Leo_G
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Quote:It's a scythe, *****!Originally Posted by Coyote_Seven
I don't know what that weird looking anime felgercarb is supposed to be. -
One thing I will say is, the animations have a somewhat flow to them, especially if you have momentum...but if you're running Ninja Run or Beast Run while attacking, much of that flow vanishes.
All in all, I think the movements and attack animations are just fine...no better than Kinetic Melee, definitely not worse than Broadsword. If one keeps that in mind, I don't see why people would think the animations are bad or goofy.
The only thing that'd make the set feel better is if the sword caused sparks/scratch marks when it touches the ground or walls during animations which is impossible with our current game engine. -
Can you add beast legs to that suggestion?
Kind of ironic the character concept debuted with the Barbarian set was a Minotaur type with the head and tail...the look would have been great with hoofs...among other things like kilts and shorts... -
Quote:While I wouldn't be opposed to making at least regular and EBs harder (i.e. more dangerous if left unengaged, AVs and GMs are just another messed up game), your suggestion will just change the name of the game.Originally Posted by Angry_Citizen
Now, does anyone have a legitimate complaint about my suggestion?
Knockback will just be the prime tool against them, kiting and debuffs will be the squishy solution while attack-chain focused builds for Brutes/Scrappers will be the non-squishy solution, primarily because, in a team environment, there will most likely be more than one boss per spawn.
And if all that is not a great option, turn bosses off your difficulty and roll with a smaller group.
It doesn't particularly value the Stalker, just inconveniences a lot of others (and puts Blasters out to dry because their BU+ranged attack chain isn't enough). So rather than curbstomping everything, bosses will just be a speedbump for incompetent builds/teams.
Throwing up a suggestion of my own: To make bosses/EBs tougher without making them ridiculous...what about 'phases' of the boss' life? Kind of like the council bosses transforming into warwolves or redcap Lts upgrading their rank when close to death, make it so more bosses do similar things, either unleashing devastating or dibilitating effects upon/before death or outright get a second wind and you have to fight them all over. The only means of getting by these may be taunt, mez or assassination.
That is, if the target is taunted, it will shut the target out of these powers when the trigger goes off. If they have a certain mez (could be holes, so stun/hold may not stop some bosses but confuse or sleep will deactivate that trigger) the trigger won't be activated for a duration. If the target is the victim of an assassination attempt (either killing them or not), the trigger will be deactivated for a duration.
Basically, you want to somehow curb these effects because if you don't, that boss may turn the tide on your team.
If you can't tell, I like unpredictability. Even a Stalker won't be able to stop a boss 80% of the time. It'll take coordination to deal with, and mindless spamming may result in the boss instantly planting a timebomb nuke and slipping into phase while it goes off... -
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Did you read the thread? 2 posters actually agreed with the OPs suggestion before everybody bandied against it.
Then you ask if the OP had been drunk at the time. What's worse? Saying incoherent gibberish while you're drunk or honestly supporting the incoherent gibberish of a drunk?
...all in all, I just think your comment about him being drunk was uncalled for but I figured it was in good fun...although that's questionable considering I have to come back and explain to you how my previous post was relevant. So now the 'notsureifserious.jpg' may have been appropriate in reply to your previous post... -
Quote:Lol why you pickin' on him? What about the couple of posters that agreed with him in the first few posts?Originally Posted by Auroxis
Were you drunk when you made this thread? -
I'd say, if you want a Sentai type character, costumes work. For powers? What we really need is...
EXPLOSION! Melee & EXPLOSION! Blast*link
EXPLOSION! Melee: Not really melee fighting, but you're so close to the action, you can feel those burst of energy, flame, smoke and debris right at your heels! This effect leaves the surroundings messed when you're done, leaving patches in your wake. Most likely from residual energy runoff due to some transformation or other, the effect is a necessary effect of some other power.
1. Fighting Burst (melee ST smashing/fire, foe high KB, foe PBAoE KD)- You punch or kick a foe, so hard an eruption of heat explodes, knocking the foe to the ground (sometimes further away) with a chance to knock nearby foes to the ground.
2. Spark Touch (melee cone, lethal/energy DoT, foe KD)- With a quick swipe of the hand, you unleash a harsh force that quickly wades through any foes before you in a shower of sparks and mini-explosions.
3. That was CLOSE!! (self teleport/KD, +def; PBAoE fire/lethal dmg, foe KB)- You do an acrobatic somersault or a dive, narrowly escaping an explosion just behind you. You aren't harmed (except rolling on the ground) but your foes get caught up in the blast.
4. Power up!- 3 seperate toggle powers one can activate at certain times. Level 1 is always available.
-Power up! Level 1 (self toggle)- One must have level 1 on for 20sec before ascending to level 2. Level 1 leaves smoke clouds in the wake of some of your attacks, lowering the ToHit and perception of those that walk through the area.
-Power up! Level 2 (self toggle)- One must have level 2 on for 60sec before ascending to level 3. Level 2 occasionally leaves patches of fire that cause fire DoT after some of your attacks. But these can cause damage to yourself and allies as well.
-Power up! Level 3(self toggle)- Automatically turns off after 10sec. Level 3 will cause wide area damage upon activation and adds energy damage to all your explosions while creating smoke and flame patches like lvls 1 and 2.
5. Try Ignoring me (Taunt/Confront)
6. Meteo-Strike (ST foe smashing dmg, high KB, PBAoE energy/fire dmg)- A palm thrust or kick forward sends the foe flying back with a shockwave. Wherever the foe lands, an explosion swallows up the area and the foes with it.
7. Pose and BOOM! (PBAoE minor smashing dmg, foe disorient, -ToHit) You prepare to show the foe they're in for a fight, wait and...*colored smoke pillar*
8. Charge Overflow (self damage *special*; PBAoE fire/energy damage, foe KU) Too much energy released too fast can result in an explosion that harms yourself but the foe much more. This explosion sends the foe sky high.
9. Climactic Explosion (ST defeat foe, grant power: 'Nova Bomb') Whatever power or attack you used, it leaves the foe standing momentarily after your last blow. Eventually, when they fall forward or back from defeat, they explode in a plume of fire and energy, devastating any foes in the area.
*whew* I'm tired after all those flashy explosions... -
Quote:Still better to have the option than not, IMO.Originally Posted by Siolfir
Yes - they're mostly Fiery Assault or Fire Blast, though: the only "demon" Fiery Melee type still skipped Breath of Fire and I tried to maximize use of the swords.
Not that anything is likely to come out of the "fire" side chat (pun originally unintended, then proofreading exposed it and made me edit it to be more obvious before posting) until well after i22.
Dunno why you favor combustion, it really does suck...but even then, I took it on my Energy/Fire blaster. Since he's a Phoenix robot, and flies all the time, it looks like he's tossing out fire by just flapping his wings (along with the dmg auras).Quote:Originally Posted by Tater Todd
Nice range and target cap...I still don't care for the power much because it feels so clunky in the set...but to each their own. I've always wanted to make a Dragon character in this game but the Lizard/Dragon Face options in this game is HORRID...ugh. I have made a demon or two but I mostly make angels. I'm not much of a theme person but even if I was I prefer function over concept any day(concept is important to me but I have my limits).
While standing back and looking at it, I guess Breath of Fire is superior to Combustion in almost every way...I'm mystified about why I hate the power so much because I am a Cone person! I mean I have Dark/MM and Sonic/MM blaster for goodness sake. *scratches head*
Another great thing about BoF, it takes range enhancements. -
Quote:Half of those differences are to the detriment of Stalkers (1, 3, 4, 8), some can be combined to shorten your list (3 & 5), some are circumstantial and/or irrelevant (1, 3, 7, 8) and you left out some that *really* make a difference between the 2 ATs.Originally Posted by Jibikao
That's plenty of differences there.
Maybe that's not enough for you but I see even less differences between Tanker/Brute/Scrapper. As someone have said it, they can technically combine Brute/Tanker together and Scrapper/Stalker.
Stalker vs. Scrapper:
1. Stalkers have controlled Alpha Strikes via Hide. Scrappers get no benefit from Stealth besides reaching the enemy before they can react.
2. Stalkers have Alpha Strike buffs without exception. Scrappers come in varieties that do not always support alpha striking.
3. Stalkers get Demoralize and Scrappers do not.
4. Stalkers get a self defensive + offensive tool in Placate while Scrappers get a team defensive tool in Confront.
5. Scrappers have more base HP.
And in those differences, 1-4 will be diminished to some degree because it will simply be easier and less circumstantial to drop them to take full advantage of Assassin's Focus + Assassin's Strike combo that will push Stalker's ST burst and DPS ahead of Scrappers *on it's own* *without the help of Stalker's 'gimmicks'*.
Have you ever made a dragon themed character? Or a demon themed character, for that matter.Quote:Originally Posted by Tater Todd
I never liked Breath of Fire Leo to me it feels out of place in a set that is focused on up close Pbaoe.
Concept trumps min/maxing, IMO. It looks cool, it fulfills more concepts than those other attacks would and it's not particularly *ineffective* considering similar cone attacks (which are limited to 5 targets and 7ft range, BoF hits 10 targets at a 15ft range)... -
Quote:Which tells me you don't even know what I'm saying, you must not be capable of proper reading comprehension and therefore shouldn't be trusted with making any type of judgement calls or with a seat of criticism on the subject.Originally Posted by Warkupo
So I ask you again, how is anyone supposed to take something like "waaah, Stalkers are dead, let's take our toys and go home~!" seriously?
You can go home. I'll still be here playing melees, change or no.
I'd either go with the Tanker Port, substituting Combustion for AS...or the Brute/Scrapper version and substitute Cremate or Incinerate for AS. If AS is going to basically be that ST high dmg attack when not hidden, don't see any justification for having it.Quote:Originally Posted by Siolfir
So... Cremate (Brute/Scrapper port) or Combustion (Tanker port)?
Breath of Fire, on the other hand, is a very thematic and conceptual staple of the set. I know I love my Dragon type Brute to have his line of breath attacks because it fits his costume and theme very well. Wouldn't want to lock a Stalker out of a similar theme. You know people are going to want to make their Uchihas with Fire Melee/Nin/Weapon Master (or Fire) which needs a Breath of Fire attack... -
I see the star as the guy who feels the need to carry the whole team on their back. The guy who has to do all the crowd control, direct the team exactly where to go, who to hit first, does all the damage, takes all (or eliminates) all the damage...they do it all nearly all the time.
And when someone tries to step up to take one of these roles off their hands, things have to be altered so the star can keep his spotlight.
The way I see it, lots of Tankers are already primadonnas, but at least most have to rely on someone else to do their damage for them. How I'm seeing your suggestion, more will become even worse primadonnas as they try to dictate to others what and how to preserve their Anger so that then, the others can simply step back while the Tanker 'performs'.
Fury's kind of similar except, it will mainly dictate the action of the Brute, not the foe or the team. The Brute may simply rush forward to the folly of himself. Hopefully, any teammates are 'smarter' than a Brute and know when to stop and when to go. -
Quote:Nothing, but that's a viable self preservation tactic. Doing that with Anger + crowd control is gaming an exploitable inherent to do more damage.Originally Posted by Ultimus
Whats to stop a Controller + Scrapper, Brute, or Blaster from doing the same thing?
I don't suppose there's anything wrong with it, but are you admitting that's what you want for Tankers? To go from the guy that tries to herd as many foes to the guy that hangs back and lets the squishies put themselves in danger instead? It's less a 'team preservation tactic' and more a 'selfish want to be the star' and that mentality is something I don't take too kindly of, on a Tanker, a Brute, a Scrapper, a Dom or whatever.
I'm just looking to see if this concept is desirable for the AT... -
Quote:Originally Posted by Ultimus
Thing is that wouldn't happen, the second you got aggro (FS has a 2.67 animation time) that bar would be nearly depleted. That is unless someone took the entire alpha strike first.Or a Dom, for that matter.Quote:Originally Posted by Vox Populi
I see a lot of Tanks standing back and waiting for the Brute to go in first.
What's to stop you from just waiting for crowd control to make foe retaliation 0 then going to town without worrying about your Anger depleting? -
Quote:Bull (the last part).Originally Posted by Jibikao
I know I am not the only one that sees Placate is a bad offensive power and there is no need to improve upon a bad power unless they totally re-vamp it.
List them.Quote:I still see plenty of things that Stalker differs from Scrapper.
Because, when things go into beta, that is the *end testing*. Things rarely are pulled and redone at that point. What I'm trying to do is appeal to the notion of improving the bad/suboptimal things that stylize the AT to preserve their differences from Scrappers. Why?Quote:And some of you need to stop crying before the beta is even up. There could more things that we can get them to buff/change before it goes live.
What are the intended goals of these changes? Not to improve upon the distinctive attack style of the AT, not to make it more applicable or worthwhile but to improve their ST DPS beyond another AT.
If it's ever desired to improve upon that distinctive feature to emphasize the differences, do you think more additions and buffs would come? Not if the AT performs well because distinction and uniqueness are not a data point on their radar.
Once the changes enter beta, they'll be tested to see if they *work* not if they are desirable. You'll have your damage, your ST DPS crown yet be nothing other than Scrappers (not a loss if you didn't give a crap about the people that like how Stalkers play now).
And you finally grow a heart and have some compassion for those that struggle with current tactics? Ask to add something to make the unique Stalker style a bit easier to use? Too late. The devs don't make tops ATs more tops and they aren't going to pull back some of those older buffs to make room. That'd be admitting they were wrong then...which doesn't happen unless there's a 5+ year span between each change. -
Hate going back on my word but...
Quote:Congrats, because everything a Stalker was suppose to do *IS STILL* inferior numerically. Nothing a Stalker does that's noteworthily different from what any other melee does, will change.Originally Posted by Warkupo
The only problem with a Stalker, really, is that it was numerically inferior to everything else that it was *supposed* to be better than. It didn't survive as well, and it didn't do as much damage. These changes are going to *fingers crossed* fix both of those, and thus, I'm pretty happy about it.
And I say again, *WHO CARES!*Quote:Stalkers are never going to be fixed because the people who play Stalkers are never going to be satisfied because the people who play Stalkers can't even agree on what a Stalker should BE. This one thread is enough evidence of that.
Go elsewhere if you're going to try and pin the shortcomings of whatever you're playing on someone besides yourself. Same when you figure out that Stalkers will be just the same vanilla flavor as Scrappers. Don't go crying that this, that and that should be changed because it'll be *TOO LATE*. Hell, it's pretty much too late now as, like A_C says, no one actually gives a damn. They just want to keep up with the Jones. It stopped being about how well and effective one fulfills a theme and became about doing [X] amount of DPS better than Archetype Q.
To which I say "Who cares? Do whatever the hell you want and don't come back crying when you don't like what you get. EVER." -
Quote:95% of the game is farming....That's why Brutes are as popular as they are, IMO. Because they can turn 95% of the game into a farm. ST/TF, trials, incarnates, it's the majority of what the game either is or can be.Originally Posted by Johnny_Butane
95% of the game includes soloing on +0X1
95% of the game includes braindead radio missions.
95% of the game includes street sweeping green con enemies for that matter.
But you don't want to make Tankers into farmers....pity that. -
Quote:Maybe, but of course the spirit and purpose behind the idea will be lost in the indiscriminate circle jerk of postings blinded by their own ambitions and pile on more and more damage to fulfill their needs.Originally Posted by SupaFreak
Great post, BTW.
The idea is a lot more thematic to snipes than Assassin's Focus is to Assassin's Strike, that's for sure. -
Quote:Sorry, I don't recall having any conversations with you particularly. But I suppose we're having one now...Originally Posted by Warkupo
Leo_G, you should know from dozens of conversations with me already
Lol I'm beginning to get that vibe Smily_Joe (someone I have had many conversations with) was feeling.Quote:...that I don't give two-craps about pretending to be some psuedo-controller with my Assassin's Strike, so let's just skip that whole tired argument. Bottom line is I like to kill stuff.
Although, I'm SUPER CURIOUS how you think doing a lot of DPS doesn't result in dead stuff. You know what damage DOES right?
Regardless, it still sounds like you agree with me anyway. Let us enable Assassin's Focus even if we AS from hide. We get to do your little demoralize thing, we get to wtfpwn that guy, we get to crit all over the place. Sounds like a win for everyone.
As of now, if your bottom line was to kill stuff, do lots of DPS and all that, your best bet is a SCRAPPER not a STALKER. Stalkers don't even have the tools to pump out consistent DPS (like Soul Drain, Siphon Power, Follow up, Damage Auras, etc). If you are choosing a Stalker, it's most likely for the stealth combat, controlled criticals, and possibly the challenge (survival, timing and target prioritizing).
The S_J vibe I'm getting is *NO ONE GIVES A S**T ANYMORE!* because the new changes *throws* stealth combat away (no need to take placate, just charge in and hit), controlled crits and greater DPS are rewarded for *not* assassinating someone, survival was not that big of a challenge but will be less of one with the higher HP cap (and the past improvements to base HP), timing anything is a hinderance if you get just the same reward for *not* doing that and who gives a sh*t about target prioritization? Stalkers only did that because they wanted to feel useful and help a team. Hell, I prioritize targets on my MA/SD scrapper all the same.
And AF being usable while hidden wouldn't do crap. It only assures you can critical with AS...but you still have to *hit* something *FIRST*. And you're still reverted back to a 3sec interruptible cast time.
Who was disputing that? I was disputing that Placate was a bad power. It is not. So go argue that with Warkupo.Quote:Originally Posted by Jibikao
And the new change still won't take away Placate + AoE.
It was one of the main capabilities that kept a MA Stalker in the running for DPS with a MA Scrapper (although never exceeding one). But new AS will push the MA Stalker ahead.Quote:Mid-combat placate + AS has never been a useful tactic.
For AVs, it is a tactic that requires timing but it pays off in that, it can potentially have a decent payoff (more dmg than you could do in the equivalent time frame + demoralize).
Unless you can come up with a 4sec chain that outdamages Placate + AS now, I say you are intentionally ignoring facts.
That isn't to say I am ignoring the problems with that combo...that's the thing, sometimes Placate + AS isn't usable. That doesn't stop it from being one of the better damage tools we got (currently and outside of Street Justice). I'd have rather they improved the reliability of hidden AS.
And I'll ask this...I won't even bother responding anymore because it doesn't matter...you people will get what you want and it's not like I'm trying to keep you away from what you want...Quote:Obviously, Placate won't be as good as an Offensive option when Focus comes out. They can still make it a good Defensive option. IE: Making Demoralize better or granting some +defense or resistance.
Do you see other options/opportunity? -
It was a joke. Do you not watch the Boondocks?
But I really would like Ice Melee. Nothing says 'Stalker' more than assassinating a Boss while his minions snooze. -
Quote:I use other attacks from Hide too. But with this change, there is no reason to even *try* to use AS from Hide. So why did they give us Demoralize? To not use it?Originally Posted by Warkupo
It sounds like all they need to do is let the Assassin's Focus buff work even if you use it from hide, and then you'd all be happy. Then you don't have to commit the heresy of... using another attack from hide. 'Cause that would be terrible (I do this all the time, right now, without the changes.)
I have a feeling you don't actually *care* about helping a team. That's why I play a Stalker, because it's a melee focused character not particularly focused on doing max DPS, but in *KILLING* a target (or targets). Demoralize gave at least some reward for that.
Placate is a good power! Throw Spines, Thunderstrike, Concentrated Strike, Burst, One Thousand Cuts...and it used to be the best option for Assassin's Strike mid-combat.Quote:Well, except for people who think Placate is a good power. It's not, and this update isn't really changing that as much as it is emphasizing it. -
Quote:When I mentioned Energy Transfer, it was to show a scale. This has nothing to do with Energy Melee and how it was balanced.Originally Posted by Jibikao
Well, Energy Melee is one of the sets that the dev think needs help. Energy Transfer was toned down 'cause at that time, there weren't that many "aoe-oriented" content. ITF is probably the start of it. We also didn't have game settings that allow us to increase mob size. Energy Melee was popular because it was a great set for soloing and pvp.
After they nerfed ET, the whole set just feels it lost everything. Its ST damage is great (not excellent) and yet it has one of the worst aoe-potential.
With the content focusing more and more on large team size and mob size, maybe it is not so wrong to have the old ET back. Stalker is the best candidate to do that ST burst damage.
Just think about Energy Transfer itself and put it in Martial Arts, Energy Melee and the like. Not bad at all, really. Now take Energy Transfer and put it into something like Fire Melee, Ice Melee, Spines and the like. That's a disproportionate improvement, don't you think? That was the vantage point of it being overpowered when I first heard of the changes. Now? I don't really care because no body else seems to care or look at the big picture.
The usefulness of Confront on a Scrapper vs Placate on a Stalker has more to it than that. Just because Confront is seen as skippable on a Scrapper doesn't matter because Scrappers themselves lock their playstyle into mindless button mashing (Scrapperlock lol). Doesn't mean Confront is useless, it serves its purpose of fulfilling the striker who has armor and HP to tank. You could weigh the HP and tanking ability lost on how useful Placate should be, or that it grants something unique tied directly into the inherent of Stalkers, unlike confront....or that, looking within the scales of the melee ATs, Tankers are on one end and Stalkers on the other so Placate should be as useful to a Stalker as Taunt is to a tanking Tanker.Quote:Originally Posted by Jibikao
Now, what if Placate is supposed to be "bad"? What if Placate is never intended to be a very useful tool?
Think about it, when is the last time you see Scrappers using Confront? I know I haven't. Hell, I sometimes don't even see Brutes using Taunt.
I mean Placate is not great and is somewhat buggy. What if that's a bad power to improve upon? If I am soloing, I do use Placate more because I can do Placate + AS or a heavy hitter. Even if Placate +AS may not be worth it in the future, Placate can still stop the boss from attacking you for a little while.
Placate + AS is also a viable way to take down a boss that uses god mode when health drops to 10%.
...yeah, many ways you could spin the subject to favor an argument so probably better to just drop it. All I know is, Placate has had some measure of usefulness before which is slowly diminishing with each coming change.
...and then you still didn't comment about the other 2 tactics I mentioned. -
Quote:Perhaps, but it's just stacking more gimmicks on gimmicks, really. Personally, I'd just like Demoralize to be more usable, either by increasing its duration or the effects it already has. I remember when demoralize feared at a 50% chance (or maybe it was something like 38%), which was amazing...so was reigned back to 25%. I'd love for Assassin's Focus to improve demoralize like that...there's lots of possibilities there.Originally Posted by JanusFrs
I've read the whole thread here, but don't really remember all the posts (surprising, I know :P), but IIRC, your issue with the coming changes is that hidden AS will become obsolete, right?
If so, would it maybe make hidden AS, or perhaps Demoralize, more attractive if it added a debuff to the target hit? I don't remember if this has been mentioned here, but for example adding a longer duration -res or -Maxhp? Would you think that'd make hidden AS more attractive to use?
So will I. But then I have characters that are intentionally utilizing sub-optimal strategies for style, like my DM/WP Stalker who abuses Touch of Fear while waiting for placate or AS to recharge.Quote:From my own stand point, let it be stated now that I am not a numbers guy. I don't really care that much for optimal DPS and all that stuff, so, speaking from personal opinion, I'll still use hidden AS in regular content, likely even teaming. That said, I do understand your worrying about making Stalker tactics less important and the motivation to play as scrapping stalker instead.
No.Quote:Originally Posted by Zem
One thing about using Assassin Strike from Hide is that ALL of its animation time can potentially occur *before* the fight starts. If you're still going to count this as part of the DPS calculation then you may as well start counting the time it takes to run from one spawn to the next and we can have a discussion about which movement powers are hurting our DPS the most. Silly, no?
You start counting when *YOU* start combat, i.e. activate a power. Because that's the instant you have chosen to initiate offensive actions to bring about the defeat of foes. Otherwise Snipes wouldn't be so looked downed upon since all the animation time occurs *before* the fight starts *and* before the foe is within range to retaliate.
But even then, big difference between snipes and AS is, on a team (and that is one of the key important circumstances that must be weighed here), it doesn't matter when *you* start the fight, it matters when the *team* starts the fight. With shared aggro and all, that mumbo jumbo about AS animation time happening before you hit is tossed out the window.
I'd rather AS just have the 1sec animation time when hidden. It seems too fast...but not if you consider you need hidden status to get it, via the beginning of a fight or placate...Quote:That said, I do think a 1sec animation time is too fast. They have the opportunity here to just normalize them all at 1.67s. It will STILL be a great single-target attack with Assassin's Focus in the picture. Maybe even still too good, at which point they can look at AF's effectiveness too. Let's remember this isn't even in the game yet. It's not set in stone. They talked a lot about scaling AS too and that got completely thrown out in testing.
Personally, I do also think Assassin Strike from Hide could use a little love. It's already eclipsed by a Crushing Uppercut crit with a few combo points, no? They could maybe push it to scale 8 in PvE. Nerf their plans for AF just a little bit while they're at it and I think things could shake out pretty well.
When Synapse first announced the proposed change, I eventually took the stance that it was over the top. Probably only a couple others agreed while the majority shouted down at me, saying Stalkers need 'over the top'. I still think it needs more thought. The change itself, while really good, doesn't seem *that* overpowered, now that I've considered it more...but it tosses away practically the whole style of Stalker in the process...so you have to buff up other stuff to compensate? Then it starts to get more overpowered...
I'm saying they could just take a slightly different direction with AF. It doesn't take a bunch of extra tweeks (well the AT does, but not the AF itself) to make it fit...just think outside the box. -
Quote:Well you haven't *proven* that to mean. Saying it and proving it are two different things. And I think you're severely underestimating Assassin's Strike with 100% standard crit and 1sec animation. Maybe Redtomax is wrong (away from home and on my mac so no Mids') or I'm reading things incorrectly but hidden Assassin's Eclipse shows to do 390dmg (unehanced) in 3 sec activation while hidden Midnight grasp does 275dmg+30DoT(so 305dmg) in 2 sec. The main difference between the 2 is, one still has Assassin's Eclipse recharged and is only 2 hits from firing it off at 278dmg in 1sec. Basically, one get 390dmg AS then 150dmg MG (540dmg) while the other gets 300dmg MG then 275 AS (575dmg). It's about equivalent (not really) with speed being the cost for demoralize.Originally Posted by BrandX
Seeing as how the best DPS chain for Dark Melee is Smite > MG > Smite > SL > Repeat, I dont see why those chains wouldn't work.
as for the rest of it. Opening with Assassin Strike from the hidden state will be the best DPS.
If the '8sec BU window' isn't a viable scenario to examine, then look to the standard lvl 50 boss HP and see what tactic brings it to 0 fastest and by how large a margin. Because I believe it'd just be simpler (if not equivalently effective) to skip the old hidden AS and just smash with a high powered ST attack. Not only does it put you 1 step higher in AF (where starting with AS will still leave you at 0) but the tier 9 will be ready again sooner vs AS which already has a relatively low recharge.
And Placate > AS mid combat is less viable in the new game considering it reverts AS back to a 3sec interruptible animation vs the 1sec one. It's only the best DPS if your goal is to click as few buttons as possible. Even now, if a Stalker wants to kill a boss, it's a series of high burst strikes (often backed by BU), not just 1 or 2 hits.
And I'm starting to wonder if you're just joking, BrandX, or if you don't know what you're talking about. What is the use of high DPS in a 1-2 combo? What do you defeat in 2 hits in the mid-to-high lvls? Even by lvl 32, you're not 2-shotting bosses... Lts, yeah, but then so can a slotted tier 9.
By the rules of the new game, AS will simply be a toned down damage Energy Transfer when unhidden and with focus. Are you aware of this? And it'll recharge faster than the actual Energy Transfer.
Or do you not understand my vantage point? I've got no problem with AS being more usable and focusing on improving Stalker ST DPS and burst, but the way it's being done, throwing Stalker tactics (using Placate offensively, using AS from hide + demoralize, using BU with AS) in the obsolete bin and adapting a button mash-fest that Brutes do. If demoralize was worth it, perhaps. But it only lasts 8 seconds, doesn't stack, can't be enhanced and requires you to take a hit in DPS to keep up. -
Quote:The problem with that line of thought is...if we just throw our hands up and wish away the AT, the devs will follow suite and not give a crap (more) about the AT either. And if that were to happen, they wouldn't bother proliferating anything to the AT again. And if they didn't bother with proliferation, I won't get my Ice Melee Stalker (lol we got Ice armor, and I didn't have a theme for that part).Originally Posted by Bloodyfreak
There is nothing in the game we can't overcome. So why try to make Stalkers into something they aren't. I have to agree with A_C that Stalkers are just obsolete.
So **** you. **** A_C. **** your mentality. **** those that agree with you. **** anyone who gets between me and my concept of an Ice melee Stalker. **** the naysayers that keep shoehorning Stalker's concept and muscling me out of sets. **** pessimists, **** their posts, **** their opinions and **** the devs who take them into consideration.
I want my Ice Melee, damnit!