Holding off a cube...

posted on November 23rd, 2009, 2:08 pm

Exactly what is the best way to hold off a Borg cube equipped with these modules:

2x Tactical Armor
1x Beam
2x Torpedo
1x Regen

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Ohh... and just as important, how do I hold off multiple cubes like this, say. 4?

posted on November 23rd, 2009, 2:39 pm

If it's in a fleet, ignore it until it's the only thing left.

If it's on its own, use long/artillery range ships to whither it down and subsystem disabling ships to destroy weapons and engines.

Against lots of cubes, still go for the weaker ships, but i would say surround them with your long ranged ships and use your disabling weapons effectively.

posted on November 23rd, 2009, 3:36 pm

2 dreads can destroy a cube with ease.

Breen battleships can use dampening missle to disable sub systems.

1 vet dread should be enough to destroy a cube on its own.

Artillery and torpedoes are most effective against borg vessels anyway, phasers much less so.

posted on November 23rd, 2009, 6:09 pm

Eraldo, Dread is only mixed-tech. Also, using a Dread to take on Cubes is like putting all your eggs in one basket - if your Borg oppponent has a Transmission Matrix up, you've just handed him your base on a silver platter.

Phasers will do less damage to this Tac Cube because of the reduced damage the tactical modules offer. However, beware that Breen Cruisers and Battleships will do only 2/3 damage to Cubes in general - unless you can spam these and stay out of range continuously (aka, if you are not expecting other faster or long range Borg units) and you want a late game Borg killer, best to go with Seige Cruisers, V-13 (dealing more hull damage too) and even the S-7.

In correlation to what Unleash has stated, swarming and disabling the Borg in general is your best bet. That includes Sus'a', Veqlaragh, Breen Cruisers, Bombers, Serkas, Intrepids, Excelsior II's etc. Speed and range are the things you'll want to aim for, since if you can stay at range and zoom out of there quick, you can easily avoid losing vessels. One big slow juicy target will end up being your doom, because you can't effectively retreat, and if you do, you'll loose all your firepower at once.

Rinse and repeat for multiple Cubes obviously - lots of system disabling units.

posted on November 24th, 2009, 7:35 pm

Eraldo, Dread is only mixed-tech. Also, using a Dread to take on Cubes is like putting all your eggs in one basket - if your Borg oppponent has a Transmission Matrix up, you've just handed him your base on a silver platter.

My tac was based on a team game with an ally and that was my point... special yards.

Anyway i always keep a dread in my fleet with battleships for support.  Depending on the strength of my opponent or his current condition will depend on whether i use both.

So i disagree with that bit.

[Dominus_Noctis]

posted on November 24th, 2009, 7:45 pm

Last edited by Dominus_Noctis on November 24th, 2009, 8:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It should be the other way around - a Dread is your support, not your main wedge. If you rely on your Dread to become your main fighting platform, you just end up wasting your resources because you haven't teched up properly and will have next to no ships to defend yourself. One or two Spheres can easily eliminate a Dread (not to mention a handful of artillery type units) and like I said before, a Tac Cube outfitted with Transmission Matrix weaponry will easily blow away a Dread. Relying on battleships - including dreads - is like relying on turrets for an offensive: it is quite easy to just dance around those units with faster cruisers and destroyers, incurring minimal losses while using superior firepower.

EDIT: and yes, I realize that one of the current Romulan strategy relies almost entirely on battleships, but that is a temporary deal - and although pretty effective, it is still quite counterable by longer ranged units (especially arty) or more maneuvorable units.

posted on November 24th, 2009, 8:11 pm

It should be the other way around - a Dread is your support, not your main wedge. If you rely on your Dread to become your main fighting platform, you just end up wasting your resources because you haven't teched up properly and will have next to no ships to defend yourself. One or two Spheres can easily eliminate a Dread (not to mention a handful of artillery type units) and like I said before, a Tac Cube outfitted with Transmission Matrix weaponry will easily blow away a Dread. Relying on battleships - including dreads - is like relying on turrets for an offensive: it is quite easy to just dance around those units with faster cruisers and destroyers, incurring minimal losses while using superior firepower.

EDIT: and yes, I realize that one of the current Romulan strategy relies almost entirely on battleships, but that is a temporary deal - and although pretty effective, it is still quite counterable by longer ranged units (especially arty) or more maneuvorable units.

I haven't tech'ed up properly while my fleet consists of a dread and many breen and dom battleships.... ok then.

You keep saying that 1 or 2 of these ships can destroy a dread well..... its not alone so no.... just no you v lost it somewhere.

Dread speed is about the same as a cube, my dreads are never alone, always have support and you seem to forget about the dread special.

posted on November 24th, 2009, 8:20 pm

Of course you haven't teched up properly - if you only have a handful of vessels in a fleet, when your opponent is fielding 3-4 times as many, you know (well, you should know) you've done something wrong.

A Tac Cube wouldn't be alone either. Your point being? If we were to pit your fleet against an equal Borg fleet, you'd probably be facing three Spheres a Diamond, and some Assims as Optimize (or a Cube instead of the Assims). As Assimilate you'd face 5-6 Assims and at least one Pyramid. A Tac Cube is 10 faster than a Dread for what it's worth. Dread special is easily avoided if you never get in range .

posted on November 24th, 2009, 10:50 pm

In my experience, a few Negh'var will not only blow that cube to hell and gone, but still be in fighting trim to engage it's support fleet.  And since the Borg aren't really set up for quick kiting, and Neggys have a pretty large crew to discourage Assimilators, it actually works pretty well.

I consider the neggy to be the Klingon anti-Borg vessel, with the Vor'cha for everyone else. 

posted on November 24th, 2009, 11:32 pm

That may be in IA, but in multiplayer, the Sus'a' and the Veqlaragh - with a good smattering of Sang' and KbeajQ - perform much better. Vor'cha obviously does a great deal of damage too, but is more a specialist weapon due to the Polaron Torpedo. Negh'var's are quite powerful against Cubes as they'll never miss, but they are short range (discounting the uber special), slow, and will obviously come after all the aforementioned ships - and thus will rarely ever be a game winning vessel.

posted on November 25th, 2009, 12:05 am

Wasn't this in reference to holding off a cube?

Easy enough, while your fleet is gallavanting around to produce a handful of neggies back in your base as a very rude defense force.  Who cares if they're slow and short-range then?  The enemy is coming to them.

posted on November 25th, 2009, 12:08 am

Have to agree with Dom.  I find the Neggie to be a great damage dealer to a Cube, but by the time I'm able to field them I'm usually iced by that cube.  It takes more than a few Negh'var to actually destroy a cube.  You can have a whole fleet of them and lose easily.  A full fleet of Weapon Overloads will half destroy it - an impressive feat, but really the better way is to disable the thing as long as possible with Polaron's from Vorcha's, consistent Polaron Fields from the Qaw'Duj, and Susa's or Sang's ftw.  Neggies get outrun by Cubes (which is just a travesty) but can deliver a massive blow with Weapon Overload that is hard to discount.

 Anyway ... I hate fighting Borg as there is almost always a single strategy you MUST use in order to adequately fight them.  I just find it irritating that a few minor mistakes can cost you that game too.  If Borg firepower begins to outweigh yours too much you have little to no chance of turning that back.

posted on November 25th, 2009, 12:17 am

 Anyway ... I hate fighting Borg as there is almost always a single strategy you MUST use in order to adequately fight them.  I just find it irritating that a few minor mistakes can cost you that game too.  If Borg firepower begins to outweigh yours too much you have little to no chance of turning that back.

Yeah, that's pretty true as long as you are not Klingon (at least not Klingons spamming Sus'a' or Veqlaragh) or facing a decently capable Borg player (or even a relatively new Assimilate player - hey, all you need to do really is know your module combos and how to use the auto-assimilator  ). It's that opening Sphere and Assimilator: makes it very difficult to do the wrong thing and still manage to pull off a victory. Later on the game becomes more forgiving - I just find it is the opener that can decide the battle usually.

posted on November 25th, 2009, 12:31 am

Aye.  You've hit the nail on the head.  The assimilator's die quicker but are harder to outrange and can strip your pretty little destroyers like hookers.  The Sphere's with 3 regen modules are a BITCH to destroy unless you can field some heavy firepower quickly.  God forbid you lose a few vessels and don't kill it, it will regen and link up with the SECOND Sphere.  Even worse as they can very easily cover one another.

  Oh, and GOD FORBID AGAIN there is a strategically sound blue nebula nearby ...

posted on November 25th, 2009, 12:36 am

I found that in FFA games the Negh'var can be useful.  After 1 or 2 fleets of susas , teching up to the moqbara station is the way to go.  That almost doubles your firepower right there.  Then do negh'vars and speed uprades, while only building susas from one ship yard or whatever.  The benefit of the neghvar is that its special is also increased by the moqbara station, so you're getting a weapon overload that is almost twice as powerful. 

I'm hoping the new module changes will make battles more interesting on both sides.  Playing as/against borg really isn't fun right now.