There’s not just a whole lot to the wildling that isn’t just an obvious progression from the base, though it still makes for a rather good Specialist Class, progressing and enhancing a specific basic option just as such a class is meant to do. Wildling requires wild empathy to enter, which can be picked up from 5 or more different base classes and 10 or more prestige classes. There’s also an invocation and psionic mantle that offer it. The class doesn’t make much use of wild empathy, but it’s very thematic for the entry requirements.
Designing the Wildling
The wilding is designed to serve double duty. It functions as a way for a wild shifter druid (or wild shift ranger) to specialize in their wild shift ability and grants it as an option for other nature/animal focused class. It also acts as a sort of racial paragon class for the moreau race, rapidly expanding their ability to use their racial wild shift. Moreau can also enter the class natively, so long as they have 6 ranks in Knowledge (nature).
I had originally considered requiring a character to already possess wild shift to enter the class, but I dropped that requirement fairly quickly. I decided that this class should be more widely available than that, as it would have been open to exactly two base classes and one race, nothing else. That seemed a little too specialized, even for a specialist class. The wild empathy requirement is pretty restrictive without being stifling.
Wild Empathy
Wildling stacks for wild empathy. Nothing else to say here.
Wild Shifting
The big deal! This class grants it at 1st level, which is excellent for dipping. Wildling also grants two uses per level! This is more than double what a druid or ranger gets, and way more than the 1/day that a moreau gets. The +2/day per level is the best aspect of this class and the primary reason anyone focused on wild shift would take this class.
In all other regards, this function exactly as the wild shift druid’s wild shift. It’s uses per day stack with existing wild shift uses, including a moreau’s racial wild shift ability.
Beast Shifting
Bonus feat! I originally conceived of this feat as a class feature unique to this class; however, I decided that it made more sense as a feat for two reasons. 1) This class already has decent potency on its own. 2) It was too nifty to be locked to a single class, and I want specialist classes to be ways to specialize with a thing, not the exclusive option for anyone who wants to do the thing.
This feat grants 5 new wild shift options. It is also a Wild Feat, which has its own benefits, including giving a moreau an additional daily use of racial wild shift.
Mighty Shifting
Three more wild shift options, all of which are +4 to a physical ability score. It’s enhancement, so it’s not great, especially if you have magic items. Still, being able to wild shift 6/day just from this class means that it’s definitely not a dead level.