Stalker vs Scrapper

With the upcoming issue due next week and Synapse mentioning that stalkers still have a ways to go, Will the title of "lolstalker" start dwindling and is it now viable to have stalker on team over a scrapper?


PS: I love playing my stalker. I am just curious on what others think.

It seems like the remaining hurdle for stalkers would be fixing the legacy primaries that were designed to suck back in the day. Sets with no aoe or aoe that once existed but was nerfed into single targethood should be given a once-over and a rare exemption from the cottage rule. Still, as long as you don't use a set that sucks you should be golden as of tuesday.

TL;DR version: It's viable, but based on specific builds.

Post i22 and with the same primary, the Stalker will usually outdo the Scrapper in single-target DPS - if the Scrapper doesn't have a long-term damage buff there's no "usually" about it, since the unhidden Assassin's Strike is simply that good for DPA (better than old Energy Transfer). But that ignores the secondary - Shields and Fiery Aura provide a lot of extra damage and Stalkers don't even get them, plus Scrappers get damage auras in Electric Armor and Dark Armor that simply add to their DPS as long as something is in range and those auras were replaced with Hide in the Stalker version.

It also doesn't account for the endurance burn of using Assassin's Strike all the time - there isn't an endurance discount on it like the old ET. Since Assassin's Strike outside of Hide follows the damage/end/recharge formula for single target attacks the higher DPS means higher EPS, and the formula goes by damage scale and not actual damage dealt... which means that the higher AT modifier for Scrappers makes them more endurance efficient if both are dealing identical damage. The team critical buff helps here, but when solo against anything you'd be fighting for a long time the critical rate is the same for each (10%) until you start looking at the ATO procs.

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Some players may persist in their "lolstalker" attitudes. The difference is, you will easily be able to deflate such comments with 600+ point crits on command.

I'm not exactly a stalker expert but it seems to me that all of the more recently added sets are just better than the old ones. KM, SJ, and soon Staff sacrifice very little in exchange for AS and placate. Even elec, which is not that recent, at least gives stalkers good aoe and some unique tricks, i.e. lightning rod not breaking hide. Compare those to MA, EM and Claws... yikes. No contest, I dare say.

I think StJ and DB benefit the most from the changes. KM too if you count the Stalker's Guile ATO proc.

StJ because adding AS into the chain eliminates low DPS filler attacks trying to get to Combat Lvl 3 (AS provides 2 Combat Lvls). DB because it makes some of the combo moves easier to use (Sweep and Empower). KM with the ATO proc will help BU insta-recharge more often.

All other primaries do not benefit as much but still get to use the best ST attack in the game consistently in their attack chain. The difference between pre and post i22 will be like night and day in regards to ST DPS for all.

I don't think anyone will prefer to have a stalker over a scrapper on a team but stalkers will not be shunned anymore. Stalker population will multiply by 20 over the next few weeks, just wait until double xp weekend.

I'm quite happy with my Electric Melee/Willpower stalker.

http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/downl...CBF93FA691F902

Edit: Though, with the improved hit point cap coming up, I'm going to have to change that build to get more hit points.

I haven't heard the lolstalkers sentiment in awhile. I think the ATO proc helps with this, since the chance to auto-hide can be extremely helpful. Currently I have it so I can fire off an AS from hide each time it is charged with no need to use placate. That whole "hit an enemy for 1000 damage every 13 seconds" thing tends to draw respect, and the pulsing mag 5 terrorize is a plus.


The other day I ran a +4 LRSF, and since I figured it would come down to be an 8 on 8 epic showdown with good and evil and for some reason everyone brings their corrupter to these things, I decided to host it with my KM/Elec Armr stalker. First person to join up was another stalker; a StJ/???. The whole time I was forming it and during the whole run through, not one person mentioned something about stalkers. When I was forming it earlier (failed run, since half the team d/ced and didn't log back in), no one mentioned anything about stalkers then, either. We just ran through it, stalker-ing it up all over the place, and it was a great run.

Well, from the defensive powerset side of things, yes, Fire Armor and Shield are the way to go for more damage. However, Fire Armor is usually considered one of the weakest in terms of survival.

Also, while FA and Shield add more damage, I think most people only worry about the primary when it comes to scrappers/brutes when it comes to AOE.

Sadly, those for who AOE matters, think Stalkers lack any AOE (ELM would prove them wrong) and that all scrappers/brutes have some decent AOE (my dark melee, martial artist, energy melee, sword wielding scrappers/brutes would prove them wrong).

Kinetic Melee Burst is also very good for when you're surrounded by an entire mob as well.

MA losing it's sole AoE is slightly heart breaking, but I still love my MA Stalker for the insane single target dps potential of Storm Kick. Where I would have taken Dragon's Tail, I instead took Spring Attack. The pool attack is NOT anywhere near close to a proper PbAoE in a primary, but it still gives me the ability to supply some AoE damage at lower levels when relying on an epic AoE like Fireball and your Judgement power isn't an option.

It's a MA / Energy Aura Stalker, and I've received nothing but buffs since I made it. First they buffed MA and gave Cobra Strike real damage instead of brawl damage. Then they buffed and revamped Energy Aura for me, I said ty kthxbai. Now they're buffing Stalkers in general. If Stalkers still aren't up to par in teams all I have to do is wait for next issue when more inevitable buffs will befall this toon, because she gets buffs thrown at her every issue it seems.

Man, I was totally pumped for my KM/Ice, all ready to go for today and everything, and now you guys have me thinking of rerolling with Elec/Ice. I hadn't even thought of that! The best part is now you can skip thunder strike and instead run CB > JL > CB > AS > CB > JL > CB > CI. Dang that chain looks nice, and it doesn't involve any lame-o powers like focused burst... But no perma-build up! But perma-build up is kind of annoying to actually put into practice... So conflicted. Then again one of the sets gets lightning rod and one of them doesn't.

The fortunata hypnosis proc can't actually work the same way as placate the power for stalkers, can it?

Hmm. I hadn't thought about the focus thing, but I wonder if it'd be worth it? I mean there's slow attacks and then there's thunder strike. I was thinking the hecatomb proc in CB would sweeten that chain considerably, and I just like both JL and CI a lot more than TS for their aoe capacity. As usual though I'll probably just wait for someone with the inclination to do so to figure out the exact value of various recharge levels of attacks.