Shapeshifter (Strategy)

This page is for in-depth strategies for the Shapeshifter, as it is one of the most complex characters in the game.

= General Strategies =

Possessing shop owners
Wanted will make Shopkeepers and Bartenders Annoyed at you. This means they will always try to chase you away and will never turn their back on you if they see you. Thus, you will need to be extra sneaky to possess them. For merchants that are standing behind a counter:


 * Possess another host and walk behind the counter and stand behind the merchant, slightly off to the side but still out of sight.
 * Next, use your Possession Stone to unpossess your host and move behind the merchant. Your previous host will suffer from Dizzy long enough for the cooldown on Possess to finish.


 * Possess the merchant, wait for your old host to run off, and you are free to do whatever you want with your new body!


 * Keep in mind that hired Goons will become Hostile if they see you Possess the merchant so plan accordingly. Also remember that your previous host can still see you while dizzy, so try to time the possession to when they're facing away, and they won't suspect you.

= Class-Specific Strategies = Moreso than any other class, Shapeshifters have the best versatility but also require the more preparation time to get the most out of Possess. Below is a list of the useful benefits each class gives you:

Slum Dweller
Very common at lower levels. Super Studious gives you more experience. You can't use Jack of Extra Trades at all, and while Potential To Not Suck does work, it affects the Slum Dweller and not YOU. Because they are pretty weak in a fight, the best uses for a Slum Dweller are to scout a level or before you complete a quest to gain an XP boost from Super Studious.

Gangsters
Useful in the beginning because you can easily find gangsters to possess. You can then go on the recruit other gangster to help you. However, they become less common as the game goes on.

Drug Dealer
Not especially strong, but they are a quick way to get Drug-a-lug to identify your Syringes. Keep in mind that Syringes identified in this manner will become unidentified when you leave the host. Make sure to keep in mind what each syringe does.

Cop
A strong class but you need to be careful trying to possess one. Handcuffs is a powerful skill when used right; taking out foes with ease for more XP than normal. The Law makes other Cops Aligned to you, letting you walk around without fear. Just don't kill or steal from innocents as cop or you will lose XP.

Thief
One of the first classes you should look for. Use Sticky Glove to rob everyone on the level blind to stock up on Money. Afterwards, you can look for another Thief and make use of Honor Among Thieves to buy thief tools.

Hacker
This rarer class but always worth searching for. Unlimited hacking with Laptop opens up a lot options for you. Just be careful about causing alerts. Mark sure you find a better host for combat once you're done with all your hacking.

Doctor
This is risky class to use. Chloroform Hankie is a powerful ability but you cannot use any weapons. You must be stealthy or you will be at a huge disadvantage if a fight breaks out.

Shopkeeper
Awesome at ranged combat, and Art of the Deal can also help on certain item retrieval missions. If you need to buy anything on your current floor, try to possess a shopkeeper first. Their Shrewd Negotiator trait reduces the prices for items from other merchants. Possessing Shopkeepers can be really difficult because they'll try to chase you away. See the previous section for how to possess them.

Bartender
Not as good as Shopkeeper at ranged combat, but still decent. You may have Serve Drinks, but they do not carry a Drink Mixer so you will never use it. However, their real strength comes from having Charismatic, which gives you a lot of bonuses, and you even get Drug-a-lug! Possessing Bartenders can be really difficult because they'll try to chase you away. See the previous section for how to possess them.

Slavemaster
Sort of a mixed bag. They come with strong weapons, they do NOT have Ideological Clash, and you gain control of nearby Slaves when you possess one. On the other hand, you can't use Enslave without already having a Taser or some other way to stun NPCS, they do not have a Slave Helmet Remote, and are very slow. Also, you will lose the Slaves when you unpossess them, so use them while you can.

Scientist
Scientists lack the cool starting items that players usually get. Unless you need Tech Expert or Drug-a-lug, avoid them.

Gorilla
The Gorilla is a melee powerhouse. Use Primal Lunge to do as much damage as possible. You will need to clear a science lab to find them, unless you are in Park. Make sure to possess them quickly after freeing them before they run away.

Firefighter
An average class. There stats are okay and Fireproof Skin might be useful in Industrial but the rest of their traits are not very useful. Water Cannon has it uses but it's nothing amazing. Also, all other firefighters are Aligned with you and you can get them to your location by causing a fire.

Cannibal
Not really worth the trouble. Sneaking up on a Cannibal to possess in the Park can be an issue due to them usually hiding in houses or in bushes. If you can get one, you will not have to worry about other Cannibals but will only be able to heal with Cannibalize and alcohol.

Soldier
They are found in the Park mostly, but are not armed to the teeth in weapons like the player version is. However, they have decent stats and are easier to possess than cannibals.

Vampire
The rarest of classes found in Park but can also be found in Downtown and Uptown. Decent in melee combat but you must use Bite heal. Camera Shy will get very little use in the Park but might be more useful in other areas.

Upper-Cruster
Surprisingly, this class is really good. They are really fast, they have Upper-Crusty which lets you summon a Supercop from an Alarm Button that you can control like any party member, and all Cops and Supercops are automatically Loyal to you. Also, if you possess an Upper-Cruster with a Slave, you gain control of it the same way a Slavemaster does. Upper-Crusters aren't very good in combat, so try to use the police to do your dirty work for you.

Supercop
Probably the strongest class in the game but REALLY dangerous to try and possess. Failing will cost you a lot of heal and possibly death. However, they have the best stats in the game. They have the Handcuffs special ability and The Law trait like the Cop. If you really want to possess one, you should try to stun them with something like a Taser or a Dizzy Grenade. However, it is possible to sneak up on a lone Supercop if you are very careful.