Warbird Singularity Powers

In previous blogs, we unveiled the various Romulan Warbirds players will be able to captain as well as Romulan ship progression. Today, I am excited to reveal the new Singularity mechanic that is unique to these starships.

The information below represents the current development state of this mechanic. It’s important to note that information provided in this blog is subject to change as beta progresses. All Singularity mechanic information in this blog is subject to change at any time.

Singularity Energy

One of the more interesting traits of Romulan starships is that they have a Singularity Warp Core instead of the standard Matter-Antimatter Warp Cores used by Federation and Klingon Empire starships. This gave us an interesting way to introduce some new mechanics that will make for a unique Romulan player experience.

Singularity Mechanic

When a Romulan player pilots a Warbird they will gain the ability to build Singularity energy over time. This is represented by a meter with 5 "pips" that gradually fills when the player is in combat. Beneath this meter is a mini power bar with between 1 and 5 Singularity Powers. In order to use these powers you’ll need at least 1 full Singularity pip. The potency of these powers scales with the number of Singularity pips used. After activating a Singularity power, you’ll be unable to build Singularity energy for a period of time.

In short:

• Singularity energy builds gradually while in combat.
• Singularity will not build if the Warbird is cloaked.
• Singularity energy slowly decays while outside of combat.
• Singularity energy will determine the potency of the Singularity power used.
• Using any Singularity Power will completely deplete your Singularity meter and prevent it from filling for a period of time.
• All Singularity Powers have a shared cooldown as they all depend on Singularity power to be used.

Singularity Powers

These special abilities are accessible either via the Singularity power tray beneath the Singularity meter or by directly clicking them in your power trays. All Romulan Warbirds have a number of Singularity Powers equal to their Tier. So, Tier 1 ships have a single power while Tier 5 ships have all five Singularity Powers. In other words, higher tier ships have more Singularity Powers to choose from. The exception to this rule is fighters. These ships have access to a specific single Singularity power. Below is some information regarding each of the 5 Singularity Powers:

Plasma Shockwave
Singularity: PBAoE Damage, + DoT
Availability: All Romulan Warbirds

This power releases a massive blast of Plasma energy from the Warbird that deals some initial Plasma damage as well as a large amount of Plasma damage over time to enemies within 5 kilometers. This power’s damage is enhanced by the Particle Generator skill. This power’s initial damage and periodic damage is increased with Singularity energy level.

Plasma Shockwave is a large radius blast which deals a small amount of initial damage and a very large amount of Plasma damage over time. This power’s radius and damage makes it excellent for clearing out pesky fighters and shuttles as well as dealing a respectable amount of damage to larger enemies.

Quantum Absorption
Singularity: +Temporary Hit Points, +Shield Heal, +Shield Heal Over Time
Availability: Tier 2+ Warbirds

Quantum Absorption grants you a large amount of temporary hit points (which prevent damage to your hull if your shield is down), an instant shield heal as well as a periodic shield heal over time. This power is an excellent choice if you’re near defeat or if you need to absorb a foe’s deadly alpha strike. This power’s boost to temporary hit points, shield heal and shield heal over time is increased with Singularity energy level.

Warp Shadow
Singularity: Create Warp Shadows
Availability: Tier 3+ Warbirds

When activating this power you will execute a very short range sub-space jump to a nearby location and you’ll create a number of Warp Shadows equal to your Singularity energy level. These indestructible sensor anomalies appear as copies of your ship and are intended to confuse an unsuspecting foe into attacking them instead of you. Mechanically speaking, the summoned pets will taunt nearby foes but don’t actually attack enemies or deal any damage. After a short time your Warp Shadows will vanish and your vessel will immediately cloak for a brief period. During this time you can attack as normal.

In short, Warp Shadow can pull you out of a dangerous situation by redirecting enemy fire onto a number of indestructible copies of your ship.

Singularity Jump
Singularity: Self Teleport, Create Singularity
Availability: Tier 4+ Warbirds

Upon activation you will deploy an expanding singularity at your current location before executing a sub-space jump 5 kilometers forward. Enemies near the singularity will be drawn toward its center and will have their accuracy, damage and perception dramatically reduced. Additionally, affected enemies will become decloaked and suffer minor kinetic damage over time. The singularity’s debuff effects scale with your Singularity energy level.

Singularity Jump is an excellent option when you’re surrounded by enemies. The debuffs placed on enemies within the singularity’s radius are very potent, and can quickly turn the tide of battle in your favor.

Energy Weapons: Singularity Overcharge
Singularity: Overcharge Energy Weapons
Availability: Tier 5 Warbirds

Activating this power will drain power from your warp core to dramatically boost the effectiveness of your energy weapons for a short time. While your energy weapons are overloaded your beam weapons will fire devastating focused blasts at your enemies and your cannons will deliver withering barrages of fire at your target. Energy Weapons: Singularity Overcharge’s duration scales with your Singularity energy level.

This power’s duration is brief, so it’s critical to make sure your intended target is within range and in your firing arc before activating this power.

Power Availability

The table below details the Singularity powers available to each Romulan ship.

These Warbird Singularity Powers introduce an awesome new gameplay mechanic that makes Warbirds unique and incredibly fun to command. We cannot wait for you to be able check them out this May when Legacy of Romulus launches. See you in-game!

Phil "Gorngonzolla" Zeleski
Systems Designer
Star Trek Online

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