The Hur’q Vedcrid-class hive dreadnought carrier started as a specialized city-ship for moving the Hur’q and their attendants from place to place during their empire’s spacefaring ascendency.

Its design has a fairly civilian focus, with a lean towards the ability to support mining and the digestion of asteroids; but it is still a formidable weapon platform when it comes to self-defense.

Like other Hur’q ships, the Vedcrid-class was originally not a vessel of war – as seen in its haphazard, organic construction designed for processing asteroids. However, insectoid-ingenuity quickly set this massive vessel apart in armor and armament.

Few who have seen these ships in the theater of war have told tale of the encounter. As it is capable of launching multiple wings of tiny – but extremely swift and potent – Hur’q Swarmer-class fighters that quickly fill space with beams of resonating phased weaponry that rapidly evaporate shields and turn starship hulls into clouds of vaporized metal.

In its own way, the Vedcrid-class hive crystallizes the beauty of the swarm – its coordination, the purity of purpose, supremacy of thought and design. As the flagship of this once-great empire, it is an echo of a resplendent age, terrible and glorious on against the stars.

Acquisition

The Hur’q Vedcrid-class hive dreadnought carrier is available for players of all factions and can be obtained from the [Special Requisition Choice Pack – Tier 6 Promotional Ship Choice Pack] that sometimes drops during special R&D events.

It is an extremely rare drop, so it might take a bit of gambling during these events to get one.

This massive vessel is also an expensive buy on the Exchange for 1.2 billion Energy Credits. Assuming a value of 5 million EC for a single Master Key, which can be purchased for 125 Zen, or $1.25. That means the Vedcrid-class, bought without taking advantage of any sales, could cost around $300.

The Vedcrid-class is a Tier 6 scaling vessel, which means it can be given to any captain irrespective of rank and will scale with them. The hull, shields, equipment, and weapons will scale proportionally until level 65.

Aesthetics

Similar to the Hur’q Ravager-class heavy escort carrier, the Vedcrid-class is built out of three major enclosed superstructures that house its personnel, warp cores, nacelles, and thrusters as well as acting as hardpoints for weapon arrays.

The rest of the ship is organic-looking spines and columns that interconnect these superstructures to a central mass in an interlocking web of needles and spires. The central mass is similar to the three external structures, but also appears to contain armored sensitive equipment and most likely the command section.

The exposed portions of the hull appear to have a chitinous, possibly organic, origin with plates that interlock and cover large regions. Its smooth exterior and internal spines can be seen glowing in the darkness between the stars with a sickly green luminescence.

The engines of the Vedcrid-class do not appear to be clearly defined, but exhaust pours from the back like most vessels, so most likely they are organically grown within the body of the vessel itself.

There are numerous hardpoints for beams and cannons across the hull, but they’re hard to pinpoint until it starts firing. For the most part, they seem fairly well-positioned and make it look pretty good in a firefight.

An interesting effect captains will see in fights is when its innate shield invulnerability triggers when a shield facing takes too much damage. This effect appears like a coruscating orange hemisphere along that facing for the duration of the invulnerability.

Handling

The Hur’q Vedcrid-class hive dreadnought carrier behaves basically like a hybrid dreadnought/engineering carrier (and follows that mastery package) as well as Engineering heavy bridge officer seating. It is slow to turn, with an 8-degrees per second, which means that it can take it a while to bring its guns on target – but with seven weapons this can still work for broadsides.

As a carrier, the Vedcrid-class comes equipped with two hangars loaded with Hur’q Swarmer-class fighters, each of which can launch a wing of six total. These tiny vessels are somewhat fragile individually, but together they can act as fairly effective harassment fighters.

The console that comes with the Vedcrid-class, [Energy Nullifier Disperser], adds yet more Hur’q Nullifiers to the field when triggered – it launches up to 32 of these Phaser-bearing warheads – which can be very useful in saturating the area around the vessel and distracting Beam: Fire at Will and Torpedo: Spread attacks. See the equipment section for more information on this console.

As an Engineering dreadnought/carrier, the Vedcrid-class has perhaps one of the most massive hull hit points spreads in the entire game at 68,000 at level 60. However, it also has a shield made of glass with a .8 modifier, expect it to shatter often and expose bare hull to weapon fire.

The vessel loads a 4/3 weapons layout, this makes it slightly more forward-facing than a cruiser and the two hangar bays should make up for the lost aft-facing weapon. This also means that captains may end up running without a torpedo in the fore-arc (certainly not in the aft-arc) except in order to trigger torpedo traits or to complete a set.

The trait on this ship is “Repulsive,” which is triggered by any Engineering or Command bridge officer ability and initiates a massive repel wave knocking away nearby foes.

The bridge officer seating leans a bit towards an Engineering-focus with an Ens. and Cmdr. Engineering/Command hybrid seats, with a Tactical Lt. Cmdr. seat and a Lt. Science seat. To round out customizing this vessel’s role, there is also a Lt. Cmdr. Universal seat. The Ens. Engineering seat sets the stage for a Team or Emergency Power to X alongside more role-based abilities.

Curiously, the vessel also comes with Subsystem Targeting, which means that it can drain specific subsystems of a target like a Science vessel. This seems a little out of place with all of its other capabilities but can become useful when needed to help knock out heavier vessels.

As a Command ship, the Vedcrid-class can also use the Inspiration mechanic, which once filled up can help buff allies. Inspiration abilities can literally turn the tide of a battle by providing significant team-wide buffs including greater firepower, and bridge officer cooldown reduction.

Finally, the starship also comes with an innate “Automated Defense Screens,” which provides temporary invulnerability to shield facings when taking fire, this makes the ship a bit tankier – and is quite useful given its already extremely brittle shields.

Hull Modifier: 1.7 (51,000 at level 40, 58,650 at level 50 and 68,000 at level 60)

Shield Modifier: 0.8

Fore Weapons: 4

Aft Weapons: 3

Device Slots: 3

Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Lieutenant Commander Tactical, 1 Ensign Engineering, 1 Commander Engineering/Command, 1 Lieutenant Science, 1 Lieutenant Commander Universal

Console Modifications: 4 Tactical, 5 Engineering, 2 Science

Base Turn Rate: 8-degrees per second

Impulse Modifier: 0.16

Inertia: 30

+10 to Weapon Power, +10 to Auxiliary Power

Can Equip Dual Cannons

Subsystem Targeting

Inspiration Abilities: Turn the Tide, Against All Odds, Battle Preparation

Automated Defense Screens (Innate Ability)

Console – Universal – Energy Nullifier Disperser

2 Hangar Bays loaded with Hur’q Swarmer-class fighters

Starship Mastery Package: Engineering Carrier

Starship Trait: Repulsive

Captains who take this huge, lumbering vessel will find themselves constantly watching their small fleet of hangar ships as they’re going to output part of the damage across the battlefield – although they are extremely fragile and will need to be replaced often.

The Engineering/Command seating can make this starship extremely useful as a support vessel, while also providing a nice platform for its own firepower. With +10 to Weapons and +10 to Auxiliary, it’s possible to build the Vedcrid-class into a leading focused-firepower role or a support role, depending on the direction the captain wants to slot into the Universal Lt. Cmdr. and how much Command is slotted into the hybrid seat.

One issue that captains of the Vedcrid-class will face is drawing too much aggro. Since its shields are friable and collapse under even the lightest of enemy fire, it will depend heavily on armor and Engineering abilities to increase hull resistances during protracted exchanges of fire. It is possible to build this carrier to hull tank as its low impulse modifier and slow turn rate will make it harder for it to escape from smaller, faster enemy vessels.

As a result, the Vedcrid-class will depend fairly heavily on its harassment fighters, ability to launch Nullifiers, and potentially the repulsion wave trait to keep its safety bubble clear of danger. In a more supportive role, especially with Inspiration mechanics, their carrier also operates nicely in a team with other teammates acting to keep aggro off it.

Build Advice

The Hur’q Vedcrid-class hive dreadnought carrier can take on a number of roles, including acting as a Tactical-heavy mothership supporting its four wings of harasser Swarmer-class fighters or acting in a heal-support role for other fleet vessels.

Both roles can take advantage of the Inspiration mechanic abilities and Command, but there may be a difference in bridge officer abilities.

In support roles, carrier captains might look into the Rally Point Command bridge officer ability. With the Engineering-focus, it might also be worthwhile to look into Extend Shields (a friendly heal) also potentially Overload Integrity Field, for spreading incoming heals to allies (although this does not affect carrier pets). Hazard Emitters may also be a must for any captain taking on a support role, or any other, because of the heal and debuff cleanse.

In assault roles, the captain might consider using Tractor Beam with a shield drain duty officer, Beam: Fire at Will, Torpedo: Spread, Tactical Team, and either Attack Pattern: Omega or Attack Pattern: Beta – for more direct firepower or Tactical support respectively. In Command, Concentrate Firepower and Overwhelm Emitters can both provide Tactical support.

This carrier lacks the Science bay to really serve a heavy control role on the battlefield, so it’s unlikely that consoles will be able to buff control and drain enough to do a lot. As a result, the Universal Lt. Cmdr. will probably be committed to Tactical or Engineering (either for extra firepower or Auxiliary to Battery builds).

The Vedcrid-class brittle shield emitters make for an interesting issue when facing toe-to-toe combat against any fleet configuration of enemy vessels. This means that a shield heal of some sort might be needed to bring any given facing back online after, or before, it shatters such as Science Team or Emergency Power to Shields.

With fragile shields, also opens up opportunities to use space sets such as the Dyson Joint Command Technologies set shields the [Dyson Regenerative Shield Array] to bring a facing back online after it overloads. Alternatively, captains who want to brawl with this vessel could equip the [Bajor Defense Covariant Shield Array] for the plasma damage blast when a shield facing shatters – although this places the hive ship in the dangerous position of deliberately taking fire.

Equipment

The Hur’q Vedcrid-class hive dreadnought carrier comes with a surprising amount of equipment for its role, especially including a console, hangars, subsystem targeting, inspiration mechanics, and even automated defense screens.

The console equipped on this ship is the [Energy Nullifier Disperser], which is part of the Swarm Tactics set. Upon activation, it launches a massive swarm of nullifier warheads, up to 32, which last 15 seconds. Each warhead will seek out a single foe and explode dealing phaser damage, with 20% shield penetration, and -50 to current engine power. The console also provides passive boosts: +15 physical damage resistance, +15 kinetic damage resistance, +15 starship control expertise, and +15 starship drain expertise.

As a carrier, the Vedcrid-class supports two hangars equipped with [Hur’q Swarmer Fighters]. Each hangar can launch up to six fighters. Hur’q Swarmer-class fighters are equipped with short-range mining lasers (phaser weapons) and Evasive Burst I – although they are still extremely fragile. The highest rarity of Swarmer-class fighters still only supports one short-range mining laser, but also Evasive Burst III, and Focused Assault II.

As a Science-based carrier, the ship comes with Subsystem Targeting. That means that captains basically have a free ability, with any energy weapon, to drain enemy subsystem power by 4.5 for 10 seconds with a 6% chance of knocking that subsystem offline for 7.5 seconds. The effect stacks up to 10 times.

Something unexpected included in the hive ship is Inspiration Abilities. This is a mechanic added with Command ships and uses a mechanic called “Inspiration,” which is fueled by a meter that is filled when bridge officer abilities are used in combat (double for a Command officer). The three abilities include Turn the Tide, massive damage resistance for 15 seconds; Against All Odds, a huge damage boost and weapon power cost reduction for 15 seconds; and Battle Preparation, all bridge officer power recharge times reduced dramatically. All of these powers affect the entire fleet.

The hive ship also comes with a brand new, unexpected mechanic that may save your bacon: Automated Defense Screens. This is active at all times during combat for each directional shield facing. Any time a shield facing takes damage it provides a stacking damage resistance to all sources. Once sufficient stacks are built on a single shield facing, that facing becomes temporarily invulnerable to damage. Once this period expires there is a brief lockout before it starts building up again.

Conclusion

The Hur’q Vedcrid-class hive dreadnought carrier is very difficult to categorize and come to a conclusion for Star Trek Online captains. It has many merits as a dreadnought carrier and it comes with a huge number of mechanics that make it interesting to play – but it also seems like it falls into a niche role.

The biggest problem captains may find with this ship is that its shields are as brittle as glass and tend to shatter when anything even looks at it funny. This may not be a big problem as shields rarely last long in much of the game and the Automated Defense Screens do give a little extra time to save hull or bring shields back online.

The ship also doesn’t have a terrible turn rate, it has lots of hull and enough Engineering to stay alive even under massive incoming fire. This may make it a nice tank, but it lacks the Tactical focus necessary to provide extreme counter-fire when needed – and it lacks the Science to provide good support for the rest of the team. It also doesn’t have a lot of aggro generation for helping it keep attention on itself if needed.

The lack of Hur’q frigate pets available also hurts it for captains who want to keep as much Hur’q related equipment on board for purity reasons. Plus, the fighters, even as Elites, are extremely fragile and need to be respawned constantly – but as single-target harassers, they are reasonably unmatched.

All of these things together put the hive ship as a fairly reasonable tank, with hangar support, and a smattering of Command abilities for providing heal or fire support combined with potential Tactical seating for some extra firepower.

Couple all of the above with the extreme expense of picking up the hive ship and the Vedcrid-class becomes an extremely situational vessel that only captains who want something that can do what it does in particular. Certainly, like any ship from the Tier 6 Promotional Choice Box it will be a status symbol.

In the right hands, this is a very fun vessel, but captains should keep in mind that it will be a challenge to get it into shape for any specific role without a lot of work.

For everyone else, willing to spend the high expense, it is still a beautiful vessel, an imposing presence on the battlefield, and also quite fun using Command abilities, Inspiration mechanics, and laughing as the Automated Defense Screens come online while explosions burst all around it.

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