When Cryptic unleashed the most recent expansion to Star Trek Online, the development team also added a brand new tier of starships (Tier 6, or T6) and raised the level cap to 60. With this, a number of new ships were released for every faction and a lockbox was also dropped (“Delta Expedition Ships | Star Trek Online“). In these lockboxes an interesting, alien looking cruiser could be unboxed called the Benthan Assault Cruiser.

The Benthan Assault Cruiser takes the words “assault” and “cruiser” very seriously by providing a capable weapons platform and a great deal of durability mostly in the way of resistances and hull. The aesthetics of this ship appears fragile but belies its implacable sturdiness as a cruiser and its strong Tactical focus.

The ship also features a much sought after hybrid Intel/Science Lieutenant bridge officer station—but this tends to bleed the ship dry for Science powers (and therefore heals) but it also has a Lieutenant Universal for discerning captains. And its T6 top tier mastery trait is a viral torpedo that disables enemy vessels on torpedo hits (see below.)

A STO captain looking for something that can withstand punishing incoming fire while returning withering reciprocity would find herself with an excellent T6 starship should she acquire a Benthan Assault Cruiser.

Acquisition

This ship is a rare drop from the Delta Expedition lock box; therefore the Benthan Assaut Cruiser must either be acquired through luck or by bought from someone who had one drop. Right now the vessel runs around 110 million Energy Credits (EC) on the Exchange.

So far, the best way in the game to make EC from dollars it to buy Master Keys (for around $1.25 in the C-Store) and turn them into EC. As Master Keys are currently running at around 2.5 million EC—their prices can get somewhat volatile so this is just guessing at current market—it could end up costing as much as $66. Carefully timing buys of ZEN and watching the market could pull that price down significantly, but this ballpark is not uncommon for lockbox ships.

As a lockbox ship, the BAC is cross-faction so both Klingon and Federation (or allied Romulans) can captain this vessel.

Aesthetics

The Benthan Assault Cruiser has an alien-looking streamlined hull that looks more like a ball of carefully melted metal wrapping around two giant blue globes—the rear globe is fully rounded, but the forward globe seems to be a hemisphere that is hanging like a chandelier from the front.

The cruiser is longer than it is wide, giving it something of a pickle appearance and with its turn rate it actually feels like it can swing around with some capability. The unmodified engines provide purple trails as it wanders through space. From behind the blue balls inside the superstructure glow through the gunmetal grey of the chassis giving it a very unique look among STO ships.

The bridge of the BAC is an interesting study in what feels like a command and control room—with emphasis on the room. The bridge is split across a wide corridor with two command areas, in the back is a semicircle filled with consoles for officers to do their duty with a command chair, a number of hanging monitors, and a view of the center of the room. The other side, presumably the navigator’s chair, is inside a triangular apse with a chair, a set of consoles, and a large screen.

The center of the bridge is dominated by a circular fan in the floor covered by a grate. It almost feels like a courtroom in this aspect where prisoners might be held for the captain to gaze down at them and interrogate them from a perch in the command chair.

The rest of the bridge possesses a gloomy sense of workaday industrial design. The walls are slightly curved, gunmetal grey and brownish, steam rises from the fan in the floor as watery light filters from a blue globe in the ceiling and the broader arc of a larger blue visible through several of the front windows. The bridge might be situated inside one of the large azure globes that make up the ship.

Handling

The handling review of a ship in Star Trek Online is broken up into three parts: maneuverability, armament, and armor. The Benthan Assault Cruiser is one of the first alien T6 ships, and is the very first lockbox T6 ship—as a result, it’s going to be difficult to compare to other ships in the game. The BAC displays a heavy split between Engineering (5 slots) and Tactical (4 slots), a strong cruiser shield modifier at 1.25, a massive hull at 50,000 (at level 60), and to add extra punch +10 weapon power coupled with +5 to shields and engines.

Tier: 6 Faction: All Rank Required: Rear Admiral / Brigadier General / Sub Admiral I Availability: Delta Expedition Lock Box Hull Strength: 37,500 at level 40, 43,125 at level 50 and 50,000 at level 60 Shield Modifier: 1.25 Crew: 850 Weapons: 4 Fore, 4 Aft Device Slots: 4 Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Lieutenant Tactical, 1 Lieutenant Commander Tactical, 1 Commander Engineering, 1 Lieutenant Intel/Science, 1 Lieutenant Universal Console Modifications: 4 Tactical, 5 Engineering, 2 Science Base Turn Rate: 10.5 degrees per second Impulse Modifier: 0.15 Inertia: 45 +10 Weapon Power, +5 Shield Power and +5 Engine Power Console – Universal – Polaric Chromoelectric Modulator Matter-Antimatter Warp Core Cruiser Communication Array Command – Strategic Maneuvering Command – Shield Frequency Modulation Command – Weapon System Efficiency Command – Attract Fire Starship Mastery Package (Cruiser) Absorptive Plating (+Physical and Kinetic Damage Resistance) Rapid Repairs (+Hull Regen) Enhanced Plating (+Energy and Radiation Damage Resistance) Armored Hull (+Max HP) Load Viral Torpedo (Starship Trait)

As a T6 ship, the BAC possesses 11 console slots—as a cruiser it has a massive engineering focus with 5 slots, but it does not shrink on Tactical with 4 slots, leaving 2 for Science. This has led many players to compare the BAC to the Elachi Monbosh Battleship.

On a playing field compared to other cruisers the BAC is very much a battleship. With a turn rate of 10.5 it turns slightly faster than some of the most maneuverable cruisers (for example the Monbosh and the T6 Eclipse Intel Cruiser both turn at 10.) This makes the BAC feel extremely nimble in space and allows a discerning captain to keep it in motion with foes on broadside for greater amounts of time, and it permits easy torpedo-runs for cruiser-style flying.

As for armor, the BAC has hull plating and resistance in spades. Even if this ship’s shields go down, it’s very hard to penetrate the armor in a fight. With a hull sitting at 50,000 it is a massive heavyweight that exceeds even the hull numbers of the Eclipse but not the Guardian. Add in that all of the Ship Mastery tiers add damage resistance, hull regeneration, and extra hull it makes the BAC an extremely tough nut to crack. Finally, with 5 Engineering consoles to work with any captain who feels she needs more armor can just slot extra plating and laugh off almost anything.

With its deep Tactical bay, the BAC is at no lack for armament whatsoever–4 Tactical console slots allow for a considerable amount of firepower to be brought to bear with energy weapon boosters and projectile consoles. Coupled with a Lieutenant Commander Tactical and a Lieutenant Tactical this vessel is never at a lack of something to shoot with—and for captains who want to add fangs to the cruisers already formidable jaws, the Lieutenant Universal could also become another Tactical. Additionally +10 weapons power provides more than enough extra juice to service the BAC’s 4/4 weapon layout.

The BAC comes with an interesting special console that adds to its juggernaut capabilities and is also able to slot a console from the lobi Hazari Destroyer that make it considerable tougher.

With the Console – Universal – Polaric Chromoelectric Modulator online the BAC becomes an unstoppable wrecking ball that slowly builds up shield resistance to energy weapons fire. With each shot that hits the BAC it gains a stack of charge that reduces damage to shields by 2.5% (up to 20 charges.) After 30 seconds (or on second click) it fires a Chromoeletric Charge at a nearby target that inflicts massive damage and disables the victim for at least 6 seconds. This console comes equipped on the BAC.

Players who purchase the Hazari Destroyer will also have access to Console – Universal – Hazari Shield Drone. This console summons a shield drone that basically makes the BAC invulnerable for a short period of time.

The two-piece set bonus form equipping both consoles is a simple recharge reduction on their respective abilities.

Finally, as a T6 ship the BAC has a top-tier starship mastery trait with an interesting twist. The BAC seems to couple durability, firepower, and single-target-disable as its go-to arsenal. The top-tier mastery of the BAC is Load Viral Torpedo. Once every 10 seconds any time the captain uses a Team power the next torpedo will have a viral warhead—this warhead will disable enemy vessels for 5 seconds.

Build Advice

The Benthan Assault Cruiser is ably outfit for a standard cruiser build with 6 beams and fore-aft torpedoes. In fact, it makes an extremely effective beam boat with the +10 weapons power and its higher-than-average turn rate for a cruiser. With its numerous Tactical BOFF stations it could capably run Beam Fire At Will almost all the time and become the disco-ball of doom because the Engineering BOFF station permits Directed Energy Modulation.

Captains interested in going a not-so-traditional route could run with a 4/4 beam cruiser layout, but would need to mitigate energy drain with Engineering consoles and skills.

This ship cannot equip Dual Heavy Cannons, which may turn many captains off attempting a cannon build; but its high turn rate provides a solid time-on-target when bringing cannons to bear, but the lack of DHC is something to consider when noting its strong beamboat capabilities.

The weak Science bay in the BAC may prove to be a problem in protracted firefights where shields become just as important as hull (and hull heals are on cooldown) as a result, captains may want to slot consoles that provide more shield hitpoints or higher benefits from shield heals to mitigate pressure. However, as with most things, the biggest selling point of the BAC is that its best defense is a potent offense: after all, dead enemies do no damage.

The Hybrid Intel/Science Lieutenant station may give captains something interesting to consider. This opens up the possibilities for running with Intel Team–which provides temporary stealth and extra defense, and will trigger the viral torpedo–and Electromagnetic Pulse Probe—which provides another disable to the BAC’s arsenal of debilitation. The Lieutenant slot also provides access to Override Subsystem Safeties for some more impressive alpha strikes (but the drawback can be problematic) and Kinetic Magnet I is hilarious when heavy torpedoes and mines are in the vicinity—as this ability makes the victim the target of such projectiles while increasing kinetic damage.

The biggest problem of the Hybrid Intel/Science slot is that the Intelligence abilities are antagonist to the few Science heals that the BAC may have access to. So captains are urged to choose wisely.

Conclusion

The Benthans are known throughout the Delta quadrant due to their strong cultural ideals towards honor, law, and order—and they act in part as the quadrant’s police force. As a result, the Benthan Assault Cruiser is a capable police vessel, battle-hardened and blooded against the worst the Delta quadrant has to offer.

Looking at the Benthan Assault Cruiser has revealed a ship designed for front-line damn-the-cannons-full-speed-ahead reckless abandon. With its deep Engineering bay and mastery set for increasing hull and resistance coupled with the +10 weapons power and Tactical secondary focus, the BAC is a siege engine intended to ram down the throats of enemy fleets and come out the other side trailing still-glowing chunks of wreckage and expanding plumes of plasma.

The BAC is a full cruiser, with a complete suite of Cruiser Commands, and with its slightly higher than average maneuverability a pioneering captain could plough this engine of warfare writ in holy fire through anything thrown at it. Shields will stutter and fail, hulls will puncture and rupture; and even as the enemy returns fire the BAC will laugh at them as it flies free.

The BAC does all of this and even includes interesting debilitating capabilities without sacrificing much DPS; but what really makes it interesting is the hybrid Intel/Science Lieutenant station. This means enterprising captains can take advantage of the newest Intelligence abilities and bring yet more disables into combat.

With a bit of EC or a lot of luck, any interested captain could take this vessel and make a very potent wrecking-ball for the battlefield. It is durable, versatile, and powerful—all good reasons to try out the Benthan Assault Cruiser and put out some bad guys lights.