PRAF68_EU

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The above points about the efficacy of stalkers in large teams are largely true, and I will tend to agree with them. In a long fight, stalker aint the best, but comparing them to a brute is like comparing a blaster to a troller. Totally different. Brutes are supposed to love long fights, but dont do as well in short fights, stalkers love a short fight, but dont do so well in a long one.

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I was looking at it from the point of view that CoX is a team based game, and the stalker, whilst they can be effective on a team, what can they do that another AT can't? Say I'm assembling a team for a diffcult 8 man SF. I can choose members with any AT. What would induce me to choose a stalker?

In that sense you can compare blasters and controllers. If your team needs more damage, you want a blaster. If you want damage mitigation and buffs you choose a controller.

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And in terms of damage mitigation, see that mob cowering next to me? Yep that was my Touch of Fear.

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But a dark brute can do they same, whist being less squishy, and a dominator, corruptor or even a MM has more powerful fear abilities available. Dark stalkers can do it, but other ATs can do it better.

Have't tried it without the bonus (i think its actually quite small), but the damage is certainly good, I even use it on my level 50s.

The staff/wand don't benefit from containment, but nor do the use the controller=rubbish damage scale. I think you will find them most satisfactory.

We (the comunity, not me especially) said "sometimes taunt fails to pull the aggro off a blaster who has just done a lot of damage".

The devs said "No no no, that can't happen, Taunt overrides all aggro".

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Lol. If played well, a stalker can bring something to a team thats usefull. Be it ghosting ability, point man, scout, sniper or just damage dealing.

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But stealth is so easy to come by for non-stalkers, especially with the addition of Stealth IOs. Any AT who wants the ability can ghost or scout. I know stalkers have a higher cap, but just about any mob that can penatate stealth can also see the stalker, so it's really no advantage.

As for damage, for a stalker it is all front loaded, so they will do good damage in a short fight. However in an extended fight a brute will do more damage. Short fight = easy fight, extended fight = difficult fight, where you need the extra bit of damage. So a stalker does good damage when it's not needed, a brute does good damage when it is.

Yeah, just saw it. Basically we where right and they where wrong all along.

It's a nicely written guide.

My question is this: is there anything a stalker can bring to a PvE team that can't be done as well or better by another AT?

You've been around a while: VRs.

Nemesis Staff/Blackwand are pretty nifty.

One thing about ID: It takes resistance sets. I have mine sloted with Steadfast protection: Knockback resistance and +3 def.

Having futher examined the options, the actual set bonuses won't make much difference. As for the procs, slotting any in Flash Arrow is a bad idea, since it will cause the mobs to aggro on you.

There is a chance of -res debuff proc that can be slotted in acid arrow, but the aoe is to small to make this really great. However the same proc can be slotted in Oil Slick, which should be a winner if it works properly.

Another winner is the proc that gives you 20% of +10 end per mob hit, which can be slotted into EMP Arrow, should help to offset the -recovery.

Yeah, you can get Ice over 45% with double stacked Energy Absorption. Not very useful for PvP.

You can't boost it significantly with IOs though.

Most of my IO slotting is intended to plug the vunerability to fire. I do have Steadfast Protection res/def in Permafrost, it's about all the power is good for.

A lot of the set bonus +def you can get is positional (melee, Ranged, AoE). THIS DOES NOT STACK WITH ICE ARMOUR. But it does for SR.

Of you could go /FF and turn on PFF? Your high def is sure to have an negative impact on your usefulness/ability to kill stuff. A controller dosn't usually need a high def if they are doing a good job at controlling.

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You wouldn't seriously expect an ice tanker to kill the herds he can collect, would you?

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Just slot a damage proc in CE.

Stick a damage proc in glue...

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So, I've been reading a couple guides and it seems like most people dislikes Poison Gas Arrow. Then, I took a look at Mid's and it says -31,3% Dmgbuff. I find it quite a good power, what am I not getting here?

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If you read my guide, it was written for controller TA. If your mobs are mezzed, poison gas isn't so good.

It's quite useful for a defender, who doesn't have controls for damage mitigation.

The Tier 9 also has Immob protection, and immob is the least problamatic mez anyway (you could also overcome it with TP, or just use IO sets to give you big resistance so it doesn't last long and use ranged attacks and taunt till it wears off).

Yeah, I agree about Flash. respeced it out long ago. Ill/TA works best at a distance.

A couple of minor coments:

Glimpse of the Abyss: chance of psi damage absolutely rocks in spectral terror.

I don't have problems with the pets fleeing from oil slick. Perhaps because PA can't be affected by anything, and the Phant is ranged and doen't tend to be near the slick anyway.

You don't need to put either an endrec or a recred in Acid arrow, it doesn't stack with itself so you don't need to keep firing it off, so it doesn't use much end. You could throw in a Posi's blast: chance of energy damage proc in Acid Arrow if you have a spare slot.

Damage procs can also be fun in glue arrow.

I havn't been able to verify it, but that is what Castle says.

However, bonuses from sets slotted in the forms themselves should carry over. I.e. a set bonus slotted in the Dwarf power should also work in human and nova form.

Do they not? Poor little defenders.

/TA controllers FTW.

The tech origin tazer can also ignite the oil slick.

And Fire Mastery of course.

Yeah, the misses are the real pain. If it hits it works long enough to save a squshies butt.

One think about keldian dwarf form: all dwarfs have taunt, which is more than you can say for tankers.

I don't think TA will change significantly with the new sets, the only powers that couldn't take sets in issue 9 where flash arrow and disruption arrow, and disruption arrow still won't have any after issue 11 (and flash arrow isn't worth slotting).