Anti-Placate Comments in Threads

[Zepp]

It depends on your build.

 

Do you need to free up a power slot?

Do you need a slot for holding an IO?

Do you need to fill in an opening in your attack chain?

 

All of these questions and many others are related to whether placate is a good choice or not. Those saying it is necessary or you don't know how to play stalker are simply limiting their scope.

[Erydanus]

Why there? I thought it would go better into a faster more spammed attack.

PPM proc rates don't favor fast attacks.

 

It would work fine in another attack instead of AS if you prefer. I think people might be over-extrapolating from StJ, where it goes really well in AS because that also gives two combo points, so you're frequently using CU or another finisher right after AS.

Riiight the accursed proc rate changes that keep tripping me up. :(  Still, I wouldn't want to use AS and go back into hide. My AS would still be on cooldown! I would want the option to do AS or another big attack and that means for me a mid-speed attack that I typically follow up AS with.

[Coyote]

Why there? I thought it would go better into a faster more spammed attack.

PPM proc rates don't favor fast attacks.

 

It would work fine in another attack instead of AS if you prefer. I think people might be over-extrapolating from StJ, where it goes really well in AS because that also gives two combo points, so you're frequently using CU or another finisher right after AS.

Riiight the accursed proc rate changes that keep tripping me up. :(  Still, I wouldn't want to use AS and go back into hide. My AS would still be on cooldown! I would want the option to do AS or another big attack and that means for me a mid-speed attack that I typically follow up AS with.

 

That is the point of putting the ATO in AS:

1: you set up AS with Assassin's Focus points to get a guaranteed critical with the combat-version of AS.

2: This AS crits, and the ATO procs and sets you into hide....

3: ...at this point, you follow up with the set's "big hitter" for a guaranteed crit. Depending on the set, the big hitter could be a really high damage attack. Some sets have their big hitter as an AoE (Spines and Electric, as I recall), so it may not help them too much... but other sets that have a single-target big hitter that will do a lot of damage with a crit will benefit a lot.

 

So the point of using AS to enter Hide is that you  can already set up a guaranteed crit for AS using Assassin's Focus, and now you set up a crit for your set's top-tier attack. So now you have a attack rotation that always crits for AS and for something like Crushing Uppercut, which you can't match if you slow down the attacks by going into Hide for the hidden version of AS.

[Hopeling]

Now that Focus exists, using AS from hide mid-combat is essentially never worthwhile. You're better off using your Focus stacks on AS while not hidden, and using any Hide crits for an AoE power or strong non-AS attack. For example, AS with Focus crit - ATO hide proc - Crushing Uppercut is a great combo for Street Justice, doing more damage in less time than an AS from stealth.

[Erydanus]

 

That is the point of putting the ATO in AS:

1: you set up AS with Assassin's Focus points to get a guaranteed critical with the combat-version of AS.

2: This AS crits, and the ATO procs and sets you into hide....

3: ...at this point, you follow up with the set's "big hitter" for a guaranteed crit. Depending on the set, the big hitter could be a really high damage attack. Some sets have their big hitter as an AoE (Spines and Electric, as I recall), so it may not help them too much... but other sets that have a single-target big hitter that will do a lot of damage with a crit will benefit a lot

 

This is what you're not getting. My stalker is Psi-Melee. I have the choice of Mass Levitate for an AoE from hide, or my next big hitter is Greater Psi Blade which has it's own special mechanic based on insight that I have to keep in mind. If I use GPB for a bonus hide crit I could be wasting the chance to use Insight Strike or I might get Insight Strike but lock myself out of Insight DoTs on all the rest of my power. That's why *I* don't want *on my build* the ATO in Assassin's Strike because I need the option to pick between AS, ML, or GPB depending on how the focus and insight stacks have built up. Ergo the ATO proc is going to go in like, Psi Blade or Telekinetic Strike instead.

[oldskool]

This is what you're not getting. My stalker is Psi-Melee. I have the choice of Mass Levitate for an AoE from hide, or my next big hitter is Greater Psi Blade which has it's own special mechanic based on insight that I have to keep in mind. If I use GPB for a bonus hide crit I could be wasting the chance to use Insight Strike or I might get Insight Strike but lock myself out of Insight DoTs on all the rest of my power. That's why *I* don't want *on my build* the ATO in Assassin's Strike because I need the option to pick between AS, ML, or GPB depending on how the focus and insight stacks have built up. Ergo the ATO proc is going to go in like, Psi Blade or Telekinetic Strike instead.

 

You know you mentioned the Psi Melee before when you responded to me, and Psi's mechanics as being something unique just didn't click with me.  I haven't really given Psi much a look other than just browsing the animations to see if it interested me. 

 

Your perspective makes a lot more sense now with some context. 

 

Side note, how do you like Psi?

[Erydanus]

I think it's really awesome. The powers mostly look cool (kicks mental strike to the curb) and present a nice mix of attacks. It has a confuse which even if it doesn't have enough magnitude to work on someone still leaves them tagged as someone you get a bonus chance for insight off. I personally find having a confuse if only for sappers and Rikti guardians to be invaluable.

 

The tier 9 is a fairly spammable AoE knockup power which does a mix of psi and smashing and there's another knockup power in the set which provides soft control early on. What I really like is when Greater Psi Blade crits from hide with Insight after I just used Buildup because my ATO refreshed it and leaves a smoking hole where someone I was fighting used to be.

 

The attack chain feels like there's a weird gap in it. I currently have my set frankenslotted so the recharge amount on each power is similar and some could probably use more. My character hit 47 so I'm about to spit out those enhancements and replace them with sets and I think I'm gonna ditch both Mental Strike and Web Grenade and pick up Air Superiority. But I am considering infiltrating Arachnos and learning a patron pool. I just really like physical perfection and exploding shuriken right now.

 

There was some talk abut the psi damage of the set being heavily resisted after 40. I didn't have a problem with it until just recently when I was going against Zeus Titans. They are grindy; if I had the difficulty cranked way up it would probably be a big deal but I don't. So my suspicion when people in another thread were crying it was so bad they were probably doing +4 content which, certainly is an option but not something everyone does, especially below 50 with finalized builds.

[Justisaur]

The T9 is all smashing... unless you had insight then it adds a psi dot.  It's a really great PBAoE that's up pretty often that tosses everything around you into the air leaving them getting up for a good while, that also crits (50% from hide.)