Also, something I forgot, Stalkers need to be given Shield defense. If any of the melee ATs needs an extra TAoE in their secondary, it's Stalkers. Remove the taunt effect from Against All Odds, and replace True Grit with Hide (at the moment +hp powers are pretty lame for stalkers anyway).
The reasoning that it's not a thematic fit for Stalkers is complete BS. They gave us freaking Neon Lights armor (electric), and since when does having extreme willpower, super reflexes, or a high regeneration rate make you invisible?
EDIT: And now that I've read the whole thread, I'd like to add my support for the following along with my other suggestions ('cept maybe raise the hp a little still):
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EDIT2: I was incorrectly under the impression that AS took 3s to activate instead of the actual 3.67; I will add my support for reducing the activation time to 3 seconds or less.
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* Keep the HP cap at 1606 (Lowest of all melee AT's) * Raise the damage modifier to 1.25 (highest of all melee AT's) * Increase the allowed radius for team-size-based criticals from 30 to 60 feet. (Agreed 100%) * Increase the damage buff modifier from 0.8 to 1.0 (same as Scrappers). (Agreed 100%) There has to be a trade off for having the lowest HP and that is having the highest damage output. I think the max damage should be raised from 500% to 675% to exceed the new brute max damage. |
The Inspiration Maker's Guide [i12] UPDATED with POPMENUS and Movement Binds!
A Flash in the Dark: The Electric/Ninjitsu Stalker [i23]
Kheldian Inspiration Macros UPDATED with POPMENUS and Movement Binds!
Guide to the Katana~Ninja Blade/Electric [i23]
This thread has been copied from the beta section of the boards, which is why I'm not sure if the linked post from Castle in the OP is visible to everyone, but presumably it's still being looked at - so if you have any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions, feel free to contribute. The idea is to get input from the people that play Stalkers about what, if anything, they'd like to see.
You certainly don't have to, but if you haven't already looked at it you may want to at least skim through - not all of the suggestions were just "moar dmg plz kthxbai", I'm hoping to get some discussion about ways to improve the AT without completely homogenizing the melee ATs.
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Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle
it has gone from unconscionable to downright appalling that we have no way of measuring our characters' wetness.
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Originally Posted by Brillig
It's hard to beat the entertainment value of Whackjob Wednesdays.
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It's not. =(|
Originally Posted by Siolfir
I'm not sure if the linked post from Castle in the OP is visible to everyone
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So, late to the party, and most of these ideas have been mentioned in some form, but here are some opinions (it's late and I'm a stalker noob so go easy on me):
Even if one accepts that stalkers should be the highest-damage melee AT, it still doesn't make sense thematically (or functionally, since heroes and villains don't need their own distinct melee-damage-blender ATs in the face of GR) for stalkers to have a higher base melee damage than scrappers. Stalkers achieve their (conceptually) superior damage through their backstabiness; if a stalker and a scrapper are both just punching you in the face, the scrapper should be doing more damage. Punching people in the face is kind of the scrapper's thing. Let 'em have it.
On the other hand, if we accept that stalkers are reliant on their AS's for their damage, it would be really nice if they were reliable. I'm personally not convinced that an uninterruptible AS is a great idea; however I would really like it if placate granted a few seconds of unbreakable hidden status. Seems like half the time I use the damn thing I happen to hit the button right as a mob is beginning its attack animation; hide gets insta-broken and there's nothing I can do about it. The reason I don't advocate an uninterruptible AS is so that you still need to maintain some situational awareness when setting up the attack, making it better to navigate out of AoE radii and pick off lonely mobs - but it still doesn't screw you over too bad if you do get hit by an AoE, thanks to the unbreakable hidden-from-placate. If AS is still too hard to pull off reliably, its activation time and/or uninterruptible time could be shortened as well.
While we're at it, if AS was autohit that would be totally sweet. Nothing like leading off with BU->AS, whiffing, and then having to decide whether to wait for AS to recharge and lose the BU, or just open with something random. More of a QoL issue than a balance one though.
One thing I'd really like to see is Terrorize made to work more consistently, and maybe the concept expanded to include other effects as well. Tossing a few controls or debuffs the stalkers way could be a sensible way to give it more function in large groups, without adding a whole lot to its solo game. For example, the -regen debuff that some people have been calling for could be added to each powersets t1 attack when it crits from stealth - it would be the same deal as Terrorize, except instead of triggering the "Terrorize" AoE fear, it would do a "Poison Blade" effect with a ST regen debuff. The t2 attack could have a "Feint" effect that does a small-to-moderate cone confuse. My imba-sense is telling me that giving such a high-damage class that much control would be cheesy, but logically I'm not certain it would be - using Feint would burn your hidden status so you'd have to give up a ton of damage to get it, and it's not like other villain ATs don't pair control with damage already.
I'm definitely moving out of "easy fix" territory here but thematically, it makes a lot of sense - stealthy supers typically use fear and confusion to deal with large numbers of enemies, and it'd be nice to see that more represented in CoX.
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At this point I think its more likely that Ninjitsu gets ported to scrappers/brutes than stalkers getting any kind of parity.|
Originally Posted by Siolfir
This thread has been copied from the beta section of the boards, which is why I'm not sure if the linked post from Castle in the OP is visible to everyone, but presumably it's still being looked at - so if you have any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions, feel free to contribute. The idea is to get input from the people that play Stalkers about what, if anything, they'd like to see.
You certainly don't have to, but if you haven't already looked at it you may want to at least skim through - not all of the suggestions were just "moar dmg plz kthxbai", I'm hoping to get some discussion about ways to improve the AT without completely homogenizing the melee ATs. |
I will just reroll my stalkers (both ninjitsu--Honestly its just stupid to roll any combo available to scrappers as a stalker) as scrappers and this will be all moot.
When something good happens to me, I can never enjoy it....
I am always too busy looking for the inevitable punchline...
BEHOLD THE POWER OF CHEESE!
I was wondering if we could leverage the Threat and Aggro mechanics somehow. I know we removed the slept/held crits from PvE, but what if Stalkers got a bonus to either damage or applied a one time -res or -def (similar to Bruising) or a chance for a single-target fear to any target they hit, provided they had not established aggro on said target.
So if some other character aggros a mob, the Stalker can do some additional damage or apply a debuff.
Retrospectively thinking, I always thought Stalkers should have been the most accurate of the ATs. They're always looming unseen and wait for the enemy to have their pants down before blowing their torso apart (to assure the attack would land). Outside of snipes and purely accurate theme sets (thinking Archery, mainly), everyone shouldn't have had 95% chance to hit outside of extreme slotting and a couple of buffs...even on even-cons.
That is, with the exception of Stalkers. Of the ATs, it should have been the most inherently accurate...and that should actually matter. Coming out of hide, it'd have been nice to get a nice ToHit bonus (slottable of course) that suppresses with the defense as well as a higher mod for ToHit buffs than any of the melee/dmg ATs (kind of like how Scrappers get a 100% dmg buff from BU while the other melees get 80%, Stalker should have gotten a 25% ToHit buff while the others get 15%).
However, with seeing how little utility -def and +ToHit provide, it wouldn't really help the Stalker's case, at this point.
.......
Looking to the future, really, I don't see there being any danger in the longevity of Stalkers. Of all ATs, it fits the 'Thief' fantasy role better than any other AT (a stealthing brute or scrapper cannot do what a Stalker can, no...) and since there will always be fans of the 'thief/rogue/ninja', there will always be people playing the AT. But I could imagine, since there are so many concerned with the usefulness of the AT, some additions/tweeks to the AT to make it more attractive in team play.
Damage-
Honestly, people think that, since the AT is the least survivable, it should have the most damage. Well, the Rouge probably didn't outdamage all other classes but was most likely competitive, which is good enough for Stalkers. You can keep the damage mods, the scaling team crit radius, BU numbers where they're at. They get the job done, IMO. But if I wanted my damage improved, I'd look for bonus crit damage. That is, I want *my* crits to *hurt*. Along with the scaling +% crits with allies nearby, I think it'd be cool to have a +.05x crit damage per teammate stacking, at max, to 2.4x damage on a crit rather than the normal 2.0x damage on crit.
Utility-
Few people bother looking to add this to a Stalker when, IMO, it's what the AT needs. More damage just makes it *the* choice for damage over another damage AT which does no favors for the other damage dealers. I want to look at the Stalker like I do at the dominator. When I see a dom lft, I will grab them up. Their control is phenomenal and a great asset to a team (mostly because of the rarity of doms). Stalkers aren't that common either but, if it had something others couldn't get, I'd scoop them up just like I do doms, even if there is a better option for damage.
Debuffs: Demoralize is good. Can we get it to last longer? Can we not keep taking shots at the enemy's moral in some way? A mechanic to 'reactivate' the effect through specific yet natural progression of combat?
-Adding more debuffs to the AT and giving them better mods would be cool too.
Controls: Again, Demoralize helps a bit. Can we get something to make it better? To add to it using combat?
-Giving Stalkers naturally better controls than the other melees would give them a niche but would probably augment solo play too much.
Extras:
-Inquisition: Now that we've got the ability to see where the last enemies or objectives on the map are located, perhaps after a successful AS (at any point in the mission), the stalker gets a chance to reveal mission objectives, enemies on the map nearby, etc. No need to go exploring to find the stuff, the Stalker simply has the ability to drill that information from nearby enemies at the start.
-Flank Maneuver: Not sure how or what, but I always like the option to turn the tables on ambush and patrol mobs. Since they're both so prevalent in missions, giving Stalkers the ability to make them vulnerable would be an interesting mechanic and this or the above would be oh-so thematic.
As far as more utility goes, how about an expansion on the -regen idea from earlier? Say an inherent "Swap Ammo" type of skill you could use to choose from 2 or 3 options. Maybe in addition to the -regen one you could also have one that applies soft control when your crits happen (the control type would vary based on the attack set). Not sure what else would be good. But the idea being that you could choose what kind of "poison" you want to use to fit the circumstances.
That seems to be an interesting idea. I'll try to brainstorm over it a bit since it's late right now.
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Ok I JUST learned about that buff they got where moves like repel and OG will aggro mobs once hide is suppressed (when you come out of hiding), so I can totally see quills working now.|
Originally Posted by EvilGeko
Suppressed while in Hide or you could just turn in on in crowd.
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But the inherent for stalkers is Assassination, so should they get a new inherent or just building stuff on top of that? I suppose it is possible on some level since Tankers got Bruising added to their inherent now.
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Sweet idea right there ^^
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Originally Posted by Chad Gulzow-Man
That's not a bad idea... make Stalker criticals (or at least the ones that activate from hide) add a regeneration debuff.
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I know this was earlier in the thread, but I agree 110% so I had to say something. With 10 ATs running around together, we need to accentuate their differences not homogenize them. Increasing survivability on Stalkers closer to Scrappers sounds like something the WoW community would promote. Eww! We like our diversity here though!|
Originally Posted by Aumakua
My opinion
* Keep the HP cap at 1606 (Lowest of all melee AT's) * Raise the damage modifier to 1.25 (highest of all melee AT's) * Increase the allowed radius for team-size-based criticals from 30 to 60 feet. (Agreed 100%) * Increase the damage buff modifier from 0.8 to 1.0 (same as Scrappers). (Agreed 100%) There has to be a trade off for having the lowest HP and that is having the highest damage output. I think the max damage should be raised from 500% to 675% to exceed the new brute max damage. |
As a simple change, I would love to see Assassin Strike's damage increased out right. With BU and a couple Enrages, an easy boss should go down in one hit. What's the point in being a ST glass cannon if you can't take out a Boss in one hit?
Oh, and give the sniping PPP powers a higher critical as well. How could would it be if you could snipe out hard Lts without any extra support?
@Gilia1
I play heroes on Champion.
I play villains on Virtue.
I was looking through Kinetic Melee on Stalkers and I think I know why Stalkers are perceived bad or maybe they are....
I honestly think Stalkers are designed to be "boring" in a lot of ways. Take a look at new melee sets like Dual Blade and Kinetic Melee. Those two were designed WITHOUT Stalker in mind. They were designed for generic melee like Brute and Scrapper. The dual blade combos in Brute/Scrapper are actually fun while Stalker has two combos that are tied to AS so you only really get to enjoy 2/4 combos most of the time. The extra range on 1K Cuts is nice or else DB is useless on Stalker. And I actually like Stalker dual blade (lvl 50 db/nin) but I can see why some people feel there is nothing special about DB Stalker.
Then I look at Kinetic Melee for the first time last night. It's got one very interesting power in Siphon Power. I dig it. It's different and that's what new sets are supposed to be like "different" but guess what Stalker gets? A Build Up. Yes yes yes, I know Build Up FITS Stalkers better but it's almost like every time there is a new set, it IS NOT DESIGNED FOR Stalker in mind. Stalker gets this "let's just take some AoE Powers, some unique powers out and swap them with Assassin Strike". Ok done! There you go, a new set for Stalker!
I have not tried Kinetic Melee and unless they did something special for Stalker, Kin set looks pretty piss-poor on Stalker without that unique power Siphon Power. It seems just like Energy Melee with long activation and a range attack like Focus.
Yes, I know "how are you supposed to use Siphon Power during hide? Yes, I know you can't but this doesn't mean Stalker shouldn't get "creative powers" at all?
In a way, I think Stalker is "designed" to be unpopular because they are tied to Assassin Strike so much that they are missing out on many "cool" and "team-friendly" powers. If Stalker is missing those, then the key problem is Assassin Strike itself! That's it. I think AS is the biggest problem for me now.
Why can't each Assassin Strike do unique things in each set so it actually gives people a good reason to use? Why can't Kinetic Assassin Strike boosts Stalker's damage after it hits so Stalker is not losing out on Siphon Power kind of buff? Spine AS can poison the target and Electricity AS can drain like 40-50% of endurance on npc?
Is it me or I think Assassin Strike is the reason why Stalker just seems unimpressive? Forget about having low HP or not doing enough Damage. When an AT is defined by TWO powers, there is really nothing creative about the whole AT unless those two powers are actually different/unique.
And since the new melee sets were never designed with Stalker in mind, Stalker is bound to be "unimpressive".
What is special with Kinetic Stalker? I think I'll try it later but judging from the descriptions, I can't find one.
PS: I took out Placate as one of the problems as it is mainly replaced by Confront/Taunt.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
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Like others have said, this is the perfect way to massage Stalkers, which is all they need a little massage.|
Originally Posted by Aumakua
My opinion
* Keep the HP cap at 1606 (Lowest of all melee AT's) * Raise the damage modifier to 1.25 (highest of all melee AT's) * Increase the allowed radius for team-size-based criticals from 30 to 60 feet. (Agreed 100%) * Increase the damage buff modifier from 0.8 to 1.0 (same as Scrappers). (Agreed 100%) There has to be a trade off for having the lowest HP and that is having the highest damage output. I think the max damage should be raised from 500% to 675% to exceed the new brute max damage. |
These tweaks fit perfectly with the concept of a stalker, another kind of glass cannon so to speak. This will also help on those fast moving teams where you may not always have time to set up an AS, so the other powers out side of AS will be more useful.
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It could be a good start but that will not improve Stalker population except for pleasing the veterans. |
Originally Posted by Golden_Pie
Like other have said, this is the perfect way to massage Stalkers, which is all they need a little massage.
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New players will still think Stalker does not live up to a good "assassin" AT but it's just my opinion. The best start is to get rid of the radius on Team Critical buff.
Contrary to most stalker fans, I think Stalker survives just fine. Having lower HP doesn't break the AT. The problem is Stalker is not contributing to the team much or needs to wait too long to feel Stalker is welcomed to the team.
The problem, as I've stated before, is Assassin Strike and Placate. Because of those two powers, Stalker doesn't get any unique/team-friendly powers so what can the dev do to make those two powers more team-friendly or even more Assassin-like?
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
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Originally Posted by Jibikao
I was looking through Kinetic Melee on Stalkers and I think I know why Stalkers are perceived bad or maybe they are....
I honestly think Stalkers are designed to be "boring" in a lot of ways. Take a look at new melee sets like Dual Blade and Kinetic Melee. Those two were designed WITHOUT Stalker in mind. They were designed for generic melee like Brute and Scrapper. The dual blade combos in Brute/Scrapper are actually fun while Stalker has two combos that are tied to AS/Placate so you only really get to enjoy 2/4 combos most of the time. The extra range on 1K Cuts is nice or else DB is useless on Stalker. And I actually like Stalker dual blade (lvl 50 db/nin) but I can see why some people feel there is nothing special about DB Stalker. Then I look at Kinetic Melee for the first time last night. It's got one very interesting power in Siphon Power. I dig it. It's different and that's what new sets are supposed to be like "different" but guess what Stalker gets? A Build Up. Yes yes yes, I know Build Up FITS Stalkers better but it's almost like every time there is a new set, it IS NOT DESIGNED FOR Stalker in mind. Stalker gets this "let's just take some AoE Powers, some unique powers out and swap them with Assassin Strike + Placate". Ok done! There you go, a new set for Stalker! I have not tried Kinetic Melee and unless they did something special for Stalker, Kin set looks pretty piss-poor on Stalker without that unique power Siphon Power. It seems just like Energy Melee with long activation and a range attack like Focus. Yes, I know "how are you supposed to use Siphon Power during hide? Yes, I know you can't but this doesn't mean Stalker shouldn't get "creative powers" at all? In a way, I think Stalker is "designed" to be unpopular because they are tied to Assassin Strike + Placate so much that they are missing out on many "cool" and "team-friendly" powers. If Stalker is missing those, then the key problem is Assassin Strike and Placate themselves! That's it. I think those two are the biggest problems for me now. Why can't each Assassin Strike do unique things in each set so it actually gives people a good reason to use? Why can't Kinetic Assassin Strike boosts Stalker's damage after it hits so Stalker is not losing out on Siphon Power kind of buff? Spine AS can poison the target and Electricity AS can drain like 40-50% of endurance on npc? Is it me or I think Assassin Strike and Placate are the reasons why Stalker just seems unimpressive? Forget about having low HP or not doing enough Damage. When an AT is defined by TWO powers, there is really nothing creative about the whole AT unless those two powers are actually different/unique. And since the new melee sets were never designed with Stalker in mind, Stalker is bound to be "unimpressive". What is special with Kinetic Stalker? I think I'll try it later but judging from the descriptions, I can't find one. |
Way to get real deep in your analysis by just judging by descriptions. LOL
Obviously Stalkers are not for you so Scrappers and Brutes are ---------> over there
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yeah big damage and the AOE debuff on AS doesn't help the team out at all...ha ha good one.|
Originally Posted by Jibikao
It could be a good start but that will not improve Stalker population except for pleasing the veterans.
New players will still think Stalker does not live up to a good "assassin" AT but it's just my opinion. The best start is to get rid of the radius on Team Critical buff. Contrary to most stalker fans, I think Stalker survives just fine. Having lower HP doesn't break the AT. The problem is Stalker is not contributing to the team much or needs to wait too long to feel Stalker is welcomed to the team. The problem, as I've stated before, is Assassin Strike and Placate. Because of those two powers, Stalker doesn't get any unique/team-friendly powers so what can the dev do to make those two powers more team-friendly or even more Assassin-like? |
One could argue that placate hurts the team by sending aggro their way, but that's the trade off for getting those Crits. Plus it fits thematically that having a distracted enemy helps the assassin find/land that killer blow. And it's not like an assassin wouldn't use a teammate as bait would he???
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Big damage? You mean spending 4s on Assassin Strike in the beginning or possibly getting interrupted or sometimes missed? |
Originally Posted by Golden_Pie
yeah big damage and the AOE debuff on AS doesn't help the team out at all...ha ha good one.
One could argue that placate hurts the team by sending aggro their way, but that's the trade off for getting those Crits. Plus it fits thematically that having a distracted enemy helps the assassin find/land that killer blow. And it's not like an assassin wouldn't use a teammate as bait would he??? |
AoE Debuff? You talking about that random fear? Or am I missing something extraordinary debuff that was added while I was away?
So if a Stalker that doesn't open with Assassin Strike loses that so-called Big Damage and AoE debuff?
And if you are soloing, who cares if you spend 4s on AS or 1s. It's not like the foes can see you (some minor exception on Drones and Knives).
PS: Forget about what I said about Placate. That power is replaced by Confront/Taunt. It is Assassin Strike that I have most problem with because in order to land AS, a Stalker is tied to Hidden + Build Up (no follow up, no siphon power unique power) and 4s of interrupted period.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
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This I agree with, as well as the sentiment of your post. It does seem that Buildup/AS/Placate seem to have way too much sway over primary powerset design. Your suggestion of tying different effects to AS that are unique to each primary is one I would heartily get behind.|
Originally Posted by Jibikao
Why can't each Assassin Strike do unique things in each set so it actually gives people a good reason to use? Why can't Kinetic Assassin Strike boosts Stalker's damage after it hits so Stalker is not losing out on Siphon Power kind of buff? Spine AS can poison the target and Electricity AS can drain like 40-50% of endurance on npc?
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(Although I would point out that the sweep combo on stalkers deals out some very nice mitigation for the chaos right after the AS. - Still get your point about DB, though).
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Originally Posted by Golden_Pie
Way to get real deep in your analysis by just judging by descriptions. LOL
Obviously Stalkers are not for you so Scrappers and Brutes are ---------> over there |
Nonetheless, your post amounts to lol lrn2ply noob and that's just weak. If you'd actually read what he'd written you might actually have seen the useful suggestion in there. At no time did Jbikao declare Stalkers a lost cause, and his statement calling them "unimpressive" was in the context of their perception, not the reality of how they play.
Reading comprehension ftw, I guess.
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Originally Posted by Golden_Pie
yeah big damage and the AOE debuff on AS doesn't help the team out at all...ha ha good one.
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And all that presupposes that the damage and the debuff are actually noticed in the chaos of an 8 person team. Single target damage spikes are virtually invisible when everyone is looking at their own immediate target. That's kind of why the game centers so much on AoE damage. Nothing less is seen as a contribution. That's not a problem with stalkers so much as it is with player perception, but it's a problem still the same.
In the land of AoE's, single target damage isn't going to be noticed no matter how much you do, and the argument could be made that the AS damage being boosted actually works against that AOE debuff you mentioned.
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| One could argue that placate hurts the team by sending aggro their way, but that's the trade off for getting those Crits. Plus it fits thematically that having a distracted enemy helps the assassin find/land that killer blow. And it's not like an assassin wouldn't use a teammate as bait would he??? |
The Scrappers' Guide to Dark Melee | Kheldian Binds and Strategies
OK ok maybe I just love for the idea of AS so much that I am blinded by it.
FIX**Add uninterruptable and no more than 3 secs cast for AS to the list.
BTW Placate is not the trade off for AOE, AS is. Placate replaces Confront.
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I was just a bit mad last night that Stalker doesn't get Siphon Power. I thought maybe, just maybe, the dev would find some ways to get Siphon Power in. I don't know how but Assassi Strike is where I would look into it as that power appears in every set. I was reading Mids and it shows that each Kinetic attack can reduce the target's damage?? Is that true for all melee ATs or just Stalker? I don't know if mids is trying to show damage buff or debuff. It shows -%5.63 damage buff on Quick Strike. That negative seems like a debuff or each hit buffs damage? That could be interesting... |
Originally Posted by Smiling_Joe
This I agree with, as well as the sentiment of your post. It does seem that Buildup/AS/Placate seem to have way too much sway over primary powerset design. Your suggestion of tying different effects to AS that are unique to each primary is one I would heartily get behind.
(Although I would point out that the sweep combo on stalkers deals out some very nice mitigation for the chaos right after the AS. - Still get your point about DB, though). |
I'll make a Kin Stalker for sure after I am done with Elec Dom. :P
I just think if Assassin Strike is tied to every set then the answer to buff Stalkers is gotta be in that power. After my Spines, Claw/ Elec and even Dual Blade hit lvl 32, I rarely open with AS + Build Up unless I am soloing so there is only a few targets.
They can start by shortening the activation time and get rid of "interrupted". In pve, who cares if you spend 4s or 1s if you are soloing? On a team, a stalker needs to speed up the process of "elimination" and 4s is too long IMO.
Stalker's damage is fine but stalker's "assassinating" speed is not fine and that's why when we are on a large team full of Brute/Corr/Dom/MM, you feel like why bother setting up Assassin? Just hit build up and use Throw spines or Shockwave or Lightning Rod. But if you are Martials, Energy or Dark Melee, you kinda have no choice but to use AS as opener because that gives you the most damage in one hit.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
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What you see in mids is the secondary effect which is -dmg (de)buff on your target.|
Originally Posted by Jibikao
I was just a bit mad last night that Stalker doesn't get Siphon Power. I thought maybe, just maybe, the dev would find some ways to get Siphon Power in. I don't know how but Assassi Strike is where I would look into it as that power appears in every set. I was reading Mids and it shows that each Kinetic attack can reduce the target's damage?? Is that true for all melee ATs or just Stalker? I don't know if mids is trying to show damage buff or debuff. It shows -%5.63 damage buff on Quick Strike. That negative seems like a debuff or each hit buffs damage? That could be interesting...
I'll make a Kin Stalker for sure after I am done with Elec Dom. :P I just think if Assassin Strike is tied to every set then the answer to buff Stalkers is gotta be in that power. After my Spines, Claw/ Elec and even Dual Blade hit lvl 32, I rarely open with AS + Build Up unless I am soloing so there is only a few targets. They can start by shortening the activation time and get rid of "interrupted". In pve, who cares if you spend 4s or 1s if you are soloing? On a team, a stalker needs to speed up the process of "elimination" and 4s is too long IMO. Stalker's damage is fine but stalker's "assassinating" speed is not fine and that's why when we are on a large team full of Brute/Corr/Dom/MM, you feel like why bother setting up Assassin? Just hit build up and use Throw spines or Shockwave or Lightning Rod. But if you are Martials, Energy or Dark Melee, you kinda have no choice but to use AS as opener because that gives you the most damage in one hit. |
I also agree that after 32 I rarely open with AS, but then again my main stalker is Elec/Ninja
Quote:
Yup. I read through Brute and Scrapper's Kinetic as well and looks like Brute can debuff a bit more than Scrapper/Stalker. |
Originally Posted by Golden_Pie
What you see in mids is the secondary effect which is -dmg (de)buff on your target.
I also agree that after 32 I rarely open with AS, but then again my main stalker is Elec/Ninja |
I thought the damage debuff is something unique to Stalker since I wasn't really paying attention when I looked at Scrapper's.
Yes, with Electricity Melee, BU, Lightning Rod + Thunder Strike is better than AS on a larger team, but if you are Energy, MA, DM, Ninja or Broadsword, you are kinda stuck with AS to open the battle.
Assassin Strike's stated activation time is 2.67s. I wonder if they can just make it 2.67s and forget about the whole 4s setup time.
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
By the way, a person suggests changing Build Up to 45s recharge but with 5s duration. This allows Stalker to have more Build Up opportunities to set up AS and have Build Up available against every mob during low levels. Personally, I like the idea but I may go with something in between as 5s may not be enough to get off 2 hits in some sets.
This may make Placate even better because you don't have to waste time on Build UP, AS, and then Placate and then another attack. You can just use Build Up once for AS and then once Build Up is recharged, you can use Placate -> Build Up -> another big attack or maybe AS again.
What do you think?
What's left is to normalize all Assassin Strikes and improve Stalker's old sets (Claw, MA and EM)! You don't need to bring back the missing PbAoE attack. You just need to make the existing ones better! For example, make Slice a WIDER and LONGER cone.
In order to make Stalkers more balanced to Scrappers and more specialized in order not to be mini-Scrappers I would like:
* Faster animation time on AS, BU and Placate.
* Faster recharge on AS, BU and Placate.
* Base damage comparable to Scrappers.
* Rework Hide to make it easier to use. For example not allow the enemy's queued attack break Hidden after a Placate. Ability to enter Hide faster if not in line of sight of the enemies.
I don't remember Energize either. My friend made an /elec back then but not sure if they changed it later or not?
Mmmm, my memory of stalker is fading...
But if you've been away for a while, you probably missed it.