Star Trek Online (Now for free and people are still playing!)
- Thread starter Moody
- Start date
i2hellfire
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
yep started seeing the game-wide messages "so-and-so has acquired a marauder" this morning. galors were cruisers, so i'm wondering if marauders would be presented as science ships...
edit | looks like it already has a wiki page. cruiser-like | http://www.stowiki.org/Ferengi_D'Kora_Marauder
edit | looks like it already has a wiki page. cruiser-like | http://www.stowiki.org/Ferengi_D'Kora_Marauder
Ferengi Notes:
Looks like they are learning... Lobi cyrstals that you can trade in and come with every lockbox opened...
Looks like they are learning... Lobi cyrstals that you can trade in and come with every lockbox opened...
Are you a ship captain in need of something a little special? An explorer searching the stars for adventure, or maybe a warrior on a path to glory? Maybe just a fan of holonovels looking for something new?
If you're any of these things (or even if you're not) then have I got an exciting business opportunity for you!
Lobi Crystal Consortium (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quark Enterprises) is proud to announce the release of the Ferengi Lock Box! Even before you open one, you'll be amazed at the quality of this fine item. LCC spared no expense in putting together a quality product – even the collectable packaging is trimmed with 0.0047 percent pure Latinum. You will be proud to give the Ferengi Lock Box to your friends and loved ones – in fact, we encourage it!
And when you open a Ferengi Lock Box, well, that's when the real excitement begins! Every box contains something extremely valuable. We've partnered with Sluga Military Technology to add top-quality hardware, imported gemstones from the Volnar Colony – even acquired the licenses for some very talented holograms, and some items never seen before outside of Ferenginar!
So start collecting Ferengi Lock Boxes tomorrow. And remember what we say at the Lobi Crystal Consortium: a deal's a deal, and all sales are final!
Starting tomorrow, Ferengi Lock Boxes will drop in-game in addition to your standard loot drops.
Open a Ferengi Lock Box to receive items ranging from a rare Ferengi ship to Lobi Crystals. The Ferengi Lock Box will contain one of the following tradable items:
•Ferengi D’Kora Marauder Class Starship. A separate Dev Blog will be posted tomorrow and will give more details on this ship!
•Cross-Faction Starship Console. Federation players will receive the Vent Theta Radiation Console (normally only available with the Scourge Destroyer) and Klingon Empire players will receive the Photonic Displacement Console (normally only available with the Rhode Island Refit).
•Ferengi Gambling Device that modifies probability for the user, giving the player a chance to gain a 10 percent boost to critical hit and critical severity as well as additional avoidance when used during away team missions. Potential users of this device should be aware that there’s always a chance you will not win!
•Ferengi Duty Officer Pack with 3 random Ferengi Duty Officers. These Ferengi have access to Traits and Specializations not previously available to their Species and are guaranteed to be Uncommon (green) quality or better. Opening this pack also grants you the opportunity to win one or more of four Ultra-Rare, Unique duty officers not available anywhere else!
•Large Commendation XP Boost which grants a 20 percent bonus to Commendation XP for up to 10,000 CXP before it is fully consumed.
•Commendation XP Boost which grants a 20 percent bonus to Commendation XP for up to 2,000 CXP before it is fully consumed.
•Skill Point Boost which grants a 20 percent bonus to Skill Points for up to 1,000 SP before it is fully consumed.
•Consumable Fighter Pets. Federation players will receive Peregrine Fighter Combat Pets, and Klingon Empire players will receive To'Duj Fighter Combat Pets. Each consumable will launch 3 fighters per charge that persist for up to 10 minutes (unless they are destroyed before that), and will come with 10 charges.
•Consumable Combat Pet. Federation players will receive a Combat Dilithium Horta and Klingon Empire players will receive a Combat Mugato Pet. Each of these consumable items will summon combat-ready pets for up to 60 seconds (unless they are killed before that), and will come with 10 charges.
•Holographic Combat Drone Pet modeled after the drones seen in use at Facility 4028. Each of these consumable items will summon a combat-ready pet for up to 60 seconds (unless they are killed before that), and will come with 10 charges.
•Holonovel Code Fragment. Using this item will prompt the player to start a new Duty Officer Assignment. The assignment will randomly reward one of 19 possible photonic duty officers themed to the assignment. All of these duty officers are Uncommon (green) or better quality.
•Random Rare or Very Rare Space Deflector or Ground Armor. The item awarded is at the appropriate level for the character that opens the box.
•Stack of double bonus consumables that improve two stats in combat, instead of just one. For example, a Shield and Auxiliary Battery. There are eight different consumables (four space and four ground) available.
•Lobi Crystals* that will be accepted as currency at a vendor that sells new specialty items. (You will always get Lobi Crystals in addition to the other prizes you get with every Ferengi Lock Box you open.)
To increase the already amazing value of the Ferengi Lock Box, the Lobi Crystal Consortium (still a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quark Enterprises) will be opening an outpost on Drozana Station to accept Lobi Crystals in exchange for new, unique items not available anywhere else! This fully-stocked retail outlet will feature both functional and cosmetic items. Our first shipment of inventory includes items ranging from a Ferengi Shuttle Pod to non-combat pets, but we will be working with our suppliers to get regular updates of merchandise you won't want to miss!
Items currently available at the Lobi Crystal Consortium:
•Ferengi Shuttle Pod. A separate Dev Blog will be posted tomorrow and will give more details on this shuttle!
•Ferengi Themed Space Set Items. This three-piece set contains two new weapons and a new universal console, allowing the new set to be used with any existing set without losing any bonuses. Each item is purchased individually and can be equipped simultaneously to grant additional commerce-themed bonuses.
•Photonic Tactical Bridge Officer. The Federation version of this bridge officer uses a variant of the Photonic Guard uniform in Facility 4028, while the Klingon Empire version is a female officer with an equivalent uniform. Each Bridge Officer has a special Trait that passively summons a Photonic Combat Drone to aid them in ground combat.
•Ferengi Jackets. These stylish off-duty costume pieces have standard and extravagant styles for male and female Starfleet characters. And because Ferengi designers know that females should show a little skin, there are open-jacket variants available for female characters.
•Themed Skirts. Federation and Klingon Empire female characters will look exceptionally classy in these new skirts. The skirts are Ferengi-styled for Federation female officers and Klingon-themed for KDF female officers.
•Jewelry. Both Federation and Klingon female characters will be able to class up their appearance with several new jewelry options.
•Jackal Mastiff Puppies. There are several color variants of this adorable non-combat pet. Collect them all or trade with friends to get the whole set!
•Holographic Drone Companion. A non-combat holographic drone companion modeled after those seen in Facility 4028. Unlike the combat version of this pet, the non-combat version is not consumed on use.
•Peregrine/To'Duj Fighter Pet. A faction-appropriate non-combat fighter pet. Unlike the combat version of this pet, the non-combat version is not consumed on use.
All items that can be awarded by the Ferengi Lock Box can be traded or sold on the Exchange to other players. So if you get something you don’t want or need, trade it for Energy Credits or something you do want. Also, the boxes themselves can be traded or auctioned if you don’t want to open them. Most items in the Lobi Crystal Consortium Store are tradable, but the *Lobi Crystals themselves cannot be traded or sold on the Exchange.
To open one of the Lock Boxes, a character will need an item called a Master Key. Master Keys can be purchased in the C-Store for 100 CP, or in a 10-pack for 900 CP. If you attempt to open a Lock Box without a Master Key, you will get a message explaining that you need one. If you have more than one Master Key, only one key will be consumed each time you open a Lock Box.
While playing, be on the lookout for special Gold Ferengi Lock Boxes! These boxes have significantly higher odds of rewarding the more desirable items, though they cannot be traded.
Make sure to take a look at our full FAQ tomorrow.
If you're any of these things (or even if you're not) then have I got an exciting business opportunity for you!
Lobi Crystal Consortium (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quark Enterprises) is proud to announce the release of the Ferengi Lock Box! Even before you open one, you'll be amazed at the quality of this fine item. LCC spared no expense in putting together a quality product – even the collectable packaging is trimmed with 0.0047 percent pure Latinum. You will be proud to give the Ferengi Lock Box to your friends and loved ones – in fact, we encourage it!
And when you open a Ferengi Lock Box, well, that's when the real excitement begins! Every box contains something extremely valuable. We've partnered with Sluga Military Technology to add top-quality hardware, imported gemstones from the Volnar Colony – even acquired the licenses for some very talented holograms, and some items never seen before outside of Ferenginar!
So start collecting Ferengi Lock Boxes tomorrow. And remember what we say at the Lobi Crystal Consortium: a deal's a deal, and all sales are final!
Starting tomorrow, Ferengi Lock Boxes will drop in-game in addition to your standard loot drops.
Open a Ferengi Lock Box to receive items ranging from a rare Ferengi ship to Lobi Crystals. The Ferengi Lock Box will contain one of the following tradable items:
•Ferengi D’Kora Marauder Class Starship. A separate Dev Blog will be posted tomorrow and will give more details on this ship!
•Cross-Faction Starship Console. Federation players will receive the Vent Theta Radiation Console (normally only available with the Scourge Destroyer) and Klingon Empire players will receive the Photonic Displacement Console (normally only available with the Rhode Island Refit).
•Ferengi Gambling Device that modifies probability for the user, giving the player a chance to gain a 10 percent boost to critical hit and critical severity as well as additional avoidance when used during away team missions. Potential users of this device should be aware that there’s always a chance you will not win!
•Ferengi Duty Officer Pack with 3 random Ferengi Duty Officers. These Ferengi have access to Traits and Specializations not previously available to their Species and are guaranteed to be Uncommon (green) quality or better. Opening this pack also grants you the opportunity to win one or more of four Ultra-Rare, Unique duty officers not available anywhere else!
•Large Commendation XP Boost which grants a 20 percent bonus to Commendation XP for up to 10,000 CXP before it is fully consumed.
•Commendation XP Boost which grants a 20 percent bonus to Commendation XP for up to 2,000 CXP before it is fully consumed.
•Skill Point Boost which grants a 20 percent bonus to Skill Points for up to 1,000 SP before it is fully consumed.
•Consumable Fighter Pets. Federation players will receive Peregrine Fighter Combat Pets, and Klingon Empire players will receive To'Duj Fighter Combat Pets. Each consumable will launch 3 fighters per charge that persist for up to 10 minutes (unless they are destroyed before that), and will come with 10 charges.
•Consumable Combat Pet. Federation players will receive a Combat Dilithium Horta and Klingon Empire players will receive a Combat Mugato Pet. Each of these consumable items will summon combat-ready pets for up to 60 seconds (unless they are killed before that), and will come with 10 charges.
•Holographic Combat Drone Pet modeled after the drones seen in use at Facility 4028. Each of these consumable items will summon a combat-ready pet for up to 60 seconds (unless they are killed before that), and will come with 10 charges.
•Holonovel Code Fragment. Using this item will prompt the player to start a new Duty Officer Assignment. The assignment will randomly reward one of 19 possible photonic duty officers themed to the assignment. All of these duty officers are Uncommon (green) or better quality.
•Random Rare or Very Rare Space Deflector or Ground Armor. The item awarded is at the appropriate level for the character that opens the box.
•Stack of double bonus consumables that improve two stats in combat, instead of just one. For example, a Shield and Auxiliary Battery. There are eight different consumables (four space and four ground) available.
•Lobi Crystals* that will be accepted as currency at a vendor that sells new specialty items. (You will always get Lobi Crystals in addition to the other prizes you get with every Ferengi Lock Box you open.)
To increase the already amazing value of the Ferengi Lock Box, the Lobi Crystal Consortium (still a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quark Enterprises) will be opening an outpost on Drozana Station to accept Lobi Crystals in exchange for new, unique items not available anywhere else! This fully-stocked retail outlet will feature both functional and cosmetic items. Our first shipment of inventory includes items ranging from a Ferengi Shuttle Pod to non-combat pets, but we will be working with our suppliers to get regular updates of merchandise you won't want to miss!
Items currently available at the Lobi Crystal Consortium:
•Ferengi Shuttle Pod. A separate Dev Blog will be posted tomorrow and will give more details on this shuttle!
•Ferengi Themed Space Set Items. This three-piece set contains two new weapons and a new universal console, allowing the new set to be used with any existing set without losing any bonuses. Each item is purchased individually and can be equipped simultaneously to grant additional commerce-themed bonuses.
•Photonic Tactical Bridge Officer. The Federation version of this bridge officer uses a variant of the Photonic Guard uniform in Facility 4028, while the Klingon Empire version is a female officer with an equivalent uniform. Each Bridge Officer has a special Trait that passively summons a Photonic Combat Drone to aid them in ground combat.
•Ferengi Jackets. These stylish off-duty costume pieces have standard and extravagant styles for male and female Starfleet characters. And because Ferengi designers know that females should show a little skin, there are open-jacket variants available for female characters.
•Themed Skirts. Federation and Klingon Empire female characters will look exceptionally classy in these new skirts. The skirts are Ferengi-styled for Federation female officers and Klingon-themed for KDF female officers.
•Jewelry. Both Federation and Klingon female characters will be able to class up their appearance with several new jewelry options.
•Jackal Mastiff Puppies. There are several color variants of this adorable non-combat pet. Collect them all or trade with friends to get the whole set!
•Holographic Drone Companion. A non-combat holographic drone companion modeled after those seen in Facility 4028. Unlike the combat version of this pet, the non-combat version is not consumed on use.
•Peregrine/To'Duj Fighter Pet. A faction-appropriate non-combat fighter pet. Unlike the combat version of this pet, the non-combat version is not consumed on use.
All items that can be awarded by the Ferengi Lock Box can be traded or sold on the Exchange to other players. So if you get something you don’t want or need, trade it for Energy Credits or something you do want. Also, the boxes themselves can be traded or auctioned if you don’t want to open them. Most items in the Lobi Crystal Consortium Store are tradable, but the *Lobi Crystals themselves cannot be traded or sold on the Exchange.
To open one of the Lock Boxes, a character will need an item called a Master Key. Master Keys can be purchased in the C-Store for 100 CP, or in a 10-pack for 900 CP. If you attempt to open a Lock Box without a Master Key, you will get a message explaining that you need one. If you have more than one Master Key, only one key will be consumed each time you open a Lock Box.
While playing, be on the lookout for special Gold Ferengi Lock Boxes! These boxes have significantly higher odds of rewarding the more desirable items, though they cannot be traded.
Make sure to take a look at our full FAQ tomorrow.
Fan-FUCKING-tastic. Another month of "Random Asshole has won a ship" poping up in the middle of my screen 
I don't mind the messages popping up all the time.
However the personal abuse that comes when trying to do an elite STF has gotten stupid. It's almost not worth playing STF's (elite especially) for the sheer aggravation caused by other people. I'm constantly pulling aggro from Borg Spheres etc without even firing on them and the sheer asshat abuse that comes in on private chat is making me seriously wonder about the mentality of some.
Occasionally you get a good person who doesn't mind actually doing some leading of others and it all works well. That's happened once in three days of playing. There's too many kids who haven't bothered googling how to do an STF and screwing it up for the rest of us. Then comes all the "n00b" catcalls.
Another case of interesting game, shame about the people playing it.
However the personal abuse that comes when trying to do an elite STF has gotten stupid. It's almost not worth playing STF's (elite especially) for the sheer aggravation caused by other people. I'm constantly pulling aggro from Borg Spheres etc without even firing on them and the sheer asshat abuse that comes in on private chat is making me seriously wonder about the mentality of some.
Occasionally you get a good person who doesn't mind actually doing some leading of others and it all works well. That's happened once in three days of playing. There's too many kids who haven't bothered googling how to do an STF and screwing it up for the rest of us. Then comes all the "n00b" catcalls.
Another case of interesting game, shame about the people playing it.
i2hellfire
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
http://www.startrekonline.com/node/3067
the d'kora marauder actually sounds pretty cool...its got a dabo table AND bank and exchange terminals! i don't know what the "swarm missiles" do exactly, but i'm having images of macross float through my mind...
Ferengi D’Kora Class Starship
Due to a miscalculation on the Ferengi Futures Exchange in early 2409, Urata Manufacturing found itself with an excess of inventory and mounting debt. Desperate to stabilize cash flow, the company attempted to liquidize some of its remaining assets through quiet sales. When this didn't work, the leaders of the company cooked the books, shoving most of their remaining debt onto a little-known subsidiary that specialized in military ships. Then they spun that company, Sluga Military Technology, off as an independent manufacturer.
Burdened with Urata Manufacturing's old debts, Sluga seemed doomed to failure. Its stock price dropped so low that it was delisted off of the exchange. Most of the staff abandoned the company. Liquidators were expected any day. That's when the president of the company had a revelation.
Half of the quadrant is at war, but the Ferengi Alliance is neutral. It isn't buying more ships for its military. So why not find a way to get these ships to people who need them? As the Rules of Acquisition say, war is good for business!
Armed with a unstoppable attitude and a few convenient loopholes in Ferengi law, Sluga Military Technology has teamed up Lobi Crystal Consortium (a wholly owned subsidiary of Quark Enterprises) to put new D'Kora Marauders in the hands of ship captains on the front lines.
Fully loaded and ready for battle, these D'Kora Marauders feature everything a Ferengi captain could want, from a Dabo table and onboard Bank, Mail, and Exchange access to the Battle Module 3000, a powerful piece of technology that gives the ship the ability to fire an EMP Burst that will drain power from pursuing enemy ships. But that's not all! When fully engaged, the Battle Module 3000 will transform the D'Kora Marauder, opening several ports and conduits and improving the ship's weapons and engines. The EMP Burst is disabled, but a Swarm Missile System is revealed. After all, "the bigger the smile, the sharper the knife"!
About the D'Kora Marauder:
Hull Strength: 36,000
Shield Modifier: 1.05
Crew: 450
Weapons: 4 Fore, 4 Aft
Device Slots: 4
Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Ensign Tactical, 1 Lieutenant Commander Tactical, 1 Lieutenant Engineering, 1 Commander Engineering , 1 Lieutenant Science
Console Modifications: 3 Tactical, 3 Engineering, 3 Science
Base Turn Rate: 8 degrees per second
Impulse Modifier: 0.15
+5 Power to All Subsystems
+50 Starship Hull Plating and Armor Reinforcements when in Defensive Mode
Onboard Dabo Table
Onboard access to the Bank, Mail, Exchange
Ferengi Trade DOff contact
Can equip Cannons
Console - Universal - Battle Module 3000 (EMP Pulse; Battle Mode: Swarm Missiles, +30 Energy and Projectile Weapons Training)
Due to a miscalculation on the Ferengi Futures Exchange in early 2409, Urata Manufacturing found itself with an excess of inventory and mounting debt. Desperate to stabilize cash flow, the company attempted to liquidize some of its remaining assets through quiet sales. When this didn't work, the leaders of the company cooked the books, shoving most of their remaining debt onto a little-known subsidiary that specialized in military ships. Then they spun that company, Sluga Military Technology, off as an independent manufacturer.
Burdened with Urata Manufacturing's old debts, Sluga seemed doomed to failure. Its stock price dropped so low that it was delisted off of the exchange. Most of the staff abandoned the company. Liquidators were expected any day. That's when the president of the company had a revelation.
Half of the quadrant is at war, but the Ferengi Alliance is neutral. It isn't buying more ships for its military. So why not find a way to get these ships to people who need them? As the Rules of Acquisition say, war is good for business!
Armed with a unstoppable attitude and a few convenient loopholes in Ferengi law, Sluga Military Technology has teamed up Lobi Crystal Consortium (a wholly owned subsidiary of Quark Enterprises) to put new D'Kora Marauders in the hands of ship captains on the front lines.
Fully loaded and ready for battle, these D'Kora Marauders feature everything a Ferengi captain could want, from a Dabo table and onboard Bank, Mail, and Exchange access to the Battle Module 3000, a powerful piece of technology that gives the ship the ability to fire an EMP Burst that will drain power from pursuing enemy ships. But that's not all! When fully engaged, the Battle Module 3000 will transform the D'Kora Marauder, opening several ports and conduits and improving the ship's weapons and engines. The EMP Burst is disabled, but a Swarm Missile System is revealed. After all, "the bigger the smile, the sharper the knife"!
About the D'Kora Marauder:
Hull Strength: 36,000
Shield Modifier: 1.05
Crew: 450
Weapons: 4 Fore, 4 Aft
Device Slots: 4
Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Ensign Tactical, 1 Lieutenant Commander Tactical, 1 Lieutenant Engineering, 1 Commander Engineering , 1 Lieutenant Science
Console Modifications: 3 Tactical, 3 Engineering, 3 Science
Base Turn Rate: 8 degrees per second
Impulse Modifier: 0.15
+5 Power to All Subsystems
+50 Starship Hull Plating and Armor Reinforcements when in Defensive Mode
Onboard Dabo Table
Onboard access to the Bank, Mail, Exchange
Ferengi Trade DOff contact
Can equip Cannons
Console - Universal - Battle Module 3000 (EMP Pulse; Battle Mode: Swarm Missiles, +30 Energy and Projectile Weapons Training)
the d'kora marauder actually sounds pretty cool...its got a dabo table AND bank and exchange terminals! i don't know what the "swarm missiles" do exactly, but i'm having images of macross float through my mind...
chris":2c14x9to said:
Esc -> Options -> Basic -> "Enable Gameplay Announcement Flybys" : Off.
Darkseid":2cesgvpe said:
Thanks, this looks like what i need to be doing with my cruiser instead of picking my shield powers at random
i2hellfire
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
saw the greatest ship i've seen so far. liberated borg captain "7 of 11" of the starship "slurpee".
Darkseid":bxjiw65f said:
Because this is Ars and I'm an elitist: No. You're wrong.
http://www.stowiki.org/Vo%27quv_Carrier Turn Rate:5
http://www.stowiki.org/Odyssey_Star_Cruiser Turn Rate:6
Both have an inertia rating of 20, so the Vo'Quv simply turns slower. I have both as well and the carrier is by far much harder to maneuver than the Odyssey. This gap only gets wider as you invest in turn consoles and skills for the two, because of how the percentage works. They even out a little when you're running at low engine power, but the Oddy still wins in the degrees per second race.
Putting turn rate consoles into place is a waste of a useful slot, the 3.5 engine power console makes more difference.
Comparing it on paper, yeah its a slower rate, but paper doesnt consider captain racials, type or builds, even having efficient as a trait boosts your warp core efficiency and thus your turn rates.
I usually have near 100 weapons and shield (before epts/eptw) aux runs at about 55/30 and engines 60/25 on my ody, but the voquv uses aux power to cycle the launch bays so I tend to run it at slightly lower weapon power and shields and a more balanced engine / aux. 8 weapon banks on the ody vs 6 on the vo` means I dont have the same weapon drain.
Its still an unweildy pig to get broadside with, but it feels (see, that objective term there) better than the ody, now when I say ody I mean the freebie one, the pay for ones have improved stats over the prototype.
Ive also setup 4x dual phasers, 2x turrets, 2 beams on the Excelsior because it turns somewhere between the deep space sci and my fleet escort (all mark 12, all anti proton), pondering switching one of the ap weapon boosts for an energy weapon boost to avoid the stacking penalty. Initial test, elite clean space saw us obliterate everything that moved in short order, the damaged klink ship never got hit and we hit the optional with 4 minutes to spare. More testing required obviously, but Im quite enjoying the Excelsior.
Comparing it on paper, yeah its a slower rate, but paper doesnt consider captain racials, type or builds, even having efficient as a trait boosts your warp core efficiency and thus your turn rates.
I usually have near 100 weapons and shield (before epts/eptw) aux runs at about 55/30 and engines 60/25 on my ody, but the voquv uses aux power to cycle the launch bays so I tend to run it at slightly lower weapon power and shields and a more balanced engine / aux. 8 weapon banks on the ody vs 6 on the vo` means I dont have the same weapon drain.
Its still an unweildy pig to get broadside with, but it feels (see, that objective term there) better than the ody, now when I say ody I mean the freebie one, the pay for ones have improved stats over the prototype.
Ive also setup 4x dual phasers, 2x turrets, 2 beams on the Excelsior because it turns somewhere between the deep space sci and my fleet escort (all mark 12, all anti proton), pondering switching one of the ap weapon boosts for an energy weapon boost to avoid the stacking penalty. Initial test, elite clean space saw us obliterate everything that moved in short order, the damaged klink ship never got hit and we hit the optional with 4 minutes to spare. More testing required obviously, but Im quite enjoying the Excelsior.
There is no stacking penalty for energy weapon % boosts. Swapping an AP console out to an energy one would just result in a loss of damage. Despite not getting a true 26% x 4 = 104% total damage increase out of the consoles, the curve is linear and isn't subject to diminishing returns.
I must be conflating the shield bonus ones, or maybe their recent fucking about with consoles has changed it.
Guess I`ll stay with the 2x green xi ap boosters.
ps, dont hit eptw, fire at will rank 2 and open fire JUST as the other side shatters their gate, you end up punching 5+ probes, 2 spheres and the gateway hard enough to annoy them in a pretty red light-show.
Guess I`ll stay with the 2x green xi ap boosters.
ps, dont hit eptw, fire at will rank 2 and open fire JUST as the other side shatters their gate, you end up punching 5+ probes, 2 spheres and the gateway hard enough to annoy them in a pretty red light-show.
i2hellfire
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
random fun with cruisers, friday edition. it's a quiet day here at the office.
i've been a bit bored of my escort lately (it comes and goes), so i pulled out my science odyssey for some rejiggering. it's exceedingly boring being a tetryon beam boat (fly in, faw, faw, faw) so i thought, wouldn't it be fun to slap in my chevron console and treat it like an escort. so i grabbed 3 dual beams, a quantum torp, 4 turrets for the back, and redid some boff's. went for a khitomer elite, separated right from the start, and went to town. well, not really. with that many weapons firing at once constantly, i felt like i was firing wet noodles at the borg. and it wasnt even fun really...even with an increased turn rate the odyssey still navigates like a whale. and turrets without rapid fire just look so sad. it's like your ship is spitting every few seconds. my saucer blew up too when it failed donatras happy beam...doh. i left the hulk of my saucer undocked so i could stay nimble, and finished alright. but bleh, that wasn't particularly fun.
i definitely don't want to go back to being a beam boat, so i went back to an older setup i used to use with 2 duals, 1 array, and 1 torp in front, all arrays in the back. with the chevron activated, i still get to bring my prow to bear to torp, but i stay broadside primarily.
i've been a bit bored of my escort lately (it comes and goes), so i pulled out my science odyssey for some rejiggering. it's exceedingly boring being a tetryon beam boat (fly in, faw, faw, faw) so i thought, wouldn't it be fun to slap in my chevron console and treat it like an escort. so i grabbed 3 dual beams, a quantum torp, 4 turrets for the back, and redid some boff's. went for a khitomer elite, separated right from the start, and went to town. well, not really. with that many weapons firing at once constantly, i felt like i was firing wet noodles at the borg. and it wasnt even fun really...even with an increased turn rate the odyssey still navigates like a whale. and turrets without rapid fire just look so sad. it's like your ship is spitting every few seconds. my saucer blew up too when it failed donatras happy beam...doh. i left the hulk of my saucer undocked so i could stay nimble, and finished alright. but bleh, that wasn't particularly fun.
i definitely don't want to go back to being a beam boat, so i went back to an older setup i used to use with 2 duals, 1 array, and 1 torp in front, all arrays in the back. with the chevron activated, i still get to bring my prow to bear to torp, but i stay broadside primarily.
RyricKrael":152wbrkv said:
i2hellfire":152wbrkv said:
Got tac team, emergency power to shields, and transfer shield strength. No hazard emitters yet, but I'll look to add that. I've really jsut been winging things to date and going by the in game text. This and a little side reading at stowiki has certainly helped my survivability. As long as I stay on top of my shields that is... if I blink or lose focus for a sec I'm at 20% hull. I think I still have some tuning to do as far which levels each BOFF should have of each skill.
RyricKrael":152wbrkv said:
Tried this tactic and, while being essentially a turret seems strange, it certainly does work! Having to only mainly focus on the front shield facing simplifies things.
i2hellfire
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
if you plan to stay with escorts to vice admiral, have a look thru the escort build thread. its primarily for lvl 50 and running stf's, but the info should be immensely helpful.
Gendou":3u03ljgr said:
Thanks! It didn't show up on the calendar for me, or in available missions until I went to the Eta Eradani sector block. Here is the location:
http://www.startrek.com/article/star-tr ... y-the-13th
A blue doff is definitely worth the visit, it's still available for a few more hours.
How the hell do you fail, not just the optional, I mean ALL THE THINGS, on Khitomer Accord Normal?????!?
I was evasive maneuvering my Advanced escort all over hells half acre killing Borg heading for the gate, and then I'd spare a second to see what the special olympians were doing, and they were still working on the first generator on the first side!!! Are you kidding me!??!!
Of course the 2 Odysseys in there were both running 1 of every beam array, in a glorious Rainbow Fail Boat display.
Time for one of them to kill a SINGLE probe? 1 min 30 sec minimum. I timed it.
Time for me to kill a single probe? 5 seconds MAXIMUM.
I was evasive maneuvering my Advanced escort all over hells half acre killing Borg heading for the gate, and then I'd spare a second to see what the special olympians were doing, and they were still working on the first generator on the first side!!! Are you kidding me!??!!
Of course the 2 Odysseys in there were both running 1 of every beam array, in a glorious Rainbow Fail Boat display.
Time for one of them to kill a SINGLE probe? 1 min 30 sec minimum. I timed it.
Time for me to kill a single probe? 5 seconds MAXIMUM.
That's why I just handle probes myself as an escort. You have plenty of damage and speed to just solo both sides while you wait for the failboats to do their jobs.
Anyone get something good from your 2 free "hacked" Ferengi lockboxes? I got a decent blue personal armor, and one of the lobi crystals. There's no way I'll be paying $1.25 each to open any more though.
> Time for me to kill a single probe? 5 seconds MAXIMUM.
Out of curiosity, what do you use for hunting Borg? My VA cruiser is all phasers so I'd probably be in the 1:30 group too, even if I'm not a Rainbow Brite.
> Time for me to kill a single probe? 5 seconds MAXIMUM.
Out of curiosity, what do you use for hunting Borg? My VA cruiser is all phasers so I'd probably be in the 1:30 group too, even if I'm not a Rainbow Brite.
now that I can trade 5 lower quality DO`s for a higher quality one, Ive been down on spacedock hustlin.
as well as the new recruit missions
my poor refined dilithium stockpiles have taken a bit of a hammering, but hey, a good blue (or purple) duty officer is worth more than 5k....
as well as the new recruit missions
my poor refined dilithium stockpiles have taken a bit of a hammering, but hey, a good blue (or purple) duty officer is worth more than 5k....
DaveSimmons":2a253nqo said:
The hacked boxes are purposefully gimped. The first one only has armor/shields or a dual consumable (Shields+Engine Battery, etc.). The second only has one lobi crystal.
I opened up 7 boxes & one Gold box yesterday. Got the "Theta Radiation" console from the Gold box, a one-use combat pet, a few shield/armor boxes, and... some other box I can't recall at the moment. Wound up with 40 Lobi Crystals from the set.
Holding onto my last couple keys until I get another Gold box.
And the Gold Ferengi Lock Box I put on the exchange sold for 4.8 Million. I now have over 7.7 Million credits. Should probably do something with them.
Starbuck79":1py7bx1j said:
Is there no method for conversion from EC to Dilithium?
i2hellfire
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
itll become apparent soon that having a ton of ec isn't terribly useful. being silver and with an ec limit, i just buy a new mkxii console whenever i approach the 10mil mark...because god knows i keep making crap from the childrens toy chain.
Gendou":2bgubrbu said:
Technically, there is, but it's fairly time-intensive, poor returns, and still runs you into the refining cap.
(purchase and dismiss DOffs, nets you 10 ore!)
i2hellfire":1zmqc1hg said:
Ya, I'm pretty much at that might. Might as well break down and buy a bunch of anti-proton stuff.
Incorrect.Squrf":1x2f895d said:
The answer is buying contraband, and using the doff contraband turn in mission. contra is hovering at around 66k, which is the break even point. Buy 3, turn it in for 2k di.
Use some of it to expand the number of character slots you have, level the new chars up to 8 for fed or 24 for klink, and have THEM do the turnins and refining as well, and you'll build up DI quite quick actually.
Alternately, use your klink character to do an Arsic fuckton of marauding missions the yeild contraband. My tac-klink is generating 24 contraband a day presently.
Okay, I think I need some weapons advice. I just hit VA, engineer flying an assault cruiser. My loadout is as follows - fore 2xMk VIII phaser beam arrays and 2xMk IX phaser beam arrays; aft 2xMk VIII phaser beam arrays, 1xMk X plasma torp, 1xMk X tricobalt torp.
Most of it's pretty stock stuff. I'm actually not doing too badly, but I feel half the time I'm going 'splody is because the battle is just dragging on too long. I'm almost one of those 1:30 probe people mentioned earlier.
Any suggestions on how to pack more of a punch? I've got about 550,000 ec and 60,000 dil to work with.
Most of it's pretty stock stuff. I'm actually not doing too badly, but I feel half the time I'm going 'splody is because the battle is just dragging on too long. I'm almost one of those 1:30 probe people mentioned earlier.
Any suggestions on how to pack more of a punch? I've got about 550,000 ec and 60,000 dil to work with.
DaveSimmons":30ja3xwo said:
I am currently flying an "Advanced Escort" (Prometheus class). I can't remember the exact names of some of the equipment so bear with me.
Fore Weapons
3 x Uncommon Tetryon Dual Heavy Cannon Mk XI
1 x Purple Quantum Torpedo Launcher Mk X [BORG]
Aft Weapons
3 x Uncommon Tetryon Turrets Mk XI
M.A.C.O. Resilient Shield Array Mk XI
Assimilated Subtranswarp Engines
Assimilated Deflector Array
Tactical Consoles
3 x Common Tetryon Pulse Generator Mk X
1 x Rare Zero Point Quantum Chamber Mk X
Science Consoles
2 x Rare Field Generator Mk XI
Assimilated Module
Engineer Consoles
2 x Common Ablative Hull Armor Mk X
For Boff skills it's something like:
2 x Cannon Rapid Fire II
2 x Torp High Yield II
1 x Attack Pattern Alpha
1 x Attack Pattern Beta
1 x Attack Pattern Omega
ALOT* of shield tanking skills.
EDIT: I should point out that the common method is activate 1 pair of Rapid fire and High yield, make a pass or park, the rapid fire Tetryons strip the shields in 1-2 salvos, and the Torps finish the job. I also run in the full power to weapons preset.
* TANK ALL THE THINGS!
i2hellfire
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
as a start, go thru this list http://www.stowiki.org/Episode_replay, locate the upgrades you need, and replay them repeatedly until you are using nothing but blue mkxi's. for any consoles you may need find them on the exchange (i'd personally start by making sure all your tac +weap consoles are mkxi). also have a look thru your boff abilities and reassess what is useful and what isn't. maybe someone else can chime in for a more thorough cruiser run-thru. i personally use fire at will, torpedo spread, epw, and plenty of eps and transfer shields.
ps dont spend your dilithium on the purple weapons from the dilithium store...imo. you want the [borg] modifier from the stf gear anyway.
ps dont spend your dilithium on the purple weapons from the dilithium store...imo. you want the [borg] modifier from the stf gear anyway.
Basic advice is to stack energy damage consoles. In this case, Phaser damage, since you're using Phasers. Fill all your tactical slots with those. Get one of your torpedoes facing forwards so you can use a torp in front or in back. You need that kinetic damage to down ships once you strip their shields. Make sure you have hull plating in your engineering consoles, so you're resisting a good amount of the damage. Get at least one raw kinetic damage resist console and one mixed energy damage type (better if you can fit two.) Then crank your weapon power to max and leave it there. Keeping high weapon power is the single most important thing you can do to increase your survivability, because you can't tank things forever. Killing them faster than you can tank them is the key here.
if youre doing stfs, you want 32 plasma and 32 kinetic resists to avoid going kerblooie (to borg), obviously this is easier in a cruiser (or sci) vs an escort. Escorts are better off focusing on pure output and some shields and well .. NOT GETTING HIT.
Also pay -very- close attention to skills and putting points in, 9 points is cheap, but the 10th one jumps a disgusting number for damn little return. So it maybe 500 points for 1-9, but that 10th point is 5k, which could buy a LOT of other skills.
I usually only put 6 points in skills max, unless its a critical item, say shields, engines, warp core effectiveness, weapon dmg, thenI`ll crank them to 8 or 9. Effecient bridge officers (like the c point borg ossifer) are an effective 8-9% boost to warp core (same goes for your own captain traits), , and whilst you cant buy more of the liberated borg ossifers (or can you...) there are other bridge officers with that trait.
Have an purple prototype console to build, but it needs 5 doffs with resolve, number of doffs I have with that trait... fuck, and, all. GRRRR
Also pay -very- close attention to skills and putting points in, 9 points is cheap, but the 10th one jumps a disgusting number for damn little return. So it maybe 500 points for 1-9, but that 10th point is 5k, which could buy a LOT of other skills.
I usually only put 6 points in skills max, unless its a critical item, say shields, engines, warp core effectiveness, weapon dmg, thenI`ll crank them to 8 or 9. Effecient bridge officers (like the c point borg ossifer) are an effective 8-9% boost to warp core (same goes for your own captain traits), , and whilst you cant buy more of the liberated borg ossifers (or can you...) there are other bridge officers with that trait.
Have an purple prototype console to build, but it needs 5 doffs with resolve, number of doffs I have with that trait... fuck, and, all. GRRRR