Just about all of my builds, and the rest of these builds in general, would probably work perfectly fine with Mk XI blue. Mk XI blue is in fact what I used for a while, and is what I use for consoles.
Cmdr Engineering: Emergency power to Shields 1, Auxiliary power to emergency battery 1, Reverse shield Polarity 2, Eject warp plasma 2 (or 3 if you can source it)
LTC Engineering: Emergency power to Weapons 1, Auxiliary power to emergency battery 1, Reverse shield Polarity 2
Do you really want two copies of RSP2? I thought AtB pushed 1 copy to global CD, so you could use that slot for something else (maybe DEM or Extend Shields).
Do you really want two copies of RSP2? I thought AtB pushed 1 copy to global CD, so you could use that slot for something else (maybe DEM or Extend Shields).
You could but equally I do you can run the second RSP at 30 seconds (don't quote me, never actually tried it) but the DEM doff is insanely expensive and I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head to put there so I defaulted to RSP
Here is my basic budget fed cruiser build. Assume Mk XI items unless otherwise noted. Places to acquire the items noted below with a *#. I am avoiding the use of acronyms so it is actually useful to new players.
Engineer Captain (human preferred) with assault cruiser (mirror or regular) Power Set at 100/70/15/15
The traits eps manifold efficiency and grace under fire are a must have. Techie, Warp theorist and Accurate also help.
Weapons:
Front: 3x rare phaser beam array*1, 1 uncommon photon torp*2
Aft: the same
Bridge Officer Setup (all powers trainable by the captain or the trainer at ESD)
LT Tac: Tactic Team 1, Beam Fire at Will 2
Ens Tac: Torp Spread 1
CM Engineering: Engineering Team 1, Auxiliary to Battery 1, Emergency Power to Weapons 3, Directed Energy Modulation 3
LTC Engineering: Emergency power to Engines 1, Auxiliary to Battery 1, Emergency Power to Shields 3
LT Science: Polarize Hull 1, Hazard Emitters 2
Notes on acquiring the items:
*1 End Reward for repeating the fed mission "Everything old is new"
*2 Awarded in many fed missions
*3 Cheap on the exchange at the moment.
*4 End Reward for repeating the last mission in the undine arc.
*5 A reward from the new Nimbus missions.
Free upgrade paths:
The green technicians can be upgraded to purple with some time an patience. Take the transwarp hub near Risa to Gamma Orionis and go to the B'Tran cluster. There is a 7 mission long duty officer colonization chain that awards a blue technician when completed and opens a new repeatable mission that rewards a purple technician every time is completed with a critical success.
How does this build work?
The key is the Auxiliary to Battery power and the technicians. Every time you use it the cooldown of ALL your bridge officer powers is reduced. Simply chain your aux2bat powers and you don't need duplicates of any other power. This will also allow your power levels to be much higher than normal all the time.
This build also works for star cruisers. Just replace the torpedo spread 1 with science team 1, the shield with a covariant version and replace one of the phaser relays with another field generator.
Will add this as an afterthought, as am not sure if any of the builds mentioned thus far are geared specifically in this direction.
Given the amount of grief posts about newbies supposedly stuffing up ESTFs, can we get a few ideas for builds specifically aimed at dealing with the borg. I add this as I have read that the borg are immune to energy drain, and therefore polaron based builds would not be effective.( And please correct me if I am wrong on this point)
Same rules apply regarding gear, and hopefully this will result in less 'bagging' of newbies, both here and in team chat.( Some I have witnessed has been pretty nasty)We do, after all want to encourage new players, not drive them away.;)
Procs don't make a real difference given their low chance. If you want to, disruptors and antiproton are slightly better than the rest for borg hunting, but not by much. The problem with ESTF and new players is lack of knowledge at what NOT to shoot, when to shoot, bad power settings and gear below Mk XI. There are guides for all that in these forums.
Will add this as an afterthought, as am not sure if any of the builds mentioned thus far are geared specifically in this direction.
Given the amount of grief posts about newbies supposedly stuffing up ESTFs, can we get a few ideas for builds specifically aimed at dealing with the borg. I add this as I have read that the borg are immune to energy drain, and therefore polaron based builds would not be effective.( And please correct me if I am wrong on this point)
Same rules apply regarding gear, and hopefully this will result in less 'bagging' of newbies, both here and in team chat.( Some I have witnessed has been pretty nasty)We do, after all want to encourage new players, not drive them away.;)
Bravo, Sir! Bravo! Well said! Well said indeed! Far too many who come to this forum spend far too much time blaming players with less time ingame than themselves for far too many things. Far too many new players whose every effort is met with derision and scorn simply stop listening to players with more time in the game. Both groups suffer for this and therefore do not maximize their enjoyment of the game.
Hardware isn't usually the issue. Give an incompetent player a ship fully equipped with MK XII Purple gear and he can lose just as fast as someone on their second day as a Rear Admiral, Lower Half. Thinking about what one sees the Borg doing and how other players react and counter what the Collective does. Having some sort of plan prior to engaging the Borg in an STF. Both of these are helpful. I have played a lot of PUGs over the last eighteen months. Most of them were populated by people just like me. Captains who were unsure about what exactly had to be done in what order but willing to do their best. There aren't as many incompetent Captains swanning about as posts in these forums would lead one to believe. There aren't as many perfect ones, either.
The build ideas I suggested do work against the Borg in the Space STFs. The Collective is highly vulnerable to any plasma based weapon. I have used the weapons and techniques I described with some small success. I don't win handily. I don't win all the time. I do succeed more times than I fail, though. I try to make what I am doing at the moment support what the team is doing. And that is all. I also do not believe there is one "best" way to succeed in an STF. There are some techniques and patterns which work well and are popular. But no plan survives contact with the enemy, or plain bad luck, unscathed.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
Yeah, I'd be happy to see any of these builds in ESTFs, they'd be a cut above the average player. The really crucial thing though is to know the strategies (there are plenty of guides to these, and most players will tell you about them if you ask) and to be aware of what your teamates are doing. Failing that, I'll provide some "when in doubt" stuff that's pretty generally applicable:
If it's not moving, don't be the first one to kill one of them, just take it to low health (~10%).
If it's healing faster than you can hurt it, you have to kill something else first.
If there's a structure surrounded by 4 smaller ones kill it immediately after you kill them.
If it's moving, you can just kill it.
Obviously, that's not optimal for some circumstances, but assuming you're just in a basic role and there are more experienced players in the team it should keep you from TRIBBLE anything up.
Bravo, Sir! Bravo! Well said! Well said indeed! Far too many who come to this forum spend far too much time blaming players with less time ingame than themselves for far too many things. Far too many new players whose every effort is met with derision and scorn simply stop listening to players with more time in the game. Both groups suffer for this and therefore do not maximize their enjoyment of the game.
Hardware isn't usually the issue. Give an incompetent player a ship fully equipped with MK XII Purple gear and he can lose just as fast as someone on their second day as a Rear Admiral, Lower Half. Thinking about what one sees the Borg doing and how other players react and counter what the Collective does. Having some sort of plan prior to engaging the Borg in an STF. Both of these are helpful. I have played a lot of PUGs over the last eighteen months. Most of them were populated by people just like me. Captains who were unsure about what exactly had to be done in what order but willing to do their best. There aren't as many incompetent Captains swanning about as posts in these forums would lead one to believe. There aren't as many perfect ones, either.
The build ideas I suggested do work against the Borg in the Space STFs. The Collective is highly vulnerable to any plasma based weapon. I have used the weapons and techniques I described with some small success. I don't win handily. I don't win all the time. I do succeed more times than I fail, though. I try to make what I am doing at the moment support what the team is doing. And that is all. I also do not believe there is one "best" way to succeed in an STF. There are some techniques and patterns which work well and are popular. But no plan survives contact with the enemy, or plain bad luck, unscathed.
'Takes a humble bow' Thank you sir...Have witnessed this on to many occasions, and well.....its just not on, its only a game for frigs sake, have been the victim myself, and I am by no means an ESTF virgin( am sure everyone mashes the space bar one to many times when taking down the gens on ISE to 10%, at one time or another). It is great to see so many people willing to help the newbies, rather than just shoot them down.
I actually had one of these in the later part of last year. I know escorts are common, but not everyone knows how to build a good escort anymore either. Had a friend recently who I discovered was using a mix of polaron/tetryon, and THREE torpedo high-yield powers. Yeah, don't do that, just use this.
Patrol Escort
Fore weapons: 4x Antiproton Dual Heavy Cannons Mk XI [CrtH][CrtD][Acc]
Aft Weapons: 3x Antiproton Turrets [CrtH][CrtD][Acc]
Bridge Officers:
Commander Tactical: Tactical Team 1, Attack Pattern Beta 1, Cannon Scatter Volley 2, Attack Pattern Omega 3
Lieutenant Commander Tactical: Tactical Team 1, Attack Pattern Beta 1, Cannon Rapid Fire 2
Ensign Engineer: Emergency Power too Shields 1
Lieutenant Engineer: Emergency Power too Shields 1, Reverse Shield Polarity 1
Lieutenant Science: Tractor Beam 1, Hazard Emitters 1
Consoles:
2x Rare Mk XI RCS Accelerators, 1x Rare Mk XI Enemy Specific Alloy
2x Rare Mk XI Shield Emitters
4x Rare Mk XI Antiproton Mag Regulator
Devices:
Subspace Field Modulator, Battery or Deuterium
Duty Officers are really too taste, as theres not much too them in this build. I'd suggest buffing your cannon special powers though, and maybe the new reverse shield polarity cooldown reduction doffs.
This build is beyond simple. Point and click interface, nothing fancy, just get your forward targeting arcs on your enemy, and hold them there. The antiproton weapons, which have improved critical severity, will melt most NPC enemies. Simply put, the more power after this is put together is spit out, the more you'll get from it. It is not min/maxed in any way, only to provide a reasonable amount of damage untiul min/maxing does become available. Even the ship can be bought for cheap from the exchange. Total cost of build: +/- 2 million EC. Too a complete newb, that might seem like a lot, but many of these things can be found in missions, or as loot. And once you get this thing, grinding out STF's, or even elite STF's is simple as pie. 2 million EC will seem like a bargain.
Edit: I also took a look at the exchange for Mk XI rare neutroniums, and shuddered. I am a rich newb, but those are over the top. If you're adamant about getting a neutronium, there are some available for dilithium, but resist specific armors is cheaper, and stronger if your enemies damage is predictable.
I also saw someone mention that dual RCS accelerators seems over the top. It can be, but in my experience, it can always help to move a little faster, and keep those cannons on target longer while doing attack runs. Less time turning means more time for shooting. Also if you ever find yourself up against a player, it'll help you keep on their tail, where the damage is likely the lightest.
I AM THE HARBINGER OF HOPE!
I AM THE SWORD OF THE RIGHTOUS!
Did all that talking and forgot to post a build. Hmmm. Perhaps the Breen are correct about Starfleet officers after all, lol.
I.S.S. Hastati - Mirror Universe Star Cruiser
First off the concept. I was trying for a ship which is survivable first and foremost. All the DPS in the world is worthless if you're already dead. The toon for this one is a TAC. My Engi toon has a similar build.
Boff Skills
Gonna write these out because it seems a little pretentious to use the accepted abbreviations. After all, the OP started this for newer players. Who may not be in the know about all the jive and terminology yet
LT. Tactical - Torpedo Spread, Beam Overload.
CDR. Engineer - Engineering Team, Emergency Power to Shields, Auxiliary to Battery, Reverse Shield Polarity
Gear. All gear is Mk XI Blue except where noted. Price of total is based on exchange prices for gear as of 18:00 CDT 06/30/13.
Plasma-Disruptor Hybrid Beam Array mk XI(x3), Plasma Torpedo Launcher mk XI [CrtD] [Dmg]
Positron Deflector Array Mk XI [Em] [SIF]
Combat Impulse Engine Mk XI [Spd] [Turn]
Field Stabilizing Warp Core Mk X [Bat] [E->S]
The Mk XI versions are just too expensive right now. As more become available, the price should drop to something reasonable.
Resilient Shield Array Mk XI [Cap]x2
Plasma-Disruptor Hybrid Beam Array mk XI(x3), Plasma Torpedo Launcher mk XI [CrtD] [Dmg]
Heavy Phaser Satellite Turret(x20), Shield Battery(x20), Weapon Battery(x20), Engine Battery(x20)
RCS Accelerator Mk XI (x2) Neutronium Alloy Mk XI(x2)
Uncommon for the Neutronium consoles because the blue ones have a ridiculous price which many people seem to be willing to pay. Better off crafting them because even with the Dilithium outlay to do so, you'll still come out cheaper. The Uncommon ones are cheaper and these are the ones I've factored into the price.
Field Generator Mk XI(x3)
See the note above for the Neutronium consoles which applies here as well.
Disruptor Induction Coil Mk XI(x3)
You'll need either a Klingon toon or friend to get these at a reasonable rate. The Uncommon ones are cheaper and these are the ones I've factored into the price.
All of the above are available on the Exchange. None of this needs access to either a Starbase or Embassy.
Total Cost ~ 650,000 EC + Cost of making Blue Neutronium Alloy and Blue Field Generator Consoles.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
Mirror escort Cheep enough!
Grab the Breen Absolute Zero set, then the Jem'Hadar set; and the Rapid Reload transphasic launcher
Put all Breen stuff on except the shield, use the shield from the Jem'Hadar set. Load up at least 1 torp spread for boff station. With the Jem Sheild you get: +50 Crew Death/Disable Resistance! That helps out for escorts! Add one of the other consoles: Biofunction Monitor, or the Emergency Force Fields console. Fill up the ship with possibly phasers since they're abundant and relatively cheep and tac consoles too.
Or go with a similar setup - if Romulan in the Ha'feh, with just the Jem'Hadar set, possibly the Bio-Molecular warhead; but Plasma is a 'given' for Romulans The the Bio-Molecular warhead has: -20 Able Crewmen -35 Alive Crewmen and that can take a toll on ships with Torp Spread
How do you guys get a field generator on the cheap? I'm seeing these "cheap" builds here that seem to be overlooking how just a single, basic mk x field generator is millions of credits. :eek:
How do you guys get a field generator on the cheap? I'm seeing these "cheap" builds here that seem to be overlooking how just a single, basic mk x field generator is millions of credits. :eek:
I dunno about anyone else, but I took a look on the Exchange, did a low whistle at the prices, and promptly forgot about having Field Generators on my ships.
Until I saw where I could >craft< them.
Even with the expense (and time) of getting to 1,650 Crafting points, along with the outlay of approximately 8,000 Dilithium per generator, I still came out cheaper than if I purchased one on the Exchange. HINT: I did the Exact Same Thing with Neutronium Alloy Consoles MK XI Blue. Which are also hideously expensive on the Exchange. And whenever I need some spare EC to upgrade something on my ship(s) or Away Team(s), I can craft Phaser Relays mk V and sell them. Never had any of these stay on the Exchange any longer than about a day. So I have a source of income which does not rely upon Marauding or loot drops or STFs.
EDIT: About the RCS Accelerator Consoles? On an Escort? What unikon says is spot on. Better off having some sort of armor or crew support in those slots.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
How do you guys get a field generator on the cheap? I'm seeing these "cheap" builds here that seem to be overlooking how just a single, basic mk x field generator is millions of credits. :eek:
just looked on the exchange, Mk XI green from about 410,000 EC, little bit pricey but not bad, and a slightly lower boost is better than none at all in my books, have resorted to lower grade gear quite often and never had any problems.
If the EC is a problem, do a farming mission in the foundry, I do Admiral BoBo quite regularly, as its not time consuming and general nets me between 400-700,000 EC each time(of course this is level dependent for loot quality), and sell it to the bartender at the acadamy, the offer better prices than a lot of other vendors.(50% of listed value from memory.)
In my opinion, Sci ships other than the Vesta are a liability in PvE, and have nothing to recommend them over Escorts or Cruisers. The Mirror DSSV is the clear ship choice. The BOff configuration will depend on which pointless and ineffective role (healer, CC, debuff/drain) you decide to fill.
I enjoy trying different ships and different setups, I'm currently flying the
Mirror Universe Deep Space Science Vessel
And I can happily say that I rep through STF's usually doing most of the damage and tanking. And doing CE I get 1st place 8 out of 10 runs.
All on a 9 console, 2 tactical console cheap sci ship...
I can do the same in a Mirror Universe Reconnaissance Science Vessel or even an 8 console Intrepid
I will add that one thing that really helps my sci ship builds is the wide angle torp, basically enables you to fire torps from broadside.
I think if your smart about gear/skills/boffs/Doff you can make almost any 7+ console ship good. And you don't have to spend a fortune to get good gear if your smart. Episode rewards, Embassy consoles, some key reputation items and smart ship configs do the trick. then save up and get 2-3 purple MK XII weapons to complete a build.
Well I guess I'll just have to sink the considerable time and money into level trade skills just to make a darn field generator. You'd think they would make SOME kind of field generator available from one of the quests in the game. Even if it were a watered down, some what less optimal version than the MX 10 blues on the exchange.
In my opinion, Sci ships other than the Vesta are a liability in PvE, and have nothing to recommend them over Escorts or Cruisers. The Mirror DSSV is the clear ship choice. The BOff configuration will depend on which pointless and ineffective role (healer, CC, debuff/drain) you decide to fill.
I dunno why, but I always laugh at this whenever I see it. It's kinda like a heavy trooper denoting that a sniper is a liability in combat cause he can't kill as many enemies as him in a short time span. True enough, but when push comes to shove, and you need those heals, or that CC to get the optional. The only truly pointless setup is drain builds, as NPC's are unaffected by them. Me and my friend usually run a mine laying cruiser/CC science ship, and we're often, 9 times out of 10, the top damage dealers.
I AM THE HARBINGER OF HOPE!
I AM THE SWORD OF THE RIGHTOUS!
Even with the expense (and time) of getting to 1,650 Crafting points, along with the outlay of approximately 8,000 Dilithium per generator, I still came out cheaper than if I purchased one on the Exchange. HINT: I did the Exact Same Thing with Neutronium Alloy Consoles MK XI Blue. Which are also hideously expensive on the Exchange.
... or You could have done the mission A Light in the Dark - where You can get a rare Neutronium Alloy MK * as a reward, * which will be scaled according to Your character level. At Vice Admiral (50) it would be a MK XI.
There are a few missions which yield more or less useful MK XI equipstuff. Remember, You can repeat these missions - and leave out missions not of interest to You as long as You do a few key missions in between which cannot be left out (Go to Sector x, f.e.):
With these and a Mirror Universe version of a ship, You can easily get a quite affordable build on a budget. Lasting You at least during the first stages of the Reputation system or until You can afford something You want. I got myself a Positronic Deflector and a shield with [Pla] - and was fine for the first (normal!) STFs.
... or You could have done the mission A Light in the Dark - where You can get a rare Neutronium Alloy MK * as a reward, * which will be scaled according to Your character level. At Vice Admiral (50) it would be a MK XI.
There are a few missions which yield more or less useful MK XI equipstuff. Remember, You can repeat these missions - and leave out missions not of interest to You as long as You do a few key missions in between which cannot be left out (Go to Sector x, f.e.):
With these and a Mirror Universe version of a ship, You can easily get a quite affordable build on a budget. Lasting You at least during the first stages of the Reputation system or until You can afford something You want. I got myself a Positronic Deflector and a shield with [Pla] - and was fine for the first (normal!) STFs.
Although I did run the one Episode enough times to acquire a full set of Plasma-Disruptor Hybrid Beam Array, I was determined to finish up the Crafting thingie prior to advancing the storyline any further. Which this particular toon was slated to do. I was also deep into "Want It! NAOW!" mode, lol. So it did not occur to me to go back through the lists to see what other useful gear was available through rewards and Loot drops. I got the Efficient Impulse Engines and the Paratrinic Shield Array by repeating missions. I still have both. I use them on the MU Escort this toon has. I also have the Lockbox Dominion HEC, which runs the full Jem'Hadar Space Set and Phased Polaron weapons. It ain't shabby at all. The Breen Absolute Zero Space Set seemed, well...meh. Until I put it on a Science ship or Carrier. Made both of them significantly better. The Aegis Space Set is still available only through the Crafting mini game and is very good as well.
By listing the missions, you have shown newer players how to get a very respectable ship loadout with no more expense than simply playing the game. Which is something they want to do in the first place. Thank you. Much appreciated.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
You are welcome, it was my intention from the start.
At least it shows different ways to decent equipment for players on a tight budget, substituting play time for it. Now as to the BOff-abilities, skills and usefull DOffs and where to get them for free... - another matter entirely. But very good hints in this thread already, thanks for that! Every new player has to start somewhere and I for one was happy and glad to find some advice from fleet members so I did not have to re-invent the proverbial wheel all by myself.
Thought I would bring this thread back to the fore with a question of my own.
Have been running polarized disruptors on one of my toons for a while now, and am wondering if swtiching to phased tetryon would offer any benefits or does the borgs immunity to energy drains extend to tetryon as well?
Thought I would bring this thread back to the fore with a question of my own.
Have been running polarized disruptors on one of my toons for a while now, and am wondering if swtiching to phased tetryon would offer any benefits or does the borgs immunity to energy drains extend to tetryon as well?
Well, I haven't run tetryon in over a year (I was using it on my Sci ship, but then decided polaron was helping more against the Kerrat Borg so figured it would elsewhere), but I do know that the Borg have very limited vulnerability to Tachyon Beam and Charged Particle Burst, so that probably extends to tetryon. They also have near zero vulnerability to the phaser proc, so phased tetryon would be a weaker option than just plain tetryon. But I really wouldn't change from polarized disruptors if you already have those, the disruptor proc is usually considered the best, and the polaron one is pretty much the best sci proc, so the only possible upgrade I see is to disruptors with more or better modifiers if you're just going for more DPS.
Thought I would bring this thread back to the fore with a question of my own.
Have been running polarized disruptors on one of my toons for a while now, and am wondering if swtiching to phased tetryon would offer any benefits or does the Borg's immunity to energy drains extend to tetryon as well?
First things first. Thanks for bumping your thread. Much appreciated.
I had some phased polaron weapons for awhile. One day they suddenly seemed...meh. As in they did not seem to be as effective anymore. I deliberately avoid over analyzing STO, so I cannot give you precise DPS or proc percentages or anything like that. I just go with my gut and what looks right onscreen and feels like it is getting the job done decently enough. I do not know about the tetryon weapons. A fleetmate once told me tetryon weapons are very good at stripping shields and really bad at everything else. So I left them alone.
I recently acquired a Vor'cha for my KDF aligned Rommie ENG and decided to go strictly canon for the weapons on it. Plain disruptors, "with no bloody A,B,C or D", lol and photons. I found out he's pretty effective all around with this set up. Still gets the disruptor proc and since I've acquired the Law Doff from the Nimbus III missions, the photons recycle very quickly indeed. Since the 'regular' Vor'cha has just the one Tactical officer slot, I suggest using the two ability slots for the torps and equip regular cannons or beams. Regular cannons will give a wider field of fire and beams will allow for an A2B build.
Currently trying an experiment by restricting myself to only green gear. The question I am trying to answer is this: Can I learn to play STO well enough to make up the qualitative difference between Green Mk XII and Purple Mk XII? Don't have or want any of the STF gear since I don't play ESTFs at all. We all know green gear works well enough in any PVE mission, I'm curious to see if I can hold my own in a Normal STF, since they should be about the same challenge level. Green gear also has the three virtues of being used as mission rewards, in most loot drops and much less expensive on the Exchange.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
First things first. Thanks for bumping your thread. Much appreciated.
I had some phased polaron weapons for awhile. One day they suddenly seemed...meh. As in they did not seem to be as effective anymore. I deliberately avoid over analyzing STO, so I cannot give you precise DPS or proc percentages or anything like that. I just go with my gut and what looks right onscreen and feels like it is getting the job done decently enough. I do not know about the tetryon weapons. A fleetmate once told me tetryon weapons are very good at stripping shields and really bad at everything else. So I left them alone.
I recently acquired a Vor'cha for my KDF aligned Rommie ENG and decided to go strictly canon for the weapons on it. Plain disruptors, "with no bloody A,B,C or D", lol and photons. I found out he's pretty effective all around with this set up. Still gets the disruptor proc and since I've acquired the Law Doff from the Nimbus III missions, the photons recycle very quickly indeed. Since the 'regular' Vor'cha has just the one Tactical officer slot, I suggest using the two ability slots for the torps and equip regular cannons or beams. Regular cannons will give a wider field of fire and beams will allow for an A2B build.
Currently trying an experiment by restricting myself to only green gear. The question I am trying to answer is this: Can I learn to play STO well enough to make up the qualitative difference between Green Mk XII and Purple Mk XII? Don't have or want any of the STF gear since I don't play ESTFs at all. We all know green gear works well enough in any PVE mission, I'm curious to see if I can hold my own in a Normal STF, since they should be about the same challenge level. Green gear also has the three virtues of being used as mission rewards, in most loot drops and much less expensive on the Exchange.
No worries mate, figured we are getting a fairly consolidated amount of info here so easier for the newbies if its kept near the front of the queue.
And thanks for all your input, has been great, and keep us posted on your 'green' experiment.
Think I will stay with the polarized disruptors then, seems to be little support for tetryons anywhere.
Am seriously considering swapping my main toon to them as well. He is currently running the 'anti-borg' APs from before the STF change, and looking at the numbers, they seem to be less effective than the disruptors, and am of two minds of weather the additional radiation damage is enough to offset the difference.:)
... or You could have done the mission A Light in the Dark - where You can get a rare Neutronium Alloy MK * as a reward, * which will be scaled according to Your character level. At Vice Admiral (50) it would be a MK XI.
There are a few missions which yield more or less useful MK XI equipstuff. Remember, You can repeat these missions - and leave out missions not of interest to You as long as You do a few key missions in between which cannot be left out (Go to Sector x, f.e.):
With these and a Mirror Universe version of a ship, You can easily get a quite affordable build on a budget. Lasting You at least during the first stages of the Reputation system or until You can afford something You want. I got myself a Positronic Deflector and a shield with [Pla] - and was fine for the first (normal!) STFs.
Unless it was changed with the Legacy of Romulus launch (and considering that they took the rewards away from "Blood of the Empire" I don't think it was) the mission Ground Zero only gives you a choice of consoles on the First play-through. Every-time after you have a choice of a green quality phaser sniper rifle or phaser stun beam pistol.
You also missed the first mission of the Spectres FE series which on replay will give you a choice of space shields one of which is a Covariant [Cap]x2 and another iirc is a Resiliant [Cap]x2.
... or You could have done the mission A Light in the Dark - where You can get a rare Neutronium Alloy MK * as a reward, * which will be scaled according to Your character level. At Vice Admiral (50) it would be a MK XI.
There are a few missions which yield more or less useful MK XI equipstuff. Remember, You can repeat these missions - and leave out missions not of interest to You as long as You do a few key missions in between which cannot be left out (Go to Sector x, f.e.):
With these and a Mirror Universe version of a ship, You can easily get a quite affordable build on a budget. Lasting You at least during the first stages of the Reputation system or until You can afford something You want. I got myself a Positronic Deflector and a shield with [Pla] - and was fine for the first (normal!) STFs.
Thank you for this. I just wanted to add that anyone interested in Piercing Tetryon Space weapons (Turrets, Cannon, & Beam Banks) can run the Tal Shiar mission on Nimbus multiple times.
have to disagree with the guy who claimed you don't need [ACC] on PVE weapons, you do if you're a science ship using the power drain build which works quite well in STFs and events.
I've found that while using regular weapons IE non-[ACC] beams or cannons that I miss constantly even tho i have all the points on my skill tree in the right place for accuracy.
[ACC] is necessary if you plan on knocking out subsystems.
This thread makes me want to have my Fleet arrange an STF where we all use only free level 40 or el cheapo mirror ships with Mk XI or lower equipment. No JH, Temporal, Fleet, etc ships allowed.
I still use a Mk X purple positron deflector on my engineer toon with the two piece Omega engine/shield set. I hate the omega deflector, and this old deflector was bought crazy cheap one day. Best "value buy" I've ever made on the exchange.
Comments
Same here, there is nothing wrong with Mk XI blue
Do you really want two copies of RSP2? I thought AtB pushed 1 copy to global CD, so you could use that slot for something else (maybe DEM or Extend Shields).
You could but equally I do you can run the second RSP at 30 seconds (don't quote me, never actually tried it) but the DEM doff is insanely expensive and I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head to put there so I defaulted to RSP
Engineer Captain (human preferred) with assault cruiser (mirror or regular) Power Set at 100/70/15/15
The traits eps manifold efficiency and grace under fire are a must have. Techie, Warp theorist and Accurate also help.
Weapons:
Front: 3x rare phaser beam array*1, 1 uncommon photon torp*2
Aft: the same
Gear:
Deflector: Positron Deflector Array [shds] [stl]*3
Engine: Hyper Engine [aux] [spd] [turn]*3
Shield: Shield Array [cap] [pla]*3
Warp Core: Field Stabilizing*3
Consoles:
Engineering: 4x rare Neutronium Alloy *4 OR 4x uncommon neutronium alloy *3
Science: 2x uncommon field generators*3
Tactical: 3x uncommon phaser relay *3
Duty officers:
3x uncommon technicians *3
1x very rare projectile officer *5
Bridge Officer Setup (all powers trainable by the captain or the trainer at ESD)
LT Tac: Tactic Team 1, Beam Fire at Will 2
Ens Tac: Torp Spread 1
CM Engineering: Engineering Team 1, Auxiliary to Battery 1, Emergency Power to Weapons 3, Directed Energy Modulation 3
LTC Engineering: Emergency power to Engines 1, Auxiliary to Battery 1, Emergency Power to Shields 3
LT Science: Polarize Hull 1, Hazard Emitters 2
Notes on acquiring the items:
*1 End Reward for repeating the fed mission "Everything old is new"
*2 Awarded in many fed missions
*3 Cheap on the exchange at the moment.
*4 End Reward for repeating the last mission in the undine arc.
*5 A reward from the new Nimbus missions.
Free upgrade paths:
The green technicians can be upgraded to purple with some time an patience. Take the transwarp hub near Risa to Gamma Orionis and go to the B'Tran cluster. There is a 7 mission long duty officer colonization chain that awards a blue technician when completed and opens a new repeatable mission that rewards a purple technician every time is completed with a critical success.
How does this build work?
The key is the Auxiliary to Battery power and the technicians. Every time you use it the cooldown of ALL your bridge officer powers is reduced. Simply chain your aux2bat powers and you don't need duplicates of any other power. This will also allow your power levels to be much higher than normal all the time.
This build also works for star cruisers. Just replace the torpedo spread 1 with science team 1, the shield with a covariant version and replace one of the phaser relays with another field generator.
Given the amount of grief posts about newbies supposedly stuffing up ESTFs, can we get a few ideas for builds specifically aimed at dealing with the borg. I add this as I have read that the borg are immune to energy drain, and therefore polaron based builds would not be effective.( And please correct me if I am wrong on this point)
Same rules apply regarding gear, and hopefully this will result in less 'bagging' of newbies, both here and in team chat.( Some I have witnessed has been pretty nasty)We do, after all want to encourage new players, not drive them away.;)
Hardware isn't usually the issue. Give an incompetent player a ship fully equipped with MK XII Purple gear and he can lose just as fast as someone on their second day as a Rear Admiral, Lower Half. Thinking about what one sees the Borg doing and how other players react and counter what the Collective does. Having some sort of plan prior to engaging the Borg in an STF. Both of these are helpful. I have played a lot of PUGs over the last eighteen months. Most of them were populated by people just like me. Captains who were unsure about what exactly had to be done in what order but willing to do their best. There aren't as many incompetent Captains swanning about as posts in these forums would lead one to believe. There aren't as many perfect ones, either.
The build ideas I suggested do work against the Borg in the Space STFs. The Collective is highly vulnerable to any plasma based weapon. I have used the weapons and techniques I described with some small success. I don't win handily. I don't win all the time. I do succeed more times than I fail, though. I try to make what I am doing at the moment support what the team is doing. And that is all. I also do not believe there is one "best" way to succeed in an STF. There are some techniques and patterns which work well and are popular. But no plan survives contact with the enemy, or plain bad luck, unscathed.
If it's not moving, don't be the first one to kill one of them, just take it to low health (~10%).
If it's healing faster than you can hurt it, you have to kill something else first.
If there's a structure surrounded by 4 smaller ones kill it immediately after you kill them.
If it's moving, you can just kill it.
Obviously, that's not optimal for some circumstances, but assuming you're just in a basic role and there are more experienced players in the team it should keep you from TRIBBLE anything up.
'Takes a humble bow' Thank you sir...Have witnessed this on to many occasions, and well.....its just not on, its only a game for frigs sake, have been the victim myself, and I am by no means an ESTF virgin( am sure everyone mashes the space bar one to many times when taking down the gens on ISE to 10%, at one time or another). It is great to see so many people willing to help the newbies, rather than just shoot them down.
Massive round of applause for all of you!!!!:D:D
Patrol Escort
Fore weapons: 4x Antiproton Dual Heavy Cannons Mk XI [CrtH][CrtD][Acc]
Aft Weapons: 3x Antiproton Turrets [CrtH][CrtD][Acc]
Bridge Officers:
Commander Tactical: Tactical Team 1, Attack Pattern Beta 1, Cannon Scatter Volley 2, Attack Pattern Omega 3
Lieutenant Commander Tactical: Tactical Team 1, Attack Pattern Beta 1, Cannon Rapid Fire 2
Ensign Engineer: Emergency Power too Shields 1
Lieutenant Engineer: Emergency Power too Shields 1, Reverse Shield Polarity 1
Lieutenant Science: Tractor Beam 1, Hazard Emitters 1
Consoles:
2x Rare Mk XI RCS Accelerators, 1x Rare Mk XI Enemy Specific Alloy
2x Rare Mk XI Shield Emitters
4x Rare Mk XI Antiproton Mag Regulator
Devices:
Subspace Field Modulator, Battery or Deuterium
Duty Officers are really too taste, as theres not much too them in this build. I'd suggest buffing your cannon special powers though, and maybe the new reverse shield polarity cooldown reduction doffs.
This build is beyond simple. Point and click interface, nothing fancy, just get your forward targeting arcs on your enemy, and hold them there. The antiproton weapons, which have improved critical severity, will melt most NPC enemies. Simply put, the more power after this is put together is spit out, the more you'll get from it. It is not min/maxed in any way, only to provide a reasonable amount of damage untiul min/maxing does become available. Even the ship can be bought for cheap from the exchange. Total cost of build: +/- 2 million EC. Too a complete newb, that might seem like a lot, but many of these things can be found in missions, or as loot. And once you get this thing, grinding out STF's, or even elite STF's is simple as pie. 2 million EC will seem like a bargain.
Edit: I also took a look at the exchange for Mk XI rare neutroniums, and shuddered. I am a rich newb, but those are over the top. If you're adamant about getting a neutronium, there are some available for dilithium, but resist specific armors is cheaper, and stronger if your enemies damage is predictable.
I also saw someone mention that dual RCS accelerators seems over the top. It can be, but in my experience, it can always help to move a little faster, and keep those cannons on target longer while doing attack runs. Less time turning means more time for shooting. Also if you ever find yourself up against a player, it'll help you keep on their tail, where the damage is likely the lightest.
I AM THE SWORD OF THE RIGHTOUS!
I.S.S. Hastati - Mirror Universe Star Cruiser
First off the concept. I was trying for a ship which is survivable first and foremost. All the DPS in the world is worthless if you're already dead. The toon for this one is a TAC. My Engi toon has a similar build.
Boff Skills
Gonna write these out because it seems a little pretentious to use the accepted abbreviations. After all, the OP started this for newer players. Who may not be in the know about all the jive and terminology yet
LT. Tactical - Torpedo Spread, Beam Overload.
CDR. Engineer - Engineering Team, Emergency Power to Shields, Auxiliary to Battery, Reverse Shield Polarity
LCDR. Engineer - Engineering Team, Boarding Party, Eject Warp Plasma
LT. Science - Science Team, Hazard Emitters
ENS Science - Polarize Hull
Gear. All gear is Mk XI Blue except where noted. Price of total is based on exchange prices for gear as of 18:00 CDT 06/30/13.
Plasma-Disruptor Hybrid Beam Array mk XI(x3), Plasma Torpedo Launcher mk XI [CrtD] [Dmg]
Positron Deflector Array Mk XI [Em] [SIF]
Combat Impulse Engine Mk XI [Spd] [Turn]
Field Stabilizing Warp Core Mk X [Bat] [E->S]
The Mk XI versions are just too expensive right now. As more become available, the price should drop to something reasonable.
Resilient Shield Array Mk XI [Cap]x2
Plasma-Disruptor Hybrid Beam Array mk XI(x3), Plasma Torpedo Launcher mk XI [CrtD] [Dmg]
Heavy Phaser Satellite Turret(x20), Shield Battery(x20), Weapon Battery(x20), Engine Battery(x20)
RCS Accelerator Mk XI (x2) Neutronium Alloy Mk XI(x2)
Uncommon for the Neutronium consoles because the blue ones have a ridiculous price which many people seem to be willing to pay. Better off crafting them because even with the Dilithium outlay to do so, you'll still come out cheaper. The Uncommon ones are cheaper and these are the ones I've factored into the price.
Field Generator Mk XI(x3)
See the note above for the Neutronium consoles which applies here as well.
Disruptor Induction Coil Mk XI(x3)
You'll need either a Klingon toon or friend to get these at a reasonable rate. The Uncommon ones are cheaper and these are the ones I've factored into the price.
All of the above are available on the Exchange. None of this needs access to either a Starbase or Embassy.
Total Cost ~ 650,000 EC + Cost of making Blue Neutronium Alloy and Blue Field Generator Consoles.
Grab the Breen Absolute Zero set, then the Jem'Hadar set; and the Rapid Reload transphasic launcher
Put all Breen stuff on except the shield, use the shield from the Jem'Hadar set. Load up at least 1 torp spread for boff station. With the Jem Sheild you get: +50 Crew Death/Disable Resistance! That helps out for escorts! Add one of the other consoles: Biofunction Monitor, or the Emergency Force Fields console. Fill up the ship with possibly phasers since they're abundant and relatively cheep and tac consoles too.
Or go with a similar setup - if Romulan in the Ha'feh, with just the Jem'Hadar set, possibly the Bio-Molecular warhead; but Plasma is a 'given' for Romulans
Until I saw where I could > craft < them.
Even with the expense (and time) of getting to 1,650 Crafting points, along with the outlay of approximately 8,000 Dilithium per generator, I still came out cheaper than if I purchased one on the Exchange. HINT: I did the Exact Same Thing with Neutronium Alloy Consoles MK XI Blue. Which are also hideously expensive on the Exchange. And whenever I need some spare EC to upgrade something on my ship(s) or Away Team(s), I can craft Phaser Relays mk V and sell them. Never had any of these stay on the Exchange any longer than about a day. So I have a source of income which does not rely upon Marauding or loot drops or STFs.
EDIT: About the RCS Accelerator Consoles? On an Escort? What unikon says is spot on. Better off having some sort of armor or crew support in those slots.
just looked on the exchange, Mk XI green from about 410,000 EC, little bit pricey but not bad, and a slightly lower boost is better than none at all in my books, have resorted to lower grade gear quite often and never had any problems.
If the EC is a problem, do a farming mission in the foundry, I do Admiral BoBo quite regularly, as its not time consuming and general nets me between 400-700,000 EC each time(of course this is level dependent for loot quality), and sell it to the bartender at the acadamy, the offer better prices than a lot of other vendors.(50% of listed value from memory.)
I enjoy trying different ships and different setups, I'm currently flying the
Mirror Universe Deep Space Science Vessel
And I can happily say that I rep through STF's usually doing most of the damage and tanking. And doing CE I get 1st place 8 out of 10 runs.
All on a 9 console, 2 tactical console cheap sci ship...
I can do the same in a Mirror Universe Reconnaissance Science Vessel or even an 8 console Intrepid
I will add that one thing that really helps my sci ship builds is the wide angle torp, basically enables you to fire torps from broadside.
I think if your smart about gear/skills/boffs/Doff you can make almost any 7+ console ship good. And you don't have to spend a fortune to get good gear if your smart. Episode rewards, Embassy consoles, some key reputation items and smart ship configs do the trick. then save up and get 2-3 purple MK XII weapons to complete a build.
I dunno why, but I always laugh at this whenever I see it. It's kinda like a heavy trooper denoting that a sniper is a liability in combat cause he can't kill as many enemies as him in a short time span. True enough, but when push comes to shove, and you need those heals, or that CC to get the optional. The only truly pointless setup is drain builds, as NPC's are unaffected by them. Me and my friend usually run a mine laying cruiser/CC science ship, and we're often, 9 times out of 10, the top damage dealers.
I AM THE SWORD OF THE RIGHTOUS!
There are a few missions which yield more or less useful MK XI equipstuff. Remember, You can repeat these missions - and leave out missions not of interest to You as long as You do a few key missions in between which cannot be left out (Go to Sector x, f.e.):
Shield Arrays with [Cap][Reg]
Shield Emitter Amplifier (yes, no Field Generator but well - not too shabby)
RCS Accelerator and Plasma Infuser
Plasma Beam Array, Dual Beam Array, Dual Heavy Cannons or Plasma Torpedo Launcher - all with [Acc]x2
Plasma Torpedo Launcher [CrtD][CrtH]
Plasma Disruptor Beam Array or Dual Heavy Cannon (count as Disruptors) (and Efficient Impulse Engine or Paratrinic Shields)
Phaser Beam Arrays with either [Dmg]x2 (nah, don't get these) or [CrtD]x2 - or get the Retrofit ones for [CrtH][CrtD] (yay!)
Dominion Polaron Beam Array or Dual Cannon
Polarized Tetryon Dual Beam Bank or Beam Array (not fan of Tetryons myself)
Subspace Field Modulator never leave space dock without it as I know of no source of Proton damage
Some Deuterium Surplus might come in handy to get out of tight fits as well.
And a few Very Rare items:
Hargh'peng Torpedo Launcher
Jem'hadar Deflector and Engine and their Shields
(well and the Breen Set which is supposed to go well with the Rapid Reload Transphasic Torpedo Launcher; I do not really like it myself)
And for Ground STFs (NORMAL, as elite Borg do have too much shields for it to be effective!!) I'd like to bring forth the
[url=http://sto.gamepedia.com/Mission:_Spin_the_Wheel[/url]Ghostbusters Rifle[/url] which is a good addition to an otherwise mixed team.
Oh - of course - the Jem'hadar Ground set.
With these and a Mirror Universe version of a ship, You can easily get a quite affordable build on a budget. Lasting You at least during the first stages of the Reputation system or until You can afford something You want. I got myself a Positronic Deflector and a shield with [Pla] - and was fine for the first (normal!) STFs.
Taskforce 47 Falkenwacht (Federation) / Greifenreiter (KDF)
(at) deianirrah
Free Gear and where to get it
By listing the missions, you have shown newer players how to get a very respectable ship loadout with no more expense than simply playing the game. Which is something they want to do in the first place. Thank you. Much appreciated.
At least it shows different ways to decent equipment for players on a tight budget, substituting play time for it. Now as to the BOff-abilities, skills and usefull DOffs and where to get them for free... - another matter entirely. But very good hints in this thread already, thanks for that! Every new player has to start somewhere and I for one was happy and glad to find some advice from fleet members so I did not have to re-invent the proverbial wheel all by myself.
Taskforce 47 Falkenwacht (Federation) / Greifenreiter (KDF)
(at) deianirrah
Free Gear and where to get it
Have been running polarized disruptors on one of my toons for a while now, and am wondering if swtiching to phased tetryon would offer any benefits or does the borgs immunity to energy drains extend to tetryon as well?
Well, I haven't run tetryon in over a year (I was using it on my Sci ship, but then decided polaron was helping more against the Kerrat Borg so figured it would elsewhere), but I do know that the Borg have very limited vulnerability to Tachyon Beam and Charged Particle Burst, so that probably extends to tetryon. They also have near zero vulnerability to the phaser proc, so phased tetryon would be a weaker option than just plain tetryon. But I really wouldn't change from polarized disruptors if you already have those, the disruptor proc is usually considered the best, and the polaron one is pretty much the best sci proc, so the only possible upgrade I see is to disruptors with more or better modifiers if you're just going for more DPS.
I had some phased polaron weapons for awhile. One day they suddenly seemed...meh. As in they did not seem to be as effective anymore. I deliberately avoid over analyzing STO, so I cannot give you precise DPS or proc percentages or anything like that. I just go with my gut and what looks right onscreen and feels like it is getting the job done decently enough. I do not know about the tetryon weapons. A fleetmate once told me tetryon weapons are very good at stripping shields and really bad at everything else. So I left them alone.
I recently acquired a Vor'cha for my KDF aligned Rommie ENG and decided to go strictly canon for the weapons on it. Plain disruptors, "with no bloody A,B,C or D", lol and photons. I found out he's pretty effective all around with this set up. Still gets the disruptor proc and since I've acquired the Law Doff from the Nimbus III missions, the photons recycle very quickly indeed. Since the 'regular' Vor'cha has just the one Tactical officer slot, I suggest using the two ability slots for the torps and equip regular cannons or beams. Regular cannons will give a wider field of fire and beams will allow for an A2B build.
Currently trying an experiment by restricting myself to only green gear. The question I am trying to answer is this: Can I learn to play STO well enough to make up the qualitative difference between Green Mk XII and Purple Mk XII? Don't have or want any of the STF gear since I don't play ESTFs at all. We all know green gear works well enough in any PVE mission, I'm curious to see if I can hold my own in a Normal STF, since they should be about the same challenge level. Green gear also has the three virtues of being used as mission rewards, in most loot drops and much less expensive on the Exchange.
No worries mate, figured we are getting a fairly consolidated amount of info here so easier for the newbies if its kept near the front of the queue.
And thanks for all your input, has been great, and keep us posted on your 'green' experiment.
Think I will stay with the polarized disruptors then, seems to be little support for tetryons anywhere.
Am seriously considering swapping my main toon to them as well. He is currently running the 'anti-borg' APs from before the STF change, and looking at the numbers, they seem to be less effective than the disruptors, and am of two minds of weather the additional radiation damage is enough to offset the difference.:)
Unless it was changed with the Legacy of Romulus launch (and considering that they took the rewards away from "Blood of the Empire" I don't think it was) the mission Ground Zero only gives you a choice of consoles on the First play-through. Every-time after you have a choice of a green quality phaser sniper rifle or phaser stun beam pistol.
You also missed the first mission of the Spectres FE series which on replay will give you a choice of space shields one of which is a Covariant [Cap]x2 and another iirc is a Resiliant [Cap]x2.
Thank you for this. I just wanted to add that anyone interested in Piercing Tetryon Space weapons (Turrets, Cannon, & Beam Banks) can run the Tal Shiar mission on Nimbus multiple times.
I've found that while using regular weapons IE non-[ACC] beams or cannons that I miss constantly even tho i have all the points on my skill tree in the right place for accuracy.
[ACC] is necessary if you plan on knocking out subsystems.
I still use a Mk X purple positron deflector on my engineer toon with the two piece Omega engine/shield set. I hate the omega deflector, and this old deflector was bought crazy cheap one day. Best "value buy" I've ever made on the exchange.