Advanced Heavy Cruiser Retrofit build...
 

...any suggestions for a PVE oriented (lvl 50) player/loadout noob?

i usually run a beam boat loadout for the excelsior , 2 or 3 beam arrays for and aft , with appropriate consoles and all power to weapons , you can throw out a good deal of damage with broadsides

PVE build only
 

I would have 2 dbb, beam array and a torp up front with 2 turrets, beam array and torp in back. The excelsior has the turning radius to keep your targets in front of you in PVE. use BO3 with either a HY2 or TS2 for maximum forward dps with DEM. You should see a noticeable increase on your forward targets.

Note: I would NOT take this build into PVP. Use 6 beam arrays, 3 fore and aft, and broadside the heck out of people.:)

Any suggestions on what type of projectile launcher...photon or ??????

most prefer quantums , but photons arent bad , depends on preference , avoid transphasics for the most part though, they arent as good as they could be

Thank you all very much, I went with 3 Phasers fore and aft with a quantum torp fore and aft as well...now I'm figuring out the mods I need, but thats not too hard to figure out I think. ;)

I recommend a Futurama build.

Fore:
2 torp
1 dual beam
1 cannon

Aft:
1 turret
2 torp
1 array

Click the U.S.S. Indefatigable link in my signature for my Fleet Excelsior build, just take away 1 tac console for the Retrofit.

2 torps and an array aft? What? I hope you are running APO and dual EptE on that.

the torps will be different types to not share cool down times

what's APO and EptE