Dicta Cruiser: The Fundamentals of Cruiser Captaincy

[Archived Post]

Repost from Beta

The Dicta Boelcke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicta_Boelcke) is a list of fundamental aerial maneuvers of aerial combat formulated by the first great German flying ace of the First World War, Oswald Boelcke

Introduction
Some of these tips may seem obvious, others may seem controversial. In the end they are simply one man's opinion about how to fight with your cruiser. The usual cavaets are in order; things may change, and everyone is entitled to their own way of doing things, etc. However, this is my thread and therefore if the language reflects confidence in my own choices, well, that's kind of the point. Star Trek Online like all massive-multiplayer online games will inevitably change and reveal new aspects of combat that will eventually demand changed to some rules. Therefore this post will try to stress general theory and maneuvers that should remain viable.

TL DR people, just read the bold and blue text


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1. Try to ensure that your power settings are set to your preference before you engage the enemy
* Get a handle on how long it takes for you to really change your power settings from Full Impulse to whatever your preference may be. Mine is Offensive by default - more on that later - by practicing timing yourself against mobs or even in PVP. Your weapons will do insignificant damage and your shields will be far less effective while still under full impulse power. Players have a tendency to over or under estimate these effects and their duration, don't be one of them. As a cruiser captain power versatility is one of your key tools.

2. Do not necessarily continue an attack you've begun
* Unlike Oswald Boelcke who was dog-fighting in World War I in fragile, primitive, yet nimble aircraft, you are a space battleship that does not have the ability to dictate the terms of the engagement. Your turn rate will always be too slow to win a turning battle with an escort or even a well captained science ship, and another cruiser is unlikely to engage you in one. So don't fight them. Instead, pan your camera and engage targets as they enter your most deadly fields of fire. Keep your head on a swivel and be prepared to dish out damage at any vulnerable target from any direction.

3. Use your offensive cooldowns efficiently
* Cruisers are not meant to dish out the same kind of consistent damage as an escort, but they are equally capable of large amounts of burst damage through judicious use of cooldown powers. But too often players - myself included - mistime these key abilities that are the very basis of our destructive capability. For example learning to properly time things like High Yield Torpedo are of tremendous importance to a cruiser's overall effectiveness in dealing damage. Fire too soon, and you'll do some reasonable but unremarkable damage to the target's shields. Fire too late, and the target has already been destroyed by your brethren. This takes practice to get right and depends on the class of enemy ship, the distance between you and the target, your weapon/ability of choice and the enemy's shield strength. For High Yield Torpedoes, I find I have the best results in group combat when firing at yellow shields at long range and red shields at short range. No shields works in extremely close range or when allies are not firing on the target as well. If your target has no shields, and your allies are laying into it, do not burn your cooldown finishing it off, just use a regular torpedo and move to the next target of opportunity (eg. rule number two.)

4. Cruisers are meant to fight all 360 degrees available to them
* Unlike escorts which have the maneuverability required to support their forward firing weaponry, cruisers do not have the luxury of being able to point their bow at a target at all times. Therefore, a cruiser captain should be adept at how to best utilize his or her ship's tools to fight the enemy no matter where they are in relation to themselves. Once captains get the handle of this, they can advance to exploiting that very limitation and turning it into an advantage. The enemy has a natural tendency to want to attack you from the sides or rear, and will often resist attempts to face you head on. This can be exploited by turning away from an attacker, exposing your aft. This may seem like a gift to them, but if the cruiser captain is capable of and prepared to fight 360 degrees, their willingness to stay put behind you will be their undoing.

5. Thou shalt have an aft torpedo tube
* If you're confused by any of the above rules, this might answer some of your questions. I have heard many times in /zone chat, "I don't get the point of a rear torpedo." These are the same captains that are stacking +Turn Rate consoles for their engineers in a vain attempt to out turn Klingon escorts. The cruiser does not have the capability to dictate the terms of the engagement, nor should it even attempt to try. Instead, react to the movements of your opponent with subtle maneuvers meant to guide them to either your fore or aft. The majority of the time, they will willingly and actively take up position on your tail. You may turn to the left or right to give them a new shield to shoot at momentarily, but that front torpedo tube is never going to get a shot against a determined enemy. The aft torpedo tube is therefore an invaluable offensive and defensive weapon. With a set-up of Array/Torpedo and Array/Torpedo, the cruiser presents strong damage dealing potential forward, broadside, and aft. Thus, the offensive disadvantage of poor maneuverability is nullified.

6. Keep in mind that you can see the enemy's attacks coming
* Opponents are not so much predictable as their attacks are slow: Torpedoes take a while to hit you, if you're observant you can see the enemy turning to engage, maybe they've hit you with a debuff, etc. These warnings should tell you when to switch to a Defensive Power state and think about efficient use of defensive cooldowns. Do not burn them all at once, but if you're switching from an Offensive Power state, use them early as you will need those moments for your power settings to catch up to the switch. After that, use them where appropriate. Though it should be emphasized, given the ability to switch between offense and defense far more effectively than any other ship - mostly given that cruisers actually posess capable defense - the ability to exploit the difference between Offensive and Defensive power states is not only practical but essential.

7. Emphasize the cruiser's strengths
* Earlier I mentioned my mild frustration with cruiser captains who insist on improving the weaker cruiser attributes such as turn rate or forward firepower - the latter exemplified by those who employ depressingly weak turrets in aft slots. In dog-fighting it is never wise to engage in a turning fight when the enemy has even a slight advantage in turning ability. Cruisers are not going to win a turning fight unless it is against another cruiser, and I doubt that is the case these captains are preparing their ships for. Combined with the misguided attempt to improve forward weaponry this creates a cruiser that tries to fight like an escort but is too sluggish to get its target on anything but another slow cruiser - something it could have accomplished without gimping itself. Instead, focus on passive increases to your ship's natural strengths like Power, Shields, Hull, and Damage Resistance. These things will always be working for you and not dependent on some dream of lining up that perfect shot. Those are for escorts.

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An example of how to "Fight 360" - The "Aragon Maneuver"!

*Yes, I named it after my own toon. Because it's my thread and because I can - also I do genuinely and deliberately use this move all the time in PVE and PVP. The Picard Maneuver won't work in this game so I encourage everyone to come up with and post their own named tactics and maneuvers. Why? Well, uh, we are geeks aren't we?

>>>>Handy Animated GIF! (http://i48.tinypic.com/5nkg2f.gif)<<<<
The Basics:
The Requirements: A cruiser with fore and aft torpedoes, High Yield Torpedoes

I. Be engaged with an enemy at medium-long range to the side or in front of you, preferably with low/no facing shields.
2. Activate Evasive Maneuvers and turn towards the target.
3. Fire fore torpedoes as quickly as the enemy enters the firing arc
4. Continue the sharp turn away from the target and activate the High Yield Torpedo ability.
5. Fire aft torpedoes as quickly as the enemy enters the firing arc

This has the effect of getting off one normal and two high yield torpedoes within seconds of each other on the same unshielded or low shielded quadrant of the enemy's shields. It has to be done at medium range or greater or you run the risk of overshooting on your turn and firing your aft torpedoes on a different quadrant.

Advanced:
The Requirements: A cruiser with fore and aft torpedoes, High Yield Torpedoes, Beam Overload or Target Subsystem: Shields.
I. Be engaged with an enemy at medium-long range to the side or in front of you.
2. Activate Beam Overload or Target Subsystem: Shields, and fire.
3. Activate Evasive Maneuvers and turn towards the target.
4. Fire fore torpedoes as quickly as the enemy enters the firing arc
5. Continue sharp turn away from the target and activate High Yield Torpedo ability.
6. Fire aft torpedoes as quickly as the enemy enters the firing arc

This has the potential to absolutely wreck an opponent in a short time, leaving them asking just precisely what the hell just happened. In both cases the key is the difference in cooldowns between fore and aft facing torpedoes and the burst maneuverability of Evasive Maneuvers. Attack Pattern Alpha can also be used in conjunction with that ability to increase turn rate and damage further.

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Great post. Very appreciated.

/bump

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Superb post. Lots of great ideas here for improving cruiser captaincy. More like this please! :-) This is a genuinely useful thread.

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Cruiser discussion always makes me want to switch over from escort :(

But rapid fire with blue cannons is soooo pretty! ;_;

I wish i did not have to chose.

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I felt like another "rule" could have potentially been added, but it isnt exclusive to cruisers, so I left it out of the initial post. But...

Again, unlike the harsh realities of World War I that Boelcke faced, the penalty for losing (the death penalty) in Star Trek Online is at worst, an inconvenience. Therefore, two conclusions must logically follow:

1) If death is essentially meaningless, than risking it is not a problem
2) If risky situations demand the most of our talents as players, we should throw ourselves into as many of them as we reasonably can

So, aside from completely stupid things like throwing yourself - alone - headlong into a half dozen well-prepared opponents, taking risks and being aggressive is a good thing. Especially early. Something I learned about PVP in Age of Conan (which for all its faults currently has strong PVP balance and tradition) is that the only real way to get better is to get your teeth knocked in. You don't learn by playing it safe, and to use a STO example that means staying in the Federation bubble in PVP. Be stupid/aggressive when the opportunity arises. Don't fret over unfavorable odds. Push yourself into circumstances where victory is unlikely. Do it enough and you'll learn exactly when and how you can get away with, delay, or most efficiently time your abilities. Again, this is GENERAL advice. Unlike in the other MMO I mention (heh), your kill/death ratio is not recorded publicly, so who cares if you end up having a mediocre PVP match or have to restart a PVE mission - you've learned, and in the long run, you'll be a better captain.

Why post this when it seems like common sense to some people? Because of personal experience. Before Age of Conan I would never have even entertained the concept. Being exposed to that sort of demanding PVP enviromnent didn't just make me a better PVPer, it made me a better PVEer, too. It forced me to challenge myself and my conceptions of the class/what was expected of me , despite the complacency many games today offer. Star Trek Online, especially this current build's PVE content - is no exception.

That doesn't mean I'm telling PVEers to go out and PVP their butts off, just that challenging yourself is a good thing, and losing isn't a bad thing. A lot of dedicated PVPers already know this, and I guess that means this post really isn't for you/us. But if you're never really been challenged by a game, PVE or PVP, you've got control over that somewhat - seek such challenges out. It's rewarding.

In short, for the TL DR people:

"Ah, what the hell" should be your motto., in PVE and PVP Otherwise you'll never learn. I don't claim to be the best, but I'm always trying to get better.

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Very handy post



Sticky this plz

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Regarding Torpedoes, I'm skeptical at the necessity of equipping them, since doing so automatically means you'll be less able to bring down a target's shields. And as you pointed out, a Cruiser is much less capable at dictating the terms of an engagement. If they're watching out for Evasive Manuevers, they're going to perform moves to run counter to yours. You may very well found yourself staring at a fully charged shield by the time you've knocked down one facing and lined up your shot.

Me, assuming it's a duel, I think I'd try for a battle of attrition. Put those Hull Points and Crew to good use. Use beam arrays. Let the oppenent dictate the terms of the engagement, at least as far as turns are concerned, while doing what I can to mitigate the damage. If you can outrun and out last them, once they've exhausted themselves, then you'll be in a position to destroy them. That's when you use use manuevers and attempt to go on the offensive.

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Regarding Torpedoes, I'm skeptical at the necessity of equipping them, since doing so automatically means you'll be less able to bring down a target's shields. And as you pointed out, a Cruiser is much less capable at dictating the terms of an engagement. If they're watching out for Evasive Manuevers, they're going to perform moves to run counter to yours. You may very well found yourself staring at a fully charged shield by the time you've knocked down one facing and lined up your shot.

Me, assuming it's a duel, I think I'd try for a battle of attrition. Put those Hull Points and Crew to good use. Use beam arrays. Let the oppenent dictate the terms of the engagement, at least as far as turns are concerned, while doing what I can to mitigate the damage. If you can outrun and out last them, once they've exhausted themselves, then you'll be in a position to destroy them. That's when you use use manuevers and attempt to go on the offensive.

Due to energy weapon power limitations an all energy weapon loadout would just be hurting you. Its torps or mines, and torps are better than mines.

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Well, CnB you certainly have a point, but I think you've walked into something of a contradiction.

You've correctly pointed out that in a duel a cruiser is looking to win a war of attrition by using its superior survivability to wear the opponent down.

Where I'd disagree is how effective a torpedoless cruiser would be in using maneuvers and going on the offensive.

Ultimately, the longer a fight goes on the more likely a cruiser's chance of winning the engagement - all other things being equal. But unlike say, boxing, where a winner could be chosen on points scored from successful jabs (phaser shots) landed, eventually someone is going to have to swing the knockout punch or they're just going to dance around you until help arrives (PVP), they just run away (PVP), or you get bored (PVE).

Without torpedoes, I don't see that happening. If it takes a few more phaser hits, or a few more non-high yield torpedoes to bring down the enemy's shields, then so be it. I'd be far more confident in my ability to finish them off if I had some torpedoes locked and loaded to land that final blow than if I didn't.

Furthermore, Gunfugue makes a good point about the power drain of energy weapons.

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Due to energy weapon power limitations an all energy weapon loadout would just be hurting you. Its torps or mines, and torps are better than mines.

That's what a Power Relay is for. If I understand correctly, not only does this help with shifting power needs, which, as already mentioned, is another vital aspect when piloting a cruiser, but it buffs weapon recharge. You'll be able to land those infrequent and oppurtuntistic broadsides more often and in a shorter span of time.

Another upshot of using Beam Arrays is that they hit instantly and you do not need to manuever to use them. There's a greater marjin for error and a reduced reaction time for your opponent. Worth considering is the damage potentional of a Beam Overload. If I'm not mistaken, it should be possible to dump emergency battery power into weapons right before using this attack, increasing the damage potentional not only for the overload, but the initial weapon strikes tremendously.

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very nice read and very good information!

Thanks!

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Very good and informative post ! Good job.

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The Ito Weave (variation of the "Thatch Weave")

The Basics:
The Requirements: A cruiser with fore and aft torpedoes, a good amount of beam arrays

1. Identify target on your rear.
2. Turn in one direction firing off phasers as your target enters your broadside.
3. Immediately after your broadside fires turn away and fire your rear torpedo as your target enters it's arc.
4. Continue the the turn, once again getting off a broadside before turning back in the opposite direction remembering to fire off the rear torpedo as it becomes available.

More of a defensive manuever meant to frustrate and burn down an attacking escort by allowing you to distribute incoming damage over the sides and rear while concentrating your defensive fire on your attacker's front.

Advanced:
The Requirements: A cruiser with fore and aft torpedoes, a good amount of beam arrays, evasive manuevers, high yield torpedoes.

1. Identify target on your rear.
2. Turn in one direction, slowing to half impulse to suddenly sharpen the turn. Firing off phasers as your target enters your broadside.
3. Immediately after your broadside fires, speed up to full and turn away. Firing your rear torpedo as your attacker enters it's arc.
4. Continue the the turn, once again slowing to half in order to sharpen the turn. Getting off a broadside before speeding up and turning back in the opposite direction. Again firing off the rear torpedo as it becomes available.
5. As you weave your attacker should be getting closer. Start one last turn and broadside. This time activating evasive manuevers (and high yield if available) while continuing the turn into your attacker.
6. Run straight at your attacker firing off the forward torpedoes point blank as you pass.

Decreasing the throttle at the right moment should sharpen the turn enough to bring the broadsides to bear on a stubborn foe. Slowing down also hastens your attackers approach allowing you to throw off his timing and make a break out of his forward arc.

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I like it! You need a handy GIF though, heh.

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I still say flying in a straight line is all you really should (and can :p) do.

Also worth considering is the skill cap and presence of tactical consoles. Specing out and modifying one weapon system, especially one as versatile as Beam Arrays, gets you more bang for your buck. The only real downside is the presence of hard counters, such as polarize hull or other abilities that mitigate Energy damage. Although, I figure if I'm in a shooting duel, my oppenent is going to throw everything they've got at me, so the chances of them having something in reserve is low.

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The thing to remember is that as your tier gets higher, the ability to perform these maneuvers decreases. During beta I was able to get to T4 and let me tell you, those things do not handle well... Even with evasive maneuvers, the turning rate is horrific on some of the cruisers.

I have found as CnB pointed out that a beam boat setup (4+ beams) can deal out some massive broadside damage. It is a lot easier to maneuver to a broadside with the larger ships. You will still have a slot open for a torpedo in the fore or aft slot w/ these larger ships so you still have the power to fire off a salvo if the opportunity presents itself.

The best piece of equipment I would recommend to someone would be getting at least 1-2 EPS consoles. The power transfer rate not only helps with beams, it also helps when you get out of full impulse. Where it would normally take ~10 seconds for the power levels to get to their appropriate levels for combat, it only takes maybe 3-5 seconds at most with the consoles. While you can also use the turn rate consoles, i would strongly suggest against them at the later levels. Since the consoles modify a percentile of your ships turn rate and not a flat amount, their value decreases as the ships turn rate decreases. Namely as you get to a galaxy cruiser, it will not affect the turn rate that much.

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Thanks for reposting this -- I took it all to heart the first time around, but it's nice to have it handy for inspiration. :P

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Very good post :D better written than my Escort post (http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=56809) and probably more useful too XD

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Great post!

I do tend to go 3 beams 1 torp rather than 2 and 2 (in the first true cruiser tier).

In PVP (OB) I had some luck with tossing my 1 torp in the aft. Knocking down the BoP's shields and then when they inevitably went to kick me in the rear, I unloaded a high yield with a beam (on 75W 50S 25E 50aux, a little extra tossed in for WC theorist and spec), usually left them with 30 or less% which I finished off with beams.

Granted these guys probably stunk at PVP. I am not any good at PVP. I did not get blown up too often in the cruiser.

In PVE I find 3 or 4 beams to be excellent for hammering anything (as long as your Weapon energy is high enough).

It would be interesting to get some DPS records from Cruiser captains who are decent PVPers with both loadouts (fore/aft torps, no torps, and 1 torp)

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I think PVP is too fluid to really get workable results from those kinds of tests though. Too many variables, even in a duel (a rare enough occurrence as it is).

It's more of a "feel" thing, I think. I'm still stuck in my silly Miranda (server downtime, being hung over, etc) and I've already lost count of the number of times I cursed my lack of aft torpedo.

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I was a 3 beam one torpedo until i saw this point. Although 3 beam rear torpedo works pretty nice.

I am all about landing the high yield shot. In PVE against battleships i like a slow head on approach hit the front shield with everything. Then swing around and make them chase me. They usually keep the front shield on you or more often and the rear phaser keeps the opening for my aft torpedo. Otherwise its fire everything every chance i get but when i think a shield is about to fall i save the torpedo.

Now i had to completely change tactics on the Hostage ship. I had to go all beams full offense and whittle whittle whittle relying on sheild and hull repair. I think i was still in my Miranda and havent gotten to it again yet in live.

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This thread is the epitome of the perfect thread... Sheer perfection!

A thread full of useful, positive and intelligent input geared to improve the fun, success and joy of gameplay on an MMO! I think all the information posted here by EVERYONE has been extremely helpful for Cruiser Captains like myself who have it in our blood to helm the flagships of the Federation... (forget that intelligent Escort and Science captains will read this to figure us out) Really, when the forums get wiped on Tuesday, I hope this thread is Reposted and kept permanently.

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I'll just repost it again. I have it saved as an RTF. Whats with the repeated wipes, seriously?

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Outstanding thread! Thank you! I had gotten my cruiser at the end of OB and eventually gave up on it as I was frustrated with it's maneuverability. Your tips have opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong! I was absolutely loading the wrong weapons with limited arcs and trying to turn with everything. Eventually I gave up and bought an escort. I think I'll give cruiser another shot with this info in mind once I get back to Lt.Cmdr.
Cheers mate!

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Again, I'd like to question the validity of using torpedoes over maximising your energy loadouts.

DPS/Burst Damage Potentional

Torpedoes do a fixed amount of damage based upon the skills you have trained and the mods you have equipped on your ship. There is no way to boost this damage, except for torpedo related skills i.e. High Yield and Spread. I do not believe that manuevers like patterns Alpha and Omega boost this damage, however manuevers that debuff a target may work.

On the flip side, energy attacks can be buffed, not only using abilities like Beam Overload or Rapid Fire or Captain skills, but by simply boosting your Weapon Energy levels. At 100%, an array will do greater damage per second than a torpedo even against bare hull, and considering how it's possible to fire multiple arrays at once, the burst disparity isn't even there. And if you have a tactical Captain, Alpha and Omega Manuevers will further boost this damage. Toss in an Emergency Weapons Battery, and your damage will spike tremendously.

Counters

There are fewer ways to mitigate Torpedo attacks than Energy attacks. Energy attacks have to contend with Polarize Hull, Reverse Shield Polarity, Aceton Field, Energy Siphon, and a few others, while Torps only really have to worry about Structural Integrity and Dampeners. Also of note is how more than a few of the energy counters serve a dual purpose, including countering debuffs and inflicting damage on an oppenent.

But then again, Torpedoes have a natural enemy in the form of shields, which every ship has. Knocking shields down is generally the job for energy weapons, and if you're using torpedoes in your set up, you're going to have a harder time doing so. Although at low power levels, a Torpedo's DPS against shields is actually not that bad when compared to energy weapons. If you seriously wish to draw a battle out by boosting your shields, a Torp boat may not be a bad thing if you can keep your oppenent in the firing line, which brings us to the next point...

Angles of Fire

Torpedoes have a 90 Degree Firing arc. This means if you put one fore and one aft, you'll be able to fire a torpedo or use a torpedoe related ability on a target if you shift directions by at most 90 degrees. It may not sound like much, but this can be difficult to do if the target really wants to stay away from your front or aft sides. And while they're doing so, one or more of your weapon slots is idle, your tactical officier(s) have nothing to do, and your damage mods are going to waste.

Beam Arrays on the other hand, have far better coverage with a 250 degree firing arc. You will have complete coverage with one array in front and one array in back, with 140 degrees of coverage for broadsiding. Your tactical officer(s) will always be at the ready, your tactical consoles will always be valuable, and an oppenent will have an impossible time trying to gain a decivisive advantage over you.

So in conclusion, the arguement for torpedoes on a cruiser doesn't seem a compelling one for the simple reason that their damage isn't necessarily greater than beam arrays, while requiring you to make manuevers that are, I think, optimistic. Not to say that there aren't builds where a torpedo launcher would be advantageous, but truth be told, those builds would be more effective on an escort or especially on a science vessel and they don't play to the Cruiser's strengths.

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First and foremost, outstanding post and an overall great thread. Constructive and useful, well thought out and presented, a joy to read and an education. Those that disagree do so respectfully and, in all cases, make points well worth noting! This is what makes STO great.

Okay, enough gushing. I have to start by saying I have not piloted a cruiser in OB or HS. To be honest, I haven't left the bridge of the Miranda. Information given is based on my playing of previous games (STA), my knowledge of the light cruiser (and its comparsion to other classes), and my experience versus cruisers. So after all that jabber, here it is...

Never, EVER, forget to adjust your speed. It serves several purposes.
1) Turn Radius: Acceleration/decceleration increases turn speed/radius. Easily our 'weakest link', increasing turn radius helps to mitigate some of the more nimble clases advantage. With an escort firmily on your 6, you are bound to be getting pounded by it's superior forward weaponary. Quick deceleration followed by a hard increases in speed will, at worst, put the escort at your 4. This will create phaser overlap and the escort will be pounded by beam weaponary. When he scampers to your rear, you hit him with torpedos and the advantage becomes yours again.
2) Distance to Enemy: one of our advantages is our ability to absorb damage. It is important to remember, too, that this is a weakness for our pesky Escort counterpart. By luring that escort closer then opening up weapons fire, it makes it difficult for that vessel to retreat. Also remember that while they are running, their most powerful advatage is AWAY from you. Recoup your damages and go on the offensive.
3) Added dimension: this is not valid for all opponents, but let's remember you will have those players that expect to hit the 'I Win' DPS button. By keeping that player working and extending the battle, you have given yourself a mental advantage over a frustrated Escort captain. With less room for error, the escort cap is even more hindered.

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Never, EVER, forget to adjust your speed. It serves several purposes.
1) Turn Radius: Acceleration/decceleration increases turn speed/radius. Easily our 'weakest link', increasing turn radius helps to mitigate some of the more nimble clases advantage. With an escort firmily on your 6, you are bound to be getting pounded by it's superior forward weaponary. Quick deceleration followed by a hard increases in speed will, at worst, put the escort at your 4. This will create phaser overlap and the escort will be pounded by beam weaponary. When he scampers to your rear, you hit him with torpedos and the advantage becomes yours again.

Imo, this is when you dump power into weapons and engines and have a shoot out, while flying away from him. He might have the advantage in firepower and manuerability, but you have the advantage in hull and shield points, and damage mitigation. If you can keep the fight to one shield facing for the both of you, the advantage should be yours. If he doesn't chase you or can't keep up, that's when you try to bring him into your broadside, either by getting a significant lead on him and turning to face him or flying opposite to him after he's broken off the attack (he goes clockwise/counterclockwise, you go counterclockwise/clockwise respectively).

Of course, there's always the possibility that the Escort just hits that damn hard, in which case, trying to get him to overshoot you or turtling (power to shields and weapons) may work.

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they need to sticky this post

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This does need stickied, its the most viable discussion on cruiser tactics. The best is its all viable. I'll add to it if I can and go the route I tried in open beta which I found fun and exciting.

Once I reached LtC and got my shiny new cruiser for my engineer. I went with 1 beam weapon fore and aft, torp fore, and mines aft, resistance console, tac console I usually went beam improvement, science sensors for some extra detection although it really didn't matter for my build. Some would make an accurate point that im spreading my skill across several weapon types, but hear me out.

First off, as far as boffs go, I was very defence oriented with some viability for support. I went high yield, emergency power to shields, engineering team 1, reverse shield polarity, and science team one. All this coupled with the general abilities engineers get, evasive manuevers, rotate shields, and brace for impact, I was very very hard to kill. It wasn't uncommon for me to survive single targeting by 4-6 klingons during pvp, (given i had team support in the form of dps'ing them while i tanked).

I would basically go gung ho, all power to shields, and the rest to weapons upon the initial charge into the enemies. While you get into the middle of them target whichever target is being focused by your team if there is one, but being first in worry more about keeping your enemies across several shield facings, you can only rebalance so fast. All the while keep dropping mines and firing torps at targets who wander in front of you, or that you can actually turn to reach. Do not be afraid to switch targets to fire your high yeild torp when you cannot use it against your primary, this will increase dps and convince some klingons not to go all weapons power), with the cruiser its more about taking advantage of opportune targets than making them. 360 degree fighting as many have said.

The benefit of the mines here is that you can drop em and forget them, your in the middle of the fight, anyone behind you has a reason not to be and anyone circling you will likely draw them, all the while you don't have to worry about having to blow evasive (which I reserve for retreat) to hit the same target with fore and aft torps, or in the event of a head to head, hitting the one you bypass in this fore and aft shields, in fact, if one comes at you head on his front shields are going to be weak when he heads into mines. Yes the enemy can target them, but thats 5 less shots that are going to my shields/hull if they do... every 8 seconds, and many do target them, even untintentionally via auto targeting. FYI mines against an unshielded hull using uncommon quantums mark 4 with some skill in them were doing about 700-800 dmg per mine. II think I was seeing around 1000-1200 on crits.

Once focus targeted, keep balancing shields, and if you see a large torp salvo feel free to pop brace for impact to mitigate any bleed through kinetic damage (honestly most of the time it was bleedthrough attrition that would get me more than shields dropping many times, and if you play it right by the time your shields are done, and my abilities were on cooldown, i had brace back for the retreat). To start though once shields drop to about to 75% while being focused, its time to pop rotate shields for mitigation and to regen that lost shielding (remember shield facings regen is determined in part by how much of them there is, when you go yellow/red all around, do something about it if you can because your not regening as much as you would otherwise).

As the fight continues pop your abilities as needed, next would usually be my emergency power to shields, and a bit later science team 1, then with all my shield reinforcement abilities on cd, my shields would start to succumb, hopefully your team have done some damage by now, and as your shields start to go down for the count, divert power to weapons and pop reverse shield polarity and give em what for for most of the duration, being mindful to switch back to shields relativly quickly before or when reverse polarity goes so you should be sitting back with full shields, a partially damaged hull, and if you have points in your boff skills, they should be starting to come back now one by one on 1 minish cooldowns, rinse repeat. This plays to the cruisers strength of survivability, and really annoys klingon escorts.

You may have noticed that I have not used evasive manuevers yet, this is my save my arse ability moreso than even reverse shield polarity. If at some point the fight is just not going to go your way, you have outsurvived your teammates and there are 3+ klingons left, its time for a tactical retreat, i divert power to engines and remainder to shields, usually by the time I am to reverse shield polarity in my sequence of skill pops I know if its time to break off, and it makes a great retreat skill for protecting the rear shield that they are all going to be focusing on when you make your break. Key is not to pop evasive until your engine power is fully diverted and your aiming away from the battle with enemies only behind you, once you make your break simply keep reinforcing your rear shield and balancing and pop brace for impact if its up. The resulting distance will work in your favor to lessen the cannon attacks. After your 10km out any allies respawning should be returning hopefully, and based on the skills coming back and your damage, you can choose to return to the fight or full impulse away until reinforced, repaired, and have skills back.

This worked well for me in pvp battlegrounds, mainly because with the exception of reverse shield polarity, my boff skills had low cooldown times.

I'd like to hear other peoples strats/setups, post away cruiser captains.

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Torpedoes have a 90 Degree Firing arc. This means if you put one fore and one aft, you'll be able to fire a torpedo or use a torpedoe related ability on a target if you shift directions by at most 90 degrees.
Just a minor maths point, but it's 45 degrees.

If you have torps fore and aft, the furthest that an opponent can be away from them is directly alongside you, at either 90 or 270 degrees from your course. That's 45 degrees from the edges of both the fore and aft torp arcs (and incidentally, right in the middle of your broadside, assuming you're using beam arrays alongside the torps).

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Ah the Dicta Boelcke! Lets see if I can apply my Rise of Flight Skills to captaining Star Cruiser. Oswald would appreciate.

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I think it would be useful if crusier captains would post their layout for their BO's...

Tactical BO Abilites: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
Science BO Abilities: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
and both your Engeineer BO abilites..

Would help peeps like me decide what a good set up would be.


Thanks

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I am going Engineer cruiser this time around (tried TAC/Escort in OB) and I am looking forward to it.

OP, great post. Lots of tips in there. I could never outfit a ship without torp launchers, it would just feel wrong to me. The entire time I have been in a miranda I have wanted to add an aft torp launcher cause essentially you have the same firepower from everyone at once. makes no difference where the enemy is you can hurt them pretty bad so looking forward to dusting off an exclaibur and taking it out hunting :D

Nearly there now as well, hit Lt8 this morning

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Thanks for the advice; I was waiting for the server issues to settle down (hopefully), so the community could start sharing information like this.

I love this game, warts and all.

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I think it would be useful if crusier captains would post their layout for their BO's...

Tactical BO Abilites: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
Science BO Abilities: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
and both your Engeineer BO abilites..

Would help peeps like me decide what a good set up would be.


Thanks

If I knew more about BO abilities, I'd share in. As it is, I'm not sure of two things; one, if Player Abilities activiate Global Cooldowns, and two, if Officers are restricted to using one power per rank. Meaning a Lt. could use one ensign and one lt. ability, but not two ensign or two lt. abilities. If I knew the answers to either of these, I could tell you what I would prefer to use.

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For my BOFs in T2 so far:

2 Engineers,
-1 Ensign with Engineering Team 1
-1 Lieutenant with Emergency Power to Shields and Engineering Team 2

1 Tactical,
-1 Ensign with High Yield Torpedo

1 Science,
-1 Ensign with Jam Sensors

For my promotion, I plan on adding some combination of: Polarize Hull, Reverse Shield Frequency, Science Team, and Beam Overload.

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For my BOFs in T2 so far:

2 Engineers,
-1 Ensign with Engineering Team 1
-1 Lieutenant with Emergency Power to Shields and Engineering Team 2

EMtPS I or II?

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Oh, sorry. EMtPS I.

Also, I'm not sure what LTCDR power to give my Engineer so I only listed lieutenant-level upgrades.

And further, upon promotion I plan on using this weapon loadout in my T3 cruiser:

Forward: Dual Banks, Array, Torpedo
Aft: 2x Array, Torpedo. I would use another dual bank here but I understand they can not be equipped aft.

Again due to my requirements of being able to fight 360. Broadside would be three arrays (not too shabby), forward attacks given slightly more punch as I've found that in initial attacks, group PVP engagements, and PVE, I'm more than able to point the bow at the target with minimal effort and a little more firepower forward at the slight expense of arc won't kill me. If I could get aft dual banks it would have been an amusing surprise in PVP for when those Klingons insist on parking themselves on my tail. But oh well...

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This thread should be moved to the new Cruiser Category in the forum
PS: thank you for the advices in here

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Outstanding posts and discussion. Now i'm considering going back to my cruiser instead of piloting my science vessel

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what do you think about laoding up on turrets. so you are always fireing?

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what do you think about laoding up on turrets. so you are always fireing?

They aren't energy efficient. They deal less damage for the same amount of energy as beam arrays and they have the same fall-off penalties as cannons. You'd need rapid fire to get respectable damage out of them. You won't have any strong finishing moves like Beam Overload nor will you be able target enemy subsystems.

I'm not going to say that turrets are bad, but arrays are stronger if you can line up a broadside.

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Here's something for consideration for your guide. It's a principle of sorts. I'd like to give it a name since I feel it's pretty important to anyone piloting a cruiser but I don't have one atm so feel free to suggest.

Anyway, I'm not a geometer so please forgive my clunky explanation.

Let's start by looking at the firing arc of any torpedo weapon. This arc is listed as 90 degrees and most people understand this to mean that a target can stray 45 degrees off center line to either side and still just be inside the arc. You can see where the invisible boundaries are when you mouse over your torpedo button and highlight the weapon arc.

What people tend not to realize intuitively, is that this "firing arc" is really a cone projected out into 3-d space- STO still takes place in 3-d space despite ships not having a full range of motion through that space- and that a "firing arc" is merely a cross-section of the actual firing cone, cut right down its middle at its widest point.

I emphasize widest point because this is the part that get extremely important for cruiser pilots. 45 degrees to either side is the best your degree of motion can ever get. It cannot get better, however, it can get worse. How?

Simply by being vertically misaligned with your target. In other words, if your nose (or tail if you prefer) is pointed too far up or down relative to your target, then the width of your "effective" firing arc will suffer. Actually, being misaligned from the plane that intersects both you and your target by any amount will shrink your firing arc by a correspondingly severe amount, but no one's perfect and for the vast majority of tasks, we don't have to be.

But say if your nose were tipped 20 degrees upward of your target... the width of your "effective" firing arc would start to suck. And if we were to take it all the way to 45 degrees upward, then there would be only one spot left at which you could hit your target: directly in front of you.

The lesson to be taken from this is simple: cruiser pilots should keep their noses (or tails) aligned as possible to have a hope in hell of bringing their torpedos to bear on their targets!

Keep this in mind when you are frustratedly mashing the fire button wondering why your aft torpedo won't go off! It is very easy to misalign yourself when trying to set up a shot while holding your camera backwards. If you find your ship looking like it wants to climb or dive, remember: keep that nose straight!

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Could we get this Stickied in the new Cruisers section?

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I could just repost it there. I'll give em a couple of days to move it so the responses can stay, though.

/sent a PM to a mod

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what do you think about laoding up on turrets. so you are always fireing?

You should always be firing anyway. If you've got fore and aft beams - at a bare minimum - there will be overlap. But like the previous poster said, cannons aren't efficient. They're basically Space Pea Shooters. I don't even like them on Escorts (yes, even aft - they'd still benefit more from an aft torpedo).

The lesson to be taken from this is simple: cruiser pilots should keep their noses (or tails) aligned as possible to have a hope in hell of bringing their torpedos to bear on their targets!

Keep this in mind when you are frustratedly mashing the fire button wondering why your aft torpedo won't go off! It is very easy to misalign yourself when trying to set up a shot while holding your camera backwards. If you find your ship looking like it wants to climb or dive, remember: keep that nose straight!

That is a great observation. If I had room to add to the original post I would, but it's literally at the character limit.

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For my BOFs in T2 so far:

2 Engineers,
-1 Ensign with Engineering Team 1
-1 Lieutenant with Emergency Power to Shields and Engineering Team 2

1 Tactical,
-1 Ensign with High Yield Torpedo

1 Science,
-1 Ensign with Jam Sensors

For my promotion, I plan on adding some combination of: Polarize Hull, Reverse Shield Frequency, Science Team, and Beam Overload.

How effective do you find Jam Sensors? Currently I have my Science officer using Science Team for an extra shield boost, and that works quite well.

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You should always be firing anyway. If you've got fore and aft beams - at a bare minimum - there will be overlap. But like the previous poster said, cannons aren't efficient. They're basically Space Pea Shooters. I don't even like them on Escorts (yes, even aft - they'd still benefit more from an aft torpedo).



That is a great observation. If I had room to add to the original post I would, but it's literally at the character limit.

I like to tank in a S kind of pattern. I'll see if I can draw a nice gif like you have :D

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Mmmmm, Cruisery goodness.

Question - your OP seems to be mainly aimed at FvK PvP - what PvE bits of advice do you have? :)

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How effective do you find Jam Sensors? Currently I have my Science officer using Science Team for an extra shield boost, and that works quite well.

Eh, they're alright. I'm doing Science Team now actually.

I have two Engineering Teams and a Science Team. They sort of share a cooldown so I'm still experimenting.

As far as PVE tactics, um, I think PVE is stupid easy so I don't really have any. I'll hit Attack Pattern Alpha, Tach Beam, Target Subsystems/Shields, and High Yield Torps. I'll basically open up with everything at once, by the time the High Yield Torps reach the target the shields should be gone and if theyre an escort or frigate, they're dead - if it's a cruiser, its at 40% health or so. I'm also always in offensive power mode (~80/40/40/50 give or take a few points).

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Eh, they're alright. I'm doing Science Team now actually.

I have two Engineering Teams and a Science Team. They sort of share a cooldown so I'm still experimenting.

As far as PVE tactics, um, I think PVE is stupid easy so I don't really have any. I'll hit Attack Pattern Alpha, Tach Beam, Target Subsystems/Shields, and High Yield Torps. I'll basically open up with everything at once, by the time the High Yield Torps reach the target the shields should be gone and if theyre an escort or frigate, they're dead - if it's a cruiser, its at 40% health or so. I'm also always in offensive power mode (~80/40/40/50 give or take a few points).

What program do you use to make your gifs btw? I'd like to make one to show how I tank.

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I used MS Paint and Photoshop to make the slides. Then assembled with JASC Animation Shop.

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I used MS Paint and Photoshop to make the slides. Then assembled with JASC Animation Shop.

Hmm okay, you've inspired me to spend the next few hours trying to make gifs XD i'll see what I can come up with.

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Colour blind people will not be able to read RED on BLACK just so you know.

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Colour blind people will not be able to read RED on BLACK just so you know.

What color on black would they be able to read? Preferably one that wouldn't give non-colorblind people a headache.

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We need a post like this for escorts and science vessels now.

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We need a post like this for escorts and science vessels now.

As a cruiser captain I can write the "Dicta Escort" as I view it:

Step 1) Alpha Strike
Step 2) Survey carnage
Step 3) Emergency Power to Engines
Step 4) Turn back around
Step 5) See Step 1

Just kidding. A little.

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As an Escort Commander who frequently teams with a Broadside Cruiser Commander, I have points to share...

1. A broadside cuiser in PvE with an Escort in tow is a beautiful thing. I have plasma heavies and quants just for Tundy running. Tundy had to pick up some relays to stay active for long, but it's killer now.

2. When Cryptic adds a death penalty, I'll be switching to cruisers.

3. Play style dictates all, don't let someone's commandments rule out playing like you want to. I think I'm going to load 4 turrets on my Heavy Escort right now.

4. "Escort Manuverability" for feds is very similar to cruiser manuverablility towards the later stages. Broadside cruisers can handle frigate/fighters much more easily than my escort can. It's like jousting on a buffalo.

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Nice round up on cruiser strategies.

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Rayin, good info but i have one tiny complaint; could you change the colour of your combat topic headers and descriptions?

dark red text on a black background is just a pain to read detracts from the contents.

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How's Royal Blue?

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How's Royal Blue?

excellent! :) :)


great to see a topic full of USEFUL tactics..... now who do i bribe/kill/blackmail to get it stickied? ;)



p.s. and no, i`m not in the least bit colour blind

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Fantastic post. So good, in fact, that I thought I was reading a different forum. :p

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A mod should move this to the cruiser sub-forum.

Edit : and / or make it a sticky there.

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Excellent post, alot of good points here. In beta, I used both the Aragon maneuver and the Ito weave with an engineer piloted cruiser to great effect. Just started my cruiser character for live, (I went with escort first, had to get to the Akira :) ) And they'll probably be the staples in my maneuver arsenal again.

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Excellent post, alot of good points here. In beta, I used both the Aragon maneuver and the Ito weave with an engineer piloted cruiser to great effect. Just started my cruiser character for live, (I went with escort first, had to get to the Akira :) ) And they'll probably be the staples in my maneuver arsenal again.

As some have stated the Aragon maneuver is difficult to pull off in higher tiered cruisers. For my part, I'm still able to use it, the difference is I have to be at a greater distance from my target to facilitate the wider turning arc. Just thought I'd put that somewhere in this thread and this was the first time anyone brought it up.

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I just rolled an engineer alt so I could try out the cruiser. I'm glad this post got bumped.

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I am often trapped in the cycle-flying loop and while getting slower for a thight cycle, the enemy (mostly NPC's) dont want to break the cycle EVER (NPC's dont seem to care about showing the exposed side, never seem to break out of the cycle), as soon as the shields are down on his side i put my ship at full throttle again and turn the other way... = back torpedo fires into exposed side.
At the right moment i put my ship in REVERSE, the enemy will try to get into a cylce again and fly right into my front arc while my side beams keep his shields down (or at least at very low), so my front torpedo tube can get a hit, sometimes even two or three depending on situation.

This probably will work best with Quantum Torps because of the higher single hit damage
keep the beam overload for that last shot, you will not want to loose the energy of your beams while the enemy replenishes his shields between the two shots.

works best with enemys that fly just at the same speed as you, but nobody expects the other ship to go into reverse.

Honestly if i would design Starships and battles turn out to be this everlasting flying in cycles i would put a few Torp Tubes on the Sides, just like the old Seaships that had their Cannons only on the sides...

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Honestly if i would design Starships and battles turn out to be this everlasting flying in cycles i would put a few Torp Tubes on the Sides, just like the old Seaships that had their Cannons only on the sides...

While the quality of the movie may be discussed, the Wing Commander movie had one awesome shot where they fired a broadside of torpedoes in to the Kilrathi cruiser though. That scene was awesome. And I agree, torpedo tubes on the side would make sense. Any weapon mount in the sides, really :)

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An example of how to "Fight 360" - The "Aragon Maneuver"!

*Yes, I named it after my own toon. Because it's my thread and because I can - also I do genuinely and deliberately use this move all the time in PVE and PVP. The Picard Maneuver won't work in this game so I encourage everyone to come up with and post their own named tactics and maneuvers. Why? Well, uh, we are geeks aren't we?

>>>>Handy Animated GIF! (http://i48.tinypic.com/5nkg2f.gif)<<<<
The Basics:
The Requirements: A cruiser with fore and aft torpedoes, High Yield Torpedoes

I. Be engaged with an enemy at medium-long range to the side or in front of you, preferably with low/no facing shields.
2. Activate Evasive Maneuvers and turn towards the target.
3. Fire fore torpedoes as quickly as the enemy enters the firing arc
4. Continue the sharp turn away from the target and activate the High Yield Torpedo ability.
5. Fire aft torpedoes as quickly as the enemy enters the firing arc

This has the effect of getting off one normal and two high yield torpedoes within seconds of each other on the same unshielded or low shielded quadrant of the enemy's shields. It has to be done at medium range or greater or you run the risk of overshooting on your turn and firing your aft torpedoes on a different quadrant.

Advanced:
The Requirements: A cruiser with fore and aft torpedoes, High Yield Torpedoes, Beam Overload or Target Subsystem: Shields.
I. Be engaged with an enemy at medium-long range to the side or in front of you.
2. Activate Beam Overload or Target Subsystem: Shields, and fire.
3. Activate Evasive Maneuvers and turn towards the target.
4. Fire fore torpedoes as quickly as the enemy enters the firing arc
5. Continue sharp turn away from the target and activate High Yield Torpedo ability.
6. Fire aft torpedoes as quickly as the enemy enters the firing arc

This has the potential to absolutely wreck an opponent in a short time, leaving them asking just precisely what the hell just happened. In both cases the key is the difference in cooldowns between fore and aft facing torpedoes and the burst maneuverability of Evasive Maneuvers. Attack Pattern Alpha can also be used in conjunction with that ability to increase turn rate and damage further.

I'd already figure this out in-game. I suspect that most cruiser captains will have done so as well.

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Thats why in my intro I said some of it would be obvious to those who already know what they're doing. In that sense, posts like these aren't really for us.

Furthermore, that's just an example. And a simple one, to demonstrate the principle to those who are new to cruisers.

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Ok I loved you post but I would make an amendment to "5 concerning having an aft torpedo. Having a mine layer in your rear instead of a torpedo tube is often very effective. Especially if your tatical officer has an ability to increase damage. I do agree that dual mounted rear phasers woud be a waste; however, a projectile and for this purpose i would count mines is a must. So on to my favorite tatic.

The set up on my tier II cruiser:

Forward: Mk III phaser and MkIII Photon tube
Rear: Mk II phasers and Mk quantam mines

The set up variation I: slowly approaching large target such as cruiser or battleship. Wear down the shiield and star dishing out hull damage...do not come to a complet stop you want to pass over your enemy. Make sure you take down thier shield facing you as you begin to pass over them just prior to that lay down quantam mines. Of important mines take about 10 seconds to gear up and lock on so deploy just before taking down the shields. When the mine lock and and explode on their unshielded hull enjoy. I have taken many a ship larger and stronger then me with this move.

The set up variation II: When engaged with those annoying siphon frigates or ships that launch fighters lay down mines as fast as you can. I have observed that a single series of unehnanced mines (laying down 5 at a time) will take out 2 sometimes 3 fighters without me firing a single phaser at them. Very effective and allows you to concentrate on the big boys.

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Colour blind people will not be able to read RED on BLACK just so you know.

NOT saying it shouldn't be done, but *you*/*colour blind people*/*everyone, really* could be interested in a text-only browser. It removes all fancy/useless images (including advertisement), flash content, colours, and leaves only what matters: text. And it's FAST. So fast you can use it through an ssh tunnel and it will still be faster than an in-site graphical browser (so you can browse game forums from places where you wouldn't be able otherwise :-P). I'm using one right now (elinks) and it's a blast.

I'd already figure this out in-game. I suspect that most cruiser captains will have done so as well.

Well, at least his post is USEFUL. Very useful. He is helping people, you'd have "figure this out" if you had read people's responses. YOUR post, on the other side, is USELESS. You are just wasting space. Specially by quoting his WHOLE post, unedited, and adding a single line.

Don't try to be a witty one-liner. You could be helping other players instead. Like the OP. Thanks, OP!

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2. Do not necessarily continue an attack you've begun[/COLOR]
* Unlike Oswald Boelcke who was dog-fighting in World War I in fragile, primitive, yet nimble aircraft, you are a space battleship that does not have the ability to dictate the terms of the engagement. Your turn rate will always be too slow to win a turning battle with an escort or even a well captained science ship, and another cruiser is unlikely to engage you in one. So don't fight them. Instead, pan your camera and engage targets as they enter your most deadly fields of fire. Keep your head on a swivel and be prepared to dish out damage at any vulnerable target from any direction.
[/b]

This a very effective way to do combat against multiple targets at different attack vectors, but it will make you dizzy with repetitve use. I find it very helpful in fleet actions, plus it tends to draw agro to my vessel, which is the purpose of a Cruiser.
Very good post, thanks OP.:)

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i dont know if this has already been said but a usefull tip for cruiser captians is to turn off the 'select auto target on attack' and 'assist target on attack' this will truly allow you to be a 360 fighting force because it will automatically target whatever is closest on screen, so you could have two, three, potentialy even as many targets as you have weapons at the same time without having to tab through them or even select them, another thing this does is allow you to heal yourself or your target without stopping your attack or accidently healing something else i would only recomend this for pve though

as for manuevers i do have a pvp based one that might be helpfull at splitting up large groups of players with minimal losses

you start of heading straight for the central player at defense power setting and maximum impulse and dont drop it till you are within 2-4 km at which point you fire all avaliable weapons and stop completely whall holding down one of the turn keys, this will allow you to turn rather quickly and get a broadside volley off as soon as you have turend about 75% or after a few seconds fire up your engines and activate evasive maneuvers and whall switching to speed power setting and in seconds youl be out of range

this maneuver capitolizes on the cruisers momentum and survivability and therefore no other ship is capable of doing it but i am not sure if low tier cruisers will have enough momentum to acomplish it (i personally use a galaxy and it works marvelously)

p.s. pelase excuse my grammar and or spelling

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Very good information, for us cruiser Captains out there. One mistake I made early was try to maunever her like the light cruiser we all started out with. After dying countless times doing solo engagements with signal enemies, I started to go into the forums to read up. I usually like to go head-to-head beginning with an alpha strike, including a boarding party (rather than have a beam/torp fore config. I have a disrup/disrup for max dps) and then bank so they can take potshots at my aft section while I wiggle around here and there. That's when I unload my aft disrup/torp salvo while they're riding my wake. I make sure I keep putting shields to the aft and port-side in case I am being flanked by other enemies. Shield rotation is a big help here as well since it gives a good bonus to damage reduction to shields

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Ok, in the Exploration cruiser any sort of "maneuver" is completely impossible. :eek:

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I'm still in T2 cruiser, and my current BOff setup, after some tweaking is this:

Ens Tac: High Yield Torp
Lt Eng: Emer Pwr to Shields, Reverse Shield Polarity
Ens Eng: Engineer Team
Ens Sci: Tractor Beam

I've found TB to be kinda handy for when I want/need to hold a target, especially since it prevents that target from cloaking. Note that I have yet to test this set-up in PvP.

I have the Plasma-Disruptor hybrid array forward, with a Plasma Torp launcher. For my aft weaponry, I have a Phaser array, for the chance to disable subsystems, and a Plasma mine launcher. I try to hold off on the HYT with the P-Torp until they've shot a lot of their beams, or I'm fairly close.

EDIT: If it matters, I'm a Tac officer. I find using Attack Pattern Alpha and Fire At My Mark are both very useful. My "defensive" power setup was recommended by a fleetmate: 75/75/25/25 (W/S/M/A)

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EDIT: If it matters, I'm a Tac officer. I find using Attack Pattern Alpha and Fire At My Mark are both very useful. My "defensive" power setup was recommended by a fleetmate: 75/75/25/25 (W/S/M/A)

Funny thing... found that power setting to be most helpfull myself, and reccomended it to a friend who'd just joined the game... after explaining about how to set power settings etc :) Having said that, I have it saved to Offensive rather than Defensive; I'm more likely to need more shields than more weapons, and I ahve skills to assist with weapon power...

OP - Love it. I use a variant on the tactics mentioned already with a fair amount of success against +4 PvE targets (I'm at Cdr2 at the moment). I do have one slight variation on the whole; when approaching my target(s), I'll often fire off a High Yield salvo as soon as I'm in range, just to help drop their shields a little faster. Doesn't usually waste the salvo, as by the time I'm ready for a kill shot (fore or aft) the cooldown has finished and I can use it again, and at range improves the damage being done...

Current build on my HC: Fore Dual Plasma Array mkV, Phaser Beam Array mkV, Photon Torpedo mkV. Aft 2x Phaser Beam Array mkV, Photon Torpedo mkV. Can't remember the rest of the consoles atm...

BOs: Tac: High Yield 1, Target Subsystem Shields 1
Science: Science Team 1, Tractor Beam 2
Engineering 1: Emergency Power to Shields 1, Directed Energy Modulation 1, Eject Warp Plasma 1
Engineering 2: Emergency Power to Weapons 1

Not going to claim to be the worlds best cruiser captain, but have to say I've not "failed" a space mission yet (by "failed" I mean died in a PvE mission; as the game stands there is no actual way to fail at any mission, so it's a personal distinction). And for the record, most missions I do are 2 levels over me, with the exception of the one to visit K7, as I've just not bothered with that yet... I'll be taking her into PvP at some point just to see how long I last there, assuming the current "cloak griefing" ever stops...;)

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Very nice post. I'll be trying out the Aragon maneuver, and will gladly use that name if asked "What the heck did you just do to me?"

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Sorry, I skipped most of the discussion, just wanted to say I think Rayin's advice is great. It's sound, sensible, straightforward. One of my pet peeves is people not bothering to learn the rules of the game and how it works. If cruisers don't turn well, don't bother trying to dedicate your firepower to one arc - it's just going to take that much longer to win battles and complete missions. Similarly, while an all-phaser setup is neat and has its place, there's nothing wrong with keeping your options open with torpedoes - after all, it's not like cruisers are actually short on weapon slots.

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I don't even like them on Escorts (yes, even aft - they'd still benefit more from an aft torpedo).

Interesting thing about turrets, this may be true initially, but once you get to commander and have maxed out starship cannons and then the specific weapon dmg skill (ie starship phaser weapons) and in my case with 1 +15 starship cannons console, the turret does only a slight bit less dps than an equivalent rank array(again phaser, but w/o a starship beam weapons or phaser dmg console). At capt 5 with 110 weapon power, the turret shows 394dps while the beam array 474dps. (not the item tooltip, but the tooltip you get over your ship weapon ui slots so that it accounts for skills)

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Not going to claim to be the worlds best cruiser captain, but have to say I've not "failed" a space mission yet (by "failed" I mean died in a PvE mission; as the game stands there is no actual way to fail at any mission, so it's a personal distinction). And for the record, most missions I do are 2 levels over me

I finally died in one the other day. Was at Empok Nor clearing defenses and accidentally engaged 4 Jem Hadar escorts, 1 Cardassian Escort, and 1 Cardassian cruiser. Died with 2 of 'em left, though I probly woulda survived had I not stubbornly kept the Power Settings to Attack.

PVE really is kind of a cakewalk in this game.

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Okay, great discussion but I do have a question. Various people have discussed switching your power settings quickly. I would love to know how you do that? With the sliders? With the Presets? Just curious as I find the sliders annoying.

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Might sound for some stupid

But for me It has worked

While engaging a enemy front on I come to a literally dead stop around 10 kms.
Start firing disruptor beams,the momemt the opponents shields start flickering I fire off high yield torpedoes.Because I am moving at literally dead speed
In the rear I am spamming mines + I have rear alt torpedoes ready.

2 things will happen, the smart ones will disengae and run off they know I cannot catch them in time,
But then I find a lot of them will want to battle it out and the 1st thing they want to do is run to my end. So once they are coming full speed at me and the distance is less than 5 kms I lock them with tractor beam and greet them with another volley of high yield torps.

If they manage to pass me they are greeted very quickly by mines and rear alt torpedoes ,


Same scenario if there are 2 ships on me I have my Engineering captain + BO that have Eng team + reverse shield polarity + emergency to shield.



What the thread opener has mentioned is correct , you have to thrust yourself in the game,
I have practically used all weapons from beam phasers to disruptors to cannon to photon to quantum torps. I have to adjust my play style to suit the needs

While engaging 1st time I will slowly come in the range and attack , In an already engaged group fight I will usually impulse within 5 kms , lock on the tgt and hold it in place till escorts can move out of their range

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Okay, great discussion but I do have a question. Various people have discussed switching your power settings quickly. I would love to know how you do that? With the sliders? With the Presets? Just curious as I find the sliders annoying.

I use the presets, yes; if you go to the third "page" of the presets, you can adjust the sliders, then click the disk icon to save those settings to one of the configs. In other words, you can set the sliders up for how you want the power distributed for Attack, making sure you have the Attack icon selected, then click the disk icon when you have them where you want them. Repeat for Defensive, etc, if you so choose.

I just got my Heavy Cruiser tonight/this morning. I've got two beams and a plasma torp fore, 1 beam, a plasma torp and a plasma mines aft. Seemed to work quite well in the 5 fights I had in a mission/episode.

I'm trying to figure out, though, why only one of my Eng BOffs has her tier 3 skill icon show up when I assign her to the LtCdr BOff station. Both have been promoted to LtCdr, both have their Tier 3 skills. If I put my human in that slot, her Aceton thingamajig (sorry, the specific name eludes me at the moment) does not show up in the third skill icon slot on the "Assignments" tab. If I assign my Borg BOff to that station, her Tier 3 skill icon shows up no problem.

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I'm still in T2 cruiser, and my current BOff setup, after some tweaking is this:

Ens Tac: High Yield Torp
Lt Eng: Emer Pwr to Shields, Reverse Shield Polarity
Ens Eng: Engineer Team
Ens Sci: Tractor Beam

I've found TB to be kinda handy for when I want/need to hold a target, especially since it prevents that target from cloaking. Note that I have yet to test this set-up in PvP.

I have the Plasma-Disruptor hybrid array forward, with a Plasma Torp launcher. For my aft weaponry, I have a Phaser array, for the chance to disable subsystems, and a Plasma mine launcher. I try to hold off on the HYT with the P-Torp until they've shot a lot of their beams, or I'm fairly close.

EDIT: If it matters, I'm a Tac officer. I find using Attack Pattern Alpha and Fire At My Mark are both very useful. My "defensive" power setup was recommended by a fleetmate: 75/75/25/25 (W/S/M/A)

Tractor beams very useful in PVP especially if are in grp and you have those pesky klingons who will hit and turn off like crazy , nothing like chasing a runaway klingon lock him with tractor while the u and the other feds give him a nice pounding.

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I use the presets, yes; if you go to the third "page" of the presets, you can adjust the sliders, then click the disk icon to save those settings to one of the configs. In other words, you can set the sliders up for how you want the power distributed for Attack, making sure you have the Attack icon selected, then click the disk icon when you have them where you want them. Repeat for Defensive, etc, if you so choose.

I just got my Heavy Cruiser tonight/this morning. I've got two beams and a plasma torp fore, 1 beam, a plasma torp and a plasma mines aft. Seemed to work quite well in the 5 fights I had in a mission/episode.

I'm trying to figure out, though, why only one of my Eng BOffs has her tier 3 skill icon show up when I assign her to the LtCdr BOff station. Both have been promoted to LtCdr, both have their Tier 3 skills. If I put my human in that slot, her Aceton thingamajig (sorry, the specific name eludes me at the moment) does not show up in the third skill icon slot on the "Assignments" tab. If I assign my Borg BOff to that station, her Tier 3 skill icon shows up no problem.

I don’t know why it would do that

I had different problem but I found out why I touch LT commader and I have my engineer and science BOFF promoted to Lt.
But only when I equiped my engineering BO did the 2nd tier skill show on te science office it would not show

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I use the presets, yes; if you go to the third "page" of the presets, you can adjust the sliders, then click the disk icon to save those settings to one of the configs. In other words, you can set the sliders up for how you want the power distributed for Attack, making sure you have the Attack icon selected, then click the disk icon when you have them where you want them. Repeat for Defensive, etc, if you so choose.

I just got my Heavy Cruiser tonight/this morning. I've got two beams and a plasma torp fore, 1 beam, a plasma torp and a plasma mines aft. Seemed to work quite well in the 5 fights I had in a mission/episode.

I'm trying to figure out, though, why only one of my Eng BOffs has her tier 3 skill icon show up when I assign her to the LtCdr BOff station. Both have been promoted to LtCdr, both have their Tier 3 skills. If I put my human in that slot, her Aceton thingamajig (sorry, the specific name eludes me at the moment) does not show up in the third skill icon slot on the "Assignments" tab. If I assign my Borg BOff to that station, her Tier 3 skill icon shows up no problem.

Thanks Commander p'Rett! That will help tremendously. How are the Plasma Torps working for you?

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Thanks Commander p'Rett! That will help tremendously. How are the Plasma Torps working for you?

I love 'em; actually replaced the standard Mk..IV, I think they were, Photon launchers that came with the tier 3 cruiser. Though overall lower in base damage, a 1 in 3 chance to apply a plasma DoT (Damage over Time) effect is no small thing. I also like the High Yield Plasmas better than Photons or Quantums. Though they are slower moving and can be shot down, if you unload them from close range, odds are, they won't get shot down.

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thanks for the post, it helped my skills in-game.
I tend to captain my cruiser like a spear or lance, I blow all my cooldown and punch through the enemy and also ramming them.

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Rayin, I want to have your love-child. Loved the post. We need to get you into an escort and see what you come up with. Would love to see your thoughts on that ship.

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Ok, in the Exploration cruiser any sort of "maneuver" is completely impossible. :eek:

sure in the explore cruiser any technque or whatever you want to call it wouldnt really be a maneuver do to the clear lack of turning ability but that doesnt make it any less effective than any other cruiser, or any other ship for that matter

as you have said the main point of a cruiser is its versatility, and not just in its power levels, it has versatility in pretty much everything it does like with my previous post i was expanding on that versatility using the throttle and momentum, i never said it would out turn a cruiser, i simply said it would turn fast enough whall still flying in a straight line to give the allusion to a sharp turn and again due to that momentum can easily carry through with an escape
frankly there are quite a few aspects of the cruiser that get overlooked due to its limitations but those aspects can be some pretty amazing things no other ship type can do and it all stems from the cruisers versatility and abilities that improve that versatility

which brings me to my next pvp oriented 'maneuver' specially designed to deal with all those pesky escorts that sit right on your behind capitolizing on your "lack of maneuverability"
well that very same disadvantage can be turned into a deadly trap, simply activate all your weapon powers such as high yield and that one beam overload one i forget
as soon as that is done full reverse with evasive maneuvers active turning so as you face your assailant and fire off all your empowered weapons, immidiatly following up up with a ram
this attack takes only seconds to perform and can easily devestate if not destroying the target just like that, and as with my other technique i have tested this one multiple times and it does work effectively for what its designed for

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Great post. I learned 2, 3, 4, and 7 the hard way. Trying to outfit a cruiser like an escort and trying to pilot them like one will only hinder you. After switching out my turrets and the like for phaser arrays and keeping my fore and aft torpedo tubes, I was taking enemies down a lot faster/easier.

Definitely pay attention to being a 360' ship, if a target gets out of the arc of your good weapons and there's another enemy nearby who falls in that arc, switch targets and let loose. You're a tank when piloting a cruiser, captain it as such. Because as the OP said, your turn rates are horrible and using those console slots for turning consoles will only waste your potential.

Timing on cooldowns is always difficult to judge, and while I still try and time things right, it doesn't always work. Certain defensive buffs I've learned how to get max advantage out of. For example, Jam Targeting Sensors I is great when you're surrounded, target the hardest hitting enemy, activate it, then either pound that enemy (if it's in a good firing arc), or switch to another enemy better aligned with your weapons. You've taken that one enemy out of the fight for a good precious seconds, use them well.

Also, for those that use Offensive setting, I've found a good range to deactivate full impulse from and get your weapons fully charged again is about 15km to 14.5km, any closer and you won't be charged in time. Ideally 16km is where you should deactivate full impulse, yeah you'll be semi late to the battle, but you won't be gimped in power settings.

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Good post from the OP. And whiners still wonder where the content is.......geeze!

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I I'm trying to figure out, though, why only one of my Eng BOffs has her tier 3 skill icon show up when I assign her to the LtCdr BOff station. Both have been promoted to LtCdr, both have their Tier 3 skills. If I put my human in that slot, her Aceton thingamajig (sorry, the specific name eludes me at the moment) does not show up in the third skill icon slot on the "Assignments" tab. If I assign my Borg BOff to that station, her Tier 3 skill icon shows up no problem.

I am having this exact problem. Aceton field does not show, even though it's the right slot and the right commission for my officer. I don't think the race matters (my human BOff's non-Aceton third teir shows, but my Bajoran third teir Aceton power does not). I think it's Aceton field? Anyone else use it?

To the OP, great post, thank you! I'm not personally finding the PvE game that easy, or at least I wasn't last night with the Romulans in my "Defend" missions, but it's not hard to get overwhelmed in those sometimes. Your point about risk-taking is spot-on. I perhaps live by that rule more than I should? Naahhhh :D

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I am having this exact problem. Aceton field does not show, even though it's the right slot and the right commission for my officer. I don't think the race matters (my human BOff's non-Aceton third teir shows, but my Bajoran third teir Aceton power does not). I think it's Aceton field? Anyone else use it?
I believe Aceton Field is broken right now.

Hopefully it'll be fixed soon.

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I am having this exact problem. Aceton field does not show, even though it's the right slot and the right commission for my officer. I don't think the race matters (my human BOff's non-Aceton third teir shows, but my Bajoran third teir Aceton power does not). I think it's Aceton field? Anyone else use it?

A fleetmate pointed me towards a thread on these boards that says Aceton Field is currently bugged/broken. Evidently, it is registering as both a ground and a space skill, so it doesn't show up in the slot, *and* it's not replaceable.

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Great post and should be the very first thing any Cruiser captain reads before taking the helm.

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A fleetmate pointed me towards a thread on these boards that says Aceton Field is currently bugged/broken. Evidently, it is registering as both a ground and a space skill, so it doesn't show up in the slot, *and* it's not replaceable.

It works now, though I havent really finished evaluating its effectiveness as a power yet. Granted, my only BOF that has it only has rank 1.

What I've been running at T5 with great success:

(Beams are all Phasers)
Fore: Dual Bank, Array, Quantum, Quantum
Aft: Array, Array, Quantum, Quantum

With High Yield and Beam Overload, I get a lot of punch out of this loadout. With 9/9 in Beam Overload I never find myself wishing for more beams, though I can see why some Captains would look at my loadout and say, "MOAR BEAMS LESS TORP" it works well for me.

Ability wise, I'm a Tactical captain so I have those skills.

BOFs:
Engineering Cdr: Emergency to Shields I, Engineering Team II, Reverse Shield Polarity II, Boarding Party III
Engineering LCdr: Engineering Team I, Reverse Shield Polarity I, Aceton Field I
Tactical Lt: High Yield I, Beam Overload II
Science Lt: Science Team I, Energy Siphon I
Science Ens: Jam Sensors I

Boarding Party is deceptively effective. It's hard to land in PVP especially, but if you manage to hit an enemy with it you just bought yourself a huge advantage. Energy Siphon is the ability I'm putting all my Consoles and Dish buffs into and that serves to extend the length of the drain. Jam Sensors I try to time on Escorts and the like that think they have the killing blow lined up on me (they just brought down my shields).