Couple questions about skills...

Comments

• player20092 Member Posts: 0 Arc User

  January 2014 edited January 2014

  You will have to pick and choose what skills you want, you can't max everything. Keep in mind that skills have diminishing returns. You get less value as you add more points. So it is worth spreading your points around a little bit.
  
  As to your second question, it could be cheap for a lot of reasons, such as the person selling it not caring for more ec or not knowing it's worth more.
  
  However, it's more likely that the passive traits were not great. There are space based passive traits, and some of them make BO's worth quite a bit of ec. Also, most BO abilities are not hard for people with a lot of EC to get if they want them, so abilities don't often sell for a lot of EC.

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• shockwave85 Member Posts: 1,040 Arc User

  January 2014 edited January 2014

  Most Boffs are cheap because there's only a couple passive skills that people desire. For space, it used to be all about Efficient (only available on Saurians for Feds). Romulans and Remans introduced Subterfuge and Operative, but only Romulan captains can pick them up as normal Boff candidates. Fed and KDF have to get them from the Fleet embassy, and you're limited to how many you can have. All other Boffs are dirt cheap, because people generally don't care about their ground passives. Also, on ESD/First City/New Romulus Command you can change your Boff's active powers by retraining them. This is not only recommended, it's basically mandatory. What you get on them is really random, and it needs to be more tailored to your ship and how you fly it. 90% of people's "builds" is related to what Boff powers they're using, and the rest of the ship is built around that.
  
  For skill trees, if you're new to the game it's best to follow somebody's example. Here's some good general use skill trees:
  
  Escort or Cruiser: http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/index.php?build=FleetEscortTac_494
  
  Science: http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/index.php?build=mavstandardsci1_0
  Note: This one assumes you're running the Sci ship with all torpedoes/mines and no power in weapons approach. If you're doing something else, like using Vesta Aux cannons, switch the points from the projectile skills to their equivalent energy skill

  

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• noroblad Member Posts: 2,624 Arc User

  January 2014 edited January 2014

  rogueninech wrote: »

  Well I have been learning the nuances of the Character & Bridge Officer skill sets this weekend, and I have a couple questions:
  
  First the character skills, do you have to pick and choose which ones you want or can you max everything?
  
  Second why are very rare BOs so cheap on the exchange? I picked up a pretty good one with Aux to Struc II & Shield Polarity III. He also Engineering II (Hull Repair Skill, I forget the acronyms) and EPtE I.
  
  He even had fairly good ground skills although I am happy with my away team at the moment. They have been tearing through most ground enemies, with only a few exceptions. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

  
  Your character can get "really close" to having 6 points in most everything, or you can go for 9 in key areas for a more specialized build. Respec costs a lot so 6 in everything allows playing a lot of styles with various gear and ships, and I recommend it. There are a couple of skills you do not need, like turn rate in sector space one, or projectile weapons past 3 points each tops, if that.... I advise 0 in the PW skills unless you plan to use more than 1 torp or mine on a regular basis. With those 4 zeroed out, I think you get mighty close to 6 in all space skills after.
  
  Bridge officers are only expensive if they have one of 2 things: a very, very rare and hard to get skill (tends to run up to 1/4 mil) or a rare and potent space skill (romulans!). Roms are pricy because the mission to get one is infrequent, about 1 a week, with about a 1/3 chance to get the space skill. Meanwhile you can get 2-3 of the other races each week. It does not take much in terms of a duty officer to get nearly a 50-50 chance for a purple officer. The most important thing for a BO is racial ability.... the skills can be trained for the most part, either from another BO or from a player etc. Often a blue with the right racials is better than a purple that has garbage.... Ground combat skills are a dime a dozen on some races.

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• rogueninech Member Posts: 15 Arc User

  January 2014 edited January 2014

  Thanks for the info, and I actually stumbled upon that skill planner while building my Exeter Class Cruiser. Excellent tool and I use it all the time.

  "The worm has turned and it is now packing an Uzi, Mary." - Will Randall

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