Shadow Meld is mostly there for absorbing alpha strikes. It doesn't last long enough to serve much of any other function, but it's really good at what it does. The recharge is too long to get permanent, though it is possible to have it up for the start of every fight. I personally wouldn't recommend it for a defense-based character though.
My favorite Stalker Epic is Weapon Mastery. It gets you a single target and AoE blast, just like Fire has (weaker, but still good damage), and instead of being forced to choose between a Hold or Immobilize in Tier 1, you can grab Physical Perfection for some extra Regen/Recovery.
@Roderick
Hello,
was looking for a bit of advice really. I have a Street Justice/ Energy Aura Stalker who I love playing. He is my first Stalker that I've got past 35 and I've unlocked his Patron powers and gone with Mace as I thought another AoE might be nice but in the time it takes him to draw his mace and then fire it with Disruptor Blast, I could make a cup of tea and the damage seems to be very underwhelming. I have high recharge, so thought the Spiderlings might come in handy as there is 3 of them as opposed to all the other pets just being one and they could take some of the aggro but are pets just really silly on a Stalker?
I know Epic's and PPP's are there to fill gaps in your build, I'm softcapped to S/L damage but post 40, Psi is becoming a pain in the butt. I've thought about going with Soul but I have no experience with Shadow Meld and wondered whether the 15 seconds of defence to all might come in handy against mobs with Psi? There doesn't seem to be a lot else in there that is that appealing though. The other option is to go Fire for Fireball as I'm guessing it's a faster AoE without having to draw a weapon but is there much else in Fire that's good? I don't know much about Rend Armour but it's seems like a long cooldown for a pretty weak debuff.
So many options and so many questions but unlike some other AT's Epic's, nothing seems to jump out at me. Any advice on what other's have found useful would be really appreciated.