Elecetric Melee + Shield - Sell me on an AT!

[Blackmoor]

[Lol, I just noticed that I misspelled the title.]

 

I've heard so many great things about this combo over the years, and I'm finally ready to give it a go. I just can't decide on which AT to go with. I mostly prefer to run TFs/SFs, so this would be a team player, not a solo or PvP toon. Let me break down my perceptions and preferences as they stand:

 

Stalker - Most of the glowing praise I've heard about this combo pertains to Stalkers. I've heard that the two awesomesauce AoEs don't break stealth, and that the resulting damage is insane!

 

The problem is, I'm not particularly interested in running this combo as a stealth toon. It doesn't fit particularly well with the character concept I envision or the playstyle I'm aiming for with this particular combo. That said, I'm not discounting it outright based on the constant hype.

 

Tanker - I'm leaning more towards Tanker than anything else. Melee is the role I play the least in this game, so I haven't really witnessed the new changes to the AT firsthand. I love tanking in MMOs in general, so building and playing a tank isn't a problem for me. But I do want a ton of DPS in addition to the survivability.

 

Is the damage noticeably lackluster compared to other ATs? Does anyone else sing Shield/Ele's praises? Did anyone else find themselves disappointed with it?

 

Scrapper - I've taken the other three ATs to 50, but I've only ever had a single Scrapper(a Dark/Dark back on Live that fell by the wayside around 35 or so). How does Ele/Shield's damage output compare to the Stalker version? Is it an egregious paper tiger as compared to Shield/Ele or the Brute version? I'd be interested in giving Scrappers a second chance, but I always feel as though they're outclassed by other ATs. Could they be the Sweet Spot of non-stealth DPS that I'm looking for?

 

Brute - I've run a few over the years, but I'm starting to pine for other options. I run a ton of Dominators, so I'm looking to get away from the constant "Gogogogogogogo" mechanic. That said, I can see how they might also provide that Sweet Spot of DPS and survivability for me. Although I'm leaning "No" on Brutes, I'm open to any convincing arguments in their favor.

 

Any testimonials? Is the Stalker DPS so OP that I'd be a fool to roll otherwise? Can the Scrapper version deliver the goods? Can the Tanker fight its way out of a paper bag? Charge in here and turn this thread into a Lightning Rod of controversy!

 

 

Edited January 28 by Blackmoor

[MoisesG]

i vote Stalker cus LR crit from hide while not breaking hide is sexy, plus all of the crits. followed closely by Scrapper with the ATOs slotted is also amazing,

[arcane]

Stalker is the best choice because your ST damage will suck otherwise.

[Blackmoor]

Thanks for your replies. I'm probably going to roll Stalker based on everything I'm hearing. Electric Melee isn't considered particularly good DPS by the pro Tankers, and looking around the Scrapper forum I'm seeing "better on a Stalker".

[mistagoat]

My order:

Stalker

Scrapper

Tank

Brute

 

Scrapper is probably my favorite but I think my Stalker outpaces him.

Bottom line, you can't make a bad choice here!

[StarseedWarrior]

On 1/28/2024 at 3:18 PM, Blackmoor said:

Thanks for your replies. I'm probably going to roll Stalker based on everything I'm hearing. Electric Melee isn't considered particularly good DPS by the pro Tankers, and looking around the Scrapper forum I'm seeing "better on a Stalker".

You could go blapper if you want they can pick from a few melee attacks.

[Blackmoor]

I currently have my Stalker up to 26, and I'm loving it so far. The hype machine was right, it's a really fun combo. I now understand the reason why everyone says to go Stalker- Assassin's Strike is super useful in order to have a worthwhile single target attack chain.

 

I only have Lightning Rod and Thunder Strike atm, so I really haven't seen the AoE potential yet. But I can easily see this toon making it to 50. I'm going to start looking at some builds.

 

On 2/2/2024 at 2:02 PM, StarseedWarrior said:

You could go blapper if you want they can pick from a few melee attacks.

 

My first 50 blueside was an E³ Blaster. You're right, they make excellent blappers with tons of AoE. Highly recommended.

[Clave Dark 5]

My build was a Sav/Melee, and it's not super-optimized, but I dunno, maybe it'll give you some ideas: