Smiling_Joe
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Posts
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Without knowing what you want to do with it (ie - what app/ppp you prefer, any thematic considerations) it'll need some tweaking, but here's a softcapped MA/Nin that doesn't use purples or LotG's or PVP sets. That being said, affordable is in the eye of the beholder.
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Stalker
Primary Power Set: Martial Arts
Secondary Power Set: Ninjitsu
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Storm Kick- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (3) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (21) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (31) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Defense Buff IO
- (15) Empty
- (15) Empty
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (3) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (17) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense
- (50) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (5) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (17) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense
- (50) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (9) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (37) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (9) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (11) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (11) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (13) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (25) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (25) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (13) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Detonation - Accuracy/Damage
- (31) Detonation - Damage/Range
- (37) Detonation - Damage/Recharge
- (40) Detonation - Damage/Endurance/Range
- (40) Detonation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (46) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (19) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (19) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (21) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (29) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (37) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Empty
- (A) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance
- (23) Doctored Wounds - Endurance/Recharge
- (23) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge
- (31) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- (39) Doctored Wounds - Recharge
- (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
- (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
- (27) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance
- (27) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)
- (29) Defense Buff IO
- (A) Defense Buff IO
- (42) Endurance Reduction IO
- (42) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)
- (39) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance
- (40) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (33) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (33) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (33) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Perplex - Accuracy/Confused/Recharge
- (36) Perplex - Confused/Range
- (36) Perplex - Accuracy/Endurance
- (36) Perplex - Endurance/Confused
- (43) Perplex - Accuracy/Recharge
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (39) Recharge Reduction IO
- (42) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Defense Buff IO
- (46) Endurance Reduction IO
- (46) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage
- (48) Devastation - Damage/Endurance
- (48) Devastation - Damage/Recharge
- (48) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (50) Devastation - Chance of Hold
- (A) Defense Buff IO
Level 1: Brawl- (A) Empty
- (A) Unbounded Leap - +Stealth
- (A) Empty
Level 4: Ninja Run
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The two extra slots in Hide are reserved for the inherent Stamina, should you want to 3-slot it. Otherwise they're yours to distribute.
EDIT - just noticed I had the stealth IO in sprint - consider that VERY optional. -
Quote:Originally Posted by GavinRuneblade
Why keep touch of death in the power if you're not getting the defense bonus?
........beeecause I only remembered that he wanted two procs in the power at the last minute and had to post and get back to work?
So yeah. Good points. 'Swhat I get for hurrying!
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As a stalker who has teamed fairly regularly with a tanker, I'd like to point out one role that is something that's almost exclusive to the tanker/stalker relationship: short range scouting.
Good communication is key, and it takes some education on the part of the stalker before he/she knows what you as a tanker need to know in terms of spawn placement.
The way it works is this: The stalker breaks off as the team is mopping up a spawn and runs into the next room. There, the layout of the spawns can be assessed and any surprises communicated. Otherwise, the stalker picks the best place to start the fight and you go to him/her.
Okay, nothing special that anyone with invisibility can't do. What a stalker can do differently, however, is direct the tanker's taunt. If you - as the tanker - select the stalker's name in the team window as you're heading to the next spawn (where the stalker is already) the stalker can go ahead and unleash the AS as you taunt. The spawn will fire their ranged attacks first, and then the placate/follow up attack can generally take another one down before you get there.
Now if you haven't taken taunt, it can still work if you - and your taunt aura - arrives as the AS goes off. The placate/follow up attack is easy then.
Things to know, however: If the stalker has /nin as a secondary, caltrops can be tossed out as you arrive too. Blinding powder can also be used without the stalker breaking hide or drawing aggro.
If the stalker is /dark, then you need to be aware that any fear/stun auras will take effect after hide is broken, so you'll have to plan accordingly.
Now the case arises that there's a room with deadly spawn placement that risks a tpk if anyone but the stalker enters. Get within range, taunt/pull through the stalker and let the stalker follow the mob to you. Then the caltrops/blinding powder/fear auras/AS demoralize can help you keep better control of the mob.
Yes, the stalker can and will put a serious dent in that boss's hit points for you, but there's a ton a stalker can ALSO do for you on the way to the victim that you can benefit from. The important thing is that the two of you coordinate. Every situation is unique. -
Quote:I see what you mean. I don't have a tremendous amount of experience in dual blades, but I can see how the mitigation from the combos could really devalue the mitigation tools in /Nin.Originally Posted by Leo_G
This is probably why my enjoyment of /Nin isn't what I'm seeing in everyone elses. Honestly, the whole caltrops moving stuff out of melee messes with my cones from DB. *THAT'S* why I tend to either use combos or caltrops...and I didn't even realize it until I read that. Weird >_>
Hmm.. my next stalker after the KM/Dark was gonna be DB/Nin, but now I might have to try a different secondary.
I love a challenge! Okay, Two procs in Ablating... check! All the powers in Mako's except Summon Guardian... Check! Lockdown set in Jaws... Check! At least 45% recharge bonus outside of Hasten... Check! Softcapped to at least two positions... Check!Quote:Thanks! ^^
But it's gotta have 2 procs in Ablating...that's, like...a *must* for me to fully enjoy Dual Blades Also, it kinda doesn't do much with the Mako pool, which is kinda what I wanted to explore with this build with effectiveness taking a back seat to unique and fun.
I actually wanted Spirit Shark Jaws to be her 'specialty' cause I like the animation and I already got 2 parts of the Lockdown set plus the +mag proc.
I skipped caltrops on this build to give you the slots necessary, and you've still got two slots left over for inherent stamina. Mid's doesn't give numbers for suppressed hide and stealth, but I THINK you might be softcapped to all three positions:
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Stalker
Primary Power Set: Dual Blades
Secondary Power Set: Ninjitsu
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Power Slice- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (3) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (11) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (13) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (3) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (15) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (40) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (5) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (17) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (40) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense
- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (9) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (11) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (9) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (15) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (13) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (17) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (19) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (19) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (21) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (21) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (37) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (25) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (29) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (39) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (39) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (42) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
- (23) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge
- (23) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Recharge
- (25) Numina's Convalescence - Heal
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (31) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (40) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (42) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (42) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (43) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Eradication - Damage
- (27) Eradication - Accuracy/Recharge
- (27) Eradication - Damage/Recharge
- (29) Eradication - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (31) Eradication - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (37) Eradication - Chance for Energy Damage
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (31) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Obliteration - Damage
- (33) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
- (33) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
- (33) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (50) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage
- (A) Siphon Insight - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (36) Siphon Insight - ToHit Debuff/Endurance/Recharge
- (36) Siphon Insight - Accuracy/Recharge
- (36) Siphon Insight - Accuracy/ToHit Debuff
- (37) Siphon Insight - ToHit Debuff
- (39) Siphon Insight - Chance for +ToHit
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Lockdown - Accuracy/Hold
- (45) Lockdown - Accuracy/Recharge
- (46) Lockdown - Recharge/Hold
- (46) Lockdown - Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (48) Lockdown - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- (50) Lockdown - Chance for +2 Mag Hold
- (A) Explosive Strike - Damage/Knockback
- (48) Explosive Strike - Accuracy/Knockback
- (48) Explosive Strike - Chance for Smashing Damage
- (A) Miracle - +Recovery
Level 1: Brawl- (A) Empty
- (A) Unbounded Leap - +Stealth
- (A) Empty
Level 4: Ninja Run
Whataya think?Code:| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1400;689;1378;HEX;| |78DA9D94D952134114867BB218924C482204C21604D98303B973B9B04AF1024D144| |D515A80A44668920E53432A1310EEDC972A5FC117D147511FC0F50EC5359EA5835E| |79E154F27F33A7CFDFE7D4E94C0ABB73A61077CE0A2376DEB13DAF546CD8CEA6AC0| |70B7659AD899010A247874A05E94869CD6DDB4EE99C63AF4B2FDD5A99931BD2F5A4| |7559B955D5F0B693F36E45D6A5DBB05A37E6C2D69663E5A55D536E39DE7A589775A| |FA26A497A9E777794A76E294735F6221429D6A45CCF5CA8A935AB55292F7794DDA8| |D86EA9607B0D59DF4B438793F0BD1716FA6A06C506605CF8CA844085105104B34A1| |8DA245C4297412E2152703320F2103238143422709313BE28A13D4E1837095331C2| |743BA1002EBF76F9D9156057E21FAE07E00AEAA683D8744E1C29332A84364588540| |9D4744E3C0457885D4628CB798C2E0887B90B239CE2A63B098FC013D59E28279B8C| |2478627A0431F65C81E4B84E8E735682F1185692BAE1E4128DF0E8326385D07993B| |14A182911EE82AB43BB3AD895E6957E368FB1798CCD936C5E00578A5DFE54379D4D| |5781FAEB2A12D28B84FB90D7AD77EFE6DD33BCED386F3BA9B7E5239FE2CA4FC0D5A| |35D3D6F7DB87BEF3BC67B42FF0742E62361E4132106C3EAD3C3EAE3610D87708187| |35C053CA309E4289415D62F0BB0F43C77E307E329A84A15F849CF023AE816B58FF9| |286A3143A1E6184196D84911061CC2414C135CAB5C428977F0D0B133A34C1A13710| |CAEA8EB2FB5475FA33E1C417C60161E62B77F48DF00A5C16BB7CD66D1F9EE5CC2E6| |38FB00F7F21B3BAD2EC45830E3670F83AC2072E910FFCF5AAF969E385808E40C8A0| |A4BE3FB6663821702282FDFF75BD305BDB85AF46408B288B28D7516EA02CA12CA3A| |CA0ACA294509A2F0FDDF193D8D72994D328675052D09F788699217CB3A228264A0C| |A51D258E9240E940E945798ED2FC0D9F84F545| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
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I personally love /Nin, but it's not for everyone. Ninjitsu can be very effective if used correctly. In other words, if you tend to rely on toggles alone with the "toys" thrown in as value added, you're going to be disappointed.
Set bonus priorities should be ranged first, with the caveat that you take and slot caltrops.
Caltrops is one of the best melee damage mitigators in the game. Take it and use it. Use it early and use it often. STAND ON your caltrops patch. Slot it with damage procs from slow and targetted AoE sets if you want to see minions just suddenly die every now and then before they can flee the caltrops without you having to move a weapon or a fist to help them along.
Blinding powder doesn't break hide or draw aggro, and it can and should be used pre-emptively to mitigate damage from alphas. However, if you know your target won't die in one AS, then jump back before you placate and throw it out there to stack the tohit debuff with the demoralize effect. Then placate and finish the boss off.
Smoke flash isn't for me, but some will swear by it as an ambush mitigator and a panic button. Even I would tell you to try it out before making a decision.
Believe it or not, Soft-capping a Ninjitsu - while expensive -isn't cost-prohibitive. For under two hundred million and with a little patience you can do it without gimping your build. Here's one I whipped up:
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Strykir: Level 50 Magic Stalker
Primary Power Set: Ninja Blade
Secondary Power Set: Ninjitsu
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Gambler's Cut- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (3) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (11) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (13) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Defense Buff IO
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (3) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (40) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense
- (50) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (5) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (40) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense
- (50) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (9) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (11) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (9) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
- (29) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)
- (31) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (13) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Detonation - Accuracy/Damage
- (15) Detonation - Damage/Endurance
- (15) Detonation - Damage/Recharge
- (17) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)
- (25) Detonation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (46) Detonation - Damage/Range
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (17) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (19) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (19) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (21) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (21) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (37) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Empty
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (23) Recharge Reduction IO
- (23) Healing IO
- (25) Healing IO
- (31) Recharge Reduction IO
- (46) Healing IO
- (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (27) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (27) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (29) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (31) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (37) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Defense Buff IO
- (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)
- (39) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance
- (40) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
- (A) Obliteration - Damage
- (33) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
- (33) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
- (33) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (45) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage
- (A) Perplex - Accuracy/Confused/Recharge
- (36) Perplex - Confused/Range
- (36) Perplex - Accuracy/Endurance
- (36) Perplex - Endurance/Confused
- (37) Perplex - Accuracy/Recharge
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (39) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Kinetic Crash - Damage/Knockback
- (42) Kinetic Crash - Accuracy/Knockback
- (42) Kinetic Crash - Recharge/Knockback
- (42) Kinetic Crash - Accuracy/Damage/Knockback
- (43) Kinetic Crash - Damage/Endurance/Knockback
- (A) Defense Buff IO
- (A) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage
- (48) Devastation - Damage/Endurance
- (48) Devastation - Damage/Recharge
- (48) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (50) Devastation - Chance of Hold
- (A) Defense Buff IO
Level 1: Brawl- (A) Empty
- (A) Unbounded Leap - +Stealth
- (A) Empty
Level 4: Ninja Run
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You might notice two missing slots. That's because Mid's doesn't have I19 changes for fitness in there, yet, so I left two out for slotting stamina. (or one for stamina and one for health, YMMV)
I also took Retsu on a softcapped build. It does more than defense. Plus, it can come in quite handy in the face of cascading defense failures or extended AV fights where you need the recovery bonus..
However, if you wanted to skip it you could. You could even (shudder) skip it in favor of smoke flash. ;P
EDIT - Where's my head? I meant to respond as best I could to your request there, Leo, and totally forgot! Sorry - anyway:
The build looks good, but I think you can get better defense numbers while retaining the recharge bonus, I think. What do you think of this:
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Stalker
Primary Power Set: Dual Blades
Secondary Power Set: Ninjitsu
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Power Slice- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (3) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (11) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (13) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (3) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (40) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense
- (50) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (5) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (40) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense
- (50) Red Fortune - Endurance
- (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
- (7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
- (7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
- (9) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
- (11) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (9) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (13) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Detonation - Accuracy/Damage
- (15) Detonation - Damage/Endurance
- (15) Detonation - Damage/Recharge
- (25) Detonation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (46) Detonation - Damage/Range
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (17) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (19) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (19) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (21) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (21) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (37) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (29) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (39) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (39) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (42) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (46) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (23) Recharge Reduction IO
- (23) Healing IO
- (25) Healing IO
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (31) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (40) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (42) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (42) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (43) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Eradication - Damage
- (27) Eradication - Accuracy/Recharge
- (27) Eradication - Damage/Recharge
- (29) Eradication - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (31) Eradication - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (37) Eradication - Chance for Energy Damage
- (A) Accuracy IO
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (31) Recharge Reduction IO
- (46) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Obliteration - Damage
- (33) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
- (33) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
- (33) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (45) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage
- (A) Perplex - Accuracy/Confused/Recharge
- (36) Perplex - Confused/Range
- (36) Perplex - Accuracy/Endurance
- (36) Perplex - Endurance/Confused
- (37) Perplex - Accuracy/Recharge
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (39) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage
- (48) Devastation - Damage/Endurance
- (48) Devastation - Damage/Recharge
- (48) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
Level 1: Brawl- (A) Empty
- (A) Unbounded Leap - +Stealth
- (A) Empty
Level 4: Ninja Run
It might be a bit more costly than what you wanted, due to the three extra luck of the gamblers, but a few villain merits can help take care of that, yes?Code:| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1400;686;1372;HEX;| |78DA9D934953134114C73B9B31C9242162640B41302C6119C9CDE56095E28132413| |0656901921A4993344C0DA94CA0E4E6BE54F9153CB9DCDCAEFA51F40B288BDE5DE2| |5B3AA827AB9C82FFAFE7F5FBBF7EDD932EDC983284B8794678A2E76CCB754BC5866| |5AFC97AA06055D4B2080A21BA74A85490B694E6D4866597CEDA5659BA9DAD9929B9| |221D579A33CA59550D772331ED54655D3A0DB3353066D7D76D332FAD9A722A617A2| |9D6A42C276838ED6C2A575D57B66A6CC55B99655977ABAA963E5F53CB666BA5BCDC| |5456A36A39A582E536647DAB133ACCC2FFED90D04F33205600C3C25B21F8AB84B02| |218AB84FE35C2057479C825441206BD220F210F87029E300C72C21B210C1B84D128| |613C46C8C5090570F9B4CBC72EFFBF5D77C115D04D07B0E99C3850615409071521B| |C4AA0A673E21EB882ECF204C7388F7104C27C0E4D114AD212F7E13DA293239C6530| |666026CA33FEE84B0AC55E315E133ADF0A3C908937F47611D2E3BA509C2BB4311EC| |04C42EF22314FE77A6881B148387C8DB144C89408B7C0D5AE5DEDEC4AB16B885D43| |ECCAB26B825DB3E04AB2CB97D49BD6C870D38C3B90D7A1AB7770F534571FE6EAD9B| |FAA8F72F587E0EAD2AEAE4F5EDC7DF767C63621B54348EF12327B843970F5E853EF| |E9A6E507823841216F2FF797664C301E81A74FAFD4F7CD8BA1A3DF193F184D42FF4| |FC2B8F0212E816B407FB281AFF47D8F7D61EC317609991D4211D207F5271BE47587| |F857F111CA8DE8964778260A2D8FE9AB30C6591F20CBD4876D3EA5ACE3CF18CF192| |F0809B04EEA6A936C4DF9F7AF23FCC123F2FE3FAE9A8F7635EBD711087928A9E7B7| |AD196A13B86BC1FEFF7ADE19AD72A1B9306811E532CA1594AB28F3280B288B284B2| |82594E6FB7D77FC04F67512E514CA699424F4271E6366102F5804C54089A2C450E2| |286D28ED28DD284F509ABF00F5E0F725| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Oh, and yes, there are two slots missing from this build too for stamina. -
I personally would go with Dual Blades. The combos are a subject of derision and scorn among stalkers, but think about this:
By level 12, you'll have access to the sweep and empower combos. Most of the problem with these is that they are tied to build up/AS/Placate(empower) or build up /AS/ablating strike (sweep). By 18 you'll get the attack vitals combo.
So basically at the start of a battle you can decide - based on spawn size and position - whether you want to mitigate damage by knocking down the entire spawn with the sweep combo or you can extend your burst damage with an empower combo followed by an attack vitals combo.
::shrug:: Some people don't like such situational combos, though, and don't like waiting so long to get the remaining ones. YMMV. -
Quote:You left one out: Self Mitigation. And if you're going to be that broad, then every melee archetype outside of Epic AT's and Blasters in general are fairly one dimensional. No, what you're talking about are the roles assigned to secondaries and primaries - and by extension to the archetypes to which those power sets are assigned.Originally Posted by Zem
To me the "dimensions" are the big team roles like damage, control (which includes tanking), buffing/debuffing, recovery (healing, end recovery, ressurection).
It's a fairly obvious thing to point out that - like Scrappers and Brutes - Stalkers have self-mitigation secondaries. They're not intended to buff, debuff, or control anything where it specifically relates to teammates. Some Stalker secondaries have mitigation powers that can affect multiple targets and indirectly help the team, but in the end those powers are there to keep the stalker alive.
I think I'm reading you wrong, but by your statements you seem to feel that stalkers need to deal damage, and controls or buffs/debuffs on top of that self mitigation. The AS debuff/fear notwithstanding, controls and debuffs are not and should not be a stalker's main concern IMHO.
When I talk about dimensions, what I'm referring to is the variety of ways a stalker can fulfill the damage/self mitigation role. You've got ranged attacks in some sets like claws and spines, pseudo-pets in sets like electric melee, stuns in martial arts and EM, +defense powers, unique heavy-hitters, attack/heals and (in DB) combos. Couple that with individual aoe mitigation powers that can be found in over half the secondaries (Counting the sapping +end powers in Elec and EA in addition to Ninjitsu and DA) and Hide and Placate andyou have well more than one way to get the job done. (And I do agree that other secondaries need to be brought more in line with DA and Ninjitsu in terms of AoE mitigation.)
That job is damage (primarily burst damage) and self mitigation. Team mitigation is incidental and should be looked on as a bonus.
So IMO the problem isn't that stalkers are one dimensional, it's that the flexibility they do get in performing their damage-dealing role is marginalized by the fact that their damage is outstripped by another melee archetype that also has better mitigation. You can deal damage in as many ways and as many dimensions as you want, but when that damage is falling behind then you've got a problem. -
Quote:Jib, I have to disagree with your friends here. Stalkers one-dimensional? REALLY?Originally Posted by Jibikao
My friend hates his Stalker. He constantly mocks me because we belong to a group of very old and experienced veterans and none of them like Stalker. Stalker is like a laughing matter among them because they are min/maxer and Stalker is too ONE-DIMENSIONAL, which I happen to agree (sometimes).
I do not think one-dimensional means what your friends think it means. If they mean AS/runlikealittlegirl and rehide then let me submit that (a) they are very old and experienced veterans who dismissed stalkers back before they were buffed and haven't bothered to take another look and (b) I suspect that as a result they're not giving credit where credit is due where your stalker's contribution is concerned.
It happens all the time. Everyone who goes into a fight looks mainly at the task in front of them and gets tunnel vision on doing it well. Most players don't tend to notice anything that other players are doing that doesn't have a semi-distracting graphical effect or doesn't directly affect their character in obvious ways like the health/end bars or movement speed.
The point is that after the last body hits the floor most people tend to feel like they contributed at least equally (and possibly a little more than equally, if we're honest with ourselves) to the success of the battle.
...unless they're told otherwise. That's why Empathy players only get credit for healing aura and clear mind when it's probably the Fortification they cast on the melee player that turned the tide. That's why Kins are seen only in terms of Fulcrum Shift and Speed Boost when it's really Transfusion's Regeneration debuff that helped bring that AV down.
And that's why the team that saw the brute or scrapper wade through a sea of minions sneers at the stalker who took out the boss and his lieutenants before anyone could identify the obvious threat. They saw the other melee types take on the visual majority of the spawn and assumed the boss was in there as well.
As far as being one dimensional, stalkers are arguably the most multi-dimensional melee archetype in the game, outside of epic archetypes. We have the option of leveraging massive bursts of damage to quickly take out hard targets, or we can choose to scrap our way through a spawn. Stalkers with rogueish secondaries like Ninjitsu and Dark can also leverage the non-armor mitigation tools that come with them to keep an entire spawn occupied while the stalker does his or her job. And nearly every stalker primary gets at least one mitigation/utility power (usually at level 18) that can work with the secondary to even greater mitigating effect.
Could stalkers use some attention? Sure, and I may be in the minority when I say I'd prefer that attention make burst damage a more attractive option to simply scrapping it out. (Note that making burst damage more attractive does not have to be tied to just AS, even if I do think AS should be more flexible).
But regardless, Stalkers have options out the wazoo when it comes to combat. I'd sooner call scrappers one dimensional than stalkers, and no one is complaining them falling short. -
I've got one growing, but he's oh so very young - and being neglected in favor of the KM/Dark that I'm also growing, which is in turn being neglected by the old EM/Regen I decided to pick up again.
So yeah. Don't know enough to give any advice. There's a DM/DA build example in the guide in my sig (scroll waaaay down) that I think is soft-capped - It's Desdemona's (used with permission), whom you might recognize as the author of a MUCH better DM guide than mine, and it covers DA to boot.
I figure at least the DA side of his build will help you, even though it is for scrappers. -
Quote:lemme threadjack for a moment. I hate math. I really hate math. But I don't see how reducing the damage cap from 850% 775% was a 75% reduction. My calculator tells me it's a 9.1% reduction. Am I missing something, or is that a typo?Originally Posted by Nalrok_AthZim
-The damage cap was lowered from 850% to 775%, which is a 75% reduction. Thing is, levels like that are usually only achievable in teams, as Fury (at max) only provides a 200% damage increase and even with Build Up/double stacked Rage you aren't yet breaking 500% (in my trials, at least).
The ONLY nerf in that entire setup was the 75% reduction in the damage cap. While it IS harder to get past 75% Fury now, I have seen it when running +2/x8 on my level 44+ Brutes (46 SS/Elec, 50 Fire/Fire, 50 Dark/Dark, 45 Energy/Will).
Okay, threadjack over. -
I couldn't tell you much about pvp, and don't have a dm stalker. My first 50 was a DM/Regen scrap, so I can give moderately good advice there.
Take Siphon Life at 8 and frankenslot. If you click the DM guide in my sig you'll find some REALLY good slotting given by some of the best in the scrapper forum to get the most out of it.
If you're comfortable with lining up cones then you'll like Shadow Maul. Bear in mind, however, that it has no place in the higher dps chains of SM-SL-SM-MG and the lower recharge chain that uses those three along with SP (I can't remember what it is at the moment).
Speaking of recharge. You're going to want a lot of it. And a slow resist IO from the Winter's Gift set.
Help for pvp would best be found in the pvp forums. They're not that scary once you get to know them.
-
No suggested change to Photon Seekers? Reduced recharge? Increased duration? Anything?
-
The OP really wasn't asking for what people thought was the best set.
Tangler, if it's a choice between NB and Claws, then they both put out somewhat comparable single target damage. IMHO due to claws' reliance on quick recharge and quick animating attacks, NB will put out the dps with less strain on your endurance bar, but with fitness going inherent and physical perfection available via ppp's, then it's a bit of a toss up, endurance-wise.
Having said that, go with claws. Shockwave (to answer the second part of your quesiton) is good AoE if you learn to use it (back up a step or two after using Eviscerate and then unleash the shockwave.) Not only that, you get Focus. Love me some Focus. Range, Knockdown AND Damage! My favorite power in the set. -
Quote:His suggestion to make caltrops inherent wasn't what he regarded as the cottage rule violation, if I read it right. The cottage rule would have to be violated to change ninjitsu's version of caltrops to something else.Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison
Incorrect. The cottage rule states that you cannot change the basic functionality of the power. It's a different rule entirely that you can't duplicate powers. Caltrops could be added, and then the version that Ninjitsu stalkers has could be altered, so long as it was still a patch slow and scatter effect. This would be much like the Energize change that happened to Electric Armor when heroes were given the set. That was a nice try, though, to get the cottage rule to work with your silly suggestion that doesn't fix a problem that doesn't exist.
Great. Now I have an inexplicable craving for curdled cheese.
WRT caltrops in the inherent, I don't hate it. It's a bit out of the box, and it might anger the "stalkers should be scrappers with stealth" crowd, but it does solve many of the problems that stalkers have, even if it doesn't do it in a way I would prefer.
And it paves the way for Castle to give caltrops for Ninjitsu what I like to call "the Shuriken treatment:"
....drumroll.....
Exploding Caltrops
-
Quote:This. This right here is what I've been harping on in two other threads. Solve this, and the majority of the complaints with AS would disappear.Originally Posted by UberGuy
Finally, there is another problem with the interruptibility of AS not previously mentioned here. That's the problem of having to not move to use an interruptable attack, and how the game seems to determine whether you're (still) moving. Standing still long enough to AS foes is fine when it's your opening move, since you have time to position, wait, and then fire. It's often not fine in , well, a running battle.
I have a typically very good network connection to the game servers I play on. Despite this, whenever I have been moving, I often have to wait around one second after I've stopped moving (from my perspective) for the game to consider my character to be stationary. If I don't wait, the game interrupts my AS, as though I'm still moving. This phenomena seems to get worse the higher your network latency, though I have no hard data to back that assertion - it's a qualitative observation. If my foes are mobile, this situation makes using AS on them less attractive. I still do it, but it's definitely more problematic, and it worsens my AS's effective DPA from the ideal.
I haven't had much time to keep up on the boards lately, and so haven't been following the whole AS DPS discussion as closely as I normally would, but I don't really think it's fair to tout the high DPA in the context of using it in an attack chain without mentioning its miserable DPE. Broadsword's Assassin's Slash is around 9.7 outside of hide, which is slightly worse than Hack's (which I think is somewhere just above 10). And if you're using it in a regular attack chain then you're going to be using it outside of hide most of the time.Quote:Originally Posted by SiolfirA 3 second AS has a DPA outside of hide of .789 DS/sec.
Some single-target primary set Stalker powers that have a lower DPA (BS not included because I'm lazy and haven't added it yet):
Swipe (0.720)
Power Slice (0.732)
Nimble Slash (0.707)
Vengeful Slice (0.621)
Havoc Punch (0.769)
Focused Burst (0.731)
Divine Avalanche (0.53)
Impale (0.773)
Lunge (0.714)
Barbed Swipe (0.356 -> truly a garbage power here)
It actually is the worst DPA single-target attack in 2 sets - Energy Melee and Martial Arts; note that in Kinetic Melee the AS is shorter than the standard 3 seconds and so ends up better off than Quick Strike as well as Focused Burst.
My Elec/Nin Stalker uses Assassin's Shock as an attack chain filler against single targets, whether Placate is recharged or not, simply because it's better than Mu Bolts (which I had), Havoc Punch (which I skipped), or Thunder Strike (which is horrible when used as a single-target attack). And while she's softcapped, she wasn't for most of her leveling career, and it still worked out fairly well.
I'm not saying don't use it in an attack chain - I use mine as often as makes sense in my attack chains - but when you're talking about DPS the only thing that really matters is the maximum sustainable DPS, and that is limited by endurance. Some builds might - if they take physical perfection, stamina (which will be inherent anyway) and build some IO bonuses in - be able to use AS in a sustainable chain, but the majority of builds in reality wouldn't for very long. -
Quote:Where's the KABOOM? There's supposed to be an earth-shattering KABOOM!Originally Posted by BrandX
I'm not 1-shotting a level 40 Fake Nemesis without Build Up, with my Assassin Strike!
-
Quote:Saying it is just one power is understating just a bit. It's one power that every powerset is forced to take. Even so, however, it in and of itself does not define us as an archetype.Originally Posted by Zem
I like it where it is. We don't need to get back to Hide because we're not ALL about Hide. Attacking from hidden is one thing. It shouldn't be the only thing.
The ability to crit from hidden status, however, is half our inherent. Take that away and we'd be weak scrappers with a placate and a very bleh melee snipe that everyone would likely skip.
I have no opinion as of now on lowering the hide timer. I'm leaning heavily towards it not being necessary, but if I had to choose between improving the archetype via more opportunities to exploit hidden status or improving the archetype by improving random criticals, I would choose the former every day and twice on Sunday. The ability to control when and when we get criticals is the only thing we get that's unique to us.
Fortunately, simply improving the crit damage across the board will satisfy both options. I'd still prefer that to a straight up damage buff or a survivability buff because I don't think we need any more encouragement to scrap. Scrapping for stalkers should be a means towards increased damage through criticals. It shouldn't be the bread and butter of the powerset the way it is for scrappers and brutes. -
Quote:If you're already softcapped, so does smoke flash. The only reason you would need smoke flash if you're softcapped is in the face of defense debuffs, and blinding powder's to-hit debuff will be useful there.Originally Posted by HacknSlash
Blinding powder's to-hit debuff means squat if you're already softcapped.
Given that it doesn't aggro, it has usefulness as a preemptive mitigator, so there are situations where the boss and lts won't pound on you. Smoke Flash has no such luxury.Quote:The sleep and the confuse (which only kicks in 1/2 the time) only affect minions, leaving lts and bosses to pound on you.
It doesn't need to if you're already hidden, because it doesn't break hide. Smoke flash on the other hand does.Quote:It *also* doesn't return you to hidden status.
Talk to Leo about base accuracy.Quote:It's only got base accuracy.
Blinding Powder, however, doesn't break hide and can be cast from range pre-emptively, so I have time to pop a yellow or two, and if I can sleep those high-perception minions, I can still AS the boss. Smoke Flash is only a hit the fan power, and having to stop and pop a yellow would mean I have to predict fan blade impact all that much sooner.Quote:In which case blinding powder's definitely not going to hit.
But that's neither here nor there.
You were complaining of low accuracy (it's not) and the inability to placate single targets (whatever that's supposed to mean).
I'm not saying I like smoke flash better than blinding powder - just that your specific complaints seemed unwarranted.
But yeah. I'm getting sidetracked. I do that. My point in comparing the two powers was not to say one is better than the other, which would be a rather obvious thing to point out.
I was pointing out that Blinding Powder, which gets the same recharge and is also a utility power in the same set gets a debuff, the chance for two status effects, and doesn't break hide.
What does Smoke Flash get? An accuracy check for a long-ish animating panic button with zero other tactical value. I could just as easily have compared it to caltrops, I suppose. My point is that in comparison to the rest of the set - and with other panic button powers - Smoke Bomb is lackluster at best.
I'm not saying it's worthless. If there's room in your build, it might save your life some time.
I'm just not seeing room in my build for "might." I'd just as soon pick up a phase temporary power as my panic button and save the power pick. -
Quote:Bah. I make that stupid mistake all the time. I blame my mind controller, because the sleep animation for blinding powder matches the hold animations in mind control.Originally Posted by Leo_G
/nitpick
Blinding powder doesn't have a chance of hold, as far as I know. In Mids, Paragonwiki, City of Data or in-game at character creation (I don't have any high level ninjutsu stalkers), it shows the -ToHit, the mag 2 sleep, the -perception and the chance for confuse but none say chance of hold.
Yes, you are nitpicking.Quote:Technically, natural accuracy of attacks (and Blinding Powder) is .75, natural accuracy of controls is .90 and natural accuracy of AoE controls is .60. So Smoke Flash's accuracy is a bit more than an extra .4.
I wasn't talking about base accuracy, especially given that no power in the game that requires an accuracy check (off the top of my head) is given the base accuracy. More specifically, the .4 to which I was referring was the difference between Blinding Powder's 1 and Smoke Flash's 1.4. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Test_Rat
My stalkers are AOE based, and I still got a ton of milage out of it before I respec'd into thier current builds. It basically shuts down retaliation against you and gives you a few seconds to focus on a nasty target when things go sour.
Its absolutely fantastic for ambushes.
You guys rail against me for thinking Single target stalkers are pathetic and this power IS BUILT FOR THEM.
You get ambushed by 6 mobs, smoke flash lets you stop them cold for a few seconds giving your single target stalker time to kill off a few. That is fantastic for survival.
I agree its the power to skip in Ninjitsu, but it is still an awesome power.
What made you respec out of it? -
Quote:For what it does, its accuracy ought to be practically autohit. It doesn't return you to hide, its nearly 2 second animation may mean you die even though your foes are de-aggroed to you, and it has the same 120 second recharge as Blinding Powder.Originally Posted by HacknSlash
Er... I know you said it's a topic for a different thread, but... Smoke Flash has 1.4x normal accuracy, 20' radius and 10 target limit. I'm not understanding your complaints.
For comparison:
Blinding Powder - doesn't aggro, carries a sleep, a chance to confuse, a 7.5% tohit debuff, and a chance to hold. It has almost half the cast time and 120 second recharge.
FOR THE SAME RECHARGE, Smoke flash offers: a 1.4 accuracy AoE that de-aggros you that activates in almost twice the time. That's it. It doesn't return you to hidden status and enable you to crit, it breaks hide which makes it useless as a pre-emptive strike on high perception targets.
Speaking of high perception targets, most of them - like Rikti Drones - have enough defense to render that extra .4 accuracy that smoke bomb does get irrelevant.
Quote:Originally Posted by Test_Rat
Yeah,it was buffer at the same time as blinding powder.
It is going to be great on my ninja with just a recharge IO 50!
Except Smoke Bomb actually doesn't carry any kind of tohit debuff whatsoever. All it does is placate up to ten targets without returning you to hide, all the while breaking whatever hide effect you have on you.
Since Blinding Powder doesn't aggro to begin with, I'm unsure how you're stacking it in ANY useful way with Blinding Powder.
If Smoke Bomb had a very short activation and recharge, I'd have more room for it in a build. If it returned you to hide, I'd have MUCH more room for it in my build. If it didn't break hide when you used it I'd have more room for it.
Quite frankly I'd be better off just grabbing a phase temp power. -
Quote:They're not dead, they're just arrested! Yeah. That's the ticket. Teleported off to jail. In pieces.Originally Posted by Jibikao
It seems like in this game, after the target is dead, everything is "gone". Warshade does have a power to summon pet from a dead body but I want it to be different. I want the Ghost to appear on its own and only stay where it is but you can create more Ghosts easily.
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Cool! If I get time I may put some real thought into it and present it as a bona-fide suggestion for a new primary.
EDIT - @ Leo: Spectral Melee? -
Good to hear you're sticking with it - but may I humbly suggest you try ranged instead of melee defense? You have the hit points, attacks and mitigation to survive in melee right now. Two things will bring a human/dwarf PB down quickly: Mez (on the human) and Psionic damage. Both are almost exclusively ranged attacks. Many sleeps are AOE, and many stuns are melee, but overall I have a feeling your survivability will go way up if you slot for ranged defense.
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Quote:I like your thinking on Ice Slick/Permafrost/Hoarfrost. So here's a theoretical look at the power tiers:Originally Posted by Leo_G
Actually, Icicles would probably be exchanged for Hide. I'm not so sure what Ice Armor could lose now that PBAoE toggles suppress with Hide so we'll most likely keep Chilling Embrace and it's slow/-dmg.
Perhaps roll Hoarfrost and Permafrost into a passive with +Max HP and Resistance like WP has then make up for the loss of the heal with the more often up Ice Slick.
As a heal, the 'Dull Pain clones' aren't that great anyway as they aren't up very often and much of the +HP is wasted on our cap. So losing the heal shouldn't be too big a loss. Opinions?
I dunno. That sounds more like something that'd go in a control set, not an armor set. Not really sure how to approach adding a new power because you don't want to improve the set's mitigation over the other ATs and this would probably push the set beyond the tanker's...not in raw survivability, mind you (Tankers will always beat out Stalkers there) but relatively.
Personally, I was thinking an Ice Statue clone power that'd freeze you in a block of Ice, like Hibernate but you kinda jump out the back of it, leaving a pet that taunts the foes, giving you your chance to escape. While frozen (and a duration after you break from it), you get a regen and recovery buff. So it'd be like Hibernate, but with less duration and a misdirection tool built in.
1 Hide
2 Frozen Armor
4 Permahoar
10 Chilling Embrace
16 Wet Ice
20 Glacial Armor
28 Ice Slick
35 Energy Absorption
38 ???
That's right. I said Permahoar. I hate coming up with names, had ya noticed? So what do we do about the tier 9? The arctic fog idea was meant to substitute a short burst of confusion for the high defense/resistance of the other tier nines, but since confusion affects the whole team I think you're right to say it's too "controllery."
I like your frozen statue idea. Exploring that a bit, now: The easier animation would be to drop something the way DE drop Quartz. The notion of a pet-bassed aggro magnet is problematic if we keep Chilling Embrace, however. Granted, CE won't have a taunt component, but given the way mobs in this game seem to overreact to debuffs I'm betting it would still draw aggro.
The other problem I have with it is that it's little more than a flashy smoke flash. The other Tier 9's in the stalker sets are "god modes" that allow you to continue the combat with impunity. Well, except for /DA. Okay. I can live with something different.
BUT - what if they combined smoke flash with the frozen statue? In other words, you throw down the crystal with a flash of mist. This spawns a stationary non-combat pet with a chilling embrace taunt aura. Yours is suppressed for the duration of the power. In addition, all foes de-aggro from you in favor of the pet. This gives you the chance to get away or - if you're not really hurting too badly - play the scrapper to your pet's tanker. The pet's chilling embrace will not prevent you from going back into hide. If attacked, your foes may well aggro to you until the taunt ticks again.
Other options include a longer timer with the ability for your foes to damage the pet. It could also be healed by a supporting teammate. Another - rather far-fetched - option might be to give the pet the icicles power instead of chilling embrace. A tier 9 defensive that damages? No stranger than shield charge.
Just thinkin' out loud. By typing.