How best to build absorption?

[lurkerno9]

Psionic/Absorption is pretty clearly a fantastic defensive tree, but I'm never exactly sure about how to best build it and use it. Do I go 5/5/5/0 (or 3/3/3/0) and just switch between using thermal shield and charged shield as the situation demands? I've seen winners in the vault with it at 1/1/1/5. Is Forcefield really worth it? I've never actually used the skill, as it only lasts 5 turns and consumes *all* your psi. At least, if I'm reading the skill description correctly. Also, when is it a good idea to deactivate a shield to spike it? I love mindslayers, but I'm just really confused about what the optimal use of this tree is.

[lurkerno9]

edit: double post

[Micbran]

For skill builds you can always look at winners in the vault. As for forcefield, there are a couple of ways to sustain it, matter is energy, all the voracity talents, so you can keep it up for quite a few turns before its cost gets really high.

[Faeryan]

My own experience stems from only the old Mindslayer which had different skills. That one tree I believe is mostly the same as before but other skills have changed, thus I don't know how much skill points are needed elsewhere.

From the old perspective I can say they were fantastic to have at 5 all, but what I did was I juggled the points a bit into and from skills I needed more at the time. It was a hassle though.

So if you're looking at the winners list be sure to check only the ones with version 1.2.5 and up. I believe that was the version that changed Mindslayers so the point distribution would be more accurate with later winners.

[Effigy]

I haven't really played Mindslayer that much, but after looking at the code I see that "spiking" an Absorption shield actually creates damage shield like what you'd get from a Shielding rune. The damage shield power is based on how much damage that Absorption shield prevented before you spiked it, so it's probably fine to spike it any time you've recently take a bunch of damage of that shield's type and you need a damage shield.

Note that the "psi damage shield" doesn't stack with a normal damage shield, and one will replace the other.

[Radon26]

and consumes *all* your psi.

as for that.
you have 3 skills that suck energy out of your enemies, you have a talent that grants +psi on hit, and you have a talent that lets you consume gems to regain psi every turn.
all of those seem pretty good for restoring your psi.
however, there is also one more talent that if used correctly bits it all.
the thermal balance in the thermal mastery category.
http://tometips.github.io/#talents/psio ... al-mastery
it sets your current psi to 50% of you max psi (not sure how sustains impact this sort of things)

[lurkerno9]

and consumes *all* your psi.

as for that.
you have 3 skills that suck energy out of your enemies, you have a talent that grants +psi on hit, and you have a talent that lets you consume gems to regain psi every turn.
all of those seem pretty good for restoring your psi.
however, there is also one more talent that if used correctly bits it all.
the thermal balance in the thermal mastery category.
http://tometips.github.io/#talents/psio ... al-mastery
it sets your current psi to 50% of you max psi (not sure how sustains impact this sort of things)

0_0 I never caught that bit of text in thermal balance. Thank you for pointing it out!