Kheldian Newbie
My answer:
Yes
My reasoning:
They're both great fun (and sometimes very different) to play
Probably a PB though if you want something easier because most of the powers are self activated rather than relying on foes or defeated foes as a number of the really good WS powers are. TBH what tends to hapen is you get to level 6 and then you get nova, and blast for a while, as neither human form is all that great until a bit higher up.
You're probably going to respec at some point regardless of how you build the toon, so I really would suggest taking powers because they sound cool and then seeing what you think.
I'm guessing my rambling here hasn't helped in any way, but there you go
[ QUOTE ]
Should everything go to plan I'll be able to make my first Kheld very soon.
[/ QUOTE ]
Does that mean you'll be playing your MA/Regen Scrapper over the weekend? Or are they already 50? Grats!
PBs are generally considered easier to use than WS, for the reasons stated above.
Not yet. I haven't played him for a while and is currently 45, shouldn't be too hard to get to 50 with double XP.
To be honest I will get round to playing both a PB and a WS but wanted to know which would be best to start off with, just to get a feel for how the AT works. From the comments it seems that I'll go with a PB first and see how I get on. I fully expect to mess up my first attempt anyway (vet respecs ftw )
I would start with a pb. my main reason was that i loved the colors =D but getting beside the point. pb is way more self sufficient it doesnt need annything to heal u have access to build up, conserve power and lightform. my pb is now 42 and i love it. but there is a but. ws is really interesting too. i recently rolled one and its sitting at 24. it needs way more tactic but it is worth it nothing beats the power of a double mire going into nova and blast everything. stygian circle is awesome it needs defeated foes for it but it heals and recovers endurance. so with a pb you can solo easier where a ws shines in a team because it needs enemies pb is more straightforward where as ws has some more interesting powers. i would recommend to start with a peacebringer to see how you like it and learn the basics. a big thing to think about tho is if u like tp or fly u can get both on kheldians but only in forms that was a downside for my ws because of the lack of hover. oh and for the forms a pb is a sort of scrapper/blaster mix so you can do easily without forms i only have them for the mezz rez in dwarf and nova for the aoe blasts. for a ws i would advise a tri-form nothing beats a dwarf mire then a human mire and then blast everything to bits in nova. hope i cleared it up for you abit ^^
[ QUOTE ]
You're probably going to respec at some point regardless of how you build the toon, so I really would suggest taking powers because they sound cool and then seeing what you think.
[/ QUOTE ]
BEST ADVICE EVA!!
this is how i've made every single toon i own. and as Blind said, vet respecs FTW!
Having played both, I'd suggest that which to play first will depend on the player. Many will wisely suggest PB, since overall they're more straightforward and pretty much a Jack-of-all-trades.
However, here are some questions to help you:-
Do you prefer straightforward hack-and-slash, or having more "crafy" powers that have to be used well to be effective? If the former, favour PB, latter = WS.
Do you enjoy having your power come from yourself, or do you like attacks that steal from enemies? Former: PB, Latter: WS.
Are you happy to be weaker for half your career to be more powerful for the second half? If so: WS, otherwise PB.
Switching forms takes a few seconds of inactivity. Are you happy to be switching forms mid-combat repeatedly for the highest effectiveness, or would you prefer to not have to switch forms much so that you have a simpler life? Former: WS, latter: PB.
Do you like having pets? Yes: WS. No: PB.
Do you prefer the secondary effect of Slow, or -Def? Former : WS, latter: PB.
All IMO of course.
Or it can be a "philosophical" choice :
a PB is light (more or less a Paladin)
a WS is darkness (more or less a necromancer).
That's a nice list there, Estarriol, and I wholeheartedly agree that the PB/WS question depends heavily on what you like to play.
At some point I fell in love with sets that let me drain enemies for my own advantage, especially kinetics, so it is no surprise that the WS is more fun to me. Other players have considerably less fun with the crazy tri-form-WS playstyle and are better off playing a PB which is a lot more straightforward.
Judging by the list of Blind's toons I would guess he is more the PB type, but I could easily be wrong since I have never seen him play.
![](http://mindweaver.de/thanatos2.jpg)
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
[ QUOTE ]
Also and advice on how many forms I should factor into my build (I don't want it to end up too complex).
[/ QUOTE ]
My two cents worth on forms...
At level 6 you get the squid for both PB and WS. Similarly, at level 20, they both get the Lobster of Love (Dwarf)
By the time you've reached 6, you'll be desperate to get squid form and for both PB's and WS's it is identical. You'll spend a large part of your early career in squid form.
At level 20 you'll do two things. First you'll pick up Dwarf form, then you'll cry because you've now got about 47 slots to fill when you reach 22 and SO's.
At 22, I recommend using a veteran respec and dropping the squid unless you really really love it. At the very least you'll want to respec and keep all three forms but use the respec to sell your DO's and shuffle your slots around.
There's a little twist to respeccing a Kheldian that not everyone knows straight out, and that is that you can add respecced slots to Dwarf and Squid powers from level 1. Apparently this is WAI, which is very very useful.
Either way, the best advice, apart from the level 22 respec I can give has already been given above, and that is pick powers because they've got a cool name. You WILL respec sooner as a priority with a Kheldian than with any other AT.
Hope this helps, and enjoy your Kheldian.
"Pride is all well and good but a sausage is a sausage"
For Lent I gave up...
Hope
I hope the thing about dropping squid form at 22 was directed solely at PBs, because nobody should ever advise anybody to drop the WS squid form.
Seriously, the Purple Flying Fortress of Doom is as godlike as it gets. Two Mires, an Eclipse and two to three Extracted Essences turn the well-slotted WS nova into a thing of pure deadly beauty (with bonus points if Hasten is up). Throw in a double-mired Quasar followed by Stygian Circle every now and then (before switching to nova form again) and the carnage is a sight to behold. It's like easy mode for speed junkies, only faster.
![](http://mindweaver.de/thanatos2.jpg)
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
[ QUOTE ]
I hope the thing about dropping squid form at 22 was directed solely at PBs, because nobody should ever advise anybody to drop the WS squid form.
[/ QUOTE ]
I wholeheartedly agree.
In addition to the above factors, PBs have powerful melee attacks which overall make the damage on their Human form viable. The damage output of a WS Squid is so overwhelmingly higher than a WS Human that it's never - IMO - a good idea to drop the WS Squid if doing damage is a priority for you.
[ QUOTE ]
There's a little twist to respeccing a Kheldian that not everyone knows straight out, and that is that you can add respecced slots to Dwarf and Squid powers from level 1. Apparently this is WAI, which is very very useful.
[/ QUOTE ]
Can this be confirmed? I've tried this twice in the past & on both occasions CoH crashed, so I was under the impression that being able to slot both Nova & Dwarf at lvl 1 (via the Respec) was not 'Working as Intended' & thus the reason for the Crash.
Been there. Done that. Slots from level 3 and level 5 went straight into the Nova form.
The Kheldian respec crash (and odd slotting results with slots missing and/or in strange places) was a problem encountered by many for a short time after I8 and has been fixed. IIRC it is still possible to slot forms from level 3 on.
![](http://mindweaver.de/thanatos2.jpg)
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
Should everything go to plan I'll be able to make my first Kheld very soon.
I've done a little reading on them but I find I learn a lot better by actually playing an AT.
As a first time Kheld player would you recommend a PB or a WS and for what reason?
Also and advice on how many forms I should factor into my build (I don't want it to end up too complex).
Thanks for any advice