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Intel vs pilot ships
starmada1
Member Posts: 139 Arc User
I'm debating which kind of ship to get next, and these two are different from what I've used. My main uses a command cruiser, and I'm wanting to build up an alt a little differently. Specifically I'm doing a Romulan, and pilot sounds cool in theory, but the Faeht looks pretty solid, and looks way better than the pilot birds IMO. What do you all think about them?
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The Faeht on the other hand, I have and love! I use a surgical strikes build on it. While probably not the most effective build I can put on it, I love being able to have both DHCs and beams on it and still be useful. And it just looks awesome too! Also, the enhanced battle cloak can be fun occasionally.
To sum it up. If you're looking to have a top performer, go with one of the pilot ships. If you're looking to have some fun, go with the Faeht.
Support 90 degree arc limitation on BFaW! Save our ships from looking like flying disco balls of dumb!
Well, that's pretty much it.
Remember how the Faeht was bugged till long after it's launch and could also fire surgical strikes while cloaked? That was fun...
Unless you're specifically out for an all out intel ship the Faeht has fallen from grace. The Malem has a great loayout and gimmicks for a stealth bomber with heavy sci support if desired and the pilot ships are near unkillable thanks to their immunities and dish out some serious pain.
Though it sure has the best looks of all of them.
the faeht is a good ship, but in my opinion the pilot ships are better. when you use cannons the special pilot abilities (sorry, forgotten the name) are perfect.
Fully fledged Pilot Ship abilities are sheer fun. They are also powerful, but they are also incredibly fun.
Intel BO abilities are pretty good. Override Subsystem Powers is a must have, and I also like to use Ionic Turbelence a lot - fairly decent crowd control, and a resistance debuff that will buffs everyone's damage against the target(s).
Pilot doesn't have BO abilities that impressive IMO, but there are a few good ones and a fun one (the one that allows you to turn without changing movement direction).
Maybe you can really base your options more on looks here. Don't underestimate the Pilot Ships, if you have the full customization options, you might be able to find a combo that you like more than the original ones. (Personally I avoid that Batplane look and take the short and flat wing components). The Pilot Maneuvers are also triggering special SFX on the model that no other type of ship has.
But the Faeht or Malem might just look better to you. (The Malem has also access to the T1 TOS style hull material, and this can also allow you to make a very "retro" feeling ship, if that's your thing.)
- Mat'Ha
- Faeht
- Phantom
- JHSS
Clearly not pilot ships but the next best thing and with intel stuff usable.
Looking for a fun PvE fleet? Join us at Omega Combat Division today.
All in all both consoles are awesome and will work out fine for you in the long run.
Looking for a fun PvE fleet? Join us at Omega Combat Division today.
Whatever is easiest for you to buy really but the ship version could be reclaimed and on multiple toons.
So do you want the same playstyle as before or do you want to try something unusual?
There's also going to be a giveaway in a week or so. They might end up giving away the ship that has the leach or the valedor console.
As far as when the next sale might be, it's hard to say. They usually happen several times throughout the year, but if I had to guess, there might be one a month or two after the anniversary.
Support 90 degree arc limitation on BFaW! Save our ships from looking like flying disco balls of dumb!
Faeht I find more versatile in that it can do some cloaked science or be a full stealth bomber, or just regular escort with sensor arrays after a decloaked ambush of the target, but the sensor arrays don't work while cloaked and I believe get interrupted if cloaking. It is also the only Rom full intel ship and one of the 3 ship classes in game to have enhanced battle cloak, which is what makes it unique. It's also a work of art showing off what Cryptic designers are really capable of.
Malem seems more specialized for stealth bomber since the console works really well and it can mount the T5's as well, and has an extra sci console slot though I'm not sure how that trade-off fares since intel abilities including OSS work really well with science too and both have LtC Sci.
Pilots are fun especially as warbirds since you've got the invulnerabilities, thrusters, singularity powers, useful console sets, and rom battle cloak. Only downside to me is their looks which I still can't stand, particularly those completely random textures that don't fit the shape of the ships in any way whatsoever as if they ran out of time and slapped on a random computer-generated skin. One observation: they can feel so overpowered that they almost take the challenge out of it unlike the Faeht where you really need to pay attention to everything, react quickly, and make use of different attack/escape strategies.
Go with the leech for sure.
I have both the pilot ships using cannons and the intel warbird using beams.
I personally find then to be two very different beasts.
One is much more methodical and evenly paced, the other totally devastating but as I say, coffee or hot beverage of choice and attention to piloting are essential for pilot escorts imo.
"If this will be our end, then I will have them make SUCH an end as to be worthy of rememberance! Out of torpedos you say?! Find me the ferengi!".
My character Tsin'xing
T6 Faeht - Before the T6 Malem/T'Varo came out, the Faeht was the v2.5 of the popular and capable T5 T'Varo. It is not Projectile oriented but it's BOFF & Console Layouts with Enhanced Battle Cloak was an evolution of the T5 T'Varo. It's also a full-fledged Intel ship. While the T'Varo at T5/T6 will excel in torpedoes, the Faeht can be murderous with Energy Weapons. Combine a solid build, Full SRO crew, and Surgical Strikes III with OSS while coming out of cloaks, this thing can spike on a single target very well. You can throw a lot of variation. OSS+Ionic Turbulence+Some Beam/Cannon combo.
T6 T'Varo - A flexible, EBC capable ship that can be monstrous with torpedoes. The true evolution to the popular T5 T'Varo.
T6 Mogai - Two words come to mind with the T6 Mogai. "Power" and "Flexibility." Any Cmdr TAC ship that has a LtCmdr ENG station, IMO, is very easy to survive in and I can live with that single station for ENG capability alone. With that in mind, I use the Universal / Intel Hybrid LtCmdr station and LtCmdr ENG station something like this to take advantage of the T6 Mogai's flexibility:
LtCmdr ENG - EPTW1, A2D1 (Doffed), ET3 or ET1, A2D1 (Doffed), EPTW3
LtCmdr Univ/Intel - EPTW1, Ionic Turbulence 1, OSS3
On top of that, I would *still* have completely untouched Cmdr & LT TAC stations. For Cmdr TAC Warbirds, you will not find any other ship that has that same flexibility and power behind it. The T6 Mogai will not have the Enhanced Battle Cloak fanciness of the Faeht, T'Varos. It will not have the 5 fwd weapons and Pilot Maneuvers nor flight characteristics of the Pilot Ships. But the T6 Mogai is flexible and powerful.
T6 Pilot Warbirds - Just as with the Pilot Ships for the Feds and KDF, IMO, the Pilot Escorts are hands down the best, general duty Escorts in the game. They have the best combination of Impulse Mod, Turn Rate, Inertia Ratings in the game. This is backed up with every variant being 5 TAC Console + 5 fwd weapons across all 3 factions. The Pilot Warbirds are of course all Battle Cloak capable. The 3 variants cater to different BOFF layout and playstyles to suit the player. Do yourself a favor, ditch the consoles though. If you can feed these with good Engine Power, these things are just fast, maneuverable, and pack a punch. Not only that, they have a Specialization Ship Gimmick that is, IMO, the best, most useful in the game:
Pilot Maneuvers
This ability gets the ship to "burst" into a different position. Forward, backwards, rolling suddenly to the side. Get into a good firing position immediately. Or use it to escape from a bad spot immediately. While the Pilot Maneuvers is on for it's 1-2 second duration, you are IMMUNE to damage. It also gets you out of *most* CC dangers. On top of that, it has a stupidly short recharge, something like 5-6 seconds. This is a very powerful gimmick. It doesn't need a console nor BOFF ability slot. It's not a trait. It requires no equipment slot. It's built into the ship. There are lots of gimmicks in this game and the vast majority of them are useless garbage. Pilot Maneuvers is one of those very few exceptions.
On top of the superior handling, excellent firepower, the Pilot Maneuvers gimmick sets these ships apart from other Escorts.
And don't forget to mention - even if you take out the mechanical perk of invulnerability, they are incredibly fun, like almost no set of abilities are. (I think Gravity Well Dishwashing might compete.)
It's basically when you trap a bunch of NPCs in a Gravity Well, possibly with a Secondary Gravity Well from the Gravimetric Scientist DOFF or Gravimetric Torpedoes, and then the first warp core breaches start to happen. It's a deadly science cocktail.
And incredibly fun to watch I might add.
As for the giveaway, yeah, no. They sure as hell won't give away stuff like the Valdore or the Vandal since they still generate pretty good sales numbers thanks to their consoles. Would be borderline insane to give the leech away for free.
That's kind of what I was thinking too.. given how those consoles seem to pop up on all the "must have" lists, I can imagine it turns them a pretty good profit. I suppose I can wait and see anyhow, though. I think I'm going to get the Faeht, but man I'm torn on waiting for the sale on that one. Those sales are what, 15-20% off usually right?
If there's anything else on your to-buy list: Get $50 zen during +15% so you get the normal bonus for $50 AND the +15%, then wait for the 20% off ship sale.
The only KDF ships they give away is the Veranus LOL! I remember that happened several times in a row of these type of events. Wouldn't surprise if it happens again this time. I would also be extremely surprised if they give out any T6 at all from the giveaways.