I'm assuming that most people feel the same way about them that I do. The shapeshifter class has a lot of appeal, but in the end it becomes stale very quickly. It stales because you have less abilities, fewer advantages, and more drawbacks than any other class in the game. Midranks and whatnot have improved a little with the recent changes (Thank you for those!), but they have gone downhill at hero ranks where mages are supposed to be at their peak. If you all don't wish to compromise on quest forms or give out semi-quest forms perhaps add more abilities to the higher level forms. Grant more skills as you become more familiar with the form. I think everyone would agree that as all the other classes have gotten stronger shifters have grown steadily weaker.

They're really popular and accessible as is, with a lot of
weird balance issues, so don't see a lack of change as the
lack of desire for change. The wheel turns, and like
everything else the critters will get some love eventually.

Simply bumping up the offensive power of the lower tier forms as the characters rank? Sort of like how fighting classes' damage goes up incrementally. That way, at hero, the shifters are just like warriors with two specializations - every single one of their forms is equally viable in a fight and they can legitimately pick and choose certain ones for certain capabilities.

I realize that Nepenthe (who knows far more about this than I do - having never played one) thinks this is already the case .. to some extent. But having fought many a shifter, the lower tier forms just don't stack up in a equitable way (in terms of fighting). Plus, this way you could reduce the number of actual forms the shifters get soas to eliminate the duplicative ones.

Anyway, just an idea to consider.

I suggest that you give the class a try. Try a utility major shifter with the minor focus of your preference. It's a pretty cool class to play and it's not very gear dependent, as all gear does in form is give you hp/mana/moves. I really enjoyed playing a shifter when I had one.

Shifters are really cool. The only gripe I have is they can't talk for nuts. Give them minotaur speech at near-hero ranks! Har har, hilarious! Alright I was joking! *wipes a tear* But speech is something I wished they had.

Personally, I put the idea of shifters talking in form to same category as that turkey in the west dairein road that yells: 'Agantas! Now you die!'. Seriously, I think it would remove the effect that you are dealing with an animal. I can't really imagine that forms would speak, at least with using say. What I would be willing to accept is forms receiving tells, as the shifters mind is the mind of the mage and reaching shifters can be hard at times.

My problem with shifters comes down to tactics.

To me, the only tactics seemingly involved with playing a shifter is shifting from form to form depending on your immediate need. Because very few of the low tier forms hold their own in PK, that leaves you with two tactical options. I'll take your advice and give the class a try when I get the time, though to be honest I think Azidreth is already playing the type of shifter I'd want to.

I've played utility offense and air offense to hero, though in both cases pre shifters being maladictable, and pre warriors getting legacies.

The air offense consisted of hovering in the air, and swooping down to attack if it looked like someone was fighting, or fleeing from combat. If it looked like they were sleeping, it was swoops down, shift to offense form, rake. But basically, it boiled down to flyto-murder.

The other shifter didn't really pk much. Jaguar had perhaps more tactical options than some other forms, but unfortunately everytime I forestblended, some village rangers would ambush me, because whilst I could hide in forests, I couldn't see camo. So ambush was pretty ineffective despite the huge damage it could do back then (my best was erradicates through sanc -- jaguar ambushes could get "lucky blows").