Tactical Advice

[Mac D. Ardell]

As always, the Shack is on point with what is important. From what you listed and emphasized by Savar, that setup has become the cookie cutter standard for Escort builds. However, if you look at Blodvaerds and around at others, you will see every possible combination. For me, I like Escorts, and I like Cannons, and drop the torp for an extra one and have dropped a turret in favor of a Beam Array in the rear. When I fight, I fly crazy, and I chain BmOvrld, so it works for me. Make sure you spec into whatever choices you make and setup your Bridge Officers accordingly and also counter power drain with Weapons Bats, EmptW, etc. Like Blod mentioned of the Eng Skills, if it says Weapons or Engines with performance or efficiency attached, mine are maxed, formula of diminishing returns to increase a broader range of skills be damned. Also, max out whatever primary defensive power you go with, Deflectors for ST/TSS, Emitters for PolH/HE. On top of that match up your array to your defensive choice as well, The Aegis array is good all around with +33 to both, but I ran with a Mk X Positron for +48 (+38 Emitters and +10 Hazard Systems). Being in an Escort you want to eek out whatever you can get for your survivability choices, including maneuverability. If you run a mix, Aegis is great. (Still playing around to see if set bonus trumps really getting into the nitty gritty of tailoring your setup to match in all aspects.) And you can go on and on....but it really comes down to what you like, how it looks, how it sounds, how it blows shit up. By the way, I love the plasma, I ran with plasma/tetryon up until VA because I had fun with it. If you want to max out effectiveness in an escort the Fleet is awesome because of the Eng BO and Console slot, I think you get more out of it, but I go back to my Defiant-R because I like it, flaws and all. Have fun. Wow, can you tell I've been away from game, I'm starting to fiend, longest post ever (non RP)? Cheers.

[Morgan Shackelford]

I think I might have to make you a 'wall of text' ribbon, Ardell. Thanks for weighing in though, he's better off getting the dirt from an actual escort pilot