The flagship bundle, consisting of the reworked Odyssey, Bortasqu’ and Scimitar classes, has been discussed since Season 10. Everyone knew that these ships were coming at some point, when Cryptic started releasing Tier 6 variants of the older classes, so it was with some excitement that the announcement that we’d be seeing these ships this month, was received.
The new Odyssey class.As as become the Cryptic norm for their reworks - we are being granted new skins and costume variants for the original classes. Done in their unique style, sporting the 2410 skin type, these ships certainly are very striking to look at. No one can deny that the art designers really had fun when it came to making the flagships of the fleet look even more impressive than they already were. As a fan of the original Scimitar myself, I’ve been looking forward to seeing what they were going to do with this classic and iconic ship. Of the lineup, the Scimitar is the only canon ship of the group, and its also the most heavily used ship in the game. The Tier 5 variant was often slated as the most “OP” ship in the game, used by DPS League hunters to bring about some of the most fantastic and venerated scores in STO history. Whilst newer releases have done much to erode this reputation, the old gal still holds pride of place with many top ranking DPS players.
The new layouts on the Tier 6 ships are not overly different from their predecessors, which should give players a bit more comfort when using these ships. The major difference has been the introduction of the Lieutenant Commander Universal/Command seating slot. When this was announced on Monday on the Cryptic Website - it met with a lot of concern and scorn. Many had been hoping to get an Intel seat variant of the Scimitar. However, it seemed a foregone conclusion to most that this would be the choice, given that these are billed as “Flagships”, necessitating a certain degree of expectation of “Command” specialisation.
The new Bortasqu’ class.On Wednesday, we were given the full rundown on what the ships were, what the variants were and what each variant had to offer. These can be found on the Cryptic Website here: Odyssey
Bortasqu’
Scimitar
I spoke with Captain Britsurfer, newly promoted Executive Officer of the Elite Strike Force Division, about the new flagships. Britsurfer is well known in the community for experimenting with builds and finding out the best way to maximise your potential with any ship. As one of the foremost experts on ship builds, I asked him for his views on the new ships.
“In relation to the flagships, my initial reaction was “Command? Really?”. However, when I saw the BOFF layout, I was somewhat impressed. Once I got into the game with them however, I was very impressed. They turn much better than you expect. I’m loving the Scimitar right now, and I’ve even made a Torpedo Boat Scimitar!!
The variants of each ship allow for considerable variation and adaptability, far more than the previous versions. Any playstyle you have in mind, the ship is so versatile, you can do anything with it. Therein lies the problem I have with the T6 Scimitar. They are so versatile, you’re spoilt for choice, you have to really think hard about it.
I have to really thank Cryptic for putting in a Command seat not an Intel seat, which may sound strange, but the variants you can have on the ship would not be as adaptable on Intel.
Of the three ships, the Engineering variant is the most balanced, with relation to your consoles and BOFF layouts. With command powers, you can use things that really turn you into a massive aggro tank or even a torpedo siege boat. I’m always available for build advice, but I’m still trying to work it out myself!!
The new Scimitar class.As for the traits, Adaptive Hull Plating - achieved from mastering the Engineering T6 Flagship - this one would be the worst trait to use. It really does not apply all that much health or support. You can do far better with having a dedicated healer on your team, as it only stacks 3 times, to a max of 3% healing, which is very lame. Checkmate - achieved from the Science variants - this provides you with exotic damage and projectile damage enhancements from using control powers like the tractor beam, jam sensors, repulsors, Gravity Well, etc. This is a very good power to have if you’re focusing on your science abilities, as the 30% Exotic damage boost is very efficient, and the 30% projectile damage boost is very handy as well. Building a science torpedo boat or science beam/torpedo hybrid would benefit a lot from this trait.
Supercharge Weapons - achieved from the Tactical variants - this provides a buff to your energy weapons, critical chance and critical severity. Of all the traits, this has to be the best of the three. Every time you fire a torpedo, it grants a stack of this buff with up to three stacks being applied. If you know what you’re doing, you can keep a constant stack of three buffs, seriously enhancing your damage output.
I would definitely recommend buying this pack, as its much better than you think it will be. From the brief playtime I’ve had with the Odyssey classes, they all seem to be very good. I’ve not tried the KDF ships yet, but I imagine they’re going to be the same. If you’re looking for a bundle of ships that give you the option for different styles of play - this is the pack for you. This has to be the most versatile pack of ships released in a long time.
However, it is still early days yet, so the jury is still out on their full capabilities. However, I remain seriously impressed with their versatility and adaptability. The Command seating is really a blessing in disguise, and I encourage people who have the ZEN to buy these - to give them a try.
The DPS league have already started producing 120-160k figures from the Scimitar, so whilst it's too early to say it's “OP”, it's certainly looking a strong contender as a pure DPS ship.
I am looking forward to really testing these over the next few weeks, as I experiment with builds.”
What are your views on the new T6 Flagships? Do you agree with Britsurfer’s evaluation? Leave a comment below!
WRITTEN & EDITED BY PETER MILLER - PETER.MILLER@UFPLANETS.COM
At first I was like Brit thinking that a command seating was just a complete waste, an opinion I held up until I finally got my hands on the 9 pack. I can safely say I couldn't have been more wrong