R.R.W. Xiphos

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

  • Two points in Hull Restoration/Hull Capacity are low opportunity cost for relatively high survivability gains. 

  • 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.

  • I take a single point in EPS Power Transfer to recover power levels faster after drains or Full Impulse, but it's low impact on this build. 

• 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. 

  • Since this character is using Gravity Well and Tractor Beam, having both points in ControlX boosts those as well as the Exotic Particle Generator skill adds value. Control Amplification further increases damage dealt by exotics like Isolytic Tears. DrainX helps amp Neutronic and/or Quantum Phase Torpedoes on builds which use them so I take both points on this character

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

• Tactical skills

  • Projectile 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 some energy weapons that deal decent damage, 2 points in Energy 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. 

I chose Temporal primary specialization for the Atrophied Defenses passive and Entropic Rider. Continuity is a useful survival tool. Strategist has solid boosts to crit since I have a low cooldown heal. 

Notes

The 4 chosen torpedoes are "meta" torps for good reason. The Lorca's Ambition 3-piece does okay damage but is hardly essential. Mines do excellent damage as well, particularly with Relocate Mines on debuffed targets. If you don't have Delphic or Altamid, use the Quantum Phase torpedo with its beam array in the back, or consider slotting the Terran Task Force Photon with an Advanced Inhibiting weapon for the pair of 2-piece bonuses you'd get from them. 

Notes:

If you don't have Revolutionary, I'd probably go with the Mycelial Wave core for the regen from the 2-piece.

Notes: 

For beams or cannons, energy type and subtype doesn't matter all that much and an astounding number of keystrokes have been spent asking whether Phaser or Disruptor is better, should I fill up with Spiral Wave Disruptors or Sensor-Linked, etc. when difference between them until one starts hard-core chasing numbers is minimal. That is NOT the case with torpedoes, where I will say that conservatively there's about a dozen usable types of torpedoes for high-level play and the rest of them are basically trash. This is where the torp crusaders have a point--the average torp is not strong, and 3 whole subtypes are basically not worth slotting (Transphasic, Chroniton, and Tricobalt). This is my personal list of strong/decent torpedoes. If it's not on this list, I personally wouldn't slot it (though I may have missed one)

• Photons: Gravimetric (especially with Sci Builds!), Enhanced Bio-Molecular, Adv. Piezo Photon, Terran Task Force

• Quantums: Neutronic, Quantum Phase, Delphic Distortion, Dark Matter, Advanced Radiant

• Plasma: Particle Emission Plasma (especially with Sci Builds), Altamid (Plasma energy builds only), Nanopulse 

• Energy: Morphogenic Polaron, Adv. Diffusive Tetryon (Tetryon builds only with set), Nausicaan Energy (Disruptor builds only with set), Agony Phaser (Phaser builds only)

• Other: Temporal Disruption Device (weird Tricobalt/Chroniton hybrid that's somehow good)

Alternate Torpedo types: 

See my full quantum build on the Fleet Engle / Earhart for an all-quantum take on things. After running a handful of ISEs and HSEs on each build, I can't honestly say that the mixed torp build is better. This is the more meta ship yet its numbers aren't as high. I think the quantum build is stronger in large part because it's easier to fly and on a more agile ship; the Xiphos simply has a lot more going on (singularity abilities, cloak, fewer heals) while being a less agile ship. Perhaps further testing and piloting will change my outlook, but for now I am saying the quantum boat is stronger. I could run that setup almost exactly on this ship, but variety is the spice of life. 

You could also run this build as a Photon build using Gravimetric, Enhanced Bio-Molecular, Terran Task Force, and Adv. Piezo-Photon torpedoes and replacing the Torpedo consoles with Photon but I think it's weaker. In that case, ensure to slot the Wide Angle Dual Beam Bank from the Discovery Legends set to retain the 2-piece bonus.

Budget Tweaks:

• If Imperial Rift warp core is unavailable, use the Discovery one instead.

• Hull Image Refractors -> Interphasic Instability

• Delphic Torpedo ->  Terran Task Force Photon

• Tachyon Net Drones -> Swarmer Matrix

• Altamid Omni -> Advanced Inhibiting Turret

• Agony Redistributor -> Zero Point Energy Conduit

• Phased Space Membrane -> Assimilated Module

Meta Notes

• Torpedo High Yield III has a lot more damage potential than Torpedo Spread III if you have Subspatial Warheads. If you don't have that trait, might be better to stick with Spread III, but note that the FAW for ETM will conflict with the FAW from TS and put them on shared cooldown.

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

If going full glass-cannon with unlimited budget

• Ablative Shell -> Terran Targeting Systems

• Give Your All -> Adaptive Offense

Budget Tweaks:

Try and keep the ones at the bottom, but the default traits are not very good for torpedoes at all. 

• Drop Boimler Effect (Elite Captain)

• Varuvian Explosives -> Superior Projectile Training

• Ablative Shell -> Redirected Armor Plating

• Context Is For Kings -> Operative

• Self-Modulating Fire -> Innocuous

• Resonating Payload Modification -> Astrophysicist

• A Good Day to Die -> Elusive

• Intelligence Agent Attache -> Particle Manipulator (super strong on scitorp builds, pretty weak here)

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

• At the C-store level, pick up Strike From Shadows, Promise of Ferocity, or Piercing Projectiles over Improved Unconventional Tactics or Carrier Wave Shield Hacking

• At higher budget tiers, Universal Designs and Terran Goodbye come into play.

Budget Tweaks:

 Try and keep the ones at the bottom. Torpers really need Entwined Tactical Matrices to function

• Drop Advanced Precision Guided Munitions (T6X2)

• Subspatial Warheads -> Sniper if available, Improved Command Frequency if not

• Ceaseless Momentum -> This one is very hard to give up, but if it's truly out of your budget, you don't have a lot of good options. Improved Critical Systems would be okay; so would Programmable Matter Enhancements.

Notes:

Superior Area Denial is an excellent trait for ships using Fire-at-Will or Scatter Volley that also have a hangar, but while I have access to it, it lowers the damage done by Elite Drone ships, so I am not using it here. 

Miscellaneous

This ship uses Photonic Officer and Boimler Effect its primary cooldown mechanism. As evidenced from the chart above, without Boimler Effect triggering, this build will not have most of its powers on global cooldown. Thankfully, with a high number of short rotation powers (10 over a 15-20 second rotation), there's an 85% chance or higher of at least 1 activation of the trait during a rotation.  

Link to CDR Sheet for this build