Well how far are you going with this stalker? To lvl 50? Any IOs? Any special concepts you like? Does it need strong single target damage? What type of content will you be doing with this? Solo or teamed? Any preferences on difficulty?
For solo, it really depends what your settings are. Having an AoE-ish set with difficulty set at +0/x4 is fun and easy while the bosses may present a mild challenge. Setting your difficulty at +3/x1 is good for sets strong with ST without being annoying trying to take out lots of foes.
For slotting, if you decide to stick with SOs or basic IOs or just frankenslotting, a decent defense set (Ninjutsu, SR and Energy Aura work decently well to keep you functioning great. If you decide to go for bonuses like +def, a resist set will feel really strong and still be capped for teams (from buffs).
With a regular build, I'd suggest Dual Blades/Willpower or SR. Dual Blades is a strong single target set and has good AoE options too. WP and SR are strong and simple and don't require much clicking.
For an IO'ed build, any attack set paired with Dark Armor, Electric Armor, WP or Regen work nicely with available bonuses.
For specialty builds, Spines is nice for AoE and burst damage but is weak in ST DPS so taking out things like EBs will be an annoyance but not impossible. Claws is a good DPS set but rather anemic in burst damage, but with the proper build and IO procs, you can make a buzzsaw of it. Katana/BS are decent damage (with some AoE) but makes one very survivable.
It's all really up to what you want to do or how you want to play. Stalkers can do many great things and they can be great fun even if you're not min/maxed.
I think I will mostly be doing PvE soloing, so keeping that in mind is probably good. It's pretty much what I do with all my other characters - still I like to at least have the potential to be good in other situations.
I set my "Difficulty" to whatever is fairly average for me. I just toy around with it until it's not too hard but not too easy. For some ATs, that's just a +1, and for some it's a much larger difficulty bonus, like my Brutes. I'm just here to have fun after all, and not make it a chore.
As for playstyle, I'm not sure. I don't really play Stalkers, so part of this is that I'm not sure what works and what doesn't. All I know is that the less running I have to do, the better!
Elec/Wp is a really good combo. Has nice burst damage and nice survivability. Havnt tried Willpower my self but heard from many people that its very sturdy. Its also an amazing combo at pvp.
Quote:
Well, as far as damage goes, Stalker is not going to impress you. You may be impressed at lvl 6 when you first got Assassin Strike. That's about it. |
Originally Posted by The_Overlord
I'm open to plenty of ideas for what to do, so feel free to drop me a suggestion. I'm not sure what I want out of a Stalker except some decent survivability as well as damage output |
Electric Melee is actually a very good set on Stalker because the only power it loses is Thunder Clap which many don't take. Stalker doesn't lose any aoe and you get to keep your Hidden status after Lightning Rod hits.
As far as secondary goes, Willpower is a good choice but I would also consider /SR or /Nin because defense works better on a toon that has the lowest HP of all melee ATs.
If your goal is to level every AT to 50, then Electricity is a good choice because it at least gives you some incentive to level to 33 to slot up Lightning Rod.
Pointers? Don't take Placate too early. I know many disagree with me but you are better off having one more attack than taking Placate and don't ignore your secondary either. Part of the reason people say Stalker has survival issue is that they take mostly offensive powers early on and they lack survival. In fact, your only 100% critical attack is Havoc Punch which isn't exactly a big punch. If you only solo, then Placate + Assassin can be useful. I just can't stand the set-up time but then again, I've played Stalker way too much. I guess you should try Placate + Assassin Strike first to form your opinion.
Have fun.
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.
As someone else who is trying to get into Stalkers as well I can recommend maybe an Electric/Ninjitsu Stalker. After trying a few different combinations Im actually enjoying this one and am looking forward to the higher levels for the fun powers.
I fell in love with Electric Melee after getting my Shield/Electric tank to 50. Chain Induction and Lightning Rod are two of my fav powers. I like the look of Ninjitsu because of its positional based defence (which I liked from Shield) and the self heal. I also like the look of the AoE plactate power and the confuse power later on. The only off putting power is the click mez protection but I learnt to live with that on my Shield tanker so it doesn't bother me.
I have taken Plactate on this low level stalker when it became available and unlike with previous Stalker attempts I am using it quite often, where as previously I would save it for the big bad that never came along. I can understand Jibikao's point of having an extra attack but I make up for that with Sands of Mu vet reward which I use after lining up Jacob's Ladder. I have found with my other attempts at Stalkers (where I didn't use Plactate much, if at all) that I got bored because they just felt like a squishy Scrapper and I don't particularly like Scrappers much. I like Tanks because they are really tough and I like agro management, I am getting into Brutes because chasing the fury bar is addictive. Using AS and Plactate, for me, gives Stalkers something new and different which I don't particularly get with Scrappers.
Anyway, thats my experience of Stalkers from someone else who is trying to get into them as well 
Member of GGRRR, a SG on Defiant - check out our website - GGRRR
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
Quote:
|
As said earlier what you can expect of Stalkers is low to mid range damage depending on your primary damage type, low health, and mid range defense. All this purely based on life without IOs of course. Stalkers are kinda just a "blah" AT and don't have the flare that other ATs do, so don't expect to run around killing massive groups of enemies and look good doing it. Also, you are not king of single target damage unlike what most people will tell you. You are king of BURST single target damage, which as you can guess isn't great in PvE.
I am gonna throw my hat in with the Elec/Nin crowd as it is one of the better combos you can get with Stalkers. Ninjitsu is the best Stalker secondary because it was designed for the AT as opposed to being shoe horned into it and fitting very poorly like the other sets. For a primary stick to the elemental or energy based damages because Smashing/Lethal are so heavily resisted red side and in both sides end games that they really lose their appeal.
As was stated earlier don't pressure yourself into taking placate early, another attack will help you a great deal more considering if you take placate you can expect to have two attacks and Assassin Strike which isn't really an attack so much as an opener.
Finally, don't be fooled by the early game with Stalkers where they shine. Things get worse and worse for Stalkers as you level because enemies scale with you dealing more damage but AS doesn't. At 50 you can expect to kill minions with a regular AS and most LT's with a build up + AS. Before IOs your defense will be weak and your HP low so expect to die a lot on TFs/SFs where AoE is more common.
No relation to Arachnos!
Part Pack: Now the majority of players know how we, PvPers, have felt for years now. Don't want to be so "civil" now that you have been completly ignored, do you?
Quote:
Either you guys are intentionally low-balling your descriptions to compensate for anyone getting their hopes up, or your definition for 'low damage' is extremely faulty.|
Originally Posted by Arbiter_Shade
As said earlier what you can expect of Stalkers is low to mid range damage depending on your primary damage type, low health, and mid range defense. All this purely based on life without IOs of course. Stalkers are kinda just a "blah" AT and don't have the flare that other ATs do, so don't expect to run around killing massive groups of enemies and look good doing it.
|
Stalker's base damage is only a fraction below that of Scrappers and yet Stalkers get the ability to control their critical hits and downright more critical hits total. I won't say it's a fair trade but it's far from being 'low damage' unless you're considering Scrappers 'medium damage' or intentionally skewing your opinions by AoE damage output on ST sets. Even for AoE, Stalkers aren't bad if you pick the right sets. Actually, they're pretty decent to great with the proper build.
And for 'looking good', It's hard to even say that as it's subjective. IMO, Stalkers look *way cooler* than an equivalent Scrapper or Brute simply from Placate alone. Basically telling a foe to bugger off at will is *cool* and then one-shotting/finishing something with a 'you're gonna get it now' crit is even cooler.
Anyway, back to the suggestions.
I like Electric Melee myself, and think it's pretty amazing set for AoE, but I'm going to deviate and suggest Spines. On a Scrapper, Spines is an AoE monster (although it's eclipsed in Burst AoE by Electric due to Lightning Rod and its radius). The problem is, it's relatively slow for DPS and really doesn't gain much burst capabilities in return. Then there's the whole 'need to stay alive' bit which can be overcome by IOs pretty easily but you still have to stick around to deal your damage.
It's different for a Stalker. With 50% crit on your AoEs from hide/placate, cone Ripper is devastating, Throw Spines is fast and delicious, Spine Burst while slow can still greatly supplement your AoE chain. Add in a Patron AoE to finish things off and your AS for the high HP single targets, and it's a decently well rounded set.
Play it on difficulty +0/x5 (if you don't have defense, might want to take off bosses) and it's a fun ride and stylish too. My personal Spines Stalker is /Dark and with the fear Aura and Intimidate, it brings some much appreciated control for bosses. With some defense, you'll feel godly since you also have resistance and can keep refilling your HP and you'll contribute well on teams.
Vs Electric Melee, it feels nearly as slow, the frequency of it's AoEs is more sporadic and it doesn't feel as bursty unless Lightning Rod is recharged. They're both really good but if you haven't done Spines (Stalker and Scrapper exclusive) then definitely give it a shot.
I'll weigh in on this as well.
I have several Stalkers that I enjoy. Mine are primarily solo toons. Most
are PvE, but all of them are PvP capable, and a couple of them PvP fairly
often.
Primaries include: NB, Spines, Electric Melee, Kinetic Melee
Secondaries: Nin & WP
My favorite is NB/Nin, although, my EM/WP is a strong runner-up.
My least favorites are my two Spinys (one /Nin, and the other /WP)
The KM/WP is somewhere in the middle.
My NB/Nin is also my "main" PvP toon as well. I like him best because he
is the most "tactical" of the bunch. He has so many ways to approach a
fight, and several ways to escape a bad situation. He's also the most
survivable, and the only time he dies is when I've done something stupid.
His pace is relatively slow, and always very deliberate. He really is the
essence of a "Ninja Assassin". He picks battles on his terms, and will bug
out, and regroup if the situation starts heading South on him. He's careful,
cautious, very effective and nearly unkillable.
The EM/WP is more "brutish" in approach - the pace is quicker, and his
AoE's make him more "reckless". With /WP he has capped HP, and many
is the time he needed to be capped. He doesn't have as many tactical
options to fall back on, but his high regen/resist & HP mitigates it.
LR and TS are a huge part of the fun with this guy, and of all the toons I
have, across many ATs, this guy is the one that I love to hunt KoA with. 
The KM/WP is only in his 30's, and he seems decent. KM attacks are so
slow to activate though that he feels "slow" to me... Still effective though.
The Spiny's feel meh to me. I like Impale, but overall they just seem substandard
in the damage department, but the toxic damage does help that somewhat.
Of course, those are just my subjective opinions. I hope you find a Stalker
you can enjoy.
Regards,
4
I've been rich, and I've been poor. Rich is definitely better.
Light is faster than sound - that's why some people look smart until they speak.
For every seller who leaves the market dirty stinkin' rich,
there's a buyer who leaves the market dirty stinkin' IOed. - Obitus.
Quote:
The way I look at it is in direct comparison to the other DPS classes in the game. So comparing Stalker damage to Blasters, Brutes, Scrappers, and hell lets even throw in VEATs and HEATs you can see that Stalkers are on the low side of damage. They deal more than HEATs generally but the rest do more damage than Stalkers and often times they deal a great deal more.|
Originally Posted by Leo_G
Either you guys are intentionally low-balling your descriptions to compensate for anyone getting their hopes up, or your definition for 'low damage' is extremely faulty.
Stalker's base damage is only a fraction below that of Scrappers and yet Stalkers get the ability to control their critical hits and downright more critical hits total. I won't say it's a fair trade but it's far from being 'low damage' unless you're considering Scrappers 'medium damage' or intentionally skewing your opinions by AoE damage output on ST sets. Even for AoE, Stalkers aren't bad if you pick the right sets. Actually, they're pretty decent to great with the proper build. |
This is where the perception that Stalkers are underpowered comes in. While soloing it doesn't matter how powerful you are because you will very likely never come up against something you can't beat with any AT. But look at the new raids, playing a Stalker really sucks because you deal so much less damage than the other damage ATs and with the way the reward tables are weighted you "contribute" less and get less rewards. I have never seen higher than an uncommon on my Stalker and even an uncommon is rare. While I am on my Dom it is rare for me to get anything less than the rare table.
My three 50 Stalkers are an EM/Regen, Spines/Regen, and an Elec/Nin, the Elec/Nin being my new main for the time being, and first off Regen is terrible on an AT with such low HP to begin with, just getting that out of the way first. EM/ does a decent amount of damage but it just lacks the "Oomph" I get off of my EM/ElecA Brute. Spines is nice but even you admit that it is very slow and results in a lot of necro-blasting on larger teams. Elec/Nin is a lot of fun but it doesn't deal a whole lot of damage when compared to other ATs just looking at Lightning Rod as an example for AoE damage a base Stalker with 3 damage IO's does 353 while a Scrapper does 398, that doesn't seem bad right? Well then take into account the damage cap and buffs and it gets wildly different. Just with build up alone the difference become 498 to 598 and it all goes downhill from there.
But my belief is that the AT as a whole needs MINOR damage buffs and maybe higher base resist/defense to make them more "elusive" but the key flaw to Stalkers is that they were given sets that were designed for Scrappers and expect to excel with them? This is why I believe that Ninjitsu is the best secondary for Stakers because it was DESIGNED for them.
No relation to Arachnos!
Part Pack: Now the majority of players know how we, PvPers, have felt for years now. Don't want to be so "civil" now that you have been completly ignored, do you?
Quote:
I respectfully dissagree with this statement. I brought my MA/Energy/fire to the incarnate trials, and had a hard time slotting since I was getting nothing but rares and very rares. My fireball hits a lot harder than any regular blaster's when I am hidden, and I never felt like I was contributing less than other players to the trials.|
Originally Posted by Arbiter_Shade
But look at the new raids, playing a Stalker really sucks because you deal so much less damage than the other damage ATs and with the way the reward tables are weighted you "contribute" less and get less rewards. I have never seen higher than an uncommon on my Stalker and even an uncommon is rare. While I am on my Dom it is rare for me to get anything less than the rare table.
|
I know all of this is left to personal opinions, but the fact that I can control my criticals makes me feel more versatile than a scrapper. The lower hit points do not bother me since most enemies are not even able to touch me. The fact that I get very little aggro also seems to please the tanks.
Quote:
I still find this amusing.|
Originally Posted by Arbiter_Shade
The way I look at it is in direct comparison to the other DPS classes in the game. So comparing Stalker damage to Blasters, Brutes, Scrappers, and hell lets even throw in VEATs and HEATs you can see that Stalkers are on the low side of damage. They deal more than HEATs generally but the rest do more damage than Stalkers and often times they deal a great deal more.
|
What I hear is how great Scrappers and Brutes (and VEATs) are for DPS and how they outshine them on teams.
Well, what do you do on normal teams? Fight 1 hard target where your advantage of DPS is more obvious? Because, from various TF/SF teams I've been on with my brutes, you're dealing with spawns that melt quickly or melt you quickly. DPS is useless because I don't have a target in front of me to click buttons on even 75% of the time.
On regular teams with my Fire/Storm corruptor, even AoE is rather pointless as I'll have scourged all the minions to death before the 2nd member gets off their AoE. So the other 4 guys with their Shield Charge and Lightning Rod? Well, there are some Lts left for that.
Then you bring up the incarnate trials. How long do *those* spawns last when you've got 2 teams packing Judgement nukes? Yeah, when the AVs and stuff are up so you can DPS things, your advantage is more obvious...until you have to run away because Marauder is using his nuke-fist move.
IMO, range is showing a far more use in this new content considering you don't have to shuffle around as much. Burst damage? Also shows it's use here. From the past DPS tests between Scraps and Stalks, the Scrap usually pulls ahead after around the Stalker's 2nd or 3rd AS because he's constantly doing higher damage, hit-for-hit, than the Stalker does outside of his bursts. But what happens when that scrapper has to pause? What happens to Hide when the Stalker has to pause and do the same?
PS: It's good to hear that Stalkers aren't getting hosed on participation. I don't see how they would, considering any ST Brute or Scrap would be in the exact same boat.
Quote:
I have no idea how the reward table works but I've done lambda 5 times (yes total slack I know, capped him just after i20 and been busy lately). Out of those 5 times I got a rare 3 times on my spines stalker with no purples running recharge alpha.|
Originally Posted by Arbiter_Shade
This is where the perception that Stalkers are underpowered comes in. While soloing it doesn't matter how powerful you are because you will very likely never come up against something you can't beat with any AT. But look at the new raids, playing a Stalker really sucks because you deal so much less damage than the other damage ATs and with the way the reward tables are weighted you "contribute" less and get less rewards. I have never seen higher than an uncommon on my Stalker and even an uncommon is rare. While I am on my Dom it is rare for me to get anything less than the rare table.
|
I will admit that my damage numbers seem FAR below everyone elses, but perhaps the toxic dot is making up a fair amount of that difference that I just dont notice. Or maybe you don't understand the 'reward tables' the way you think you do? I don't know, and I don't care. I'm just telling ya how mine have worked out so far, I certainly can't complain about the rewards I've gotten so far.
As far as pirmarys go, I much perfer to have a nice amount of aoe. With my spines I run through huge groups in seconds like it's nothing in solo play. Some times I wish I had chosen ele, more so when I'm in a group, but as attractive as ele is I also get the feeling I would miss the really fast recharge times on spines aoe compared to ele for solo play.
I have a nin/nin stalker at about lvl 30 that I started a looong time ago and I've recently started leveling it off and on, but I never last very long before pulling my hair out at the absence of aoe damage. If it had another melee cone or two I think I would enjoy it twenty times more then I do now.
Quote:
LOL same here! I took out my lvl 50 MA/Will Stalker last Sunday and did 6 runs and I got at least two Rares and two Very Rares. My Stalker wasn't even level shift in the first 4 runs. I have no idea what determines because I know in terms of contribution, my Stalker didn't bring much. |
Originally Posted by Cerial
I have no idea how the reward table works but I've done lambda 5 times (yes total slack I know, capped him just after i20 and been busy lately). Out of those 5 times I got a rare 3 times on my spines stalker with no purples running recharge alpha.
I will admit that my damage numbers seem FAR below everyone elses, but perhaps the toxic dot is making up a fair amount of that difference that I just dont notice. Or maybe you don't understand the 'reward tables' the way you think you do? I don't know, and I don't care. I'm just telling ya how mine have worked out so far, I certainly can't complain about the rewards I've gotten so far. |
In comparison to my Soldier/Bane, they bring way more to the team and yet they have not gotten one Very Rare after 10 runs.
My Stalker has the most Very Rare and it's just after 6 runs.
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.
Quote:
I agree with this after making another Stalker to 50 (MA/Will). |
Originally Posted by Arbiter_Shade
The way I look at it is in direct comparison to the other DPS classes in the game. So comparing Stalker damage to Blasters, Brutes, Scrappers, and hell lets even throw in VEATs and HEATs you can see that Stalkers are on the low side of damage. They deal more than HEATs generally but the rest do more damage than Stalkers and often times they deal a great deal more.
This is where the perception that Stalkers are underpowered comes in. While soloing it doesn't matter how powerful you are because you will very likely never come up against something you can't beat with any AT. |
I dare say of all Villains, Stalker ranks ON AVERAGE 2nd LAST place (only a head of Mastermind because MM's dps has too many factors) in terms of dps "potential".
Corruptors, while not doing as much raw damage in most cases (except after FS or heavy debuffs), they can add a lot of support to the team and their support force-multiplies.
This occurs to me after I made a Soldier build and a simple Single Shot, Burst and Bayonet has better dps than my MA Stalker. It is very very sad.
My perma Dom Gravity/Fiery/Ice has way higher dps "potential" than Stalker.
Night Widow, Bane and Crab (with pets) easily out dps Stalker while bringing buffs/debuffs to the team.
Brute actually doesn't out damage Stalker that much but Super Strength is still hard for Stalker to beat.
Stalker can't out damage Scrapper and Blaster. Scrapper's damage potential is way higher than Stalker and with less restrictions/conditions.
I don't play HEATs enough to know their dps but I know my Stalker out-damage Peacebringer at lvl 32.
Troller has certain combos that have very high damage potential. And Defenders can force-multiply too.
Stalker's dps potential should be one of the highest. The fact that this "Assassin" AT has less dps is not right. Both Assassin Strike and Placate don't necessarily increase your dps.
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.
Quote:
I just want to point that, that in the stalkers vs scrapper debates, in a team environment, stalkers have been shown to pull ahead on overall damage, due to increase crit rates. While the scrapper has higher base damage, the stalker has nearly triple the crit chance, pushing them much higher in the grand scheme of things.|
Originally Posted by Leo_G
I still find this amusing.
What I hear is how great Scrappers and Brutes (and VEATs) are for DPS and how they outshine them on teams. Well, what do you do on normal teams? Fight 1 hard target where your advantage of DPS is more obvious? Because, from various TF/SF teams I've been on with my brutes, you're dealing with spawns that melt quickly or melt you quickly. DPS is useless because I don't have a target in front of me to click buttons on even 75% of the time. On regular teams with my Fire/Storm corruptor, even AoE is rather pointless as I'll have scourged all the minions to death before the 2nd member gets off their AoE. So the other 4 guys with their Shield Charge and Lightning Rod? Well, there are some Lts left for that. Then you bring up the incarnate trials. How long do *those* spawns last when you've got 2 teams packing Judgement nukes? Yeah, when the AVs and stuff are up so you can DPS things, your advantage is more obvious...until you have to run away because Marauder is using his nuke-fist move. IMO, range is showing a far more use in this new content considering you don't have to shuffle around as much. Burst damage? Also shows it's use here. From the past DPS tests between Scraps and Stalks, the Scrap usually pulls ahead after around the Stalker's 2nd or 3rd AS because he's constantly doing higher damage, hit-for-hit, than the Stalker does outside of his bursts. But what happens when that scrapper has to pause? What happens to Hide when the Stalker has to pause and do the same? PS: It's good to hear that Stalkers aren't getting hosed on participation. I don't see how they would, considering any ST Brute or Scrap would be in the exact same boat. |
Thats also assuming the stalker can survive the same things the scrapper can, and sometimes that not possible.
I tend not to lean on the attribute of scaling crits to overcome Scrapper DPS if only because it requires the team to be in proximity of the Stalker for extended periods. But then, in such comparisons, practically no one adds the extra controlled crits into the calculations so it skews it even more. Even more-so, the DPS scenarios set up don't simulate normal circumstances so skew them even more. IMO, all that is balanced by the lowered AoE dmg some sets suffer. I play Stalkers, Tankers, Brutes and Scrappers and I don't feel my Stalkers achieve less under normal build scenarios. That said, I don't really feel they achieve *more* for being less survivable than the other three melees either, which is what many have issue with.
The places where it really matters, like AV/GM fights and such, the team being close to the stalker wont matter, as its usually a dogpile on the AV/GM anyways, and that just boosts the stalkers crit rate through the roof.
But yea, if they boost the stalkers HP cap to just below stalkers (say, 2012 or something) that'll help stalkers out a lot.
Quote:
Which test has shown this? I am curious to read because I firmly believe Scrapper's damage is higher than Stalker 90% of the time even with a large team but Stalker's advantage is having the ability to delivery better burst damage in the first 10s and can control one critical damage through Placate. |
Originally Posted by Arbegla
I just want to point that, that in the stalkers vs scrapper debates, in a team environment, stalkers have been shown to pull ahead on overall damage, due to increase crit rates.
|
There used to be a chart and Stalker with 7-team member critical buff is still only 6-7% higher potential dps than Scrapper but that requires 7-members within 30 radius all the time. And this info doesn't include Scrapper's ability to stack buffs (follow up attack), Fiery Embrace and secondary dot damage and the fact that Scrapper benefits more from damage buff.
Stalker survives better in my experience but that's because Stalker naturally just doesn't attract that much aggro. One can see it as a benefit and one can see it as a negative. But then again, I never have much issue with Stalker's survival.
And it's really not just Scrapper damage comparison. When you compare Stalker's damage against VEAT, it's sad. Even a Soldier can out dps a Stalker alone.
In normal circumstances, the game is easy enough that Stalker's design is what I would consider "fine". It's definitely playable but other ATs just have better damage potential. I mean what would you consider the absolute best Stalker damage potential? Single Target, is probably either Dark Melee or MA. AoE-wise, it's Spine or Electricity.
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.
I suggest Kinetic Melee and Energy Aura....those sets have been the most enjoyable on a stalker in my opinion so far.
Dont get me wrong...this has nothing to do with function or statistics....its more or less enjoyment factor...based on look...feel....sound...overall performance.
I too have a Ninja Stalker and Superior Reflexes Stalker and Willpower...and electric armor...and a plethora of combinations.
But Mostly i found most of the other combinations just started to bore me...i knew what they did and they worked...but i found nothing surprising to them at all....i literaly would play and run out of steam while i played them....then would switch to a differing character.
I played Kinetic Melee and Energy Aura...and just found it more interesting.
Also...I recommend that you take recall friend when you reach level 6 if you happen to like playing with teams.
Quote:
I'll deviate a little and suggest a Kinetic Melee/Dark Armor stalker. Plenty of mitigation/control paired with a top notch self-heal makes survivability very good. Great ST damage and a PBAoE thats up rather often (you can always fill out your AoEs with epic or patron powers) and concentrated strike gives build up an instant recharge when it crits... (I believe one of the recent patches also fixed CS so it always crits from hide, anyone else read that?)|
Originally Posted by The_Overlord
Alright stalkerbros, I have been playing for a little while now (a little over two years) and I still don't have a Stalker. I'm the sort of guy who likes to be able to play at least one combo in each AT (I recently went and made a Tanker after a long time of not playing them until I liked it!) and it's come to that time where I need to take a step into the unique world of the Stalker.
Anyways, basically I want some advice - the normal newbie Stalker thing. I was suggested to play a Nin/Nin once, and I actually found it fairly boring from a gameplay standpoint and ended up deleting that thing. I'll say now that I'm curious of Electric Melee, but as a result of my Nin experience don't really want to pair it with Nin. I'm open to plenty of ideas for what to do, so feel free to drop me a suggestion. I'm not sure what I want out of a Stalker except some decent survivability as well as damage output - but I like flashiness and just can't give it up for things like the various sword sets even in other ATs. So, come on in, sit down, and help a guy out! |
Kin. Melee is flashy too, not your typical Brawl animations here
... and DA has some flare of its own, IMO. Aside from flashiness, I think there's some pretty good synergy going on between the sets. DA is also a bit less endurance heavy on stalkers due to missing death shroud and cloak of darkness (0.52 and 0.26 end/sec, respectively) Though you'll still need to pay attention to your end slotting. DA has no inherent KB protection, but a few -KB IOs will shore up that weakness in short order.
Just read this thread, so I'll comment.
Overall, Stalkers' damage is low compared to everyone else's (which is BS). When at least 6 teammates are in range, the Stalker pulls ahead because of higher crit percentages than Scrappers; adding extra damage buffs to both at that point makes no difference (if the buffs are equal, obviously), the Stalker still does more damage. You can think of it as effectively increasing the Stalker's average base damage.
Two Stalker primaries compete with their Scrapper cousins: Spines and Electric.
Spines has comparable AoE to the Scrapper version because of the ability to control crits on Throw Spines, which is huge. AS helps Spine's otherwise minuscule single target damage.
Electric does similar AoE damage to the Scrapper, but can do better single target damage, even without teammates. For this, it really needs to be paired with /Nin. You can check the guide in my sig if you want to know how this is possible.
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]
To the OP:
For solo pve any stalker is worthwhile
I personally only roll defensive secondaries as I enjoy middle of the group fighting and uninterrupted AS in the middle of a fight
I also neglect the secondary until the 20s
It is a certain playstyle but that can be said of a lot of ATs/ power combos although maybe the curve is a little steeper
As far as the stalker vs all other ATs debate:
Everything is relative and you can't just make broad statements with all the variables in this game
The new build up refresh mechanic has made me start playing my km/sr again
He languished at 47 for a bit but now I'll be on him a lot more
He hits hard, is survivable, and to softcap I have maneuvers, tactics, and by extension, vengeance, so he brings that to a team
And I'll put him up against my nrg/nrg blaster, or my claws/da scrapper
But how do you compare to a ss/sd brute? Or a fire/sd scrapper?
There's a reason why scrappers are the most created AT
The same reason why Family Guy is a hit and Arrested Developement got cancelled
I'm glad people have these misconceptions about stalkers, it adds to the coolness factor
Quote:
That's the problem... why does Stalker need 6 teammates to do good damage considering stalker has less aoe and less health? |
Originally Posted by Microcosm
Just read this thread, so I'll comment.
Overall, Stalkers' damage is low compared to everyone else's (which is BS). When at least 6 teammates are in range, the Stalker pulls ahead because of higher crit percentages than Scrappers. |
Condition 1: Stalker needs 6 members within 30' radius all the time to do similar Scrapper damage.
Condition 2: Stalker needs hidden status and assassin strike to do more burst damage in the first 10s.
Facts that are not mentioned in your post: Scrapper has secondaries that can add more damage (Shield charge, Grant Cover, fiery embrace, Burn, DoT aura) and Primary powers like Follow Up that can stack damage buff.
Yes, Stalker's damage is what I consider "low" when you factor in all the conditions Stalker need to meet first. However, being "lower" damage doesn't mean it's not playable. I still like Stalkers. I just have this Love & Hate relationship with them. In fact, character transfer is now on sale for $4.99 and I am going to transfer my lvl 50 Db/Nin and lvl 47 Elec/Will from Virtue to Freedom.
Stalker can deal less damage than others but the Assassin-ability needs to be a lot better than the current system with 4s interruptable low damage. Yup, I think Assassin Strike damage is low because without Build Up, you can't even take down a +1 Lieut in the end. Hell, even with Build Up, you can't take down any Lieut with decent S/L resistance.
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.
Alright stalkerbros, I have been playing for a little while now (a little over two years) and I still don't have a Stalker. I'm the sort of guy who likes to be able to play at least one combo in each AT (I recently went and made a Tanker after a long time of not playing them until I liked it!) and it's come to that time where I need to take a step into the unique world of the Stalker.
Anyways, basically I want some advice - the normal newbie Stalker thing. I was suggested to play a Nin/Nin once, and I actually found it fairly boring from a gameplay standpoint and ended up deleting that thing. I'll say now that I'm curious of Electric Melee, but as a result of my Nin experience don't really want to pair it with Nin.
I'm open to plenty of ideas for what to do, so feel free to drop me a suggestion. I'm not sure what I want out of a Stalker except some decent survivability as well as damage output - but I like flashiness and just can't give it up for things like the various sword sets even in other ATs.
So, come on in, sit down, and help a guy out!