Eddy_B

Hey Max, Von's been asking me to try and organise the pvp night, im terrible at organising, but ile give it a crack. Hit me up @Mime Artiste (check the e on the end) and we can chat about it, or just ask in sg chat and ile respond using which ever alt im on.

Pentads sound fun, just wanna check, is that only 1 of each AT? if so then not having multiple cors blowing us all up witll be very nice indeed. Are we going to allow heroes into this mix? As many handies are in the Clean Handprints too.

Otherwise, inter sg pvp tournies sounds great. I love the idea of kill the overlord too. Get The Evil Overlords, Handies overlords (Von and Fire afaik) and the UG overlords on one team, and a team or teams of their Usuruping sg mates all trying to kill them (*watches Von go Kersplatt )

So hit me up and we can chat about it. Also Grav, if your reading this, feel free to do the same.

Thanks muchly, the first one really helped me clarify a few things.

I am looking to make an ice/cold corr as a team based toon for pve (at least for now). Am having trouble finding a pve build, lots of pvp, but no pve ones. Anyone able to help? Are they the same build? other powers to take/ignore? any help would be greatly appreciated. Am looking forward to playing my first corr

kinda is, the current all domi team runs on union, though there might be one on defiant. Why not start one up for low lvl domies?

Stacking ToF when you have Hasten, quickness and good rch from set bonuses, its pretty easy to stack it. But then stacking all of the -acc from DM set really does add up when your getting scrappy and using ToF alot. Just try fighting a ballistae, without god mode, and only getting hit 5 times or less. With any other powerset other than DM/SR, maaaaaybe nin, i doubt this is possible.

Or roll a Dark Melee/

Touch of Fear is an awesome power for a stalker to have and its team utility is often noticeable, especially when its got a good recharge rate. I have managed to control entire mobs with this alone, an awesome power solo, in small teams or in large teams. Even if you dont have them all quaking, the amount of to hit debuff that gets applied on multiple applications to a boss is pretty awesome. Try going a whole fight, solo, vs a ballistae and get hit only a few times. ToF allows this to happen, my record was getting hit 4 times in the whole fight (lasting a few mins).

Good secondarys for stalking ide say would be /nin for its toys, the caltrops help often in teams, especially when multiple people have them.

Also the reason the guide has little about playing in large teams is mostly cos stalkers tend to suck in large teams. we have our uses, but many people wont pick a stalker over another AT.

Only advice i can offer is this. get scrap-happy.

After playing with the awesome team that is the all domi team for a few weeks, my neglected ice/psi domi finally got to 38 and so PSW!!! WOOT!!!! *does happy dance*

Just from the one mish ive used it on, and its got no slots, i can tell why people love it so much! There were 3 /psi domies all spamming PSW and the aoe carnage was fantastic!

Thanks to the all domi team for helping me lvl!

Let the "I love PSW!" posts begin

I cleaned this guide up and have posted it in the "guides" section.

http://uk.boards.cityofvillains.com/show...ge=0#Post955861

After spending 50 levels of playing a stalker, and a few other stalker alts, playing alongside stalkers as other Archetypes, reading the forums, listening to the rants and complaints against and by stalkers, I decided to write this guide on learning the way of the stalker. Much of this is taken from my own opinion, and isn't by any means definitive. I will also welcome other useful pieces of info that stalker vets can pass on to others.

[u]The Tao of the PvE Stalker[u]

A Stalker knows why the shadows hide us, for the dark is our ally.

Hide is a great level 1 choice to have to have. It allows us to pick our battles. Where we choose to fight and most importantly, whom we choose to fight, is a choice given to us by Hide. This power is essential to our being. Learn to love the shadows, for they will learn to love you.

A Stalker favours a dagger to the back, for it is more effective than a punch to the face.

Hide allows us to choose where we fight. Choose to fight behind your target. We get no actual real bonus from this, but we do get something else: Time. If you stand in front of a target and hit them, then they have a chance to fire off an attack at you before they die. Even if you have one hit them, they can still do this. Standing behind a target, minimizes this chance, as you are not in their line of sight, and so don't attack you. Unless of course they hit a PBAoE, this split second it takes for them to turn around and target you can mean the difference between you getting set on fire, or smacked in the face. Remember: "Stalkers do it from behind"

A Stalker must know his enemy well. A Stalker must know himself better.

Know your enemy. What are their powers? What havoc can they cause? Do people hate, loathe and fear them? Knowing your enemy means you know whom to target first. We are snipers. The tactical kill done quickly, can change how a battle goes. Learn what mobs people want taken out first. Mostly these are Lts and Minions. Bosses such as Wardens everyone hates, but unless you have 2-3 stalkers on your team, you can't one hit them. Take them out only if there is nothing else of concern.

The second thing to know is this; CAN you actually take them out quickly? Without Build Up, you won't take an LT out in one hit. Even with BU, mobs like Mu can't be taken in one, without reds. Be prepared for this. Have a follow up attack queued up and ready.

Knowing what mob to take out first is one of the main roles of a stalker on a team. Leave the bosses to the brutes and others to take out, unless there is nothing else of concern, or there are enough stalkers to take them out in quickly.

The sniper who shoots first reveals his position. The sniper who shoots second is but another sound to be heard. A Stalker reveals his position only when ready.

In teams, we are not alpha soakers unless in god mode. As entertaining as it can be to take the alpha away from the brutes, try and avoid it. We are of no use dead, unless someone has vengeance. Let others know when you are ready. Tell them to charge in when you hit BU if you like, but refrain from attacking beforehand. Unless of course, you are aiming for those debt badges.

A Stalker is more than the pony with one trick.

[u]AS is NOT our only attack[u] . We do have others. Yes we make poor scrappers, but we CAN still scrap. Our secondary effects (stun, KB, slow, -acc etc) are noticeable. We can do damage to foes out of hide. Your damage output is still relatively high compared to some Archetypes. Use placate to get back into hide quickly in the midst of a fight, but don't expect to get another AS from it, use your most powerful quick attack, often best if its a single target one. This can massively increase your damage output. Also, stick to one target. One dead target is better than 3 targets with any amount of health.

AS is an awesome attack, I still love seeing "Assassin Strike" appear. However it's slow, interruptible and end heavy. Use something else in the midst of a fight, unless you only have one mob left. Running and hiding to use AS again is fine when you are solo, but in teams, it just isn't as efficient.

A Stalker knows where the darkest shadows are.

In teams, troublesome mobs are often ranged and like to be slightly away from the fray. This is where you can carefully select your targets, and take some time with them. They are alone and vulnerable. Not a good place to be when a stalker is around. Pick off your targets from the outside in, unless you are going after something very specific. In the midst of battles, AoEs, Cones and all sorts are going off. This is bad for a stalker's health and wellbeing. Being on the outside means we can get behind that flamethrower and not be a target. The Darkness is our friend.

The darkest area is at the edge, in the corner, or just where your target can't see you.

From Chaos comes Order and from Order comes Chaos. A Stalker is the Order amidst the Chaos.

While soloing, the effective use of placate is essential to our survival and efficiency. These tactics can be used in Duo's, but beware. Shedding aggro is great for your health, but your squishy partner, might not appreciate it.

You have 3 mobs. You can take out one pretty fast, and probably take out the second pretty fast, but that third, or fourth will likely spoil your day. Learn to use placate effectively. There are many bad ways to use it, but below is how to use it right.

AS mob A (An LT preferably, or just the most potentially annoying).
While your doing your AS potty dance, select mob B. This should be either a boss, 2nd Lt, or a mob further away from you, but still in range of placate.
Once mob B is placated, select mob C, preferably one very close to you. If you have time, use AS again, otherwise use your second most powerful attack, and finish off mob C quickly. Hopefully this will be before placate runs out on mob B.
With mob B left wondering where his mates went, you can either run or get back into hide, use AS if you didn't before, or whatever. But with one mob left, you are able to take your time.

If there are 4+ mobs, then you might have to scrap 2 mobs, or use hit and run tactics. Placating a Boss or nasty LT is often a good way to escape if you are using hit and run. One less mob chasing after you is always helpful.

Leave the boss or higher till last. By removing all other threats, there is little left to knock us out of hide, or just generally cause us hassle. We can focus on the 1 on 1, something a stalker excels at.

Using placate in teams is rarely worth it unless the mob is very small. Placate mobs on the edge, or those causing you grief. Don't use it just to get another AS off while in a team. You will be lucky if you manage it. If you do use placate on large teams, fire off your most powerful quick attack, its more effective.

Tactical withdrawal is a valid option. It is not cowardly to live to fight another day. A Stalker may retreat, only to come back stronger.

Hitting and running solo is fine. Hitting and running on a team, especially towards your unprepared teammates, will likely get you yelled at and booted from a team. Running should only be used in a team situation, when your team is wiped and you're not looking too good yourself. If you're in god-mode, then you are more likely to stay and fight, but otherwise, run and save your insps for a more worth fight. Running and hiding during a fight in a team where its going well, will just leave people wondering where you went and likely getting annoyed at you. Remember, AS is NOT your only attack.

When soloing, things are different. Hit and run is a nice way to thin out a crowd, especially if it's a little too big for you. 3-5 mobs can be dealt with depending on their type and your level. Any more than that, or when you are low level without the survival skills, then run.

Learn how far you need to run to lose aggro. Running down a lift works great, or out of the mish door. Otherwise, learn roughly how far you need to run from them for them to leave you alone. Once aggro is lost, and you are re-hidden, run back to the now disinterested mob. They are often walking back to where you first engaged them. This creates easy pickings for you as you take out the stragglers. Be careful though, don't draw too much attention to yourself when doing this, or you just might get the whole lot coming back on you.

A Stalker is like a ghost. Unseen, unheard, a silent whisper of the wind.

Ghosting your stalker is an effective way to quickly complete mishs. Got to defeat X? Find him and kill him, and if that isn't enough, anyone around him. Easy. Got to find a glowie? Find it, click it, do your happy dance.

Things aren't always that easy though. That glowie might be surrounded by a mob. This is where Line Of Sight is your friend. Can you hide behind something? A corner, a piece of equipment? You don't have to stand right in front of it to click it, stand to the side, stand back, wherever, just so long as you still get the blue hand coming up. This becomes especially useful in store raids in Mayhems. A nice way to avoid those pesky search lights and the ambushes they trigger.

Also be aware of those that can see you. Rikti Drones and those big floating eyes of the Ruluruu can see you no matter how much stealth you have. Either get past them very quickly, or do your best to avoid them. If seen and discovered, be prepared for a very nasty fight, or be prepared to run, very fast.

You should also be aware that if you have ghosted a mish, running is not always the best option. There will more than likely be mobs along your escape route. This can make things go from bad to face planting very very fast.

The downside to ghosting is missing out on all those nice enhancements and salvage drops. So if your solo and you see a lone Lt, take them out. It's fast, it's fun, and adds to your rewards.

Scouts are useful. Information can be vital. A wayward Scout-Stalker is just someone lost.

Stalkers make great scouts. "He's here guys!" is great for a team to know which way to go, especially if they don't want to clear the whole map. Also things like "2 wardens and 3 nullifiers spotted" is useful for a team to know. Try the bind:

/g "team $target Spotted!"

It comes in handy for identifying problem mobs, especially when facing things round corners that others will likely blunder into. Try and stay ahead of the team to maximise this info. Often not possible with a brute in fury lock, but try at least.

Scouting out the entire map while your waiting for team mates, running off and going to the end, jumping up and down saying "Boss here" without Recall Friend to make you of use, or just generally leaving your team without any purpose other than it will keep you entertained, is a good way to get kicked from a team. This sort of behaviour just annoys people. Uncovering the whole map leads to people running into rooms and not paying attention to the 20 longbow stood waiting for them.

If you are asked to scout by the team leader, do it, especially when you are short on time. Taking Recall Friend can be very, very useful in this situation. However, do this when asked, or if you have asked and the leader says ok. Otherwise your team are fighting a man short, and likely just get annoyed at you.

A Stalker knows timing is the key to unlocking their potential.

Do you know how long it takes you to get back into hide? If not, learn. Count to yourself. 1 Elephant. 2 Elephants. 3 Elephants. If you learn to time it right, you can use your AS the second that you are back in hide. You don't have to be in hide to use it, just so long as you are back in hide by the time it goes off. Learn this timing. It maximises your damage output and minimizes your kill times. There is nothing quite as satisfying as timing this perfectly so that you barely are back in hide as it goes off.

A Stalker knows an enemy held is an enemy facing a swift death.

Held foes are doomed. When a stalker is around, they are doomed faster. We get a chance of critting while out of hide off held and slept foes. Remember this. It can really help maximise your damage output while out of hide.

Be Villainous. Be Vicious. Be Relentless. This is the mindset of the Stalker.

The above difficulty levels are where you want to be training at. Villainous for those low levels or when you want to do all your contacts. Vicious when you want to take on something harder. Relentless for when you really want a challenge.

These difficulty levels are perfect for stalkers. Smaller mob sizes, just higher level. The other diff levels you get more mobs. This is bad for stalkers. Large mobs = death. Small, but higher level mobs = good bonuses and still quick kills.

When the hunter is hunted, he is often easy prey. A Stalker is easy prey.

Ambushes are the bane of a stalker's life. Kidnaps, store robberies, rescues, anything that triggers an ambush to come your way will always cause you a problem. To help with this it's good to know a few things.

Many ambushes are location based. They are triggered when you click a glowie, or hit a certain point. The ambushers will then come to this point. If you are not there, they ignore you. Simple. Just move away from where the ambush is triggered, and it's likely they will leave you alone.

If you have a pet/captive in tow, things get tougher, especially if you have to keep them alive. If they can be left, leave them and come back for them later. If they can't and need to be babysitted, stick close to them. If they are fighting, help them. Just keep an eye on them and keep close. Failing these kinds of mishes is a pain.

A Stalker is a solitary creature by nature, but knows when to seek the company of others.

Stalkers make great solo toons. Many mishs can be ghosted for fast exp. However, some mishs you will need help with.

If you are facing an EB, either bring back up in the form of teammates or Shivans, or be ready for a long fight. Against an AV, get a team, get Shivans, get your pet hamster/dog/cat/monkey, get anyone. We can't solo an AV/Hero. Ever.

If you have a "Stop X from escaping" mish, bring back up, lots of it. These are a pain to fail. We do not have the sustained damage output and ability to stop a mob that other Archetypes have. Beware of these types of mish, they are perhaps the most frustrating for a stalker.

Duos are good for stalkers, as are small teams. 4 is about the max you can have in a team, and still remain true to your stalker nature. Teams of 5-8 often lead you to feeling useless or just like a poor scrapper. That is not to say avoid them totally, just be aware that your play style should change to fit a large team.

Learn how a stalker interacts with other Archetypes. Another Stalker is a great companion. Double AS is a truly awesome thing to behold. Masterminds provide great cover. Dominators provide holds and control. Brutes and corrupters are rarely good duo partners. A Brute is a sledgehammer, a Stalker is a scalpel. It can work, but be prepared for the fast pace. Duos with a Corrupter often end with a dead Corrupter. If you want a Corrupter, try getting a larger team together, so they have someone to look after them.

This is the Tao of the Stalker. Learn the Tao. Learn yourself.

Shannon - I did actually include a note about to be wary about using placate when duoing especially with a squishy partner.

AP - Didnt wanna make a guide about how to build a toon, just merely how to play them. With DM i found it was a balance between prim and sec. There are 2 easily dropable powers in DM, but plenty of essentials.

Any other input people can offer on how to play PvE stalkers they feel I have left out of here, please feel free to add input. I'le probs clean this up a bit and then post it to the guides section.

After spending 50 lvls of playing a stalker, and a few other stalker alts. Playing alongside stalkers as other ATs, reading the forums, listening to the rants and complaints against and by stalkers, I decided to write this guide on learning the way of the stalker. Much of this is taken from my own opinion, and isn't by any means definitive. I will also welcome other usefull pieces of info that stalker vets can pass on to others.

The shadows hide us, the dark is our ally.

Hide is a great lvl 1 choice to have to have. It allows us to pick our battles. Where we choose to fight and most importantly, who we choose to fight, is a choice given to us by Hide. This power is essential to our being. Learn to love the shadows, for they will learn to love you.

A dagger to the back is more effective than a punch to the face.

Hide allows us to choose where we fight. Choose to fight behind your target. We get no actual real bonus from this, but we do get something else. Time. If you stand in front of a target and hit them, then they have a chance to fire off an attack at you before they die. Even if you have one hit them, they can still do this. Standing behind a target, removes this chance, as you are not in their line of sight, and so don't attack you. Unless of course they hit a PBAoE, this split second it takes for them to turn around and target you can mean the difference between you getting set on fire, or smacked in the face. Remember "Stalkers do it from behind"

Know thyself and thy enemy

Know your enemy. What are their powers? What havoc can they cause? Do people hate, loathe and fear them? Knowing your enemy means you know who to target first. We are snipers. The tactical kill done quickly, can change how a battle goes. Learn what mobs people want taken out first. Mostly these are Lts and Minions. Bosses such as Wardens everyone hates, but unless you have 2-3 stalkers on your team, you can't one hit them. Take them out only if their is nothing else of concern.

The second thing to know is, CAN you actually take them out quickly? Without Build Up, you wont take an LT out in one hit. Even with BU, mobs like Mu cant be taken in one usually. Be prepared for this. Have a follow up attack queued up and ready.

Knowing what mob to take out first is one of the main roles of a stalker on a team. Leave the bosses to the brutes and others to take out, unless there is nothing else of concern, or there are enough stalkers to take them out in one.

The sniper who shoots first reveals his position. The sniper who shoots second is but another sound to be heard.

In teams, we are not alpha soakers unless in god mode. As entertaining as it can be to take the alpha away from the brutes, try and avoid it. We are of no use dead. Let others know when you are ready. Tell them to charge in when you hit BU if you like, but refrain from attacking beforehand. Unless of course you are aiming for those debt badges.

Be more than the pony with one trick

AS is NOT our only attack. We do have others. Yes we make poor scrappers. But we can still scrap. Our secondary effects (stun, KB, slow, -acc etc) are noticeable. We can do damage to foes out of hide. Your damage output is still relatively high compared to some ATs. Use placate to get back into hide quickly in the midst of a fight, but dont expect to get another AS from it, use your most powerfull quick attack, often best if its a single target one. This can massively increase your damage output. Also, stick to one target. One dead target is better than 3 targets with any amount of health.

AS is an awesome attack. But its slow, interruptible and end heavy. Use something else in the midst of a fight, unless you only have one left. Running and hiding is fine when you are solo, but in teams, it just isn't as effective.

Know where the darkest shadows are

In teams, troublesome mobs are often ranged and like to be slightly away from the fray. This is where you can carefully select your targets, and take some time with them. They are alone and vulnerable. Not a good place to be when a stalker is around. Pick off your targets from the outside in, unless you are going after something very specific. In the midst of battles, AoEs, Cones and all sorts are going off. This is bad for a stalker's health and wellbeing. Being on the outside means we can get behind that flamethrower and not be a target. The Darkness is our friend. The darkest area is at the edge, in the corner, or just where your target can't see you.

Order creates the best kind of chaos. Chaos is a good way to create order.

Soloing and the effective use of placate is essential to our survival and efficacy of damage. These tactics can be used in Duo's, but be aware. Shedding aggro is great for your health, but your squishy partner, might not appreciate it.

You have 3 mobs. You can take out one pretty fast, and probs take out the second pretty fast, but that third, or fourth will likely spoil your day. Learn to use placate effectively. There are many bad ways to use it, but below is how to use it right.

AS mob A (An LT preferable, or just the most potentially annoying)
While your doing your AS potty dance, select mob B. This should be either a boss, 2nd Lt, or a mob further away from you, but still in range of placate.
Select mob C, preferably one very close to you. If you have time, use AS again, otherwise use your second most powerful attack, and finish off mob C quickly. Hopefully this will be before placate runs out on mob B.
With mob B left wondering where his mates went, you can either run and get back into hide, use AS if you didnt before, or whatever. But with one mob left, you are able to take your time.

If there are 4+ mobs, then you might have to scrap 2 mobs, or use hit and run tactics. Placating a Boss or nasty LT is often a good way to escape if you are using hit and run. One less mob chasing after you is always helpful.

Leave the boss or higher till last. By removing all other threats, there is little left to knock us out of hide, or just generally cause us hassle. We can focus on the 1 on 1, something a stalker excells at. If you are facing an EB, either bring back up in the form of team mates or shivans, or be ready for a long fight. Against an AV, get a team, get shivans, get your pet hamster. We can't solo an AV. Ever.

Tactic withdrawl is an valid option. It is not cowardly to live to fight another day.

Hitting and running solo is fine. Hitting and running, especially towards your unprepared team mates, will likely get you yelled at and booted from a team. Running should only be used in a team situtation, when your team is wiped and your not looking too good yourself. If your in godmode, then you are more likely to stay and fight, but otherwise, run and save your insps for a more worth fight. Running and hiding during a fight in a team where its going well, will just leave people wondering where you went and likely getting annoyed at you. Remember, AS is NOT your only attack.

When soloing, things are different. Hit and run is a nice way to thin out a crowd, especially if its a little too big for you. 3-5 mobs can be dealt with depending on their type and your lvl. Any more than that, or when you are low lvl withouth the survival skills, then run.

Learn how far you need to run to lose aggro. Running down a lift works great, or out of the mish door. Otherwise, learn roughly how far you need to run from them for them to leave you alone. Once aggro is lost, and you are rehidden, run back to the now disinterested mob. They are often walking back to where you first engaged them. This creates easy pickings for you as you take out the stragglers. Be carefull though, dont draw too much attention to yourslf when doing this, or you just might get the whole lot coming back on you.

Be like the ghost. Unseen, unheard, a silent whisper of the wind.

Ghosting your stalker is an effective way to quickly complete mishs. Gotta defeat X? Find him and kill him, and if that aint enough, anyone around him. Easy. Gotta find a glowie? Find it, click it, do the happy dance.

Things arent always that easy though. That glowie might be surrounded by a mob. This is where Line Of Sight is your friend. Can you hide behind something? a corner, a piece of equipment? You dont have to stand right in front of it to click it, stand to the side, stand back, whatever, just so long as you still get the blue hand coming up. This becomes especially usefull in store raids in Mayhems. A nice way to avoid those search lights.

You should also be aware that if you have ghosted a mish, running is not always the best option. There will more than likely be mobs along your escape route. This can make things go from bad to faceplanting very very fast.

The downside to ghosting is missing out on all those nice enhancements and salvage drops. So if your solo, and you see a lone Lt, take them out. Its fast, its fun, and adds to your rewards.

Scouts are usefull. Information is vital. A wayward scout is just someone lost.

Stalkers make great scouts. "He's here guys!" is great for a team to know which way to go, especially if they dont want to clear the whole map. Also things like "2 wardens and 3 nullifiers spotted" is usefull for a team to know. Especially when facing things round corners that others will likely blunder into. Try and stay ahead of the team to maximise this info. Often not possible to a brute in fury lock, but try at least.

Scouting out the entire map while your waiting for team mates, running off and going to the end, jumping up and down saying "Boss here" without Recall Friend to make you of use, or just generally leaving your team without any use other than it will keep you entertained is a good way to get kicked from a team. This sort of behavior just annoys people. Uncovering the whole map leads to people running into rooms and not paying attention to the 20 longbow stood waiting for them.

If you are asked to scout by the team leader, do it. Especially when you are short on time. Taking Recall Friend can be very very usefull in this situation. However, do this when asked, or if you have asked and the leader says ok. Otherwise your team are fighing a man short, and likely just get annoyed at you.

Timing is the key to unlocking your potential.

Do you know how long it takes you to get back into hide? If not, learn. Count to yourself. 1 Elephant. 2 Elphants. 3 Elephants. If you learn to time it right, you can use your AS the second that you are back in hide. You don't have to be in hide to use it, just so long as you are back in hide by the time it goes off. Learn this timing. It maximises your damage output and minimizes your kill times. There is nothing quite as satisfying as timing this perfectly so that you barely are back in hide as it goes off.

An enemy held is an enemy facing death.

Held foes are doomed. When a stalker is around, they are doomed faster. We get a chance of critting while out of hide off held and slept foes. Remember this. Can really help maximise your damage output.

Be Villainous. Be Vicious. Be Relentless.

The above difficulty levels are where you want to be training at. Villainous for those low levels or when you want to do all your contacts. Vicious when you wanna take on something harder. Relentless for when you really want a challenge.
These difficulty levels are perfect for stalkers. Smaller mob sizes, but just higher level. The other diff levels you get more mobs. This is bad for stalkers. Large mobs = death. Small, but higher lvl mobs = good bonuses and still quick kills.

When the hunter is hunted, he is often easy prey.

Ambushes are the bane of a stalker life. Kidknaps, store robberies, rescues, anything that triggers an ambush to come your way will always cause you a problem. To help with this its good to know a few things.

Many ambushes are location based. They are triggered when you click a glowie, or hit a certain point. The ambushers will then come to this point. If you are not there, they ignore you. Simple. Just move away from where the ambush is triggered, and its likely they will leave you alone.

If you have a pet/captive in tow, things get tougher, especially if you have to keep them alive. If they can be left, leave them and come back for them later. If they cant and need to be babysitted, stick close to them. If they are fighting, help them. Just keep an eye on them and keep close. Failing these kinds of mishes is a pain.


This is the Tao of the Stalker. Learn the Tao. Learn yourself.

Well some good advice, thanks. My stealth IO is in Sprint as I said in my post, so it works no matter where. Was looking at Aidself for Arena style matches, might be an idea over TP Foe. Mostly put that in there as its about the only way i can see to take out /traps and /dark MMs as they move have nasty things that mean they can just stand still, so would be nice to get them away from their pets and traps. Having to vertical gets annoying sometimes, especially against flying blasters. Usually this can be sorted out by team pvp, or just chasing them down. My usual tactic is to SS up them and have ToF on auto so that as soon as they are in range it hits, a very nice way to stop most ppl in their tracks and gives me plenty of time to saunter up to them, rehide and AS them.

Agile over dodge was more a choice concerning poeple attacking me as I run my little legs off away from them. In a melee fight, I can often win from the amount of -acc and tohitdebuff I apply, but at range, I have little control so the extra def will help. Most of the thinking behind the extra +def and 3 slots in health was that if im running away, placating or just being able to stand there not getting hit, then I will regen health quickly. usually find I either die very fast, and so wouldnt have the time to use aid self, or survive longer than they do. Its kind of an all or nothing build really.

Otherwise, if there are no glaring holes in it atm, ile guess ile spec into it. Got my patron spec and a freespec to use, and have yet to do a respec trial, so I can always change it more in the future when i get some nice sets available.

Thanks for help all.

Well I've given up trying to figure this out for myself. I need help so im posting on here. Below is my planned build atm, but Im still pretty unsure of a few things on it. Mainly things like the slotting for Health and Hurdle, and slotting in general. ATM this isnt a IO Build or Hami-O build, they will come in time im sure. I have a few sets in place, but thats another story.

I want this build to pvp with, and to use for events when necessary. I took tp foe late for dueling in arena mostly, when i can use tp foe along with Soul Storm to freak out MMs.Am quite a fan of SC, though will likely venture more into WB when I have stealth at that lvl. I do have a stealth IO in sprint too.

Soo any ideas, suggestions, hints and tips? All advice greatly welcomed.

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.21
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php

Mime Artiste: Level 50 Magic Stalker
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Super Reflexes
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Teleportation
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Smite -- Acc(A), Acc(3), Acc(3), Dmg(5), Dmg(5), Dmg(7)
Level 1: Hide -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(31), DefBuff(31), DefBuff(34)
Level 2: Shadow Maul -- Acc(A), Acc(7), Dmg(9), Dmg(9), Dmg(11), EndRdx(11)
Level 4: Focused Fighting -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(34), DefBuff(36), DefBuff(36)
Level 6: Assassin's Eclipse -- Acc(A), Acc(13), Dmg(13), Dmg(15), Dmg(15), EndRdx(17)
Level 8: Build Up -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(17), RechRdx(19)
Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(19), RechRdx(21)
Level 12: Placate -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(21), RechRdx(23)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Run(A)
Level 16: Practiced Brawler -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(23)
Level 18: Hurdle -- Jump(A), Jump(43)
Level 20: Health -- Heal(A), Heal(48), Heal(48)
Level 22: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(25), EndMod(25)
Level 24: Focused Senses -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(36), DefBuff(37), DefBuff(37)
Level 26: Touch of Fear -- Acc(A), Acc(27), Fear(27), ToHitDeb(29), ToHitDeb(29), ToHitDeb(31)
Level 28: Quickness -- Run(A)
Level 30: Stealth -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(46), DefBuff(48), DefBuff(50)
Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- Acc(A), Acc(33), Dmg(33), Dmg(33), Dmg(34), EndRdx(50)
Level 35: Agile -- DefBuff(A), DefBuff(37), DefBuff(40)
Level 38: Elude -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(39), RechRdx(39), DefBuff(39), DefBuff(40), DefBuff(40)
Level 41: Dark Blast -- Acc(A), Acc(42), Dmg(42), Dmg(42), Dmg(43), Range(43)
Level 44: Soul Storm -- Acc(A), Acc(45), Hold(45), Hold(45), RechRdx(46), RechRdx(46)
Level 47: Dodge -- DefBuff(A)
Level 49: Teleport Foe -- Acc(A), Acc(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth:53(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx(A)
Level 1: Assassination



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Well thanks for the advice, was just an idea I had.

So TP Foe never works in arena? Dam, how am I supposed to kill MMs in there then?

well build atm

Smite
SM
FF
AS
BU
Hasten
Placate
SS
PB
Hurdle
Health
Stam
FS
ToF
Agile (though now thinking quickness)
Stealth
MG
Dodge/invis
Elude

thats the build up to 38.

Any suggestions?

Am still working on a proper pvp build for my stalker (see sig). I really like SC even though i have no decent attack out of hide other than smite, but with a good build I can see myself going to WB more often.

In my build I have space at lvl 28 for either Agile or TP Foe, or quickness, but with Hasten, dont much see the need. Agile will help me avoid ranged attacks and so help against blasters. TP Foe will hopefully allow me to bring into range those pesky blasters and hopefully land ToF on them so they dont run away.

Anyone (and im looking at you Aranos X especially) have exerpience of TP Foe in pvp and can give me some advice? will I have the time to land a ToF before they run away from me? Is it just mean? Or would I be better served taking agile and leaving TP Foe for the arena?

Also, how do you slot it? 2 acc?

All advice welcomed

Aye was great fun doing the RWZ TF and was cool that we could just pick up 4 randoms who stayed the whole way through. They did really well.

The Hami part was really tough, but never done that before so didnt know what to expect. Yep, random TF/SF's can be fun, though sometimes disasterous.

Also i agree Enkil, joining the DHP and its various branches really has made this game for me. Glad I decided to post that i wanted to join all that time ago!

Midknight Grasp is an awesome attack. Its not a cone, is very fast, can immobilize, and while some of its damage is DoT that can often work in your favour, ie use MG, then let the tics finish them off whiel you turn to a new mob, or in PVP it can be very handy too. My usual attack chain is BU+AS (lt dead) placate+MG (minion dead) in a mob of three these leaves one mob standning scratching himself while his mates are both dead. MG along with BU out of hide will one hit all but red+ minions. Shadow Maul can take a mob for around half its hp out of hide, which while nice, aint quite MG.

And Sitriel, I agree with most of what you said. Ile now only ask if the leader wants the mish ghosted at the start of mish, or only do it if asked to, otherwise im in with the group. A lot of what you described does do damage to stalkers reputation, though usually i find those same players will do little for the rep of what ever AT they play, as often they are the true definition of the horrible word N00b.

It took me a long time to learn how to use Shadow Maul as a cone attack. More often than not now, i still just use it as a single target attack. Now on my DM scrapper, I find my self using it more as it should be used, as a shallow cone. If Shadow Maul could do the damage it normally does with out the tics, it would be an awesome power, as it is, it just leave the oponent time to heal or whatver. Using cone attacks out of hide, personally i think is a waste. Ile often use smite or MG out of hide, as they will always get a nice heavy crit, and wont make me cry when they miss. Cone attacks suffer from a acc penalty usually, and also have their chance to crit from hide heavily reduced.

As to stalker ranting, well a few complaints. Most teams dont want more than one stalker on their team, esp for things like SFs. One stalker makes a fine scout and ghoster, but two, well thats just a slot that could be used for a brute or corr. Nevermind that two stalkers can take out a boss in seconds, especially usefull against Wardens and the like.

Also, as you say, we are considered the premier pvp class, the stealth class in any game usually is. However, cos of this, we are also the most hated, abused and ridiculed AT in the game. We have every right to play the toon we want same as the rest out there. Picking on us for choosing a toon that has quite a superior advantage is just like picking on superman for being froum krypton. And then when that advantage is taken away, they revel in the fact that they can kill us so easily. Umm well duh, no advantage means were just poor scrappers, and squishier too.

I'm sure I'le think of more, but for now /em rant end

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
im sure my [censored] will be on fire from your fireballs regularly

[/ QUOTE ]

This just doesnt sound right at all

[/ QUOTE ]

ROFLMF(laming)AO

Aye it was an awesome night. And one day ile finally decide on my respec pvp build. Till then, im sure my [censored] will be on fire from your fireballs regularly

Lol hammerfall. Yeh, SC is a great place for drama, like one random sunday night where the calls went out across coalitions of all players and there just randomly got collections of about 20+ on each side and a great time was had by all.

Well Greek, i guess its time to leave it alone. Im still very much learning when it comes to zones. One of the things is learning to tell the difference between when someone is just outright being malicious and picking on you (happend to me often) and when its good natured. Generally I find those that talk a lot without flaming, are the fun ones. Also, it was hardly 10v2, esp as the MM was mainly focusing on one particular blaster. And I seem to remember having at least 5 on me at one point, so it does go both ways at the end of the day. Anyway, didnt I say it was time to drop this? Doh. Well, see you in there again im sure!

Well thanks for the info greek, and ive seen this tactic used before, just not known what it was called.

And in SC that night, there werwe 3/4 stalkers on my team with an MM, corr and a brute, and there was another team with an MM and a stalker or two, though we didnt know them. Also, most of the MM tping from base was a lot of jesting, as it was a lot about ppl sucking up to Vato (Vato FTW hehe, stupid mexican zombie). Also in that kind of thing, i was mostly just watching, not often a huge fun of ganking maliciously, i think i used brawl more often than not. And im sure it is fun to blow us stalkers away. Sadly though, when it gets to the point that I'm not able to have any more fun in the zone, I just leave, mostly to save frustration. And the duel thing was kinda silly really. No insps but non self buffs allowed? meh, wasnt my fight. When it comes to th

Well was messing around in SC last night (only go there when I dont feel likel lvling) an was having a blast till Greek turned up with his emp to CM him. Im not an experienced pvper at all, and found that when i could be just close enough to be able to see him, he could just whack me with his blasts and ide have a fried stalker cooking on the concrete. I dont have stealth to go along with my io, so that doesnt, help, but still, kinda took all the fun out of it when it wasnt just a case of they could see me up close, but could just float around in the sky and blow everyone to hell.

And before you start, no im not complaining about team pvp, or being a stalker, im just saying that it took the fun out of it.

So someone, please help me with how to coordinate spike attacks, sounds fun!

Aye a big thanks to Boulder, a very impressive brute! And grats to all my fellow participants, was a lot of fun!

Was messing around with Mids earlier and was looking at /dark for stalkers, and i found myself knowing hardly anything about it. We here lots in this forum about nin, sr and regen, very little about ea, and next to nothing about dark. So does anyone actually ever play it on stalkers to a high level? Anyone?

Anyone with some high level experience of /dark with whatever primary would be cool to hear about.