Budget Building Guide: Galaxy Retrofit (T5 / L61 token ship)

Budget building guide and improvement ideas for the Galaxy Exploration Cruiser Retrofit (T5 / L61 token ship).

Opening Comments

Welcome to this guide!

We will be discussing budget-friendly ideas for equipping and using the Galaxy Exploration Cruiser Retrofit. This ship is a Tier 5 Zen store ship, which (if you are playing Federation) you can claim for free with your Level 61 reward token. (Lifetime Subscribers can also use their exclusive Level 50 reward token.)

The ship can be upgraded using a "Starship Upgrade Requisition" (700 Zen, resulting in T5-U) and (after that) an "Experimental Ship Upgrade Token" (1000 Zen, resulting in T5-X). (Both types of upgrades may also be bought in bundles, on the Exchange, and in the case of the second token, from the Phoenix store during certain events.) This guide will present options for using the additional slots, but does not assume they are available.

As a budget guide, this guide assumes that you are a relatively new player. I have limited the build to items currently available via episodes, reputations, looting/crafting, and in some specific cases, fleet vendor, Exchange, and Phoenix Store items.

(Some of the improvement ideas involve starship upgrades, which may require a Zen purchase.)

Any episode names or locations mentioned are the source of the item in discussion.

Part One: Weapons

* This build will be an all-beam energy weapons build. You can pretty much choose any of the six standard weapon types (phaser, disruptor, plasma, antiproton, polaron, tetryon).

4 Forward Weapons:
All four should be Beam Array weapons of the chosen energy type.

(improvement idea: re-engineer weapons to [CrtD] and/or [Dmg] mods to taste.)

4 Aft Weapons:
Two Beam Array weapons of the chosen energy type.
One (crafted / non-set-piece) Omnidirectional Beam Weapon of the chosen energy type.
One set-piece Omnidirectional Beam Weapon of the chosen energy type. (see suggestion list below)

Suggested weapons:

Phaser: Quantum Phase Beam Array ("Sunrise"), Trilithium Omnidirectional ("Beyond the Nexus") Terran Task Force Phaser Beam Array (Terran reputation).

Disruptor: Nausicaan Beam Array ("Echoes of Light"), House Martok Omnidirectional ("Brushfire"), Terran Task Force Disruptor Beam Array (Terran reputation).

Plasma: Experimental Romulan Plasma Beam Array (Romulan reputation), Piezo-Plasma Beam Array (Lukari reputation). (No set-piece Omnidirectional Beam Weapon is available (on budget); the only available one is a lobi store purchase. Substitute with an additional Beam Array weapon.)

Antiproton: Ancient Omnidirectional ("Sphere of Influence").

Polaron: Chronometric Omnidirectional ("Time and Tide") OR Morphogenic Energy Weapon ("Home"), Piezo-Polaron Beam Array (Lukari reputation).

Tetryon: Antichroniton Omnidirectional ("Butterfly").

(improvement idea: swap in reputation-set Beam Array weapons to replace standard Beam Array weapons as they become available, such as the Experimental Romulan Disruptor (Romulan reputation tier 6).)

* If you do not yet have the quoted set-piece Omnidirectional Beam Weapon, you can substitute a standard Beam Array weapon until it is available.

Remaining slots (after adding any of the Suggested weapons you have) should be filled with generic / other Beam Arrays (and one generic Omnidirectional) of the chosen energy type.

Part Two: Space Equipment

Deflector:
Elite Fleet Intervention Protomatter Deflector (Fleet Colony, requires Tier 3)

(improvement idea: you may re-engineer and/or upgrade, but DO NOT remove the [ColCrit] mod.)

* This is the area where we'll be pushing the budget just a little. This deflector is really JUST THAT GOOD. The [ColCrit] mod adds +4 Critical Hit Chance and +15 Critical Severity, making it the largest single source of critical hit damage in the game.

Warp Core:
Plasma-Integrated Warp Core, with [AMP] mod if possible.

(improvement idea: there is an Elite Fleet Plasma-Integrated with both [AMP] and [W->E], sold at the Fleet Spire, 2nd from bottom of list.)


Shield / Impulse:

* I list these together because it's a good place to use a 2pc set.

Suggested sets based on weapon energy type choice (for 2pc +Damage bonus):

Phaser / Disruptor / Plasma: Bajor Defense ("Scylla and Charybdis").

Polaron: Jem'Hadar (various episodes in the "Lost Dominion" arc, Available tab).

Antiproton / Tetryon: Nukara Reputation.

Other alternatives for increased survivability:

Discovery reputation
Competitive reputation
Kobali ("Dust to Dust")
Sol Defense ("Midnight")
Preeminent ("Melting Pot")
Aegis (craftable / Exchange)

various other sets are also available.

Part Three: Consoles

This ship has the following console slots:
4 Engineering
3 Science
2 Tactical (3 with T5U upgrade)
(1 Universal with T5X upgrade)

Keep in mind that Universal consoles can be placed in any slot (and the Universal slot, if unlocked, will accept any console).

Suggested consoles:

1.
Set and tactical consoles should be chosen based on chosen weapon type:

Phaser: Quantum Phase Converter ("Sunrise"), Reinforced Armaments ("Beyond the Nexus"), Phaser Relay (generic).

Disruptor: Nausicaan Siphon Capacitor ("Echoes of Light"), House Martok Defensive Configuration ("Brushfire"), Disruptor Coil (generic).

Plasma: Zero-Point Energy Conduit (Romulan reputation), Piezo-Electric Focuser (Lukari reputation), Plasma Infuser (generic).

Antiproton: Antiproton Mag Regulator (generic).

Polaron: Chronometric Capacitor ("Time and Tide") OR Morphogenic Matrix Controller ("Home"), Piezo-Electric Focuser (Lukari reputation), Polaron Phase Modulator (generic).

Tetryon: Temporal Disentanglement Suite ("Butterfly"), Tetryon Pulse Generator (generic).

* note that you can use multiple of the generic consoles, which I have listed last in each type.

* each of the suggested non-generic consoles have a 2-pc set bonus with one of the weapons recommended above.

* any of the listed consoles which are "Universal" should be placed in a Science or an Engineering slot.

(improvement idea: replace any generic consoles with reputation set consoles or Vulnerability Locator [(energy type)], which are sold at your Fleet Spire.)

2.
Remaining Engineering and Science console slots may be used either for those types or Universal consoles.

* There are several Universal consoles that offer +(energy type) Damage bonuses, such as the Crystalline Absorption Matrix, Voth Phase Decoy (both in Phoenix store) and Polymorphic Probes (Exchange) for Antiproton.

* Engineering: Trellium-D Plating ("Ragnarok"), Polaric Modulator ("Delta Flight"), Conductive RCS (crafted/Exchange), Neutronium Alloy (generic), EPS Flow Regulator (generic), RCS Accelerator (generic).

* Science: Temporally Shielded Datacore ("Temporal Reckoning"), Emitter Refocuser ("The Renegade's Regret", use with Tetryon damage only).

* Discovery reputation box/store consoles may be available with "Pax" or "Bellum" versions of the above generic consoles.

* Assimilated Console (Omega reputation).

* the Conductive RCS console can have a mod on it. The most useful for this build would include [EPS], [Turn], and [ResAll], each of which would mimic one of the generic consoles listed (separately from the console itself which is already an RCS console).

Part Four: Officers

Officer Skills:

- Lt Tac:
Tactical Team I
Beam Fire at Will II
- Cmdr Eng:
Engineering Team I
Auxiliary Power to Emergency Battery I
Emergency Power to Weapons III
Reverse Shield Polarity III
- LtCmdr Eng:
Emergency Power to Engines I
Auxiliary Power to Emergency Battery I
Directed Energy Modulation II
- Ens Eng:
Emergency Power to Shields I
- Lt Sci:
Science Team I / Hazard Emitters I
Polarize Hull II

* note on Engineering skills: You won't be able to use all three of the Emergency Power skills, but this gives you the option of using Shields or Engines as appropriate.

* note on Science skills: use Hazard Emitters only when fighting against enemies with plasma weapons.

Duty Officers:

To make the above work, you will NEED three Technician DOFFs equipped with the skill "Recharge of bridge officer abilities reduced after Auxiliary to Battery". Higher quality is better but any will do.

Bridge Officers:

If possible, use Romulans with "Superior Romulan Operative" trait (Fleet Embassy) OR "Watcher Operative" BOFFs (lockbox/exchange item, introduced in January 2023).

If those are not yet available or affordable, use:

- Science: Hierarchy Science Officer ("Alliances").

- Engineering: Nausicaan Engineering Officer (Diplomacy reward).

- remaining seats: any officers with space traits (note that all Human officers will have "Leadership", which is... better than nothing).

Part Five: Fighting Instructions

* Set power settings to maximize weapons power. Adjust shield and engine power to taste, auxiliary power to minimum.

* Activate Beam Fire at Will, Emergency Power to Weapons, then Auxiliary to Battery.

* when cooldown expires, activate Beam Fire at Will, Emergency Power to Shields or Engines, then the second Auxiliary to Battery.

* Rinse and repeat.

* Use other abilities as needed.

Update Log

Update 1 : September 2022 : Bridge Officer recommendation updated to reflect changes to Fleet Embassy vendor.

Update 2 : May 2023 : Bridge Officer recommendation updated to add Watcher BOFFs (January 2023 lockbox item).

[Vuyek]

thanks for your effort