I.K.S. Kut'luch

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

Torpedoes: One, I wanted a torpedo for immersion purposes. Two, the right torpedo, when used with Entwined Tactical Matrices and Super Charged Weapons, is NOT a DPS loss compared to beams. I slotted the Enhanced Bio-Molecular torpedo to leverage its strong High Yield mode on a ship with Concentrate Firepower. 

DBBs: Despite "don't mix weapons" being conventional wisdom for good reason, I've chosen to mix in the Wide-Angle DBB and other fore-firing weapons. For one, I wanted the two-piece bonus without the torpedo. For two, specifically on a FAW build with a torpedo and 2 Omnis, most of my weapons are hitting my forward arc anyway. With 100% FAW uptime and at least 1 target in my side or rear arc, I'm firing that beam pretty much all the time anyway. Suffice to say, with this specific build (FAW) and decent piloting, I'm not really losing uptime on either my torp, or my WADBB. There is no issue when using DBBs with Broadside Beam Support; check the parse notes, it works just fine.

Rainbow Weapons: This build can stack Twinkling Lights up to 5 times. Tetryon lacks a truly compelling weapon but it might be worth it to get 1 more stack in there.

Notes:

Hangar: If you want more thematic KDF pets, run Rare To'Duj Squadrons and slot Superior Area Denial over Thirst For Battle

Notes: 

Console Selection: On a mixed energy type/flavor build with beams and cannons from all 6 flavors, we can't really use Isomags or Locators, which pushes us to a more generic setup with lots of console cooldown support. This is akin to a Krait build popularized by YouTubers, but I'm using less direct damage consoles. 

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

If going full DPS with unlimited budget, you’re picking some different things. That said, for higher damage at higher cost:

• Dilithium Transporter from the Credence is very strong. Also expensive. 

• Consider slotting Rare To'Duj Squadrons or Elite Kelvin Timeline Assault Drones with Superior Area Denial

• Drop the SAFG for something like DPRM

Budget Tweaks:

 If low budget, consider looking at our Nagus build for something still in the rainbow build space but less expensive.

• Drop Custom Power Matrix for Assimilated Module

• Coordinated Engagement Solution could be swapped for Computer-Assisted Flight Algorithms 

Meta Notes

• Could replace Reverse Shield Polarity with Ionic Turbulence III if going full glass. This would make the ship significantly squishier though, so I don’t. Would also need to replace a doff.  

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

If going full DPS, with unlimited budget 

• Whole Lotta X's -> Duelist’s Fervor

• Harmonic Shield Linkage -> Adaptive Offense or Terran Targeting Systems

Budget Tweaks:

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

• Drop Harmonic Shield Linkage (Elite Captain unlock)

• Whole Lotta X's -> Redirected Armor Plating

• Context Is For Kings -> Operative

• Intel Handler -> Accurate

• Breen Shield Tunneling ->  Point-Blank Shot

• A Good Day to Die -> Innocuous

• Intelligence Agent Attache -> Beam Barrage

Meta-Focused Tweaks:

• The meta would probably replace Thirst For Battle with Universal Designs

Budget Tweaks:

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

• Drop To Hell With Our Orders

• The 2 Battlecruiser bundle traits could be much cheaper, like Improved Critical Systems and Strike From Shadows or Superior Command Frequency

Notes:

Miscellaneous

This ship manages cooldowns via Photonic Officer and Boimler Effect, which is a pretty standard setup. Dropping Photonic Officer is possible but risky, as you're relying on pure RNG to manage cooldowns and as such I don't like it. 

Link to CDR sheet for this build