Back when fleet ships were first introduced, my must-have fleet variant was the Armitage class. In Star Trek Online you have a wide selection of ships types, and back then the escort-class was all the rage. The game carried the moniker ‘Escorts Online’ and I promise you it had nothing to do with with dating opportunities.
The
Armitagewas one of the first ships I paid ‘real money’ for, primarily due to it’s
Photon Torpedo Point Defense Systemconsole. My thinking back then was if it worked as well as the
Point Defense Console, it would be a devastating combination. It was for someone who that 2.5K was something to be proud of
Add to the belief at that time that a AP DHC build was ‘the only build’ you should consider as a Federation captain (Klingon’s had Elite Fleet Disrupters – bastards!), this ship could pack a serious punch with no less than three tac seats. In a world where the Bug was top dog, this was a close second.
Oh, and it’s the ONLY ship I bought another ‘skin for’.
ThunderchildeIf you’re a sci-fi geek, you’ll know the origins of that name. It was the first ship I had ever put together a purpose-build for. The first ship I learned to drop all of the gimickey consoles from, and yes the first ship that I broke 10K with. Running Elite STF’s with Rain and Sharpe –
you’ll remember Sharpe powered dilithium runs– this was the ship to beat. Sharpe was a bit of an arrogant twat, but man could run a dilithium farming series with military precision. While I learned to love this ship I ground my way to Elite Scorpions through LoR, finished my OMEGA rep for those oh-so-sweet
torpedoes(the best at the time), I struggled in a very small fleet to get to the tier necessary to purchase the ship.
I might add my first invite to the first DPS league was from Porch, while I flew my Armitage
Along the way other ships became slightly better. And the thought of buying the fleet version was left farther behind. Even though I would move onto the MVAE and Chel Grett, I’d always come back to my first true love every so often.
Two
fleetslater, I finally have the resources to get a fleet ship. I struggled with the decision and finally the MVAE won out (sans the consoles of course). Over the years money was no longer an issue, and fleet ship variants popped up on all of my alts. But I never broke down and bought the fleet version of the Heavy Escort Carrier.
It’s still on all of my Federation alts. Everyone had their time flying this beast.
I don’t spend this much time talking about other ships for good reason. Fast forward a fair bit of time, and the ‘people who shall not be named’ leaked that there was in fact a T6 Armitage in the works. Better yet it’s part of a 3-faction set of HEC’s, and this version was worked on by Thomas
Marrone and Hector Ortiz.
QuoteI modeled the Alita. The design was a collaboration between STO Concept Artist Hector Ortiz and I. Really pleased with how she turned out. — Thomas Marrone (@thomasthecat)
July 27, 2015
So when it became official this past week – I was actually excited about a new ship and I haven’t even seen the stats. If this ship comes with a universal/pilot seat AND pilot-ship capabilities I think I might have a geekgasm. In truth though it will likely not have pilot-ship capabilities, but I certainly am hoping for some sort of interesting mix of intel/command seating.
From
Trendy’s post: We’re excited to announce three new Tier 6 Heavy Escort Carrier starships. The first is an enhanced version of the Tier 5 Armitage Heavy Escort Carrier, called the Alita Class Heavy Escort Carrier [T6]. This starship is available at Vice Admiral rank. The second is an all new Klingon Raptor called the Qa’Tel Flight Deck Raptor [T6]. Much like the Alita Class, it features everything you’d expect from a Klingon Raptor and it includes a single hangar bay and is available at Lieutenant General rank. Lastly we have the Jhu’ael Tactical Carrier Warbird [T6]. This starship is an upgraded version of the Tier 5 Ar’kif Tactical Carrier Warbird Retrofit and is available to Vice Admiral Romulan captains. Like our previous cross faction bundles, all three of these new ships have been given a 2410 visual update.Maybe I’m getting a little too excited.
There will most definitely be a Fleet variant, but the added punch of factions-specific version means this is a hell-yeah purchase for my collection. And for the first time in over a year I am actually considering cannons (yeah, yeah I will most likely drop back to a
beamscort build shortly thereafter). The abilities and console sound interesting.
All three of these new Tier 6 starships come equipped with a Destabilized Tachyon Emitters universal console. When activated, this console will emit a devastating burst of tachyon radiation that will deal instant heavy shield damage to foes with 5km. Affected foes will also suffer shield damage over time and have their shield hardness reduced for a short time. In addition, each of these starships can unlock the Coordinated Assault starship trait by achieving level 5 in their Starship Mastery. While this starship trait is slotted and you activate Beam: Overload I, II or III you will allow your pets to use Beam: Overload I. Using Cannon: Rapid Fire I, II or III will allow your pets to use Cannon: Rapid Fire I. NOTE: Your pets must have weapons that are compatible with these attack upgrades in order to benefit from this starship trait.
I can’t see myself adding back the torpedo console, but we will have to wait and see what the game designers have in store for us. Coordinated Assault sounds cool. Destabilized Tachyon Emitters – hmmm I wonder if there’s synergy with Improved Tachyon Pulse.
And with that, I am eagerly awaiting Trendy’s next post on the subject. The Lootcritter
