kinetic Cutting Beam
Shields: MACO mk XII
Deflector: MACO mk XII
Engine: MACO mk XII OR Borg mk XII (if you want the extra 5 engine power, since other than that the engines are very similar in performance)
Devices: Deuterium Surplus, Subspace Field Modulator, Large Shield Battery, Large Weapons Battery
Consoles:
Tactical: Phaser Relay mk XII (blue)x3
Engineering: Neutronium Alloy mk XII (blue)x4
Science: Chevron Separation, Assimilated Module, Zero Point Energy Conduit
BOff Layout:
LtCmdr Universal: TS1, BFAW2, APO1
Lt Tactical: TT1, APB1
Cmdr Engineering: ET1, EPtW2, EPtS3, Aux2SIF3
Lt Science: HE1, TSS2
Ens Universal: HE1
DOffs:
Conn Officer (TT cd red) x2
DCE x2
WCE x1
Note: All purple
General Strategy:
This is basically an offensive combat cruiser build. I use the Odyssey, since other than the Fleet Tor'kaht, there is no other cruiser/battlecruiser that comes close to such an ideal damage dealing/survival BOff layout.
For equipment:
I use the MACO shield and deflector since they are ideal for tanking and surviving, and the 2 piece bonus is nice for cruisers period. The engine can either go MACO or Borg, since again, they are almost identical in performance, even though you get a SLIGHT boost in nimbleness using the Borg engine (+5 engine power does that). The Tactical consoles are a given. The Engineering consoles are just pure armor, since any other console on an Odyssey really isn't that useful. The Science consoles are what put it apart from a heal cruiser, since it's purely offensive consoles. The Zero point combined with the Borg module, and rep passives put my BASE crit hit up to 8.4%. Add in the [crth] mod on all my weapons, I enjoy a 10.4% crit chance, with 179.4% crit severity. And this is before skills are applied. And the Chevron sep is to give me even more firepower with boosted mobility. Self explanatory I think.
For weapons:
This build is designed to basically maximize damage. I use BAs since they are ideal for cruisers (despite their low damage), allowing constant fire on a target despite the slower turn rate. The cutting beam is basically for PvE, in PvP I replace it with another BA. The wide-angle is simply for utility. I would use a regular quantum, but the wide-angle allows me to keep up a constant broadside whilst still being able to blast the target with torpedoes. And as for phasers? It's true that AP and Disruptors are more ideal for PvE, but I just like how phasers look on the Odyssey. That's a slight sub-optimization, but it's for vanity's sake, nothing more.
For BOffs:
This is where the build's power really comes in. Starting with the easy ones, the science BOffs. The HE1 is for anyone who catches on fire/needs a strong heal. I pump power to aux (quick since I have the 2 piece MACO bonus and 9 points in EPS), and send them a 15k heal over 15 secs. I run 2 copies for maximum uptime. The TSS is same deal. Used to heal a target (or me). Allows me to continue to support my team or keep myself alive better.
Then we get to the lone Engineering Cmdr. In all honesty, you only need that one BOff. And that is the reason I use my Odyssey so much. The ET1 is for a nice big-heal if you aren't under fire. The EPtW2 is one of the core abilities of the build. It allows me major over-clockage of my weapons power, allowing my BAs to hit hard consistently. It also gives me a tiny burst damage with 5 seconds of an additional 20% damage. The EPtS3 is what really makes this build a pain in the rear for NPCs to deal with. It gives me a nice shield heal (over 4k to each facing), HUGE bonus to shield power (over 40), and hardens my shields quite a bit (an additional 30+% resist). Sufficed to say, I hit this, and even PvP escorts have to come around for a few more passes. Then we get to the Aux2SIF3. It's basically my main heal ability. Even during full weapons power, I can still heal over 4k with it, and it has a 15 second CD. It also adds to the targets hull resists, so if their shields are down, they have a slightly better chance of surviving.
Lastly, we have the two Tactical BOffs. The Lt Tac is easy. A TT1 (bread and butter defense ability for ALL ships), and an APB1 (amplifies my damage and team damage). Simple, easy. The LtCmdr Uni always goes to tac in my PvE builds. The TS1 is for the wide-angle. It either allows me to hit multiple targets, or a single target a little harder (roughly 30% additional damage). Then we have BFAW2. That's my "hey, look at me!" ability. Almost never fails to draw all sorts of aggro from NPCs, and generates lots of amusement in PvP. Combine that with TS1, you have a ton of AoE damage, and will be able to keep enemies off of your allies with relative ease. The final ability is APO1. That ability is just pure gold for an attack cruiser. Damage increase, crth increase, move speed and turn rate increase, and a wonderful immunity to holds. Combine that with BFAW2 and TS1, and you can usually get EVERYTHING's attention. And then hold it. And since you're an Odyssey, you can take the resulting pounding.
For DOffs:
This is the final portion and one of the most crucial in the build. Starting off, you have the two purple Conn Officers. They reduce your TT1 cooldown by 8 seconds each, and since you have two, you can cycle a single copy of TT1. This allows you to have access to TS1 (which is a very good ability, despite it being just a level 1 ability). They also enhance your attack pattern skill by 10 each. So quite useful. Then you get to the Damage Control Engineers. Purple ones give you a 35% chance of reducing the CD of EPtX abilities by 33%. So you can basically cycle just two EPtX abilities. It allows me to have 100% uptime on my EPtS3 and EPtW2. And it gets better. If you hit one of them and the two DOffs don't proc, when you hit the second one, they will attempt to proc on both the first AND second EPtX ability. VERY nice. The final piece of this build is the purple Warp Core Engineer. This little gem gives you a 20% chance of gaining an additional 25 power to ALL subsystems for 10 seconds when you hit an EPtX ability. When this baby procs, I usually end up with all my power levels above 80, sometimes over 90.
How to Use:
Ballz deep. Give no craps. I typically fly in beams blazing and torps firing. I draw all the attention so my team can deal with the enemies one at a time. It works like a charm on Infected, since I draw aggro from all 3 starting enemies with ease, and then we take them out nice and fast. And when the sphere swarm starts up after you blow the transformer, I just aggro all the spheres, who all target me, and then my team takes them out nice and easy with only me having to worry about dying. And then when you need added damage/mobility, you hit the chevron sep. You will have to be a mite more careful since you lose a chunk of hull, shield, and power, but you gain additional weapons power and a HUGE mobility boost. You also gain a pet with two BAs and some heals, and a tractor beam. Just be warned, if you die with this active, you have a 5 minute CD you have to wait on. Overall, this build is fun more than anything else. It's designed to wreck faces and give no craps about dying, since if you cycle your abilities correctly, you'll hardly ever lose a shield facing, and almost never die. AND you can still heal your team-mates quite well.
I couldn't tell you what prompted discussion on the matter.
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
Anyway, this is my build, quoted partly from memory and the rest from gateway:
U.S.S. Queen Victoria
Fleet Assault Cruiser Refit, Commonwealth class
http://imgur.com/a/KZWf5
Fore:
Spiral Wave Disruptor [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2
Spiral Wave Disruptor [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2
Spiral Wave Disruptor [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2
Wide Angle Quantum Torpedo Launcher [Acc] [CritH] [Arc]
Aft:
Spiral Wave Disruptor [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2
Spiral Wave Disruptor [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2
Spiral Wave Disruptor [Acc]x2 [Dmg]x2
Kinetic Cutting Beam Mk XII [Dmg]x3
Shield:
MACO Resilient Shield Array Mk XII
Deflector:
Assimilated Deflector Array Mk XI
Engine:
Assimilated Subtranswarp Engines Mk XI
Tactical:
Disruptor Induction Coil Mk XII
Disruptor Induction Coil Mk XII
Disruptor Induction Coil Mk XII
Disruptor Induction Coil Mk XII
Engineering:
Neutronium Alloy Mk XI
Neutronium Alloy Mk XI
Zero-Point Energy Conduit
Assimilated Module
Science:
Field Generator Mk XI
Field Generator Mk XI
Devices:
Subspace Field Modulator
Prototype Ablative Jevonite Hardpoints
Deuterium Surplus
Battery - Weapons and Shields
Boffs:
Ens: TT1
Lt Cmdr: BFAW1, APB1, TS3
Cmdr: EptS1, EptW2, RSP2, Aux2SIF3
Lt: ET1, ES1
Lt: TSS1, HE2
Doffs:
Conn Officer
Damage Control Engineer
Damage Control Engineer
Damage Control Engineer
Warp Core Engineer
Some explanations
Weapons:
I have only recently completed my set of 6 spiral waves, and I started using them in PvP and immediately noticed the Accx2 bonus. I was previously using Advanced Fleet Antiproton Beams, but these spirals will probably be my new general purpose weapons. The wide angle quantum is in my view essential for any cruiser, as you do not have to break broadsides. TS3 used in this fashion is devastating. The KCB is similarly vital, as coupled with the Borg console, you get the great weapon power bonus, and it also provides 360 degree kinetic coverage to take advantage of shield facings as soon as they drop.
Gear:
Maco shield and Borg 2-piece are tried and tested, and I see no reason to switch even after the introduction of the Adapted set. Maco shield provides good resistances and power conduit link is very neat. Borg 2-piece provides the hull heal which is an unsung hero in saving my butt during STFs.
Consoles:
The cheapest part of this build, I simply cannot afford to upgrade the Neutroniums, Field Gens or Coils right now. The Zero Point is left over from my old antiproton build in an attempt to maximize critical chance, but I have grown to like its effects, even without any of the other set pieces. The Borg console is vital, as described above. Engineering is usually my universal dumping ground, as I mainly rely on shield heals to stay alive. If I ever get a Tachyokinetic Converter, it would go here and replace one the the Neutroniums.
Devices:
Subspace Modulator is a great little gimmick, when some bug or BoP is gearing up for an alpha strike, pop this and it is essentially firing blanks. The other 3 are just fillers I rarely use. A rechargeable battery or red matter capacitor would be great here, but both are beyond my reach.
Boffs:
I enjoy this setup, but still feel like this is just a transitional stage until I can get an Aux2Batt build worked up. The main issue is that I have come to rely on Aux2SIF3 so much, which is a just fantastic healer, but is not viable in the A2B builds. I am lazy with timing these skills, and just pop the following automatically by mashing the spacebar:
TT1, TSS1, EptS1, EptW2, RSP2, RSF, Aux2SIF3, APB1, Dist Shields
NI and EPSPT are for keeping weapons power at 100 and above, which is often needed when I go kirking into a dogfight with BFAW. MW is for the STF oh **** moments.
Extend Shields makes me feel a little less selfish, and ET1 is mainly a filler, only really used when fighting Tholians or Warbirds.
Doffs:
Conn Officer to reduce the tac team cooldown, not to the point of continual up time but enough to satisfy me. Damage Control Engineers are the core of the build, keeping EptS and W running as often as possible, and minimizing the beam power drain, keeping DPS output up and shield facings strong. The WCE again helps with power management, and works nicely with the fast popping EptX.
If you don't have the scratch to upgrade your neutronims, but you are running 2 of them anyway, it is much cheaper to instead buy 1 Mononatium and one Alblative(? check the stats first I'm not sure the names... one is just kinetic damage and one is the most commonly used energy weapon types) You can get the same damage resistance out of 2 specialized consoles as you would out of 2 generalized consoles, save you will be behind on 2 energy types depending on what energy console you choose.
Get a copy of both the energy ones and you can swap them out as desired, or what started me on this path, instead of the consoles that give 4 energy bonuses you can be more specialized and choose say the one that gives more plasma resist when you are in STF or disruptor if you know you are going up against Klingons.
The specialized damage resist consoles are much cheaper then neutroniums, and give roughly the same coverage or even greater if you can dedicate 2 console slots to them.
Edit: There is a new doff out there that give you a damage resistance bonus when you use extend shields... Not nessicarrily the most useful doff in the game, but if you are using extend shields and hate when you are tanking and have no use for it, you can slot the doff and while you are tanking just shoot your extend on any bloody thing to get your self damage resist.
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
Tactical Odyssey ,U.S.S. Victory
Deflector Mk XII Maco Graviton
Engines Mk XII Adapted Maco Combat Impulse
Shield Mk XII Adapted Maco Covariant
Devices: Red Matter,Dueterium Surplus,Wep Battery,Subspace Field Modulator
Weapons
Fore Romulan Plasma Mk XII Beam Array [Acc]x2 (2) Romulan Expiermental Plasma Beam Array,Romulan Hyper Plasma
Aft: Romulan Mk XII Beam Array [Acc]x2(2) Omega Plasma Torpedo,Cutting Beam
Consoles
Engineering: Nutreonium Mk XII Rare(2),Zero Point,Borg Assimilated Module
Science: Field Emmitter Mk XII rare (2) Emmiter Array MK XII (-th) plasma damage increase
Tactical: Plasma Infuser Mk XI Very Rare (3)
Boffs
Engineering Cm: EPS1,RSP1,EPS3,AuxToSIf3
Tactical LTC:BFAW1,APB1,BFAW3
LT Tac:THY1,THY2
Ens Tac:TT1
LT Sci:HE1,TSS2
Doffs
2x Vr Conn Officers(tac team varriant)
2x Rare Aux2Sif DOffs
1x Projectile DOff
Deflector: Maco Mk XII Graviton Deflector
Engines: Adapted Maco Mk XII Engines
Shield Adapted Maci Mk XII Covariant
Devices:Red Matter,Weapon Battery,Subspace Field
Weapons:
Fore Mk XII Romulan Plasma Dual Heavy Cannons [Acc] x2(3),Romulan Hyper Torpedo
Aft Mk XII Romulan Plasma Turret [Acc[ x2(2),Borg Cutting Beam
Hanger Pets:Advanced Jem Hadar Attack Ships(2)
Consoles:
Engineering: Nuetronium Mk XII rare (2),Zero Point,Assimilated Module
Science:Field Emmiterr Mk XII rare,Plasma Infused Sheild Emmitter Array Mk XII (-th)(pla)
Tactical: Plasma Infuser Mk XI Very Rare (4)
Doffs:
Damage Control Engineers(Aux To SIF variant)(2) Rare
Projectile Officers(2) VR
+25 power whenever using any EPTx Power Vr
Boffs
Tactical Commander:TT1,CSV1,APO1,APO3 or TT1,CSV1,APB2,CSV3
Tactical LT:TT1,CSV or TT1,APB1
Engineer LTC: EPS1,RSP1,EPS3
Engineer LT:EPW1,AuxTSIF1
Science Ens:HE1
Very solid build.
Odyssey Ops Cruiser/Eng captain
Fore:
Hargh'peng Torpedo Launcher Mark XI, 3x Advanced Fleet Phaser Beam Array Mk XII [Dmg]x3 [Acc]
Aft:
4x Advanced Fleet Phaser Beam Array Mk XII [Dmg]x3 [Acc]
Shields, Engine, and Deflector
M.A.C.O. Resilient Shield Array Mk XI - high capacity, power boost when taking damage, and gives your hull an awesome finish
M.A.C.O. Graviton Deflector Array Mk XI
Aegis Hyper-Impulse Engines - here for the defense bonus
Consoles
Engineering: 2x Neutronium Alloy Mk XI, Monotanium Alloy Mk XI, EPS Flow Regulator Mk XI, Chevron Separation
Science: 2x Field Generator Mk XI, Assimilated Module
Tactical: 2x Phaser Relay Mk XII
Devices:
Subspace Field Modulator (15 second boost to defense and damage resistance), Weapons and Shields Batteries, Heavy Tetryon Satellite Turret (these are just here to use up, feel free to stick a Red Matter Capacitor or whatever you want here.)
BOFFs
LC Universal: Emergency Power to Shields 1, Emergency Power to Shields 2, Reverse Shield Polarity 2 (the Panic Button)
Ens Universal: Transfer Shield Strength 1
Lt Tac: Tactical Team 1, Fire at Will 2 (this is your LOOK AT ME button)
Cmdr Eng: Emergency Power to Weapons 1, Emergency Power to Weapons 2, Aux to SIF 2, Extend Shields 3
Lt Sci: Hazard Emitters 1, Tractor Beam 2
DOFFs
Warp Core Engineer (chance to boost power levels when EPt_ is used), 2x Technician (reduce BOFF ability cooldown), 2x Damage Control Engineer (reduce EPt_ cooldown)
Notes/Tactics
The only thing you should think about when flying cruisers is POWERRR!!!. Keeping power levels high increases your damage output and shield performance. Google "hilbert guide" and download the keybind there, stick your EPt_ abilities in the tray mentioned there and mash it every couple seconds. Your spacebar will now fire beam weapons, distribute shields, and cycle your emergency power abilities so you always have weapons and shields power boosted. Use your EPS Transfer and Nadion Inversion when needed. Make sure whatever you're shooting at is in your 70 degree broadside so you can fire 7 of your weapons on 1 target.
The Chevron Separation ability is nice to have. There's a noticeable drop in your shield and hull HP, but it's not a big deal if you know what you're doing. The boost in maneuverability and weapon power is welcome and another set of guns firing is a nice bonus. The only downside is that 5 minute cooldown.
Some things I'm thinking on changing are:
- Swapping out to the Omega Force engines and deflector for the extra bit of shield damage from Tetryon Glider.
- Getting a hold of a Plasma infused Threat scaling console for the damage boost.
- Switching to the Omega or Romulan torpedos from the rep projects, but I'm not sure how well they perform compared to what I have already.
Unless you put Aux2SIF accidentally instead of Aux2Batt, those 2 Technicians aren't doing anything at all. They only work when Aux2Battery is used.
It is supposed to be Aux2SIF. I saw "recharge time on bridge officer abilities reduced" and stuck them on there without reading any more about them. Thanks for catching that.
They really should change that in-game description...
Yes they should, I was also caught out initially.
However I do recommend an Aux2Batt build with 3 very rare Technicians. With some good skill timings it can be very potent.
Weapons:
-4 MkV phaser arrays (2 forward, 2 aft)
-Mk V plasma turret (front)
-Mv IV quantum mine launcher (aft)
Engineering Consoles:
-RCS Accelerator Mk VI- +22.5 turn rate (thinking of replacing this)
-Dibernium Plating Mk VI- +22.5 phaser and disruptor resistance
-EPS Flow Regulator Mk II- +20% power regulation
Science Console:
-Shield Emitter Amplifier Mk V- +6.5 shield regeneration
Tactical Console:
-Phaser Relay Mk VI- +13.1 phaser damage
Other stuff:
-Deflector Array MK IV- +7.5 sensors, interial dampeners, and power insulation
-Efficient Impulse Engines Mk VI- +11 flight speed and 0.28 turn rate, among other things
-various engine/shield/weapon batteries
Bridge Officer Skills:
Tactical
-Tactical Team I
-Fire At Will II
Engineering:
-Engineering Team I
-Reverse Shield Polarity II
-Emergency Power to Shields II
-Emergency Power to Weapons II
Science:
-Science Team I
-Scramble Sensors I
This build has done well in storyline missions (obviously), and has done okay in fleet actions, the odd explosion here and there notwithstanding. I have yet to run it in PvP, though.