Post by krow on Oct 30, 2013 14:04:58 GMT
I keep getting surprised at how many people don't know the very basics of this game. Since I was an avid PVPer long before I was a Roleplayer, I figured i'd lay down the the simple do and do nots of space combat.
Disclaimer: While a lot of what I say here is based on fact, there are also some opinions. Know there are always exceptions and I've seen some decent PVPers that use builds that logically, should not work. What i'm going to say is mainly based on PVP. But if you're just an average PVPer, you're going to be better than 90% of people who only do PVEs.
First, never ever mix weapon types. If you're running disruptor, stick to disruptor. Don't throw in a couple polarons. The reason being, type specific tactical consoles give a much higher damage boost than, say, a console that boosts cannon damage. Running "rainbow" builds or "skittle boats" will get you laughed at. Always. This is a fact of the game that cannot be changed. Rainbows always always ALWAYS do lower damage than single weapon types. Always stack as many type specific Tactical Consoles as you can. Mk. Xii blues are as high as you can get without spending 30-40m on one. They give diminishing return, yes. But not nearly as much as engineering consoles. So it's worth stacking them.
Now, a bit on torpedoes. First, never run a torpedo boat. I know i'm going to catch some heat for this, but I've tested it and ran the numbers with an external program called Advanced Combat Tracker. Is tracks DPS, total damage, ETC. Torp boats ALWAYS do less damage than the same ship with cannons. Torpedoes are spike weapons. Meaning they're designed to do a lot of damage in a small amount of time. Unfortunately, this is nearly useless against shields. Even Transphasic torpedoes don't do as much to a ship as cannons or beams would. The only time I can see someone using a torp boat is on a B'rel or a T'Varo in a support role. And only in PVP. It's not helpful to your team to poke at a gate or a cube with torpedoes and mines. They can be annoying in PVP, but not very dangerous. That being said, the B'rel and the T'Varo are hilarious to pester people in and can be a lot of fun. Just don't expect to ever kill anyone. Personally, I don't use torpedoes. But I used to in my Klingon BoP. High Yield 3 with Fleet Quantums against the hull of a ship is beyond deadly. Especially after you pop its facing shield with Beam Overload 3.
Now on to the most important point I think I can make. (Be advised, I might rant and rave a bit here.) Another controversial one. People get mad at me when I yell at them for this, but I stand firm that this law cannot and should not be broken. Stick. To. Your. Ship. Class. If you're Tactical, stay with Escorts. If you're Engineering, stick to a cruiser. If you're Science, stick to a Sci ship."But Krow, I don't LIKE to fly cruisers." You made an engineer. Either use a cruiser or make a tactical toon. "But Krow, I do OK in a Tac Cruiser." NO. You DON'T. If you're a Tactical in a Cruiser, you'll never do as much damage as a tac in an escort and you'll never tank as well as an engie in a cruiser. You'll be forever stuck in a kind of shitty middle ground. Don't try to make up for your class' shortcomings with ships. It won't work. Tacticals aren't meant to tank. They're meant to do huge amounts of damage while the Engies heal them. Engies aren't meant to do damage. They're meant to do TAKE damage. They pull aggro off the Tacs while providing team heals. Science is meant to disable and generally piss off the enemy. Subnuc. Nuff said. Do NOT mix ship type. Yes, some Tac escorts can tank. (although usually speed tank) And yes, some Engie cruisers do amazing damage. But those are very finely tuned and often times expensive ships. Don't use them as examples of what can be done. Don't think you're the exception to the rule.
That being said.
As much as it pains me to say this, there are exceptions. Very rare ones, but there are. Science Captains do VERY well in B'rels because they can disable you while cloaked. I know a Science Captain that flies a Chell Grett. It's an escort, and somehow she manages to not only tank fairly well but also do decent damage. I've been killed by Torp Boats. I've been killed by Tac Cruisers. Aux2batt ones, but that's a whole nother lesson.
Get the Row 7 keybind. Go to hilbertguide.com/ and press Ctrl F. Type in "Keybinds" and follow the instructions. This will cut your deaths in half. In PVE and PVP. No more clicking your Tac teams every few seconds. Every time you hit the spacebar, it'll activate any ability you have on your #7 tray. I have 10 abilities that activate whenever they're off cooldown and I never have to worry about hitting them. Thank me later.
Also, this tool is really handy: www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/
Now for my closing statements. The Acc modifier is your friend. Elite Fleet gear is to die for. Go fleet weapons or go home. Always use teamwork. Plasma weapons are bad in PVP. Antiproton is for spike. Never try to tank in a Scimitar. Don't feed your Epohh after midnight. Watch out for Feedback Pulse. If you see someone running aux2batt, run. Never do HSE. And for the love of GOD never ever ever run a skittle boat. Or I will find you, and I kill you.
This has been the daily ramblings of a Krow.
See you out there.
Disclaimer: While a lot of what I say here is based on fact, there are also some opinions. Know there are always exceptions and I've seen some decent PVPers that use builds that logically, should not work. What i'm going to say is mainly based on PVP. But if you're just an average PVPer, you're going to be better than 90% of people who only do PVEs.
First, never ever mix weapon types. If you're running disruptor, stick to disruptor. Don't throw in a couple polarons. The reason being, type specific tactical consoles give a much higher damage boost than, say, a console that boosts cannon damage. Running "rainbow" builds or "skittle boats" will get you laughed at. Always. This is a fact of the game that cannot be changed. Rainbows always always ALWAYS do lower damage than single weapon types. Always stack as many type specific Tactical Consoles as you can. Mk. Xii blues are as high as you can get without spending 30-40m on one. They give diminishing return, yes. But not nearly as much as engineering consoles. So it's worth stacking them.
Now, a bit on torpedoes. First, never run a torpedo boat. I know i'm going to catch some heat for this, but I've tested it and ran the numbers with an external program called Advanced Combat Tracker. Is tracks DPS, total damage, ETC. Torp boats ALWAYS do less damage than the same ship with cannons. Torpedoes are spike weapons. Meaning they're designed to do a lot of damage in a small amount of time. Unfortunately, this is nearly useless against shields. Even Transphasic torpedoes don't do as much to a ship as cannons or beams would. The only time I can see someone using a torp boat is on a B'rel or a T'Varo in a support role. And only in PVP. It's not helpful to your team to poke at a gate or a cube with torpedoes and mines. They can be annoying in PVP, but not very dangerous. That being said, the B'rel and the T'Varo are hilarious to pester people in and can be a lot of fun. Just don't expect to ever kill anyone. Personally, I don't use torpedoes. But I used to in my Klingon BoP. High Yield 3 with Fleet Quantums against the hull of a ship is beyond deadly. Especially after you pop its facing shield with Beam Overload 3.
Now on to the most important point I think I can make. (Be advised, I might rant and rave a bit here.) Another controversial one. People get mad at me when I yell at them for this, but I stand firm that this law cannot and should not be broken. Stick. To. Your. Ship. Class. If you're Tactical, stay with Escorts. If you're Engineering, stick to a cruiser. If you're Science, stick to a Sci ship."But Krow, I don't LIKE to fly cruisers." You made an engineer. Either use a cruiser or make a tactical toon. "But Krow, I do OK in a Tac Cruiser." NO. You DON'T. If you're a Tactical in a Cruiser, you'll never do as much damage as a tac in an escort and you'll never tank as well as an engie in a cruiser. You'll be forever stuck in a kind of shitty middle ground. Don't try to make up for your class' shortcomings with ships. It won't work. Tacticals aren't meant to tank. They're meant to do huge amounts of damage while the Engies heal them. Engies aren't meant to do damage. They're meant to do TAKE damage. They pull aggro off the Tacs while providing team heals. Science is meant to disable and generally piss off the enemy. Subnuc. Nuff said. Do NOT mix ship type. Yes, some Tac escorts can tank. (although usually speed tank) And yes, some Engie cruisers do amazing damage. But those are very finely tuned and often times expensive ships. Don't use them as examples of what can be done. Don't think you're the exception to the rule.
That being said.
As much as it pains me to say this, there are exceptions. Very rare ones, but there are. Science Captains do VERY well in B'rels because they can disable you while cloaked. I know a Science Captain that flies a Chell Grett. It's an escort, and somehow she manages to not only tank fairly well but also do decent damage. I've been killed by Torp Boats. I've been killed by Tac Cruisers. Aux2batt ones, but that's a whole nother lesson.
Get the Row 7 keybind. Go to hilbertguide.com/ and press Ctrl F. Type in "Keybinds" and follow the instructions. This will cut your deaths in half. In PVE and PVP. No more clicking your Tac teams every few seconds. Every time you hit the spacebar, it'll activate any ability you have on your #7 tray. I have 10 abilities that activate whenever they're off cooldown and I never have to worry about hitting them. Thank me later.
Also, this tool is really handy: www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/
Now for my closing statements. The Acc modifier is your friend. Elite Fleet gear is to die for. Go fleet weapons or go home. Always use teamwork. Plasma weapons are bad in PVP. Antiproton is for spike. Never try to tank in a Scimitar. Don't feed your Epohh after midnight. Watch out for Feedback Pulse. If you see someone running aux2batt, run. Never do HSE. And for the love of GOD never ever ever run a skittle boat. Or I will find you, and I kill you.
This has been the daily ramblings of a Krow.
See you out there.