How to fix Stalker MA

[Wavicle]

Stalker MA is the only attack set in the game with zero AoEs. This simply shouldn't be.

 

It doesn't need both Cobra Strike AND Crane Kick, they're basically the same attack. Smoosh them together.

Crane Strike has the same damage, recharge, and endurance cost as Cobra Strike or Crane Kick, but does both Disorient AND Knockback. There are three options for the animation, it can animate as Cobra Strike, or it can animate as Crane Kick, OR IT CAN ALTERNATE BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM!

 

For Stalkers only, Crane Strike replaces Cobra Strike, and Crane Kick is replaced by Dragon's Tail.

[Rudra]

No thanks. Planning on bringing back my Martial Arts/Ninjutsu Stalker, and I'm very happy with that how that character worked back on Live. Also, how are a disorient attack and a KB attack the same?

 

Edit: Also, pretty sure Crane Strike would not retain the same damage, recharge, and endurance as Cobra Strike or Crane Kick if it also got the secondary effect of the other.

 

Edited Sunday at 09:04 AM by Rudra

[Super Atom]

1 hour ago, Rudra said:

Planning on bringing back my Martial Arts/Ninjutsu Stalker, and I'm very happy with that how that character worked back on Live

[Uun]

Not sure about creating a merged power with both stun and kb, but one of Crane Kick, Cobra Strike or Crippling Axe Kick should be dropped in favor of Dragon's Tail. 

[Rudra]

The way I always viewed it was if I wanted a martial artist Stalker with AoEs, then I just made a Street Justice character. Whereas if I want a "traditional" monk/ninja Stalker, I made Martial Arts. Now I fully understand my opinion is going to be in the minority or even a singular voice, but MA never felt like it was missing anything after getting past the low levels. (Hells, Michi was the only character I was ever able to take on a Lambda without even having started progress on unlocking the Alpha slot, was able to leave my team behind, and was solo clearing crates and their spawns faster than the team which included two "at the time" full incarnates. Chaining ST attacks can be amazingly fast at clearing groups because you aren't spreading the damage.) And while I understand there is a massive call for AoEs everywhere, especially with the current meta, I personally like being able to make characters like Michi the Fallen. The contrast of a pop culture martial artist versus a "traditional" one.

[arcane]

With all due respect Rudra, on the spectrum from your good takes to your niche af patrol xp position, this is closer to the latter. Whether or not the OP’s proposal is the correct fix, surely needing seven single target attacks in your primary is not a hill worth dying on?

[Rudra]

2 hours ago, arcane said:

With all due respect Rudra, on the spectrum from your good takes to your niche af patrol xp position, this is closer to the latter. Whether or not the OP’s proposal is the correct fix, surely needing seven single target attacks in your primary is not a hill worth dying on?

Not planning on dying on it. I made my statement. Then I made a clarification statement. I had no plans for further comments until your post. And this comment is simply another clarification that I have made my statements.

 

Edit: This is going to be my response to @Glacier Peak. I'm going to add this comment here otherwise I'm going to find myself arguing something I had no intentions of arguing. This case is specific to me. So kindly don't take this statement and say I am applying it to everyone. On my MA/Nin' Stalker, I didn't have a particularly high recharge built in. So yes, I used all 7 attacks from the primary. They were set up as two different chains that started the same but ended differently that I alternated between to have my attack chain. Chain 1, chain 2, chain 1, chain 2. I'm not an avid devotee of Hasten or recharge reduction intensive builds. And my attacks were just slow enough that a single continuous chain didn't work. I liked that. It worked spectacularly well for me. So if an AoE gets added to MA? I'll give the devs a giant 🖕 and move on. If I brought back Michi before then? I'll make sure to never respec. If I brought Michi back but am still low enough level that I lost one of my attacks? I will delete the character. And if I haven't yet brought back Michi? I never will. That's me. That's the way I am with my character concepts. And with that, I hope there won't be any further comments that make me feel like I need to respond.

 

Edited Sunday at 09:39 PM by Rudra

[Glacier Peak]

MA powers all recharge pretty quickly too. It's like you've got 9 butter knifes but no spoon!

[Greycat]

Never honestly felt a lack of AOEs on my MA stalker was an issue. I felt *more* hobbled by higher resistances to my damage type as I leveled, if anything.

[TygerDarkstorm]

I know stalkers are often considered the ST specialists, but I wouldn't be totally opposed to stalker MA getting one of its ST attacks removed in favor of an AoE attack.

[Wavicle]

1 hour ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

I know stalkers are often considered the ST specialists, but I wouldn't be totally opposed to stalker MA getting one of its ST attacks removed in favor of an AoE attack.

I don't mind the idea of a ST specialist class, but in a game like this there should be NO set with zero AoE. It just isn't acceptable at all.

[Troo]

On 3/30/2025 at 1:24 AM, Wavicle said:

Stalker MA is the only attack set in the game with zero AoEs. This simply shouldn't be.

 

Not a bad suggestion.. other than the same same lose all the uniqueness's.

 

Is it akin to saying an Elec/Rad Stalker has too many AoEs? Not really, though it takes variety to be able to plot stalker powersets on a scale of 'few' to 'many' AoEs.

 

Other stalker sets with limited AoE examples:

• Ninja Blade has no AoE and one melee cone: Flashing Steel (7 foot 130°, 5 target cap)
• Broad Sword has no AoE and one melee cone: Slice (7 foot 130°, 5 target cap)
• Claws has no AoE, no melee cone, but a ranged cone at level 26 (30 foot 90°, 10 target cap)

 

With pool powers, epics, and incarnates NO character really HAS to go without AoEs.

 

[kelika2]

So many other sets needs help like this

kat and broadsword has little cones

energy crash was ok but it requires too much setup time or the charge fades between groups.  whirling fists is so much better

claws has to wait until 26

fault is this weird ass power that has like 3 different effects in it all with a chance to happen, damage is one of them or they wait until 26.  swap fault and tremor, give them seismic smash at tier9

ice melee didnt have to give up greater ice sword for AS.  ice patch is total crap

[TygerDarkstorm]

11 hours ago, Wavicle said:

I don't mind the idea of a ST specialist class, but in a game like this there should be NO set with zero AoE. It just isn't acceptable at all.

I agree. I think one of the reasons I haven't wanted to try MA on a stalker is because it has zero AoE abilities.

[Rudra]

11 minutes ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

I agree. I think one of the reasons I haven't wanted to try MA on a stalker is because it has zero AoE abilities.

Is that really a bad thing? There are multiple sets I won't use because of how they are set up. Others love those sets though. So what if not everyone is inclined to use one or more specific sets. Maybe if we try those sets we will find out we like them anyway, but even if we don't, at least there are sets that cater to different approaches.

[battlewraith]

50 minutes ago, Rudra said:

Is that really a bad thing?

 

Yes, Michi the Fallen is an abomination. He can only fight one enemy at a time. He needs to go back to ninja school. 

[TygerDarkstorm]

1 hour ago, Rudra said:

Is that really a bad thing? There are multiple sets I won't use because of how they are set up. Others love those sets though. So what if not everyone is inclined to use one or more specific sets. Maybe if we try those sets we will find out we like them anyway, but even if we don't, at least there are sets that cater to different approaches.

Considering I said the lack of AoE is why I haven't rolled an MA stalker? I would say yes. I'm not pressed either way whether the devs decide to implement this or not. Someone is *always* going to be bummed out when the devs change a set--it doesn't mean that the change was bad, necessarily. Even if MA got an AoE, it's not like people who like being single target focused can't still do that.

[Rudra]

4 minutes ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

Considering I said the lack of AoE is why I haven't rolled an MA stalker? I would say yes. I'm not pressed either way whether the devs decide to implement this or not. Someone is *always* going to be bummed out when the devs change a set--it doesn't mean that the change was bad, necessarily. Even if MA got an AoE, it's not like people who like being single target focused can't still do that.

I was considering that. Which is why I asked the question. From a game perspective, not a "make it something I am willing to use" perspective, is it really so bad to have sets that play different and cater to different approaches? Especially in light of there being another martial arts set that includes two AoEs.

 

Because if your answer is yes, all the sets must be set up in a manner that you specifically are willing to play rather than having options for different approaches to playing the game, then I'm going to make a few suggestions to change Cold Domination, Force Field and Thermal Radiation to be changed without consideration to the fact that those sets are beloved by a lot of players on the grounds that I won't play them the way they are currently set up.

[battlewraith]

It seems to me that, once you factor in damage procs. a set that is only single target is even worse off. It has less options to slot different types of IOs, and an AOE attack that is proced out may do more damage to a single target than an actual single target attack. 

[Jiro Ito]

On 4/1/2025 at 12:50 PM, battlewraith said:

It seems to me that, once you factor in damage procs. a set that is only single target is even worse off. It has less options to slot different types of IOs, and an AOE attack that is proced out may do more damage to a single target than an actual single target attack. 

 

this is a good point, and not just as far as procs but you also run into the Rule of 5 faster, and run out of purple sets, and winter AOs, etc etc etc.