Antigonus

[ QUOTE ]


I suspect one of the things that will come out with Going Rogue, that blasters will become the primary ranged types seen on both sides.

[/ QUOTE ]


After GR, I just don't see a reason to play anything other than a Blaster except for flavor.

[ QUOTE ]
And how it's such a disparity in pvp content, if they used half their pve effort we would all be happy id imagine.

[/ QUOTE ]

Allowing us to use MA for PvP would have been a good start, but I guess that must be far too difficult for our devs to implement.

[ QUOTE ]
The Dev's will have to be very careful with the implementation of this feature, it could well result in a situation where 'Soloing with the spawns up' could be more rewarding that teaming, which would serve as a dis-incentive to team, which would be bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it's important to consider that teaming has always been a purely volunteery element. People who really don't want to team won't under any circumstances. Please don't argue that it's an MMO and teaming is important. That isn't the point. The point is there will always be people who have no interest in teaming for personal reasons. Those people are important too and I applaud the devs for doing something for that group. I for one don't want to team with somebody that is only doing it because they feel the game forces them to, because more often then not they make for a lousy teammate. It's a win/win as far as I'm concerned.

[ QUOTE ]

Anyways, what will be will be. I'm just looking forward to Rogue and villains finally getting access to one of the most overpowered AT's to ever grace the pvp game. Maybe Villains will finally stand a chance against Heroes at that time? We can always dream.

[/ QUOTE ]


After GR, heroes vs villains will be in name only. Every zone will essentially be Warburg. I really like the different faction feel, so I'm not so sure I'm looking foward to it from that perspective.

[ QUOTE ]
Confuses and knockback.

[/ QUOTE ]

This.

My Dark/Cold Corr wrecks most Blasters I've been facing mainly because of the huge KB in Torrent. The ones I can't beat are the ones that I can't KB.

I can see a Mind/Nrg Dom stomping most Blasters without too much trouble.

I miss my Emp/Psi Defender and my Ice/Thermal Corr. I always prefered playing support but now I have to play for damage or get farmed so the Corr got deleted and the Emp sits.

[ QUOTE ]


As it should, if I slot two, say, steadfast protection KB protection IO's in my build (which theoretically should give 8 mag protection) Knockoutblow will no long knock me up. So I guess both KB and KB protection decay around the same rate then.

[/ QUOTE ]

KB and -KB are the same thing as far as the game is concerned, so yes they decay at the same rate. Two KB pro IOs would prevent the KB from KoB.

[ QUOTE ]
hover has a "fly" of 4. the minus fly of most is 1.6. Only webnades and entangling arrow have a -10.

So unless you own the zone, only traps corrs and ta mms can down hover with one shot versus devs blasters and ta def and ta controllers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't forget both versions of Soldiers get webnades. Villains actually get more options for webnades than heroes, but the hero options are much better.

Blasters>>>>>>>>>> anything villains get for webnades.

Drop the Fighting pool. Tough isn't worth it and Boxing isn't good enough for a Corr to warrant getting into melee if you don't have to. You have no self heal with those sets and that is a very important thing to keep in mind. I would either take Medicine instead of Fighting, or take Leviathan patron for Hibernoob. If you take Levianthan, grab Speed or Leadership instead of Fighting.

[ QUOTE ]
/therm, /rad, /pain, /cold are probably the most common.

If you're choosing between /cold or /rad I'd rather go /rad because of the changes to slow (and I think rad offers a lot more utlity - heal, +dmg, +rch, +recov, -dmg, -tohit/def and the toggles can really help teams out travel your suppressed target)

[/ QUOTE ]

Rad is better at the lower levels. If you are going to be PvPing in Sirens or lower level arena, go with Rad because that set gets all it's best stuff by 30. Cold and Thermal are better at the higher levels with some of their best powers coming at 35+.

Maybe the OP only played villains?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Have you even been to Sirens Call on Freedom lately?

[/ QUOTE ]

yes, alot actually on a /dev and a dom. flying /devs are really not all that hard to deal with, it is a zone after all. learn how they use the terrain to their advantage and counter it, dont just whine when they are out of range of AS for you to pick off solo.



[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that they aren't hard to deal with. I take out flying Blasters quite often on both my Bane and my Corr. I am curious though how you think a Stalker is supposed to deal with them. I ask because I take out Stalkers and Doms with regularity on my flying Dev Blaster and have never considered either to be much of a threat. I'd love to know how you think a Stalker is supposed to kill me when I play him.

[ QUOTE ]
Most Controller/Dominator ST immobs have -fly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not enough to counter hover without multiple applications. Only webnades and web arrow can do it in less than 3 applications. Any half conscious Dev Blaster will webnade you and hover out of range before you can get 3 applications to stick. My Dev Blaster hasn't died to a Dom in a long time even with the damage buffs. Half the time I don't even need to webnade them. I just keep blasting while they are trying to ground me.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
From what I have seen, people who mostly play villains in general are much slower to adapt to changes than people that mostly play heroes. And usually when they do make an attempt at adapting, it is usually just to roll another Stalker and hide (literally) from the problem rather than try to beat it.

[/ QUOTE ]

stalkers have gone well with everything that has been fotm in zones so far.

issues ago it used to be corruptors who would scourge immediately after AS did 50+% dmg on most all targets.

now with doms granting guaranteed lockdown for a couple seconds and kb being borderline op, setting up AS is super easy.

pretty sure this has been said in this thread but worth repeating to show this connection.

[/ QUOTE ]


So, basically Stalkers have to wait for somebody else to do something to be effective.

And when 2/3 of the players in any given zone are Stalkers, what then? When the only Corr in the zone is getting farmed because he's the only one the heroes can see, do you think he's gonna follow you around to scourge after the AS? Do you think those Doms that are just gonna be happy to keep setting up the heroes so some random unteamed Stalker can come along and take to kill? How is that Stalker going to deal with the hovering Dev Blaster that can see him long before the AS and can attack even when held? Have you even been to Sirens Call on Freedom lately? The skies are full of them.

Stalkers are not only one of the worst methods of adapting to the current environment, but also one of the most boring. Stalkers are essentially a one trick pony. It's a horribly designed AT that is completely dependant on a horribly designed mechanic. They are most effective in small numbers teamed with other ATs that can set up the kills, but when there are too many of them (which is almost always the case), or they aren't teamed (again, almost always the case) they are a non-factor. Corruptors and Dominators, and even MMs in large numbers are far more dangerous than Stalkers and are far more capable of adapting to what the other side is doing.

Yeah, I've been PvPing with villains almost exclusively since CoV came out. I'll play a hero on occasion if they need help, but I always get bored with them and go back to villains. It's far more fun to be the underdog. And there's rarely a shortage of targets

[ QUOTE ]

Fully expect more baddos to complain about them. Then just like now it will be baseless whining because you aren't willing to learn to adapt to them. Stalkers are such a low concern to anyone willing to want to deal with them and there are so many more 'real' concerns when pvping. I for one haven't worried about stalkers since they put the one hit code in.

[/ QUOTE ]


From what I have seen, people who mostly play villains in general are much slower to adapt to changes than people that mostly play heroes. And usually when they do make an attempt at adapting, it is usually just to roll another Stalker and hide (literally) from the problem rather than try to beat it.

Example: The huge influx of PBs and flying Dev. Blasters with snipe that often go unchallenged in Sirens since issue14. Rather than play something that is capable of bringing them down to earth such as a Traps Corr or a Bane, many villains have chosen to counter them by playing Stalkers. This is just plain stupid since Stalkers are particularly disadvantaged against a Dev Blaster in the air. Even if they do manage to get the AS, the Blaster just webnades the Stalker and goes about his merry way. Extrememly unlikely to get a kill on one in the air without significant teamwork, which again is unlikely where villains are concerned. And PBs can be even more difficult to kill in that same situation.

No, villains are going to get wrecked by hero Stalkers unless they learn to set aside their soloing ways and adapt to what the heroes are doing instead of just hiding.


*edited to fix a gramatical error. What can I say, I'm picky.

More likely than not the Brute was spotting for the Blaster.

[ QUOTE ]


If you're so deadset that people should earn their own kills and not be KS'd then take your silly [censored] to the arena where no scary stalkers can KS you. Otherwise quit crying and realize that we don't care about your Moral Dilemma.


[/ QUOTE ]

I actually do take it to arena every chance I get, which unfortunately isn't often these days. And this has nothing to do with any moral dilema. It has to do with what is good for PvP as a whole. Teaming=good. Solo=bad. It's that simple. It's because of the anti-teaming Dbag gonnadomyownthing attitude that you have mastered that PvP has become the crapfest we know today. Thanks.

But honestly, I'm glad there are so many skilless bottom feeders like you playing Stalkers. I really am. If more people played Stalkers with actual skill the devs would nerf them into complete uselessness the way they did Widows. So you just keep going out there fighting the bad fight and being bad, baddo.

[ QUOTE ]
Tell the devs to unimpeded stalkers and pull back the nerfs so they can solo again and alot of the ks'ng jackel like kills will stop. Back in i12 i used frown upon ksing because a competent stalker could beat down 95% of the zone AT's solo and in short order.


[/ QUOTE ]

Here's a crazy thought: If you can't get kills any more solo, get a team. Instead of KSing other people, team up and use teamwork to take down targets you can't solo anymore. You know Stalkers work better in a team than they ever could solo, right? Why is this so hard for villians to understand?

Teamwork>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>> solo.

[ QUOTE ]


The only way stalkers are going to get kills is by "KSing" as you put it, since stalkers don't have the dmg they used to it's damn near impossible to get a solo kill on somebody who knows what they're doing.

So you basically are gonna just keep crying bout KS'ing and people are gonna keep saying QQ more bout stalkers. Sounds like a vicious cycle...can we stop beating this horse now?

[/ QUOTE ]

So if Stalkers are so weak now and can only get kills by leaching off of others as you say, why not play something other than a Stalker? Wouldn't a Dom or Corr be more effective?

The problem is that some people don't actually know how to PvP and Stalkers give them the best of all options. They get to stroke their egos and get PvP recipe drops and all they have to do is follow around somebody that is better than them. Yeah, I can see why some people would like Stalkers.

[ QUOTE ]
Untill the new pvp io system comes out and KS'rs. Are the ones getting the recipes.



[/ QUOTE ]

I don't generally care who kills who in zones, except for this. Stalkers have historically been terrible teamers, but PvP IOs and the new Dom buffs have made it worse than ever. And the zones are full of them. It just seems like nowadays I can't even enter a zone on any of my villains without having 2 or 3 Stalkers just follow me around waiting for me to do something. Do a /search and see that none of them are teamed. Big surprise. Ask them if they want to team and get laughed at. I actually had one Stalker tell me that my Thermal Corr would just slow him down.

Seriously? I mean, the dudes already following me around stealing my kills and I'm going to slow him down?

I just wish that the AT didn't attract such a disproportionate level of stupid. Of course, if it didn't then all the heroes crying about how OP villains are might actually be right.

It doesn't in anyway change the fact that 95% of Stalkers in zones will wait for their target to be low enough on HP to be able to drop them in one attack, even if that target did happen to have a few more than 10 HP before the attack. If that target is already engaged with somebody that is not on that Stalkers team, then yes it is KSing. I know far too many Stalkers that have made a whole career of feeding off of the scraps of others. Whether or not KSing is a bad thing is a completely different discussion, but don't try to call it anything other than what it is.

When your 900 came at the end of a fight when the target only had 10 HP left anyway, yeah you're a KSer. I've seen it too many times from way too many Stalkers so don't bother denying it. You know it happens.

Given the current environment, I don't understand why we don't see more of this...

[ QUOTE ]

That's still nothing to ignore, and you are correct about double AS's dropping pretty much anything,...

[/ QUOTE ]



And less of this...

[ QUOTE ]
...but as a solo Stalker it's difficult to get kills against a full-HP target assuming they're competent.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]


Now read this part carefully, maybe get your mom to explain it to you because I think you need it:
-If a stalker is fighting more than ONE person by themselves they are taking an unnecessary RISK. Hence no stalker ever has to die unless they get careless.



[/ QUOTE ]

This is really the whole point that some of us are trying to make. A Stalker only ever has to die when they allow it to happen. No other AT has that luxury. There can be 100 heroes at capped perc bouncing around a zone with just 1 Stalker, and that Stalker need never die unless he chooses to do something that allows that possibility. And no, I'm not talking about just hanging out in the hospital. I'm talking about actively moving throught the zone completely safe and unattackable. Will you get kills doing that? Maybe, maybe not. That wasn't the point. The point is that the Stalker is virtually immune to defeat so long as he chooses his battles wisely. Again, no other AT in the game can do that.

I know this whole discussion is upsetting to some people, and I'm sorry that pointing out the truth has been so painful to so many who thought they were good Stalkers. Making decisions that get you killed doesn't make you a bad player. It happens. It just makes you a bad Stalker.