This ain't workin out...

[Call Me Awesome]

My best AOE killer stalker is my Elec/Shield, it's ridiculously easy to quickly clear 4/8 maps and it's very rare to run into a situation I can't handle.  My ST damage isn't first rate but with BU/Lightning Rod/Shield Charge/Fire Ball there's not much left of a spawn and Chain Induction/Thunder Strike finishes all but a boss, easily taken out by AS.  Then on to the next spawn with CI/Thunder Strike a couple times to clear and BU/LR/SC/FB is back up for the third spawn. 

 

If things start getting dicey with health Rebirth fixes that, or some green candy since it tends to drop much faster than I use it.  The only character I have that can kill faster is my Fire/EM blaster, but even ranged soft capped he's much less survivable.

[Clave Dark 5]

Why can't I eat my soup with this fork?!  =)

 

Yeah, this AT probably isn't for you.

[Vulpoid]

22 hours ago, Frosticus said:

Everything will try to run from a sav/sd stalker.

I am away from my gaming rig right now, but I made two macros to target location enemy for Combat TP and Savage Leap. I bind them to my thumb buttons.

One click and you are in their face, even if they slip behind you or bolt around a corner...
Runners are no longer a problem.
EDIT: Home now, found them....
/macro BAMF "powexec_location target Combat Teleport"
/macro RAWR "powexec_location target Savage Leap"

Edited March 3, 2021 by Vulpoid
Added /binds

[Frosticus]

1 hour ago, Vulpoid said:

I am away from my gaming rig right now, but I made two macros to target location enemy for Combat TP and Savage Leap. I bind them to my thumb buttons.

One click and you are in their face, even if they slip behind you or bolt around a corner...
Runners are no longer a problem.

yes this certainly helps. If they are actively running though the delay after combat tp usually means they are out of range again before you can get a melee attack off.

savage leaps is great.

 

It sort of just is what it is for stalkers. You control the start of the engagement better than anyone, but once the fight is underway much of the pacing is determined by what your enemies want to do. If the Ogres want to flee into the hills, or an AV wants to try and flatline your dps - they will.  Most other (non melee) ATs have to deal with runners too, but usually have a suite of tools to reduce the issue.

 

off topic a bit, but I personally believe stalkers are the best balanced melee AT and definitely the most enjoyable (for me).

 

[Shred Monkey]

On 3/2/2021 at 3:43 PM, Bill Z Bubba said:

That would be nice. I'd slot that on my main claws/sr in a freakin heartbeat.

You know... the interface incarnate slot is pretty worthless anyway in terms of DPS, and there's one option that has -runspeed and another one that has immobilize.  I'm not sure if these really work reliably, but I'm looking into it.

[BZRKR]

23 minutes ago, Shred Monkey said:

You know... the interface incarnate slot is pretty worthless anyway in terms of DPS, and there's one option that has -runspeed and another one that has immobilize.  I'm not sure if these really work reliably, but I'm looking into it.

And hey, Spectral will still have a chance for a Negative Energy DoT. You may be onto something!

Edited March 11, 2021 by BZRKR
words are hard

[Bill Z Bubba]

32 minutes ago, Shred Monkey said:

You know... the interface incarnate slot is pretty worthless anyway in terms of DPS, and there's one option that has -runspeed and another one that has immobilize.  I'm not sure if these really work reliably, but I'm looking into it.

Tried it, doesn't do squat against AVs. And interface degen or reactive I've found to increase my ST damage pretty dang well, but I do solo a lot. Granted, been a while since I toppled any pylons without one or the other.

 

Edit: I did delete the kat/inv stalker, built the sav/shield stalker, PLed her to 32, slotted her up, haven't done anything with her yet, though.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Bill Z Bubba

[Frosticus]

2 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Edit: I did delete the kat/inv stalker, built the sav/shield stalker, PLed her to 32, slotted her up, haven't done anything with her yet, though.

The biggest favour you can do yourself on your sav/shield is to put as many procs as you can feasibly slot in to savage leap.

In most powers giving up set bonuses for procs is a meaningful sacrifice, but in savage leap it is an easy choice. It does so well with procs. 

[Bill Z Bubba]

Gotta say, even halfway through a single mission at +1/x3 I'm already being forced to scream, "GIVE STALKER CLAWS SPIN AGAIN, DAMNIT!" Seriously, the added AoE makes a world of difference in standard play. Savage gets a cone and two aoes, 3 when you add in shield charge which can't be paired with claws, and they neuter stalker claws by turning eviscerate into a single target attack AND removing spin?

 

Madness.

 

Edit: Still feel like I need to take provoke to override the fear/running away business.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Bill Z Bubba

[SwitchFade]

@Bill Z Bubba

 

Have you tried DB/EA?

 

I posted a guide in a thread here, slotting, sets and lal. I did update it a bit since, but it's stunningly powerful.

[StriderIV]

18 hours ago, SwitchFade said:

@Bill Z Bubba

 

Have you tried DB/EA?

 

I posted a guide in a thread here, slotting, sets and lal. I did update it a bit since, but it's stunningly powerful.

Looking at Dual Blades on a scrapper. Would you say Dual Blades/EA is as effective there? Was also looking at pairing Dual blades with either /Nin or /Rad.

 

Jedi themed hero, so I feel I could make any of those secondaries work =P

[SwitchFade]

3 hours ago, StriderIV said:

Looking at Dual Blades on a scrapper. Would you say Dual Blades/EA is as effective there? Was also looking at pairing Dual blades with either /Nin or /Rad.

 

Jedi themed hero, so I feel I could make any of those secondaries work =P

DB is great on both scraps and stalks. I have both, I play them differently, both are great.

 

DB on stalkers is my fav version, though.

[Crysis]

12 hours ago, SwitchFade said:

DB is great on both scraps and stalks. I have both, I play them differently, both are great.

 

DB on stalkers is my fav version, though.

Have DB on both scrapper and stalker.  Pylon times are dramatically better on Stalker version, and I find in normal play that to be true against foes as well.

 

DB/EA stalker, following SwitchFade’s build advice, is pre-nerf TW/Bio scrapper almost broken its so good.

[Crysis]

On 3/11/2021 at 4:30 PM, Bill Z Bubba said:

Edit: Still feel like I need to take provoke to override the fear/running away business.

 

Been awhile since I had Placate on a Stalker.  But if memory serves, Placate basically overrides whatever coding causes a critter to run.  I always looked at it more as a single target sleep than anything and used it to stop runners.  Once you attack them, they may just run again but....just saying you may (again, I could have faulty memory) already have a tool available to you in primary to deal with this if it annoys you that much.

 

These days, I just take an Epic/Patron power to deal with runners.

[Bill Z Bubba]

38 minutes ago, Crysis said:

 

Been awhile since I had Placate on a Stalker.  But if memory serves, Placate basically overrides whatever coding causes a critter to run.  I always looked at it more as a single target sleep than anything and used it to stop runners.  Once you attack them, they may just run again but....just saying you may (again, I could have faulty memory) already have a tool available to you in primary to deal with this if it annoys you that much.

 

These days, I just take an Epic/Patron power to deal with runners.

 

I'll try out placate. When it's just one or two, it's usually not an issue but it felt like turning a light on an a room full of roaches. Everybody just scattered. So far, no issues other than that beyond the normal for a lowbie.

[Bill Z Bubba]

Doublechecked, they're not runnin any more than the normally do on my non-taunt aura scrappers.