Iscariot's Guide to the Triform Warshade
By
Aleksander,
Posted on: 2006-02-17 16:59 in Player Guides
Great guide. A quick question: is Orbiting Death's end cost really as high as COH/COV Builder's stated 1.56? That seems absurdly high.
Later on,
Gatecrasher
@Generator
Mostly Pinnacle, with scattered alts on Liberty, Freedom, and Justice.
I had a great time playing with you!
It does have a significant endurance cost, but that number does seem a little high based on my experience. I'm not really a numbers cruncher, so if you really want an answer on what the number really is, I suggest you post in the Kheldians forum and ask the question. There are plenty of people around who do a great deal of meticulous testing to find out stuff like this.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
In both your two sample build you have added 4 Dmgrez to Black Dwarf, isnt that a waste according to ED? Or am I mission something from the equation? (if i do , then please enlighten me 
)
Otherwise thanks for agreat a guide, I have read it alot since i recently made it to 50 and is starting to play around with a WS.
Cheers Poul
Yes, the fourth DamRes is a waste. It's not nothing, but the slot could be better used elsewhere. That should more properly be 3 DamRes 3 EndMod - I think I copied that from my pre-ED build. Good catch.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
Ok, was just checking.
Thanks for the reply
Speaking as someone who's never played a Dark set.. how long does Mire Last? Same buff duration as Buildup/Aim variants, or..?
[i]I don't believe there is honor in letting yourself be killed, if you can run, then run damnit.[/i]
:D
-Hobo_Healer
Guardian
Aleksander - 50 Energy/Electric/Elec Blaster
Talynn Black - 50 Energy/Energy/Soul Stalker
Virtue
Talynn Black - 24 Warshade
Never really cared to find out the exact duration, but I can tell you that it's significantly longer than build-up from Spines (or katana...the only other experience I have with the power.) IIRC the duration is somewhere in the 60-90 second range, but I may be very wrong about that one.
I'm not a numbers guru, but I can tell you that it's significantly more than BuildUp/Aim and not as long as Eclipse.
Perhaps someone else could be more precise, you might pose the question in a new thread on the Kheldian boards if you really want a solid answer.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
30 seconds
Wonderful guide. Once I hit 50 with my Peacebringer (currently 41)
this will be one of my next projects.
Eh-heh, didn't have much time to check. At work. Still at work when I write this the very next day.
[i]I don't believe there is honor in letting yourself be killed, if you can run, then run damnit.[/i]
:D
-Hobo_Healer
Guardian
Aleksander - 50 Energy/Electric/Elec Blaster
Talynn Black - 50 Energy/Energy/Soul Stalker
Virtue
Talynn Black - 24 Warshade
exactly what i was looking for. thanks for the info.
[ QUOTE ]
Unlike Rise of the Phoenix it does not affect its target(s) in any way
[/ QUOTE ]
I beg to differ. The last time I used the power, it did damage to everything around me. The very description says: "...can drain the life force of all foes around you..."
Damage: Moderate
Recharge: Very Long
The power can be slotted for damage too.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Unlike Rise of the Phoenix it does not affect its target(s) in any way
[/ QUOTE ]
I beg to differ. The last time I used the power, it did damage to everything around me. The very description says: "...can drain the life force of all foes around you..."
Damage: Moderate
Recharge: Very Long
The power can be slotted for damage too.
[/ QUOTE ]
RotP has a disorient feature to it, which is quite clearly what was meant in that statment you partially quoted. Damage != Effect in this case, as the full statment was explaining why a WS was more in trouble using that power in comparison.
they're pissed off at you for hitting them, and they're not wobbling around like they are when RotP'd.
[ QUOTE ]
A quick note on binds: If youre going to switch between the forms in battle, youre not going to want to go hunting for your powers. I recommend you place all your Dark Nova powers in tray 3, your Black Dwarf powers in tray 4, and use trays 1 and 2 for your human powers. You can then use binds to shift your form and your active power trays at the same time. Example:
/bind NUMPAD2 powexec_toggle_on Dark Nova$$goto_tray 3
/bind NUMPAD3 powexec_toggle_on Black Dwarf$$goto_tray 4
/bind NUMPAD1 powexec_toggle_off Dark Nova$$powexec_toggle_off Black Dwarf$$powexec_name Gravity Shield$$goto_tray 1
[/ QUOTE ]
This is a great guide. Thanks for providing so much information.
I love the idea of using the num keys to switch forms, but when I try to use these binds I get errors messages of "unknown command "powexec_toggle_on or powexec_toggle_off". Is there something I need to configure to get these to work? Sorry for the n00b question, but I'm not a bind wiz. Thanks!
Chances are that you have a minor typo somewhere in the binds, either a dropped underscore somewhere, an extra space, or a letter where it doesn't belong. You can select the bind and hit CTRL+C (copy) and hit CTRL+V (paste) in the chat window in-game to get the exact text.
There is no special setting you have to enable, but binds are notoriously easy to mess up since every little detail has to be perfect or they don't work.
For instance, make sure you typed powexec and NOT powerexec. I see that one a lot.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
Thanks for the quick reply. From my first attempt I've been copying and pasting the binds. I'll try it again and make sure I didn't get any extra characters.
Edit: Instead of doing copy/paste I typed the binds and they work great. Thanks for your help!
I built my WS a few weeks ago and now I'm to lvl26 without much headache. However, I made him during the ToT season and found myself being without teams for the most part. I primarily soloed until lvl 21 or so. I never realized the superior awesomeness of the WS until the teams started trickling in from ToT season. On a team with 3 defenders, one tank, two scrapps and a controller...I found myself nearly unstoppable in human form. I am a true tri-former, but definitely take advantage of my teammates bonuses in human form. I love the WS and yes it was hard soloing, but gee was it worth it. I'm a smart player and understand the role and versatility of the WS, therefore I didn't die too much. 
But I sincerely thank you for the guide.
I haven't taken any powerpools as of yet and I don't think I will, although sometimes in human form I think I should. Then I see that I'm teaming more than at first and someone almost always has RA and that's a beautiful thing.
Glad you're enjoying your WS. You can definatley get by without any pool powers at all without any significant problem. Probably the single most useful pool power pick would be Hasten.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
My Warshade is planned as a Tri-Form. I'm looking at power pools just because enhancement slots are in short supply. For instance I'm skipping the second two shields and some human form blasts. A blast with only the default slot is a crummy blast, but Health with only the default slot offsets the health penalty of Inky Aspect and provides sleep resistance. A toggle shield with only two slots is a pretty poor shield, but Hasten with two slots is up pretty much every time I drop back to human form, and certainly every time I need it. When I was considering going without pool powers it was the slot efficiency that was the deciding factor.
Thanks for the guide.
-Fractured: Spines/Regen- "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I'll get better. You on the other hand will be lying on the sidewalk with big pieces of broken bone jammed through your important parts. Do you really want to start this fight?"
I wholeheartedly agree on the slotting thing. I plan on taking Hasten and Health when I get in the 30's because we get 3 slots and a plus at 33 and 34 is that you get back to back slots. So with more slots to go around, I figure that's the best way to go. Correct me if I'm wrong.
EE
There is no one 'best way' to go, but your plan sounds workable, EE. I would say that waiting that long for Hasten seems a bit much, though. What level are you now? If you're already in the 30s and you don't have it, then your playstyle probably doesn't require it, but if you're still starting out, you might consider grabbing Hasten much earlier.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
having major probs with your binds --
tried cut and paste 5 times it dont work .but found that if you drop all the caps to lower case it will work. all but the "numpad1 " bind can you fix this as I dont even get how this works at all.
and due note have tried other binds from other forums with no issues at all with cut and paste
would really like to see this work for me
thanks
edit did get them to work --but same on the need to drop all caps in the command is needed
There shouldn't be any need to drop the caps, though I use them simply for clarity in posting the binds. How exactly were you cutting and pasting? The most common errors I see with binds are people that put the " in the wrong place or mistype. If you were cutting and pasting, you probably didn't mistype, but you may have mis-selected.
I use precisely these binds, just as represented here, with no problems, but I am interested in what caused this issue for you. It's possible that you may have hit a max character limit on pastes - that's hit a few people before. Are you cutting and pasting these into a text file and using /bindloadfile, or are you pasting them right into your command line in-game and entering them?
The binds I use are rather long, especially the NUMPAD1 bind, with lots of stringed-together commands. I wouldn't be surprised if a paste limit was the culprit.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
Here are the promised builds. Over the course of making these I moved some powers around and changed the slotting of others, but you will notice some powers retain the same level and slotting in both sample builds. These are the ones that, in my experience, are integral to the Warshade. As stated before, please take theses as a suggestion only - neither of these are the build I use in live play exactly, though they are both close in certain respects.
I hope this proves helpful. The first build uses the forms very specifically, slotting up the Nova form for damage and the Dwarf form primarily for tanking ability (aggro control). Both builds take Stamina rather late, as with Circle I don't really feel the need for it most of the time and only brought it back when I began to feel the pinch in AV battles.
---------------------------------------------
Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
---------------------------------------------
Name: Benedict
Level: 50
Archetype: Warshade
Primary: Umbral Blast
Secondary: Umbral Aura
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Ebon Eye==> Acc(1)
01) --> Absorption==> DmgRes(1)
02) --> Gravity Shield==> EndRdx(2)DmgRes(3)DmgRes(3)DmgRes(5)
04) --> Orbiting Death==> Acc(4)Dmg(37)Dmg(37)Dmg(43)
06) --> Dark Nova==> EndMod(6)EndMod(15)EndMod(15)TH_Buf(17)
08) --> Starless Step==> Acc(8)Acc(9)
10) --> Hasten==> Rechg(10)Rechg(13)Rechg(36)
12) --> Swift==> Run(12)
14) --> Shadow Cloak==> DefBuf(14)
16) --> Health==> Heal(16)
18) --> Gravity Well==> Acc(18)Acc(19)Hold(19)Hold(37)Dmg(45)Dmg(46)
20) --> Black Dwarf==> DmgRes(20)DmgRes(21)DmgRes(21)DmgRes(23)EndMod(23)EndMod(25)
22) --> Stygian Circle==> EndRdx(22)Rechg(43)
24) --> Sunless Mire==> Acc(24)Rechg(31)Rechg(36)
26) --> Gravity Emanation==> Acc(26)DisDur(31)
28) --> Nebulous Form==> EndRdx(28)
30) --> Inky Aspect==> Acc(30)DisDur(31)
32) --> Dark Extraction==> Acc(32)Rechg(33)Rechg(33)Rechg(33)Dmg(34)Dmg(34)
35) --> Quasar==> Acc(35)Dmg(40)Dmg(42)Dmg(42)Rechg(42)Rechg(43)
38) --> Eclipse==> Acc(38)Acc(39)DmgRes(39)DmgRes(39)Rechg(40)Rechg(40)
41) --> Stamina==> EndMod(41)EndMod(48)
44) --> Stygian Return==> Heal(44)
47) --> Unchain Essence==> Acc(47)Dmg(50)Dmg(50)Dmg(50)
49) --> Super Speed==> EndRdx(49)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==> Run(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Acc(1)
01) --> Shadow Step==> EndRdx(1)EndRdx(5)
01) --> Dark Sustenance==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Rechg(2)
10) --> Shadow Recall==> IntRdx(10)
---------------------------------------------
06) --> Dark Nova Blast==> Acc(6)Dmg(48)
06) --> Dark Nova Bolt==> Acc(6)Dmg(17)Dmg(45)Dmg(45)
06) --> Dark Nova Detonation==> Acc(6)Dmg(9)Dmg(11)Dmg(13)
06) --> Dark Nova Emmanation==> Acc(6)Dmg(7)Dmg(7)Dmg(11)
20) --> Black Dwarf Strike==> Acc(20)
20) --> Black Dwarf Smite==> Acc(20)Dmg(46)Dmg(48)
20) --> Black Dwarf Mire==> Acc(20)Rechg(34)Rechg(36)
20) --> Black Dwarf Drain==> Acc(20)Rechg(46)
20) --> Black Dwarf Step==> Range(20)
20) --> Black Dwarf Antagonize==> Acc(20)Taunt(25)Taunt(27)Rechg(27)Rechg(29)Acc(29)
---------------------------------------------
The second build focuses more on human form, slotting the Dwarf form more for survival than for aggro management and backing off some on the Nova form damage to afford more slots for human control and damage powers. Again, these are samples of what I consider to be good Warshade builds, but your experience may and should differ.
---------------------------------------------
Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
---------------------------------------------
Name: Arnie
Level: 50
Archetype: Warshade
Primary: Umbral Blast
Secondary: Umbral Aura
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Ebon Eye==> Acc(1)
01) --> Absorption==> DmgRes(1)
02) --> Gravity Shield==> EndRdx(2)DmgRes(3)DmgRes(3)DmgRes(5)
04) --> Orbiting Death==> Dmg(4)Dmg(37)Dmg(37)
06) --> Dark Nova==> EndMod(6)EndMod(15)TH_Buf(15)TH_Buf(17)
08) --> Starless Step==> Acc(8)Acc(9)
10) --> Hasten==> Rechg(10)Rechg(13)Rechg(36)
12) --> Swift==> Run(12)
14) --> Shadow Cloak==> DefBuf(14)
16) --> Super Speed==> EndRdx(16)
18) --> Gravity Well==> Acc(18)Dmg(19)Dmg(19)Hold(37)Rechg(45)Rechg(46)
20) --> Black Dwarf==> DmgRes(20)DmgRes(21)DmgRes(21)DmgRes(23)EndMod(23)EndMod(25)
22) --> Stygian Circle==> EndRdx(22)Rechg(29)EndMod(43)
24) --> Sunless Mire==> Acc(24)Rechg(31)Rechg(36)Rechg(45)
26) --> Gravity Emanation==> Acc(26)KB_Dist(29)DisDur(31)
28) --> Nebulous Form==> EndRdx(28)
30) --> Inky Aspect==> Acc(30)DisDur(31)DisDur(43)
32) --> Dark Extraction==> Acc(32)Rechg(33)Rechg(33)Rechg(33)Dmg(34)Dmg(34)
35) --> Quasar==> Acc(35)Dmg(40)Dmg(42)Dmg(42)Rechg(42)Rechg(43)
38) --> Eclipse==> Acc(38)Acc(39)DmgRes(39)DmgRes(39)Rechg(40)Rechg(40)
41) --> Unchain Essence==> Acc(41)Dmg(48)Dmg(48)Dmg(50)Dmg(50)Rechg(50)
44) --> Stygian Return==> Heal(44)
47) --> Health==> Heal(47)
49) --> Stamina==> EndMod(49)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==> Run(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Acc(1)
01) --> Shadow Step==> EndRdx(1)EndRdx(5)
01) --> Dark Sustenance==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Rechg(2)
10) --> Shadow Recall==> IntRdx(10)
---------------------------------------------
06) --> Dark Nova Blast==> Acc(6)
06) --> Dark Nova Bolt==> Acc(6)Dmg(17)
06) --> Dark Nova Detonation==> Acc(6)Dmg(9)Dmg(11)Dmg(13)
06) --> Dark Nova Emmanation==> Acc(6)Dmg(7)Dmg(7)Dmg(11)
20) --> Black Dwarf Strike==> Acc(20)
20) --> Black Dwarf Smite==> Acc(20)
20) --> Black Dwarf Mire==> Acc(20)Rechg(34)Rechg(36)Rechg(48)
20) --> Black Dwarf Drain==> Acc(20)Heal(27)Heal(27)Heal(45)Rechg(46)Rechg(46)
20) --> Black Dwarf Step==> Range(20)
20) --> Black Dwarf Antagonize==> Acc(20)Taunt(25)
---------------------------------------------
One final note - there've been a number of posts about Hami-Os in the Kheldian forums lately. I do not have any advice about slotting using Hami-Os, because I do not have enough myself to have personal experience using them to great effect in Warshades (though the benefits are obvious to me).
Perhaps in the future, when I have a game system that's closer to 'cutting-edge' than 'obsolete' on the spectrum and much more time, I'll get into Hami raids, but at the moment it simply isn't something I do. I've seen many other seasoned players make comments on the ideal HO slotting for Kheldians and I defer to their expertise.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server