Overview

First and foremost there are a great deal of variables to approaching a DPS Esper build and there is a need unlike other classes to change your skills much more frequently depending on the situation. The two builds I’ve linked below cover playing a ranged Esper or a melee variant. It’s entirely your choice as to which you’ll prefer but both are very capable of dealing massive damage. The ranged build is the highest (unquestionably due to Telekentic Strike) but the melee build is much more flexible and mobile in a Open World PvP, Arena and Battleground setting. As far as variables are concerned and because there are a lot, I’ll cover those at the very end.

Full Interactive Esper DPS Build 

Skills

Telekinetic Strike

Telekentic Strike is your ranged builder. It’s a mobile attack that fires several blades in a straight line. It's capable of cleaving multiple opponents that your psychic projections pass through and it builds 1 Psi Point per attack. At Tier 8 it generates a stack of Psi Charge each time you use it against an enemy. When you have 3 stacks you'll generate an additional Psi Point. 

Telekinetic Storm/Mind Burst

Telekinetic Storm and Mind Burst are two of the Esper's finishers. Telekinetic Storm is a damage over time skill that affects the fire target it comes into contact with. It can also be stacked on an opponent twice. Mind Burst fires a giant bird in a straight line at your foes. Both are capable of dealing enormous damage when you’ve generated 5 Psi Points but Mind Burst in particular provides more Burst than Telekinetic Storm. The only downside to Mind Burst is the fact it can be hard to aim due to its thin telegraph and if you miss you don’t get your Psi Points back. Where Telekinetic Storm is concerned, the fact it can stack twice and pierces armor allows it to deal massive damage that can't be cleansed (it's also hard to miss with it). Lastly, Telekinetic Storm when attached to an opponent damages all who come into its radius until its spell effect is finished. 

Bolster/Concentrated Blade

Bolster is pretty lacklustre as a heal, but it works so well because it generates 2 Psi Points instantly when it combat. It’s a heal over time, can be cast off the global cooldown, it’s instant and generally in a PvE and PvP environment keeps your health and Psi Points topped up. It won't really keep you alive, but the fact it's two quick Psi Points makes up for it. Alternatively, Concentrated Blade is very similar to Bolster in that it has two charges and generates two Psi Points but has a build up time before you gain those Psi Points. Concentrated Blade will offer a little more damage when the blades hit, but your overall damage will drop due to slower Psi Point generation (thus less finishers being used). 

Phantasmal Armor

Phantasmal Armor was once seen as a skill only Psychic Frenzy Espers would use, but it's actually a must for the class at all times. It provides a huge boost to your shield and an Interrupt Armor. It's great to have equipped when you are taking heavy damage or to support your team mates when they are under attack.

Crush

Crush is the first interrupt skill you get as an Esper and it’s a pretty good one. It’s capable of knocking down multiple enemies, destroying an Interrupt Armor and dealing damage. It's a great skill to use just before you unleash your finisher. 

Fixation

Fixation is one of those skills that so few Espers use, but it is gaining in popularity. It's expensive to obtain because you're forced to invest in the Utility AMP tree, but I think it's well worth it. At Tier 8 it resets ALL your cooldowns meaning you get double of all your skills. Make no mistake, that's incredibly powerful in PvE and PvP because it allows you to survive and deal damage for much longer. Best of all, it also generates 4 additional Psi Points when used. I can't live without it. 

Fade Out 

As your only CC break, Fade Out is the go-to skill for almost all Espers. It leaps you backwards and pacifies foes so that they deal 25% less damage to you. The little bit of space it provides you between yourself and your opponent is very handy because it tends to allow you to launch another couple of skills or to turn around and escape. 

Projected Spirit

Without question one of my favourite skills in the game, Projected Spirit leaps the Esper forwards healing you and anyone else in its path. It isn't absolutely mandatory for this build but the mobility it provides and the extra healing makes Espers very slippery in PvP and much more survivable in PvE. If you're to swap this skill out for anything, I'd simply recommend you put Spectral Swarm in instead. 

Tiers

There’s a couple of variances to spending your Tier points between the ranged and melee builds but it’s primarily just swapping out your Tier 8 point investment in your builder. For melee, you simply tier up to 8 in Psychic Frenzy. The purpose of heading up to Tier 8 is to maximise your builders damage output but to also obtain the Tier 8 bonus which allows you to build Psi Points quicker. When it comes to your remaining points, placing them into Telekinetic Storm/Mind Burst allows for more damage. Lastly, taking Fixation to Tier 8 provides the much needed cooldown reset while also offering Psi Point generation. 

AMPs

Due to  the ranged and melee specialisations of both builds seeking maximum damage output, there’s no difference in the AMP investment for either build. It’s all about maximising your damage output, primarily through Empower buffs.

Assault

  • Assault Power III - Increases Assault Power by 7.5% of your current maximum (total)
  • Strikethrough III - Increases Strikethrough chance by 3% (total)
  • Armor Pierce III - Increases Armor Pierce by 6% (total)
  • The Power! - Landing a critical hit grants Empower. Increases your Moxie by 16% for 3s.
  • Follow Through - Landing an Assault Finisher grants Empower. Assault Power is increased by 10.5% for 5s.
  • Superiority - While at 100% Health gain an Empower. Increases Moxie by 25% of your current maximum.
  • Spectral Swarm - Unlocks the Spectral Swarm skill.

Hybrid A/S

  • Critical Hit III - Increases Critical Hit Chance by 6% (total)
  • Critical Hit Severity III - Increases Critical Hit Severity by 12% (total)

Utility

  • Cooldowns III - Increases cooldown reduction by 15% (total)
  • CC Resilience III - Increases CC Resilience by 15% (total)
  • Dash Regen III - Increases Dash Regeneration by 21% (total)
  • Defensive Maneuvers - Dashing grants a Defense, increasing damage mitigation by 6%
  • Fixation - Unlocks the Fixation ability

Rotation

The rotation for a DPS Esper is actually pretty boring. You can achieve near optimal DPS just from having one builder and one finisher. As a result, play can be a little repetative. All you need to remember is to utilise Telekinetic Strike/Psychic Frenzy as much as possible to gain the Tier 8 bonus while using Bolster to top up your remaining Psi Points. You should use your Innate as often as humanly possible in order to generate Psi Points quickly and Fixation during long fights or when you want to double up on your cooldowns. 

Variables

The biggest variable to this build, besides swapping out Telekinetic Strike for Psychic Frenzy is to drop Fixation all together. It's completely viable to do that and in its place you can pick up Spectral Swarm. You can also drop Projected Spirit and take Restraint and/or Incapacitate instead. Lastly, remove your AMP points from Fixation/Defensive Maneuvers and place the points into Quick Response. This AMP still provides some opportunity to reset your cooldowns when you critically hit either of your finishers. 

 


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Last Updated: Mar 18, 2016

About The Author

Lewis is a long standing journalist, who freelances to a variety of outlets.

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