I agree about the pro's and con's of the FAE, and a discussion on another thread prompted this update.
The availability of a scientific Lt-Com enables you to use a gravity well 1, extremely effective because you pack ennemies in the firing arc of your double cannons and you have their cores breach on one another, so that the gravity well turns into fireworks. If you can reduce the cooldown of your gravity well (e.g. with a double aux2batt and technicians) to the global cooldown, this tactics is possibily the best source of useful DPS in the whole game.
This reduces the number of potentially optimal escorts, and among them only the Dhelan has 5 tactical consoles. Therefore I think there is a dominant option for Romulan tacticians (costs and advantages concur). It is a bit sad for diversity. For other professions and other factions, I see no such dominant option.
Are there better for a single task, yes but not a single 1 that can do all 3 as well.
Sadly, this! What was cannon fodder on DS9 is the best escort in game. I have seen bug ships kill squadrons of enemy vessels all by themselves. The squad was experienced in PvP too.
Lockbox or go bust should be the tag line for this game(PvP).
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
Risian Corvette... The stats look bad at first glance, but could be the best escort out there.
Best in maneuverability, although the speed can be difficult to manage if slower ships are your style.
About the same as the JHAS in tanking, if not better. The JHAS only gets tanky because it can slot four armors, and most of the time at least one of those engineering console slots will have a universal console, reducing your armor to three consoles, which is the same as the Risian Corvette. Both of these escorts also gain tankiness from things like APO, APD, and Aux2Damp. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Risian Corvette also has an additional defense bonus while moving. You can play with damage resistance stacking and the diminishing returns using this spreadsheet: http://bit.ly/STOShipDamageResistance
Only 4 Tactical consoles. Having tried just about every escort in the game, I sometimes think having five tac consoles is over-hyped. Sure, you might manage some slightly increased damage, but what matters most is how you use that damage, not just the higher numbers.
Forget Armor. The corvette speed tanks and is the most maneuverable but it's shields and hull are not close to the bug. EPTE on the bug and it can keep up with the corvette.
Who needs to worry about hull and shields when the other guy keeps missing? Take into consideration all the hull and shield resists you're using, and the difference isn't as debilitating as you make it seem. Also, you can expect the corvette to have EPtE. Good luck keeping up with that.
I'm really having trouble deciding whether or not to use the Advanced escort. I'm also considering the Defiant R and the JemHadar HEC. I don't think I would make use of the Multi-Vector mode, but I've seen the escort to be quite deadly. The carrier can be considered the best escort style ship, but I've also seen the Kumari ships used quite effectively. I've settled on using a build with 3-4 plasma DHC in front, one plasma torp in front, and 3 turrets in back. I mainly worry about Advanced escort vs Jem HEC. I would appreciate any input.
The original table has been modified to include the Ar'Kif retrofit and the Risan corvette (again).
The Ar'Kif is the only inexpensive escort carrier for the Romulans, so it has been included for the same reason as the Armitage for the Federation. Most of us are waiting for the Fleet version before deciding whether it's really worth buying or not, but it is on the cost/effectivity frontier (because of its low cost).
The Risan corvette has failed to meet expectations in PvE (at least when compared with other ships in the table and considering its cost in hours) but there seems to be a rising interest about this ship in PvP for quite some time now.
I love my Charal And the toons that have them are Engineers... I see many of these other ships not able to sustain themselves in many fights; but that's dependent upon many factors!
The table has been updated and the text has been completely rewritten to clarify the stakes. Time has made most of the thread obsolete but some "old" advices haven't crumbled and have been incorporated in the head message.
And i really think it owns, right now eve nif it is not a high-end ship. And i dont need the defiant, the raider or anything else xD. 2 dual heavy plasma cannons + plasma torpedos in the front, plus cutting beam and 2 high end plasma turrets in the back. All elite fleet weapons. Thats my build. I complement the torpedos with my prototype torpedo feature from the Reman tech, and with the assimilated borg engine + console.
I think, all depends on what build you have, but seriously a lot of ships are still missing in the chart.
It's the Fleet Armitage ("Fleet Heavy Escort Carrier"). When ships have cumbersome names, I use the class name (Armitage, Defiant,...) whenever available. I only list the best version (i.e. the Fleet version instead of the Retrofit version when it exists) according to the stated purpose of the table, but you have surely every reason to believe that your Armitage takes you through 95% of the PvE game content.
but seriously a lot of ships are still missing in the chart.
There are good reasons for that, as stated in the axiom at the start of the message. What's the point of comparing the Miranda or Akira with T5 ships ?
That marvelous ship is of course in my other thread, "choose your high-end cruiser" ; I'm updating the table and rewriting the text as well, along the same lines, although things are a bit more controversial there. It should be ready by sunday.
It's the Fleet Armitage ("Fleet Heavy Escort Carrier").
No. That is not my escort. My escort is just a heavy escort, not a heavy escort carrier. I dunno what ship is the charal / khyzon, are those the heavy escorts?
In your list you have the charal / khyzon, armitage, advanced escort and the defiant. You need to add the ship between the armitage and the advanced escort, that is the heavy escort.
The Heavy Escort is the Akira (or its Refit version, the Thunderchild), and it is a T3 ship. The T5 version is the Armitage, as is confirmed by the pointer on the Akira page on the Wiki. Perhaps you mean the Heavy Destroyer (Chimera) instead of the Heavy Escort ?
In both cases, the same thing can be said : the bridge configuration is interesting, with two universal slots including a Lt-Cmd. Unfortunately, the Fleet version does not receive a 5th tactical console, which would make the ship more than a match for the closest competitors. The Armitage is in my list because it's less expensive than the JHEC.
The (excellent) OP spreadsheet shows the Andorian Kumari escort as having four tac consoles (by virtue of neither + or - in that cell), and http://sto.gamepedia.com/Andorian_Kumari_Escort shows five tac consoles. Can someone say for certain which source is accurate?
The (excellent) OP spreadsheet shows the Andorian Kumari escort as having four tac consoles (by virtue of neither + or - in that cell), and http://sto.gamepedia.com/Andorian_Kumari_Escort shows five tac consoles. Can someone say for certain which source is accurate?
The Kumari has 5 tac consoles. But the table only mentions Charal and Khyzon which have 4 each.
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It's the Fleet Armitage ("Fleet Heavy Escort Carrier"). When ships have cumbersome names, I use the class name (Armitage, Defiant,...) whenever available. I only list the best version (i.e. the Fleet version instead of the Retrofit version when it exists) according to the stated purpose of the table, but you have surely every reason to believe that your Armitage takes you through 95% of the PvE game content.
There are good reasons for that, as stated in the axiom at the start of the message. What's the point of comparing the Miranda or Akira with T5 ships ?
No. I am talking about the PATROL ESCORT (yea sorry its not a heavy escort), or this is not considered as a scort?? that is as far as i remember in a step between the heavy escort refit (armitaje) and the heavy escort carrier. But im not sure about this, the only thing im sure is that my ship is not in your list :P
No. I am talking about the PATROL ESCORT (yea sorry its not a heavy escort), or this is not considered as a scort?? that is as far as i remember in a step between the heavy escort refit (armitaje) and the heavy escort carrier. But im not sure about this, the only thing im sure is that my ship is not in your list :P
Classes Hermes / Devish / Gryphon.
It's not on the list because the curator of the list does not consider it a high-end escort.
It's not on the list because the curator of the list does not consider it a high-end escort.
Really? lol. Its performance is almost the same as the defiant or other federation escort. In fact i had the breen raider until now and i changed back to the patrol escort, and i like it even more.
Really? lol. Its performance is almost the same as the defiant or other federation escort. In fact i had the breen raider until now and i changed back to the patrol escort, and i like it even more.
The (Fleet) Patrol Escort is comparable to the others, I agree.
However, amincielbleu believes that the Charal is a straight upgrade to the FPE due to having five forward weapon slots at the cost of reduced base hull and shield modifier (and increased cost if it's meant as a one-character purchase), and so doesn't list the FPE. A similar (in my opinion, erroneous) decision was made with the Fleet Excelsior and Assault Cruisers due to their similarities with ships like the Fleet Avenger, on the counterpart thread for cruisers.
Is there any reason why the table does not include the Kumari?
The Kumari has a really weird bridge configuration, with too many tactical slots. It is very impractical, even if your mind is only on DPS. I know quite a few captains who tested it and are unsatisfied with it because it is a "one-trick poney". DPS nowadays is a slightly sophisticated thing : keeping energy levels high, packing ennemies together, cycling efficiently your tactical skills... That is just beyond what the Kumari can do. The Charal and Khyzon will do some of those things just fine, and they simply reach better DPS figures on the field.
However, amincielbleu believes that the Charal is a straight upgrade to the FPE due to having five forward weapon slots at the cost of reduced base hull and shield modifier (and increased cost if it's meant as a one-character purchase), and so doesn't list the FPE. A similar (in my opinion, erroneous) decision was made with the Fleet Excelsior and Assault Cruisers due to their similarities with ships like the Fleet Avenger, on the counterpart thread for cruisers.
You read my mind . The Fleet Patrol Escort falls in the category of good ships that are sufficient for 95% of the game, but are definitely inferior (brute force, flexibility,...) to some ships in the list, the Charal being one of them. If a player likes the Patrol Escort because it's iconic, beautiful and/or free, by all means use it, and you won't be disappointed. Its Fleet version is not free though, and I wouldn' t recommend it.
In order to compare the Charal with the free version of a Patrol Escort, consider the cost of a C-store ship. It is 127 (current rate) x 2500 zen = 317 500 dilithium. Putting real money aside, it means 40 days of collecting dilithium (divide that by the number of characters you can assign to this task given your playtime). It gives a nice purpose.
Furthermore, as is implied by Mandoknight89, a C-store ship will be available for all your characters of the relevant faction. Maybe it's not a big argument for the Charal, but it is important for the Multi-vectorial Escort (giving access to the Fleet Advanced Escort for just 1 extra fleet module) : it can / should / will (cross the rejected options) be used by your scientist as well as your tactical captain. Romulans have a clear advantage here because three different Romulan captains can use the same ship successfully.
Considering this, I took the decision not to include free ships in the table just because of the cost advantage.
PS: Thanks for the notice on my cruiser thread, I'll recheck it. Maybe a mistake crept into the new version.
The Kumari has a really weird bridge configuration, with too many tactical slots. It is very impractical, even if your mind is only on DPS. I know quite a few captains who tested it and are unsatisfied with it because it is a "one-trick poney". DPS nowadays is a slightly sophisticated thing : keeping energy levels high, packing ennemies together, cycling efficiently your tactical skills... That is just beyond what the Kumari can do. The Charal and Khyzon will do some of those things just fine, and they simply reach better DPS figures on the field.
I completely disagree. I love the kumari and it owns everything on tactical builds. Its turn rate is enough to make 2 turns in less than 10 seconds. The only problem of the Kumari, like the breen raider (and i prefer the Kumari by far) is that the only 2 afterward weapon slots make the ship focused on hit and run. And i love hit and run on escorts.. lol. The DPS is not about the Kumari itself, its about your weapons configuration. And DPS not always mean you will kill more. The Kumari is better high-end escort that more than 50% of the ships on the list.
I have a question for amincielbleu. You mention that the escorts that are given to players at level 40 are only good for 95% of the PVE in the game. What are the 5% they cannot be used in? I am just curious if there is content I am missing.
The Hive Onslaught was beaten by 3 other players, and myself using one of the 2 free escorts from the Federation, or the Ha'Fah Warbird. The 5th player on the team had the free cruiser on the Fed side.
I have only played the No-Win about 4 times. Each time, the free escorts did great. Only reason the ones I was in failed is because I was puging and no one had heals to use on the ship we were protecting, or one time everyone was following me, and not splitting up.
Those are the hardest PVE I have seen in the game. I admit that the free escorts are not putting out as high DPS as the top end ships, and that they don't have 5 tac consoles. However, with the right skill tree build, at least the engines and shields to the Jhem space set, and a MK XI uncommon Positron Deflector, and MK XI or higher uncommon quality weapons, they can almost always solo a regular cube on elite.
Every PVE I have been in, they didn't exceed what the top end escorts could do, but they held their own. You may just need to pop a few more heals. So, I am just wondering what that 5% would be. It isn't in the list of PVE you can queue for at level 50. I have done them all with my free escorts.
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I don't want to open the Pandora box of discussing equipment here ; that would be a sure way to attract a cacophony of opinions. At least, opinions about ships can all be justified in retrospect by the "fanboy" approach (you fly a ship you like for aesthetical or emotional reasons), which is 100% legitimate for ships (but isn't for equipment).
Therefore, for equipment, I will refer you to a slightly outdated thread with which I learned the ropes myself : http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=244532 .
Of course it is a starting point, but it explains why you should aim for some specific stats when choosing your equipment. I'm convinced that if you type "Charal build" or "Charal budget build" in the search engine of the Federation shipyard forum, you will find more recent examples (some are poorly explained, but if you read the above thread, you will know what is a good suggestion and what is inappropriate).
About the inclusion of the Charal and Khyzon at the expense of the Kumari in the original table, I had to make a choice, and it was in favour of the more flexible ships. For my preferred PvE example, the no-win scenario, the Kumari is outperformed by a Khyzon with two tractor-beam repulsor.
You mention that the escorts that are given to players at level 40 are only good for 95% of the PVE in the game. What are the 5% they cannot be used in? I am just curious if there is content I am missing. [...]
Honestly, your comment is one of the best in this whole thread because it stresses the essential aspect I couldn't treat concisely in the original post : FUN !
If you beat the Hive Elite with a free escort, it means your group is really above average, but you prove it is feasible ! For the no-win scenario, I'm afraid that at least four people in the group should have the gravity well (and/or tractor-beam repulsor on a global cooldown) if you want to see the tenth wave. But again you can beat five waves with free escorts, it's just going to be more difficult. A long time ago, a fleet succeeded in beating all three elite STF with shuttle crafts (now it's not possible to try it again)...
The 5% I was referring to is not a list of missions. As you said, the Hive Elite and the no-win scenario are the most difficult PvE missions (maybe with the Terradome, but there is not much point in doing the Terradome anymore ; it is considered long, boring and useless by a majority). I meant 5% of circumstances you will encounter in the game... For example :
- Those nanites spheres are coming close to ruining the optional, can I do something ?
- The other part of the team exploded the gate far too early in Khitomer vortex, we are overwhelmed by spheres and probes on this side, can I do something ?
- A Tholian Recluse has just shut down my weapon system and big cristalline shards are approaching, can I do something ?
With a free escort (and most escorts absent from the table), the most likely answer is Kirk's suggestion to Saavik for the no-win scenario : a prayer (or hit evasive manoeuvre and Scotty, get us out of here). Contemporary escorts can do more than raw damage. That's why I recommend the ships in the table, that's why they are so popular among non-tactical captains too, that's why they are such fun for everybody. I should stress more the fun dimension in the original post.
The table is updated and includes the Hirogen Hunter Heavy Escort (Hiro HHE). This ship is unlikely to change the main references or to introduce a new type of gameplay. I consider it as a JHEC without a hangar, but it is included just in case someone would find unique features that distinguishes it.
Even if your reasons seem to be accurate, i dont agree sorry. The Kumari is an amazing escort, and all depends on you ship configuration. It has the same potential as the charal or the khyzon. Just different configuration. If you are not skillez enough to make the Kumari a great escort, maybe thats the problem. I dont care about tractor repulsors, escorts can easily avoid those. And the Kumari is not the exception. Tractor repulsors?? come on...
I honestly see your table and i cant take it as a reference.
And by the way, before you say somethin like "i am just defending my ship" im not. Since i dont fly the Kumari anymore. But i did, and the only reason i dont come back is because i like the Breen warship more. But avoiding the Kumari to be on the table is just wrong lol. As i said, more than 50% of the escorts in the table are inferior to the Kumari. I really had fun with the Kumari and i killed everything, in stfs, no scenario event (stage 9) and whatsoever.
Comments
The availability of a scientific Lt-Com enables you to use a gravity well 1, extremely effective because you pack ennemies in the firing arc of your double cannons and you have their cores breach on one another, so that the gravity well turns into fireworks. If you can reduce the cooldown of your gravity well (e.g. with a double aux2batt and technicians) to the global cooldown, this tactics is possibily the best source of useful DPS in the whole game.
This reduces the number of potentially optimal escorts, and among them only the Dhelan has 5 tactical consoles. Therefore I think there is a dominant option for Romulan tacticians (costs and advantages concur). It is a bit sad for diversity. For other professions and other factions, I see no such dominant option.
Sadly, this! What was cannon fodder on DS9 is the best escort in game. I have seen bug ships kill squadrons of enemy vessels all by themselves. The squad was experienced in PvP too.
Lockbox or go bust should be the tag line for this game(PvP).
- Judge Aaron Satie
Best in maneuverability, although the speed can be difficult to manage if slower ships are your style.
About the same as the JHAS in tanking, if not better. The JHAS only gets tanky because it can slot four armors, and most of the time at least one of those engineering console slots will have a universal console, reducing your armor to three consoles, which is the same as the Risian Corvette. Both of these escorts also gain tankiness from things like APO, APD, and Aux2Damp. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Risian Corvette also has an additional defense bonus while moving. You can play with damage resistance stacking and the diminishing returns using this spreadsheet: http://bit.ly/STOShipDamageResistance
Only 4 Tactical consoles. Having tried just about every escort in the game, I sometimes think having five tac consoles is over-hyped. Sure, you might manage some slightly increased damage, but what matters most is how you use that damage, not just the higher numbers.
STO Resources: <Ship Comparison - All Tiers + Small Craft + Hangar Pets> <Damage Resistance>
<R&D + Upgrade Costs> <Duty Officer Finder> <Suliban Doff Reqs> <Fleet Costs> <Rep Costs>
<Keybind Tour the Galaxy> <Fleet / Armada Management> <Currency Exchange> <Other STO Links>
STO Resources: <Ship Comparison - All Tiers + Small Craft + Hangar Pets> <Damage Resistance>
<R&D + Upgrade Costs> <Duty Officer Finder> <Suliban Doff Reqs> <Fleet Costs> <Rep Costs>
<Keybind Tour the Galaxy> <Fleet / Armada Management> <Currency Exchange> <Other STO Links>
The Ar'Kif is the only inexpensive escort carrier for the Romulans, so it has been included for the same reason as the Armitage for the Federation. Most of us are waiting for the Fleet version before deciding whether it's really worth buying or not, but it is on the cost/effectivity frontier (because of its low cost).
The Risan corvette has failed to meet expectations in PvE (at least when compared with other ships in the table and considering its cost in hours) but there seems to be a rising interest about this ship in PvP for quite some time now.
And i really think it owns, right now eve nif it is not a high-end ship. And i dont need the defiant, the raider or anything else xD. 2 dual heavy plasma cannons + plasma torpedos in the front, plus cutting beam and 2 high end plasma turrets in the back. All elite fleet weapons. Thats my build. I complement the torpedos with my prototype torpedo feature from the Reman tech, and with the assimilated borg engine + console.
I think, all depends on what build you have, but seriously a lot of ships are still missing in the chart.
It's the Fleet Armitage ("Fleet Heavy Escort Carrier"). When ships have cumbersome names, I use the class name (Armitage, Defiant,...) whenever available. I only list the best version (i.e. the Fleet version instead of the Retrofit version when it exists) according to the stated purpose of the table, but you have surely every reason to believe that your Armitage takes you through 95% of the PvE game content.
There are good reasons for that, as stated in the axiom at the start of the message. What's the point of comparing the Miranda or Akira with T5 ships ?
That marvelous ship is of course in my other thread, "choose your high-end cruiser" ; I'm updating the table and rewriting the text as well, along the same lines, although things are a bit more controversial there. It should be ready by sunday.
No. That is not my escort. My escort is just a heavy escort, not a heavy escort carrier. I dunno what ship is the charal / khyzon, are those the heavy escorts?
In your list you have the charal / khyzon, armitage, advanced escort and the defiant. You need to add the ship between the armitage and the advanced escort, that is the heavy escort.
Or maybe im missing something?
In both cases, the same thing can be said : the bridge configuration is interesting, with two universal slots including a Lt-Cmd. Unfortunately, the Fleet version does not receive a 5th tactical console, which would make the ship more than a match for the closest competitors. The Armitage is in my list because it's less expensive than the JHEC.
The Kumari has 5 tac consoles. But the table only mentions Charal and Khyzon which have 4 each.
very nice work!
Ah, thanks.
Is there any reason why the table does not include the Kumari?
No. I am talking about the PATROL ESCORT
Classes Hermes / Devish / Gryphon.
It's not on the list because the curator of the list does not consider it a high-end escort.
Really? lol. Its performance is almost the same as the defiant or other federation escort. In fact i had the breen raider until now and i changed back to the patrol escort, and i like it even more.
The (Fleet) Patrol Escort is comparable to the others, I agree.
However, amincielbleu believes that the Charal is a straight upgrade to the FPE due to having five forward weapon slots at the cost of reduced base hull and shield modifier (and increased cost if it's meant as a one-character purchase), and so doesn't list the FPE. A similar (in my opinion, erroneous) decision was made with the Fleet Excelsior and Assault Cruisers due to their similarities with ships like the Fleet Avenger, on the counterpart thread for cruisers.
The Kumari has a really weird bridge configuration, with too many tactical slots. It is very impractical, even if your mind is only on DPS. I know quite a few captains who tested it and are unsatisfied with it because it is a "one-trick poney". DPS nowadays is a slightly sophisticated thing : keeping energy levels high, packing ennemies together, cycling efficiently your tactical skills... That is just beyond what the Kumari can do. The Charal and Khyzon will do some of those things just fine, and they simply reach better DPS figures on the field.
You read my mind
In order to compare the Charal with the free version of a Patrol Escort, consider the cost of a C-store ship. It is 127 (current rate) x 2500 zen = 317 500 dilithium. Putting real money aside, it means 40 days of collecting dilithium (divide that by the number of characters you can assign to this task given your playtime). It gives a nice purpose.
Furthermore, as is implied by Mandoknight89, a C-store ship will be available for all your characters of the relevant faction. Maybe it's not a big argument for the Charal, but it is important for the Multi-vectorial Escort (giving access to the Fleet Advanced Escort for just 1 extra fleet module) : it can / should / will (cross the rejected options) be used by your scientist as well as your tactical captain. Romulans have a clear advantage here because three different Romulan captains can use the same ship successfully.
Considering this, I took the decision not to include free ships in the table just because of the cost advantage.
PS: Thanks for the notice on my cruiser thread, I'll recheck it. Maybe a mistake crept into the new version.
I completely disagree. I love the kumari and it owns everything on tactical builds. Its turn rate is enough to make 2 turns in less than 10 seconds. The only problem of the Kumari, like the breen raider (and i prefer the Kumari by far) is that the only 2 afterward weapon slots make the ship focused on hit and run. And i love hit and run on escorts.. lol. The DPS is not about the Kumari itself, its about your weapons configuration. And DPS not always mean you will kill more. The Kumari is better high-end escort that more than 50% of the ships on the list.
I have been kinda of banging my head against a wall trying to figure out what to replace my Patrol Escort with.
The Hive Onslaught was beaten by 3 other players, and myself using one of the 2 free escorts from the Federation, or the Ha'Fah Warbird. The 5th player on the team had the free cruiser on the Fed side.
I have only played the No-Win about 4 times. Each time, the free escorts did great. Only reason the ones I was in failed is because I was puging and no one had heals to use on the ship we were protecting, or one time everyone was following me, and not splitting up.
Those are the hardest PVE I have seen in the game. I admit that the free escorts are not putting out as high DPS as the top end ships, and that they don't have 5 tac consoles. However, with the right skill tree build, at least the engines and shields to the Jhem space set, and a MK XI uncommon Positron Deflector, and MK XI or higher uncommon quality weapons, they can almost always solo a regular cube on elite.
Every PVE I have been in, they didn't exceed what the top end escorts could do, but they held their own. You may just need to pop a few more heals. So, I am just wondering what that 5% would be. It isn't in the list of PVE you can queue for at level 50. I have done them all with my free escorts.
Therefore, for equipment, I will refer you to a slightly outdated thread with which I learned the ropes myself : http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=244532 .
Of course it is a starting point, but it explains why you should aim for some specific stats when choosing your equipment. I'm convinced that if you type "Charal build" or "Charal budget build" in the search engine of the Federation shipyard forum, you will find more recent examples (some are poorly explained, but if you read the above thread, you will know what is a good suggestion and what is inappropriate).
About the inclusion of the Charal and Khyzon at the expense of the Kumari in the original table, I had to make a choice, and it was in favour of the more flexible ships. For my preferred PvE example, the no-win scenario, the Kumari is outperformed by a Khyzon with two tractor-beam repulsor.
Honestly, your comment is one of the best in this whole thread because it stresses the essential aspect I couldn't treat concisely in the original post : FUN !
If you beat the Hive Elite with a free escort, it means your group is really above average, but you prove it is feasible ! For the no-win scenario, I'm afraid that at least four people in the group should have the gravity well (and/or tractor-beam repulsor on a global cooldown) if you want to see the tenth wave. But again you can beat five waves with free escorts, it's just going to be more difficult. A long time ago, a fleet succeeded in beating all three elite STF with shuttle crafts (now it's not possible to try it again)...
The 5% I was referring to is not a list of missions. As you said, the Hive Elite and the no-win scenario are the most difficult PvE missions (maybe with the Terradome, but there is not much point in doing the Terradome anymore ; it is considered long, boring and useless by a majority). I meant 5% of circumstances you will encounter in the game... For example :
- Those nanites spheres are coming close to ruining the optional, can I do something ?
- The other part of the team exploded the gate far too early in Khitomer vortex, we are overwhelmed by spheres and probes on this side, can I do something ?
- A Tholian Recluse has just shut down my weapon system and big cristalline shards are approaching, can I do something ?
With a free escort (and most escorts absent from the table), the most likely answer is Kirk's suggestion to Saavik for the no-win scenario : a prayer
I honestly see your table and i cant take it as a reference.
And by the way, before you say somethin like "i am just defending my ship" im not. Since i dont fly the Kumari anymore. But i did, and the only reason i dont come back is because i like the Breen warship more. But avoiding the Kumari to be on the table is just wrong lol. As i said, more than 50% of the escorts in the table are inferior to the Kumari. I really had fun with the Kumari and i killed everything, in stfs, no scenario event (stage 9) and whatsoever.