best gear

[Brother Skolas]

whats the best gear nowadays?

[cnroddball]

Depends on how you want to fight.

[cap-boulanger]

That's the thing about STO - there pretty much is not a "best" anything in most cases, because the power of synergy overcomes the differences.

There are a few exceptions.

For example:
- Lorca's Custom Fire Controls console, paired with one weapon from its set
- Elite Fleet Intervention Protomatter Deflector (buy from fleet colony, requires colony tier 3)
- Terran reputation energy weapon (if using an appropriate energy type)

[RobOda]

Depends on what you're doing, but usually for energy builds;

Fleet intervention deflectors,
Tilly's shields (Disco),
Prevailing Regalia Engines (Competitive),
Elite fleet plasma integrated warp-core,

Then for most people;

Dark Matter Torpedo,
Lorca's Custom Fire Control,

Weapons vary depending on type (phaser etc) and method (beams vs cannon).

Sci ships are a completely different matter as well.

[Eggy]

Dark Matter Torpedo?

[RobOda]

Originally posted by Eggy:

Dark Matter Torpedo?

https://stowiki.net/wiki/Lorca%27s_Ambition#Dark_Matter_Quantum_Torpedo_Launcher

[tjb910]

A working server?

[delta]

Is it worth using the Wide Angle Phaser/Disruptor Dual Heavy Beam Bank if you're doing a broadside beaam build? Is it worth using on a cannon build?

[jonnin]

Originally posted by delta:

Is it worth using the Wide Angle Phaser/Disruptor Dual Heavy Beam Bank if you're doing a broadside beaam build? Is it worth using on a cannon build?

its not worth using beams on a cannon build unless you have a set bonus or some other good reason. Like the AP omni beam is part of a set buff to AP damage, so you may run it aft instead of a turret, losing little (turrets are weak anyway) to gain that damage bonus.

I don't think its worth it on a broadside build either. If you micro manage it so that you can use it as your beam overload 3 gun and only that one eats the buff, it may be? That seems like an annoying thing to do**. It will hit in the broadside arc, but its a little off.. its 67 degrees from the front of the ship, if you can picture that ... so its going to require tight flying to keep it firing on targets.

**I think you would need one of those fancy keybinds to stop all shooting of beams, then activate BO3, wait briefly, fire the specific gun only, then turn it all back on. Not sure the loss of 5-7 other weapons is worth one boom

there are enough 360 beams that a moderately sluggish ship with DBB front and omni aft is viable. You didn't ask that but if you want to try that out, like an aft omni phaser, cutting beam, new proton beam, and a mine or something to wrap it up.. Its viable but not ideal... you lose the easy shooting arc/flying and don't gain much, if any, real damage.

[delta]

So it's only useful in a dual beam bank build? I think someone said that's not great, and you might as well use dual heavy cannons instead.

[jonnin]

Originally posted by delta:

So it's only useful in a dual beam bank build? I think someone said that's not great, and you might as well use dual heavy cannons instead.

DBB are fine. The problem NOW is that one beam shoots before all the others, in its own special arc, and ... so what? You need them all to point at the enemy usually, not just one stray. It may help pick off a destructible torp.

Its not bad to have the wide angle, but its not really doing anything exciting either.

[Erik42U]

On top of what is recommended in most basic guides (same energy type, same weapon type, match your tac consoles to that energy type, same for isomags, etc.), whatever you choose, if you go for an energy build, make sure you at least upgrade your weapons to Mk. XV:

Mk. II: 18% base damage
Mk. XII: 120% base damage
MK. XV: 285% base damage

As you can see, there is a huge difference, and In case you choose an exotic build, make sure you at least upgrade your deteriorating secondary deflector to Mk. XV

[VoodooMike]

Originally posted by delta:

So it's only useful in a dual beam bank build? I think someone said that's not great, and you might as well use dual heavy cannons instead.

The wide-angle DBB is perfectly fine in a beam bank build as its arc is 180 degrees, but it only comes in phaser and disruptor, so unless you're focusing on one of those damage types it won't be a useful addition. I personally find full DBB builds to be a waste of time as their firing arc is limited to the same firing arc you'd have in a DHC build using Scatter Volley, and DHCs are going to hit harder than DBBs.

Typically people are going for the 2pc set bonus and thus will use the console and the torpedo which can fit into any build. The 3pc bonus is cool, but not particularly effective - most enemies will be dead before the bonus torpedo can reach them and the ones that are tough enough not to be dead by then are probably not going to be threatened by a single extra torpedo... its mostly useful for the "on torpedo launch" procs that it can trigger since you fire off a lot of bonus torps.

Originally posted by jonnin:

there are enough 360 beams that a moderately sluggish ship with DBB front and omni aft is viable. You didn't ask that but if you want to try that out, like an aft omni phaser, cutting beam, new proton beam, and a mine or something to wrap it up..

There's an ancient persian proverb that roughly translates as "never trust a man who suggests using the kinetic cutting beam". You'd be better off using a turret on a beam build.

Originally posted by Erik42U:

if you go for an energy build, make sure you at least upgrade your weapons to Mk. XV:

Mk. II: 18% base damage
Mk. XII: 120% base damage
MK. XV: 285% base damage

Every increase in rarity is the equivalent to an additional mark increase, so when telling people its imperative to upgrade you should probably include both aspects of equipment upgrading.

[jonnin]

Agreed, the cutting beam isn't good. Is there a 4th? Crafted, rep, lockbox(exchange) would get you 3 phaser ones...

[RobOda]

And again, unless you're chasing DPS and going for elites, you can do everything with conventional Mark XII loot.

[cap-boulanger]

Originally posted by jonnin:

Agreed, the cutting beam isn't good. Is there a 4th? Crafted, rep, lockbox(exchange) would get you 3 phaser ones...

the reputation and lockbox ones aren't separate categories.