AlienOne

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that the 5X rule only applied to using the same set five times... According to Mid's, it still ups your acc if you have more than 5X of a certain percentage bonus, as long as you're not getting that certain percentage bonus from the same set more than 5X. As an added example, you can slot more than 5 sets of LoTG in a Super Reflexes build, but you wouldn't get the bonuses from more than 5 of the sets, correct? So, say you have 5 ACC bonuses from the same set, but you also have 2 bonuses of 7% acc from 2 different sets. Would they not also work as well? It seems to reflect that in Mids...

Try it. If you make a Super Reflex build, and put 6 sets of LoTG in it, you will see that the percentages don't go any higher after the 5th set. However, you could still technically up your ACC by another 9% if you use a different set that offers the same set bonus.

"The One"

Yes. And including with the demo a link to a "sample" spreadsheet would be great as well... I'd make awesome use of it!

"The One"

I'm assuming you mean human-form player Khelds... Everyone was playing/participating.

"The One"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atomic_Red_EU thanks for reply, all that info seems obvious once it is shown to you and explained! just a few questions on the points you have made.

Depends on the situation and your level, especially if you're exemped down for a TF. Pre-Eclipse, it's going to be hard to start out launching attacks in human form if you're solo--UNLESS you've got Gravitic Emination to open your attacks with... That's a great attack to start stunning people right off the bat to allow you to continue your attack chain without taking too much aggro. Post-Eclipse, you shouldn't have any problem at all opening your attack chain in Human form and then popping to nova to finish off the mob (if there's any left). All of this is "generalistic" statements, and can EASILY change depending on the particular enemy you're fighting, how large the mob size is, and whether you're running with teammates or not.

[As a side note to PrincessDarkstar and Obsidian_Force2, we may want to try and take this into consideration post-i16, as knowing whether or not they are in a solo situation with a mob scaled to 8-players, on Invincible or normal difficulty, and what enemy they seem to be having *problems* with will be an extreme bonus when advising them on what to do.]

Since you are a veteran player, you're already ahead of the curve on adapting to the playstyle of a Kheld. I assume you already know *most* of the enemies of the game and what power each enemy posesses, so you're going to be able to come up with different strategies to take down different mobs, depending on your level at the time, what powers you have, and what powers the enemy posesses.

In any case, with a Warshade, your situation can only improve when you're teamed up, sometimes by HUGE margins.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atomic_Red_EU also, if i am going to be getting rid of health, stamina, swift as well i guess and those shields, that is going to leave me with a load of power slots spare, any advice as what to take in their place? i different power pool? or just more powers from primary and secondary lists?

As I write this, I've noticed that Darkstar has already given good advice as to what you can do with the "extra" power picks... I would also advise to go with the Medicine pool, as your teammates will thank you for it later (especially in a TF situation--which you'll find I think in terms of quite a bit, since it's what I do more of than anything else in the game).

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessDarkstar i16 will give us the ability to run 8 man spawns on our own without having to gather a team to sit in the doorway, and because so many people will do that it should mean there are more purples dropped overall, and thus prices will go down.

What Darkstar said.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessDarkstar I will read over AlienOne's comments about your build soon

I apologize for this, but there are a few people in the Kheld section here who feel they have to "approve" of every post I put in the Kheld section because they feel I pull most of my Kheld advice out of my butt, and therefore "mislead" most Kheld newbies. So, take my advice at your own peril. I've got hours and hours of video footage to prove I know what I'm talking about though--so far from what I can see, they've only got their own word of mouth claiming they're "better" at playing Khelds (or at least slotting them) than I am.

I'm not taking away from their advice for slotting a Kheld at all--they've got some really sound advice regarding tri-form play, which is what you're going for, so I'd definitely listen to them in regards to tri-form slotting. So, point remains... Take my advice at your own peril.

You *may* or *may not* find that I actually put a lot of thought and care into building a Kheld, but you don't have to feel as though you *have* to just trust my word on that. That's exactly why we tell you to put together your own build, so we can try to guide you in the right direction, and not particularly do all the thinking *for* you in building it.

That said, I did look at Darkstar's advice on slotting in the previous post, and also carefully scoured your posted build to get a good idea of what you were trying to go for, and came up with this build:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
AtomicRedTestBuild: Level 50 Science Warshade
Primary Power Set: Umbral Blast
Secondary Power Set: Umbral Aura
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Medicine
Hero Profile:
------------
Level 1: Ebon Eye
(A) Accuracy IO

Level 1: Absorption
(A) Resist Damage IO

Level 2: Gravity Shield
(A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%

Level 4: Gravimetric Snare
(A) Accuracy IO

Level 6: Dark Nova
(A) Performance Shifter - EndMod
(7) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy
(7) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy/Recharge
(9) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge

Level 8: Hasten
(A) Recharge Reduction IO
(11) Recharge Reduction IO
(13) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 10: Starless Step
(A) Accuracy IO

Level 12: Sunless Mire
(A) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
(27) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
(27) Obliteration - Damage

Level 14: Shadow Cloak
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed

Level 16: Super Speed
(A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance
(31) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
(31) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)

Level 18: Gravity Well
(A) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage
(33) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance
(33) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge
(33) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(34) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 20: Black Dwarf
(A) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance
(34) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Recharge
(34) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
(36) Impervium Armor - Resistance

Level 22: Stygian Circle
(A) Performance Shifter - Accuracy/Recharge
(37) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge
(37) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy/Recharge
(37) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy
(39) Performance Shifter - EndMod

Level 24: Essence Drain
(A) Accuracy IO

Level 26: Gravitic Emanation
(A) Stupefy - Accuracy/Recharge
(29) Stupefy - Endurance/Stun
(29) Stupefy - Stun/Range
(50) Stupefy - Accuracy/Stun/Recharge
(50) Stupefy - Accuracy/Endurance

Level 28: Unchain Essence
(A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
(39) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
(45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
(48) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(50) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range

Level 30: Nebulous Form
(A) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 32: Dark Extraction
(A) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Recharge
(39) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage
(40) Expedient Reinforcement - Damage/Endurance
(40) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge

Level 35: Quasar
(A) Damage Increase IO

Level 38: Eclipse
(A) Recharge Reduction IO
(45) Recharge Reduction IO
(46) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance
(46) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Recharge
(48) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
(48) Impervium Armor - Resistance

Level 41: Stygian Return
(A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 44: Stimulant
(A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 47: Aid Other
(A) Healing IO

Level 49: Resuscitate
(A) Recharge Reduction IO

------------
Level 1: Brawl
(A) Empty

Level 1: Sprint
(A) Run Speed IO

Level 2: Rest
(A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 1: Dark Sustenance
Level 1: Shadow Step
(A) Range IO

Level 10: Shadow Recall
(A) Range IO

------------
Level 6: Dark Nova Bolt
(A) Damage Increase IO

Level 6: Dark Nova Blast
(A) Decimation - Accuracy/Damage
(15) Decimation - Damage/Endurance
(15) Decimation - Damage/Recharge
(17) Decimation - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
(31) Decimation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge

Level 6: Dark Nova Emanation
(A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
(19) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
(19) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
(21) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
(21) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance

Level 6: Dark Nova Detonation
(A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
(23) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
(23) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
(25) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
(25) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance

Level 20: Black Dwarf Strike
(A) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage
(9) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance
(17) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge
(40) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(46) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge

Level 20: Black Dwarf Smite
(A) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage
(42) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance
(42) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge
(42) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(43) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 20: Black Dwarf Mire
(A) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
(3) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
(43) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(43) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(45) Obliteration - Damage

Level 20: Black Dwarf Drain
(A) Touch of the Nictus - Accuracy/Healing
(3) Touch of the Nictus - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
(5) Touch of the Nictus - Accuracy/Endurance/Heal/HitPoints/Regeneration
(5) Touch of the Nictus - Heal/HitPoints/Regeneration/Recharge
(13) Touch of the Nictus - Healing

Level 20: Black Dwarf Step
(A) Range IO

Level 20: Black Dwarf Antagonize
(A) Perfect Zinger - Accuracy/Recharge
(11) Perfect Zinger - Taunt/Recharge
(36) Perfect Zinger - Taunt/Recharge/Range
(36) Perfect Zinger - Taunt




Ebon Eye:
I looked at your build and saw you had picked Ebon Eye over Shadow Bolt, so I kept that power choice, since either power choice doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference. If you think a blast from the eyes looks cooler, that's awesome. I actually prefer Ebon Eye myself as well.

Absorption:
No need to change anything there.

Gravity Shield:
Here, I changed your resist IO to the Steadfast Protection (Unique), because this will add a 3% global defense (cool!), while still giving you some resists, though not as much. Eclipse should make up for this, however.

Gravimetric Snare:
Here, I changed your original choice from Orbiting Death to Gravimetric Snare. Why? Because... When would you ever run Orbiting Death as a tri-former? Maybe to look pretty, but I hear they don't give any bonuses in costume contests for floating purple balls, so I doubt it'll be of much use to you. :P Gravimetric snare might have some possibilities, however, especially if you're trying to keep someone from running off while you pound it in nova form (it has a duration of 20 seconds).

Dark Nova:
I like the Performance Shifter set for your nova form, because in my experience, it keeps my endurance up while I blast away, while at the same time providing some decent set bonuses, including some more HP and yet another global recovery bonus (always a plus!).

Hasten:
No need to change what you had here.

Starless Step:
At this point, you had begun your Fitness power pool picks, beginning with Swift. As stated before, it's not really going to benefit you that much, so I switched that power choice to Starless Step. I've heard MANY people say that it's pretty useless. However, I think they were thinking in the PvP mindset, in which I would have to agree... I think it'd probably be pretty useless in the PvP setting, especially with the new PvPIO with the -TP bonus. However, I'm building this for a PvE "teaming" situation. I've found in personal experience that in several situations I've become the last resort to pull an enemy out of a ceiling in order to complete a mission before the entire team sends in a /stuck report. You might actually find some use for this power. I'd say it's of more use to you than Swift.

Sunless Mire:
The slotting of this could be argued about for ages. I'll just give a quick explanation as to why I slotted this power this way in this particular situation. On my human-form, I've got it 5-slotted with Armageddon. However, in this particular situation, after seeing Darkstar's advice on 3-slotting it, and making considerations to how often you might find it a bother to continually drop out of Nova form to hit it again and change back, rather than just staying in Nova and finishing the mob off in a few more hits... I decided to 3-slot it as well. However, I changed Scirocco's Dervish to Obliteration, because I like the damage/recharge percentages, and I REALLY like the 3% global damage buff. I think a 3% damage buff is a better tradeoff than the 2nd set bonus on Scirocco's Dervish. But, that's a personal preference.

Shadow Cloak:
Here, you had picked Super Speed followed by Dark Detonation. As DarkStar stated before, Dark Detonation (although I love it for human-only forms) is a bit of a redundant power when it comes to a tri-former, because of Nova Form. So, I picked Shadow Cloak and then Super Speed. However, now that I'm thinking about it while I type this, I might just advise you to pick Super Speed and THEN Shadow Cloak, so you can have that travel power convenience at one power earlier, but that's up to you.

Anyway, Shadow Cloak is good for three particular reasons: One, it provides some "minor" defense (coupled with my previously stated 3% defense from Steadfast Protection) and some stealth that will allow you to pull off a successful Eclipse before the enemy even knows you're there. Once you've got Eclipse up, you're golden. Two, Shadow Cloak coupled with Super Speed essentially offers you complete invisibility to almost every enemy in the game (Knives of Artemis will still give you trouble), and therefore you'll become a viable asset on a TF for stealthing missions and tp'ing everyone to the "end boss fight." Three, it's going to be pretty much the only power (in this build) that allows you to slot a LoTG +Recharge for your global recharge. Although Shadow Cloak's defenses may be minor, I still find it to be a pretty useful power.

As a side note, I gave it to you much earlier than you had picked it (about 12 lvls earlier), because it will be the most useful to you when you're exemped down and trying to "ghost" lower lvl TFs.

Super Speed:
Darkstar mentioned that you only need 1 slot for SS, but personally, I'm a big fan of the BotZ set for its Defense Bonuses, because it can only help in the pulling off of a successful Eclipse (and if you choose to stay in the mob for a Gravity Well/Unchain Essence/Dark Extraction attack chain before you switch to Nova to finish things off). In addition, this will be your Mag 4 KB protection in human form to mitigate any enemies knocking you down before you can pull off a successful attack chain before switching forms. There is nothing more aggravating to me than being knocked down as I'm trying to pull off an Eclipse or an attack chain. You technically could put a -KB as a part of the Steadfast Protection set in Gravity Shield, but I didn't want to sacrifice any of your Smashing/Lethal resists for that. So, I opted to put it in your SS.

Gravity Well:
Gravity Well is another power that belongs in my "top 5 fav powers for a WS" list, because it's basically an auto-kill power for minions. And, the second you can start getting bodies on the ground, your abilities as a WS to cause mass carnage increases exponentially. I'm referring, of course, to Unchain Essence, which I'll talk about in a sec. Anyway, Gravity well does some AMAZING single-target damage, and so I like to slot it with a damage set, rather than the hold set, although the hold set Lockdown does offer that 3% damage buff. However, as mentioned before, you got that same 3% damage buff from the Obliteration in Sunless Mire, so you haven't lost any damage bonuses yet from my build... ;)

Gravity Well is basically your "oh, crap, I gotta get a dead body on the ground in a hurry to hit stygian circle so I can survive" power. Technically, you could also use Essence Drain before Gravity Well, if you're REALLY in a bind for health...But, you've also got inspirations as well... So, I guess it depends on your particular situation. In any case, I'm a big fan of Gravity Well, and like to slot it. However, if you prefer, you could move those slots over to your Quasar, and keep 5 Obliterations in there. Personal preference. I'll explain in a second why I opted to slot Unchain Essence over Quasar.

Black Dwarf:
The slotting on Dark Dwarf is pretty self-explanatory. Impervium Armor is an amazing set, and will put your resistances "in the red," while giving you some GREAT set bonuses.

Stygian Circle:
Ahhh... Stygian Circle. Makes me feel all warm and gooey inside. This power, coupled with Eclipse, is what makes Warshades sooooooooooo awesome. Performance Shifter will up your endurance recovery from this power considerably, while adding more hit points, recovery, and another damage buff. No real need to slot for health in this power, as the inherent heal percentage from it is still twice as high as your endurance recovery percentage, EVEN WITH Performance Shifter slotted.

I got you this power 4 levels earlier than you had it on your build, because you really want it as early as possible. Really.

Essence Drain:
Essence drain can be a great "emergency" power to have for a tiny surge of health if you don't have any dead bodies on the ground for stygian circle, and if you're out of inspirations. However, I didn't think it was worth the slotting for two reasons: one, I'm building for PvE, not PvP, so slotting for health on that would be redundant with stygian circle, and two, this is a tri-former, and you'll be in nova most of the time (unless you're tanking). However, to be honest, I don't even have Essence Drain on my human-only build, because Stygian Circle is THAT awesome! :P

Gravitic Emanation:
Although I don't particularly care for this power personally, it can definitely be a HUGE bonus to you while soloing, as the length of time you can keep larger mobs (especially post-i16!) stunned is really good, while you're blasting away in nova form. It's a good opening attack, as long as it doesn't scatter everyone too far apart from eachother for pulling off a "capped" Eclipse. Personally, if I were to use it in an attack sequence, I'd want to run in and pull off my Eclipse FIRST, hit Gravity Well on a minion, pop Unchain Essence (mass stun), raise a pet if I need to, backpedal and hit Gravitic Emination's cone attack, and then pop into nova form to finish everyone off as they're stunned. You won't be able to pull off an unchain essence on every mob, if you're running at the "speedster" pace I usually do, but you should be able to pull it off every other mob. That said, on the 2nd mob, you'd probably only need to open up with a Sunless Mire and/or Gravitic Emination, then switch to nova---or just open up with nova, depending on your playstyle or as the situation warrants.

Unchain Essence:
I HIGHLY prefer this power over Quasar for one OVERWHELMING reason: there's no endurance penalty. And, also because the stun is really nice. Oh, and it recharges faster. And it's damage is very respectable. And... Well, you get the picture. Here's an interesting fact for 'ya: my Unchain Essence, which is 5-slotted with Ragnarok, does higher damage than Quasar does with just an ACC IO in it. And I don't get an endurance penalty for it. And I can use it every 70 seconds. Of course, I haven't slotted up your Quasar with anything, but that should give you a better picture for how "respectable" Unchain Essence's damage spike is, without any major penalties like Quasar gives.

Nebulous Form:
Another power I don't personally have, but noticed you picked... It's another nice "oh Sh**!" power, especially for "stealth strikes," but there's no need to put an extra slot in it. Just slot it for end reduction, and you'll notice that your global endurance recovery the way I've slotted it is actually higher than what Nebulous Form costs (as long as you don't have any other toggles running), so activating it shouldn't cause any immediate drain of your endurance, no matter how much you have at the time.

Dark Extraction:
Your pets! Awesome little purple fluffies, as long as you can keep the aggro off of them... The slotting for this could also be highly arguable... It was a hard decision for me to only 4-slot it. If you prefer, you could take 2 slots away from your Black Dwarf Strike and then 6-slot it with Expedient Reinforcement for the regen and defense bonuses, as well as slightly shortening the recharge time for them and upping their resistances by 10%. However, you'd be losing a 7% global accuracy bonus, as well as a 5% global recharge time bonus, and IMO, I thought those bonuses were more worth it than the extra two you get from Expedient Reinforcement. But, again, that's a personal preference thing on which bonuses you'd prefer to have. Keep this in mind, however: the main tradeoff here (that I was considering) is a 21% faster recharge time on your pet power VS. a 5% faster recharge time on every power you have. And, since you can't just add a couple more LotGs anywhere to make up any difference for global recharge, this is something to consider.

Quasar:
Although I don't like the penalty associated with Quasar (it really slows your ability for a continuous, rolling attack chain), I do think it can be quite useful, if the situation warrants it. You're a vet player, so I'm sure I don't have to list off all the reasons and situations it could be useful. I put a damage IO in it, rathe than an ACC IO in it, because I think I've given you enough global accuracy to make up for having to put an ACC in there, and putting even 1 DAM IO in there ups the damage Quasar can do by a significant number. In fact, you could probably do the same thing (trade out the ACC IO for the DAM IO) with your Ebon Eye as well if you wanted. Up to you.

Eclipse:
Eclipse. Need anything be said? This is another opportunity to get those great set bonuses from the Impervium Armor set. Notice I also put 2 recharge IOs in it to get the maximum recharge time from it. It appears, after looking this particular build over, that you are a few seconds from perma-Eclipse, considering Hasten isn't perma. It's pretty close though.

Stygian Return:
Stygian Return is something I noticed that you didn't have before, but can be an extremely useful power to have, especially if you get in those kinds of situations where you just realized that you got yourself in over your head. Although it requires live bodies to be nearby in order to work, that doesn't seem like much of a drawback, considering the fact that if you just got yourself in over your head, there's going to be a bunch of enemies standing around over your dead body anyway. It also has a fantastic "untouchable" side effect, which allows you to get away if you need to.

Stimulant:
Here's where the most personal preference comes into play... We're beginning to enter the power pools that aren't going to have much benefit to you if you're playing in nova or dwarf form for any significant amount of time. So, we'll just follow Darkstar's advice and get something that will be effective with just one slot, and can be extremely valuable in specific situations (Say you're on an STF run, and they couldn't find a healer... You're going to be a VERY important part of the tank staying alive when he's facing off with Ghost Widow, if you've got Stimulant--stack that junk on him! Oh... There I go thinking in terms of TFs again... Oops!) :P

Aid Other:
You could also go with Aid Self here, but considering you've got the best "Aid Self" in the game already (Stygian Circle), why don't you consider sharing some of the love? :P

Resusitate:
Here's another one teammates will thank you for, especially if you're a "frequent flyer" on PuGs and long TFs, as I am.

Brawl:
This power hasn't made it to any of my power trays for years, not even when I'm at the lower lvls in a sewer run to Kings Row.... If you're a vet, then you've got your staff/wand and the Sands of Mu that dwarf brawl's effectiveness.

Sprint:
I usually put a run in here just for the heck of it, especially when exemped down on the Posi TF--although, I actually slot it in "Prestige Power Slide," because I think that just looks cooler with a WS.

Rest:
Good idea to put a recharge in the rest here as well--another Posi TF-influenced IO placement on my part.

Dark Sustenance:
You "slot" this by teaming with people. (haha)

Shadow Step:
I'll usually just put ranges in both Shadow Step and Shadow Recall. If you do any TFs or missions in the Shadow Shard, you'll thank me for that IO choice over End Reduc later.

Shadow Recall:
Range. Extend it.

Dark Nova Bolt:
This power doesn't do a heck of a lot of damage, and as Obsidian_Force2 has stated in a post not too long ago, between the 3 other nova powers, you'll usuallyhave enough recharge and damage going on to have what you need to take down a mob in no time at all.
Besides that, if you're wanting to really slot up Dwarf at all, slots are really gettin' spread thin at this point.

Dark Nova Blast:
I had Devastation in this one, but then I decided to opt for Decimation, specifically for the better set bonuses--namely the global recharge. With all the global recharge I have in this build, you should be *pretty close* to having a perma-Eclipse, which is paramount to surviveability in extremely hard fights.

Dark Nova Emanation:
No need to change your slotting here.

Dark Nova Detonation:
No need to change your slotting here. Positron's Blast is one of the best sets you can get for the price you can get it at.

Black Dwarf Strike:
I 5-slotted Crushing Impact in both Black Dwarf Strike and Black Dwarf Smite in order to both max out the damage you can do with your two "main" attacks in dwarf form and further up your global recharge and global accuracy.

Black Dwarf Smite:
*see above*

Black Dwarf Mire:
I know Darkstar stated that you'd run out of Endurance if you slot Obliteration in Black Dwarf Mire, but this hasn't been my personal experience... However, I'm on teams about 99% of the time when I'm on my tri-form build... So, it'll be up to you to decide what you want to do. I just took the "proc" Obliteration out and used the slot elsewhere, because I was running low on slots...

Black Dwarf Drain:
Didn't see the need to change this at all... Good bonuses in that set.

Black Dwarf Step:
I'd just put a range in that. Personal preference, and if you're tanking for a team, you'll probably want to tp into the mob from further away than what the "default" distance you're given is, IMO...

Black Dwarf Antagonize:
The 10% Regen and 5% global recharge on the Perfect Zinger set is great, as well as enhancing your taunt duration by about another 7 seconds, and you're keeping very close to the same accuracy on it, as well as shaving about a second and a half off the recharge time for it. Good set to have if you've switched to "tank mode" for a team on a TF because the "real" tank DC'd or something....

... Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything....

>.>

<.<

"The One"

I think that's pretty much it. We all have the same "end goal" when it comes to making sure inexperienced Khelds get the "best experience" possible from playing their new Kheld... We just go about it in different ways. Neither way is "wrong" per-say... One just relies on exact science (which is great), while the other adapts around one's playstyle in order to refrain from telling another how they should play their own game "if they want to have fun," since "fun" is a very subjective term when it comes to an individual's gaming experience.

That is not to say that using numbers is not useful at all either. I completely see the use for it, and try to build for good results numbers-wise in Mid's no matter WHAT the playstyle is. Obsidian is right in that "some powers are better than others," and I especially agree if it's taken in the context of the particular playstyle of an individual.

For example: If a person is playing a human only, and they ask "which is the better power to choose from when it comes to Gravimetric Snare or Orbiting Death?", I would take into consideration that they're a playing human-only playstyle before I gave advice as to which is the better power. In a human-only situation, it'd be fine to run an Orbiting Death toggle. However, if the same person actually had a tri-form playstyle, I would say that Gravimetric Snare would be the better of the two to choose when it came to that lvl of power pick, because Orbiting Death is of basically no use whatsoever to a tri-former. Some powers are better for some forms of playstyle, while other powers are better for differing forms of playstyle.

If you place a limit on someone (as in "you HAVE to choose this power instead of the other EVERY TIME or you're a n00b!"), then you've begun to limit how they can choose to play their game. Now, I realize that we "sort of" do that already when it comes to Eclipse, Stygian Circle, or Sunless Mire, so that may be a pretty ironic statement... It's fine to *gently* remind someone that their gameplay experience may be a bit more difficult if they don't take a power... It's not fine to belittle them for it. That is not to say any of us have been doing that, but that's just the perspective I'm coming from when advising someone about building a Kheld.

"The One"

It may not be "auto hit", but it's pretty accurate if you've got enough global accuracy built into your build. I don't see why anyone couldn't do it with the proper know-how. I've taunted LR successfully in Dwarf form myself, and he never left me the entire duration of the rest of the team's attacks on the towers. AND... I didn't have an empath on me (I had a bubbler making sure shields were up on me at all times, and I and the rest of the team were packin' plenty of Lucks). However, it wasn't a MoSTF run either... I didn't die while taunting LR, but If I recall correctly, we had plenty of deaths on that particular run.

It's doable, but it would be probably one of the most extreme challenges of the game...

"The One"

Thanks for the critiques! Yeah, I didn't put the music in the credits, but the music is credited in the YouTube video description area--I put "music is 'Necris Attacks' by Jesper Kyd." However, yeah, I can see if the video is being distributed in any other way other than streaming form with the credits in the description (i.e. allowing people to download the HQ version like I was), then it needs to be in the credits. Oversight on my part. :/

Also, thanks for the command advice! If I would have known how to do that when I was putting the video together, I would have definitely done it... Do you have a list of commands that are available for what I can do in a command console during a demo playback? For example, is there a way to enable the UI in a demo playback? When I recorded that TF, I was using /demorecord AND recording in Fraps (for the UI) simultaneously... If there were a way I could turn the UI on and off in a demo playback, I wouldn't have to do that, and it would take fewer resources up on my computer next time...

...Any help is greatly appreciated!

"The One"

K, here we go... :P

That's actually exactly what I have set up on my WS--build 1 is Human-only, and build 2 is a tri-former, with a particular concentration on Nova and Dwarf with only a "spattering" of the "most important" human powers.

That said, although I'm a huge proponent of the "fun factor" with a human-only build... Considering the "stage" at which you are at in building and playing a Warshade (regardless of your vet status), this is the advice I would give you:

That's pretty much word for word what I would have said right there. I'm all for human-only builds, but if this is your first Kheld (and especially your first time lvl'in up a WS), then level it up as a tri-former, and learn that playstyle. It will be the most beneficial and fun to you while leveling up a Kheld, guaranteed.

That's exactly right. Learn how to play a tri-former, how to time things, how all the powers work together in "synergy," how to survive "on the fly" mid-combat, and how to put a lot of thought into slotting your toon (even more so than with other ATs)... THEN you can make the decision to see if you can "handle" the challenge it is to play as a human-only Warshade.

I'm so glad I did the same thing... I purpled out both builds with VestigeOne, my human-only build with AlienOne, and my primary build with my MA/SR scrapper not a moment too soon. After AE, I don't think I'd really have a hope to afford to do that again on any other toon. It's just way too expensive. Here's to hoping i16 will change that in the purples dept.

All right! Cool! Nice to have something to actually look at to see what you're trying to do with it, so I can give "decent" advice...

Good that you're trying to go with tri-form. Here's what I'd definitely change right off the bat after a cursory 10-second glance over the build.

1. Take off penumbral Shield and Twilight Shield.

No real reason to have these powers if you're goig to be blasting in nova form for the damage spikes. I've found that the more toggles you have to activate every time you switch forms, the more aggravating and bothersome it's going to be for you. Besides that, the more time you're spending activating toggles, the less time you're spending doing damage. If you're planning on spending a lot of time in human form, and then switching to nova last second for the last few "pop, pop, they're dead" hits, you need to invest a few more slots in the human form powers. If you're spending more time in nova form, you don't need those extra shields, obviously.

2. Building on the first point--since you're using the other forms (nova and dwarf), There are some other power picks here that are of basically no use to you. Health and Stamina are a couple. They don't carry over into nova or dwarf form. They ONLY benefit human form, and if you're not spending any significant amount of time in human, then there's no use for you to have those powers. Dwarf and Nova have their own built-in endurance recovery, and you can slot for that.

3. Nice slotting on Quasar (I don't personally use it for various reasons that I'll expand on in my upcoming human-form WS guide), but it's a great hi-damage power that you can take for a tri-form, and one that I most certainly would not discourage anyone from taking. However, you're forgetting Unchain Essence! You gotta slot that up some more... That's your "mini nuke," only you don't have to worry about a large end drain with that one! Number 3 on my "top 5 fav powers on a WS" list. Slot that junk up.

4. Dark Extraction is some great added damage for you even while you're in nova and dwarf form. Definitely slot that up more... You should be able to have two up at all times (sometimes three for a short time, depending on your global recharge), and they can constantly be pounding away at the enemy while you do what you need to do in any of the 3 forms. Very important power to slot up.

5. Waiting 20 seconds for Stygian Circle to recharge? Not good, my man... 6-slot that junk. Get it up as often as possible, and (personal preference) I'd personally put end mods in it rather than heals, because its heals are already pretty large--larger than your endurance recovery if you don't put some end modifiers in it. In my SC, I have 2 recharge IOs, and 4 Performance Shifters. My recharge on it is less than 9 seconds, and if in the vicinity of only 3 dead bodies, you can recover 240% health and 118% Endurance. Without a single heal slotted in it.


6. Eclipse. You need to put a lot of love into that power. It's your bread & butter for survival, and you need to have that thing recharging as often as possible (much like Stygian Circle). I have 2 recharge IOs in mine, and 4-slotted Impervium Armor. My recharge on Eclipse is 84.7 seconds, and it will add over 50% MORE resistance to all categories when only hitting 3 enemies. This is easily enough to cap out smashing and lethal resistances, and usually gets the rest of your resistances up to around 55% to 70%, depending on which category it is. Add 1 more enemy in the mix, and you're nearly capped on everything.

K, that was just off the top of my head after a short perusal... Those are definite "need to review this closer" stuff that jumped out at me immediately... I'll review it further when I get a chance.

Overall, nice start!

"The One"

Thankfully, I actually lvl'd a PB up to lvl 50 first (My namesake "AlienOne"), so I didn't have the problem some have with being a little disappointed with their PB after making a WS... I was just even more impressed with Khelds when I was able to get VestigeOne up to lvl 50... Now, I do play on Vestige about 80% more than I do Alien, just because I prefer the playstyle more--it fits my "groove"--but, I still don't mind jumping on Alien every once in a while when the situation warrants, or I just feel like soloing for a bit.

"The One"

No truer words were ever said in this Kheld section.

From an outsider's perspective coming in to ask opinions on building an effective build around their particular playstyle, it would seem it looks like we're a bunch of bickering siblings who can't agree who got the larger slice of cake...

...when in reality...





....The cake is a lie.


"The One"

LoL, I'll be sure to record every TF from now on for your viewing pleasure for "proof" on any future "story" I might share. Thankfully, for those stories, I have several witnesses who can attest to every detail I shared as being not only un-exaggurated, but entirely accurate.

"The One"

I like Dev 1. He seems to want to cater to the ENTIRE playerbase, rather than a set minority.

But....But.... Nethergoat's claims are ALWAYS automatically "fact!" He hears it straight word-of-mouth from God and is benevolent enough to share that exclusive information with us! Be thankful!



"The One"

No. 1 nicti nemisis spot? Are you referring to the "info stats" in the game you can find at those terminals?

That's one aspect of the game I haven't even tried out yet... I should do that sometime!

"The One"

LoL, not angry at all... People really shouldn't try reading into emotions for a post... :P Was just providing an "opposing viewpoint," because I hear the "minority" argument a lot. For pretty much everything.

Makes me wonder... If there are so many minorities in the world, what exactly is the "majority?" Is the "majority" defined sort of the same as "The Man?"

In either case...

Don't let The Man get 'ya down!



"The One"

P.S.
By the way, I lived in Europe for 4 years, and it was some of the best years of my life... And it's always been a dream of mine to visit NZ. Additionally, some of my fav people to play with in the game (I'm a "night shift" guy) has been some of the "Oceanic crowd."

Office Space FTW.

One can certainly hope. If they included a graphics update for this game, it would pretty much be the last thing checked off on a "wouldn't it be nice if" wish list I made a long time ago... They've already fulfilled all wishes (including power customization) up to now... This is last on the list! :P

"The One"

Dude, your avatar captures the spirit of the forums perfectly.

*bows to your amazing insightfulness*

"The One"

Actually, I strongly disagree here. I believe human form builds are the minority, as *most* people who make Khelds want the shape-shifting powers, because no other AT gets it, and because it's a new and shiny thing, and because it's "the most powerful", and because it allows you to switch roles, and.... Well, you get the idea.

I'd venture that people who would prefer to play human only have a select few reasons that they don't want to mess with the dwarf or nova forms. Maybe they don't like the looks of them. Maybe some think the transformations take too long, or don't like the sound of it. Maybe they don't like tanking. Who knows. In either case, I think you are drawing your conclusion from a select few threads recently which have been started regarding human-only builds. I play on the highest-populated server (Freedom), and see new Khelds all the time. In my experience in talking with a lot of them, they're tri-form (or are planning to be tri-form, depending on their lvl) at least 85% of the time. Could be different on lower populated servers, but I'm pretty confident in my claim that (at least on the Warshade end) human-only builds are actually a much smaller population than tri-form or dual-form Khelds.

This is another reason why I got all "defensive" and stood up for myself when you and Obsidian went on the "attack" on human-only builds, as I had assumed that any experienced Kheld on the forums knew that building a human-only Kheld was/is hard, expensive, time-consuming, aggravating, and therefore presumably less-popular than making a tri-form, which is generally more straight-forward (or at least provides more options) in its "attack sequence" or "strategy." Hard to slot, and a hard learning curve, yes, but more straight forward.

Making a human-only build is a definitive choice for a Kheld, and not one that I go around "preaching" that everyone should do, unless they have the time, energy, influence, and patience for it. And even if one DOES start out with a plan for a human build, I STILL encourage them to grab the other forms as they're leveling up. They can always respec into a human form once they hit 40+, which is where the human forms shine the most.

"The One"

Conversely, this thought process is typical of the "clique" psychology found among "the rich/popular kids", also known as the "boys club only--no girls allowed" frame-of-mind.



"The One"

OMG, I can't TELL you how many times I've heard this $^#%$. I've also heard the extremely ignorant "But you DO have White Entertainment Television (as opposed to BET)! It's called the Country Music Channel!"

I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

"The One"