Most stalker like primary

So I've been leveling up my Elec/Ninja Stalker and it's been a freaking blast so far on my trek to 50 (lvl 42 so "almost" there). I honestly think this is one of the better stalker sets, since it has great AOE dmg (L.Rod, Tstrike, chain) and great ST dmg (AS, chain, t1/t2 attacks).

I remember in my early levels before I got to any spawn group, I would have to look through all the mobs in a spawn and find the most dangerous targets and be sure to take them out. However, once I got lightning rod, I feel like I lost a bit of the stalker feeling. Since then, the strategy has been to Lightning rod in for the dmg and kd, and dispense with the aoe's goodness.

In a strange way though, I miss the tacticul awareness that was required pre Lightning rod. Can someone suggest a very stalker ish primary? Right now, I'm debating between Ninja Blade, Energy Melee, and Dual Blades. Anyone have any comments on them besides what's in the FAQs?

Also, anyone have any comments on Energy Aura as a secondary?

I *loved* playing Ninja Blade / Energy Aura. It was the first villain I really got into and still the only one at 50.

I think it might be what you're looking for, honestly, because it had that assassin feel without becoming a hokey ninja. The primary lacks in utility that the secondary makes up for. It also has a few skippables if you have any ideas for branching into power pools.

Dual Blades, I think, will give you the same feeling Electric is, because the PBAoE is part of two important chains. Come to think of it, I'm not sure if that's the case for stalkers, but either way the chains will leave you thinking you're focusing on DBs and not assassinating!

EM might be fun.

On a side note, the powers you listed for Electric's good AT aren't anything special. Like, I believe you'd have that and MORE for ST in most other sets. Ninja Blade is almost all ST, so it's a good contrast.

I played a Dark/SR to 50... The single target emphasis and the extra -ToHit from Dark really made me feel like a Stalker... Hell, I was not only blending into the shadows, I was using the shadows to kick ***!!

My "vote" would also be for Ninja Blade.

It's Single Target Melee, and it definitely has the feel of a precision, surgical-like
assassin to it...

I find it a very deliberate and tactical playstyle, and I love the synergy it
has with Ninjitsu as well...

Even from an RP standpoint (if you lean that way), the solitary ninja trained
assassin stalking his target, covers the full stereotype of the AT in spades...

YMMV - but my Nin/Nin is most definitely a "stalker's" stalker, imho.


Regards,
4

The only Stalker I've been able to get into so far is my DM/SR. Like the previous poster mentioned there is good synergy with the dark attacks and the feel of being an assassin. The synergy with -to hit and the defense set is nice and the heal from siphon life is very useful.

My only complaint is the large floating skull when you use Assassin's Eclipse. Thematically I like the idea of sneak attacking with siphon life instead. There's just something very satisfying about popping out of the shadows and absorbing someone's life essence as they fall to the ground. Too bad that feel only comes on minions.

On my DM Stalker, I actually preferred coming out of Hide with [Midnight Grasp] it did good damage, and tentacles suddenly enrapturing you out of nowhere would be disconcerting to say the least.

Hm most stalker like?
When I look only at the animation of AS i would say NB or DB....maybe BS also, but the other two are more likely what an assasin is like.....oh heck! I just came up with the idea of an AS like in Assasins Creed with the blades killing 2 opponents
Hell that would be nice!

Claws. Claws/Ninja is the only stalker I've been able to keep, and not only does he move like a wraith, but he fights like a freaking whirlwind.
Sure, he might not be as 'DPS awesome' as Spines or Elec melee...but by gods he's stabby.

I also gave him wristblades and a 5th Col uniform, so...yeah -shrug-

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

My stalker is a DM/EA and I love him. The DM is specced pure single target (skipped shadow maul) and EA is his defense and a bottomless end bar. He annihilates targets quickly then moves on to the next (I IOd him out for a global damage boost rather then defense.) The tohit debuffs in DM do a lot to make up for the less then capped defense against difficult single targets. I have tanked everything up to and including AVs (I tend to hit kinda hard, if no one has actual taunts, I'm getting aggro from whoever I'm killing.) Admittedly psy EB/AVs can be a problem, defense hole you know, but everything else I've been able to take.

General comments on EA:
I really like the set, there is no need for stamina, it can add a bit of survivability through end drain if the fight drags on, and it's reasonably solid even without that. That said, the psy hole is very apparent at times, you WILL learn to hate Tarantula mistresses, and don't even TRY Makos arc alone. It has some hard to come by mez resists if you PvP (I don't, but repel protection could be useful in AE too...note to self make a high end FF user in AE) Aside from the psy hole the only things that ever get me about the set are that the typed defenses let some debuffs through with no resistance. You'll get webgrenaded (for example) pretty easily. Having noticed that I spent more time on the faults then why I like it let me reiterate, I really like the set. The bottomless end bar is a lot fun (fully slotted it's half an end bar per person nearby, + a small heal.) Repulse is pretty skippable but can be a fun power on occasion. Fairly recently I used it to rescue a melee friend who was in trouble. Hit repulse, ran over, and kept things out of melee long enough for her to get back up to speed.

i think there is a flaw in the OP's question. you see, a long time ago the devs did some napkin designing and reasoned that everything else in the game was AoE or going to be AoE centric at some point, and thus the stalker was born.

they jacked the aoe's and gave us a huge single target hitter. they removed things like quick recovery from regen and wp later, reasoning that stalkers should be so damn powerful at single target damage they don't NEED more endurance.

so to put it simply, every 'stalker' primary is already a 'stalker' primary. just without aoe's and with good single target burst. elec/ came after because i think the devs realized just how ****** the stalker was at that point and said 'here take some nice aoe energy damage and have fun' and patted us on the head and all was good... for those interested in aoe, anyway.

but to answer the question, NB, Claws, DB, DM, EM, BS, MA

spines and elec are for the stalker players that try to imitate brute and scrapper aoe carnage, IMO. they can work, and work great. but i don't think they fit the AT at all.