A Scrapper's opinion on the Stalker Archetype?
By
Aliana Blue,
Posted on: 2009-07-27 14:02 in Scrappers
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Hero and Villain ATs are kind of hard to compare. The Hero ATs mostly follow the standard class system used by most MMOs (tank, melee damage, ranged damage, healer/buffer). Controller is really the only AT I can think of that isn't really used in a lot of other MMOs I have played (I havent played many though, so I could be wrong). Villain ATs seem to be more broad, because they are made by mixing and matching the hero ATs, so you can play them as many things.
For example: A Stalker, as mentioned earlier, is kind of like a Blaster with melee attacks and defense. Because of this, you could play it like a Blaster, where you do large amounts of burst damage and try to stay out of danger as much as possible, or you could play like a Scrapper where you are fighting all the time, shooting more for DPS with an occasional placate+AS or some other crit attack.
Scrappers are generally compared to Brutes because Brutes have near the same average damage as Scrappers (they start out lower but end up higher) and have similar amounts of survivability (with the Brute leading a bit because it has more health). It is true that depending on the build, a Brute could be geared much more toward a Tanker style, but, because of Fury and their lower level of survivability, most lean toward the Scrapper playstyle (if they can't do both).
The controller's role is frequently used in other MMOs, it's just that you don't often see it as it's own class. In WoW, for example, CC is frequently a job for DPS, with healers occasionally called on to handle it.
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going to agree with Kali...controllers take place just about in every MMO I have ever played. Ultima Online had bards that could confuse monsters to attack one another for example. WoW as stated has mages with polymorph, hunters with trapes, etc.. Even SWG had classes such as bounty hunters, rangers, and smugglers that had shots or abilities that caused people to be slowed, stunned, or dazed.
Quote:
This. I have an Elec/Nin/Elec Stalker. Qualifier: I've taken every power in the primary, and skipped Caltrops, Smoke Flash and Blinding Powder (to get Stamina, in case it needs to be said).|
Originally Posted by Talen_Lee
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My em/nin stalker ASes once a mission. Then the rest of the time he's charging from target to target, killing things. The 'cute trick' problem that plagues most people's estimation of the stalker seems to be a non-factor for my style of play. In the lower levels, you can - and probably should - play sissy stalker games. But after about 25 or 30, my stalkers just wind up playing like st-specialised scrappers with more utility in a team. YMMV. |
It's not that AS isn't being used enough (I use it on average once every two spawns), it's that with this build, opening with a crit Thunder Strike out of hide and knocking down a group is sometimes the preferred option (and then following up with Chain Induction, Lightning Rod and/or Ball Lightning, depending). After that, he's very, very able to scrap it out, charging from target to target or clump to clump. They *are* AoE beasts and can scrap like crazy *if* built for it.
That's not to say the differences aren't noticable. He is slightly more delicate than my Scrapper, and not quite as straightforwardly strong. But, AS will break up an alpha strike, I can start out positioned right where I want to be in a fight, and I can selectively eliminate the specific mob that's going to be the biggest threat or annoyance. This is a big difference in how they play; ironically perhaps, it's the Scrappers that feel more like just flipping out and killing people.
Also, given that Elec plays very differently from the other Stalker sets, I can't really speak for the AT as a whole. The "missing" powers compared to their Scrapper counterparts make the sets *much* more distinct, which may be part of it (for folks that tried one or two before writing the AT off). Also, coming to them with expectations from either Scrappers or Blasters will likely put one off, as they don't play similarly to either.
I'd say give some serious thought to trying them again, and when you do give some serious thought to what you're really hoping your Stalker does when you play it. Choose your powersets based on that: for example, I chose Nin specifically because I wanted a Defense set with several skippable powers, and I liked the thought of having a click-heal. I knew this from originally trying an MA/Regen Stalker, who was able to get into the teens using only Reconstruction but for whom ASing mid-fight was much more difficult.
I have no hard feelings if someone doesn't personally enjoy the AT, but in my experience they are a very good AT.
Stalkers?
Hmm, I'd say that they fit me more than a Brute does, I love Brutes don't get me wrong but it just seems that I really have to wait for me to really kick out the damage. Stalkers on the other hand give me the burst damage I'm used to as a Scrapper but with less protection but I do love being a sneaky little so and so. Playing a Stalker like a Scrapper is a lot more fun to me and I love the AT, I have a Brute and a Stalker version of my DM/WP Scrapper and the Stalker gets my vote because I can be tactical.
Got a Elec/Nin Stalker that I love the concept of and seems to do a hell of a lot more than my SR even at the low level he is at. Still I scream "GIMME MAH SCRAPPA BAK!" eventually...
I love Stalkers. A Stalker was my first villain to hit 50 and probably my last. They are different enough from Scrappers that they take on a new playstyle, yet they use most of the same sets. So it's fun to play Scrapper sets in a new light.