Ice Armour; Tank, or Stalker?
By
Aett_Thorn,
Posted on: 2012-07-17 18:28 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion
If you have the elemental weapons from VIP tier 9, you can have an ice sword or swords for either ninja blade or dual blades stalker. And though I have little play experience with either (nothing over 15 on live,30s on beta) on paper I'm more impressed with stalker ice.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by BackAlleyBrawler
That...was a Herocon 09 exclusive easter egg. The powerset will not have doves associated with it.
Namely because you guys would want to color tint the damn doves, or make them hawks/ravens/flying sharks/etc and that's just a headache I do...not...want...to deal with. |
Uh, yeah those and the solid versions of the swords. Was working from memory, looking at them in game now they don't look nearly as icy as I'd hoped.
Playing in costume creator I can get imperial dynasty looking kinda icy. Some claws also look like they could pass for ice tinted right, or kinetic melee.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by BackAlleyBrawler
That...was a Herocon 09 exclusive easter egg. The powerset will not have doves associated with it.
Namely because you guys would want to color tint the damn doves, or make them hawks/ravens/flying sharks/etc and that's just a headache I do...not...want...to deal with. |
Well, I have an Ice/Titan tanker that I enjoy immensely, so I'm a little biased, but to me, Ice Armor seems a more natural fit for a tank. Two aggro auras, slows, damage aura, the ability to jump into a huge mob, get their undivided attention and use their own endurance bars to continue fueling your attacks.
If you're wanting to avoid magic origin, then mutant (their body naturally keeps a ludicrously low temperature or exudes crystals) or science/tech (cryosuit for handling biohazards or an alien species with a far different idea of what constitutes "room temperature" perchance?) can work easily enough.
Quote:
There are those and then the chunky elemental swords that look more rocky than icy.|
Originally Posted by Talen Lee
you mean these?
|
I don't think I could resist rolling a stalker with some mention of "when the cold creeps in".
I say Stalker just because they get what I think is the best armor set T9 power around. Spines/Ice could also be made to look like coral for a Coralaxy kind of thing.
Stalker all the way. Icy Bastion is amazing.
I have never played an Ice Armor tank, but have been teamed with some very impressive ones. I have an Ice Armor stalker, it is fun and durable. For some good defence stacking I paired it with Ninja Blade. My concept for my character was a psychic assassin, I colored the shields dark purple so they are barely visible and I have the Fire & Ice elemental flame blade colored a similar purple color (ala Psylocke).
It's a fun combo and I personally enjoy my take on "ice" armor.
"You sir, have never been in a hammer fight, that much is clear."
-Blast_Chamber
*yeah, I quoted myself.
Quote:
Yup got my Stalker to 50 and you get the Tanker T9 in your APP with nicer prettier goodies like Icy Bastion in your regular secondary powers |
Originally Posted by Tater Todd
Stalker all the way. Icy Bastion is amazing.
|
Icy Bastion looks like a (quite good) "Oh ****" button. I'm normally building so I don't use those things (like, for example, on my shielders and willpower characters), and instead prefer a constant sort of output. Does it do something else I'm not getting?
Quote:
It's up roughly 1/3 of the time if you slot IOs for a reasonable amount of recharge so it's nothing like some other sets T9s. It is as you say however not a constant.
|
Originally Posted by Talen Lee
Icy Bastion looks like a (quite good) "Oh ****" button. I'm normally building so I don't use those things (like, for example, on my shielders and willpower characters), and instead prefer a constant sort of output. Does it do something else I'm not getting?
|
For a jokey, non-ice concept, I used to have a character called The Spirit of Menthol. He was a reanimated corpse who had used so much menthol to try to cover up the stench, that he'd developed super-refreshing powers. His ice effects were a minty green.
I do agree that it's a difficult armour to recolor. Most of the shades of blue allowed look really odd to me.
Some of the ice shades, if done correctly, can look somewhat like an energy shield over your character, but it's tough to pull off well. Another option is something like a DB/Ice or Staff/Ice fairy stalker.
I am partial to Ice Armor on Tankers, but have to admit that the set seems better for Stalkers.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
I have a hard time giving up an opportunity for a damage aura!
Quote:
Icicles is very fun, and is a great place to put the Might of the Tanker +Res proc. That proc is a great boon for Ice Tankers, who have little resistance natively. Do you have any idea for a secondary in mind? I was toying with creating an Ice/Mace Tanker the other day (ended up going Ice/Dark, but might reroll). The combination of the KD/Stuns and the -DMG/-Rech from CE seems like a good mix of survivability tools for every situation. Ice/Dual Blades also seems like an interesting combo, if you can find a sword option that does make them look like icicles.
|
Originally Posted by Talen Lee
I have a hard time giving up an opportunity for a damage aura!
|
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
I have both:
An Icelandic princess (Snowflake Python - Ice/SS tank) who does have some sort of powersuit and a zoomorph vigilante (sabertooth tiger) (Tigris Borealis - StJ/Ice stalker)
I think each has its own advantages:
The set for stalkers is really amazing due to Icy Bastion and the lack of Icicles (personal taste, I despise that power look). The -dmg is a good mitigation for Stalkers too due to lower HP.
However, due to the pairing with SS, Ice for tankers works well because of Hibernate in case things get really dicey. SS would be better if the slab on concrete could be tinted so it looks like a slab of ice but you can't get everything you want I guess.
Finally, on a tank you can get to really good HP (currently am at 3106 on mine) which mitigates the def crash without the need to perma Hoarfrost (the stalker will be at 2K HP with Hoarfrost, but won't have the emergency heal available)
In any event, there is no wrong choice and you will have situations where your defense feels useless whether rage crashed or not 
@Viper Kinji
Currently working on:
Turtle Snapper - SD/MA/Ice Tanker
I while back, when Kinetic Melee had just hit the scene, there was alot of talk aboot Ice/KM/Soul tanks. The main draw to it (other than being the new shiny) was the epic amount of -DMG one could put out. Chilling Embrace + KM's attacks + Darkest Night + Degenerative Incarnate Proc could flatline almost any mobs damage. I rolled one and got him up to 41 before my sub ran out and I took a break from the game. He was/is a fantastic aggro-magnet and EB/AV/GM shield for a majority of the time.
I've never played Ice on Stalkers, so I can't be of any help to you there. From what I've heard and read, Icy Bastion is great and I think stalkers can also pick up Shawdow Meld which is a MoG-esque "oh-s**t" power. Using it in conjunction with Icy Bastion could make you fairly rugged.
When there is no room left in Hell, the Dead shall walk the earth.
Stalkers get a much better tier 9. I'm thinking of dropping Hibernate all together next time I respec Frosty Robot.
I really should do something about this signature.
when brutes and scrappers finally get ice armor, I hope they get the stalker T9...it's a MoG clone...and I LOVE MoG.
Currently Playing:
Rage King - SS/Regen Brute (50+3)
Soulfire Darkness - Dark/Fire Tank (50+2)
Deaths Final Embrace - Kat/Dark Brute (50+3)
ULTIMATE REGEN GUIDE I22
Quote:
Now this is interesting - the +res proc is good in a damage aura?
|
Originally Posted by Aett_Thorn
Icicles is very fun, and is a great place to put the Might of the Tanker +Res proc. That proc is a great boon for Ice Tankers, who have little resistance natively. Do you have any idea for a secondary in mind? I was toying with creating an Ice/Mace Tanker the other day (ended up going Ice/Dark, but might reroll). The combination of the KD/Stuns and the -DMG/-Rech from CE seems like a good mix of survivability tools for every situation. Ice/Dual Blades also seems like an interesting combo, if you can find a sword option that does make them look like icicles.
|
Quote:
PPMs fire every time the activation period occurs, so it would roll every two seconds assuming an enemy was in range (Reduced by the damage aura's AoE Modifier which won't be as big a hindrance next issue).|
Originally Posted by Talen Lee
Now this is interesting - the +res proc is good in a damage aura?
|
Also Paralytic, not Degenerative, is the -Damage effect.
Deamus the Fallen - 50 DM/EA Brute - Lib
Dragos Bahtiam - 50 Fire/Ice Blaster - Lib
/facepalm - Apply Directly to the Forehead!
Formally Dragos_Bahtiam - Abbreviate to DSL - Warning, may contain sarcasm
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Shubbie
Im very good at taking a problem and making it worse.
|
Quote:
They don't fire once per 10 seconds, like procs in auto- and toggle-powers are supposed to do?|
Originally Posted by DarkSideLeague
PPMs fire every time the activation period occurs, so it would roll every two seconds assuming an enemy was in range (Reduced by the damage aura's AoE Modifier which won't be as big a hindrance next issue).
Also Paralytic, not Degenerative, is the -Damage effect. |
As for which to take, the playstyles are vastly different; decide whether you want to be the irresistable force or the immovable object and you have your answer.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle
it has gone from unconscionable to downright appalling that we have no way of measuring our characters' wetness.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Brillig
It's hard to beat the entertainment value of Whackjob Wednesdays.
|
My strongest reason against stalker at this point is that my 50 StJ stalker is so disgusting I imagine I'd always be comparing the two.
Quote:
Well there's your answer then LOL. It's a shame though...maybe in the future you should try Ice Armor on a Stalker?|
Originally Posted by Talen Lee
My strongest reason against stalker at this point is that my 50 StJ stalker is so disgusting I imagine I'd always be comparing the two.
|
It made my stalker so sturdy that I ended up sometimes Tanking for teams. It makes Ninjitsu blush.
I want to make an ice armour character and I've spent the past few days umming and ahhing about which of the two to go with. I'm a roleplay junky, so I'm trying to come up with good concepts and good looks, and so far, nothing's pulling me too hard in either direction. I'm not even set on damage sets to go with them.
I know I'd like to avoid magic origin if I could (because I feel I overuse it). I also think I can't colour ice armour in any way that makes it look non-icey, meaning the character is going to be ice-based, one way or another. So what to do?
One idea, from a friend, is a spines/ice stalker, whose spines are meant to be sharp shards of ice; that's interesting, but I can't colour the spines to look properly 'icey' to my tastes. Another idea is an ice/ss tank, with some sort of supersuit to justify it - and my reasoning against that is trying to avoid a crash-prone character, and he'd flirt too much with the damage cap.
So what would you do? What damage sets inspire you, what mechanical things do you find yourself liking in these powersets? What's some crucial difference between Tank and Stalker Ice that springs to your mind when you think about them?