Jibikao
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Quote:My Stalker has trouble for Lord Recluse when I try to find a PUG. I am going to use him tonight for Lady Grey.Originally Posted by _Zep_
Silly me. I play both.
Havnt had any issues finding a place on the weekly Tf yet, though my stalker isnt 50 yet so I havnt tried. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Jade_Dragon
It depends on what you mean by "sacrifice".
By "sacrifice", do you mean a loss of DPS? Because Assassin Strike has the highest DPA of any attack a Stalker can use.
By "sacrifice", do you mean being in Hide? Because a Stalker should always be in Hide as a combat starts.
By "sacrifice", do you mean being knocked out of Hide by AoE attacks on the tank? Because that's just a matter of timing and having good Defense. Heck, if you are in Hide you should have at least 37.5% Defense.
There are plenty of opportunities for a Stalker to do burst damage, both with his first attack, and subsequent ones. The Stalker even has a higher chance of random burst damage. The burst damage doesn't have to end after 10s, although perhaps the Stalker won't be doing more burst damage than the Scrapper any more. The point is, though, that the Stalker is already ahead...
Build Up+Aim for a Blaster is a damage boost, which means for 3 slotted attacks it only gives a +78.75% increase in overall damage. If you are being boosted by the team, that is even less. A Stalker by contrast will do +175% damage with a Placate+Build Up combo, and Placate is up more often than Build Up. So even with a Blaster's best single target damage attack, Total Focus, the best it can do at level 50 is 707.75, while an AS with BU does 1070.52. (please correct math if incorrect...)
The Blaster will DEFINATELY do more AoE damage, particularly with the Tier 9. That's really what will come close to the damage of AS, and easily exceed it, with more than one target. But the Blaster's single target damage will not be able to spike that high.
Actually, the sacrifices I feel are:
1. Less HP (this is actually my least issue with Stalker and it doesn't really bother me but many have brought this up)
2. Loss of AoE power in some sets for Assassin Strike. Both MA and EM have zero aoe and Ninja Blade, Broadsword, Claw and Dual Blade lose one good pbaoe.
3. The need to "wait" for 8s and "set up" (this is most noticeable when you are on a good team but I've learned to just ignore Assassin Strike but that's like ignoring your Signature move just because others don't need your role of "elimination".)
I just don't feel Stalker's burst damage is all that good and I've played many stalkers (several lvl 50s) including my new lvl 36 MA Stalker now. After I got Eagle Claw, I tend to just open the battle with BU + Eagle because I can score a stun on the first target and then move to the 2nd target with Cobra and then move on to the next target.
When I play Martial Arts, I need to master the "Art of Not Overkilling". Basically for the first 10s of Build Up, I switch targets 3-4 times (Eagle, Cobra, Axe and then Crane) and let others finish off. There is no need to use both Eagle and Cobra on the same target unless it's a boss or lieut.
The "thing" I feel the most is that when the setting is low, your Role of Elimination is not needed at all and when the setting is very high, your Assassin Strike can't even kill a lieut in one-shot and the team gets better results with a tank/debuffs/buffs/controls. I feel this way with high level Stalkers. At low lvl, Stalker's Assassin Strike is good...it feels good to AS a boss to death when others can't and when Brutes can't just run in to take aggro while dealing more damage. -
Quote:Then do +2 or +3!Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
I'm more concerned about what will happen to the existing lvl 50 Task Forces and missions. I've been doing the ITF and LGTF on my +1, and unfortunately what was previously pretty easy is now so simple that it's kind of boring. The other TFs have exemp mechanics to protect them somewhat from power inflation. I'm curious about what day to day will be like once becoming full on incarnate, since you obviously can't run raids all the time.
I've been asking the leader to make it harder because harder is always better!
The biggest difference I've felt is in Apex. I tried it with my level shift Fortunata and it was so much easier. -
Quote:Very good example!Originally Posted by Tetsuko_NA
I hate to be so blunt, but your first car does not get slower because you bought a second, faster car. Having the first car feel slower is understandable, but is an illusion.
My Incarnate characters feel much more powerful than my other characters, and I like this. One of the best parts about it is getting on to a 'lesser' character, feeling the difference, and thinking "Hmm, imagine what this will look like when I've gotten my Alpha..." -
Quote:Isn't it the point of spending time to get Alpha slots???Originally Posted by Auroxis
It makes non-incarnate characters feel considerably weak in comparison. It's not too noticeable now, but if they add more level shifts the difference in performance between an incarnate and a non-incarnate will be enormous.
I'll be worried if people feel alpha slots don't make much difference...because then, what is the point of doing it?
Those that don't have alpha slots can't complain that they feel "inferior" because those that do have alpha slots spend time to get them.
The game isn't required to have alpha slots, so I don't see any problem at all. It may just make farming easier because of level shift.
Incarnate > Non-Incarnate makes perfect sense to me -
If the snipe takes 4s, I may consider taking it...
Either that or they increase the snipe damage more because spending 7s on an average attack makes no sense to me. -
When we talk about "burst" damage, is it just the initial hit or the first 10s during Build Up?
While Assassin Strike does decent damage, it has quite a few restrictions. I am not even sure if Stalker's burst damage is THAT good. It is good but the sacrifice for it isn't worth it on a team.
I would guess Blaster's burst damage is probably the highest for the first 10-12s. Maybe ST damage is a bit less than Stalker but the AoE burst damage potential is definitely better than Stalker. This is fine because Blaster doesn't have defensive secondary.
Most battles don't end in 10s or less. I made a MA Scrapper until 26 and his damage during Build Up is very impressive too. Instead of setting up for 5s for Assassin Strike, he basically starts the fight with stun attacks (Cobra and eventually Eagle Claw too) and throw in Dragon Tail for some aoe damage. The only time I feel MA Stalker is a bit better is when I solo at +2x1 where I can finish off a lieut and minion during 10s.
Build Up's up time needs to be better for Stalker if Stalker's role is to provide good burst damage. -
Quote:I do agree unsuppressed Stealth in Energy aura is very neat. I have a DM/EA Brute called Stalkerish Brute on freedom. I made that build specifically to be like a Stalker.Originally Posted by Test_Rat
I already have a huntsman. Didn't want to do the bane thing again (its what I played leveling up.)
The Fire/EA has been amazing though. The combat stealth is such an awesome feature.
Killing 1 group 10-15 Feet away from another is awesome. -
Quote:haha..speaking about Bane, he is my strongest "Stalker" right now. He brings good burst damage, great debuffs, team buffs and decent aoe damage. He has almost everything a Stalker would love.Originally Posted by JD_Gumby
If you want Stalker-like play without the stigma of actually being a Stalker, go with a Bane Spider.
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Quote:Oh, I don't play defenders enough to know how Vigilance works but it would be very nice if Stalker gets critical buff just for having teammates.Originally Posted by Jade_Dragon
OTOH, that's a lot of assumptions. We don't know. Personally, if the Defender Vigilance is implemented in such a way that it doesn't require a "scan" for allies, but merely checks that such allies EXIST (in the team list, for instance) then I think I would prefer that. The Stalker would then merely require a team of four to match the single target damage of a Scrapper, whether his teammates were meleers or not.
As an alternative, I've suggested raising the chance of Critical more rapidly, but "cap" it at four allies, similar to how Vigilance works. Thus with one teammate in melee, the Stalker will Crit 15% of the time, with two allies, 20% of the time, and with three 25%, but with four or more it would be 30%, the current maximum. This seems more reasonable to me if you are trying to make the criteria that the Stalker has other allies in melee to "distract" his foes.
The cap at 4-allies is also nice because at least Stalker is getting that critical buffs more easily. -
They really should just increase team critical radius to match what Khelidan has. It's large enough to get the buffs most of the time.
They put 30' radius on it because they are afraid some stalkers is going to sneak to the end and enjoy critical buffs? I would have kicked that stalker off the team first (unless the team wants to be teleported to the end). 30' radius is pretty quite small.
PS: And I am against increasing Stalker's base damage because that will be too similar to Scrapper. I really enjoy seeing Critical. Increasing the chance to critical is more "fun" for Stalkers. -
Quote:I already find Assassin Strike's 4s too long... I can't imagine spending 8s for one mediocre attack.Originally Posted by Redlynne
Bottom line ... if you're trying to work Dark Blast/Moonbeam into your in-combat attack chain ... go for Dark Blast. If instead you want a second (ranged) Assassination Strike ... consider Moonbeam.
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The last time I tried a Stalker Snipe is about 2 years ago or could be longer?
I remember the damage is kinda low for the amount of time you spend on casting. If you use Build Up, you literally waste at least 7-8s for just one snipe.
I remember the damage isn't even that good with critical.
It is just very terrible IMO because even if you don't want to open the battle with Assassin Strike, you get way better dps by just cycling through all your attacks.
I think I have more problem with the damage part of it. I can't remember how much but it is quite low because Stalker's range damage modifier is only 0.6? I mean I can see some squishies trying to open the battle with a burst snipe but stalker has defensive secondary to withstand some aggro.
I don't understand why you would "need" Stalker Snipe because:
1. If you want to pull, Dark Blast works well enough. You don't need a snipe to pull.
2. You need a range attack to finish off a runner? Dark Blast is way faster.
3. You need a good burst damage? Assassin Strike or any of the 8s or higher ST attack are much better choice. -
Quote:If you take your defensive shields and slot them, there is no reason why your Stalker can't stay with the group and fight. Stalker, as far as I can tell, attracts way less aggro than other melee. Unless you start the fight on your own in a large group, you shouldn't die that easily. In fact, I have trouble grabbing aggro when I want to!Originally Posted by blacktomcat
I'm wanting to build a PvE stalker that can stick around after the initial strike and fight the rest of a group. What would be the best primary and secondary to do this with?
If you are that afraid of aggro, then choose sets that have less AoE so you can just focus on killing your favorite targets.
If you want to contribute a bit more on a large team, I would suggest Dual Blade, Electricity and Spines. Ninja and Broadsword are decent too. I think Dual Blade is a great pve set because you've got a mix of everything. Spines is great in the end for team play but leveling to 18-26 is such a pain.
I took out my old lvl 50 Dual Blade out the other day just to test Sweep Combo and I have to say I miss the set! I may transfer him from Virtue to Freedom soon. I think I know why I didn't like Sweep Combo when I first tested it. The sweep combo damage is based on Ablating's damage and when I first tested it, Ablating only had one slot and I thought the damage was too low for my liking. I ended up using 1K Cuts to open battle most of the time (and skipped Ablating) 'cause it's simple and the cone can hit at least 2-3 targets easily. -
Quote:Did you team with other SoAs when they came out? I think part of the problem that I don't feel SoA before lvl 24 is that bad is that I teamed with other SoAs when they were introduced and our defense was crazy high and I felt so overpowered. heheOriginally Posted by Smiling_Joe
My out-of-the-box experience on SoA's was the WORST 24 levels I've had in the game BAR NONE. It's like having an ar/ defender without the secondary.
Then I hit 24 and respecc'd into a crab spider.
Then this Peacebringer driver got really, really depressed. -
Oh, Electricity Melee is good in pvp?? How so?
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My Fortunata definitely gets a lot from Cardiac.
She runs 9 toggles, double Assault, double Maneuver, 1 Tactics, Mez shield, Hover, Tough and Darknest Night from patron.
Even with accolades and unique and all sets, she couldn't run 8-9 toggles without using blues frequently during long fights but with Cardiac, I rarely need blue.
With this build, I can fight toe to toe with Battle Maiden in Apex. I put darkest night on her and just fight in circles. Tough helps a lot so I don't die in one or two hits if I get hit. -
Quote:Just curious, how do you get mez protection as controller? From epic?Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
With the magic of incarnate sauce, I have stumbled across a build that gives me capped Ranged defense and enough recharge to gain perma mezz protection. This build would have been unthinkable six months ago. But this is the dawn of a new age! -
Quote:I know. You really only need two VEATs to put everyone within radius to soft-cap defense. It is ridiculous.Originally Posted by Vidszhite
Ah yeah, how could I forget the VEATs? They're the best. I remember the VEAT beta where we had teams of 8 VEATs all at once. I don't think I've ever seen things melt so fast. Every time a VEAT leaves my team, I miss them very much.
It's my favorite "support" set(s) because all I need is to fight along side with them and I get buffs. If it's Soldier, we get great aoe debuffs and damage.
Yes, Kin/Rad/Cold/Dark are great but sometimes it depends on the players to make them that awesome. I've teamed with many of them that don't shield people, don't cast siphon power/speed, or put toggles on the wrong anchor or let the anchor run away which results in even more aggro. VEATs, on the other hand, is just more safe. -
I would say on average, my favorite support teammate is VEAT.
1. Their leaderships benefit me so I don't need to rely on them to cast shields or heal you. I just need to stay within their leaderships.
2. They can handle aggro pretty well on their own so I don't need to babysit.
3. If I am playing a squishy without mez protection, the high team defense from VEATs allow me to avoid a lot of mez attacks.
There are some situations where their extra defense don't bring as much to the table like if I already have soft-capped defense or the team needs more resistance and -regen debuffs. Basically, I love inviting any VEAT (with leaderships) to the team. -
Quote:I haven't played my old Dual Blade Stalker for a long time but they changed Pet AI so they "want" to cycle all their attacks, which means they would run in to melee frequently. With the old AI, Spiderlings usually stay on the back until they got hit. After they got hit, they would run in to slash.Originally Posted by Shred_Monkey
Thanks.. it looks like they have a melee attack. Do they close to melee, or they prefer to stay at range?
This is why I said if "survival matters" because when you are hidden, your pets will take alpha and while they have a bit higher base health than you, I don't believe they have good resistance at all.
The spiderlings can certainly add very good dps if you are on a larger team with buffs.
But honestly, I don't know if Assassin and Pets really fit that well. Maybe a "tank" pet? I think Assassin + Traps are much better. A Patron trap... something on long recharge but similar to Poison Trap. -
Quote:Epic pets that deal the most damage? Assuming survival is not an issue, it's definitely Stalker's Mace set with 3 Spiderlings (they are +1 level). Those three Spiderlings actually have more base health than Stalker!! My old lvl 50 Db/Nin still has it.Originally Posted by Shred_Monkey
Simple question (i think). Which of the epic sets give a pet that does the most damage output?
You can slot AH procs in Spiderlings too (but not with Crab's spiderlings as they are a lot weaker and lower level). -
Quote:I think too many Stalkers are stuck with the idea that you MUST assassinate a boss first. I think 70% of the time it's a good idea but I've found that sometimes, especially when you are on a large team, your Assassin Strike is overkill because somebody is already pounding on the boss.Originally Posted by Jade_Dragon
For instance, the advice to use AS on a Lt. instead of a Boss in order to take out a problem foe quickly may not be the most efficient use of AS after all. Assuming that you can do enough damage with a Crit from your most damaging attack to kill that foe, an AS would be overkill. You have to be in Hide anyway, so it's just a matter of deciding whether to use AS or that standard attack.
Assassin Strike can't be used in an attack chain after you reveal so if there are two annoying lieuts (like Night Widow and Bane), you can easily BU + AS a Night Widow to death and then unleash the rest of the attack chain on Bane (who you probably can't assassinate in one hit depending on the difficulty and damage type).
It's also important to know who to kill first based on your damage type. You can probably kill a +1 Lieut Mu with lethal/smashing damage but not with dark/energy. And also which damage type hurts the main tank the most. If it's an /Energy aura or /Invul, you probably want to kill whoever does the most psionic damage.
And once you are higher level and doing +2 or +3 difficulty, your BU + AS is hardly "over-kill". In fact, lethal damage with BU on Longbow Lieut can't kill him in one hit. It sucks. I would say once the setting is at +2, your BU + AS is just about right to kill a lieut and maybe add one more hit.
Demoralized is random and it works much better when you solo or on a small team. And I still believe Demoralized should happen whether you one-shot the target or not. -
Quote:Protector robots also have an aoe attack that have chance to stun.Originally Posted by BugeyeJack
This is exactly right. Think of it this way: the mercs are trading away the bubbles and heals of the protector bots for crowd control. Now, the protector bots are able to bubble everything in the party -- including the player himself -- within 2 minutes or so. These are bonuses that are never cancelled out and stay from enemy group to enemy group. They also get a significant pet heal on top of those bubbles.
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Quote:I like your signature. It's funny. lolOriginally Posted by EvilGeko
I've just murdered ten Council Soldiers. Hundreds more will die if I don't get a Strike Target tonight.
