What Changes are needed to make Stalkers an acceptable addition to a Team?

I would make that argument about stamina. If your set doesn't have end management, then you do need stamina. That design decision was complete crap and does nothing to enhance the game.

And a scrapper with MA does have a good AoE and the option to take a good epic pool AoE. Would it be better if there were more? Yes, but the difference between 2 and 4 AoEs is less that the difference between .5 and 3 AoEs.

It's not just those sets that suck - although, each is weak on it's own - it's also those particularly weak sets applied to stalkers with changes that make them even weaker and are then given the stalker PPPs that almost completely lack AoE. It's not the powersets that are the total problem, it's the powersets combined with everything else involved in being a stalker. Stalkers don't get off innocent in the badness calculation just because MA and EM are kind of crappy already.

Of course, slotting your attacks for endurance reduction (plus at least one in each of the under 0.30/s toggles, with more in the larger ones, of course) is out of the question, so Stamina is mandatory. After all, you might have to sacrifice accuracy, recharge or damage for the better endurance efficiency, which would be unthinkable.

Bah.

You seem to have a misunderstanding of how aggro works in this game. Healing doesn't create aggro (it's actually possible to completely avoid aggroing mobs except by proximity if you do nothing but heal). Only offensive power use (controls, debuffs, and damage) and proximity (just being close to the mobs) creates aggro.

And you need characters with the taunt effect (basically brutes and tankers who gets it in their attacks and an aura from their armor sets, or anyone who takes Provoke from the Presence pool) to really lock down aggro. But Dominators can really lock mobs down, and with enough defensive buffs or debuffs (like Dark Miasma plummeting their hit chances to near naught), you don't really need taunters.

But yeah, you understand how useful well played Stalkers can be.

As for the main subject of the topic, I think my Elec/Nin Stalker is largely just fine except for perhaps using a little more survability (thus my plans to softcap her). That suggests that the problem is largely due to what Stalkers have to give up to get their AT-defining powers (Hide, Assassin's Strike, Placate). I saw a suggestion, probably earlier in this thread, that I really liked. The suggestion was to move those powers into slottable inherent powers (like Kheldians get, or like the Brawl and Rest everyone gets). Since Placate only replaces the taunt which we can probably agree Stalkers don't really need, we'd only need to make either Assassin's Strike or Placate into an inherent. Plus making Hide into an inherent would allow restoring the utility armor powers that seem to have been sacrificed for it.

That and increasing the range of the team crit buff. Just those two things, and I think Stalkers would be well enough off. I wouldn't be surprised if people still compared them unfavorably to Brutes, but right now I really like playing my Stalkers.

And I actually wanted to play a Dual Blades Stalker, but kinda gave up in disgust when I saw what they did to the combos in the Stalker version of the set. It's bad enough that DB stalkers actually might be better off not using one of the biggest defining features of the set (combos) in favor of using better attacks. Making the combos far more like the other ATs' combos would really help.

That, and if they could somehow use the tech they created for Dual Pistols to turn off damage/mez auras while in hide (Stalker Dark Armor would really benefit). It might not be feasible though.

Regardless, I'm really happy with my Elec/Nin Stalker, but I'm aware she's pretty much an exception.

EDIT:
That isn't enough for many powersets. For example, my Mind/Empathy controller is staminaless, has endurance reduction as part of her slotting largely due to getting it from sets, and would completely run out if it wasn't for Recovery Aura with high recharge. And my Fire/Rad controller would completely run dry without Stamina, even with endurance reduciton slotting. And those are high leveled, well slotted characters. In my experiences, you could only really get away with it on the most extremely endurance efficient powersets. At least as long as you remained really active in combat and such.

So, you've played nothing but masterminds and low end hog defenders? What you describe is what you do in addition to stamina for most characters, not instead of.

I am having a blast with the new and improved stalkers.

I recognize the name from global chat.

He solos nearly exclusively, and therefore plays at his own pace.

Which is fine, but it means he doesn't have a frame of reference of the actual endurance management needs of players who play at any pace faster than he plays or against larger amounts of foes, on teams, etc.