Grim Saint
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:Congrats! AS(with proc)-->CU really is the Holy Grail of burst. Can't wait to hear what kind of carnage you kick up.
ding-Crushing Uppercut!
With regard to my own build I think I've found a very happy balance. I dropped Weapon Mastery for Body and slotted Stamina, Superior Conditioning, and Physical Perfection with the Perf Shifter trifecta (stamina, stamina/accuracy, +end), popped the Unbreakable Constraint proc in CU per Auroxis's suggestion, and an End IO in SS. I settled for 85% global recharge which, along with the end boosts, allows me to run (BU-AS-CU) HB-SB-AS-SS-HB-SB-AS-CU for days on end without ever running out of endurance. Any deficit that begins to surface gets proc'd away by those shifters before it becomes a problem.
My pylon time is 3min 12sec now and I think that's where I'll settle. I know I can achieve more but doing so would mean sacrificing endurance stability for the necessary recharge and another power for Hasten and I don't think it's worth it at this point, especially considering how much I hate glowing hasten-fists.
I also rearranged to put a Zephyr KB in Recall Friend, one in Fly and the full set in Teleport. The boost in range means I can blink across a map faster than God and taking fly means I'm not reliant on jetpacks for aerial combat or reaching high places when teleport is impractical. 12 KB protect lets me stand in front of AVs driving trucks and never move an inch.
I really don't think I can beat the balance at this point - complete mez protection, soft capped defense, 30% s/l resist, 20HP/sec regen not including Nin's self heal, lightning fast travel, and a 3min 12sec SPARTAN (no inspirations, destiny, pets, or temp powers whatsoever) pylon solo time means there is hardly a situation I can't wade into face first. I solo'd the AVs in Maria Jenkin's arc yesterday with no inspirations and only died once - Battle Maiden got lucky
Considering what the ceiling for stalkers used to be, I think that's pretty incredible. -
Looks solid!
I like that you skipped two attack powers since your recharge makes them obsolete. Some will debate the usefulness of Sweeping Cross for single targets since it does nearly the same damage as Spinning Strike and costs a lot less endurance, but for my money there are few opportunities where SC would be preferable to using SS, and a whole power slot is a lot to ask for the occasional "what if" situation. I took Heavy Blow over Initial Strike since it fits in my chain and does a tad more damage, though the two are more or less interchangeable. HB does have a higher chance to stack Assassin's Focus (75% vs 65%), however.
When you get to the point of slotting Glad +def, Coercive Persuasion, etc. you'll have more freedom with your defense numbers and can do fun things like slot the Hec proc in IS (or HB), Unbreakable Constraint proc in CU, and Achilles -res in Shin Breaker. The Hec proc is particularly potent in a fast recharging power. Defense from these sources also means you can drop it from others like Combat Jumping, freeing up more power slots.
Quote:Acrobatics will definitely do the job, offering 9 KB protection (15 with a level 50 KB IO) though, like you mentioned, endurance does become an issue and I found Acrobatics to be one toggle too many, hence opting for the zephyrs. If you slot the level 10 versions you also become essentially immune to knockback no matter what level you exemp to. One will do the job for 90% of content. You can swap the Jump IO in Super Jump for it and free up an entire power and some needed endurance. Going for three is a bigger investment but will turn you into a truck.At first I didn't bother slotting KB protection because with the defense I have, I rarely get hit but for the auto hit type KB and it wasn't a big deal. Got pissed at Rikti, took Acro. Fixed.
Not sure how often you exemp but if it's a lot I'd consider taking Kuji-In Rin as soon as it's available. Call me paranoid about status effects but one lucky mez can easily be the death of a defense based stalker, or at least the death of his DPS. Having blanket protection across all levels is a major boon to your peace of mind.
144% accuracy will give you the capped 95% chance to hit a +4 enemy, although with kismet this number drops to 112% because it buffs your toHit value which is factored before accuracy. Right now you're exactly where you should be. If you start slotting purple sets and hitting 95% accuracy in your attacks and getting those sweet +15% global bonuses you'll easily exceed 144% and can then drop kismet if you like. Some AVs (Mako comes to mind) have higher than normal defense and will even use +def powers that will directly oppose your toHit value. These instances account for a very small percentage of the game, though. I'd just shoot for a little above the regular cap and keep two or three yellows handy.Quote:One thing I'm not sure about is how much +acc in bonuses is too much, along with a Kismet? I'm just wanting to make sure I'm hitting the sweet spot for +4's but it's been a while since I've went over the to-hit/accuracy/levels math. -
Quote:My mistake. I should have checked the arcanatimes instead of just assuming. You're absolutely right.
My chain is just over 10 seconds, which means CU will crit every time (assuming no misses).
Do you have a source for this? I don't doubt you're correct but I'd be curious to see a comprehensive order-of-operations for calculating damage. My searches so far have been fruitless.Quote:Crit does not take combo damage into account. So 100*2+12. In other words, it's a 12% increase if you don't crit, 6% increase if you crit, if you have 2 combo points before the finisher.
Sadly this is not actually the case according to the patch notes from i22's launch. Assassin's Strike while not Hidden has a base 0% chance to crit, and I assume this means teammates won't add to this chance either. Assassin's Focus is therefore the only way to build probability for AScrit.Quote:AFAIK the chance to crit is additive(could be wrong though). So at a 10% base, 21% for 7 teammates, you're at 76%-97% crit chance with AS.
I did, however, try running a chain based roughly on yours and actually improved my DPS - soloing a pylon in 3min 21sec. SS was substituted for SC and I threw in HB to build focus and allow AS time to recharge:
(BU-AS-CU) HB-SB-AS-SS-HB-SB-AS-CU
The nice thing about this is that it only requires about 190% recharge meaning you don't need hasten to run it, and the attacks before AS give it an overall crit rate of 88.95%. The finishers are both fully combo'd and the timing puts Stalker's Guile before CU every time (assuming no misses). -
Congrats on your endeavors! Stj/Nin is far and away the most fun I've had on CoX, and that was BEFORE the i22 changes. The build looks good but there are a few things I think you can do to improve it (on a mac so sorry I can't just give you the changes in Mids).
You mentioned you're avoiding purples for the time being, but since enhancement converters crashed the market the other morning I'd recommend picking up a Glad +def proc if you can. Last I checked it was at 300mil, down from 2BILL. It's an easy way to get +3 defense across the board and can be slotted either in Tough or Kuji-In Sha. The market will probably stabilize over the next week so grab it now while it's still "cheap."
While you're there, check out some other things that are currently cheap like the Panacea set (excluding the proc). Putting 5 of those in Kuji-In Sha will give you better stats and bonuses than Doctored Wounds including another 7.5% recharge. PvP and purple set bonuses are also nice in general since they don't go away when you exemp. Coercive Persuasion is a nice cheap purple set you can put in Blinding Powder for more great bonuses and a whopping 5% boost to ranged defense.
You should also grab the Stalker's Guile set and put the whole thing in Assassin's Strike as soon as you can. Aside from the set bonuses, the proc will will put you back in hide EVERY time you use it due to its 15sec base recharge (so long as you only use it once every 10 seconds per the last patch). Landing a focused AS, popping back into hide, then immediately launching a critical CU is why StJ stalkers are walking chainsaws. Obviously you want to catalyze the set when you can.
Put a recharge IO in Kuji-In Rin instead of the endurance reducer to make it perma, put it on auto and never think about it again. You're going to want some KB protection too since it's the only hole Kuji-In Rin won't cover. 4 points is all you need for most situations. If you want more (I always do) go for 12 points rather than 8 since 8 won't protect against anything 4 can't. I take 3 movement powers I like such as fly, hover, teleport, teleport foe, recall friend etc. and slot each with a Zephyr KB protection.
And on the topic of Recall Friend TAKE IT! Every stalker should have this power and have it early since they are uniquely suited for stealthing missions. Even if you don't think you'll use it your teammates will always be appreciative, and at the very least you can use it to slot some KB protect.
Take Maneuvers and slot it with the LoTGs you currently have in Hide. They'll do a lot more good there and you'll pick up some nice defense for yourself AND your teammates. Then pick up Assault and stick an End IO in it. For 10% extra damage all the time there's no reason not to take it, especially for a damage AT.
I assume you're slotting the 4 P'shifters in stamina mainly for the set bonuses but I think you can find better places for those slots since the recharge and accuracy aren't helping you there. I'd go p'shift end, p'shift +end, and a regular end mod IO.
Slots in hurdle is questionable but if you notice and enjoy the difference then keep 'em. Same goes for Spring Attack. Keep it if you like it but remember every attack that isn't from your primary is one less opportunity to stack combo points and Assassin's Focus.
Some small things:
-Hasten can be useful but only if it allows you to perform a chain you couldn't otherwise do. Just curious what you plan on running.
-Kuji-In Retsu is largely useless if your defenses are capped so once you reach that point I'd lose it.
-I'd slot placate for recharge instead of range since you'll always be in melee or lose it all together. I know that sounds crazy but with the ATO proc in AS you may find yourself not using it after a while.
-I find extra procs in caltrops are more of a novelty than anything else. The damage in miniscule - you want it because of the fantastic mitigation. I'd keep the Ragnorak proc and lose the other two.
With the slots you've saved I'd put 5 Aegis in Tough for 4.695% AOE defense along with the Steadfast proc. This will also make Tough a useable toggle. I always have mine on, and along with other bonuses have roughly 30% s/l resist which is AWESOME for when things manage to get through my defense.
When you hit 50 take Musculature Core no question. Recharge and End problems can be dealt with in other ways but an extra 30% damage after ED is exactly what a death engine like you wants
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Quote:
You're neglecting the fact that AS gives +2 combo points, and AFAIK Stalker's Guile proc will give you a second crit. So if you slot the proc into AS, you get CU critting and doing about 6% more damage after AS.
AS giving +2 combo points is also the reason for my above chain, going for 3x combo CU and SC.I'm aware that AS gives the two combo points and I wasn't talking about your chain specifically. However looking at it now I see that you only have two attacks between each AS, meaning you're losing out on the guaranteed critical. At best you'll have a 66% chance for it to crit, which considering the potential difference in damage is a big loss in DPS.Quote:The chain I had in mind for my StJ/EA is (BU+AS+CU)-SB-AS-SC-SB-AS-CU.
As of the patch today the Stalker's Guile proc is fixed so that it will fire a maximum once every 10 seconds. Since most chains we're talking about use AS at least twice in 10 seconds the trick is rigging it so the proc falls in front of CU and not a less damaging attack. As of right now, using the chain above (including the part in parentheses) will crit the first CU, but not SC and the second CU. If this is continuous the next thing to crit will be SC on the next go through, which means you lose it on the CU that follows. My point about placate was that it can be used to shore up that gap with sufficient recharge.
I'm not sure where you're getting that 6% figure. A fully combo'd finisher adds 25%. The breakdown is 1 combo: 5%, 2 combos: 12%, 3 combos: 25% + better secondary effects. Both finishers in your chain are firing with a full 3 combos. A critical will double the total damage after combos are factored in. -
In an earlier post I talked about the benefits of using CU from hide instead of AS but I did some number crunching and thought I'd share my findings.
From hide CU will critical for a base 353.68 at level 50 versus AS's 389.28. The difference is only 10% and you're paying for it with a 3.17 second interruptible wind-up. Granted you also get demoralize and the ability to stay hidden if you miss, but these perks are only really useful while soloing. On teams and especially in itrials you will almost never get through that wind-up before getting hit with something's AOE patch, and even if you DO make it through chances are your target will be at or near death by the time it fires considering the rapid pace of raids.
Long story short - there are very few instances where you'll want to use AS over CU from hide, especially endgame.
Another thing I noticed while looking over StJ chains in this thread was a neglect of the combo system. A fully combo'd finisher does an extra 25% damage along with enhanced secondary effects - CU's stun becomes a hold for instance. It's an interesting problem trying to optimize both focus and regular combos without compromising one or the other.
I'll be respeccing soon and when I do I'll be taking haste (despite poo-pooing it in an earlier post), and swapping IS for HB. This will allow me to perform the following chain. This is starting in hide with the ATO set in AS. 251% recharge required.
(BU) CU --> HB --> SB --> HB --> AS
I start with a critical CU followed by three attacks to build up focus for a guaranteed critical AS that also puts me back in hide, ready to start over with another CU. This CU will be critical, still under the effect of build-up, and fully combo'd. How does a critical AND combo'd CU compare to hidden AS you ask? It does 13.5% MORE damage. That's right. If I'm facing a large mob and want AOE I can also swap CU for SS whenever I like, which will still be combo'd, critical, etc.
One thing to keep in mind is the currently buggy nature of the Stalker's Guile proc - thread here. This will allegedly be fixed in the next patch so that the proc will only fire once every ten seconds, meaning every OTHER pass through the above chain (it takes just over 7 seconds). To compensate I plan on using placate after AS on the times it doesn't proc so I can still get the critical CU every time. With 251% recharge it will be ready just in the nick of time, every time.
I probably won't respec until that proc issue is fixed, but once it is I will excitedly report on the carnage
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Quote:Hmm... I may need to give it a shot in the training room. When I was trimming fat from my build it basically came down between SC and SS and SS simply offered the better AOE, though I suppose having an alternate, more ST-friendly finisher on standby would be useful.
With my slotting (5 Armageddons including Fire proc, Gladiator -RES proc), SC actually does more damage than Heavy Blow, Shin Breaker, or Spinning Strike. It seems to have better DPS than Shin Breaker (by a smidge), Spinning (by a lot), and just under HB. With the -RES Gladiator Proc, it also provides a second source of -RES for hard targets. If you really want to pump up your ST dps (for pylons or other hard targets), it may be worth keeping in your chain. It also costs significantly less end than Spinning for single targets. Just a counter point. -
Quote:This is true and the one downside I've found with the build. Exemping any lower than 13 will have serious consequences since you will have IS, AS and nothing else. Exemping this low almost never happens, though. I led a Cavern of Transcendence (lvl 15) a few days ago and still vastly outperformed the rest of the group with just IS, AS, and SS for attacks. Purple set bonuses don't ever go away so my recharge was as high as ever. It wasn't optimal, but I was never waiting around for something to refresh. Being able to use AS as a recurring part of your chain and not just an opener is a huge boon as well.
But what happens when you get maled down? You lose Heavy and Sweeping Cross? That's two early attacks.
Hover and Afterburner since both allow me to slot an extra Zephyr KB protect. I don't use Hover because the extra defense isn't needed and creates problems in lots of different TFs and Trials, but Afterburner I use constantly.Quote:What two other goodies that you got in place of Heavy and Sweeping? Just curious.
The fact that focus isn't a guarantee does mean you have to be somewhat flexible. The chain I use puts four attacks before AS and most of the time I'll have full focus by the time I use it. Sometimes I get lucky and get it in three so I can AS sooner, but sometimes I get unlucky and need to throw another attack before I get the orange circle. If you do see orange though, don't ever wait to use it. Out-of-hide critical AS is now the highest DPA attack in the game. You'll never go wrong by letting her ripQuote:I am still not used to the new AS change. My attack chain is all messed up. I just know I want to click AS as soon as 3 focuses are up!
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Quote:Here's what I posted on the other thread. It's just a rough breakdown since Mids has yet to have an equivalent for sad mac users like me.
Can you post your build?
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Initial Strike: 5 Gladiator's Strike, 1 Hecatomb proc
Assassin's Strike: 6 Stalker's Guile (catalyzed)
Build Up: 6 Gaussian's
Spinning Strike: 5 Ragnorak, 1 Endurance IO
Shin Breaker: 5 Gladiator's Strike, 1 Achilles Heel
Crushing Uppercut: 5 Hecatomb, 1 Endurance IO
Hide: LoTG global recharge
Ninja Reflexes: 3 LoTG (global recharge, def, def/end), 1 Endurance IO
Danger Sense: 3 LoTG (global recharge, def, def/end), 1 Endurance IO
Caltrops: Ragnorak proc
Kuji-In Rin: Recharge IO
Kuji-In Sha: 5 Panacea, 1 Gladiator's Armor +Def
Blinding Powder: 6 Coercive Persuasion
Sprint: Microfilament Exposure
Swift: Flight Speed IO
Hurdle: Jump IO
Health: Miracle healing, Miracle +recovery, Numina regen/recovery, Numina healing, Regenerative Tissue regen
Stamina: PShifter end mod, PShifter +end, End Mod IO
Recall Friend: Zephyr KB protection
Fly: Zephyr KB protection
Hover: Shield Wall +res
Afterburner: Zephyr KB protection
Kick:
Tough: 5 Aegis, 1 Steadfast Protection +def
Weave: 3 LoTG (global recharge, def, def/end), 1 Endurance IO
Maneuvers: 3 LoTG (global recharge, def, def/end), 1 Endurance IO
Assault: Endurance IO
Web Grenade: 5 Gravitational Anchor
Physical Perfection: PShifter +end
Alpha: Musculature Core Paragon
Judgement: Vorpal Radial Final Judgement
Interface: Reactive Core Flawless Interface
Lore: Robotic Drones Core Superior Ally
Destiny: Incandescence Radial Epiphany
***
Anywhere it says 5 slots instead of 6 assume I'm skipping the proc.
Ranged, melee, and aoe defenses are all between 46% and 50%. Tons of regen coupled with 28% s/l resistance with tough on makes him very survivable. 12 KB protection thanks to Zephyrs covers the only status weakness. Global recharge is 95%.
Because nearly all the sets are purple or pvp the bonuses don't go away at lower levels, meaning he rips things apart even when exemp'd. The only problem with purple sets is the lack of endurance reduction, hence the End IOs you see in there. With these slotted I can run 7 toggles, run my expensive attack chain, and never run out of endurance.
I went with Weapon Mastery since it afforded me Physical Perfection and Web Grenade (which is better than you think). It's a -fly immobilize that recharges so fast you can stack them one right after the other, holding pesky fliers and even AVs if you need to. It also mules for an inexpensive purple set and is nice for the "natural" stalker vibe.
Sorry this couldn't be in Mids but I hope it gives you the basic idea. -
Quote:SC certainly has its uses, but the cone is very limited and the damage sub-par, so when I have a full combo ready to fire I'm always more inclined to go with CU or SS since either of the two or both will be refreshed with any decent amount of recharge. And while it does let you slot Armageddon, the power's lackluster performance basically turns it into a mule (hence the 5-slotting of Web Grenade for Grav Anchor, which I at least use on a semi-regular basis and is FAR cheaper).
Sweeping Cross does have some nice things going for it - it lets me put in a PBAoE purple set, and get another purple proc and the PvP -res proc in my chain. This may well fall under "stupid pylon tricks" though.
I'd recommend six-slotting AS with Stalker's Guile since you pick up a nice 2.52% s/l resist and put the Hec proc in your quickest recharging attack. The proc is a static 107 damage at level 50 so you want it to fire as many times as possible. I put mine in IS which I use twice in every chain. Enhanced it does 107 damage itself, so with Hec it has a 33% chance to do double damage essentially with every hit.Quote:That's with hasten. Proc'd out. (Stalker's Guile set in AS 5-slotted with Heca dmg proc). -
Quote:Excellent! I much prefer the proc either happen or not based on a static timer, instead of a delay which can grief up your chain.
It's been fixed interally and we'll probably see it the next patch with all the things that were discussed near the end of beta but didn't make I22's release.
That is a good point.Quote:It's off-topic for the problem, but I'd be careful about assigning that motive to the design. There's a decent chance they based it off of base values to reduce computational cost. Otherwise, it would need to recalculate its chance to proc dynamically. (Even if they tried to account only for slotted +recharge, as opposed to potentially dynamic global buffs and debuffs, enhancements are ultimately just a kind of buff.) That might not sound expensive, but done even a couple of times a second across potentially thousands of players (and potentially across multiple procs per player - regular SBEs like Mako's and Touch of Death use PPM mechanics too), it could end up being a noticeable extra server load. -
Exactly. It would be one thing if the hide proc simply didn't trigger if used again within a certain window. The problem is that it DOES, but due to the overlap of Stalker's Guile it can and will drop in a seemingly unpredictable way.
I think the devs can either reduce the duration of Stalker's Guile to protect against overlap, or change the mechanics of ppm to apply to enhanced recharge instead of base recharge.
Obviously I am more in favor of the former if only because one ought to be rewarded for successfully using +recharge for maximum gain in their build, and judging by the decision to have ppm apply to base and NOT enhanced recharge, I'd wager the devs agree. -
Quote:Sigh... sadly I can't since I'm a mac user and Mids has yet to have an equivalent for me. Here's a very rough breakdown though. (Warning: This is a straight up end game build so price may be prohibitive).
POST BUILD PLEASE!
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Initial Strike: 5 Gladiator's Strike, 1 Hecatomb proc
Assassin's Strike: 6 Stalker's Guile (catalyzed)
Build Up: 6 Gaussian's
Spinning Strike: 5 Ragnorak, 1 Endurance IO
Shin Breaker: 5 Gladiator's Strike, 1 Achilles Heel
Crushing Uppercut: 5 Hecatomb, 1 Endurance IO
Hide: LoTG global recharge
Ninja Reflexes: 3 LoTG (global recharge, def, def/end), 1 Endurance IO
Danger Sense: 3 LoTG (global recharge, def, def/end), 1 Endurance IO
Caltrops: Ragnorak proc
Kuji-In Rin: Recharge IO
Kuji-In Sha: 5 Panacea, 1 Gladiator's Armor +Def
Blinding Powder: 6 Coercive Persuasion
Sprint: Microfilament Exposure
Swift: Flight Speed IO
Hurdle: Jump IO
Health: Miracle healing, Miracle +recovery, Numina regen/recovery, Numina healing, Regenerative Tissue regen
Stamina: PShifter end mod, PShifter +end, End Mod IO
Recall Friend: Zephyr KB protection
Fly: Zephyr KB protection
Hover: Shield Wall +res
Afterburner: Zephyr KB protection
Kick:
Tough: 5 Aegis, 1 Steadfast Protection +def
Weave: 3 LoTG (global recharge, def, def/end), 1 Endurance IO
Maneuvers: 3 LoTG (global recharge, def, def/end), 1 Endurance IO
Assault: Endurance IO
Web Grenade: 5 Gravitational Anchor
Physical Perfection: PShifter +end
Alpha: Musculature Core Paragon
Judgement: Vorpal Radial Final Judgement
Interface: Reactive Core Flawless Interface
Lore: Robotic Drones Core Superior Ally
Destiny: Incandescence Radial Epiphany
***
Anywhere it says 5 slots instead of 6 assume I'm skipping the proc.
Ranged, melee, and aoe defenses are all between 46% and 50%. Tons of regen coupled with 28% s/l resistance with tough on makes him very survivable. 12 KB protection thanks to Zephyrs covers the only status weakness. Global recharge is 95%.
Because nearly all the sets are purple or pvp the bonuses don't go away at lower levels, meaning he rips things apart even when exemp'd. The only problem with purple sets is the lack of endurance reduction, hence the End IOs you see in there. With these slotted I can run 7 toggles, run my expensive attack chain, and never run out of endurance.
I went with Weapon Mastery since it afforded me Physical Perfection and Web Grenade (which is better than you think). It's a -fly immobilize that recharges so fast you can stack them one right after the other, holding pesky fliers and even AVs if you need to. It also mules for an inexpensive purple set and is nice for the "natural" stalker vibe.
Sorry this couldn't be in Mids but I hope it gives you the basic idea. Like I said - it's very expensive and it took me a while to build, but you can easily use Touch of Death sets, Mako's Bite, etc. and still be highly effective. -
Stalkers have always been my AT of choice but since i22 and the ATO sets they have become exactly what you said - single target chainsaws. Throw in the awesomeness of Street Justice and you have a freaking monster on your hands. In fact yesterday I was able to solo a Rikti Pylon in 3 minutes 52 seconds (no inspirations or pets) with my StJ/Nin. That's down from 7 minutes prior to i22.
I'm currently running with this chain (starting in hide, using Build Up whenever it refreshes). AS has the ATO set, Initial Strike has the Hecatomb proc, and Shin Breaker has Achilles Heel:
Crushing Uppercut --> Initial Strike --> Shin Breaker --> Initial Strike --> Assassin's Strike --> Spinning Strike/Crushing Uppercut (alternating)
By the time I use AS it almost always has full focus for the guaranteed critical, plus with the ATO proc I drop instantly into hide (base 15 sec recharge guarantees it will trigger 100% of the time). This sets me up for a critical/fully combo'd Spinning Strike or Crushing Uppercut depending on whether I need AOE or ST at that moment.
I almost never assassinate from hide anymore since Crushing Uppercut does nearly the same critical damage and is instant.
You'll notice I dropped Sweeping Cross since Spinning Strike is ALWAYS the better option and will be always be refreshed and fully combo'd with enough recharge. Skipped Heavy Blow since Initial Strike fits more comfortably. I even dropped Placate since AS and CU always critical in this chain anyway. With the extra powers I was able to pick up more situational goodies like Vengeance and Afterburner (for trips to the Shadow Shard).
I didn't take haste since perma doesn't add anything I don't have already, plus you can only auto one power and that power should be Kuji-In Rin. I also can't stand having my hands glow all the damn time.
Definitely don't pass up Caltrops - the mitigation is outstanding. Throw a Ragnorak proc in there to turn a horde of enemies into fleeing/falling/flopping fish. Throw in Reactive Interface and they're also on fire
Best of luck with your character. Can't wait to hear how it goes. The "Batman Build" is no longer just a novelty!! -
On my StJ/Nin stalker I'm currently running with this (starting in hide, using Build Up whenever it refreshes). AS has the ATO set, Initial Strike has the Hecatomb proc, and Shin Breaker has Achilles Heel:
Crushing Uppercut --> Initial Strike --> Shin Breaker --> Initial Strike --> Assassin's Strike --> Spinning Strike/Crushing Uppercut (alternating)
By the time I use AS it almost always has full focus for the guaranteed critical, plus with the ATO proc I drop instantly into hide. This sets me up for a critical/fully combo'd Spinning Strike or Crushing Uppercut (depending on whether I want AOE or ST).
I almost never assassinate from hide anymore since Crushing Uppercut does nearly the same critical damage and is instant. With this chain I can solo a Rikti Pylon in 3 minutes 52 seconds (no inspirations or pets). I was also able to drop Heavy Blow and Sweeping Cross in lieu of other goodies. I even dropped Placate since AS and CU always critical anyway.
The only thing that trips it up is the hide delay associated with Stalker's Guile, but hopefully that will get resolved at some point. -
I've been experiencing the same issue on my StJ/Nin and the problem is absolutely with the 10 second duration on Stalker's Guile. I petitioned the devs and got the "we can't discuss mechanics with players" runaround, but I PM'd Synapse and posted the problem on the official bug report forum here.
Post a quick "this is screwing with me too!" there if you can. -
This is an issue I and others have experienced so I thought I'd post it here officially. There's also a discussion on the stalker forums here.
Arbiter Hawk has stated that the new ATO procs use BASE recharge to determine how often it triggers. 4 procs-per-minute means that a power with a base 15 second recharge should trigger the proc 100% of the time (60 seconds/4 = 15 seconds). This is regardless of ACTUAL recharge time due to enhancements or global boosts. A power that fits this bill exactly is Assassin's Strike, and indeed when slotted with the Stalker's Guile chance-to-hide enhancement, it will trigger EVERY time you use the power.
The proc will grant you a temp status called "Stalker's Guile" that puts you into hide and lasts 10 seconds.
Here's the problem...
If you have high recharge you can (and likely will) use Assassin's Strike again before that 10 seconds has expired, meaning Stalker's Guile will actually stack and not simply refresh. This means that the second proc will not take effect until the first one has expired.
On my own stalker, Assassin's Strike has an enhanced recharge of 7 seconds. The first time I use it in a chain I immediately drop into hide no problem, but when the power refreshes and I use it again, I won't go into hide again until 3 seconds AFTER the power has been used (10sec - 7sec = 3).
Three seconds is a long time in an attack chain, and when hide finally DOES drop in, it will happen at unpredictable and often inconvenient times. The most annoying example is when you are well into a chain and it occurs just as you're about to use Assassin's Strike, meaning you will suddenly find yourself performing the long interruptible version instead of the new instant one.
On the discussion mentioned above, Granite Agent suggested reducing the duration of Stalker's Guile from 10 seconds to 5 and I agree. It's an easy fix and would likely eliminate the problem. -
I'm all over this too. Set a time and I'm there (been trying for this myself for a while so +++experience on the matter).
-
I've been playing for a few months but this is my first post and I'd REALLY appreciate any feedback I can get on the build below.
I play solo about 95% of the time so you'll notice a lack of antidote, elixir of life, and vengeance. In their place are powers from the fighting pool both as mules for LoTG recharges and for some positional defense (currently sitting at 22% melee/ranged and 28% aoe). Not good by any stretch but should mitigate a fair amount of damage when the hate isn't where it's supposed to be - ie on my thugs.
I prioritized recharge bonuses to get noxious gas up as often as possible and took heat mastery for rp reasons. It seemed the least glitzy choice for a strictly "no-superpowers" toon and offered char as a nice secondary hold, though I'd be willing to consider others.
With manuevers from both myself and the enforcers, and with the unique IO bonuses my pets sit around 39% defense (so long as they're in range) which so far as I can tell is the most I can push it to.
It's a leveling build too so no HamiOs or purples. I'm also tabling incarnates for the time being, though if you have thoughts on that topic I'd love to hear them as well.
Let me know what you think!
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Mister Grins: Level 50 Natural Mastermind
Primary Power Set: Thugs
Secondary Power Set: Poison
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Heat Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Call Thugs- (A) Edict of the Master - Defense Bonus
- (3) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage
- (3) Blood Mandate - Accuracy
- (9) Blood Mandate - Damage
- (17) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Blood Mandate - Damage/Endurance
- (A) Miracle - Heal/Endurance
- (5) Miracle - Endurance/Recharge
- (5) Miracle - Heal/Recharge
- (9) Miracle - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- (21) Miracle - Heal
- (36) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Touch of Lady Grey - Defense Debuff
- (7) Touch of Lady Grey - Defense Debuff/Endurance
- (11) Touch of Lady Grey - Recharge/Endurance
- (19) Touch of Lady Grey - Defense Debuff/Recharge/Endurance
- (23) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Recharge
- (36) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Defense Debuff
- (A) Siphon Insight - ToHit Debuff
- (7) Siphon Insight - Accuracy/ToHit Debuff
- (11) Siphon Insight - Accuracy/Recharge
- (19) Siphon Insight - ToHit Debuff/Endurance/Recharge
- (23) Siphon Insight - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (36) Siphon Insight - Chance for +ToHit
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (42) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (42) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Pacing of the Turtle - Accuracy/Slow
- (21) Pacing of the Turtle - Damage/Slow
- (37) Pacing of the Turtle - Accuracy/Endurance
- (39) Pacing of the Turtle - Range/Slow
- (40) Pacing of the Turtle - Endurance/Recharge/Slow
- (40) Pacing of the Turtle - Chance of -Recharge
- (A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
- (13) Defense Buff IO
- (13) Defense Buff IO
- (15) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage
- (17) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Blood Mandate - Damage
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (43) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (42) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Call to Arms - Defense Bonus Aura for Pets
- (25) Expedient Reinforcement - Resist Bonus Aura for Pets
- (25) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Recharge
- (33) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage
- (33) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (37) Expedient Reinforcement - Endurance/Damage/Recharge
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (50) Recharge Reduction IO
- (50) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Sovereign Right - Resistance Bonus
- (27) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Damage
- (27) Sovereign Right - Damage/Endurance
- (29) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Endurance
- (29) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Sovereign Right - Accuracy
- (A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Hold
- (31) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
- (31) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
- (31) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (33) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (37) Basilisk's Gaze - Chance for Recharge Slow
- (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/Endurance
- (43) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
- (46) Steadfast Protection - Knockback Protection
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (48) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (48) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (48) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (39) Recharge Reduction IO
- (39) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Hold
- (45) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
- (45) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
- (45) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (46) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (46) Basilisk's Gaze - Chance for Recharge Slow
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Karma - Knockback Protection
Level 1: Brawl- (A) Empty
- (A) Run Speed IO
Level 2: Swift- (A) Run Speed IO
- (A) Miracle - +Recovery
- (50) Numina's Convalescence - +Regeneration/+Recovery
- (A) Jumping IO
- (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
- (15) Performance Shifter - EndMod
- (43) Endurance Modification IO
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
-
I've been playing for a few months but this is my first post and I'd REALLY appreciate any feedback I can get on the build below.
I play solo about 95% of the time so you'll notice a lack of antidote, elixir of life, and vengeance. In their place are powers from the fighting pool both as mules for LoTG recharges and for some positional defense (currently sitting at 22% melee/ranged and 28% aoe). Not good by any stretch but should mitigate a fair amount of damage when the hate isn't where it's supposed to be - ie on my thugs.
I prioritized recharge bonuses to get noxious gas up as often as possible and took heat mastery for rp reasons. It seemed the least glitzy choice for a strictly "no-superpowers" toon and offered char as a nice secondary hold, though I'd be willing to consider others.
With manuevers from both myself and the enforcers, and with the unique IO bonuses my pets sit around 39% defense (so long as they're in range) which so far as I can tell is the most I can push it to.
It's a leveling build too so no HamiOs or purples. I'm also tabling incarnates for the time being, though if you have thoughts on that topic I'd love to hear them as well.
Let me know what you think!
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Mister Grins: Level 50 Natural Mastermind
Primary Power Set: Thugs
Secondary Power Set: Poison
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Heat Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Call Thugs- (A) Edict of the Master - Defense Bonus
- (3) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage
- (3) Blood Mandate - Accuracy
- (9) Blood Mandate - Damage
- (17) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Blood Mandate - Damage/Endurance
- (A) Miracle - Heal/Endurance
- (5) Miracle - Endurance/Recharge
- (5) Miracle - Heal/Recharge
- (9) Miracle - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- (21) Miracle - Heal
- (36) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Touch of Lady Grey - Defense Debuff
- (7) Touch of Lady Grey - Defense Debuff/Endurance
- (11) Touch of Lady Grey - Recharge/Endurance
- (19) Touch of Lady Grey - Defense Debuff/Recharge/Endurance
- (23) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Recharge
- (36) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Defense Debuff
- (A) Siphon Insight - ToHit Debuff
- (7) Siphon Insight - Accuracy/ToHit Debuff
- (11) Siphon Insight - Accuracy/Recharge
- (19) Siphon Insight - ToHit Debuff/Endurance/Recharge
- (23) Siphon Insight - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (36) Siphon Insight - Chance for +ToHit
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (42) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (42) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Pacing of the Turtle - Accuracy/Slow
- (21) Pacing of the Turtle - Damage/Slow
- (37) Pacing of the Turtle - Accuracy/Endurance
- (39) Pacing of the Turtle - Range/Slow
- (40) Pacing of the Turtle - Endurance/Recharge/Slow
- (40) Pacing of the Turtle - Chance of -Recharge
- (A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
- (13) Defense Buff IO
- (13) Defense Buff IO
- (15) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage
- (17) Blood Mandate - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Blood Mandate - Damage
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (43) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (42) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Call to Arms - Defense Bonus Aura for Pets
- (25) Expedient Reinforcement - Resist Bonus Aura for Pets
- (25) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Recharge
- (33) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage
- (33) Expedient Reinforcement - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (37) Expedient Reinforcement - Endurance/Damage/Recharge
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (50) Recharge Reduction IO
- (50) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Sovereign Right - Resistance Bonus
- (27) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Damage
- (27) Sovereign Right - Damage/Endurance
- (29) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Endurance
- (29) Sovereign Right - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Sovereign Right - Accuracy
- (A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Hold
- (31) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
- (31) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
- (31) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (33) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (37) Basilisk's Gaze - Chance for Recharge Slow
- (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/Endurance
- (43) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
- (46) Steadfast Protection - Knockback Protection
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (48) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (48) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (48) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (39) Recharge Reduction IO
- (39) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Hold
- (45) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Recharge
- (45) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold
- (45) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (46) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (46) Basilisk's Gaze - Chance for Recharge Slow
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Karma - Knockback Protection
Level 1: Brawl- (A) Empty
- (A) Run Speed IO
Level 2: Swift- (A) Run Speed IO
- (A) Miracle - +Recovery
- (50) Numina's Convalescence - +Regeneration/+Recovery
- (A) Jumping IO
- (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
- (15) Performance Shifter - EndMod
- (43) Endurance Modification IO
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO