Hiya!
I was asked to share my U.S.S. Buteo Regalis, science-torpedo Vesta build that has served me with some alterations now over 3 years (about half of that time on T5, later on T6). And while the build has indeed seen many changes and revisions, the core idea behind the build has been the same – a careful mix between torpedo and EPG-science ability damage.
Link to the build: https://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/22cab86a6aef558fe9a5eaf460363211
While the ship can feel slightly squishier than most others in the game, it has never let me down in any elite mission, and the very same build was used in the recent HSE 3-man Trinity run.
Video to Trinity HSE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW0a8Pp_7rE
Apart from being able to output good DPS, I also feel it has lots of Crowd Control presence, something that has also been mentioned by several of my friends I use to fly with. On maps like Battle of Korfez (asteroid field stage), Storming the Spire or Herald Sphere, where it is necessary to keep enemies from reaching their destinations, carefully activating Gravity Well, Subspace Vortex and Tractor Beam Repulsors at right times and places can be extremely efficient tactic.
In regard to that, a question people have asked me a lot is that how I manage to keep my TBR useable. The key here is to activate it at right times only. On maps mentioned in previous paragraphs, as well as against huge stationary targets like (Tactical) Cubes, Borg Unimatrix ships and Queen’s Diamond, it is a very effective ability. However, it should be never used being in the middle of a pack of enemies if you’re not absolutely sure that the enemies will either die right away or won’t be affected by the push. Mindlessly scattering enemies around will only annoy your teammates. So, the correct usage of the ability takes practice, and a good, easier to use alternative here would be Charged Particle Burst to have an additional ability to proc your Deteriorating Secondary deflector.
Another thing that people have asked me is my insistence on trying to focus both on torpedoes and exotics. And indeed, while it’s true that currently, game has made it much easier to fully buff your science abilities with everything you’ve got and just leave torpedoes to do additional, minor damage. However, I feel that this is not *my* build style, hence I continue on my own route. And personally, I could not wish for a better ship.
– Gruber
Oh thanks so much for posting this. Hard to find players for Elite maps these days but from HSE to FEZ, from CPE to TFE, it’s always smooth sailing with your ship at my side. 🙂
I’m currently reworking one of my science toons to epg/torps mix so any form of information what works well there is highly appreciated here.
Good for you! I always expected this kind of the build for elite PvEs.
In my last Battle of Procyon V (Elite) PvE, I used my adapted version of Connor’s NX Refit Cannon Build. (Result : Barely succeeded)
And I would use Improved Gravity Well instead of Temporal Insight, since it reduces GW’s cooldown to 40 sec and increases GW’s duration to 40 sec as well.
the cd reduction shouldnt be a problem for sci abilities, but the improved duration might be super good 😉
Yes, IGW is super useful, no doubt, but I haven’t bought the ship necessary for that trait.
If i see correct nothing realy or nothing in CD reduction so CD is a prob on his Sci abilitys^^
Not sure why you think that. AHOD helps quite a bit, then one of my sci’s is a Krenim, the deflector DOFF also kicks in quite often… I personally have witnessed no problems.
is this skill tree correct? all that impulse expertise?
the skilltree might need a small revamp, coordination protocols as example are some kind of must have too 😉
Skilltree is absolutely correct in a sense that it’s what I’m currently running. Impulse Expertise helps me *a lot*. However, for a person who is playing more than 1 toon and tends to be more of a “team player” than a “lone wolf” (like I am most of the time), you can make several changes indeed.
For example, in premade team environment, just like Feli said, Coordination Protocols and nodes below it are extremely useful to have. If you follow 1 toon = 1 build-type mentality like so many players are doing, you can make some pretty large changes, since a uniquely sci-torp toon wouldn’t need Energy Weapons, Long Range Targeting Sensors or EPS, for example. However, as this toon is my go-to toon for everything, I had to build an all-arounder tree and make some sacrifices along the way.
Thanks so much for the build! I adapted it to my T6 Nebula and is doing great! It is so nice to see a science build, and one that doesn’t really on consoles from hard to get ships or past events. Even the ship traits are reasonable. One question though, why the Kinetic Cutting Beam and not the Chromatic Calculations Omni and beam for the three piece bonus? Just curious since I am one of those players who like to have matching colors.
no idea to be fair, i will ask him ot clarify this 🙂
First of all, since I have already turret, added Omni wouldn’t add 3pc, you’d need single beam or torp for that. And while the 3pc indeed is good for alpha-strikes in short content, like ISA or CCA, where enemies are grouped together, it doesn’t really help too much in prolonged engagements where you get some amount of enemies coming at you at constant rate (think Korfez, or Storming the Spire).
Hence, I decided to run something that I can constantly rely on, and KCB is a good gun – in HSEs for example, it accounts normally for ~4k DPS.
Oh man, that is one great video Tune. 🙂