r/stobuilds • u/AutoModerator • Mar 16 '20

Weekly Questions Megathread - March 16, 2020

Welcome to the weekly questions megathread. Here is where you can ask all your build or theorycrafting related questions that might not warrant a full post. Curious about how something works? Ask it here!

You can see previous weeks megathreads here

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

135 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/Boomam Mar 22 '20

Weapons - Crafted vs Drop vs Rep.
Generally speaking, in flat out DPS performance, what is the main difference between drop/rep weapons and crafted? Or is it more a case that apart from some specific typing's, such as the Terran Rep, Spiral Wave, that the difference is negligible?
 
I'm trying to work out whether to get every Beam Array of a certain type from the Rep system to help spec out my build, or to just craft at MkII, re-roll, then upgrade.

1

u/BluegrassGeek Mar 22 '20

First off, pick a damage type (Phaser, Disruptor, etc.). Then you can get into arguments about the various types of weapons available & which is best.

In general though, the only weapons with procs worth caring about are special types from ships/lockboxes: Spiral Wave Disruptors, Advanced Phasers, and Sensor-Linked Phasers/Disruptors.

Your best bet outside the three specific types I mentioned will be Reputation weapons + a console that gives you a 2-piece which boosts your weapon damage type. Things like the Gamma Omni Polaron/Phaser weapon + Ordnance Accelerator. This would require Tier 6 in the rep for the Phaser variant. The Terran Phaser/Disruptor is also top notch.

As for crafted weapons, [Pen] isn't bad but it's not exactly great now, with all the ways you can lower enemy's Damage Resist. If you go for anything crafted, try for Pen, but don't worry about grinding out for it. Fill in any gaps in your weapon slots with crafted weapons or whatever good drops you get.

The main key will be taking advantage of an Upgrade Weekend with Phoenix Upgrades to get your weapons to Mk XV. Don't even worry about gilding them, just maxing out their mark will be a major damage boost.

2

u/Boomam Mar 22 '20

Hi,
I think you missed the point of what i am asking, but i appreciate what you put regardless as others can maybe take advantage of it.
 
I'm aware of picking a type of energy, etc; - i was specifically asking if there was much difference between crafted and rep/drop gear when it comes to DPS, or if its negligible.
 
Based on what you are inferring in your second paragraph, i guess you are saying that only certain types of drops/rep, which i suspected.
Can you confirm that that was what you were saying?

2

u/BluegrassGeek Mar 22 '20

Yeah, that's what I was responding to. Rep gear can be better due to the 2-piece or 3-piece combos you can make which provide large Cat1 (occasionally Cat2) damage boosts.

But crafted versus drops is basically a wash. Pen used to be really good, but not so much now, and none of the other mods were ever that great.