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Post by William Carson on May 25, 2012 10:20:47 GMT -8
If you haven't noticed it yet, we use a lot of stuff courtesy BigRedJedi here on our fleet's forums. The guy (or girl) knows his (or her) stuff. The following was made available for the STO Forums. forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=217065This is to serve as a guide, mostly directed at new players, but may offer some insights to veteran players, as well. If there are any questions, please feel free to use this forum to ask (or PM me in-game @bigredjedi), and I will do my best to try to answer them (along with the aid of my fellow Forum Warriors). The layout for Power Descriptions will be as follows:Power Name [Abbreviation]: The name of the BOff power (with the shorthand version of the power listed as: [Name]) Availability: Level of Character at which the Power is acquired. Duration: The amount of time that the power is active. Recharge: The amount of time it will take for this power to fully cooldown, once it is activated. (NOTE: This assumes that your BOff will be fully skilled, to ensure the minimum possible cooldown.) Subsystem Power Level: If the power is affected by the current powerlevel of one of the ship's 4 subsystems (Aux, Engines, Shields, or Weapons) Skills Affecting: The 3 skills that affect the use of this power. Arc-Limits: If the power has any arc limitations, it will be described here. (Includes whether the power is Self-Only, Self/Ally, Ally-Only, or Enemy.) Counter: What skill/s (if any) counter the effects of this power. Mechanics: How the power actually works, what it does, etc. |
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Post by William Carson on May 25, 2012 10:24:59 GMT -8
***Science***
Sensor Scan [SScan, or SSc]
Availability: Lieutenant 8
Duration: 15 seconds
Recharge: 90 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: Effectiveness is based on ship's current Auxiliary Power setting.
Skills Affecting: Starship Operations, Starship Sensors, Starship Sensor Array
Arc-Limits: Self/Ally or Enemy; 3k AoE, centered on target.
Counter: Science Team clears the De-Buff
Mechanics: SScan provides two, very useful effects. It can be centered on your own ship, on an ally's ship, or on an enemy ship, in a 3k burst (from the target ship). It provides a significant boost to StealthSight for you and your allies (which helps to detect cloaked vessels) and provides a large-to-massive damage resistance debuff (hull damage only) against enemies in the burst. The power is roughly 50% skill-dependent and 50% Auxiliary power-dependent, so a combination of both high skillpoint investment (Ops, Sensors, Sensor Array) and high Aux will yield the greatest results. (Single, most-powerful damage resistance debuff in-game.)
Subnucleonic Beam [SNB]
Availability: Lt. Commander 8
Duration: Instant (power strip de-buff); 30 seconds (cooldown de-buff)
Recharge: 120 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: Effectiveness of cooldown de-buff is based on the Auxiliary Power level.
Skills Affecting: Starship Operations, Starship Deflectors, Starship Deflector Dish
Arc-Limits: Enemy. Front 90-degree arc.
Counter: Science Team clears the cooldown de-buff.
Mechanics: SNB is one of the most powerful abilities in the game, as the only power in the game that has the capacity to strip buffs from an enemy vessel. When SNB is activated, it instantly removes ALL buffs that are currently active on the target, and places all of their powers that are currently on cooldown, or that are activated while the SNB de-buff is in effect, into a long-term cooldown, often preventing their re-use during the duration of the debuff. Science Team can clear the de-buff, but powers that are on cooldown are only credited for a portion of their elapsed cooldowns, even once the de-buff is removed, this is also how powers are credited once the de-buff runs through its 30-second duration. Greater skillpoint investment and higher Aux power will increase the duration of the cooldown de-buff, leading to a greater likelihood that the powers will be unable to be re-used while the de-buff is in effect.
Dampening Field [DF]
Availability: Commander 8
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 180 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: Effectiveness is based on the ship's current Auxiliary Power level.
Skills Affecting: Starship Operations Training, Starship Deflectors, Starship Deflector Field
Arc-Limits: Self-Only, 3k AoE, centered on Self.
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: DF grants your ship and any allies that are within the AoE a large All Energy Damage Resistance (hull damage only) to all Energy Weapon attacks (Kinetic Damage from Torpedoes is unaffected by DF), whether they originate within the AoE or otherwise. A powerful tanking ability, DF can handily help a canny Science Captain to survive even potent enemy fire, or to provide an aura of protection for vulnerable allies. Also useful for indirectly countering damage resistance de-buffs.
Photonic Fleet [PF]
Availability: Captain 8
Duration: As long as the holo-ships survive, and the initiating vessel remains in combat.
Recharge: 240 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: Effectiveness is based on the ship's current Auxiliary Power level.
Skills Affecting: Primary - Starship Operations Training, Starship Emitters, Starship Photonic Theory; Secondary - Starship Energy Weapons Training, Starship Projectile Training, Starship Beam Weapons, Starship Torpedo Weapons, Starship Phaser Weapons, Starship Photon Projectiles, Starship Quantum Projectiles.
Arc-Limits: Self-Only
Counter: Holo-ships can be targeted and destroyed.
Mechanics: PF creates 3 holographic ships (the quality of these ships is based on both skillpoint investment and Aux power level, higher of both yields better summons) that fight against any enemy targeted by the initiating ship. Higher skillpoint investment and Aux power when the skill is triggered grants the summoned ships higher, innate damage resistance (thereby increasing the chance of their sustained survival). These holo-ships are equipped with varying loadouts that include Phasers, Photons, and Quantums (depending on the specific ships summoned), and are more powerful if you have skill in the relevant weapons. The holo-ships are, even with high skillpoints and Aux, rather fragile, however, they can be targeted for Heals, just like any ally (and are also able to be affected by all skills that would affect a normal, PC ship). The ships last until they are destroyed or until the creator is out of Red Alert for a brief period of time.
Science Fleet [SciFleet]
Availability: RAUH 3 (i.e. Rear Admiral 8)
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 300 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Operations Training, Starship Deflectors, Starship Deflector Field
Arc-Limits: Self and All Allies
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: SciFleet is a powerful, full-team buff that grants a moderate boost to Starship Operations for 30 seconds, and grants a massive boost to shield damage reduction for 30 seconds. The buff applies to your ship and all allies that are in a team with you. (NOTE: This buff is actually the highest, single-power Shield Damage Reduction [SDR] available in-game, currently.)
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Post by William Carson on May 25, 2012 10:27:54 GMT -8
***Engineering***
Rotate Shield Frequency [RSF]
Availability: Lieutenant 8
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 90 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: Effectiveness is based on the ship's current Shield Power level.
Skills Affecting: Starship Engineering Training, Starship Shield Maintenance, Starship Shield Performance
Arc-Limits: Self-Only
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: RSF is the Engineer's most powerful tanking skill, combining a large shield HoT with a very strong SDR. While RSF stacks with other sources of SDR, it is so powerful, that it is often best utilized as a bridge power between cooldowns of other powers, or as a supplemental power to increase survivability when coming under enemy focus fire.
EPS Power Transfer [EPS-PT, or, affectionately "Coffee"]
Availability: Lt. Commander 8
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 120 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Warp Core Training, Starship Engine Maintenance, Starship Engine Efficiency
Arc-Limits: Self/Ally
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: EPS-PT grants you or an ally a significant boost to all 4 subsystems (Weapons, Shields, Engines, and Auxiliary) along with a massive increase in power transfer rate (nearly tripling the base rate, at maximum skill). While EPS-PT is active, a ship can operate at peak efficiency, thanks to the massive influx of power, and it is often a good idea to have a power preset set aside for times that your ship is under its effects, to optimize power distribution.
Nadion Inversion [NI]
Availability: Commander 8
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 180 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Engineering Training, Starship Auxiliary Maintenance, Starship Weapons Performance
Arc-Limits: Self-Only
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: NI is an often-underrated ability that dramatically reduces weapon energy drain, from each of your ship's weapons as they fire. This effect translates to a much higher, overall damage output, as each of your weapons' shots is delivered at a higher, base Weapon Power level, thus yielding additional damage output. Ideally, can be cycled with EPS-PT for sustained, high-power weapon damage output.
Miracle Worker [MW]
Availability: Captain 8
Duration: Instant
Recharge: 240 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Engineering Training, Starship Engine Maintenance, Starship Hull Repair
Arc-Limits: Self-Only
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: MW is the "Give her all she's got, Scotty" power for Engineers, providing an instant massive Hull repair and Shield repair. The long cooldown provides balance for the strength of the power, but the ability to go from near-death to comfortably alive in an instant cannot be over-rated. Best used when you have powers available to re-buff yourself, to take best advantage of the substantial infusion of Healing.
Engineering Fleet [EngFleet]
Availability: RAUH 3 (i.e. Rear Admiral 8)
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 300 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Engineering Training, Starship Auxiliary Maintenance, Starship Auxiliary Performance
Arc-Limits: Self and All Allies
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: EngFleet gives you (and all allies that are in a team with you) a moderate boost to Starship Engineering Training and Starship Warp Core Training, and a large All Damage Resistance buff (hull damage only).
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Post by William Carson on May 25, 2012 10:30:38 GMT -8
***Tactical***
Attack Pattern Alpha [APA]
Availability: Lieutenant 8
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 90 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Attack Vectors, Starship Combat Maneuvers, Starship Battle Strategy
Arc-Limits: Self-Only
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: APA is a Tactical Captain's bread-and-butter power, granting a massive All Damage buff, a boost to Critical Chance, Critical Severity, and granting a moderate turn-rate increase.
Fire on My Mark [FoMM]
Availability: Lt. Commander 8
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 120 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Attack Vectors, Starship Combat Maneuvers, Starship Battle Strategy
Arc-Limits: Enemy.
Counter: Tactical Team clears the de-buff.
Mechanics: FoMM grants a large All damage resistance de-buff on the target (hull damage only). Any ships that fire on the target affected by FoMM will gain the benefit of the effect.
Tactical Initiative [TI]
Availability: Commander 8
Duration: 45 seconds
Recharge: 180 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Attack Vectors, Starship Combat Maneuvers, Starship Battle Strategy
Arc-Limits: Self/Ally
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: If APA is the bread-and-butter skill of a Tactical Captain, then TI is the engine that powers one. TI grants you or an ally a massive decrease in cooldowns for all Tactical BOff powers; the magnitude of a fully-skilled TI is such that it reduces most Tactical BOff powers to their global cooldowns. This ability is 'most' useful for a Tactical Captain on a non-Escort, where Tactical powers are often in short supply, and being able to cycle a single copy of a power allows for greater diversity in power selection. Alternatively, a Tactical Captain could put TI onto another non-Tactical Captain, much to the same effect.
Go Down Fighting [GDF]
Availability: Captain 8
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 240 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Command, Starship Combat Maneuvers, Starship Battle Strategy
Arc-Limits: Self-Only
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: GDF is an inversely-scaling massive damage boost, that scales based on your current Hull status when you activate the power. The power scales from a +50% All Damage buff (at maximum Hull) to a +250% All Damage buff (at 25% Hull), on a sliding scale between those two points. The buff is calculated from your hull condition at the moment that you activate the power, and is not affected by changes in your Hull condition after activation. This can be used in an initial attack pass, as a complement to APA, or it can be held in reserve until your ship has received some damage as a more substantial damage buff, particularly if you have heals available to trigger after activating GDF.
Tactical Fleet [TacFleet]
Availability: RAUH 3 (i.e. Rear Admiral 8)
Duration: 30 seconds
Recharge: 300 seconds
Subsystem Power Level: N/A
Skills Affecting: Starship Attack Vectors, Starship Combat Maneuvers, Starship Battle Strategy
Arc-Limits: Self and All Allies.
Counter: N/A
Mechanics: TacFleet grants you and all allied ships (that are in a team with you) a substantial All Damage buff, and can dramatically increase your team's overall damage output.
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