This video has aged a little bit, so here are some updates: 1. Concentrate Firepower now has a separate timer for players and non-player allies, meaning it has a separate charge for either, so you don't have to worry about pets stealing your Concentrate Firepower charge. 2. The Pilot Revamp happened a couple months after this went live, and it's not as bad as it once was. Reroute Reserves to Weapons got a massive buff, putting nearly on par with Surgical Strikes, so this is a good option for an energy weapon build. Also, Clean Getaway now triggers the personal trait Unconventional Systems, which is used for lowering the cooldowns of your universal consoles.
My general problem with most specialization abilities is "it's already dead." Many are made to attack one target or build up a resource, which you don't need when one weapon cycle wipes out a whole group. Of course you can't do that to everything, but point being, it's not all that fun to have a mechanic that isn't working for you most of the time. Or one that is just applying numbers. Big number big is nice, but not interesting.
So STU1701, I am going to defend the Pilot Abilities because part of my game play is PvP. I know that there are only four of us playing PvP, but the Pilot Abilities are the bases for a Dogfighter build. The three abilities that I primarily use is Pilot Team, Attack Pattern Lambda and Hold Together along with the Risian Corvette trait Rhythmic Rumble. I do agree with you that we need changes to some of the Pilot Abilities. I would like Coolant Ignition to fall into the control abilities to help the Unconventional Systems along with Subspace Boom. Subspace Boom should be used at any throttle setting too which would make it extremely useful. Form Up should face you in the same direction as your teammate as it is based on flying an aircraft.
The Lock Trajectory...hurray for space drifting...it could be more useful if it locked you into a circular trajectory around your current target. You'd stay in range while keeping you face front to the target cannons blazing. 😁
This would still be bad for anyone using a Raider or the Intel captain specialization because it would take you out of Flanking position and you'd lose out on the bonus damage buff.
I like dropping Ralley Point Marker on transport flight paths for missions like Starbase 1, people are going to be near there anyway, and it keeps transports alive longer
I found pilot manoeuvrers could be useful for getting into flanking position which would increase damage, but the problem with them was half of the time they triggered accidentally and removed me from a flanking position.
Pilot specialization seems like it would help large cruiser type ships a lot more. Mostly for the turn rate and speed buffs. Instead of always putting them on escorts that already have turn rate and speed in spades lol.
Full Pilot Maneuvers, yes, we've only seen that put on small ships. Mostly escorts, a hand full of science ships, and so far only one cruiser, the Kwejian Frigate. But just Pilot seating has been put on cruisers before, like the Reliant, or the Legendary Excelsior and Sovereign.
Dear Stu1701! All guide of yours is well welcome in my book. You do these videos as perfect that even my noob mind can handle it and for it i always gonna be grateful. :) So yes i would like to see a Captain Specialization guide in the future. No rush though alright. Take your time as it need it!
It's really unfortunate that the power creep has gone so far that people are using bridge powers solely for cooldown reduction on universal clickies. The pacing is frantic, the war crimes are rampant, and any motion for it to be otherwise would be met with the most furious nerd-rage the galaxy has ever known. btw I think the ability "Fly Her Apart III" stacks up to +37.5% Bonus damage? It's just really difficult to utilize because of the time and speed, I think trajectory lock should be part of the maneuvers rather than a bridge power.
most of the new specializations seem, to me, to be very niche. They all seem to have either some bizarre effect, or a huge trade off. Stuff like: "port phaser banks do 20% more damage with starboard shield facing is down" (not an actual skill, but a good representative example given how I see them lol). I endeavor not to use them, as all of them have a couple things I *might*, *maybe* use, but either not on the ship I'm in at the time, or not in the ship I wish to use in the future. I just can't find a way to make them work with builds, and I don't really feel like trying to create a build around a couple of skills I might use if i remember i have them, and find a way to use them.
Not really fond the pilot nova was used over the lego defiant but doesn't change the fact pilot needs an overhaul. If im being forced to move i want a damage bonus that "at least" scales like synthetic good fortune but only goes up to maybe 10 stacks at the most 5 at the least. Part from that idea and the other one that lets you change your ship specilization for Ex amount of either dil or zen, i got no clue how to make pilot better
There's no way they'd let you change a ship's specialization. It would make people less likely to buy new ships. And even if they wanted to, it's probably very difficult to set up a system like that.
been playing for 2 months, lucky me started with a delta recruit, just unlocked tier 5 in reputation and being a f2p, am eagerly waiting to finish tier 6 and get a fleet ship, but.....which one?! my toon is tactical with temporal 1st and command 2nd, my goal is a phaser build for high dps...i was thinking of a temporal cruiser, but i...i...my head hurts! i even have a specialization token for a boff cause i don't want to waste it on the wrong one!
At about 29:20 and I'm already disappointed. When I played last, I generally made a character to fly a ship that I saw and liked, although some were just to get one captain per command track per faction. My Caitian tactical was all about the PANCAKE-I mean, Phantom. I had forgotten that I had actually gotten the fleet version on her. Some interesting build tips for her and the intel. I was wondering if Transport Warhead was any good, or if I should stick with APO. But hearing about all this hype about torpedo builds and how everything revolves around one trait (I SUPPOSE it's better than Escorts Online) and Command seating...and here I am wanting to fly the Pathfinder with the Aero Shuttle as I suck everything into a G. Well as I launch Tricobalts, Heavy Plasmas and whatever I decided on for a third torpedo(Neutronic? Been 5 years so I don't really remember which ones are which)...I never chased leaderboards, but it sounds like I'll be so gimped if I try it. It'd be fun, but...I guess the meta has flown by the Interpid class. Bit miffed now that my Engineering main with the t6 Operations Ody lacks Command mechanics. (Love the t5 Ody, reskinned the t6 to resemble her) It's great that mines are good (again? Seem to remember people dropping Tric mines to delete Borg Cubes way back when) as my favorite thing to do on ANY ship is put one mine layer on. Isn't there still a 15 second lockout on mines?
If you're referring to Concentrate Firepower, that's been updated. It now has a separate timer for players and non-player ships, so you don't have to worry about fighters and other allied NPCs stealing your Concentrate Firepower.
@@Stu1701 It's more that the Intrepid Series has a Lt Tac seat max, except some of the OP Anniversary variants, no access to hanger pets, and limited to a 3-3 layout when it seems that most decent ships have 4 or 5 weapons fore AND nifty other gimmicks, while the Pathfinder only has Lt Intel and the Aero going for it. As for CFP, that is good to know. Spent a day farming other ships XP, and FINALLY got to sit in my Jemmie's Vanguard Dreadnaught, still trying to relearn how to pilot it, but seems really fun! Thing the biggest thing that made me stop playing last time was the sheer amount of grind for the winter ships, THEN the Bajoran Interceptor, AND I have a queue of about 10 ships to grab traits for 10 or 11 characters. Heck, the worst part is that of my CStore purchases, I think only the Phantom and the Sagittarius get to play with all the DR mechanics. Maybe I have a Romulan ship that can too, I ended up getting a character mostly leveled up before wanting to try some else. AND I am regretting not getting a Lifetime sub back in 2015, mostly because I didn't expect STO to last this long!
Well the Intrepids are all science ships. They have 3/3 weapons layouts because they're designed to be more reliant on bridge officer abilities and consoles that deal exotic damage that are buffed by the secondary deflector. Science builds are weird. If you're wanting an Intrepid variant that's can be more weapon focused, I'd recommend the Trailblazer from the C-store. It's a Science Warship, the first and (currently) only ship of this classification. It's similar to a Science Spearhead, in that is has a 4/3 weapons layout, but it also has a spinal lance, which is pretty rare on science ships. It's also a full Command ship. I wouldn't worry about those older Intrepid consoles, they're kinda crap.
You can bring the subsystems back online with Engineering Team and (I think) Emergency Power to whatever specific ability happens to be offline, but I can't just spambar that. I have to pay attention to when Override Subsystem Safeties expires, and with all the other stuff likely happening, that's just something my ADHD brain isn't going to pay attention to. Not until I notice one my subsystems is offline and I'm sitting there going "fuck, how long has that been off!?" Also I don't want to waste a boff slot on Eng Team.
@@Stu1701 well, one of the captain skill tree things gives you a reduction to offlines... which applies equally if it's inflicted by enemies or self-inflicted. In my usage OSS is often a blink and you'll miss it offline.
not sure, i've have to test that. though, the problem with Tricobalts is typically is their very long cooldown, I don't see transport warhead overcoming that.
I think that's part of it, it makes sense that a lot of players would develop a preference toward certain specializations which would either influence their playstyle or they'd gravitate to one that suits their playstyle best.
This video has aged a little bit, so here are some updates:
1. Concentrate Firepower now has a separate timer for players and non-player allies, meaning it has a separate charge for either, so you don't have to worry about pets stealing your Concentrate Firepower charge.
2. The Pilot Revamp happened a couple months after this went live, and it's not as bad as it once was. Reroute Reserves to Weapons got a massive buff, putting nearly on par with Surgical Strikes, so this is a good option for an energy weapon build. Also, Clean Getaway now triggers the personal trait Unconventional Systems, which is used for lowering the cooldowns of your universal consoles.
My general problem with most specialization abilities is "it's already dead." Many are made to attack one target or build up a resource, which you don't need when one weapon cycle wipes out a whole group. Of course you can't do that to everything, but point being, it's not all that fun to have a mechanic that isn't working for you most of the time. Or one that is just applying numbers. Big number big is nice, but not interesting.
So STU1701, I am going to defend the Pilot Abilities because part of my game play is PvP. I know that there are only four of us playing PvP, but the Pilot Abilities are the bases for a Dogfighter build. The three abilities that I primarily use is Pilot Team, Attack Pattern Lambda and Hold Together along with the Risian Corvette trait Rhythmic Rumble. I do agree with you that we need changes to some of the Pilot Abilities. I would like Coolant Ignition to fall into the control abilities to help the Unconventional Systems along with Subspace Boom. Subspace Boom should be used at any throttle setting too which would make it extremely useful. Form Up should face you in the same direction as your teammate as it is based on flying an aircraft.
The Lock Trajectory...hurray for space drifting...it could be more useful if it locked you into a circular trajectory around your current target. You'd stay in range while keeping you face front to the target cannons blazing. 😁
This would still be bad for anyone using a Raider or the Intel captain specialization because it would take you out of Flanking position and you'd lose out on the bonus damage buff.
"SpIn tHe WhEeL ANd wIN!" ~Holo Leeta
@@Stu1701Wouldn't stop you from making a meme build of an Excelsior with all turrets on it tho
This has to be the best video on this subject that i ever saw. Thx a lot.
I like dropping Ralley Point Marker on transport flight paths for missions like Starbase 1, people are going to be near there anyway, and it keeps transports alive longer
ty for the pilot info I just now put a pilot on my ship to try it out
I found pilot manoeuvrers could be useful for getting into flanking position which would increase damage, but the problem with them was half of the time they triggered accidentally and removed me from a flanking position.
Thanks for describing Temporal spec - its always been rather confusing to me.
Pilot specialization seems like it would help large cruiser type ships a lot more. Mostly for the turn rate and speed buffs. Instead of always putting them on escorts that already have turn rate and speed in spades lol.
yeah, but the devs only wanna put pilot seats on things that make sense to have Pilot maneuvers. :p
Full Pilot Maneuvers, yes, we've only seen that put on small ships. Mostly escorts, a hand full of science ships, and so far only one cruiser, the Kwejian Frigate. But just Pilot seating has been put on cruisers before, like the Reliant, or the Legendary Excelsior and Sovereign.
Certain Carriers could REALLY use any extra turn rate you can give them.
Dear Stu1701! All guide of yours is well welcome in my book. You do these videos as perfect that even my noob mind can handle it and for it i always gonna be grateful. :) So yes i would like to see a Captain Specialization guide in the future. No rush though alright. Take your time as it need it!
Love pilot ships, hate pilot abilities (haven't tested out the new updates yet though)
Thanks for this. I have the Acheron which has two temporal slots and I had no idea how to use it for a dps build.
yes I fought with the intel beacon before giving up on using it
I love lock trajectory bc its hilarious doing at full impulse drift 😂😂
I fly mainly the Fleet Hoover Temporal Warship, with a commander tac/temporal seating and enjoy it a bit too much lol
thanks i needed this saved for rewatching
Sto Captain Specialisation guide when???
It's really unfortunate that the power creep has gone so far that people are using bridge powers solely for cooldown reduction on universal clickies. The pacing is frantic, the war crimes are rampant, and any motion for it to be otherwise would be met with the most furious nerd-rage the galaxy has ever known.
btw I think the ability "Fly Her Apart III" stacks up to +37.5% Bonus damage? It's just really difficult to utilize because of the time and speed, I think trajectory lock should be part of the maneuvers rather than a bridge power.
most of the new specializations seem, to me, to be very niche. They all seem to have either some bizarre effect, or a huge trade off. Stuff like: "port phaser banks do 20% more damage with starboard shield facing is down" (not an actual skill, but a good representative example given how I see them lol). I endeavor not to use them, as all of them have a couple things I *might*, *maybe* use, but either not on the ship I'm in at the time, or not in the ship I wish to use in the future.
I just can't find a way to make them work with builds, and I don't really feel like trying to create a build around a couple of skills I might use if i remember i have them, and find a way to use them.
Kinetic Magnet: I've actually found this to work better as a way to force enemies to hit themselves with their own torpedoes than to buff mine.
Big question with intel what’s recommended for secondary (plan to run on the Cardassian Intel Ships)
Not really fond the pilot nova was used over the lego defiant but doesn't change the fact pilot needs an overhaul. If im being forced to move i want a damage bonus that "at least" scales like synthetic good fortune but only goes up to maybe 10 stacks at the most 5 at the least. Part from that idea and the other one that lets you change your ship specilization for Ex amount of either dil or zen, i got no clue how to make pilot better
There's no way they'd let you change a ship's specialization. It would make people less likely to buy new ships. And even if they wanted to, it's probably very difficult to set up a system like that.
Thank you for the video 😎
Awesome video, skill tree video would be awesome.
Did that one a while ago th-cam.com/video/pdHiTwwyvkw/w-d-xo.html
Going to sound stupid but does the teleport torpedo synergize with the maelstrom torp?
yes i have the lex and run both
been playing for 2 months, lucky me started with a delta recruit, just unlocked tier 5 in reputation and being a f2p, am eagerly waiting to finish tier 6 and get a fleet ship, but.....which one?!
my toon is tactical with temporal 1st and command 2nd, my goal is a phaser build for high dps...i was thinking of a temporal cruiser, but i...i...my head hurts!
i even have a specialization token for a boff cause i don't want to waste it on the wrong one!
At about 29:20 and I'm already disappointed.
When I played last, I generally made a character to fly a ship that I saw and liked, although some were just to get one captain per command track per faction. My Caitian tactical was all about the PANCAKE-I mean, Phantom. I had forgotten that I had actually gotten the fleet version on her. Some interesting build tips for her and the intel. I was wondering if Transport Warhead was any good, or if I should stick with APO.
But hearing about all this hype about torpedo builds and how everything revolves around one trait (I SUPPOSE it's better than Escorts Online) and Command seating...and here I am wanting to fly the Pathfinder with the Aero Shuttle as I suck everything into a G. Well as I launch Tricobalts, Heavy Plasmas and whatever I decided on for a third torpedo(Neutronic? Been 5 years so I don't really remember which ones are which)...I never chased leaderboards, but it sounds like I'll be so gimped if I try it. It'd be fun, but...I guess the meta has flown by the Interpid class. Bit miffed now that my Engineering main with the t6 Operations Ody lacks Command mechanics. (Love the t5 Ody, reskinned the t6 to resemble her)
It's great that mines are good (again? Seem to remember people dropping Tric mines to delete Borg Cubes way back when) as my favorite thing to do on ANY ship is put one mine layer on. Isn't there still a 15 second lockout on mines?
If you're referring to Concentrate Firepower, that's been updated. It now has a separate timer for players and non-player ships, so you don't have to worry about fighters and other allied NPCs stealing your Concentrate Firepower.
@@Stu1701 It's more that the Intrepid Series has a Lt Tac seat max, except some of the OP Anniversary variants, no access to hanger pets, and limited to a 3-3 layout when it seems that most decent ships have 4 or 5 weapons fore AND nifty other gimmicks, while the Pathfinder only has Lt Intel and the Aero going for it.
As for CFP, that is good to know. Spent a day farming other ships XP, and FINALLY got to sit in my Jemmie's Vanguard Dreadnaught, still trying to relearn how to pilot it, but seems really fun!
Thing the biggest thing that made me stop playing last time was the sheer amount of grind for the winter ships, THEN the Bajoran Interceptor, AND I have a queue of about 10 ships to grab traits for 10 or 11 characters.
Heck, the worst part is that of my CStore purchases, I think only the Phantom and the Sagittarius get to play with all the DR mechanics. Maybe I have a Romulan ship that can too, I ended up getting a character mostly leveled up before wanting to try some else. AND I am regretting not getting a Lifetime sub back in 2015, mostly because I didn't expect STO to last this long!
Well the Intrepids are all science ships. They have 3/3 weapons layouts because they're designed to be more reliant on bridge officer abilities and consoles that deal exotic damage that are buffed by the secondary deflector. Science builds are weird. If you're wanting an Intrepid variant that's can be more weapon focused, I'd recommend the Trailblazer from the C-store. It's a Science Warship, the first and (currently) only ship of this classification. It's similar to a Science Spearhead, in that is has a 4/3 weapons layout, but it also has a spinal lance, which is pretty rare on science ships. It's also a full Command ship.
I wouldn't worry about those older Intrepid consoles, they're kinda crap.
do ships you buy in store level with or stay that level is worth buying ships at low levels
All tier 6 ships level with your character. The lower tier (1-5) ships do not scale.
@@Stu1701 thank you good to know
subsystems offline is canceled by so many things in game that its basically completely ignorable
You can bring the subsystems back online with Engineering Team and (I think) Emergency Power to whatever specific ability happens to be offline, but I can't just spambar that. I have to pay attention to when Override Subsystem Safeties expires, and with all the other stuff likely happening, that's just something my ADHD brain isn't going to pay attention to. Not until I notice one my subsystems is offline and I'm sitting there going "fuck, how long has that been off!?"
Also I don't want to waste a boff slot on Eng Team.
@@Stu1701 well, one of the captain skill tree things gives you a reduction to offlines... which applies equally if it's inflicted by enemies or self-inflicted. In my usage OSS is often a blink and you'll miss it offline.
wouldnt Transport Warhead be good with Tricobalt torps?
not sure, i've have to test that. though, the problem with Tricobalts is typically is their very long cooldown, I don't see transport warhead overcoming that.
I feel like specializations are kinda based on what kind of player you are
I think that's part of it, it makes sense that a lot of players would develop a preference toward certain specializations which would either influence their playstyle or they'd gravitate to one that suits their playstyle best.
Why there isn't STRATEGIST ? it gives lot of critical/chance :O
Because this video is focused on Specialization seating. There are no ships with Strategist seating because that's not a thing.
@@Stu1701 ah ok thx!
Or in my case - the Concorde doesn’t seem to have any …
Disagree on the Sovereign but otherwise hit it out of the park. Personally I’d place the sovereign at A class