Leo_G
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For defense and resistance, I'd probably think about rolling both category into one set so the powers that do both have a solid (yet super rare and expensive) set to look to as an option with frankenslotting being the other.
For a unique, how about one that provides resistance to defense, regen and rech debuffs? -
Quote:LOL!Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
And they don't. That's the thing. I haven't run DPS calculations, I haven't taken up a stopwatch, I haven't taken a tape measure to it. I know what I see in real practice - a Scrapper cleans house, a Stalker takes time. Yes, solo. Yes, for the same spawn sizes. A Stalker will kill ONE thing fast, but then what? This is what it comes down to - you assassinate, "and then what?" Stalkers have no answer to this question, because what happens then is they turn into a weaker version of a Scrapper. That's weaker offensively and weaker defensively.
So you've run a DB Stalker and a DB Scrapper? Or a Martial Arts Scrapper and a MA Stalker? Or an Elec Melee Scrapper and an Elec Melee Stalker?
You say one takes time while the other cleans house which shows obvious bias. What does this say about my Stalkers that clean house? Or my Scrappers that take time? Because there is such a thing as a Stalker with AoEs and a Scrapper without much of it.
And what happens after you assassinate? You've got choices:
-Placate and take out another.
-Scrap the rest and placate the last
-Placate and AoE
The other stuff usually differs from combo to combo, but the Stalker's alpha string can usually end with 3 dead foes quickly (or a mass of dead foes if the stalker has 2 or more AoEs) leaving the rest for clean up. That you can't see anything more than Stalkers being subjectively weaker scrappers shows you ignore the other stuff whole-sale. Stalkers either have that other stuff included and are not the same or they are.
It lasts for up to 20 seconds. Longer if you simply aren't around when it wears off. That is, you can engage a group of enemies, placate one, kill another or two then retreat (with a couple foes in tow) and leave that target there indefinitely while you destroy the rest.Quote:When you're solo, you draw all the aggro regardless of what you play. Stalkers CAN Placate enemies and thus avoid their aggro, but the Placate is very short-duration and you cannot enhance it for that.
It's just as, if not more, potent control than any other damage AT can get. It can allow you to ignore a boss (or even an EB but EBs and AVs tend to act weird with Placate) entirely and engage them separately if you so desire.
Not enough what? Honestly, how much have you narrowed the min/max guidlines for your characters that you know exactly how much of something you need?Quote:And I never said anything of the sort, either. I want parity between my own characters. When I look at a server full of heroes and villains and my mouse goes to one of my Stalkers, I don't want my first reaction to be "Oof... He's not strong enough. I'll play him another time." Stalkers do not feel strong enough. Not nearly as strong as they should be, all told.
But eh, you play differently than me. I just play what I feel like playing, not what a particular team needs. If I want to do a TF/SF, I take the one that either hasn't done it or needs to do it so it doesn't matter if it's a ST focused blaster, an AoE brute, a balanced stalker or a super defensive scrapper.
You and all the others that want to lean on AS more like a crutch. What I've been seeing in a lot of posts is that posters confuse the things that they *want* and how they think the AT is suppose to be, with how everybody should play and what they should want the AT to be, as if that's what we need.Quote:I'm not saying Stalkers need to be stronger and be more like Scrappers. Quite the opposite, they need to be able to rely on Hide more and score criticals more often and under more circumstances. I really liked the "Hide on kill" idea from the other thread, just as an example.
Well, many players do things a lot different so what I may want may not line up with what others want. That's cool, it's nice to imagine. Just make sure that you don't mask it as what we 'need'.
I'd love it if we had several inherent toggles that altered the way Hide, Placate, AS and crits worked, giving us a less-defensive-but-offensive-crit-Juggernaut mode and a less-dmg-but-debuffing-demoralizing-crits mode. But hey, I'm pretty sure it won't happen not to mention it'd be really complicated for newer players.
NB/BS = Use Disembowel/Soaring Dragon. It does decent damage, is fast animating and will crit 100%Quote:So it would seem. But that still leaves Ninja Blade, Broadsword and Electrical Melee without decent critical attacks, essentially forcing them into being Scrappers.
Elec Melee = Use Chain Induction. Not that good a ST attack because it is also an AoE and it is fast. You can't expect much because the set is full of AoE.
Use placate then AoE.Quote:Furthermore, 50% critical chance on AoEs is not five times more effective than a Scrapper's 5% critical change, because that assumes you're in Hide, which is so designed to NOT last you for any length in combat. A Scrapper can easily fire off five AoEs before a Stalker is able to re-hide, and by that point he's done more raw damage than the critical could ever have counted for.
That is, you've got 2 choices: Open with an AoE from hide or Follow-up AoE with the help of placate...if you happen to have 2 AoEs, you can just burst both AoEs possibly even adding BU (or save BU for AS when you need it next fight).
Actually, Havoc Punch and Chain Induction do identical damage but one has a 1sec activation + AoE dmg and the other has a 1.5sec activation.Quote:And again - this is not a problem with wanting more AoE criticals. On the contrary, I want guaranteed single-target criticals on what should be large-scale single-target attacks, but which are designed as something else. When I placate with an Electric Stalker, what do I hit with? Thunder Strike will only deal as much critical damage as Havoc Punch, Jacob's Ladder will probably miss and I don't think Lightning Rod even scores Hidden criticals, but even if it does they'll be at a chance to occur. I could use Chain Induction, but that power's initial hit is only marginally stronger than Havoc Punch anyway. When I'm playing Ninja Blade, I want to Placate a boss and surprise him with Golden Dragonfly's heavy damage and big critical, but it won't happen because the critical will miss, so I'm forced to use the significantly less damaging Soaring Dragon.
As for NB, how about lining up 2 or more targets for that Placate crit? There's some serious advantage to playing solo, like practicing those narrow cones. I've about perfected it on my Kat/SR scrapper.
I'd consider 50% crit rate being 'build around burst damage', not specifically single target. When the AT gets Fire Melee, this will be more obvious since players tend to notice AoEs more than ST.Quote:Stalkers are built around single-target burst damage delivered from hide, yet they are not given the tools to deliver that aside from Assassin's Strike, and that REALLY bothers me.
You've got several options:Quote:"Stalkers aren't built for long fights." So what do I do when I'm forced into long fights? Mercedes Sheldon's trio of arcs puts me in numerous situations where multiple ambushes come in the middle of a boss fight. In fact, a Stalker with enough burst damage can trigger all three ambushes at the same time. The final fight with Hector is even better. Hector is a boss, he spawns two ambushes with bosses in them at 75% and 50% health, and he spawns Menelaus at 25% health, who then spawns three more boss ambushes at 75%, 50% and 25% health. If you're fast enough on the trigger, you can spawn up to six boss spawns on top of you right around simultaneously, and if you try to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed, you're in for a long fight.
-You can do like I do and load up on reds and straight out kill the target with AS. (If you've got the AoE and/or the mitigation I'd do this)
-If you find you triggered one too many ambushes, you can placate the target and run. Not run for your life, but rather run to separate the ambush and defeat them.
-If you manage to trigger one ambush at a time, you can take one target out of the fight for extended periods (if slotted, placate recharges in 30 sec and lasts 20 so that's like 2/3 of the fight x foe isn't doing anything to you) and take opportunistic strikes to clear the ambush then move back to the boss.
Here's a question, if faced with the same situation on a scrapper, what would you do? And if you say scrap it out because you can I'm going to laugh in your face because I can do the exact same thing on a stalker. The difference being, if you're faced with an ambush that you cannot survive, Scrappers have few options besides banging their head against it until it breaks. Running for the hills kind of doesn't make a difference as they'll have to come back to finish the job anyway.
I went through the Resistance arcs 1st with a Stalker without stamina. Praetoria is too easy for a Stalker with his ability to stealth damn near entire arcs. A few ambushes only gives you a reason to use all those inspirations you managed to collect after killing the 'too small spawns' so easily.Quote:And what about ever other mission in Praetoria?
The AT suffers only in that using AS is not as universally useful...That's. It.Quote:You can't avoid long fights in this game. Not when they're written into the content. So when your AT "isn't built for long fights," it suffers, and suffers greatly.
But it can be a bit harsh considering what you trade for that AS is a decent PBAoE or a utility power that can keep you going. However, that just means it changes the dynamic of what you build for. Those other utility powers that Scraps/Brutes wouldn't bother looking at could be used in different ways in conjunction with your abilities. Or the AoEs that are over looked or occasional used can fill in any gaps you feel you have.
To conclude my ramblings, I'm of the view point of a Stalker fan but then I'm also a damage fan. Not in a min/max form (because then I'd be apparently running controllers) but in a general form. Stalkers are a dmg dealing AT and so are Scrappers and Blasters. They all have to have relatively close perfomance otherwise you take away a reason to play one over another. So each gives up something to keep balance. IMO, Stalkers don't really give up much...some AoE and being FotM apparently. They still kill plenty fast, have tactics to call their battles and mix it up and survive decently well in general cases. There's really not much else besides some tweeks to be expected in the future. -
Quote:Clarify: I said kill just as fast solo (I'd like to imagine Typhoon Edge dragging DB Scrappers a meaningful distance ahead of a DB Stalker even on paper, but in actual play stuff is just *dead* already) and survive better on teams. It's *very* easy to survive with the same mitigation numbers as scrappers when you've got Brutes and Scrappers soaking up the attention while I just kill things.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
I have to disagree on this point, in that a lot of the difference isn't on paper, but is the result of actual experience. I have a variety of of Scrappers and Stalkers, and without fail the Scrappers do better damage faster and have less trouble surviving than the Stalkers do.
Again, I say much of the superiority is on paper because in all those paper calculations, no one ever counts all that extra aggro they draw that stalkers don't, or placate or using burst do end fights fast. It's just never put to numbers yet it *DOES* make a difference.
I didn't say Scrappers didn't have any factors better than Stalkers, but it ain't as big a deal as people claim. And Stalkers get that other 'gimmick' as well.
Perhaps, for some set combinations and in the situation of you being in a pissing match with the other damage dealers. Personally, I never understood why it was needed to show you're the 'biggest' on a team (even those Scrappers and Brutes) rather than just going with the flow and do your thing. That Scraps get equal to above better numbers is just fine considering they can't *do* anything but hit things so let them do that the best. I like that Stalkers have a bit of a wider scope in what they can do and can mix up their battles a lot more. It would be interesting for Stalkers to get a few more 'tricks' or advances on the tricks they can do rather than just a straight boost to performance (which is boring).Quote:Just about everything is easier on a Scrapper of comparable powersets, even with tactics and assassination taken into account. A Stalker has to work much harder and even then just to break even. At least that's how it is in my experience.
IIRC, I read a DPS rundown of an optimized Scrapper MA attack chain and an optimized Stalker MA attack chain that included AS when placate was up. Basically, thanks to AS, the stalker kept up with the scrapper at first primarily due to the bursts of AS damage but eventually fell behind. Without AS, just by definition of AT mods, the Stalker would *always* be behind without AS. So I don't think it's badly inefficient, it's just not going to surpass Scrappers over time. As it should be, IMO.Quote:The problem I have with Stalkers - as you well know - is that their stats suffer to make up for their assassination gimmick, but their assassination gimmick is so designed that it's just about pointless to use more than once per fight. You can, but it's badly inefficient. And a lot of their best attacks don't even have a guaranteed hidden critical. Golden Dragonfly, Head Splitter and Eviscerate don't, and Thunder Strike only guarantees a physical critical, which is around 60% of the power's total damage, or about as much as Havoc Punch.
PS: Eviscerate *does* crit 100% because it is a single target attack for Stalkers. But honestly, why not be happy you get 50% crits on AoEs? That's 5x more effective than what a Scrapper's crit rate is! Even better since you can time these crits with a damage/ToHit buff. Then there's the small chance of double crits.
Stalkers aren't built for long fights. They are better at short quick fights. Fights that require movement or getting in and out. If I remember correctly, there's some instances in the game where you don't want to stand there and push buttons as fast as you can...you can do some interesting things if you take advantage of burst damage.Quote:Not in a hard, long fight. -
Quote:Hmm, my school had to issue razors and shaving gel to many of the males starting anywhere from the 8th grade and part of the dress code involved beards and that they were to be clean shaven.Originally Posted by Zombie Man
Yes, the do look that young.
Unlike the cast of Glee which is 26-30 years old.
...granted, I didn't grow any facial hair until I was, like, a Junior...but highschoolers are looking pretty mature these days by the way some of them dress...just sayin' >_> -
Quote:That's the thing that frustrates me with these various interviews with Jones. It's like they take pot-shots at what he's trying to do outside of the interview, talking about these underlying problems that he leaves unsolved. Honestly, it's not about getting out there to stop crime. It's having the moral integrity to not want to stand for crime being present in your society. Any upstanding citizen shouldn't want to stand for this but many have become so lax, so compliant with such activity, they just turn a shoulder to it all and let someone else fix it.Originally Posted by Zikar
Without commenting on the guy at all, I don't think someone having their purse snatched or someone about to be stabbed really cares about morality or "socioeconomic factors."
You heard it here first guys, if you see someone getting mugged, just let it happen, since you won't actually be getting to the true root of the problem or anything.
Like some years back, there were a string of robberies in homes near my house. A small group of citizens went knocking on each house in the daytime, warning people and asking to keep porch lights on at night and just keep an ear out. I kept my lights on but looking to the other houses, some obviously couldn't be bothered. That some people even went warning people is a leap in progressed, if enough actually cared, we might have been able to form a decent Neighborhood watch to stop it from happening anymore.
That Jones has to go out and put on that costume at all kind of illustrates what's wrong with us. There should just be more normal people keeping an eye out, taking care of people. You don't really need a costume for it, but then you won't get on the news to make the point either. -
Quote:I'm sorry, but this complaint is just plain bad. You complain about targeting as if this is a Stalker issue. Whatever qualms you have with targetting need to be brought up about the system and NOT Stalkers OR Assassin's Strike.Originally Posted by Blood Red Arachnid
The implications of those statements are more profound than that. If I say that there is a problem with targeting regarding stalkers, and your response can be summarized as "it takes practice and skill", then the issue has been shifted from the problem to me. This subsequently implies that I am
Please stop this. I'm serious. Because the more you complain about an issue that relates, in no way, to the AT just makes your argument seem like nagging. I know that's not what you wanted your viewpoint to boil down to so please drop it. That's why I brought up Scrappers having targeting issues, needing to be quick with targeting on Doms and Blasters and so on and so forth. The speed of finding targets is not the issue to be discussed with regard to helping Stalkers nor is it a folly of Assasin's Strike. If you can't find some other solution to this, then bring attention to that problem elsewhere.
And the problem with this is, you've provided a slew of subjective arguments to prove this balance issue. Balance issues are proven with numbers and evidence but you've really provided neither.Quote:And it ends again with being about my skill level. I suppose that I failed in my attempt to make this argument about the objective merits, or to push these merits away from merely being nags and nitpicks. Know that I am not just complaining: I say there is a balancing issue here.
I'll save you the time of responding to all the points (I really only did so out of respect so you wouldn't think I'm glossing over your posts) and simply highlight the point of my posts: I have no problem with you complaining about things you don't like about the game, an AT or a power. But do realize that there are players that are happy with some of the aspects you don't like and wholesale changes like you propose could upset their play and balance as a whole.
I'm not defending AS because I want to feel superior or even because I like all the limitations on it. I just already realize that AS is a situational power that does well what it does in the situations you can use it and for the situations it is not optimal, you can snag other powers. I'd rather not have the AT tied in even more to this single power or have the effectiveness of the other powers compromised just because you want this AS to have no downfalls. -
Quote:If by weaker, you mean costs more endurance and has less range?Originally Posted by seebs
So it sounds like DB is slightly weaker than Claws if you don't ever use combos
Honestly, just look at the powers in Mids'. Some powers deal the same damage, some deal more, some deal less. One isn't really weaker, they just do different things. For example:
Claws tier 9 Shockwave does 72 dmg, 90 degrees and 30ft range and knocks back the foe *but* has a 1sec cast time.
DB's tier 9 One Thousand Cuts does 161 dmg, 90 degrees but a 8ft range and knocks down the foe *but* has a 3sec cast time.
One does more damage at shorter range with longer cast time while keeping the foes near. The other does less damage at longer range with shorter cast time but knocks foes away. -
Quote:It's only about your incompetence if you agree you're incompetent. I'm simply offering advice, really. As much of what you list, I don't have such issues at all or know how to get around them.Originally Posted by Blood Red Arachnid
I do hate it when balancing issues become about my incompetence. Mainly because it is a completely unprovable assertion that cannot be countered by any sort of volition on my part. Being relate-able hasn't worked, so let me move this away from personal skill:
"*Assassin strike will be interrupted while completely stationary for seemingly no reason, regardless of skill."
No, AS will not simply interrupt for no reason. There is a ping time between user and server so you may or may not be completely stationary to the server even if you seem to be from your side. To counter this, simply learn to insert a micro-pause before using the attack or completely let go of all movement keys before initiating interruptible powers. This goes for any interruptible power such as snipes or Aid Self.
Also, you can simply slot for endurance redux in AS and tap the power twice. The first might be interrupted while the 2nd (if you're using the power properly) will fire for minimal endurance cost but higher reliability.
"*Assassin strike is harder to use on moving and airborne targets, regardless of skill."
It's not suppose to be easy to assassinate moving targets. But it's still not impossible. Simply being where the target is heading to will ensure you can strike.
"*Assassin stirke is harder to use while under the effect of speed boost, regardless of skill."
Subjective observation. AS is harder to use with speed boost...for you. Some people have a hard time controlling the speed, others have laggy connections. Acceptable complaints as they are, don't put it on a list as if it's the powers fault, at least not without stating it may just be your grievance no one else shares.
"*Assassin strike is only useful against stronge targets. A target that dies from AS had less remaining HP than the damage AS does, reducing the meaningful damage and therefore use of AS. Skill does not change this."
I don't see how skill would change this either. But then you're putting this one attack on a pedestal that it should not be. Just because it's a high powered attack doesn't mean it needs to be used on a hardy target. Remember, AS is a stealthy attack. It can be used without alerting the target until the damage lands (this *is* a boon considering longer animating attacks alert the foe *on* power activation rather than upon damage). AS is a high accuracy attack (felt good stabbing Mangle in the gullet after he popped Elude at low health and actually killing him...actually did the same in another mission when he used Elude and ran. I charged up my snipe and killed the bastid the same way...and the same with Silent Blade...). Also, AS doesn't alert the foe if it misses. There are lots of *other* utilitarian ways to use AS that doesn't involve chewing a chunk off a boss. So it's mighty useful for the other stuff.
"*Targeting, positioning, angling the camera, and executing an assassin strike is time consuming and, by the very nature of skill being brought up, is a difficult endeavor."
The reason I brought it up is because you *said* you were slow at targeting the foe, positioning and using the attack. It's only time consuming because you let it consume time. Figure a way to not consume so much time and it won't.
And all this difficult endeavor stuff, well, it carries over to your other play. Seriously, if you can't hack quick, on-the-fly targeting, what do you do if you ever play a dominator? Or a blaster? If they don't target what they need to have targeted, they end up dead...Stalkers just miss out on AS, which isn't so bad...
"*The chaotic environment of battle, especially melee combat, provides countless instances in which targeting, positioning, angling the camera, and execution can be hindered or go wrong, regardless of skill."
???
The dilemma of melee combat?
Seriously, I don't know. Even on my Scrappers, I find I occasionally get swamped by enemies in a low ceiling corridor and can't leap over them. With no knockback or teleportation, the only real way to get out is to defeat the enemy. Yeah, melee isn't all roses I guess.
"*Combat situations in which the stalker does not initiate the alpha strike provide a situation in which stealth can be dropped from incoming ambient damage, causing aggro and thus preventing use of AS without going through a series of steps intended solely to fend off aggro and retry AS. This is regardless of skill."
Speed.
But besides that, if the danger of dropped hide is present, luckily you have 6 other attacks in your primary to use instead. It was never put forth that Assassin's Strike is the *only* means of taking advantage of hidden status or the best in every situation. The attack is, obviously, situational.
"*Demoralize is only useful in two situations:
#1: Large groups of enemies of substantial threat where a to-hit debuff and fear provide damage necessary damage mitigation. If a situation where necessary damage mitigation from AS never occurs , then this lends credence to the ineffectualness of demoralize.
#2: Against very strong targets like EBs and AVs, who's high damage output would need mitigation from the to-hit debuff to keep the team alive. If a situation where necessary damage mitigation from AS never occurs, then this leads credence to the ineffectualness of demoralize."
Really can't complain with that. But then you're cherry picking situations and pigeon-holing them into 2 broad categories. In large groups of high threat foes, if mitigation for you isn't necessary, it may be necessary or desirable for those putting themselves in danger for higher team safety such as the controller/dom throwing out AoE control or the MM putting forth AoE debuffs. Taking that danger onto one's self and helping to mitigate it with AS may not seem necessary but it is desirable and smooths out team dynamics. And if it doesn't do that, apparently you're steamrolling and it doesn't really matter...you could probably go solo your own spawn because you're buffed to oblivion.
"*The defensive effects of demoralize in groups is time-sensitive, requiring that a successful AS occur quickly enough to prevent the team from sustaining too much damage. This is regardless of skill."
???
Again, the dilemma of activating powers? I mean, I could start activating Howling Twilight to help rez my friends but if I end up dead before it's 3.17 sec activation is complete, no one gets a rez.
Eh, you're saying all this as if it's some insurmountable issue...which is what I have a problem with. What you see as 'needless complications' I see as standard fare. Seriously, why can't I use Lightning Rod on an airborne foe? ZOMG! Needless complications for NOOOO reason! Or that I can't hit things that aren't in line-of-sight...or needing to be on the ground to use Hurl...Quote:The myriad of difficulties in this AT's signature abilities are needless complications that provide no needed or known balancing features. The fact that skill has to be brought up as a crucial matter when attempting to achieve at best mediocrity in overall team worth indicates that this class needs to be buffed. The capability for certain players, through rigorous training, to marginally cope with the few problems that are possible to deal with is no excuse to not resolve problems and undeniably benefit every stalker player in the game. Same train of thought goes for certain primary or secondary powers aiding in some of these complications; Fix what is broken, working around what is broken doesn't fix it.
It's one thing to resolve bugs and balance issues and it's another to cater to every nag and nitpick of the players. That said, I'm not saying none of your complaints have merit, but *do* actually play the AT and practice past these problems so, when bringing up these issues and circumstances, you have ample experience and anecdotal references to pull from. Not particularly aimed at you, but more in general. The last thing any Stalker player wants to hear is some n00b whining about an AT they tried for 5 levels and quit. I mean, do you hear me complaining how clunky controlling 6 pets is on a MM and it should be simplified? I *could* but then I don't play MMs all that much. I cope, and comment about experiences when others talk about it. No problem with that or this.
Sorry, you're right. Shows how often I use slash commands. But you can make a macro that you can switch on a per-mission basis to more quickly find your targets. You don't have to know the exact name of every boss (unless it's a named boss, in which case, it's a named boss so you *have* the name most of the time) just part of it.Quote:EDIT: I have searched for specific string targeting for Boss and up multiple times, and the only results I get are from guides that say you cannot set yourself to auto-target the "boss" rank of enemies. You can set certain names contained by the bosses within a particular enemy group, but setting up a system to always target the bosses and up in a group would require either a large number of binds to find every specific boss for every specific group, or to re-set your binds for targeting the bosses in the group that is on the map for every map, requiring knowledge of the names of all the bosses of all the enemy groups.
Believe me, I've already barked up that tree.
But, honestly, all that sounds confusing (although I've been tempted on some maps with cyst crystals...) so I simply use target nearest and target next. If I jump at the boss and click target nearest, it will either pick up the thing I jumped at or whatever is between me and that boss. A couple clicks of target next fixes this. Whatever I jumped past is not on queue to be targeted unless I turn around. -
Quote:What are the balance implications? I'll list them for you.Originally Posted by seebs
Hmm. I guess I still can't figure out the balance implications.
Just for reference, Dual Blades is the only set with combos. Also, it's pretty close, power-wise and damage-wise, with the Claws melee set. You can basically take both sets and line them up next to eachother. Every power one has, the other has an equivalent. However:
-Claws has a 40ft ranged ST attack where DB's version is 8ft melee range
-Claws has a 30ft cone attack where DB's version is only 10ft
-All of Claws' powers recharge faster and cost less endurance for the damage they do while DB's attacks follow the damage/endurance/recharge formula
-Quite a few of Claw's attacks animate fast while DB's aren't so much...
-DB has combos.
...that's it. DBs isn't 'gimp' just because it gets to have combos. It's pretty much claws without the long range and costs more endurance. But hey, you can get a PBAoE Knockdown to stack with your other KD powers, you can get a bit better +dmg from your 'Follow Up-esque' power, your tier 9 only knocks foes down rather than back...oh, and your Eviscerate is *much* faster cast. -
Quote:Katana and Broadsword are pretty much the same except the animations are different.Originally Posted by Angelic_EU
Out of the 3 sword sets, which is the best for stalker: Dual blades, Ninja blade or Broad sword?
Dual Blades, IMO, is around even with those set's damage-wise vs a single target, but Dual Blades has more AoE. The shifting point is, Kat/BS have -def in all their attacks (slot achilles' heel!) and a big defense buff attack and Dual Blades has some nice, if not rather clunky, combos.
Summary: they are similarly the same yet do different things. Choose by concept, if you want to do AoE damage or if you want lots of safety.
For Dual Blades: do you like to do the combos? If you do, you might not like Stalker's DB. If it doesn't matter if you're constantly stringing together combos, you should definitely give it a shot on Stalkers too.Quote:Originally Posted by Angelxman81
I havent decided yet...
I dont know if try kinetic melee, claws, ninja blade or dual blades.
I already have a dual blades on scrapper, I just love the set.
So confused! -
Quote:Same here. I love them on my Arch/dev blaster tho. On a melee, they just seem situational. And if Tankers or Brutes had them, they'd be easily exploitable with the ease of damage auras and taunt's -range.Originally Posted by Blood Red Arachnid
Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm just not a big fan of caltrops.
Playing the game takes practice. Targeting is one of them. If you're good with the mouse (or horrible with every other means of targeting) then perfect that strategy for ease of play on any character.Quote:#1: Try to find the boss with my mouse only to find I keep targeting the guy behind me or another member of my group in the middle of the mob.
These are all things you should have practiced solo. Knowing what enemies to look for in a group, looking for the bosses with your eyes, quick and seemless positioning for AS and stuff to make you quicker on the draw (like anticipating enemy attacks for placate).Quote:#2: Furiously use auto-target with tab to try and find anything that con's purple or is boss ranked.
#3: Chase this thing down and try to properly position myself for AS.
#4: Re-chase this thing down after AS inexplicably fails.
#5: And again.
#6: Finally begin attack chain after successful AS, ensuring that demoralize effects were either not needed, or my team would already be dead because they were needed.
OR
#6: My stealth drops because of some aoe or cone attack that managed to nick me, preventing me from doing AS since I will now be targeted by some enemies.
You don't just walk up to stuff solo, stand next to them and queue up your melee snipe, do you? Try pretending you're on teams when solo. Or maybe try playing a blaster so you have to practice switching targets quickly.
I've learned to simply rely on 2 means of targeting: 'Target Nearest' and 'Target Next'. Doesn't sound efficient but use everything, such as movement, camera, my eyes and speed to make it all seem instantaneous. There's also binds to target specific enemies by name or rank as well as other options. -
Eh, my first characters were more experiments after coming over from another MMO. I still have them sitting on a server I don't use but honestly, don't have any desire to play them.
1st Emp/Psi defender. Because I wanted to be able to join teams (teaming was hard in that other fantasy game) but AFAIK, she's still lvl 28 with the only pool being flight.
2nd MA/DA scrapper. Primarily because fighting with Martial Arts sounded cool and Armor made of Darkness sounded neat. Didn't like him tho.
3rd Eng/Eng blaster. Because I started to get the gist of the character creator and the types of ATs and tried making an Iron Man-inspired character. Got him into the 30s but honestly never actually came up with a concept for him.
Energy blast and Empathy seem to be pretty classic for me. -
Hmm, what's going on about this now? Stalker AoE?
Quote:Just making a statement; you're probably right about demoralize but it's not that the fear doesn't always apply or the amount of -ToHit. It's a 25% chance to fear any normal mobs (so just not EBs, AVs or GMs) which isn't bad. And the -ToHit is 7%. That's pretty decent considering it *cannot* be resisted. Even by the higher mobs, it's a knock to their hit chance.Originally Posted by Anti_Proton
But it still doesn't work as intended, either because the fear doesn't apply as often or the -tohit is too modest. In a mob of 6 to 8 you still have to play hit an run once you've dropped out of hide and aggroed them.
However, I do have issue with the duration. It's only 8 seconds right when the blow lands. It's fine to dampen an alpha strike (any Stalker worth their salt should at least have some self mitigation to take advantage of this bonus) but could last a bit longer like 12-15sec.
The only reason you'd play hit and run, even if the mob is large, is if there are multiple problem mobs (mainly those debuffing ghosts, pain in the **** illusionists, etc.) or you simply haven't enough self mitigation. If you choose to ignore your secondary the I guess you deserve to need to hit and run.
In demoralize's defense, most Stalkers go after the bosses and in the high levels, you won't be one-shotting bosses so it's no more a choice between killing the target or getting demoralize and more a choice to go after what has the most HP.Quote:Originally Posted by AzureSkyCiel
Besides, wouldn't it be MORE demoralizing to see someone DIE from such an attack then just be badly wounded but still apparently alive enough to fight with no performance difference? (Aside from a ToHit Debuff and possibly being subject to fear)
That said, I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth if we got demoralize reguardless.
Granted. But I find much of the superiority people claim for Scrappers is just on paper. In most occasions, I can kill just as fast solo and survive better on teams as a Stalker because people look at the little DoT the damage auras do but don't bother calculating the mob would have died in the same amount of attacks regardless. It's just damage points on a spreadsheet and deemed worth the aggro and the danger.Quote:Now another problem is that Stalkers tend to occupy a bit of an odd niche. They're melee damage dealers who deal less damage than a scrapper, can only make as much use of build up as a tank or brute, has armor values tied with scrapper (which are actually the second worse modifiers only to blasters), and is tied with blasters for HP. Their niche is burst damage that requires specific circumstances to use, and the circumstance is easily broken, and they tend to suffer from loss of AoEs (with Electrical melee being the exception) and some other powers (like quick recovery), resulting in further lowered survivability and a weakened attack chain in the name of being able to perform in this niche...
It's not an easy hole to dig Stalkers out of...
Set your difficulty right then. You can remove or add bosses, increase/decrease mob level, etc. You can set your pace in many ways and if you get overwhelmed then lower mob size. You can even increase difficulty so Lts can survive a BU/AS while having fewer foes to deal with.Quote:Originally Posted by Anti_Proton
Sure, there are tactics for dealing with large mobs, but itmakes no sense to have to pace yourself for fear of being overwhelmed.
As far as Stalker AoE, more options are always good. It'd be hard to complain about AoE if we had sets like War Mace, Super Strength, Fire Armor and a Shield Defense variant. Even with some of the PBAoEs missing (Whaah, I don't get Whirling Hands/Mace/Axe...what a quandary...) it's still easy to pull off BU+AoE crits to make up for them. -
I believe a proc placed in a pet power has a chance to go off every time the pet attacks but any type of buff from it goes to the pet, not the summoner.
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Quote:That's the idea though. As is, doms have sets that are mixes of melee and ranged attacks and many (myself included) have shown interest in additional assault sets that are more 'natural' or 'weaponized'. Some suggestions put forth are a combo of Katana/Archery, Martial Arts/Shuriken and a Pistol-fu set. While we still won't get whip or pistol wielding doms, the spirit behind my idea is to hit on as many possibilities with one set.Originally Posted by Biospark
I really like the Swap Weapon concept Leo.
Unfortunately, they would probably require seperate animations for each weapon style in order to look right.
And yes, the animations would technically be separate. It would require a more in-depth version of the Swap Ammo mechanic and, rather than changing the chance-of effects from 0% to 100%, it would literally activate another power. Maybe it'd be closer to Khelds attacks (you can kind of get 2 Bright Nova blasts...except they're actually 2 separate attacks. But it shouldn't be impossible to link them)...
So the melee tiers would probably be named some japanese version of 'Fierce Attack', 'Area Strike' and 'Devastation Attack' and each actually calls on a power depending what weapon you have equipped.
The *main* problem I see with this, tho, is customization. There is currently a limit of 3 weapon customizations per character which includes the epic pools. This set start with 3.
Well, I still question the need for Ankle Chains, as it is simply a cone immobilize. Doesn't really have any particular synergy with Tow Line.Quote:I am not sure if everyone is missing the tactics that are present or if I am just overstating their effectiveness. Ankle Chains plus Tow Line, means that you would have the bad-guys all bunched up taking damage but unable to beat on you while you take out the guy you "pulled" (literally) to you. Then there is the Crane Kick plus Tow Line combo; "Wait... get back here !". Combine in the powers from Ninjitsu like Smoke Bomb and you have some interesting ways to divide and conquer. And of course there is Shadow Step. This ONE power would be worth all the effort to create it. It may seem like the tactical advantages are small, but they are enough combined with the cool-factor of the animation, that I would love to have it.
But the main reason I tried making another suggestion is because the 2 powers that would make the set unique are not possible in this game's engine. But I particularly don't like how the set copies powers from another. I don't recall any other melee set doing this. Sure, they use similar mechanics but they have different animations and usually differing additional effects.
That said, I'd simply ask you to try and come up with alternatives for the effects we can't create (like Knock-toward and Teleport-to-target).
But besides that, the set I proposed wasn't a replacement for your Ninja Melee set but more an exercise in what alternative attack types that may or may not work 'like' a ninja but is more a 'Snare Melee' set...Hmm, what *could* I call my set? Sneaky Melee? Trap Attack?
Also, your suggestion has 9 powers but no Build up.
Well, in practically every video game with ninjas, they have the ability to use/control elements. A Fire/Ninja Assault or Ice/Ninja Assault or Earth/Ninja Assault would work perfectly fine, IMO, for a concept. We just can't do that *now* because no melee set gives any type of martial arts feel what so ever.Quote:As for making it a Dominator set. Well, I like dominators, and have been playing them alot lately, but Doms have one serious problem; their Primary. Seriously, they don't have enough choices. Their are so very few controller primaries that I like and Doms don't even have all the choices. When they add Dark Control and some form of Gadget Control (Crowd Control), THEN maybe a ninja assault would work great for them. Until then, I guess me and Mind Control are just gonna have to be happy together.
As for a Gadget Control set. That's fine, but I imagine it'd have several high tech-looking powers (look at Trick Arrow...not very 'Ninja-y' IMO). While it'd fill the need for some Natural/Tech control concepts, it's not required for a Ninja Dom. -
Have to say, those Samurai Rangers look melee-tastic.
Don't care for the helmets but I can live with it.
And who'd they get to voice that villain? The Media Hunter? -
Quote:Lol, I just thought of another cool aspect you could add to this set. If using the Shinobi Equipment swap, then switching to another weapon toggle (or shutting the one you have on, off) it could instantly recharge all of your weapon attacks (so # 2, 6 and 8). The animation could be the character literally throwing down their claws/blades/katana then puff of smoke and new weapon.Originally Posted by Leo_G
1. Shuriken
2. *Strike(Claws)/Power Slice(DB)/Sting of the Wasp(Kat)/Storm Kick(MA)
3. Acid Shuriken (variation on Widow Dart Burst): Cone lethal, foe -regen
4. Shuriken Barrage
5. Shinobi Equipment Swap: self hide, PBAoE placate, allows swapping to a different weapon set for 10sec
-Equipment: Claws Toggle
-Equipment: Dual Blades Toggle
-Equipment: Single Blade Toggle
6. *Spin(Claws)/Typhoon's Edge(DB)/Lotus Drop(Kat)/Dragon's Tail(MA)
7. Caltrops
8. *Eviscerate(Claws)/Sweeping Strike(DB)/Golden Dragonfly(Kat)/Eagle's Claw(MA)
9. ??? Maybe a kind of 'Equipment Upgrade' buff, rather than another attack, that grants your attacks extra damage for a short time.
Combo: Sweeping Strike > Power Slice > Typhoon's Edge = Attack Vitals
That'd certainly make the set a contender for being a melee oriented set.
*imagines a Mind/Ninja Assault Dom throwing out mass confusion > (claws) Spin > Equipment Swap > (kat) Lotus Drop*
GENJUTSU ATTACK!
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OG is great for how cheap it is to make it useful (and the health cost is practically nothing). But CoF has it's uses for how 'sticky' and 'stacky' it is. It's sticky cause, even when foes run away, the fear will stop them again. It's stacky for any set that doesn't have stuns in their sets. If you choose claws or spines or some other set without a stun, your best bet is picking up a pool attack for a chance to stun Lts. But anyone can pick up the presence pool and fear bosses.
Quote:Any damage simply opens a window for the victim to act. Have you ever fought a Longbow/Carnie Illusionist and been hit with fear? You can't act or run except occasionally. It's the same for mobs. Occasionally, damage will open a window for them to either attack or run then the window closes again. This keeps going until the duration of the fear wears off.What if you have two damage auras - e.g. death shroud AND quills. Do they get 2 attacks per 5 seconds?
As for the -ToHit, I always found it decently useful but I play a Spines/DA stalker. AS gives unresistable -ToHit on top of any you get from the cloak. For an alpha strike, this is helpful (even if only a little) when you stack defense with it. For whatever reason, I ended up IOing my stalker for energy/neg and ranged defense (in the 30% energy/25% ranged with some other defense sprinkled in) simply because...well, energy attacks hurt him bad and if they were close enough to melee, they'd be feared. Probably not optimal, but certainly cheaper than aiming for Smashing/lethal defense.
PS: A quick question to add. For whatever reason, I slotted the Siphon Insight set x5 for the melee defense and decided to put the +ToHit proc in there (it was more useful than Acc/Rech). I guess you can say it was for concept but I was just curious what the stats were on it. I tried testing it on weaker foes and it rarely ever procced and when it did, it seemed to wear off quickly (monitoring ToHit buffs). -
Well I was mainly talking about Broadsword's animations...but I can kind of see it that way too.
BS's advantage, burst damage, kind of isn't what a Stalker lacks. What a Stalker needs more of is plain DPS which you can get from Katana. For burst? You've got placate and Assassin's Blade sitting right there...
....and also, BS's attack is called 'Assassin's Slash' but there ain't no slash! I *might* have played it if there was a slash (and it looked cool) but NOOooooOOOOo... -
Quote:Liiiiike...a Scythe?Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
Would much rather see something like 2-handed weapon sets or something.
That's probably the only concept we can't make now, gratuitous use of power in your strokes rather than only precision/aimed strikes. That, and AS animations where I dump more power into the strike (like for EM, a *SUPER GLOWING FISTS THAT'S 5x MORE GLOWY !EXPLOSION!* animation).
Aww, well thanks. Glad not everyone ignores me ^_^Quote:Originally Posted by Biospark
The following Stalker Primary powerset was inspired by several recent threads including an interesting one started by Leo_G here
Well first off, I *do* want Ninja Assault...but I want it on Dominators. Personally, I don't think Stalkers need a ninja set (maybe some more animations for existing sets...or even a kinda Traps epic pool that doesn't suck as much as Weapon Mastery) but I think *EVERY AT* should be able to be ninjas.Quote:So, without further ado: NINJA ASSAULT 
As for Ninja Assault, it'd be Kickjurassic if it basically mixed all those ninja-esque sets into one set. Quick write up I just came up with for a Dominator set:
1. Shuriken
2. *Strike(Claws)/Power Slice(DB)/Sting of the Wasp(Kat)/Storm Kick(MA)
3. Acid Shuriken (variation on Widow Dart Burst): Cone lethal, foe -regen
4. Shuriken Barrage
5. Shinobi Equipment Swap: self hide, PBAoE placate, allows swapping to a different weapon set for 10sec
-Equipment: Claws Toggle
-Equipment: Dual Blades Toggle
-Equipment: Single Blade Toggle
6. *Spin(Claws)/Typhoon's Edge(DB)/Lotus Drop(Kat)/Dragon's Tail(MA)
7. Caltrops
8. *Eviscerate(Claws)/Sweeping Strike(DB)/Golden Dragonfly(Kat)/Eagle's Claw(MA)
9. ??? Maybe a kind of 'Equipment Upgrade' buff, rather than another attack, that grants your attacks extra damage for a short time.
Combo: Sweeping Strike > Power Slice > Typhoon's Edge = Attack Vitals
Well, the concept of the set seems to be "Use lots of equipment" which is all right but serves no actual purpose besides it being 'ninja-y'.Quote:The basics:
This is a dual handed weapon set, but due to the nature of the animations, the weapons would be small "fist-style" weapons like ; Claws, Knuckle-dusters, Punching Daggers, Cestus, Reverse Grip Kamas (Mantis Blades), Bo-Sticks (with Baton-style grips), etc...
If I were creating a more ninja-esque powerset for Stalkers, I'd probably look for more deceptive attacks rather than swapping out equipment (unless that swapping of equipment served some kind of purpose).
One other ninja-esque concept I'd like to fulfill (for Stalkers particularly) is a kind of 'Tricks & Traps' set that is so-so in an up-close and personal battle but thrives on tactics, movement, deception and traps.
So taking your set and modifying it some...
Quote:Basics: The damage or reliability of some attacks are below other sets in exchange for potent debuffs and controls.
The Powers:
1.)Blind Razor Flash (Ninja Barrage): Wave of the hand to throw dust/powder in the eye of the enemy. If the blinding dust lands, 75% chance of the follow-up knife with the other hand dealing moderate lethal damage. Foe -ToHit/slow movement.
2.) Trick Wire (Ninja Fury): Rather than a flurry of blows, just a quick crouch and pull up near the enemy (think .5 sec animation but 1.90 sec period where you can't attack again). The power does moderate lethal DoT over its animation + period afterwards. Foe -movement/-fly and mag 3 immobilize. 50% chance for additional mag 1 immobilize, 25% chance for another mag 1 immobilize, 30% chance of extra lethal DoT. It's basically a shadow maul that you don't have to be rooted for while the damage happens.
3.) Kama Strike (Swapped for Crane Kick): Eviscerating slice with a concealed curved blade. *Special +Range*
4.) Assassin's Detonator: Squat near the foe while you set up a bomb that explodes on the target in a firebomb. Foe must be on the ground.
5.) Build up
6.) Placate
7.) Kama Slash: Slice wide in a cone with a concealed curved blade. *Special +range*
8.) Death Trap (Ankle Chains): Toggle foe PBAoE mag 2 immobilize, -regen, lethal DoT. Self +range special. Basically whips out a chain that wraps up the target and any that get in range of him. The range to activate this is melee (8ft) but the max range to keep it going is 80ft and you must keep line of sight. The special +range on your two main attacks is activated only when this toggle is running on a foe. It basically turns the kama attacks into ranged kusarigama attacks with 60ft ranges (unslottable).
9.) Exploding Satchel (unique): Animation is *quick* but the damage is delayed by 8 seconds. You run up to a target, strap on the bomb and walk away. It is a jousting burst attack that does not drop hide but does alert the enemy. It can critical if you remain hidden by the end of the delay and is a 10ft AoE around the target.
Thoughts ?? -
[Early Holiday Break with Ian Retrieving his Master's Sword]
It didnt take Ian long to get back to the school and the weapons repository where he had checked in his masters sword. He occasionally visited the sword to assure it was still there and safe, but the several months he had kept the blade, he never used it or even unsheathed it. But something compelled him to examine it.
He stood alone in one of the reinforced chambers, inside the heavy blast doors, with only a few heavy blast cannons and several complicated-looking shoulder turrets, all of which had their own section of the room and their accessories organized along with them. The sword he sought was set on its own shelf in a sword stand. As he picked it up, its size (as tall as he was at least with a hilt nearly 2 feet long!) and weight always surprised him. Ian rested a hand on it at first, running his hand along the sheath and the thick leather strap used to carry it. Running his hand all the way to the handle, he finally picked it up with his other hand and gripped the large blade to pull it from its resting place.
Besides the lion guardian on the tip of the thick handle, the design of the sword was plain with only two Japanese symbols carved in near the base of the blade that he couldnt figure how to translate. But if you could ever witness it wielded, it was a sight anything but plain.
At first, he simply examined it then he began to listen to it and resonate with it.
It was a sensation he couldnt understand it was like they felt one and the same
Speaking a similar language and with similar spirits and behaviors
With a gasp, Ian shook himself out of what he thought was some kind of self induced trance and sealed the sword in its sheath again before scooping it up and checking it out of the weapons bunker for good.
~~~
It was pretty easy to teleport back to Talos using the GET Net, and in a flash, he was nearly back at his masters side. He was expecting to see Ryjuta meditating, watching the heavens build up lightning for their child of the elements, with swirling torrents of water beating at the shore to meet the sage. Ians expectations were dashed when he found the man sitting on a rock like a make-shift stool and smoking another cigarette on a plain hill. No wind. No storm or waves.
Ah! Tadayoshi Hizen! Ryjuta shouted to his sword with a smile as he picked up Ians footsteps in the grass. Putting out his cigarette under his shiny leather shoe, the swordmaster stood and joined his approaching student who graciously offered the sword out with both hands.
I still question the tradition of the name you use for it, Ian bowed and smiled.
Heh, well I didnt name it. The original owner and the man that forged it did, Ryjuta smiled back. I guess if it were created for me, I'd name it myself like you did yours...I could named it Stallion Overcompensating?
Ians cheeks flushed at the joke, an obvious jab at his naming of his old katana. After returning the sword, Ian drew his own bokken from his belt. Shall we begin?
Ryjuta shook his head. Oi, so hasty. He slung the sword over his shoulder to loosely strap it on his back and massaged the long handle in his hand for a moment. He turned to put a few paces between them. Ah, feels like an old pair of comfy boxers, the aging swordsman laughed as the wind about them picked up.
Anxiously gripping his wooden sword with one hand, Ian narrowed his gaze on his teacher. As magnificent as you may be in only your boxers, can we please get on with this?
This got a chuckled from his master. He resorted to no stance or didnt draw his sword. Come.
Like a tiger prepped to pounce, Ian wildly lunged forward, his bokken swinging across to strike at the wholly open stance. The swordmaster answered this by simply tapping the bottom of his sheath with his foot and leaning forward at the waist.
To anyone unprepared, they wouldnt be expecting the large sword to come launching out as quick as a rocket out of the holder like some kind of insane deadly boomerang. But this was the way Ians master unsheathed such a long sword. He was unphased by the sword turning end over end right at him and let his shoulder fall to let the blade narrowly pass. The resulting whirlwind that literally threw out rocks and bent trees over like a hurricanes hiccup also mysteriously passed by Ian with but a slight movement of his shaggy brown hair.
Taking advantage of the swordless swordmaster, Ian struck quickly but his bokken collided harshly with wood.
So youre really going to fight me with your training sword? Ryjuta asked, turning away from Ians strike so that the attack bounced off the sheath he had strapped to his back. Using part of the momentum of Ians attack, the older swordsman leapt to his sword, yanking it out of its spin in the air and swung it around with both hands.
I shall, Ian replied, ducking under the wildly strong swing which whipped up another whirlwind but this time, more searing than the first. The air literally sliced a groove several inches into the face of a rock formation several yards away. I dont want to harm unintentionally again! Strongly pronouncing his goals, he moved into the wake of the attack and let loose a flurry of sword strike on his master. A gyaku inuzuma giri variant, he struck from the left, knocking his masters defense up then coming down with a series of hits in the opening.
Harm unintentionally? the swordmaster laughed as he deflected the first strike and resorted to gripping the flat of his blade to quickly maneuver his sword to block the others of his swift opponent. Youre still going on about that!? Countering with a knee to Ians ribs, the young swordsman barely managed to block it with a guarding shin yet the force of the blow repelled Ian a short ways back. Foolish boy!
The long nodachi swung down and a harsh howl of wind followed. Ian dodged to the left and kept his guard as Ryjutas sword slice through the ground like a bladed gavel, kicking up a geyser of powered rock from the carved valley.
I am not foolish! Ian shouted his eyes narrowed and fierce. His blood pumped hot now and struck so fast, it wasnt possible for Ryjuta to deflect so he caught it. Or rather, caught Ians sword arm by the wrist. But as he leaned to grasp him, Ian swung hard with his free hand and landing a mighty punch right across his masters cheek.
The teacher pulled away from his student. and Im not a boy. Ian growled as he watched his master rubbing his face.
Ryjuta lifted his blade on his shoulder, resting the flat of his blade on his shoulder. Ow that hurt, he sarcastically said but truthfully admitted as a bruise might start to form later.
Putting a pause in their duel, the swordmaster nodded in acknowledgment. Okay man. Then tell me. You still refuse to use a sword? Relaxing his muscles, Ian set the tip of his bokken to the grass and remained silent. You regret what youve done is it fear?
Ians head sank. Yes. The two spoke on another level, their fighting spirits still dueling. They could feel each others emotions through the silent moments. I fear not the sword or what I must do its
Ryjutas face soften. You fear yourself?
Of my other self. The master quirked a brow to his pupil. The other side of me I dont know what I might do Ian sighed as he tried to convey his meaning.
Foolish boy, the master smirked warmly and walked to his student and rested a hand on his shoulder. Only the absurd fear what they dont know or understand. No one can help a man who flees his own shadow. Ian blinked then looked up to the hard gaze of his master with a smile. This advice sounded familiar to what Aurora and Keity were talking to him about. Worst yet is you forget that you are you. You fear what you might do with your own hands yet you have the power to close that hand into a fist or open it to a palm.
After a long moment of letting that information sink in, Ryjuta let loose his students shoulder and walked away a few paces to resume their duel. Youll never beat me if youre beating yourself. Remember that, as a swordsman, you must embrace and control your fear.
Right embrace, Ian smiled and returned to a ready stance with his bokken gripped tightly in both hands.
Now, continue?
Of course. -
I probably might *possibly* be interested in it but then, I don't RP in-game (I tend to play the characters I feel like playing, not the ones I feel like RPing >_>). So I'll probably just stand on the side-lines for this one.
If this Unionversal Schemosity-ness is contagious and grows, I'll definitely try and get in on it, tho. If you need some players to pad out a test session, I can try and roll with y'all.
Just gotta decide who to use. I'd actually like a chance to play Katrina (recently started her up even tho I stink at MMs). -
Broadsword is dead to me >_>
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Quote:There is nothing wrong with that. But when I think of 'scrapper-like stalker' I'm thinking of one that just jumps in and hits stuff...nothing to do with AoEs.Originally Posted by Weather Lord
Thanks for the reply, and yes, I realize the Stalker archetype is very single target oriented, I suppose I was originally trying to come up with a scrapper-like stalker, but I understand the folly of this now. xD I just love the stalker playstyle.
And the comment that Stalkers are more ST focused is kind of a generalized statement. Yes, the AT has a means of dishing out higher ST damage but that doesn't mean it cannot do meaningful (or just as much) AoE dmg as the other melees at the same time. You just have to pick the right sets for what you want to do.
From what I can tell, you want a balanced set with some AoE and good ST damage:
Katana- You'll be pretty hard to kill with a Kat/DA. With Divine Avalanche to buff your defense, resists to back up when you get hit and a heal that fills you back up, there's really not that much that will put you down except ToHit debuffs and/or high defense foes. It's got solid ST damage and some AoE in Flashing Steel and Golden Dragonfly.
Kinetic Melee- Probably what I'd suggest for you. With the PBAoE, just maximize slotting that power for your AoE needs and enjoy the stuns of the rest of the set. Pick up Oppressive Gloom and frankenslot your attacks for a bit of a stun sting while reaping the rewards of -dmg softening the blows on your resist shields.
Dual Blades- Eh, I've heard DB can be endurance hungry. From my experience with it, it can be mitigated with proper slotting. However, trying to fit the combos in with your other forms of mitigation is up to you. Can't really think of a good synergy there. But of the melee sets, it is the most balanced. It has *very* nice ST damage and burst that puts it up there with other ST sets yet has several AoE options in Sweeping Strike, 1kCuts and Sweep combo.
Claws- Isn't actually as bad as you think. The ST damage of the set is good yet comes out fast, BU recharges quickly and Shockwave is a great mitigation tool and damage built into one. But if you have played it on a Brute/Scrapper, you'll probably miss Follow up/Spin.
Electric Melee- The main reason I'd suggest it is to stack stuns with Oppressive Gloom. It's ST damage is pretty slow and moderate but it's AoE dmg is just as good (if not better) than the other melee ATs. If you like the set, you'll still like the set on Stalkers.
That said, Dark Armor still has downfalls you want to get past. Endurance will drain quickly if you have to use Dark Regen a lot, so defense or soft control will help a lot (also IOs). Low max HP will make those resist less noticable...so buffing your max HP, debuffing the enemy or stacking other types of mitigation will help there. Lastly, the complexity of the set with all its debuffs/controls is the selling point of the set. Find some means to exploit them for your benefit otherwise they might hinder you. -
Quote:Eh, I say if it hinders your primary, taking it is up in the air. My only /Nin Stalker is Dual Blades and if the foes are constantly shifting around, it makes my cones more unwieldly.Originally Posted by Zem
You don't use caltrops for damage. You use it for survivability only when you need the extra survivability. So if you're not going to die, you don't use them. I wouldn't skip them in a build however unless you never plan to do anything more difficult than farming at +0/x8 (no bosses). For me, the idea of throwing down trops in front of an x8 ambush causing them to pile up INTO a small group which can then be burst to death is too tempting to pass up.
For that x8 ambush, yeah they're bunched up in your caltrops...but you're around the corner. You still have to *get in there* to do your business. The odds that the enemy will get in at least one shot to drop hide isn't out of the picture even soft-capped.
That said, I think caltrops on a kin/nin wouldn't be so bad. PBAoEs are rather simple to aim and they don't require a target to pull off (so no 'Out of Range' messages). It wouldn't be the end of the world to have caltrops push 2 or so foes out of your Burst. And everything else you have is single target.