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Science Builds That Ignore Shields
e30ernest
Member Posts: 1,794 Arc User
I'm trying to set my sci toon and ship to deal damage that ignores shields for PVE. Which Sci powers are most effective for this? Should I aim to get Plasma weapons (does the DOT ignore shields)? What should I be looking for weapon-wise?
With this current setup, I've gotten my Aux power up to 130 and Particle Generators to 240 unbuffed. I've actually started killing STF mobs while they still have close to full shields in Normal difficulty especially when I stack abilities. Sensor Scan + Fermion + GW3 + Torpedo High Yield (on transphasics) seems to do pretty well on direct hull damage for example.
So far, my weakness seems to be on exotic damage dealt to me as well. Tractor beams from other ships hurt, and I only have 2 abilities (that I know of) in my current build that counter that. I also have a fairly low hull rating (54k+ at level 60) so direct damage to my hull is really troublesome.
Looking for more experienced advice.
I've got a long way to go in leveling my crafting and I'm still amassing Dil and EC for future equipment requisition. In short, I'm only starting to build up my liking. Here is (a long list of) what I currently have:
Front:
- Aux DHC - Currently running the stock cannons (Phaser). Thinking about changing these to whatever weapon damage type I end up with in the future.
- Graviton Torpedo (Dyson Rep) - Does the gravity well it create deal damage based on my particle generator levels? I'm using this for that gravity well
- Rapid-fire Transphasic Torpedo - Using this for the 40% damage that ignores shields. Would a Hargh'peng be better?
Rear:
- Phaser Turret - for a lack of better gear.
- Kinetic Cutting Beam (Omega Rep) - I'm not sure if this fits my build since it deals Kinetic damage. But it does well whenever my DHC up front tears down a shield facing.
- Phaser Turret - for lack of better gear.
I'm also actually using all 3 consoles from the Vesta set. The reduced cooldown for all of these 3 consoles made them usable since the Delta Rising update. The Shield Bubble is a good desperation escape card too.
- Sympathetic Fermion Transceiver - Gives a nice boost to Particle Generators and shield + hull area heal. Stacked with GW3 it does some pretty good damage.
- Multidimensional Wave-Function Analysis Module - Returns kinetic damage and repels mobs away (not sure if the repel deals damage). Reflected kinetic damage partly ignores shields too. I find it good to use with Feedback Pulse (returns energy damage). It's also a great counter to enemy tractor beams, gravity wells and other exotic damage abilities.
- Quantum Field Focus Controller - A Phaser lance useful for final boss mobs. I also use this if I have a particularly resilient target that's pinned down by a Well to help tear down a shield face and augment my other weapon damage. I might replace this console if I find anything better.
Other consoles include:
- Plasmonic Leech - Good for augmenting weapon energy levels (since I have most stacked to Aux and Shields) particularly with Energy Syphon.
- 2 Shield Refrequencers - Apart from adding to Particle Generators, the two of them has a 10% chance to deal over 1900 damage that ignores shields whenever I use an exotic damage or shield drain ability.
- 2 Particle Generators Mk XII
- 1 Graviton Generator Mk XII
- 2 Phaser Relays Mk XII - I'll replace this with whatever weapon damage type I ultimately end up with. I'm using this now for my DHC, turrets and lance.
My current equipment includes the following. Which of the reputation gear should I be looking at?
- Solanae Deflector Array - Gives a good boost to Particle Generators and Hull Integrity (+35).
- Solanae Hyper-Efficient Impulse Engines - I have it arround so I'm using it until I find something better. Has a little power boost for weapons while adding a chance for better maneuverability when I get hit.
- Solanae Resilient Shield Array - Has a chance to reflect damage
- Obelisk Subspace Rift Warp Core - Some Aux and Shield Power boosts
Skills Include:
Lt. Cmdr Universal
- Science Team 1 - For shield heals. The Refrequencer consoles also adds a +220 shield heal per second as well.
- Feedback Pulse 1 - Reflect damage that partly ignores shields
- Tractor Beam Repulsors - With the TBR pull DOFF and Wave-Function Analysis Module it's fun to dribble mobs around. I also use this to bring mobs closer to a grav well
Ensign Universal
- Tactical Team 1
Lt. Tactical
- Torpedo High Yield 1
- Canon Scatter Volley 1
Lt. Engineering
- Emergency Power To Shields 1
- Engineering Team 2
Commander Science
- Hazard Emitters 1
- Energy Syphon 1
- Gravity Well 1
- Gravity Well 3
DOffs:
- Warp Core Engineer - Chance to remove all debuffs when using an emergency power ability
- 2 Deflector Officers - Chance to reduce cooldown for deflector abilities
- Tractor Beam Officer - Tractor Beam Repulsor now pulls
- Gravimetric Scientist - Create aftershock GW.
Thanks and sorry for the long post!
With this current setup, I've gotten my Aux power up to 130 and Particle Generators to 240 unbuffed. I've actually started killing STF mobs while they still have close to full shields in Normal difficulty especially when I stack abilities. Sensor Scan + Fermion + GW3 + Torpedo High Yield (on transphasics) seems to do pretty well on direct hull damage for example.
So far, my weakness seems to be on exotic damage dealt to me as well. Tractor beams from other ships hurt, and I only have 2 abilities (that I know of) in my current build that counter that. I also have a fairly low hull rating (54k+ at level 60) so direct damage to my hull is really troublesome.
Looking for more experienced advice.
I've got a long way to go in leveling my crafting and I'm still amassing Dil and EC for future equipment requisition. In short, I'm only starting to build up my liking. Here is (a long list of) what I currently have:
Front:
- Aux DHC - Currently running the stock cannons (Phaser). Thinking about changing these to whatever weapon damage type I end up with in the future.
- Graviton Torpedo (Dyson Rep) - Does the gravity well it create deal damage based on my particle generator levels? I'm using this for that gravity well
- Rapid-fire Transphasic Torpedo - Using this for the 40% damage that ignores shields. Would a Hargh'peng be better?
Rear:
- Phaser Turret - for a lack of better gear.
- Kinetic Cutting Beam (Omega Rep) - I'm not sure if this fits my build since it deals Kinetic damage. But it does well whenever my DHC up front tears down a shield facing.
- Phaser Turret - for lack of better gear.
I'm also actually using all 3 consoles from the Vesta set. The reduced cooldown for all of these 3 consoles made them usable since the Delta Rising update. The Shield Bubble is a good desperation escape card too.
- Sympathetic Fermion Transceiver - Gives a nice boost to Particle Generators and shield + hull area heal. Stacked with GW3 it does some pretty good damage.
- Multidimensional Wave-Function Analysis Module - Returns kinetic damage and repels mobs away (not sure if the repel deals damage). Reflected kinetic damage partly ignores shields too. I find it good to use with Feedback Pulse (returns energy damage). It's also a great counter to enemy tractor beams, gravity wells and other exotic damage abilities.
- Quantum Field Focus Controller - A Phaser lance useful for final boss mobs. I also use this if I have a particularly resilient target that's pinned down by a Well to help tear down a shield face and augment my other weapon damage. I might replace this console if I find anything better.
Other consoles include:
- Plasmonic Leech - Good for augmenting weapon energy levels (since I have most stacked to Aux and Shields) particularly with Energy Syphon.
- 2 Shield Refrequencers - Apart from adding to Particle Generators, the two of them has a 10% chance to deal over 1900 damage that ignores shields whenever I use an exotic damage or shield drain ability.
- 2 Particle Generators Mk XII
- 1 Graviton Generator Mk XII
- 2 Phaser Relays Mk XII - I'll replace this with whatever weapon damage type I ultimately end up with. I'm using this now for my DHC, turrets and lance.
My current equipment includes the following. Which of the reputation gear should I be looking at?
- Solanae Deflector Array - Gives a good boost to Particle Generators and Hull Integrity (+35).
- Solanae Hyper-Efficient Impulse Engines - I have it arround so I'm using it until I find something better. Has a little power boost for weapons while adding a chance for better maneuverability when I get hit.
- Solanae Resilient Shield Array - Has a chance to reflect damage
- Obelisk Subspace Rift Warp Core - Some Aux and Shield Power boosts
Skills Include:
Lt. Cmdr Universal
- Science Team 1 - For shield heals. The Refrequencer consoles also adds a +220 shield heal per second as well.
- Feedback Pulse 1 - Reflect damage that partly ignores shields
- Tractor Beam Repulsors - With the TBR pull DOFF and Wave-Function Analysis Module it's fun to dribble mobs around. I also use this to bring mobs closer to a grav well
Ensign Universal
- Tactical Team 1
Lt. Tactical
- Torpedo High Yield 1
- Canon Scatter Volley 1
Lt. Engineering
- Emergency Power To Shields 1
- Engineering Team 2
Commander Science
- Hazard Emitters 1
- Energy Syphon 1
- Gravity Well 1
- Gravity Well 3
DOffs:
- Warp Core Engineer - Chance to remove all debuffs when using an emergency power ability
- 2 Deflector Officers - Chance to reduce cooldown for deflector abilities
- Tractor Beam Officer - Tractor Beam Repulsor now pulls
- Gravimetric Scientist - Create aftershock GW.
Thanks and sorry for the long post!
Post edited by Unknown User on
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The battlecruiser supports a Sci-heavy Boff layout, has tons(!) of innate defense @T5-U and the 2-piece set adds radiation damage to most exotic-damage abilities you use: grav well, Tr.B, TachB &c. &c.
You can also deal a lot of exotic damage using science abilities. The best one is TBR, you can use the tractor beam doff to reverse its effect but for your team is more usefull if you avoid the doff, use GW to trap npcs and TBR when it's necessary to push away npcs (es. to save the optional in a isa/ise)... However often I use GW to trap npcs and at the some time (from 3.54.5 km) TBR to "push and pull" to deal as much exotic damage as I can.
Playing STO spamming FAW is like playing chess using always the computer's suggested moves
Gravity Well & Tractor Beam Repulsors & Feedback Pulse
Photonic Shockwave doesn't do **** if shields are up. There are a few others that do damage to hull but their capacity to do damage is too low to make it a feature for a damaging science ability.
Gravity Well and TBR (DOFF'ed TBR to pull targets) are very easy to use. Feedback Pulse however is very tricky to use in PVE. The issue with FBP in PVE is that you need stuff to shoot at you so you damage them in return. Most science vessels the way many people fly them does not generate enough aggro to pull NPC attention away from the Escorts and TAC Cruisers when they're blazing away.
Unless you're in a group that makes it a point for you to attack first to gain attention, FBP use in PVE is worthless. Typically, FBP is deadly in PVP against high powered alpha strikers. That's doable since a player can target you right off the bat. But in PVE, with all the high powered TAC ships flying around, it may be hard to get the NPCs to shoot at you.
Unless you use a trick to pretty much guarantee the NPCs shoot at you instead, even in the middle of combat.
With a bunch of people shooting at the targets, I have found that you doing CC and performing simultaneous, multiple AOE attacks garners immediate aggro to your science ship.
GW alone does not guarantee NPCs to shoot at you in the midst of combat. GW and TS3 of the Dyson Torp? Even that isn't a guarantee to have the NPCs turn to you. You need to do far more.
Example: My Fed TAC in a Scryer. Ideally, she'd go for her high powered attack on multiple NPCs like this:
- High, high Aux Power
- Attack Pattern Alpha
- Grav Well 1 the NPCs and ball them up
- Fire Torp Sprd 2 with the Dyson Grav Torp into the ball.
- Fly into the middle of the mess
- Ensure defenses like EPTS, PH are running
- Use DOFF'ed TBR3, 1/4 impulse and stay in the ball and in close proximity of your GW center
- By this time, I should easily be garnering all the aggro, pop Hazard Emitters to help on heals if need be
- Pop Feedback Pulse 2
My science vessel was easily able to hold up, even with other ships exploding nearby. It was important to still be moving and turning, keeping everything close to the GW center, because a stationary ship has terrible defense.
In a team environment, for instance even during Elite difficulty Patrols, my science vessel doing that tactic was guaranteed to pull aggro towards me. They paid no heed to the Battlecruisers, TAC Cruisers, and high powered Raiders and Escorts. I could look at my party's ship icons and see that they're all in tip top shape most of the time. This means that if I needed it, they'd cross heal me. But honestly, most of the time I didn't need the extra heals since I had a high Aux ship and my heals were very strong and Polarize Hull was providing outstanding resists.
Anyways, with such high aggro pulling, Feedback Pulse was then an asset.
Make sure to take a look at DOFFs to enhance your science ability's performance.
Obtain the trait from L15 projectile crafting that gives your torpedoes a base 10% shield penetration - that way, you only need two of the above doffs to proc to attain 80% shield pen with torps.
What Boffs do you have? You can increase your damage with "pirates" (I m quite certain it works on exotic damage, too). The Hierarchy Boff from one of the delta missions has this trait (+efficient). If you have Rank 4 in Diplomacy, then you can claim a Nausicaan Boff with the pirate trait at ESD. They can also be bought from other players, but cost several million EC.
A blue Romulan Tac Boff from the Romulan embassy increases your CrtH, which works at least on your weapon damage.
I would also use one beam array for subsystem targeting.
How about:
Ens universal -> EPtS1
Lt Eng -> EPtAux1, Aux2Sif ?
EPtAux increases not only your Aux, but also particle generators and graviton generators. With max Aux your Aux2Sif will be quite nice and it can be used every 15 seconds.
I have to admit I do not like cannons, not even the Aux cannons on the Vesta, because you always have to turn to keep the target in front of you. Using beams and some torpedos is much more relaxing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAY8Ylclpng&index=6&list=PLXsQAcYmzAwBRvia361EXnLEFm7IqZH6X
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Captain Bi Shonen's official Thread! http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?p=22866531#post22866531
Is Polarize Hull any good? I have a couple of DOffs that give Polarize Hull a chance to reflect damage.
| USS Curiosity - Pathfinder | USS Rift - Eternal |
The Science Ship Build Thread - Share your Sci Ship builds here!
I love PH, given that it's a great tractor breaker and and high aux power it's a hell of a damage resistance buff. I wouldn't use the doffs on it though, I don't think one has enough slots to use for those PH reflection doffs.
Btw, the "pirate" is not a skill on a boff. It is a trait and afaik only pops on nausicaans and the hierarchy boff you can get from episode play iirc.
Boffs have 4 traits similar to Captain traits. However, most of them are ground traits like "superior stubborn" or something like this. There are a few space traits that are quite useful. They are actually the reason why romulans are so powerful. Their Boff can have "romulan operative" and "superior romulan operative". These traits increase CrtH (and CrtD I think). As Fed or Kdf you can get one of those from the Embassy. It is the male rare/blue Tac Boff who has "superior romulan operative". Remans come with "infiltrator", which boosts the ambush ability.
All Nausicaans have the pirate trait, which increases all damage by 1.5 % and is stackable. Thus 5 Nausicaan Boff could increase your overall damage by 7.5%. As Fed you can get a Nausicaan Boff by Doffing. You have to reach rank 4 in diplomacy for this. Such Boffs are also tradable (from player to player, not exchange). They cost several millions of EC though.
The hierarchy Boff you get from one of the Delta story episodes has also the pirate trait and is a Sci/intel Boff. You can train him all Science skills though. He also comes with a second trait: "efficient". This trait increases warp core efficiency by 7.5. On Fed side some saurians have this trait, on KDF side some letheans have it.
All humans have the "leadership" trait, which increases the hull and subsystem repair skills.
On old Boffs and on one rom Boff you can find "warfare specialist". Can't remember what it does exactly at the moment. I think it increases a couple of skills that boost weapon damage by a small number.
Someone mentioned Emergency Power to Aux + Aux To SIF, if my Aux power is already at Max 135, can it actually go higher? I thought that was the ceiling?
| USS Curiosity - Pathfinder | USS Rift - Eternal |
The Science Ship Build Thread - Share your Sci Ship builds here!
Science Console Space is usually at a premium, but you get the added benefit of having a really tanky hull and access to Eject Warp Plasma 3(which does very well combined with inverted Tractor Repulsors and some mines/aft cluster torps).
the Bastion is probably the best pick for 'vacuum' playstyle at the moment. It has decent Science capacity, fighters, and access to both Reflective Immunity Matrix(immunity to all damage + damage reflect) and Aceton Mode(via Palisade; drains power and releases a big exotic damage shockwave).
Otherwise, the D'kyr, Nebula, and Atrox are decent 'Science Ship' alternatives for the playstyle.
Also, I'd highly recommend getting some lockbox consoles like Spacial Charge Launcher, Isometric Charge, or Elachi Subspace Integration Circuit. They all can do some pretty heavy AoE damage on a properly specced ship.
Speaking of consoles, I have a Projected Singularity console in my bank (I haven't opened it) I dropped from a box. It seems interesting in the wiki, but I don't see many ships that use it. Is it worth opening or should I just send it off to the exchange?
| USS Curiosity - Pathfinder | USS Rift - Eternal |
The Science Ship Build Thread - Share your Sci Ship builds here!
As for the other consoles, no, they're exotic damage weapons on 2 minute cooldowns:
Isometric Charge chains from target to target until it explodes violently at the.. fourth?.. bounce. Don't use it unless at least 3 targets are clustered together. Works well against fast movers as long as they stay close to each other.
Spacial Charge Launcher fires multiple heavy bursts of missiles(cannot be shot down) at fixed locations. Doesn't do much against moving targets, but if you can collect and immobilize a bunch of targets, it hits very hard - especially at the epicenter. Great against big, slow movers like Vaadaur Artillery Ships, Dreadnoughts, Structures, etc.
Subspace Integration Circuit knocks out sensors and effectively immobilizes ships in a big cloud upon impact.. and then explodes for a very respectable amount of damage after a few seconds. It's also great at breaking tractor beams in addition to keeping a cluster of ships from attacking anything for a while.
GW the carrier, let his hangar units bunch up with him, then fire Isometric Charge.
| USS Curiosity - Pathfinder | USS Rift - Eternal |
The Science Ship Build Thread - Share your Sci Ship builds here!
Best way to get and keep aggro is to use the Embassy PartGen consoles with the +Threat mod.
The OP is well on the righ track, though. What he should strife for is the Particle Manipulator trait from lvl 15 Science R&D. It converts 25% of your PartGen value into critchance for your exotic damage. So if your PartGen value is 400, your exotic damage abilities have a crit chance of 100%.
Also aim for the flanking damage bonuses from the Intel specialization. Gravity Well always flanks, due to enemies always trying to get away from the centre.
Generally speaking, not really. Weapon damage is still damage; trading a permanent boost to your weapons for a 2 minute situational ability is a pretty bad trade.
He might be putting those consoles in those tac slots so he can stack more partigen consoles in the sci slots.
When the R&D Lv15 traits were bugged and you could have them at Lv1, I experimented with that Particle Manipulator trait on my Fed TAC flying a Scryer using a moderate PGen build. Her PGen was about in the low 300s, nothing at all like the guys with 400 or even 500 PGen. But that trait was absolutely awesome and if you get it, it's what sets Good PGen builds from the top of the line ones.
Even for my TAC Captains, I'm making it a point to eventually get Lv15 Science.
The luxury with TAC Captains for PGen builds is that Attack Pattern Alpha and such still increase the dmg effects of Science abilities and do not have to worry about having to collect aggro. Unlike SCI Captains as you pointed out, for Conservation of Energy Trait, you need them to shoot at you. However, APA has a moderate cooldown while Conservation of Energy? It just needs you to get shot at.
Only catch with PGen builds, is that they're like Drain Builds. They require super specialization but PGen builds are more time consuming (attaining Lv15 SCI in R&D) and costly to truly make them great.
Correct, in a bunch of my SCI heavy builds, stuff like Spire TAC Consoles have no value. You need to stack more of the appropriate bonuses for your SCI build. +30 something phaser damage with 1.8 crit hit doesn't do **** for a build that relies on stuff like Grav Wells, TBR, PSW, FBP, etc.
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=1297581
As you can see, under perfect conditions, with epic items, buffs, etc you could, in theory, reach ~660 in particle generators. For a few seconds only of course, but in any case 400 PG for 100% CrtH is possible.
Traits: Particle Manipulator, Positive Feedback Loop, Conservation of Energy req'd
Build: http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=particlegensscience_6238
rarity of items should be as high as possible, I've linked my current setup. If you can move the rarity along on a few more items, then the Nukara Particle Converter isn't required. The two beam weapons (Chroniton DBB & Advanced Thoron Beam Array) aren't really there for damage, but to complete the 3-piece for the Delta Rep and the Temporal set, since the Cannon skill and the Temporal Inversion Field are worth it with 400 particle generators. Also, the "ultra rare" particle generators are supposed to be the Embassy +Threat Shield Heal ones, but I'm posting from a phone.
Overall, this build almost entirely ignores shields and melts things with direct to hull damage.
Odan Brota (Science Officer): Captain of a 28k DPS Scryer Intel Science Vessel, U.S.S. Kepler
Patiently waiting for a Romulan Science Vessel
Yes pretty much. With most of my power going to Aux and Shields, my weapons won't be that effective anyway. I'll still be keeping a beam somewhere for sub-system targeting and maybe the Vesta's Aux Cannons since those draw power from Aux.
So I'm thinking of using those Tac slots for some universals to free up my Sci and Eng slots.
So 400 is a good target? Unbuffed, I only have 240 right now. I'd better get started working on acquiring those items.
Thank you all for your input!
| USS Curiosity - Pathfinder | USS Rift - Eternal |
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It seems the radiation damage with my current setup gives me around 1000 radiation damage per tick on Energy Syphon and Tachyon Beam (which I temporarily used to replace Feedback Pulse). So I'm using them now primarily for the additional radiation damage rather than the shield/energy drain. With the appropriate traits and better gear, I can perhaps boost that damage further (they are boosted by particle generators).
I'm also working on getting the Delta Rep items done as well as the Phaser Turrets from the 8472 rep. The Iso Cannon sounds interesting to have and the radiation damage from the 8472 gear might be a good match for my build objectives (exotic + radiation).
| USS Curiosity - Pathfinder | USS Rift - Eternal |
The Science Ship Build Thread - Share your Sci Ship builds here!
Pick up the Torpedo launchers from the Breen missions Cold Comfort for the Rapid Reload and Out in the Cold for the Cluster launcher.
Bridge Officer wise use mainly Torpedo Spread with a single High Yield when you don't want to aggro an entire area. Though if you solo PvE you'll be using Spread far more then High Yield anyway. The spreads will target incoming overloaded torpedoes, annoying fighter swarms, and can even be used to clear minefields if needed.
Note that neither HY or Spread works with the Cluster Torp. Also be sure one of your Science BOFFs has Gravity Well. Fire Gravity Well, watch the enemies cluster up nicely, fire Cluster Torp and a Torpedo Spread. In normal PvE you can wipe out a standard 3 wing of Frigates with a single salvo if it's timed right.
With torps in your weapon slots, you don't need weapon power. So this setup leaves you extra energy for Shield, Aux and Engines.
If you have the room start with Transphasic Compressors in your Tac slots, upgrade as appropriate with the specials/reputation/fleet ones.
Add Duty Officers that help your torp cooldown and slot them in space slots.
The easiest one to get is Law (purple) from a Fistful of Gorn in the Nimbus (Wasteland) mission arc.
Gul Tain is a purple from the Provide Santuary to Gul Tain mission.
Omet'Etan the Jem'Hadar is a blue officer that you get from Facility 4028 mission.
That's 2 purple and 1 blue for a total of 5+5+4 second cooldown reduction. If you continually fire Torpedoes you'll be amazed how often your Torpedoes (even the Cluster Torps) are available. It's not the beam spam method but it's a decent alternative. And you don't have to worry about Acetobroken ASSimilators as torps kill those quick.
Another nice feature is that all the Torpedoes and the Duty Officers are from PvE missions. That makes this an easy set to slot up. Compressors you'll have to buy or craft but they are usually available for a middling price on the Evil-xchange.
One bug (or feature) firing a standard Transphasic triggers a 6 second counter on the Cluster. So when closing, fire the Cluster first and then the standard ones.
I do not know how well this works in Elite STFs since DR. Also I do not PvP anymore. In PvE and normal and advanced STFs I have not had any major issues. (Just be sure to be careful with Spread in STFs).
Good luck!
1) Assuming you get lvl15 traits and you have broken 400 PGens, should you then start adding in more GravGens? At that point is it worth stacking more particles, or should you add more pull? Thoughts?
2) As mentioned on the torp ideas, I've played around with it some but I am not an expert. Does the order of the weapons on your loadout screen dictate which fires first? Is it left to right? Would you theoretically slot the cluster torp in the left most slot so it fires first, then the transphasics after that trigger the cooldown doffs to reduce the cluster torp? I've heard a comment or two about specific firing orders being possible but haven't got any details on how.
regarding 1)
Reaching 400 in particle generators is already quite tough (at least by equipment only). Let us assume you are endlessly rich and use:
ur Solanae deflector (50)
R&D eng console with PRTG mod epic (37.5)
R&D science console with PRTG mod epic (75)
4 embassy particle generator consoles epic (4x37.5 = 150)
reman or romulan engine and shield (17.5)
99 from 9 ranks in the skill
10 from astrophysicist trait
10 from EPtAux1
...oh look, it is already 449
The same in "affordable"
Solanae MK XII 35
5 embassy consoles MK XII (5x31.9=159/160)
reman set bonus (17.5)
99 from skill
10 astrophys
10 EPtAux
330
Well, the problem is that there will not much be left to add graviton generators without loosing console slot in engineering or tactical. You can add it with assimilated console and tachyokinetic converter. Both are nice consoles, so why not?