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Returning Player, The new Meta ? I used to DPS.....

Stopped playing about a year and a half ago due to being bored to hell, but now I have returned these last few weeks and am quite enjoying the game again.

If anyone has time, I have a few questions I would like to ask.....

1. I run 2 toons mainly. Fed aligned Rom and a regular old Fed. Is it still the case of the Rom being able to far out DPS the feds due to all the crit chance stacked on Boffs and so on ? My main reason for asking this is I feel that feds have access to far FAR more ships that I would like to fly, but when I played last they were at a huge disadvantage to a Rom toon. And since everything now appears to be energy sponges I don't want to spend 20 mins taking down a single ship.

2. All my current weapons have DMGX3 PEN. Is DMG still the go to mod to have ? I noticed the CRTDX4 PEN beams on the exchange are now 2-3 times the price of DMG ones, whereas it used to be the other way around. Has the Meta changed here ?

3. There is a Account trait unlock which appears to have nothing in it for me. I have many traits on my Rom toon that I would like on my Fed toon from various ships I have bought. Why do I not get the unlocks ? None of the traits are Rom specific, such as All hands on deck, Supremacy etc....

4. What are to go to consoles these days ? I know Plasma consoles are now trash. Still worth stacking all Tac consoles with Crit chance ? With energy type damage ? What about Lobi consoles ? Bionural ? Tackio ? Rep consoles ? Any new consoles in the last year or so ?

5. I see there is a new Fleet structure. K13 ? Anything decent to be had from here that I should look out for ? And on that front, how the hell do you get fleet credits ? My fleet is Max level in everything and it appears that 95% of the Armada is also the same and the only slots that have contributions to made have been blocked from anyone outside of the fleet from adding too ! Aside from Dilithium of course, but I'm not giving that up !

I may have more questions as I remember what I wanted to ask, mind goes blank when I need it the most haha.

Thanks for your time :-)
«13

Comments

  • peterconnorfirstpeterconnorfirst Member Posts: 6,225 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    WB

    I’m a bit short on time so can’t give more detailed information. Check out STO-League'S suggestions for S13. A lot answers toward the question what peeps tend to use in the upper end is found there.

    While rom tacs in scims still lead the DPS way almost everything should get you in the 100-200k land nowadays.

    Use what appeals to you the most and implement some of the recommendations onto it.

    That’s all there is needed to do well in PvE. :)
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  • seriousdaveseriousdave Member Posts: 2,777 Arc User
    1) Technically roms still have the advantage bceause they can go 5 times SRO but these days anything can go over 100k with the right investments.

    2) DMG is still good it's just that hardcore crit builds bring more DPS.

    3) The account unlock only works for traits that a) are from c-store ships and b) aren't available for other factions, something like the Qib, Guardian, Eclipse, etc.
    Supremacy is from a lobi ship and AHOD is from the tac command cruiser which is purchasable on all 3 factions so both aren't unlocked that way.

    4) After the great nerf it's back to lobi/box/rep universals and build specific stuff, fleet spire consoles are still the king of tac slots. Quite a bunch of new "meta-consoles" emerged over the last year but most are either lobi or box ones like the Synergistic Retrofitting set. Though even some mission rewards like the quantum phase and nausicaan disruptor sets are pretty popular.

    5) K13 is decent. Nothing spectaculary broken like old plasma exploders but good enough to maybe consider a slot on a ship.
  • seaofsorrowsseaofsorrows Member Posts: 10,918 Arc User
    Welcome back! :)

    Some good answers here, but I'll take a stab as well.
    I run 2 toons mainly. Fed aligned Rom and a regular old Fed. Is it still the case of the Rom being able to far out DPS the feds due to all the crit chance stacked on Boffs and so on ? My main reason for asking this is I feel that feds have access to far FAR more ships that I would like to fly, but when I played last they were at a huge disadvantage to a Rom toon. And since everything now appears to be energy sponges I don't want to spend 20 mins taking down a single ship.

    Romulans still have the edge due to Superior Romulan Operative officers, yes. It's not however, hugely overwhelming. Federation Players can also access Superior Romulan Operatives by recruiting them through the Fleet Embassy. While Romulans can get a full compliment of SRO BoFF's, Federation Officers can only get them in Tactical Variant. They cannot get Engineering or Science SRO Officers. There are other ways for Federation Officers to close the gap, you can get a Naussican Pirate Engineer by leveling up the Diplomacy School, you can also get a Hierarchy Science Officer as a mission reward that has Pirate as well. It's not quite as good, but the gap isn't tremendous. Federation makes up for the difference with far higher selection of available ships.
    All my current weapons have DMGX3 PEN. Is DMG still the go to mod to have ? I noticed the CRTDX4 PEN beams on the exchange are now 2-3 times the price of DMG ones, whereas it used to be the other way around. Has the Meta changed here ?

    Those are excellent.. keep them. CritD is a little better then DMG for Romulans due to the fact that they generally score more critical hits, but we're talking a very small difference here. DmGx3 Pen is right there at the top of the heap.
    There is a Account trait unlock which appears to have nothing in it for me. I have many traits on my Rom toon that I would like on my Fed toon from various ships I have bought. Why do I not get the unlocks ? None of the traits are Rom specific, such as All hands on deck, Supremacy etc....

    Those traits are unlocked by leveling the ship they're associated with. For example, your Romulan got 'All Hands On Deck' by leveling up the Vastam Command Cruiser. That ship cannot be used by a Federation Officer and the Trait cannot be transfered. In order for your Federation Officer to have that trait, he/she would have to level up the Federation Variant of that ship which is the Presidio Command Cruiser. Unfortunately, that is a different purchase, the Vastam can only be used to get that trait for Romulans on your account. Supremecy is from the Vaadwaur Astika which is a Lobi ship that is also per character. To get that trait on your Federation Character, that character would have to acquire an Astika of his or her own.
    What are to go to consoles these days ? I know Plasma consoles are now trash. Still worth stacking all Tac consoles with Crit chance ? With energy type damage ? What about Lobi consoles ? Bionural ? Tackio ? Rep consoles ? Any new consoles in the last year or so ?

    Yes, Plasma consoles have been nerfed into total uselessness. Tactical slots are still used for all locators, as many as you can carry. Engineering and Science slots for universals, the favorites are any consoles that boost damage output, critical hit, or critical severity. You can find a more detailed listing of the 'meta' consoles by clicking here.

    The K13 Question has been throughly answered, nothing more I can add.

    Hope that helps.

    Insert witty signature line here.
  • earwigvr6earwigvr6 Member Posts: 293 Arc User
    Indeed, all very helpful answers.

    I really wanted to swap to use the Fed as my main toon due to the huge number of ships available, but it seems it will be an extremely costly thing for me to do, so it looks like I will be sticking to my Reman.

    Had I been able to use the ship traits on the other toon, things may have been different, but there is no way I am going to spend a few billion EC and several thousand Zen just to aquire the traits. So I guess i'll just use the Fed toon to gain a little extra Dilithium and pretty much nothing more. Such a shame :-(
  • chiyoumikuchiyoumiku Member Posts: 1,028 Arc User
    The Meta, imo, has always been and always will be Play however you find enjoyment in the game.
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    Defending The Galaxy By Breaking One Starfleet Regulation After The Next.
  • bossheisenbergbossheisenberg Member Posts: 603 Arc User
    The current "meta" is that Tac is no longer king. Tac is probably the weakest of the three right now, although some might disagree. Science is OP with exotic powers. Tanking is making a big comeback and there are engis that are literally unkillable. The season 14 updates coming in October look like they will be based around engineering, so I would expect tanking to become even more powerful.

    Hopefully season 14 will bring new life into the game. The new queue UI has nearly single handedly killed the game, as far as team content. Ground is nearly totally dead. People are now flocking to battlezones or system patrols since you don't have to queue up for them.
  • odinforever20000odinforever20000 Member Posts: 1,849 Arc User
    The current "meta" is that Tac is no longer king. Tac is probably the weakest of the three right now, although some might disagree. Science is OP with exotic powers. Tanking is making a big comeback and there are engis that are literally unkillable. The season 14 updates coming in October look like they will be based around engineering, so I would expect tanking to become even more powerful.

    Hopefully season 14 will bring new life into the game. The new queue UI has nearly single handedly killed the game, as far as team content. Ground is nearly totally dead. People are now flocking to battlezones or system patrols since you don't have to queue up for them.

    Top DPSer are still Tacs..Sci and Eng are fairly even now.

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    Rouge Sto Wiki Editor.


  • alcaatrazalcaatraz Member Posts: 113 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    earwigvr6 wrote: »
    Indeed, all very helpful answers.

    I really wanted to swap to use the Fed as my main toon due to the huge number of ships available, but it seems it will be an extremely costly thing for me to do, so it looks like I will be sticking to my Reman.

    Had I been able to use the ship traits on the other toon, things may have been different, but there is no way I am going to spend a few billion EC and several thousand Zen just to aquire the traits. So I guess i'll just use the Fed toon to gain a little extra Dilithium and pretty much nothing more. Such a shame :-(

    I've reached 100k using an Engineering Federation toon in a now hated archetype; so fly what you want to fly; anythings possible!
    Post edited by alcaatraz on
    --- @alcaatraz || I make tanks and do maths stuffs ---
    "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."
  • foxman00foxman00 Member Posts: 1,478 Arc User
    alcaatraz wrote: »
    earwigvr6 wrote: »
    Indeed, all very helpful answers.

    I really wanted to swap to use the Fed as my main toon due to the huge number of ships available, but it seems it will be an extremely costly thing for me to do, so it looks like I will be sticking to my Reman.

    Had I been able to use the ship traits on the other toon, things may have been different, but there is no way I am going to spend a few billion EC and several thousand Zen just to aquire the traits. So I guess i'll just use the Fed toon to gain a little extra Dilithium and pretty much nothing more. Such a shame :-(

    I've reached 100k using an Engineering Federation toon in a now hated archetype; so fly what you want to fly; anythings possible!

    hated archetype? May I ask what you mean Alcaatraz, I am generally curious
    pjxgwS8.jpg
  • alcaatrazalcaatraz Member Posts: 113 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    foxman00 wrote: »
    alcaatraz wrote: »
    earwigvr6 wrote: »
    Indeed, all very helpful answers.

    I really wanted to swap to use the Fed as my main toon due to the huge number of ships available, but it seems it will be an extremely costly thing for me to do, so it looks like I will be sticking to my Reman.

    Had I been able to use the ship traits on the other toon, things may have been different, but there is no way I am going to spend a few billion EC and several thousand Zen just to aquire the traits. So I guess i'll just use the Fed toon to gain a little extra Dilithium and pretty much nothing more. Such a shame :-(

    I've reached 100k using an Engineering Federation toon in a now hated archetype; so fly what you want to fly; anythings possible!

    hated archetype? May I ask what you mean Alcaatraz, I am generally curious

    S13 killed tanks (which were doing stupid amounts of damage in S12 - the level of of reduction to tools used by most tanks is generally quite infuriating, but had cause); Main source of +Threatscale turned out to lower overall atks in vs any old DPS console. FBP was the best offensive science power usable by tanks, now does a measly 75% of what it used to do in its pre-S12 state, before it was even fixed (the Feedbackpulse damage type). There are only 3 real taunts (1 is from a Secondary Specilization, the other two are locked to console).

    Overall Tanks are now just glorified DPS ships that run a tad more healing and turn Threatening stance on. Put that all together and it seams like the idea of even having tanks in STO is pushed against by the developing team.


    [Edit] I should also say that most people outside of what I would consider close friends don't like to fly queues with me (which I can only attribute to being a tank...for some reason).
    Post edited by alcaatraz on
    --- @alcaatraz || I make tanks and do maths stuffs ---
    "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."
  • seaofsorrowsseaofsorrows Member Posts: 10,918 Arc User
    chiyoumiku wrote: »
    The Meta, imo, has always been and always will be Play however you find enjoyment in the game.

    I would never argue with that, but to be fair.. that is what the OP is doing. He likes to do DPS, that's his enjoyment and he's looking for input on playing that style. Everyone should feel free to play the style that's the most fun for them, that being said, there is nothing wrong with trying to improve within your chosen style.
    The current "meta" is that Tac is no longer king. Tac is probably the weakest of the three right now, although some might disagree. Science is OP with exotic powers. Tanking is making a big comeback and there are engis that are literally unkillable.

    I'm curious where you're getting this information from as I don't believe it's accurate. Tactical is still king, it's not as lopsided as it once was. All professions are currently viable and highly capable but Tanking is not currently in a very good place in STO. It can be done, but it's not easy to be a tank right now and still help your team.

    alcaatraz wrote: »
    [Edit] I should also say that most people outside of what I would consider close friends don't like to fly queues with me (which I can only attribute to being a tank...for some reason).

    They probably don't like getting out performed by someone using a 'dead' build.

    I'm sure the level of player you normally fly with is higher then my skill level, but if you ever need someone to run queues with, feel free to add me to friends (@seaofsorrows) Anymore, I usually only run with my fleet, but I would be happy to run with you. I'm not elite, but I won't drag you down either. I'm sure anyone in my fleet would also be happy to have you a long anytime you wish.
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  • e30erneste30ernest Member Posts: 1,794 Arc User
    alcaatraz wrote: »
    [Edit] I should also say that most people outside of what I would consider close friends don't like to fly queues with me (which I can only attribute to being a tank...for some reason).

    Those people don't know what they're missing.
  • foxman00foxman00 Member Posts: 1,478 Arc User
    e30ernest wrote: »
    alcaatraz wrote: »
    [Edit] I should also say that most people outside of what I would consider close friends don't like to fly queues with me (which I can only attribute to being a tank...for some reason).

    Those people don't know what they're missing.

    Indeed. Being a tank is extremely rewarding and tons of fun. Very hard work yes, but being a shield can really get your blood pumping

    Also, whenever I have teamed up with alcaatraz, it has always been fun. A truly dependable player who you know will have your back if things get tough.

    As well as being an extremely helpful community member of reddit/sto.builds, as well as always assisting with questions.
    pjxgwS8.jpg
  • hanover2hanover2 Member Posts: 1,053 Arc User
    [/url]
    Yes, Plasma consoles have been nerfed into total uselessness.

    Total uselessness, or "no longer ridiculously overpowered, so I'm throwing my toys out of the crib"?

    I'm inclined to believe the latter.

  • e30erneste30ernest Member Posts: 1,794 Arc User
    coldnapalm wrote: »
    hanover2 wrote: »
    [/url]
    Yes, Plasma consoles have been nerfed into total uselessness.

    Total uselessness, or "no longer ridiculously overpowered, so I'm throwing my toys out of the crib"?

    I'm inclined to believe the latter.

    Nope, totally useless.

    Threat is borked and has never worked so the + or - threat is useless. But that has always been the case.

    The exploder part has been nerfed to the point of it adding something like 800 DPS per console which is useless.

    The increase to EXOTIC plasma damage is useless because there basically is no exotic plasma damage really.

    So all you really have is a run of the mill sci console...that costs more to get...more to gold and yeah...useless.

    To add to that, even in Sci builds, they are pretty worthless. One is better off with the R&D consoles for the additional Sci stat and Cat 2 boost to exotics or refrequencers for the higher damage procs for Science builds.

    The embassy consoles needed an adjustment, but Cryptic went too far in my opinion.
  • seaofsorrowsseaofsorrows Member Posts: 10,918 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    hanover2 wrote: »
    [/url]
    Yes, Plasma consoles have been nerfed into total uselessness.

    Total uselessness, or "no longer ridiculously overpowered, so I'm throwing my toys out of the crib"?

    I'm inclined to believe the latter.

    You can believe what you wish, if you choose to be ignorant then don't let me stop you.

    Plasma Consoles are fine, The Earth is flat.. it's all good.
    Insert witty signature line here.
  • pottsey5gpottsey5g Member Posts: 4,165 Arc User
    coldnapalm wrote: »
    hanover2 wrote: »
    [/url]
    Yes, Plasma consoles have been nerfed into total uselessness.

    Total uselessness, or "no longer ridiculously overpowered, so I'm throwing my toys out of the crib"?

    I'm inclined to believe the latter.

    Nope, totally useless.

    Threat is borked and has never worked so the + or - threat is useless. But that has always been the case.

    The exploder part has been nerfed to the point of it adding something like 800 DPS per console which is useless.

    The increase to EXOTIC plasma damage is useless because there basically is no exotic plasma damage really.

    So all you really have is a run of the mill sci console...that costs more to get...more to gold and yeah...useless.
    My Eng sometimes flys an exotic plasma cruiser build so not totally useless. Eject warp plasma 3, reverse tractor repulsers to pull everything into the cloud. Then I use con firepower to spam Emission torp to spam more exotic plasma clouds.
  • e30erneste30ernest Member Posts: 1,794 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    pottsey5g wrote: »
    My Eng sometimes flys an exotic plasma cruiser build so not totally useless. Eject warp plasma 3, reverse tractor repulsers to pull everything into the cloud. Then I use con firepower to spam Emission torp to spam more exotic plasma clouds.

    I'm still leaning on R&D consoles for that use case. The Embassy Plasma console buff to exotic-plasma damage is Cat 1. A full set of R&D consoles not only gives you extra Sci stats, but also Cat 2 damage boosts to all exotic damage sources. While you may say that boost would be RNG-based vs the Embassy's always-on boost, the proc rate on these consoles are pretty high, and it's easy to maintain stacks of the boost.
  • pottsey5gpottsey5g Member Posts: 4,165 Arc User
    e30ernest wrote: »
    pottsey5g wrote: »
    My Eng sometimes flys an exotic plasma cruiser build so not totally useless. Eject warp plasma 3, reverse tractor repulsers to pull everything into the cloud. Then I use con firepower to spam Emission torp to spam more exotic plasma clouds.

    I'm still leaning on R&D consoles for that use case. The Embassy Plasma console buff to exotic-plasma damage is Cat 1. A full set of R&D consoles not only gives you extra Sci stats, but also Cat 2 damage boosts to all exotic damage sources. While you may say that boost would be RNG-based vs the Embassy's always-on boost, the proc rate on these consoles are pretty high, and it's easy to maintain stacks of the boost.
    To be fair I haven’t tested but my feeling from looking at the stats is on my builds Restorative Particle Focusers wouldn’t proc enough. I have zero shield heals and 2 hull heals that count (3 with miracle worker). Plus I am not keen on having to constantly trigger unneeded skills to keep the boost. For various reasons I build as much as my ship as passive as I can. But saying that I agree that on most builds those RnD consoles are better.

  • nikephorusnikephorus Member Posts: 2,744 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    The Embassy consoles are totally useless. Check your parses. The dps they provide now is laughable.
    Tza0PEl.png
  • meimeitoomeimeitoo Member Posts: 12,587 Arc User
    hanover2 wrote: »
    [/url]
    Yes, Plasma consoles have been nerfed into total uselessness.

    Total uselessness, or "no longer ridiculously overpowered, so I'm throwing my toys out of the crib"?

    I'm inclined to believe the latter.


    Keep in mind, that a Dev had already had these plasma exploders go thru a rigorous nerf round before. So, either he proved to be incompetent at his job, or they simply, deliberately, went ahead and nerfed the plasma exploders into 'total uselessness' this time. I'm inclined to believe the latter.

    P.S. And no, I never really used those exploders. Still, caveat emptor: Cryptic can never be fully trusted to let your upgraded items keep their value -- especially when they say "Player investment retains value."
    3lsZz0w.jpg
  • pottsey5gpottsey5g Member Posts: 4,165 Arc User
    coldnapalm wrote: »
    pottsey5g wrote: »
    coldnapalm wrote: »
    hanover2 wrote: »
    [/url]
    Yes, Plasma consoles have been nerfed into total uselessness.

    Total uselessness, or "no longer ridiculously overpowered, so I'm throwing my toys out of the crib"?

    I'm inclined to believe the latter.

    Nope, totally useless.

    Threat is borked and has never worked so the + or - threat is useless. But that has always been the case.

    The exploder part has been nerfed to the point of it adding something like 800 DPS per console which is useless.

    The increase to EXOTIC plasma damage is useless because there basically is no exotic plasma damage really.

    So all you really have is a run of the mill sci console...that costs more to get...more to gold and yeah...useless.
    My Eng sometimes flys an exotic plasma cruiser build so not totally useless. Eject warp plasma 3, reverse tractor repulsers to pull everything into the cloud. Then I use con firepower to spam Emission torp to spam more exotic plasma clouds.

    So...you use these to boost TWO things instead of boosting EVERYTHING with something like say the shield refequencers. If there was enough exotic plasma damage sources that you could say slot 4 or 5 of them...yeah, MAYBE these could be useful...MAYBE. Just because you use them instead of better...and I mean WAY better options does not mean that they are useless. If you have them and don't have the better options yet...sure fine use them until you do. I mean I use my golded consoles still just because they are still gold sci stat boost consoles and I don't want to spend the EC and dil to get the better options yet. But if you don't have them yet, getting these over standard sci console is just plain STUPID because of how useless these became and that resources is better spent on better items.
    For my build you mean nothing else and they are not constantly on meaning I end up using a lot of exotic plasma that is not boosted. I would rather have a boost on 100% of the time then have half my shots be unboosted . At the moment I don’t see a better option and as I said before for various reasons I prefer passive over extra clicks.

    While I admit there are only limited situations there are situations where they are not totally useless.

  • pottsey5gpottsey5g Member Posts: 4,165 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    nikephorus wrote: »
    The Embassy consoles are totally useless. Check your parses. The dps they provide now is laughable.
    I did and I didn't see a large drop in DPS from the change on my build.
  • nikephorusnikephorus Member Posts: 2,744 Arc User
    pottsey5g wrote: »
    nikephorus wrote: »
    The Embassy consoles are totally useless. Check your parses. The dps they provide now is laughable.
    I did and I didn't see a large drop in DPS from the change on my build.

    11cw2h.jpg?a417408
    Tza0PEl.png
  • pottsey5gpottsey5g Member Posts: 4,165 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    nikephorus wrote: »
    pottsey5g wrote: »
    nikephorus wrote: »
    The Embassy consoles are totally useless. Check your parses. The dps they provide now is laughable.
    I did and I didn't see a large drop in DPS from the change on my build.

    11cw2h.jpg?a417408
    Post silly pictures as much as you want but I don’t see how any of the changes have any noticeable impact on my 3 builds that use them. Unless I missed a change the DPS impact is pretty much zero for my 3 builds and 1 of those builds gets zero benefit from RnD consoles which is why I use the Embassy ones as they provide a higher DPS boost. So the Embassy consoles are not useless.
  • bossheisenbergbossheisenberg Member Posts: 603 Arc User
    The current "meta" is that Tac is no longer king. Tac is probably the weakest of the three right now, although some might disagree. Science is OP with exotic powers. Tanking is making a big comeback and there are engis that are literally unkillable.

    I'm curious where you're getting this information from as I don't believe it's accurate. Tactical is still king, it's not as lopsided as it once was. All professions are currently viable and highly capable but Tanking is not currently in a very good place in STO. It can be done, but it's not easy to be a tank right now and still help your team.


    I got it from playing the game and engaging in PvP. Tactical has not had anything major since Kemocite. The meta has changed from vape builds where enemies could be wiped in a single alpha strike, to escorts and raiders shifting heavily toward defense, healing, and tanking and utilizing consoles like the triangle ship console and dreadnought prototype with the goal now of "staying in the fight" being more critical to pvp than before. Watch the videos of the elite players, they are all using the exact same bugship build now with these tactics. Even tactical builds are now shifting toward tanking because its no longer as viable to use straight DPS to take down other players.
  • seaofsorrowsseaofsorrows Member Posts: 10,918 Arc User
    I got it from playing the game and engaging in PvP.

    Advice given in this thread was focused on PvE. Obviously, the PvP Meta is quite different and not what the advice given was focused toward.

    It's always assumed that advice is for PvE unless specified otherwise due to the fact that PvP in this game is long dead.
    Insert witty signature line here.
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