Build for a T6 Tactical Star Cruiser - Advice needed

[ElDestructo]

I have been exclusively an escort captain since I started playing. Small, fast, maneuverable ship, dual heavy cannons in the forward weapons slots, tactical abilities that give you huge spike damage "alpha strikes", all of that.

I've had a T6 Tactical Star Cruiser for a while and am just now getting around to getting it built out. As it stands, I find that my current build of this cruisers is too...squishy. Cruisers are all about survivability and while this one is not exactly weak, I'm relatively sure it's not sporting the kind of survivability a cruiser should.

My initial build isn't done, but looking for where to go. Specifically, which consoles and set powers are good for boosting a cruiser's survivability while maintaining some good DPS?

[FROSTCestrell]

honoured dead is a good trait, sif link i sa good console or the super shield from the t5 sf cruiser (dont know which one tho...)

[VoodooMike]

Originally posted by ElDestructo:

My initial build isn't done, but looking for where to go. Specifically, which consoles and set powers are good for boosting a cruiser's survivability while maintaining some good DPS?

If you want to maintain decent DPS then you should focus heavily on consoles that boost your chosen damage, or damage in general, rather than looking for too much survival from them. On a cruiser your survival advantage can come from the heavy engineering seating. Load the engineering slots up with hull heals (leaving one for EP2W of course) and slap in the Hull Image Refractors console (which should be in every build anyway) and just trigger those heals on cooldown. The console's own click power can be used in an emergency.

The discovery legends set is heavy on survival as well as giving a decent damage boost, so it's a solid choice for cruisers. The +120% hull regen is ridiculous, and mycelial lightning works well with FAW, which is something you'll find running on most cruisers (unless someone tries to play them as a slow escort). If you can remember to use the 4pc Power of Math click you can give your max hull a big boost which will jack your healing up (since hull recovery is percentage based).

If you want to spend starship trait slots on survivability then certainly Honored Dead is a good first choice, though it will eventually overlap with the Image Refractors temporary hitpoints. A few others you might consider, if you have access to them:

Strike from Shadows (offense and defense)
Automated Shield Alignment (offense and defense)

--- if you still need more then ---

History Will Remember
Unified Engineering
Radiant Nanite Cloud
Enhanced Nanite Regeneration
Intruder Discouragement (if your crit is high enough)
Built to Last

It's never a good idea to fill up all your traits with survival traits.. most should probably be spent on things that boost your overall damage output. Emergency Weapon Cycle on pretty much every energy weapon build, and then a few more to suit your style. If you have The Ruin of our Enemies, that should be pretty standard on builds too.

And, of course, use the Energy Refrequencer space trait if you're using energy weapons.

If you have the specializations filled out, run with Miracle Worker primary and Strategist Secondary.

If you're having trouble surviving with some of those changes in place then we'll need to take a look at the specifics of your build!

[ElDestructo]

She’s not too squishy anymore. Still tweaking a few things. Hull is at 144k, shields 22k and bass damage resist of 20 across the board.

AND it has a crit chance of 29% and base crit severity of 77. Most of the beam arrays have +60% crit severity, so pulling up for an 8 beam broadside is...yeah. It actually puts my escort to shame for survivability and competed for DPS. My escort is probably better dps on paper, but the cruiser is probably better in practice just because it’s so much easier to keep my guns on the enemy.

Now I’m working out set bonuses to acquire and trying to decide how to manage power drain. I’m over capping weapon power to about 140-150 or so, but 8 beams still crush power levels. Figuring out what to do about that, options being:

Slot some torpedos
Overcap moar
DBBs up front (I’ve got two rcs consoles, one conductive, one pax, so I think I can maneuver enough to use them)

I’ve got EPS at 430% so I don’t think I can make any more gains there.

[Vellari]

DBBs would mean no broadsiding, which means aft weapons aren't fireing as much as they could....overall dps probably would go down in favor of higher burst dps.

One or two torps would certainly help with power. Alternatively could find some console for example Priors World Satellite (if you have it, it was event...now it's on Mudd's). https://sto.gamepedia.com/Console_-_Universal_-_Priors_World_Elite_Defense_Satellite

[ElDestructo]

I think I’m going to try the Discovery rep quantum torp and the quantum phase torp slotted forward. I’ll have 4 beams forward (2 beams in forward slots, 2 omnis aft) and 2 toros forward, 4 beams aft, 6 beams broadside. These two torps give me extra set bonuses.

I’m using EPTW and crafted weapon batteries to get huge overcap. The 3 item set power is a special phaser attack I can use once every two minutes for a strong alpha strike against bigger ships and soften them up for torps.

Eng seating otherwise has engineering team, aux to structural integrity, EPTW, and EPTS. I think I’m going to dump EPTS for something else, maybe weapon modulation.

With massive power overcap, 6 beams are very close to 8 beams without massive overcap. It’s still a strong broadside with an option to smack dreadnoughts / boss level ships once their shields are dropped.