Psyker is great and fun, until reality hits you right between your [redacted].
Ability: Quell.
Unlike other classes, this one is assault/support ability. And unlike other class, Psykin deserve some extra protection. Not because Imperium of mankind, society and dev’s hate it, but because he is squishy.
My suggestion:
Instead of assault / stagger wave or augmented wave of soulblaze, which is awesome and all, make it more passionate. Let the WRATH overwhelm surrounding enemies. Of course current state is good tool, but again - poor psykin literally have no “escape” ability. Why attack wave represented in shape of
? Because psykin luv’s everyone, even when whole galaxy against him!
Blitz: Brain burst.
This is fun and dandy. Implementation limited by 100% peril state and mesh fences… fences and invisible polygons are BB worst enemies.
Aura: Kinetic Presence.
No complaints. 
Iconic: Warp siphon.
This one is key feature.
Can’t say much, but i have strong feeling, that beside 4% of extra damage, it would not hurt to add extra 5% cast against the enemies of human size and 3% extra speed against ogryns/monstrosities.
Why? Because we are losing much of dynamics with constant quelling, if picking crucial targets.
Reason: Well, if you play damnation with good Vet or Zealot… lets be honest - all your BB targets are usualy going to die from other classes much quicker.
Will it hurt balance? I don’t think so. We are getting extra cast speed, some builds will require player to keep an eye on level of warp charges, for most beneficial outcome. Will it be enough for Brainburst boosting? Damage is really okey on damnation, but casting speed really makes use of it questionable. Maybe we need higher % speed.
Iconic: Battle meditation.
i’m stupid and i can live with it, but +10%? Is it ++ operation? What is default value? If zero if default, then each kill boosting chance until it’s triggered or what?? Well, better description wouldn’t hurt much. @FatsharkJulia please, can you ask dev’s if it’s possible to make it easier to understand? Tyvm.
Soulblaze feature.
This is another mechanic with out explanation. It’s not just DoT effect, similar to burning / bleeding, but also with unique modifier against carapace armor. Lack of hints section for each class is depressing.
Feats Level I - toughness issue.
Because of small toughness and low HP pool, poor psykin have no room for mistakes.
Thats why we need small boost of core toughness regeneration abilities.
Essence harvest:
30% under 5 seconds is too low, for damnation. Cannot hop out of cover under suppression fire, have to wait long time, while enemy keep advancing or killing friendlies. It wouldn’t hurt to shorten time down to 3 seconds.
Warp absorption:
10% toughness when you kill an enemy with a warp attack. That makes staves more efficient, but usually all kills goes to other classes, b’cos of TTK difference. Can’t say much, but even small boost up to 12% wouldn’t hurt.
Quietitude:
This is my fav, cos i luv to burn things and yet, quelling takes some time. But passive quelling takes too much time. While staying under constant quelling on damnation is usual situation, i have no bright ideas, how to boost this feat, without ruining choice value for other perks. Maybe it’s good enough already?
Feats level II
Warp unleashed:
While concept is good enough, beneficially i would pick inner tranquility with Warp battery.
This feat only oriented to force weapons, most effective on weapons with higher alpha damage, boosting critical effect damage even further. The problem is: if you tweak percentage from 5-15 to 10-20 - that would give colossal effect on core damage value. So player will gain cheap reward without much of risk. Instead, i would tweak this feat logical way: change deviation down to 0-20%. Now player will have to keep balance on higher value of peril for extra damage. Will it blow balance? Not really. Most of force weapons have limited application.
Inner tranquility:
This one is strong, obscures previous one. Increases CC implementation of surge staff, prolongs cleansing efficiency of purgatus and even slightly affects rest of force weapons.
That’s really sad. If i would be hateful dev - i would nerf this one, because Psykin must suffer like freak he is.
Wrack and ruin:
While core idea of ability is good enough, time on brain burst (which exactly impact on amount of stacks you can deploy upon enemies close by). But…: radius and default damage value are unessential for heresy+, also you have to KILL enemy, not to tease it. Once again, TTK with BB + soul blaze initial damage + radius of this ability + quelling time ruins good concept. Boosting amount stacks per feat wouldn’t fix any problem with TTK of BB. Once again: other classes will destroy elites.
Feats level III
Psychic Communion
This one is really bad… i mean you are leeching from team and given nothing for exchange, maybe +10 elite damage aura in coherency. Well, it works properly, no complains.
Psykin(ethic)'s aura
This one exact opposite and that one i like. But it’s just not enough, 'cos some of classes pref. to rush on, far away from coherency, which is limiting feat efficiency.
Cerebral Lacerations
Awesome feat, only downside is damage source.
If there is single reason to boost it - only way is remove limits.
Feats level IV
Kinetic deflection
This one used to be shiny addition to deflector’s Force sword. Still viable.
Kinetic Shield
This is solution for ranged troubles, while real issue is melee horde and elites, if they reach you, of course. If only it would provide extra protection from melee? Since ranged damage requires enemies to breach full toughness pull and melee damage requires only hit you once and next hit will make squishy puny psykin even more vulnerable.
Mind in Motion
Mobility is actual defense in this game. Moving from the enemy, advancing and killing, evading some whacky horde attacks - MiM makes it possible. This one really obscures other options, mostly.
Feats level V
Warp battery
This one makes BB viable, efficient against most specials and elites on Heresy, but still lack of sufficient damage to the hound on damnation. But also, combined with inner tranquility, this feat benefits usage of staves even further. This is fine, since there are many other way to CC / stagger pour hound to it’s death.
Kinetic overload
Personally, i never used this one in the field on any difficulty. Not because it feeling less useful, but because of little damage implemented from trigger. Tested it on damnation meatgrinder, combined with Ascendant Blaze made this feat very efficient against non-armored or flak-armored targets, while drastically weak against carapace. That is mostly soulblaze issue, not Kinetic Overload. Can’t declare it useless, but amount of enemies on Heresy+ is far from 5-10. Even if feat will trigger frequently, there is no guaranty it will apply on the same elite and accumulate enough stack to kill it.
Kinetic Flayer
This is less viable since Warp Siphon been switch from total eclipse to fading one by one.
Some combination with other feats, like Cerebral Lacerations seems logical, specially when you dedicate yourself to gun carrier, but again. Warp battery could be more attractive, because 15 secs cooldown and random activation… RNG again. too much, no thx. Spending free BB upon random horde zombie, while burning stack of elites with purgatus - completely legit. If only chances were higher on elites/special and monstrosities.
Feats level VI
Quicken
This one is simple. You can cut 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4 cooldown of Psykinetic’s wrath ability (30 secs default CD), which immediately Quell 50% of peril and stagger enemies. Bulling enemies, staggering 'em, well it’s fun. Specially fun to drop weak enemies of the cliff. But ability requires warp charges, more - better. I’m not sure, if there is single excuse to pick this one, instead of two other feats. Maybe there is a versitile build for pro-players, who likes bulling with Psykinetic’s wrath, but again: it’s not killing enemies, no guaranties it will stagger hound/suicide bomber on damnation and you will spend all warp charges. This one requires more bright thoughts or total rework.
Ascendant Blaze
This feat feats many, maybe most of psykers i’ve seen on heresy+. Easily complement with many other feats and purgatus staff, which makes it really popular from earlier days. This one is strong, if not ultimate on heresy and yet useful on damnation. Hordes are some scab scums couldn’t survive it.
This is no escape button, but it’s closes thing psykin have now.
Kinetic Barrage
This one is tricky, it’s like “i need to kill those gunners with my own mind” button. And so you do… but you have to pay with warp charges again, and those are boosting your damage. It’s okey to clean out sniper and maybe machinegun suppression from dreg/scab gunners, but this is far from escape button.
Summary of skill tree and abilities.
This one called Psyker Psykinetic.
Reasons to call it are: Brain burst, Psykinetic’s wrath and Kinetic Shield. Those are truly kinetic. Okey, but most powerful tricks belongs to soulblaze. Plain and simple: people picking options, they can rely on. Soulblaze combinations, mobility. Brain burst TTK is bad and if it’s main feature of this class - it’s just out of place as is.
Staves and force sword.
Purgatus staff - this one is shiny treasure. It just works!
Easily combines with feats, burning trash, but again… zealot can do same with no perks with ultimate prometium dispenser.
Surge staff - good source of Power! Unlimited power! (c) meme. Useful tool in good preset team, very reliable in most ways, but damage is decent and instead of killing enemies - you are just making them electrophoresis procedure, generating tons of peril in process. And yes, you have to use primary attack and perks and blessings to improve critical chance. That will do the trick… mostly.
And of course battle meditation somehow hate this one, mostly b’coz of target limits. Charge time also an issue, but proper blessing would help… if only you can get it with such RNG all around.
Voidstrike staff - Funny business, probably most entertaining one. Easily besting ogryns grenade launcher, because you will never run out of ammo. But unlike surge staff - you wont get any extra critical chances or damage multiplier from modifiers. That makes primary attack less effective, if not totally useless. Same trajectory minus charge time and AoE damage… Maybe small blackhole as special action, b’coz it’s void staff.
Trauma staff
Just veterans grenade in form of stem, minus funny preview animation with pull ring rotation.
Is it useful? Well, kind of, is it modifier dependable? Hell yes. Just like all other psykers toys. Same primary, same issue with peril generation. Just better CC in case of staggering against horde and elite waves hidden inside such hordes. This could be more valuable, but crucial issue is: aiming secondary attack on distant target is simply uncomfortable! You have to roll mice far away from starting point, like playing spacesim on KB+M.
Staves special ability
This one [redacted] hard. Requires rework.
Why psyker kinetic cannot charge staff with small kinetic charge, like Psykin’wrath and instead of hitting enemy - discharge it on the floor, staggering enemies around with 2-3 meters radius? Even if it’s not leathal - it’s more valuable and logical.
Power sword
Everybody likes it, everybody wants it.
Everyone hates psyker and that is why psykin never gain such weapon and instead we have Force sword.
It’s just like power sword, but better in some ways. Like you can do that thing with proper blessing, such as Deflector and Kinetic deflection.
And special action is awesome, but unlike on Power sword - warp charge disappears a little bit faster. Damage is solid, but there is little time to act and i had hard situations, when my opportunity window just close before i hit enemy… with light attack, elite one. Need some tweaks, not sure if any psyker would charge warp energy upon FS just for fun or peril. Well some would… but really 3 seconds!!!
Gun setup
It’s useful, it’s playable and ofcourse veteran can do such task alot better, minus BB option. But instead vet can bring ultimate anti-armor solution, such as Plasmagun. Killing targets beyond line of sight.
Summary:
Malice is sandbox.
Heresy now is fun walk with pleasant company, where you can kill funny creatures, without any risks.
Damnation … given me strong feeling: i’m here, i’m doing my part, but those guys would be just fine even without me. Extra ogryn to cover up flank or rear, veteran with MG12 or plasma, just to ease skirmishes with rangers or elites or even zealot to keep pressing or hold horde in melee with no risks.
Psykin can do alot of things, just slower, less efficient. Lack of survivability also makes it less valuable in crucial situations. Because where other advancing, psykin had to keep up, where other killing, psykin trying to survive.
TL:DR Psykin: I’m trying, but not doing. Let him do stuff, not just try to.
