i flip aroiund alot but usually 1 dbb 2 dhcs a quad cannon 2 turrets in back and either a quantum topedo or a tricobalt launcher in rear. i like to sweep in with overloaded beam bank 3 then as i am zomming away drop tricobalt with high yield 2 pop emergency power to weapons 1 and swing back around with crf 3 or csv 2. swing out and repeat

the powerdrain is an issue if you use autofire, i guess top pvp players don't do that.
If you can and mastered to cycle your weapons without autofire then you can go all cannon...not skill projectile weapons etc.

remains the problem that more than 2 cannon abilities is a waste, no DBB means no BO3 etc.
i wonder what they put in the ensign tactical slot.

If somebody comes here and writes " a 3rd tactical team" he better just spare himself the humiliation:p

I usually run three DHC + 1 torpedo on my escorts/raptors and 2/2 on my tactical BOP.

The reason for the extra torpedo is that I can stack two high yields in a row and then use rapid cannon fire III right before I cloak. That is often enough to take down their shields and throw two sets of torpedoes at the hull.

I used to run 3 DHC and 1 Quantum torp and it is very effective, just not as effective as 4 dual heavies.

First I'm not too sure the difference between DHC and DC, I felt running 3 DC to be less DPS than 3 DHC and 2 DHC 1 DC to be about the same, but look that bit better on your ship. So the single DC is purely aesthetic for the Record. And yes I know the on paper difference between DC and DHC. And currently due to them adding a seperate command for mines, I'm trying a Trico Mine on the back of the Raptor... it seems like it takes too long to arm. But I got a 50k crit out it.

If you don't have points in Torpedo and Energy there is no point running the one you don't have. My Sci builds seem to be working fantastically well with no energy and multiple torpedoes on the front, but that's not how I roll Tac.

On my 3 Escorts I run all turrets in the rear and the variations listed there.

Tac in a Garumba - Disruptor Plasma Hyrbid.
3 DHCs, 1 Plasma Torp. Purpose ESTF. (TT1 x2, CRF/CSV1, APO1&3, TS2)

Tac in a Raptor - Antiproton or Tetryon
2 DHCs, 1 DC, 1 Quantum Torp. Purpose Story/General. (TT1x2, CSV1, APO1x2, CRF3, TS1 THY2)

Eng in a MVAE - Phased Polaron (DC's)
2 DCs, 1 DHC, 1 DBB. Purpose I don't want to fly the Sovereign (TT1x2, BO1, CRF/CSV1, APO1&3)

Theoreticals
BoP
1 DC, 3 DHCs (TT1x2, CRF/CSV1 APO1&3)
Lt.com Science and Lt Engineer.

Sci in a MVAE (no energy just Torp skills)
1 DC, 2 DHCs, 1 Quantum Torp with probably Quantum Mines in the back (TT1x2, THY1, CRF/CSV1, DPB2*, APO3)
*Dispersal Pattern Beta or a big net of Mines.

The thing I like most about having Torpedoes is I have a seperate button to drop the Hammer with. If they modified the game so instead of firing all energy, all torpedoes or all mines, they allowed me to group weapons to fire button 1, 2 & 3 I would like the DBB more as I could fire it like a Torpedo.

And yes I'm aware all Torpedoes means one Torpedo and a System cooldown of 1.5 seconds.

To not waste slots with a Defiant, rear mounted Chroniton Torpedoes could get you out of a jam with a spread in PVP.

You might experiment with moving the Torp to the rear in place of a turret and using another DHC. When you're done with the strafing run hit evasive maneuvers to pull around sharply and unload with the torp.

Seems to work pretty well for me in PvE, though I haven't tried this loadout in PvP yet. Definitely gives better overall damage than the turret though.

I run the Elite STF Escort build, only with RF and HY rather than those spread powers and in that build the ensign Tac is called to have either HY 1 or TS 1. Meanwhile my fleet runs a different cookie cutter, though of course they do have similarities. Theirs calls for binding most of their boff skills to the space bar and then they just fap the night away, meanwhile, I prefer to autofire my weapons and fire my buffs manually, saving APO for getting tractored, and RSP for when I'm about to pop and need a last ditch attempt at surviving or I wanna just output DPS for just a little longer.

The extent of my PvP is Kerrat, so I really don't care about power drain. Really, that seems like something only the hardcore would care about.

I run 3 Dual Heavy Cannons and a Quantum Torpedo Launcher and I have been thinking of toying around with a 4 Cannons build. I moslty do PvE.

I've never had ANY problem with power drain unless something else is actively draining it, otherwise power is just a non issue. In the those rare times it is nice to have the Torps though.

Dropping torps can free up some BoFF skills and you could even rebuild your Character differently if you had points in Torp damage.

I can see upsides to running 4 Cannons, but there is something about firing Torpedoes that is just very satisfying.

yes understandable, but with 4 cannons+3 turrets...what ability would you place in the 3rd ensign slot?

yeah 3 cannons on autofire is not a big powerdrain issue, because when the 3rd fires you are still above 80 weapon power, the problem is the 4th...that has only around 70 energy power when fired and that cuts down it's dmg signifficantly.
If you fire them manually you will leave a one second break inbetween i guess to get powerlvls restored.




So for me the question still remains...what ability do people use in the 3rd tactical ensign slot, when running 4 cannons+3 turrets?



i run the same setup in a AE with the MV console, but no mines and therefore no DPB 2...but for PVP chroniton torplauncher, as you stated, is an awesome idea.

i discovered through trial and error the best setup for me was:

Fore:
-Dual beam (dam)
-Heavy cannons x2
-Torpedo (breen or har'pang respectively)

Aft:
-Turrets all the way
(alternating with mines for PVP)

to deal with the fact im a glass cannon i throw some scorpion fighters and a red matter device to keep power levels up and defend from Heavy plasma torps

This lets me vary my high energy ability's such as Beam overload and rapid fire attacks. For example i want to hammer down a cruiser i pop:

-Attack pattern Alpha
-Beam overload
-Rapid fire
-Fire on my mark

The combined raw power of a pre-configured Torpedo (breen or har'pang) and the fact that i'm geared and speced for energy damage and manuvers means that i can lay down some withering firepower in very quick succession and evade away with little to no effort.
Again this is a personal thing and may just be my playstyle but it works for me.