Ice / Stone build

[Carnifax]

Hi folks

 

Newly back and to celebrate I thought I'd remake my Ice/Bio stalker into an Ice/Stone. Cobbled together a build but Mids doesn't seem to like generating forum previews any more (throws exceptions for some reason, possibly to do with themes) so here's a screenshot + build file. 

 

Thoughts appreciated. 

 

 

 

Stalker - Ice - Stone.mbd

[Kaika]

Looks really solid! I would maybe move a slot from somewhere to get ball lightning to 5 slots for that 10% recharge buff. Otherwise though, at a glance, looks great.

[Onlyasandwich]

Welcome back, Carnifax!

 

I get the same errors, but have taken to going to Build sharing > open share menu > copy/paste the text in the window rather than hitting export. My errors pop up when I try to export, but I can otherwise access the data here.

 

Power choices are on point! I wouldn't pick any differently myself. I'm of a mind that softcapping the types that hit high resist on stone isn't a top priority, so I'm with you there as well. You have a good defensive spread.

 

Some first impressions:

• Full Gaussian in Build Up doesn't seem to be doing much for you. I'd drop it and go proc/one recharge. 
• Can +5 IOs in weave with no exemping penalty as they are PVP set.
• The full red fortune in Minerals is pretty marginal. Can go lotg global +def/end and def red fortune.
• Consider keeping the ATO buildup proc all by itself somewhere and ditching the rest of the set. You could instead proc out frost for much higher damage. 3 Slot Frozen blast + some procs would be nice.
• If you find yourself short on acc with any of the above changes, a kismet can easily make up the difference.
• Endurance is very tight at only 1.41 positive with Super Jump disabled! Performance shifter in Crystal armor, miracle in health, 1-2 endmods in stamina would go a long way.

 

Any slots you free with the above, consider:

• Full PM in Earth's Embrace. It's well-enhanced now, but the set bonuses here would be meaningful for the build.
• Consider Aegis 4 slot in tough (psi unique included). This doubles down on S/L resist, helps psi, and gets you closer to softcap on F/C. With this, I'd consider dropping the avalanche set from Frozen Aura for Armageddon. It's a shame not to use the purple proc somewhere.
• KD proc for the fifth bonus in Ball lightning. The mitigation is pretty decent from this too.
• 4th slot in brimstone for more S/L

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Groovy_Ghoul]

Here's another take. E/N/F/C not softcapped. However, F/C resists 75%. 100% resist to slow/recharge. 

 

Lots of purples, so expensive. Heal and Geode when you need them.

 

 

Stalker (Ice Melee - Stone Armor).mbd

[Carnifax]

Thanks folks. Lots of good feedback. Spotted that the 5 slots in Build Up weren't actually doing that much (1.25% Typed def across the board) and realised the figures were slightly inflated by Hide so working on moving those slots about. 

 

Figured out the Build Export, for some reason it only works if "Dark Themes" radio button is selected, then a Color Theme shows. 

 

Spoiler

Villain Stalker
Build plan made with Mids' Reborn v3.6.6 rev. 3
──────────────────────────────

• Primary powerset: Ice Melee
• Secondary powerset: Stone Armor
• Pool powerset (#1): Leaping
• Pool powerset (#2): Fighting
• Pool powerset (#3): Speed
• Pool powerset (#4): Flight
• Ancillary powerset: Mu Mastery

──────────────────────────────

Powers taken:

Level 1: Ice Sword

• A: Superior Assassin's Mark: Accuracy/Damage
• 19: Superior Assassin's Mark: Damage/RechargeTime
• 21: Superior Assassin's Mark: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
• 21: Superior Assassin's Mark: Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 27: Superior Assassin's Mark: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 29: Superior Assassin's Mark: RechargeTime/Rchg Build Up

Level 1: Hide

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed

Level 2: Rock Armor

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• 3: Reactive Defenses: Defense
• 3: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
• 5: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance
• 5: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 17: Kismet: Accuracy +6%

Level 4: Frost

• A: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
• 25: Ice Mistral's Torment: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 27: Ice Mistral's Torment: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 46: Ice Mistral's Torment: Damage/Recharge
• 46: Bombardment: Damage
• 46: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage

Level 6: Assassin's Ice Sword

• A: Superior Stalker's Guile: Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 7: Superior Stalker's Guile: Accuracy/Damage
• 7: Superior Stalker's Guile: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• 9: Superior Stalker's Guile: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 9: Superior Stalker's Guile: Recharge/Chance to Hide
• 11: Superior Stalker's Guile: Damage/Recharge

Level 8: Stone Skin

• A: Aegis: Resistance/Recharge
• 11: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
• 13: Aegis: Resistance
• 13: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
• 15: Reactive Defenses: Defense
• 15: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance

Level 10: Super Jump

• A: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)

Level 12: Build Up

• A: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: Chance for Build Up

Level 14: Earth's Embrace

• A: D-Sync Reconstruction
• 17: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime
• 19: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb

Level 16: Rooted

• A: Miracle: +Recovery

Level 18: Ice Patch

• A: Invention: Recharge Reduction

Level 20: Crystal Armor

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• 31: Luck of the Gambler: Defense
• 34: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance
• 37: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Recharge
• 39: Luck of the Gambler: Endurance/Recharge

Level 22: Freezing Touch

• A: Unbreakable Constraint: Chance for Smashing Damage
• 43: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge
• 45: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
• 47: Hecatomb: Recharge/Accuracy
• 47: Hecatomb: Damage
• 49: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative)

Level 24: Brimstone Armor

• A: Aegis: Resistance
• 29: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
• 31: Aegis: Resistance/Recharge
• 31: Aegis: Psionic/Status Resistance

Level 26: Frozen Aura

• A: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage
• 33: Superior Avalanche: Damage/Endurance
• 33: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 33: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• 34: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 34: Superior Avalanche: Recharge/Chance for Knockdown

Level 28: Minerals

• A: Red Fortune: Defense
• 36: Red Fortune: Defense/Endurance
• 36: Red Fortune: Defense/Recharge
• 36: Red Fortune: Endurance/Recharge
• 37: Red Fortune: Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• 37: Red Fortune: Endurance

Level 30: Kick

• A: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge

Level 32: Tough

• A: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
• 40: Invention: Resist Damage
• 49: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%

Level 35: Weave

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• 42: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance
• 42: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Recharge
• 42: Luck of the Gambler: Endurance/Recharge
• 43: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge

Level 38: Geode

• A: Invention: Recharge Reduction

Level 41: Combat Jumping

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed

Level 44: Hasten

• A: Invention: Recharge Reduction
• 45: Invention: Recharge Reduction

Level 47: Zapp

• A: Sting of the Manticore: Accuracy/Damage
• 48: Sting of the Manticore: Damage/Endurance
• 48: Sting of the Manticore: Damage/Interrupt/Recharge
• 48: Sting of the Manticore: Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 50: Sting of the Manticore: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
• 50: Apocalypse: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy

Level 49: Ball Lightning

• A: Ragnarok: Damage
• A: Ragnarok: Recharge/Accuracy
• 50: Ragnarok: Chance for Knockdown
• 51: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
• 51: Ragnarok: Damage/Endurance

──────────────────────────────

Inherents:

Level 1: Assassination

Level 1: Brawl

• (Empty)

Level 1: Sprint

• A: Celerity: +Stealth

Level 2: Rest

• (Empty)

Level 1: Swift

• A: Invention: Run Speed

Level 1: Hurdle

• A: Invention: Jumping

Level 1: Health

• A: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance

Level 1: Stamina

• A: Performance Shifter: EndMod
• 23: Invention: Endurance Modification
• 25: Invention: Endurance Modification

Level 10: Double Jump

Level 49: Quick Form

 

 

Stalker - Ice - Stone.mbd

Edited January 11 by Carnifax

[Onlyasandwich]

Looking like some nice improvements, Carnifax!

 

I put together how I would approach it with the same power choices.

 

Some broad differences:

• Modest improvement in slow resist.
• Leveraging procs in a few more powers for a good increase in damage. I did end up keeping frost with the ATO set. It's a solid enough vanilla attack even for ST filler, and it's otherwise sort of awkward to leverage the buildup proc in ice.
• .34 end/sec more. Your new build has improved here, but it's still pretty tight. Fighting pool is always a bit of a tax!
• A modest edge in resists, while maintaining very similar defense totals. 

 

Ultimately they are very close in general approach. I like that your second build doubles down more on S/L resist than the first. I've found stone a bit squishy without paying attention to some good baseline totals here.

 

Note that I have toggled on Quick form, toggled off Build up and its accompanying proc.

 

Stalker (Ice Melee - Stone Armor).mbd

 

Build:

Spoiler

Selected Powers

Level 1: Ice Sword

• Slot Level 1: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 43: Superior Blistering Cold: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 45: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 45: Touch of Death: Chance of Damage(Negative)
• Slot Level 46: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)
• Slot Level 46: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage

Level 1: Hide

• Slot Level 1: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)

Level 2: Rock Armor

• Slot Level 2: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• Slot Level 3: Reactive Defenses: Defense
• Slot Level 3: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance
• Slot Level 43: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage

Level 4: Frost

• Slot Level 4: Superior Assassin's Mark: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 5: Superior Assassin's Mark: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 5: Superior Assassin's Mark: RechargeTime/Rchg Build Up
• Slot Level 37: Superior Assassin's Mark: Damage/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 37: Superior Assassin's Mark: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 40: Superior Assassin's Mark: Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime

Level 6: Stone Skin

• Slot Level 6: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
• Slot Level 7: Aegis: Resistance
• Slot Level 7: Aegis: Resistance/Recharge
• Slot Level 19: Red Fortune: Defense/Endurance
• Slot Level 36: Red Fortune: Defense
• Slot Level 37: Red Fortune: Defense/Recharge

Level 8: Assassin's Ice Sword

• Slot Level 8: Superior Stalker's Guile: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 9: Superior Stalker's Guile: Damage/Recharge
• Slot Level 9: Superior Stalker's Guile: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• Slot Level 17: Superior Stalker's Guile: Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 17: Superior Stalker's Guile: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 19: Superior Stalker's Guile: Recharge/Chance to Hide

Level 10: Earth's Embrace

• Slot Level 10: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb
• Slot Level 11: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 11: Preventive Medicine: Heal
• Slot Level 13: Aegis: Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 15: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 46: Aegis: Resistance/Recharge

Level 12: Build Up

• Slot Level 12: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: Chance for Build Up

Level 14: Combat Jumping

• Slot Level 14: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed

Level 16: Rooted

• Slot Level 16: Numina's Convalesence: +Regeneration/+Recovery

Level 18: Ice Patch

• Slot Level 18: Invention: Recharge Reduction

Level 20: Crystal Armor

• Slot Level 20: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• Slot Level 21: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance
• Slot Level 21: Luck of the Gambler: Defense
• Slot Level 34: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 34: Luck of the Gambler: Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 36: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End

Level 22: Freezing Touch

• Slot Level 22: Hecatomb: Damage
• Slot Level 23: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 23: Hecatomb: Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 33: Hecatomb: Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 33: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative)
• Slot Level 34: Unbreakable Constraint: Chance for Smashing Damage

Level 24: Brimstone Armor

• Slot Level 24: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
• Slot Level 25: Aegis: Resistance
• Slot Level 25: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 33: Aegis: Endurance/Recharge

Level 26: Frozen Aura

• Slot Level 26: Armageddon: Damage
• Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
• Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Chance for Fire Damage
• Slot Level 29: Eradication: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 29: Eradication: Accuracy/Recharge
• Slot Level 31: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage

Level 28: Super Jump

• Slot Level 28: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)

Level 30: Minerals

• Slot Level 30: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• Slot Level 31: Red Fortune: Defense/Endurance
• Slot Level 31: Red Fortune: Defense

Level 32: Geode

• Slot Level 32: Doctored Wounds: Heal/Recharge

Level 35: Hasten

• Slot Level 35: Invention: Recharge Reduction
• Slot Level 36: Invention: Recharge Reduction

Level 38: Zapp

• Slot Level 38: Superior Winter's Bite: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 39: Superior Winter's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 39: Superior Winter's Bite: Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
• Slot Level 39: Sting of the Manticore: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
• Slot Level 40: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
• Slot Level 40: Apocalypse: Chance of Damage(Negative)

Level 41: Ball Lightning

• Slot Level 41: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage
• Slot Level 42: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• Slot Level 42: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
• Slot Level 42: Javelin Volley: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• Slot Level 43: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage

Level 47: Tough

• Slot Level 47: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
• Slot Level 45: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
• Slot Level 48: Aegis: Resistance
• Slot Level 48: Aegis: Psionic/Status Resistance
• Slot Level 48: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
• Slot Level 50: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)

Level 49: Weave

• Slot Level 49: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• Slot Level 50: Red Fortune: Defense/Endurance
• Slot Level 50: Red Fortune: Defense

 

Inherent Powers

Health:

• Slot Level 1: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance
• Slot Level 13: Miracle: +Recovery

Stamina:

• Slot Level 1: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
• Slot Level 15: Performance Shifter: EndMod

 

 

[InvaderStych]

On 1/10/2024 at 8:47 AM, Carnifax said:

Thoughts appreciated. 

 

Welcome Back!

 

I have a Fire/Stone/Blaze slotted somewhat differently with broadly similar numbers. I'll have to look closer at your updated build at another time, but I don't see too much to suggest.

 

/Stone is amazing on a Stalker, but Geode isn't terribly useful - it gets broken through too quickly to build the damage boost at anything above default difficulty. +3/+4 heavy hitters can crack it in one or two strokes sometimes. x8 groups also make short work of it. If you wanted to take something else instead you could easily drop it.

 

The Celerity piece in Stealth (edit: I means Sprint, lol) seems redundant? Is it useful outside of Hidden in some way I'm not getting?

 

Edited January 12 by InvaderStych
accuracy

[Onlyasandwich]

Here's an alternate version that hits softcaps more cleanly if that is a priority. Sacrifices proc potential in Zapp, but comes out ahead on some more bonuses in Frozen Aura.

 

Stalker (Ice Melee - Stone Armor).mbd

Edited January 12 by Onlyasandwich

[Bopper]

Agree with onlyasandwich, not a fan of 6 slotting the build up. I recommend 1 slot that, and move most the slots into rooted. Make it a 5 piece Panacea with the proc (+5 all the IOs).

 

For earth embrace, I probably would 5 slot that as Panacea and put the PM IO into Geode, or 6 slot ER with PM set.

 

You net endurance looks rough. Ageless might carry it, but if you exemplar you will want a plan

[Carnifax]

Update after ~40 levels. Enjoying this build immensely as a replacement for Ice/Bio (who has been gutted for IOs). Far less secondary clicking required and nice and tough. 

 

Did some Log Parsing as I do and found some interesting things. 

1. Brimstone "proc" is about the same in terms of overall damage as my Ice Sword (which I use regularly). 
2. Brimstone doesn't ever seem to recharge Build Up via Assassins Mark, which seems right. Looks like the check is tied to ToHit rolls and Brimstone doesn't make them 
3. Frozen Aura is, for some reason, Autohit (??). Logs support this and it has to be a bug right? I can't think of a single other PBAoE which is autohit (apologies to any Ice Stalkers out there who are like "Noooo. We knew but didn't want it getting out!"). For the moment this is your "Stupid Paragon Protector Elude" killer. 
4. End woes were as bad as ye predicted so I've ripped things out of Build Up and redistributed to giving extra slots to Stamina, Health (for a Numina) and Crystal Armour (for another Performance Shifter)

Is there anything I can lob into Geode to also help recovery, assuming I never / rarely use the thing (it really is a crap Hibernate. Lots of the time it just immediately bursts, especially solo). Happy to move Panacea there if it'll just chug away but not certain how it'd work (I know Miracle & Numina would be "it'll work for 2 mins after you trigger the power" which is fiddly). 

[twozerofoxtrot]

12 minutes ago, Carnifax said:

Frozen Aura is, for some reason, Autohit (??).

 

Sleeps were changed to be Autohit.

 

However, the damage component of the power (and any %damage procs slotted) still have a separate roll to hit.

[Carnifax]

24 minutes ago, twozerofoxtrot said:

 

Sleeps were changed to be Autohit.

 

However, the damage component of the power (and any %damage procs slotted) still have a separate roll to hit.

Oh okay. Weirdly it doesnt seem to record them (or the procs) in the logs

[twozerofoxtrot]

7 hours ago, Carnifax said:

Oh okay. Weirdly it doesnt seem to record them (or the procs) in the logs

 

Understandable confusion then, but it is happening somewhere, as CoD shows:

 

7 hours ago, Carnifax said:

Is there anything I can lob into Geode to also help recovery, assuming I never / rarely use the thing

 

Also, I forgot to answer this but personally I just 1-slot it with Synapses Shock F, which provides Schedule B End Mod (26.5%) and 15% Run Speed (always on, like a set bonus).

 

It's a nice boost to ground movement and helps perk up the endurance recovery. 

Edited January 18 by twozerofoxtrot

[Decair]

On 1/12/2024 at 11:47 AM, Onlyasandwich said:

Here's an alternate version that hits softcaps more cleanly if that is a priority. Sacrifices proc potential in Zapp, but comes out ahead on some more bonuses in Frozen Aura.

 

Stalker (Ice Melee - Stone Armor).mbd 42.15 kB · 10 downloads

I’m a returning player to the game after… 15 years ish.  🙂

 

I’m thinking of using this build to level an Ice/Stone stalker, so really appreciate both the thread being created and the various builds being posted. 
 

Are there any things that I need to be aware of as I use the build for leveling guidance?  Obviously I need to learn more about how to build / find IOs and the like, but I’ve been reading up on those.  But if anyone has insights like whether I should alter part of the build during leveling, then I’d appreciate the advice.  Thanks in advance!

[Carnifax]

I've been doing my usual, IOing as I go and shoring up with standard enhancements.

 

One thing I did find useful from 16ish to 30 when I respecced was taking Air Superiority (or Frozen Fists) to fill gaps. Only if you're happy to respec it out later though.

 

I've taken Zapp & Ball Lightning as my epics. Ball Lightning is great as a trigger to set off Assassins Mark. Freezing Touch from Hidden, Assassin's strike, Zapp (again from Hidden) is a great combo. Solo hidden Zapp snipes are also a great way to thin out / pull. Was running a Carnie tips mission +2x4 with multiple bosses in the spawns and this was a great way to tactically deal with them (snipe them, drop ice patch and duck around the corner) 

 

Ice Patch is still the best no-slot power in the game.

 

Oh, and for prioritizing which IOs you need ASAP Performance Shifter chance for End in Stamina and Crystal Armour are must-haves. I've some spare ones, email me in-game @Carnifax and I'll send them on to you. 

Edited January 20 by Carnifax

[Decair]

Thanks!  Appreciate the feedback and help!  I’ve sent you an email in-game.  Handle there is @cryowisp.

[Onlyasandwich]

On 1/20/2024 at 1:22 AM, Decair said:

Are there any things that I need to be aware of as I use the build for leveling guidance?

The build itself is moderately expensive, so your budget will be a factor. Being able to buy both ATO sets and the early Blistering cold will go a long way. You can catalyze them into superior at 50, and ride them all the way up.

 

Other than that, there aren't any special considerations in terms of how I would expect it to drive as you level. On stalkers, I generally recommend focusing on slotting out your attacks first. Earth's embrace is a fairly low slotting priority, so can be filled out later in the build in favor of fleshing out end support and other parts of your secondary sooner.

 

Especially in solo play, Ice Patch covers for poor defenses pretty well if you use it carefully, and only needs the base slot to get online. This can hold you over until you get the slots to boost up your secondary.

 

 

[Carnifax]

Hit 50 yesterday and here's my mid-range version of the build (my Live build I've actually gone with 5 Hecatombs in Freezing touch but if you're on a budget I always just go for the Purple Procs and use a cheaper set instead). Other than that it's basically the ingame build. 

 

Not convinced I want to go full bore with adding Winters and more purples in yet. This build is still very strong and saves you a lot of Inf. 

 

Note that ingame my Def is about 1.6 higher than shown in Mids even mid combat. No idea why but it gets NRG Def to 44.9 and S/L to just about 50. 

 

 

 

Periglacial - Stalker (Ice Melee - Stone Armor).mbd

Edited January 23 by Carnifax

[Decair]

I’m currently level 18 following this build (a bit of looking at the different builds as they evolved through the thread and basing decisions on that).  The spare IOs (with instructions) and seed INF from Carnifax definitely helped.

 

As the first toon I really leveled, I’ll say that it felt powerful and other than the two times I allowed myself to get overwhelmed with tons of adds, I’ve never felt at risk soloing.  I don’t feel like I have an end problem yet, but I’ve also been focusing on leveraging guides to use the auction house to make money and to buy the additional set IO’s as I level.

As suggested I’m putting more slots into attacks, which seems worthwhile.

 

I’m a bit of a completionist so I greatly appreciate using Hide to skip past mobs and to just complete mission objectives.  This lets me see more content prior to out leveling it.

 

Attack chain is awkward.  I expect it’ll get better as I get more Ice attacks when I level.  In the interim, I’m using the P2W attacks, which aren’t great and miss a fair amount (but can’t be slotted).

 

[Decair]

As someone who was finding certain ice/stone sound effects were driving them nuts, I was so excited to find this post which explains how to silence selective sound effects!

 

 

[MizuUeumatsu]

Hi, I am new to homecoming and have found this helpful as a sort of guide to get started. I like ice/stone because the crystals look more appealing than the ice cube ice armor. A quick question: where are you all getting the game money to buy all of these mods before level 30 or do I wait till 50th and then farm game money? Also: is it possible to get by with just ninja run? Also: should I put an ff +tech in kick?

 

Thank you and have fun out there.

[InvaderStych]

16 hours ago, MizuUeumatsu said:

A quick question: where are you all getting the game money to buy all of these mods before level 30 ...

 

1. Send an in-game email to @Yomo Kimyata because they like to give a stack of Fake Money Units, once, to anyone who asks nicely.

 

2. Sort of depends on what your wheelhouse looks like.

 

-- If you're like me (ie don't want to put a bunch of effort into the economics of the thing), just play mission arcs and join Task/Strike Forces for Reward Merits. Take those to the Merit Vendor and either buy Boosters, Converters, or Un-Slotters and put those up for sale on the market (use /ah command in game for easy access). 100 RMs should net you approximately 20-25mil FMUs, with the thing you want to sell changing from time to time depending on what is hot. Most folks go for Converters, but I prefer to play Boosters as the price tends to stay more stable, and there is less clicking. Pay particular attention to the Weekly Strike Target for double RM payouts. Team Leads recruiting for these will use the tag WST in their call-outs. The double payout is only once per character per WST, but you do get badge credit for "helping" others run it once you've gotten the RM bonus.\ on a previous run. There are also some great mission arcs in the 25-45 level ranges that have very good RM payouts.

 

-- If you dig crafting you can make good FMUs by using the crafting system to turn low-budget recipes into higher value IOs for profit.

 

-- If you are not into crafting, sell ALL salvage on the Auction House. Orange pieces well get you FMUs, Yellow and White feed the crafting community, which puts IOs on the market for the rest of us to buy. Same goes for recipes. Use the Orange pieces to make profit, Yellow and White are feeders for the crafters. See below for what to do with these if you are into the Market Scene, because ...

 

-- ... If you enjoy playing the market mini-game you can make the most FMUs possible by heading on over to the Market sub-forum and diving head first into that scene. There you will find info on how to play the market to make billions for the FMU stacks.

 

3. As you're leveling, focus on the pieces that make the most impact. For a Stalker that's the ATO sets in the build and any/all of the Unique or Global pieces (LoTG +Recharge, Panacea, Performance Shifter, Etc). Fill in the regular pieces later.

 

4. Sell all DO/SO drops that cannot be slotted and Common (white) recipes at the vendors. Once you get to 50 these become fairly valuable there. Not big money, but worth doing periodically to clear out the inventory. If you are slotting SOs to fill gaps as you level and flesh out the build (no reason not to), don't use the Upgrade button every level. Every 2nd or 3rd level will suffice and you'll save some FMUs. For some reason hitting it every level costs more than doing so at alternating levels.

 

16 hours ago, MizuUeumatsu said:

or do I wait till 50th and then farm game money?

 

You can do both. If farming is something you enjoy, there is ample opportunity to do so. But there is no necessity to farm. FMUs fall like rain around here, and even the most expensive IOs in a build are pretty easy to come by with just regular play and minimal effort on the Market. Once you do get to 50 with something, regular play itself is pretty lucrative as you'll start getting into Very Rare (purple) recipe drops that you'll want to craft to keep or sell depending on your needs/wants.

 

16 hours ago, MizuUeumatsu said:

Also: is it possible to get by with just ninja run?

 

Yes. If you have a need to fly there are also Temp Power jet packs available. I tend to take Travels for other reasons, but if you really don't have slots for such things, there are plenty of ways to get around.

 

16 hours ago, MizuUeumatsu said:

Also: should I put an ff +tech in kick?

 

Meh. You can, but don't expect a lot of value out of it. Generally speaking it isn't worth interrupting your normal attack chain with Kick for a chance at the 5 second +rech boost. That said, if you are hit with massive -recharge from mobs it can be an ok panic button. I used to do it as a matter of course and just filling the slot, but lately I've just stopped bothering.

 

16 hours ago, MizuUeumatsu said:

Thank you and have fun out there.

 

Welcome Home. ^tm

Edited April 15 by InvaderStych

[MizuUeumatsu]

Thank you for the guidance!

 

Have fun out there