Another player asked me how my Shield Drain Build looked like. It's not just a shield drain build, it's also a "tri-cobalt bomber" - basically you try to mix draining shields with weapons that inflict massive damage.

I can only remember the Bridge Officer Powers and armnament from memory.
Notice that this build might not be quite as good in PvE as it is in PvP, as players use a lot of shield resists, which shield drain ignores, but NPCs really just have tons of shield points. I recommend switching to a weapon-power focused setting for PvE normally.

Ship Choice
Long Range Science Vessel Retrofit. It's the best Science Vessel in this game in my opinion. Science is the only class where you don't regret having 3 Ensign powers to fill. And the Ablative Armor is another layer of defense that you can use (if you don't forget it often, like me) to escape death and give you some time to recover your heals. Remember that shield heals are still applied when your Ablative Armor is running, just your shields are down. So using a Hazard Emitter or Transfer Shield Strength can still pay off, even if your shield is currently disabled.

Weapons

• Front:
  • 1 Beam Array
  • 1 Quantum Torpedo Launcher
  • 1 Tri-Cobalt Torpedo Launcher
• Aft:
  • 2 Beam Arrays
  • 1 Quantum Torpedo Launcher

Bridge Officer Powers

• Tactical Lt:
  • Tactical Team I
  • High Yield Torpedo II
• Engineering Lt.:
  • Emergency Power to Shields I
  • Emergency Power to Shields II
• Science Ensign
  • Tractor Beam I
• Science Lt.Cmdr
  • Tractor Beam I
  • Transfer Shield Strength II
  • Photonic Shockwave I
• Science Cmdr
  • Science Team I
  • Hazard Emitters II
  • Tachyon Beam III
  • Charged Particle Burst

My current build is using 2 Tractor Beams, but don'T hesitate to add in heals or Polarize Hulls, depending on your opposition. (It's usually important to be at least flexible with the Ensign.)
Your enemy will hate your Tractor Beam Spam just as much as he'll hate the drains and shockwaves. PSW and TB are basically "get the enemy of his game" powers. The Drains are there to support your team's attack.
Tri-Cobalts are difficult to use , but when you hit hard, they reallly hit hard. Tachyon Beam is a way to ensure your torps actually hit hull, as it drains away the regeneration and healing the enemy receives (ideally at least), and gives you a larger window of opportunity. Still, there are plenty of shield heals (especially when provided by one or more team members) that can overpower this drain, of course. So as usual, it doesn't hurt to keep in mind your enemies power rotations and the enemy opposition - and a shockwave can help you as well.

This build isn't necessarily the best for the purpose, but I think it's at least a good starting point.

Thanks for posting this Archancellor. I'm leveling a Sci Officer for which this build will likely do well. He's only a Cmdr (I think) so it'll be a while, but still, it's good to research/prepare and I can practice some of the tactics. Which as I would understand/read from your build - You snag your opponent with the TBs, use the Tachyon and CPB to sap their shields, then drop a steamy torp (and/or shockwave) on 'em when their pants are down.

I have some questions, if you please:

• You mention running a weapon-power focus in PvE. What is are your typical power settings?
• Do you spec into the specific Quantum and TriC specific torp types, or just go w/default damage?
• Do you use your sci consoles to beef the Tachyon?
• Are you using Tetryons (for the shield drain proc, to follow the theme) or phasers (to disable subsystems)?

Nice build. I use almost an identical build as a template for my Intrepid science ships. I tend to use GW 1 in place of TB 3. Have fallen in love with CPB 3 and will consider re-adding TB 3 to one of my BOs.

almost a carbon copy of my build except for a few boff powers and weapons

LT Tac

Tac team1
Tac team2

Ltc Sci

Jam targetting sensors1
HE 2
Tss3


cmd Sci

Sci Team
TSS2
Tach Beam
CPB3


Fore
1 Disruptor beam array
Photon torp crt Dx2
Photon torp crt Dx2

Aft
1 Disruptor beam array
Tricobalt acc crt d crt h
Tricobalt acc crt d crt h
--
A science officer from the opvp tourny a while back may notice i have basically copied weapon loadout. I cant remember your name but thank you.
----


Im not hardcore like ridcully but

Some hints

Try to use your innate tsubsystem shields and aux before shields are down
when shields are down and torps are flying hit engines and use your tractor beam

---Questiosn that werent for me but ill toss a gander
Note- I find shield drain to be laughable in endgame pve. Thier shield values are so high a fully specced cpb3 barely tickled shields. *cube _ tac cube* Weaker opponents yea it worked but somewhat needlessly puts self in harms way to use.

1. Max aux when using science max weps when not.
2.Disruptors. Im specced into most sci abilities to be flexible as a sci capt.
3. 2 deflector fields for tachy and 2 astrometrics for cpb though i prefer to run all or nothing for sci consoles.
4. Phaser proc i know happens, Disruptor proc i know happens. Tetryons. Well I dotn care how much it feels like thier shields are going down faster i want some cold hard proof. So nope. Also the proc amount and rate for tetryons is utterly laughable against players much more so against endgame haxnpc's.

Another good thing to know is dont get tunnel vision whilst trying this tactic that and know where your teams escorts are pointed. A shield drain build is "thier" best friend Drop a tacteam2 on them before they fire for extra love.

Instead of 2 volleys rf to take down a shield it may end up being one with extended downtime. cpb laughs at tac team.

its pointless to play a drain sci, cause the TB3 at 125 aux setting just does the damage you loose by not equipping beamweapons and setting weaponpower at a low setting.

just equip 5 beams and 1 tricobalt and set weapons to 100 and you have the same, just without less work to do. its a pity but in fact TB3 is just worthless

Except then you would be a crappy cruiser. with **** poor heals and useless science abilities.

Also lies beams affected by resistances. tachybeam3 not. unless ofc you were talking about tractorbeam3 then i must ask where you getting that from?

also 5 beams really at lowest power settings?

http://members.cox.net/nagorak/stoweaponscaling35.jpg

might wanna lookee at that chart

with 5 you barely do more than equipping 1 beam

dash mistake there i see you put 100 power

http://members.cox.net/nagorak/stoweaponscaling100.jpg

now then ill just put it up to space of time. tb3 does its shield reduction much faster than beams do again without any chance of resistances. also i dont think tachybeam3 has a chance to set of a borg proc add aegis defense or any of that sillyness.

This build also works great in an RSV.

The RSV has a better turn rate than the Intrepid (allowing you to bring your Tachyon to bear easier) and an extra Tac console (running 3 torp consoles makes them horribly deadly). You'll lose out on the Ablative, but that's the price you pay

I myself am a fan of the 5-Beam Sci, but I highly disagree that TB3 is useless.

You can easily run at 114 Weapons/95 Aux. Even at that "low" Aux level, TB3 drains ~4000. Quite valuable, when you consider that will be added to your energy weapon damage.

CPB 3 + TB3 = ~8000 shield drain with the above power levels. Add that in to the damage your energy weapons are doing, and you're quite the potent damage platform (not to be confused with burst ability).

• Energy Settings: PvE, 100, 25, 25, 50. In PvP, 25, 50, 25, 100
• I don*t remember offhand if I am currently specced into Tri-Cobalts, but I at least used to be.
• I think I use the console that bufffs Transfer Shield Strength, but I think that also buffs Tachyon Beam. Not sure off-hand, and I wasn't in the game today to check.
• I use regular Phasers. The Phaser Procs are just far better, and the Tetryon effect is so marginal that it's irrelevant. Sure, disablling shields has no synergy with a power that merely removes shields and nothing else, but I still got my torps, and any disabled subsystem is a plus. Aux to "nerf" heals, shields to just for nastier torpedo hits, engines so the enemy doesn't run, weapons so he doesn't fight back.

I disagree, but this is the difference I am talking about for PvP vs PvE. In PvE, you are probably better off with running your beams at full power.

In PvP, you don't just fight shields. You fight:
- Shields
- Shield Resistances
- Enemies with lots of healing powers.

CPB + TB + Torps lead to ypour ability to use their strength as their weakness. The drains ignore the shield resistance, and that's the most common (and one of the best defenses) to have normally. The torpedoes allow you to inflict lots of spike damage when the enemies shields are done - and if you do enough damage fast enough, your enemies gazillion hit points worth of heals are useless because he's already dead when they are ready to be used.

I'd drop one of the Tractor beams and move some things around to make room for an additional lower tiered CPB. I'd also drop one of the BA's in the rear and go for another torpedo. Those BA's primarily serve for Target Subs. I wouldn't mount an extra one just for relying on it to proc. The extra torp would probably serve you much better. I use 2 quantums up front and 2 tric's in the rear on my fed shield stripper.

But that's just me. It's still a good setup. Suits the author's playstyle.

I agree with MVS5191 on that one. Tachyon Beam 3 is great and a must have for a build like this. With CPB 3 that power is very effective. I have two shield stripper builds like this. One on a BOP and another on an Intrepid. Just don't expect it to rip shields on its own. You need to supplement it with either high weapons power or CPB. Very deadly combo.