Star Trek Online Discussion Thread (now free to play!)

[T J]

Hi all! Just got my new fleet escort, what does everyone think?

P.S. - after looking at the new escort carrier I don't think I'll be jumping on it...maybe at some point.

In the mean time I'm really enjoying this fleet escort, it sure packs one hell of a punch!

[Timelord_Victorious]

Nice, that you brought this ship into the discussion.

If you compare the Boff seating of the new Akira variant and the fleet escort, the Akira (refuse to use the arbitrary new class name) does better what the fleet escort is designed for, namely tanking with better engineering abilities or if so desired much better offensive engineering abilities to enhance the damage.
What it loses in DPS by not having a LC tactical station it probably more than makes up with the new torpedo power (up to 28 or so torpedo hits pread out over 8 targets) and the wing of enhanced fighter craft it is able to launch.
On top of that it will be excellent as a crowd control monster with the right fighters like runabouts for tractor beams or power leech pets and the ability to use high level warp plasma, etc.

Cryptic just invented the Jack of all Trades that is actually GOOD at the things it does.
This is the perfect ship for their mission designs. High DPS, high turn rate, enough versatility if the situation demands it.

Sorry, but the limited fleet escort with it's narrow DPS orientation plus a meager ensign engineer doesn't cut it anymore in direct comparison.

Plus the design for whatever reason always was a poor man's Akira anyway.

They did to the fleet escort what they did to the starcruiser when the Odyssey arrived in game.

[Xhiandra]

Why do some many expect regular torpedoes (official forums+here)? It's a Torpedo Point Defense System, we're probably talking weak Torpedoes that barely tickle capital ships but destroy Plasma/Tricobalt Torpedoes and Fighters.
Only worth a console slot in PvP, IMO (to counter Carrier spam), in PvE I can shoot down Plasma Torps without losing a console slot.

I fly a Hermes and I'm not too enthusiastic over getting an Akira-R.
The Akira is a great-looking ship, but the stats? The only "upgrade" over the Hermes is the Hangar,at the cost of a worse BOFF layout: a 3rd Tac Ensign is useless.


On the other hand, although I fly a Hermes, I'd never pick one over the Prometheus ever since the Field Gen update. The Hermes looks better, the Prometheus has 18% more Shields and can fit Transfer Shield Strength+Polarize Hull+Hazard Emitters.


The Ultimate Escort (Fed-side) remains the Jem'Hadar Attack Ship, IMO:
- 10% more Hull than all Fed-Escorts.
- Better Impulse modifier (.22 instead of .2) and 5 more Engine Power means getting to targets faster (or fleeing faster if necessary).
- Turn Rate more on the level of a BoP than an Escort.
- A bit of versatility in the BOFF layout; though tbh one probably would just reproduce the Hermes/Guramba BOFF layout.
On the con side, bad consoles=only 1 Field Gen.

Klingon-side, it's between the Guramba and the Jem'Hadar: 4.8% Hull, better turn rate and Better Speed vs 18% Shields, Siege Mode and Javelin.

TL;DR:
Escorts ranking, IMO:
Jem'Hadar=Guramba>MVAE>Akira-R>AE>FE>Qin>Defiant-R.

T J wrote:

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Hi all! Just got my new fleet escort, what does everyone think?

P.S. - after looking at the new escort carrier I don't think I'll be jumping on it...maybe at some point.

In the mean time I'm really enjoying this fleet escort, it sure packs one hell of a punch!

1. Weapons:
It's not completely uncommon, but there's no reason to fit both a DBB and a Torp.
They fulfil the same role: big hits.

Tbh, personally, I run neither: my setup is 4 DHCs/3 Turrets (STFs), it parses higher than any other weapon setup (ok, I haven't tried 4 DCs) I've tested.

With 3 DHCs+1 Torp (tested both Photon & Quantum), I used to average ~4k DPS in ISE, with 4 DHCs, I average ~6k-6.5k DPS in ISE.
Sure, it doesn't produce big crits like Quantum Torpedoes or DBB+Beam Overload, but in STO as in all MMOs, burst damage is pointless. What matters is damage over time, not who had the highest screenshot.

My tactical BOFF setup is as follows:
Commander: TT1 CRF1 APO1 CRF3
Lt. Commander: TT1 APB1 APO1

All of those affect all my weapons (and in the case of APB, everyone else's), as do all my Tac consoles (4 Mag Regulators), they rotate nicely to give me TT, an Attack Pattern and CRF up most of the time.

2. Set:
The Borg set's main appeal is in its 2-pieces and 3-pieces set bonuses, especially the 2-pieces.
Individually, the pieces aren't that good and the 4-pieces bonus (a Tractor Beam every 4 minutes) is a drop in a bucket.
So, frankly, ditch that Shield. The Borg Shield is terrible.

In order of "lasting the longest against decent firepower", Shields (for Escorts) go like this:
In general: Maco>>>Reman>Aegis>other Covariants>Omega>Breen>Jem'Hadar>Borg.
In STFs: Maco>>>Omega>Reman>Aegis>other Covariants>Borg>Breen>Jem'Hadar.

This listing doesn't include KHG because I don't have a KDF Escort so I don't know the exact Cap and Regen they give to an Escort.

3. Devices:
A Subspace Field Modulator is always useful, though not mandatory, I suppose.

4. Eng Consoles:
- Emergency Force Fields suck. Your crew's going to die anyway and it doesn't matter much.
- SIF Generator and Neutronium are alright.
I use 2 Neutroniums and put the Borg module there, personally.

5. Sci Consoles:
- The Biofunction Monitor sucks.
- The Shield Emitter Amplifier is inferior to a Field Gen.
Tbh, ever since the Field Gen change, there's no reason to use any other Sci console (except on a low-Threat Science Vessel), you just stack as many as you can.
In the case of the Hermes, that's only 2.

6. Tac Consoles:
- You're an Escort, don't give one of your Tac slots up for the Borg module! Put it in Sci or Eng!
- Even if you use a Torpedo, you shouldn't use a Torpedo console. It's wasteful to have a Tac Console affect only 1 of your weapons.
- Not sure about the Transwarp Coil. +.76 Power to all systems is very nice, but is it worth sacrificing a Console slot? At any rate, don't put it in Tac, put it in Eng.

Parse yourself with those consoles and then with 4 Mag Regulators, you'll see the difference.

[Rocketeer]

I'm working on my tac officer now. He's up to RA Upper Half. Had planned on getting the Defiant Refit but you're ranking it last... Okay maybe it is last, but at least it looks cool.

I like the Akira also and was disappointed that it was only a tier 2 escort.
.

Appreciate the TAC setup. I'm running Phasers DHC's [CrtHx2] with one Photon Torp [Acc][CrtH] on the front and three Turrets [CrtH] on the back. I get a lot of mileage with the Photon Console and Torp Spread especially on clusters of enemies. I hit them first with Target Shields/Volley then Torp Spread. (It does seem that I'm the only one using phasers or a torp though.) Even if I could improve my DPS by replacing the Torp with a DHC, I don't think that I will as I like the visual on the torp spread.
.

[Bird of Prey]

I've been flying my Galaxy retrofit (saucer-sep) for several months now, and I'm thinking about switching it up to this new Akira carrier. I have not flown really flown a carrier yet, and the turn rate on this is better than my Galaxy. However, I won't be spending any real money on it, so it'll be acheived when I have enough dilithium from my 5 toons (through Doff missions), plus my monthly stipend. I'll have to do a few more STF's so that I can load up on MKXII heavy cannons. Are the Antiproton still the better choice, or have they tweaked the stats on the weapons?

Speaking of STF's, I've noticed when doing them that some people fire this spread of white torpedoes that look like a cluster of about 12 small quantum torps that do massive damage. Any idea what these are?

[intrinsical]

Just bear in mind that Season 6 is around the corner and there will be several more new ships and refits to choose from.

[Captain_Amasov]

The Sovereign-class is getting a new refit/ship visual too, so it'll be interesting to see how that will compare to the Odyssey-class.

[Xhiandra]

Rocketeer wrote:

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I'm working on my tac officer now. He's up to RA Upper Half. Had planned on getting the Defiant Refit but you're ranking it last... Okay maybe it is last, but at least it looks cool.

I like the Akira also and was disappointed that it was only a tier 2 escort.
.

Well, it does have its perks: 5% more Shields than the FE/AE (but the AE can fit a 3rd Field Gen), better Turn Rate and the Cloak.

The Cloak is great in PvP, but in STFs you pretty much only use it once, afterwards you're pretty much always engaged, and the difference between 15 at 17 base Turn Rate isn't that significant.
In STFs, even my Luna (13 base Turn) has no manoeuverability issues and in PvP 17 won't suffice to keep up with BoPs (and it shouldn't).

The downside is the 3rd Ensign Tac slot.
Overall, it's not that bad and you'll find plenty who disagree with my ranking above.


BoP: are you sure it's not just a Torpedo Spread of Quantums? They might look smaller because of the angle or something.

Personally, I favor Antiproton weaponry on Escorts/Cruisers/BoPs, Tetryon on the Luna but I'm not sure they're "the best" overall.

The Phaser proc is very strong, so's the Disruptor proc (but I'm not sure if it stacks from different sources - that's the main reason I switched to AP), Tetryon can be as well if you've specced Flow Capacitors, Polarons have the 2-pieces Jem'Hadar set bonus.
Plasma's the only bad type, the rest is fairly comparable.

[T J]

Thanks for advice, I'll play with it and see. I do love making little adjustments and tweaking. This is my first escort, I'm used to playing with cruisers. Whole different mindset!

[Hartzilla2007]

Captain_Amasov wrote:

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The Sovereign-class is getting a new refit/ship visual too, so it'll be interesting to see how that will compare to the Odyssey-class.

The upcoming Sovereign 2.0 or what ever its called is something that I will definitely be getting when it comes out.

[intrinsical]

I have been thinking a little about how to configure the new Akira carrier escort. In PvE, that Photon Torpedo PDS is going to be a curse as it will generate aggro for a ship that has weak shields and hull. Even the best players will have difficulty keeping an escort from exploding with multiple ships firing upon it.

The other downside to the new Akira is its hanger bay. I have the Atrox so I know how much attention is required to make sure my fighters are attacking the right target. In fact I have resorted to parking my Atrox at the 10km range and lob torpedoes while I focus on directing my fighter wings and healing friendly ships. With an escort that's supposed to be constantly on the move, it will be a difficult juggling task trying to control both the ship AND the fighters.

Then it struck me. The two negatives can be combined into a positive. In PvE, what the Akira needs is a way to neutralize the aggro generated by that PDS console and the fighters can be used to achieve this. Instead of having a flight of Peregrines, switch to using tougher Runabouts or Delta Flyers to harass and interdict incoming attackers. Set them on Intercept Mode so they will automatically attack any ship that tries to attack your ship. This way, your fighters act as a screen against incoming attackers, allowing you to focus on fighting a single opponent while the PDS supports your fighter wing with a constant barrage of torpedoes.

[J. Allen]

Hartzilla2007 wrote:

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The upcoming Sovereign 2.0 or what ever its called is something that I will definitely be getting when it comes out.

Yep. I've been flying my Sovereign for a while now, and I'm very comfortable with it, to the point where I now prefer it over the Excelsior class retrofit. The new Sovvy certainly has my interest.

[Hitman]

intrinsical wrote:

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Even the best players will have difficulty keeping an escort from exploding with multiple ships firing upon it.

Only if one has evasive manoeuvres or deuterium surplus on cooldown

As for the new ship, my initial enthusiasm has faded, at least for use in PvE in place of any of the escorts. Where DPS is king, that engineering slot only gives more tanking ability.

By the way, when are they nerfing the contraband turn it mission? I fear already the return of AFK farmers to STFs and PvP...

[Blamo]

Bought my tier-5 Akira and I'm loving it.

No longer any need for me to look at that ugly Fleet Escort.

[MikeS]

*warning noob alert*

What am I able to do with the hundreds of items - minerals/Alien artifacts/radiation etc I've picked up from scanning anomolies? Do I do something with them at Memory Alpha?

Many thanks.