Post by tony on Aug 3, 2012 1:18:15 GMT -5
We don't have alot of Science officers around, but I want to show you some tips and tricks to make you the best damn Science Officer you can be!
The problem I see with most Science Officers is that they don't really know what they are supposed to do, some think we can only heal, some think all we do is debuff, or buff the group. Turns out we can do all of that and more. In my opinion we have the most versatile Kit in STO and this allows us amazing diversity when it comes to ships, and builds. I will start out with our core design.
Support.
Our core abilties: These are the ones ONLY science officers have.
1. Sensor Scan III : Resistance and stealth debuff that scales with Aux power levels. This is awesome to use during burn phases. CD isn't too bad. You should use this every time it is off of CD
2. Scattering Field III : An AOE resistance buff that scales with Aux power levels. Damn good for Fleet Actions. Long CD use wisely
3. Subnucleonic Beam III : Removes ALL buffs from the target, this ability is awesome. Long CD use wisely.
4. Photonic Fleet: You spawn a holographic fleet, what's not to love? Seriously though, use this wisely. Long CD but can really save an STF or FA.
At first glance you might think we would only be good at support. But those abilities make us deceptively strong in escorts.
Good Boffs
Healer: Primary healing abilties
1. Science Team I - II - III A direct shield heal, heals all shields for a flat amount, and clears Sci debuffs.
2. Hazard Emitters I - II - III A very powerful Hull HoT and buff that is effected by Aux power levels. It also clears any debuffs on the target.
3. Eng Team I - II - III Just like Sci Team, but it heals Hull. Usually in Sci ships you will only have at most, Eng Team II
4. Extend Shields I - II - III Shield HoT
If you plan on doing alot of healing, you will want at least Sci team II and III and run Hazard Emitters III. You can even run this setup without a Commander Sci station. Always remember to prioritize shields over hull. If you have an option to use Sci team or Eng team, always pick Sci. Eng team is great but one torpedo will nullify that entire heal, Science Team can stop that torpedo from doing much damage. Of course this does not mean use Sci team if the person has 1% hull left. Don't hesitate to pre fire Hazard Emitters III for damage resistance, and debuff clearing.
Besides those heals, you should run some CC or debuff abilites. Along with those heals some strong abilities to go with them are.
Debuff abilties.
1. Jam Targetting Censors I : This will placate the target until "X" amount of damage is done. This is an amazing ability when used correctly. Use it to save that little escort from a tractor beam.
2. Gravity Well I - II - III : This is probably one of our strongest abilties. It does decent dps, pulls everything around it and holds em. Using this ability correctly will set you apart from other Sci Officers.
3. Tractor Beam I - II - III : Underrated, simple as that. With Doffs it can drain shields, used properly can wipe out entire fleets. Also good for helping puny escorts escape the big bad cubes.
4. Tachyon Beam I - II - II : Simply put, shield drain. Great for opening up shields for those escorts to bring on the pain.
Running with this type of setup will make you a force to reckon with. You have plenty of heals, amazing debuffs, and very strong Crowd Control. Be sure to prioritize power levels. Aux is a must, and should be over 100 at all times to ensure maximum affectiveness of your heals and debuffs. Shields should be next, a dead ship isn't going to help anyone.
General tips and tricks:
1. Proper use of Gravity Well and Tractor Beam will set you apart from common folk. Don't just blind fire Gravity Well. Set it up when you know your escorts have all of their AOE abilties ready. If you see a large ship about to die, use Gravity Well to pull in all the little ships around it, when it blows it will take out the rest. The same goes for tractor beam, if you see a large ship about to blow, and another ship is flying by, grab that sucker and hold him in place. Chain reactions are a beautiful thing, use your CC wisely and you will effectively do more damage than any escort could dream of.
2. Don't be a reactive healer, be a proactive healer. If you see a large volley coming in, don't wait for it to obliterate your team, use your scattering field and Hazard emitters to load up on resistance, you effectively healed more by doing that over trying to get everyone back up after the fact.
3. Be aware of your surroundings. It's easy to get caught up in whatever it is you are doing. But tunnel vision can cause a wipe faster than anything else. Take Cured Space for example. It's easy to just say " My job is to dps generators, it's THAT guys fault the Kang died" This is bullshit play, you should be the first to go " I'm on my way to help out!" Instead of berating the person and quitting.
I run ALOT of bad STF PUGS. It frustrates me to no end at how stupid some people are, but I will never just quit, insult someone and leave. I will do everything in my power to succeed, and if I fail...I fail. This also has the added benefit of making Revelation Fleet look better.
Well that's all I have for now. I will add more in the future. See you guys!
The problem I see with most Science Officers is that they don't really know what they are supposed to do, some think we can only heal, some think all we do is debuff, or buff the group. Turns out we can do all of that and more. In my opinion we have the most versatile Kit in STO and this allows us amazing diversity when it comes to ships, and builds. I will start out with our core design.
Support.
Our core abilties: These are the ones ONLY science officers have.
1. Sensor Scan III : Resistance and stealth debuff that scales with Aux power levels. This is awesome to use during burn phases. CD isn't too bad. You should use this every time it is off of CD
2. Scattering Field III : An AOE resistance buff that scales with Aux power levels. Damn good for Fleet Actions. Long CD use wisely
3. Subnucleonic Beam III : Removes ALL buffs from the target, this ability is awesome. Long CD use wisely.
4. Photonic Fleet: You spawn a holographic fleet, what's not to love? Seriously though, use this wisely. Long CD but can really save an STF or FA.
At first glance you might think we would only be good at support. But those abilities make us deceptively strong in escorts.
Good Boffs
Healer: Primary healing abilties
1. Science Team I - II - III A direct shield heal, heals all shields for a flat amount, and clears Sci debuffs.
2. Hazard Emitters I - II - III A very powerful Hull HoT and buff that is effected by Aux power levels. It also clears any debuffs on the target.
3. Eng Team I - II - III Just like Sci Team, but it heals Hull. Usually in Sci ships you will only have at most, Eng Team II
4. Extend Shields I - II - III Shield HoT
If you plan on doing alot of healing, you will want at least Sci team II and III and run Hazard Emitters III. You can even run this setup without a Commander Sci station. Always remember to prioritize shields over hull. If you have an option to use Sci team or Eng team, always pick Sci. Eng team is great but one torpedo will nullify that entire heal, Science Team can stop that torpedo from doing much damage. Of course this does not mean use Sci team if the person has 1% hull left. Don't hesitate to pre fire Hazard Emitters III for damage resistance, and debuff clearing.
Besides those heals, you should run some CC or debuff abilites. Along with those heals some strong abilities to go with them are.
Debuff abilties.
1. Jam Targetting Censors I : This will placate the target until "X" amount of damage is done. This is an amazing ability when used correctly. Use it to save that little escort from a tractor beam.
2. Gravity Well I - II - III : This is probably one of our strongest abilties. It does decent dps, pulls everything around it and holds em. Using this ability correctly will set you apart from other Sci Officers.
3. Tractor Beam I - II - III : Underrated, simple as that. With Doffs it can drain shields, used properly can wipe out entire fleets. Also good for helping puny escorts escape the big bad cubes.
4. Tachyon Beam I - II - II : Simply put, shield drain. Great for opening up shields for those escorts to bring on the pain.
Running with this type of setup will make you a force to reckon with. You have plenty of heals, amazing debuffs, and very strong Crowd Control. Be sure to prioritize power levels. Aux is a must, and should be over 100 at all times to ensure maximum affectiveness of your heals and debuffs. Shields should be next, a dead ship isn't going to help anyone.
General tips and tricks:
1. Proper use of Gravity Well and Tractor Beam will set you apart from common folk. Don't just blind fire Gravity Well. Set it up when you know your escorts have all of their AOE abilties ready. If you see a large ship about to die, use Gravity Well to pull in all the little ships around it, when it blows it will take out the rest. The same goes for tractor beam, if you see a large ship about to blow, and another ship is flying by, grab that sucker and hold him in place. Chain reactions are a beautiful thing, use your CC wisely and you will effectively do more damage than any escort could dream of.
2. Don't be a reactive healer, be a proactive healer. If you see a large volley coming in, don't wait for it to obliterate your team, use your scattering field and Hazard emitters to load up on resistance, you effectively healed more by doing that over trying to get everyone back up after the fact.
3. Be aware of your surroundings. It's easy to get caught up in whatever it is you are doing. But tunnel vision can cause a wipe faster than anything else. Take Cured Space for example. It's easy to just say " My job is to dps generators, it's THAT guys fault the Kang died" This is bullshit play, you should be the first to go " I'm on my way to help out!" Instead of berating the person and quitting.
I run ALOT of bad STF PUGS. It frustrates me to no end at how stupid some people are, but I will never just quit, insult someone and leave. I will do everything in my power to succeed, and if I fail...I fail. This also has the added benefit of making Revelation Fleet look better.
Well that's all I have for now. I will add more in the future. See you guys!
