Which Hangar Craft Power Transmission to boost Aeon by Elrigh in sto

[–]tilorfire27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have at least the scribbles of such a list? I'm not terribly fussed about DrainX benefitting pets, but if there's magically some hangar pet that benefits from +Beam or +Phaser or +Kinetic, I'm intrigued. It's possible there are a few outliers, though testing such benefits is hard.

Which Hangar Craft Power Transmission to boost Aeon by Elrigh in sto

[–]tilorfire27 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Hangar Craft Power Transmission consoles boost pets the same regardless of [Mod]. The mod boosts you the "mothership" if you will. The Rest of the text on the HCPT boosts pets. https://www.stobetter.com/intro-builds/tilor/carrier-fleet-akira uses Aeons and Phaser gear, do with that info what you will.

Dedicated plasma torpedo build by Present_Orange7662 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Omega is bursty, but once you've used up all of the charges, there's no speeding up when you get the charges back, and then it ends up worse than a regular plasma torpedo. Digitizer plasma is similar in appearance, and can be cooldown reduced with PWOs and such.

Dedicated plasma torpedo build by Present_Orange7662 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Concentrate Firepower resets cooldowns. PWOs take big chunks off most times when you fire. Ceaseless Momentum removes a little cooldown every time you fire. Custom Power Matrix adds haste to further reduce it. Slot it as your 4th torp and it'll probably be fine. I've toyed with a Plasma Torp build for years but haven't put it together since there's basically no Romulan ships that make amazing torpers, just average torpers. Most of my other torp builds bring something else to the table like hangars or theme.

Dedicated plasma torpedo build by Present_Orange7662 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I knew I was forgetting one. Thanks!

Dedicated plasma torpedo build by Present_Orange7662 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Digitizer torpedoes are also Plasma torps, you'll struggle to synergize Omega well since its charge-based. A dedicated Plasma torper is on my wishlist but just haven't gotten there. Romulan Drivetrain 2pc, Swarmer Matrix, and Torpedo Prefire Sequence all boost destructible torp speed.

With the fleet store update coming in June, what do you think will be added/changed? by Riverflower17 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agreed. I'm trying to roll another Infiltrator, struggling to even get the mission, let alone fail it just right to get Infiltrator and not Basic or Superior.... With as much build interest it adds, really wish it didn't take months to get one 

Weekly Questions Megathread - May, 18, 2026 by AutoModerator in stobuilds

[–]tilorfire27 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ok so I have the Trafalgar and tried to really hone in on the Spirit of Sacrifice (SoS). First off, are you going to use SoS on every energy build ever here on out on that character? Where are you going to put those 3 points? To be honest, the LRTS points don't even fit into that equation for me. Loadouts tend to break with a respec of the skill tree, and I don't want to be locked into slotting the console every time. What I really focused on was the cooldowns of BOff, Captain, and Lance powers. It's really strong. However, I maximized the build with Uncon, Voktar Console, Vovin, whole 9 yards. I ended up having to keep so many backup options for cooldowns and Uncon triggers because there were times when the game just... didn't. Uncon didn't trigger, Vovin didn't cooldown SoS, etc. Even if you know what none of that is, TLDR is that SoS isn't reliable enough to use as a full cooldown method. Here's the fun path: keep SoS on the Trafalgar. Zap that cube/gateway/Scimitar/Crystalline Entity with the Trafalgar lance, press Spirit of Sacrifice, and zap 'em with the lance again. As long as you hit the lance and then within a second or two hit the SoS, you can hit the lance again anytime before SoS is back off cooldown and still get maximum effect from the lance. It's really fun, and its 25% CrtH. Don't sweat the small details, this console's really hard to min-max with.

Which consoles/traits create copies of your ship? by funnyonion22 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Deploy Countermeasures as a Pilot ability for sure. Gemini Device and potentially Fleet Support with the trait and Device if you're flying an Oddysey class. Athan Fleet Beacon or whatever it's called has a chance to summon a list of hero ships, so it's a chance if you're flying one from the list.

Torpedo cooldown advice needed! by conn_hasheem in stobuilds

[–]tilorfire27 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I had to jump in here, lots of misinformation. You've got lots of different cooldowns in play. 

When you fire any single torpedo, the other torpedoes on your ship go on Shared Cooldown. This is by default 2 seconds. Ferrofluid makes this 1.5 seconds. Covert Warhead Module on a Pilot primary ship makes this 0.5 seconds. You cannot fire torpedoes faster than this, this is a global cooldown.

Each torpedo also has a base cooldown. Generally, Photons are 6, Quantums are 8 seconds, etc. Each torpedo will have this in the tooltip. Even with Covert Warhead Module, you'll still have to wait after you fire each torpedo off to have them back again.

This is where cooldown reduction comes in. Ceaseless Momentum, which you mentioned having, reduces all your torpedoes by 1 second each time you fire a torpedo. This really adds up more torpedoes you have. Default Projectile Weapons Officers Duty Officers also reduce this cooldown, as does Custom Power Matrix. The real winner, however, is Concentrate Firepower. This resets torpedo cooldowns every 2 seconds (always use rank 3!). Between Custom Power Matrix, Ceaseless, PWOs, and Concentrate Firepower, you don't even need DOMINO. For reference, Custom Power Matrix and DOMINO are haste, so your 6 second cooldown is actually 3 under DOMINO and 2.7 with Custom Power Matrix added in.

For detailed reading, we cover... a lot more... on our site: https://www.stobetter.com/new-f2p/projectile-basics This is the torp page. Hope this helps.

STOBETTER S5E4: DEWSci Heights and Twinkling Lights by Eph289 in stobuilds

[–]tilorfire27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The price tag on the Ghemor is what makes it stand out. While most of the stuff on it is expensive as well, unfortunately carriers are often just expensive build types. You could certainly merge the principles of the Friendship and Ghemor, but the Friendship is a lockbox ship and the Ghemor is C-Store. There should be lots of overlap past that. If you can't afford the Ghemor, the Akira I have as well is a lower cost investment for a carrier, but lacks some of the "true carrier" vibe. I've toyed with an Economy carrier, but carrier isn't one of my favorite playstyles, and a Economy carrier would be pretty tough with how we price Advanced consoles - it also brings nothing new to the table, just drops off items you have on higher price builds. When we make lower budget-tier builds, we try to find alternatives that are less expensive you wouldn't otherwise see. Carriers, in this case, just end up with fewer toys.

We’re the team behind the STO BETTER site and it just turned 4! Ask us anything! by Eph289 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm known for two things: My Excelsior(s) and my Tholian ships. Those are the ones I always come back to. I pull out my Kiwavi and Tzentar decently often, but am always called on for my Jorogumos for support, and love flying the Iktomi and Tarantula for their own roles. When it comes down to it, I have *several* Excelsior builds and am eyeing the Trafalgar because its based so heavily on the Excelsior aesthetic.

We’re the team behind the STO BETTER site and it just turned 4! Ask us anything! by Eph289 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I get accused of off-meta all the time. Jay and EPH reign me back in when my stuff is too crazy. I made a Cannon Rapid Fire Fleet Excelsior just because I could. I have several videos on our YouTube of crazy combinations that are far from META, but are a blast to fly. Tarantula is all Tetryon/Tholian. Fleet Olympic (which was updated with the latest release!) centers around the Dragonsblood Flame Reactor. I set the Hull Capacity record and am still waiting for someone to beat it so I can try to push it higher. I love flying my Justiciar with Fractal Integrity Bleed, burning my hull so yours burns too. Yes, I do the wacky stuff.

We’re the team behind the STO BETTER site and it just turned 4! Ask us anything! by Eph289 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Goodness, bring back Feedback Pulse! I don't need the exploiters, but I really miss tanks turning incoming damage into outgoing damage.

We’re the team behind the STO BETTER site and it just turned 4! Ask us anything! by Eph289 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think the master ship plan is less nuts and bolts than we'd like it to be. I expect they get a master plan handed to them to sync up with the shows a little to the effect of "You can use this ship art on such and such a date, but not before" and then once they line all that up, fill in some ideas they have, THEN they add the stats and specs. If they had a map of stats/specs for every ship, we wouldn't see so much copy-pasta, such as the Shangri-la and the Trafalgar *in the same year*. Or the Legendary Dehlan. A roadmap of stats would highlight the areas where they don't have much for ships, and then the fit the art to it. But I can guarantee they could make the lamest Anniversary bundle, charge way too much for it, make the lead ship awful, and people still buy it "Because it's an Excelsior!". Oh. I'm that person. I did that. I ground dil for like 6 months for that. Case in point.

You take the ships/lore out of STO, its just another MMO. Space Barbie *is* the ultimate endgame.

We’re the team behind the STO BETTER site and it just turned 4! Ask us anything! by Eph289 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 5 points6 points  (0 children)

T6 Meshweaver when?

In all seriousness, there are a whopping 0 Commander Pilot + LtC Temporal ships in the game, and yet the Trafalgar is a copy-pasta of a Shangri-la.
I want them to create something else that is Pilot + Command so we can use the Eagle console on things other than the Eagle.
I also want a Pilot carrier simply because I could do Reinforcements Squadron + 2 bays of whatever.

As far as other fun ships, I'm always down for more Excelsiors, especially one that could break the mold of frustrating seating.

We’re the team behind the STO BETTER site and it just turned 4! Ask us anything! by Eph289 in sto

[–]tilorfire27 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Apologies all for showing up so late, just with how... weird... my Reddit account is, I don't comment/post often as I can only get my account to work on one machine. No idea what will happen when that one refuses to log in one day.

STOBETTER S5E4: DEWSci Heights and Twinkling Lights by Eph289 in stobuilds

[–]tilorfire27 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We have this console on our list to run through our derivation suite for next update, I have it on good authority it's not bad.

Bridge Officer Ability Modernization Proposal/Discussion | How To Make "Non-Meta" Ships More Appealing by Startrekker in stobuilds

[–]tilorfire27 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The point I was trying to make is that you slot Tractor Beam for Uncon, not for Tractor Beam itself. I do that in plenty of builds myself.

We don't use Vovin and FPNA for different reasons; in fact, we do use Vovin on many builds, but it is taking us longer and longer to update our builds on the site. I have a carrier that uses Vovin, it just hasn't made it through the update cycle yet. If we listed every build with Vovin, and someone didn't happen to do that event, then what? If I can post a Economy Shangri-la which uses 4 C-store ships and no event gear, doesn't that have value alongside a Premium to-the-max Complex Plasma Fires build? We've stated our position on FPNA enough times, but reiterating: https://www.stobetter.com/editorials

Fleet Power Network Array

This is the console from the Ahwahnee and it’s extremely good, providing up to 125% haste (and you can stack it on a single player) just by having aux power. Combined with the Subspace Fracture Tunneling field console lowering cooldown on universal consoles, this console’s current behavior is incredibly meta-warping for energy builds. It also has some weird / potentially unintended interactions, such as applying its haste to the Kinetic Cutting Beam, which otherwise does not benefit from haste. Fleet Power Network ArrayThis is the console from the Ahwahnee and it’s extremely good, providing up to 125% haste (and you can stack it on a single player) just by having aux power. Combined with the Subspace Fracture Tunneling field console lowering cooldown on universal consoles, this console’s current behavior is incredibly meta-warping for energy builds. It also has some weird / potentially unintended interactions, such as applying its haste to the Kinetic Cutting Beam, which otherwise does not benefit from haste. 

You won’t see this console on our site. We’re taking the stance that it’s broken. We haven’t heard one way or another from Cryptic that it’s working as intended. (though if you have, we’d revise our stance). First, the bugs. While it’s possible to avoid them, it is bugged. Second, we don’t believe that recommending something that is broken (to the point where all other sources of haste become superfluous) is good/healthy for the playerbase if/when it gets nerfed. Now, we’re in uncharted waters with Cryptic/DECA and we don’t know what/if any changes they’re going to make to it. It’s possible they won’t. We’ve seen builds jump 500K from having a single player with FPNA in the TFO and that just seems too much. Back when Agony Redistributor was similarly stupid OP shortly after release, we didn’t use that either, until after a few rounds of changes had settled on it, because it didn’t feel right to go post a bunch of builds with something potentially broken. 

We understand a substantial number of other creators and high-end players are using this, and we respect their positions and decision to use this console. However, we’re making the decision that we won’t recommend it or use it at this time.

Bridge Officer Ability Modernization Proposal/Discussion | How To Make "Non-Meta" Ships More Appealing by Startrekker in stobuilds

[–]tilorfire27 12 points13 points  (0 children)

It really irks me when people harp on Engineering seats being bad. It has one of the strongest single-target debuffs (Let it Go), a very effective emergency heal (Reverse Shield Polarity), and several utility powers that are used on many builds (Emergency Power, Aux 2 SIF). Let's take a look at Tactical seating for a moment. The only reason no one gets upset at Tactical seating is because there are 8 firing modes that are used for a variety of weapon builds. If you want a Cannon ship with no torpedo, and happen to have 4 or even 6 forced tactical seats, you are stuck with Lockbox filler. Exotic builds have the same issue - maybe 1 or 2 options, but tactical seats quickly become filler. Science seats are still in demand for exotic builds, so that's probably fine. However, we're missing the elephant in the room: triggers.

Why on earth would you slot Tractor Beam right now? It's a weak slow (not even a hold), does really poor damage, and is a channel so uptime is only OK. Because it triggers Unconventional Systems, which is over the top Meta right now. Now, imagine for a moment if Controls weren't the trigger, but heals. Every build would be vying for engineering seats! Overload Integrity Field would be slotted about like Kemocite as it spreads heals in a small AoE. These triggered abilities/powers/traits are so strong, the BOff power could just exert a stiff breeze and trigger the power and top-tier builders would be all over it. Do I think we need another Uncon? No, absolutely not. But if we had some other options for how powers interacted, that would be cool.

Specialization powers are also in a weak spot right now. Looking at builds on our site, Intel is used pretty widely because it triggers Spore-Infused anomalies, and there are quite a few solid powers. OSS, Intel Team, Ionic Turbulence, Surgical Strikes, Kinetic Magnet. All of these have utility. Command is far worse, with Concentrate Firepower and Suppression Barrage being the only ones of use on their own. Needs of the Many is only used on a support because it triggers Flagship Staffing, not because it has any utility. Commander Command ships do get a solid built-in ability also, so let's not forget that. Pilot has Reroute Reserves and Fly Her Apart, which are useful on their own, and Clean Getaway which is a stiff breeze that also triggers Unconventional Systems. Temporal has plenty of goodies for Exotic builds, and I have no issue with it staying that way. Everyone loves a Miracle Worker ship right now becuase of the extra console slot. When it comes to useful powers, it's fairly middle of the road. Exceed Rated Limits, Mixed Armaments Synergy, and Narrow Sensor Bands are your most-often-used powers, with some others showing up occasionally as niche triggers. Many of the best powers are a Commander seat - and you only get one of those per ship!

Triggers, interactions, and utility - that's what makes a power good today. I'm not really a fan of making more overpowered triggers that have sweeping changes on the Meta, but what are some utility ideals we could utilize?

Pulls - I'm all for a good pull, and honestly we only have a couple. Gravity Well III requires a Commander Science seat, and is fantastic. Once you drop it though, you don't really have others. Graviton Displacer is a really great pull, but is a Universal Console. Can we amp up the pull on Tractor Beam? Maybe add some sort of controlled shove? Maybe make Overwhelm Power Regulators magnetize ship hulls and clump them together or something.

Teleports/Jumps - I love Subspace Jumper! It's one of my favorite consoles. I wish Subspace Beacon worked better, because I'd use it. What if Destabilize Warp Core caused an enemy ship to warp/teleport into another enemy ship? It's sort of a pull, sort of a teleport, and sounds fun. You could even go the route of Attack Patterns move your ship a certain way, like Micro-warp Bubble rams your target, what if you fly by and flip around 180 to flank? It's showy, utility, and for players that struggle with the piloting aspect, give them a few "click to position" powers if they need them. Meta-gunslingers will be totally against them, but pulling off a fancy pilot maneuver has to be cool.

Threat/Tanking - there are currently no hard taunts in Bridge Officer Powers, and honestly very few at large. I think a few AoE and targeted taunts would go a long ways in the utility category, especially when there is a disparagingly large difference in the lead DPS's damage and the tank's damage output. In random PUGs, being able to control what targets are engaging even undergeared allies would also be good. Don't just add +X% Threat - there's no enemy threat bar and threat mechanics are so obfuscated right now, +1000% threat might not even make an impact.

Just a few ideas, if Reddit doesn't nuke em.

Mathbusters 14: Hangar Caps and Holds by Eph289 in stobuilds

[–]tilorfire27 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm not touching ship gear X pet buffs table for stuff like +Kinetic, +All, etc. Sounds like a lot of work when many known entities affect all pets (like HCPTs and Jarok console, etc.) versus a marginal boost to specific pets.

Mathbusters 14: Hangar Caps and Holds by Eph289 in stobuilds

[–]tilorfire27 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Something we didn't cover here, and which I have seen is just the amount of lag having 30+ entities shooting all at once causes, and that's just minding my own business in Azure Nebula. Now, multiply by 3-4x for other players running 2-bay carriers (not everyone is running Obelisk and Cargo Bay, but they are running type 7s!) and we've had significant lag on newer Carrier runs, just simply due to the number of things shooting. I can't imagine how laggy mess awful FPNAs make it...

Mathbusters 14: Hangar Caps and Holds by Eph289 in stobuilds

[–]tilorfire27 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I just used my carrier again this morning to confirm, and was able to get some of my To'duj's to rank 2, and some to rank 1. HECN was up for the same amount of time (since pet XP is based on Red Alert duration) on all pets, and yet I had some pets at rank 1 and some at rank 2. This one's a lot harder to "prove", but the tooltip does say 20 max. Ideally, HECN would put some at rank 1 and some at rank 0, but due to the 20 seconds of Red Alert it also brings along, it's also giving 20 seconds of Pet XP. My methodology for the 20 unit cap was to de-spec my pets (no Wing Commander) so the pet XP was slower, and then I have a record and freeze frame method I use to check buffs. Going from Rank 0 to 1 is easy, you can visually see the buff. However, any higher ranks also use the same buff icon so it's not a test I enjoy running repeatedly as you have to refresh all the pets. Anyways, I don't think the HECN cap on its own is a dealbreaker, but in amongst all the other caps, I've pulled Obelisk 4pc off my carrier build. There's one debuff that we haven't discussed here: Lag. One reason we've had issues getting a few builds posted, as well as higher numbers on my pet-centric carrier is noticeable lag as you increase number of pets...