Please review my builds

theoric · February 2020

Hi Everyone,

I haven't played for approximately 2 years since 2018 and i feel extreme out of the loop with builds.

My current ship built as follows:

https://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/d6bd2e50bcb89509429794add0ec2028

I have put in all of my space traits, but it doesn't seem to list Exotic Absorption plus i need to level up.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

theoric · February 2020

Just as a side note, i am slowly upgrading my items to mkXV just going to take a fair bit of resources

theoric · February 2020

I am sorry but for some reason when i clicked the planner link it brought up something completely different, as a result, i am going to type it up manually below:

Fleet Caitian Shikaris Escort [T6]
Fore Weapons
Epic MKXV Delphic Antiproton DHC [ACC][CtrD]x2[CtrH][AC/DAM]
Epic MKXV Delphic Antiproton DHC [ACC][CtrD]x2[CtrH][AC/DAM]
Epic MKXV Advanced Radiant Antiproton DHC [CrtD][AC/DAM]
Epic MKXV Advanced Radiant Quantum Torp [CrtD][AC/DAM]

Deflector - Epic Iconian MKXIV Deflector Array [SciCD][Sh/Hull Cap]
Impulse - Epic Iconian Hyper Impulse Engine MKXIV [SEC Speed - 2] x2 [Cres]
Core - Epic Iconian Hyper Injector MKXIV [AMP][W->S]
Shield - Iconian Resistance Resilient Shield Array MKXIV [Reg][CPRg]

Aft Weapons
Kinetic Cutting Beam MKXIV [Dam] x4 [AC/DM]
Epic Advanced Fleet Antiproton Turret MKXIV [Dam] x3 [CtrH][Ac/Dam]
Epic Advanced Fleet Antiproton Turret MKXIV [Dam] x3 [CtrH][Ac/Dam]

Experimental - Epic Heavy Escort Railgun

Devices - Red matter injector, Subspace field modulator

Engineering Slots
Epic Console - Engineering - Neutronium Alloy MKXIV
Epic Console - Universal - Assimilated Module

Science Slots
Epic Console - Universal - Railgun Destabilizer Module MKXIV
Epic Console - Universal - Sustained Radiant Field MKXIV
Epic Console - Universal - Zero Point Energy Conduit MKXIV
Epic Console - Universal - Tachyokinetic Converter MKXIV

Tactical Slots
Epic Console - Tactical - Vulnerability Locator MKXIV +AP x 5

DOFF Stations
Tact - Tac Team 1, Torp Spread 2, CSV 2, Attack Pattern Omega
Science - Tractor Beam 1, Charged Particle Burst, Tykens Rift 2
Science - Science team, Jam Targeting Sensors
Tact - High Yield Torp, CRF1
Eng - EP to shields, EP to Weapons

In terms of Captain skills i don't need too much help with that, more the above is my biggest concern

Thanks again

foxrockssocks · February 2020

Why are you using the cutting beam instead of another AP turret? I assume you just want the set bonus, but I think you sacrifice too much to have the KCB in a cannon build.

Why the Iconian rep weapons? If you feel like they add some survivability and want them for that, that's okay, but if you want damage from an AP set go with the temporal reputation set instead.

The Iconian space set is fine, it is a solid choice if you use all 4 pieces.

Your neutronium console could be improved with the fleet version of that console. The railgun console is fun and I'd keep it. The tac consoles are fine too of course.

The other consoles are questionable. There is nothing particularly wrong with more crit chance consoles, but your BOFF setup shows you trying to use CPB and TR, as well as tractor beam and jam sensors. Your consoles do virtually nothing to support those abilities so they are going to be terribly weak. I assume you want to go all out for weapon damage, though, so I'd change your BOFFs as follows, bolded changes.

Tact- TT 1, TS 2, APB 2, CSV 3
Tact- HYT 1, CRF 1
Eng- EPTS, EPTW
Eng- Eng Team 1, Aux2SIF 1
Sci- Sci team 1, Hazard emitters 2, photonic officer 2

Alternatively reverse shield polarity for Aux2SIF, and polarize hull instead of science team.

protoneous · February 2020

For what it's worth, if you're going to have a character that wants to be effective in space magic without a lot of extra consoles, or one that will fly everything from science carriers, escorts, cruisers, to epg/torp science ships you could use something similar to my own mixed spec tree I use on a science toon that does just the same. In this case the tree is science leaning while still trying to give respect to conventional damage. It is a bit of a trade off but at the same time provides flexibility.

https://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/0ab4b07a6218832391230b9cf1e49420

That being said, I have a tactical toon that occasionally flies a science ship to farm certain maps and they do just fine using the tactical template tree often suggested in this part of the forums. You're only missing some control and drain x and about 35 epg which can be mostly made up in science consoles, other gear such as your space set, different starship traits, and a specialization change. A point each from accuracy and defense can be re-allocated to the torpedo skill.

The fact that the toon using the tac template does fine in a science ship when properly set up does speak well of a tactical leaning skill tree such as a tactical ultimate especially for a tactical captain... you'll likely do far better dealing conventional damage.

https://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/02d34689add736658f41e607f7cead8f

Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in-between (25 point tac) or having characters dedicated to each to avoid trade offs?

The usual prerequisite for me at least on a mixed science & conventional damage build is having at least both lieutenant and LtC science boff slots available but preferably something closer to a boff layout like this.

If not then staying with mainly non-science damage and a more conventional tac focused skill tree seems to work best. Just my 2 EC.

mournblade · March 2020

coldnapalm wrote: »

Okay, the gear is MUCH better . I would swap out the KCB for another turret tho.

You really should change your sci BOFF abilities however to be more defensive/heal oriented with how little your science skills are...especially if your skills are the same with nothing invested in EPG. If you want to make a tact/sci hybrid, I would say need to change up your skills (assuming it is the same as on the link) and consoles quite a bit. Also GW is your friend for these builds. Which means control amp is your friend. Anyways, the boffs I would get for that would be hazard 1, tykens 1, GW 1 with ST 1, SSV 2. SSV 2 is generally pretty cheap on the market over 1. If that is too rich for your blood, than TBR 1 or TB 2. If you have some amount of EC and going this route, there is the DOC 1 and 2, GW 1, for LTC and ST 1, SSV 2 for the Lt. I mean unless you have an insane 75% in 15 seconds science cooldown reduction, you will need 2 copies of DOC.

I would personally swap out your APO for APB x2. Less spike...but more overall damage. So basically, TS/HY 1, APB 1, CSV/CRF 2 and 3 on commander, TS/HY 1, APB 1. This assumes you don't have a way to global your tact boffs.

I have to agree with Coldnapalm and confess as well that I'm a bit confused what you're trying to accomplish here. If you're going pure TAC, the SCI offensive abilities you're running aren't contributing to that build or vice versa. If your goal is a hybrid SCI-TAC build, that's a bit more advanced and requires a lot of different consoles, DOFFs, and abilities I don't see you running. I have seen some players running Gravity Well on TAC cannon builds to help eliminate piloting challenges in order to increase time on target (and subsequently, DPS), but again, that requires some investment in Control (CTRL) that I'm not seeing in your build.

Also, if you're going to stick with AP, there are some consoles to support that damage type you should consider slotting on your ship, such as the Crystalline Absorption Matrix (available via Phoenix token), Voth Phase Decoy (can't remember if this is available via Phoenix token or not), Aligned Antiproton Shielding (from the 10th Anniversary event ship), and the Polymorphic Probe Array (available via Phoenix token and the Exchange).

I'd also suggest that the Delphic Torpedo (from the Lobi store) would be a better choice than the Radiant Torpedo you're running, simply for the DR debuff it offers (and at 33% proc chance, it procs a lot with Torpedo Spread), which in turn will increase your damage. You could also pair that with the Interphase Quantum Distributor for the 2-piece set bonus, especially if you're trying to build SCI-TAC for the EPG. Alternatively, the Crystalline Energy Torpedo (available via Phoenix token) is also a good choice for AP builds because it benefits from any bonus AP damage consoles. Finally, I recommend substituting the AP Matter Conversion DHC (I believe this is also available via Phoenix token) for your Radiant DHC. It procs a DR debuff (doubled vs AP), and it also procs a heal.

As for your TAC skills, I typically only run CRF in PvP. For PvE, I run CSV. Go for the Kill and Withering Barrage are crucial Starship Traits for both of those, respectively, though admittedly very expensive to get. I also run Torpedo Spread vs HYT in PvE, especially if you're using something like the Delphic Torp so that you can potentially debuff DR on all your CSV targets. Additionally, you generally want to run two copies of the same weapon attack mode at the highest level possible for your TAC BOFFs without other GCD reduction methods, such as Photonic Officer and Aux2Batt DOFFs. There's no one right way to do this; just do whatever works best for your build needs.

I realize that it can be difficult finding a comprehensive build guide for this game, given the complexity and variety of builds. But at the risk of sounding pedantic, I would recommend that you take a gander at the post I made on page 2 here. It offers some general guidance on build basics that can help iron out a few problems with yours.

Hope that helps.

raiffe · March 2020

Hi, coming back to the game after a long hiatus. Looking at what I have and wondering if this is any good still.

T6 Fed Battlecruiser
Front 5 Antiproton Dual Beams Mk IX
Kobali Deflector Array Mk XII
Jem Hadar Combat Impulse Mk X
Obelisk Subspace Rift Warp Core
Solanae Resilient Shield Array Mk XII
Aft 2 Herald Anti Proton Beam Arrays Mk XII, Ancient Omni Directional Beam Array
Delta Alliance Reinforcements Beacon
Ablative Hazard Shielding Console
Polaric Modulator Mk XI Console
3 Antiproton Mag Regulator Tac Consoles
Polymorphic Probe Array console

Apparently my skills didn't exist or reset so they are blank

Space traits
Accurate, Elusive, Living Hull, Beam Training, Innocuous, Operative, Thrill-Seeker, Point Blank Shot

Starship Traits
Emergency Weapon Cycle.

I'm going to start over on a new Fed or Rom/Fed character to relearn the game as I totally forgot... just wondering if the Fed Rear Admiral Character I left was outfitted decently or if there were major gaps or wrong meta.

Thoughts?

theoric · March 2020

Thank you everyone for your advice and guidance so far.

I have made the following changes as advised:

BOFF skills updated as per FOXROCKSSOCKS's advise.

Changed the following consoles:
Removed Assimilated module and replaced it with Aligned Antiproton Shielding
Removed Zero Point Energy Conduit and replaced it with Polymorphic Probe Array
Removed Tachyokinetic Converter and replaced it with Crystaline Absorbtion Matrix

upgraded my Tactical Vulnerability Locators to MKXV

In the process of upgrading Neutronium Alloy to the Fleet variant and replacing KCB with another Fleet variant turret.

As my Temporal Rep was effectively non-existent i am in the process of working on that too and then i shall look trying out that set compared to the Iconian set i am currently running.

Big thank you all round

protoneous · March 2020

theoric wrote: »

As my Temporal Rep was effectively non-existent i am in the process of working on that too and then i shall look trying out that set compared to the Iconian set i am currently running.

The Temporal Space Set is quite science orientated. It's 2-3 piece set bonuses come in handy in that respect.

The temporal shields seem prone to some pretty decent bleed through (not good) when really taking aggro as well whereas Iconian shields remain one of the best in-game. You have a far better set in the Iconian vs. Temporal aside from doing dedicated space magic, as well as other possibly better options for space set pieces if you want a change.

Even an appropriate or re-engineered Colony deflector can give you some Control X for a Gravity Well 1 in combination with a Competitive shield and engine for example. The colo-crit of the deflector seems to work great.

Also you'd likely be better off with a second copy of attack pattern beta 1 in place of a lieutenant rank torpedo skill as you have two copies of cannon skills to buff. This would buff all your cannons and turrets instead of a single torpedo, as previously mentioned above.

theoric · March 2020

protoneous wrote: »

theoric wrote: »

As my Temporal Rep was effectively non-existent i am in the process of working on that too and then i shall look trying out that set compared to the Iconian set i am currently running.

The Temporal Space Set is quite science orientated. It's 2-3 piece set bonuses come in handy in that respect.

The temporal shields seem prone to some pretty decent bleed through (not good) when really taking aggro as well whereas Iconian shields remain one of the best in-game. You have a far better set in the Iconian vs. Temporal aside from doing dedicated space magic, as well as other possibly better options for space set pieces if you want a change.

Even an appropriate or re-engineered Colony deflector can give you some Control X for a Gravity Well 1 in combination with a Competitive shield and engine for example. The colo-crit of the deflector seems to work great.

Also you'd likely be better off with a second copy of attack pattern beta 1 in place of a lieutenant rank torpedo skill as you have two copies of cannon skills to buff. This would buff all your cannons and turrets instead of a single torpedo, as previously mentioned above.

My apologies, i wasn't referring to the temporal space set, i was referring to the temporal space weapon set to replace the Radiant Armaments.

Thanks

theoric · March 2020

theoric wrote: »

Thank you everyone for your advice and guidance so far.

I have made the following changes as advised:

BOFF skills updated as per FOXROCKSSOCKS's advise.

Changed the following consoles:
Removed Assimilated module and replaced it with Aligned Antiproton Shielding
Removed Zero Point Energy Conduit and replaced it with Polymorphic Probe Array
Removed Tachyokinetic Converter and replaced it with Crystaline Absorbtion Matrix

upgraded my Tactical Vulnerability Locators to MKXV

In the process of upgrading Neutronium Alloy to the Fleet variant and replacing KCB with another Fleet variant turret.

As my Temporal Rep was effectively non-existent i am in the process of working on that too and then i shall look trying out that set compared to the Iconian set i am currently running.

Big thank you all round

I did also after this post procure a Voth Phase Decoy but am having a tough time thinking which console to replace it with. Some advise would be fantastic

Thanks

foxrockssocks · March 2020

You can't necessarily use every console you want to. If you don't know what to replace, maybe nothing is the answer. However what you can do if you want to squeeze out more damage is try replacing your neutronium console. If you still survive to your satisfaction then that's an answer.

mournblade · March 2020

To add to what Fox said, if I had to choose only 3 of the 4 AP bonus consoles I recommended to you, I'd choose the Voth Phase Decoy over the Polymorphic Probe Array. While the Array has a very good Category 1 damage bonus for AP, I don't find the probes particularly effective. Whereas the Phase Decoy offers a get out of TRIBBLE ability in addition to its Cat 1 damage bonus - if you're in trouble, you can pop the Phase Decoy to give yourself a breather to either repair your ship or to escape. It can come in handy. That, combined with the Crystalline Matrix, you have a couple of good defensive abilities up your sleeve if things get nasty.

Otherwise, if you want to run all four, do what Fox suggested and drop the Enhanced Neutronium and see where your survivability is at. If you're not dying constantly, you can probably run without it. If you are, there might be other issues with your build that have nothing to do with whether or not you're slotting the Neutronium. Either way, try it out. Do some testing in a Patrol, or TFO, and see how it goes. There's no substitute for field testing a build in combat.

Please review my builds

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