Haijinx

Seems kind of weak sauce tbh. Its not like they are given any help getting there. If they actually had higher numbers for their secondaries, like they have lower numbers for their primaries, I'd agree with you.

How is it a nerf to damage?

would resolve some of that "why play a brute?" dilemma The debuff type and damage effects still would give some ability to snag aggro for a few secondaries though, which wouldn't be so bad.

I think this is why I like the Stalker ATOs So much easier

Sounds like you are running into the ppm math headache. Your proc chance is affected by the base recharge of the power, how much recharge you slot in that power, and the aoe of the power. Total focus is slow enough you can probably have the whole set in there and be ok. With other powers you'll likely need to go light on slotted recharge.

I think Sents and Khelds actually need buffed. Within the scope of the game as it is right now. But with the general level of Power Creep, will they get over buffed? Maybe? That probably is more important than trying to add some sort of gameplay that's been gone for a dozen issues or whatever.

I mean. I guess you could do that. Or you could just run up into the middle of the baddie group and fire off your PBAOE. Then just scrap. You should get another buildup or hide proc in time to smack a couple bosses around.

Okay. Buff several Baddie types to have much higher defense. Defense that doesn't work if the attacker is Hidden. There now Assassin Strikes and Sniper attacks have more utility.

I'm not jumping over you. I'm just stating the way things have been trending over the years when it comes to the game and to stalkers. The game has been on a steady climb towards more and more power creep, reducing the relative challenge of encounters and reducing the time of individual encounters with Mobs of baddies. Thus speeding up play. You seem to want a style of play that is more deliberate. That's just not how things have been going. All the stalker buffs went the other way. They turned Stalkers who were already very scrapperish more scrapperish. And so they have a fairly high level of power. Because scrappers are in a really good place. So if stalkers are very close to that ... etc. Thus my stating that Stalkers do not need buffed. (Again. They have already been buffed several times) I'm all for making the game much much harder. Then you can bring the assassin and sniper stuff in I guess. But I don't see it happening.

Its kind of amazing actually. Considering how Stalkers have pretty decent armor sets. But it does explain why Stalkers are just as sturdy as scrappers on mixed teams from a practical standpoint.

My point is you are arguing against a general trend that started way back on live. And led us to where we are now. Stalkers were made to be more like scrappers on purpose. Because due to power creep there is no real room on teams for the slow, tactical, deliberate type of combat that the slow Assassin's Strike belongs to. No one is going to wait for you to sneak up to set up attacks. Why should they? There is no real threat from the baddies. Its mentioned in earlier posts here. That its only valuable at low level. Well that make sense since its only at lower levels are you in the sort of danger that requires stuff like tactics planning, strategy, and so on. At higher levels its just Banzai! All over the place at a much much more frenetic pace. There is no actual game for the slow AS to play in the team oriented zerg rush steamrolls we get. Buffing AS or Stalkers won't help you. Because the only way to make that slow assassination type play relevant is to make the game harder. So that tactics matter again. And that's never going to happen.

That was basically my point. They already have done that. It was the end result of all the stalker buffs over the years. Culminating in those newer sets with scrapper type AOE powers (not all of the new sets) and the way the ATOs work, favoring a fast paced, scrapperlock style play.

Its just too slow. I'd never use it even if buffed probably. Besides the Quick AS puts me back in Hide after I use crushing uppercut, etc. That get's more accomplished in less time. Its like a slow snipe. Only really useful when soloing. And if I'm soloing might as well just lower the difficulty and not use the slow stuff then either.

I play my stalker exactly like a scrapper, other than leveraging my buildups / crits / ato stuff. I never use slow AS. I rerolled my MA/EA as a STJ/EA and never looked back so I'd get scrapperish AOE I charge forward ahead of the team and just attack with no plan. And Aggro still sheds off me like water off a duck's back. As soon as the team members catch up the baddies ignore me and attack them. Its actually hilarious.

Or Ninja Blade getting a PBOE so its not weaker than Katana, It just seems kind of anti-climatic that an actual Ninja, on the Ninja style AT Say NIN/NIN Stalker, is a weaker choice than picking Kat/NIN on a scrapper. And its a waste of the coolest looking assassin strike power.

You could. But not "Tank Gods" style where the enemies are buffed. I tried that for fun and got stomped, badly. But just +4x8 using inspirations? I'm sure you could, the only problem I see is the last Romulus fight and that #*)@)& Auto-hit nictus. Blasters and Defenders have solo'd ITF also

Maybe Scrappers are OP too. Hell, most of the ATs probably are at this point. I didn't start a thread saying "Stalkers are OP!!" I was replying to the premise of this thread, that they need buffed. They don't. They are in the best place they have been in since this game started. And they definitely have the best ATOs. Should they fix the sets that are AOE-deficient? Of course! Those are stupid being the way they are. Especially with how the game is basically a AOE zerg-fest nowadays.

What do you want me to say. Oh great and mighty Fubarczar, I was evidently wrong about Psi Melee, therefore evidently my ENTIRE POINT about newer sets like STJ, Staff Melee and stuff can't possibly have any merit at all. And therefore all my points don't matter. ==== Or maybe. I thought Psi melee was older than it was. And there was no nefarious attempt on my part of just simply ignore it. As you suggested I was doing. So yes. Its "Whatevs" cause my point that if you want a Stalker to feel more competitive to a scrapper in normal play, picking a set like say .. Martial Arts .. isn't going to do it for you. You'd be better off with Street Justice.

Yeah it seems a myopic situation that MMO designers have always had. "Lets divide our playerbase into multiple factions" that way it will feel even less Multiplayer. I think its one of those decisions made to try and get some PVP going or something (for most games)

Ahh kay, Whatevs. Don't pick those either. Or Psi melee. If you want to to Scrapper-ish type Melee AOE

You wouldn't design a system with the idea that Heroes and Villians would remain segregated their entire careers, as COV was originally designed for.

Psi Melee is a lot older than those. And its a general point anyway. If you pick one of those low AOE primaries, Stalkers are going to fall behind Scrappers, because they will lack AOE. This is kind of self evident.

Well yes, they are like that NOW But if you had a blank slate, and didn't have to worry about the Blue Side / Red Side legacy and all the rest. Things would look a lot different. The only reason its the way it is now is they Merged a Game - With a whole Dark Mirror Game basically.

If you were redesigning COX, why have both Defenders and Corruptors either?

Except for the intent and purpose that I was describing, the fact that the newer sets have full scrapper AOE powers, while the older ones do not. As you have pointed out, EM was not given Whirling Hands, so it doesn't follow the pattern of the newer sets for Stalkers, like Street Justice, Staff, and Savage Melee do.