Why a Shifter?

[Sonoma]

So, I just finished an Aasimar Scourge life, which was a LOT of fun. Now I need 3 Shifter lives to get back my racial completionist.

Looking at the racial tree, the first thing that comes to mind is barb, with extra rages. The shifter rage only bumps Con, the barb rage bumps Str and Con. Fine, but what to do with the +2 dex? Two weapon barb? Ick.

The next things are Druid and Monk. I don't do those well, too many buttons.

Raging Ranger with scimitars?

I saw a lvl 30 Shifter/Fighter at the bank, just 4 days after release, so that must be a good choice. I didn't note the weapon(s).

I've started a barb, the 13 points in the racial tree gives some will saves, natural armor, other goodies. THF, with cleaves galore, just needs the perfect weapon. Same as always.

Not seeing a lot of benefit from this race. What is anyone else planning to do with a Shifter?

Thanks for sharing.

Coppercat

[straytext]

I've no dog in this fight as I'm only vaguely interested in maybe running a shifter druid at some point in the future.

But, I wanted to key in on your "benefit" comment.

First off, why a shifter? Why not?

Second, what is this community's obsession with min-maxing everything? You can run Reaper 10s with a Human Fighter. So why bother having elves or wizards? What's the point of a Dwarf?

'Cause it's fun.

[rabidfox]

One of the enhancements (depending on the shifter race feat taken) lets you cast while raged/shifted; this opens up a lot of builds that required cleric destruction domain before. So FvS/barb mix could be a lot of fun or even Wiz/barb for EK/PM/raged/cleaves.

[Sonoma]

.... lets you cast while raged/shifted;....

Ok, that's worth having. Thanks.

By the way, I'm liking this animation. He runs well and looks like a copper lion.

Coppercat

[Satyriasys]

Ive only played the iconic shifter and its rage is identical to barb rage despite what its tooltip says.

[Thrudh]

One of the enhancements (depending on the shifter race feat taken) lets you cast while raged/shifted; this opens up a lot of builds that required cleric destruction domain before. So FvS/barb mix could be a lot of fun or even Wiz/barb for EK/PM/raged/cleaves.

I run a 12/7/1 barb/cleric/fighter...

It was always a tough choice between destruction domain and strength domain (+2 to STR and STR for Reflex saves - which actually helps a lot for half-damage)

With a shifter, I can now cast while raged AND keep the strength domain.

Edit: Whoops... never mind... The reason I do barb/cleric is for Silvanus mauls, and that only works with Forgotten Realms iconics.

[HungarianRhapsody]

I'll be doing a Sorc 20 Shifter or an Alchemist 20 Shifter (depending on my mood). Maybe one of each plus a Warlock 20.

Shifter isn't what I'd pick for those classes, but those classes are what I'd pick to get through Shifter as painlessly as possible.

[Thrudh]

I also have a Dex-based 18/2 ranger/barb... Did barb for Blood Tribute, running speed, and the ability to kick off 1000 temp hp using a swap sentient weapon.

I will definitely try a 20 ranger (very nice capstone) shifter, so I can at least get the 1000 temp hp using shifter rage (+4 Dex from shifter rage, and +4 Dex from capstone - +8 Dex isn't small)

[dennisck2]

I'll be doing a Sorc 20 Shifter or an Alchemist 20 Shifter (depending on my mood). Maybe one of each plus a Warlock 20.

Shifter isn't what I'd pick for those classes, but those classes are what I'd pick to get through Shifter as painlessly as possible.

This. And that's the only reason.

[TekkenDevil]

Second, what is this community's obsession with min-maxing everything? You can run Reaper 10s with a Human Fighter. So why bother having elves or wizards? What's the point of a Dwarf?

'Cause it's fun.

Thank you for this post. It really is obnoxious. I hate how players who want to role play, try all sorts of new builds and races and enhancement trees and just enjoy the DDO atmosphere have to share the same space with these min/maxers. What's worse is that they're probably the ones keeping DDO alive with money. I mean I spend a lot on DDO, but so do these min/maxers and there's more of them than there are people like me. I wish Turbine/SSG never focused these people down as their primary cash cows.

[Xgya]

I'm already building an archer Ranger for fun and not much profit.

Probably going the full-on wisdom route to try out some Falconry nonsense.

Cat man with the ability to summon infinite birds.

Every cat man's dream.

[donblas]

First off, why a shifter? Why not?

Second, what is this community's obsession with min-maxing everything? You can run Reaper 10s with a Human Fighter. So why bother having elves or wizards? What's the point of a Dwarf?

'Cause it's fun.

But what would be fun?

I'm not a min-maxer. If you saw the 48 toons i run on my main account you would laugh at that idea, especially in terms of the many archers i have!

But I would like to find a fun reason to try shifter (or the iconic).

I've found not found druids, alchemists and FvS much fun in terms of classes, and am not sure what some of the newer races bring to the fun party.

Some helpful fun ideas for builds (don't need actual detailed builds) would be nice. And I'm not asking for a build just to get through past lives - the very idea!

[awar1234]

The ONLY CORRECT way to play Shifter is 20 ROGUE with hand-wraps! they missed the animation of you killing bad guys like SOLID SNAKE by strangling them with the hand-wraps from behind, but no need to look at the details...

Start with +2 dex
Racial past life +1dex
Tier 1 enhancement +3 SPOT
Tier 2 enhancemant +10 SPOT
Tier 3 enhancement Favored Enemy (VERMIN) ........ rogue hate vermin, because only rogue are the TRUE VERMIN of DDO!!!! such posers! the Gaul of them!
Tier 4 +10 SPOT

So this class gets +23 to spot and must spend 17 AP for it!!! YEAH!! PLUSSSSSSS you get to kill those spesky VERMIN!

[djennings82]

As far as I'm concerned pure Sorc, 1 to 20 only, make the pain stop of as fast as possible. SSG missed the mark by a mile on this race, its not fun, it makes nothing better, doesn't synergize with anything. Its offensive. The Iconic is worse.

[Havocthedemon]

As far as I'm concerned pure Sorc, 1 to 20 only, make the pain stop of as fast as possible. SSG missed the mark by a mile on this race, its not fun, it makes nothing better, doesn't synergize with anything. Its offensive. The Iconic is worse.

Had to be said. It’s terrible and just all around useless. What a joke to follow up Aasimar and Dragonborn. Complete waste of design time...it’s just so bad. I wanna like it bc I paid for it, but come on. Horrible race to bring in to start with anyway.

[Arkat]

Had to be said. It’s terrible and just all around useless. What a joke to follow up Aasimar and Dragonborn. Complete waste of design time...it’s just so bad. I wanna like it bc I paid for it, but come on. Horrible race to bring in to start with anyway.

I'm enjoying my Razorclaw Barbarian 20 handwrap user.

I don't think it was a waste.

[Havocthedemon]

I'm enjoying my Razorclaw Barbarian 20 handwrap user.

I don't think it was a waste.

I’m sure that you are, but I’m sure a lot of people love their halfling archmage wizards. But handwraps and twf in general right now...is just bad. Your 20 barbarian is just that, a 20 barbarian. Any thf weapon will outperform your cute iconic and that makes it bad.. But that’s not even my point. The range and versatility of the race itself is what I’m referring to and shifter has none of that. Pretty much every build out there right now has a better race option at endgame than shifter. You can say wisdom casters but still, most of them would prefer Aasimar healing hands than the marginal wis boost from rage.

[Arkat]

I’m sure that you are, but I’m sure a lot of people love their halfling archmage wizards. But handwraps and twf in general right now...is just bad. Your 20 barbarian is just that, a 20 barbarian. Any thf weapon will outperform your cute iconic and that makes it bad..

[Memnir]

They make pretty fun Monks. At least, I'm having fun with mine. hashtag:shrug
I am ignoring the whole Shifting/Rage thing, however. It kinda sucks just tossing the McGuffin of the whole race into the bin - but I just didn't care for it and found it more of a hinderance, so I'm pretending it's non-existent.

[FuzzyDuck81]

I'm working on my shifter racial lives at the moment & am enjoying them, though I tend to mix things up each life rather than only playing the same approximate thing each time, so I've been making sure to use builds that play to their strengths. It's also a big help that since I'm nearly at the goal of hitting racial completionist (1 more shifter & 3x elf remaining) I don't have to sacrifice many APs from other enhancement trees to take advantage of those racial abilities.

I can see where people are coming from with other races being optimal or having more advantageous racial abilities, especially Aasimar where healing hands alone can make so many choices far more forgiving, but saying that, the current life has been using my frenzied bearserker druid/barbarian build & it's a perfect fit for it, I'll absolutely be returning to it as a wildhunt shifter once I've got racial completionist.