Highest single target damage set for Stalkers?

[Silverado]

Which set(s) has(ve) the highest single target damage potential for Stalkers? Apologies if this has been asked before.

[Caulderone]

Look through the pylon thread for results: 

Page 1, StrikerFox hits 450 DPS with Street Justice.  I'm pretty sure StJ is the answer most folks will point at.  StJ/Bio in particular.

 

Here is a whole bunch of sets tested by Microcosm later in the thread. 

Broadsword and DB did really well in those tests too, but all 3 can be hampered by high mob Resists in game.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 2020 by Caulderone

[StrikerFox]

That 450 dps pylon time was an early run. I have StJ/SR down to 90s for about 550dps. StJ is tough to beat. It's combo system and accumulating Assassin's Focus just works very well together. Also SR is so easy to softcap and with built in recharge makes gearing for damage and procs fairly simple. 

 

 

[Microcosm]

Yeah, Stj, DB, Svg, Nin are all pretty high up there. I haven't tested any set that is severely lacking in AoEs though (Em, Ma, Dm).

[Frosticus]

Of the 3 I've tried (stj, sav, nin) they are all remarkably close. 

the nin uses 2 -res procs in the chain

the stj uses 1 -res proc 

the sav uses none. 

 

 

[Croax]

I like the flow of StJ. It feels really good and has a rotation that works very good. It is my favorite set for single target damage. The easiest one to get lost in scrapper lock.

[DrBasics]

15 hours ago, Frosticus said:

Of the 3 I've tried (stj, sav, nin) they are all remarkably close. 

the nin uses 2 -res procs in the chain

the stj uses 1 -res proc 

the sav uses none. 

 

 

I just wanted to say that I made a Savage/SR stalker and I feel like it is so incredibly strong. Also wanted to say thanks to you Frosticus, because without your thread breakdowns on Savage Melee on stalkers, I may have went brute or scrapper which pale in comparison to the Stalker. So cheers!

[Coyote]

To note, Savage is a very high damage set, because it's among the top damage sets in ST AND in AoE.

However, I like to say that it has "negative mitigation"... unlike other sets that lower incoming damage, Savage actually lets mobs do MORE damage than they should, because they get an extra second or two before the DoT kills them... or else you spend another attack to finish them off, in which case it's no longer that great for damage. It really works best with a very strong defensive build that can handle the extra incoming attacks, and leverage the high damage output.

Note, though, that high AoE damage IS damage mitigation, so that makes up for the extra attacks done during the DoT period.

[Haijinx]

I have a STJ/EA and MA/EA at vet 15+, with similar builds  

 

STJ and MA feel remarkable similar ST wise once STJ gets Crushing Uppercut.   Before that MA is better.  This is in normal play.   

 

However STJ has full scrapper level AOE, and so is just better.   

 

The Old sets probably could stand looked at, the logic behind them losing all their AOE seems stupid now that newer sets do not have that hindrance. 

 

 

[KelvinKole]

Has no one tried Dark Melee in one of those pylon tests? I have a dark/rad that feels really good, and I love that Stalker dark melee gets a real build up. If i recall, Dark Melee had the highest average DPA across its attacks.

[Microcosm]

2 hours ago, KelvinKole said:

Has no one tried Dark Melee in one of those pylon tests? I have a dark/rad that feels really good, and I love that Stalker dark melee gets a real build up. If i recall, Dark Melee had the highest average DPA across its attacks.

I haven't; Dark Melee on Stalkers has too few AoE options for me to want to try it, but you should give it a whirl and let us know if you can. IMO Soul Drain > Build Up, so I always figured the Stalker version wouldn't be that much superior to the Scrapper one, but I've never seen data on it.

[ScarySai]

If you wanted to hit the absolute hardest, probably STJ, especially paired with bio. DB can get real close, though.

[Solarverse]

Psionic Blade has the highest Burst Damage. Just wanted to add that in there.

[KelvinKole]

9 hours ago, Microcosm said:

I haven't; Dark Melee on Stalkers has too few AoE options for me to want to try it, but you should give it a whirl and let us know if you can. IMO Soul Drain > Build Up, so I always figured the Stalker version wouldn't be that much superior to the Scrapper one, but I've never seen data on it.

That's why I paired it with /rad. Siphon life and particle shielding will keep you upright, so you can turn radiation therapy into a proc Nuke, and you have ground zero plus any patron AoEs you want (I took fireball). And then comes judgment, so yea plenty of AoE. I don't think I'll respect into shadow maul even with the changes. 

 

I'm a ways away from having the incarnates to run any tests. I'm not very efficient at building characters on the test sever, but might give it go. 

[Troo]

Good info here.

 

There is a bit off a difference between sustained damage versus burst damage and how that applies to damage in a typical mission versus a huge single target.

Effectively leveraging the mechanic included with some sets is likely key to damage.

[Sovera]

On 4/7/2020 at 4:06 AM, Haijinx said:

I have a STJ/EA and MA/EA at vet 15+, with similar builds  

 

STJ and MA feel remarkable similar ST wise once STJ gets Crushing Uppercut.   Before that MA is better.  This is in normal play.   

 

However STJ has full scrapper level AOE, and so is just better.   

 

The Old sets probably could stand looked at, the logic behind them losing all their AOE seems stupid now that newer sets do not have that hindrance. 

 

 

One thing I feel that people sleep on a bit is that Stalkers are actually pretty damn good AoE machines. But the trick lays in placing the BU refresh proc in one of the AoEs. It only has 5% chance to proc, but in an AoE it has multiple chances to go off which means lots and lots of BUs and Gaussians coming up.

 

This is another reason why StJ shines since due to the awkwardly high recharge in Crushing Uppercut we need something to fill until it comes back up and Spinning Strike hits decently, takes an Annihilation -res, AND can take the BU refresh proc. Other sets will not usually use their AoE in their ST rotation, but with StJ and Spinning Strike filler the proc gets to be used in AoE and ST situations.

 

The rotation is a bit more awkward when including Spinning since it pushes AS for later due to charge generation, but with my StJ/EA:

 

(In hide) Crushing Uppercut, Spinning (eats all charges, but no charges are up after Crushing, chance for BU refresh and -res), Shin Breaker (chance for -res), Heavy Blow, (if Spinning refreshed BU use it now) AS (fish for Hide to empower Crushing), Crushing (empowered by three charges plus possibly Hide plus possibly BU plus possibly Gaussian plus possibly Annihilation -res plus possibly Achille's Heel -res), continue.

 

If using AS after Crushing then Spinning will eat the charges and by the time Crushing is back only two charges will be available. Starting with AS is the best option for more burst though we need to contend with slow animation AS.

 

This rotation takes about ish 6.18 seconds and Crushing recharges in 7.08 ish something, so about a one second gap if no BU was used, but between two FFs and anyone in the team who pops an Ageless it is not much of a worry. Try harding would be adding another Heavy Blow but when I tried doing this I kept being thrown off by said uses of Ageless and said FF procs (or SB, or accelerated metabolism, or now the new Electric Affinity mini SB) so I decided to just be less dynamic about it.

 

 

This is just for an AV/pylon. Bouncing around from spawn to spawn we just hit our hardest skills when they are up and in most cases the charges are going towards Spinning anyway.

 

 

 

[Carnifax]

Isnt the build up proc for stalkers global? Sure ive seen it go off for pretty much all my powers and I have it in Shield charge.

[Sovera]

12 minutes ago, Carnifax said:

Isnt the build up proc for stalkers global? Sure ive seen it go off for pretty much all my powers and I have it in Shield charge.

You've made me doubt myself because when I went to look in-game the proc says

 

It does not say global, but, it does say 'most of the stalker's damaging attacks' which is worded as if it was global.

 

But after testing by removing the proc from Spinning Strikes to Heavy Blow and only using Spinning Strikes and BU BU never once recharged. Placing it back in Spinning Strikes BU refreshed several times as I tested.

 

It was not an in-depth test so I could still be wrong, but it seems to support what I experienced with Stalkers.

[KelvinKole]

It's global. I have the proc in Smite, but I fish for it to go off by using radiation therapy or fireball all the time. The IO provides a global chance for all powers that can take damage enhancements to refresh build up, but the chance of it occurring is applied for each enemy hit so using an Aoe is always more likely to make it happen. 

[Sovera]

1 minute ago, KelvinKole said:

It's global. I have the proc in Smite, but I fish for it to go off by using radiation therapy or fireball all the time. The IO provides a global chance for all powers that can take damage enhancements to refresh build up, but the chance of it occurring is applied for each enemy hit so using an Aoe is always more likely to make it happen. 

I need to try it again then. But I had it Heavy Blow and Spinning Strike did not make it go off after several attempts hitting x8 packs. Once I put it in Spinning Strike it was refreshing. I'll do another round of tests.

 

I return. One minute test surrounded by enemies with the proc in Heavy Blow and BU did not refresh while using Spinning Strike. Immediate refreshing when slotted back in Spinning and refreshing kept on happening once in a while.

 

At this point I might ask if you could give it a test over the AE or such. Use BU, use skills that don't have the proc in. It might be the fact I'm using the normal version of the proc instead of the superior?

[Haijinx]

Its global, but there is some anecdotal comments that you need to use the power its slotted in every so often for the system to remember it.

 

I have mine in my T2.

 

I have noticed it triggers most often in Spinning Strikes.  Which unfortunately is only a 7 foot AOE.

 

Which makes my STJ scrapper more impressive against tightly packed groups. 

 

Also makes me wonder about 10 foot AOEs ...

 

[Sovera]

I see where the bug is. Placing the proc in the Heavy Blow did zero (as the above test showed) but once I placed it in Shin Breaker it started working as a global.

[Frosticus]

Definitely global. I have it in shield charge, which unless patched recently , can't actually trigger it. You get the notification that it triggers, but it doesn't actually refresh  buildup.

That said, it goes off constantly with savage melee and an aoe epic. 

Comparatively, my nin/bio almost never saw it trigger 😞

[Microcosm]

You have to trigger the power it's in at least once per map to get it to start firing. Figured this out after a looot of Pylon tests. Pseudo pets like shield charge and waterspout will also trigger it but the flavor text will be a different color and it won't recharge the buildup, presumably because it is affecting the attack caster's buildup and the caster at that point is the pet.

[Call Me Awesome]

1 hour ago, Microcosm said:

You have to trigger the power it's in at least once per map to get it to start firing. Figured this out after a looot of Pylon tests. Pseudo pets like shield charge and waterspout will also trigger it but the flavor text will be a different color and it won't recharge the buildup, presumably because it is affecting the attack caster's buildup and the caster at that point is the pet.

So it's one of the "120 second" procs where it's active while the power's active and for 2 minutes after? Seems reasonable since there's certainly a lot of procs that work like that.