Solarverse

I honestly wouldn't think anyone would pick up a power with an animation that roots you long enough for a Stalker to AS you in arena. I figured players would be smarter than that. Zone PvP yes, I pull AS on moving targets easy, I just zero in when they use a long animation ability. However, in Arena I figured they would be smarter than that. With all the focused firing going on in Arena, I'm also surprised you even have time for anything other than your instant cast big hitter. This is good info though. Appreciate the information. Thanks for correcting me on that.

Actually, I take that back, with the IO that grants hide, placing it in your opener, if the Hide Procs, then yes, AS would work. Sorry, did not even think about that. This Hide Proc is still a new concept to me. It did not exist when last I played. P.S. I was once a Stalker Guru, I studied the class like a Scientist. Damn...my knowledge is so outdated. :( That's why I depend on other Stalkers to update me. :)

Picking up Acrobatics and Combat Jumping will fix that hole. If you are building just for Arena, then you only need one big hitter and a follow up...you will never have time to get off anything more than that. So you will have plenty of room to insert those two abilities into your build. Also, Arena PvP, don't even bother picking up Assassin's Strike...it's useless in Arena PvP. Your target will die long before you even set up for AS. Your job as the Stalker in Arena PvP is to Stun your target, so that your team can obliterate your target in milliseconds. That is your only function. So you want your biggest hitter that also stuns/slows/Immobs, whatever you have to stop your target long enough for your team to obliterate your target. When you enter the world of Arena PvP, you enter a whole different type of PvP. It's not the same as Zone PvP at all and requires a completely different build to be a productive member of your team. Zone or Arena, you should always take Assassin Strike. Always. When have you ever seen a stalker use Assassin Strike in Arena? I would love to see video of this. Video uploader is Unholy Weapon on his stalker, Im the other stalker on his team. Read above post.

Picking up Acrobatics and Combat Jumping will fix that hole. If you are building just for Arena, then you only need one big hitter and a follow up...you will never have time to get off anything more than that. So you will have plenty of room to insert those two abilities into your build. Also, Arena PvP, don't even bother picking up Assassin's Strike...it's useless in Arena PvP. Your target will die long before you even set up for AS. Your job as the Stalker in Arena PvP is to Stun your target, so that your team can obliterate your target in milliseconds. That is your only function. So you want your biggest hitter that also stuns/slows/Immobs, whatever you have to stop your target long enough for your team to obliterate your target. When you enter the world of Arena PvP, you enter a whole different type of PvP. It's not the same as Zone PvP at all and requires a completely different build to be a productive member of your team. Zone or Arena, you should always take Assassin Strike. Always. When have you ever seen a stalker use Assassin Strike in Arena? I would love to see video of this. Wait, I saved you the trouble. Found one here I found this instantly. I seen him use Assassin Strike, however, let's notice that when he uses it, it is used out of hide with no bonus damage. He is using AS at its weakest state. He was better off not using it at all. So if you want to use AS, I say do go for it...however, if I am building STRICTLY for Arena, I would not pick up AS, I would find something in its place that would benefit my team more than AS does in that setting. P.S. Follow this up with Reply #21

Psi is 74% psi damage, except for the T9 AoE which is all smashing. Also all damage from crits, and insight is completely psi (even on the T9) is all psionic. , Yeah, I learned that the day after posting it. However, I also know Psi is commonly and highly resisted in end game, so I left the original comment be. Might as well be all lethal damage with how much end game npc's resist it. There is actually a complaint thread on these forums somewhere, where people are noticing their dps is weak compared to others. With this in mind, I felt no reason to change my post about Psi Stalkers.

You should come visit Excelsior and do one there. I have a killer Heavy Metal, 90's style costume I would have loved to enter. ;)

/JRanger

Wait, I always thought there was a way to turn of xp? I have never done it, but always thought it was an option.

This is exactly why I no longer play Villain side. Why would you? I can play a Stalker, Brute, Corruptor, Dominator, and even the VEATs on Hero side. All the incentives to play a villain are gone.

Except that Chinese New Year is not a China-specific holiday, it's celebrated by many countries, just like western New Year is. It's getting to a point where Americans aren't even allowed to celebrate their Holidays anymore without SOMEBODY making a stink of it. American culture is being stamped out. The fact we are even debating this is absurd to me. Not even 30 years ago, this discussion would NOT have been happening. I never thought I would see the day...my 44 years of life and Americans have lost all self identity and culture. It's a damn shame...and I am sorry I have lived long enough to see it. Generation X seems to be the last generation who holds dear their roots, culture and American Pride. This world has gotten so damn political, I can't even go to a game without people trying to force "political correctness" and politics in to this game. We are supposed to be able to play this game to escape the real life world...not be reminded of it at every turn. Not the America I grew up in...at all. I'm done with this thread...it honestly makes me sick to my stomach the fact people are even debating this. This is seriously disturbing.

The game was made in America. When a Japanese game is made, do they not celebrate their own special days? The idea of "let's not celebrate because it is not all inclusive" is silly. Might as well stop celebrating anything at all with that idea. Besides, all are welcome to celebrate...not just Americans.

Picking up Acrobatics and Combat Jumping will fix that hole. If you are building just for Arena, then you only need one big hitter and a follow up...you will never have time to get off anything more than that. So you will have plenty of room to insert those two abilities into your build. Also, Arena PvP, don't even bother picking up Assassin's Strike...it's useless in Arena PvP. Your target will die long before you even set up for AS. Your job as the Stalker in Arena PvP is to Stun your target, so that your team can obliterate your target in milliseconds. That is your only function. So you want your biggest hitter that also stuns/slows/Immobs, whatever you have to stop your target long enough for your team to obliterate your target. When you enter the world of Arena PvP, you enter a whole different type of PvP. It's not the same as Zone PvP at all and requires a completely different build to be a productive member of your team.

In Arena matches, yes. Regular zone PvP, no.

I think this thread needs to gain a bit of awareness. I just created a thread asking for the same thing, unaware of this thread's existence. This thread needs more momentum. +1

This right here. I went there once, to get the badge, shook my head at all the players begging for power levels...and then walked right back out never to return. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy teaming with people and running Task Forces instead of standing around watching some gimp Brute, with a build that works for only one thing, to do the work for me. No thank you.

Here here, I'll drink to that good Sir.

I agree, that is super annoying at times.

Just curious if anyone would like to see Ice added to the Ancillary Epic Pool Powers for Defenders and Corruptors. What say you?

The Hollows would be a perfect place to put a Hogger-like mob so we could have some CoH equivalent of the Hogger raids in WoW. That would be an awesome idea!

IMO, people often outgrow something and then feel this way. Just an opinion. The hollows was never hard, IMO, just dangerous to navigate, which is annoying, not hard, IMO. I see the the refrain of "This game went from being challenging to easy." on every single game board on the Internet I visit. The rub for me is that what so many people refer 'back' to as 'hard' was just tedious and/or time consuming, tricking the brain into making it seem more valuable, IMO, or was nothing more than a puzzle you had to simply learn to avoid or that once learned, made it trivial. What so many gamers want, IME, is the 'feeling of playing it the first time', after they mastered it. Monotonous and time consuming do not count as 'hard' to me. I see wanting to 'make games hard like they were' as chasing smoke... As the saying says, "you can never really go home" ... The thing is, not every zone was like that though, only the Hazard Zones. The Hollows was changed to make travel safer, so therefore doesn't really feel like a Hazard Zone any longer. You do make some good points though...although I can't say I have outgrown this game...I'm not sure that could EVER happen! :D I still love the game with a passion...I just miss Hollows the way it once was. :(

For me, what I loved about it before is the fact that it was hard. It was scary and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I was so terrified of that place, I bought Hover just to get across the Gultch. The mobs were higher level, and there were more random Trolls who threw instant dead rocks at me. Everything in there was hard...however, with teamwork, everything in there was completely beatable. For the level that zone was made for...it was downright hard. Which was why it was called a "Hazard" zone. I never understood why it was changed. Nobody was forced to go there (although it was a hot spot for people) and they had Kings Row as another option if they felt like Hollows was too difficult. The Hollows was not for everybody. Some people want it easy. Some people want it to be challenging. The people who wanted it easy already had an option. Sadly, now that Hollows is gone, the people who want a challenge no longer have that option. I feel as though the game has been dummied down for people who want things easy. How do I like it now? Meh...now, I go there for Frostfire only. If somebody is trying to form a Frostfire team, I happily oblige them. Chances are, you yourself has ran Frostfire with me a time or two and simply did not know it. However, that is the only use I see for Hollows now. This game went from being challenging to easy. I miss the way that it was before all the changes. That's just me though....and one thing I have learned, how I see things and feel about things, almost ALWAYS is just the opposite of how all of you see things and feel about things. So much so I am thinking about changing my name to Opposite-Man.

That was EXACTLY what I loved about it back then! It was called a hazard zone for a reason, now...it's just another zone to me. Yeah, well, most sane people hated when missions were placed deep in them pretty much blocking off progress because you can't reach the door... Haha, I guess you can call me coo coo then, lol.

That was EXACTLY what I loved about it back then! It was called a hazard zone for a reason, now...it's just another zone to me.

Me personally, I honestly wish they would revert the Hollows back to its original state. It never needed a rehaul in my opinion. I miss the original, so many great memories there. All those extra contacts were never needed nor wanted. The ONLY reason people go there now is to do the Trials and Frostfire. I'm just curious...if the Devs came out and said, "Hey! We are reverting Hollows back to its vanilla state!" would you be excited, or would you try and stop the change? How do you feel about Hollows as it stands now? How did you feel about Hollows then?

Is that the powers they shoot from their rifles? I have always said I wish the Devs had made the Beam Rifle blasts look like theirs. Theirs is very wicked looking, whereas Beam Rifle looks very blah to me.