How to play a Mindslayer.
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How to play a Mindslayer.
I was looking for different ways for playing the Mindslayer, I just unlocked it and it's confusing, Am I a caster? Am I a melee? Thanks for any tips you can provide! =D
Re: How to play a Mindslayer.
You can actually focus in on either and perform well, though I've never personally tried a focus!slayer. I've heard good things about 'em once they get off the ground; somewhat rougher early game than a melee slayer, though that's not saying much since a melee slayer has one of the easiest early game of all the classes. I haven't tried a hybrid approach yet, either, so I can't really comment on the more well-rounded slayer builds.
I tend to run my slayers almost pure melee these days, leaning on aura spikes for heavier burst damage and not even bothering with voracity debuffs or the focus tree, just raw damage and mobility. Usually when I run a slayer I'm doing it as, well, catharsis basically, a low effort run that I don't have to think much to do well with. A very straightforward mostly-bump+augmentation (not the talent, mind, just self-improvement in general) build, with some mobility on the side and maybe antimagic if I'm feeling frisky (and not playing a ghoul, anyway).
Bright side is even if you go heavy into the non-melee stuff, you'll still be pretty respectable in melee combat thanks to the TK weapon, you auras, and augmentation.
I tend to run my slayers almost pure melee these days, leaning on aura spikes for heavier burst damage and not even bothering with voracity debuffs or the focus tree, just raw damage and mobility. Usually when I run a slayer I'm doing it as, well, catharsis basically, a low effort run that I don't have to think much to do well with. A very straightforward mostly-bump+augmentation (not the talent, mind, just self-improvement in general) build, with some mobility on the side and maybe antimagic if I'm feeling frisky (and not playing a ghoul, anyway).
Bright side is even if you go heavy into the non-melee stuff, you'll still be pretty respectable in melee combat thanks to the TK weapon, you auras, and augmentation.
Re: How to play a Mindslayer.
I usually go with a hybrid focus/melee build. I max WIL and CUN, and might put a few points in STR as well. For my melee weapon set, I look for three weapons that boost crit chance and have something awesome on-crit, this allows you to get >30% crit chance early game, and around 100% by lategame. I rely on Augmentation for my STR and DEX, and Kinetic/Thermal shields for durability.
In my other weapon slot, I have a TK mindstar, and wield either dual mindstars, psychic weapons, or a staff for the +damage%. This gives ranged attacks through Mindlash, which is one of the best scaling talents in the game (it scales with talent level, not square root of talent level, roughly). The only aura I bother leveling is Charged, because it can clear whole rooms instantly.
For talents, I like playing Cornac for the boost to the Focus tree, and unlock Grip for all of its awesome talents.
In my other weapon slot, I have a TK mindstar, and wield either dual mindstars, psychic weapons, or a staff for the +damage%. This gives ranged attacks through Mindlash, which is one of the best scaling talents in the game (it scales with talent level, not square root of talent level, roughly). The only aura I bother leveling is Charged, because it can clear whole rooms instantly.
For talents, I like playing Cornac for the boost to the Focus tree, and unlock Grip for all of its awesome talents.
Re: How to play a Mindslayer.
How do you guys overcome the high squishiness factor of mindslayers in melee? Is it dwarves/ghouls all day every day, or is there something I'm missing about how to survive as a mindslayer?
Re: How to play a Mindslayer.
You overcome it by not playing a Mindslayer.
Okay, so I don't like that part about Mindslayer...
Realistically, a good answer is that you overcome it by playing Dwarf/Halfling(I don't recommend the undead for the class, though it can work. Mostly I don't like losing Movement infusions, I think, if I had to pin it down to one thing, and the class has a lot of good Generic sinks already, which cheapens the excellent racial sets those two have a bit).
Then you pick up heavy levels in the physical/acid Absorption tree as soon as you can, remember that you have it to spike it(At least, when a big physical threat comes along. In general, it's best left sustained), build Con(Will/Cunning/Con is an easy build for Mindslayer, thanks to Augmentation), get Finer Energy Manipulation later so that you can easily float the fatigue penalty of moderate range armor(Finer Energy Manipulation takes down a lot of Fatigue penalty and greatly raises your armor if used consistently. You can even swap gear to boost the skill while using it, if you want a better impact, though you rarely need to due to Will and Cunning both being obvious stats to heavily build.).
Then, lategame, segue into using Mindlash a lot, with a gem focus, because it's strictly superior to the alternative. >_> I'm sure a pure physical Mindslayer can be used, but I don't have good suggestions-if someone else has done lategame pure physical builds, they're better off giving you advice there.
Okay, so I don't like that part about Mindslayer...
Realistically, a good answer is that you overcome it by playing Dwarf/Halfling(I don't recommend the undead for the class, though it can work. Mostly I don't like losing Movement infusions, I think, if I had to pin it down to one thing, and the class has a lot of good Generic sinks already, which cheapens the excellent racial sets those two have a bit).
Then you pick up heavy levels in the physical/acid Absorption tree as soon as you can, remember that you have it to spike it(At least, when a big physical threat comes along. In general, it's best left sustained), build Con(Will/Cunning/Con is an easy build for Mindslayer, thanks to Augmentation), get Finer Energy Manipulation later so that you can easily float the fatigue penalty of moderate range armor(Finer Energy Manipulation takes down a lot of Fatigue penalty and greatly raises your armor if used consistently. You can even swap gear to boost the skill while using it, if you want a better impact, though you rarely need to due to Will and Cunning both being obvious stats to heavily build.).
Then, lategame, segue into using Mindlash a lot, with a gem focus, because it's strictly superior to the alternative. >_> I'm sure a pure physical Mindslayer can be used, but I don't have good suggestions-if someone else has done lategame pure physical builds, they're better off giving you advice there.