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Need Advice on skills and weapons
willamsheridan
Member Posts: 1,189 Arc User
http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/index.php?build=andromeda1_6604
this is my current Build (ship and skills). I didn't complete the ground part becsuse i change Kits and Kit modules, ARmor, weapons and shileds a lot. usually its a combination of Mortar, Turret, Mine and Generator
Aside from the Andromeda i use the Fleet Eclipse, Fleet Guardian and the Samsar with Grav. Well where possible. All of those obviously without the Galaxy three piece set so more room for additional consoles. I also use the command cruisers but only with the 4-piece set so less room for consoles
Now my questions:
1. Would i benefit (dps-wise) if i change my skills to get 6 points in Kinetic Weapons and Kinetic weapons efficiency each and add a Torpedo? And where could i get these points from?
Would aTorpedo even be useful? Since i use and own nearly all of the Reputation systems Universal consoles i could get the 2-piece weapons bonus from most sets but usually not the three piece.
2.
AP weapons are great but i am thinking about changing my weapons, my energy type . But i`m not sure.
I really like the Biomolecular Disruptors, i could take the Nukara or Zero point consoles off my ship and replace them with the Multi Conduit energy relay for +13% Disruptor damage (and additional 7,6 together with the Turret) i could boost that with the Iconian console for additional 10.
With the Hydrodyn. Compensator i could get a 3 piece bonus and if we can fit a Torpedo on my ship i could use the Biomol. Torpedo for the 4-piece set.
I hear a lot about the Neutronic Torpedo from the Delta Rep. too, not much about the Biomolecular Torpedo. So i could use the Neutronic too but i usually don't use the Bioneural Gelpacks and i am not really sure about Polaron weapons, especially the Thoron Polarons so i probably won't get any set bonus.
Cheapest way, if there can be room for a Torpedo, would be the Iconian set. Just replace one AP beam with another and add a Quantum Torp to that
But since i already have AP Spire consoles and weapons i could always use AP as my secondary build and still use Biomol. as my main, primary loadout
So you see, i have many ideas thats why i need your help.
Are there skillpoints that i can sacrifice for at least 6 points each in the 2 Kinetic weapon skills?
Is it even useful to change my skills/loadout to add a Torpedo, and which one?
Also is it wise to change my weapons and go from ultra rare + 80CritD to very rare + 40 CritD?
And which Damage Type/Rep. Weapons could you recommend, Biomolecular Disruptor, Polaron or Rom. Plasma?.
There is no set, aside from the Jem Hadar shield/deflector/Impulse set that boosts Polaron Damage and really want to keep my. CC-Deflecor and my better Reman shields so that would mean rather no Polaron and maybe no Neutronic
this is my current Build (ship and skills). I didn't complete the ground part becsuse i change Kits and Kit modules, ARmor, weapons and shileds a lot. usually its a combination of Mortar, Turret, Mine and Generator
Aside from the Andromeda i use the Fleet Eclipse, Fleet Guardian and the Samsar with Grav. Well where possible. All of those obviously without the Galaxy three piece set so more room for additional consoles. I also use the command cruisers but only with the 4-piece set so less room for consoles
Now my questions:
1. Would i benefit (dps-wise) if i change my skills to get 6 points in Kinetic Weapons and Kinetic weapons efficiency each and add a Torpedo? And where could i get these points from?
Would aTorpedo even be useful? Since i use and own nearly all of the Reputation systems Universal consoles i could get the 2-piece weapons bonus from most sets but usually not the three piece.
2.
AP weapons are great but i am thinking about changing my weapons, my energy type . But i`m not sure.
I really like the Biomolecular Disruptors, i could take the Nukara or Zero point consoles off my ship and replace them with the Multi Conduit energy relay for +13% Disruptor damage (and additional 7,6 together with the Turret) i could boost that with the Iconian console for additional 10.
With the Hydrodyn. Compensator i could get a 3 piece bonus and if we can fit a Torpedo on my ship i could use the Biomol. Torpedo for the 4-piece set.
I hear a lot about the Neutronic Torpedo from the Delta Rep. too, not much about the Biomolecular Torpedo. So i could use the Neutronic too but i usually don't use the Bioneural Gelpacks and i am not really sure about Polaron weapons, especially the Thoron Polarons so i probably won't get any set bonus.
Cheapest way, if there can be room for a Torpedo, would be the Iconian set. Just replace one AP beam with another and add a Quantum Torp to that
But since i already have AP Spire consoles and weapons i could always use AP as my secondary build and still use Biomol. as my main, primary loadout
So you see, i have many ideas thats why i need your help.
Are there skillpoints that i can sacrifice for at least 6 points each in the 2 Kinetic weapon skills?
Is it even useful to change my skills/loadout to add a Torpedo, and which one?
Also is it wise to change my weapons and go from ultra rare + 80CritD to very rare + 40 CritD?
And which Damage Type/Rep. Weapons could you recommend, Biomolecular Disruptor, Polaron or Rom. Plasma?.
There is no set, aside from the Jem Hadar shield/deflector/Impulse set that boosts Polaron Damage and really want to keep my. CC-Deflecor and my better Reman shields so that would mean rather no Polaron and maybe no Neutronic
Post edited by willamsheridan on
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Comments
As for switching energy types, I see you've invested heavily into antiproton but if you've got a deep wallet and you're willing to switch to the biomolecular disruptors, go ahead and try them out! The turret that comes with the undine rep fires slower but hits harder. With the 3 piece set you can activate its barrage ability which is great for spreading its proc and taking care of fighters.
Romulan plasma is also a nice alternative. It combines the procs of both disruptor and plasma but you will lose a modifier so bear that in mind.
Switching to torpedoes won't up your current DPS but it can switch your playstyle if you're bored of your current setup. As you know torpedoes are at their best against a bare hull and if you use torpedo spread, you'll be hitting shields most of the time. That said, I like playing with torpedoes for their canon factor and it's quite satisfying when a volley of torpedoes destroys your target right after a beam overload. You can always give it a shot. Just switch out one of your skills for a torpedo skill, I would suggest torpedo high yield, knock down a shield, and let the torpedoes fly. If you like the playstyle, you can consider investing more into it.
I've been playing around with the Neutronic and it's a fun little torpedo but the visuals are like blindingly huge fireworks. If they reduce the explosion visuals by a half, I would like them a bit more.
I quite like the biomolecular torpedo. I enjoy the biomolecular proc and the torpedo dishes out a nice chunk of damage. That and firing against the undine with the set is just fun.
Lastly if you acquired the antiproton torpedo from the last Crystalline Entity event, it would probably suit your build the best as it benefits from your antiproton tactical consoles.
For most sets, the 3 and 4 piece bonus is not great. Again, of your goal is damage then there are no sets where you want the 3 or 4 piece bonus. If you want to keep your cc deflector and reman shields, keep them. Both are strong bits of equipment. Consider either the romulan engines or perhaps a nice fleet engine that will let you exceed warp 10. You don't need to chase set bonuses. Some are great, but also many are not so great.
Antiproton is the top damage if you have a super high crit chance. Without that romulan plasma and disruptors and corrosive plasma are excellent. I haven't seem enough of the new bioplasma but on paper they look good. If you use the command cruiser consoles you don't really have room to max your crit and thusmperhaps antiproton is not the best choice for those ships. Perhaps keep the antiproton on some ships but experiment with your command cruisers?
In general the boost to damage type from the jem set and the ancient set are a trap. It is usually best to avoid them if you actually want to maximize your damage. For example, with the ancient set for antiproton, the warp core lacks amp, and so a good spire core will give more damage than the set bonus (especially with the reduced weapon power drain and increased weapon power recovery). Polarons are not a high damage weapon, they are for power drain. To do that you need flow caps and that means you don't want the jem haddar set.
The jem haddar set is a great free set with well rounded stats. It is very thematic and it is reliable. But, its not "the best" if your goal is damage.
And i don`t think that i need a deep wallet for the Biomolecular. I can get Dilithium by converting my tens of thousands of Omega marks to Dilly and do the Dyson Sphere battlezone., I'd keep my Kinetic cutting beam so that i only have to upgrade 7 weapons from XII to XIII (not investing in XIV at the moment)
So since energy drain isn`t a real problem anymore with the leech and cruiser command i should forget the Torpedos and rather go for a 2 piece set maybe?
So Polaron is not good then? Okay. Since Disruptors and plasma ar both green which one would be better? I have to say i personalyl like the Biomolecular Disruptors more and since i have to replace my Obelisk set too (no AP boost needed) i could replace one 360° weapon with another, the Ancient omni-directional gets replaced by the turret.
Maybe the Ancient set fooled me but which oe would be the best Amp core from the Spire? If i replace omy obelisk set with one i get less DPS so i kept the obelisk seit since my Cruiser commands, leech and skills took care of the Energy drain.
Or is there a good Core from the Rep. systems?
Oh btw i forgot to mention: I use the command cruiser consoles to counter the missing weapons energy command. Maybe i won't use them if i get my Iconian console.
And i have 2 Romulan Embassy Tac Boffs to increase my Crits
The jem haddar engine gives +5 weapon power, which is nice. The romulan engine gives +26 attack patterns. That means beta reduces armor more, omega gives more damage and turn, delta gives more resistance, etc. Which one is better for you depends on your build and how often you use attack patterns and what you are looking for. I try to use omega a lot because I hate tractor beams and gravity wells and undine snot balls.
Polaron are not bad. They are not high damage. Polarons drain enemy power, which is a very popular and effective build. But it does require a specific build. Powers like tykens rift, energy siphon, the plasmonic leech console, and polaron guns. If you are not using a drain build then other weapon choices will help you do what you want better.
Between disruptor and plasma often the best way to decide is how often do you team up? If you rarely team then go for plasma. If you team a lot, disruptor gives a damage boost to your whole team and thus is very handy. Romulan plasma is both disruptor and plasma combined in one, so that's another option. I have used both and enjoyed both. If you want to try the new bio weapons, check out the torpedo since it does plasma not kinetic damage.
On the cores, the one you want is spire with amp, w->a and the 10% reduced drain 60% faster weapon power recovery. The most popular one is:
Elite Fleet Plasma-Integrated Warp Core [Eff] [W->A] [ECap] [AMP] [SSS]
The ancient obelisk set gives a fixed bonus to antiproton damage, but doesn't have amp. Amp gives a big power boost to your systems which can be more than the fixed bonus from the ancient set. Here is a link to one of the top damage players talking about power and why the spire core is important:
http://www.reddit.com/r/stobuilds/comments/324rq9/power_transfer_rate_how_truly_important/cq7xlu1
Here is hos post giving the math (for a ship with cannons not beams) on how the spire core helps, and specifically in regard to power transfer:
http://www.reddit.com/r/stobuilds/comments/31v7if/quick_question_about_warp_cores/cq5l3z8
The short version is that without a spire core dual heavy cannons shoot great once then drop from 125 power to as low as mid 80s, but only one cannon is firing at full power one time. With the spire core an a little extra power in weapons beyond 125 (you mentioned having the leech), you get multiple shots at full power and never drop as low as the 80s.
That's the drain resistance. You need both things the power (leech) and the drain resist (core). And that's where the spire is better than the ancient core. If you use antiproton, keep the ancient omni beam and combine it with a crafted omni too.
Now, the kinetic cutting beam is special. If you have that you absolutely want the console to get the 2-piece bonus. Plus it gives bonus crith and critd. As Vel says on the first post I linked, the cutting beam does half the damage of a normal array, but combined with the console it is a huge boost to every other weapon on the ship. Totally use both, they are great.
http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=andromedadeia_0
Yeeees, it is a lame Aux2Bat-variant - but it works. So the DOffs I'd use would be
2*VR Technicians (B'Tran Cluster)
1* R Technician (-"-)
1* Marion Frances Dulmur
2* Warp Core Engineers
You'd get to Keep Your already nice weapons, the investment into a new Elite Fleet Warp Core, Reputation Engine and Shields as well as one Lobi console and one Fleet Neutronium [Turn] would be limited, the DOffs probably being the most expensive and hard part to get (though any other except for those three Technicians will do). I did Switch the skills around a bit as well.
Taskforce 47 Falkenwacht (Federation) / Greifenreiter (KDF)
(at) deianirrah
Free Gear and where to get it
Just curious, why Engineering team 3? It does give more hull heal over other variants, but wouldn't it benefit you more to swap EPTS1 and ET3? That would give you level 3 version of both your emergency powers.
Just a thought to consider. Overall, I actually like the Andromeda for A2B builds, it seems the best way to take advantage of all the engineering slots. I normally don't run A2B, but on that ship it seems a viable option.
Taskforce 47 Falkenwacht (Federation) / Greifenreiter (KDF)
(at) deianirrah
Free Gear and where to get it
Also a sci captain can stretch shield heals a bit farther than an engineer or TAC thanks to their two shield buffing powers (science fleet and scattering field). So a TAC or engineer has a little more reason for engineering team while a sci a little more reason for emergency shields.
This is a work in progress, room for improvement, build off your build. I would consider running a aux to damp build For resistance and turn rate, but allow that to come in time.
http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=suggestion2500_0
And yes i have the Guardian, Andomeda, Eclipse, Samsar, Phantom, Command cruisers all with Ship Mastery Tier 5 so i got all the traits.
So the AMP Bonus only comes if i upgrade the cores To Ultra which could cost a lot.
One thing that i thought about is. how good is it to increase Base damage? what exactly does it bring. I was told: not much. But if i use the console from Blood of the ancients that available in 2 weeks in combination with the Surface tension console and the Biomolecular turret i will get (combined)+ 40% Disruptor Damage.
THat sounds good. Is it?
I already have a Spire Core
Elite Fleet Plasma-Integrated Warp Core [AMP] [Eff] [S->W] [SSR] [WCap]
I am not sure why i should use the W ->S Core becaue i don`t have Problems with my shields so i used the S to W core to get a minor boost to my weapons
So even if i don't have problemy with energy drain and also even if my weapons show less DPS with the AMP Core its still better?. I'll keep my Obelisk for my current build but will get the Spire core for my Disruptor loadout.
I think i will use 1 Crafted Omni Directional Beam, the Kinetic with the Assimilated module, the Biomolecular turret with the Surface Tension console the Resonating Disr. Beam Bank with the Blood of the Ancients console and 4 Biomolecular Beam banks. And 3-4 Spire consoles
Romulan/ CritD
All others CritH
or whatever mix you like but a crafted weapon gives you the mods you want
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
A change to Biomol disruptors seems to be too expensive indeed because i`d have to buy 6 Beams and 5 DHCs for my Escorts and upgrade all of them. The only thing that would make them interesting again now would be if the proc stacs. Does it? Will 1 Dhc bring 2,5 proc chance and 4 DHC 10%?
If not i would go with the Radiant AP Cannons. At least i´ll have +60 Crit, a chance to survive because of the proc and only 5 DHC to upgrade
http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=andromeda1redeux_0
I tried to keep what you already had. Cleaned up your skills. You had 6 points in particle generators and aren't using exotic attacks.
You also had all ground traits listed so I put in 5 space and 4 ground in regular traits and what I think would work for you in the other rep and ship traits.
As for doffs (in the notes) the 3 Dam Con Eng would be essential for the build but the other three could be to taste.
The thing with the Elite Plasma core is weapons drain and being able to maintain over 75 power in each subsystem to get the 13.2% damage increase from AMP. With the flowcap plasma generating consoles and Plasmonic Leach this should be no problem.
Power levels should be set to something like this:
W 80
S 55
E 30
A 35
With Plasmonic Leach in full effect power levels in battle should be something similar to:
W 125
S 100
E 80
A 80
You certainly don't need to copy this build but hopefully it can give you some ideas. I also don't know much about command powers and you might want to use some in the Lt. Comm slot.
Cheers
THanks. I have the points in Part. GEns because with my other Cruisers i am using Grav. Well so while the Gens do not increase thePull, they increase the Damage.
May i ask why you used the nukara 2-piece and Reman Impulse and not the Counter Command and Jem hadar for more Weapons power each?
And i should add that in th e meantime i replaced one AP Array with the Iconian Rep. Array, and got 2 Plasma proc sci consoles.
SO with 4-5 DHCs, in your opinion, would it be worth switching from my APs to Biomol. Disruptors (and the Resonance Disruptor from BoA)and changing 2 consoles to the Surf. Tension and BoA consoles or should i just go with the Radiant AP Dual Cannons from the Rep and buy 4 Radiant DHCs??
It would surely be much cheaper instead of buying 5 consoles, 5 beams+the Turret + the Resonance, 4 DHC + resonance and upgrading all of them.
Wow, i was so looking at the 13% extra damage that i overlooked the most important thing: Itsa Tac console not a universal console.
I have embassy Boffs and Spire Tac consiles so even in a Cruiser my Crit chance is 18% base and more with the rending shots trait
I am after the Radiants because they already come with CritDx2 CritH mods. Crafting is just too much gambling until i get a CritDx3 mod or even a UR CritDx3 and i don`t want to waste too many resources. If we could select the mods we want it would be fine but so?
And i couldn`t find proper CritDx3 DHCs on the exchange so there are none available and if there are some they are quite expensive.
Also Radiant AP gives yu Temporal HP and increases your chance to survive battles
And its yellow so something different from the normal Red APs
Radiant Antiproton is also an "on-hit" proc, making it much more likely to apply than many of the weapon procs in the game (several other procs are "on-hit" or "on-crit", making them more useful). Using abilities that increase your number of "hits", either by increasing the number of targets being hit or your rate of fire, can improve your changes of getting a few temporary hitpoints. The second of the two is the important bit, since both of the set energy weapons from Iconian Rep will increase their rate of fire the longer you are in combat.
That said... you'd probably be better mixing conventional and Radiant Antiproton. The conventional Antiproton weapons will pump out more damage (the previously mentioned ability to improve the proc rate) while the Radiant will grant you some added defense (but capped at three stacks). You shouldn't need to go full Radiant in order to get a decent benefit, though at least Radiant also retains a +10% Crit Severity.
Still... +20% Crit Severity is better for damage output. Just my two cents. :P