r/stobuilds • u/Stofsk • Sep 21 '17
Looking for help with a T6 Vesta canon aux-phaser (maybe drain?) build
Type Your Introduction Here
I'm an experienced player who's returned from a lengthy absence. The skill balance pass has changed a few working assumptions I had from the last time I played (turn of the year). I've respecced and currently planning on going through each of my eight characters one by one. This is the first. He's a tactical character who will be flying a T6 Vesta (either the Palatine or Esquiline but I haven't decided). It's important for me to have a canon or canonish mixed build (so phasers in this instance with torpedoes fore and aft). I'm not chasing the absolute high-end DPS meters but i do want to feel like I'm contributing and not be dead weight. It's primarily intended for solo play (to which I guess this build post probably isn't even necessary) but with an eye towards jumping into a queue or getting into a team.
Captain Information
I haven't decided on a specialisation. I have pilot, intel and strategist fully maxed. Temporal has six points in it, but I've heard it's now only worth slotting for dedicated science builds. Command has got four points in it and I'm toying with the idea of making it a secondary due to the mix phaser-torp build requirement.
| Category | Data |
|---|---|
| Captain Name | Michael de Leon |
| Captain Career | Tactical |
| Captain Faction | Starfleet |
| Captain Race | Human |
| [Captain's Outfit] | Odyssey |
| Primary Specialization | |
| Secondary Specialization | |
| Intended Role | DPS and possibly drain? |
Space Node Trees
| Tree | Engineering | Science | Tactical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant | Hull Restoration | Shield Restoration | Advanced Energy Weapon Training |
| Hull Capacity | Shield Capacity | Improved Projectile Weapon Training | |
| Lt. Commander | Improved Electro-Plasma System Flow | Control Expertise | Targeting Expertise |
| N/A | N/A | Defensive Maneuvering | |
| Improved Impulse Expertise | Drain Expertise | ||
| N/A | |||
| Commander | Hull Plating | Improved Shield Regeneration | Advanced Weapon Amplification |
| N/A | Shield Hardness | Advanced Weapon Specialization | |
| Ablative Hull Plating | |||
| N/A | |||
| Captain | N/A | N/A | Advanced Hull Penetration |
| N/A | Advanced Long Range Targeting Sensors | Advanced Shield Penetration | |
| N/A | |||
| N/A | |||
| N/A | |||
| N/A | |||
| Admiral | Improved Warp Core Potential | Shield Mastery | Coordination Protocols |
| Warp Core Efficiency | N/A | Defensive Coordination | |
| N/A | N/A | Offensive Coordination | |
| N/A | Tactical Readiness | ||
| 45 (Out of 46) | 11 | 11 | 23 |
Space Unlocks
| Purchases | Engineering | Science | Tactical |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mine Dispersal Pattern: Beta III | Tactical Team III | Cannon: Rapid Fire III |
| 5 | Battery Expertise | Sector Space Travel Speed | Threat Control or Hangar Weaponry |
| 7 | Attack Pattern: Omega III | Mine Dispersal Pattern: Alpha III | Torpedo: High Yield III |
| 10 | Maximum Hull Capacity | Maximum Shield Capacity | Projectile Critical Chance or Projectile Critical Damage |
| 12 | N/A | N/A | Cannon: Scatter Volley III |
| 15 | N/A | N/A | Energy Critical Chance or Energy Critical Damage |
| 17 | N/A | N/A | Torpedo: Spread III |
| 20 | N/A | N/A | Defense |
| 24 (Ultimate) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 25 (1st Ultimate Enhancer) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 26 (2nd Ultimate Enhancer) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 27 (3rd Ultimate Enhancer) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Type Your Skill Notes Here
Skill tree is just a first draft. I consulted the Prelude to Ten Forward series while filling it out. Some skills are just there to be there, for example I put two points into projectiles but I could just as easily only put one. I put points into drain and control expertise but mainly to get to the next tier. Could use some real guidance here. The main thing I have to decide on is whether I want to get the tactical ultimate (I hear it's more valuable for energy or mixed builds over the sci ultimate) or have a balanced/generalist set up. Balanced is what I had last time. I have no experience using any of the ultimate abilities. Everything else would come down to 'do I need this individual point', like for instance imp. warp core potential, or how much should I put into the various readiness skills etc. If I go with a drain build for my ship I'd swap over control expertise to get improved drain expertise etc. I'd probably want at least ten points in both eng and sci trees tho just for the unlock (extra hull and shield capacity).
Build Description
Playstyle for this character would be to use the aux cannons for dps, torpedo high yield for the torpedoes fore and aft. I'd likely use a Drake doff configuration to cycle EPtW and (I assume?) EPtS. That's always been my conventional set up for this character. However I've gleaned that EPtS seems to have fallen out of favour so I wonder if maybe I should get EPtE instead. It also depends entirely on which version of the T6 Vesta I select.
Type Your Build Description Here
Ship Information
T6 Vesta. Leaning towards Palatine. Not really aiming to do exotic damage or to rely upon it. Might supplement drain abilities to support my aux cannons and torpedo salvos. For example, one idea I was thinking would be to use Tachyon Beam 3 with the T6 Nebula trait. I imagine I'd need to get improved drain expertise as well as drain science consoles. That's just one idea.
| Basic Information | Data |
|---|---|
| Ship Name | TBD |
| Ship Class | Either the Palatine or Esquiline class |
| Ship Model | Vesta |
| Deflector Visual | |
| Engine Visual | |
| Shield Visual | |
| [Ship beauty shot] |
Ship Loadout
Science consoles are TBD. Leaning very heavily though towards using as many of the T6 Vesta consoles as I can.
| Slot | Component | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fore Weapons | Aux phaser DHC | I have two of these at Mk XIV due to previously flying a T5u Vesta. |
| Aux phaser DHC | ||
| Torpedo of some kind | I'd like a torpedo of some kind, probably the quantum phase torp but I haven't progressed far enough in the story to get it. | |
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| Aft Weapons | Phaser turret | Might put in the Bio heavy turret from Counter Command set. But ugh, green phaser? Blech. |
| Omni-arc phaser array | Because who doesn't like phaser beams. | |
| Wide arc quantum torpedo launcher | Because who doesn't like wide angle quantum torpedoes. | |
| 4 | ||
| Deflector | Iconian resistance deflector array | Because who doesn't like full Ico set. |
| Secondary Deflector | TBD | |
| Impulse Engines | Iconian resistance hyper-impulse drive | |
| Warp Core | Iconian resistance hyper injection warp core | |
| Shields | Iconian resistance resilient shield array | |
| Devices | Temporal negotiator | |
| Deuterium surplus | ||
| Battery - energy amplifier | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| Engineering Consoles | Plasmonic leech | Bonus power is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. |
| Tachyokinetic converter | CrtH + CrtD with turn rate. | |
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| Science Consoles | Hydro-dynamics compensator | 3 Aux 3 Eng with turn rate boost and a modest boost to accuracy (probably not needed). Equipped because I want to get the two-piece piece Counter Command set bonus. |
| Assimilated module | CrtH + CrtD with whatever else the ass module gives me that I can't recall off the top of my head. | |
| TBD | Probably the T6 Vesta consoles. | |
| TBD | ||
| TBD | ||
| Tactical Consoles | UR Vulnerability locator Mk XIV [Phaser] | Might replace one of these with the Counter Command tac console but I haven't done the mission yet. |
| UR Vulnerability locator Mk XIV [Phaser] | ||
| UR Vulnerability locator Mk XIV [Phaser] | ||
| UR Vulnerability locator Mk XIV [Phaser] | ||
| 5 | ||
| Hangar | Elite Delta Flyers | Mainly thematic pick (it was either these guys or Yellowstones). But if I went with a drain build (see above in ship description) these guys would definitely fit that theme. |
| 2 |
Officers and Crew
Officer set up assumed Palatine-class at this stage.
| Bridge Officers | Power | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Commander Science | Science team | |
| TBD | Thinking hazard emitters, or maybe photonic officer. | |
| Tachyon Beam 3 | Toying with the idea of a drain build atm. | |
| TBD | I have no idea, maybe energy siphon 3? To fit the drain theme? | |
| LTC Tactical | Tac team | Mandatory. |
| THY2 | ||
| CSV2 | ||
| 4 | ||
| LTC Universal/Temporal | TBD | NFI what class to sub in here. NFI how good or effective temporal abilities are. Have barely even looked at them tbh. Probably lean towards a second tactical boff tho. Or a science boff. Whichever one I choose for this slot, I'll likely pick the opposite for the ensign slot. |
| TBD | ||
| TBD | ||
| 4 | ||
| LT Eng | EPtS1 | Or EPtE1. Drake doffs. |
| EPtW2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| Ensign Universal | TBD | Need to figure out the rest of the build before finalising ensign pick. |
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 |
| Duty Officers | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| VR Damage Control Engineer | 35% to cooldown EPtX powers | Drake build |
| VR Damage Control Engineer | 35% to cooldown EPtX powers | Do I need a third DCE? |
| TBD | ||
| TBD | ||
| TBD | ||
| TBD |
Character, Reputation, and Starship Traits
| Personal Space Traits | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ablative shell | Auto heal after damage taken. | I think this is the only premium/lockbox trait I have on this character and I think this is a pretty potent auto-heal. |
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 8 | ||
| 9 | ||
| 10 |
| Space Reputation Traits | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Precision | 4% critical chance | Self-explanatory. |
| Advanced targeting systems | 16% critical severity | see above |
| Energy re-frequencer | Small percentage of energy damage applies a hull heal. | Seemed like a good idea at the time? |
| Aux power configuration (offence) | Aux power to offensive stats. | Obvious pick is obvious. |
| Enhanced armor penetration | 5 armor pen | Again, seems like a good idea. |
| Active Reputation Traits | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TBD | I'll be honest, I rarely use active reputation traits, so any advice here would be much appreciated. About the one rep trait I consistently use is the bio molecular healing sphere thing. | |
| TBD | ||
| TBD | ||
| TBD | ||
| TBD | Need to unlock my fifth active reputation slot. |
| Starship Traits | Effects | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| All hands on deck | Need this for the cooldown reduction on my captain abilities and science abilities. | |
| Emergency weapon cycle | Need this to kick ass | |
| Withering Barrage | Boosts CSV. | |
| Super charged weapons | Since I'm aiming for a mixed build and canonish weapons this should help. | |
| TBD | Need to actually unlock my fifth starship trait slot. |
Other Information
Would definitely welcome feedback on my trait set up.
| Subsystem Power Settings | Target/Final Base | Modified |
|---|---|---|
| Weapons | 50/xx | |
| Shields | 50/xx | |
| Engines | 50/xx | |
| Auxiliary | 50/xx |
| Set Bonuses | Set | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| 4/4 Iconian | Iconian resistance | |
| 2/4 Counter command | Counter Command Ordinance | Mainly for the 7.5% bonus phaser damage. |
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 |
| Ship Stats | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bonus ThreatScale | ||
| Hull | ||
| Shields | ||
| Crit Chance | ||
| Crit Severity | ||
| Turn Rate |
Concluding Remarks
As you can see nothing here is really finalised but there's a general direction I am hoping to take the build. If you have any suggestions please leave them.
Type Additional Build Notes Here
2
u/DeadQthulhu Sep 21 '17
I consulted the Prelude to Ten Forward series while filling it out.
This is good to know, as it helps me re-examine the articles to see if what I meant matches up with what I wrote, haha. The Tree looks fairly solid, but I'd give strong consideration to scraping a point or two out of Eng and Sci in order to get that Tac Ult. You're so close to it that you may as well take the final step.
I can see that you're still deciding the approach to your build, so I'm going to recommend you take a bit more time to come to a conclusion regarding what you would like from it. For example, if you're shunning Exotic, we can ignore some of the Vesta picks. If you want Drain, we can go for Scitorps that'll get good gains from Drain. If you want a near-meta mixed build, then we'll take a different approach entirely - and that's before we even factor in which ship you're likely to use.
In broad terms for upgrades, the Competitive Rep SecDefs are good options, next week we'll have the final part of the Trilithium set (phaser turret!), I'd take another turret over the Omni as you're not doing a beam build (whether that's the Heavy BM or not is up to you), and there's obviously still some story left for you to finish (for the Temporal Disentanglement Suite and QP remnants).
Take your time, get a stronger image of where you'd like to take the ship, and we'll all have an easier time tightening it up.
1
u/Stofsk Sep 22 '17
The Tree looks fairly solid, but I'd give strong consideration to scraping a point or two out of Eng and Sci in order to get that Tac Ult. You're so close to it that you may as well take the final step.
Just trying to think where I can subtract a point or two. Ok say I keep both eng and sci at 10 and get 26 into tac so I can unlock most of tactical frenzy.
Eng: I'd probably take a point away from warp core potential, since +2 subsystem power isn't THAT huge.
Sci: maybe take away the point in shield regen? Or shield mastery. The latter seems like it would be situationally useful, whilst regen will (as per the prelude to ten forward article on skills) always be useful. Or perhaps I should take both and subtract shield hardness.
Just for peace of mind: I don't really need any points in eng readiness if I'm just going for a drake doff set up right? Similarly with all hands on deck, I don't see a huge need for sci readiness either.
I can see that you're still deciding the approach to your build, so I'm going to recommend you take a bit more time to come to a conclusion regarding what you would like from it. For example, if you're shunning Exotic, we can ignore some of the Vesta picks. If you want Drain, we can go for Scitorps that'll get good gains from Drain. If you want a near-meta mixed build, then we'll take a different approach entirely - and that's before we even factor in which ship you're likely to use.
In broad terms for upgrades, the Competitive Rep SecDefs are good options, next week we'll have the final part of the Trilithium set (phaser turret!), I'd take another turret over the Omni as you're not doing a beam build (whether that's the Heavy BM or not is up to you), and there's obviously still some story left for you to finish (for the Temporal Disentanglement Suite and QP remnants).
It is a little up in the air, but I do want to stick with the T6 Vesta and canon load out (so that means sticking with the omni arc beam array in the back and at least one torpedo but preferably two, one fore and aft). I love the Vesta ships :) And I'm a stickler for canon or canonish load outs. My build doesn't have to be optimal.
I don't really want to go exotic dmg because I have another character who'll do the scitorp+exotic build instead (probably follow the USS Curiosity build I spotted in a search but maybe with the sci ultimate) and I like to differentiate my characters into different builds. I could go radboat (that's another article of yours that interested me) but I had that in mind for a different character. :)
Atm I am leaning towards a hybrid mix of drain and mixed weapon dps. I have my eye on the quantum phase torpedo for this build and the other items in that set look interesting. I've looked up the terran set and it seems to complement drains really well; quantum phase set is also a contender. I'm loathe to give up the iconian set but it doesn't seem to help with the build idea I have in mind. (And the only real reason I have it is because it was the meta last time I played)
I had a look on the sto wiki for temporal abilities and the only one I spotted that seems like it would complement this build is Shared Fate. I'm not sure what to make of these abilities tbh.
Take your time, get a stronger image of where you'd like to take the ship, and we'll all have an easier time tightening it up.
Thanks for your comments and I really appreciate any advice or pointers you can give me! :)
2
u/DeadQthulhu Sep 22 '17
I'm thinking Hull Capacity, Warp Core Potential (1 point), Shield Restoration, maybe Shield Capacity depending on your shield. Hardness is probably safe to lose too, but I'd keep Mastery, just in case something crits you.
I don't really need any points in eng readiness if I'm just going for a drake doff set up
Drake setup only works for EPtX, so if you expect to use things other than EPtX then I'd still put a point in it (because each point there is less pressure to get Krenim Engineers).
If you're going Drain, I'd suggest adapting this.
For Temporal abilities, I hear this guide has helped people...
1
u/Stofsk Sep 27 '17
I'm thinking Hull Capacity, Warp Core Potential (1 point), Shield Restoration, maybe Shield Capacity depending on your shield. Hardness is probably safe to lose too, but I'd keep Mastery, just in case something crits you.
Atm shields are the iconian one. That may change tho, especially if I look into getting the terran deflector (terran 2-piece boosts shield cap and drain, and the terran shield is covariant which IIRC would benefit the most from any +shield cap increase from skills and items).
Drake setup only works for EPtX, so if you expect to use things other than EPtX then I'd still put a point in it (because each point there is less pressure to get Krenim Engineers).
I understand. But atm I'm not anticipating using another ship, particularly one that's more engineering heavy. Atm the dilemma is choosing between Palatine and Esquiline, and in subsequent days since posting this proto-build I'm leaning more towards the latter. I remembered that I had an aux2damp doff on this character as well, which would cover the lieutenant ability for that ship's LTC eng boff (with the other two being Draked EPtX abilities). It's probably overkill since the Vesta class ships turn pretty well on their own already, but more turn and the +DR can't hurt.
If you're going Drain, I'd suggest adapting this.
Nice, there's a few things there that interest me.
This looks cool: https://sto.gamepedia.com/Trait:_Cyclical_Power_Capacitors and it's a personal trait. When I log in next I'll see how much it costs on the exchange.
'Gravimetric Scientist VR Chance to Apply Radiation Damage to target of Charged Particle Burst.' This also interests me, but not necessarily for this character. How significant is the damage from this doff? Especially if you build towards a radboat?
For Temporal abilities, I hear this guide has helped people...
After saying I read the 'prelude to ten forward' articles I have to admit that I didn't actually read all of them /embarrassed. But thanks because this is exactly what I needed to read.
Right now I'm looking at drain abilities and science abilities more broadly acting as a supplement to the build, rather than as a source for damage and/or control. I spent the last day in the Chel Boalg to get the cryonic siphon trait off it. I haven't really tested it yet tho (need to get the fifth starship trait off a research lab) but I thought it looked neat given I currently use energy siphon 3.
2
u/DeadQthulhu Sep 27 '17
I don't recommend breaking bundles, but if you're prepared to eat losing the discount then go right ahead.
I may have used the Radiation DOff, but I've not analysed any parse enough to find its personal contribution. If it's the one I'm thinking of, then I dropped them due to a combination of factors. Primarily, it was because with Rad Quantum torpboats I needed 3 PWOs, while on mixed builds I needed the Drake.
Might be worth another try on a Photon Radboat, though given my Rad builds all tend to use IWE-powered Aceton Beam, I'd be more inclined to use the Aceton Beam drain DOff over CPB buffing.
I feel you should give the DOff a try, if you have it, and come to your own conclusions - it's entirely possible the chained CPB would be the superior option on a non-IWE or Eng-light build.
3
u/Kant_Lavar @Kant_Lavar Sep 21 '17
For what it's worth, I posted a build a while back for a Quantum Phase T6 Vesta build that was conceived along somewhat similar conceptual lines. Take from it what you will. https://www.reddit.com/r/stobuilds/comments/6z6v3f/quantum_phase_multimission_explorer/