Does anyone play "stock build" weapon setups

kinggeo13 · November 2015

Given people will use the damage type they like best but does anyone play to "stock" loadouts. Meaning that when you get a new ship that has a torp, a pair of dual cannons, and a beam array up front and a torp and two arrays in back you keep the same layout just subbing in your "better gear". Been playing awhile and playing around with equipping ships with "traditional" weapons for fun. Any ideas or tips, is this type of build even worth it?

jade1280 · November 2015

Only stock weapons cannot stand most of the stock equipment that the ships come with.

The weapons are just a stop gap anyway you can keep the same type if that is what you like but upgrading from x to XII is still going to prove better overall.

coupaholic · November 2015

I've always been tempted to try, just so long as you stick to the single energy type rule I reckon you'd do pretty well. I've had no problems with using the DBB, 2xDHC and torp setup on BoPs or escorts.

It's great fun. Unleashing a BO3, CSV3 and TS3 on a packed group of enemies is cool to look at.

The only real hiccup I've encountered is that lack of weapon synergy kind of staggers the firing cycle times, and it's not as smooth as having all beams/cannons. Sometimes I had to wait for the DBB to finish before the rest of my weapons would fire.

peterconnorfirst · November 2015

The worst that can happen in story missions is when one is forced to play with a predefined ship/layout that cryptic hand you over to conclude it.

What you suggest would mean to approach endgame like it on purpose.

Please don’t.

nikephorus · November 2015

If you want to suck then use the default build. I found it annoying enough just doing that mission where you have to fly the dyson destroyer. That was not fun.

angrytarg · November 2015

Not the setup that comes with the ship, but I tend to tailor my ships after the NPC mobs. My D'Deridex uses disruptor weapons (DBB and cannons), the rep plasma torpedo and aft torps as well. In general I like building balanced ships and I do mix DBBs and cannons for style when I think it's appropriate for a ship.

vestereng · November 2015

Well my philosophy was always to make the grinding less painful, so I actually flew carriers mainly.

This was before the huge carrier nerf when attack range was larger, damage was higher and you had "pet spam". So I'd play eSTF (before that was nerfed with Delta Rising) and just let the pets go to work and watch TV.

STO is simple enough I can still watch TV at the same time but yeah playing the same maps 30,000 times, that was the one thing that kept me sane, not having to play them.

Now with the dead queues I'd say what does it matter I mean it must be weird having spent THOUSANDS of dollars on your dps and now the queues are dead.

But in case a PVE queue map will ever pop for you, you should play around with everything you can and learn everything.
That used to be the main quality of the game before the dps nerf with Delta Rising, you were free to play around with any type of build because generally people weren't pay2win dps parsers.

Personally I always went after animations and sound effects and fun when doing a build. For example I liked to throw tractor mines on one ship using commander tactical station FOR FUN. Another ship has full standard issue TOS phasers FOR FUN.

So stay cheap and pitiful, in case you want to switch consoles or weapons around, don't buy anything expensive, ever, and keep playing around with what you personally like.

Some people might be ultra lore fanatics and want ships to have their original weapon set and if you personally enjoy that then go for it.

It's your game and your time, your fun is all that matters

ikonn · November 2015

There was, at least in the not too distant past, a group of people who used builds that were along these lines. They at least tried using "canon" loadouts for their ships... not the flashy/fancy stuff.

Forgot the name but might have been something along the lines of Star Trek Battles?

angrytarg · November 2015

ixionveridian wrote: »

There was, at least in the not too distant past, a group of people who used builds that were along these lines. They at least tried using "canon" loadouts for their ships... not the flashy/fancy stuff.

Forgot the name but might have been something along the lines of Star Trek Battles?

It's still up and running and it's called "Star Trek Battles", correct. There's a forum thread and in-game channel. I haven't been there for a long time but it's a fun group using canon setups, sometimes we even used low tier ships or left weapon slots empty to recreate a canonical feel.

gawainviii · November 2015

Kind of... I swap cannon/turrets for beams on my Cruisers (and vice-versa on Escorts) so as not to slow down my firing speed and maximize on console usage, but otherwise, yes. If the stock slot is an energy weapon, I keep it as an energy weapon, torp & mine slots stay as torps and mines.

A bit of a canon purist, I do keep the "correct" weapon types: Phasers for Fed, Disruptors for KDF, and Plasma for Rom. (This also maximizes console usage.)

But a straight-up stock with mixed weapon types? No. I did that once, and had horrible results. Not because I wasn't doing enough damage with each hit, but because of the cool-down timer penalty when firing mismatched weapon types. IIRC, I used beam banks on my early ships, and switched to beam arrays somewhere around T3 or T4 when the turn rate got too low.

vestereng · November 2015

Seems like you personally would be most happy, slapping phasers on an exploration cruiser, rename it to "enterprize" and fly to quark's bar on ds9?

I mean I still call my characters Dik Ryder and what not it's a non-canon 2D game with no flying from the bridge.

But like I said aslong as you are happy.

taylor1701d · November 2015

There was a PvP group that used to field match's with white quality gear.
And rules as to what consoles you could or couldn't use.

Always thought that was a great idea, even though I never got to play a game with them, I imagined it was on par with stock car racing, in that the car/ship would be equal across the board, and good piloting/driving would determine the outcomes.
Sort of took the idea of have's and have not's, and threw it out the window, creating an leveled field everyone.

I actually wish the DPS tables had something like this.
They could provide some guidelines as to what would qualify (the more canon the better imo). And create a board for those who wish to participate.
But there is no good map to solo (unless you hassle people in the channels for a Solo ISA - warp out game). But that would be acceptable I guess.
Further to the equipment requirements, they could also restrict the use of keybinds/and macros.

Would be really interesting to see how everyone does, without the help of gear, traits, and keybinds/macros.
(I figure the top players would still find a way to get to the top, but it would drop a bunch of the cheesers/expoiters down a peg.)
A lot of people on those boards would be eating a big ol' slab of humble pie.

gawainviii · November 2015

vestereng wrote: »

Seems like you personally would be most happy, slapping phasers on an exploration cruiser, rename it to "enterprize" and fly to quark's bar on ds9?

I mean I still call my characters Dik Ryder and what not it's a non-canon 2D game with no flying from the bridge.

But like I said aslong as you are happy.

That's what you got from my comment? I'm a canon purist because I prefer to maintain a sense of continuity within the scope of established norms to aid in suspension-of-disbelief... It does not mean that I'm stuck in 1989 without any sense of individuality or imagination. The on-screen copycats that play Capt. Jamez T. Krik of the Starship Enterpriize, NCC-91701 annoy me probably about as much (if not more, depending on my mood) as Captain Ph@tL3wtz flying around in the S.S. newbzsuck, a Borgified Risian cruise liner firing Tetryon cannons and dropping transphasic mines.

gradii · November 2015

angrytarg wrote: »

ixionveridian wrote: »

There was, at least in the not too distant past, a group of people who used builds that were along these lines. They at least tried using "canon" loadouts for their ships... not the flashy/fancy stuff.

Forgot the name but might have been something along the lines of Star Trek Battles?

It's still up and running and it's called "Star Trek Battles", correct. There's a forum thread and in-game channel. I haven't been there for a long time but it's a fun group using canon setups, sometimes we even used low tier ships or left weapon slots empty to recreate a canonical feel.

and many of us regularly parse between 20k and 70k dps so I don't think we're doing to poorly.

thunderfoot · November 2015

OP here are some suggestions.

1) Always remember first and foremost Star Trek Online is a game, not a lifestyle choice.
2) Because we treat this as a game, this means we can do things for our fun and entertainment.
3) If you want to find out for yourself about how the 'stock' loadouts work or do not, you are to be commended for thinking for yourself. Rather than blindly following the "ZOMG! Ur Build SUX!" crowd who cannot.
4) While I see some of you telling the OP about how his idea will make the game less fun for others, I see none of you offering to purchase better items and then give them to him. If you are not willing to assist him materially, then shut up.

OP, your question is a valid one. It shows you are unafraid to think outside the box. Your choices may not be the best ones. But they are your choices. Not something where you are blindly following the 'conventional wisdom' laid out in these or any other forums. I did the exact same thing with tetryon weapons. Even after lots of people here told me tetryon weapons were not very good. I smiled and thanked them and kept experimenting. Now, my tetryon builds are some of my mainstays due to the 10-12k DPS I can generate with them. It takes some knowledge and timing to do so. Most of it hard earned. But in the end it was worth it.

If you want to try out 'stock loadouts', go for it! Learn from playing the game and not from a bunch of forum warriors whose only "knowledge" about the game consists of parroting things they read here. Things which were found out by people like yourself.

vetteguy904 · November 2015

I can't say I go "stock". I tried the Qib with beams and the quad cannon, but it didn't work for me. I also don't follow the "doctrine". I run different energy types on ships. right now running tet on a couple of toons. won't go back to plasma phaser or Disruptor until a rep/reward 360 beam array drops. and yeah, contrary to the "l33t" 50 year olds who live in mom's basement, I use torpedoes fore and aft ( The HORROR!!)

gradii · November 2015

Why follow the Doctrine, even the Voth sometimes have issues with that!

Does anyone play "stock build" weapon setups

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