Need starter tips for a begineer Kineticist

[Maliketh]

Yo, Kineticist is the only class i didn't play yet and i still have some doubts about their mechanic

What type of defense they perform the best ? HP + defense like a mercenary or shields like a Tech Specialist ?

Thought of doing a rough leash + the ice magic for the crushing combo but that's quite high level, what combo you guys discovered it's best before that ?

And lastly is there a recommended perk path ?

 

[Theron]

I've done some testing, but not a full playthrough yet, so this is mostly theory crafting:
Kineticists get +1 damage/level with Psionically Attuned weapons (currently only Staffs, which are also Crushing). Telekinetic Warrior is also Crushing.

I think Evasion might actually be your best defense, especially if you went with Psionic Shielding. Psychic Armor is less useful with armor with high natural Defense. High Evasion armor tends to have low Defense.

You still need Physique/Aim for Stun/Trip/Stagger Chance weapons, even if you took Third Eye Aim.

Combos:
Hookstaff (Nerassa)/Gravity Flux + Geothermal Spike.
Deep Impact (Xukwood Staff, Myrellion)/Stun Chance/Mind Crush + Acid Cloud.

 

[Luftwaffles]

Kineticists are super tanky. Psytuned Vitality essentially heals you for 5 + Defense health every turn, which is insane once you have some high defense armor and completely overshadows Psionic Shielding. Vitality Reap also heals for silly amounts of HP, though in general Psychogenic Vim is better if you don't need to heal more than 75% max HP per fight.

Therefore, the general strat is to use Entropy Leech until you get Deep Freeze and follow it up with a crushing attack. You can mix in the various other abilities depending on the situation, e.g Debris Field if you need extra survivability or the guaranteed crit abilities if you get the setup. You can double down on this playstyle with Reality Sunder at lvl 11...

Or, you can take Haste, Deep Impact, and the Rough Leash, generally forgo activated abilities, and stunlock enemies to death by repeatedly tripping/stunning them. You'll want Vitality Reap if you go this route though, since you won't get as much healing out of Psytuned Vitality.