I've given this alot of thought...not that I perticularly think Shield is all that fitting for a stalker (but then I dont think Stone Armor/Stone Melee is fitting for a stalker or scrapper either)...
...that said...
What would Shield give? It would lack a heal. It would lose it's +DMG taunt aura for Hide.
Sooo...it would gain what? 2% extra defense over Scrappers/Brutes sinse that's what Hide gives when suppressed?
It would seem to have alot of the same resists as WP. WP would have less defense, but a self heal.
Shield however, would have the shield charge. And that seems the only reason to take it/want it.
Now I'm not saying someone couldn't come up with a concept for it (when I say this...I mean a real concept...not..."Hey I have a shield and AS youse!"...you get what I'm saying 
).
So, I'm not going to be against it anymore (I'll continue to stay against Trick Arrow for Trollers though >.>
.
But, if the only reason people want it, is for Shield Charge (game play mechanics) rather than concept, I'd rather it stay away.
But then...I hate seeing "I OWNZ YOU" and "Underwear Man" type toons.
And this comes from someone who can see how Electric Armor, and Energy Melee can work for Stalkers.
Even that said, I'd rather see Ice Armor for Stalkers before Shields.
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
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But, if the only reason people want it, is for Shield Charge (game play mechanics) rather than concept, I'd rather it stay away.
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I'd like to have it simply because there's no valid (concept) reason not to. Unfortunately a dev or two disagree, and they have the only opinions that really matter.
I wouldn't be in a hurry to roll a /SD Stalker if they got it, but I still think it should be an option.
I'd rather have fire melee than shields. The balancing that would allow shields would probably make it a loss less desirable than on other AT's, but and AoE focused fire melee set would be nice. Giving stalkers another AoE focused damage type to choose from.
Thematically it wouldn't be too wrong. The attacks only light when used, like elec and EM. Also what isn't stealthy about running around in the shadows with napalm strapped to your back. Guerilla Pyrotechnics.
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Not all spine attacks have the dot though do they?
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True - Assassin's Impaler, Build Up, and Placate don't have the DoT. Just all of the other powers in the set.
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This is actually a more complicated question than it may first appear. While Assassin's Impaler, Build Up, and Placate are the only powers in the set that do not have additional toxic DoT in PvE, NONE of the Stalker Spines powers have any toxic DoT components in PvP. It's all lethal and no DoT. I have a lvl 50 Spines/Nin stalker and she's my main. I have some experience with this.
for RP reasons
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I see stalker shields being like how solid snake hides in that freaking cardboard box and no one knows he is there. It would definately look stupid.
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Fixed that for you.
However, it wouldn't be as stupid as Electric Armor.
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Not all spine attacks have the dot though do they?
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True - Assassin's Impaler, Build Up, and Placate don't have the DoT. Just all of the other powers in the set.
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This is actually a more complicated question than it may first appear. While Assassin's Impaler, Build Up, and Placate are the only powers in the set that do not have additional toxic DoT in PvE, NONE of the Stalker Spines powers have any toxic DoT components in PvP. It's all lethal and no DoT. I have a lvl 50 Spines/Nin stalker and she's my main. I have some experience with this.
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Wait, why is the DoT disabled in PvP?
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
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Not all spine attacks have the dot though do they?
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True - Assassin's Impaler, Build Up, and Placate don't have the DoT. Just all of the other powers in the set.
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This is actually a more complicated question than it may first appear. While Assassin's Impaler, Build Up, and Placate are the only powers in the set that do not have additional toxic DoT in PvE, NONE of the Stalker Spines powers have any toxic DoT components in PvP. It's all lethal and no DoT. I have a lvl 50 Spines/Nin stalker and she's my main. I have some experience with this.
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Wait, why is the DoT disabled in PvP?
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placate interference.
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I see stalker shields being like how solid snake hides in that freaking cardboard box and no one knows he is there. It would definately look stupid.
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Fixed that for you.
However, it wouldn't be as stupid as Electric Armor.
[/ QUOTE ] Why is Electric Armor stupid? I'm pretty new to stalkers so I have no idea what yall are talking about when you say that.
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I see stalker shields being like how solid snake hides in that freaking cardboard box and no one knows he is there. It would definately look stupid.
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Fixed that for you.
However, it wouldn't be as stupid as Electric Armor.
[/ QUOTE ] Why is Electric Armor stupid? I'm pretty new to stalkers so I have no idea what yall are talking about when you say that.
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Aside from not being a very good set in terms of performance - res isn't great on stalkers, no heal, no real tricks (cause powersink alone can't sap well enough).
It also makes very little sense for a lightbulb to hide in the shadows considering lights eliminate shadows.
Conceptually a shield generating some sort of cloaking field (tech), or bending light (tech, or magic), or just magically covering the stalker, or even a wall of camoflague to hide behind works waaaaay better than electric armor for the Stalker AT.
Basically, shields were cast off by the devs as "not making conceptual sense", yet electric armor laughs in the face of that theory.
My point precisely.
QR
I'm fine with Stalkers not having shields.
and when the other AT's cry about wanting Ninjitsu we can be all like "Well you got shields and we didn't so there's no reason for you to get Nin"
Although I don't think there are any intentions of having Nin Proliferated anywhere.
I hope Nin never gets Proliferated to another AT. It's the only secondary built with stalkers in mind.
Unlike another secondary...
Although it would be pretty epic on scrappers.
I don't want Nin ever ported either.
So I point at shields and say to the other At's well you have those and we don't so we see no reason to give you what we have.
I doubt they'll keep Ninjitsu unique to Stalkers. Sort of surprised Castle didn't give it to scrappers already...and put in a Quick Recovery instead of Hide just to troll stalkers who ask why QR isn't in Regen or Willpower.
Maybe Castle'll give Stalkers Dual Pistols with a modified short range, though, but not the other melees. BOOM HEADSHOT STRIKE! PWNT! LOLOLOLOL
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I was gone at the time, and I recall an announcement saying shields would be on all 4 melee ATs but lo and behold, no.
I was asking, as looking over the powerset, it looks like it'd be fairly stalker friendly, being a defense based set with some extra utility.
I realize it'd have the issue that it would only work with Elec Melee, Energy Melee, and Dark Melee, so maybe that's why?
Please don't tell me they claimed it was thematic, because heck, a shield with a built in cloaking device makes a lot more sense than hiding by REGENERATING or with ELECTRICITY.
I will now leave you with this image that prompted me to ask this question.
Assassin Shield Strike!
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You know nothing of superheroes if you think Cap is a stalker.
NITES, FTW
50s: BS/Inv Eng/Eng Blaster Grav/Rad Fire/Stone Brute AR/Kin Emp/Arch Mind/Sonic Dark/Dark Stalker Fire/Kin Thugs/Poison EM/Inv Dark/Thermal
In works: WP/SS Tank Demon/Dark Claws/Elec Brute Elec/Psi Dominator
QR
Because you can't hide behind a shield....
duh.
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You know nothing of superheroes if you think Cap is a stalker.
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Yes, because they put the powerset in the game ONLY because of a hero that will remain unnamed because of Copyright infigment. As far as I see it, and I don't even LIKE to play stalkers, they could easily have shield. Hell, if Cap is the ONLY reason why they can't have it as this person said, then ONLY scrappers should have shield and only with MA, but that isn't the case. The reason I can see stalkers not having it for real though is because of the fact that 4 of the primaries can't use it. Besides that, a shield makes sense.
After looking at ALL of the powers shield has, the theme doesn't fit to me. Not with the look but with the way some of the powers work. AaO, grant cover, and PF. AaO is obvious but GC and PF are team based powers and require you to fight close for them to work the way they are supposed to. Those powers are largely skipped or taken late by others as is. Stalkers work in the shadows not on the front lines shield to shield with everybody else. Not to mention only being able to use it with 3 sets. But shield charge from hide sounds fun. That would be the only fun part about the set as it is if on a stalker.
"All problems can be solved by throwing enough scrappers at it."
@Riez on Virtue, Protector, Champion, and Exalted server.
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Because you can't hide behind a shield....
duh.
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You can't hide behind regenerating flesh or sparkling bolts of electricity either but that didn't stop them from porting those sets. Fact is, the secondary doesn't HAVE to explain how the stalker hides. Hide had to go somewhere and they decided to put it into the secondary rather than (as they probably should have) making it an inherent power like Domination.
Super Reflexes doesn't exactly describe how one hides either. Movement is almost the opposite of stealth as the human eye perceives motion better than it picks out stationary objects. You could say the SR stalker is better at ducking for cover when no one is looking, but that's kind of thin too.
Shields, in fact, make MORE sense than any of those three if you allow that the shield is a magical or technological cloaking device. The gem, energy, and negative energy shield customs look pretty good there.
As far as that goes, stick the dark shield on a dm/dark scrapper and tell me that doesn't look stealthy (if you can tell what it looks like at all through dark armor )
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AaO is obvious but GC and PF are team based powers and require you to fight close for them to work the way they are supposed to.
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You mean like the stalker INHERENT scaling critical ability?
Stalkers ARE team players and the last round of stalker buffs should have made that obvious. I'm not saying that some powers wouldn't need to be modified but that is always the case when you port a secondary to stalkers. Hide is going to replace something. Taunt auras are going to go away (e.g. Reconstruction for RttC in Willpower). etc.
Stalkers may not be "on the front lines" in most cases (although that is pretty much how I play my nin/nin) but they are not off in some far corner either. They are flankers, opportunists, and finesse fighters in battle. They aren't off on their own when the team is fighting.
Not the good ones anyway.
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because of the fact that 4 of the primaries can't use it.
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THEN GIVE US OUR ICE (and fire) MELEE DANG IT!!
Axe would be interesting too =P
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You mean like the stalker INHERENT scaling critical ability?
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Hmm, a replacement for Against All Odds could be Changing the Odds, a toggle that improves crit chance that scale with team size...not sure what else it do...perhaps improves defense to m/r/a too.
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Because you can't hide behind a shield....
duh.
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You can't hide behind regenerating flesh or sparkling bolts of electricity either but that didn't stop them from porting those sets. Fact is, the secondary doesn't HAVE to explain how the stalker hides. Hide had to go somewhere and they decided to put it into the secondary rather than (as they probably should have) making it an inherent power like Domination.
Super Reflexes doesn't exactly describe how one hides either. Movement is almost the opposite of stealth as the human eye perceives motion better than it picks out stationary objects. You could say the SR stalker is better at ducking for cover when no one is looking, but that's kind of thin too.
Shields, in fact, make MORE sense than any of those three if you allow that the shield is a magical or technological cloaking device. The gem, energy, and negative energy shield customs look pretty good there.
As far as that goes, stick the dark shield on a dm/dark scrapper and tell me that doesn't look stealthy (if you can tell what it looks like at all through dark armor )
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*...sighs*
Really?
Really?
Come on now.
Sarchasm? Others have posted pretty much the same thing and been entirely serious about it.
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Fire's secondary effect is DoT. It's important to the set.
@Mechaniker
Official Old Angry German Guy of CoV.
My Characters: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=247787