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Author: Anaku
Crowd Control:
Psionicists have three primary methods of crowd control. Single Target Mesmerization, Area Effect Mesmerization and Charming. Psionicists are the strongest class in any of these abilities, so consider it your bread and butter.
Time Trick III (Single Target Mez) – Shifts your opponent out of phase with normal time for 1 minute. While out of phase the target cannot attack or move and cannot be damaged. After 4 seconds an out of phase target will begin to rapidly regenerate life.
This mez cannot be broken by anyone’s damage. It has a chance to break by itself however, as such, chain casting Time Trick III is a good idea if maintaining the mez for a long duration is critial. When the Psionicist is ready to un-mez it, they cast Synchonize. A couple tips, make sure the tank has aggro when you break the mez. Also, the mob can be slowed and debuffed prior to breaking mez.
Time Stop III (AE Mez) – Stops the flow of time, preventing all opponents within 10 meters from moving or attacking for up to 10 seconds. Incoming damage will break the effects of this power.
This is a great emergency AE mez. It allows you to stop everything and get a handle on the situation. You can also chain cast it with it’s 7.6 second refresh (lower with spell haste) and keep multiple targets mezzed indefinitely while your group or raid gets out of trouble.
Enthrall III (Single Target Charm) – Takes control of an opponent's mind, forcing them to become your thrall for up to 7 minutes. Every 20 seconds, your thrall gets a chance to break free. The higher level the target is compared to your level, the more likely the are to break free. Only Humanoids, Fey, Creatures, Monstrosities and Fiends can be charmed.
This isn't as much about crowd control as it is about using your charmed mob to defeat a boss encounter. When a mob is charmed, always check for, and activate, its abilities. A charmed Repair Skeleton can do MAJOR damage against Zaraax and his other repair skeletons. A charmed Nullifying Spark is the only way to take down Athriss's mitigation buff.
Counterspelling
Counterspelling is a very important ability for a Psionicist. So important that you should consider putting together a gear-set specifically for fights where counterspelling is critical. Important stats for counterspelling are: Intelligence, Wisdom, Spell Accuracy, Spell Identification and Counterspelling. Once again, this is an ability that can make or break certain fights.
Nullifying Field - This power summons a dispersion field that nullifies the effects of an incoming spell of psychic ability.
Psychic Mutation - Disperses the effects of an incoming spell or psionic power and converts it into usable energy for your group.
A VERY IMPORTANT note on Counterspelling. Your counterspelling reaction does not have to be triggered in order to cast Nullifying Field. If you drag Nullifying Field out of your spell book and onto a hot-bar, you can 'manually' counter spells by visually spotting the cast or seeing it pop up in your Spell Identification area.
Energy Management
Don't over-look your ability to help party members keep their mana levels up. Using both 'Resurgence III' and 'Phantom Thought I' throughout the course of a fight can really help a party member with their energy. It can make the difference in winning or losing a fight. These spells cannot be used on yourself, isntead Psionicists gain their mana back with one of our concentrations called Thought Thief.
Aggro Management
A Psionicist can wipe 45% of your target's aggro with 'Mind Wipe' and can add 7163 hate to your target with 'Memory Shift IV'. You should be using these two spells every single time they refresh. That is a significant amount of agrro management that we can do and it should not go to waste.
Shields and Barriers
I've dragged three different types of shields and barriers to my 'healer hotbar' for quick casting on group members. In a pinch, these spells can save a group member until they get healed.
Diamond Skin - Hardens the skin of your defensive target, granting them 50% damage absorption for 24 seconds or 3 hits. While the effect is active, 8% of most outgoing damage will be returned as health. Any single target can only be affected by Psionic barrier or Diamond Skin once every 30 seconds.
Psionic Barrier IV - Surrounds an ally in a barrier of mental energy. The barrier lasts for 12 seconds or until it absorbs 3500 damage. Any single target can only be affected by this once every 30 seconds.
Mutation Shield - Causes a countershield to surround your defensive target. This shield converts the next incoming spell into energy.
Mindspy
Psionicists can steal spells from mobs during a fight, or before a fight without getting aggro. We can steal an offensive spell, a weakness and a group buff. These vary by mob of course, but some can be very, very good and should not be overlooked. Oftentimes by using the weakness spell you get, the offensive spell will hit for 10k on a regular basis. Be careful though, the weakness spell can often cause huge aggro.