How to build a Support ship

This guide wants to give you an idea how to build a Supporter for space PvE.

 

A supporter has many jobs to do. Debuff and Heal are the main tasks. A special build is required for this role. This guide will give you some ideas and examples for a support build.
Note: If you click on most icons, a new tab on the website https://sto.gamepedia.com will open.

 

Ships

 

The most popular support ships are the Tholian Jorogumo Carrier T6,  Tholian Recluse Carrier [T5_U] , the Styx Terran Dreadnought Cruiser and the Tholian Tarantula Dreadnought Carrier [T6]. These ships have a good layout and hangar slots for Tholian Mesh Weavers or Terran Empire Frigates.

 

 

Skilltree

This is an example skilltree for a Supporter. 

 

 

 

Personal Traits

This is a list of recommended Personal traits. Some of them are for free, some are available via Infinity Lockbox or Exchange.

 

Biotech Patch (Exchange or Infinity Lockbox)

Improves the effectiveness of all your hull heal abilities (e.g. Engineering Team)
+20% bonus hull healing effectiveness

 

Coalition Starship Tactics (Exchange or Infinity Lockbox)

You get a personal bonus depending on your teammates profession. Each of the bonuses can stack up to 5 times. Only allies within 20km contribute.
Per Engineer teammate: +X shield regen per second
Per Science teammate: +3% hull healing received
Per Tactical teammate: +3% flight speed and defense rating

 

Expedient Repairs (Exchange or Infinity Lockbox)

When you use a hull heal or shield heal on an allied player:
To ally: +20% All Damage for 5 seconds
+20% All Damage Resistance Rating for 5 seconds
To self: reduces hull and shield heal cooldowns by 20%

 

Fleet Physicist (Exchange or Infinity Lockbox; Science only!)

Science Fleet now provides a shield regeneration effect during its uptime as an addition to existing effects.
To all team members: +X shield regeneration per second for 30 seconds
(affected by starship shield restoration)

 

Fleet Technician (Exchange or Infinity Lockbox; Engineers only!)

Engineering Fleet now provides a hull heal-over-time to players affected by your Engineering Fleet.
To all team members: +X hull heal per second for 30 seconds

 

Fleet Tactician (Exchange or Infinity Lockbox; Tacticians only!)

Tactical Fleet now improves your and your team’s ships maneuverability.
+125% flight speed
+125% turn rate
+100 immunity to slow

 

Imposing Presence (free)

Improves your outgoing hull healing and makes your ship a more attractive target for enemies.
+7,5% outgoing hull healing
+25% threat generation

 

Inspirational Leader (Exchange or Infinity Lockbox)

Chance to increase your skills.
10% Chance: activating any bridge officer abilities grants
+10 to most starship skills for 15 seconds (can stack up to 3 times)

 

Psychological Warfare (Exchange or Infinity Lockbox)

Improves your control abilities (e.g. Gravity Well)
+20 bonus control ability effectiveness

 

Shield Frequency Analyst (free)

Improves your outgoing shield heals.
+15% outgoing shield heals

 

Superior Techie (Techie for free; Superior available at K-13)

Increases your hull heal abilities and your passive hull regeneration
+30 starship hull restoration (hull healing)
+30 starship damage control (passive hull regeneration)

 

Thrill-seeker (free)

Increases your flight and full impulse speed
+15% flight and full impulse speed

 

 

Reputation Traits

Sadly we don’t have support traits here, so we use defensive traits for our own ship. 

 

Advanced Hull Reinforcement (Dyson Reputation T2)

Gives you +12.5 Bonus All Damage Resistance Rating in space combat.

 

Active Hull Hardening (Dyson Reputation T4)

The fewer hitpoints you have the more Damage Resistance Rating you get.
+0-93,75 All Damage Resistance rating bonus depending on your current hitpoints.

 

Energy Refrequencer (Iconian Reputation T2)

Hull heals when firing energy weapons.  You receive 9.4% of your outgoing damage as a Hull heal to you.
[9,4 is the base value, you get more when you use traits/consoles which increase your hull heals; NOT Hull Restoration]
Triggers up to 5 times, capped at 450 base healing per trigger.

 

Auxiliary Power Configuration – Defense (Nukara Reputation T4)

Depending on your Auxiliary Power, this trait gives you
+ All Damage Resistance Rating
+ Maximum Hit Points and Shield Capacity

 

Chrono-Capacitor Array (Temporal Reputation T2)

Reduces the recharge time of your Bridge Officer abilities.
+9,4% Bridge Officer ability recharge speed

 

Advanced Engines (Delta Reputation T2)

Increases your ships base flight speed and turn rate.
+31.3% Flight Speed
+31.3% Turn Rate

 

 

Starship Traits

We recommend the following traits for a support ship. 

 

All Hands on Deck
(T6 Command Ships; Fed: Presidio; Rom: Vastam; KDF: Ty’Gokor)

Activating a Tactical or Command bridge officer ability will reduce the recharge time of
science bridge officer and captain abilities.
-10% recharge time on science bridge officer abilities
-5% recharge time on captain abilities
Only occur every 5 seconds

 

Attack Pattern Delta Prime
(Exchange or Delta Alliance Duty Officer Pack)

When using Attack Pattern Delta on an ally and this ally is shot at,
the targeted ally gains bonus Critical Chance and Critical Severity
+1,5% Critical Chance for 5 seconds of each hit
+3,75% Critical Severity for 5 seconds
Stacks up to 10 times

 

Cold Hearted
(Breen Plash Tral Heavy Raider; Winter Event Ship 2017)

After activating Auxiliary to Battery or any pilot officer abilities will cause your energy weapons
to afflict enemies with a speed and damage resistance debuff and power drain
-9,1% flight speed for 15 seconds
-10 all damage resistance rating for 15 seconds
-2 current and max all subsystem power for 15 seconds
Stacks up to 5 times

 

Improved Grafity Well
(T6 Science Pilot Escorts; Fed: Andorian Chimesh; Rom: Dewan Ikkabar; KDF: Lethean Nemosin)

This trait improves the duration, the debuff on the main target and the recharge time of Gravity Well
– Duration of Gravity Well increased by 20 seconds (20 seconds=>40 seconds)
– Recharge time of Gravity Well reduced by 20 seconds
(NOTE: The recharge time of Gravity Well can never be reduced below 40 seconds)
– Primary Target of Gravity Well suffers -20 All Damage Resistance Rating for 40 seconds

 

Superior Area Denial
(Fed: Mirror Escort Carrier; Rom & KDF: Box from Exchange)

Activating Beam Fire at Will or Cannon Scatter Volley causes your weapons
to debuff enemies resistance rating.
-When activating Fire at Will or Cannon Scatter Volley:
           Grants Fire at Will I or Scatter Volley I to our hangar pets
-to target: -30 All Damage Resistance Rating for 5 seconds

 

Team Synergy
(Jem’Hadar Vanguard Dreadnought Cruiser)

Activating Science, Engineering or Tactical Team will apply a lesser version of it to self and allies within 10km.
– Applies a lesser version of the team ability effects to self and allies within 10km
Affected by starship hull and shield restoration

 

Tricks of the Trade
(Jem’Hadar Vanguard Warship)

Activating Auxiliary Power to Structural Integrity Field or any Miracle Worker Bridge Officer ability
will reduce weapon cost reduction for yourself and near allies.
-20% weapon power cost for yourself and allies within 7,5km
 

 

 

 

 

Weapons

We want to use weapons with a Damage Resistance Debuff. For this Disruptor beams are the best choice because they have a Damage Resistance Debuff as a Proc. We recommend two different beams.

If the player you support uses different energy weapon types, you should use Polarized-Disruptors.

If the player you support uses only disruptor beams, you could use Coalition Beams because of the strong debuff.

 

Additional Weapons

You can also use this Omni-Directional beam. It doesn’t matter if you use Phaser or Polaron. We use this weapon because of the damage resistance debuff. You can get this weapon via the Gamma Reputation.

As an additional weapon, you can also use this one. This weapon wasavailable during the Crystalline Catastrophe Event during September 2018.

Space Set

The Iconian 4-pc set is still the best choice for a support build. We use this one because of the 3-pc and 4-pc set boni. The 3-pc is a passive proc, the 4-pc has to be activated manually.

 

 

Consoles

Now we want to have a look at the consoles. We want to use consoles which buffs our heal, debuff and control abilities.

Reiterative Structural Capacitor – Universal Console
Availabe during the second Kobayashi Maru Weekend Event
This console offers you a very usefull heal for yourself and your allies.
You can use this console on yourself or an ally.
When using the ability, it is important to stay close to the allied target at all times.
This console also provides a passive bonus to your hull restoration and capacity. 

PBAoE=Point-Blank Area of Effect (Effects extends from the player)

 

Tholian Tetryon Grid – Universal Console
This consoles comes with the Tholian Recluse Carrier T5
The console establish a energy link between your ship and your hangar pets. The grid can be extend to nearby allies within 6km and increases their energy weapon damage.
It is important that all hangar pets are active and they should be around the primary target.
This console can only be used on the Tholian Recluse Carrier and the Tholian Tarantula Dreadnought Carrier.

 

Sustained Radiant Field – Universal Console
Obtainable from the Iconian Reputation T1
This console enhances your weapon damage and, more important for a supporter, gives you bonuses to your outgoing Hull Heals and your Shield Heals. 

Protomatter Field Projector – Universal Console
Obtainable from the Lukari Ha’kuun Science Vessel (Anniversary Event 2017)
This console provides you a very strong PBAoE Heal for yourself and nearby allies. Use this console when your ally is under heavy fire.
Active for 20 seconds.

Interphasic Instability – Universal Console
Mirror Invasion 2017
This consoles helps you to debuff.
You should use this console on a big target  (e.g. Tac Cube), maybe in combination with a Gravity Well.

 

Plasma-Generating Weapon Signature Nullifier – Science Console
Obtainable from Fleet Embassy
We use this console to buff the Gravity Well.
[CtrlX] = Control Expertise => Improves pull range of Gravity Well
You should use as many of these console as possible.

 

Conductive RCS Accelerator – Engineering Console
Exchange or R&D
The Recluse is a pretty slow turning ship, this one is very usefull.
It also buffs the Control Abilities (e.g. Gravity Well)

 

Assimilated Module – Universal Console
Obtainable from T1 Omega Reputation
This very cheap console also buffs Control Abilities.

 

Console – Universal – Regenerative Integrity Field
Kobali Samsar Cruiser – 5th Anniversary
Very good console for more heals.

Console – Universal – Approaching Agony
Exchange or Emperor’s Lockbox
A very nice debuff on a big target (e.g. Tac Cube with Gravity Well)

 

Pets

We use these pets for the Recluse and Tarantula. You can buy them in a T5 Starbase.

The Elite Tholian Mesh Weavers use Attack Pattern Beta III and help use to debuff the enemy. With Fire at Will III they spread their debuff all over the map.

If you use the Terran Styx Dreadnought instead, you should use the Terran Empire Frigates.
They also use Beta III and Fire at Will III and as an addition, they also use Supression Barrage.

Duty Officers

This is a list of the Duty officers you can use on a support ships. The layout depends on which ship you use and if you use A2B or not.

Adak’Ukan (all factions)
(Obtainable through Exchange or Dominion Duty Officer Pack)
This lovely Jem’Hadar increases the threat generation for the target of  your Attack Pattern Delta.
You can slot up to 3 of them. This trait helps your ally to get more stacks of Attack Pattern Delta Prime.

 

Astrometrics Scientist
(Exchange or Delta Alliance Duty Officer Pack)
This duty officer has the chance to add an extra heal to Hazard Emitter.

Damage Control Engineer
(Exchange)
This duty officers can add a Hull Heal over Time to your Aux2Sif. If you don’t use Aux2Sif on your ship, you don’t need this officer.

Matter-Antimatter Specialist
(Exchange or Delta Alliance Duty Officer Pack)
This duty officer adds a chance for your Gravity Well to deactivate enemy engines for a short time.
Very useful on spheres. Stops escape attempts.

Sensors Officer
(Exchange)
Very helpful against angry spheres.
Of course only useful for science supporters.


Technicans
(Exchange)
Only use them when you fly an Aux2Bat ship. You can use up to 3 of them.

 

Bridge Officers

We have two bridge officers with usefull skills. You should use one Lukari BO and if you don’t use A2B, you can also use Krenim BOs.

This is the special trait offered by the Lukari. You can get Lukari BOs on a T4 Colony.
You only need one.

If you don’t use A2B or you have too much dilithium, you can use Krenim BOs. This one is a science BO, but there are also engineering and tactical ones.
You can buy them at the Fleet Research Lab.
If you don’t run Aux2Bat, you should use two Krenim Tacs to reduce the cooldown of Beam: Fire at Will.

Specialization
Primary: Intelligence

Because we want to use Intelligence Fleet II. This ability provides a teamwide shield and armor penetration enhancement for 30 seconds.

Secondary: Miracle Worker

Miracle Worker helps to improve your heal abilities.

 

 

 

Example Build: Tholian Jorogumo Carrier

 

Example Build: Tholian Recluse Carrier

Example Build: Tholian Tarantula Dreadnought Carrier

 

Example Build: Styx Terran Dreadnought Cruiser

 

Written by @flocki3,
Screenshots by @flocki3,
Icons from www.sto.gamepedia.com