STO Weapon Layout

[Andre27]

Well we've had topics about the fleet, ships and crew so why not discuss what you use as weapons for your ship and on the ground.

Perhaps reading about someone else his/her layout can give you some ideas for your own ship/crew.

 

[Adm_Z]

Great idea!

My current escort(Defiant):

Fore Weapons - Quantum Torpedo Launcher, Dual Phaser Beam Bank, Phaser Dual Heavy Cannons, Phaser Dual Heavy Cannons

Deflector - Positron

Impulse - (Jem'Hadar) Combat Impulse Engines

Shields - Standard(blue)

Aft Weapons Console - Phaser Beam Array, Quantum Torpedo Launcher

Engineering Console - Monotanium Alloy, RCS Accelerator

Science Console - Biofunction Monitor, Shield Emitter Amplifier(Uncommon)

Tactical - Zero Point Quantum Chamber, Warhead Yield Chamber, Phaser Relay


All mk VIII

 

[Majestic]

I'll list some of mine later. However I favour Plasma and Tetryon beams and cannons. I feel they are very effective more so than the others. I have been known to use Polaron weapons as well on John th'Majest with his Defiant and Prometheus.

I also prefer beam banks and cannons on the front with a beam array on the back.

Torpedo wise a mixture of Photons (faster fire rates), Quantums and Plasma's are my favourites.

I generally have 1 plasma on the front and one or two of the others on the back with a beam array.

 

[thunderfoot]

I liked the plasma weapons in SFCI and SFC II. They really seemed to hit very hard and had a faster reload cycle. Seems to be the same here. While it isn't a weapon, I finally gave in and and installed the freeware version of WinAmp. My crew seems to perform much more effectively whilst listening to Bear McCreary. Mandala in the Clouds[/I] and Worthy of Survival in particular seem to noticably increase their P/H and P/K percentages. Gaeta's Lament and Pegasus make pretty good warp tunage as well, lol

 

[Adm_Z]

LOL I wish it would work with stock windows player.

I decided to ditch my cannon weapons and change to beam weapons. My new promie(soon to be fleet escort) has three disruptor beam arrays, a dual plasma beam array, and some mixed torps(photon plasma and tricibalt)

Mixed with my beam fire at will special, this ship is really awesome at taking on several ships at once.

 

[Atlantis]

Until very recently I've been sticking to "reasonable canon" with my loadout. Phaser beam arrays, dual phaser beams, and photon torpedoes. However, I've recently discovered the power of Tetryon weaponry.

Fore:
- Dual Tetryon Cannon Mk VI [Dmg]
- Dual Tetryon Cannon Mk VI [Dmg]
- Photon Torpedo Launcher Mk VI
Aft:
- Tetryon Beam Array Mk VI
- Photon Torpedo Launcher Mk V
Systems:
- Jem'Hadar Deflector Dish Mk VI
- Hyper-Impulse Engines Mk IV [Aux][Full]
- Paratrinic Shield Array Mk VI

 

[Majestic]

I too prefer to run plasma weaponry Thunderfoot, normally in conjunction with Tetryon lately. The combination seems to work very well. Not a fan of Tricolbolt torpedoes however, I am thinking of ripping off the ones I got and put them back where I got them aka the Exchange.

Mixed with my beam fire at will special, this ship is really awesome at taking on several ships at once.

I would also highly recommend eject warp plasma, if used correctly at high impulse you can really spread it out and can kill shuttles and fighters by itself and really do some damage to frigates and cruisers. I use it on most my characters.

 

[thunderfoot]

Nicked an idea from Maj and Atlantis (because they usually have very good ones) and went for the refit to tetryon weapons on Relentless. Replaced the plasma dual heavy cannons with single tetryon ones. I like the match to my torps field of fire. Gives me a few more tactical options. I decided to go with the [Acc] versions rather than the [Dmg] ones. The slightly less damage is an acceptable trade off for the increased P/H IMV. Got a Quantum Torp for my for'ard weapons array and moved the bigger of the two plasma torps aft. Added in a tetryon turret aft for the 360 field of fire. Doesn't hit as hard but it does mean no more gaps in my weapons fire.

Then I went looking for consoles. I was surprised at how expensive weapons are. I was equally surprised at how cheap consoles go for on the Exchange. I was able to secure rare three tactical consoles for just over 18,000 EC which greatly improve the damage my tetryon weapons do. Net result is my tetryon cannons do nearly half again as much damage as the standard rating for the same weapon without the consoles. I can now kill a D'Deridex with two or three Alpha Strikes. Did a Fleet Action where all of the Klinks in a fleet engaged me first. I also upgraded everything else on Relentless to Uncommon quality and Mk X rating. The Uncommon stuff is usually very much cheaper than the Rare or Very Rare items and, with proper platform management, deliver almost as much damage as either. I may need to rename my Heavy Escort to USS Thumper, lol.

A suggestion, if I may. Once you get your ship to a configuration and loadout you like and are comfortable with, stay with it for awhile. Don't swap out weapons and such just because you can. Stay with one set for awhile and work it hard. A well handled Escort with "smaller" weapons and a well trained crew is more than match for a just purchased Dreadnought with a completely different weapons loadout. Find a ship and weapons you like which match your style of play and stick there. better marks of the same weapons you already know how to use well are more effective over time than that "Mega Oblivion Dual Cannon" you've been pining over for the last week or so.

 

[Majestic]

Personally I generally stick with my initial layout, on the rare occasion I switch out a console or weapon that I feel isn't effective enough to warrant using,but for the most part I find my first setup is usually my best. Also don't be afraid to stack consoles, especially tactical and engineering ones. My Negh'var for Vannaka for example has the following:

Neutronium Alloy and Ablative Hull Armour - These two engineering consoles give me a huge resistance to all types of damage, energy and kinetic. Polaron and Anti-proton are the two that would work best against me. I also added a turn-rate console to give the Battlecruiser some better turn rates. I also if memory serves threw in a shield array/emitter console or two for the science slot to give me slightly better shields and with running only two types of energy weapons I like normal got those consoles that improve the weapons I am using. I think tetryon and plasma.

I normally run common types, rather than the boundable items (consoles, weapons etc). Reason for this is I have quite a few characters and I like to be able to use the older stuff that I have advanced past on one character on another later on. I also feel that it's an acceptable compromise for a few % less is damage or resistance. Plus I can always sell the items later if I need the cash. I also run my characters banks with one character having just consoles, another weapons, another special items (half a bank of lock boxes for example).

Also don't underestimate a beam boat, it might not have the kinetic damage which is very useful against an unshielded target but when working with others in a team it can be extremely effective against targets. I am thinking of turning my Negh'var into one of those considering he works with Kat's Orion character.

 

[Atlantis]

Well, after getting my backside handed to me for the fiftieth consecutive time by the IRW Rea (Romulan Warbird you encounter when rescuing the USS Nobel in Operation Nightingale), I had a major redo of my weapons layout. Going for the "Fight fire with fire", I opted for an all out Plasma vs Plasma setup.

Forward:
- Plasma Torpedo Launcher Mk VI
- Plasma Torpedo Launcher Mk VI
- Plasma Torpedo Launcher Mk VI
Aft:
- Plasma Beam Array Mk VI
- Plasma Beam Array Mk VI
Consoles:
- [Eng] Electroceramic Hull Plating Mk VI (+18 Plasma Resistance, +18 Tetryon Resistance)
- [Sci] Inertial Dampeners Mk VI (+13 Inertial Dampeners, to deal with them pesky Tractor Beams)
- [Tac] Ambiplasma Envelope Mk VI (+13% Plasma Projectile Weapon Damage)
- [Tac] Ambiplasma Envelope Mk VI (+13% Plasma Projectile Weapon Damage)
- [Tac] Ambiplasma Envelope Mk VI (+13% Plasma Projectile Weapon Damage)

Along with re-arranging my hotkey setup to get easy access to both Balance Shields and Emergency Power to Shields, along with High Yield Warhead I.

That was on my Akira-Oslo mix, so I'm changing that now I'm Captain, I'm going for...

Forward:
- Plasma Dual Cannons Mk VIII
- Plasma Dual Cannons Mk VIII
- Plasma Torpedo Launcher Mk VIII
- Plasma Torpedo Launcher Mk VIII
Aft:
- Plasma Beam Array Mk VIII
- Plasma Beam Array Mk VIII

Consoles undecided. Definitely keep one or two of the Ambiplasmas (upgrade to Mk VIII though), and either a Plasma Infuser Mk VIII or something to improve Tetryon damage, if I go back to Tetryon weaponry for the cannons and beams.

Or just go back to Tetryons and Photons; they've served me VERY well so far, IRW Rea excepting.

On top of that, my new Jem'Hadar Security Officer gives me High Yield Warhead II, which should come in very handy.

Also, I'm wondering what the advantage is of Quantums over Photons. Quantums do more damage, but they are much slower to arm, giving the Photons a much higher DPS... What's the up-side of Quantums?

 

[thunderfoot]

Well, after getting my backside handed to me for the fiftieth consecutive time by the IRW Rea (Romulan Warbird you encounter when rescuing the USS Nobel in Operation Nightingale), I had a major redo of my weapons layout. Going for the "Fight fire with fire", I opted for an all out Plasma vs Plasma setup...

I've had the same problem with both the D'deridex and Mogai class. My preferred fighting style is "knife fight in a phone booth". I like to get in close, dump an Alpha Strike on a weak shield and then dance away, chuckling evilly. This technique gets you killed here. Both of these classes have enough hull, weapons and buffs, they can soak up your shot and then bust yo' butt with a spread of Plasma torps. They also like tractor beams. A lot. They like to garnish the tractor beam with a generous helping of Plasma torps.

Developed a jousting technique for my escort to deal with Ddexes. Guidelines are:

Defense
1) Stay at least 5 to 8 clicks away. Always add in some vertical separation as well.
2) Watch their heading and always place yourself on a course which moves you parallel to either a side or rear. Never move on a straight line longer than about three seconds or so.
3) When they launch a spread of Plasma torps, discretion is the only part part of valor. Run away. Run away very fast. You don't have the Hull strength to withstand that kind of attack and survive. Plasma Torps fade out when you get to about 12 to 14 klicks out from the Ddex.

Offense
1) Use Alpha Strikes only. Line up and go straight in to the flank. Make sure you have every buff you have available applied to your weapons. Before you go in. Make sure the buffs are not going to be in a cooldown mode before you pull the tirgger.
2) Attack from a flank. This way the Ddex can only target you with beams, since torps usually have a max FOF of 90 degrees.
3) Shoot once. Then turn away on an outbound course different from the your attack course. If you insist on shooting a second time, the Ddex will turn enough to launch torps. You are too deep inside his engagement envelope to escape all of them.

General
1) Apply your shield and hull buffs every time they are available. Even when you do not have to.
2) Jam Sensors works. Use it. If you do not have it, get it.
3) Be prepared to be engaged for awhile. Ddexes are big targets and they are not prone to the "one shot, one kill" syndrome.

These have worked for me in Relentless, my Akira class Heavy Escort. Not every time, but more often than not. Please remember STO scales up the PvE enemies every time you get promoted or get better weapons, so the challenge remains the same. As to quantums vs. photons, quantums are slower. Mk XII quantums do more damage than Mk I quantums. But Quantum Torpedoes sound much scarier than Photon Torpedoes. As a result they are harder to find as well as much more expensive on the Exchange. Plasma Torps will work just fine for what you want. Uncommon Quality weapons are good enough if they are used correctly. My preferred Plasma Torps are the ones with the (Dmg) suffix. All the other suffixes are things which might happen to the target but usually do not. Used well, Unommon weapons are the equal of Very Rare.

My rear weapon slots are occupied by a Turret and a Torp which is the same as my front facing one. The turret eliminates my no fire zones and works nicely against fighters. It does pffft for damage. Even 'pfft' damage is better than no damage at all. The torp gives me a "stinger' as I am outbound from the engagement area. I have let Terran frigates "run me down" and then launched a torp as a "down the throat shot". Pour encourager les autres, lol.

Hope this helps.

 

[Adm_Z]

Muwahaha! I got my final piece of prototype salvage today. Now my entire weapons loadout is Purple quality Borg standard issue mk XII. As I continue to play Elite STFs and try to get the M.A.C.O. / Omega space set, I will probably outfit my Odyssey with antiproton gear with any extra prototype salvage I get.

 

[Majestic]

Now you need to get some purple quality consoles.

 

[USS_Excalibur]

Tactical Heavy Escort Retrofit {USS Eclipse} (Defiant Type):
}Fore:
- Type XI (or XII) Dual Heavy Anti-Proton Cannons [Borg; Purple]
- 2x Type XI Dual Tetryon Cannons [Blue]
- 1x Type XII Quantum Launcher [Borg; Purple]

}Aft;
- Type XI Tricolbalt Mine Launcher
- Type XI Quantum Launcher [Blue or Purple]
- Transphasic Cluster Torpedo

}Consoles;
- Cloaking
- 2x Ablative Armor XI
- Stealth XI
- Sensor XII
- Antiproton Capacitor X(I?)
- Warhead Yield XI
- Prefire XI
- Fourth Tactical I cannot recall from memory

}Shields;
- Omega Force XII

}Engines;
- Combat XI [Purple]

}Deflector
- Positron XI [Purple]

Odyssey Class {USS Mellenius Prime} (Anniversary Version):
}Fore:
- Type X Antiproton Beam Array [Borg?; Purple]
- Type XI Transphasic Torpedo Launcher [Blue/Purple]
- Type XI Har'pHeng Torpedo Launcher [Blue]
- Type XI Tricobalt Torpedo Launcher [Blue/Purple]

}Aft:
- Type XI Antiproton Beam Array [Borg; Purple]
- Type XI Transphasic Torpedo Launcher
- Type X(I?) Har'pHeng Torpedo Launcher [Blue]
- Type XI Tricolbalt Torpedo Launcher [Blue]

}Deflector, Engines, Shields
- Full Breen Set level XI

Akira Variant {USS Equinox}:
}Fore:
- Retrofitted Phaser Array XI [blue]
- Transphasic Torpedo XI [blue]
- Tricolbalt Torpedo X [blue]
}Aft:
- Retrofitted Phaser Arrag XI[blue]
- Tricolbalt Torpedo X [blue]
}Shields, Engines, Deflector:
- Full Assimilated Retroset
}Consoles:
- Assimilation Console
- 3x Warhead Yield XI
- Monotanium Alloy XI
- Sensor XI

 

[Adm_Z]

Now you need to get some purple quality consoles.

yeaahhh... That will take a while since people charge exorbitant prices for them on the exchange, and you cant get them from stfs. Oh well, I will definitely try. Does anyone have any recommendations concerning my loadout? I am not sure if I should try and refine my loadout before I spend that kind of money.

 

[Atlantis]

This kind of fits in both the Ships and Weapons topics, so please bear with me.

I've changed my weapons loadout to match my current set, both in looks and to make use of the Synergy buff.

I am talking about the Jem'Hadar set, one of the easier-to-get sets, having to play just two missions (one of them twice) in the "The 2800" series. So I have, of course, "gone Polaron". Am not quite up to Purple-grade Mk XII yet, but am getting there slowly.



Fore Weapons:
* Polaron Dual Cannons Mk XI [Acc]x2 [Dmg]
* Polaron Dual Cannons Mk XI [Acc]x2 [Dmg]
* Quantum Torpedo Launcher Mk XI
* Quantum Torpedo Launcher Mk XI

Deflector:
* Jem'Hadar Deflector Dish Mk XI

Impule:
* Jem'Hadar Combat Impulse Engines Mk XI

Shields:
* Jem'Hadar Resilient Shields Mk XI

Aft Weapons:
* Quantum Torpedo Launcher Mk XI
* Polaron Beam Array Mk XII
* Polaron Beam Array Mk XII

Devices:
* (empty)
* Subspace Field Modulator

Engineering Consoles:
* Diburnium Hull Plating Mk XII
* Electroceramic Hull Plating Mk XII

Science Consoles:
* Emitter Array Mk XII
* Emitter Array Mk XII
* Emitter Array Mk XII

Tactical Consoles:
* Polaron Phase Modulator Mk XII
* Polaron Phase Modulator Mk XII
* Zero Point Quantum Chamber Mk XII
* Zero Point Quantum Chamber Mk XII

 

[Majestic]

Nice layout Excalibur.

yeaahhh... That will take a while since people charge exorbitant prices for them on the exchange, and you cant get them from stfs. Oh well, I will definitely try. Does anyone have any recommendations concerning my loadout? I am not sure if I should try and refine my loadout before I spend that kind of money.

My recommendation would firstly in the weapons department be run the same type of torpedoes, by running all the one type you can use the say for example Quantum Coil console to double your damage much better then the generic torpedo console. Other than that it looks good, I generally run a beam bank at the front as well but that's a personal choice.

As far as consoles, Kat taught be this trick, with engineering consoles just run SIF Generators, it's the best way and more effective than the damage resistance ones like ablative armour etc.

This kind of fits in both the Ships and Weapons topics, so please bear with me.

I've changed my weapons loadout to match my current set, both in looks and to make use of the Synergy buff.

I am talking about the Jem'Hadar set, one of the easier-to-get sets, having to play just two missions (one of them twice) in the "The 2800" series. So I have, of course, "gone Polaron". Am not quite up to Purple-grade Mk XII yet, but am getting there slowly.

View attachment 8195View attachment 8196

Fore Weapons:
* Polaron Dual Cannons Mk XI [Acc]x2 [Dmg]
* Polaron Dual Cannons Mk XI [Acc]x2 [Dmg]
* Quantum Torpedo Launcher Mk XI
* Quantum Torpedo Launcher Mk XI

Deflector:
* Jem'Hadar Deflector Dish Mk XI

Impule:
* Jem'Hadar Combat Impulse Engines Mk XI

Shields:
* Jem'Hadar Resilient Shields Mk XI

Aft Weapons:
* Quantum Torpedo Launcher Mk XI
* Polaron Beam Array Mk XII
* Polaron Beam Array Mk XII

Devices:
* (empty)
* Subspace Field Modulator

Engineering Consoles:
* Diburnium Hull Plating Mk XII
* Electroceramic Hull Plating Mk XII

Science Consoles:
* Emitter Array Mk XII
* Emitter Array Mk XII
* Emitter Array Mk XII

Tactical Consoles:
* Polaron Phase Modulator Mk XII
* Polaron Phase Modulator Mk XII
* Zero Point Quantum Chamber Mk XII
* Zero Point Quantum Chamber Mk XII

A good idea changing to polaron for the Jem'hadar set, I do that with the Breen set and transphasic torpedoes.

If you'll like some input I would like to recommend like I did with Zaxxon the SIF Generator trick. Also while they are expensive a Shield Emitter Amplifier, which improves regeneration rates, I normally run two of those with one emitter array as the latter increases the shield emitters which is also handy. This is what I do personally feel free to keep going the way you're going if you like, just my personal take on it.