Couple questions from a new warshade


AIB

 

Posted

I have seen and read the few posts i could find and a couple guides (Need to take a closer look at AlienOne's guide again however) and im just really curious about the human form warshade. I tried a little bit of the bi and tri form but it really just doesn't appeal to me with all the shifting.

So im wondering if human form can be made to have strong aoe damage to take on full groups of x8 (at least x8 +1 - +4 doesn't matter too much) Can they be made to do that sort of thing with out billions of inf? At best i only have 300mil to work with. I can get more of course but i haven't found the best method for making money yet.

I have watched a video that AlienOne did way back in 2009 ( http://youtu.be/mlmd15zaqOs ) Is that still doable? Or is it only with specific mob types?

Anyway thanks for the info, the class looks really neat, and i think i would enjoy it, minus the form hopping.


 

Posted

My human Warshade solos the hardest enemy groups in the game on 54x8 at a very decent pace. Unchain Essence is your best bet for AOE, along with leveraging Inky Aspect/Gravitic Emanation/Provoke in order to keep your pets alive. Dark Detonation is your next AOE power, it's not great right now but it'll be very valuable when the -KB proc comes out with the summer event. It also takes a Force Feedback +recharge proc which is awesome. Last but not least, a proc'd out and well slotted Orbiting Death and Sunless Mire tie it all together and the end result is very impressive.


Human Warshades are also some of the most survivable builds in the game at the high end, once your perma your Eclipse and build enough defense. That plus Stygian Circle and leveraging controls makes you nigh unkillable.


 

Posted

Obligatory MFing Warshade plug.

Seriously, though, if shifting isn't your thing, that's fine. Just keep in mind that with i23 all shapeshifts will be instantaneous. You won't lose any time from shifting, you just need to press one button before using a few attacks.


Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.

 

Posted

Yea I stand by leveling up as a tri form Shade with the help of Dechs' guide, but once you get to level 50/decide to invest enough infamy into your build, tri form will be very limited in overall potential performance compared to human only. Not to say that tri form can't still be awesome, just less capable compared to the alternative.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by TwoHeadedBoy View Post
Yea I stand by leveling up as a tri form Shade with the help of Dechs' guide, but once you get to level 50/decide to invest enough infamy into your build, tri form will be very limited in overall potential performance compared to human only. Not to say that tri form can't still be awesome, just less capable compared to the alternative.
Hey now, with instant shapeshift, this is back up for debate. I see your orbiting death, and raise you triple mire nova AoEs.


Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison View Post
Hey now, with instant shapeshift, this is back up for debate. I see your orbiting death, and raise you triple mire nova AoEs.
I see your slightly more AOE and raise you Dark Detonation with a -KD proc- That's really going to close the gap right back up.

Also: Much more consistent crowd control and substantial overall defense lead to much higher survivability. You can't kill stuff if you're dead, human only has much more self sufficiency. 54x8 Malta and Carnies are going to kill you much faster than you can stygian return.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison View Post
Hey now, with instant shapeshift, this is back up for debate. I see your orbiting death, and raise you triple mire nova AoEs.
It's really about the defense and loss of toggle effectiveness with shifting. When they give us toggle suppression, the debate will be over.


The Inspiration Maker's Guide [i12] UPDATED with POPMENUS and Movement Binds!
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Guide to the Katana~Ninja Blade/Electric [i23]

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Microcosm View Post
It's really about the defense and loss of toggle effectiveness with shifting. When they give us toggle suppression, the debate will be over.
Unless Dwarf somehow gets to keep human form's defense though, human only will still be the best option for surviving and tanking.. Plus the obvious controlling.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by TwoHeadedBoy View Post
I see your slightly more AOE and raise you Dark Detonation with a -KD proc- That's really going to close the gap right back up.

Also: Much more consistent crowd control and substantial overall defense lead to much higher survivability. You can't kill stuff if you're dead, human only has much more self sufficiency. 54x8 Malta and Carnies are going to kill you much faster than you can stygian return.
Detonation with -kb is not going to make up for an average of 150% extra damage buff. Also, why do you keep talking about the forms like they're separate things? Without shift time, they really are just extra attacks. I lose none of my human control.

Clearly we just value different things. I already survive well enough for everything. I value my versatility, my damage, and my ability to exemplar. I can fight 54x8 maltivals. Maybe I need a medium purple inspiration to do it reliably, but there's my versatility again. Where you need break frees, I use purples. In the end, you survive better on your own and I do more damage. We both have fun.

But don't you dare say tri form isn't as capable. Again, yours does things mine can't and mine is capable if things yours isn't.


Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison View Post
Detonation with -kb is not going to make up for an average of 150% extra damage buff. Also, why do you keep talking about the forms like they're separate things? Without shift time, they really are just extra attacks. I lose none of my human control.
Yeah the damage buffs from Dwarf Mire and Nova are nice and the consistency of instant shifts will make tri form even better for AOE, but the gap isn't wide enough that it's worth what you lose- Defense and yeah, control. You can't use Inky Aspect on a tri form build reliably.
Quote:
Clearly we just value different things. I already survive well enough for everything. I value my versatility, my damage, and my ability to exemplar. I can fight 54x8 maltivals. Maybe I need a medium purple inspiration to do it reliably, but there's my versatility again. Where you need break frees, I use purples. In the end, you survive better on your own and I do more damage. We both have fun.
I don't need break frees, I use clarion. I stand by tri form for exemping too, but I play my characters to level 50 for a reason, not to go backwards. I personally never exemp but if I did I'd make a tri form build for it. A medium purple inspiration isn't really going to cover you enough especially against carnies. The best I've been able to do on tri form builds is 32.5% defense to s/l in all forms which is really more than enough survivability for general play, it's even how I built my Peacebringer.. But when I talk about high end play I mean soloing stuff that shouldn't really even be able to be soloed like tough enemies on max settings and high level AV's.

Also tri form will only do more AOE damage, human form does the best single target. There's probably even a good argument for Inky Aspect+Provoke being better tools for keeping fluffies alive and getting extra AOE through them, but that'd be way too hard of a claim to prove so I won't make it.
Quote:
But don't you dare say tri form isn't as capable. Again, yours does things mine can't and mine is capable if things yours isn't.
Not really. Human is capable of doing very respectable AOE. You've been PLed by my human Warshade so I know you can vouch for this. I think I remember your reaction to the first mob I killed the first time I ever PLed you was something along the lines of, "Woah. Wtf did you just do?" The gap between what human only can do and tri form can't do as well is much wider.


 

Posted

You see as much value in exemplaring as I see in soloing high level AVs. Who are you to claim which capabilities are more valuable than others?

Again, I'm not saying my way is better than yours. I never have.

I'm saying you don't have the right to claim yours is unilaterally more capable.


Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison View Post
You see as much value in exemplaring as I see in soloing high level AVs. Who are you to claim which capabilities are more valuable than others?

Again, I'm not saying my way is better than yours. I never have.

I'm saying you don't have the right to claim yours is unilaterally more capable.
I was only talking about more capable for high end play, soloing AV's has something to do with that whereas exemping is the exact opposite of high end play. I think that human only is more capable for high end play, not more capable for play period.


 

Posted

But why is level 50 content the only high end play? I can solo a psyche task force, which I need to be a well slotted level 50 to do, and yet that's not high end? That's somehow less of an accomplishment?

My shade is built for the versatility. You put it on any team in any content and it will get the job done. If the team needs control, I can do that. If the team needs a tank, I do that better with an auto hit taunt that has better values. I've yet to be on a team where the survival tools available to me were not enough for the task. I have more consistent and stronger burst AoE. And in this entire list, I'm still not arrogant enough to claim my way is the more capable one.

I'm starting to get very frustrated, and at this point I'm walking away before I say anything I'll regret.


Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.

 

Posted

Getting back to the original question...

Only 300 million to work with? That might be a little difficult to work with, unless you have a reserve of reward/alignment merits and such.


 

Posted

Jin,

Don't worry about finding the bi and triform routes unappealing as they are certainly not for everyone. I am glad that you gave formshifting a shot and do keep in mind what Dechs mentioned regarding the forthcoming change.

Human forms can be made to have strong AOE damage and as one it is likely that you will be able to take on full groups of x8, especially at only +1. Provided that you build adequately and play well, you should be able to accomplish this goal without spending billions.

What Alien did in '09 is still doable. Even greater things are now possible.

As for mob types, not all are created equally. However a well built and well played shade rarely runs into any that are too difficult for him to quickly annihilate.

Teams will long for your power and versatility. Heck, you may even think of putting an ad in the paper...

"Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer. 212 555 4200"."

Shades make great Equalizers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Equalizer

Enjoy,

AIB


 

Posted

Thanks for all the info, its nice to know that i don't have to be stuck form hopping if i don't want to. For now my shade is still low level, but i wanted to at least have an idea of what i was going to aim for at 50. I tend to like leveling with the build i will use later so i have better idea of what it can do and how to play it.

As for the instant form changing i think it would help but all in all it just feels clunky to me. But i do love the dwarf, its just a neat looking form, so for leveling i think i will aim for human/dwarf and then maybe drop it once I'm higher level and start worrying more about IOs.