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Croax's Tier List and Build Collection

Croax

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Koda651

Koda651

Posted
Posted
  On 11/28/2021 at 7:40 AM, Croax said:

I am Waiting for that mids update too Bopper. I will spend a few hours with all the new combinations. 

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Just from "napkin mathing" the data we have from the in-game stats, how do you think Stone Armor will measure up to something like Energy Aura?

ScarySai

ScarySai

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 11/29/2021 at 3:47 AM, Koda651 said:

Just from "napkin mathing" the data we have from the in-game stats, how do you think Stone Armor will measure up to something like Energy Aura?

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It has potential due to brimstone, but I think energy will remain the top dog, even if we factor out procs. Ice armor is already essentially a tankier energy aura, yet falls behind still. So It'll mostly fall on earth's + recharge and brimstone to make the difference without sapping endurance to the point of being unsustainable without ageless.

 

I've seen some impressive scrapper stats for stone arm, but would have to look into stalkers closer.

Edited by ScarySai
  • 3 weeks later
Without_Pause

Without_Pause

Posted
Posted
  On 4/23/2021 at 8:25 PM, Croax said:

Ice Melee

Ice Melee / Energy Aura

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Thinking of moving the end mod slots on Energy Drain to 5 slot CJ with Kismet and get the recharge bonus. My StJ/ea hardly needs ED, so I think less slotting and missing out on the bonus will be okay. I know the def numbers are good enough as is, but the 3.75% recharge will be nice. 

Top 10 Most Fun 50s.

1. Without Mercy: Claws/ea Scrapper. 2. Outsmart: Fort 3. Sneakers: Stj/ea Stalker. 4. Emma Strange: Ill/dark Controller. 5. Project Next: Ice/stone Brute. 6. Waterpark: Water/temp Blaster. 6. Mighty Matt: Rad/bio Brute. 7. Without Hesitation: Claws/sr Scrapper. 8. Within Reach: Axe/stone Brute. 9. Without Pause: Claws/wp Brute.  10. Chasing Fireworks: Fire/time Controller. 

 

"Downtime is for mortals. Debt is temporary. Fame is forever."

Croax

Croax

Posted
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Posted

Snipes are strong attacks that get better with +to hit. Stalkers have regularly build ups and get a lot of damage out of snipes. Also the Stalkers ATO makes you invis, what makes your snipe crit automatically. Some powersets like Electric Melee lack a good hard hitting attack. Using a snipe is very good on that sets even if you do not get Assassin Focus stacks.

Finally you can make a math problem out of your question, because having one AF stack gives you 33% crit chance on AS. That is very good solvable and depending on the attack you are replacing with a snipe.

  • Like 2

More than just a Ninja - A Guide to Stalkers

 

Croax's Tier List and Build Collection

 

Onlyasandwich

Onlyasandwich

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 11/29/2021 at 6:38 AM, ScarySai said:

on earth's + recharge and brimstone to make the difference without sapping endurance 

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Don't forget the lack of a Psi hole! Tox resist is appreciably higher, along with some extra bits like repel protection (whoops, EA has this) and resistance to perception debuffs. Max hp buff is also meaningful.

 

Ea still has superior end management, but stone is otherwise more robust generally. Stone end is very workable with the extra spot for perf shifter proc and the cuts across the board.

 

Edit - Apologies - going back I see bopper already made these points.

Edited by Onlyasandwich
Dimensional Warrior

Dimensional Warrior

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 12/18/2021 at 7:01 AM, StriderIV said:

Any specific primaries you guys would suggest to run with Stone Armor on a Stalker? It seems Stone Armor is really shining on Stalkers 

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depends on your priorities for the toon i guess. a few sets are top notch if u look at the start of this post that ranks the diff sets. or if u wanna do a theme pairing. i chose energy melee as the dmg is good and isnt as complicated as street justice is. i am not a big fan of combo systems. i didn't want the knockback of elec even though the aoe's are great. so energy it is. I'm very happy with this paring. great damage, very tanky with the stoner secondary. def a fun toon to play for sure.

Edited by Dimensional Warrior
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Saikochoro

Saikochoro

Posted
Posted
  On 12/18/2021 at 7:01 AM, StriderIV said:

Any specific primaries you guys would suggest to run with Stone Armor on a Stalker? It seems Stone Armor is really shining on Stalkers 

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I had made builds for street justice, ice, dual blades, and energy melee. I had a hard time choosing which one to make first. 
 

It eventually came down to street justice and dual blades. I love dual blades so much and it is absolutely fantastic on stalkers. Top tier. But I have so many dual blades stalkers that I decided to give street justice another go. It’s been well over a year since I heavily played street justice on a stalker. My last one was a great street justice/energy aura stalker. 
 

I am thinking that my street justice/stone armor stalker will actually be more robust than my energy aura one. But I will have to see. 

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Without_Pause

Without_Pause

Posted
Posted

I did a bunch of /ea Stalkers to check out different primaries, but I think I might reroll the Ice to Ice/stone. /ea has a bit more recharge and Ice wants recharge, but we are talking 15% compared to 20%. 

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Top 10 Most Fun 50s.

1. Without Mercy: Claws/ea Scrapper. 2. Outsmart: Fort 3. Sneakers: Stj/ea Stalker. 4. Emma Strange: Ill/dark Controller. 5. Project Next: Ice/stone Brute. 6. Waterpark: Water/temp Blaster. 6. Mighty Matt: Rad/bio Brute. 7. Without Hesitation: Claws/sr Scrapper. 8. Within Reach: Axe/stone Brute. 9. Without Pause: Claws/wp Brute.  10. Chasing Fireworks: Fire/time Controller. 

 

"Downtime is for mortals. Debt is temporary. Fame is forever."

Troo

Troo

Posted
Posted

I should have thrown some kudos to @Croax for this thread previously. They did a great job.

 

Providing high level guidance with enough depth to guide a player is no easy task. (data and formulas not required)

 

My thoughts:

This AT can exaggerate elements which are present in the rest of the game. Stalkers can really leverage play style and primary/secondary combinations.

 

With a little input 'S' tier as described can become more clear.. An AoE focused Stalker could be a good example.


The only place I'd strongly deviate is on the Regen ranking (of course). It's not really that bad.

 

My opinion:

It may be a disservice to folks to rank Regeneration so low. It is a very popular power set. But I also get why it is where it is.

For new folks leveling through playing, it may be middle of the pack. For my play style; it is top 3 or 4 while being more engaging than other top sets that lean more set-it-and-forget-it. I and others like some situational awareness requirements. Your mileage may vary.

 

Regeneration notes:

It is a bit clicky. For many players this can be different and/or feel suboptimal. Clicks can cut into attack chains and some folks simply can't stand that. There is a learning curve to minimizing the impact and maximizing the benefits.

Also if someone is selecting a primary with especially long activations, this can be a tough pairing. Clicks and long activations could have big downsides.

The inverse is also troo, where Regen has an outsized upside if a player chooses to embrace it for what it is and leverage that which makes it different.

Resistance can be very similar to regeneration (this is the only hint I'll provide here). 

 

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"Homecoming is not perfect but it is still better than the alternative.. at least so far" - Unknown  (Wise words Unknown!)

Si vis pacem, para bellum

Without_Pause

Without_Pause

Posted
Posted

I had a Claws/regen Scrapper on live, and to be honest it took until the 40-45 range before I started to see cracks in Regen but that was also with common IOs. I also used Shockwave for alpha strike a lot. 

Top 10 Most Fun 50s.

1. Without Mercy: Claws/ea Scrapper. 2. Outsmart: Fort 3. Sneakers: Stj/ea Stalker. 4. Emma Strange: Ill/dark Controller. 5. Project Next: Ice/stone Brute. 6. Waterpark: Water/temp Blaster. 6. Mighty Matt: Rad/bio Brute. 7. Without Hesitation: Claws/sr Scrapper. 8. Within Reach: Axe/stone Brute. 9. Without Pause: Claws/wp Brute.  10. Chasing Fireworks: Fire/time Controller. 

 

"Downtime is for mortals. Debt is temporary. Fame is forever."

Without_Pause

Without_Pause

Posted
Posted

While on a Tank mind you, been soloing red side with a Rad/ice tank and got a hunt mission. The issue being I was a shade away from 22 and the lowest level mobs where in the level 24-25 area. 20 of them down and zero deaths. The point? Ice Patch absolutely neutered whatever I faced. I even finished off the mission taking on a couple +5s with one being an LT. Took forever, but I never felt like I was in trouble. IOs were used but vastly uncommons and ones which might have all of three of them in a set. Frost has Air Burst and its crappy Acc in it. The first bonus helps your KB for crying out loud.

 

Rolled an Ice/stone Stalker. Just waiting for Winter Event to end and go at it.

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Top 10 Most Fun 50s.

1. Without Mercy: Claws/ea Scrapper. 2. Outsmart: Fort 3. Sneakers: Stj/ea Stalker. 4. Emma Strange: Ill/dark Controller. 5. Project Next: Ice/stone Brute. 6. Waterpark: Water/temp Blaster. 6. Mighty Matt: Rad/bio Brute. 7. Without Hesitation: Claws/sr Scrapper. 8. Within Reach: Axe/stone Brute. 9. Without Pause: Claws/wp Brute.  10. Chasing Fireworks: Fire/time Controller. 

 

"Downtime is for mortals. Debt is temporary. Fame is forever."

Croax

Croax

Posted
  • Author
Posted
  On 12/22/2021 at 3:09 AM, Without_Pause said:

I had a Claws/regen Scrapper on live, and to be honest it took until the 40-45 range before I started to see cracks in Regen but that was also with common IOs. I also used Shockwave for alpha strike a lot. 

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I had a Claws/Regen too on live! It felt really good until Willpower was released. I started a SS/WP Brute and was amazed. I never touched the Claws Scrapper ever again. I remember the start of the brute beeing hard but after i had Rise to the Challange it was totally different. I could non stop attack and had still strong healing. I just had to jump into the next enemys. That was so different from any other AT up to that point.

More than just a Ninja - A Guide to Stalkers

 

Croax's Tier List and Build Collection

 

Without_Pause

Without_Pause

Posted
Posted

WP was out when I was around, but I never tried it maybe since I had taken regen to 50. When I rerolled Without Pause here, I switched to a WP brute, and it is a much better build. It is interesting how a power or even an IO these days can really transform a build, see Theft of Essence +End for Radiation Therapy. End hasn't been an issue since I slotted it outside of specific mobs and hardly at that. Added Performance Shifters at 17 and end has been a cakewalk to deal with. I popped some occasional inspirs for mitigation and health, but I never touched blues out of need when taking down the +4/+5s Slag Golems. Those fights were long too, so I think I could sat there essentially forever without needing to pop a blue. Things will obviously change come Tough/Weave and later attacks, but I also have lesser IOs and set bonuses.

Top 10 Most Fun 50s.

1. Without Mercy: Claws/ea Scrapper. 2. Outsmart: Fort 3. Sneakers: Stj/ea Stalker. 4. Emma Strange: Ill/dark Controller. 5. Project Next: Ice/stone Brute. 6. Waterpark: Water/temp Blaster. 6. Mighty Matt: Rad/bio Brute. 7. Without Hesitation: Claws/sr Scrapper. 8. Within Reach: Axe/stone Brute. 9. Without Pause: Claws/wp Brute.  10. Chasing Fireworks: Fire/time Controller. 

 

"Downtime is for mortals. Debt is temporary. Fame is forever."

  • 2 weeks later
Without_Pause

Without_Pause

Posted
Posted

I didn't scan all of the Psi builds, but this is worth noting since I didn't see Boggle in the builds I did look at. In short, something which is tagged as Boggled, and not just Confused, doubles the chances of Insight kicking in.

 

Top 10 Most Fun 50s.

1. Without Mercy: Claws/ea Scrapper. 2. Outsmart: Fort 3. Sneakers: Stj/ea Stalker. 4. Emma Strange: Ill/dark Controller. 5. Project Next: Ice/stone Brute. 6. Waterpark: Water/temp Blaster. 6. Mighty Matt: Rad/bio Brute. 7. Without Hesitation: Claws/sr Scrapper. 8. Within Reach: Axe/stone Brute. 9. Without Pause: Claws/wp Brute.  10. Chasing Fireworks: Fire/time Controller. 

 

"Downtime is for mortals. Debt is temporary. Fame is forever."

Croax

Croax

Posted
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Posted

Ah yes, Boggle. I would not prefer using that because it has a long animation time. Using a normal attack and having a lower chance to get insigth is a playstyle which suits me more. Lower chance is still 35% for a normal quick AS which is not that bad and other attacks also may proc it.

The purple confuse set is nice for builds and could be used in a creative way to improve your performance but that is on a set bonus level. in gameplay i would still be using normal attacks. it is simply not fun to me.

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More than just a Ninja - A Guide to Stalkers

 

Croax's Tier List and Build Collection

 

Croax

Croax

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Stone Melee

 

Stone Melee / Bio Armor

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Stone Melee / Dark Armor

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Stone Melee / Electric Armor

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Stone Melee / Energy Aura

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Stone Melee / Fiery Aura

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Stone Melee / Ice Armor

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Stone Melee / Invulnerability

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Stone Melee / Ninjitsu

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Stone Melee / Radiation Armor

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Stone Melee / Regeneration

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Stone Melee / Shield Defense

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Stone Melee / Stone Armor

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Stone Melee / Super Reflexes

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Stone Melee / Willpower

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Edited by Croax
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More than just a Ninja - A Guide to Stalkers

 

Croax's Tier List and Build Collection

 

Croax

Croax

Posted
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Posted

Ok i have Updated the List with Stone Melee and Stone Armor now. I have to say Stone Armor rocks! (pun intended).

It is one of the best sets out there now for Stalkers.

UNfotunately Stone Melee is not good. It has a very useless Hurl Boulder and you would want to skip the first power. So you are Left with a single target attack chain that either need a lot of recharge to funtion or a snipe.on the AoE side Tremor is really nice but Fault is not that great. Like a bad cousin of all the other Stalker Primaries with a bad cone attack. Also you deal purely smashing damage which can be lackluster overall in the game. With the constant knockdowns it still manages to be somewhat ok. All the shaking animations and hefty sounds make it feel so strong but it is not that well in reality. If the devs had made Hurl Boulder into something usefull or simply compensated the lacking damage by buffing it around 10% it would be a good set. but at least we can be sneaky rocks now...

More than just a Ninja - A Guide to Stalkers

 

Croax's Tier List and Build Collection

 

Without_Pause

Without_Pause

Posted
Posted

I'm more curious on the /stone side of things. I have a build in the works, but I'm lazy and got distracted. 

Top 10 Most Fun 50s.

1. Without Mercy: Claws/ea Scrapper. 2. Outsmart: Fort 3. Sneakers: Stj/ea Stalker. 4. Emma Strange: Ill/dark Controller. 5. Project Next: Ice/stone Brute. 6. Waterpark: Water/temp Blaster. 6. Mighty Matt: Rad/bio Brute. 7. Without Hesitation: Claws/sr Scrapper. 8. Within Reach: Axe/stone Brute. 9. Without Pause: Claws/wp Brute.  10. Chasing Fireworks: Fire/time Controller. 

 

"Downtime is for mortals. Debt is temporary. Fame is forever."

Croax

Croax

Posted
  • Author
Posted
  On 1/10/2022 at 5:59 PM, Without_Pause said:

I'm more curious on the /stone side of things. I have a build in the works, but I'm lazy and got distracted. 

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The builds are sorted by the primary. That is why i have updated all posts to include the Stone Armor version. Just take a look at the primary you like to have a Stone Armor version off. You can go many routes with Stone Armor. It was hard to make a decision and make a build.

More than just a Ninja - A Guide to Stalkers

 

Croax's Tier List and Build Collection

 

Glacier Peak

Glacier Peak

Posted
Posted
  On 1/6/2022 at 6:09 PM, Croax said:

Ah yes, Boggle. I would not prefer using that because it has a long animation time. Using a normal attack and having a lower chance to get insigth is a playstyle which suits me more. Lower chance is still 35% for a normal quick AS which is not that bad and other attacks also may proc it.

The purple confuse set is nice for builds and could be used in a creative way to improve your performance but that is on a set bonus level. in gameplay i would still be using normal attacks. it is simply not fun to me.

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Boggle works great as an opener, considering it doesn't notify the mob or break hide.

I lead weekly Indom Badge Runs / A newer giant monster guide by Glacier Peak / A tour of Pocket D easter eggs! / Arena All-Star Accolade Guide!

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