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New Sci VA, Oddy or Vesta
karlthane1
Member Posts: 1 Arc User
New VA, missed the free Oddessy (grumble grumble work) trying to decide which ship to get. Any suggestions?
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I suspect you may mean the Dyson ship, which is a rather huge distinction. Between these, I can't say; my science toon is in a Fleet Nova which serves him pretty well, as it's fast, decently armed and tactically versatile. However, I don't think it's for everyone.
My guess would be that if you want something with raw firepower then you'd want one (or more) of the Dyson ships, due to its additional DHC and ability to swap between tactical and science mode. If you want something a little more versatile, or you want to do a cannon-based escort-science hybrid that runs off of aux (via aux cannons), you'd want a Vesta.
Hopefully someone else will have more information for you, though, because this is relatively uncharted territory for me.
However, on the off chance you DO mean the Odyssey, it depends very largely on what you're used to using before, specifically how much experience you have with cruisers. The Odyssey is a versatile, heavily-armored whale, and while some say it sucks, it's actually a pretty good ship, and is pretty forgiving for a beginner. However, it is also slow and somewhat difficult to maneuver and lacks any DHC capabilities, not that it can really manage it without saucer sep. My personal opinion if you go with the Ody is that you should probably get the three-pack in order to have access to all the toys it comes with (and three-pack ships tend to be toy boxes) and all the different hulls and assess what's best for you. However, if you have not commanded a cruiser before, and have preferred science ships for your leveling, I would say that you definitely want to get used to the nuances of a cruiser beforehand, and should probably buy a Mirror Star Cruiser and/or Mirror Assault Cruiser off the Exchange to make sure this is what you want. But I would very seriously skip the Fleet Odyssey, because ultimately it's a gimp version of the Science Odyssey. If you really love the Ody it's a good ship, but you can almost certainly do better, even if you're buying quasi-free 9-console fleet ships (which aren't really what most would consider a 'fleet' ship, but I dunno what else to call them).
The Oddy is one of the finer support cruisers in the Federation lineup, and has the flexibility to be configured for other roles. The most useful of its consoles is located on the most useless of its variants, so 3pack is must. Sensor Analysis on a cruiser may become interesting soon.
The Besta is, of course, one of the best Sci ships in the Fed lineup, capable of emulating any of the original core Sci ships, or going with more tactically-heavy loadout than traditional Scis.
Both are fine ships, tho. Vesta is fine, she just didn't suit me personally. Just that one voice out there that doesn't think she is the best thing since sliced Hasperat.
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
I chose it because I wanted a ship with a hangar, I didn't like the HEC from what I read, I didn't like the Atrox, but I liked the look of the Vesta line so I got it. The "Oh Hell!!!!" bubble is very useful against the one shot kill torps. It took me a little while to get used to playing it but once I did I thought it was brilliant.
The only downside is there are no aux powered weapons other than the DHCs that come with it.
That's not weird. If you don't like the look of the Vesta, then it makes prefect sense.
Yeah, for the OP, I would say both ships are good choices. I'd say the Vesta involves a bit more micromanagement with buttons and keybinds even if that's your thing. It's just the added management layer of the hangar.
Don't forget the Mirror Heavy Cruiser. Its like beef jerky! Tough and overall tasty.
The above paragraph usually have people decrying and trying to debunk my statement. Point is, I find more value in the Fleet Intrepid's higher stats, and feel better about using it, rather than taking a Vesta and not appreciating the things that come with it. My experience dictates that I get far more mileage from the Fleet Intrepid (Fleet Long Range Science Vessel Retrofit) than any other ship.
Save for the exception of the pricy Wells Temporal Science Vessel, which has excellent turn rate. But then, if you would go and turn the Wells' LtC seat to Tactical, the Fleet Nova is nearly the same then.
In the looks department, I have to say I'm fonder of the Bellerophon-class due to its 2409 styling. The Rhode Island, while appropriate for the period, doesn't really match that look. About the same go for the Vesta line, though the Rademaker-class does come close.
I might have settled for the Reconnaissance Science Vessel (the Luna-class) as the science ship I prefer... were it not for its ship costumes which have... very badly aged. If they made a nice 2409 refit for it, odds are it could be my favorite.
The versatility of the ship is pretty much unmatched. You can go full Sci, Escort-Hybrid, or a Shield Tanked Cruiser-Hybrid. And you also have your choice of carrier pets too, except frigates. I have both the Oddy and the Vesta, to date, none of my 3 Fed toons use the Oddy, but 2 of them have saved loadouts on the Vesta and 1 of those 2 its their primary ship.
A lot of people will hate on the Vesta for one (or a combination) of several reasons;
1) They don't like the feel of the ship
2) They feel it's overpowered (in the grand scheme of things, it's probably true, but not obscenely so)
3) They don't like pet spam, either managing them or fighting them (and it is difficult to get used to at first)
4) Its squishy, compared to all other fleet ships, the Vesta is probably the weakest durability wise
Of all my purchases in STO, the Vesta is the one I've never hedged on or regretted.
I have a confession to make. I LOVE THIS SHIP. I just got it hooked up and equipped on an alt of mine and have run it through a few STFs (he's probably my newest 50 so has the least amount of stuff completed). And it's just so much fun to fly this little thing. It's quick, it's got some teeth, it's got a flexible layout. I really like it's looks. (I went with the stargazer skin, but the amount of kitbashing customization available through the entire skins is really good).
So yeah, I dig the mirror heavy cruiser. I may save up for the fleet version if I ever really focus on this alt.
GW the enemy then tear them apart with the aux cannons.
cant wait for secondary deflector and s9 undine set that gives my elite phasers a chance.
Is that from your own parsing or just the award at the end of the encounter?
The award is based on more than DPS. CE is kind of unique that way. It's formula is different and you get a heavier weight for actually doing things unrelated to straight DPS. Unlike, say, the Starbase FA, or the Gorn Minefield.
I love this ship too! (Mirror Universe Heavy Cruiser Retrofit)
Talking cruisers, this is one of the few cruisers that has Lt. Cmdr Science BOff slot and 3 Eng, Sci and Tactical console slots. The closest cruiser is the Ambassador and Fleet Ambassador ship, otherwise you have to get a C-Store /Lockbox ships.
Back to OP, the Oddy Sci ship is geared toward Science but it is not truly a Science ship - it doesn't have all the Science ship abilities.
All my characters (Eng, Sci and Tactical Fed toons) do great in the Vesta. It's a true Sci ship that, from a 3-pack, can be geared toward Engineering, Science and Tactical and STILL be a full science ship. If you care about DPS, it'll do that too. Even if you get just the Science Vesta, you'd do good.
Also consider Mirror Universe lockbox ships in the Exchange, they can be cheap but as good as the regular T5 ships. For example, the MU Reconnaissance Science Vessel has the same layout (BOff and consoles) as the Reconnaissance Science Vessel (Nova) but the ship hull, crew and turnrate and skin is different. If you don't care about looks, this is a good one.
http://sto.gamepedia.com/Federation_playable_starship
SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
Second that, I bought this incredibly cheaply off the Exchange when I hit VA and haven't bothered using any other ship, and I've tried all the non-special available ones of similar level. (Torp build, mind you.) It just fits my playstyle like a glove, and I even like the looks!
I'm now saving up Dil to get the Fleet Sci Recon, which has exactly the same BOFF layout, but better hull, shields, turn rate, and an extra Tac console.
They don't match T5 ships, but that was never their intent. They make excellent leveling ships and a great way to get a person interested in their more expensive prime universe counterparts.
Once you get fleet access however, theres no contest with the prime universe counterparts.
As for the Vesta, it's the most versatile science ship in the game if you're a fan of Lt. commander and commander science slots. The consoles as a suite is great - but I've dropped most based on my ship layout. If I'm going grav well 3, the gravimetirc console is a nice pairing. Doing NWS? Drop in the Fermion Console for extra healing coverage.
The all AUX cannon build is interesting, and it works but IMO are a bust in a world were APB and FAW reign. I would love to do an elite phaser version, but given the huge disappointment elite phasers are it's frankly not worth the investment.
Note: I struggle every day with the fact that I get better results with Phased polaron and Romulan plasma than I do with elite phasers. But I am a PvE player. PvP isn't for me.
I've kept 2 of my 3 vesta builds active (sci and tac) after the end of MIE. They are extremely fun to play.
I keep putting my Sci character in her Nebula but she always ends up back in her Vesta whenever I actually need her to be effective during a mission.
http://sto.gamepedia.com/Advanced_Research_Vessel_Retrofit
Not as fancy as the Vesta or Oddy, but serious fun to use.
But overall, the real question is "What do you want in a ship".
The vesta, oddy, nebula, nova variants, intrepid variants and the mirror heavy cruiser retrofit all bring their own qualities.
My Fed toons (sci/tac/eng) have commanded the Vesta and I do mean command. I have different play styles for each career on the tac Vesta they all commanded. And it has been insanely fun!
My sci now runs the Fleet Chimera Class and she is epic in it. Disruptor beams plus fleet tac consoles plus shield stripping with GW 1 and torp spread is nuts on her.
My tac runs the tac Vesta also has a similar layout except with GW 3 & TR 1 with Torp Spread 3 with Elite Obelisk drones.
My main toon is a Joined Trill engineer on an AP beam setup on the tac Vesta. And he can GW3 and torp spread 3 the frak out of enemies.
So in the end, it depends if you want to have low hull but high turn rate and buff the weakness of the ship or have high hull and compensate for a low turn rate. Either way you should have fun.
Funny thing about the Aux-Weapons: They suck compared to the same weapons with the same modifiers which draw their energy from weapons. The concept seems nice, but has a fatal flow as Aux doesnt know overcap. So real weapons of the same kind have a 20% dps-increase compared to aux-cannons. And thanks to power-creep, you can still heal, CC, and support the hell out of it, even if it flies on weaponenergy.
Another failed cryptic-mechanic.
Compared to the same weapons you say? Are you aware that cannons don't know overcapping anyway? (or have I missed a recent change to them?) - Also you can get Aux power to "real" 130 which you can't with Weapons power (yet).
To see through cryptics magic(al math), you have to test it. And a overcapped cannon does more dmg than a just 125-cannon, you can see it either on how low the energy will fall or in combatlog. Everytime I tried to just balance it at 125 (or a few points above) my dps took quite the hit compared to the 140+ approach. Wouldnt be the first thing cryptic implemented secretly.
Thats true, but there are still conceptional weaknesses (cryptic side). You dont have Aux-Turrets, thats been there from day 1 and they never moved any finger to implement it. The Second problem is, its only phasers. If they were AP, you could utilize 2pc-Obelsik-Set, have a flat increase of dmg of 10% and could completely forget the turrets. But nope, its just a haxxed concept, which was given no thought after the first implementation. And then they go ahead and give the ship not a optimal layout for cannons (you can only have either 2 APB or 2 CRF, if you dont want to spend millions on doffs).
You can use Aux-cannons, they are powerful. But from my experience,real cannons give you more (and beams even more, but thats a different theme).
But the worst part from my PoV is, that the concept doesnt work good.
So when did you test this and could you post numbers such as in the following thread? (http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=859091), because even though I never tested this by myself so far, I read enough threads (like the one I linked) on that matter and the "testers"(!) always came to the conclusion, that cannons (at least DHCs) don't overcap. Also did you test the Aux-build with 125 or 130 Aux in your comparison to the Weapons power build?
Agreed. And ah yes.. I forgot about the MACO stuff, because I prefer to use the Borg set..
MOBIUS!!!!! Or WELLS!!!!!
Seriously though, the temporal ships are freakin amazing. OP might want to consider them too!
Heretic, burn him burn him.
Seriously thought I think it has to do with unlocks. Both the Oddy and Vesta are account unlocks the Wells or temporal are character only, so the OP can't use them on other characters at VA without spending more EC.