I.K.S. suv'Do

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

  • 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 with Drain Expertise, I take a point in DrainX. A point in Control Expertise powers the Gravity Well on builds that use it on this toon. Two points in Exotic Particle Generators helps add damage to any exotic effects or abilities on the build. 

  • 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, 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, 3 points in Projectile Weapon Training is a good choice. Improved Hull Penetration, Shield Penetration are decent adds; the last point doesn't add very much. 

  • I like taking 3 points in accuracy and 2 in 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, such as this one. 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 with a heavy dose of carrier focus, as much as budget allows. 

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

If you have the Klingon Executor Disruptors or Spiral Waves, feel free to swap out some of the weapons. I would start with the Terran Beam. I'm using a mix of beams and cannons to leverage set bonuses, but you can go for more standard colors at a loss of some DPS. 

Notes:

The Iconian Reputation 3-piece helps boost pets. Scorpion Fighters beat a bunch of other options in my testing, including Qaw'Dun Birds-of-Prey and To'Duj Squadrons. Obelisk Swarmers, Nausicaan Stingers, or Kelvin Drones would be better, but are out of budget at the Elite rank needed to make them worthwhile. Not having access to the Fleet Store severely limits our options. Do NOT slot Elite Scorpion Fighter Squadrons.

However, if you have access to them, slot Elite Lost Souls of Gre'thor for the best possible pets at this budget level. 

Notes: 

Obviously this is a pretty cheap build, so if you have more carrier things, slot 'em if you got 'em. 

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

• There are many consoles that would work better than the House Martok Defensive Config or Assimilated Module. Shared Targeting Network (Newton) and High Energy Communications Network (Ra'nodaire) from the C-store are solid options.

• Replacing the Disruptor Induction Coil consoles with Energetic Protomatter Matrix Infuser [Disruptor] consoles from the Fleet Colony will help a lot. Even better would be shuffling down two of the universal consoles to Tactical and fitting Hangar Craft Power Transmissions [Disruptor] (x2).

Budget Tweaks:

• This will struggle to get cheaper, but a regular Disruptor dual cannon or dual heavy cannon will fit in fine if you don't have access to the Discovery Legends T6 reputation. There's lots of good stuff in that rep so it's good to get it to T6. 

Meta Notes

• Don't swap out Science Team or Hazard Emitters for things that don't trigger the Competitive Engines.  Getting boffs with space traits like Superior Romulan Operative or Watcher would be a boon, even if it's just Pirate. 

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

• If you can fit Wing Commander, Enhance and Protect, or Independent Wingmate, swap out Elusive, Innocuous, and Operative for them. You can also update the ___ training traits to Superior versions at Fleet K-13 if you have access to it, but that is a much lower priority to lots of other things when you're first starting out. 

Budget Tweaks:

• If you don't have access to Twinkling Lights, Bulkhead Technician will do. 

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

• There's lots of room for improvement, so check out our Carrier Basics guide for trait ideas. 

Budget Tweaks:

• Doesn't get much cheaper than this. 

Miscellaneous

Without Boimler or some other more powerful (and expensive) cooldown solutions, we're stuck with Photonic Officer II and Chrono-Capacitor Array, plus a little readiness. However, it mostly works out. Don't mind the orange bar on the bottom; the tool was designed for T6 ships and this is a T5. 

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