Psi Psi Psionicist!

Posted by Duet in , on -

With the right build and playstyle you'll dominate any other class, but getting up to that level takes a lot of trial-and-error. - Trauma
What do psionicists do, and why would you play one? It's hard to describe exactly what a psi is, especially compared to WoW, because there is no copy. The closest thing I can find is: CC like a frost mage with spells that look like a mix of arcane mage + shadow priest. Choke reminds me of mind flay. ;)

How come we're one of the most wanted classes endgame? Well every heroic group needs a player to CC - psi's really shine in this. Mages are another class that can CC, but we bring more utility. Our CC chains take longer to set up, but we have a melee buff (Rapid Metabolism) as well as a caster buff (Disciplined Mind) - not to mention if specced right we can also give our mana to other users. If we pick up the ruby talent Fear of Failure and spam shock, our whole group gets up to a 9% damage boost on a target. We're just an all around utility/support class that provides CC.

Then why are there so few of us? It might be because the psi class takes awhile to learn, or because we are darn squishy, or because it takes too long for us to set up to kill anything. Most fights start out with casting mental link + mental twin - which might feel a bit unnecessary to players who just want to run in and start smashing things.

In pvp we are alright solo, but we shine the most in group pvp. Others can watch our backs while we orchestrate control from a distance - we can disarm players, knock them down, disable 1-2 players completely from a fight, pull them into a group to be aoe'd, etc.


Read on for input from 2 level 40 psi's who really enjoy their class.

Trauma's responses are in blue, and Twitch/Mindhack's responses are in green.

Pros of playing this class:
  • Spidey Senses from premonition (first world mystery skill - kind of like a radar)
  • Needed in almost every kind of party
  • Stat buffs and speed buff
  • Insane damage and utility
CC is both the draw and the core of the class. So much so almost any talent arrangement you can concoct will have the skills desired by a heroic/astral team, so you can play the way you want to and still be viable for end game PvE; and as a psi you'll be getting invited to a lot of heroics, as a good psi can take 2 or 3 enemies out of a fight indefinatly which is a lot of weight to pull with a single party member

Cons of playing this class:
  • Can't AOE very well so it's mostly single target spike
  • Steeper learning curve than most other classes
  • Mental overload can be tough to manage if you're new at the class
As glassy as a class comes, with no kiting talents, minimal defence and a reliance on staying offensive, if you drop the ball you'll be in purgatory before you can say "blunt cranial trauma".

You should play this class if:
  • You like CC and/or being a support class that doesn't heal.
  • You like being wanted for endgame, and being a less common class.
  • You want to play a caster class that's more "involved" than healing or aoe'ing.
  • In pvp, you feel triumph when you screw over your opponents indirectly rather than dealing the killing blow.
  • You don't mind getting your face pushed into the dirt every once in awhile. :)

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