we taking up guild space?
Actually more like Norfleet misses you guys. Don't tell him I implied he feels anything other than cold machine-like efficiency.
Yep I'm here, things are finally easing up for me so I should have some time for STO again. I was planning on getting online later today. I'm sure all my ships and builds are hopelessly outdated and mostly useless now.
I saw some chatter on the STO forums that beams are now not totally crap?
EDIT: And I'd be down for some No Win runs if someone can help me get my ships up to spec. I still hadn't even bothered with figuring out warpcores when I went on hiatus so I'm out of the loop. Auras? WTF?
The general gist in No Win Scenario is Fire At Will 3 and Attack Pattern Beta. Using Aux2Bat with three purple quality technicians (acquired from B'Tran Cluster fame assignments), everyone curls up around the Maru and just spams the discoball. One player is a Science Vessel, preferably something like a Vesta, who's there as the healer ship for the Maru, and to use Tractor Beam Repulsors with Evasive Maneuvers to push surviving enemy ships far away if time needs to be bought to heal the Maru and team to full capacity. Ideal ships for No Win team are ships like Regent and Avenger (Kumari also works when sporting Dual Beams).
Warp Cores and Singularity Cores are new items that provide hefty improvements to power levels if upgraded beyond standard issue. Higher quality Warp Cores are essentially about one thing: Elite Fleet Mk XII pieces. There's three things on a checklist for Cores when it comes to making the purchase (unless on a Carrier/Science Vessel):
1) Bonus power to Shields.
2) +3.3% to all damage per power level over 75 (most ships can easily get three levels this high, Engineers can keep almost constant 100+ in all systems), this is an important thing to have.
3) Power bonus from either Shields->Weapons or Weapons->Shields (Norfleet considers Shields->Weapons better, but in my experience the power drain from Weapon use does not affect the power bonus granted).
Whatever else is on the Core is usually just stuffing, being stuff like Slipstream bonuses or paltry skill points.
The auras are a new mechanic that buffed Cruisers. Basically, Cruisers run one out of a selection of passive buffs (obvious best ones are -25% to weapon power drain, and +10% bonus to shield hardness and healing; the +2 base turn rate is situationally good; the threat aura is useless). The team aspect is that these buffs don't stack, so every Cruiser runs a different aura if in a formation.
Norfleet can correct all the mistakes I've made, he's got the whole plan figured out for a long time now.
