wesslen

GE + Inky Aspect will stun a boss on first hit, not "eventually." To be fair that makes duration less important though... I should give it another shot. Did try proc slotting earlier, but that was while leveling and with much lower damage overall, so it will probably play out differently now. Edit: I tried it... and didn't like losing the ability to stunlock bosses.

Turns out both parts were actually mentioned in the guide already - I went through it now and expanded every section so I could search them, and found mention of procs in the PvP section: I feel this puts it in about the same category as my other point about the "two rythms" though - the information exists in the guide, and I'm not at all suggesting that the guide is wrong - it's excellent, and thank you for writing it! I'm just saying that this is information that despite existing in the guide, and my having read the guide, I still had to "discover" for myself, as the information didn't sink in when reading. I think that's because it's more alluded to than spelled out directly. In the changeling section of the guide, the part about going faster ("However if you want to go at full speed...") is placed almost as part of the introduction, three paragraphs before the instructions for how to learn the "normal" speed, but seems written as if it should be placed after the training instructions. I think it would be helpful to have something written about "there are two speeds - one that leaves you as human after the powers is done, and a faster one that leaves you shifted", and then explains when each is useful. Regarding procs, I also think that's good to spell out directly even if nothing else is mentioned about builds, since the ability to get proc rolls multiple times per second is quite unique to changelings.

I'll join in with my Warshade changeling build... This is the planned "next" version, as the filename indicates, but virtually identical to current. All the power picks and non-HO enhancements match the current version, I just can't afford all the HOs yet. Current version uses 50+5 PvP enhancements instead where applicable (plain Acc in Shadow Slip.) Any suggestions for improvements welcome, especially if they save me not-yet-spent inf! While this is a level 50 build with powers rearranged for exemplaring, it's very close to the order I actually picked the powers while leveling. If doing it all over again I'd probably follow this order until level 40 and prioritize LotG mules from there. I love the playstyle resulting from changeling + some CC + lots of CC-resist: The high amount of CC-resist usually stops you from being forced to stay in dwarf form (as has often been my experience with Khelidans before), but it's still present so you need to play around it, using stuns and knockdowns to counter-CC. I find this much more interesting than essentially eliminating CC from the game using Clarion or something. Notes on powers/slotting picks: Annoyingly, I had to pick Combat Teleport over Starless Step because SS roots you after use, which CT does not. (I reported this as a bug, but not holding my breath 😞). CT is probably my favorite power in the game, and I want it slotted for max range. "Infiltration+CT" is my travel power when not in a hurry. I'm sure adding Dark Extraction would be a big improvement, even without slots dedicated to it, but I hate using it because of bugs - both that it doesn't respect power customization and that it often goes on cooldown without summoning. (Both of those have existing bug reports.) I like actually using Gravitic Emanation for the stun. It'd be great if somebody has suggestions for how to also get some damage procs in there (or more range maybe...), but I do want decent rechange and stun duration on it, which goes against that. Some benchmarks from a slightly earlier version are available in the Amras build benchmarks thread. This version has ~15% higher single target DPS. I'm very pleasantly surprised it does so well in single-target DPS as lack of that is what's turned me off Khelidans in the past, but unfortunately that doesn't necessarily translate well to soloing AVs as it needs 3-5 targets for Eclipse to cap resists. Umbralily Next.mbd

Maybe I've missed it somewhere, but some things about changelings I (sort of) didn't see mentioned in the guide or in other comments that may be worth spelling out. If not in the guide itself then, well... here: Procs (This one is easy to guess when looking at changeling builds, but still...) Procs placed in the shapeshift toggles have a chance to trigger not just periodically but also when activating the toggle, which for changelings can be multiple times per second. This makes Performance Shifter: +End, Power Transfer: +Heal, and Gaussian: Build Up very powerful when placed in the toggles. Using procs to heal / recover endurance Less intuitively, the above means that if you've slotted said procs, it's possible to heal and recover endurance by spamming your changeling binds. When you're out of endurance, as long as you have the miniscule 0.13 endurance required to activate the toggle, you have a chance of getting 10% endurance back by attempting to attack, even if the attack itself never fires. It's even somewhat useful to have binds which toggle the forms on-and-off without an attack, for use specifically to heal and recover endurnace: /bind 1 "+$$powexec_toggleoff Black Dwarf$$powexec_toggleon Black Dwarf" /bind 3 "+$$powexec_toggleoff Dark Nova$$powexec_toggleon Dark Nova" The two changeling rythms In my first attempt at playing a changeling, several months ago, I never managed to figure this one out and as a result played a lot slower than possible and suffered an unnecessary amount of jank... Now that I've learned it myself on a second attempt, I can see that it's sort of already mentioned in the guide, so I'm not sure if I missed it last time or if it wasn't here then, but to spell it out more explicitly: There's a rythym to using changeling binds in a "well-behaved" way, where you shift into a form, fire off the power, and shift back to human at the end. If you release the button too quickly you'll stay in a shapeshift form. It's absolutely worth trying to learn this, to be able to fire off a power as quickly as possible and return to human. ... but when you're trying to fire off a sequence of attacks as quickly as possible, the "well-behaved" rythm is both sub-optimal and unnecessarily difficult. If both the "current" and "next" power you want to use are changeling binds, you can just tap the first button as quickly as possible and then press the second. Only the "last" changeling bind you use risks getting stuck in a shapeshift if released too quickly. This means that if all you're doing for a while is firing off shapeshift powers ("infinity changeling"), then timing is actually very lenient, and the thing to learn is not the proper time to keep a button down in order to avoid staying in shapeshift, but rather how quickly you can press the next button to get all the powers out without one being skipped. And the answer here is that you can press very quickly. Animation-cancelling makes infinity changelings attack rate quite frantic. When in doubt; go faster! It's still worth learning the hold-timing to be able to return to human smoothly, but it shouldn't be used all the time.

1 day, 3 respecs, and 2 T4s later - version 2 both performed better and is more fun to play. I don't like running with full mez protection as it basically removes one of the very few reasons to actively consider the enemies we're fighting, as opposed to treating them all as interchangeable target dummies. Unfortunately with the previous version I had to run Clarion to survive 4x8. The new version survived even using Ageless (after a few attempts to figure out the tactics), which is a lot more fun to play IMO. (Changelings kind of work like Blasters while mezzed, in that only some of the attacks are available.) Player Name: @Weasel Character Name: Umbralily AT: Warshade Powers: Changeling Pylon Time: 109 seconds 0x8 Time: 217 seconds 4x8 Time: 377 seconds Comment: v2, using Ageless Umbralily v2.mbd

Not a "bug" per se, but Starless Step - the Warshade clone of Combat Teleport - roots for 0.67s, which Combat Teleport does not. This makes Starless Step unappealing, and I end up picking Combat Teleport despite playing a Warshade, which can't be "working as intended" on a meta level.

Work-in-progress Warshade build... I'll definitely be moving a slot after this, and incarnates are T3. Player Name: @Weasel Character Name: Umbralily AT: Warshade Powers: Changeling Pylon Time: 140 Seconds 0x8 Time: 289 Seconds 4x8 Time: 427 Seconds Umbralily.mbd

I don't think the assumption that "plays DFB" = "likely won't play regular missions later" is correct. It certainly doesn't apply to me. I think the game is the most fun in the level 20-45 range, and it's pretty boring in the first 5-10 levels, depending on powerset. I want to get to the good part as soon as possible, and that means DFB+Positron. Once enough powers are available that the character works properly, I'm happy to play missions.

Excellent recommendation! Mind Control was already one of my favorite sets conceptually, but obviously it was very lacking. This is my first go at the new version, and I'm loving both the TK + Levitate combo and TK's gathering ability to go with Storm Summoning. Lots of fun, and the two sets combine to something much better than the sum of the parts.

I haven't actually been counting and probably apparently forgot some (hence the "(?)" in my post), but there haven't been many contacts exclusively introduced by brokers. Of the 4 you listed, it appears 3 are only available via broker according to the wiki, but Dmitri Krylov is introduced by Ashley McKnight. I'm not saying brokers are entirely redundant, only that you don't generally need to grind brokers to unlock many contacts. May be a matter of perspective - I'm also running each mayhem mission once for badges, so I'm not dealing with them just to get contacts. My impression is that most times I run a mayhem mission I don't get introduced to any new contacts. Mostly I wanted to balance the multiple mentions of hating the broker system... but honestly I'd recommend newspaper missions over some of the worse story arcs - at least with paper missions you get to choose your own objective so you don't get several consecutive defeat all or escorts. (Edit: and some arcs really don't even have more of a story than the paper missions.) Edit 2: At the time I wrote these, I hadn't yet dealt with the brokers in St. Martial. That seems to be the worst area. I ended up going through all the broker-introduced contacts on the wiki to see how many are only introduced by brokers, to see how misleading I'd been, and in total there are 10 contacts that are only listed as "introduced by" brokers: Mr. Bocor, Billie Heck, Angelo Vendetti, Peter Themari, Lorenz Ansaldo, Lt. Demitrovich, Hard Luck, Hardcase, Vivacious Verandi, Regent Korol. I'm fairly certain I got Vivacious Verandi from the find contacts window, not the broker (Edit 3: verified on another character.) Can't remember earlier contacts well enough to dispute them. Maybe my memory was off, maybe more of them can be had via find contacts. Edit 4: Regent Korol is introduced by Westin Phipps, though this isn't listed on the wiki. I have the introduction window open as I'm typing this. So for St. Martial and Grandville - the part where I've actually been counting - only 2 of the 4 supposedly only introduced by brokers contacts are in fact only introduced by brokers.

Regarding the broker hate... I'm currently trying to play through all the redside story arcs at appropriate level. My process is: (Lock xp at something-4 and something-9 levels.) At every level up, check the "find contacts" window for new contacts. Talk to them if there are any new ones (to remove them from the introduction pool.) Play through all available story arcs from the active contacts. This will give introductions to new contacts. Once out of contacts, run paper missions and mayhem. I've only ever received... I think two(?) contacts from brokers - the rest had already been introduced by other contacts / were immediately available. So for anybody who wants to avoid brokers and wants to play missions from contacts, well... just do that. If the contact you want to play isn't available, you'll probably get it from another available contact without needing to bother with the broker. (And you can check the wiki to find out which contacts introduce which.)

Well... for the purpose of this post it kind of has to be a dominator. I don't have a problem coming up with new characters to play in general, and already have multiple login pages of controllers. I was asking about dominators because they seem like they should be fun, and I've tried a handful or more, but can't seem to get one to stick. In hindsight it wasn't clear from the original post as I only mentioned the reasons for dropping the doms I've gotten furthest with, but usually I find doms too fragile, with not enough payoff for it. I'm sure that changes with permadom, but that's too late for me - I want to have fun and feel effective on the way there. I tend to like most controllers, so not worried about coming up with a new one of those, but I'll keep your suggestion in mind 🙂 I haven't used poison before.

Earth I just can't get over the sound and visuals for, so that's out. Plant feels like too much of a one-trick pony (played it on a controller.) I don't think I've given Fire enough of a chance, so that's an option. Endless knockdown would be the main draw for me. I haven't tried Symphony on a dom. Did try it a bit on a controller that got shelved for symph/dark playing too similar to dark/dark, but I'd be open to trying again on a dom. I don't mind cones.

That sounds promising. I'm actually experimenting with my first sapper character right now (elec/elec def), and liking it so far. Definitely up for trying another version and seeing which clicks more... and I really liked what I've seen of /Psi so far.

I keep eyeing dominators and want to like the class, but haven't fully clicked with any. They can clearly become monsters at the endgame, but that's where I lose interest in the character and start a new alt. Are there any suggestions for dominators that are actually good and fun to play on the journey there? Context: I really like an active playstyle - surviving via controls and debuffing. Passive defences are boring. I like soft controls over hard ones. More than half of my characters are controllers and most of the rest are defenders. I solo a lot but also want to be useful in a duo or in the occasional task force. I tend to sponsor new characters with ~10-20 mil for a few procs and ongoing frankenslotting, but mostly just use the inf I earn through playing missions while levelling to gear them. If I really like the character I'll make a decent build at 50, and play through most of the incarnate levelling, then invariably lose interest when getting too far into it, after which all characters feel the same. I want a character that will be capable and fun to play through the journey, not one that becomes invincible at the end of it. Most successful attempts so far: * dark/dark: lost interest in the 30s - just felt like a worse version of similar troller/defenders I already have * ill/psi: shelved in the 20s - liked this one a lot so far, but illusion control is already by far my most used powerset from controllers, so it felt redundant * ice/savage: liked the sound of this combination from Darkir's post but am not following his build. Still playing it so far (25 now), but I'm not sold on it. Leaning so heavily on the confuse aura feels like fights are decided by luck too much for my liking. Any suggestions for other powersets to try?