Raising a Peacebringer

How to Raise a Peacebringer

I was going to write this guide initially while riffing from Dechs' "The MF Warshade" guide. It's a good guide overall to compare and contrast, and I strongly recommend anyone considering a Warshade to read it. But the more I wrote, the more it came back to me just how dissimilar a Peacebringer is.

That said - go read Dechs' guide. Take a few minutes to do so. We ARE going to do some contrasting here, and if you want to try both Khelds, you should know how the other half lives.

What this guide is not

I've got a philosophy that Dechs' guide works well with, and which I'm going to adhere to here. I am not going to give you an "uber lvl 50" build. You may spend thousands of hours at 50, and I hope they're enjoyable hours on your Peacebringer. (They certainly are on mine. I have, at time of writing, two at 50.) What I am going to do is give you tips and things to look for on the journey.

We're also going to split things up a bit when we hit 20. That's really where you've got a decision to make. (You can always go back through the magic of dual builds and respecs if you change your mind, of course.) I'll go into considerations for human, bi and triforms at that point.

I will also mention helpful IOs, slotting suggestions and such - but again, don't expect a build. (I will, however, point out "Don't miss" and "Seriously consider" powers.)

The Peacebringer difference.

"What's the difference between 'shades and Peacebringers? Insult a Warshade in a bar, they'll go out, slash your tires and put sugar in your gas tank. The peacebringer will just break your face." -Me.

That simplifies things a bit. It's a good attitude comparison (though the 'shade goes from sneaky to demigod later.) But at the same time, it simplifies things a bit too much. So we're going to do some comparisons here.

1. Secondary effects. A Warshade slows their enemies with their attacks. Easier to keep together, a little safer with -recharge. A Peacebringer debuffs defense, making them easier to hit with followup shots (and thus easier to kill.)

2. Steady state versus rollercoaster. A Warshade has incredible highs - and low, low lows. Their self buffs, self heals and the like rely on enemies, alive or dead. (This is the balance which lets them get such nice buffs off of Mire, for instance.) A Peacebringer is entirely self contained. When Build Up or Restore Essence come up, they're going to do the same buff for the same amount at the same level with the same slotting. No worries that you're down to fighting one tough boss versus a crowd of minions. Your buffs are always there for you.

3. Fluffies of Doom vs Fluff. OK, this doesn't make the Peacebringer come out quite so well. The Warshade's extracted essences are reasonably long lasting, ranged attackers that add seriously to damage for a while. The Peacebringer's Photon Seekers are... um... well, a melee attack. Don't drag them behind you and expect them to explode. They had an AI upgrade a while back that upgraded them from "Dumb as dirt" to "Just somewhat dumber than an earthworm." I've had them float harmlessly right on an enemy's head through an entire fight, apparently deciding to make them die of embarassment ("Oh no, dandruff!") instead of explodiness.

4. MF for strength versus MF "because I want to." If you read Dechs' guide like I said, you'll see how the Warshade's dwarf mire, human mire, Eclipse and pets all work together to make a Warshade an engine of purple destruction. Bi and humanform are still viable - but you do lose out on some power, depending on combination. The Peacebringer? The idea of "Self contained" carries through here. If you go human form, you don't lose much by not having Dwarf - no mez protected form*, no second heal.

*Edit - Since this was written, Light Form has had some changes, and you can with some builds (go ask in the forum) perma it. Which will take care of the mez bit.

5. The Chosen One brings Balance. Similarly to the Warshade, your Inherent - Cosmic Balance - buffs your stats. Every Control (Controller/Dominator) character helps your protection from Control effects, and every other Epic AT (Hero or Villain) gives you Slow resistance. However, everything else is turned on its head. Are you protecting squishies? Every defensive AT (Tanker, Mastermind, Defender or Corruptor) helps your ability to protect them by giving you a damage boost. (OK, tanks and masterminds in bodyguard aren't generally squishy, but they are classed as defensive here.) Every offensive AT, such as sweaty Scrappers, BO Brutes... eh, wrong kind of offensive? Anyway, Scrappers, Stalkers, Brutes and Blasters all help you stand on the front line with them by buffing your Damage Resistance. "A Peacebringer is what the team needs; a team is what the Warshade needs." -Dechs

These aren't all the differences, but it's part of what we'll focus on as we grow our Peacebringer.

See my Guides and Tutorials

Peacebringers and enhancements

"Woah, wait, you haven't even started talking about leveling and you're going into enhancements? And I though you weren't giving a build!"

Yes, I am. And no, I'm not giving a build.

There are a few things to keep in mind when planning out your Peacebringer (even if, like me, you don't really "plan them out." MIDS is nice, but just letting them grow can be fun, too.)

If you're going to go multiform, you'll feel the crunch.

Slot crunch, that is. Human form isn't bad. Bi-form can start getting a little tight. Triform, you'll have to get creative. What does this mean? Really consider your slotting. A Peacebringer, especially your first one, you can expect to burn respecs and that second build on as you "get it right." You'll also find yourself thanking the devs for putting IOs into the game.

Pre-I9, Hami-Os (available late game) were the Kheldian's friend. Multi-aspect enhancement at full SO power (more, at one point) in a single slot? Obviously, we were dreaming! It was late-game heaven! (Yes, Titan-Os also exist, but faded so fast it just wasn't funny.)

After I9? Multi-aspect enhancements are commonplace. And really, really useful - often exceeding SO slotting even without set bonuses.

Required reading. No, really. Capn_Canadian's IOs for News, Casual Playas & Cheapskates. It's an I9 guide, and still formatted for the old forums, but really will show you what I mean. And you don't need to spend a lot! What it boils down to - take advantage of frankenslotting.

Frankenslotting aside, it's really worth looking at sets as well. The set bonuses carry over between forms - not just for a few seconds, but as long as the set/power is viable. That can be a BIG boost, especially when you start building for bonuses. Fortunately, you have a lot of sets to choose from....

IO help - Remember everything your powers do!

The frankenslotting guide was great reading, isn't it? Now, don't limit yourself to which sets you can take. Think of what your Peacebringer does. What sets come to mind?

Melee.
PBAOE.
Ranged damage.
Targeted AOE.

OK, think a little more...

Heals.
Resistance.
Flight/Universal Travel.

We're getting a pretty good little list. But you're missing a few.

Pet damage.
Recharge Intensive Pets.
Endurance Modification - you'll want to remember this!
Defense Debuff.
ACCURATE Defense Debuff.
ToHit Buff, especially good to remember if you take Nova.
Leaping, if you take Dwarf.
Knockback
Holds - yes, you have a hold in Incandescent Strike.
Stuns - if you take Pulsar.
Defense - Get a Karma instead of a Steadfast Knockback Protection recipe? Level 10, Combat Flight. AKA Hover.

That's a pretty damn healthy list, ESPECIALLY if you want to frankenslot! Can't find an Acc/Recharge? Check your "other" sets. You may want to keep this page from the wiki handy. Bookmark it right next to the IO sets page. That way you can see easily what exactly has the combinations you want.

IOs to watch for.

OK. There are some IOs, especially for multiforms, that you'll want to go after. Call them high priority.

All Khelds:
Steadfast Protection: Knockback protection

You're a Peacebringer. Even if you go primarily for forms, there's a chance you'll be in melee when you have to drop down to Human for a buff or two. All Khelds get an inherent resist at level 1. Slot this in there for four points of knockback protection. (You can pick up the other shields and put it in them if you want, but four points really does take care of most of the game.) They're (comparatively) cheap - and if you don't want to spend the inf, run some AE arcs and burn bronze rolls in the 15-19 range. Sell everything else you don't think you'll need.

Forms in general:
Performance Shifter: Chance for +End

Even though after Issue 19 you'll have Stamina in human form, that doesn't carry over into Dwarf or Nova form at this time. (Seriously, bring up the Combat Attributes window, Base stats. Watch your Recovery rate, and switch into a form. It will drop in seconds.) Yes, the forms have some END recovery built in to offset the toggle cost. This proc can help. Grab it. Every ten seconds, it has a chance to fire off and give you a small END boost while you're in form. It can help.

Edit: For clarification, when the guide was written it didn't carry over. Inherent Stamina does. Still, the proc doesn't hurt.

Dwarf:

Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance.

Just play around in the ski chalet during the winter event, gather candy canes and get this. Slows are NOT your friend as a Dwarf. yes, you can teleport. You still don't want to sit there with no attacks and your heal taking forever to recharge.

IOs to keep in mind

These are more "if you have the slots." Not needed, but they might give a little extra kick now and then.

Overall:

I'm not going to give a big list here. There are a LOT of procs in the sets we can take that give a chance for specific damage types. Khelds, by default, only do Energy damage (except for Radiant and Incandescent strike, which also do Smashing.) If you meet an Energy resistant foe, a chance for Smashing or Lethal damage can't hurt... if you have the slots for it. There are also those that give a Chance for Build Up or Chance for Recharge. They can't hurt. But don't sacrifice a needed slot elsewhere to fit it in.

I will suggest, at least in AOEs, an Achilles' Heel Chance for Resistance Debuff. You're already making them easier to hit. Why not give yourself a chance to hit harder at the same time? Alternately, again in AOEs, Force Feedback: Chance for +Rech. Another luxury slot choice.

Dwarf:
Miracle +Recovery. For the same reason I suggest Performance Shifter: Chance for +End. This will fire off any time you use the Dwarf heal and give you a little Recovery boost. (15%)

Perfect Zinger - Just in general, as four slots will help your recharge a little. If nothing else, grab the Psi damage proc for a chance of more damage. Turn your taunt into an attack. Don't forget, though, the Kheld taunt benefits from Accuracy as well.

Nova:
You can get away without slotting the form, generally. However, if you have extra slots - a Kheldian luxury - there are a few you may want to look into.

Freebird: +Stealth. I like stealth on my Khelds. In your Nova form, you're going to be squishy anyway. If you can get a little closer before being spotted, it helps. It doesn't, of course, add to your defense. And if you have to escort someone, you'll have to drop form in many cases for them to follow. Still, after I18, the Stealth from this drops as soon as you detoggle (no 120 second timer.)

Rectified Reticle: Increased Perception. Another personal choice, primarily to deal with ghosts that vanish and run away. Keep them in sight and slap them around.

Gaussian's Synchronized Fire Control: Chance for build up. Who doesn't want a chance at more damage? It's admittedly 5% every 10 seconds, but still. It's a luxury slot purchase.


Post - Freedom edit - But what about the premium players?

I almost added free there - if you're an actual "free" player, you don't have access to Khelds. Once you DO, you've either purchased them or subscribed. Welcome to premium or VIP!

For Premium, you'll either be at Reward Tier 7 (lifetime unlock) or use an invention access license. Do note, though, that ATOs (including universal damage) and any store bought enhancements (from the Paragon Market) will work no matter what - and some of the mentioned enhancements do have SBE versions. Your choice. Otherwise, Dwarf form, Stamina slotting, Acrobatics and Combat Flight are there for knockback management.

See my Guides and Tutorials

Growing Up Squiddy

OK, we're finally into the meat of the guide. How do you grow from a sea monkey to a white, glowy squid of doom? Well, sit on down and... forget some of what you read in Dechs' guide. I'm going to have you put off your final decision on what you want to be until level 22, and I'm going to make a few assumptions.

Levels 1-22

First, even if you really, really want to be human form, pick up Nova at 6 for now. Yes, I know it screws with your RP concept. Believe me, you'll be in Human enough, and people will forget all about that little seafood indiscretion as a kid. (Alternately, well, keep your second build handy at level 10.)

See my Guides and Tutorials

Forms and You

So, here you are at 22. Ready for a respec and some nice, shiny level 25 SOs. (Or IOs, or sets. I'm not picky.) Again, we're not just rewriting Dechs' guide with less purple, we're looking at being a Peacebringer - and that means human or multiform.

"But Bill, you studly tanker/peacebringer/plays everything altoholic," you say, "I'm not sure what I want to be." (OK, maybe you don't say it that way. It's the thought that counts. Stop laughing.) Well, let's go through the pros and cons of the various configurations. This is not simpler to more complex - each strategy has its own tradeoffs. We'll start with... humanform.

The All Human League

So, you decided being seafood just wasn't for you. You've got two arms, two legs and don't have people singing B-52s songs when you walk by. Fair enough. If you like the Blapper playstyle, you'll be right at home here - you'll probably think you've gone to Blapper heaven, because that's just what you are.

Pros:

No slot crunch. Really. You're not splitting your slots between your human powers, two forms (well, I know you wouldn't slot Nova) and the ten powers that come with them, trying to stretch them as far as you can. No, all your slots go right in your human powers. And you'll like it that way.

No form switching to buff *clap-point* you up. Hasten up? Click it. Essence Boost ready? Autofire? It's going off. All your powers are there at your beck and call, not hidden away in other forms.

No loss of powers. OK, one word. STAMINA. It will be running eternally. No loss when you swap forms. Edit: Post I19, of course, this isn't an issue.

No retoggling. This is a complaint of multiforms. Have Shining Shield? Maybe Tough? You don't when you come back from your other form... oh, wait, you don't HAVE other forms! So long as you have endurance, you have your toggles running.

Cons:

No forms. Yes, you want to be human, but the forms have their uses. What are you losing? While Nova's not that big a loss, you lose your mez protection and a second heal in Dwarf form.

Set loss: 1 set type (Taunt.) If you're looking for set bonuses, of course, you can snag the Presence pool for this.

Power and leveling strategies

You'll have most of your attacks available. Absolutely don't skip Radiant Strike or Incandescent Strike. Just like the prior section, Essence Boost is a must have, as is Reform Essence.

To help with the slot crunch (IE, I want a strong heal NOW!) consider Conserve Energy at 24. It's helpful on its own, but doesn't really need slotting - which means you get the slots at 23 and 25 to put right into your self heal. Also, Quantum Flight is a really nice SHTF button - instant phase (30 sec) with max flight speed. Another with no slotting really needed, which lets you spread those out to other places.

The shields will be more useful to you. You're losing the high resists of Dwarf form, after all, but at the same time, you don't need to retoggle. Shining Shield, the Smashing/Lethal, should obviously be first on your list when you pick them up. Quantum Shield next - you're a Peacebringer, you will face Voids doing Negative Energy damage. Might as well mitigate some of it. Thermal is totally up to you, but really... how often have you said "I really wish I had fire/cold resist?" If you want it for another resist set bonus and have the slots, go for it.

Light Form. It's Invincibility. Yes, it has a crash. It also turns you into a ball of fluff that can beat on your enemies from inside, which I find oddly amusing. Grab and slot. Unslotted, on its own (in Mids) you'll be at 52.5% resistance. Combined with the other shields... yeah, it's nice. Just watch for the blinking icons.

You'll appreciate having the Fitness pool as an inherent after Issue 19. Be sure to remember to slot Stamina. (Or don't and throw an assisting Miracle in Health.)

Optional powers

Group Energy Flight. It's group fly, with all the plusses and minuses. By the time you get it, though, most everyone else has a travel power. And with jetpacks given out so freely, well, it loses some of the luster.

Pulsar. It's a stun, which can open up some sets and bonuses, and you'll have the slots. You won't stun bosses with it, though.

Glowing Touch - If you want to be a khealer, here's your Aid Other. But it looks cooler.

Restore Essence - It's a rez. It's something else that doesn't really need slotting, and it's useful for what it is. I usually grab it.

Photon Seekers. Still dumb as rocks, but released in melee, it's not a bad attack, usually. Take Solar Flare first, though.

Dawn Strike. Do you like exploding? Consider this. Don't forget, though, you've got Conserve Power, not Stygian Circle - you're not doing an instant refill when you're done.

Power pools, aside from Fitness:

- Concealment. I mentioned before, I'm biased, I like stealth on my Peacebringers. However, unless you want a Def set, you don't need the power pool. 15-25, Hyper Stealth in Bloody Bay. 20-30, Combat Invisibility (better than stealth.) 30+, Hyper Phase from Warburg. Alternately, you can get the stealth IOs to put in Sprint, Hover or Fly. Plus, if you want a phase, you have Quantum Flight. Concealment is generally skippable.

- Speed. Just for Hasten. Snag when possible. If you want superspeed, go for it.

- Leaping. Primarily for Combat Jumping's Immob protection (and/or a place to put a second Karma KB protect IO, if desired.)

- Fighting. Incandescense works with Quantum shield to boost your Energy/Negative resists. Tough works with Shining Shield. Worth the investment? That's up to you. Me, I like staying alive longer. Three SOs in each = almost 53% resistance.

Playing the humanform

You're melee. All the time. Even your ranged attacks, just consider a REALLY LONG punch. You can lean more toward multiple target with Proton Scatter, and Solar Flare will scatter enemies to the winds (so pay attention when you're on teams - stay toward the edges to keep them together.) This is also where my stealth bias comes in - I love to get the drop on a Void hunter. Stealth, fly, follow, queue up Incandescent Strike, finish him when he's down. (Solar Flare can take care of getting the rest of the group off your back right away.) If there's not a mezzer, hit the first target with a quick Gleaming bolt (that -def, remember) before hitting him hard with Incandescent. Mezzers and voids, open with Incandescent (or Radiant to knock them down and away.) There's really no need to ever hang back. You are the front line.



The Inhuman

This is just the conceptual opposite of humanform. Yes, you do have a human form, but your focus is on Nova and Dwarf.

I'll admit, for me this is pure theorycraft. I've never gotten into this particular style, but others have, and it might appeal to you. What you'll end up with is a fully slotted Dwarf and Nova, with some utility in Human form.

Pros:

Fully slotted forms. Go with sets if you want. Your blasts, your taunt, everything about your forms will be the best you can make it.

Set bonuses. Humanform set bonuses still carry over. You can look at some powers for oddball sets or power choices you wouldn't actually use otherwise for set muling, if you choose.

No retoggling. Since you're concentrating on the forms, you're not taking shields and such - so, no retoggling needed.

Cons:
<Mention of "No stamina" deleted after Inherent Fitness.>

Switching for buffs - Hasten, for instance, cannot be activated in form. You MUST switch to human for it. Same with Essence Boost and Reform Essence. Note this doesn't apply to Accolade powers.

Boom-Boom - OK, Khelds are noisy when they switch. You'll be switching. If the sound annoys you, this isn't for you. Of course, you'll have more reason to stay in form anyway, compared to, say, the MFing warshade...

No real synergy.

Power suggestions

Hasten. You'll want it, even though you need to drop to human to use it. The other suggestions of Build up, Essence boost, Reform essence and Conserve Energy also hold true here. I'd also suggest Quantum Flight here - again, it's a great get-out-of-jail-free card, and doesn't need slotting. However, if there's something else that fits your needs better, grab it.

Skip the shields. Barring wanting them for set bonuses, you're not going to want to spend time toggling them on between forms. You're not going to concentrate on human attacks, just your buffs.

If anyone who plays this form wants to chip in with their experiences, you're more than welcome.

Quick direct reply from Vessel of Light with their experience:

See my Guides and Tutorials

The Biforms

Biform - aside from what I called "The Inhuman" - is Human and one other form, either Nova or Dwarf. Like I mentioned early on, there's not really the same sort of synergy, the weaving together of powers to create something even more powerful, that there is with the MFing Warshade. That's no reason to discount the bi or triform, though.

Human-Nova

You're a person. You're a squid. You're the sushi place's worst nightmare come true. This gives you many of the advantages of Human form with the ability to concentrate a bit more on Nova's blasts.

Pros

More slots for powers. Nova's form doesn't really need slotting, and it only has four blasts. That leaves a lot of slots for humanform powers.

Nova's accuracy. The plus of Nova is, of course, accuracy, and you can just swap form and blaze away.

Travel synergy. Via keybind, you can drop from Nova to Human with flight toggled on right away - and from human to Nova the same way. No dropping like a rock for you!

Cons

No mez protection. Unlike Dwarf, Nova offers no mez protection at all.

Defenseless form. It also has no defense inherently (not that any Peacebringer form does) and no Resists of its own in Nova.

Slotting - Nova

If you go this way - actually, go with either biform - be sure to slot early using the Kheldian respec ability. Start fitting slots into Nova, but plan them out so you don't end up short elsewhere. You'll still be using Human for a fallback when you need to be tougher, as well as buffing yourself. The only specific recommendation I make for Nova is to put a Range into Scatter to bring it closer to the other blasts. Diving in and out always makes me feel like I'm wasting time. Fitting in some recharge doesn't hurt, either. Don't forget your END reduction. Start looking into frankenslotting or sets.

Powers and slotting - Human

You're going to need to be a little more stingy than the pure-Human Peacebringer. It's not as bad, though, as the form itself doesn't need slotting, just the attacks. With Fitness becoming inherent, you'll have one less choice to consider - though you'll still want to remember any Stamina slotting you need. Hasten is also going to be worthwhile for you. See how much you can get without slotting, though - again, Conserve Energy, Quantum Flight and Restore Essence, while handy on their own, are going to be slot liberators.

You're going to have to retoggle coming out of Nova as well. Between that, possible END issues (if Nova's burned more END than you thought) and slot crunch, you may want to look into just Shining Shield, if any. Tough is still useful, but it edges a bit closer to "Optional." Quantum shield, for all the Energy damage you may face, can go by the wayside or go with just a default END slot, depending on if you want to deal with the toggle or not. Slip an extra slot or two into Incandescence if you have them to make up for it. (Pre-I19 note - Stamina is *supposed* to work in the forms after I19. It's not up to test at time of writing, but if it works, this "END issues" mention will be outdated.)

Most of the "Highly recommended" powers are still recommended here - Essence boost, Reform essence, Conserve Energy, Quantum Flight, Restore, Light Form... the latter especially if you drop the other shields. Incandescent Strike and Radiant Strike are still your go-to powers, and you should have enough slots for your attacks to be quite effective.


Human - Dwarf

Dwarf is more slot hungry than Nova. The form itself should take slotting, plus there are more powers to consider slotting. You'll be looking more strongly at set IOs, even if just for frankenslotting, with this setup. This is probably the heaviest Melee-centered form of them all. If you like getting right up in the enemy's face, this is the way to do it.

Pros

M-M-M-Mez Breaker! Yes, you get a form that you can activate while mezzed, giving you a nice resist boost, a handy heal and more mez protection.

Resistance, Resistance, Resistance - Dwarf is very resistant when slotted to everything but Psionic damage. And you'll still be able to use Light Form, though it locks you out of Dwarf.

Teleport - In dwarf form, that is. Immobilized? Pfft.

Another heal!

Cons

Sensitive to slows - To me, at least, Dwarf feels more sensitive to any -rech you're hit with.

Synergy? What synergy? - Dwarf doesn't even have the "At least you're flying" of Nova. Swap to dwarf in the air, and you're going down.

More slot hungry. 6 powers as opposed to Nova's 4, plus slots in the form itself. Plan ahead. Though don't assume they all need heavy slotting....

No Autopowers in forms - so, again, END management is paramount.

Special PVP note - Don't plan on staying in dwarf while PVPing and being able to teleport away if things go south. Since I13, Teleport's "suppression" has been "It doesn't work at all."


Slotting - Dwarf

Unlike Nova, you'll want to slot Dwarf. I assume 5 slots if possible - three for Resist IOs (I don't care about END or recharge, just bumping that resist up,) one for a Winter's Gift (stocked up on a few last winter to fight off slows) and one, if possible, for a PS +End IO.

You'll also really want to watch your attacks. Recharge and END reduction most of all. You only have three. You'll also have your heal, a taunt (that can use accuracy,) and Teleport. At least Teleport doesn't need to be six slotted - one to two slots at most (set, or END, or ENd/RANGE.) You can, of course, put PSI damage in the taunt via proc to try to turn it into another attack.

Powers and slotting - Humanform

Feeel the crunch. You'll really want to start frankenslotting with one of these, as many of the powers you want hitting hard are going to not have six slots. You can still fit in Tough and Shining Shield and have them slotted pretty decently. You'll like having Light Form later on, though it locks you out of Dwarf's heal. You can, if you choose, underslot one of your ranged attacks (such as Gleaming Bolt/Eye) to move those slots into the melee.PBAOE attacks. Just be sure you're not going to be sitting around offering nothing to your target but conversation. If you're not punching face, tweak a bit.

See my Guides and Tutorials

The Triform

Ahh. Now here's flexibility - the accuracy (er, tohit) of Nova, the buffs of Human, and the toughness and mez protection of Dwarf, all rolled into one nice tasty package. This is the MF Peacebringer!

Well, no. If you've been reading along, you know why I'm not using that name. A Warshade can really take advantage of the forms to buff itself eight ways to midnight. They work together, powers and forms weaving a tapestry of death, destruction and purple fuzz. The Peacebringer - not so much. Yes, you can leverage your strengths by shifting when necessary, but you can also consider each form a separate entity.

Where they do overlap (and this is true of Warshades as well) is in set bonuses. Bonuses, unlike toggle buffs, stay active between forms. If you've got Thunderstrike slotted in Nova's two attacks, don't ignore them if you're looking for bonuses in Human form's attacks and watching your stacking (the 5 similar buff/percent rule.) Use this for some flexibility.

The only (click) buffs you really keep an eye on as a triform Peacebringer are human - since that's where they all live. You have a heal in Dwarf, and its built in protections. But it doesn't give you anything (save HP from that heal) to carry over to Human or Nova. Human's buffs - Conserve Power and Essence Boost, plus hasten (you are taking hasten, right?) carry through.

Be very, very picky about any toggle you consider. For instance, the shields as I've mentioned before detoggle as you switch forms - you may choose to completely ignore them, or just take Shining. Pools like Leadership? Forget it. Imagine toggling up your tank or scrapper, then accidentally hitting Walk and having to do it all over again. Every few minutes.

I was also going to say think about Stamina here - but with the announcement that the Fitness pool is becoming an inherent in I19 (as I was writing this guide,) that's less of an issue (other than one of slots.) With Fitness inherent, though, you will have more power picks. Remember, though, that while it's one pool you won't have to take (yay! More powers to choose!) you're still stuck with the same number of slots. And as a triform, slots are at a premium. Plot them out carefully - and be prepared to use a second build and re/freespecs, especially on your first Triform.

On a Triform, if you have anything six slotted, take a close look at what's underslotted. Something quite likely is, or you're low on attacks (or have great recharge.) You're going to love to learn two things - IOs, whether you frankenslot or go for sets, and single slot/skippable powers. If they give you some utility (take Combat Jumping for the immob protection, put a single KB IO in or a LOTG Recharge, same with Stealth) grab them first. Put the next two slots someplace - typically an attack or buff - that need it. (This could also be a reason to take the shields - just take them off of your tray.)

Single-Slot Gems

Build Up. Yes, you want some recharge in this. But, if you're going to look at sets, see if you can squeeze in some recharge somewhere via globals and bonuses.

Conserve Energy. Another with a single recharge.

Quantum Flight. I really tend to use an END reduction, but that's habit from when it used to have its END ramp up over time.

Bright Nova. Remember, slot the powers, not the form. (And consider strongly the Performance Shifter +END.)

Restore Essence. Yeah, you might need it - fit whatever you think will work, or a global/proc that works. Say, a Miracle unique.

Combat Jumping. Immobilize protection in Human form, though it is a toggle. Useful enough overall to consider.

Stealth. I know I put it down before, if you're looking for it for the stealth *power* there are other ways to go about being sneaky. But if you're looking for something to put another Defense set unique/proc/etc. in, here you go.

Thoughts on leveling and powers

If you're sure you're going triform, plan on a respec at 20. At worst, run a respec trial at 24 (make sure you're in SOs or decent IOs and that the highest person is the leader.) After the respec, when slotting concentrate on Nova first (until you're at least four slots per power,) then Dwarf (I'd alternate between the form and power until you have four slots in the form - three resists, one ENDMOD proc. Remember, stamina doesn't work in form.)

Don't forget, with Dwarf, that your taunt is NOT auto hit. You'll want ACC in there. (I tend to try to fit acc and recharge, at the least, but it's a very weakly slotted power when I do it.) You also do not have a taunt aura (such as Blazing Aura, Icicles, etc.)

Personal preference on Nova - I like fitting a Range into Nova Scatter, just to get it more in line with the other three powers. No need to duck in and out to maintain damage output.

Must have powers

I'm going to repeat myself here, but there's good reason for it.

Don't skip or underslot Essence Boost or Reform Essence. You want these up and boosting or healing you as much as you can. You are squishy, when you're not in Dwarf form (and don't forget to slot your dwarf heal.)

Don't skip or underslot your two heavy melee hitters of Radiant and Incandescent Strike. Give strong consideration to how you're going to slot Solar Flare, as well - not only is it PBAOE (fits as Peacebringer AOE, too, doesn't it?) damage, but if you need a breather, this will knock whatever is around you away.

Hasten. Especially when you're in light form, you're going to be very aware of having a limited number of attacks. Hasten, even with its crash, is a godsend for you. Low to medium slotting, and your attacks and heals are up faster - carrying over to forms? Yes. You want it.

Build Up, Conserve Energy and Quantum Flight. Yes, these were in the single slot gem list, as well. They're useful enough utilies to be considered "must have," as well as letting you shuffle slots where you need them.

Light Form. Yes, it locks you out of other forms. But if you're going to spend time in human, get it. It's got pretty decent resist right out of the box. And pulling numbers from Mids, a single SO there, stacked with unslotted shining shield and unenhanced Incandescence will give you some very nice resists - 85% smashing/lethal, 74% En/NE, 63% to everything else but Psi.

Other power considerations

I'm looking specifically at human form here. As you plan your build, consider just how much knockback you want. If you MUST have two AOEs, you're going to find yourself spreading slots thin. Decide if you want more KB or not, and decide between Proton Scatter (cone) and Luminous Detonation (Ranged AOE with KB.) If you start chasing sets, though, having both is a good source of recharge at 50, both with five slots - give one Ragnarok (if you can afford it) for 10% Recharge at 5 slots, give the other Positron's Blast for another 6.25%.

Photon Seekers - the Peacebringer's pets. Unlike a warshade, these are not long lasting bringers of doom. If you've played traps and are used to seeker drones, you'll find these very familiar (and somewhat dumb - I've had them float around a valid target and do nothing for a fight.) They're best used as a melee attack, as they do hit pretty hard and do some serious knockback on their own. Slottable with both Pet Damage and Recharge Intensive Pets.

Dawn Strike - This is a nuke. You will feel an endurance crash. That said, there's little more enjoyable than just walking up to someone and exploding. It won't tend to kill everything on its own from full health - effect wise, it's more like a Defender nuke instead of a Blaster's - but as a followup AOE (such as after a Dwarf Flare, Photon Seeker, etc.) it can be quite impressive. Have some blues handy for afterward, though.

A triform Kheld is all about making those trade-offs. By the time you're done - well, a triform Peacebringer is, among other things, a learning experience. You'll probably find yourself looking at slotting your normal characters differently afterward, as well - having to decide just what every slot is for can really open your eyes to things like frankenslotting. It can be a difficult road as you level, but it's very rewarding.


The Triform and binds

Binds (also useful as macros) will be a big help to any Peacebringer that uses forms. As many powers as we get, I set these up long ago to have form-specific trays and switch between them as I switch forms. My setup uses the keyboard numpad - 1 for Nova (powers in tray 9), 2 to drop to human (and immediate flight, powers in tray 8,) 3 for Dwarf (powers in tray 7,) 0 for Quantum Flight. You can adjust them for whatever preference you have.

Essentially, I save this as a file (I have a c:\binds directory) called pbbinds.txt. When I make a new Peacebringer, I just /loadbindfile c:\binds\pbbinds.txt and they're all set up.

NUMPAD0 "powexectoggleoff Bright Nova$$powexectoggleoff White Dwarf$$powexectoggleon Quantum Flight$$goto_tray 8"
NUMPAD1 "powexectoggleon Bright Nova$$goto_tray 9"
NUMPAD2 "powexectoggleoff Bright Nova$$goto_tray 8$$powexectoggleoff White Dwarf$$powexectoggleon Energy Flight"
NUMPAD3 "powexectoggleon White Dwarf$$goto_tray 7"

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Glad to hear it!

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Great guide Bill, I was bound and determined to make a Human only build just because I dont like the look of Bright Nova. Even with glint eye,radi blast,radi strike and vet staff powers and sands of Mu I still did'nt have the damge to solo properly.I read your guide and used a vet respec and took Nova....and wow what awesome difference.I will wait till lvl 22, use another vet respec then try for Human only.
Thanks again for the guide

Super guide, Bill and it echoes a lot of my experiences.

Even after I'd unlocked them with my first 50, I was reluctant to play Kheldians because of what I'd heard about the slot-crunch - besides, I had never seen a Kheldian that played Well. I always presumed that there was some aspect of 'awesome' about them, which I just wasn't able to see.

Then I had an idea for a concept-hero and, after looking at all of the other ATs for a way to build what I wanted, I remembered 'I can make a PB now.' It was a bit rough at first, but I was teamed with a feral Scrapper, so I still had a good time, and now my Human-only PB is level 33 and seriously kick-***.

What I love is the flexibility (even when limited to Human powers) of being able to do so many different things, just by changing range. While the Tri-form has Ranged-blaster abilities in Nova and Melee-tanker abilities in Dwarf (thereby maximizing flexibility) the Human form has all of that utility (if not to the same degree) and more.

I can blast and AoE and rush in to melee bam-bam-hang-time-BOOM! Then duck away and toss a green-light-heal to top-up the Scrapper, before going back to 'zing-voorp-zing-boosh' blasting away. With an EndRed in every attack and 3-slotted Stamina, I almost never run out of juice.

I am a cosmic-powered schoolteacher! I am a man of light! I am Starlight Saint!

This is kick-*** fun! Until the mezzers show up. However, I am stocking up on Status Resist bonuses, so I hope to have that mitigated pretty well. I surely do wish I had Tanker/Scrapper-type mez protection, though!

Anyway, your guide has me looking at some of my other Kheldian projects and thinking, "Hmmm, should I try the forms on this one?" I think I may (in my copious free time).

Be Well!
Fireheart

Glad to be of help

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Bill, atlest on my warshade, the fitness DOES carry over into the other forms, my recovery actually goes up while in my other forms (i know forms boost recovery, but stamina boosts it more, so combining them makes for some nice recovery boosts in the forms)

One place where Nova really shines at low levels is caves. On my first PB I went human-form, it was sometimes agonizing how squishy he seemed running content in the Hollows. On teams he was way more fun due to spread aggro and CB. But still. H

e was stuck in his mid 30's due to how painful he was to play. Darned near became my first deletion.

Then I took another PB on and went Nova. Just to see what it was like. Dear LORD it was so much easier.

Remember, for most low level enemies, they have a ranged attack that deals significantly less damage than their melee attacks (trolls in particular). You just go up and smootch ceiling and blast and blast and blast (and blast and blast and blast!) and stuff just...goes away. Keep a couple greens on you just in case.

After rapidly getting that second PB into the early 20's, I went back and respec'ed my original for tri-form and have been VERY happy since.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

Ah, Hover-blasting, yes. You can do that in Human-form as well and have one extra attack, too.

Be Well!
Fireheart

Well, that's me inspired for running my Tri-Form through another respec. Great guide Bill.

One thing I noticed playing a Tri-Form was that aggressively dancing through forms can throw out an aweful lot of damage when you're on a small team. For the majority of my time levelling I duoed with a Tank and it was alot of fun just going ballistic on mobs without much in the way of retaliation. The ability to play almost a jack-of-all-trades, is also alot of fun.

Even as a Tri-Form with limited slots, Nova can do some scarey damage. I frequently had situations where my Build Up buffed alpha of aoe attacks would kill of all the minions and leave just the few tougher mobs to mop up. If I timed the cone attack just right the momentum of a flying charge would carry me into the middle of the fight a split second after the attack landed allowing me to swap to human and flatten something with Incandescent Strike.

Thanks for a great guide.

I'd suggest the numina's unique goes into health so its a constant buff in every form, not just for the dwarf heal.

Contemplating rewriting to fit in some of the I21 changes. Quick notes:

- Build Up is now Inner Light. Lasts longer (30 seconds, with a decrease in effect from the initial burst,) which will help it in forms. Still a must take.

- Light form - Serious changes.
-- Doesn't last as long, but it's up more frequently.
-- Can be made perma
-- Lets you swap forms.
-- Does not turn you into the pufflball any more. (Which, for me, is very disappointing.)
-- Crash effect on the character is now reduced (to about half health, as I'm remembering.)

- Quantum acceleration:
-- Copy of Afterburner from the flight pool.
-- High defense, full flight speed.
-- Sets to only affecting self.
-- Personally, I don't care for it (I prefer QFly) but it's there.

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