Jibikao
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Quote:Oh, I agree with you!!! I have a lvl 33 Demon/TA and I feel /TA is very very limited. The defensive power in Poison Gas Arrow is pretty bad. Glue Arrow is the only decent power in the beginning.Originally Posted by Luminara
No, none of the powers would have to be removed and replaced with new powers. Nor would any of the powers have to be changed so drastically that they essentially become new powers.
TA's most basic problems are as follows:
The overall effects of the defensive debuffs are set too low. They would be much closer to ideal if the set provided a heal, similar to other defensive debuff-heavy sets, but for a set without a heal, they're not even close to optimal. The solution to this problem is not to gut one of the powers and replace it with a heal. A moderate increase to the values of the defensive debuffs, the addition of another soft (KU/KB) or light (Sleep) control or a synergistic approach of tacking additional defensive debuffs in different powers (such as adding -ToHit to Disruption) would go a very long way toward alleviating this problem.
The recharge times are inane. I'm through mincing words on this point, the recharge times are just plain stupid. The recharge times on key powers such as Glue and PGA impose unnecessary restrictions on lower level players. Forcing players to withhold the use of powers due to excessive recharge times teaches them not to use those powers, rather than to use them tactically. Then, because they've learned to "save them for when they're really needed", they stop using them altogether, further enhancing the stereotype and stigma of TA being a "bad" defender set. Nothing has to be replaced to fix this, the recharge times just need to be trimmed to make the set more viable in low level play and less reliant on heavy use of +Recharge in higher level play.
The offensive debuffs also have issues. The radius of Acid Arrow is simply too small. It was too small when it went live and with the extension of melee range from 5' to 7', the functionality of that measly 8' radius became even poorer (fewer targets clustering together now because they don't have to move closer to use melee attacks). Disruption Arrow's endurance cost is insanely high for what it does in light of its recharge time and static location, and the fact that, for some inexplicable reason, it's limited to 10 targets (rather than 16, the standard for AoEs). Neither of these powers need to be removed or replaced to make them shine, they simply need to be tweaked. Acid would be much more appreciated with a 12' radius. Reducing the ridiculous endurance cost for Disruption, fixing the target limitation and slightly reducing the recharge time would perk up that power quite nicely.
So no, there will be no need to violate the Cottage Rule if the developers ever get around to fixing TA. Removing even the least of the powers is unnecessary because all of the problems can be addressed within the existing powers and using the existing mechanics. Increased defensive debuff values and/or proliferation of debuffs across more powers, slight changes to the offensive debuff powers (which do NOT alter their existing functions) and reductions to the recharge times to make the set viable across the level spread. Problems fixed, powerset intact.
The radius on Acid Arrow is too small. The "splash" graphic makes it look like the radius is large but it is not.
Trick Arrow is set that doesn't excel in anything. Below average defensive, below average debuff and maybe above average controls in Entangling, Glue, Oil and EMP. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Smiling_Joe
I also don't think I'd be out of line in asking for the demoralize to go off even if the target is killed. Then at least there'd be some benefit to assassinating a half dead target.
Oh yeah. I agree with this. I think the mobs should be even more "demoralized" if their leader got killed in one hit! It fits the theme. -
Quote:I think a combination of 2.67s AS, uninterrupable, and plus easier way to get back to Hidden is a good way to make Stalker more "assassin-like". I think our current damage is fine. I just want to have easier access to AS. I don't want to just use once in a mob and then wait for 8 seconds of doing "nothing" or just simply scrap out with "inferior" scrapper damage.Originally Posted by Zem
Won't argue that, but a stalker that is quicker TO the target will have the same effect. I can see AS coming down to 2.67 to match Kinetic Melee's version, but not much faster. Certainly no lower than 2s. This is a difference of 1-sec and change from what you have now. That's nothing on a real team. Yeah people would notice if it happened to be the 1s that made a difference but you are assuming quite the level of team synchronization. On real teams, you're lucky if everyone even arrives at the next spawn within FIVE seconds of one another.
Another idea that I brought up is changing Build Up from 90s, 10s to 45s, 5s. This way Stalker have more opportunities for Burst damage which is what this AT is built for. Burst damage allows us to take out single target faster.
I understand you can use Build Up while on the run but if a team moves fast, a lot of times the re-hide duration slows you down and sometimes when you find a target, it may be target by a Brute/Dominator already. This is fine because everyone is used to "over-kill" on a team (I've seen Brute using Knockout Blow on a minion with only 5% health left) but what is not fine is that Stalker can't get back to Assassin Mode due to all the restrictions. Placate is ok. You can only blind one target. Placate takes a bit more than 1s, and then you stand there for 4s to use AS. That's almost 6s just activate what Stalker is good at and it's only a single target. Placate also penalizes your friend because the aggro is sent away. I've killed my friend this way before and I am sure all of us have. You placate a boss thinking that you can kill him quicker but the aggro from the boss is sent to somebody else who is dying, and because Placate + AS takes 6s, your friend dies.
If "real team" means super team, then even Scrapper probably won't contribute as much as Corr/Defender stacking buffs/debuffs. I actually don't think Scrapper survives all that better than Stalker but it's just me. -
Quote:My main concern on Stalker is how inefficient our Assassin Strike is on a team. We've been playing Stalker for a long time and we know we are an inferior Scrapper with less access to AoE attacks.Originally Posted by Leo_G
Not really going to respond because my previous post was really a mess...but I wouldn't say the post was meant to read as "Stalkers are fine because they play like Scrappers" but more like "Stalkers have no problems performing like a melee damage dealer".
I think most will agree that Stalker can "melee just fine" but is "fine" good enough to retain stalker users? I could be wrong but the data mining in 2008 shows that Stalker has the worst retention ratio on Villain side, meaning that people would pick Stalker and then give up pretty soon.
Stalker's main problem (besides living under Scrapper's shadow) is how inefficient Assassin Strike is on a team. Yes, I know we don't always need to set up AS but why not? Every primary set has AS and Placate and every secondary has Hide. The point of playing an Assassin is to use Assassin strike! If Assassin strike is more efficient (faster activation time, no interrupt, more opportunities to use it), then maybe we don't have to rely on other powers and play like an "inferior" Scrapper.
I am not advocating higher damage, higher HP or more AoE. I just want better Assassin Strike. I don't want to just use BU + AS once on a team. I don't want my role to be limited to initial 6s and the rest is playing as a weaker Scrapper. -
Quote:No, I am telling you that AS is no good if you choose NOT to use it in the initial burst damage because 1.) You need to wait for 8s (basically doing nothing) which hurts damage even more. 2.) You have to rely on Placate which takes another 1+ second and then another 4s or if you have build up, that's at least 7s just to RE-USE Assassin Strike at the highest potential again.Originally Posted by Zem
Hang on now. You're telling me AS is no good because the whole spawn is dead inside of 5 seconds but you want to tell me that a Dominator using a single target hold is useful? Honestly, how much is that going to matter in a fight that only lasts five seconds?
I brought up Dominator because if we want to define an AT by role on a team, Dominator's primary job is to "reduce threat" (elimination is to kill it) and even if they fail to control at first (whether it's wasted on a held foe or miss or simply choose to attack first), their control powers can be used again very soon. A Stalker's cannot get back to being an Assassin in that short amount of time. So if a Stalker is not using AS, it's like using an inferior Scrapper with limited AoE and a bit less health. And of course, a Stalker is still playable being an "inferior" Scrapper. Hell, we've been playing the inferior version for 6 years! Why do you think I made several lvl 50 Stalkers? :P But if the dev wonders why Stalker AT is not holding interest for a long time, it's because this AT doesn't live up to being a "good" Assassin.
So yeah, I do think Stalker AT is defined by Assassin Strike and that's why we get Hide, AS, Build Up and Placate in every primary/secondary.
In a fight where AS is not needed, I hardly feel a Stalker is needed on team. Maybe 'need' is too harsh of a word because no AT is really "needed", but Stalker's role is highly reduced when a team just kills too fast. (I do want to say that Spines/Electricity have less of this problem at higher level) -
Quote:This is the problem I am talking about. If you are not Spines/Elec (or maybe Claw/Dual Blade), your best attack from hidden is AS.Originally Posted by Test_Rat
I don't know what kind of teams you play on, but where I frequent AS is rather useless.
Queue it up, mob is dead before it lands.
Thankfully I play spines and elec melee so I can open with an AoE and contribute.
It shouldn't take Stalker this long to land an assassin strike especially in this type of game. I can imagine taking 5s to land a critical in a game like WoW or Lotro.
Some sets like Martial Arts and Energy Melee don't even have an AoE until patron. So yeah, in a way, Stalker IS defined by AS on a team. If Stalker doesn't want to perform AS, then what is the key point? A Dominator in Domination can "reduce threat" in one hold and can you imagine a Dominator who doesn't use Single Hold? I can't. Corr and MM can stack buffs/debuffs and Brute fits the team's "go go go" mentality better than Stalker. I play my Spine Stalker VERY aggressively. I never open with AS unless I solo or on a small team.
Yes, you don't always have to use Assassin Strike (to avoid overkill?) on Martial Arts but if you don't, you can't get back to Hidden status again until 8s second later (without being hit or attacking) or using Placate (and hopefully nobody else is targeting you as well). It's not like a Dominator wasted a hold on a target that is already held but his hold power is recharged right away after 8s (unslotted).
In a way, Stalker IS defined by Assassin Strike because of this power, Stalker is tied with Build Up and Placate. Most of the new melee sets get Build Up and no fancy stuff. I don't want Stalker to turn into another Scrapper. I just want to Assassinate quicker and more efficient that's all. If I want a target (not AV/Hero/Elite) die, I want it die under 3s or less. Period.
I can live with having less HP and dealing less damage than Scrapper/Blaster but my Burst damage gotta come quicker than 4s + 1s build up (longer for Kinetic) and whatever interruption that slows down my Assassination because I know after the initial Burst, my Stalker is going to be inferior.
In fact, has anyone looked at Dominator's damage potential with pet? I am not even so sure if Stalker does more damage than Dominator right now.... past lvl 38, a Dominator attack chain is very Blaster-like. -
Quote:I think you forgot to use your brain....Originally Posted by Deep Rootz
lol...since when has AS done subpar damage...I think you forgot to activate hide. That being said this is City of AoE's...but I still enjoy the play style of stalkers.
AS has a requirement "hidden" and without build up, you can't even AS a +3 high level Longbow to death. With Build Up, you can't even finish a +2 Longbow Nullfire Lieut.
The AS damage is "great" but not "super". And sometimes you don't even want to finish off the target because you'll lose the AoE random Fear which probably contributes more to a team.
My problem with Assassin Strike is actually activation time now. I think taking 5-6s with Build Up is just too long to be a "good" assassin. 5-6s is fine if you are soloing but I think 99% of us here don't think Stalker has a problem soloing. On a team, 5-6s is NOT acceptable in my book, especially with Brutes/Dominator having that "go go go" mentality.
I think a nice way to start is to trim down that activation time from 4s to 2 something or even shorter for PvE purpose. I can see longer activation time in PvP but I don't pvp in this game..no offense. I enjoy pvp but just not this game.
PS: Stalker's game is like Blaster's "burst" damage. The damage difference is Blaster has amazing aoe damage with Build Up + Aim, which can be cast on the run. Stalker needs to hit Build Up and then find a target and stand still. Sets like Electricity, Spines and Claw may not need to setup on a large team because the aoe damage contributes more. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Terror1
ff +rech
I heard only one target can trigger it unless they have changed it? It used to get triggered by several mobs and they nerfed it (which I can understand).
I am not even sure how +rech is working now. -
Quote:If you plan on taking Necro to the cap, I would suggest Necro/Pain. I just took out my lvl 50 Necro/Pain out yesterday and play him against +0 and 8-people game against Circle of Thorn. It was easy! Yes, I know CoT is the easiest lvl 50 mob group but if you combo Necro/Pain with Stun Aura from patron power, it is amazing! The stun aura for MM is a lot bigger than Brute's (15' radius??). And you have /pain to offset the self-damage.Originally Posted by Broken_Wings
Hi everybody.
I've decided to make a Necromancy Mastermind to explore Praetoria with but I'm having trouble deciding on a good secondary, and I thought maybe I could get some help here
I almost always team so something team friendly would be best, the ones I'm thinking about most with that in mind is /dark /thermal /ff and /pain
What would you guys recomend for a Necromacy mastermind that likes teaming?
Necro/Pain is my most favorite Necro combo. -
I've noticed this when I played Demon and this only applies to Lieut pets.
Somebody told it's intended as Demon is doing too much damage, which I don't mind.
I've done a small test and I think Lieut's damage is capped at 60%. Both Minion and Boss can be enhanced up to 95% soft cap just like every other pet. -
Quote:Not sure why. It could be a bug but you don't want to add too much +kb because that knockdown would be pbaoe knockback which can be very annoying.Originally Posted by Terror1
why doesnt burst take kb sets?
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I made a 18 Kin/Dark Stalker. I chose /Dark because I heard they've fixed it so the offensive aura won't do anything until Stalker is out of Hidden and I want to stack Resistance + Damage Debuff to increase my Stalker's survival.
The first few powers are pretty basic. The activation seems a bit longer than what it advertises but I think that's because some attacks go out right away and then you are stuck in that animation until it's done; whereas Kinetic attacks would do the "hand swirling" animation first and then go out.
I like Burst's animation a lot but there is one pretty big problem. I sometimes like to open with just BU + Burst on a large team as it does decent damage and debuffs and knocks down. The big problem is the enemies would SEE ME before Burst goes off. This can be very deadly if I use it on a large team. I am not sure if this is intended but I think it's a bug because Spine Burst takes a while activate but you only reveal yourself after the spines go out. Has anyone noticed this?
I am taking my Stalker slowly because I am reading the story arcs. I'll post my review later.
PS: Having psionic resistance early on isn't bad when I fought so many Seers! -
I took out my old Spines/Energy Aura Stalker out for a little test last night after I moved him from Virtue to Freedom (free character transfer!!).
I picked a Carnies mish thinking that my lethal damage will kill faster. I set +0 and 5 people game.
It went very well until I faced 3 Illuisionists + 1 Master Illusionist. I completely forgot how I have like no psionic defense/resistance at all. I was used to just hide and throw spines but those Illusionists killed me in 10s. I was completely unaware and of course it's my fault but I forgot how "big hole" this set has. I was murdering other carnies left and right and then boom, psionic damage pwns me faster than I imagined.
I love my Spine Stalker but I have yet to invest heavily on Psionic defense/resistance. To me, a Set should not be balanced out with set bonuses. Just like I've been saying that Merc Mastermind is under-performing if you don't count those procs in them.
I think /EA on Stalker is alright. It's very playable and the hole can be annoying. The heal is little unless there are more than 3 targets around you.
And still, I think /EA on Brute is more unique than on Stalker. /EA and /Dark are the only two sets that give Brute an unsuppressed stealth so that alone gives /EA a good reason if you want to play a stealthy Brute. Energy Aura on Stalker is just very easily overlooked when you have Ninjitsu and SR. -
Quote:Trick Arrow is still under-performing. Ice Arrow still takes too long to shoot but the problem with Corr/MM is that Troller also has TA. If they improve Ice Arrow, then you'll have Troller who can reliably stack two quick holds.Originally Posted by Quixotik
I would like to add however that there is nothing that TA does that isn't done by most other Defense sets, but those Defense sets also get a Heal of some type, usually a very good heal. TA seems to be weighted to using Oil Slick Arrow in place of a Heal. OSA is nice when and if it actually works, but TA needs better mitigation or HP replacer nonetheless. It is surely never going to get a Heal so I'll pitch the idea of Ice Arrow getting a 50% chance to apply and additional mag 2 Hold. If TA is supposed to be the offensive defense set it is touted as it needs to be special in that way and not just mold itself after defense sets with heals.
I think I've given up on Trick Arrow for now. It is a very busy set because you have to shoot so many arrows to make up for all the debuffs that other sets can do under 3-4s. I actually don't think Archery fits Trick Arrow that well. For one, Explosion Arrow may knock mobs out of Disruption Arrow range. For two, Stun Shot can't stack with Ice Arrow. The only reason people would combo Archery/TA together is for theme or for reducing weapon draw. Other than that, this theme is pretty bad IMO. To give you an example, if you are Archery/Storm, /Dark or /Cold, you can cast Freezing Arrow/Tar Patch out of sight and then fire off Rain of Arrow out of sight.
And three, if you want to light up Oil Slick Arrow, you have to waste your strongest attack Blazing Arrow. In that case, Fire/Arrow could be better. -
Quote:You've got two pretty bad "solo sets". Archery for one and then /TA. I made a Mastermind /TA and Trick Arrow by far is the weakest set IMO. Yes, it's got a neat Glue Arrow but unless you are serious about leveling one to lvl 35, Trick Arrow is not a good solo set at all. Your best bet is eat inspirations (purple) and try to stack holds. You have another problem because Archery doesn't have a hold so it can't stack with Ice Arrow.Originally Posted by Quixotik
Obviously if they are melee bosses who can be immobilized, you can, after 2 to 3 minutes of relentless attacking. However, if they are ranged at all or immune to immobilize, your TA dies without 6-8 Defense inspirations.
It's very disappointing to fire off 7 or 8 shots at a boss and still see them at 70% health even though they are debuffed with Acid Arrow and your toon is running Assault, pretty much full SO's on major attacks.
I have a level 43 Defender TA/Archer who relies more on it's one epic power than anything in TA. That's why I stopped playing CoX regularly. Spending so much time on something that never functions is unacceptable to me.
Should I shelve the Archery/TA Corrupter, or does it eventually solo same level Bosses well?
If I were you, I would start with Explosion Arrow and hope it does a good knockback and then I would try to stack Immb just so you have some breathing room. I would also try to fight with fly pack in the air so you don't get nasty melee damage.
Other than that, Trick Arrow is very weak for soloing especially as a Corruptor because on MM, I can at least shoot like 4 arrows (pretending that I am very useful) while my pets are attacking.
I like Archery but mainly for Build Up, Aim, Rain of Arrow on Blaster. Trick Arrow is mainly for team plays and it shines a bit later on. Make sure Blazing Arrow is well slotted.
PS: If the boss has holds/stuns, then make sure you bring one Break Free. -
Quote:Solo leveling? It's gotta be MM. Mastermind has no endurance issue early on, unlike other ATs.Originally Posted by mrg41291
whats the best archetype for solo lvling?
These are good for soloing:
MM
Brute
Dominator
Scrapper
Troller
Stalker
SoA -
Quote:For Imps, having better defense is better than resistance because they have low health to begin with. It is better to avoid getting hits.Originally Posted by Nny_the_mad
i'm mainly dominator
as i can't heal it, my pet tends to die a lot (well it's a pet) but beside, eart and gravity one, tends to not grab aggro long enough to my taste.
i was wondering if slotting the 2 unique aura in it would really change anything (i can't afford to slot both the 2 unique that give defense AND the 2 that gives res; it would gimp them too much)
for exemple, for the imps, would 10% defense be enough to see them dodging enough hit to make a difference?
would 20% resistance make tem less squishy?
i was wondering too if slotting one of those in dark miasma pet is a good idea for a MM.
it would benefit to all his other pet no?
I think maybe one of the reasons Dark Servant can't take Pet Recharge sets is that it can already take so many sets. -
By the way, a person suggests changing Build Up to 45s recharge but with 5s duration. This allows Stalker to have more Build Up opportunities to set up AS and have Build Up available against every mob during low levels. Personally, I like the idea but I may go with something in between as 5s may not be enough to get off 2 hits in some sets.
This may make Placate even better because you don't have to waste time on Build UP, AS, and then Placate and then another attack. You can just use Build Up once for AS and then once Build Up is recharged, you can use Placate -> Build Up -> another big attack or maybe AS again.
What do you think? -
Quote:I may toy with this idea in the future. When I made my Spine/EA back when AE came out, the toggles work during Hidden so it's very unpractical to run it and that toggle costs a lot of endurance.Originally Posted by Nalrok_AthZim
Allow me to rephrase my post, actually; stalkers have very low HP and, should their defenses get bypassed, they are easy to cut down. The repel aura would be good for emergency situations where the stalker loses his defenses and, to save his own tail, runs around and flings people everywhere until he's back in the saddle.
Also with the recent change to how offensive auras work on Stalkers, I've seen a lot of people talking about an 'Assassin's Repulsion'; essentially, run the Repel aura from EnA and pull an Assassin's Strike on the boss. Rather than the boss' group turning and trying to kill you, the whole cluster is shot in every which direction. Not a bad idea, if you ask me.
Stalker has lower HP but the base defensive values are the same as Brute/Scrapper. It's a myth because 1. Stalker's defense is the same 2. Stalker also attracts much less aggro unless somebody tries to open with AS on a full team or with an AoE attack. I know when I play my Stalker, I attract much less aggro. Dominator/Brute are pulling aggro faster than I can even catch up with ST attacks.
After you are out of Hidden, the toggle will violently knockback foes. I guess it could work with my Spines since I have two range attacks but I don't know if I like chasing the mobs. I like most knockbacks but I don't like pbaoe. So if the boss stands in the middle of the mob, after AS, things could get scattered too much.
Again, the set was designed before they even "disable" offensive toggles during Hidden so it wasn't the greatest idea to give a "hidden" melee character a pbaoe serious knockback that costs a lot of endurance. The new change is neat but I haven't tested it and I am not so sure if I would respec into it since I have new epic powers to toy with.
Edit: By the way, because of the new change on offensive toggles during Hidden, I made a Kin/Dark. I can see how the /dark toggles would work well after AS. -
Quote:That's a myth, my friend.Originally Posted by Nalrok_AthZim
Stalkers die easy?
I can think of one way dying faster... getting drained of all of your endurance with that toggle on! -
I guess it's called "balance"? Maybe the dev doesn't want you to farm 3 groups at once in AE?
And where is the Stalker nerf that you talk about?
And you are right, since my Stalker can't farm 3 groups at once, I have no sympathy for your Brute.
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What's wrong?
Look at Stalker's Repluse Aura in Energy Aura. That is WHAT IS WRONG!!!
I don't know why they have to give a serious knockback aura on a melee character. I actually have tried it and I just don't know how to make it work because the endurance drain is crazy too. I eventually respec it out.
Brute's EA is better IMO because you at least can pretend to be a semi-Stalker with Cloak. Stalker's EA is nothing special when there's SR and Nijitsu. -
Last night we were doing missions with Ghouls in them. They are pretty cool and scary looking. I like the way they run and die.
This makes me think, is it possible to have more character model in the future? All the human models are the same. T_T I would like to make an animal/undead creature that actually walks like Ghouls/Zombies.
Just suggesting. -
Quote:Actually, I didn't look at the numbers but I did feel the activation time on BU seems longer.Originally Posted by Fr0stbyte
You are more than likely going to be hidden when you use BU anyways. Don't think that .8 seconds will hurt you too much.
It matters a bit to me. If my job is to AS somebody to death quicker, then BU + 4s AS is 6s job. 6s is hardly a useful tool to eliminate a target that could be killing your teammates. But of course if I start alpha, then it doesn't matter as much. Just saying... that 1.9s is a bit too long on Stalker. -
Yeah that can be a bit annoying but I am more annoyed by those "fire bombs" they throw on the ground that does auto DoT damage. It breaks my hide! T_T I have to watch where I stand and where my teammate starts the aggro because if I spend that LONG 6s (build up + as), I need to make sure I land. Sometimes my teammate would aggro right before I start, and the fire on the ground breaks my hide.
I've been playing on large teams so there are more fire bombs.... T_T
I just need to really watch where the aggro starts.