U.S.S. Aldrin

Notes

• All weapon-centric builds benefit from the tactical ultimate, as weapon haste and bonus weapon damage from the Focused Frenzy active are appreciable when used on big targets. Applying the bonus to your team is also appreciated. I do not find the cooldown boost from Frenzied Reactions to be needed on a build with a good cooldown scheme.

• Engineering skills

  • Taking two Hull Capacity helps survivability and boosts Tyler's Duality as well. A point in Hull Restoration is useful for helping heals

  • I always take a single point in Hull Plating, but other resistance skills and Damage Control are not worth it. Likewise, 2 points in Impulse Expertise is an appreciable boost to maneuverability. Warp Core Potential and especially Warp Core Efficiency help boost power to subsystems. Efficiency is particularly good at adding power to subsystems I am not allocating much power to.

  • Improved EPS Power Transfer is essential for recovering power while firing energy weapons. 

• Science skills

  • Single points in Shield Restoration/Shield Capacity are low opportunity cost for relatively high survivability gains. Since I need skill points elsewhere, only 1 here for those. 

  • A single point in Shield Regeneration has surprisingly large impact on shield regeneration based on recent research by Jay

  • Since this character uses either Overwhelm Emitters, the Bajor Core, or Tetryon weapons on various builds, all of which scale off of Drain Expertise, I take both points in DrainX. Two points in Control Expertise powers the Fragment of AI Trait on builds that use it on this toon. 

  • All energy builds should take maximum points in Long Range Targeting Sensors. 

  • The rest of the science skills are of little value on this build and are completely skippable. 

• Tactical skills

  • Energy Weapon Training, Hull Penetration, Shield Penetration, Weapon Specialization, and Weapon Amplification are all worthwhile skills to take 3 points in as they boost energy weapon damage directly. Since I do have a torpedo and it does decent damage, 2 points in Projectile Weapon Training is a good choice. 

  • I like taking 2 points apiece in accuracy and defense. Defense is a small contribution to avoiding incoming damage but also helps reduce enemy crits when you're not moving and accuracy is just good all around, if not a stat that you'll need tons of. 

  • Coordination Protocols, Defense Coordination and Offensive Coordination are good team boosts so I always take those. They also benefit hangar pets on builds that have those. Improved Tactical Readiness is essential for reducing tactical cooldowns along with the rest of the cooldown scheme. 

• Unlocks

  • There are two crucial unlocks: battery expertise (improves duration of consumable batteries) and threat control which either increases or decreases threat based on threatening stance. 

This ship is a classic energy + 1 torpedo set up. It has absolutely zero investment into exotic damage, so I am not skilled at all into those.

Intel/Strategist is the best-in-slot choice for non-tank Energy builds. Intel provides substantial damage through flanking and Intel Fleet. Strategist likewise adds damage through Logistical Support, Maneuver Warfare, and Show of Force, as well as some damage reduction through Layered Defenses. 

Notes

This ship is result of a previous exploration that Tilor and I did into the Exceed Rated Limits ability (ERL). For those of you unfamiliar with this ability, it dramatically increases the firing speed of all energy weapons and removes their power drain, but in turn there is a power drain to all systems and some minor hull damage over the duration. Before the introduction of the Vanguard Specialists trait, there was no way to extend ERL's duration, so I cycled it with Fire at Will (FAW) via the Entwined Tactical Matrices trait (ETM). I also used to employ [Over] beams which had a chance of a 6-second version of Beam Overload I that could have filled gaps between ERL and FAW. With the advent (and my acquisition of) Vanguard Specialists, I've now fully moved this build over to a mixed cannon-and-beam loadout that uses just Exceed Rated Limits. 

Some builds are just meant to be fun and if you can smash your enemies at the same time, all the better. This is one of those. My goal was to do something different, and that something was Exceed Rated Limits. With adding Vanguard Specialists, the DPS on this build has increased appreciably. Note that recent research has indicated that you should NOT use the Wide Angle Heavy Dual Beam Bank under Exceed Rated Limits or Reroute Reserves to Weapons since those hastes do not affect that weapon. Analysis in TRINITY indicates that it's not working keeping the dual heavy beam bank if it doesn't benefit from the haste, even for the 20% cat2 damage.

On the use of a Torpedo Launcher: Use of a torpedo launcher is attractive to me first and foremost from a flavor perspective. Most "hero" ships in Star Trek used both energy weapons and a torpedo. Previously I was using the Quantum Phase torpedo on this, but after learning that the dual beam bank from the Discovery Legends reputation does not benefit from ERL, I wanted to still keep the Lorca's Ambition 2-piece. Thus, I put the Dark Matter Torpedo back on to retain the two piece and also dropped the Quantum Phase Converter, though that's still a good budget option. 

On the Cutting Beam versus a Cannon: I use a Cannon turret in the aft to proc Mixed Armaments Synergy reliably and allow me to pilot nose-at-target at all times. Using a torpedo for MAS requires particularly careful timing and is unreliable. I am not huge fan of the Kinetic Cutting Beam as it does not proc MAS nor does it benefit from firing modes. 

Notes:

I'm not using the meta drive train (i.e. Competitive Engines, Discovery 2-piece, Colony Deflector). The Bajor Warp Core serves to offset the power drain to all systems caused by Exceed Rated Limits. I round it out with the standard Colony Deflector; the Competitive Engines are not my favorite and are unneeded.

Notes: 

Alternate energy types: If you wanted to do this build with another energy flavor besides Phasers, replace the type-specific Tactical consoles and weapons as needed 

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

• There are more expensive consoles out there like Dynamic Power Redistribution Module (especially with a Point Defense Bombardment Warhead for its 2-piece), but this is plenty of damage. 

Budget Tweaks:

• The easiest replacement for D.O.M.I.N.O. would be the M6 computer, available for a small chunk of Dilithium from the T3 Perseus

• The Tachyokinetic Computer would be replaced by something cheaper like Approaching Agony

• The Immolating Phaser Lance can be substituted for the Quantum Phase Converter

• Isomags can be replaced with Locators seamlessly.

Meta Notes

• If you really wanted, you could run the Universal seat as Science with Photonic Officer, downranking MAS to accommodate EPTW 3 on the Commander seat, and dropping A2B and Let It Go. This would get you 2 other science boff powers which would be useful if employing Unconventional Systems. I don't consider that worthwile on this build as A2B helps counteract the power drain. 

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

• These are pretty much as good as it gets for energy weapons, but if you wanted to go full glass cannon:

• Ablative Shell -> Self-Modulating Fire

• Give Your All -> Adaptive Offense

• Repair Crews -> Pseudo-Submission (defensive) or possibly Into the Breach

Budget Tweaks:

If low budget, (try and keep the ones at the bottom) 

• Drop Terran Targeting Systems (Elite Captain unlock)

• Fragment of AI Tech ->  Point-Blank Shot

• Context Is For Kings -> Redirected Armor Plating

• Repair Crews -> Techie

• A Good Day to Die -> Operative

• Intelligence Agent Attache -> Beam Barrage

This is going to be rough without The Boimler Effect and you'd probably have to return to 2x A2B with 3 Technicians

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

• You'll be hard-pressed to find a better set of starship traits for energy weapons at this price point. A possible upgrade would be replacing Improved Critical Systems with something expensive like Universal Designs. 

Budget Tweaks:

If low budget, (try and keep the ones at the bottom) 

• Drop Ship of the Line (T6X2 upgrade)

• Drop Strike From Shadows (T6X upgrade)

• Calm Before the Storm -> Unconventional Tactics (Strategist specialization)

• Super Charged Weapons -> Improved Predictive Algorithms (Intelligence specialization)

• Emergency Weapon Cycle -> Programmable Matter Enhancements

• If you don't have access to Vanguard Specialists, Entwined Tactical Matrices is a cheaper alternative. 

Notes:

If you don't have Improved Critical Systems, there are alternatives.  At that point, I would choose between Piercing Projectiles or Promise of Ferocity.

Miscellaneous

This ship uses a half Auxiliary to Battery cooldown scheme with The Boimler Effect. The chart shows that I won't hit minimum cooldown without A2B triggering more often; Boimler should help with that. 

Link to CDR sheet for this build