If you're tired of watching your shuttle collect dust, take it out and do the patrols for Explore Strange New Worlds in it.

Science Ships are a lot less underpowered than people give them credit for. True, in PvP most of their drains are on the weak side versus Power Insulators, but in PvE they are more than capable of rearranging your opponents into hilarious origami while making most bosses go from "damage sponge that occaisionally vaporizes you" to "damage sponge that occasionally twitches." Their primary weak spot lies in the relative lack of need for their debuffs.

Science Ships should *not* be slotting Field Generators. Your Science Console slots exist for increasing the debuffing or damage effects of your Science BOff powers, the same way Tactical Slots exist on Escorts for allowing the full potential of their weapons to be realized.

125 Aux makes many, many Science Powers many, many times more powerful or effective.

...Bump...because I'm bored waiting for LoR......

RCS Accelerator consoles on Crusiers are an excellent way to offset the low innate turn turn. (My Vor'Cha Refit packs two for about +50% total turn rate)

Don't be afraid to replay missions once you reach higher levels to get better items, even if the Skill Point/Expertise rewards are lower, the item rewards increase in level as you do. This is also the best/only way to get some items (Nanoenergy Cell Recipes, Schematic: Horta Mineralogy Research, the '2800' FE series almost has to be played twice to get all the Jem'hadar Set items.)

In the KDF mission "Bringing Down The House", if you head cross-country back to the House of Martok estate, you can avoid the Romulan ambushes. (Might have to fight a pack or two of Wild Targs, though)

If you're trying to use sets, make sure your items are all part of the same set level. A Mk X Armor with Mk XI shield does nothing. If you level up in rank between missions where you get set items, make sure to double check. (I hadn't even realised that this was why my Jem'hadar Shroud wasn't working on my captain until I took a closer look at the equipment.)

Ferengi captains get a 20% discount on most items you buy at the vendors.

Have you noticed those captains flying zombies ships and wondering why you can't match them with the same gear equipped? They are not cheating or using hacks with their gear.

First things first, they know their skill tree very well, and invest points where it's needed (sometimes with sacrifice). They also use keybinds intelligently, which means no buff is wasted and always applies to the situation. It's true, most people overbuff and that usually gets them killed when all their defenses are on cooldown.

Most importantly though, people don't know power systems can be changed and depending on the level, you get bonuses. For instance, shield system capped at 125 grants an innate resistance of 35% from all damage, and also greatly increases your shield regeneration rate (imagine 1k shield regen on an escort every 6 seconds). Simple things like moving your ship at full speed (not the power draining full impulse) gives you an extra defense bonus, up to 80% on escorts. Pattern omega will improve your defense bonus even further, over 100% (that's how you get zombie escorts).

Such things are obvious though.

Another thing, you can enable some voice over suggestions, so you have a computerized ship talking to you to notify you when your target is vulnerable or your hp is too low. The klingon computer voice over is just so satisfying to listen to.

This is a tip a bit somewhat to the lines of mines, heavy torpedoes and energy syphons in Khitomer.

The Mighty Harg'Peng Torpedo...!

Fire that one against Donatra, and when it explodes (with Donatra cloaked) it reveals her position.

Uhm, other then that I cant think of something else...

kewl thread though...