Jibikao

Originally Posted by Rockblood

You don't chase Fury. Fury comes to you. No Brute player I know really pays attention to that bar - it's just there.

But in terms of Scrapper vs. Brute I feel that Brutes are far easier to level from 1-22, because of the increased damage from Fury. But once you hit 22 and the Scrappers drop a few SOs/IOs into their attacks, the two ATs even out.

At endgame, it all comes down to how your slot your characters and your powerset combinations. I prefer my Brutes because they feel like they hit harder, even though I know my Scrappers do more damage.

Also, Brutes feel like the perfect balance between Tankers and Scrappers, so they get my vote.

Also, Scrappers do feel really squishy before they hit 50, despite the fact that their defensive numbers are exactly the same as a Brutes. Its got something to do with the Scrapper's lower HP numbers (and there aren't any +HP accolades available pre-50 on Blueside to improve this). And even after they hit 50, they can still feel really squishy (depending on powerset).

Originally Posted by dmcfarland907

You really sound like a min/max type and I think people like you really drag the game down. For you types its not about having fun, teaming with people, or building your toon. It's all about the numbers for your types and by all means have fun with that but don't ruin my game.

Originally Posted by Brynstar

I'm even excited about the pets since you can finally have something to use all those cool buffs on solo.

Originally Posted by Mind_Over_Matter

Thanks for the info, Leo.

I've honestly been trying to get into stalkers, but the only thing that can keep me interested in leveling a stalker over a Scrapper is to find unique circumstances that make being a stalker more rewarding than using a similar set on an AT with great HP potential and AoE damage (overall).

I like the idea of toggling Cloak of Fear combined with an Assassin's Strike to really make an entrance. Even Repulse has entertained me as a potential Panic Button power that is unique for a melee character. I'm not sure if my love of stalkers will rival its biggest fans, but I will continue to try to embrace the AT.

Originally Posted by Leo_G

I already posted an idea in the past, 2 in fact that I like, that aren't cultural themed. Death Scythe and Blood Spear. Quick paste with some modifications:

Death Scythe Melee
An unorthodox weapon of deadly potential, this weapon works as a conduit of otherworldly energy that can rip foes' flesh asunder and eviscerate their souls. Similar to Claws, this set has the secondary effect that target recharge and endurance but rather than a discount this set gets a *penalty* because each attack will do more damage and have slightly longer range. This set is built to accommodate the needs of Tankers and Stalkers but is by no means unusable for Scrappers or Brutes.

Stalkers:
1. Sickle Slash (ST 9ft range, foe moderate lethal/neg energy dmg, fast rech)
A quick animating slash attack that gives the enemy a touch of the netherworld.
2. Death Stroke (ST 9ft range, foe high lethal/neg energy dmg, moderate rech)
A powerful and deadly stab with the pointed end of the scythe that penetrates the foe and injects them with the essence of the netherworld.
3. Reap (ST 12ft range 90 degree cone, foe moderate lethal/neg energy dmg, long rech, knockback *Special*)
A wide, sweeping horizontal slash with the scythe that will pull foes closer to you. There have been suggestions on how to handle 'knocktoward' and how I figure this would work is it would spawn a pet 5 ft behind the target that does radial KB to those within the cone's range. It'd end up knocking them closer to you.
4. Assassin's Harvest
5. Build Up
6. Placate
7. Fear Monger (Close Range Pet summon, *Special*, long rech)
Raise your scythe above your head and drive the sickle deep into the earth, creating a fissue that errupts with the searing screech of tortured souls. This effect may evoke fear into their weak hearts if they get within 15ft. A -8% ToHit debuff + a 45% chance of a mag 2 moderate duration fear (both fear and ToHit are slottable). This pet is targetable but not damageable.
8. Spiral Scythe (15ft PBAoE, Foe moderate Lethal/neg energy dmg, very long rech)
A swift spin of the scythe around the waist.
9. Guillotine (ST 9ft range, foe extreme lethal/neg energy dmg/mag 3 sleep, *Special*)
A devastating diagonal strike that is aimed to cut the foe's wind pipe, causing them to choke on the cold steel of your weapon. If a foe is defeated by this attack, the user is empowered by the departing soul, improving your resistance to all for a time.

Tanker/Scrap/Brute version actually has a Follow up debuff attack that gives a damage buff (no ToHit buff) and debuffs the target's resistance. This is replaced with Build Up for Stalkers which has the standard dmg/ToHit buffs. Assassin's Strike was replaced by a low dmg buff utility power that improved recovery per foe hit in a cone. Not something needed for Stalkers so it's an overall equally powerful set.


Blood Spear

Not just exclusively spear, but any polearm weapon excluding staves. But Blood Polearm doesn't sound as good. The set has several effects, including -res to lethal damage and innate longer range. It also has 1 combo type that can be performed 3 different ways.

Stalker:
1. Red Gash (ST 9ft rng, minor lethal dmg, foe –res vs lethal)
A swift thrust with the spear that pierces the foe’s armor causing them to bleed out.
2. Blood Stroke (ST 9ft rng, minor lethal DoT, foe –res vs lethal)
A slash, spin and thrust attack that will leave the enemy a bloody mess.
3. Crimson Sky (ST 9ft rng, moderate lethal dmg, foe knockup)
A strong and elegant upward thrust that sends the foe flying through the air.
4. Assassin's Pike
5. Build Up
6. Placate
7. Iron Stitch (ST 12ft rng, high lethal dmg, mag 2 immobilize)
A strong and heavy downward strike plus a thrust to keep the foe from moving while you impale them on your blade.
8. Gory Thrust (ST 15ft rng, superior lethal DoT, -res vs lethal)
Thrust the foe violently and continuously with your hungry weapon to quench its thirst for blood.
9. Rain of Spears (self teleport, 15ft PBAoE, superior lethal dmg, foe knockdown, mag 2 immobilize)
Leap up and fall down with a strong spear attack that strikes all within range, pinning them to the ground for a time as well as putting them on the floor.

Combos = Pierce Through (turns the last attack in the combo into a cone which damages and duplicates its secondary effect to all that it hits)

Stalker combos
-Assassin’s Point > Red Gash > Iron Stitch (end with 12ft 45 degree cone that immobilizes)
-Blood Stroke > Placate > Crimson Sky (ends with a 9ft 90 degree cone that knocks up with a 50% chance to AoE crit)
-Red Gash > Blood Stroke > Gory Thrust (ends with a 15ft 90 degree cone that does the highest dmg of the combos and debuffs resistance to lethal)

Notice that Build up is not in any of those combos and you've got a combo-free AoE tier 9. Without combos, it's a strong and fast ST set for all the melee ATs, probably eeking out even greater DPS than some sets due to the -res debuffing that improves the strength of the set. With the combos, you're looking at lots of cone damage that synergizes well with the longer range. Ultimately, though, the cones probably don't synergize as well with sets that use PBAoE buff/debuff/dmg toggles.

Originally Posted by Kidou

One advantage scourge has is being able to finish an enemy off with a weaker attack, allowing you to have your bigger attacks ready for the next target, or group.

Originally Posted by EvilGeko

I'm not sure whether Banes need a buff or not. They are pretty clearly tank-mages and are probably where the other SoAs should be. What makes Banes look poor is that EVERY other branch of SoAs, including going full Huntsman, blows them out of the water.

After fighting it until level 40, I took my Bane over to a Crab and haven't looked back.

If I were to buff Banes, I would do the following:

• Change the entire Huntsman line to use the mace and change the animation of the "bullet" attacks to blasts.
• Change Combat Training: Defensive to melee defense
• Make the +HP in Bane upgrade enhanceable

Originally Posted by dmcfarland907

Banes are fine as they are. I don't see the need to buff them. They are already engines of destruction as they are. Making surveillance have a mace redraw is just dumb. I don't mean to be hard on you, but you kind of walked right into it. The don't need a self heal, or the ability to crit with their ranged attacks nor do they need more ranged attacks. They have plenty and they are not meant to be played as ranged. Their ranged attacks are meant to be somewhat weak. Bane ranged attacks are also part of the theme, not to mention they can choose the Black Scorpion patron set and get more ranged attacks. The banes are mostly single target stalker/brute hybrids with leadership powers.

I don't how your toon is built but that might be some of the reason your calling for a buff and yes making surveillance have a mace redraw would piss Huntsman off. Namely me. If you want a ranged SoA roll a crab or go Huntsman.

Don't give the developers any ideas. They are doing a decent job at the moment. Don't ruin that.

Originally Posted by Smiling_Joe

They're not dead, they're just arrested! Yeah. That's the ticket. Teleported off to jail. In pieces.

Originally Posted by Arcanaville

My guess is that its a weird race condition on the hidden meter that sometimes allows both criticals to go off (the hidden state should only ever be set to zero or one, which means only one of those criticals should go off, ever. But its possible the meter is in a funny state under those conditions for a brief instant and allows both to go off. this could happen if, for example, the meter was actually momentarily set to 0.5 as the assassin's strike went off, or if it was changing state from zero to one at the precise moment the assassin's strike power was processed).

Originally Posted by Test_Rat

But what is the story behind this stinker?

Was it once op and over nerfed?

or Were mercs as a whole once op, so the crappy utility power acceptable, and forgotten when meres were massively nerfed.

Are you telling me mercs have had this garbage since inception?

Originally Posted by Siolfir

The damage won't be increased - it already was, once, to put it where it is currently (I was pushing for the scale 1 damage on a larger radius, instead of the scale 1.25 for the current size).

The post about the 100% critical being a bug was in the beta section of the forums, so I can't link it directly (especially now that they're inaccessible even for the people who were in beta). I really don't know whether Castle changed his mind or it's just taking forever to go through the pipeline to get into the game, but in the meantime I've been taking full advantage of Burst from hidden status to finish off closely packed minions. Why AS and get one of them, when BU+Burst takes out 3-4 (depending on their spacing)?