Jibikao

I guess you weren't here a year and half ago. There were several HUGE, SUPER LONG posts/threads about possible Stalker changes. In the end, we got a note from Castle (previous powerset developer) saying what we have now is as good as it gets. Stalker's problem has more to do with the whole game design than the AT itself.

After that post, I no longer care to post any "fix" for Stalker. All we can hope for is for Stalker to get better set designs. If the set design is good, it really helps the AT a lot (IE: Kinetic Melee and Electricity Melee).

There's been a lot of maths done and Stalker is statistically doing less damage than Scrapper (even with full team critical) and some Brutes. I am fine with Stalker doing less damage than Blaster but I am not fine with Stalker doing less damage than Brute/Scrapper.


I actually don't feel my Stalker has huge survival problem. I am one of the few who is against increasing Stalker's HP Cap and only because I want this AT to remain "Glass Cannon". Well, we still have the "Glass" part but not the "Cannon". Stalker naturally draws less aggro because we have no dot aura and we have less aoe and we don't use taunt and mobs just don't seem to target us more than targetting other squishies.

Edit: I also want to mention for sets like Regeneration that hits HP Cap so easily, they should have increased +resistance or added some +defense to make up the fact that 1. Stalker has very low HP Cap 2. Due to that low Cap, there's really no time to "regenerate" back. If they increase Resilience's resistance from 9.38% (is this the increased value from recent patch?) to 12% or with some +defense throw into the mix, then Stalker doesn't need to rely on regenerating that much. Or be creative.. reduce Reconstruction and Instant Healing recharge so Stalker can use more. I just think the options are there but they are just being ignored. Electricity Armor also needs something more. Resistance set just doesn't mesh well with a low HP AT.

Yup yup. If you want to lock some ATs to lure some new players to pay to unlock, you are going to lock ATs that are more popular.

It makes no sense to lock..for example Stalker or even Dominator who still rank much lower than other ATs in terms of popularity.

There were some maths done by Arcanville and I believe Controller population is one of the fastest growing and MMs have always been popular since it's the most unique. MM choice is a no brainer. And of the 5 Hero ATs, I would say Controller provides the most unique gaming experience.

Stalker advocates actually get s!@#$ done. People like Test-Rat and I would beta test Street Justice to make sure the set is balanced for Stalker. You want a set like Martial Arts that's badly designed with no AoE or you want a set like Kinetic Melee that is actually modified for Stalker's needs?

The dev really don't have much idea on how to design for Stalker's needs. Looking at the old sets, all they did we taking one pbaoe out and inserting Assassin strike. This formula screws up the sets and that's why Stalker has several inferior sets (but not useless).

Which part does it not make sense? Stalker shouldn't use a Titan Weapon or Brute shouldn't use a Ninja Sword? You can't have restriction on one theme but not the other. How come Stalker is the ONLY AT that has "theme restriction"? Titan Weapon is just a name for the set but there are different looking weapons. Why can't they design some weapons that look less "freakish" to match THEIR DESCRIPTION of what a Stalker should hold in his hand? Remember, I say "Their" description because it has just occurred to me that we need the dev to tell us what kind of THEME a Stalker should have. We are stupid and unable to come up our themes apparently.


I am bitter that Stalker won't have Titan Weapon. I wish they could just re-name the set so people can stop thinking that "TITAN IS NOT FITTING FOR NINJA". They re-named Katana to Ninja Sword for Stalker. I wonder why can't they name Titan Weapon to something else for Stalk this time? Many of you tend to think Stalker is...

1. A Ninja
2. Must be physically small
3. Therefore, cannot hold a Giant Weapon

Sure, dev said "we don't hate Stalkers", which translates into: We just don't want to spend the necessary time to create something for Stalker's needs. Just be patient while we create several new sets for Brute/Scrapper. Remember, I don't hate you. I just don't have time for you. :P

Stalker is NOT ALLOWED TO HOLD A BIG WEAPON. That breaks the theme.


BUT!!! It is okay for Brute to hold a Ninja Sword or girlish looking Claws. :P

It is also okay for Brute to have stealthy sets like Dark Armor and Energy Aura to turn them like an "Assassin".

So the logic in this game is RESTRICTIONS ONLY APPLY TO STALKER.

And since when "Assassin" is automatically labeled as "Ninja"?


Oh wait, I have one PERFECT solution. Give Stalker Titan Weapon (the mechanism fits!) but RESTRICT WEAPON CHOICE. Stalker is not allowed to carry any weapon that looks too big so they have to hold a little bit longer version of Ninja Sword or Broadsword and nothing else.

Theme conflicts? Problem solved!

I think you are right. I didn't know there are other "interruptable" powers to be honest.

Gravity has some issues but it is quite fun on a capable perma Dominator. One of my friends is a dominator fan and he saw my perma Gravity/Fiery and he got really curious. He made one himself and he said Gravity is his most favorite control set now and mainly because of Wormhole. He and I would do x3+8 mission together and he would always start the fight with wormhole the mobs to a corner and we rain all AoE on them. We can also cast Singy in the hallway/door to "block" mobs that weren't wormholed. Singy is a control power in itself. It is very durable pet.

As long as Gravity has Wormhole, it has its special place in the game.

I am not saying Gravity won't need some help. I find Propel is not needed for Dominator and Dimension Shift is my most hated power in the game because it causes more "confusion" than "control". Every time I use, the team spends like 10-15s trying to figure out why mobs are phased but they are STILL ATTACKING. And the best "Oh s!@#$" button is just to run. There is no need to phase and then run. JUST RUN. Mobs regenerate health during 30s phase timer too, so in the end, the mobs have a "net-gain". Single Cage power can be useful especially when I solo. I would cage a boss and take out others.


Other than that, Gravity is... well, "fine". It's a fun set at least.

Yes, the Splash effect is considered another buff so technically you can stack more debuffs before the splash effect runs out.

You'll have 15% Resistance debuff from Splash and if you use Envenom again on the main target, he'll get another 30% Resistance debuff, which will result in 45%.

/Poison really sounds NICE on paper but I just don't think it's very practical because it's too active and just like some of you said, on a good team, the other sets AoE debuffs will take care of it.

Yup, maybe 2-3 years ago /Poison was considered a good "AV Killer" but at that time, /Cold Domination wasn't that popular and hadn't got ported to Defender/Controller.

Now the real good AV Killer is /Cold and /Rad.

I also heard that /Poison had one of the best -Regen debuff but I am not seeing it. Is the in-game value wrong? I only see 50% and 25%. And are they even stackable?

This is because those sets were ported to Stalker with POOR balance. The only thing they did is to take out the useful pbaoe (Dragon Tail, Whirling Wind, Spin, Lotus) and insert Assassin Strike and call it a day. And now they are married to this "Cottage rule" and won't insert pbaoe back in.

Any dev that paid attention to the set would say "mmmm, I wonder if a melee set needs 7 freaking ST attacks?" I am not an expert but even I'll think that's too overlapping.

I've said many times that Stalker's core problem has a lot to do with sets. It has more to do with the sets than how Stalker's critical/HP Cap work. You can have the best Damage Scale in the game but if your only pbaoe is taken out, good luck.

The newer sets are better but still inferior (minus Kinetic).

Yes, Dom used to rank at the bottom of the barrel just like Stalker but I've seen way more Dominators nowadays than Stalker especially at high level.

The co-relation is that they made Dominator BETTER, a whole lot better for new players and for those that didn't enjoy Dominator's "high and low" performance.

The reason Stalker is still at the bottom of the barrel is that Stalker is still weaker. Weaker, doesn't mean useless. I find Stalker quite balanced among themselves and quite frankly the game is easy enough that most AT combinations will work. The problem is there are a lot of min-maxers and Stalker isn't a likely choice.

Some of popular min-maxing sets like Super Strength, Fiery Aura and Shield...Stalker has no access to.

I am fine with current Stalker performance but I really hate it when they DECIDE WHAT STALKER THEME SHOULD BE LIKE rather than letting us decide what theme we want our Stalker to have. I would love it if my Stalker has a Shield or a Giant Weapon to smack the s@#$ out somebody in the dark.

The "theme" reason is weak at best because they have problem with Stalker using a Shield/Giant Weapon but they have no problem having Brute using a "slim Ninja Sword". If they want to follow that theme logic, then the reverse must be followed as well. You can't deny Stalker and not deny other melee ATs.

I really think they wish Stalker were never created or they wish they could totally re-vamp Stalker AT. It's a headache to create something for Stalker because their mechanism is different and they don't have the TIME to do it. They have all the time in the world to create SJ and Titan and later Staff set but we all know Stalker's version is always going to be inferior because they have no time to modify the set for Stalker's needs. You can't just take out any pbaoe and insert Assassin Strike or take out any cool mechanism for Build Up. It just doesn't work well for Stalker.

Now that we know Time won't be spent on the LEAST POPULAR AT. At least they are frank about it this time. Time is BETTER SPENT ON OTHER POPULAR ATS.

They keep saying "oh, we may give Stalker something down the road...' Yeah, Stalker is always an AFTER THOUGHT, isn't it? :P

With them pushing new sets out so quickly, Time wont' be spent on balancing for Stalker. Just look at Street Justice. You can't tell me that taking Rib Cracker out won't affect SJ's performance for Stalker. Rib Cracker has two useful debuffs and its animation rocks. If they actually PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO STALKER'S NEEDS, they would have kept Rib Cracker and taken out one of the tier 1/2. What happened to the attention they gave to Kinetic Melee?

They are rushing new products out that won't fit Stalker's needs. Mark my word. This is only the starting of the trend. in fact, they haven't even announced any new sets for Dominator and they are already working on ANOTHER FREAKING MELEE SET.

The way I see it, it's the other way around. The dev have given up on balancing for Stalker sets and Stalker's needs.

The playerbase is only responding to what the dev created for them. What's considered Stalker's strength (stealth) is shared with many other ATs so if you want a stealthy AT, just take concealment pool.

And I am not just being bitter. It's the reality. The dev have no time to balance for just ONE AT. Time is better spent on creating something for 3 ATs - Brute, Scrapper and Tanker. Stalker's mechanism makes things difficult.

I guess we have very different gaming experiences. I have a 50 DB/Nin, 50 Claw/Will and 50 MA/Will.

Dual Blade is ok. Even if the combos suck, it still has some good aoe. Some is better than nothing. I was hoping they can increase 1K Cuts' radius from 10' to 12' because melee range used to be 5' and now it's 7'. So 1K Cut's advantage seems diminished.

Claw's Eviscerate is messed up, that I agree but the two bread-and-butter powers Focus and Shockwave are still very useful. Stalker has the advantage of positioning yourself for a better Shockwave. You can take your time to line up and knock them to a wall or something. Claw is you either hate it or love it. I enjoyed it.

Martial Arts is actually one set that I would not recommend to new Stalker players. It has all bad Stalker stereotype. Lack of any AoE. Yes, Martial Arts hits pretty hard (still not hard enough because my MA still can't take down pylon) but it has ZERO aoe. I enjoy my MA but only because I want something different and I enjoy Eagle Claw a lot more since I hate using Assassin Strike. Eagle Claw's critical hits hard. (although I may change my view once I try SJ's uppercut because combo 3 uppercut hits harder than AS)

1. Too active to be a good Corr or even Controller set. Envenom takes 1.33s and Weaken takes a bit over 2s. Just to cast those two, you already spent over 3s when Freezing Rain and Tar Patch take less than 3s and they debuff a LARGE area. Since the Splash effect radius is small, you may need to re-apply again and again and you do miss too. Both Envenom and Weaken should have innate accuracy bonus IMO.

Mastermind has the time to debuff one by one but the set is terrible for MM because the debuff is not good enough to protect all 6 pets and it costs a lot of endurance.

2. Neurotoxic is an ok aoe control. It just needs to take Hold Sets.

3. Poison hold is slow and has no secondary effect.

4. 3 powers are for ally-only. I honestly don't think people think of /Poison as a "Buff Set" but it has 3 powers that are very "buff/healer" like. Speaking about healing, the green ball travels too slow. It has should have a Splash effect as well.

5. Poison Trap has been improved a lot. The old version is beyond terrible. It used to have 4s casting time, 4s INTERRUPT time and it used to only cause Sleep and some endurance drain. The endurance drain is terrible for Mastermind because none of the pets really drain endurance so there's really nothing to stack with. Endurance Drain is ALL OR NOTHING. You either drain the target dry and keep it that way or don't bother with draining at all.

The current version is ok. I just don't like the constant low DoT damage because those DoT damage do draw aggro to you and DoT messes with Sleep power. I thought about Elec/Poison Troller but the dot ruined it.

6. And lastly, Venomous Gas. It is a neat power but its pbaoe doesn't fit well with Corr who has many cone attacks and lack aoe control to go in. It used to cost A LOT of endurance too. The debuff values are ok. Put -resistance aside, Time's Time Juncture can easily compete with VG. Time Juncture, a tier 3 power, has 25' radius (VG only has 15'), debuff Tohit more and Damage more. Both toggles cost the same endurance. Yes, I do know Time Juncture is more defensive while Venomous Gas is more offensive but VG's radius is smaller and it costs the same endurance. VG should cost less or have larger radius.

7. Visually UNIMPRESSIVE. People probably can't tell what you spit out.


Overall, I am not surprised that people find /Poison subpar. It has always been a very subpar set on MM and its weakness is even more enlarged in Corr who can't handle /Poison's weaknesses.


Oh, one more note, I used to think /Poison has very good -Regen but the numbers just don't add up. I used to think Envenom debuff -Regen by base 500%?? But it is only listed as 50% and 25%? I don't know why two numbers but even if you can stack -regen, it is still weaker than /Cold and /Thermal. So if you plan on soloing AV with /Poison, good luck. You probably have a much better experience with /Cold Domination and /Rad.

You know what, now I am confused too... they need to be more clear! lol

On a side note, there are "interruptable" temp powers? Like what?

PS: Ok, after reading this one more time, I think I got it wrong. It probably only applies to temp. powers that consume charges. I just don't recall any of my temp. powers that can be "interrupted". Maybe they are talking about ITrial powers? When I read "Interruptable", I immediately think of Snipe and Assassin Strike. Oh well... my bad. No buff here.