Im just curious on opinions I can only get one ship as thats all the zen I have I am leaning towards either the Tac on Engineering Vesta . I figure Engineering would be better survivability and Tac just for the extra tac console but Im still torn. Either way im not going to use the console they have for the for the tac but I might use the engineering one....
Thanks
Taj

Firstly, what 'profession' is your toon. It doesn't necessarily make a difference, but it is useful to know.

Secondly - ask yourself whether durability is more important to you than offensive capability, bearing in mind that the Vesta is NOT going to be capable of the DPS that an escort can produce.

It sounds like you'd be better off with the Engineering focused model, since you wouldn't be using the Quantum Focused Phaser on the tac and you ARE willing to use the Engineering one.

Also keep in mind that the Vesta with aux cannons with a tact in the driver seat has the potential to push close to escort numbers. Only 1 weapon is missing, the tactical version does sport 4 tactical console slots and higher shielding.

Notice I say "close" I did not say "equal to" in terms of DPS.

I would go for the Sci one as the Oddy is better at Tac and Ops.

It has 4 tac consoles and SA...only two...three if you want to count the bug that have 5 tac consoles. If there is anything that would meet or beat a escort its gonna be the tac vesta...just to bad doesn't have 10 weapon/5 auxiliary power.

Console wise, the Sci's Fermion seems the most useful so far, with self heal or team heal support within 5 km, it's the one I've used the most so far out of the two defensive consoles during STFs. The deflector phaser isn't that great, IMO, with it's long fire time (I'd perfer a burst) and it's limited damage. The extra damage the fourth phaser Tac console on the Aventine (Tac Vesta) gives will draw much more aggro your way, and the ship is bit fragile beyond it's shields. If you're going heal/support I'd go with the Sci model.

It'd require about 7 or 8 stacks of SA to equal an escort in firepower, not counting the deflector phaser, and each stack of it takes a minute of keeping the enemy in your forward arc, so only really large enemies will it be able to catch up/surpass a 4 tac escort. Weapon power isn't such a big deal with 3x Aux DHCs Fore(I think you can just dismiss/reclaim to get three of them if you have only one Vesta model, I pulled one off each model), and the Aventine's +5 wep power and the Borg console's +5 seems to be enough to handle the rear turrets, with Warp Core Potential skill factored in.

Im a Tac captain and my Tac version is doing absolutely amazing even though its a science ship at heart. Its the only ship that I actually run on the equal power setting because of the aux phaser cannons where i usually run everything on all power to the weapons.

I would not be so sure about that. I have a tac captain in an MVAM that does on average between 7 and 8k dps with alpha strike bursts upwards of 20k dps (rarely ever am outdps'd even by other escorts) and I just purchased the vesta pack and set up my sci captain in the tactical vesta and he's able to do on average 4 to 5k and in a few instances 6k and he's using regular player made mk xi phaser turrets and phaser relays while my tac captain has Complete mkxii borg weaponry ect.... I can't wait to set up my tac capt in the vesta and see what he's capable of .

IMO, the science version has the best console (an AoE heal), so I'd go with it if you buy only one. Plus, the 5x Sci consoles will come into much higher usefulness if you have a unlocked the Fleet Embassy Science Consoles -- threat generation increase/decrease, a science buff, and interesting procs like a shield heal, hull heal, or adding plasma damage to all energy weapons.

Could you tell me more about the Fleet Sci consoles? I finally might have something to spend all my fleet credits and dil on (been avoiding paying $5 for an FSM to buy a Fleet Armitage ).

Also, your suggestion sounds cool, esp. with the gimmicks you're talking about. I used to main SVs in my Engi main before I started running STFs (then I shamefully went full-escort).

But I'm sooo tempted by the Engi Vesta's look! Grrr, I wish they still sold ship skins so I could pick which I wanted.

What's the Engi console like? I heard it's like a Polarize Hull that reflects torps? Is that kind of ability too situational for PVE (I don't PVP). Does it reflect isometric charges or the Borg bullsh*t heavy torp?