U.S.S. Perses
Deimos Pilot Destroyer
Deimos Pilot Destroyer
Last Updated December 2023
This build was conceptualized after the Pilot overhaul in February 2023 that made Reroute Reserves to Weapons a viable energy weapon mode after being severely lacking compared to the other modes. Since I already had the extension trait for it, I decided it was time to put together a Reroute Reserves to Weapons build to fill out my stable of builds to cover all of the energy modes. I chose to use Disruptor because of certain consoles and set pieces that work well to handle the power needs for this firing mode. Reroute Reserves to Weapons adds an incredible amount of haste but also warps the typical method of building and accounting for power since it 1) drains engine power instead of weapon power, 2) the power drained is NOT returned at the end of the weapon's firing cycle, and 3) weapon power cost reduction has no effect on it.
With the release of the Hysperian Intel Battlecruiser and its Dragonsblood Flame Reactor console, it became less desirable to use Auxiliary to Battery. Unfortunately, the previous platform for this ship, the Legendary Jem'Hadar Attack Ship, was not suitable for switching to Photonic Officer. However, in the mean time I had also acquired the Deimos Pilot Destroyer account-wide, which had very similar seating. Thus, the build was ported over to the Deimos to better take advantage of that console.
Platform Selection
If you're using Reroute Reserves to Weapons, you NEED full Pilot (Commander), full stop. Then, since it's still an energy build it's better to have five fore weapons and 4-5 engineering consoles before T6X. Secondary specializations like Intel or Miracle Worker are nice as well. The Legendary Jem'Hadar Attack Ship has all of the above and happens to be the ship that supplies the extension trait for Reroute Reserves to Weapons (Vanguard Specialists). In all seriousness, that ship is an excellent choice for this type of build but struggled to slot Photonic Officer, which was better for the aux-scaling Dragonsblood Flame Reactor than Auxiliary to Battery. Since I had the ship already, I switched the build over to the Deimos and have seen excellent results.
This is a premium build, with the highest available budgets and resources utilized in its creation. See the build costs page for more detail.
In Greek mythology, Perses was the god of destruction, and the father of Hecate, the goddess of magic and crossroads. This sleek vessel, armed with fast-firing disruptors and wielding some "magical" abilities of its own, fittingly bears the power of its namesake.
ISA: 252K (solo deathless0
ISE: 1330K (premade)
HSE: 812K (premade)
Using the EZRA rubric, this build would cost 621 USD to replicate. That is far more than what I spent on STO to make it. If the cost looks daunting, don't worry! Lower-budget alternatives are provided below.
This build is reasonably cheap, although the use of a Legendary ship and Event ship does necessarily increase the price.
Elite Captain/T6X upgrade, all fleet unlocks
0 R&D Promotional ships
0 Lobi ships
1 Lockbox ship (Deimos)
2 Legendary Ships (Legendary Jem'Hadar Vanguard Attack Ship, Legendary Avenger Miracle Worker Battlecruiser)
1 Event device (Kobayashi Maru Transponder), 2 Event ships (Risian Corvette, Hysperian Intel Battlecruiser)
1 Lobi gear item (Altamid Console, 1 Lobi trait (Boimler Effect)
2 lockbox consoles, 5 lockbox traits, 4 non-standard doffs, 2 lockbox bridge officer abilities
Reputation + fleet gear; all Mk XV Epic
December 2023: T6X2 upgrade. Replaced Nausicaan Siphon Capacitor with another Disruptor Isomag. Added Agony Distributor, Ship of the Line, and Subspace Modulator. Replaced Large Engine Batteries with Advanced Targeting Locks. Was at 298K ISA, 867K ISE, 778K HSE
July 2023: Moved build from Legendary Jem'Hadar Attack Ship to the Deimos Pilot Destroyer. Switched from A2B to Photonic Officer. Replaced Technicians with 2 crit-boosting Projectile Weapons Officers and a Warp Core Engineer. Replaced House Martok console with Dragonsblood Flame Reactor. Replaced Vulnerability Locators with Isomagnetic Plasma. Distribution Manifolds. Replaced Bellum EPS Flow Regulator with Computer-Assisted Flight Algorithms. Reversed ranks of EPtW and EPtE. Was at 292K ISA / 650K ISE / 615K HSE.
May 2023: Replaced Wide Angle Heavy Dual Beam Bank with Spiral Wave Disruptor Dual Heavy Cannons. Was at 286K ISA / 603K ISE/ 531K HSE
March 2023: Posted build
Build Focus
This build leans hard into energy DPS. There are plenty of other secondary build emphases that led to choices for survivability or to benefit the torpedo or to add speed, but it's primarily an energy DPS ship. There is no hangar or exotic components of note in this ship.
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
Since I use this skill tree for both tanks and DPS build, taking two points in Hull Capacity helps survivability. Increased Hull Capacity boosts Tyler's Duality as well. I could have taken a second point in Hull Restoration but chose to take a point in Shield Restoration instead for the second science unlock.
I always take a single point in Hull Plating, but other resistance skills and Damage Control are not worth it.
2 points in Impulse Expertise are 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 point in Shield Restoration is low opportunity cost for relatively high survivability gains. Since I need skill points elsewhere, only 1 here
A single point in Shield Regeneration has surprisingly large impact on shield regeneration based on recent research by Jay
Since this character has Nadion Inversion, which scales with Drain Expertise, I take both points in DrainX. Two points in Control Expertise powers the Fragment of AI Trait.
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 use torpedoes 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 energy weapons + 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.
While Engineering captains can't output the raw DPS of a Tactical Captain, their abilities lend themselves quite well to energy DPS, and you're not really a glass cannon when you have doubled Miraculous Repairs. Since I'm also tanking on this toon, it makes it rather easy mode. Tacticals have more DPS, Engineers survive longer, and I'm not building pure glass cannon.
Notes
There's lots to discuss here. This one is spicy.
Disruptor: Disruptor has some advantages in that the Nausicaan console gives EPS. Could do similar things with Phaser via Reinforced Armaments.
Lorca's Ambition 2-piece: The Nausicaan set is non-value-added since it forces a Beam Array and a meh torpedo. Dark Matter ended up getting slotted by default and the console is good on its own with the 2-piece. The Wide Angle Heavy Dual Beam Bank is NOT slotted because it doesn't benefit from Reroute Reserves to Weapons' haste.
No Quad Cannons: Look, I enjoy Quad Cannons for their damage and visuals but they drain -10 extra engine power while firing on top of the Reroute Reserves to Weapon drain and for that reason they are not my go-to.
Soliton Wave Impeller: Keeping Five Magicks up all the time requires a source of Electrical, Radiation, Fire, Cold, or Psionic damage with high uptime to gain the Disruptor bonus. This does Electrical damage and fires frequently.
Notes:
I don't need the Competitive Engines, as this ship has lots of speed. The regen helps counteract taking damage and the Bajor Core is feeding 12 power into all subsystems as long as I'm within 3 km of an enemy, which is very helpful.
Notes:
Power Drain:
At the end of the day, Reroute Reserves to Weapons is going to drain a LOT of engine power and since traditional weapon power cost methods like Emergency Weapon Cycle, Marion, or Rhythmic Rumble don't work on it, you have to do something a little bit different to sustain the haste. I've found a winning combination that works for me and my budget level that allows me to sustain RRtW III indefinitely:
Engineering captain with EPS Manifold Efficiency
Intelligence Agent Attache reducing EPS Power Transfer's cooldown
OSS III
Bajor Core at 150 DrainX
Emergency Power to Engines I and Emergency Power to Weapons III
I could probably reduce some of the mitigation methods somewhat, especially on an organized run, but for general use, I have 220.63% EPS and have Engine Power set to 75 with 20 (EPtE) + 10 (ship) + 3 (skills) + 10 (EPS Manifold Efficiency) + 13 (Bajor Core) + 10 (Dragonsblood Flame Reactor), plus Five Magics should be supplying some additional power. If you have 250% EPS or more and over 140 Engine Power (so 30 overcap), you're probably capable of sustaining a RRtW build firing 6 energy weapons. I also have EPS Power Transfer and OSS III in the mix, so those add additional power. OSS's chance of Engine Offline does NOT cancel RRtW.
Budget Tweaks:
The Spiral Waves can be substituted for something else like a Wide Arc Disruptor Cannon or a regular Dual Heavy Cannon
Replace the Tachyon Net Drones with the Assimilated Module
Replace the Agony Redistributor with the Nausicaan console
Replace the Altamid console with another Isomag (shuffle the consoles around).
Meta Notes
Meta options would be replacing all boffs but maybe Weyoun with Superior Romulan Operatives or Watchers. Bor-ing.
If you're in love with Unconventional Systems, consider replacing the Hazard Emitters and Reverse Shield Polarity with controls like Tractor Beam and Emit Unstable Warp Bubble
Meta-Focused Tweaks:
The meta would be using a Tactical captain, so EPS Manifold Efficiency gets replaced with A Good Day to Die
If you wanted to go full glass, drop Give Your All and Grace Under Fire for Duelist's Fervor and Adaptive Offense, or maybe Unconventional Systems if you have the consoles to make it work. I find it overrated myself unless staggering expense is invested.
Budget Tweaks:
If low budget, (try and keep the ones at the bottom)
Drop Fragment of AI Tech (Elite Captain unlock)
Context is For Kings -> Operative
Repair Crews -> Techie
Self-Modulating Fire -> Point-Blank Shot
Intelligence Agent Attache -> Cannon Training I suppose. This one hurts to lose because there's no great substitute
Boimler Effect is the hard one to give up. Scrounge for it if you can
Meta-Focused Tweaks:
Universal Designs or Ruin of our Enemies would be a replacement for Improved Critical Systems. Terran Goodbye and Ruin are fickle in that you must land the killing blow to stack them. Universal Designs basically requires an expensive console, the Immolating Phaser Lance, to make it worth it. This might be an okay build to replace Emergency Weapon Cycle on, but it'd need one of those expensive traits
Budget Tweaks:
Drop Ship of the Line (T6X2 upgrade)
Five Magicks -> Programmable Matter Enhancements
Strike From Shadows -> Improved Command Frequency
Super Charged Weapons -> Improved Predictive Algorithms
Notes:
If Improved Critical Systems is not available, you might try Synthetic Good Fortune but definitely take Tractor Beam over Hazard Emitters
Meta-Focused Tweaks:
If you have 27 of 47 lying around, obviously that is a substantial damage bonus, giving a chance for CrtH on use of Tac Powers and CrtD on use of Intel powers. He also costs more than a Lobi ship, so I passed.
Budget Tweaks:
If low budget
Drop the Energy/Projectile Weapons Officers for the Maintenance Engineer (Exocomp) that gives more power on battery use and a Fabrication Engineer or 2 from K-13 that boosts skills on use of Ensign abilities.
This ship uses Photonic Officer with Boimler Effect as its primary cooldown mechanism, as A2B helps with the engine power issues. Boimler can be a little unreliable, but when paired with Photonic Officer it's usually pretty safe. Thankfully, with a high number of short rotation powers (10 over a 15 second rotation), there's an 97% chance or higher of at least 1 activation of the trait during a rotation.
With as many abilities and synergizing concepts as this ship employs, an efficient control scheme is essential. There are many ways to set up such a ship, so I don't pretend to assume that my way is superior. It works for me, especially with my background in RTS and MOBA games, where pushing many different keys quickly is essential:
Spambar: (Spacebar) Reroute Reserves to Weapons, Emergency Power to Engines, Advanced Energy Amplifiers, Attack Pattern Beta, Large Engine Batteries, Torpedo Spread, Photonic Officer, Kemocite, Override Subystem Safeties, Emergency Power to Engines
Heal key: (4): Hazard Emitters, Rotate Shield Frequency, Reverse Shield Polarity, Brace for Impact.
I don't map ALL of my abilities. In particular, do NOT map Fly Her Apart to a spambar, as it is a toggle and as such you'll cancel it before it's fully charged. The below image is what abilities I leave on visible trays:
I start with basic combos for the first 3 cubes. Usually I attack the center one first. Since it's a single-target build, especially on ISA, you'll want to make sure all the enemies in the first stage are dead before zooming off. In an ISE run, I will use all of my longer cooldown buffs in the first fight, but not ISA. Trigger Evasive Maneuvers to fly over to the left transformer and fire off all major abilities while at 1/4 impulse or stopped within 2 km of the transformer. If I am soloing a side, target the smaller generators before the transformer. Save Computer Assisted Flight Algorithms for attacking the transformers and gateways. Similarly, only use Dragonsblood Flame Reactor and Intrusive Energy Redirection when attacking groups of enemies. Once 2-3 of the generators and cube are down, target the transformer with Focused Frenzy. As it dies, quickly rotate to face inward toward the gate. When the transformer is low health, fly past the ball of spheres with Evasive Maneuvers again (reset due to Emergency Power to Engines) and head to the right side. Rinse and repeat, then Evasive Maneuvers again to fly between the Tactical Cube and Gateway.. Make sure to flank the Gateway Tactical Cube. Frenzy should be available here again. Lastly, don't forget to summon your Delta Alliance Beacon/Nimbus Pirates/Beacon of Kahless, etc. In an average ISE run, I can get two off: one at start and one at the end.
The importance of Crit and Flanking cannot be oversold. I saw significant increases in DPS from boosting Crit in doffs and traits. On my runs, my weapons were parsing around 90% CrtH with roughly 60-70% flank percentage. Since flanking includes extra crit chance/severity with Intel and greatly benefits from the Computer Assisted Flight Algorithms console, you can't go wrong with flanking either! Look for the downward pointing arrow on your target.
Numbers from record ISE:
Agony Redistributor: 191.5K
Terran Task Force Disruptor Cannons: 183.8
Terran Task Force Beam: 148.6K
Spiral Wave Dual Cannons: 133.6K
Spiral Wave Dual Heavy Cannons: 122.2K
Soliton Wave Impeller: 111.6K
Disruptor Omni: 106.4K
House Martok Omni: 85.2K
Dark Matter Torpedo: 84K
Breath of the Dragon: 71.1K
Kemocite: 31.6K
Tachyon Net Drones: 20.8K
Anti-Time Entanglement Singularity: 14.7K
Concentrate Firepower: 8K
Delta Beacon: 6.4K
Distributed Targeting: 5.7K
Radiant Detonation: 0.643
Let It Go: 0.6K
Altamid Drone: 0.3K
Counter-Offensive: 0
The team composition for this run was a tank, and 2 supports. Crits were mid-80% for weapons and ~60% flank. Note: I was running Radiant Detonation Matrix in this run but it didn't parse well so I'm recommending Tyler's Duality. I also misfired the Refracting Tetryon Cascade.
To properly port this ship, the best matches will be ships with 5/2 weapons with full Commander Pilot and secondary Intel, of which there are several. The cheapest option would likely be the Miradorn, which could port this build almost entirely, dropping OSS down to 1 and dropping either Let It Go or Hazard Emitters. It would also pick up another Pilot power. I'd probably choose either Pilot Team or Hold Together. You would also lose the crafted Omni. Similarly, La Sirena would have no issues running this setup but would likely bump Let It Go to 2 and take RSP at 3, ditching the crafted Omni as well. The Mars could also use this build with just dropping OSS to 2. Lastly, the Courier would just need to drop the crafted Omni and Hazard Emitters/Let It Go for another pilot power and switch OSS to Narrow Sensor Bands 1.