The Support Stalker Experiment

Dark Current · July 9

Can a predator become a protector?

Hello all,

Most know -or think they know - the Stalker as a deadly solo artist — a surgical assassin, a glass cannon in stealth, built to strike first and hard. But what if there was another path?

Welcome to the Support Stalker Experiment — a project exploring the radical (is it?) idea that Stalkers can bring more than just damage to a team. By combining select powersets that include enemy debuffs, control effects, and team support tools, I’m testing whether a new role can emerge: the Support Stalker.

The Concept

This series flips the traditional script:

What if the Stalker doesn’t just eliminate the target… but softens the entire battlefield for the team? Or even hardens the team for the fights ahead?

These builds layer things like:

-DEF, -To Hit, -Regen, -END, -Recovery
Knockdown, Hold, Sleep, Immobilize, Fear
Team buffs, heals, and debuff resistance
Each build tests whether a Stalker — normally not thought of as “team utility” — can enable others to succeed while still bringing solid damage.

The Method

Each Support Stalker is tested as the only source of support on a small team of five characters. No traditional support ATs (no Defenders, Controllers, Corrupters, etc.) are included. The team runs:

Level 54 x8 missions (radio/paper/tip)
With DPS tracked using Sythlin’s real-time performance tool
All builds compared against one another and also against my data from the DEFCON 5 and ongoing DEFCON II: Aftermath projects (which tested / are testing traditional support ATs in similar conditions).

The 8 Support Stalker Test Builds

These aren't your typical claws and capes. Each one is built for team-impact potential and thematic clarity:

Name	Powersets	Tagline	Role Summary
Night Creeps	Spines / Dark Armor / Dark Mastery	The Dark Before the Doom	AoE cone suppression via -To Hit, Fear, Stun, and Immobilize; excels at crowd softening and denial
Edge of Winter	Ice Melee / Ninjitsu / Ice Mastery	The Frost Before the Freeze	Heavy -Recharge / -Speed stacking with crowd control and battlefield shaping via AoEs and stealth
Null Bind	Psionic Melee / Ice Armor / Psionic Mastery	The Chill Before the Kill	Massive -Recharge + soft control (Hold, Confuse, Sleep); creates battlefield paralysis
Over Exposure	Radiation Melee / Energy Aura / Fire Mastery	The Flash Before the Ash	Heavy -DEF and -RES layering; AoE control through stuns, burns, and endurance draining
Dead Cell	Electric Melee / Bio Armor / Mu Mastery	The Drain Before the Pain	Sleep and endurance-drain synergy; disables entire mobs by staggering their energy and action loops
Depleted Uranium	Stone Melee / Radiation Armor / Energy Mastery	The Quake Before the Break	AoE Knockdown disruptor with -DEF/-Regen stacking and ranged cone scatter support
Xaos Warden	Dark Melee / Shield Defense / Soul Mastery	The Shadow Before the Fall	AoE and ST -To Hit stacking with team defense buffs; plays a guardian-style control tank for the squad
Uncaged Psyche	Savage Melee / Psionic Armor / Leviathan Mastery	The Scream Before the Silence	(Pending) high-impact mental disruption with Psionic absorb, fear/debuff effects, and water-based AoE

Each one brings something unique:

Stacking -To Hit, -DEF, and -Res
Area denial and control
Target lockdown or endurance drain
Team defense and stealth auras
Minor AoE heals or resistance toggles
All built around cohesive stalker flavor

Why It Matters

We know Defenders and Controllers bring unparalleled support value — that’s been proven in the DEFCON project. But could a Stalker offer a leaner, faster, more dangerous kind of team utility? One that fits into smaller teams or faster content without sacrificing damage?

This project aims to answer that question — both through raw data and practical experience.

Interested?

I’ll be sharing detailed concepts and builds along with recorded solo and team missions to discuss:

Power choices
Support toolkit
Gameplay strategy
Strengths and limitations
Performance metrics compared to classic ATs

I’d love to hear your feedback, thoughts, or even see your own takes on “Support Stalkers.”

Do you run a Stalker that supports the team?
Have you experimented with debuffs, controls, or buffs in your own stalker builds?
Want to experience one of these firsthand with me in a team test run?

Post below, DM me, or comment on my YT channel if you'd like to explore this more!

Dark Current - YouTube

Edited July 9 by Dark Current

Dark Current · July 9

Xaos Warden – The Shadow Before the Fall

Support Stalker Test #1: Dark Melee / Shield Defense / Soul Mastery

The Support Stalker Experiment kicks off with a full evaluation of Xaos Warden, a magic-origin guardian who turns the shadows into shelter and blunts incoming threats with cascading accuracy debuffs.

Concept:

What if a Stalker could protect their team not by vanishing… but by making sure the enemies miss?

Xaos Warden isn’t a backline lurker. He’s a frontline phantasm wielding the Umbral Aegis, fusing Dark Melee’s -To Hit, Shield Defense’s +Defense auras, and Soul Mastery’s ranged suppression to serve as a living interference field. He layers debuffs, tanks selectively, and confuses priority targets through fear, holds, and knockdowns.

Mids Build: Xaos Warden - Stalker (Dark Melee - Shield Defense).mbd

Test Parameters:

Content: Level 54 x8 Radios, Tip Missions, and Boss-heavy content
Team Composition: 5 players, including Xaos Warden as the sole support
Data Capture: Sythlin’s DPS Tracker (same format used in the DEFCON Series)
Comparison: All Support Stalkers will be ranked against each other and against a baseline from traditional Defenders and Controllers

Support Toolkit:

-To Hit Stacking: Smite, Shadow Maul, Touch of Fear, Midnight Grasp, Dark Blast, Moonbeam, and the Widow’s Smoke Grenade
+Team Defense: Grant Cover offers AoE +DEF and stealth to the team, plus resistance to debuff types
Hard Control: Fear, Hold, Knockdown, and Immobilize effects let him neutralize threats instead of soaking them
Durability: Defensive toggles from Shield and Shadow Meld make him surprisingly sturdy for a Stalker

How It Played:

Team Role: Functioned as a shadow tank-lite—blunting alpha strikes with Grant Cover, opening with Shield Charge, and using -To Hit suppression to make teammates feel “shielded” without ever drawing aggro
Crowd Safety: Night Widow pet helped stack further accuracy debuffs, keeping lieutenants and bosses swinging wildly… and mostly missing
Solo Efficiency: Surprisingly capable soloing at +3/x8, despite low mitigation tools beyond debuff layering and control pacing

Verdict:

Xaos Warden proved the core hypothesis: a Stalker can support a team. Not by healing, buffing, or mez-blasting—but by surgically suppressing enemy accuracy and stacking defense around their squad.

Was he a Defender? No.
But did he defend? Absolutely.

Edited July 9 by Dark Current

Dark Current · July 9

Dead Cell – The Drain Before the Pain

Support Stalker Test #2: Electrical Melee / Bio Armor / Mu Mastery

The second subject in the Support Stalker Experiment is Dead Cell, a mutant-born horror twitching with bioelectric energy. His strategy: disrupt enemy attacks through stuttered sleep cycles and crippling endurance drain.