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I hate to say this...i have played almost all stalker types and almost all brute types....there where only a few combos i didnt use becasue i had played them either on scrapper or tank or both.|
Originally Posted by TheBruteSquad
Screencaps of the new playstyle tab in the I21 character creator floating around at Massively describe the melee damage role like this:
"Your playstyle focuses on devastating attacks made from melee range, with Archetypes like the Scrapper, Stalker, and, to a lesser extent, Brute." I've always wanted to level a stalker to 50 - traditionally I like stealth classes in MMOs - but have always found their damage a little anemic compared to their other melee brethren. To be fair I've only tried Spines, Ninja Blade, Dark Melee, Energy Melee, and Electric Melee to post SO levels (and deleted them around level 33-34). Which combos blow Brute damage out of the water, assuming both are using SOs of course? |
So i have to say...so far i cant think of any stalker combos that actualy out damage a brute...or scrapper....or even a tank.....
Some stalker attacks do alot of damage...but if you actualy compare the top assassin strike to say any of the other melee classes top attack...the other archtypes usualy do about the same if not more.
With Your selections i can undertsand why you might not have played them beyond level 30....this is not to be mean to those sets...as they work very well and as expected....but that was exactly my personal issue i suppose with them....they work exactly as expected......there was no suprises to them....i kind of got board playing those same attack types on stalkers....
And for defense wise....the ninja one and superior reflexes....just seam hum dum...maybe becasue they are similar and just seams like i did that already....too many times....
I would suggest playing kinetic melee for a stalker...and take a differing secondary like energy aura or willpower....i wont suggest regeneration becasue that would make you probably get frustrated on your stalker.....
I also might suggest if you want more difficulty but still have fun...to use claws....becasue they only do lethal and dont do as much damage as you might expect...but they do have a faster recharge....and consume less energy...thus you can claw attack alot more things....
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Unless there are some unannounced changes for the AT coming in i21 - which I suppose is possible - the screencaps are simply another case of "don't believe what you read in the text descriptions". Solo, the Brute will probably do more.|
Originally Posted by TheBruteSquad
Screencaps of the new playstyle tab in the I21 character creator floating around at Massively describe the melee damage role like this:
"Your playstyle focuses on devastating attacks made from melee range, with Archetypes like the Scrapper, Stalker, and, to a lesser extent, Brute." |
Assuming 65% Fury, which is the number that Castle said he tried to tweak the gain/decay rate to leave maintainable, and each AT uses the same attack slotted for 100% damage:
Stalker: 1.0 (AT mod) * 2.0 (100% damage slotting) * 1.1 (10% solo critical rate) = 2.2
Brute: 0.75 (AT mod) * 3.3 (100% damage slotting + 130% from Fury) = 2.475
Just for giggles...
Scrapper: 1.125 (AT mod) * 2.0 (100% damage slotting) * 1.1 (10% Lt+ critical chance) = 2.475
Note that this is also assuming that the attack has a full critical: Energy Melee and Kinetic Melee both have heavy hitters that either don't, or only partially, critical.
<snipped due to incorrect damage cap value used - suffice it to say a Brute will outdamage a Stalker most of the time with a reasonable amount of Fury, and only additional teammates nearby helps the Stalker out>
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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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If you've played that many primaries into the 30s and none clicked for you, then I'd say Stalkers are just not for you. You don't play them because they do the most damage, you play them because the play style appeals to you, which in your case it clearly doesn't.
Maybe it's a matter of adjusting your expectations. If you try to play a Stalker like a Brute or Scrapper, it will just be a weaker version of those ATs. You have to embrace your inner Stalker. ;P
But yeah, probably just not for you.
Short answer? None.
Long answer? You will always find yourself falling behind a brute in long term combat, the ONLY place that a Stalker shines is in short engagements with single targets.
No relation to Arachnos!
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This.|
Originally Posted by Arbiter_Shade
Short answer? None.
Long answer? You will always find yourself falling behind a brute in long term combat, the ONLY place that a Stalker shines is in short engagements with single targets. |
Stalkers are awesome for doing sudden burst damage. They can do more damage in a short time period that other classes thanks to Assassin's Strike.
However the longer a fight drags out the more other ATs out damage it and the more it's lower HP becomes a factor.
I generally recommend a high defense secondary for Stalkers; Ninjitsu, Energy Aura or Super Reflexes. Willpower, if you can softcap it.
Also since it's so stealthy taking Recall Friend if possible. Helps speed up those long TFs.
Yeah, I was figuring that the new character gen screen is a little optimistic.
Regardless, I'm thinking I might go with Dark again. It's my favorite melee set and it's not heavily resisted so the assassin strikes should look impressive even late game. Maybe the last time I tried it the secondary (elec) was bumming me out. Dark/elec is a decent brute pairing but it just didn't work for me for some reason as a stalker.
I thought I'd heard somewhere (probably in a global channel) that auras suppress when hidden these days? If so, /dark could be interesting - a character with a use for the mez auras and the low hit points don't mean much with the amount of healing overkill dark regen is notorious for.
Weight training: Because you'll never hear someone lament "If only I were weaker, I could have saved them."
Only an electric/nin stalked can really compete with its counterparts because of a quirk of the pairing. Your best bet is to just hope for stalker changes soon 
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A Flash in the Dark: The Electric/Ninjitsu Stalker [i23]
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Guide to the Katana~Ninja Blade/Electric [i23]
I actually have a level 33 elec/nin who escaped purging because I really liked his story and costume. He just hadn't been played for 215 days. I've read your guide... it's interesting to throw the pseudo-pets in for extra dps. After reading it I did a quick respec and went on an zone boss murdering spree (my preferred way to level a stalker. More reliable levels of bosses about than setting a mission for x2). It's got potential.
Weight training: Because you'll never hear someone lament "If only I were weaker, I could have saved them."
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Probably because Electric Armor is a Resistance based set and Stalker's don't really have the necessary HP to take advantage of it. Even if your shields reduce 100 points of damage down to 15 (That'd be at the Resistance cap of 85%) it's gonna hurt a lot more if you've only got 100 HP compared to the other guy with 500.|
Originally Posted by TheBruteSquad
Maybe the last time I tried it the secondary (elec) was bumming me out. Dark/elec is a decent brute pairing but it just didn't work for me for some reason as a stalker.
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That being said, Stalkers really perform better with Defense based sets. They have the same features as other games' Thieves, Rogues, Ninjas, etc. Stealth and high burst damage with low HP to balance it out. Try a Dark Melee/Ninjitsu Stalker and see what you think. Nin will help preserve those precious hit points and give you a solid heal. Dark will help bolster your Defense by debuffing your targets' ToHit and give you a nice secondary heal that also does great damage.
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) Stalker resistance cap is 75%, not 85%
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Even more reason not to go for a Resist based secondary 
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My Electric/Electric stalker can send out some serious AoE damage, he can almost wipe out a whole mob with 2 AoE's. His dps isn't so bad, one time I killed 2 pillbox turrets in RV before an Energy/Regen stalker could kill one, but don't use thunderstrike that often.
As far as the Elec armor part, I regret it sometimes. With tough it's alright but I wish every day I'd gone /nin when I play beside my friends Dual Blade/Nin.
Screencaps of the new playstyle tab in the I21 character creator floating around at Massively describe the melee damage role like this:
"Your playstyle focuses on devastating attacks made from melee range, with Archetypes like the Scrapper, Stalker, and, to a lesser extent, Brute."
I've always wanted to level a stalker to 50 - traditionally I like stealth classes in MMOs - but have always found their damage a little anemic compared to their other melee brethren. To be fair I've only tried Spines, Ninja Blade, Dark Melee, Energy Melee, and Electric Melee to post SO levels (and deleted them around level 33-34). Which combos blow Brute damage out of the water, assuming both are using SOs of course?
Weight training: Because you'll never hear someone lament "If only I were weaker, I could have saved them."