No you couldn't have teamed with him, but not because of the fact he was a stalker, more because of his level. I think dominator/stalker teams are great, if the stalker uses placate right he could placate a mob still coming at you and strike the mob that was allready bothering you, the mezzer should allready be dead. The crit on held foes happens more then you think and the alpha shouldn't be a problem in a duo.
Its not damage output im worried about, its my chance of survival when a duo spawn is mainly ragging on the dominator - one of thsquishiest AT around.
Has anyone got a practical experience of being a dominator in a dominator/stalker duo? (or of a corruptor in a corruptor/dominator duo?).
I confess it makes me very nervous.
Yes I was talking about it from a dominator perspective since you asked in your post. Stalkers get a bit left behind in big teams, but not at all in a duo. They make up perfectly for a dominators lack of damage when domination is down. And they take at least half of the attention of a spawn. Try teaming with a stalker your level and you will see it's not a problem.
Very helpful,
THanks, doll 
(I had to say that).
How would one play such a duo? and manage aggro so the dominator isnt put at undue risk?
I imagine placate must be used with great caution?
I think assassin strike is the best opener, followed by one of your AoE's. And placate can be used on any enemy allready targetting the dominator, then the stalker has a choice on what else should be dead, like the unheld foe you missed.
My usual duoing partner and I had a Ice/Ice Dom (Me) and Nin/Nin Stalker (Him) combo a while back. It can work very well together with Critical Hits, Ice Patch, AoE Immobs etc...
Placate was never much of an issue seeing as he would only use it when Ice Slick was down. Guess the thing is that the two of us know how each other play and we do talk tactics with each other.
Random PuG how ever could be a very diffrent issue.
Stalkers are good damagedealers in a team. People just seem to have prejudices about stalkers rehiding for AS.
ps. the placated mob should be dead in next 2 seconds so it's aggro should matter little.
Dom/stalker is great if you act properly. It doesn't work if the stalker is over zealous to only AS.
Stalker must AS 1st (attack 1st) and stay in battle as a tank or pull when 2 mobs are too close, until AoE from dominator, then placate (as was said) a foe targeting dominator and use that placate to try AS the most higher foe remaining (targeting also dominator). If the dominator attacks 1st he/she takes all the aggro and thats not good having a poor defense -> debt. A stalker can manage taking 1st round of aggro to let the dominator do his show after.
Also never wait for re-hide, he must keep scrapping until he can use placate again, unless of course if dominator has mob under control and not in danger.
I learned that playing with Wytch' gravity dominator. After she faceplant a couple of times 
I changed the tactics. Sorry Wytch I'm learning while playing, you know I care.
I don't know, that tactic worked for us later, even when doing mishs with +4 foes for her and +2 for me.
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Stalkers are good damagedealers in a team. People just seem to have prejudices about stalkers rehiding for AS.
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If the stalker has hasten and placate each slotted with 3 recharge, then "waiting for re-hide" will happen less often.
Also depends on the person playing the stalker. Due my scrapp nature I don't like waiting for re-hide. I just go out there fear 2-3 foes, fight (helps me and the team also) and meanwhile placate and AS are recharged and I can bag them.
I think those prejudices come from people playing in unbalanced or not good teams, where stalker due his nature always escapes a team wipe. Been there, done that.
It depends on the stalker when rehiding is a good idea. I know that in the early game it is very much so, since AS is so strong in comparison. Later on its not as necessary except when fighting elite bosses and the like.
Thats why having that AoE sleep is dammned handy for openings when you typically have a single target buddy 
Or pull onto an ice patch from the safety of a corner, have the stalker move in to deal with left over aggro then join in as situation requires.
Basically requires the stalker to slug it out and the dom to be selective on their AoE/cone moves.
Stalker + domi is very good duo when it's played out well.
All those extra crits you can pull off! Important though is to both have a good understanding how to prioritise targets -who to target when and with what powers.
I've been in a good few domi+stalker duo's with me playing domi's. Good timing, understanding and coordination (which with some ppl is hard and with others it comes almost naturally) makes a domi+stalker (or even small teams with a domi+stalker on a roll) highly effective.
P.S.
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...And placate can be used on any enemy allready targetting the dominator, then the stalker has a choice on what else should be dead, like the unheld foe you missed.
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IIRC powerdoll, placate works only for the stalker. Hence placating a nasty boss going for the domi still goes for the domi. So no (smart) choice for the stalker really to waste a nice placate on that boss and go for another baddie first while giving away a freebie to the boss to 2/3 shot the domi's squishie throat. But i might be wrong...
Edit: ROTFL!, since when is A-S-S (subsituted above by "throat" now) censored?
I was just illustrating that placating a foe allready targetting the Dom isn't gonna hurt the Dom 'more'. Got a lvl 50 stalker you know
I know you have a lvl 50 stalker and that you love it and this is not at all meant as a personal attack, but the way you lay out this use of placating actually more affects the stalkers team (mates * points at domi*) overall then it does you the stalker.
True, it isn't gonna hurt the domi 'more' directly indeed just as much using the backflip emote in the middle of a fight does.
Compare it too using AS from hide on a minion with only 5% health. This doesn't hurt the domi 'more' indeed, but is it a smart thing to do?
What it does though is making you (and the team/duo in total) less effective by wasting time/rhythm and focus to target the mob for the placate, wasting your end as well as an otherwise useful placate which could actually have it's benefits instead of being no use because the placated mob will keep on the domi anyway while you go bash another mob.
The only benefit it has is that the placated mob won't go after you directly. Though still after the domi... 
(which can be desirable on those very special occasions if you want to use a placate to specifically quickly divert the agro from you to the domi)
I don't have a lvl 50 stalker and it doesn't really matter as i've been teaming with a lot of m and i got a good feel for how and when they are played effectively. And using a placate like you describe doesn't make the book
I have to apologize, you're totally right. While reading back I know I was trying to say something helpfull, but I explained it all wrong I guess. And am totally lost on what I was trying to point out. So sorry
AS is a good and although it is the main attack it becomes non essential. When I got to 33 on my stalker I found I was running into mobs unstealthed and using placate to AS when needed. I later deleted him though, didn't like his concept.
I have had some domi/stalker duos and I have to say that in some of those duos it's just really unfun especially if the other person doesn't get his targetting priorities in order or if the stalker is one of those hit&run types who kill one mob and then run off to return just when you have killed the last remaining mob.
Other times it's a very efficient way of teaming since a decent dominator should have enough control for a duo and tricky mobs can be defeated quickly through AS. I find those duos most fun when playing my dark/dark stalker. When paired with an able dominator almost all enemies are just helpless cannon fodder and the only damage taken by either team member is the one occasionally done to me by Oppressive Gloom.
But somehow I doubt that the stalker given in the OP's example would have been material for such an efficient team. 
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
The trick is not to placate when the dominator is in the red
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
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The trick is not to placate when the dominator is in the red
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Dont need to placate much cause you get criticals on held opponents..
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The trick is not to placate when the dominator is in the red
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The trick is not to placate when the dominator is in the red
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Dont need to placate much cause you get criticals on held opponents..
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Well it's only a small chance for a critical, so I would still use Placate, especially when I use a big-hitting attack. But there are methods to placate without endangering your duo partner much.
With my dark/dark it's like: Touch of Fear -> Placate -> Attack
For other sets you could replace ToF with a stun or knockdown or only placate mobs that are under dominator control. Just make it so that Placate is a purely offensive tool and not an easy way to shift aggro to the dom.
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
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The trick is not to placate when the dominator is in the red
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Dont need to placate much cause you get criticals on held opponents..
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Well it's only a small chance for a critical, so I would still use Placate, especially when I use a big-hitting attack. But there are methods to placate without endangering your duo partner much.
With my dark/dark it's like: Touch of Fear -> Placate -> Attack
For other sets you could replace ToF with a stun or knockdown or only placate mobs that are under dominator control. Just make it so that Placate is a purely offensive tool and not an easy way to shift aggro to the dom.
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For me its Placate - BU - AS
and other times just attack. Im not wasting placate for anything less really outside pvp.
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For me its Placate - BU - AS
and other times just attack. Im not wasting placate for anything less really outside pvp.
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Unfortunately this is not always a viable option. Firstly, the opponent has plenty of time to go for your duo partner (and may cancel your AS attempt by running away from you at the same time). Secondly, you might get hit by your opponent's friends during the long animation of AS, thus wasting your Placate.
So, as Placate recharges faster than AS anyway and there may be circumstances preventing the successful use of AS as soon as it is up, saving Placate solely for the preparation of AS wastes quite a lot of opportunities for perfectly fine hard-hitting criticals.
I like using Placate directly after AS, so that I still get the buff from BU for the following crit. With powersets other than EM you get quite some mileage from that.
If it has eyes, you can blind it, if it has blood, you can make it bleed, if it has a mouth, you can make it scream.
How does placate recharge faster than AS 
Ill try and phrase this delicately as I know its a stalker board and full of Stalker-philes.
A few days ago I was killing time with my cobwebb'd Ice/Ice dominator at level 30. I got asked (rather impolitely IMO) by a level 18 Stalker (who I didnt know) to team up.
Im normally pretty keen to team up and quite happily join PuG or blind invites.
However, that day I was a bit tired and ratty. I was also rather keen to finally push my dominator into pet land (lvl 32) and was uncharacteristically keen on some xp and debt avoidance.
A couple of things struck me. Im a bit of an AoE aggro magnet dom. Means im pretty effective in teams with enough other AoE users.
So what would happen with a stalker. Well, I guess the stalker, in a duo, could take out a lt every group. That would leave, what - 4 or 5 other enemies. With a bit of luck they might throw the alpha at the stalker. THen I would come in with my Chilling Embrace, Arctic Air, bla bla bla, and Id get the full wack. And Im squishy.
Then I had the vision of said stalker using placate on the other lt (or maybe even boss) and me getting hammered to the ground with full aggro.
And what would I get. One lt in every mob taken out, and then, at best a poor mans scrapper with no aggro management tools.
Adding into the equation this guy was pre - SO, I was tired. What did I do? I just refused, even tho I had my "LFT" flag up.
It just struck me that even with a good team stalker (and they are a rather rare breed.... cant recall seeing a spines stalker since a few weeks into CoV launch), It wouldnt really be worth my salt teaming with a stalker - despite the supposed synergy (Stalkers crit on held enemies).
Im really stuggling to see the value of stalkers in a duo with another squishy - who is the one who is going to take a vast hike in risk for dubious benefit.
Thoughts please - from the perspective of a squishy, not a stalker.
For purposes of discussion: Im not dissing stalkers or stalker players. And of course all toons are of value - its just they have to be of value relative to the increase in mission difficulty.