Yes, it does. Hide is normally 3.75% Def, it is 37.5% against AoE, but only while you are in Hide. This is true of all versions of Hide, not just SRs.
This is essentially to let you walk into melee with a foe with Hide up and not get knocked out of it, even if that foe is blasting out AoEs trying to hit a Brute in melee with him. Once you attack you no longer need the protection to keep you in Hide since you aren't in Hide any more. (Obviously it would be nice to have it for damage mitigation reasons, but it's mainly there so you can get off an Assassin Strike)
Thanks, that is what I thought, the details about the power and description are just muddy. As you might have guessed this is my first real attempt at creating a stalker.
Does the AOE defense in hide suppress when you attack. The power as listed in the game makes it kind of difficult to tell. I suspect it does but would like some confirmation.
Thanks