I'm old now.

[Linea]

Stalkers: Two-shotting EBs is fun. 😜

 

StJ, maybe not quite second AoE, maybe third, then again maybe it's second.  But it's good.  It's a really solid good all around, for stalkers.

 

 

EnM gains lets call it 15%, 1.15x StJ ST damage, but the AoE is just ugh.  But going StJ/Ena Stalker to EnM/Ena Scrapper, I didn't lose any AoE, and I kept the 15% gain on ST.  The downside being my alpha is a bit lighter, I definitely absolutely pull aggro due to taunt in the aura, and I can't shed aggro to save my life.  Overall making the scrapper less durable.  On the other hand, the scrapper can off-tank with that terribly pitiful little taunt aura if push comes to shove.  There is a place for both builds, depending on your goals.

 

That said, neither of these have enough AoE to really write home about, they are clearly intended as primarily ST damage builds.  My abysmal trapdoor times pretty much confirm that.  Which is why overall I'd probably recommend Kat/Ena or Kat/Bio instead.  Kat/Ena running dampeners is a beast early on and only gets better except for the Psionics hole.   While Kat/Bio is a beast later and a really good all around build.  I consider Kat/Bio the modern Kat/Regen, for better and worse, and it really is one of my favorites.

Edited January 31, 2022 by Linea

[plainguy]

I'm confused, how does a team wipe ? 
Unless everyone has made some agreement NOT to use invention sets, how can a team wipe.
At most you need maybe 2 players capped on a regular mission and maybe 3 or 4 capped on TF or SF. Everyone else is just extra DPS..

 

You think it just might be a build issue ?

 

[Bill Z Bubba]

17 minutes ago, plainguy said:

I'm confused, how does a team wipe ? 

 

Some strive for it.

[Gobbledigook]

I think the Widow Fortunata is a very laid back class. They can be a damage dealer whilst buffing the team by just being there. They are ranged so no running around chasing mobs and the click buffs are very minimal. They also resist CC if they are ever hit. No one expects much from them but they can sure boost the team and they even solo also.

 

 

[Ironscarlet]

3 hours ago, plainguy said:

I'm confused, how does a team wipe ? 
 

 

 

Normal leveling at +3 or +4X8. For example  if you run a mid lvl team almost no one is capped  you might get 1 or 2 who are built and def oriented but everyone else cant cap def  at a low level. 
 

I do believe the op is leveling with SG and is kinda new to the server which means low currency to buy all the sets. We all did not start with a level 50 and a 500M build. To be honest some of the most fun I’ve had is just level grinding with people because max lvl is to easy and kind of boring  while if you tank or carry a lvl 25 team it shows a lot more than at 50.  In my opinion your comment “wipes what wipes?” Is more of a lvl 50 comment because it’s easy mode and your right almost no one wipes.

[Warboss]

On 1/29/2022 at 11:27 AM, Bill Z Bubba said:

Both are true statements. But old, in my case at least, also means lazy and it takes much more work to toughen up the brute in comparison since they start at scrapper levels of mitigation.

 

It all boils down to just how lazy you wanna be.

 

Truth

[Clave Dark 5]

On 1/31/2022 at 6:44 PM, plainguy said:

I'm confused, how does a team wipe ?

"Thoroughly," I hope.

 

Serious answer though, my suggestion would be to go for a ranged damage dealer/ holds etc..  Back on live I was fine playing either ranged or melee, but these days, having to race from one target to the next because I wasn't close enough to hit them feels like too much work.  It's easier to hang at the back of the group and pick off targets.

[Without_Pause]

On 1/31/2022 at 4:32 PM, Linea said:

The top 3 for stalkers are:

1. EnM - maximum ST damage, terrible AoE.  It's AoE is bad to start with, and then gets 2/3s of the AoE ripped out in the Stalker Conversion.  I recommend EnM/EnA Scrapper for this version.
2. Stj - Best all around, Second best ST, Second Best AoE.
3. ElM - Best AoE, and not horrible ST, *IF* and only *IF* you pickup a snipe, probably Gloom and ShadowMeld.  I would also second the opinion that Stalker ElM is probably the best version of ElM in the game.  I'd almost wonder how we could backport it back to the other ATs.

I would put StJ higher since I don't think a build needs the amount of ST attacks which EM offers to a Stalker. I also loath EM's playstyle as where StJ is one of the smoothest in the game. Oh, EM hits like an absolute truck though. I have a StJ/ea Stalker and a EM/ea Scrapper. I debate keeping the Scrapper around as where my Stalker is my current favorite although I think a Fort and a recent Claws/ea Scrapper are right there.

 

Bah. I should add Ice is really good for Stalkers. Ice Patch is cheat code for a Stalker.

Edited February 2, 2022 by Without_Pause

[Marshal_General]

Stalker. You job is to not be seen and to kill stuff. Just run in unseen and when thing are dead claim you did your job!

 

Or you can be a Speed Boost peddler. Lots of SB junkies out there.

[StriderIV]

3 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

I would put StJ higher since I don't think a build needs the amount of ST attacks which EM offers to a Stalker. I also loath EM's playstyle as where StJ is one of the smoothest in the game. Oh, EM hits like an absolute truck though. I have a StJ/ea Stalker and a EM/ea Scrapper. I debate keeping the Scrapper around as where my Stalker is my current favorite although I think a Fort and a recent Claws/ea Scrapper are right there.

 

Bah. I should add Ice is really good for Stalkers. Ice Patch is cheat code for a Stalker.

I love all these combos you suggested!

I have a KM/Ice Stalker that, while not the most optimal, is a ton of fun to play and incredibly slippery (pun intended).  StJ is a set I've always been interested in, I could see it really shining on a Stalker. Would you mind sharing your build Pause? 

[Without_Pause]

2 hours ago, StriderIV said:

I love all these combos you suggested!

I have a KM/Ice Stalker that, while not the most optimal, is a ton of fun to play and incredibly slippery (pun intended).  StJ is a set I've always been interested in, I could see it really shining on a Stalker. Would you mind sharing your build Pause? 

Its technically Croax's since I copied theirs as I wasn't at the point of making my own builds which I'm more inclined to do these days. I'm not sure if I'll go back and make my own or not. I'm lazy, and oh look, a new character!

For completion sake, here's the Fort build I copied.

This is my own Claws/ea though. 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Without_Pause

[Krazie Ivan]

On 1/28/2022 at 8:08 PM, rizlazz said:

I was one of the older players in the live game and I'm no younger now

loads of other peeps with great suggestions already, so instead of repeating, my mind goes to another thought entirely...
...Runi.
i'd met her through her brother, Con, who i'd been friends with a long time. she became a good friend in-game who had serious health issues IRL that prevented her from being fully involved 100%. i'd (and i'm sure others) have her put her char on auto-follow to mine, watching for hang-ups & peeling aggro off, attempting to position us to make best use of both chars. she did whatever she could, & sometimes that included unexpected AFKs or sleep. didn't matter to me, & we made sure the team was full of others who were either friends or weren't bothered (oh we booted some, fo sho). she was welcome at all times, even speed runs. Runi was sweet & caring, great to chat with, & i miss her. we lost her long ago.

point is, find some good peeps who care for your enjoyment of the game, & try not to worry about how much you're "contributing". the right peeps will always hold the door open for ya. GL 🙂


f... i need a tissue now

[Icono04]

On 1/30/2022 at 5:21 PM, Hedgefund said:

a buffer that just drops their buffs and starts blasting.  Cold, Sonic, Thermal, maybe even Time or FF.  Time if soloing is paramount.

Following up on this one a bit more: As someone with poor reflexes myself, for buffing I recommend the OP to use a powerset with PBAoE buffs - it saves time when you don't have to pick out your target. The trade-off is that some of the more powerfull buff/debuff sets use mostly LAoE or TAoE, but if your goal isn't "be the team's MVP" but only "don't suck badly enough to get the team killed", the PBAOE buffs are sufficient for that 🙂

[Hyperstrike]

On 1/31/2022 at 8:02 PM, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Some strive for it.

We're all going to gather here in this nice, safe DEATH PATCH!

[lemming]

On team wipes:  Some of us like pushing the envelope.  Also, it helps not to take stuff too seriously.   I've been on some PUGs and just thought 'oh, it's one of these'

 

Pretty solid advice all around.  Tanks are very solid especially for teaming, can be slow at solo, but not bad.   Scrappers are a good in between solo and teaming.  Sentinals are a great solo char for just relaxing and going thru missions.

[pblue]

If keeping up with the young 'uns and slower reflexes are an issue, I would avoid melee characters. You'll be running around, trying to close in with oppenents only to find they'd got "arrested" by AoE before you even get there.  Tanks, as others have mentioned, have the additional issue of team members expecting you to... tank, which is a big resposibility.

 

I echo those who recommended a Sentinel in this instance.  You do just fine solo. In a team you are tough enough not be a burden and all you need to do in chaos of combat is use your tab key to select targets.  If you focus on single target attacks and avoid powers with knockback you can be pretty confident you won't get yourself or anyone else killed while making a valid contribution to the team.

 

I'd particularly recommend Super Reflex as a Sentinel secondary. It is largely "set and forget" and it will soft-cap all your positional defences without having to do anything fancy or expensive with enhancements.

 

In terms of Primaries, my understanding is that Fire is the most simple and effective option. I am just going on what I heard as I've not used that set, but it should do fine even with just simple IO enhancements. From experience, what I found good for a very relaxed solo experience as a Sentinel was Sonic. It has a lot of sleeps and stuns which allow you to conrol the fight, freezing all your opponents in place so that you pick them off one-by-one, like a Controller. Sonic's single target damage isn't bad by Sentinel standards.

[Icono04]

1 hour ago, pblue said:

You'll be running around, trying to close in with oppenents only to find they'd got "arrested" by AoE before you even get there. 

This is definitely a valid point. I usually (but not always) prefer to play ranged types on fast-moving teams for this very reason. 

@rizlazz you might already be using a bind like /bind G "follow$$target_enemy_near" or something similar when playing a melee character, but if not, it definitely helps. Credit where credit is due: I copied this one from a recent post by @Vulpoid who in turn credited @Shenanigunner.

[brasilgringo]

On 1/31/2022 at 4:32 PM, Linea said:

The top 3 for stalkers are:

1.  
2. ElM - Best AoE, and not horrible ST, *IF* and only *IF* you pickup a snipe, probably Gloom and ShadowMeld.  I would also second the opinion that Stalker ElM is probably the best version of ElM in the game.  I'd almost wonder how we could backport it back to the other ATs.

I am really enjoying ElM/Shield stalker with Mu pool (Zapp and BL).  Reasonable ST and the AOE is glorious, plus decent survivability.