Innigo

Fair enough, but that's INEVITABLE given the effort people have to put in to see the stalkers, OF COURSE they're going to see other stealthed toons as a byproduct.

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I don't think it's anything specific to being ASed, it's just like being 2 shotted by an ice blaster really.

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Possibly not, but with stalkers dominating the numbers on the villain side of PvP it can feel like you're being ASd an AWFUL lot, even if none of them are actually greiving you.

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Also I think the only reason people whine so much about AS is because you don't see it coming,

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Really? I'd never have guessed, giving that the pro-stalker side of the arguments seems to hinge on how everyone's got +per and see's the stalker coming from miles off and so stalker's stealth should be improved.
Which is it?

As to the stalkers should be the only ones hunting stalkers; utter tripe. Rubbish of galactic proportions, enough drivel to cover most of Northern Europe (including Wales) in a 50ft deep layer of the stuff.
Nuff said.

Given that PvP doesn't start until 15th lvl minimum and stealth can be gotten by lvl6 I don't see the problem with the status quo regarding stalker stealth.

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But no.. imho it wudnt be fair at all, Kheldians are HERO EPICS .. no VILLIAN EPICS.. Villians have they're own soon, we have ours.. wait ur turn like we all had to.

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I thought States released a statement a while back saying there are three new epics sets coming out. 2 for CoV and 1 for both Coh & CoV.

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Surely everyone has noticed the glut of Ice tanks and SR scrappers running around atlas? when they used to be rare as rocking horse manure?

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Yes to ice tanks, no to the SR scrappers. When it comes to scrappers, these days, every one seems to be regen. Just my obsverations.

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3) If the answer to the previous questions are "No", and "Not hugely", any idea why on earth the WS was so fond of lobster?

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I would say, somewhat intolerantly, that your story highlights that someone can indeed have a 50 and still be a rubbish player.

Take note kids; next time someone says "I've got a 50 jo n00b!" it's not evidence that they have anything worth saying.

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People do use powers with knockback, repel, fear and repel causing foes to leave an aura and be in a very short time untaunted. At least with taunt you can create a long enough taunt on 5 foes whilst doing your best to cover as many other foes as possible, not always easy when foes are running in all directions and you are visually checking for "immediate threats to the team".

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Again, each player is responsible for their own agro. If you knock a mob out of the tankers taunt aura then I don't see it as being the tankers responsibility (primarily) to get them back into it.

My point being is that, yes, a tanker needs some way to taunt mobs, but with a competent team a taunt aura is perfectly sufficient. If it's NOT then it's pointing to the team being incompetent MORE than the tanker not having a "proper" tanker build.

When my scrapper was running through the lvls with the fire tank we tried to educate people (especially blasters) that if they found themselves in the situation where they were drawing too much agro then they should run in, or at least through the tank's aura which would pull the agro back off them.
I'm assuming that's an extremely difficult concept to grasp, given the number of people who failed to heed the advice

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*raises hand* Designated Sapper killer for my duo. I duo with......... A REGEN.

So why? Cause they have to hit me twice to fully sap me, two attacks hits a regen twice, usually takes a bit more than two for them to get me twice.

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Interesting. I don't think a sapper has ever hit me twice - generally not alive to get the second shot off.
Why you ask. A well built regen can drop all the way down to next to bugger all end and it's STILL not an issue since in all likelihood he effectively has infinite endurance.
Besides, never seen an SR scrapper last long jumping into the middle of a +3 mob. Not saying it can't be done, but would wager *most* SRs don't like taking that kind of risk.

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For keeping aggro a taunt aura is far far more important.

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Sorry for resurrecting this thread but I needed to vocally agree to this and add a couple of things.

A tanker with a good aura can control the agro as much as necessary. Remember, every team member has a responsibility to manage their own agro, it's not ALL down to the tank. A blaster can't go flinging AoEs left, right and centre and then blame the tank for his inevitable faceplant on the tanker not having taunt.
Whilst there are plenty of scrankers out there who have no intentions of fulfilling the traditional tanker role, the presence or absence of taunt in their build isn't enough to tell one from other.
I went through 50 lvls with a fire tank who never took taunt and there rarely an issue. When some of the mobs started banging on the squishies, I, the scrapper would go take care of it (my belief is a scrapper's job is to catch the overspill from the tanker's taunt).

Regen is CoH on "easy" But only if you get your build right. No stuns, no knockbacks and no downtime. You gotta love it.

And contrary to popular opinion; you *can* tank, but only certain types of mobs. Oh, and expect yourself to be the designated sapper-killer when you start meeting Malta.

I few people have said similar things, but my empath is now 26th lvl and has never, ever... EVER had any problem finding a team. I'd say, on average, I get invited to a team once an hour when I'm already on another team.

Do you guys try asking people if you can join their team, or do you sit about waiting to be asked?

Personally, I find origin adds nothing to a character, and it's only effect is where you buy your enhancements from. The uniqueness comes from the fact that virtually no two Khledians are alike. The AT allows for much more diversity in terms of power and playstyle than any other AT.
They're not for everyone, maybe they're just not for you.

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Yes but you need time to activate it, tp isn't exactly instantaneous.

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I dunno, a second and a half isn't bad. Are you using the lctrl+lbutton bind? TP becomes VERY quick if you use that bind.

Trapped in quicksand? Isn't that what dwarf step is for? Don't have too much problem with voids/quantums when in dwarf form although I'd hate to take on anything more than +2 by myself.
Taking on CoT means stocking up on BFs before heading in.
Whilst they're certainly not epic by the common definition of the word their nature allows for greater diversity in builds - which will appeal to some, but not to others. Some people copy builds posted on here, looking to squeeze the maximum potential out of an AT by relying on the the experience of others, but Kheldians are different in that there's so few of them (take all the way through to 50) and so much diversity I would hazard that maybe the "ultimate" Kheldian build hasn't been identified yet.

We're talking in very vague terms here if we're talking in terms of being SK'd up to the high 40s. I agree that generally if you've not got SOs then odds are you're going to struggle - but then; SO WHAT? The game is WAY too easy as it is and if your high lvl mates want your low lvl Kheldian to come along then go and give not one jot to the space you're denying to some poor high lvl toon who's looking for a team.
I've played on A LOT of pickup groups and 95% of them are DREADFUL. I would rather take a low lvl toon belonging to someone I know to be a good player than an unproven high lvl toon.

It's a common complaint - the squishiness of squids. And I don't agree. I think it comes down to playstyle a lot. My forms are very much situational, with the human being predominantly the buffing form.
To get the most out of your PB (if you're form shifting) is to get your binds set up. The enter key on the numpad is my emergency button. Whether I'm in human, squid or dwarf form, I hit that button and go into quantum flight where I get a respite to heal, buff, whatever and then get back into the fight.
If your going after a blaster build you absolutely must use Nova form - it has an inherent 40% damage boost and with build up you can 2 shot an even level spawn.

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Stalkers are 2 shot dead.3rd shot kills the regens that heal
4 shots take down a brute.MM goes down in 1 corruptor in 2.Dominator in 2 also. The 3rd shot is usually if there is some heal going on.

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This will be you running with lots of defiance - a skill I never mastered. Certainly attempted it a few times and reflectively I can see how powerful that style could be. Maybe next time I take her for a spin I'll give it another go.

I also agree with you (posted elsewhere) that trips mines and tp foe is not a style that I find particularly fun to play or even particularly suitable for the PvP zones. I had however contemplated taking tp as I find the most common reaction by stalkers to the first shot is to take off like a scalded cat and being a flier I'm often left behind (although 3 slotted fly isn't as slow as most people think) and having tp to act as a "speed boost" to help keep up.

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I am sorry to say this but its a big true.Focused PvP AR build simply is pants in pvp.I pretty much had to leech a lot during levels 32-42 that i specced a pvp build since my dmg output in pve was pathetic....and i didnt take the "good" powers of the set for pve like ignite

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The only plus side imho is being a single target specialist means you don't pull much agro

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All the primary blaster sets fire,ice,ele,arrow have longer snipe than AR indeed.Difference is they all have trailing disadvantage too in PvP.When sniping someone there is a trail from you shot leading to you and allowing the team to trail the shot back to the targetter which imho is a big disadvantage.

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This is the precise reason I built an AR/Dev blaster for stalker hunting. From the recipient's point of view the damage just comes out of nowhere. More experienced players may immediately look up and spot me (I took fly as well) but only rarely does someone manage to launch an attack before I fire my second shot, and more commonly it's after the third hits.
However I found the damage output from AR to be terrible. Fine for SOME stalkers (a fight with regens would always last longer than my endurance would hold out) and the squishies though.
The main problem and the reason I haven't look at that toon lately is I didn't particularly enjoy PvEing with it.

I dunno, stalkers are far more durable than most would have us believe. I personally think you have to think a bit laterally to get the stalker-ish effect. I managed an approximation with an AR/Dev blaster where I would more often than not take my quarry by surprise.
I think your best bet would be to look at a power set with toggle drops or even better stuns and some heavy damage attacks. Couple that with invisibility/stealth, perhaps fly (you'd be amazed the number of people who don't look up) and you'll have the hero equivalent of a stalker.

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BS Scrappers can do just as much damage as an AS.

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OK, dreams here, reality over there AND the critical is only 1 in 5, which means it can't be depended on.

Well, lets look at this another way. The hero side can't muster a melee AT who can match a stalker, what what about blasters?
I think the best tactic would be to take invisibility. I would suggest, prowling whilst invisible and work out some binds that let you fire up build up, dropping invisibility for stealth and letting off a massive ranged attack (pereferably from an angle your victim isn't expecting).
So the question is; which is the single most devastating ranged attack on the hero side of the game?

I would say no. As the defining element of a stalker is the Assassin Strike. Nothing a scrapper can muster is going to come close to that level of damage output, so you can never be as annoying as a normal stalker

They must be wrong, fort runs way longer than 45 seconds. 2 minutes maybe?

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i love my shade and its even more fun to play than my defender was, uber damage when you slot properly and jack of all trades but unfortunatly master of none

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Ah, but therein lies their mastery. They are uber-adaptive. I think it take a certain kind of player to appreciate the power of adaptability.

Without hasten and 3 recharge reduxes I can get fortitude running on 4 ppl, although the 1st will expire before it's recharged again.