[TwentyPercentCooler]

Made it to lvl45 tonight, will try the first STFs today...
And my fleet escort still rips thruogh enemys with ease...hope to get a tier X all dual cannon front...

Edit: OMFG, just did the klink warzone several times...and killed the same klink several times in a row, 'cause this dumbass always focused on me, so I tanked him, another teammate backed my shields up...and I blasted him away

Check out the episode "Past Imperfect" in the Klingon arc. It gives some plasma-disruptor hybrid heavy cannons as a reward, and you can do it as many times as you like. The rewards scale with your level. The P-D hybrid stuff got a damage nerf last patch but they just went from stupidly overpowered to very good. The important thing is that it's free and the mission takes all of 10 minutes, although unfortunately you have to wait 30 minutes to repeat it. It's still an excellent option and doesn't involve grinding STFs or dilithium. Also the Klingon arc missions rule, although that might be because I love TOS and they're the missions that match the feel of TOS most accurately.

[Liberator]

This is good advice, unless  you are flying a STF equipped ship with 3/4 borg set and a MACO shield, in which case you are mostly invulnerable already, providing you can use your repair skills properly.

[crizza]

I just started with STFs, so the Past imperfect thing is a good advice.

[Retsof]

I've only been on a couple actual teams, though I think I'll start making them when I play now.  Too bad I'm science, and it should really be the tanks that lead the way.  It's annoying when you get ambushed by a klink when your teammates are off doing their own thing though.

[BloodEagle]

Avoid "The Cure" unless you already know that you can beat it.

Freaking overpowered so-and-so.

[Commander Zane]

Depends on which type it is. The Cure (Space) is easy, and fun to play. The ground mission is just absolute **** from start to finish.

[crizza]

What makes a tank a tank?
My Fleet escort is a tank if it has support of a team...a cruiser can tank pretty much on its own...

[Liberator]

When people say "tank", they usually mean a crusier, because a cruiser has twice the HP of a science ship and 3x the HP of an escort typically.  Cruisers also have more engineering console where the usual tactic is to either fit neutronium plating or mob specific plating so that you just ignore 50ish % of the incoming damage.  My Odyssey for instance is perfectly fine hull-tanking everything except a uni-matrix or a tactical cube, provided I don't forget to use my skills.  That said, a DS Science Vessel, with a character spec'd for maximum shield strength and the appropriate consoles is currently the best tank with something like 90k Shield HP.

[crizza]

And what am I?
A damage dealer?
A rapid fire salvo usually strips most targets of its shields, but before I can fire my aft torpedos, the shields've recharged -.-

[Scotty]

I have my Engineering stations set for a heal, shield boost, and damage reduction.  My Science station is a shield boost.  I have my power set to full shields with high Warp Core efficiency skill for MOAR POWAH, and then I pull aggro from the fragile escorts and science ships.  At the level of difficulty I play on (default), I can tank like half of the entire fleet action.

Two dozen frigates?  NO PROBLEM.

[crizza]

I go all power to weapons, my first engineer is shielding, the second repair, my science is jam sensors and tractor beam, my tacticals are two rapid fire, scatter fire, torpedo high yield and spread as well as two tactical teams...
THis gorn fleet action usually ends with me engaging severall frigate gruops at once and when I realize I'm drawing too much fire it is usually too late , which results in ramming speed and then selfdestructing...

[Scotty]

Yeah, those frigates are annoying.  When I accidentally draw like too many, I just turn whichever direction there are fewest, hit the boost button, and manage shield/hull buffs until they stop shooting.  I make it out probably three out of four times.

Then again, that tells you how spatially aware I am.  Probably not a good quality for a ship captain.

[Enzo03]

Kinda like what I did three or so pages earlier?

Just now on the mission "The Kuvah'Magh I played on Advanced and screwed up and got two of those groups of small ships and a big ship after me at the same time and got beat down to 2% and managed to not die in the end.

Well at least I certainly felt like a badass, my ship all flaming and scorched and ****.

I think the small ones were fighters.  Makes sense because they were swarming all over me.

[LunarNightmare]

Okay, internet went out as I was trying to post. I made a new character, it's up to a Lieutenant Commander now, i'm so happy that i'm done dealing with the sheer uselessness that the Miranda is.

[NGTM-1R]

Avoid "The Cure" unless you already know that you can beat it.

Freaking overpowered so-and-so.

Cure Space ain't hard. Cure Ground (and Infected Ground) are ****ing madness.

The only ground mission worth doing is Khitomer Accord, and not least because you can get a Borg Bridge Officer out of it if you get the achievement. Otherwise, do spaces and warzones.

[Scotty]

I almost regret not getting an Escort now, after I switched back to my Light Cruiser to take a set of dual heavy cannons for a spin.  I may only be a Lt. Commander, but jeebus a pair of Dual Heavy Plasma Cannons Mk. IV [DMGx2] lay the ****ing smackdown on the poor sod in the middle of my crosshairs.

I also finally found a reason to play Gorn Minefield.  Everyone else sucks at it so bad that I get first place, and consequently ridiculous rewards such as the aforementioned heavy cannons.

[crizza]

Thats why I have four dual heavy cannons on my fleet escort...rips through most shields with ease, but behold if the klinks jump you and you've no support and used most abilities...

[Retsof]

*Grumble*  Science can't use cannons, So when I get them I just have to sell them.

[LunarNightmare]

I love my cannons, nothing like vaporizing spheres with my fleet escort.

[Enzo03]

Retsof, you could hand em over to me.