Kinesia

What does your build look like and what secondary are you using? After trying JL several times I just never got the hang of it, it seems harder to get the cone lined up than others and I don't like the longish activation. Chain induction is better but still has that longish recharge and higher end cost. I recently made a secondary build where I swapped in Charged Brawl, not sure what I think about it yet.

Having said all that, I have no trouble with Bosses and EBs but that's probably because I'm also using Caltrops which messes up mob AI enough to give me an advantage.

I would also add, it's not just Bosses your after but anything that poses a big threat or is just a PITA.

When teamed I also watch for mobs that are harassing other squishy toons (esp. Corruptors) and take them out after I've removed the most obvious and immediate threat. So yes there's reason to team with Stalkers, esp. now that we get a debuff on a successful AS.

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hmmm, ok, so what's the real strength of /nin then because with no resistances and what seems to be a lack of utility, I guess I'm not seeing it. Maybe I should have gone with /elec or /WP?

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I wouldn't recommend a resistance based set for a Stalker. I've tried and it's just less effective than a defense based set. /Nin is probably the best secondary for a Stalker, you get solid defense to melee, ranged, and AOE and with IO slotting can be soft-capped. /WP is OK but for PVE /Nin is a better set.

I won't argue with you about the fighting pool but NONE of my Stalkers use it and few here on the boards will recommend it. If you are used to playing a Scrapper, keep in mind a Stalker is not the same thing. Defense based sets are good for Stalkers because you git hit less often which means you can get AS off more often without being interrupted.

If you enjoyed your Scrapper, based on what you are saying here, you might try a Brute instead of a Stalker.

I won't comment on the EM, side but for your secondary, you can really skip Smoke Flash and Blinding Powder. Caltrops is a much better than either of these options (it offers quite good mitigation and can be stacked). Also, I see you skipped your tier 9, Retsu. It's a good power, worth taking esp. if you are not going to soft-cap defense. I wouldn't bother with the fighting pool either, you really won't need it.

Oh and I wouldn't bother with all of the endurance reduction in your defense toggles, you really won't need it once you get Stamina.

Since your mez protection doesn't offer -KB, a -KB IO is a nice idea. I've purchased one for both of my /Nin Stalkers.

You can't really go too wrong with anything paired with /Nin. But I would stay away from Electric Armor on a Stalker or anything resistance based. /SR is good too but tends to be a much tighter build than /Nin.

I've tried Dual Blades on a Brute but not a Stalker, not sure I can recommend it. If you want a blade, I would choose Ninja Blade; just keep in mind it's all lethal damage. EM is fine and so is Electric (but much more AOE-oriented) as a primary. DM will give you great single target damage and mitigation.

Good luck!

Same issue on Liberty. Really terrible lag spikes that would just suddenly clear up. A few times over the weekend it was so bad, my toon couldn't move or use powers it was just constant rubberbanding. Exit the mission and everything is fine. Then lag starts in zones, then disappears in missions again. Really weird.

I would also take Crowd Control a lot earlier, same for Poisonous Ray if it's your only ranged attack; it's very handy for finishing off runners.

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So once again if you think DM is not powerful then YES you don't know what you are talking about. I have not cursed or called you names, stating facts is not being discourteous to you eventhough you don't like hearing the truth.

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Facts? I must have missed those along the way.

It is certainly NOT a fact that any set is THE most powerful. In any given situation, one set may come out on top, but this is why we discuss these issues, isn't it?

I fear you are putting words into my mouth because not once did I say DM was not powerful. You have to go a lot further to actually prove that DM/Nin is somehow THE most powerful combo in the game with objective authority. Is it really worth it? I don't think so, but you may.

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Can you TP into a large spawn with DM, knock them all down and take them all out with 2 powers? I don't think so.

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Neither can Elec, because large spawn = bosses and lieutenants. While you're potentially whittling away on the bosses, I'm whittling away on the minions and downing them one at a time in a couple shots. Which threat would you rather face?

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I was thinking of a paper mission I did a few days ago. There were no Bosses, lots of Freaks but no Bosses until the end. And OK, so the Lieuts took one extra hit with Havoc Punch to take them out, big deal.

But I do agree about the single target damage for Elec, but I've never really had an issue fighting Bosses. Fighting two bosses at once wasn't even a big deal because Caltrops is so effective. And I have enough recharge on this toon that Havoc Punch and Chain Induction recharge very fast (and the proc in Havoc Punch goes off more often that I would have thought).

But against AV/EBs I'd want a DM/Nin on my team, most definitely!

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Throwing an "opposite" vote would mean that DM is weak PvE. Anyone that actually knows what they are talking about would not throw an "opposite" vote regarding the "power" of DM.

The question was very specific and your response regarding the power of DM lacks sound rationale.

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Ok, so I don't know what I'm talking about because I don't like DM? I gather that's what you are implying.

Can you TP into a large spawn with DM, knock them all down and take them all out with 2 powers? I don't think so.

His questions really wasn't very specific because "powerful" is subjective. If the question were "which primary is the most powerful for tackling single targets like AVs and EBs, well that's different.

And I'm not the only one stating personal preference here, so please try to be a little courteous because you implied that I'm both an idiot and don't know what I'm talking about. I'm neither, but I am a RAVING lunatic.

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Gotta throw my vote in for DM/Nin. Pretty amazing is what I would call it.

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Gotta throw in an opposite vote. But I think this is largely personal preference because I find DM to be pretty boring. Yes a good combo, good damage, and all that but I actually deleted my DM/Nin. Whereas I have kept and ran a Claws/Nin to 50 and doing the same with an Elec/Nin.

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You need a lot of +defense to soft cap /nin and you may only be able to soft cap either melee or range.

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You can soft cap all types on /Nin, its not too hard.

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Well 'hard' and 'expensive' are very different concepts. I have 2 /Nin Stalkers and the to slot them up to be fully soft-capped IS expensive. I didn't bother because I don't PVP and anything over 40% seems good enough for PVE.

Having said that, with my current Elec/Nin, if I simply took Stealth and Maneuvers, I would be soft-capped but I'd rather have sexier powers.

My Elec/Nin is now lvl 38. It's a great combo and a relatively loose build. BU + Lightning Rod + Thunderstrike + Chain Induction + Caltrops is just so much fun! I tried other primaries but I really like having the AOEs since I don't PvP.

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I know Sonic Blast is good and I've been wanting to try Energy Blast. Maybe I'll try Energy blast. I just know a lot of Brutes will hate me.

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Not just Brutes, but Stalkers, MMs and Corruptors with anchor-based debuffs. I did NRG blast hero side twice, I would never touch it again.

I have to agree, Sonic/Pain is pretty darn nice. Took mine all the way to 50 and it was fun too!

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Finduilas,

Looks like the answer is no, there's no point.

If you did the event last year, you can avoid talking to Ganymede/Scratch completely and go straight to DJ Zero.

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I didn't do this event last year. However, there is more to it than just a badge. I actually got a temp power (20 use Confuse/Placate) in addition to the badge. So there is some value in doing those missions again if the temp power means anything to you.

Thanks for the guide! Always good to have more of them.

One minor point I'd like to make regarding your criticism of Ring of Fire. Early on, it's the most damaging power you can take in the Fire set and it sets up containment. While a single target immobilize is nothing to write home about, I think it deserves better than the 1 star rating you gave it. This is a good power for the solo controller, it's good for catching runners and flyers who escape from your cages, and it's also good for stacking on bosses. Personally, I'd give it a 3 out of 5 as it also has good value in PvP.

No you don't need 3 endurance reducers in either Acrobatics or in Combat Jumping. CJ really doesn't need an end reducer but Acro does.

Nice guide!

I have a suggestion on strategy and slotting. Often I won't have time to lead off with RI. This is especially true when you get adds or are fighting in an area where you cannot pull and you need debuffs up fast. In that case, I always lead off with EF to reduce incoming damage and if LR is up I will then hit them with LR. If it's a large group I will sometimes lead off with LR since it also reduces incoming damage due to the -recharge. Because I will often use LR on an undebuffed group, I prefer 2 accuracy SO's in it. I have LR slotted: 2 acc, 2 recharge, 2 slow. I do this because I usually fight reds and purples as a matter of course.