AS-Less Stalker

Hear me out, has anyone considered how useful assassin strike really is in the new end game content? Or even in level 50 trials? I have begun to wonder if it is really worth keeping it in spec when running these because all it really does is slow down your DPS. I have found myself trying to cycle placate-AS often but I feel like I should just use another stronger attack. I also feel like it would help my DPS more to have another attack in my chain and slot it up with damage procs...

So am I crazy or has anyone else been feeling this way lately?

when i do play a stalker i usually dont even bother with AS unless im running solo

my elec/energy stalker usually opens with lightning rod (which doesnt break hide) and then i go right into thunder strike for a mass crit on whatever was still alive

my broadsword/elec stalker usually opens with disembowel which still 1 shots minions with build up

the only other stalker i have aside from that is a mid level (28) stalker thats kin melee/ninjitsu, since hes still low lvl and mostly solos he usually opens with AS, but when im in a team i open with burst and mass crit everything

i usually only take AS because it does let me go and pop troublesome baddies and take out bosses and stuff very fast when solo, but when im teaming in any situation i rarely use AS

My main stalker is dark/dark (I also run spines/nin but he sucks so bad I like to pretend he doesn't exist).

It really depends on situation for me. AS is a lot of damage fast, but it is not always the right choice. In groups I don't use AS much, but if I see a boss under 50% with his attention elsewhere, placate bu AS = dead. Faster than if I cycled a round of smaller attacks.

In general play though, a crit with midnight's grasp will kill a +2 minion even without buildup. Buildup plus crit will kill with siphon life. MG + SL will kill a lieut if the MG crits. With buildup AS will not kill a boss. BU + AS+ Placate + MG still won't kill a +2 boss who is at 100%. So I really save it for opportunity shots to kill something annoying and tough. In general fighting I rely on MG - Smite - SL - Smite and it has never failed to do a solid job. Especially timing placates for right before MG.

You should still be using Placate>Buildup>AS on AV's and the like. It may "feel" like it does worse dps, but it actually does better, as long as you don't get interrupted. If you are getting interrupted a lot, then yes, scrap it.

Grab Fireball from epic pools. Auto-crit from hide. AS rarely gets any play anymore.

I use AS all the time and as much as poss versus AVs.

In team play, when you're not Boss-mashing, it's generally better to AoE crit or create a quick chain of attacks that result in speedier damage.

But consider some situations where it's a decent alternative:

-Lone Single Targets.

-Knockback heavy team.

-Solo.

-Vs Alpha strikes.

I hear lots of melees complain when a Blaster or some such knocks a foe out of melee range. I see it as an opportunity to use placate + AS. Boss isn't gonna be able to shoot the ranger and he's most likely out of range for another melee to take out for that moment.

When you need to destroy an object or put a dent in a hard target but fear the inevitable alpha backlash you'll receive, demoralize helps dampen this a great deal. And you won't be 'seen' until after the damage occurs rather than at the start of the animation.

I haven't played any of the new incarnate content but I feel that's a whole other game compared to regular content. By then, you can mature your Stalker to do whatever you want. If you don't use AS, respec into something else you want. If you want to do AoE dmg, pick up placate and an epic AoE and combine it with Judgement. Go crazy and slot your caltrops or mez aura with some procs and pick up Interface or whatever.

AS is great and it has a lot of uses, but Stalkers are similar to Scrappers in that they have alternate options with their builds. AS isn't a crutch and this is why, when people talk about helping Stalkers, I always steer it away from trying to 'fix' Assassin's Strike. Because if they do, then it might end up being something you *need* rather than want to pick up and use.

Yeah, in teams AS is only occasionally useful. I usually would open up with 1K Cuts on my DB unless there was an AV to start out on because teams usually steamroll too quickly. Still, I did find there were moments when using AS was a viable option. It's all a matter of being flexible during combat and seeing your chance.

That said, if you don't like it, dump it and be done it it - no crime in playing like you want to.

You're not crazy. When Stalkers were first introduced it was based around AS as the primary attack and it was the only way a stalker could get crits. A few years ago the devs decided to balance stalkers with Scrappers and gave them random crits out of hide and also lowered the damage of AS against bosses and higher while raising the damage of regular attacks slightly.

Great, so the signature power of the Stalker AT is shown to be useless in higher levels? Every time I come to the Stalker boards, it irritates me how gimp Stalkers are. Why is there a Stalker AT again? I don't think the devs even remember such a thing exsists...